Taline's Story

**Author’s Note** This story is just a bit graphic. I don’t get very detailed, but it does have a few things that could be questionable for kittens. So, if you have doubts, you may not want to read this. I don’t want any nasty letters from parents over this, but this is what happened, so don’t be blaming this on me. Thank you. Enjoy reading!

The wind howled down the abandoned London streets one dreary, spring evening. Not many people were out on the streets, which was very uncommon for London. Not much stirred except for the howling wind. The stars were just beginning to pop out, though they could not be seen very well with the bright streetlights.

Among the silence of the cobblestones, a little, brown form moved slowly, keeping to the shadows. She was very skinny, as if she had not eaten in days. She might have been pretty, had her coat not been so matted, her ribs not stuck out, and her face so dirty. She stumbled along, very slowly, as if in great pain. She hummed to herself, as if thinking that would urge her along. And as she walked, she thought...

A little kitten was curled up in a box on a soft, red blanket. A kitten that looked a lot like her, for it was her. She mewed loudly, and an older queen came and nuzzled her gently. “Sleep, my baby. Sleep, and do not worry. I’m right here.” She licked the kitten on the head and curled up around her, purring. The kitten purred back, giving her mother an affectionate nuzzle before closing her green eyes. “Good girl. Sleep, Taline. Sleep.” The old queen began to sing a gentle lullaby.

Taline, the kitten, hummed along with her mother until her eyes closed and she fell asleep, cuddling close to her mother, the lullaby chiming its haunting melody over and over in her ears…

Taline, now a grown queen, thought of all this as she wandered along the breezy London streets. Her mother’s lullaby rang in her ears and in her heart. She hummed the song, its haunting melody filling the air around her. The song brought her hope, filling her empty belly, giving her aching paws strength and energy. She looked up at the sky and watched the stars wink on, one by one. She smiled. Best to find a place to stay for the night and travel again tomorrow morning.

A nearby alley looked like a good resting place. She headed down it, looking for a place to stay that would provide a shelter from the cold. An enticing aroma reached her nose from several nearby boxes of discarded food. Her empty stomach growled hungrily, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in several days. She sat down hungrily and began to eat.

Out of the darkness, two pairs of yellow eyes stared at her, wild and evil. “Wow. Lookit her!” one of the owners of the eyes said.

“Shush!” hissed the owner of the other pair. “If she hears us, she’ll run. So be quiet!”

The first pair of eyes obediently shut up and stayed quiet. Both pairs watched the queen intently.

Taline looked up, thinking she heard something. But, when nothing stirred a few moments later, she shrugged it off and continued with her meal. Her stomach no longer felt like a deadweight, and she felt more energized then she had in a long time. She purred a bit and polished the sauce from her whiskers.

Feeling tired and a bit lazy, Taline lay down and wrapped her tail around her, curling her paws under her in an effort to sleep. She sighed into her fur as other painful memories cascaded down on her...

…A pair of human hands reached down and picked her up, tilting her upside-down in the most ungraceful manor. The hand smelled of other humans, dog, strange foods, and many other things that were unfamiliar. She mewed, trying to catch her mother’s eye. Her mother only looked away, tears running down her cheeks. Taline struggled, but the hand only held her tighter. “She’s a cute little thing,” came a voice that was unfamiliar. “How much is she?”

“Twenty pounds. That’s pretty cheap. She is worth forty, but we need to get rid of her soon. Our apartment doesn’t allow pets. We’d give you the mother too, but she’s too old. So we’re going to put her to sleep. It’s a wonder how she had that kitten at all. So, the kitten is yours, if you want her.”

“Of course. The family will be delighted. She’s very pretty.”

“That’s why she’s worth more. She’s a show cat, with a pedigree. Worth quite a bit. But we need to get rid of her now.”

“Okay. We’ll take her now.”

That was the last part she heard because she was put into a basket and a cover was put over it. With a mew, she began to claw at the wicker sides. “Mommy!” she cried. “Mommy! What’s going on? Mommy! Where are you? Help me! Mommy!”

But help never came, and she never saw her mother again. She was taken out of the door in the basket and placed in the back seat of a car. The car started and drove away from her home. She never saw it again…

Taline felt a tear roll down her cheek and down her nose. She sniffed and curled tighter.

“Come on!” hissed Jeeves, the owner of the second pair of eyes in the shadows. “Now’s perfect! She isn’t expecting anything!”

The two cats emerged from the shadows, their yellow eyes glowing in eagerness. Silently, like lions waiting to pounce, they approached her turned back.

Taline took a deep breath of air to clear her head when she picked up a scent of a nearby cat. Two of them! She sat up and whirled around just as a paw closed over her shoulder. She was tossed up against the brick wall by two gray toms about her age, maybe a few months older. Both of them eyed her with what her mother had called “the evil eye”.

“Hey, pretty pussy,” one of them taunted. “What’re ya doin’ in a place like this? Didn’t your mother ever warn you not ta be out on the streets at night?”

“Shut up, Trickster!” the first one, Jeeves, growled. He shoved him aside, then pinned Taline against the wall, his hands on her shoulders. “Are you a Jellicle, prissy cat?”

“N… no,” Taline stammered, staring into his eyes. She felt herself shrinking under his gaze.

“Do ya believe her?” Trickster asked, his eyes narrow.

“Yeah,” Jeeves said, pushing her more firmly against the wall. “The tribe wouldn’t ever let one of theirs get into this condition.”

Taline gave a meow of pain as the rough brick dug into her back. “Let go of me!” she said through clenched teeth.

Jeeves laughed. “Why should I?”

Taline struggled against his grip. “Get off! Let go!”

“Hey, Jeeves, she’s got a collar!” Trickster interrupted. “She’s one of them prissy housecats!” He fairly spat the last word.

Taline’s brown paw flew to her collar, a skinny, black, leather strip with tiny, pink rhinestones all the way around it, a present from her late family. Was having that collar bad? Evidently, yes.

“Yeah. Where do ya live, housecat?” Jeeves snarled.

“N… nowhere,” Taline squeaked. “I… I ran away from home.”

The two toms snickered. “She’s perfect fer Macavity’s gang!” Trickster said.

“For what?” Taline asked, her bright green eyes wide.

“Our boss. He’s always lookin’ fer new wenches fer his harem. I think you’ll do nicely,” Trickster said. “Once ya get cleaned up presentable enough.”

Jeeves grinned and moved closer to her, keeping his paws on her shoulders. “Yeah. The boss’ll reward us nicely fer a pretty gal like you. But no one says we can’t have a little fun before we bring ya in.”

Taline gasped. Jeeves clapped a paw over her mouth. Trickster touched Jeeves’ shoulder. “Are ya sure the boss will be okay with that? I mean, we are supposed ta turn her in ta him.”

“He won’t mind,” Jeeves said, his eyes still on Taline. “Besides, no one’s saying he’ll ever know either.”

Taline let out a scream through Jeeves’ paw, but it was muffled and quiet. She struggled wildly. Jeeves held her firmly in place and licked the side of her face gently. Taline yelped and gave a yank.

Trickster stood by, obviously unsure why he was just standing there. Jeeves motioned for him to come closer. He did. “Hold her mouth,” Jeeves ordered him. Trickster slipped his paw over her mouth as Jeeves released it. He backed up a bit, his paws still on her shoulders. He smiled evilly. “Come on. Let’s go. We’ll take her ta our box.”

Trickster nodded. He grabbed Taline’s arm with his free paw and twisted it sharply behind her. Taline yelped in pain through his paw. She struggled, but his grip only tightened.

Trickster pushed her down the alley towards the back of it. Against the wall was a cardboard box with a ratty blanket in it. “Hold her down!” Jeeves commanded. Trickster obeyed, forcing her down onto the blanket. She gave a mighty twist in an effort to free herself.

She didn’t get free, but the sudden yank made Trickster lose his grip on her mouth. The instant her mouth was free, Taline let out an ear-shattering scream for help. Jeeves struck her across the face sharply, knocking her flat onto the blanket. Trickster clapped his paw back over her mouth, muffling her cry of pain. “I told you ta hold her, ya idiot!” Jeeves growled to his counterpart. Trickster cringed.

Jeeves grinned and stood triumphantly over the crying queen. Taline stared up at him, tears streaming down her brown cheeks. She struggled madly, but Trickster only held her tighter.

Suddenly someone appeared behind Jeeves, dark blue eyes shining out of the dark like two hard lights. “Let her go, Jeeves!” came a snarl from the figure. Jeeves whirled around to face the shadowy figure. Instantly he paled beneath his gray fur.

“What do you want, Athleticity?” he growled.

“I came to help that queen!” the tom called Athleticity growled back. “Let her go, or I’ll make you!”

Jeeves’ claws went out, and his lips curved back in a hiss. “She’s mine!”

Athleticity’s claws came out of nowhere and raked across Jeeves’ face. Jeeves gave a howl of pain and scrambled backwards. “Get out of here!” Athleticity hissed, his claws at the ready again.

Jeeves snapped his fingers, and Trickster released his grip on Taline. She took a deep, shuddery breath. Trickster got to his feet, but he didn’t look too incredibly thrilled. “Come on. Let’s get out of here!” Jeeves said to him. He turned to the queen in his box. “This isn’t over yet, prissy cat!” He turned and fled past Athleticity, Trickster in tow. They fled the alley, turned a corner, and disappeared.

Athleticity turned back to Taline, who still lay sprawled in Jeeves’ box. “Are you okay, Miss?” he asked gently.

Taline nodded slowly, her eyes wide. Athleticity held out a paw slowly, so as not to spook her. “Here. Let me help you.”

Taline eyed his paw, then shook her head. He pulled his paw back and moved back a few steps to allow her room to stand up.

Taline slowly pushed herself up, not sure if her trembling body would let her get up or not. She eyed the tom curiously. “Who are you?” she whispered.

“My name is Athleticity. Who are you? Are you a Jellicle?” His tone was kind.

Taline shook her head again. “No… I… I’m not.”

“Oh.” His voice held disappointment. He glanced over his shoulder. “We should get out of here before they come back.”

Taline nodded and slowly got to her feet. She stared at the tom for a moment. He had helped her, maybe saved her life. She swallowed hard. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“No problem,” Athleticity said. He smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Taline,” she said, lowering her eyes shyly. He smiled.

Taline glanced quickly around her, then dashed past him. He turned to watch her. “Do you need a place to stay?”

Taline turned long enough to answer. “No, thank you. I’ll be okay. Thank you again!” She turned and ran quickly away, not ever glancing back.

Later that night, Taline lay curled up in a doorway, her tail wrapped snugly around her. She shivered, more from fear than cold. She longed to have someone next to her, to keep her warm, but she was on her own. She closed her eyes again, another memory coming back to her…

“We’re home, Coco!” came the cheery voice of her Master. It had been over a year and a half since she had been taken away from her mother, and Taline had grown to love her family very much. But she hated being called Coco. Oh well, it kept her in a warm, safe place, so she would live with it. For several days now, her family had been very excited and jumpy. They whispered back and forth a lot, and they were always glancing at her and smiling. She wondered what was so amusing.

She was about to find out. A yip came from something under the Master’s jacket. Startled, she jumped back. From the jacket, her Master produced a puppy. Not a big one, but a puppy nonetheless. It was cute, with scruffy fur that was gray and white and brown, with ears that curved up, then flopped down. In short, it looked like Tramp from ‘Lady and the Tramp.’ Sure, it was cute enough, but all Taline could see was a threat on her position. Her Master had brought in another animal to take her place. She recoiled with a hiss of horror, her eyes wide, her claws sinking into the rug. “A dog!” she meowed. “A stupid, petty, scrap of a dog!” Of course, her Masters did not understand her, which made it all the worse. The dog, however, did.

“A cat! A stupid, petty, scrap of a cat!” it barked at her. It’s squeaky voice held a bite to it. Taline hissed.

“What are you doing in my house?”

“It’s my house now,” the scrappy dog yipped back.

“It’s my family!” Taline yowled.

“Not anymore!” said the dog smugly.

Taline hissed as meanly at the dog as she could before turning and running to her basket by the fireplace. She cried into her cushion. Her family didn’t love her anymore! They thought they needed a dog to take her place because she wasn’t good enough anymore! She was young, in her prime! But that wasn’t good enough; no, they needed younger and cuter. She sobbed into her cushion fiercely, her claws digging into the fabric until it shredded.

The instant the puppy was turned lose, it made a beeline for her basket. “Ha, ha, ha-ha, ha,” he laughed rudely. “Stupid kitty cat!”

“Stupid pup!” she growled back.

The puppy growled and took on a fighting stance. “Come on; give me yer best shot!”

Taline rose up on all four paws, eyes blazing, claws unsheathed, fangs bared. “You’re on.”

Somewhere in the back of her mind she recalled her mother’s words about always acting like a lady and never fighting unless it was in self-defense, but she pushed it out. This little jip of a dog had dared to challenge her territory, and it would pay!

But before she could spring at the dog, she was snatched up and put out on the front step. “Coco, you stop that! You’ll stay out here until you can be nice to Scrappy!”

Amply named, she thought angrily. She hissed. “I’ll be out here forever! I’ll never get along with that stupid, lousy, no good-.”

She was cut off as the door closed in her face, halting her angry meows. She stared, stunned, at the door. They had closed her out! She meowed frantically, but no one came. She scratched at the door, but still no one came. She whined herself hoarse, but no one came. Finally, resolved to her fate, she sat down and lashed her tail angrily from side to side. She growled deep in her throat. That stupid Scrappy would pay!

After about two hours, she realized they were not going to let her in. So, in an act of anger, she hissed, turned her back on the house, and ran away. She didn’t care where she was going, as long as she got away…

And that was how she came to this dirty, smelly, cold London street. All alone, no one to talk to, no one who cared about her. Well, maybe that tom did a little, if he had come to help her. She wished for a moment that he was here, but she knew she would be too scared to talk to him.

She sighed and curled up as tight as she could get. She closed her eyes and willed for sleep. It soon came.

A few days later, around dusk, Taline was once again wandering the streets. She still was unsure where she was or where she was headed, but she felt like she had been walking in circles. Perhaps she had. She sighed. Her stomach growled. All she had eaten since that day she found the food cans was a pastry that some passerby had been nice enough to give her. And that was almost two days ago. She sighed again and decided to curl up for a nap to take her mind off her pinching stomach. She crawled into a nearby alley and leaned against the wall to sleep.

Suddenly, a paw clapped over her mouth, another encircled her waist, and she was pushed against the wall. Her eyes flew open to see none other than Jeeves and Trickster grinning at her. Jeeves held her tightly, his eyes lit up with triumph.

"Well well well,” he teased. “What have we here? Why, it’s the same queen we met the other day, isn’t it, Trickster?”

“Yep, it is,” Trickster said. He leaned in closer to her. “Maybe this time we can get away with her.”

Taline let out a shriek, but it was muffled by Jeeves’ paw again. “Come on. Let’s get her to the factory. Once in there, she can’t get away, and no tom will be able to stop us either.”

Jeeves and Trickster hauled a kicking, screaming Taline down the allies to an abandoned factory. They slid in through a broken window, landing silently on the floor, Taline in their paws. She mewed and struggled, but their grip only tightened.

“Come on, come on!” Trickster said, almost jumping up and down.

Jeeves grinned and tossed Taline to the floor. Before she could react, he punched her across the face several times, leaving painful bruises. Taline began to cry as she shielded her face from his fists.

“There!” Jeeves said, smiling in satisfaction at her split lip, bloodied face, and black eyes. “Now she won’t give us any trouble.” He lay down next to her.

Taline licked her lip, feeling the salty splash of blood on her tongue. She gave a meow of pain and rubbed her face gently.

Jeeves grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. He ran his paws down the inside of each of her thighs, stroking her tenderly. Taline jerked away, but he slapped her harshly across the face, making her cry out loudly. She crumpled in pain. He began to purr, stroking her hips gently and nuzzling her neck. Slowly he pushed himself onto her. Taline gasped and tried to push him away, but she was too weak. She began to cry loudly.

Suddenly… “Hold it, Jeeves!” came a cry. Jeeves whirled around to see Athleticity and another tom sliding into the warehouse through the window. He recognized the other tom as Munkustrap, the second in command of the Jellicles. He gasped.

Trickster, being the chicken he was, had already fled. Taline let out a happy cry. “Athleticity!”

Jeeves snatched Taline off the floor and held her to his chest. He placed his claws on her throat. “Don’t move, or I’ll kill her.” Taline gave a scream.

“No! Let go!” She struggled. He pressed his claws against her throat. She stiffened, her eyes wide and pleading at the two toms. “Please,” she pleaded with them. “Don’t let him kill me.”

“We won’t,” the gray tabby promised. He narrowed his eyes. “Jeeves, let go of her now!”

“Why should I?” Jeeves taunted.

“Do you really want to fight both of us?” Athleticity asked, his claws going out.

Jeeves growled. “Not unless you want her dead first.”

It was clear the two toms were at a loss. Jeeves smirked. Taline thought fast. With all the courage she had, she brought her foot down like a sledgehammer on Jeeves’ foot. He gave a yelp and let go, his claws leaving several streaks of red across her neck, but she didn’t feel them yet. As she whirled away, her claws raked across his eyes. He gave a scream and crumpled to the ground, holding his face with his paws.

Taline raced to Athleticity’s side, clutching him tightly, forgetting how scared she had been of him last time. She held him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. He stroked her cheek gently, his hand lightly resting on the ugly bruises. Munkustrap touched her shoulder, making her jump. She turned, then smiled at him.

“Thank you for all you did,” she said to him. He smiled.

“It’s okay, Miss.” He held out a paw. “Munkustrap.”

“Taline.” She shook his paw.

“Taline, do you need a place to stay?” Athleticity asked hopefully. “Because you are always welcome at our Jellicle Junkyard.”

“You’re Jellicles?” Taline asked in surprise. In your heart you know they are there. Those blessed, peaceful Jellicles.

“Yes,” Munkustrap said proudly. He rubbed her shoulder gently. “You are welcome to join us, if you’d like.”

“I… I think I’d like that very much,” Taline said, blushing just a bit. She touched her throat where Jeeves’ claws had left four slashes. They weren’t fatal, but they hurt a lot. She would have those scars the rest of her life, to remind her of her brush with death. She rubbed them gently.

Munkustrap and Athleticity led her from the factory, Jeeves still lying on the floor, holding his wounded face. Taline felt bad about leaving him like that, as he was most likely blind now, but he had Trickster to help him. She sighed happily and leaned against Athleticity’s shoulder again.

There is a place of happiness, where no one is hurt and no one is sad. Many a cat sings and dances, making merry all day long. No fears, no worries, no cares, only that blessed land, full of happiness, joy, and peace.

As they entered the junkyard, Taline took a deep breath of fresh air. She could see many friendly-looking cats wandering around, talking, smiling, playing, and dancing. Several paused to smile at her. She smiled back. She sighed happily. It was good to have a home.

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