Mittens woke up from her sleep, curled up with three of her half-sisters, Meccha, Cheezey and Gatotrueno. She looked out of the partly open tent and saw some of the sun coming in already. Mittens smiled to herself.
Stretching outside, the orange queen heard noises coming from the river. She knew from her exploration that there was a waterfall, perhaps some of the Jellicle kittens were playing in it. Kittens, no matter the tribe, were always like that.
Mittens quietly left the tent where her half-sisters were still sleeping, careful not to wake them. As she slipped through the rest of the camp, with Jellicles and Taurin alike still sleeping, she wrinkled her black nose at the scent of something she barely recognized.
*Please don't tell me some of the queens either were or are in heat. It was bad enough a year ago with the other queens.* Mittens thought to herself.
A bit over a year ago, if Mittens remembered right, some of the queens were in heat, they tried to mate with the few toms in the tribe, but were banished for a while, and came back pregnant.
Tiamu-ri had a daughter, Khesala, who was mated off to some tom when she came of age, and actually fathered by a tomcat. Nyx has a daughter, Nadia, who Mittens suspected was fathered by Macavity himself, but that didn't explain Nadia being half a vampire Cat. Ashake and Marianne had mated with the same tom, Ashake has four kittens, two sons and two daughters, her sons were now dead, while Marianne's son died after birth. Mittens knew that Corryn had a daughter, but she didn't seem to know it, while Rathera willingly abandoned her daughter, Shehera. Khentkaus worried the tribe the most, she has a son who was killed, Khentkaus possibly had a paw in it, while her daughter left with Ashake's daughters, Siptah and Hemrata.
As Mittens carefully treaded a path through the thick undergrowth of the forest, her orange ears perked up at the sound of another Cat also travelling through the forests. She didn't really bother asking herself who is was, it didn't really matter to her.
"MITTENS!"
Mittens gave an aborted yelp as she was tackled, sending her and her
assailant rolling down the mountainside a ways before splashing down into
the river. Mittens dragged herself out of the water, shaking herself off
while wringing out her hip drape, the one article of what could be called
clothing that she always wore. Looking around, she smiled as she rolled her
eyes slightly, and shook her head on seeing who pounced on her.
"What are you doing up this early? I would've thought you'd still be
asleep with Exile and Kyei." Mittens told her.
Twilight scowled. "Exile's sleeping with Seer, and Kyei didn't want to
get up."
Mittens didn't say anything more, and the pair of queens made their way
to the waterfall, Mittens leading. When they got there, they couldn't really
say that they were surprised.
Etcetera and Electra had apparently gotten up early, or gotten bored, it
wasn't unusual for 'teenaged' queens to be awake throughout the night.
Mittens found it unusual that they were bathing in the waterfall, from her
experience, Cats had to be thrown into water if that type of bath was
needed, though Twilight Talon just kept staring that them with, perhaps, the
most idiotic grin Mittens had ever seen.
"I always wondered about those two. You know, if queens and toms could
mate in that tribe, I'd wanna see what their kits would look like." Twilight
Talon said, still staring at the two kitten-queens with a manic grin on her
face.
"Oh, hush."
After a while, the two kitten-queens got out of the river, dried
themselves off and began grooming each other. Twilight was grinning so much
that it was beginning to get on Mittens' nerves, and she cuffed her friend
upside the head to snap her out of it.
Mittens decided to get back to the camp before the two kittens could,
and dragged Twilight Talon with her. Back at the camp, she couldn't say she
was too surprised to find the two tribes up and about.
She couldn't help wondering how this day would go.
***
"Are you sure? You know I don't remember being in heat!" Bombalurina
said to one of the healers.
Tanthas turned an orange-and-white face to his half-brother, Altheus,
who silently nodded.
"We're certain. Your scents have definitely changed, indicating that you
three are with kittens, not to mention that healers have other ways of
knowing. So, I'd advise you three to be very careful, especially in six to
nine weeks, it'll be pretty evident then that you're expecting." Tanthas
told them. "It'll take some time, but we'll confirm it with the other
healers, especially Coricopat and Tantomile, if you wish."
Demeter and Cassandra rubbed their flat bellies. It was hard for them to
believe that they were carrying kittens, though they'd know for certain in
three weeks, when a queen's belly began to grow round and bulge from the
weight of growing kittens.
"We've got a problem. Now that we're within half a mile of London, we
can probably expect some trouble for our former tribesqueens soon. And I'd
prefer making certain that the expecting mothers are kept out of the
fighting." Cheezey said as she entered.
"You don't know for certain that we're with kittens." Demeter said.
Cheezey turned to the trio of Jellicle queens. Looking at their flat
bellies, she leaned forward slightly and got a whiff of the queens' scents.
Leaning back, her green eyes grew especially big.
"Believe me, when Tanthas and Altheus say a queen's with kittens,
they're never wrong. And you three are definitely going to be mothers."
Cheezey said.
"I think it's a safe bet that Bombalurina's kittens are sired by Tugger,
Demeter's are Munkustrap's, and my guess is that Cassandra's kittens have
Alonzo as their father."
"How'd you know that?" Cassandra asked quietly.
"Mavendell told me. Apparently, he was spying on you six last night. By
the way, has anyone seen that fool tom?" Cheezey asked.
"I saw him, earlier this morning. He was up in a tree, laughing himself
silly. He said he was having a laugh at your expense, Cheezey." Altheus
said.
As the green-eyed queen stomped out of the tent, she passed by three
toms. Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger and Alonzo carefully looked in and smiled
at the healers.
"So, what're the results?" Alonzo asked.
"Expect to have a batch of kittens in nine weeks, boyo. All three of
you, the queens are definitely carrying kittens." Tanthas said with a grin.
Munkustrap nuzzled his queen, who returned the favor. Though the healer
tom wouldn't admit it, he was worried about what would happen if Macavity
discovered the queens were expecting. Tanthas tried not to think about it as
he watched the others, Tugger and Bombalurina were, naturally, flirting with
each other, while Alonzo and Cassandra were locked in an embrace similar to
Munkustrap and Demeter.
"Hey, guys, better get ready to go. Kith's helping the other toms to
pack up, and we're half a mile from London, the hike will probably be pretty
short, though." said a queen, Talana, who poked her head into the tent.
"They're ready to go, Tal. We just have to collect our things and pack
them. We'll be there in a minute." Altheus told her.
"Oh, and congrats on becoming fathers, guys. You'll make nice parents, I
can tell." Talana smiled at the other toms.
"Thank you, Tal." said the three toms in unison. As soon as the queen
left, they began to crack up and laugh.
"Jellicle toms. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em, can't
understand 'em." Tanthas said. His half-brother nodded in agreement with a
smirk on his face.
***
Half an hour later, the two tribes had packed up and were heading to
London. Alonzo and Tugger had to help carry some stuff, though they both
grumbled about it.
"Why can't someone else do this? The Taurin don't exactly lack toms for
the heavy lifting." Alonzo asked. Tugger grunted in agreement.
"I refuse to make my mate do that, the elders aren't in best of shape,
and we're carrying Chetland and Fuzzball because they're still sleeping."
Cheezey said.
"Also, don't forget that Shark would eat the packs and end up carrying
them in his belly." Liandra added. The lilac-eyed queen snickered at the
thought of the shark-like Taurin eating something that most others
considered inedible. After all, Shark was best known for having a one-track
mind, mostly in that he seemed perpetually hungry and viewed almost
everything as a potential snack or meal.
"Shark's a nut, but he has his good points. Oh, and you Jellicles do
realize you'll have to find a permanent place to stay in London, don't you?
Your tribe doesn't strike me as the vagabond sort." Mittens said.
"I think I know how to get to the Junkyard. After all, we can find our
way anywhere." Old Deuteronomy said. Cheezey raised an eyebrow, but said
nothing and shrugged.
"Just remember to be careful! Especially if you run into any of
Macavity's queen agents." Talana said with a worried look.
"What? Why?" Pouncival asked.
"A number of them were formerly members of our tribe. We banished them
because they mated with our toms, and wouldn't tell us who the father of
their kittens were. When they did, the queens murdered their own children.
Some of them were Kith and Shark's kittens." Khetala said quietly. Her mate,
Jana, looked at some of their tribesfolk worriedly before snuggling into the
other queen's arms.
"It's especially sad that some of them are kittens from queens in our
tribe. Khesala is Tiamu-ri's daughter, Nadia is Nyx and Macavity's daughter,
Ashake's two daughters are Siptah and Hemrata, there's also Rathera's
daughter Shehera, Corryn's daughter Coral, and Khentkaus' daughter Tina.
They all work for Macavity." Gatotrueno said.
The Jellicles looked at each other. Some were doubtful, but others were
cautious.
After bidding goodbye to the Taurin, the Jellicles made their way
through London, thankfully, such a mass of felines, even slightly dispersed,
got attention.
From the shadows, a stray queen smiled to herself, a look that wasn't
pleasant in the least. Turning to the alley, she ran quickly to Macavity's
lair.
***
Kliopatra entered Macavity's lair, running at top speed. She stopped
before Macavity's throne, where the Napoleon of Crime was surrounded by his
harem, Amazon-like Joari, murderous Calliope, delusional Alhannhis, and
obedient Tina.
"The Jellicles! I saw them, heading for the Junkyard." Kliopatra panted
as she leaned again the door. "And, I can tell that three of the queens are
at least a day pregnant."
Macavity perked up at her last words. He was interested, he could always
use new agents, especially besides females.
"Tell me, which queens are those?" Macavity asked Kliopatra.
"Demeter, Bombalurina and Cassandra, with Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger and
Alonzo's kittens." Nadia rubbed up against her father. Macavity half-growled
half-purred before turning his attention from his daughter back to
Kliopatra.
"Take Joari, Calliope, Tiye, Jessean and Illura, don't bother with
Cassandra, but I want you to bring my daughters back to me." Macavity said.
Kliopatra nodded and ran off to get the other queens before leaving to
find the Jellicles. She hoped for a change of pace, compared to the boredom
that had set in before.
***
The Jellicles settled themselves into the Junkyard rather quickly. Old
Deuteronomy was taken to his usual spot at the Vicarage Wall before
Munkustrap left his father at his home.
"You three should be careful. None of us wants any harm to come to the
kittens, after all." Jennyanydots told the queens.
"I wonder what the kittens'll look like." Jemima spoke up. "I bet one of
Demi's kits will look a lot like Munkustrap." Demeter smiled.
"That'll probably be a boy, if that happens. And I bet some of Bomba's
kittens will have a mane like Tugger." Demeter looked at her tall red
sister.
"But what if we lose any of them?" Cassandra asked the Gumbie Cat.
"I wouldn't worry. You three seem like very strong queens, just be
careful that you don't hurt the kittens before their born, and they'll all
be fine. I've only heard of one queen in the tribe who lost her kittens, she
miscarried every time, but that was a long time ago, when I was Jemima's
age." Jenny told them, patting her youngest daughter on the head.
Coricopat and Tantomile, who were present to confirm the three
pregnancies, perked up together, ears flattened and fangs and claws bared.
"Someone's here. Someone from Macavity's group." Coricopat said, almost
whispering. Tantomile hissed in agreement.
"Jemima, Etcetera, get the queens to a safe place, I'll get the toms."
Jennyanydots ordered her interns.
Outside, several toms had already confronted the trepassers, who,
surprisingly, were all queens.
"Whoever you are, you've got the scent of Macavity and you're not
welcome here. Leave." Munkustrap ordered.
"No." one queen said. She looked a bit like Alonzo, with a black patch
like his over her left eye, she had wavy black stripes, gray hands and feet,
but she was dressed a lot like a human. She wore a gold belt and bracelets
and gold-and-emerald bands on her hindlegs, she had a purple tanktop lined
with white, while the rest of her outside was a pair of skintight shorts and
a loose jacket of the same aquamarine color as her shorts, with purple on
the inside.
"We're here for Macavity's pregnant daughters. Hand them over and we'll
leave quietly." this queen with all black except for a broad golden stripe
that covered her chest and belly.
"Never!"
The Big Boys, a group consisting of Plato, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus,
Alonzo and Admetus, tackled the two queens. Plato and Alonzo were fighting
the Alonzo-like queen at the same time, while the other three fought the
black-and-gold one.
"This one's mine."
Munkustrap turned to find the tallest queen he'd ever seen, besides
Bombalurina, punching one paw with a clenched fist. She has a Tugger-like
mane, this queen was black with bands of gold, her hindpaws were blue, her
forepaws were purple, she had a tan face like Demeter's, but the fur on her
head was black, gold, blue and purple, and she had bold purple eyes.
"Joari, just remember that you're not allowed to murder any toms, as
much as I'll like to let you." the Alonzo-like queen.
"I'll do whatever I please, Calliope." Joari said. She reached for the
makeshift belt around her hip, where there was a carving knife, and began to
slash at Munkustrap in an attempt to land a blow.
After managing to avoid various attacks, Munkustrap snuck around the
colorful knife-wielding queen, and waited until the right moment to pounce
on her. In the attack, she lost the knife as it went flying out of her paw,
and Munkustrap finally managed to knock her unconscious, though he sustained
a mass of bruises and scratches.
He found out a few other toms pitched in to fight the stray queens, the
one called Calliope was barely conscious, with teethmarks on her shoulders
and scratches on her front legs. The black queen with the golden stripe had
been chased out, and was now at the mercy of a pack of Pollicles. Another
queen, golden with black and gray patches, black right hindpaw and a red
'mask' over her eyes, was bound in electric cords by Tumblebrutus and
Skimbleshanks, and an purplish-red Demeter-like queen with white patches and
black paws was dangling by her tail from a mass of ropes and cords above
Pouncival's chair.
"What now? We can't keep them in the Junkyard." Alonzo asked his
brother. The Demeter-like queen hissed loudly from where she hung.
"Send them back to Macavity. We have more to worry about." Munkustrap
suggested.
They left Joari and Calliope unconscious in an alley, where there were
some alley Cats wouldn't take kindly to finding criminal strays on their
territory. The golden queen and the purplish-red one were tied together, and
left outside of the warehouses that was a popular haunt of Macavity's
strays.
"Hope they don't come back." Alonzo muttered.
"If they do, that'll just prove that they never learn." Munkustrap told
his brother.
***
After that, the Jellicles begin to settle into life as it would normally
be for a tribe of Cats. Though they did have to worry about expecting
kittens, they took it in stride, and things eventually came out better than
any of them would have expected.
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