Kitty Kibbles(Authors Notes): Did ya like it? Oh, and if your wondering Malachi means ‘messenger’ and is supposedly an Angel of God. Hence the connection ;) Tell me what you think!
“It’s Admetus and . . . Pouncival,” Jemima whispered, squinting to see the other figure.
“OOoo Pouncival. Kissy kissy kissy,” Malachi teased, making smooching sounds.
“Shutupshutupshutup!” Jemima squealed frantically. “Look I have an idea, I’ll get Pouncival from behind and you get Admetus okay?”
“Sure Pouncival doesn’t want to get you first?” “SHUT UP!! Just go. Use your powers and go.”
“Hee hee. What ever you say Ma’am,” Malachi replied, giving a mock salute.
“GO!”
Malachi disappeared in a puff of soundless smoke. At the same time Jemima pounced onto Pouncival while Malachi descended onto Admetus from above.
“HEY!” the two tom’s shouted indignantly in unison.
“Jemima?”
“Malachi?”
The two females sat besides each other looking innocently at the other two males. They glanced at each other and then burst into laughter.
“Sheesh, girls,” Pouncival stated, rolling his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Malachi asked, bunching her haunches and launching herself at the older male. Pouncival landed on his backside with a “Hurk!” He swatted Malachi away and launched himself at Jemima. Then the game erupted into a 4-cat game of ‘Bumper Cars’. Unbeknownst to them a pair of sinister, sunken eyes watched a white kitten from an obscure corner of the junkyard. Malachi was tackled by Admetus and was going to disappear when a sudden feeling of trepidation ran it’s evil finger tips down her spine. She gave an involuntary shiver as the feeling continued but suddenly disappeared as quickly as it had come about. Admetus was about to pop Malachi on the head when he noticed her shiver. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I had a feeling, a very disturbing feeling. I can’t describe it.” Malachi’s brow furrowed in concentration for a few moments but then she gave a shrug and said, “Oh well. I’ll ask my uncle later.” She grinned and resumed the game with the other kittens.
When the sinister eyed cat saw Malachi pause the game and shiver he quickly departed, knowing that if he was discovered then everything would be ruined. In a puff of fire the cat disappeared, unnoticed by anyone else but the unknowing kitten.
When everyone tired of the game they all laid down exhausted, especially Malachi. She had used her powers so much that she had totally worn out herself. The group was a mess of heads, tails, and fur. They all lay intwined and tired. Sleep, however, would not come to Malachi. The feeling that she had during the game troubled her dreams and would not let her rest. “That feeling . . . so evil. Pure evil. I can’t place it but I know that something’s up. I’ve never had that type of feeling before. What was it?” She shook her head, which was resting on Jemima’s flank, and woke her up. “Sorry,” Malachi stated with a yawn. She carefully disengaged herself from the mess of cats and began to walk home. On her way she met her uncle and asked him about the strange feeling she had.
“I never thought he’d go this far,” Mistofelees mumbled to himself.
“What?”
“Nevermind. Malachi, if you ever get this feeling again always go to other cats. Never be by yourself. Go to older cats like Alonzo and Munkustrap okay?”
“Why?”
“I can’t explain. It has to do with you being related to me.”
“But wh-”
“Don’t worry about it Malachi. I’ll tell you later,” Mistofelees said cheerfully. “Much later,” he thought to himself.
He dropped her off and scratched on the door for the human to get her. Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The woman opened the door and let Malachi in. The kitten ran inside, wanting to get away from the cold of the night.
“Hey Angel,” the woman said. “Look what I got for you.” Malachi looked and saw that she now had a black sleeping basket. She jumped into it and paced around for a few seconds and finally sat down. She meowed her approval and began cleaning herself. After dinner the two companions settled down in front of a fire, taking time to relax after an unsettling day. Malachi jumped onto the lap of her pet and quickly fell asleep as the day’s excitement got to her. Suddenly the phone rang and Phyillda jumped up to get it, knocking Malachi on the floor. “Sorry Angel,” she apologized and ran to answer the still ringing phone. The kitten huffed and finally retired to her basket where she finished her night’s sleep. In the morning Jemima dropped by while the kitten was outside playing and the two scampered off to the junkyard.
When they got to the junkyard they saw that everyone was gathered into a group.
“What’s up?” Jemima asked Victoria as the arrived.
“I’m not sure. I think it has to do with Macavity though.”
“Who’s Macavity?” Malachi asked as she plopped down on the other side of Victoria.
“A VERY evil cat that you want to stay away from,” Victoria said.
“Yeah,” Jemima seconded, nodding in agreement. “He even kidnapped Old Deuteronomy.”
“Who is Old Deuteronomy?”
“Who is Old Deuteronomy?’ Oh! That’s right! You haven’t met him yet. He comes annually to the Jellicle Ball. He’s our leader,” Jemima explained.
“What’s the Jellicle Ball and I thought that Munkustrap was our leader!” Malachi said in an exasperated tone.
“JEEZE! Mistofelees hasn’t been taking proper care of you has he?” Pouncival replied, cleaning himself.
“Well, that’s what you’ll learn today then Malachi,” Victoria said, getting up and walking over to Jellylorum and Jennyanydots.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Malachi thought to herself. “What is she talking about?”
“You’ll probably spend the day learning about the Jellicle Ball and such with them,” Etcetera intervened.
“Oh no!” Malachi groaned. “I have nothing against learning or them it’s just that they’re so old fashioned and they don’t have a sense of humor! If it isn’t knitting then it’s sewing and vice versa! They are boring with a capital B!”
Electra padded over and heard the last bit of the conversation. “Hahahahaha!” she laughed. “At least I know someone agrees with me. Well, guess what kido, we all went through it and look at where we are today?”
“In a junkyard,” Malachi retorted.
“Okay, let me rephrase it. We all went through it and we’ve all benefited from it. Besides, they’re really not that bad. Old fashioned yes, but first get to know them.”
Malachi thought to herself and came up with a plan. She walked over to where Victoria was and after the older cat had explained what was going to happen she agreed and added, “Oh by the way, ADMETUS will be joining us.” Suddenly the tom appeared in a puff of smoke besides Malachi. The bewildered tom looked at the sweet, smiling, innocent looking, white and black kitten and glared at her.
“Wonderful!” the two females exclaimed. “Well, up for a refresher course eh Admetus?” Jellylorum joked.
Victoria looked sternly at Malachi and got a ‘what-did-I-do’ look back. She smiled at the kitten and left them. She spotted Mistofelees and trotted over to him, giving him a quick nuzzle and saying, “Why didn’t you teach Malachi in the ways of a Jellicle cat?”
“Well, she’s so young I thought that it didn’t matter until she got older,” he replied, licking her ear.
Jemima saw Admetus suddenly appear besides Malachi and laughed. “What a kittten,” she thought. “Very nice Malachi, tricky but nice.” Then she walked by Pouncival, flicking her tail under his nose and went off in the direction of Mistofelees and Victoria. When she, and moments later Pouncival, showed up she gave him the third degree about the training of a Jellicle cat and told him never to forget it.
“Your own niece Misto! I could have done better than that!”
“When will you Jemima?” he asked swiftly.
“When will I what?” she replied, feigning innocence.
“When will you have your own kittens to train?”
“WHAT?!?! Well I . . . um . . . I’m not even a full Jellicle Cat so HA!” she returned.
“Hee hee,” Victoria laughed.
“Hey, Vici, do you have plans for lunch?” Mistofelees asked, turning his attention back to the white female beside him.
“Uh . . . I don’t believe so.”
“Well, would you like to join me?”
“I’d be honored.”
“Hot Tamally!” Jemima teased.
Pouncival licked a claw, touched his side and said, “HHHHHHSSSSSS!!!”
The two cats never noticed the young couple’s teasing as they walked away.
Malachi and Admetus sat obediently listening to the two older female cats talk. The calico tom wasn’t even paying attention and Malachi was trying not to fall asleep.
“Did you get that Malachi?” Jennyanydots asked.
“Huh? Um, no, sorry. Could you repeat it?” she replied sweetly.
The older females sighed and continued with their lesson.
When the lesson was over Malachi knew everything about the Jellicle Ball, Old Deuteronomy, Gus, and even old odds and ends. Jellylorum and Jennyanydots were probably the most happy of the four cats to leave.
“I never knew a kitten with less of an attention span!” exclaimed Jennyanydots.
“Well, think about it. She IS Mr.Mistofelees’ niece,” Jellylorum pointed out.
“Quite right!” Jennyanydots returned, laughing. “But, a nice kitten overall.”
“Yes.”
The two kittens walked back to the congregation of cats. “I can’t believe you made me come and do that all over again!” Admetus sputtered. “Well, I wasn’t going to do it alone!”
“Why didn’t you take Jemima instead?”
“Well I uh . . .” Malachi paused walking as she tried to stop and think of the reason. Surprisingly finding that she just wanted his company. “Well I uh . . . I didn’t want to put her through that again,” Malachi lied.
“Sure,” he winked.
“Tom’s!” Malachi exasperated, rolling her eyes, but secretly glad that he knew the truth. They walked back in comfortable silence into the group of cats.
Malachi walked home by herself that night. The cool, brisk breeze was refreshing against her fur and the sky was clear, providing a beautiful view of the night sky. “Well Carthis,” she stated, looking up at one star in particular. “All I have to say is that life is good,” She smiled. Suddenly, the air turned cold and The Feeling surrounded her heart and was squeezing it like an ever tightening fist. She felt an evil presence surrounding her and closing in. She whirled around, hoping to see the mysterious thing that was causing this. She tried transporting out of there but found that her powers were . . . gone! “What’s going on?!?!” She turned to her left, then to her right but saw no one. Then, there came a laugh. A laugh that would haunt Malachi to her grave. She whirled around to see a thin, tall, ginger colored cat stalking toward her. Her eyes widened in terror and she tucked her tail between her legs.
“Hello little one,” he rumbled.
“Who-who are you?” she asked, her voice very faint.
“All in good time. Now come with me.” He stepped aside and held out a paw in the direction he wanted her take.
To say that Malachi was terrified was an understatement. Nonetheless, she still had enough of her wits about her to think. “Is this Macavity? I wonder . . . In any case, I don’t think I want to follow a cat that has a general sense and aplomb of evil.” “No thanks, I think I’ll just go home.” Since he still hadn’t made any threatening moves she decided to be a bit more audacious.
“What?” The cat’s smile turned into a sneer and he repeated, “What did you say?”
Now, Malachi did have most of her mother’s personality and one of her inherited traits was that she never knew when to shut her mouth. “Are you deaf? I said in plain English that I don’t want to come with you!”
The ginger cat raised his paw and smacked Malachi across the face. “Never take that tone with me child,” he snapped. He slapped her hard again for good measure and once more to make her unconscious.
Malachi screamed when he hit her. She felt a warm, sticky substance flow down her cheek. When he hit her the second time she knew that she was in trouble and that she was going to get cat-napped. Her last conscious thought was, “When will I learn to keep my mouth shut?”
