When the kitten had finally been placed in her arm, the young Jellicle queen stared at her goddaughter with interest. Her eyes were the most intriguing. They were two different colors. One was a dull grey-blue, and the other was a brash sap green with gold flecks in the center. She was so unique…powerful…as if she could enchant. The thought passed her mind, and Zela abruptly looked up at Mistoffelees with questioning eyes. Could the kitten be a mystic? Misto was already looking at her with a sly grin. He nodded conformingly, as if he had read her mind. Zela stared back down at the kitten curiously, instantly growing an attachment to her. Zela smiled at the queen-kit, a new hope arousing in her, Vitalee…

~^..^~

Munkustrap was trying desperately to push his exhaustion out of him, as he forced Tugger to come with by dragging him by the wrists. He was trying to find a vacant area, any place that was out of the tribe's earshot, and where he could talk to Tugger quietly. As if he hadn't enough to worry about. As the silver tabby ran to an unoccupied den, the Curious Cat began to complain that he didn't need to be dragged by the wrists like a kitten would be. By the time they actually reached the den, the silver tabby had had enough. He quickly pushed the Maine coon into the den forcefully, "Shut up, Tugger!" he ordered harshly, walking in. He could hardly contain the inferno beaming through his eyes at this point.

Tugger looked back, snarling at the Jellicle guardian and digging his paws into the ground, "Okay, if someone tells me to shut up one more time today, I swear, I'll-"

"You'll what? Actually shut up!?" the tabby mocked. Tugger's snarl deepened, and Munkustrap's mood was finally lightened. Agitating the Maine Coon was the most entertaining leisure for him, which was sad on his part. This was slightly as befuddling to him as it would be to anyone else, but no one else seemed to mind; besides the Curious Cat.

Tugger growled, seemingly trying to ignore the mocking comment. He settled himself on a patch of ground, "Whaddya want anyway, Straps? I'm very busy."

Munkustrap's raw, impassive expression didn't change from his face as his claws deepened in the dirt, "Oh yes," he agreed smoothly, grinding his teeth with breaths, "You've been quite busy haven't you? Throwing yourself at Zelaphelia and such."

Tugger paused from his grooming and looked back up at the silver tabby with a hardened face, "Zela? What does this have to do with Zela?" the question was asked more quietly than expected.

Munkus scoffed and glared at his brother, feeling that his intelligence was being insulted by the Curious Cat's stupidity, "Don't even try playing coy with me,Tugger. I saw you with her. You're arm was around her, and you kept whispering things to her-"

Tugger waved his paw in a dismayed manner, as if dismissing the silver tom's words, "I don't need any descriptions, Munk!" He spat. The Maine coon was quiet for a few seconds, combing his claws through his head fur like a guilty tom before sighing and looking back at his brother, "Yes…I was with her." He admitted softly, "We've been talking for awhile, is all. Nothing serious…"

Munkustrap wasn't exactly comforted by this explanation. Quite the opposite actually. He felt his face began rouging as his hollow glare burned on the back of the leopard-spotted tom's skull, "What the hell are you thinking then?" he growled in a sudden explosion, "Flirting with my mate's daughter! Acting like a complete jack-a-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" he flamed back at the silver tabby, "That's not called for! Listen, it's different with Zela."

Munk snorted and sniggered bitterly, "Different? What's different?" he asked in a mocking tone, "You're flirting with the one queen you know perfectly well you shouldn't provoke. What's your plan, eh Tug? Probably going to dance around her in circles, and then when you've had your fun, let her down gently, right?"

Tugger glared at him, in a completely loathsome way, "Do you really think I'm that shallow?" he asked, looking perfectly serious, "Look, I don't know if I'm getting serious with her or not. It's like how I would be with any queen. But the difference is that I actually feel something for Zela......I told you last fall how I felt about her!"

The Jellicle Guardian thought back. He'd already known through several experiences with Zelaphelia that Tugger cared about her, but the only time he remembered the Curious Cat expressing any feeling for her was right after she'd left with Demeter. The silver tabby shuttered, "You mean…when you told me that you loved her??" Munkustrap was speechless for the briefest second, "I thought you were joking!"

Tugger smirked a little, "Surprised, Stripes?"

Munk narrowed his eyes at the leopard-spotted tom, "Not really; though I highly doubt you actually meant it. Listen, I don't really care what you think you have with Zelaphelia. I can tell you've been keeping it secret, up 'til now. And I don't really care about what you're planning to do. Just…don't get her upset. I can't even imagine how Demeter would react if she knew you were seeing her daughter. And I'd pray for you soul if you ever did something to hurt her."

The Curious Cat growled, waving his hands up in the air in frustration, "Hurt her? Why the hell would I hurt her?!"

Munkustrap blinked at him, as if it was supposed to be common knowledge, "Oh I don't know, maybe because you've done the same thing to nearly every single queen in the Junkyard for years, including kittens!"

Tugger quickly became bittersweet instead of angry, "Munk, I'm trying to tell you, I wouldn't hurt her." He snapped quickly, "I really do like her."

He snorted, "What happened to love?"

The Maine coon's face didn't change, but he did look away before speaking, "I was just completely…hypnotized by her. I didn't know what I was doing, and now…now I just want to figure out my feelings for her." Munk could tell by his expression that Tugger was serious.

He sighed, seeing his fun was nearly over, "Just…Tugger…If you're doing anything…just please…don't do anything stupid."

The Curious Cat looked back up at his brother and snickered, "C'mon Munk!" he exclaimed, apparently in a lighter mood, "Since when have I ever done something stupid?"

He didn't even wait for an expected answer from his rhetoric question. Tugger was already out of the den. Munkustrap watched his brother, feeling that there were a hundred different replies to that thought, but he didn't have time to worry about him. The silver tabby had other problems to worry about, and he didn't need to add Tugger to his list, at least not now. His top priority was to find Mistoffelees, and try getting him to help Jelly in finding a cure to the disease that infested Plato. The Jellicle guardian wasn't even sure if he should or shouldn't tell the tribe yet. If it got serious enough, maybe, but for now, Munk just wanted to make it through the week, scar-free…

Victoria held a little silver kitten in her arms while sitting in Cassandra and Alonzo's den. Since Cass had had a few complications while birthing her kittens, Jelly insisted on her staying in the medical den until she was up to moving back in with her kittens. According to Alonzo, that time had come, and they asked all the godparents to help move their newborns to the den. The white queen had been decided as Arjetta's godmother, which made her happy in a way. She had never been given an honor of being dedicated to a kitten. Actually, the whole term of being a godparent had come from a human tradition that Old Deuteronomy's grandfather had started. The ancient tribe had taken a liking to it, so the custom had been passed down through the generations. It was actually one of the less controversial and formal of Jellicle ceremonies. Parents just usually chose the cats they decided were worthy of caring for a kitten, and traditionally that chosen godparent was supposed to take care of the kitten; teach them the ways of the tribe, and become guardians to them if anything were to happen to the real parents.

Some kittens in the Junkyard had not been given godparents. Victoria's younger sister, Electra, didn't have one, nor did Alonzo or Cassandra. Maybe the fact that they didn't grow up with a role model had them taking on godparents for their kittens. The white queen shrugged, continually admiring the little Arjetta resting in her arms. She'd look forward to taking care of the kitten, at least knowing that she was soon supposed to be taking care of her own litter in a couple of months. This was just going to be good practice. But Vic still knew she wanted to always be there for Jetta, if not just to retain the honor given to her as a godparent.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Victoria caught an ominous shadow; she looked up in an alert-phased expression, but then relaxed her facial manner at the sight of her half-sister, Zelaphelia, "Hey Zel!" she greeted cheerfully.

Zela walked in quietly. A small dark-brown kitten was still encased in her arms. The gold-red queen had suggested the name Vitalee to Cassandra and Alonzo, which they seemed to like. Vic didn't think it was a bad name either, but when Zela was asked to be the godmother, she almost seemed hesitant. And even now, her sister was acting very awkward with the small kitten.

Zela cleared her throat as she fumbled with the kitten in her hands, as if trying to figure out what to do with it, "Not exactly easy…" she mused, "-handling kittens.... They're just so…fragile."

Victoria chuckled, tickling the chin of her godkit, "You're just not used to it, Zel. Just wait, the kitten will mature, and then you'll love being around her."

Zela looked up at Victoria, finally finding an awkward, but easy position to hold to chocolate colored kitten. She smiled, looking amused, "Well when did you get to be so wise about kits, Vic?" she asked with slight sarcasm.

The white queen giggled, "I've always loved kittens. I like being around them…and they seem to like me too…" she sighed to herself, "Jelly and Jenny might train me how to take care of kittens properly…they think Etcy and I would make good caretakers one day."

Zela cleared her throat, sitting next to her sister as the little fuzz ball known as Vitalee plopped into her lap, "Already having a life plan, eh Vic?" she said. It was said almost jeeringly.

She chuckled, in all amusement with the gold-red female's comments. "Well, it's one step closer than what you have planned, now isn't Zela?"

Zelaphelia smiled, looking down at the kitten, "Touché." she said, "But I don't like to plan too far ahead, Vic. I'm still trying to figure out where I should go after the ball…maybe before then…"

The white queen's brow furrowed as she stared at her sister seriously, "You're going to leave?"

"Well…I am nomadic, Vic. I don't really know if I want to stay in one place too long, and besides, with the Macavity scares that are probably going to happen soon, I don't even know if I should stay for more than a week…"

"A week?!" Victoria suddenly exclaimed she set Jetta down gently at her side and stood up to look the gold-red queen straight in the eye, "Zel, you just got here! And we haven't seen a trace of Macavity for quite a few months and not at all since you arrived! And Mom is just getting used to having you around. I can't even imagine what she'd think if you left all the sudden! And Cass just gave you a guardianship over her kitten! Are you really going to abandoned her now? When she just gave you a responsibility?" Vic could now sense that she was blurting out any excuse she could come up with for Zela to stay. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about her sister staying, but things had certainly been different without her.

Zelaphelia was looking down at Vitalee, fiddling with the kitten's soft head fur, and looking upset by the evidence brought up against her nomadism. She sighed warily, "Vic, I know I left a lot here, and I know I just got back…but…" an odd firmness suddenly quivered in the gold-red female's voice as she continued, "I'm not going to risk anyone's life by staying here."

Victoria combed through the fur on her head as she almost glared at her sister, "But you're not!" she countered weakly in frustration, "You're not doing anything by staying here! Zel, please, you need to understand that…none of this has to-…" The white queen suddenly caught a dizzying headache, as her legs wobbled a little and her head began spinning.

Zela got up from her spot, placing Vitalee next to her sister and coming close to Victoria's side concernedly. "Vic, are you okay?" she asked, putting the support of her paws around the white female's shoulder, holding her up from collapsing, "Maybe you should sit down…"

Victoria was too disoriented to argue. Zela quickly sat her sister next to the resting kittens. It took a matter of seconds for her head to allow any range of sense back into her mind. But in a brief time, she felt the blood rush back into her upper body. Zelaphelia blinked, still looking fairly worried for her sister, "What's wrong, Vic?"

The white queen rubbed her head as she blinked at her paws resting on top of her lap, "Nothing, Zela…" she murmured uneasily, "It's…it's just the pregnancy, I guess. I've been getting this dizziness every so often…" Victoria rubbed her head, still feeling a slight ache.

Zelaphelia patted her sister's back sympathetically as she spoke. "It's okay…" she assured quietly, "Has it been hurting you a lot? The pregnancy?"

Victoria looked back up at her sister, "No," she replied, "It's not hurting me. Might be painful sometimes; might make me uncomfortable, but…it doesn't hurt…"-she chuckled to herself unwittingly- "Some days are better than others…"

Zela sighed, as if in relief, "Well, I'm glad my sister's so tough…" she commented humorously. "How'd mum take the news?" she suddenly asked.

Victoria's head tilted a little as she glanced at her sister, "Hm…she was surprised as much…But she was happy about it, I guess. Sometimes I think mum still believes I'm a kitten…"

The young mystic chuckled with her sister, seeing the truth in the statement, "Well, she's always been kind of tentative…I'm sure she's happy for you…Did you tell Munkustrap?"

Vic quickly shook her head, having a little disappointment, "No…I haven't gotten a chance to tell him all week. He's always so busy, and he never tells me or Lectra what he's been doing…"

"Oh…I see…" Zelaphelia grunted, clearing her throat, and looking a bit uncomfortable about where the conversation was going. The gold-red female quickly stood up. "I have to go, Vic. You'll watch the kits, won't you?"

Victoria wasn't exactly content about her sister's change of mood, and wanted to question what was bothering her, "Zela, why don't you-"

"Vicky? Zela?" the two queens quickly looked over to the entrance to find the source of the new voice. It was Quaxo, carrying his new godson, Giacomo, and holding two other kittens, Delano and Lazarus. The oldest queen-kit, Kalendre, had already gotten used to walking by herself. Quaxo walked in with the four kittens, looking partially confused, "What are you guys doing?"

Victoria stood up, walking over to her mate, and kissing him lightly on the cheek, "Nothing, Quax. We're just talking." Quaxo smiled sheepishly at the tom-kits in his arms. The white queen always loved how bashful her mate always got around her. It made her feel...... alluring.

Zela walked around the mates but quickly turned to Victoria with a face written in seriousness, "Vic, talk to Munk later. Pretty sure you can't keep this from him." The gold-red queen quickly spun her heels around and headed in a random direction.

The small white female blinked, staring at her sister's exit. Her lips curled back tentatively. Quaxo suddenly handed her one of the kittens in his arms and studied her in all confoundedness. "What was she talking about?" he asked.

Victoria shook her head as she walked back into Cassandra and Alonzo's den, the kitten squirming in her arms. She didn't look at her mate. "My father doesn't know I'm with kittens yet…"

The silence around the mates grew so strong Vic could have sworn she heard the tuxedo tom gulp. It was a few moments before he replied: "Are you going to tell him?"

Victoria sighed, turning back to her mate, and rubbing her eyes, "Maybe later…" she answered quietly. She looked back at her mate and smiled warmly, setting the kitten next to his sisters. "Will you watch them?" she asked.

Quaxo laughed, "Of course, love. Well, Cass and Lonz are getting her things packed up to move back into their den. She already asked me to kitsit, so I figured I can do the same thing as a favor to both queens…"

The white queen smiled, kissing him once more in gratitude, and then headed out. She was still unsure if she should be looking for her father, or maybe somewhere just to relax. She mentally shrugged, but decided that anywhere would be good, if she could just clear her thoughts for an hour; a minute. The pregnancy was really taking its toll on her, and she was barely three weeks in…

Macavity walked down the empty halls of his Warehouse, a headache forming from talking and torturing about ten different henchcats. His last had been the little guardsmen he had recently appointed from training. He groaned, barely able to recall the name and not really caring either. If it meant anything, it was only the name of an illegitimate henchcat. However, that kit played a small role in his plan. He was simply going to guard the new prisoner, and even that kind of job shouldn't be too hard for a stupid henchcat. The ginger tom groaned, feeling his head begin to ache. He wandered miserably to his corner of the door to his den. He smiled slightly at that, at least glad that he could get some peace and quiet in his own quarters.

Quickly, he padded to the door and opened it, but just like that, his whole evening was ruined.

Jezabella sat on top of his black leather chair, smiling in a sickening way that would have made him vomit if it weren't for the fact he hadn't eaten anything in two days. He knew it was unhealthy to starve himself on purpose, but he didn't care too much. His biggest concern was the insufferable Tokinese queen was in his den without his permission. The Hidden Paw stayed silent as he scowled and headed towards her.

The beige queen's smile grew shockingly. She should be afraid right now…he grumbled harshly to himself. This thought made Macavity's scowl grow fiercer. Jeza chuckled, "Surprised to see me, Mac?"

The title she so impertinently called him made the ginger tom's mood grow sourer towards her. "It's Sir to you, Jezabella." He hissed, striding over to her. She still had a smug grin on her face, which the ginger tom would have gladly smacked off if he had the energy at the moment. He was wondering why he felt so weak so suddenly. His anger and malevolence turned towards her, "Get out of my chair." he said in an ominously quiet tone.

The Tokinese queen shrugged and quickly stood up, leaping to the floor. Macavity quickly took his rightful place as he sat down comfortably. When Jeza had been just one of his queens, she had boundaries; limits; rules to follow with humble obedience. Now that she was appointed as a technical agent, she had more freedom around the Warehouse. She was more proud, less respecting to her superiors, and apparently now, she thought she could come into the den of her master whenever she wanted. The Napoleon of Crime growled as he wiped his face with his paw in an exhausted and angered manner. "What is it that you want, Jeza?" he asked, acidity gurgling in his tone.

Jezabella's grin finally faded from her face. She stared at her paws uneasily, "I wanted to know if you had talked to your guardsman, Marcetheus, today."

Macavity's eyes opened as he removed his paw from his face and on to the top of the arm rest. If he felt any amusement at all by the question, he made sure not to show it, "Yes, I talked to your little prodigy. Just now, actually… Gave him a little…pep-talk so he'll be ready for his…" -a small chortle escaped the ginger tom's throat before uttering the final word of his statement, "'mission.'" His amusement only increased from this.

Jeza nodded, as if not seeing the humor in his answer and entertainment from his face. "Good," she said, "He's very smart you know. Not like the other henchcats."

Macavity chuckled, "No, he's nothing like the other henchcats. He's weaker than the others, actually. And smart, Jeza? Not exactly the term I would have used."

The Tokinese queen's brow seemed to furrow in disapproval of the statement. She stood up, as if ready to protest, but a knock from the door quickly stopped her. Macavity growled, his headache growing, "Come in! Come in…" he said in a harsh growl.

Jezabella quickly sat back down and looked at the floor, obviously disgruntled by what he had said. The Hidden Paw only found amusement out of this. But he decided to ignore her until he found it to be a good time to send her out. He looked towards the door that had swiftly opened to reveal an all-black tom with a pale jagged scar lined on his left cheek. Barnabas. Macavity's mood quickly shifted back to bitterness as he groaned, "This have better be good." He mumbled roughly, loud enough so that his assistant could hear, "A report from the Junkyard spies, I hope?"

Barnabas sat on the floor of his boss's den, looking more exhausted than usual. "Yes."

Macavity nodded towards his agent, and then looked back at Jezabella, still feeling annoyed by her presence. "Leave us." He ordered quickly to her. Jeza didn't seem to hesitate, but she gave him one more hateful glare before leaving.

Barnabas had watched her exit, but once the door slammed, he turned back to the Hidden Paw. Macavity's headache had only increased by the sudden slam of the door, but he ignored it for now, "The report?" he said.

Barnabas seemed hesitant at first, but then quietly started, "You said to mark every activity of the Jellicles, and nothing really important has been going on. They found the tom we kidnapped, and it looks like he's been getting worse since we injected him with the toxin, but we haven't heard any talk from any other of the Jellicles, so we assume that the tribe leader is keeping it secret.-"

"The tribe's protector, idiot." Macavity quickly interrupted, "Everyone knows the old tumbleweed is out of town."

The black tom cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Of course, Sir. Any how, the only thing that has really happened was the tribe magician's mate is with kittens, and a certain dark Siamese queen happened to give birth to six kits two weeks ago. All of them have been named today, and given guardians…Your daughter was among them."

Macavity was mildly intrigued by all this information, especially about his half-sister's kittens, and Zelaphelia. "Hm…I see. Any mystics among the kittens?"

Barnabas nodded, "The magician claimed one as a mystic that I heard. Their first born."

The ginger tom was now lost interest, and was actually just asking questions to keep his agent distracted while he thought. He actually just needed to know about Zelaphelia. The sooner he could get her to the Warehouse, the better, but he couldn't just take her by force. She'd grown too powerful for that. If she started using her mystical abilities more often, he wasn't even sure if she could be defeated. So, he would need to get her to the Warehouse, where at least he had his own magic that he could easily drain her with; his own mystical weapons the Junkyard didn't even know about… The Hidden Paw grinned, finally sensing a good plan finished in his mind, and it would require the help of Barnabas, and of a few Jellicle kittens.

It was by this point Macavity realized the black henchcat was still blabbering on. He quickly indicated for him to stop. The ginger tom stood up, and walked over to his cabinet. He puzzled with the combination lock before opening it swiftly. Looking around, he spotted a silver case sitting at the bottom of the first drawer, sitting quietly and stably. Macavity grinned, quickly grabbing it by the handle, and then walking over to his poker table, and gently putting the case on top of it. Barnabas stared at him zealously as he came forward. The ginger tom noticed this and gestured him to come forward.
Macavity quickly unlocked his case, and revealed several shimmering vials with an oozy dark liquid in them, encased with dark grey foam that had been carefully constructed to cradle the poison inside the glasses gently. Next to the vials, small syringes sat quietly, as if waiting to be used for the ginger tom's own nefarious purposes. Macavity grinned as he took out both a larger syringe, and one of the vials. "How would you and few other agents like to do a job for me, Barnabas?"

Nightfall had aroused in the Junkyard, and Zelaphelia sat silently in the shadows of her new den, thinking over things that had happened today. She was looking around prestigiously at her den. Munkustrap had introduced her to it a few days after Cassandra had given birth to her kits. Zela knew she couldn't stay with Demeter and Munk for the rest of her time at the Junkyard, and had taken a liking to it. It was on a northern part of the Junkyard. She had a nice view of the sunrise, and a quite a few entrances or exits. Most of the den was made from old wooden furniture and tarnished tapestries and large rugs. It was filled with earthy tones of color and draped with torn blankets and covered with lamp shades. It was actually quite elegant for her. But not even her den could clear her mind of the words Victoria pressed in her mind.

Zela wasn't exactly sure if she should or shouldn't leave the Junkyard yet. True, Macavity hadn't reared his ugly head yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't around, and the gold-red queen had been extremely paranoid about it for two weeks. He might still be planning, despite the reassurance from Munkustrap that he's been quiet for months. Zela could never believe that the Napoleon of Crime had given up the chase. Perhaps she was endangering everyone by staying for so long.

Suddenly, a rustling near the front of her den toyed with the gold-red female's mind. She looked up, half-expecting something bad. But to her blatant surprise, it was simply Munkustrap skulking into her den. Zela gulped uneasily, as she sat back down, sliding her paws under her chest as she watched him come in. Was he going to mention Tugger? Or maybe it was about Plato? His face held a certain neutrality that made her nervous and uncertain of the subject he would bring up. "Hello Zela." He greeted.

Zela bowed her head quickly, "Munkustrap" she said, "Anything I can help you with?" The gold-red queen was slightly surprised by the maturity in her own voice. It was kind of annoying to her.

The Jellicle guardian nodded, coming farther into the den, "Yes…Zela, would you mind telling me why you've been spending so much time with Tugger?"

The gold-red queen sighed through her nose. She knew this was coming. "We've just been talking, Munk." She said casually, "It's no big deal."

The silver tabby grimaced, "That's what he said too…" he came up to her face, "He said it wasn't too serious. Is that the way you feel about it?"

Zelaphelia mentally scolded herself. If she had done a better job at keep her and Tugger secret, maybe Munkustrap wouldn't be having her endure in this awkward conversation, "…Yes and no…" she replied vaguely, "I think he actually cares, and we really have just been talking."

Munkustrap nodded, but his face expressed disapproval, "Zela, I don't know if I like that you're with him…" he said tentatively.

Now it was the gold-red queen's turn to grimace, "Well, It's not really your decision, is it Munkustrap?" She stood up, and turned away from him.

Munkustrap seemed not to like the fact that she was acting like this, giving his disgruntled growl. "Zela, what would your mother think if she knew you were sneaking around, keeping this from her?"

Zela scowled at the question and sharply turned back to him, "And what would the tribe think if they knew you were keeping Plato a secret?" When she said it, the young queen instantly regretted the question, but it was a good counter, and may prove her point as to why he shouldn't be keeping this.

Munkustrap stared at her with a blank expression. He looked down at his feet and grunted, "Zela, you know I-"

"MUNK!" a panicked voice suddenly cried into her den. The gold-red queen spun around, seeing Jellyorum, with a sobbing Cassandra and Alonzo with a comforting arm around her.

Munkustrap walked over to Jellyorum, seemingly trying to calm her down as it appeared she looked like she was going to hyperventilate. "Jelly…what's wrong? What happened?"

Jellyorum breathed quickly as she squeezed his shoulder blades, "Munk, it's Quaxo…we found him unconscious in Cass and Lonz's den. And the kittens…Oh Everlasting Cat, we can't find them! They're gone!"