The moon was high in the sky as Alonzo approached the junkyard. He listened, but couldn't hear anything. Hopefully the junkyard would be nearly empty, and the other cats wouldn't ask where he had been. He started to walk towards it, but paused as he heard soft footfalls coming towards him. Turning, he saw a large, scruffy silhouette coming towards him. Alonzo arched his back and hissed. It was a tom, straying onto the territory of the Jellicle Tribe.
"What do you want?" Alonzo called, backing away a little. The closer the cat got, the bigger – and meaner – he looked. "This is Jellicle territory." The tom stopped, but didn't turn away. Alonzo realised belatedly that this tom was the biggest he had ever seen, including Old Deuteronomy.
"Jellicle's your gang, is it?" The tom sneered. "Never heard of you." He walked to the nearest corner of the junkyard. Alonzo leapt over, all the fur on his body standing straight up on end.
"Get out! Now!" He spat. "You don't stand a chance round here. Munkustrap will beat the fur off you!" The cat looked at down at him, then swung his hefty head around to scan the area. Alonzo could hardly see the cat's face, its fur was so shaggy and matted.
"I don't see this fearsome Munkustrap anywhere." The tom remarked. "Get out of the way before I hurt you. Oh, and kitten," He added. "Tell your Munkustrap he'll have to take his Jellicles somewhere else." Alonzo would have laughed if he hadn't been a little intimidated by the cat that was at least twice the size of him.
"You have got to be kidding," He said, disbelief hinting unwisely in his tone. "Do you know how many there are of us? You wouldn't stand a chance – ow!" His words were cut off as the tom hit him heavily across the face. The force of the blow knocked Alonzo from his paws and rolled him over twice. Dizzy, Alonzo staggered to his feet. The floor seemed to tip and spin, and he fought desperately to remain on his paws.
"Did that hurt, kitten?" The tom laughed cruelly. "I barely touched you. Would you like to feel the full force of my paw?" He advanced slowly. Alonzo shook his head painfully, stumbling backwards a pace, tasting blood in his mouth.
"You don't? What a pity." The tom grinned evilly. "You're going to get it anyway." He raised his paw. Still dizzy from the first blow, Alonzo didn't duck fast enough. Lights erupted in front of his eyes as a massive force knocked him flying. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
The tom left the kitten crumpled in the shadows, and moved softly into the Junkyard. He had lied to the kitten – he wasn't staking territory, that was just to get the smaller cat out of the way. In fact, he was here to claim a bigger prize. If he had told the kitten what he was really there for, it was more likely the kitten would have run straight for the adults in his gang, instead of trying to warn him away and giving the tom a chance to get rid of him. He was here for revenge. He was going to make the Jellicle Cats pay for casting him out so many years ago, and this time he wasn't alone. This time Munkustrap would not escape his merciless claws. From beneath the heavy fur coat that made him look so huge, Macavity uttered his cold, cruel laugh. He threw off the coat, revealing short, bristling fur that streaked in jagged stripes of red and black, and claws over two inches long which ended in razor-sharp points. Kicking his disguise into the shadows where it wouldn't be seen, he slunk into the junkyard. It was almost deserted. Macavity carefully avoided the small group of queens chatting at the other end of the clearing. It wouldn't do to be seen – any Jellicle would raise the alert before he could silence them, and Macavity knew that strong though he was, he couldn't take on a tribe of over 20 cats on his own. This time Munkustrap would be getting a surprise visit. Macavity crept over to Munkustrap's den, but found it deserted. There was, however, a strong, recent scent leading away from the den, mingling with the scents of other cats, both toms and queens. Macavity smiled evilly to himself. The entry to the den faced away from the clearing – unless another cat was with Munkustrap when he came in, he wouldn't be seen. And he had backup for that eventuality, if the backup arrived on time. And they would come on time, because they knew what would happen to them if they were late. Macavity flexed his claws carefully – claws so long and sharp they could pierce flesh as easily as if they were daggers. When the murder was discovered, Macavity would be gone.