Chapter 2: Years Later. . . .
"Rychel! Get out here!"
A dark red bundle stirred in an old basket in the dark alley. Rychel stretched her paws then slowly got out of the basket. She flicked her ears back. She had lived here all her life with Tamira and Rilan since she was a kitten. She had given up on finding her father, and slowly they nursed her till she was stronger than Rilan, which made him jealous. Ever since then Rilan was horrible to her.
"Rychel!" He called again.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" She exclaimed, getting up and stretching, then walking outside. Tamira was cleaning her paw while Rilan was watching Rychel, his tail swishing back and forth. Rima looked at him. Tamira looked up, smiling.
"About time. Come on, you're going to help me hunt." Rilan growled. Rychel sighed, shaking her head, before walking with him down the alleys. Tamira looked at her with worry in her eyes. Something was up with RIlan, and the look he gave Rima was exactly. . .good.
Rychel and Rilan walked through the alleys, Rychel a little behind him. Sniffing, she caught a rat behind a dumpster.
"There's one I'll go. . ." She said.
"Leave it. More important things on my mind." Rilan muttered, making her stop. She cocked her head to the side.
"What's going on Ri?" She asked, sitting down. He growled, making her tail puff out. Her insides twisted up, not knowing what was going on. He laughed darkly, making Rychel's ears prick. She didn't like it. Backing up, she slowly found herself being advanced on by Rilan.
"Wha. . what are you do. . ." She started, but was silenced with his lips on hers roughly. She squealed, trying to push him off, but his arms pushed her to the sides, pinning her. His mouth was trying to force hers open, but she wouldn't allow it. His tail wrapped around her ankles, keeping her from kicking him. She wanted to retch, but there was nothing in her stomach.
"You're mine now." He hissed, throwing her to the ground and jumping on top to pin her. Rychel struggled. She had never seen this side of him before, and Tamira was nowhere in sight. Scratch that actually.
A brown shadow flew and bowled over Rilan, casting him aside. Rychel shook violently, curling up as her two best friends fought.
"Rychel! Get out of here! Find a junkyard, your family scent will take you there!" She yowled, still fighting Rilan. Rychel shot up, and ran, taking one last look at the ball of cats. She ran on.
Rain poured down on the streets, soaking Rychel to the bones. She couldn't find her family scent, it was impossible. She shook from the cold, coughing as her nose ran. So much for being healthy. She walked the streets by herself, occasionally stopped for a rest. She was looking for the junkyard, but it wasn't anywhere in sight.
The sun started going down, casting her into darkness. She sighed, letting her ears fall. Where was she?
"Hey!"
Rychel turned to see what spoke. She looked in the alley and saw two brown eyes looking at her.
"Why are you in the rain? Come on out of there. Trust me I won't bite." The male voice said. She let her ears flatten, as she cautiously walked toward the brown eyes, they backed up. She then saw him. A black and white handsome patched tom. He looked strong and healthy, unlike herself.
"I've never seen you around." He said, cocking his head to the side. Rychel shivered, looking at him.
"I'm looking for a junkyard. That's where my friend told me to go after her brother. . . well. . ." She said, then faltered. The tom looked at her, then realization kicked in.
"He didn't?" He asked. She shook her head.
"But it was close. I'm Rychel." She introduced herself as they got in from the rain in a cardboard box.
"Alonzo. The junkyard is my home. I'm just hiding from the rain." He said, watching her as she settled down beside him in the box. She sneezed, and Alonzo was reminded of an old little kitten that used to do that. He shook his head of the thought.
"You sick?" He asked her. Rychel looked at him.
"I only get sick if I'm scared or when it rains. I've always been a sickly cat. Since I was just a kitten." She explained, sniffling and licking her fur dry. She was growing to like this cat. He was a nice, handsome tom. She yawned.
"Come on. You better get some sleep and sleep off that cold. Tomorrow we can go to the junkyard." He said. Rychel nodded.
"Thanks." She said. Alonzo smiled. Rychel nestled down into the box, leaning against Alonzo as he joined her. She smiled, purring a little, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Alonzo watched her for the longest time. She had a lovely fur color. Red, a passionate color, with black spots. She had black paws and the tip of her tail was black. She was beautiful. He smiled, before settling down himself.
Rychel woke up the next morning sprawled out in the cardboard box. For a minute she thought she was back home, but then a plump mouse dropped in front of her. Rychel looked upside down to see Alonzo standing there, grinning evilly and funny. Rychel smiled, before turning back over.
"You know I can hunt for myself." She stated, unsheathing her claws and cutting the mouse open. Alonzo laughed.
"Yeah well. I wanted to be hospitable." He said, diving into his own rat. Rychel smiled, then ate hers slowly. She finished a long time after Alonzo did. She looked up to see him staring at her.
"What?" She asked. Alonzo smiled.
"Nothing. Come on, let's get to the junkyard." He said, standing up and shaking his fur. Rychel stood up and stretched, letting her back pop out, and enjoying the sensation. She yawned out, then looked at him. He nodded, then walked out of the alley and down to the junkyard.
As they got nearer, Rychel could smell something familiar. She couldn't put her nose on it though.
"Something about this place makes me think I've been here before." She told Alonzo. He looked at her, pricking his ears. As they got to the entrance he heard his name being called over.
"We thought you had gotten stuck in the storm." A brown male calico walked up. He took a look at Rychel, ready to hiss at the invader, then stopped, his eyes widening. A female calico just like the male stood beside him, and cocked her head to the side.
"Give us your paw." She said. Rychel looked at Alonzo, who nodded. She gave them her paws, and they took it. A blank expression went over their faces, then were back to normal.
"We thought you had died." One said.
"He'll be so happy." The other finished. Rychel cocked her head to the side. A gray and black striped tom came up. He looked at her, before stepping back.
"I. . Imarina?" He gasped. Rychel stopped. She knew that name. She knew everything about it. That was her name.
"Tugger!" The tom called. She looked to see a thin but heavily maned tom walk out from an old cabinet. He sighed, shaking his pelt, before looking up. Rychel smiled.
"Daddy?" She asked tentavily, stepping foreward. Tugger looked at the queen. She looked so much like. . .well. . . like her.
"Imarina!" He exclaimed. Imarina squealed and collapsed into Tugger's arms, who was crying. The cats all looked at her as she pulled back, tears streaming down her face. She looked to all the toms and queens she grew up with. She shrieked, falling into the arms of Victoria, who grimaced from pain. She pulled back from her friend.
"What's wrong with you guys?" She asked, looking around. Tugger smiled.
"Ever since you had disappeared, the junkyard hasn't been the same. Macavity almost destroyed all of us. We managed to save everyone, but with a terrible price." He explained, looking at Imarina. She looked up at her with the same innocent eyes she had always had.
"Mom? Deuce, Luca?" She asked. Tugger shook his head. She sighed, feeling her insides twist up from sadness. She looked around the yard of cats. Some of them had many scars going down them. Victoria held her left back paw off the ground, hurt in her eyes. She muttered "Sorry" before walking back into her den. Imarina looked around.
"Victoria broke her leg during the fight. We weren't able to set it in time so she has a lame leg now. " Munkustrap explained.
"She can't dance anymore lassie." Skimbleshanks, the once cheerful railway cat sighed. Imarina looked down. She had missed so much as she grew up with the other two cats. She looked down, then looked back up.
"Don't feel so bad for us Rina." She turned to the male voice from the side. Skimble stepped away, revealing the one she missed the most. The cat she had grown up with, her best friend.
"Quaxo!" She exclaimed, jumping into his open arms. He laughed.
"It's actually Mistoffelees now. I changed it after I had to reveal my powers." He said, looking at her as she rubbed her cheek against his chest fur, savoring every bit of him. She looked up, and almost gasped. A thin, red scar ran down Misto's right eye all the way to the tip of his nose. It made a red mark in his eye, but he seemed to be able to see. Another scar ran down his shoulder to his chest. She let her hand trail down it as tears flowed freely. Misto sighed, placing his paw under her chin and pulling it up. He wrapped his tail around her thin waist.
"I'm okay, trust me." He said, smiling.
"Everything's changed since I left." She said, sighing. Mistoffelees looked at her, sighing.
"But nothing has changed through us Jellicles." He whispered. Imarina grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck. She then pulled back and walked over to her father, who wrapped his arms around his little girl.
"I thought you were dead." He said.
"I thought you were." She said, snifling. He laughed, picking her up and twirling her around, listening to her famous contagious giggle. Soon everyone was laughing, adding to the happiness of having one more back. Tugger set her down, and she walked over to Alonzo.
"Thank you for bringing me home." She said, nuzzling his cheek. Alonzo felt a wave of heat roar over him, but he smiled. At least she was back.
Sorry for the LONG wait. Been really busy. Well, heres chapter 2