A/N: This is (le gasp) the last chapter of An Autumn Leaf! Of course I've been planning a sequel and such… no worries! This is planned as a group of four (I had to plan out for it after I forgot I had a prophecy!
SO I've been sort of waiting for someone to prod me back into working since my muse has been hiding (I named it Companion Cube :p) but since I've had no such luck I looked back on the story so far, read through what I wrote (which I wrote, like, half a year ago) and here we have the last chapter!
This is also a hilariously long chapter, because for some reason I've started doing my chapter plans like episode plans with 10 different POV changes… whatever. This is a taste of what the writing style will be for part two, enjoy!
I want to take a quick moment to thank a list of people on this:
Roselna, Violaunte, Hazelthorn, etc – you're whole group has reviewed my story constantly, and you've all had great contributions to the CATS archive – cheers!
Musicgal3 – You were one of my first reviewers, and you haven't ditched, and you're on my Awesome List… thanks :p
Jellicle-Wishes – Macavity….. with a keyblade. Something for you to think about. Pure awesomeness is you!
Insane Tara - 3 you for asking questions and reviewing. And having an awesome penname. :D
Evanne Taylor – welcome, newbie, to like at . May we corrupt your innocent little mind with our spam…. Yeah. Wait, you aren't so new really… my advice still stands.
BreakBeauty – short but sweet reviews from you. Adore them, and thank you!
Tiherina – haven't heard from you in a while, but appreciate your feedback all the same. Thanks!
And everyone else I may have forgotten (my memory isn't my best feature…) THANK YOU!
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"And then what happened?" Etcerera pushed, hiding slightly behind Pouncival and clinging his shoulders like a feline shield. He sat unmoving, along with the rest of the gathered kittens (and some queens and toms nonchalantly listening in).
"He silently came closer, one paw raised like the paw of Bast," Sil told dramatically, raising her own paw like a fist, eliciting gasps from her crowd, "and promptly dropped this and ran." In her paw sat a small silver pendant, possibly a collar decoration, glowing brightly even in the absence of sunlight.
"Wow," Electra gasped, moving closer. "Can I touch it?" She reached forwards and poked it with a claw, jumping back like it had stung her. She giggled with Jemima quietly.
"Well, you worked up a lot of drama over nothing. It's just a stupid little ball!" Tumblebrutus added.
"Wait," Coricopat said, taking the small orb gently from Sil and examining it closely. It appeared to have a sort of clasp, very specifically shaped and looked locking.
"Let me see your collar." Shrugging to Tantomile, who gazed on from the sidelines, Silhouette removed her collar and passed it to her friend, who fiddled and hissed under his breath until he got the two to clasp together with a firm click.
"Oh!" Sil gasped. "How did you do that? How did you know that?"
"Macavity is tricky." Coricopat replied flatly. "I wouldn't put it past him to have a plan. He gave it to you for a reason."
"Maybe he's after you!" Pounce added. Several of the kittens gasped and conspired together, rumors flying quickly.
"No, I don't think so." Sil silenced them. She absentmindedly fiddled with the orb, looking into the starry sky for guidance. "Who knows what he's up to…"
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"Can I ask how it is you know her, sir?" Brute asked. Macavity stirred slightly, his neck cracking as it rolled. His bright eyes stared down at the tabby, the scar over his eye hiding whatever emotion may have been present.
"You can ask, slime," the red tom hissed, "But I won't answer." The ever familiar 'get out of my face' glare surfaced on Macavity's face, and Brute promptly scurried away. Sighing, Macavity pulled over a bowl of water, rolling his claws in the substance. An image stirred, blurring like an old TV before settling into an image. Sil, and one of the mystic twins. The small orb had been placed on her collar, exactly where he wanted it. Leaning into a comfortable position, he watched as Sil, her brother and the two mystic twins moved away from the group of eager Jellicle kittens into a den across the way. Macavity's gaze softened, something none of his henchrats or henchcats had ever seen.
"It's nice to see you again."
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"I completely forgot about the prophecy for a while there. Winter came quickly. The prophecy was filled." Tantomile told Munkustrap. The silver tom himself was fairly distracted, his mate hugging their son with a soft but careful grip. He was named Gus.
"So now two parts of the prophecy have been filled." Alonzo muttered, paw stroking his chin in what could only be described as a thinking pose. "And spring is coming up next…"
"Hopefully," stated the mystic twin, "spring is referring to next year. Maybe then we can have some peace before another tragedy."
"What was it again?" Munkustrap asked. His paw subconsciously reached for his son's head, scratching it as the newborn purred.
"On one Spring night in cooling rain
The cycle shall begin again." Recited Tantomile. It had been stuck in her head some time now – enveloping her thoughts, a constant cycle. It kept her up at night, worrying for those around her. The cycle would repeat; did that mean it had happened before? Could it happen again, and who would 'lose themselves and all they are' come summer?
"Well, spring seems safe. No disasters. It's summer and winter which are the big troubles, right?"
Alonzo chuckled, "you're in charge here, Munk, do go asking us." His friend had been growing more reliant on the opinions of himself and Tantomile, creating almost a council between the three of them. Of the two twins Alonzo had always pictured Coricopat as the leader, but with his short conversations with the snarky, sarcastic, witty female twin, he found her to be quite an extrovert who was just unlucky enough to be given an unusual gift.
"Alonzo, come back to the real world." Demeter's voice was almost otherworldly. Still basking in the birth of her son, she positively glowed. She could have been the Mother Cat. Alonzo smirked towards her, throwing a small thread at the blind kitten, who's tiny paws reached forward to play with the foreign object.
"Well, guess who has graveyard shift." He groaned, standing and stretching. Tantomile rolled her eyes at him and he slung an arm over her shoulder. "Again."
A claw made it's way to Tantomile's chin. "Hmmm… Mungojerrie?" Alonzo shook his head. "Skimbleshanks?" Again, Alonzo shook his head, his fur shaking with the ferocity of his movement. Tantomile snapped her fingers, pulling away from the black and white tom. " I know! Tumbebrutus!"
"No!" Alonzo cried, exasperated. "Me!" Tantomile shrugged, skipping out the door. "Then who cares?"
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Gus' funeral was huge. The entire tribe showed up after a few minutes, waiting to pay their respects to the Theatre cat they all knew.
"I didn't know him that well," Cassandra had said, "but he felt like someone who would always be there. It's hard to think that he's gone now, and that we won't get to hear his stories anymore." For someone who didn't know him well she was very emotional about his death. It appeared to be something she was known for – not appreciating the little things until they were gone.
The whole ceremony just seemed like a reason for people to feel bad for each other in Dell's opinion. And what made Gus so special? His mother and sister rotted on a streetside while Gus was mourned over by a crowd of friends and family? He could even stay there – he had moved into the den, curling into a pile of blankets and trying to ignore what was going on just outside. Only five minutes of piece later and Sil was joining him, curling up next to him and letting the sobs rack her frame as she thought about everything they had lost.
'But then there's everything you've found,' Dell thought. Coricopat and Tantomile, Etcetera, Pouncival, Alonzo. New friends, new family even. Not enough to ever replace what they lost, but something new that made them feel just as good. You can't fix a broken heart, but you can hold it together 'till it sticks.
And, hey, they had a whole lifetime to sort it out.
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Agh, why was the ending of this so difficult to figure out? BLAH! Anyway, it's a terrible way to make up for everything that I've missed, but it will all be explained in the next part. It will be called Winter Wings (even though it's mostly centered from the end of Winter into Spring and Summer) so keep an eye out for it around December/January. The reason you'll be waiting that long is not because I'm cruel, but hopefully so I can type up the story plan so I don't lose it and I can get 4 or 5 chapters done before I start posting so I never fall so far behind. I'll work on making them much longer, too. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and you'll stick around for the next part!