A Cats Christmas - 3
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For the second time that week, Munkustrap stormed out of the secret room. Demeter, Midnight, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Old Duetoronomy, Bombalurina, RumTumTugger, Cassandra and Alonzo were all there. It was around eleven thirty.
"Munkustrap!" Midnight said.
"Munkustrap, something bothering you?" Mungojerrie asked.
"Duetoronomy, .. can.. Can I talk to you, in private?" Munkustrap said, looking at his father.
"Of course Munkustrap." Old Duetoronomy stood up, and the two walked towards the old clock, standing under the archway.
"Father, you and Macavity, are…. Brothers, yes?" Munkustrap started. Duetoronomy looked a bit surprised that Munkustrap found this out.
"Yes."
"He is older, is he not?" Duetoronomy nodded.
"Where is this headed Munkustrap?"
"You banished him from the junkyard?"
"Yes, he was threatening my position."
"By holding his own opinion?"
"Munkustr-"
"You banished him, because he felt he should be leader, being older? Plato is older than I am, and we’re brothers! I’m not going to banish him merely for saying he thinks he should be leader!"
"Munkustr-"
Munkustrap turned away from his father, and walked out of the junkyard, furious.
Demeter and the others watched as he stormed away. Alonzo got up, to talk with Duetoronomy, concerning his discussion with Munkustrap. Demeter told Mungojerrie to watch Midnight, and ran after Munkustrap.
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Munkustrap stormed into an alleyway, headed towards the junkyard Old Deutoronomy had lived in when he was young. Demeter followed behind him, silently, wanting to see where he was headed.
Munkustrap walked for a while, and once reaching the junkyard, he looked around. It was quite a bit like the junkyard he’d come to know, only a few things were different. It was worn down, and looked as though it hadn’t been used in years.
Demeter walked over to Munkustrap, who was sitting on a box. His paws folded together, looking disturbed.
"Munkustrap?" She sat down next to him. "Munkustrap, is she doing something to you?" Munkustrap shot her a look. "Every time you go down there, you storm out, more angry then before." He frowned, looking cross. "I’m just worried about you."
"She, she told me about Duetoronomy."
"What about him?" Demeter leaned over, putting her head on his shoulder. He sighed.
"She said that he and Macavity were brothers," He felt Demeter jerk a bit, "Macavity being older. When they found out Duetoronomy was to be the next leader,"
"Wait, Macavity was a Jellicle?" Demeter asked.
"Yes. But, Macavity congratulated him, then went to complain to his father. He thought since he was the oldest, he should be leader. Duetoronomy heard that he’d been complaining, and threatened him, then he banished Macavity."
"Just for saying he thought he should be leader?"
"Yes." Demeter frowned, Munkustrap rubbed the back of his neck with his right paw.
"I just don’t know what do to anymore Demi. Though she is definitely on her father’s side, she doesn’t seem to act hostile towards the Jellilces at all.." Demeter giggled. "What?"
"I’m starting to catch on to why you haven’t told anyone she’s faking it." Demeter smiled. Munkustrap frowned.
"That’s what she thought. It’s not true," He said firmly. "She’s a threat to the Jellicles, in my opinion, and therefore, your… ‘theory’, is incorrect."
"Then how come you come out of there all the time fists balled, ears pinned? She kissed you again didn’t she?" Munkustrap stood up.
"Yes she did, what difference does it make? She’s just like her father…. Whom I also don’t know about anymore." He rubbed his shoulder. "What.. what if we were to invite him, here, to meet me," Demeter frowned, what was her brother conducting? "Invite him to join the Jellicles again.."
"Munkustrap! You don’t have the power to do that! Only Old Duetoronomy can do that!" Demeter stuttered, standing up.
"If it would stop his rampaging, wouldn’t it be worth the chance? He’s our uncle Demi, doesn’t that justify something? If not just a chat?" Demeter frowned, and crossed her arms over her chest, following her brother’s gaze. A police car drove down the near alley, it’s lights flashing.
"Munkustrap, I’m worried about you. Ever since Hyper got here, you’ve been making irrational decisions. That’s not the Munkustrap I knew…" Demeter said firmly, turning Munkustrap to look at her. His gaze darkened.
"No Demi, it’s not." Demeter frowned, and backed away from him. She took off down the alley, back towards the junkyard. Munkustrap watched her run, and sat back down on the boxes.
"How about that chat, nephew?" An all to recognizable voice called from the alley.
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Demeter ran into the junkyard, nearly knocking Quaxo and Electra over. Her face stained with hot tears, her paws covering her face, she ran straight into Alonzo. She buried her face in his chest, he wrapped his arms around her back, and nuzzled her head, confused.
"Dem?" He asked, after a few minutes of her crying. Quaxo and Electra were talking by the tire, Old Duetoronomy and Skimbleshanks were talking with Hyper. Demeter turned her head.
"Demeter, what’s wrong?" Alonzo took Demeter to sit on the old ford.
"Something’s wrong with Munkustrap, Hyper’s doing something to him. He…… he was talking about talking with Macavity, about joining the Jellilcles.."
"What?" Alonzo rubbed Demeter’s shoulders, she was clearly shaken up. Why shouldn’t she be? Something was terribly wrong when Munkustrap started talking nonsense like that. He’d never, even as a kitten, had an idea such as that, Alonzo knew it. "Should we tell Old Deutoronomy?"
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"Awwww shucks Skimblestanks, ya got me." Hyper muttered, standing up. Skimbleshanks had talked to Old Duetoronomy, knowing the only other person, besides the adult cats that knew about Old Duetoronomy and Macavity’s kittenhood was Hyper, and until just now, she’d been playing stupid. Old Duetoronomy glared at her.
"Don’t glare at me Ol’ Duck. You know it’s true."
"Shut up!" Skimble barked. Hyper, taken aback, turned to face him.
"Nobody, but nobody, tells me to shut up." She was now nose to nose with the cat. Skimble was angry already at Jenny’s mood towards her daughter, he hadn’t liked her since he first heard of her, Hyper, not Jenny.
"What are you going to do about it?" He said, stepping towards her. Amazingly enough, Hyper grabbed Skimble’s shoulders, and tumbled onto her back at the same moment kicking Skimble in the stomach and tossing him over her. She stood up, and gave him a ‘I dare you,’ look. Skimble hissed and ran straight at her, claws bared. He smacked her across the face, leaving four bright red claw marks.
"UH!" Hyper muttered, and put a paw over her new wound. She glared at Skimble, and leaped onto him, scratching his chest. They tumbled backwards, and knocked over the only table there, spilling it’s contents.
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All the Jellicles in the junkyard turned their heads towards the tire as a loud crash was heard. Alonzo, Demeter, Quaxo, Electra, Victoria, Rumpleteazer, Mungojerrie, Midnight, Mr.Mistoffelees and Bombalurina dashed into the little room. The queens gasped. Old Duetoronomy was standing in the corner, Hyper was pinned down by Skimbleshanks, but still cutting into him as he swiped at her.
"HEY!" Mungojerrie yelled. He and the toms ran to Skimble’s aid, and jerked Hyper to her feet, holding her between them. Alonzo had her arms pinned to his chest, the others stood around them. Skimbleshanks approached Hyper.
"You’d better be happy they got here." She gloated, Skimble took this opportunity to swipe her across the face again. He walked back towards Old Duetoronomy.
It was at that precise moment that Munkustrap walked in. He had a large gash on his right shoulder, and behind him, looking bewildered, ashamed, and confused, was Sparkaljiggle.
"What’s going on here?" Munkustrap demanded. Alonzo sharpened up, keeping what Demeter had said earlier in mind.
"Munkustrap, who is this?" Old Duetoronomy asked. Skimble turned around, Munkustrap flinched slightly, wondering what had happened to him. Then he looked at Hyper, she looked just as bad. What happened? Did Skimble attack her? Or did she attack Skimble?
"That’s the other one, Spark.. uh… Sparkaljiggle.." Skimbleshanks fretted. Sparka backed up into the exit again. Munkustrap frowned, and turned to look at her. She shook her head.
"I met up with Macavity, and…" He looked at Sparka, wondering how he should phrase the series of events… "He…. Abandoned her shall we say. I invited her to stay with us."
"Oh sure! Bring her in here too! Now we have to of ‘em!" Skimble shouted, pointing at Sparka accusingly. She backed up even further. Hyper growled, and managed to swipe free of Alonzo’s hold. She tripped him up, knocking him into the other toms.
"You leave her out of this Skimble." She glared at him. Munkustrap quickly stepped in front of Skimble. "You too Munkustrap?" Hyper said, touching his fresh wound, he jerked. "Hm." She wondered towards Sparka. Skimbleshanks turned around quickly, and tossed Hyper into the wall beside him, away from Sparka. Hyper hissed, and moved towards him.
"Ooooo, both of you stop it!" Everyone turned to look, Jenny was stiffly climbing down the tunnel. It looked as though she’d recently been in a fight. Skimble left Hyper and rushed to help Jenny. When she was inside the small room, it soon became clear that she was very badly injured.
"Jenny!" The queens rushed around her, and Sparka jumped out of her hiding place, pushing into the crowd.
"Sparkaljiggle?" Jenny muttered as Sparka pushed into Skimble. She smiled, and knelt down beside her mother.
"Jenny, what happened?" Skimble asked, all the Jellicles backed up a bit as Skimble helped Jenny sit up, all listening intently.
A sniffling, almost crying sound was heard while the Jellicles were awaiting Jenny’s answer. They one by one turned to look at one another, and found none of the Jellicles were crying, and the only other cat in the room was…. They all turned to Hyper.
"I… I ….. I didn’t know mother was a … a …. A… Jellicle!" She spat. "I didn’t know he was a Jellicle!" She declared, pointing at Munkustrap. "…it….. I……I sent a Pollicle ….. a….. a… rabid pollicle of father’s to destroy the Jellicles a month ago!" The queens gasped, Jenny frowned. "H…. h… how was I to know!"
"HA! So it’ll take the death of your mother to change you?" Skimble barked harshly. Hyper looked totally bewildered. Munkustrap frowned, and pinned his ears. Hyper got up, and ran out of the tunnel. Everyone turned their attention back to Jenny. Munkustrap though, he was looking after Hyper. He looked at the ground, then to Jenny, he took off after Hyper silently.
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"HYPER!" Munkustrap yelled as he ran into the old junkyard after Hyper. Hyper turned around to face Munkustrap, her eyes red, but her face… smiling. She shook her head.
"Dear, dear Munkustrap, don’t you ever learn? Didn’t you hear me? If the pollilce just got there, what do you suppose it’s doing? How many of the Jellicles are there? Ten? Twenty maybe?" She grinned evilly as she saw Munkustrap realize what was happening.
"I’ve got to get back to them!" He turned to run, but ran straight into Macavity.
"I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that won’t be happening." He grinned, then, taking his paw, hit Munkustrap over the head with it, and he hit the ground like a rock. Hyper gasped.
"You said you wouldn’t hurt him!"
"I lied." Macavity laughed, and slung Munkustrap over his shoulder.
"Now what?"
"Well, alert the Jellicles of their ‘missing’ leader-to-be, then kill ‘em."
"The Jellicles," Hyper said, beginning to like the plan.
"No, Munkustrap."
"What!?"
"Oh, I’m sorry, not what you wanted to hear?" Hyper ran into Macavity’s back, pushing him over, and knocking Munkustrap to the ground. Macavity turned to face his daughter, and growled. Hyper growled back.
Suddenly, as if a bolt of lightning streaked the sky, their long pent-up anger suddenly exploded. Macavity rushed forward, Hyper rushing at the same speed. They hit each other in the sides, and tumbled paws over heels. Hyper was now sitting, dazed from the crash but still violent on her father’s chest. Pounding into him with her claws. He hit her on the side of the head, hard, and tossed her over. Climbing on top of her, he began to scratch her face and shoulders. She brought her right leg up under him, and kneed him in the chin, tossing him over her head.
She climbed to her feet, her eyes glowing with rage and hatred. She slammed into his back as he was climbing to his feet, and hit him into the wall of junk. She punched his eye, as he tossed a hitting blow to her side. She coughed, and stumbled to the side, the breath knocked out of her lungs. Gasping for air she was an easy target, and was pounded into the ground. Once she could breath again, she was sore from her father’s fists, and kneed him again, only below the belt. He gasped, and stumbled backwards. Hyper stumbled to her feet, breathing heavily, and bleeding just as badly as her father.
"That was fowl." Macavity stated as he ran forward and hit Hyper in the stomach with his elbow. Then grabbed her arm, and forced her to the ground.
"Ahhhhhh!" Hyper screamed as Macavity hit into the small of her back with his elbow. She flipped over, and bit into his ankle. He growled, and hit her in the head.
Munkustrap awoke with a pain in his head. He sat up, rubbing his head, and then remembered the pollicle, he stood up, and then he saw them.
Macavity and Hyper, battling to what seemed as though the death. At the present moment, it looked as though Macavity was winning, he was sitting atop of Hyper who was trying to get a good hold on his neck, she got his neck, and her claws slipped down his shoulders, to his chest, Munkustrap flinched. But then realized that Macavity now had the upper paw, his paws were around Hyper’s throat, and his thumbs pressing in on her neck. It took Munkustrap a few seconds to decide what he should do, he ran forward, and grabbed Macavity by the shoulders, pulling him off Hyper, and tossing him aside. He helped Hyper up, and left to help the Jellicles.
Hyper watched him leave, and was pounced on by her father, being thrown to the ground.
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Continuation - again..