On Market Street, Exotica weaved through the street vendors, guitar players, and the bums. She turned down a dark alley, and walked through a cat flap in Rumpus Cat's Flat. She hadn't been here in years. Exotica pursed her lips at the sight of the flat's mess. Knowing instinctively, she knew Rumpus Cat and Zoe, their daughter, weren't in the flat at the moment. She decided to clean up the place. Turning on the ceiling light, she started in the living room, and very slowly made her way through the rest of the flat. Time flew by as she was cleaning up. A few hours later, she didn't realize that Rumpus Cat and Zoe were coming back fast to the flat. Exotica was caught by surprised when they entered, and dashed into the shadows in the alley, in front of the flat.

"Wait! Exotica!" Rumpus Cat exclaimed, trying to catch up to her. Zoe stood silently next to the cat flap.

In an instant, Exotica was gone. Rumpus Cat came back to his somewhat lonely flat once more, breathless. He and his child were bewildered why she ran from them, and why she decided to make a visit to the flat and fix it up a little. It's been many a year since there's been a Queen's touch here...Zoe is a Queen, yet she's still a kit. Their hearts were torn asunder. The rest of the night was agony and sleepless for them both, thinking of the memories of those years when they were together. Zoe looked out of a window, her face towards the wind, and towards the moon. Hearing a frustrated meow from her father, she decided to go in and try to get some sleep.

Rumpus Cat decided to leave his flat, and his daughter, and search the Cauldron, the alleyway outside. The Cauldron was silent tonight...His only companions were the moon and the howling, cold wind.

On the other hand, Exotica was far from Rumpus Cat, and far from the Junkyard. She ran with a fiery passion, far away from everyone and anything in her life. No, she didn't run to Old Deuteronomy, nor Macavity. She ran towards the horizon.Pray tell, a lonely comet, am I ? I'm forever running a marathon away from everything and everyone. Forget the moon, I think I lost my memory! *sigh*Exotica slowed to a halt. Looking around, she decided to sleep in this unknown territory for the night. An unknown cat in an unknown territory...almost like her second home...Exotica slipped into a small cardboard box. A nearby radio comforted and lulled her to sleep.

Plop!...Plop!...Plop!...*Thunderclap*Exotica awoke with the sounding of the thunder clap. She stood up and shivered in the eerie coldness of the thunderstorm. Exotica decided to clean her wet fur, in waiting for the storm to pass.

*At the same time...with Rumpus and Zoe*

Zoe paced the sad, deprived flat, in waiting for her father to finally come home.Where is he?!? He'll never find her now...She's probably outta the town by now! *sigh* I knew Munkustrap should've done something about her running away all the time...now it's too late. Zoe heard someone come through the cat flap in the door. Daddy? She turned her head slightly, and pursed her lips when she saw her father. She tried to look happy for him. Sighing, Zoe hugged her father tightly. She buried her face in his wet fur. Then, getting enough courage, she spoke up.

"Daddy...Maybe we should tell Old Deuteronomy, or Munkustrap, at least. We have to do something about this. Mom came back for once in a long while...why are we going nuts, running around looking and waiting for her to come back to us? We need search parties or something! We can't do this alone." Zoe looked at her father sternly and loosened her grip on him.

Behind his red, blinking shades, Rumpus Cat's eyes filled with tears and his throat tighten and he felt like he swallowed a peke. He didn't want to lose another of his tribe, or family, for that matter. Although his daughter loosened her grip, he still had held his tight grip around her, trying to protect her from what lay outside their flat and outside the Jellicle Junkyard. But, Rumpus knew she wouldn't listen to his excuses...

*Back with Exotica*

As the storm was clearing, Exotica noticed something in the corner of her eye. Curiosity took the best of her, so she went over to look at whatever she saw. Exotica looked down at the glittering necklace. Thinking it was Rumpleteazer's, Exotica threw it across her neck, for safe keeping. Unknowingly, thunder and lighting was still going off around her. And unfortunately, because of her newfound necklace, one hit her.Exotica fell to the street in excruciating pain. For a moment, it seemed the whole world went dark...and eerily silent. She tried to roll over, and even, get up, but she was in horrible pain, that no one could understand. Her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Rumpus...Zoe!"whispered Exotica. It took all her energy to say something. Then...all went dark and pain ceased.

*With Rumpus and Zoe*

Her untimely death was sent across the wind to her beloved mate, Rumpus Cat, and her daughter, Zoe. Zoe retreated back into her father's arms.It felt like forever there...But, it it better to have loved and lost, or have never to loved at all?