A/N: Hello. I've been gone for a long time, I know. Things have been just a little bit crazy of late. However, there is a new chapter of this fic, which has been waiting a long time to be finished. So, now, here it is. This fic is very near to being complete, which is probably good considering it's been going for well over a year now. Enjoy.

Chapter 17 - Rhyme and Reason"I don't think you get it, Silverstripes. You're the Jellicle Leader, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"So the entire tribe is your responsibility. You're responsible for the Jellicle tribe? Am I right?"

"Yes, but..."

"So if I feel that I've been wronged by the Jellicle tribe, it's you I need to go to."

"I suppose, but..."

"Okay then. See, we have a problem. It used to be that only the wildcats of Scotland had magic. Then one of your lot ran off with one of our queens. She had a kitten, firey red in colour and blessed with our magics. A half-breed."

"Macavity."

"Yes. Killing him would have been enough, if it wasn't for the fact that he has already passed our gift on to another undeserving moggy. His son, who resides among the Jellicle tribe, must die too. And I intend to take revenge on his tribe, for causing this embarrassment to our kind."

"I won't let you kill any member of my tribe. You have no right to do this."

"Our ancient ways are in jeopardy, I have every right. You don't even know who his son is, do you?" The tom challenged, smirking when Munkustrap couldn't answer. "You don't even know your own nephew? That's awful." The tom was mocking but he'd done his homework, that was for sure.

"He's not here. You won't find him here." A voice piped up from just behind Munkustrap. It was Alonzo.

"Alonzo? How do you know?" Munkustrap asked, thoroughly confused.

"Macavity. He knew you were after him, he took precautions. It wasn't enough to save him, but he got his son out before you could find him," the patched tom explained, addressing the wildcat and ignoring Munkustrap for the moment.

"What do you mean, Alonzo?" Munkustrap demanded.

"Mistoffelees. He's Macavity's son."

"But you said you didn't know what happened to Misto," the silver tabby replied, suddenly suspicious.

"I don't. I just know that he disappeared, and Macavity was angry about the whole thing. He... he blocked Misto's magic, so he didn't give himself away. He intended to keep Misto here, to keep an eye on him, but sent him away when he spotted the wildcats nearby. He must have hoped that they'd go after Mistoffelees first, giving him time to get away." the patched tom went on with a fuller explanation, talking to everyone since every single feline present was listening.

"So where is he then?" The wild tom demanded.

"I don't know. I just said, I don't know. He vanished weeks ago, he could be anywhere by now."

The tom stepped forward, grabbing Alonzo by the throat. "You better not be lying to me."

"I'm not, I swear!" the patched tom choked out, struggling for air through the tom's tight grip.

------------

"Damn, that wolf packs a punch," Tugger groaned, rubbing his head as he finally came around. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the steel bars of the cage.

"Tugger?"

"Misto?" the maned tom turned, spotting the little tux.

"What? How? Huh?"

"Yeah, exactly. You alright?"

"Yeah. Just... never mind. Is everyone else okay? I heard Munkustrap was alive, is that true?"

"He is. Macavity's dead, but he did a lot of damage before they got 'im. Munk's doing better now, Alonzo's back to normal, just about. We'd be fine if it wasn't for the wildcats."

"Wildcats? Oh no. This is bad, this is really, really bad."

"Why?"

"Uhm. They're not nice cats, although what they want with the Jellicles... oh." Mistoffelees' voice died with the realisation that had just hit him.

"Oh? What is it, Misto?"

"It's me. They're after me, Tugger."

"What would they want with you?"

"My magic. It's why they killed Macavity. And why they want to kill me."

"Magic?"

"Yeah. They don't agree that we ordinary cats should be entitled to magic. Macavity was the first... and I, I inherited it from him."

Tugger sighed. Even after his death, Macavity could still cause problems for them. Although, this was probably not Macavity's fault, but his parents. Old Deuteronomy's fault, really. That was not a pleasant thought. It was much easier to blame Macavity.

"So what's this wolf guy got to do with it?" the maned tom asked after a moment.

"I don't know. They found me, far away from here, and brought me back. They helped me, but as soon as we got near the Junkyard, they dumped me in here. I still can't use my magic, Tug. How do we get out of here?"

"I dunno. We'll find a way," Tugger replied without much conviction. "How... I mean, have you tried using your magic?"

"Yeah... I... huh. Not for a while. I'm not sure how he blocked it, I was afraid of what would happen if I did try."

"What did he do, exactly?" Tugger enquired, partly from curiosity but also hoping to stimulate the tux's memory a bit and get him to remember. It couldn't be a physical block, the maned tom reasoned, as it would be possible to see that.

"Uhm... he said he wanted to talk to me. He told me it was for my own, good, and I had to listen carefully. I don't remember what he said, I felt kind of weird, then I remember... his voice, telling me that magic should be hidden. I didn't understand it, but he wouldn't... after that I couldn't use my magic. Something just blocked it."

Tugger nodded. "I see. It sounds like some sort of mental block or something..." he said uncertainly.

"Maybe I can break through it then..." Mistoffelees mused.

"Well, I don't understand the whole magic thing, but I think it's worth a shot."

--------
"He speaks the truth," a deep voice spoke. All of the cats turned their attention to the source of the voice.

The large grey beast padded towards the group of cats, flanked by a pig and a deer. The wildcat let go of Alonzo, more interested in the appearance of the wolf. He bared sharp yellow fangs, daring to meet the yellow eyes of the larger animal. Freki matched the glare with a cold stare.

"These cats cannot help you. Perhaps you ought to treat your fellow felines with a little more respect," the wolf went on.

"Yeah? I don't think so. This one seems to be a trouble-maker, speaking out of turn like that," the large tom retorted, jerking his head towards the black and white tom. Alonzo let out a growl and seemed intent on attacking the wildcat, stopped only by Munkustrap grabbing his tail and yanking it hard.

"Don't make things worse, calm down."

Munkustrap glanced around at the wildcats. Most of them looked defiant but a few were wary of the large dog-like creature. In contrast, the majority of the Jellicles were scared and confused. Skimbleshanks was staring down one of the wildcats, that he recognised from his trip to Glasgow. It was a very odd situation.

"Trouble-maker he may be, but you won't find out what you want to know." Freki spoke evenly, but his glare had a teasing quality to it now.

"Wanna tell me who can?" the leader of the wildcats challenged.

"Of course. Leave the Jellicles alone and I will give you what you seek," the wolf said.

"I don't think so. You got no right to bargain over someone else's life, Mr Wolfie." The taunting drawl was recognised only by the Jellicles. All eyes turned to stare at the maned tomcat, who stood casually atop a nearby junk-pile with a long green hosepipe swinging from one paw. Although it didn't really look like a hosepipe...

"Situla! What have you done to her?" Scrofa demanded, baring his sharp tusks at the new arrival.

"'S not that hard to knock out a snake. It's funny, we thought you was supposed to help. At least, you let Misto believe you were helping. Take off the sheep's clothing and you're left with a big bad wolf. What do you want with my tribe?" Tugger spoke, a rare bite of anger in his voice.

The wolf crouched low, baring his fangs in a low growl. He did not verbally answer the question, but his growl deepened when Mistoffelees appeared beside Tugger.

"You will leave this place. All of you." the tux said dangerously, speaking quietly but the place was so deathly silent that every creature present heard him. He was giving off tremendous amounts of energy, months of pent-up magical energy was aching to be unleashed. His anger was palpable.

"You lied to me. You were going to use me as a bargaining tool. I am not a tool to be used, Freki. How dare you treat me as such." As he spoke, the wolf let go of his control for a moment and an expression of defiance and apprehension crossed his face.

Mistoffelees ignored this, and instead turned to face the wildcats. None of them had moved, everyone was trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

"You killed my father. Undoubtedly, he deserved to die for many reasons. He did terrible things, but never did he hate someone for who their parents were. He was killed because of something that he could not control. We don't choose to be born and we cannot choose whom we are born to. He deserved to die for what he did, but not who he was. Yet you did not stop there, you came here to kill me for the same reason. How dare you murder my father like that. How dare you interfere with my family. How dare you persecute anyone for something that was not their fault."

Mistoffelees paused, the air around him seemed to spark with tension, like the moments before a thunderstorm breaks out. He had stunned the wildcats into silence, each one of them too shocked to reply.

"Finally, how dare you try to harm my tribe."

Mistoffelees' face showed no discernible expression but the Rum Tum Tugger wore a smirk much reminiscient of his late brother. He swung the unconscious snake casually, causing the pig to glare at him again.

"He's got a point, you know," the maned tom said casually. "I bet if Mac was still around, he'd say the same thing. See, Misto's right. You can't choose family. But, you can choose to protect your family. I reckon you lot have got one last chance to get out of here. Else, you'll be chased out."

"No. We have worked too hard, too much is at stake. He cannot be allowed to live." The wildcat leader had found his voice again, and was pointing defiantly at Mistoffelees.

"Fine. You asked for it. Give them hell, Misto!" Tugger said, grinning at the tux.

The lightning bolt struck one of the wild cats, burning him instantly. The second that happened, the tension seemed to snap. With a roar, Alonzo leapt for a nearby cat, quickly followed by the rest of the tribe.

A bloody battle was upon them, with feline growls and pained yowls filling the air. Before long the fur was literally flying and the blood was starting to run. Munkustrap and Alonzo pounced together, taking on Freki with passion never seen before. The wolf struggled to keep track of the two cats, and was soon growling his frustration as he tried to fend them off. The fight got bloodier still, and showed no signs of stopping.

Suddenly there was silence. All eyes were on the black and white tuxedo patterned tom. Mistoffelees looked quite shocked, staring at a crumpled heap of fur before him. It was the leader of the Wildcats and he was dead. The remaining cats stared at Mistoffelees, until he broke out of his trance.

"Leave. Now." Barely a whisper, but the message was clear enough. The wildcats bolted, running off in different directions like a herd of sheep scattered by a collie.