"Outcasts" by Kaleadora

***Author's Note: This is the tale of the Jellicle Outcasts: How they came to be, what they are, and what they Accomplished. It is a story of loyalty, leadership, bravery, betrayal, comradery, friendship, and sacrifice; and there's even a bit of romance in there, too. A dramatic story gathered from countless Jellicle history books and the logs and books of the Outcasts themselves. It has not been dramatized; what you will read is derived directly from the sources just named. Most, if not all, Jellicles have forgotten about the Outcasts, and that is precisely the reason that I recorded this story. Read, now, and learn, and never forget the Outcasts. For without them, where would the Jellicles stand today?***

Outcasts

Chapter One

"It was many a long, weary age ago that the legendary Justinian, first remembered of the Outcasts, sent out the first Call, and then it was simply to find any other like him, so that he might not be alone. And he was Answered. Outcasts from all over the world at last realized who they were, and that they were not alone. They traveled to Justinian, from near and very far, to the deepest part of this great Forest Ditirowe, from whence the Call came. And there we still abide, even unto this day, awaiting the time that we might rise up and show the Others that we still live. And then we will go back to the places we left at the Call, and meet the Others once more. And they shall see that we are not as we appear physically, that we are exactly like them. And peace shall be once more."

So it is recounted by every single Outcast, every single night before each retires to his/her bed for sleep. And so it went on, and on, and on, for many, many years, before the Time spoke of in the passage finally arrived, with the 200th Call. Every ten years a Call was sent out, to bring young Outcasts from all over the world to the Forest Ditirowe, to join the Outcast Tribe and strengthen it. Yes, two thousand years had passed since the great Justinian accidently united the foundation of the Tribe. For to this, the 200th Call, a completely unprecedented Answer was made, and the fate of the Outcasts changed from what they had always expected.

"What was that!?!" Melqsinava (pronounced melk-sing-yah-vuh) cried, leaping from his chair. There was no one there to hear his question, so of course he received no reply. Oh, but he had Heard something! A strange sound that vibrated in his mind still. He sat down slowly, and closed his eyes. The echoes of the sound in his mind wove into a pattern, a picture, of a place, a place that, though he had never seen nor heard of it, shot peace and safety into his heart. That is where I must go, he thought. I must! Oh, to there I must go! He opened his eyes and stood once more, and both the picture and the sound disappeared into Memory for always.

The desire to go to that Place was very, very strong in Ava (yah-vuh)'s heart, and he began packing at once without thinking about it. He had not much to ready, simply pull on his belt with its sheathed dagger and throw on his cape, fastening the brooch at his throat. Then he stopped, with his paw on the handle of the door. Rational thought crept in, and he wondered what the heck this was all about, and why he was listening to a picture in his head that was obviously a figment of his imagination.

He slowly trailed back to his chair, the only chair in the small room of stone, beside the small wooden table, and looked out the only window, a small cut in the wall. He looked upon the fields and woods of his homeland. In the bright of the daylight, he saw the Jellicles bustling about the marketplace. He saw a few of them glance darkly to the small room in which he sat. He felt their detest, and was desperately sad and lonely. With a shrug, he stood again. What have I got to lose? he thought. To that place I will go, though I know not the way. Anything would be better than a place where one is hated wherever he turns. And he threw open the door and strode out, without ever a glance back to the room where he had spent most of his whole life.

The only way out of town was through the marketplace. Ava walked as straight as he could, keeping what dignity he could muster among these people. They glared at him, and mothers pulled their children away. Many of the younger Cats threw garbage at him and shouted rude and unrepeatable comments, but he deftly dodged them and continued on, heedless of their remarks. He left that place without a good-bye to anyone or anything, without a glance of farewell to the small town where he had been raised. He sauntered along, keeping up a pretense of confidence and certainty. No one tried to stop him, and no one seemed too disappointed at his departure, which they had been awaiting for the longest time. Perhaps his foster mother was slightly saddened, but she certainly did not show it. Ava was not heard of in that small town ever again.

Chapter Two

Long, achingly long were his travels, and he went through many hardships with which I will not grieve you, for they have naught to do with this tale. Suffice it to be said that he did at long last come upon the vicinity of the place with he sought, and that is where he was found.

"What is it, do ya think?" Tash whispered to her counterpart. Scorina continued to stare at the figure in front of and below them. "Pollicle, dear," she replied softly. Tash's eyes grew very wide. "Really? Oh, neato! But...what do you think he's doing here?" Scorina studied the Pollicle carefully from their vantage point high in the boughs of a huge old elm that had been a scouting place of the Outcasts from the days of Justinian. The queen did not answer. The kitten pouted for an instant, then looked again to the Pollicle. "Maybe he's Answering," she whispered cheerfully. Scorina's eyes were very strange as she looked down. "You know, Tash, I think you may be right," she said quietly. Tash grinned happily, containing her glee. "Can I get him, Scorina? Oh, can I?" Scorina turned her head to the kitten. "Not quite yet, dear. This is your first Scouting trip, and you need to watch and learn a few times before you try it yourself. Besides, this has not happened before. It needs to be handled delicately, or Freshauin will have our necks!" (Freshauin is a title, meaning something close to 'Boss'. Here Scorina is referring to Cagi, you'll meet him later, who is responsible for the findings and reports of the Scouts.) Tash sighed and nodded. "Now, Tash, you be the distractor, and I'll get him this time. Okay?" Scorina patted the kitten's shoulder, and leapt silently down to the lower branches of the Elm.

Ava stopped in his tracks. He had thought he heard something, behind him... He whipped around, drawing his dagger, but saw nothing. "Jumping a bluebottles again," he muttered to himself, an ancient phrase meaning one was jumping to conclusions, or imagining things. He turned and walked on through the fallen leaves, but kept his dagger unsheathed. Then he really did hear something behind him, and whirled to face it. Nothing at all could be seen amidst the autumn woods, in the bare branches of the trees and bushes. Not a leaf stirred on the breezeless day. Then a voice sounded, "Welcome." Getting annoyed, Ava spun on his heel to face whoever it was. He faced a Cat.

"Who are you?" he asked softly. He had never seen such a Cat. Her body was based black, but was riddled with vein-like stripes that were yellow on the torso fading into orange and red on the limbs. She stared back at him coolly. "Should I not be asking you that?" Scorina replied. "You are the stranger here. You are lucky that we did not shoot first, and ask questions later." Ava furrowed his brow and glanced around uneasily. Tash, who was sitting nearby on the lowest branch of an oak, suppressed a giggle. Bluffing always worked. "My name is Melqsinava," the Pollicle replied. "People call me Ava." Scorina smiled faintly. "Have you come to Answer, Ava?" Ava raised an eyebrow. "What?" Scorina rolled her eyes and put her paws on her hips. "Did you hear the Call, and have you come to Answer?" Ava thought a bit. "Well, I.... I Heard something, a long time ago, and I left to find the place that it Showed me. Is that what you meant?" Scorina's smile shone out brilliantly. "Great! That means I can take you in. Come on, Tash! Come on, Ava." Ava looked around. "Who's Tash?" A small, light figure leapt out, showing herself. "I'm Tash! Hiya, Ava!" Ava sprang back in surprise, and could not help but stare at this new figure.

Sprintashoanei was a kitten, but looked such only in size. She was entirely of a light, fawnish-gold color, and she had a bit of shoulder fur that was a deep chocolate brown. And from each of her fingers, toes, knees, elbows, and heels grew a long 'tassel' of the same chocolate brown fur. Her head-hair was very short, but her thickly-furred ears fell down beside her face rather than standing up, and curled up and out just before they came to her shoulders, and at the tip of each was another brown tassel. Her tail was quite long and smooth-haired, and she carried it curled up from the ground; from the end of it grew another dark brown tassel. Her eyes were a fiery orange-red, and they sparkled up at Ava happily from the face of a kitten.

"Let's go, you two!" Scorina called from up ahead. Tash reached out for Ava's paw, and he slowly took it, as if in a daze. Tash fairly pulled him along, skipping and humming. Scorina smiled sweetly at the Pollicle and walked on his left side, as Tash was on his right. "Where do you hail from, Ava?" the queen asked. "Far, far southwest," he replied. A shadow crossed over his face as he thought of his long journey, and Scorina decided not to question him further. "Don't think about that," Tash said cheerfully. "You're with us now!" Ava looked down at her, and she grinned up at him, eyes shining. She had obviously taken quite a shine to the Pollicle. Scorina, also, felt something...different about this one, and she felt him her responsibility. "When we get there," she told him, "You'll have to stay right by me, all the time. You see, we've never had a Pollicle before, and some of them might not take to kindly to you at first." Ava nodded solemnly.

Chapter Three

"Here we are," Tash said brightly, pointing ahead. Ava peered in the direction she pointed, but couldn't see a thing. "Right there!" Tash said, reinforcing her point. "Can't you see the Gate?" Scorina asked, slightly amused. "No, I can't. Where are you looking?" Ava said, slightly cross. Tash released his paw and flew forward on light, silent feet to what seemed a large thicket. She glanced back to Ava, and the Pollicle glanced to Scorina. "Go ahead, Tash," the queen urged. Tash reached out and delicately tugged on a certain twig. Immediately, the bushes and trees 'parted' before her, and a long, winding staircase could be seen, descending into the earth. "Let's go!" the kit cried, seizing Ava's paw once more and hauling him down after her. Scorina glanced around a bit before she, too, crept down the staircase, and the bushes and trees closed behind her.

"Now remember, Ava, stay right by me or Tash for now," Scorina said quietly as the three neared the end of the staircase. "Yeah, I will," the Pollicle replied with a gulp; for some reason, his mouth had gone dry. He was finally come to the place he had sought for so long! Scorina slipped ahead of him and Tash, and they came into the Junkyard of the Jellicle Outcasts.

Ava stared around at the simple beauty by which he was now surrounded. Tash smiled up at him as they walked. He could see many more strange, yet lovely creatures, each totally different from all the rest, yet fitting in perfectly. "Sit over here," Scorina said to him, pulling him over to a stone bench. They were on the edge of a thick ring of trees, and in the center, stars could be seen, twinkling in the heavens. Tash sat on his right and swung her legs. Scorina hurried off to get the Outcasts' leader, that he might see the newcomer. Ava leaned back and put his paws behind his head, relaxing.

Just then, he got the fright of his life. A large, orange and red foot with huge, sharp purple talons crashed down right by his head. With a sharp yelp, he leapt away from the bench, his heart pounding. Tash merely glanced up at the foot and continued to look around for Scorina's return. "Cool it, hon," a voice came from above the foot. Tash glared up. "Let 'im alone, Tobre," she said accusingly. "He's come to Answer." A low chuckle came from the deep shadows above the foot. "He's a Pollicle. Pollicles have no business here." Tash rolled her eyes. "Sit back down, Ava," she said quietly. He did so, staying away from the foot. But the foot lifted up, and came down again closer to his head, and another one to match came down in front of it. The creature paced the wall, holding talons well away from the stone with each step. That they'll stay sharp, Ava thought with a shudder.

"Enough, Tobre," said the kitten with a touch of irritation. The creature, apparently Tobre, snorted. A great rushing of wind came, sweeping back towards Tobre. Ava instinctively ducked, and just in time. For Tobre leapt from the wall and landed in a crouch in the shadow of a small patch of trees and bushes. Ava had the impression of a huge form as she sailed overhead, though not entirely un-feline. Tobre slowly stood from her crouch, and as the light fell upon her, Ava got his first good look at her.

Her glass-green eyes were quite large in her chiseled, red and orange face, and her head-hair was quite short, and of a deep purple hue. Her body was definitely feline, and (for lack of a more proper term) rather voluptuous. Her feet have been described. But rather than arms, she had enormous wings, of a tough, tannish membrane stretched between five long, thick 'fingers'. At the tip of each 'finger' was a thick, knife-like talon of the same purple as her toe-talons and head-hair. Her body was blue with pink overtones, with a bit of yellow and orange running down the middle. Her long blue and pink tail, thick at the base and whip-like at the end, was what one would expect to see on a reptile. And in the center of her sternum was a great jewel, diamond-shaped, of every imaginable hue of green that sparkled and danced in the light. Romalestisanektobrecia Dnabsoranistchcofl was a Dragon-Cat, the most feared and appreciated member of the Outcast Jellicles. She had a tendency to be rather harsh and bully, but she was good deep down, and very loyal to her new Tribe.

Tobre folded her wings neatly behind her. (Of those she was extremely proud. 'Not fairy-like wings, or birds' wings,' she'd often say, 'but proper dragon wings.') Stepping closer to Ava, she scrutinized him carefully as he sat very still, fairly quaking in his boots (to coin a phrase). "Not much, is he?" she remarked, as though to herself. "But, Tobre," Tash protested nicely, "he came to Answer!" (Here she motioned towards him convincingly with a bright smile). Tobre snickered. "Sure, whatever. What makes you so sure he isn't lying?" She reached out a wingtip and held the Pollicle's chin up. Tash whipped to her feet on the bench and looked up at Tobre with flaming eyes (even standing upon the bench, the kitten was a head and a half shorter than the tall Tobre). "I said, Let him alone!" she cried, her tail whipping around in anger. Tobre drew her wing back and quirked a dark eyebrow. "Just looking, pipsqueak. Don't have a cow." Tash stamped a tiny foot in rage. "Don't call me that! I am NOT a pipsqueak!!" she shouted. If eyes could light fires, the whole place would have been burned to a crisp by the look in the kitten's. Tobre rolled her eyes and brushed the kitten away with a wingtip. Tash rolled along the bench and tumbled to the ground. She clutched at her ankle, struggling not to cry at the sprain. Tobre merely smiled, and that was too much for Ava.

The Pollicle stood up right in front of Tobre. She turned her head and met his gaze mildly. "Leave her alone," Ava said quietly. "Oh, I get it. First I take orders from a kitten, and now a Pollicle! Yeah, right." Tobre tossed her head. Ava snarled. "You have no right no hurt Tash," he said, "And I won't let you." Tash stared up at him, with something besides tears in her eyes. Something like adoration. "Oh yeah?" Tobre asked. She spread her wings and stood on the tips of her great toes, rising well above him and drowning him in shadow. The purple talons were all facing him. Tobre growled, her eyes glinting.

"TOBRE!" A shout came from Ava's left. The Dragon-Cat instantly folded her wings and stepped away from Ava as Scorina ran up, followed by about a dozen other strange forms of Jellicles. Scorina gripped Ava's arms and looked up at him, "Are you all right?" Ava blinked a bit, still stunned. "Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled. The queen raised an eyebrow at him, then turned to Tash. "Oh, Tash! What happened, dear?" Scorina scooped the kitten into her arms, but Tash only had eyes for Ava. "Ava, you saved me! You're so brave!" she cried, grinning sweetly. Tobre snorted and flapped her wings just slightly. Ava had to turn his eyes from the kit's adoring gaze; he had never been held a hero before, even falsely. "Is..is your ankle okay, Tash?" he asked, looking back to her. Scorina looked concerned. "Your ankle?" Tash looked up at the queen. "Yeah, I sprained my ankle when I fell off the bench," she said. Scorina shook her head and gave Tobre a dark glance.

"Well! What an interesting situation," said a male voice. Ava turned and took notice of the others for the first time. A large, well-muscled tom had spoken. He seemed almost 'normal', but for a huge, thick mane such as that of a lion. He was entirely grey, with bits of blueish fuzz dotted about all over his body, and his mane was the blueish hue also. His eyes were a deep, searching brown, and he looked Ava over carefully, then smiled broadly. "Welcome," he said in his deep voice. "I am Cagiumnavum, second in command of the Outcast Jellicles. Come, Melqsinava. We have much to discuss." Ava nodded, and he, Scorina, and Tash (the queen carrying the kitten) followed him through the maze-like Junkyard to a large, brightly patterned tent where they could speak.

Chapter Four

"Please, wait here," said Cagi, "while I go to bring our leader here to see you." Ava nodded, and Cagi left. The Pollicle sat beside Tash on some cushions, and Scorina sat on the kitten's other side.

"Well," Ava said after a moment, "What are your full names? I assume that Tash and Scorina are only nicknames." Tash nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah! I'm Sprintashqoanei, and Scorina is Emaktuenscorinalayin. Ever'one's always called me Tash, e'er since I Answered and they found me." Ava looked down at the kitten curiously. "You weren't born here?" Scorina replied, "No, none of us were. We cannot reproduce, not unless we find another Outcast of our exact same type." She sighed, and a shadow briefly passed over Tash's cheery little face. Then she brightened again, and said, "But you're not like us, Ava. You're just a reg'lar Pollicle, right? So you c'n be a daddy, can't ya?" Ava smiled, a trifle askew, and replied, "Yeah, I guess so.

"Scorina, you don't seem all so far from a 'normal' Cat." The queen looked to him. "I don't look all that abnormal, but for colouring, do I?" She smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, that's not the case. It's a bit complicated, and we have not the time needed for me to explain it." Ava nodded. "She won't tell no one," Tash chimed in. Scorina blushed, but her yellow and orange cheeks did not show it. Ava shrugged. "If she'd rather not tell, then that's her business." His eyes met Scorina's over the kitten's head, and there was a very strange look in the queen's, or so Ava thought.

The tent flap flew open, and in strode Cagi. "Where's-" Tash began. "Right here, dear," the tom replied, interrupting with a fond smile. Tash snuggled between Scorina and Ava, and the three watched raptly as the flap was pushed open again, and the leader of the Jellicle Outcasts entered.

Had you looked over all of the Outcasts, Bright Eyes would have been one of the last you'd have expected to be their leader, though she certainly stood out. She was full grown, but not much taller than Tash. Her fur was jet black, and bright orange-red stripes tore jaggedly through the pure darkness. Her tail was grey and orange-red, not too awful long but quite long-haired and fluffy. Around each ankle and elbow, and the base of her neck, were natural stripes of an orange-gold colour. Her paws were pure white, and her neck was white with two orange-red stripes. And in the centre of her forehead, hung on a silver chain, was a sky blue sapphire, in the shape of a triangle. Her face was grey, with many orange-red stripes tearing across. Her head-hair was shoulder length, black but for the inside of the ears and the fur beneath them, which was the orange-red. From each ear hung a small golden hoop earring. Her eyes were blue. As for the shade, sometimes they were clear and bright as the sky on a winter's day, and sometimes they were dark and foreboding as thunderclouds, and sometimes they were sharp and cold as ice, and every possible shade in-between these at one time or another.

Right now they were the first color mentioned, and they shone happily out at the three who sat before her. She sat down lightly upon a lavender cushion (Cagi sat behind her and near the tent entrance), and studied the Pollicle carefully. "What's your name?" she asked. Her voice was light and happy, lilting and soothing. "M-Melqsinava," Ava replied, slightly bemused. "Ava, right?" the leader asked, and she giggled a bit, and it sounded like drops of melting ice falling into a pool of water in winter. "I'm Bright Eyes, and the Jellicle Outcasts call me their leader. I'm glad you came! This is quite interesting."

She then looked to the two others. "Scorina, where did you find him?" The queen gazed at her leader (it was so plain how well-loved she was among her People), and replied quietly, "It was actually Tash who spotted him first. From the Elm." Bright Eyes smiled, and nodded to Tash. The kitten grinned, and said, "Yeah! We were way up in the big Elm, and I saw somethin' movin', a ways off, and I pointed it out to Scorina, an' she said to wait till it got closer. I'd never seen a Pollicle before, so she had to tell me what Ava was, and she said that she would go an' get him, since we'd never had a Pollicle Answer before. So I went down and distracted him, and Scorina talked to him. I sat on a branch real still, and Ava didn' see me at all till I jumped out at him!" The kit laughed happily at the memory.

"Well, Ava," Bright Eyes said thoughtfully, "We never have had a Pollicle Answer before. What shall we do with you?" The Pollicle shrugged and looked down at his paws in his lap. "We've gotta let him stay!" Tash cried, seizing his arm. "He's my friend. He stood up to Tobre, an' told her not to be mean to me!" The kit gazed up at Ava and laid her head on his shoulder. Scorina grinned at Ava's surprised face, and Bright Eyes cocked her head. "Of course we'll keep him!" she said. There was a new look in her eyes as she looked at him. Ava always liked to think to himself that it was respect. "Stood up to Tobre, did you? Impressive. We'll talk for awhile, and then you'll have to go and talk to her again." Ava grew pale and tried to protest, but Bright Eyes interrupted with an upraised paw. "Trust me, Ava." The Pollicle gulped and fell silent. For the funny thing was, he did trust her. Even then.

Long did the five in that tent remain there, and they spoke of many things with which you, the innocent reader, would not be interested. Most of it was about the ways of the Outcasts, and having Ava memorize their little saying and repeat it several times. By the time that Bright Eyes and Cagi bade the three others farewell (and no, the two are not mates, remember what Scorina told Ava), it was dawn, and the Outcasts were just beginning to come out of their homes.

Ava staggered out on his weary legs, blinking and yawning. Scorina supported him, and Tash did her best to help. "You can stay with Tash and me," Scorina told the Pollicle. Just as they were about to enter the queen's nice little tent, Tobre winged in from her treehouse high above Scorina's tent. "Up all night, eh?" she asked as she landed and folded her wings. Tash pooched her lips out and replied primly, "Bright Eyes was talkin' to us. An' Ava gets to stay! So there." Tobre rolled her eyes. Scorina elbowed Ava. "You have to talk to her," she whispered in his ear. "Bright Eyes said so." Ava woke up sufficiently to do so, and stood squarely before the Dragon-Cat.

"Okay, Tobre," he said. "If I'm going to live here, we're going to have to learn to put up with each other. So, if-" Tobre waved a wingtip and interrupted, "Oh, enough with that. I do that to all the newcomers, just to see how they react." Tash and Scorina shared an eye-roll: that was a lie. Tobre glared at them briefly and turned back to Ava with a wry smile. "I like your attitude, kid," she remarked, her large eyes studying him for a reaction. "I think you and I could get along pretty well. Truce?" She held out a taloned wingtip, of course keeping the tip of the talon facing away from the Pollicle. Ava stared at her for a long moment, in which all were perfectly still. (By now, they had a bit of an audience, and everyone held their breaths to see what the Pollicle would do.) Ava then sighed, as though to say 'what the heck, why not', and placed his paw atop the smooth, curved talon. "Truce," he muttered. Tobre nodded and gave him a shove towards Scorina's tent with her wing. "Get some sleep," she said, "You look like the living dead." Ava raised his eyebrows, but didn't protest. Tash helped him into the tent, smiling sweetly to Tobre as she did. Scorina mouthed 'Thank you!' to the Dragon-Cat before following the others into the tent to sleep. Tobre smiled to herself, satisfied. Then she eyed the crowd annoyedly. "Go on, show's over," she said as she spread her wings and launched herself into the air. They all did.

Chapter Five

This chapter shall be entirely devoted to describing the thirty-seven Jellicle Outcasts that have not yet been. I would like to note that all Outcasts (save, of course, the last one described) are of two feline parents. It is either genetic abnormalities or chemical imbalances that cause them to be formed the way they are. If you are not interested in such, I suggest you skip down to Chapter Six. 'Cause here we go, in no particular order:

One: Usinhover is a Centuar-Cat. His torso, head, and arms are all those of a Cat, but below is the full body of a horse, his torso growing from where the horse's neck would have been. His horse body is a lovely red bay with one white stocking. His Cat body is a reddish-peach all over, and his eyes are a deep brown.

Two: Lamenerana has the full body of a Cat, but down her upper arms, legs, feet, tail, and bordering her chest are ridges of long fins. Her tail is forked, and the fin splits to go down both forks. She is, of course, an excellent swimmer, lightning fast. Her body is entirely a soft sea-foam green, but above where her chest is bordered by the fins, and the fins are a paler green. Above she is a pale greyish-white, even her head and head-hair. Her eyes are the same shade of green as her fins.

Three and Four: These are the only two Outcasts that have found true love. Hebrunatin and Jecclinape are both Butterfly-Cats. They are very tiny, both could sit on the palm of a regular-sized Cat's paw. But they have antennae and butterfly-wings, and their bodies are spotted and striped with butterfly-patterns. Brun's eyes are a dark violet-blue, and Jecc's are a pale bluish-lavender.

Five: Just as there is a Dragon-Cat, so also is there a Unicorn-Cat. Her true name is not pronounceable by our tongues, but she is called Amalthea. She is a pure, unadorned white all over, with extremely long head-hair, hanging a bit past her waist. Her eyes are huge and very dark. The only color on her is her lips and inside of her ears, both a pale peach, and her horn. A lovely, spiraling golden horn sprouting from the centre of her forehead. It shines and sparkles in the slightest bit of light, and is about two feet long.

Six: Rendolphian is a Fox-Cat, with short head-hair and a long, bushy tail. He is a reddish-brown all over, but for the tip of his tail and the inside of his ears, both white. His eyes are a light mahogany-brown.

Seven and Eight: Gerrubia and Kemvaligh are a close pair, though nothing alike. Rubia is a Squirrel-Cat, and Kem is a Raccoon-Cat. Looks are easy enough to figure out, I'd suppose. Rubia's eyes are a light orange, and Kem's are a dark chocolate brown.

Nine and Ten: Here is another close pair that is nothing alike. Chazarnopla is not too strange-looking at all. She is a light tan all over, but her head-hair is pure black, and her eyes are slanted, coloured a light blue. Bennuzjuin is also not too different, but for his dark brown, very curly shoulder-length head-hair. His body is spotted as a leopard's, and his eyes are hazel.

Here I shall tell of the sets of brothers/sisters that are members of the Outcasts. All twins are male/female, as a male/male or female/female Jellicle twins rarely have genetic abnormalities.

Eleven and Twelve: Precilollinia and Ebrunnidopyan are both Outcasts, and both are kittens. Lolli is a sweet pink, with pretty red tabby stripes, and Brunni is green with deep violet tabby stripes. On both, about halfway down each limb, the colors switch, so that the darker is the base, and the stripes are of the lighter. They have legwarmers below the knees, and these are light-based. Lolli's eyes are Brunni's green, and Brunni's are Lolli's pink. Lolli's head-hair is rather long, but doesn't hang down. Brunni's is rather short, and sticks out every which way.

Thirteen and Fourteen: Of this pair, only the female, Starshine, is a true Outcast. Her twin brother, Cowsill, saw her leave in the night to Answer the Call, and followed her, for he loves her very much. She was angry at first, but when he persisted, she consented, and both are now members of the Outcast Tribe. Starshine is white with black patch-like stripes, her eyes are ice blue, and Cowsill is a silver tabby, his eyes are sky-blue.

Fifteen and Sixteen: Yerrinplitcia is a small kitten. She followed her older brother, Fevncrenim when he Answered, and now they are both members. Yerrin stays right by Fevn all the time for protection, since is a full-grown tom. He is extremely protective of her. Fevn is black with a white chest, and a few white patches and stripes on his limbs. Yerrin is white with tan patches. Her odd eyes are one blue and one orange, and Fevn's are a bright, sunny yellow.

Seventeen and Eighteen: Crimson and Clover are a very mysterious, quiet pair of twins. Their limbs are extremely long, and they tower above the rest (even Tobre comes up but to their shoulders). Crimson, the tom of the pair, has shoulder fur that grows in the center of his chest and back, and up over the shoulders bordering his neck. Clover, the queen of the pair, has shoulder fur that grows over her shoulders and down the sides of her torso, never meeting, neither on her chest nor back. Crimson, as could be guessed, is a deep crimson color, and his shoulder fur and head-hair are a slightly lighter shade. His eyes are blue as crystal and just as clear; his head-hair longer than usual but tame. Clover is a light pinkish-tan, her shoulder fur and head-hair this with grey mixed in. Both have thick fur below their knees, the same color as their shoulder fur. Clover's eyes are a deep sapphire blue, her head-hair long, slightly more so than her twin's, and also tame and smooth.

And now on to the singles again:

Nineteen: This Cat has shaggy, pure black fur, and his pale yellow eyes have narrow, slitted pupils. His true name he gives to no one, but he is called Shadow by the rest. He mostly stays around the Gypsy Cat, described next.

Twenty: Chreanalih is the Gypsy Cat of the Outcasts. She is fancily adorned, from her large, ornate earrings, to her head-veil (that does not cover her face), to her open-fronted veil-skirt, to her long, veil 'tassles' that hang from the wrists of her elbow-length, betassled gloves. On her upper torso, she is white with symmetrical black patches, and below she is black with symmetrical white patches. She wears off-white ballet slippers with ribbon ties that come up to her knees. Her eyes are odd, one a deep, burnt orange, the other a royal purple.

Twenty-One: Ramalama is an interesting Cat. His ears, rather than the triangle-ish shape of the others, are shaped as pears on the end of long stalks that grow from where normal ears would have. He has some shoulder fur, elbow fur, and knee fur, and fur around his waist; his feet are entirely covered with it. These patches are a dark brown, while the rest is a medium brown, and there is a patch of tan fur in the center of his chest. His tail is shaped as that of a lion: long and smooth with a puff at the end, much like the 'puffs' on his ears. His eyes are a deep maroon.

Twenty-Two: Tigris may seem like a sensible, everyday name, but is fits its bearer. Tigris is a deep burnt orange, covered with thin stripes in a tiger-like pattern. His head-hair is striped dark and light orange, and is quite short. His eyes are a golden-yellow, with thin pupils. One final curiosity of this Outcast: His left arm is huge compared to the rest of his body, large, thick, and muscular.

Twenty-Three: Mistouk is very large, about Tobre's size, and extremely muscular. His orangeish-tan fur is unadorned. His head-hair is wild and ragged, and his ears very large. His eyes are a yellow-green.

Twenty-Four: O'th-Lun is a very rare female silver tabby. However, rather than being simply silver with dark silvery-black stripes, her stripes have a violet tint, and the rest of her body a sky blue tint. Her stripes are very intricate and thickly patterned. Her eyes seem to glow a color that is sky blue and violet mixed.

Twenty-Five: O'th-Sol is O'th-Lun's cousin. His patterns are hard to describe, but I shall do my best. His coat is a vibrant golden-orange. In the center of his chest is an eight-pointed, sun-shaped patch of a light yellow-orange. Over the sides of each upper and lower arm, and each upper and lower leg are patches of the same color and pattern of that on his chest (each on the upper stops before the knee/elbow, same for the lower). Of each of these only four points can be seen from the front or back. And, for every dip in the sun-pattern, all throughout his body, there is a small triangle stripe of a deep red-gold. His head-hair is striped with these three colors, and so is his face. His eyes are these three colors mixed, and are very bright.

Twenty-Six: Mendriikia is a very Macavity-like Cat. Her head-hair is waist-length and thick, rather wild; red-orange and white striped. Bordered by thick black stripes, (sun-patternlike) patches of a red-orange wrap around her back and almost touch on the front; her arms and legs each have three small patches of the bluish white that is wherever the red-orange is not. Her tail is also very thick and wild, and also quite long. It is bluish white and red striped, each color separated by a thick black stripe. Her face is riddled with red-orange stripes, and her eyes are a piercing ice blue.

Twenty-Seven: Junasmiq is rather plain for an Outcast. His reddish-brown fur is uniform throughout his body, but for the thick fur from his elbows to wrists and knees to ankles, and his tail and head-hair. These are a bright, vivid orange to match his left eye; the right eye is dark blue.

Twenty-Eight: Asvennturi is a soft, pinkish color. Her torso and arms have stripes, her leg patches, of a pastel blue. Her head-hair is naturally almost perfectly rounded, looking like a halo of the pastel blue, with pink ears. Her rounded, fluffy shoulder hair, arm warmers, ankle-circlets, and tail are all blue streaked with the pink, and her eyes are a deep violet.

Twenty-Nine: Indissrecylip's upper body is white with patches and a single stripe of seal brown; below a zigzagged black stripe at his waist, he is seal brown with patches of white. His tail is white with a seal brown tip. His head-hair is patterned like his body: white above, seal brown below, separated by a black stripe, with a semi-circle patch against his face that is seal brown above and white below the line.

Thirty: Uhsuiptian is like a grandmother to the entire Outcast Tribe. She is a light orange with cream spots on her torso and for half of each limb. The remainder of each limb is the same cream color as the spots. Her head-hair is orange above and cream below, her tail the cream-spotted orange with a cream tip. Her eyes are so pale a blue that they are almost white, but they shine silver in the moonlight.

Thirty-One: Rsushia is a very Griddlebone-type Cat. She is white with a slight tint of pale blue all over. Her shoulder fur, leg fur, lower arm fur, and tail are all very thick and fluffy, the rest quite smooth and silky. Her eyes a bright golden-yellow, with a bit of violet around the pupil.

Thirty-Two: Jreppol has short head hair and rolled ears, golden orange striped with black. Her shoulder fur is a cream color, and surrounds her white chest; not meeting in the front, but in the back. For the rest of her torso and about half her limbs, she is covered in small, thickly arranged black stripes that look almost drawn on, over a dark grey base. Fr the remainder of her limbs, she is golden-orange with small black and dark grey flecks. Her off fore paw is the lined black over the grey, as is her near hind paw. Her tail is golden orange tipped with black, and her eyes are a soft tan.

Thirty-Three: Trevnollipm looks to be black all over, but when the light shines upon his coat, a few (but thick) fiery reddish brown tabby stripes shimmer sleekly. His eyes are tan with a tint of orange.

Thirty-Four: Weghuklig is Trev's best friend. His coat is a dark greyish-blue, and his intricate, complicated tabby pattern stripes are violet with a touch of grass-green. His eyes are a silver like unto the moon.

Thirty-Five: Menostuuestikkies has earned the nickname 'Bluebird of Golden Truth' from the rest of the Tribe (don't ask me why, it was their idea). They all wonder greatly at why anyone would turn her away. Tall and slender, Tikki has waist-length head-hair that is thickly curled, a stripe of sky blue streaks down from the center of her cheeks, curling amongst the golden-blonde of the rest; her ears are also sky blue. Two patches of sky blue come around from her back and barely touch in the center of her front torso, then curve around her hips to join again in on her back. These patches reach to her mid-upper arms; and about at mid-upper thigh, the sky blue that covers the rest of her legs down fades into the golden of the rest of her body. Her tail is also very thick and curly, golden tipped with sky blue. Her large, deer-like eyes are baby blue.

Thirty-Six: XseripMuintre is a very lovely queen. Her straight, flaxen head-hair hangs down to her mid back. At mid-upper arm and mid-upper leg, the yellow-gold of her body fades into a deep, orange-gold. Below her elbows and knees she has warmers, and these are slate grey streaked faintly with a lighter grey. Her face is the same grey, and her tail is the orange-gold of her arms and legs. Her eyes are the dark, forbidding color of cumulonimbus welling on the horizon.

Thirty-Seven: Last, but most certainly not least, is a very small Outcast, about the size of Hebrunatin and Jecclinape. Thorongil is a finch. (Author's Note: If you have read my previous fanfic, it is not at all difficult to tell that I adore these little creatures, and I couldn't help but include this one in my story; I RP as him in one RPG, believe it or not.) His feathers a bright, shiny gold patterned and streaked with black, making for a very lovely little being. He speaks only to those he befriends, and they are few and far between.

That was loads of fun, wasn't it? Kudos to you if you actually read all of that. Now, moving on to Chapter Six, we'll continue with the story.

Chapter Six

It was some hours after mid-day that Melqsinava awoke and stumbled out of the tent into the bright afternoon sunshine. He quickly stepped over into the shade of the trees, rubbing his eyes.

"Hello there!" chimed a duet, male and female. Ava looked around, but his smile faded when he saw no one. "Up here!" said the female voice. He looked up slowly, and saw a pair of (butterflies?) creatures sitting upon a twig above him. One fluttered off and landed on his long Pollicle nose. 'Twas Jecclinape, and still upon the twig was Hebrunatin. Ava smiled shakily, careful to keep his nose still. "How do you do?" Jecc giggled, and Ava noticed that her voice was loud as a regular-sized Cat's. "I'm doing well, thank you. I am Jecclinape, and you must be Melqsinava! Henbunatin and I were dying to meet you." The Pollicle felt another Butterfly-Cat land atop his head. "Welcome to the Outcast Tribe, Melqsinava," a surprisingly deep male voice said as Heb's head appeared within Ava's range of vision. "Th-Thank you!" Ava replied.

Suddenly, a bush away to Ava's left stirred, and a snatch of quickly shushed whispering could be heard. Grinning, Jecc and Heb flew back to their twig to watch. Ava feigned ignorance and leaned back against a tree trunk, putting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. He thought he heard another sound, this time on his right. He slitted his right eye and peeked out, but saw only Scorina's tent. A small paw reached out and gently turned his head back to the left, and Ava met Lolli and Brunni.

Lolli had turned his head, and he now looked up into a pair of deep, searching eyes of a color to match the leaves above them. Brunni, on Lolli's left, smiled at Ava. "Hi!" Ava smiled back, "Hello. Who might you two be?" Lolli replied, in her musical kitten-voice, "I'm Precilollinia, an' this is my twin brother, Ebrunnidopyan. You're Melqsinava." Ava sighed and closed his eyes again. "Everyone knows me already! Word travels fast..." Brunni agreed, "Ever since you got here yesterday, we've all been talking about you. You were watched the whole time." Ava opened his eyes again and sat up, staring at the two small kittens. "I saw you stand up to Tobre," Lolli said, her large eyes studying him carefully. "Don't worry about her, she can be very nice. I think she's accepted you, 'cause you're special." Brunni nodded, satisfied. "Special?" Ava asked, confused. "Yeah," Brunni replied. "You are. You just can't see it yet, or don't know it. It's there. Bright Eyes saw it, an' Tobre did, too. I think Scorina has....?" He looked to his sister, who nodded affirmingly, and added, "Tash knows it, but she can't see it yet." Ava nodded solemnly, though he had no idea what they were talking about. He felt a sudden urge to talk with Tobre. "Where is Tobre?" he asked the twins. "She's over with Amalthea," Brunni replied. Lolli pointed, away to Ava's right. "Thank you. I think I'll go and talk with her now." Ava rose to his feet and walked off. Lolli and Brunni looked after him, then shared a knowing nod.

Ava got many smiles and waves as he walked through the Outcasts' home. He returned all of them, and wondered to himself at all the different forms of Cats he saw, and wondered what 'Amalthea' would look like.

At last, he saw Tobre, stretched out in the shade and propped up by her wings. Ava hated to admit it, but it was good to see her, a slightly familiar face among all the strangers. Her eyes were closed, and beside her sat a small white form. Ava stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell upon Amalthea. Even in the deep shade, her horn glittered and sparkled dazzlingly. The Unicorn-Cat was speaking, slow and soft, and Tobre was listening. Suddenly, Amalthea stopped and looked up, directly at Ava, who jumped uneasily under her bright gaze. She said something to Tobre, who opened her eyes and also looked to Ava. The Pollicle was indescribably relieved when the Dragon-Cat grinned and called him over (rather than becoming angry at his disturbing Amalthea).

"Hello, Tobre," Ava said as he came over. "Hi, Ava! Gosh, you look better." Tobre sat up and stretched her wings, and Ava ducked instinctively. "Sit down, I want you to meet my friend," Tobre said. Ava sat down and his gaze met Amalthea's unwillingly. "Hello," the Unicorn-Cat said. Her voice was of a breeze rustling through the tall grass on the moor, and for an instant, Ava could smell wet earth after a rainfall. "H-H-Hello," he whispered. "Don't be afraid," Tobre said softly. "This is Amalthea. She is my best friend." Amalthea smiled, and the sun seemed to dim in the brightness of that smile. "Dragons and Unicorns can no longer afford to be enemies, or anything like," Amalthea said. "The time is nearing." Tobre nodded.

"Brunni and Lolli...." Ava started, and trailed off. Amalthea nodded. "Yes, they are right. You are special, Melqsinava. Someday you will see it." Ava smiled. A snatch of some strange verse

(the stars won't come out if they know that you're about 'cause they couldn't match the glow of your eyes)

popped into his head, and he thought it fit the Unicorn-Cat very well (though he'd never heard anything of the sort before).

"Scorina will be worrying about you," Amalthea commented. Tobre nodded and stood. "Come on, Squirt, I'll take ya back to her." Amalthea grinned up at Tobre, and Ava shook his head, smiling, and stood also. "Thank you, Amalthea," he said with a bow, though he didn't know exactly what he was thanking her for. The Unicorn-Cat nodded, and her eyes shone.

(Am I special?)

(Yes, you are)

That was from Amalthea. Ava hadn't been aware that he had broadcasted the thought... But perhaps he hadn't. The Unicorn-Cat gave him a solemn wink, and Ava's spirits soared as Tobre nudged him with a wingtip to get him moving.

"Hey!" came a cry from Ava's left. Heads popped out all around and stared at the Pollicle as he and Tobre walked along. The Pollicle ducked his head a bit and smiled, Tobre took no notice as Outcasts came from all sides, staring and talking among themselves. Before long, those who wanted to meet the Pollicle obstructed Ava and Tobre's walking. Tobre, with a sigh, stopped in the middle of a large clearing and let them crowd around. Ava smiled uncertainly at the wonderous faces, some happy, some wary. The noise was great, as that of a crowd usually is.

But suddenly, a small, fawnish-gold head popped up above the rest, peering towards the centre of the crowd. Tash waved frantically to Ava, who waved back as best he could. But how would he get to her? He jumped a mile when a paw fell upon his shoulder, and turned to see who it was. He stared into the stomach of a very tall Cat, and slowly tilted his head up to meet its gaze. A pair of bright, crystal blue eyes met his, and Crimson smiled. "Scorina is looking for you," he said in his deep voice. "Come on." He gently grabbed Ava around his waist and hoisted him up. Ava, slightly embarrassed, looked beside Crimson and saw Clover, just as tall, smiling sweetly. "Come on, Tobre," she said. The Dragon-Cat rolled her eyes, but obeyed, and lurched into the air, landing on a low, thick tree branch near where Scorina held Tash on her shoulders. Crimson and Clover carefully made their way through the persistent crowd and over to Scorina and Tash. Clover then picked the two up, and all six went calmly on their way.

Scorina, Tash, and Ava were 'deposited' beside Scorina's tent, then walked off with a silent smile. Ava shook his head to clear it as they all slipped inside. Scorina sat down, and gave Tobre a dirty look. The Dragon-Cat's eyes flew open innocently, and she protested, "Hey, he came to me! I was bringing him back." Scorina's gaze turned to Ava, but it wasn't angry. In fact, it looked slightly amused. Ava grinned sheepishly. "She's right... I woke up first, and went out. I met Jecc and Heb, and then Lolli and Brun, and then Amalthea. Who were those really tall Cats?" Tash giggled at the dazed look on his face as he thought of the two giants. "Crimson is the boy, and Clover is the girl," the kitten explained. "It's kind of a shock at first, isn't it?" Scorina laughed. "They've been here longer than most of the rest, yet they look younger than most." Tobre nodded. "It's been a blast, guys, but I'm outta here." As she opened the tent flap, she glanced back at Ava, and said in a strange voice, "Watch yourself, kid. Things aren't always peaceful here, day after day. Things are going to start Happening soon. You just watch it." And with that she left, and they could hear her flap up above them, most likely to go to her treehouse.

"Ready to eat?" Scorina asked. "You bet! I'm starved," Ava replied eagerly. Tash hopped to the back corner of the tent and brought back two baskets; one filled with a type of bread and the other with scraps of meat. "I'll go and get some water from the well," she said over her shoulder as she slipped out of the tent. Ava grinned and dug into a piece of bread. Scorina took a piece, but only nibbled it. "Scorina?" Ava asked, his voice rather muffled through the bread in his mouth. "What's wrong?" The queen looked up at him, her eyes far away and sad. Ava swallowed his mouthful. "Look, I'm really sorry about skipping out on you this morning," he said. Scorina shook her head. "That's not it. There's something wrong, Ava. Something has gone wrong." The Pollicle furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? What's wrong?" The queen shook her head again.

"Here ya go!" Tash said cheerfully, stepping back into the tent. She had a jug of water in each arm, and sat down rather heavily, setting them down in front of her. She seized a scrap of meat and gnawed happily on it. Scorina couldn't help but smile, and her fear and doubt was washed away while she ate breakfast with Tash and Ava.

Chapter Seven

The next two months were the happiest of Melqsinava's life. He met all of the Jellicle Outcasts and was accepted by most. He learned their daily routines and established one himself, which included an early morning talk with Amalthea and Tobre while the sun rose. After a few weeks, he began to feel that Tobre must have been wrong; this was a perfect place, and surely nothing went wrong here. Of course, kittens would get scraped up in their games, adults would have the occasional scuffle, but nothing major at all happened. The overall feel of the Outcasts' Junkyard was that of peace and serenity. Ava all but forgot his dreary days of imprisonment back on the 'Outside', and his long, wearisome travels to reach this place. He had friends here, and they wanted him. He felt that he had found his place in life, and was content. But then everything changed drastically, forever.

It was destined to end. Not his life, not quite yet, but the peace and serenity. For the days prophesied by Justinian were nigh, and it was time to get ready. Justinian was not entirely accurate in his 'visions', for he saw a peaceful end to the separation of 'normal' and 'Outcast'. Alas, it was not to be so. For just as the Outcasts were deciding that the Time had come to show those on the 'outside' that they were alike, the ancient evil of Yemlig descended from the towering Stair Mountains (and so they were called for they seemed to be so high as to be a stairway to the heavens). Long had this evil been in hiding, long had it waited for an opprotune time to attack those who lived in peace below. And now it saw the chance, and the future of all Jellicles changed dramatically, swerving violently from the prophecies.

"Scorina?" came a voice from the tent flap as dusk fell upon the Junkyard. Scorina put down her patchwork and looked up. "Yes, Usinhover?" she asked the Centaur-Cat. "Scorina, Bright Eyes has called a meeting. Where are Tash and Ava?" Scorina stood smoothly. "They're up the tree, Tobre is teaching them the bow and arrow. When is the meeting?" Usinhover glanced up at Tobre's treehouse. "Immediately, Scorina. Could you get those three for me? Come to the Clearing, right away." Scorina nodded and sighed. Usinhover galloped off. He was Emissary to Bright Eyes, and told all of the Tribe any news she had.

Scorina pulled herself onto a low branch of Tobre's tree and hoisted herself up. She climbed with practised speed and agility, reaching the top and the treehouse in no time. She poked her head above the floor and came face to face with a sharp arrow-point. Tash held the bow, and gasped when she saw Scorina. The queen gasped, also, and dropped her head below just in time to avoid being impaled by the arrow as Tash's paw slipped and it twanged off into the dark camp. "Tash!" Scorina cried admonishingly as she climbed into the treehouse, quite shaken. Tash threw her arms around the queen and said, "Oh, Scorina, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, really I didn't! Are you okay?" By then, Tobre was rolling on the floor with great peals of laughter, and even Ava was chuckling pretty hard. Scorina tried to scowl, but then Tash giggled and the queen grinned happily and began to giggle, also.

"Come on, you clowns," she said through her helpless giggles. "Bright Eyes has called a meeting. Right now, in the Clearing." Tobre sat up and wiped her eyes with the edge of her wing. "Oh gosh, you should have seen your face, Scorina," she gasped. Ava struggled to swallow his laughter. "Meeting?" he asked. "Yes, right away. Come on, Tobre, it's not that funny!" The Dragon-Cat replied breathlessly, "Yes, it is!" and shook her head, slowly overcoming her laughter. "Meeting! Let's go, let's go!" Tash cried, leaping to her feet and skipping around the treehouse. "Tash, don't! You'll fall," Scorina said, seizing the kit's paw and standing. Tash scowled. Tobre stood also, and hauled Ava to his feet. "Tobre, carry me!!" Tash yelled, bouncing around the Dragon-Cat's knees and pulling gently at her wings. Tobre laughed again, this time with fondness. She and the kitten had grown much closer since Ava arrived, and Tash loved to sit on Tobre's back as the Dragon-Cat flew. "Sure, Pip!" Tobre replied with her special Tash-nickname, sweeping the kitten up with a wing onto her back. Tash squealed with delight and looped her arms around Tobre's neck. Tobre stepped to the front edge of the treehouse and leapt off into the air. Scorina and Ava could hear Tash's laughter as the Dragon-Cat winged off into the dark air, towards the Clearing. "Let's go!" Ava said brightly. Scorina gave him a dazzling smile, and the two climbed down and hurried to the Clearing.

Scorina and Ava stepped up beside Tobre in the crowd surrounding the platform that Bright Eyes would stand upon to make announcements or speeches. The Outcasts were all murmuring anxiously, concerned that a meeting should be called for no apparent reason. Tash sat on Tobre's left shoulder, looking around happily at her Tribe.

Crimson and Clover appeared, and they cleared the crowd away from the platform, and one sat down on either side of it. "Can ya see her, Pip?" Tobre asked Tash. "Nope, not yet," the kitten replied, shading her eyes with a paw from the bright torches that burned all around, on tall poles or hanging low from trees. After a moment, Tash whispered excitedly, "Oh, there she is! She's coming!" The crowd hushed instantly, and Usinhover and Cage appeared, the Centaur-Cat going around the platform to stand in front, and Cagi standing atop the platform in a back corner. Bright Eyes stepped up onto it, and walked up the front, her paws silent on the smooth wood.

She looked out at her Tribe. She hadn't particularly wanted the position of their Leader, and especially not now. Nevertheless, they loved her, and they all looked up to her and obeyed her. She had to be their leader now, for they had seen her as such for so long that it was impossible to turn away from them at a time of crisis. And now she would lead them through the hardest time of their lives. Or would they make it through? (Try, you have to try, they'll follow you) With a sigh, Bright Eyes addressed her People.

"I have called this meeting," she began in a clear voice, "to Prepare all of you. The Time is near upon us, and it shall be far different than we have expected for so many ages." A surprised whisper wavered through the Outcasts. Scorina, Ava, and Tobre shared a concerned but steady glance. Tash's eyes remained riveted to Bright Eyes as the Leader spoke again and the crowd hushed. "Near is the Time that we shall go forth from this place and seek a new place, with the Others. We had always expected this Joining to be peaceful. But it is not to be so." Tash's eyes were huge and bright, her ears perked as she listened. "Before even Justinian, long before any Outcast knew his or her place, an unspeakable evil was driven out of our lands, when the Jellicles and Pollicles united against it." The Outcasts muttered in affirmation; that was a common story told among them. Bright Eyes took a deep breath, and her crystal eyes darkened to thunderclouds as she said, with some apprehension as to a reaction, "That evil, the Yemlig demons, has Escaped from the Stair Mountains and is coming down upon us once more."

Rather than the chaos Cagi had been expecting, it was as Bright Eyes had predicted: complete silence. Eyes filled with terrified tears, heads turned to fellows only to find the same terror and misery that they themselves felt. Tash slid down Tobre's shoulder, and the Dragon-Cat caught the kit safely in a curl of wings. Scorina closed her eyes. Ava's paw slowly reached out and found the queen's, and they clasped in desperation and fear, trying to both give and receive comfort, and failing.

"Outcasts!" Bright Eyes yelled, violently breaking the silence. All eyes turned up to her. She threw down the small scroll she had been holding and stomped her foot. "We shall NOT be overcome!" she cried. Lightning flashed in her eyes, thunder rolled in her strong voice. "This was not entirely un-expected! They are strong, but SO ARE WE! We must unite with the Jellicles and Pollicles. The time is far gone for driving the Yemlig out, we must DESTROY them!!" Tobre's head slowly raised to its normal, proud stance. Amalthea, who had appeared beside the Dragon-Cat, raised her horn to glimmer in the torchlight. Tash wiped a tear away, and her flaming red eyes began to show hope. "We will hide no longer." Bright Eyes's voice was quieter, but no less potent. Her eyes were almost black as she surveyed her Tribe. "We CAN overcome. We CAN defeat the Yemlig." Scorina nodded slowly, almost unbelievingly. "We can," she whispered. Ava echoed, slightly louder, "We can." Tigris, standing on the other side of Scorina, nodded also. "We can." Mendriikia, on his other side, nodded as a smile spread over her face. She said, aloud now, "We can." A quiet chorus of these two words rang sweetly in Bright Eyes's ears. Tobre grinned.

"You chose me as a Leader," Bright Eyes said, as the chorus continued softly. "I did not choose to be. Now the Time has come. My leadership is here, offered to all of you, if you would have it. Will you follow me into war?" The small queen stood up very straight and tall, and her eyes cleared a bit. Tobre stood on tiptoe, towering even higher above the rest, and Amalthea stood as tall as she could, pointing her horn up. Both shouted together, "YES!" Ava threw his right paw into the air and echoed the two, and Scorina did so also, throwing up her left paw (the other two of their paws were still locked together). Tash waved both paws in the air and cried, "You bet! Yeah!" Cagi's deep voice rose up, "Yes!" Bright Eyes glanced back at him, smiling. "Oh, yeah!!" Usinhover cried, rearing up on his hind hooves. All of the Outcasts let raise their voices in agreement, shaking their paws in the air. Bright Eyes looked out at them, and her eyes, clear now as crystal, shimmered in the torchlight on that starless night. "Tomorrow!" she shouted. "Tomorrow morning we leave this place to find another!" Wild shouts of confidence and agreement rose up and dissipated in the black of the night. From the shadow of a nearby branch, a sweet song rose up, full of assurance and courage. Thorongil was singing, and the Outcasts joined in softly, their hearts soaring.

Chapter Eight

Usinhover trotted around the camp in the small hours of the morning, awakening the Outcasts and telling them to eat and prepare to leave. Most were now afeared of the choice they had made, but willing to stick with it and follow Bright Eyes.

"Tash, get that jug filled, please," Scorina instructed, pointing to a clay jug across the tent from her. The kit scooped it up and scampered out to the well in the dark morning of late winter. Ava was hurriedly patching a small rent in his cloak while Scorina was trying to pack fully but light for the three of them. Tash hurried back in with the jug filled, and Ava popped a cork into its mouth and handed it to Scorina, who put it in her pack. Jreppol and Tikki peeked into the tent. "Cagi says to take it easy on the water," the latter said. Jreppol added, "Since the snow Outside is melting now, there should be plenty without breaking our backs hauling it around." Scorina smiled with relief. "Great! That's a load off my back, in more ways than one!" Tikki giggled and the two disappeared to tell the rest.

"Got that tear fixed, Ava?" Tash asked, leaning on the Pollicle's knee and smiling up at him. "Just about, Tash," he replied, "I'm tying the knot now." The kit watched his intent face closely as he concentrated on contorting the tiny thread into a suitable knot. "There we go!" he said proudly, shaking the cloak out. Tash examined the stitches and gave him a solemn thumbs-up. Ava grinned and flicked the dark brown tassel on her thumb. The kit giggled and pulled his cloak on. Half of it dragged the floor, and the hood entirely engulfed her head as she waddled up to Scorina and said in a deep voice, "Sergeant Ava, strongest Pollicle in the world, reporting for duty, Ma'am!" Ava covered his mouth to hold in a burst of laughter. Scorina looked up from the packs and into the shadow of the hood. "Well, Sergeant," she replied, playing along, "Since you're so big and strong, perhaps you could carry all three of these packs for us! But that would be just as a feather, wouldn't it? I know: you could carry me, too! Maybe Tobre would like a free ride!" Ava fell onto this back and rolled with laughter as Tash threw the cloak off, exposing her alarmed face. "No, it's just me!" she cried. Scorina's rare laugh chimed out, and Tash grinned sweetly. Ava sat up and wiped his eyes. "Gimme that," he said, grabbing his cloak and grinning.

Tobre poked her head in. "Come on, you slowpokes! Almost everyone is already out there, and the sun's about to rise!" She disappeared again. There was a flourish of activity and talk in the tent as each sorted out his/her own pack and pulled on his/her own cloak. Then they walked out in an orderly fashion, joining the large group already gathered near the Gate. Bright Eyes was up front with Cagi and Usinhover, speaking with Junasmiq, Mistouk, O'th-Lun, and O'th-Sol. Others were listening, and taking heart at their Leader's cheerful, confident voice. "Scorina!" a voice called out. XseripMuintre ran up, holding a large pack. "Uhsuiptain wanted me to give one of these to everyone," Muintre explained, handing a sword belt, complete with a nice sword, to Scorina, a smaller one to Tash, and just a sword to Ava ("Since you already have a belt," she said. Ava nodded and replaced his dagger with the sword, placing the former in a special pocket in his cloak). Muintre then called out to Fevn and Yerrin, and ran over to them.

Scorina and Tash each fastened their belt around their waists, and then fixed the sheath containing the sword on it. "Is everyone here?" Cagi called out above the talk. "No, where's Chreanalih and Shadow?" Lamenerana called back. "Here! We're here," the breathless Gypsy cried as she ran up, pulling Shadow by a paw. Muintre hurried over to them and gave them their belts and swords, which they quickly made fast about their waists.

"Is that everyone, now?" Cagi called. "No!" Chazornopla, Bennuzjuin, and Asvennturi cried at once. "We're missing Cowsill, Starshine, and Indissrecylip," Rsushia elaborated. The pair of twins ran up and received their belts and swords. "Where's Indi?" Muintre asked. Cowsill shrugged, but Starshine pointed over to his tent and replied, "He can't find his cloak!" Just then, the tom in question raced out of his tent, hauling his pack on and clutching his red cloak, which fluttered out behind him as he ran. Asvenn helped him get situated, and he received his belt and sword.

"Okay, NOW is that everyone?" Cagi called in mock-exasperation. Not a sound could be heard. "I'm not taking any chances," Bright Eyes said. "Roll Call!" There were many groans, but they were later very thankful for the roll call. Else they may very well have left Thorongil behind. He was busy fighting a group of rats away from the food storage tent. The rats, needless to say, were quickly taken care of by a few of the Cats, and Thorongil winged wearily to Bright Eyes's shoulder, singing softly.

Bright Eyes nodded as she took one last look at the Outcasts' 'Junkyard', which was in all reality merely a camp, tents and treehouses among the woods and clearings. After that last glance, she never looked back. She opened the Gate and led her people out of that place. They looked back quite a bit, but there were no tears shed when Usinhover closed the Gate, which latched with a small *click* of great finality. The Centuar-Cat brought up the rear, to help along any that might fall behind along the way. The Jellicle Outcasts left their home, and ventured out into the world. They were marching to unite all Jellicles and Pollicles, to fight a brutal war against the Yemlig demons, and save their bit of the world, for what it was worth. To them, it was worth very, very much.

As they walked through the woods, through the snow and slush of the late winter morning, steps and conversations were light. The great peril into which they were marching seemed distant in the bright sunshine under the clear blue sky that matched their Leader's eyes. Tobre frequently flew ahead to scout things out, mostly looking for any signs of Jellicle or Pollicle. That night, they camped under the bare, black branches beneath the stars, and sentries were posted all around. It was the next afternoon that they made the first important discovery of their March.

Tobre winged back to the halted Tribe quite quickly after a prolonged scouting trip, the green jewel on her chest shimmering and sparkling in the sunshine. She landed easliy before Bright Eyes and folded her wings neatly. "There's a town up ahead," she informed, "But it's completely deserted. Not a living soul anywhere." Bright Eyes's eyes clouded a bit. "Let's see," she said. The Tribe moved forward once more. Over the top of the large hill on the side of which they had been halted, they could see a rather large town spread out below them. Ava lowered his head and sniffed the air gently; Tash peeked out from behind him and perked her ears. Ava wrinkled his nose in a horrible gesture of disgust and anger, and sneezed violently. "Melqsinava, your nose is keener than ours," Bright Eyes said from beside him. "What is the smell?" Ava rubbed his nose and replied, "Though your noses be weaker, I wonder that you do not smell it. The whole valley simply reeks." Tash peered up from under the grass-green hood of her cloak. "What does it smell like?" she whispered. Ava smiled ruefully. "It smells of death. Death and.. something different. I've never smelled it before, but it's rank odor is worse than that of Death." Amalthea, suddenly on his other side, sighed. "Yemlig," she concluded accurately. "They came so close!" Tikki whispered fearfully from behind. Her constant companion, Jreppol, nodded. "They did not cross over the hill." Cagi's brow furrowed. "Now, why would that be? Are they afeared?" Bright Eyes cocked her head and watched as Tobre launched herself off of the hill and soared over the dead valley, one last time searching for a sign of life. "Not afeared," she whispered. "They knew we were there. They don't know exactly what we are, or what we are capable of, but this was left as a warning to us." Thorongil winged up and perched on her head. He whistled a short tune and bobbed his head. Bright Eyes nodded.

"We shall not go through this place," she announced, "It is accursed. Come, we shall go around." Tiny Jecclinape spoke up, fluttering with her mate just above their Leader. "But it is a very long way around, Bright Eyes!" Hebrunatin added, "'T'would be much quicker to go on through. The detour would cost us maybe a day or more." Bright Eyes hesitated. "I do not at all wish to set foot below this hill," she said, "But your words are true, whether wise or not. We shall go through, but only a small bit at a time. Cagi! Usinhover!" she called. The Centuar-Cat trotted up quickly, and Cagi was instantly at attention. "You two are taking the kittens through," Bright Eyes said firmly. Cagi's deep voice rose up, calling for the kits, "Tash, Lolli, Brunni, Starshine, Cowsill, Yerrin! Come on!" The six scurried up, peering into the valley with apprehension. "Come on, now," Usinhover said reassuringly. "It'll be fine!" Tash smiled nervously back at Scorina and Ava as she took Cagi's paw and the group descended the hill.

"Lolli, stay near!" Cagi admonished, releasing Tash's paw to chase the other kit. Tash walked close beside Usinhover, while the rest walked in front with Cagi. They walked between the first few buildings, and there was nothing to be seen. All was deathly silent and still; nothing stirred in the least. Yet there was something.. strange about the place. It felt as though it was dormant, just asleep and ready to awaken at the fall of a feather. Usinhover looked around in wonder at the dark, deserted houses, and Tash stuck right by him. Cagi and the five other kittens slowly got farther and farther ahead. Suddenly, Tash,. who had been staring around as Usinhover was, caught her foot under a stone and fell to the street hard. Cagi was too far ahead to notice, but Usinhover stooped down and picked her up in his arms. "You okay, Tash?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm okay," she replied, rubbing her elbow. Usinhover smiled.

A muffled thump sounded behind the two, and Usinhover whirled around, still holding Tash. Nothing was there, nothing at all. Just bare, empty streets. Usinhover smiled sheepishly, figuring on his imagination. "Jumping at bluebottles ag-" he began cheerfully to Tash. But just then, another thump sounded off to his left. He turned with some apprehension, but again there was nothing. "Usinhover, what's going on?" Tash whispered. "Tash, dear, we may be in some trouble. I don't think Cagi knows yet.." he glanced ahead and saw Cagi and his group, now in the distance, still walking. "What's the trouble?" Tash said softly. "I'm not entirely sure.." Usinhover replied unsteadily as a double-thump was heard behind them and across the street. "Look, there's Tobre!" the kitten called happily, pointing above. Usinhover looked up with some alarm and spotted the Dragon-Cat, circling high above. "They want to know why we're waiting," Tash said cheerfully, thinking that everything was okay now. Usinhover gulped. "TOBRE!!" he bellowed as loudly as he could. "GO BACK! NOW! DON'T LET ANYONE ELSE COME DOWN HERE!!!" Tobre, apparently hearing him, zipped back over to the rest atop the hill.

"Usinhover, what's going on? I'm scared.." Tash whimpered, snuggling closer to him in his arms. The Centaur-Cat gulped as a couple *thump-scrape*'s sounded all around. "Tash, you're gonna take a little ride now," he whispered. Tash nodded against his chest. "Hang on tight, okay, dear? Just a little ride, but it's gonna be fast." Tash sniffed. Dark shapes were forming in the lengthening shadows between the houses, swirling and forbidding. "Hang on..." Usinhover whispered into Tash's fuzzy ear. Just the sun set completely and the shapes began to seep out into the street around him, Usinhover leapt forward and sped off as fast as he could possibly move his strong horse-legs. Tash hung onto his arms tightly, and he held her strongly as he leaned his feline torso down horizontally to lower wind resistance. Tash was held up above the dark road by his arms alone. She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on Ava, Scorina, and Tobre, her best friends and the closest thing to family she had.

Usinhover's only thought was to escape, to get away from that place. And he wasn't about to leave anyone behind in his escape. His shouting to Tobre, while alerting the Tribe of the danger, also alerted the shapes, whatever they were, that he was 'on to them'. They chased him now, with great speed, not wanting any to escape and take the knowledge of their (the shapes') existence out of the valley to warn potential victims.

Cagi heard Usinhover coming up fast, and his quick mind deduced immediately that danger was upon them. The Centuar-Cat stopped in a cloud of dust, milky in the faint light of the waxing moon. Without a word, he jostled Tash into his right arm and scooped Yerrin up into his left. Cagi all but threw Lolli and Brunni onto the Centaur-Cat's horse-back, and he picked Starshine up in his right arm, hanging onto Usinhover's thick horse-mane with the other. Cowsill, catching on, took a firm hold on Cagi's tail with one paw, and Usinhover's with the other. The Centuar-Cat took off just as the shadow-shapes lapped at his back hooves.

Cagi bounded alongside, carried by Usinhover's great speed. Little Cowsill hung on for dear life, his eyes locked with his sister's as she looked over Cagi's shoulder. He, too, was carried along, his feet barely touching the ground at all as Usinhover practically flew along the dark streets. He knew not the way in the dark, but his sixth feline sense guided him.

He came to a dead end once, and the group whipped around to face the shadow-shape. Usinhover quickly bounded forward, and passed right through, taking the shape off guard and escaping the alley before the shape could grab ahold. The shapes seemed to be everywhere, wherever he turned.

The group would certainly have come to grief in that evil place had it not been for Usinhover's speed and agility, and his ability to keep his wits under chaotic circumstances. He was all but worn out when at last he felt soft grass beneath his hooves, and started uphill, never missing a beat of his all-out gallop. He did not slow down in the least until he reached the peak of the hill and the relative safety of the woods. The shapes rose up behind him. They were confined to the valley, but could still work through fear. None of the eight escapees looked back, sensing what might happen if they did. Usinhover pressed his heaving flank against the smooth bark of a maple tree and squeezed his eyes shut, holding Tash and Yerrin as tightly as he could. Eventually, the shapes retreated back to the alleys, to the shadows, where they could hide until another unsuspecting creature happened to stumble in. The eight escapees did not move a muscle for hours, heedless of the bitter cold, until the eastern sky, away to their left and in front, blushed crimson to herald the coming of the sun and day, the end to that horrible night.

Then Usinhover took a deep, shuddery breath and carefully set Yerrin and then Tash upon the slushy ground. Lolli and Brunni carefully slid off of the Centuar-Cat's back, and Cagi set Starshine down. Cowsill pried his numb fingers from the tails of the two adults and flexed them, wincing. Usinhover was the first to actually turn and look back at the valley.

They were directly across the valley from the rest of the Tribe. They could tell, for their footprints could faintly be seen by the Centaur-Cat's keen eyes upon the hillside all the way across. "Well," he commented, stretching his aching arms, "Scratch the shortcut." Cagi nodded and smiled rather shakily. "The rest are going to have to go around. And that means were going to be here for awhile, waiting for them." He smiled down at the six kittens. "But we'll be just fine. We'll be waiting under the sun, remember. Shadows do not live in the light of the sun. We'll be fine." Tash immediately curled up against the trunk of the maple, and, wrapping her long tail around herself, promptly fell asleep. The other five did likewise, until there was a whole nice pile of kittens, breathing evenly with sleep. Usinhover smiled. When a kitten went to sleep in the presence of anyone but whom they held as family, that was a sign of deep trust. He and Cagi exchanged a weary but happy glance.

Tobre winged in silently, having spotted the sleeping pile from high above. "By the Heaviside, I'm glad to see you all!" she said softly, and her eyes showed true concern and relief as she folded her wings. Usinhover smiled. "Likewise, Tobre." Cagi nodded in agreement. "What happened?" the Dragon-Cat asked. "We were stalked," Usinhover replied quietly and evenly, gazing into the valley. "Usinhover saved us all," Cagi said. "He carried four of the kittens, and had the rest of us in tow. We never would have made it if it wasn't for him." Usinhover blushed and picked a stone out of his near fore hoof. He looked up again, shyly, to find Tobre's eyes shining at him with respect and great thankfullness. "You're a hero, Usinhover," she said with great conviction. "Aw, I-" the Centuar-Cat said bashfully. "I was scared. Really, really scared. Yerrin was less afraid than I was! All I did was run..." Cagi clapped his friend on the back. "And it's that running that kept us a step ahead of them! We owe you, big time." Usinhover grinned modestly.

Tobre knelt by the pile of fuzz that was the six kittens, and gazed down at Tash for a long moment. Then she straightened up. "Well," she commented, as Usinhover had, "I don't think the others will be taking our little shortcut, eh?" Usinhover and Cagi shook their heads firmly and shot dark glances into the valley. "Well, men, take care of this pile, okay? It means a lot to all of us. I'll check in every now and then, okay? We'll be coming around on the north-eastern side." Cagi nodded. "All right, Tobre. See you then." Tobre grinned brightly, and launched into flight, straight over the accursed valley and back to the Tribe on the distant far side.

"Take a rest, Usinhover," Cagi said to his friend. "You had sentry duty two nights ago, and you need sleep. I'll keep a lookout." Usinhover was about to protest, but a huge yawn interrupted his words. He smiled sheepishly. "Oh, all right. But be sure to wake me right away if anything happens. Anything!" Cagi nodded with sarcastic solemnity. Usinhover rolled his eyes and laid down next to the pile of kittens, stretching out on the ground, and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. Cagi leapt up to a low branch of the maple and took up his duty as sentry over the group.

Chapter Nine

Usinhover, Cagi, and the kittens had to spend one more night separated from the rest of the Tribe. They moved away from the rim of the valley and started a cheery fire, singing songs and telling non-scary stories until all the kittens were asleep. Then Usinhover insisted upon taking sentry duty for the night, since the Tribe would be traveling through it and would need a rest the next day. Cagi agreed, and slept with Yerrin curled up against his stomach, and Lolli and Brunni against his back. Tash, Cowsill, and Starshine slept in a pile of leaves, near enough to touch Cagi's mane.

Usinhover paced around them all night, his eyes watchful and all senses fully alert. Tobre stopped by at just past mid-night to tell Usinhover that the Tribe would arrive there mid-morning, after traveling all night. The Centaur-Cat then began cooking some scraps of meat for a nice, warm breakfast for his group. He melted the lingering snow, filling their jugs after he used all he needed. They were not bothered by a single thing all night long, but for when Cowsill awoke from a nightmare and had to be comforted.

Morning finally arrived, and Yerrin was the first to awaken, and smelled the breakfast Usinhover had prepared. She promptly squealed with delight, awakening the others, who were equally surprised and happy. They ate a merry breakfast, with much joking and singing. Then they all relaxed in the warmth of the sun, enjoying being in a new place with each other.

After awhile, Tash sat up, her long, fuzzy ears perked. The others looked to her, and slowly came out of their daydreams. "I hear them....!" Tash whispered. And then the rest could hear them too: A great tramping, coming ever nearer from the northeast. Tash leapt to her feet and tore off, yelling, "SCORINA! AVA! TOBRE!" with surprising volume for such a tiny form. The others followed quickly, filled with a desperate eagerness to be reunited with the Tribe.

Scorina was the first to spot tiny Tash darting through the tree trunks. She gasped, and her eyes filled with involuntary tears. Ava quickly followed her gaze, and cried out for joy to see Tash. "Here! Tash!!" he yelled, waving his paws as he took off to meet her. Scorina stood as though riveted in place, tears streaming down her face as she saw the rest following, safe and happy as Tobre had described.

Tash flew into Ava's outstretched arms as the Pollicle ran, and the force of it spun them both around as he clutched the kitten to him, weeping for sheer joy. "AvaAvaAvaAva!!" Tash cried, showering his face with kisses. Ava laughed and kissed her nose, and she threw her arms about his neck as a tear slipped down her cheek. She saw Scorina over Ava's shoulder and cried out happily. Ava grinned and hurried over to the queen, and Tash leapt into Scorina's arms with as much gusto as she had into Ava's.

Almost all of the Tribe were weeping to see the reunion, and then Fevncrenium shouted and sprang forward, scooping his tiny sister into a huge embrace. The others were met by the whole Tribe, and there wasn't a single one that did not shed a tear to see them safe and sound. They had all watched helplessly as the eight had been stalked by the shapes, and had lost sight as night arrived. The last they had seen was Usinhover, carrying Tash, race off into the darkness, with the shapes hard at his heels. But now it was all right, everything was going to be okay. For a little while.

They rested all of that day around the campsite the 'escapees' had used the previous night. Most slept, others simply enjoyed the break from walking and helped to fill the water jugs, as the snow was disappearing faster than they'd expected. Usinhover was held in great respect by all at the proclamations of Cagi and the kittens of his brave deeds that saved them all. Needless to say, Usinhover blushed quite a bit that day. But the question asked by all who managed to stay awake was: What were the shadow-shapes that had stalked the group? To this none had an answer. Cagi suspected the Yemlig demons, but Bright Eyes gently reminded him that the Yemlig would not have stalked, they would have simply engulfed the entire group instantly and without the *thump-scrape* warnings. One thing she said stuck in Usinhover's mind for the rest of his life: 'Whatever it was was simply playing with you. Like we do with mice: A game, just for fun. If they'd wanted to kill you right away, they wouldn't have fooled around. They were not the Yemlig, but servants of them, who have their own ways of torture and killing. The Yemlig do not play around.'

But the day of rest came to an end, and night crept in as the sun set once more. Only those who had slept during the day were posted as sentries, and all the rest slept. The moon could only barely be seen: a sliver of a crescent glowing dimly in the black sky. A new moon was coming, and that meant black nights. Tomorrow they would get as far away from the valley as possible.

Another day dawned bright and clear, with no sign of clouds at all. The eastern sky turned a faint pink, which slowly spread and bordered a deep golden, and then an orange. The sun slipped above the rim of the world without ceremony, and the Jellicle Outcasts continued on their journey.

They did not find another town for a week and three days of travel. Then they climbed another hill, and found they had reached the edge of the great forest Ditirowe, and the Great Plains spread out before them. The plains were seemingly everlasting with smooth, waist-high, golden grass that met the bright blue sky at the south-eastern horizon straight ahead of the Tribe.

The town was off to the left. A cluster of about a dozen houses, then a few stores, shops, and a pub, and then another couple clusters of homes. But no one was there. Simply deserted. Yet the shadow-shapes were not there.

The woods stretched behind them, and the plains before them. Rendolphian looked ahead nervously, and Gerrubia and Kemvaligh gazed back into the woods. These three had lived their entire lives in the woods, and were very reluctant to leave. Trevnollipm and Weghuklig, however, were intrigued with the grasslands, and scampered a small ways out into them, exploring. Amalthea and Usinhover had been raised in the plains, and were right at home. Tash seemed very nervous to leave the cover of the trees, and sat on a branch above Ava and Scorina's heads, gazing out at the tall grass waving in the breeze.

"We shall have to go right on through," Cagi said. "I hate that there's no cover, but there's not really any help for it." Bright Eyes nodded absently, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "Bright Eyes?" Cagi asked softly. "Do you see anything?" The Leader cocked her head, never taking her eyes from the place the sky met the grass, far before them. "There's a town out there," she said quietly, "that has not been taken yet. We need to get out there fast and bring the inhabitants away, before it's too late." Cagi gulped. "Who shall be sent?" Bright Eyes considered. "Melqsinava, Junasmiq, Trevnolllipm, and Weghuklig," she replied. "Right away." Cagi nodded and hurried off to collect the four.

"Ava! Come here a moment," he called, waving a paw as he waded into the tall grass to find Trev and Weg. "Bring Junas," he added. Ava stood, gave Scorina and Tash a reassuring smile, and waved to Junas to follow as he went to Cagi, Trev, and Weg. "Here's the deal," Cagi said. "Bright Eyes senses a town, just over the horizon, that hasn't been taken yet. You four have the job of getting as many townspeople out as you possibly can, and bringing them back here as fast as your legs can carry you. She thinks the servants are coming tonight to that place." Junas shuddered, and Weg gulped. Ava nodded, trying to hide his dismay at being chosen for such a task. "Right away, the afternoon is lengthening," Cagi ordered. "Good luck." The four pulled their cloaks around them and hurried off into the tall grass in a small group.

Scorina and Tash watched Ava and the other three leave. "What do you suppose is goin' on, Scorina?" the kitten asked. "I don't know, dear, but I'm sure Cagi and Bright Eyes know what they're doing," the queen replied. They watched until the specks disappeared over the horizon.

"Tash, climb higher and be lookout, okay?" Cagi called. Tash leapt to her feet on her branch and scurried up in the blink of an eye, resting easily on the net of tiny branches at the top, peering out to the horizon.

The group of four entered the town at a quick walk and pulled their hoods off, looking around. The Jellicle townspeople looked to them curiously, interested to see three strange Jellicles and a Pollicle, traveling together, enter their small town. Junas stepped in front of the rest. "You are all in great danger!" he cried. The townspeople stopped what they were doing and stared uneasily. "You shall all be killed if you do not leave this town immediately!" Weg added. Grumbles ran through the crowd that had gathered. The four shared a nervous glance; the townspeople weren't buying it. "Please! You must believe us," Ava called out, his face showing true concern and alarm that they didn't believe his friends. "The shadows are coming!" Trev shouted, "The servants of the Yemlig!" Queens covered their kittens' ears and looked to the four fearfully. "We have traveled far, and there are many more of us," Ava said, stepping forward. "Eight of us were almost killed by these shadow-shapes, and barely escaped. We do not wish tihs town to come to grief as the two others we have passed did! Please, come with us, away from here, to the edge of the woods. In the morning you will see." The townspeople looked to each other with wonder and fear, speaking softly. "For just one night!" Weg said pleadingly. "Please, you must believe us! It is dreadfully important! The Yemlig have escaped from the Stair Mountains, and their servants are destroying entire towns. Yours has escaped thus far, but it shall not should you remain here tonight. The day wanes! Escape with us while you can!" Junas, shortest of the four, pushed his way through them, and was about to speak when a large, burly tom shopkeeper stepped forward. "Why should we believe a couple of vagabond travelers? You just-" He was cut off by Junas, who stepped right up in front of him and looked him in the eye. "It is against the Ancient Code to lie about the Yemlig," he said feircely. "Do you think we do not know that?!? This is no lie, this is no joke. My Tribe left our home, our place of refuge, that we might rescue what towns we can and defeat the Yemlig before they take over this world." The shopkeeper's bravado melted away and left only fear and reluctant belief. "Come with us," Trev said, holding out a paw. The shopkeeper beckoned into his shop, and a queen came out hesitantly, holding a pair of infant kittens in her arms. "Do you swear," the shopkeeper said, pulling his mate and kittens up before the four travelers, "Do you swear on the lives of these tiny, innocent kittens that you are telling the absolute, solemn truth and mean only to help us?" Junas, Trev, and Weg gently pushed Ava forward. The Pollicle glared briefly at them in an imitation of Tobre that would have been hilariously funny in any other situation. He gazed down at the kittens in the queen's arms. He gently, gently laid a paw on the forehead of each, and said softly, "I swear, on the lives of these, that if you all will come with us away from this town, then you will be spared a most awful death. We mean only to help, to save you from what some of us almost befell, from what killed the two towns we previously came upon. I swear." The shopkeeper turned to face the town, for all of the inhabitants had by now gathered. "He's telling the truth!" he shouted. "Come, the sun is setting, we must leave!" Weg, relieved that it was working, cried, "Do not worry about belongings! The sun sets even now, we must escape! Take only your cloaks with you."

There were about four dozen townspeople all told, and all Jellicles. Ava was relieved beyond measure that none had any reason to be prejudiced against Pollicles, and he led them out and across the two miles that lay between their town and the wood's edge.

"There! There they are, a whole lot of them!" Tash shouted from her perch, pointing out over the field. Scorina leapt to her feet, and Tobre stepped up beside her.

Ava turned to face the Jellicles as they came within sight of the woods. "I will warn you now," he called when they had quieted, "That our Tribe is very, very different from any other. Do not be alarmed, we all mean to help you. Some of the Jellicles you see may be frightening in appearance, but we are all allies against the Yemlig. Remember that, and fear not!" The townspeople exchanged nervous glances, but not a single one could have truthfully said that he/she was not a trifle excited at the prospect of meeting strange creatures that they were assured were friendly.

"Ava! You did it!" a small voice cried from ahead. "Here's one now," Ava called to the townspeople behind him. Little Tash leapt up from below the level of the tall grass and into Ava's arms. With gasps of surprise, the townspeople drew back, their faces aghast. Ava turned to face them, Tash in his arms. The kitten giggled shyly and waved a betassled paw. The shopkeeper, who was to become a good friend of Ava's, slowly came forward against the whispered protests of his mate, and reached out a paw to Tash. "Hello!" the kitten said cheerfully, placing her tiny paw in the shopkeeper's large one. "I'm Sprintashqoanei. What's your name?" The shopkeeper smiled shakily. "My name is Indjolk," he replied, shaking Tash's paw gently. "Neat! I like that name," Tash said, bouncing in Ava's arms with delight at making a new friend. "Come on, all," Junas called, "The sun is all but set." The townspeople hurried on and reached the relative safety of the wood's edge just as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

"Are all of you here?" Trev shouted above the townspeoples' conversations. They all looked around, mentally checking off a list of friends and family. Suddenly, a tom cried out with horror beyond description. "My mate! Where's Dresirre?! Oh, she was right behind me with little Poasne..." The tom, heedless of all those around him, burst into frightened tears. Great horror clutched at Ava's heart, and he felt awful for the tom. A queen and a kitten, still in there!

"Just two?" a voice sounded behind the Pollicle. With a jump, Ava whirled to face Usinhover. The Centaur-Cat's face was set. "Yes, a queen and a kitten," Ava said shakily. "But you can't-" Usinhover interrupted, "Wanna bet?" With a chuckle, the Centaur-Cat took off across the field. Bright Eyes appeared out of nowhere and ran to the field's edge, scaring many townspeople out of their wits. "USINHOVER!!" the Leader shouted. Cagi leapt out, also from nowhere, and seized the small queen around her waist. "No! No, it's too far! He doesn't know where they are! He can't... No, we NEED him! Usinhover!" Bright Eyes shouted, fighting Cagi's grip but getting nowhere.

The townspeople watched Bright Eyes and Cagi with fascination, and looked around nervously, certain that others were hiding as those two had been. Tash was sniffling as she climbed the tree again to watch in desperation for Usinhover's return. All fell silent as Bright Eyes collapsed to the ground and held her head in her paws. Cagi surveyed the townspeople evenly, then said quietly, "Tobre." The Dragon-Cat dropped to the ground in the midst of the townspeople, most of who screamed in horror. Tobre gave them curious looks with more than a little amusement sparkling in her eyes. She walked to Cagi, and the crowd parted before her. "Yes, Cagi?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyes in defiance of his disapproving look. "Go help Usinhover. Now," the tom said. Tobre shrugged. With a mild statement of, "You're the boss!" she flapped easily into the air and swooped over the field to the town. Cagi saw the looks of absolute horror on the faces of the townspeople, and had to struggle hard not to laugh. Tobre usually had that affect with first impressions.

The Dragon-Cat's pupils widened considerably, revealing the dark landscape below. She soared effortlessly on the night breeze through the black air, reaching the town in no time. She scanned quickly for Usinhover, and then again more carefully. And she saw nothing. Just then, a bright light shot from the top of a house, and Tobre shut her eyes quickly and circled above, erasing the prints the light had left in her vision. She narrowed her pupils and opened her eyes again, seeing that the roof of a house had been lit afire. She smiled wryly, knowing that it was Usinhover trying to get her attention. He was, most likely, trapped in the house with the queen and kitten, blocked by the shadow-shapes and desperately hoping that she (Tobre) had been sent out. Well, I have, she thought with satisfaction. She dipped the tips of her wings, so that her body came up vertical, then curved her body down to face the house and folded her wings in less than a second. She shot down, squinting her eyes against the wind, and flipped her wings wide open the instant before she would have hit the front porch of the house dead on.

The shadow-shapes were all over the porch, and the great blast of air from Tobre's wings had driven them back across the street. "Usinhover!" Tobre bellowed, striking at the shadow-shapes with her wings and feet. "Get your great big horse-butt out here, now!!"

Inside, Usinhover seized the queen around her waist and set her upon his back. She was clutching a small female kitten, wrapped in a blanket, and her eyes were huge and terrified. She had remained in the town looking for her antique silver collection, and by the time she raced out of the house, the sun was about set and the shadows creeping out. She had run back in to find her kitten still there, hiding under the kitchen table. Usinhover had seen the lantern lit in her window, and broke the locked door down, barely managing to convince the poor thing that he was from the travelers' Tribe and was there to save her. "Hang on!" he whispered fiercely to her. She hung onto her kitten with one arm and buried her other paw in the Centaur-Cat's mane as she leapt out of the door at Tobre's shout.

"Not smart, kid," Tobre said upon meeting him on the porch. The shadow-shapes had retreated for the time being, but the question still remained of how to get Usinhover and the two others out of the town. The roof continued to blaze cheerfully above them. "Usinhover," Tobre said conversationally. "Y-Yeah?" he replied, his eyes wide as he watched the shadow-shapes creep closer again. "I'm gonna break to the right, and I want you right behind me," the Dragon-Cat said, still very calm and mild. "Got it?" Usinhover gulped. "Got it." Tobre nodded, and without any hesitation, she whipped her wings out with a blast of wind, driving the shadow-shapes back a few paces. Then she leapt out into the road and flew along just above it, the rush of air from her wings keeping it clear just behind her. Usinhover did not allow himself to think about what he was doing, and gathered his back legs, leaping right over a bank of the shadow-shapes and into the street just as the roof of the house collapsed in a huge cloud of flame, smoke, and ashes. He raced along right behind Tobre. The Dragon-Cat whipped the road behind her with her tail, keeping it clear for a little longer. The poor queen on Usinhover's back held on for dear, dear life while her kitten wept in terror.

Scorina had come out of hiding just after Tobre left, and Ava had met her. Their paws were now clasped again, seeing the flame rising in the distance and no sign yet of Usinhover, Tobre, or the queen and kitten. Tash clung to the small network of branches that held her as they swayed in the breeze, still watching for Usinhover and Tobre. The townspeople were entirely silent, but for the mate of the queen left behind. He was still weeping, inconsolable.

"I.. I SEE THEM!" Tash shouted joyfully waving her arms towards the field. She scrambled down in an instant, and before Scorina or Ava could seize her, she was tearing like heck into the tall grass, yelling for Tobre and Usinhover. Scorina released Ava's paw and ran after. Ava looked at the townspeople with some alarm, and then sped after the two.

Tobre pulled up about halfway across the field, and Usinhover kept right on galloping, underneath her and on towards the woods. He barely managed to snag Tash as the kit tried to run past, and pulled her into his arms once again. She struggled, screaming for Tobre. Looking over his shoulder, Usinhover saw that the Dragon-Cat was flying back into the now burning town. Burning! The whole of the Great Plains would burn if the fire wasn't stopped! And then the Forest, too! Usinhover smacked himself mentally, HARD, for starting that stupid fire. Scorina stopped beside him, and Ava came up an instant later. "What do we do?" Scorina asked fearfully. "We've got to stop the fire!" Ava cried. "We gotta get Tobre out of there!" Tash yelled, stretching her arms out towards the burning town. Scorina's face slowly set determinedly. "I can stop the fire," she said quietly. "All of you, get back to the woods." Ava protested, "Scorina-" The queen covered his mouth. "Go, now!" Usinhover grabbed Ava's arm and dragged him towards the woods, with Tash in his other arm and Dresirre and Poasne on his back.

Emaktuenscorinalayin walked slowly towards the flames on the horizon, gathering her power. She had never, never used it before, but now she had to, she had to stop the fire. Yemlig demons loved fire, they used it to destroy and kill. She had to stop it, or it would burn all of the Great Plains, and the Forest Ditirowe. When she could clearly see the burning town and Tobre zipping around through the smoke, she stopped. She took a very deep breath, and let it out achingly slow, calling the power. Her arms slowly raised up into the air, and her eyes squeezed shut. In her mind's eye, she called up the moisture from the ground, and formed it in the air. Great, dark clouds, ready to burst with rain. She built them up bigger and bigger, and placed them right overtop of the town. They stretched out over part of the woods, and all around just as far. But the places with the most rain were directly over the burning town.

Tobre looked up in alarm. Huge thunderheads were gathering right above her! Not good flying conditions, she thought, and zipped right out of there. She flew over Scorina, and immediately braked hard, turning into a sideswipe and spiraling down to land neatly beside her friend. With great shock, Tobre realized (she's calling the rain!) just what Scorina was doing. She folded her wings and stood very quietly, not disturbing the powerful waves radiating from the queen beside her.

Scorina did not notice Tobre landing beside her. She continued to build the clouds up, till she thought (surely that will put the fire out) that it would be enough. Then, in her mind's eye still, she reached out a paw and opened the cloud up, releasing the rain.

Both she and Tobre were drenched in an instant, the water seeming to try to push them to the ground with its sheer volume. Scorina's eyes flew open, but she couldn't see two feet for the thick, black curtain of rain. The fire was a distant glow through it, and it slowly faded. Tobre smacked her lips a few times, blinking the water out of her eyes, and then slowly lifted her right wing over Scorina's head, as an umbrella. Scorina noticed the Dragon-Cat for the first time, and grinned ecstatically. "I did it, Tobre, I really did it! Didja see me? I did it! I called the rain!!" Tobre nodded, still blinking back the water. "Yep, sure did, Scorina! Impressive." Scorina threw her arms around her friend and laughed happily. Tobre moved her wing over so that it was above both of them, and they watched the faint glow of fire fade through the almost solid wall of rain.

And all of the Outcasts forever remembered that rain as the heralder of the Last Spring that they were all together.

Chapter Ten

The rain continued all night. There was no lightning, simply rain; the hardest rain any of those present had ever witnessed. They huddled beneath the bare trees, and could barely hear each other shout for the great noise of the raindrops striking every surface constantly. Scorina, upon returning to the rest with Tobre, apologized over and over that she did not know how to stop the rain. Ava simply laughed and hugged her when she tried to apologize to him. Tash said she didn't mind, that she loved the rain. The water streamed down her saturated coat, pouring in tiny rivulets from every tassel.

The rain stopped when the sun rose. It was as if someone had flipped a switch that turned it off. One minute it was pouring down hard as ever, and the next it had completely stopped. The clouds slowly dissapated as the sun thrust its way into the eastern sky, and it lit the clouds aflame in vibrant oranges, reds, and pinks that were mesmerizing to watch.

As the first rays of the sun struck the soaking piles of Jellicles (and one Pollicle), they all slowly began to sit up and look around. They marveled at the lack of rain, and the sunrise, and stretched their tired, aching limbs. Most of the Outcasts were still in hiding, even then. When all the townspeople were fully awake and alert, they came out in ones and twos, lifting their faces to the morning sun. The townspeople were quite frightened at first, but slowly realized that the strange beings were not going to harm them. They saw kittens like unto their own, and toms, and queens. And though none of these looked exactly as 'normal' would have been described, there was nothing 'abnormal' in the way they acted. They were Cats, Jellicles. After this fact was established in each mind of the townspeople, they saw that Ava stuck out like a sore thumb. For he would never gain the feline attributes that all other Outcasts had. He was a Dog, a Pollicle, though an undisputed member of a Jellicle Tribe. Neither factor was likely to change, and so he remained, content with his somewhat controversial position between the races.

Usinhover was extremely ashamed of what he had done the previous night. He was quite modest, but all truth to be told, he had (as any of us would have) enjoyed the praise he had recieved immensely. And so, he had thought to play the hero once more: to go into the town, face the shadow-shapes again, and rescue the queen and kitten. And while this is undeniably very brave in itself, it was foolish to do so only for the praise and honor. The Centaur-Cat relaized such as soon as he had become trapped in the house, but there hadn't been much he could do about it but continue on in his folly and finish what he had started.

He said all of this to Bright Eyes in the light of the morning sun, hanging his head in shame. The Leader listened solemnly, and her heart ached in both relief and exasperation for her Emmissary. "Usinhover," she said softly to him as they stood upon the verge of the tall grass watching to sun rise, "You did what any stout-hearted Jellicle would do for one in need, but for the wrong reasons. You must realize just how important you are to the survival of this Tribe; to our part in the War that must be fought against the Yemlig. You might have thrown your life away for nothing; we all thought you had." Usinhover nodded silently, thinking of how this small queen had screamed after him as he had galloped through the tall grass. "You are vital to what we are to accomplish, Usinhover," she said. "Stick around awhile, okay?" He looked at her, and she was smiling up at him. "I apologize again, Bright Eyes," he said quietly. "I won't do anything like that again." Bright Eyes laughed softly. "Not unless we need you to, now!" she said happily. "Come now, it's time to get going and the others are starting to wonder what we're up to." Usinhover grinned, and the two walked back to the Tribe and the townspeople.

"You never told me you could do stuff like that," Ava commented to Scorina as the two were reclining in the branches of Tash's 'lookout tree', about halfway up. Scorina blushed as well as her brightly coloured cheeks would allow. "Truth is, I never actually knew I could do anything like that," she replied, closing her eyes and feeling the warm sun on her face. "Well, you sure seemed pretty sure you could last night," Ava said with mock-scorn. She looked up at him, laying on his stomach on a branch just above her and to her right. He was not smiling. She sighed and looked down to her paws, folded in her lap. "I didn't know until then. The knowledge just... came into my mind unbidden. All of a sudden. And then I knew that if I tried, I could stop the fire. I didn't know how, but I knew I had the power. So I did." Ava's brow furrowed. "You got the strangest look in your eyes. It was like... I don't know. It was incredibly powerful, and for a moment you looked right through me. Your gaze was cold, and it... It frightened me, Scorina." The queen squeezed her eyes shut at the shaky quality to his voice, and sighed. "For a moment, it was like none of you existed at all, like I was the only one in the world, and I controlled it all. And then I remembered the fire, and I knew I could put it out. I didn't know why I should have put it out, for then I was still the only one, but I did. I'm so sorry I frightened you, Ava, but I couldn't do a thing about it. It was beyond my control, and that's why I had to release it. And I couldn't stop the knowedge from coming. I did not gain the power last night, I simply gained the knowledge of it."

Ava gulped down the tears that wanted to come, afraid that if he spoke, his voice would crack and betray him. But Scorina knew, as always, and she looked up at him. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'll try not to frighten you again, Ava." The Pollicle blinked hard, his eyes locked with hers.

He realized, for the first but not the last time, just how much she really meant to him, and how it would hurt to lose her. He did not know it, but Scorina was realizing the same thing, unaware that he was doing so. The two had acted as Tash's unannouced parents since Ava had arrived, and Scorina had been the kit's unannounced mother for longer than that. They did not know it, but all of the others innocently observed the two as a pair, and felt that one would be incomplete without the other. Even Bright Eyes felt that way. And Tash's great love for the two of them was plain as the nose on your face, pure and sweet. Tobre was like a favourite aunt, but Scorina was held as her mother. And Ava as her father. It had simply been that way for so long that it was accepted subconsciously by all of the others.... And by the three themselves, though their conciousnesses had not come to grips with the fact quite yet.

"Bright Eyes and Usinhover are coming back," Ava whispered. Scorina nodded and pulled her gaze from his. "Let's go." The two climbed down with ease (the Pollicle had become quite the tree-climber under the instruction of Tash) and met Tash at the foot of the tree. "How's it going, dear?" Scorina asked, picking the small kitten up with a smile. "I'm great, Scorina! Me 'n' Poasne're good friends, now! She's really nice. An' Indjolk taught me to play a hand-game called Pat-A-Cake! It's a whole lot of fun, I can teach you and Ava, can't I?" Ava grinned and ruffled the kit's head-hair. "Sure! We'll have a blast."

"All right, folks, let's get this traveling circus on the road," Cagi called. To the uncertain townspeople, he said, "Looks like you guys'll be coming along for the ride, eh? Just hang around Rendolphian, Gerrubia, and Kemvaligh. They have no idea about the grasslands, being raised in the woods and all." The townspeople relaxed considerably at the tom's casual attitude, and provisions and such were divided among them, also, so that all might travel a bit lighter.

Ava fastened the brooch of Tash's grass-green cloak and handed her the small pack she carried. "Got that little sword?" he asked. The kitten pulled the belt out of her pack and fastened it about her waist, grinning sheepishly. "It got heavy," she whined. Ava smiled. "But if we were attacked, do you think you could tell the bad guys to just wait a sec while you get your sword out of your pack?" Tash shook her head, pooching her lips out in a pout. Ava put on a sarcastically mournful face, kneeling before her, and Scorina happened to glance over and catch the two looking as such. She immediately burst into laughter, holding her stomach. Ava and Tash both scowled at her, and Tobre winged in just in time to catch that picture. Tobre is very prone to catch any laughter that might be going around, and after just a moment, she was laughing as hard as Scorina. Tash and Ava exchanged exasperated, just-look-at-the-people-we-hang-around-with glance, and Indjolk sauntered up to tell them to get moving. He caught the glance between the Pollicle and kitten, and burst out in uproarious laughter, which he did often and at the slightest cause.

And that was how Cagi found them all, Tash and Ava rolling their eyes and feigning seriousness (while fighting laughter) as they watched the others laughing so hard tears streamed down their cheeks. The big tom chortled a bit, but didn't have time to get going before Usinhover trotted up, took in the scene, and slapped a hand to his forehead with a shout of, "Great Heaviside, the insanity!" Which did, of course, set everyone, including Ava and Tash, into fresh bouts of wild, uncontrollable laughter, which the Centaur-Cat soon joined.

Bright Eyes herself strode up, a picture of exasperation and annoyance, and found not only some of her most valuable Tribe members, but also her Second-in-Command and Emmissary laughing so hard they could barely pull in enough air to continue. A big grin spread over her face, but she fought laughter, knowing that if she gave in, then there would be nobody to tell them to get moving. Instead, she looked around at them all with mock-sternness.Ava had fallen to the ground, and Tash had collapsed across his stomach, bouncing up and down with the Pollicle's laughter and contributing plenty herself. Inkjolk leaned up against a tree beside those two, drowning in merriment. Tobre's laughter was loudest of all as she leaned back on her wings, which were braced against the ground. Cagi was draped over a branch near Scorina, who had spotted Bright Eyes and was covering her mouth in an entirely cain attempt to stop the flow of laughter. Usinhover had sat back on his equine haunches and was holding his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with chuckles.

Bright Eyes slapped both paws over her mouth and closed her eyes, but her glance of Usinhover with huge laughing tears squeezing out between his fingers had set her off. A fierce giggle fought its way through her paws and escaped. Tash, who had been calming down, threw her arms into the air and collapsed again with the giggles, knocking the air out of Ava. The Pollicle made such a face that everyone who had managed to keep his or her feet promptly fell to the ground, their bodies overtaken by side-splitting, cheek-aching laughter.

Thankfully, it was the level-headed, eternally calm Mistouk that found them next, else the laughing spree may have gone on indefinately (or at least until they all fainted for want of air). He looked around at them all, puzzled that even the Leader and her Second-in-Command should be rolling on the ground with laughter. He smiled and shook his head. His bass voice penetrated the haze of silliness in Bright Eyes's mind. "Bright Eyes, it's less than an hour to mid-day. Oughtn't we to be going?" Bright Eyes got ahold of herself and lay still for a moment, taking deep breaths. Then she sat up and wiped her streaming eyes. "You're absolutely correct, Mistouk. We'll do that," she replied, picking a few leaves out of her long, silky head-hair. Mistouk nodded and outstretched a huge paw to help her up. She took it with her small one thankfully, and he lifted her to her feet as though she weighed less than a feather. His best friend, Tigris, appeared. "You guys ready, or what?" he asked, looking curiously at Bright Eyes disheveled appearance and the others as they got up from the ground. "We're ready," Usinhover replied steadily as he rose rather ungracefully. "Good, 'cause the rest of us are waiting," Tigris said, disappearing again to go back to the others. Mistouk smiled, then followed him. The group left looked at each other solemnly, nodding knowingly as if some vital business had just taken place. Then they collected their packs and cloaks, and walked sedately to the Tribe and the townspeople on that first day of spring.

They left the cover of the woods and ventured out into the plains. They circled the blackened town wide, and the townspeople were constantly thanking the Outcasts profusely for rescuing them.

And so, the group grew considerably in number. Bright Eyes gave a shortened version of her speech to the townspeople, and they agreed wholeheartedly. Traveling was not quite so simple any longer, but there was not a protest at the slower progress. The more allies they had against the Yemlig, the greater their chance of winning the future war.

The grasslands were quite monotonous to travel through, and the skies were clear day after day after day. The pace was easy, and the provisions well in stock. For the grasslands were richly abundant in small game, and the Outcasts practised their hunting skills (Ava and the townspeople had to dig up long-buried instincts and slowly learn to use them). But it was not chase-whatever-you-see-when-you-see-it. There were designated halts for hunting, and the swiftest and least weary were sent out.

Ava and the townspeople learned to love the thrill of the hunt in no time at all. He was instructed primarily by Tobre, who was the group's main provider and most skilled hunter. It wasn't all too easy for one who hunts from the air to teach the art of ground stalking, so Tobre could give only the basics. From there, the rest of the Outcasts took over, teaching how to stalk silently through the tall grass, where sight was useless and scent everything. Claws and teeth were sharpened up, tongues learned the taste of blood at a kill, and the adrenaline rush that came when the prey bolted at the first whiff of Cat (or Dog). Once again, Ava and Scorina were an excellent pair, this time working together in the hunt. Here is a brief account of Ava's first kill:

The shadows were lengthening as the sun crept closer to the western horizon; a time in the pre-twilight evening that is referred to as 'Cornweg Time'. Cornwegs were furry creatures of about the size and general shape of a present-day Capybara, but their feet were small hooves, made for quick getaways through the soft earth beneath the tall grass. They were herbivores, and all of their teeth were nicely flattened but for the long, sharp canines that could tear and slash the unwary. But it was always worth it: their meat was tender and sweet, full of needed protein

Scorina and Ava crept through the grass on all fours, close to the earth, side by side. Their cloaks had been cast aside for the hunt, as their bright colors and billowing could alert potential prey. Ava was the first to catch the Cornweg's scent, for his Pollicle nose was keener than a Jellicle's. He stopped, sniffed again to be sure, and laid his ears back. Scorina smiled with anticipation, and they both stood still until the queen, too, caught the scent and could choose a stalking tactic. They were lucky: it was a lone male, who had just lost a fight against another and the chance at a mate. He was wounded and disspirited; the perfect prey.

Scorina motioned to Ava that he was to go around to the left of the Cornweg. She would chase it out and give him the chance to run it down. He nodded, and slowly, silently, slunk off to the left. His senses were heightened; he could distinctly feel his paws sinking into the soft earth the slightest bit. He felt every breath of wind, and could smell the Cornweg as it grazed upwind, oblivious to its peril. He held his head close to the ground and passed right by it, silent as the soft breeze. He was careful to remain where the breeze would not carry his smell to the Cornweg, and crouched down. Knowing that sight would only get in the way until his prey bolted, he closed his eyes, tuning in to smell and waiting.

Scorina crept up as close to the Cornweg as she dared, not wanting it to break too soon or in the wrong direction. At last she was very close, directly downwind. She could see the gleam of the setting sun on its dusty tan, wiry fur, could count every whisker on its face. She could dimly sense Ava, tense as a spring and ready to give chase. Scorina took a deep breath, held it, and leapt out with a gnash of teeth, landing directly before the Cornweg. Needless to say, it got out of there fast. Scorina watched with pride as Ava burst from hiding at just the right moment and tore after his prey.

The ground fell away beneath Ava's paws at an incredible rate, his lean, lithe body stretching to its fullest twice a second. The Cornwegs were fast, very fast, but this one had two things against it: One, it was wounded in a leg, and Two, it had the poor luck to be pitted against a Pollicle determined to show off to his lady friend.

Before long at all, Ava had closed the distance. He briefly savoured the moment: his complete confidence and his prey's rapidly dissolving hope and increasing despair. Then he simply reached down and seized it by the back of the neck, braking hard with his back feet and flinging it over his head, breaking the neck in an instant. The dead body landed with a thump a small ways behind him, and he savoured that moment, too: the complete victory and triumph that flowed, accompanied by a surge of adrenaline, through every artery and vein in his body as he stood over his first kill, his chest heaving with delayed excitement.

Scorina ran up, her gait smooth as flowing water. Her eyes shone up at Ava proudly. "Wonderful!" she cried, surveying the neat body. Ava grinned and held his head high. "Wow! That's really kind of fun, you know?" On an irrisistable impulse, Scorina leaned over the body and licked Ava's cheek. "Come on, let's get it back to the rest. Tash will be so happy for you after Cagi wouldn't let her come." Ava's eyes were big and dreamy. "Yeah, okay," he said. With a big, cheesy grin on his Pollicle face, he stood, picked up the body in his arms, and sauntered back to the group with Scorina at his elbow.

There is not much to tell of their journey through the grasslands. Many, many more hunts such as the one described were carried out, some successful and some not. But Tobre was one who never came back from a hunt without some creature clutched in her talons. Sometimes they had to depend on her alone, when the prey was too far away for one on foot to get back to the group before nightfall. Tobre to the rescue! And boy, did she enjoy her position! She would go out over and over if the need arose, and they all thanked her immensely.

And of the nights: Every night, two fires were lit. Meat was cooked over them, paws warmed by the cheery flames, and any who grew afraid of what might lurk in the dark could take refuge in the light and warmth. They slept mostly in small family groups, or together with good friends. They stayed close together, and though it was easier to find sentries, more were needed. And yet they were bothered not for the longest time, and it was hard for them to at all believe that they were marching to emminent danger and peril. The days were cheerful, the nights cozy.

But after almost a month of solid travel, the faint streak of a blue darker than that of the sky appeared. It was their first glimpse of the Stair Mountains. It was the end of the good times shared by all, and the beginning of the great horror that lasted through the war.

They had passed through five more towns, and all had been entirely deserted. They began to wonder: Were they the only ones left? The only survivors of all the Jellicles and Pollicles? If so, they had barely a fraction of a chance at defeating the Yemlig demons. But all they could do about it was hope and pray that some others had been spared or overlooked. And the day they came within sight of that first glimpse of the Yemligs' mountains, faint and blurred with great distance, things began to happen. And things began to change.

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