Part 10
Munkustrap sighed as he looked up to the tiny window that was the only source of light in the room he was kept in. There were bars in front of the window so that was not the way to escape… He couldn't escape even if he wanted to. He was chained to the wall with a metal ring around his throat that was connected to the chain in the wall. They had left him some food, some water and a blanket to sleep on so he supposed he had to be happy for the small favors. He was so ashamed of himself. He'd known something was up but hadn't listened to Safir's warning and now he was here. He could only imagine what Macavity would do to him and the tribe. He thought it best not to think of it, knowing whatever it was it would be horrible. He wondered if Alonzo felt this helpless when he got kitnapped all those years ago. Munk sighed when he realized his thoughts had yet again travelled to his lost friend… that was probably dead by now. Little did he know that he was going to get a big surprise really soon.
Alonzo landed on the floor underneath the vent and looked around carefully. This wasn't his first time "breaking in" somewhere but it always had him on an edge. He kept close to the walls and shadows, just in case someone or something would try to attack him. He was sniffing the air as he went, trying to find Munkustrap's scent… but it was hard. The garage was full of scents, which made it hard, even for him, to find the scent that belonged to the silver-tabby. But Alonzo was determent to find Munkustrap, for old friendship's sake if nothing else… and to proof to Tugger that he was able to do it… keeping his word in the process. Suddenly he heard footsteps coming towards him; he was in a small room, probably an office or something. He hid inside an overturned box and peaked out through a small hall. Five big toms walked by him, all of them talking amongst themselves. He heard them talking about an invasion plan, of the Jellicle junkyard. Alonzo fought the growl he wanted to let out down and waited for them to get out of earshot. But the last of them stopped.
"I smell something", he said sniffing the air and the others stop. "A new scent… a strong one."
"Probably just some rat", another one said.
"No… it's *sniff* a cat… male."
"Jellicle", asked the cat that looked like the leader.
"No… he smells too much of street and alleys to be one of those clean pussycats."
"Well… find him!"
The cats spread out and Alonzo sighed, cracked his neck and with a yawn left the box.
"Hey!" someone yelled and he turned to them, looking tired.
"Oh ... ciao io non conoscevo nessuno possedeva questo luogo", he said calmly. (Oh... hello I didn't know anyone owned this place.)
"Who the hell are you?" yelled the leader.
"Che cosa?" (What)
"Boss I don't think he speaks English", said a henchcat.
"Certo che ti ratto stupido", Alonzo said. (Of course I do you stupid rat)
"Hey did he call us stupid", yelled the cat that had caught his scent.
"No", Alonzo said.
"No… Hey you understand English?"
"No non lo faccio." (No I don't.)
"Speak English?"
"Che cosa?" (What?)
"Enough of this nonsense", the leader yelled and walked up to Alonzo. "You are in Macavity's hideout alley cat… and now you will die."
"No non lo farò. Perché voi tutti, in circa quindici secondi, si trovano in un mucchio sul pavimento ... incosciente." (No I won't. Because you will all, in about fifteen seconds, lie in a pile on the floor... unconscious.)
"What's that he said boss?" asked a cat.
"How the hell should I know? I don't speak Italian!"
The cats all froze and turned to Alonzo that was now smirking.
"Oh fuck", the leader swore and Alonzo pounced. After fifteen seconds, to the mark, he had them all unconscious in a heap on the floor. Alonzo dusted off his pelt and walked out of the small room, whistling. He started to sniff the air and caught scent of Munkustrap again. He grinned and nearly skipped as he walked towards a door on the other side. Guarded by two more cats.
"Hey!" they exclaimed when he walked up to them and while whistling he kicked their asses.
Munk heard fighting outside his door and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Were the henchcats fighting amongst themselves again? After a little bit it went quiet and Munk strained his ears to hear something, anything. He heard sounds from the lock on the door and then it was pushed open, not much, just enough for a cat to squeeze inside. In the dim light Munk could only make out some white and black fur.
"Hello", he said. "Who… who are you?"
"I'm your saving grace Munkustrap", was the answer he got and the voice belonged to a tom. Said tom hurried over to him and first pulled on the chain.
"It's no use", Munk gagged out. "I've already tried that…"
The tom ignored him and Munk heard an odd sound behind him so he turned his head around. But his head was turned back with a hiss. Munk stared at the wall in front of him, a bit scared of what was going on behind him. Suddenly the pressure on his throat lightened up and the collar fell to the floor. Munk stared at it and turned around and saw the tom clean off his claws on his pelt.
"Well that was easy and painless", he remarked and Munk got up slowly. "Are we feeling okay 'Straps?"
"Uh… yeah… who are you?"
"I told you, I'm your saving grace. Now let's go."
They were sneaking back the same way Alonzo came and Munk was looking at the tom in a searching way.
"Che cosa", Alonzo asked.
"Huh?" Munk looked at him.
"It means 'what' in Italian…"
"You're Italian?"
"I'm the Italian."
Munk froze and Alonzo noticed and walked back to him.
"Che cosa?"
"Why are you helping me", Munk asked darkly. "Last I heard you are an ally of Macavity!"
"Pft never… I don't like bottle brushes…"
They walked in silence for a bit more, they had to hide twice from henchcats but they weren't found. Munk was biting his lip slightly and then said with a sigh:
"Why exactly are you helping me?"
"Your tribe asked me, then didn't want to ask me, then they followed me when I decided to find you anyway", Alonzo answered.
"Wait", Munk said confused. "They didn't want you to find me?"
"Some of them, Tugger, thought I worked for Macavity and was not to be trusted. I told them off… busted myself in the process… soon everyone will know the Italian talks English."
"So… why help me anyway?"
"I love challenges… and I have other reasons."
"What reasons?"
Alonzo sighed and stopped underneath a vent. He'd had it. He'd recognized the Jellicles as soon as he saw them… he'd recognized Munkustrap as soon as he saw him. Why couldn't they recognize him? He turned to Munk with sad eyes.
"Do you really not remember me Munk", he asked and the silver tabby looked at him and narrowed his eyebrows.
"I…" he began and then shook his head. "No…"
"Fine", Alonzo spat. "That vent will lead us outside… get going before I ditch you."
"Huh?" Munk was confused by the hostility.
"Move it!" Alonzo snapped and Munk hurriedly climbed out. Alonzo followed. But their quick escape ended there.
As the two of them landed on the ground they saw that they were surrounded by henchcats and in front stood Macavity.
"I knew the Jellicles had nerve", he said smirking. "But having the nerve of letting you break into my hideout and try to free the Jellicle protector Italian is more than I can take."
Alonzo just snarled at him. Munk looked around and saw Admetus, Coricopat and Tugger being held by henchcats. They didn't seem that hurt, but Admetus and Cori looked guilty.
"How did you know", Munk asked Macavity. "That we would be here?"
"Your brother was yelling so loud all of my guards heard them", Macavity said and smirked. "It was so easy over-powering them and then we just had to wait to see what we could fish up."
"Stupido!" Alonzo spat at Tugger and went on yelling something in Italian that was both really rude and really hurtful… had you understood him. As it was now… the other cats just understood stupido.
"Can someone please shut that thing up", Macavity said after a while. Alonzo was still yelling in Italian, but now at Macavity. Macavity was holding the bridge of his nose and had his eyes closed.
"Yaow!" he heard a henchcat yelp and opened his eyes. Alonzo had sunk his teeth into the henchcat's paw and was not letting go. He was drawing blood. Macavity sighed and with a flick of his wrist a small lightning shot out and hit the Italian cat in the chest… sending him crashing into the wall.
"No!" Admetus exclaimed as the guy was knocked out.
"So vicious", Macavity sighed. "Oh well I can have some use of that… Get them all inside."
"Yes sir", his right-paw-tom said and the four Jellicles and Alonzo was put inside a janitor's closet.
Alonzo woke up when someone shook his shoulder and he hissed in pain, he had cracked ribs… or maybe some broken ones.
"Hey are you okay", Cori asked.
"Sí", Alonzo grumbled and sat up. He looked around and saw Munk and Tugger talk quietly in a corner, Admetus listening at the door and then jumped when he turned around again and was met with Cori's green eyes.
"Don't do that", Alonzo hissed annoyed and lied down again. "How long have we been in here?"
"A few hours", Cori said and sat down beside Alonzo. "I… I snapped up some of your thoughts when you were out cold."
"You did what?" Alonzo whispered with hate.
"I didn't mean to", Cori whispered back. "I'm still learning to control it and your thoughts were in Italian… but I understood the feeling behind the thoughts."
"And those were?" Alonzo asked.
"Sadness", Cori whispered back. "Sadness and hurt… anger as well… and confusion."
"Well", Alonzo said with a shrug. "You tend to get sad and hurt when you get attacked, angry when someone gets you caught and confused when you just woke up."
"There's more", Cori whispered. "I… Can't believe I didn't understand it before..."
"What?"
"Nothing. There uh was a song in your mind as well."
"Sweet Everlasting…" Alonzo rubbed his face. "What song?"
"I don't know… the words were Italian."
"Hum the melody so I know which song it was…"
"Uhm…" Cori thought for a moment before he started to hum. Admetus and the other two looked at him in confusion but Alonzo ignored it and closed his eyes when he heard the melody and started to sing… in English:
Sleep little catkin
It is still winter time
Yet sleeps the birch and the ling
roses and hyacinths.
It's still far to spring
before the rowan stands in bloom
Sleep you little catkin
it is still winter time
The sunlight-eye is watching you
The sun's embrace rocks you
Soon the forest path will be green
And every flower will flag
Yet a little sunshine-pray
Little catkin gets so green
The sunlight-eye is watching you
Sun's embrace is rocking you
When he was done he opened his eyes and noticed Tugger and Munk stare at him with their mouths hanging wide open. He wasn't the only one watching the two brothers' reaction. Admetus and Coricopat looked both amused and confused. Munkustrap slowly walked up to Alonzo that sat up as he did.
"How do you know that song", Munk asked the Italian. Alonzo shrugged.
"Some over grown fur hat sang it to me once when I was little", he said and brushed of his arms and stood up. "So have we found a way out of here yet?"
He moved forward but Munk grabbed his arm. They locked eyes and Munk stiffened and his grip got slack. Alonzo just sighed in annoyance and pulled his arm loose.
"Stop looking at me like that", he said and walked towards a shelf and started to pull the stuff out. "Help me move this shit I bet there is a vent behind here somewhere."
Admetus and Cori hurriedly helped but Munk and Tugger were just staring at the black and white tom. Tugger walked up to Munk.
"Munk…" he said. "You don't think…"
"I don't know what to think", Munk said. "It's… it can't be a coincidence… can it?"
"Can what", Tugger asked. "That he is a black and white patched tom who happens to know dad's song and speaks Italian?"
"Stranger things have happened."
"Name one."
Munk looked at his brother and sighed. But it was Cori that to everyone's confusion dropped the bomb.
"So what exactly happened to you Alonzo?" he asked and there came a crash as the Italian tom dropped the bucket he was carrying in shock at the question.
"Che cosa", he asked blinking.
"You heard me", Cori said walking closer to him. "A-lon-zo."
The street cat just stared at him with wide eyes. Admetus was staring at Cori as well, as if he'd gone crazy and the two brothers were staring at Alonzo. Munk remembered what the cat had asked him in that cell. He'd asked if Munk really didn't remember him. Munk slowly walked up to the street cat and they locked eyes again. Munk tried to fight the tears and the grin but he couldn't.
"How couldn't I see it", he asked. "Alonzo!" He flung his arm around the other tom… and the next thing heard was a crash.
TBC Sorry for the LONG wait... I got writer's block! Not to worry I found a battling ram... is that even a word? Anyway I rammed the block down and I'm back in business. :D
HGP - Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry for not updating soon.
KatyOnACloud - what the heck is a bamf? (not native-english -peaker here people!)
kboyer2013 - Are you still alive?
Malurina - Well did this answer your questions?