Munkustrap was equal parts proud and equal parts anxious that he was the first one back.
He had been alert and excited – eager to see which of his littermates would return first… but as another hour passed and not one had surfaced, he began to get worried.
"What happens if… they don't return?"
Old Deuteronomy glanced over at his son. The leader had been lost in a deep trance, struggling to come out of it.
"Sorry, my boy?"
"What happens if someone doesn't come back?"
Old Deuteronomy considered the question, "We would go looking,"
"It's a big forest…" he whispered, "Scents get lost…"
"Your friends are clever. They will make it…"
Munkustrap gave a long sigh, his head resting on his front paws.
They waited again, for what seemed like forever, when finally the red queen emerged.
Munkustrap's ears perked before he saw her – listening to her near-silent pawtread. He sprang to his feet, grinning widely as she trotted forward with a Skylark in her mouth.
Like Munkustrap, Bombalurina deposited the bird at Old Deuteronomy's feet with a respectful bow, a smug grin on her face as she backed up.
"Well done, Bombalurina," he murmured, pulling the young queen into his arms.
She purred appreciatively, nuzzling into his broad chest before laughing excitedly, leaping onto Munkustrap and tussling with him.
"How did you go?" she asked, flopping where she landed.
"Pretty well. I found a squirrel," he said proudly,
Bombalurina giggled, "I stalked the Skylark for hours," she said, "Every time I got close, he teased me and flew to another branch. But… I trapped him."
"That's a lot more resourceful than my tactic. I spotted the squirrel, waited until it realised I wasn't going to hurt him… and then I attacked…"
Bombalurina giggled, "Creepy. Sure you won't do that with the tribe? Lull us into a false sense of security and then gut us in our sleep?"
Munkustrap laughed, "Don't worry. I'm not like Macavity."
The tabby paused when he realised he'd taken a step too far, cringing.
"Not many are like your brother…" Old Deuteronomy spoke from above them. He'd been listening to their conversation, and even his own skin crawled with the mention of his son.
Macavity hadn't been the eldest of his kittens in the tribe. In fact, he'd been one of his last – Macavity, a female kitten called Cliodhna, Munkustrap, and then Tugger. He didn't really know how many kittens he'd sired overall – potentially thirty? There had only been six in this lot of Jellicles, but he knew of many other sons and daughters in each of his tribes.
Thirty kittens, and only one went bad.
It was a good track record, he decided.
Munkustrap let out a quiet sigh, "Sorry…"
"Why apologise?" Old Deuteronomy asked, "Pain has a purpose. A body's natural way of telling us something is wrong. Why ignore it, when it needs to be felt?"
"We lost our family because of one of our own…" Munkustrap growled softly, and Bombalurina fell silent, gazing at him curiously. "I don't want to think about it."
"It makes you angry." Old Deuteronomy observed.
"He makes me furious," Munkustrap's tail flicked agitatedly.
"You had barely been allowed outside your den when he exiled himself,"
"I remember," Munkustrap murmured, sighing quietly.
Old Deuteronomy stared down at the kitten, "What do you remember?"
Munkustrap glared up at his father, but not out of anger for him. His tail continued to dance its patterns. "I remember…that when it happened, everyone was so angry at him…"
"Were you?"
Munkustrap scowled, realising he'd been proven wrong, "No," he said slowly. "Not me. But what he did was awful. I'm glad he was banished."
"What did he do?" Bombalurina asked quietly, and Munkustrap's gaze snapped to her, cocking his head.
"You… you don't know?"
Bombalurina shook her head, "I was still nursing, and after…well, nobody talked about it much."
Munkustrap blinked in surprised, glancing up at his father, "Would you tell the story?"
Old Deuteronomy gazed up at the moon, breathing in the memories as he recalled that fateful day.
"Macavity was…the third born to the tribe," Old Deuteronomy started slowly. "And he had two older brothers. Blatherskite was the oldest, then Karnack… and then Macavity. Blatherskite had other dealings away from the tribe, a vet's assistant, of some sort… while Karnack was uninterested in leadership. Macavity was the next in line and eager to take over…"
"What was he like?" Bombalurina asked.
Old Deuteronomy's eyes widened in surprise. "Macavity?" he clarified, and Bombalurina nodded. He took a moment to think again, before continuing, "He was eager to take over… too eager. He craved the power, and I let him have it…" he sighed. "One evening, Macavity was playing with his fanclub. He liked a bit of attention, but his lot were reckless – always causing problems…He liked to use them to experiment with his magic."
Munkustrap's claws came out and his fur bristled, groaning softly. He hated this part.
"One day, a kitten much younger than Macavity had dared him to go across the road outside the warehouse. The kitten shouldn't have been out of his den – Macavity shouldn't have let it go further. Macavity toyed with him, trying to… help him, perhaps, with his magic. He wasn't so experienced… and instead he froze the kitten. The metal beasts the humans like to call 'cars' struck the kitten down, and he was dead before we could get to him."
Bombalurina's eyes widened, gasping softly, "Oh…and you… you banished him for that?"
"No…" Old Deuteronomy said slowly, "Macavity was remorseful. It was truly an accident – the other Jellicles had seen. Sure, the tom was reckless, but he had never intended to kill. It was after. The kitten's mother was devastated, and blamed him. While the Jellicles accepted the accident, his mother did not. She antagonised him, calling him names, biting and clawing at him…and he lashed out – striking her down with his magic. He left her in a critical condition. I offered Macavity the chance to leave the tribe for a temporary banishment, so he could collect himself…"
Bombalurina recalled his earlier words, "But he never returned?"
"He came back once or twice…prowled around the outskirts. I always invited him to come back… and then all of a sudden, he disappeared."
"If only we'd known he was gathering an army…" Munkustrap murmured.
Bombalurina sighed, cuddling up close to him.
"It's over, Munkustrap. The Jellicles will never forget what Macavity did, but we will grow from the experience."
Munkustrap seemed ready to retort, when Cassandra and Alonzo entered the clearing. Munkustrap perked up, grateful that they arrived safely. They both had a bird each, looking proud of themselves and… Munkustrap wondered…
No, probably not. It wasn't uncommon for kittens to experiment with each other…but Alonzo and Cassandra were almost adults, and surely there were other things on their minds? Munkustrap almost laughed at himself for caring. But… they had taken so long…
He shook his head of the thought, beaming at them. It didn't matter, anyway. They were all Hunters now. He waited for them to present their prey to Old Deuteronomy before moving to headbutt Alonzo in congratulations.
While playful when Bombalurina had returned, the story of Macavity had sobered him, and he watched as Old Deuteronomy listened to the tales of their hunt. It was nothing out of the ordinary – no real reason that it took so long. They had been apart for most of the hunt, apparently, and had only found each other as they returned.
"A cat will always hunt…" Old Deuteronomy brought them back in, smiling down at the small feast they had brought, "A Jellicle is never allowed to leave their home for any reason. Not to practice, not to explore. It is by this, we measure a Jellicle's hunting ability. To hunt in an unfamiliar area, with no point of reference. Well, that is a display of skill. Congratulations, my kittens."
Munkustrap shivered at the praise, unable to help his smile. Beside him, Bombalurina was purring.
"Now you have full permission to leave the junkyard. To hunt, explore…" he gestured vaguely – the kittens could do whatever they wanted, really. "My one condition is that you alert someone of able mind and body of your whereabouts, and your intended return time,"
The four kittens nodded seriously, and Old Deuteronomy gestured to the junkyard, "Take your feasts and feel free not to share, tonight. They are your bounty."
Munkustrap laughed softly, moving up to his father to collect his squirrel. The wise old leader gave him a knowing look – a small nod. He wanted to see the boy later… but not now. Tonight was his own. It wouldn't be long before he left, and he wanted to make sure the kit was really ready.
He was so small, and the junkyard – the world – was so big.
Old Deuteronomy turned as he followed the kittens into the junkyard. They all padded proudly, and Jenny, Jellylorum and Asparagus were there to greet them, praising them and marvelling at their feat. Their tribe was tiny, and while tiny wasn't bad… it wasn't what they were about.
He supposed they would grow – it was clear Alonzo and Cassandra were interested in each other, and perhaps there would be kittens one day. Old Deuteronomy also knew that Bombalurina and Munkustrap would try… but ultimately they wouldn't work. The old tom could feel them like two magnets – drawn together for now, but ultimately repelling. He wondered if Jenny and Asparagus would have more kittens...and then, of course, Jellylorum had a mate before the attack. He doubted she would take another mate.
Back at the warehouse, when there was an abundance of cats, it was almost hard to tell the families apart. Nobody cared about half-siblings, full blood, real aunts or uncles. Everyone just kept an eye out for each other.
Old Deuteronomy almost laughed. He'd forgotten Asparagus and Jellylorum. Of course, they were half-siblings. Gus, the old Theatre Cat was their father. Jellylorum's mother had been part of the Jellicle Tribe, whereas Asparagus had been brought back from the theatre – a gift to Gus from the mother. They'd arrived at almost the same time, Old Deuteronomy always forgot they weren't born to the same litter.
Jellylorum, Bombalurina and little Demeter had shared grandparents, and of course Jenny and Skimbleshanks were full siblings. Often it was difficult to remember.
It had been a joyful time to be alive… to experience. Families were everywhere.
He watched as Munkustrap shared his food with Tugger, smiling at the two. Alonzo and Cassandra had already disappeared, and Bombalurina was recounting her tale to the older queens.
With a glance to the sky, to track the moon, he realised that the Ball was closer than he thought. Would anyone ascend this year? Surely it was too soon. He wouldn't dare take away another from their mix.
No, there would be no ascension this year. It could come from another tribe. Though traditional, it wasn't mandatory.
With that settled, the wise tom relaxed, nodding at the rest of the tribe as he made his way back to his den.