A/N: Lol, musicgal, you're like, my favorite reviewer. This chapter is for you with 250% more cute Cettie than I originally wrote it with!
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"She's just so infuriating." Sil ranted, pacing across the den as four heads followed her path back and forth. "She just waves a paw and they fall at her feet. One little lie and they loathe me!"
"Calm down dear --" Tantomile tried.
"I will now calm down!" Sil screeched. The dark queen took a step back, Etcetera flinching and hiding her small body behind Dell. Taking a deep breath, Sil apologized.
"It's just getting to me, the way they avoid me like the plague for reasons that aren't even true." She explained. Her brother slowly approached, placing a paw on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Sil," He comforted, "We'll stand by you, won't we?" The other three nodded, smiling, Etcetera nodding faster than a bobble head doll on sugar, making Sil giggle. Sil slackened her shoulders, hugging her brother.
"I'm sorry if I scared you." Sil said to Etcetera, who waved it off, going into some spiel about how nothing scared her, which no one believed.
"We all have our days, "Tantomile said, "Yours are just more… violent. What matters is, you still have your friends to calm you down. You've gone through a lot recently. We understand." Sil nodded a final time.
"It's good to be back." She said. Dell looked out the door at the moon high in the sky.
"I'm going to take Etcetera back to her den, you should get some sleep." He said. Etcetera scurried over to him, smiling. Sil simply trudged back to her bed, snuggling into the familiar blankets, smiling absentmindedly. Dell nodded to the mystic twins before heading out, dragging Etcetera with him.
"I don't know why nobody likes Sil, she's real nice." Etcetera said, spinning about as she walked.
"I agree," Dell said, "But then everyone has there own opinions. Before Sil left I was absolutely frightened of you and your endless happiness. Now it just makes me happy too. You have to learn to get used to someone as they are, or you'll never get along." As they passed a few of the dens belonging to the light-sleepers, they silenced, walking quietly. Once they made it to the den Etcetera shared with her mother, Dell waited to make sure she made it to the door before turning to return home.
"Wait!" Etcetera whispered loudly, getting Dell to turn around. She sped up to meet him, her lips touching his cheek before she giggled, running back to her door with a wave and disappearing into it. Dell remained emotionless, his paw touching his cheek lightly.
"As if things weren't screwed up enough already…" He thought to himself, turning to go for a walk.
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"I am worried about the prophecy, brother." Tantomile said, moments after checking if Sil was sleeping soundly. Coricopat was sitting in the thin slither of morning light coming through the den entrance, wondering where Dell had been all night, pulled out of his thoughts by his sisters words.
"What is to worry?" He asked, "There have been no signs of the second step."
"Exactly. Nothing has happened." Tantomile explained, trying to keep the whine out of her voice, "Something is bound to happen soon. Especially with the New Season Ceremony coming soon."
"New Season Ceremony?" Tantomile jumped at the new voice, turning the see a drowsy Sil dragging herself from her bed.
"I'm sorry, did we wake you?" Tantomile asked. Sil shook her head, asking her question again.
"The New Season Ceremony," Coricopat started, moving away from the door, "Is a celebration held with the beginning of each new season to celebrate The Mother Cat, who protects the Earth. The Winter Ceremony is most commonly known as the Jellicle Ball, for the Jellicle Moon is brightest. It is used to celebrate the coming of new life and the celebration of old life, including the coming of age for the kittens. Each season is combined to make the Winter Ceremony." He explained.
"SO what are the other seasons?" Sil asked.
"In Summer, we offer the bounties of Summertime. We bring fruits that were grown at Shiz, and celebrate the fun of life." Tantomile said. "Autumn has little to offer, and so we usually show the powers we each have, our talents and our gifts. It is the time without material possessions."
"And Spring is the ceremony of love and nature. We bring in flowers for decoration, and each couple who wishes to be mated gets mated in the eyes of the Mother Cat and the Everlasting Cat here." Coricopat said.
"It is often also the time when we welcome new cats officially into the tribe. A kitten may have to wait a whole year after their birth before they are accepted, depending on what day they are born." Tantomile added. Sil sat down, trying to take in all this new information.
"You sure have a lot of difficult customs." Sil said. Tantomile laughed.
"Don't worry, you'll be easily reminded as each approaches." The twins said in unison. Sil simply stared, wide eyed. They laughed.
"We practice a lot."
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A/N: Will that tide you over until I can write more?