"Come on, son…" Old Deuteronomy woke Munkustrap only five hours after he'd fallen asleep.
It was dawn, and Munkustrap was stiff and sore from the tree. He took a moment to stretch, before his eyes widened. "How is Jelly?"
Old Deuteronomy managed a small smile, "She will be okay,"
Munkustrap knew there was something his father wasn't telling him, but he let it go, "And the tribe?"
"Except for Jelly, the others are unharmed. They scattered, as they were supposed to. But now it's time to regroup, and renew. We search for a new home."
Munkustrap stared up at his father with sad eyes. He'd been born in the warehouse… but he also knew he didn't want to return to that place ever again. He nodded slowly, heaving a breath.
"I'll gather the kittens," he said, and Old Deuteronomy gave him another smile, proud of his boy.
He made his way up the tree, finding Alonzo and Bombalurina curled against each other. The queen's eyes flickered gently, and suddenly she jolted awake, eyes wide with terror.
"You're safe, you're safe!" Munkustrap assured her, hands up as a sign of peace. Bombalurina's eyes locked onto Munkustrap's and he felt her pain, her anxiety. "You're fine, Bomba. I promise."
She nodded slowly, and Alonzo silently got to his feet, sad but calm eyes watching Munkustrap. It had always been like that – Alonzo was older, but he always liked to follow Munkustrap around anyway.
"Is everyone okay?" Alonzo asked quietly. He'd always been a little reserved, but this was unnerving.
Munkustrap nodded slowly, "As okay as they can be. Come on. My father wants us to start moving…"
He turned to go, but Bombalurina hissed quietly. "We're leaving the warehouse?"
"We have to. Mac-" Munkustrap paused. He couldn't even say his brothers' name. "He might come back."
Bombalurina shivered and Alonzo couldn't help himself, showing his teeth with distain. Bombalurina let out a long breath, gathering herself.
"Tell me what I can do to help you," Munkustrap said quietly, meeting her eyes and trying to show her that he would literally do anything to make her okay.
Bombalurina let out a huff of a laugh, surprising herself with the sound, "You're only a kitten, stop being so serious…"
Munkustrap just gazed up at her, happy to see her smile. It was hard times, but they would move on. He knew that really, but his heart ached now. All he knew was that Old Deuteronomy was trying to keep them safe, and so he would do the same.
The three kittens dropped from the tree to meet the older cats. Jellylorum was pale, bruised and still bloody, her eyes sunken in from crying. Jenny looked ready to burst, bags under her eyes. Asparagus – who had been watching Jenny and the kittens at the time of the attack – had escaped with them to keep them safe, and was the only one who seemed untouched by the experience.
"Shall we hunt?" Asparagus asked Old Deuteronomy, glancing at Skimbleshanks, who nodded.
"What if-" Munkustrap steeled himsef, "What if Macavity comes back?" he interjected, before cowering slightly – ashamed that he'd spoken when the question wasn't aimed at him.
Old Deuteronomy didn't seem to mind, passing Tugger over to his son and thinking quietly. "Better to be well fed and scared than starving and outnumbered."
Skimbleshanks smiled and he and Asparagus gave a low bow, moving into the woods to hunt game.
Munkustrap watched them go, worried for them. "How will they find us?"
"They know our scent. For now, we look for a place to call home."
Munkustrap sighed, cuddling Tugger closer to his chest before setting him down to walk on his own. It would strengthen his paws for the long journey ahead, but he stayed close to the young kitten, walking with him and patiently waiting while he got distracted by falling leaves and sticks that moved under their paws.
Bombalurina and Alonzo stayed with him, at first, until they grew tired and weary, and trudged ahead with Jelly and Jenny. Plato was barely older than Tugger, but somehow he knew of the devastation, his serious eyes focused on the ground and nothing else as he walked with Cassandra.
They walked in silence for the most part of the day – Tugger would ask questions that Munkustrap answered diligently, but other than that, nobody felt ready to talk.
They stayed within the outskirts of the town, passing apartments and townhouses, all of them with their own new scents and sounds. After what felt like hours, Tugger grew tired and irritable, and Munkustrap hoisted the young kitten onto his back where he promptly fell asleep.
The hunters met up with them when the sun was at its highest, with as much food as they could carry. Old Deuteronomy called the small tribe to a halt, and they gathered in a clearing to eat their fill.
"As far as we could tell, he's not following…" Skimbleshanks reported, stretching out in the warm rays peeking through the trees.
"Did you go back to-?" Alonzo almost asked.
"No," Asparagus shook his head, "We hunted in the woods. There was plenty of game…there was no reason to go back."
Munkustrap sighed, tucking Tugger a little closer to him as the kitten slept on. It had been half a day, and they hadn't found anywhere even remotely abandoned or hospitable.
"Are you able to go on?" Old Deuteronomy asked Jenny, who had quietly complained of cramps to Jelly.
The pregnant queen blushed, nodding, "Yes, of course. Of course I am."
He gave her a dubious look, and she smiled, gazing down at her stomach. "I won't let this one out until we're safe at our new home. I promise you that."
He nodded, chuckling softly, and Munkustrap admired his ability to see the light of this situation. Their family was gone… reduced to nine members. He didn't want to dwell, but he couldn't help himself.
Old Deuteronomy gave the call that they would rest for the remainder of the day and continue at night, and Munkustrap was grateful. Tugger was tired, and although Plato didn't show it, Munkustrap knew he was bored of travelling too.
"Munk…?" Bombalurina called softly, padding over with Alonzo in tow.
Munkustrap gazed up at the two of them, and they silently lay next to him and Tugger, warm and comforting on either side of him. Munkustrap yawned, exhausted, and took a good long look around at their little tribe. He spotted Cassandra, stretched out, and almost went to invite her to their cuddle puddle.
They had never been close – she had been older, and a female (and that wasn't a problem - Munkustrap just had older brothers that he hung around instead.) At the next Jellicle Ball she was due to officially come of age… but Munkustrap didn't know what would happen to that now…
He abandoned the idea of her joining when he saw she was sleeping, Plato settled with her. The kitten seemed drawn to her, now that his own parents were gone.
"What happened?" Bombalurina asked quietly, her body relaxed against Munkustrap's.
There was a tense pause, but Munkustrap summoned his courage, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Everyone was settling for bed… and there was a smell…" he murmured, his eyes tightly shut. "Some of the older toms… some of my brothers, went to investigate…" he let out a sigh. "They didn't return. Macavity wasn't there - it was a decoy, as he snuck in from the western rooms."
"He started with the new mothers…" he continued, almost angry as his whispers turned into tense hisses. "Cornered them before we could even react. Foolish of us to keep them in one place."
Bombalurina tucked herself closer to him, grooming him to try and keep him calm.
"Jenny was looking after us…" Alonzo reminded them, taking over, "She hissed at us to run for the woods – to scatter. To hide…but I didn't look back…"
"They came upon the warehouse in a swarm…" Bombalurina said quietly, smoothing her fingers through Munkustrap's unkempt headfur. "There was so many…I was trying to find…" her sister's name died on her lips. "I don't remember getting out…but I woke up in the woods."
"I grabbed Tugger and ran…" Munkustrap said quietly, taking a deep breath from his whole chest. "I wanted to help everyone but I was… I was so scared…"
"You're only a kitten," Bombalurina reminded him once more, laying her head on his forearms, "You're not like your Dad… not yet."
Munkustrap froze as a thought occurred to him, "I'm… I'm next…"
Alonzo glanced at him sideways, head twitching in curiosity. "Next?"
"Next in line… for this tribe. My family…" his eyes filled with tears and he blinked them back furiously, shaking his head. "I'll be the next one to take over."
"That may be true…" Bombalurina nodded slowly, "But Old Deuteronomy still has a few more years in him. You don't need to grow up so fast…" she was almost begging now.
Munkustrap sighed. He knew she was right… but that didn't mean he was going to listen.