Munkustrap sniffed the air, a look of alarm creeping over his handsome features. He glanced around the small group he had been hunting with. Plato and Dusty were discussing whether it was better to fight a Pollicle or run away from it, and didn't notice their Leader's troubled look, but Ayta moved forward, looking worried.

"What's wrong?" She asked the tall cat. Munkustrap blinked, then shook his head.

"I'm not sure…" He murmered. "But something's not right. We'd better be careful." Ayta's eyes widened in alarm.

"You mean…"

"It could be." Munkustrap answered the silent question. "Plato! Dusty!" He called, getting the attention of the two young cats, who had just decided that it really depended on the size of the Pollicle. They looked around with a rather guilty expression. "There might be trouble ahead. Be careful and keep a sharp eye." Munkustrap warned. Dusty glanced around warily. Now she was aware, she could sense something lurking, shadowy in her sixth sense but there was definetely something wrong.

"I can feel something too," She admitted. "Let's go in quietly until we find someone," She suggested. Munkustrap nodded.

"Dusty, you and Plato watch the back. Keep your senses aware, Dusty, and Plato use your ears and eyes. Ayta and I will lead." The three cats nodded, and moved into formation, silently entering the Junkyard with soundless ease.

Cielito positioned himself carefully behind a metal crate and watched his side of the Junkyard. It was boring – there didn't seem to even be any cats left in the Junkyard now. Then Cielito spotted a motherly queen in the corner, trying to calm two hysterical kittens. Interest sparked as he saw it was the two who had rushed past him earlier. Forgetting his assignment, he stealthily crept closer, wondering what was going on.

"…you don't understand!" The young queen was crying. "'Rina said he was dead. I saw him, Jellylorum! He was so still!" The older queen, Jellylorum, pulled her closer.

"Jenny is a great healer, Demeter," She said softly, so that Cielito had to strain to hear. "Just be calm, and don't worry. It won't help Alonzo." Cielito drew back. He hadn't heard much, but the Jellicle's distress and concern for another cat confused him. This Alonzo must have been hurt, he realised, maybe killed. Cielito was a simple cat, and usually his thoughts didn't extend much beyond how he was getting his next meal and where he could find a nice place to sleep. However, now a strange emotion seemed to grip him, deep down in his soul. He found himself wondering if he should help the other cats. They seemed so sad. Even the older queen, who was the image of calmness as she soothed the distraught kittens, emanated an aura of fear and distress. Cielito had never felt much for another cat this way, and now he wondered if he should.

His assignment completely forgotten, he turned and crept back to the hole in the fence and peered out. The young queen had come from this direction. Cielito wondered what he was doing. He had never tried to help another cat before, especially one he didn't even know, but something was drawing him, something deeper than any normal emotion. Without another thought he leapt through the gap, and came face to face with a slender Siamese queen.

For one heart-stopping moment Cielito thought it was Chloe. Then he realised the cat's eyes were blue, not Chloe's steely grey.

"Cassandra!" He gasped as the memory of what he was supposed to be doing flooded back. He gulped, then asked, "What are you doing here?" Cassandra's eyes flickered. She seemed confused for a moment but regained control so quickly Cielito wondered if he had imagined the hesitation.

"I'm checking on you," She said lighty. "I might have known you'd forget what you were supposed to be doing." Cielito sighed. He wasn't scared of Chloe's younger sister as he was of Chloe herself. Cassandra, the youngest cat in Macavity's gang, was probably the closest he had to a friend.

"I'm sorry, Cassa," He hung his head. "I forgot…" The feeling was tugging him again. He lifted his head and peered with some confusion in the direction he had been going. "I felt such a strange thing…I heard some of the Jellicles in there talking about one of their gang, called Alonzo." He explained. "They were upset, two kittens thought he was dead." He heard Cassandra gasp and looked back at her. The blue eyes were suddenly wide and unseeing.

"Dead…?" She whispered, her voice shaking slightly. Cielito frowned. Everything was going topsy-turvy this evening!

"Do you know Alonzo?" He asked incredulously, but Cassa didn't seem to even hear him. Suddenly Cielito shuddered in pain as the feeling of pulling suddenly yanked, right down in his soul. "I have to go!" He cried, and raced away at top speed, again forgetting Macavity's assignment. Cassa didn't notice him go. Dazed, she stood still for a few seconds, then shook her head. She had a mission here too, and the life of her leader could depend on her. Casting her distress over Alonzo to the back of her mind, she moved swiftly into the junkyard.

Cielito had never run so fast in his life. The feeling was tugging him unerringly towards where Alonzo lay, and to the beat of his paws a single phrase drummed in his mind. There's not much time. There's not much time. Rocketing down the street, he turned into the mouth of a narrow, dead-end alley and stopped. A tall kitten with dark red fur was leaning in the arms of a brown tom about Cielito's age, her eyes closed. The tom was staring intently at the stars and didn't immeditaly notice Cielito. A few feet further down the alley a tabby knelt with her paws resting gently on the body of a small black and white tom. There was no doubt in Cielito's mind that this was Alonzo. Silently he paced over and knelt beside the queen. Her paws shone faintly with silver healing magic, but somehow, the strange, deep feeling told Cielito that her magic alone was not enough to save the injured kitten. Behind him he heard the brown tom straighten nervously, wondering what to do about the sudden arrival. Turning, Cielito smiled at him.

"I can help," He said calmly. Something was guiding him, and he didn't question his instincts when they were this strong. He'd never been able to think this clearly before, and he turned back to the kitten and placed his paws beside the queen's.

Suddenly, his paws glowed golden. Cielito gasped in shock and awe as the golden current he didn't even know he had flowed into the kitten. The queen kneeling beside him gasped too, her eyes flying open. Alonzo's body shone with a quiet, silvery-gold glow. As they watched, the glow faded into his fur and disappeared from view. For a second everything was still. Then Alonzo moved, and opened his eyes.

"Alonzo!" There was a cry from behind them, and Cielito moved aside as the red kitten flung herself next to Alonzo and began licking him. "You're alive! Oh…" Bombalurina whispered, blinking hard to keep the tears back. Alonzo allowed himself to be licked for a few seconds, then pushed himself to his feet.

"Enough, already!" He laughed a little tremulously. "What happened? There was a big cat…" He trailed off as he spotted Cielito. The white tom was still kneeling, trying to clear his head. The healing had drained most of his energy and he wondered whether he should just kneel here all night, and spare himself the indignity of falling over as soon as he stood. "Cielito?" Alonzo asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?" Cielito looked up.

"You know me?" He asked. Alonzo was suddenly a little embarressed.

"Um…by sight…" He mumbled, too proud to admit he was jealous of the assumed relationship between Cielito and Chloe. Jennyanydots raised her head tiredly. She also was still on her knees, gathering as much of her energy as was left so that she could make it back to the Junkyard before she fell asleep.

"Oh, that's who you are," She said to the white tom. "Cielito. I have heard about you…but never that you were a healer. Healing magic is very rare, you know, and I thought I was the only one in the area." She looked questioningly at Cielito.

"I didn't even know I was a healer myself, until just now!" Cielito explained. "I just felt this weird feeling suddenly, like I had to come here, and when I did I somehow…well, it just happened." He stared at his paws, wondering how they had done that. It was like the magic had been pulled out of him by Alonzo's need, as soon as he had touched him. Bombalurina, who still had her arms around Alonzo, looked across.

"You healed Alonzo?" She whispered, letting go of Alonzo. Crawling over, she flung her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you!"

Alonzo sighed to himself. "It's true." He muttered too quietly to be heard. "He does get all the queens."