by Kali

Talikhsa yawned. She’d been walking for over three hours now, with her older sister Yalkeesa, and she thought they ought to have reached this silly junkyard by now. Yalkeesa half-turned, hearing the little kitten yawn.

Shaking her head, Yalkeesa picked Talikhsa up by the scruff of her neck. Between her teeth she said "There, Talik, rest your paws. We’re almost there; his lordship taught me how to sense these Jellicles, and the feeling is getting stronger."

As the pair of cats walked ever closer to their goal, the junkyard of the Jellicles, they were all too aware of a pair of green eyes that were watching them…

********

Victoria was bored out of her mind. She couldn’t play with Jemima; she was off playing with that new kitten, Talikhsa. She couldn’t play with Etcy or Electra. They were playing with Talikhsa too. Or maybe they weren’t anymore…but if they weren’t, then they’re probably be with that wretched Yalkeesa…it seemed that recently, the littler kittens paid more attention to those two cats then to herself.

Victoria had hated the pair from the very start. She couldn’t have said why; just something about them seemed…odd. For one thing, the older one, Yalkeesa, bore an uncanny resemblance to Macavity. Just thinking his name made Victoria shudder. And anyway, so WHAT if they were new? That didn’t make them gods or something!

"Vicki?" a little voice asked timidly. Peering down from her high perch on the car, Victoria caught sight of a little red kitten. "Yes, Ampers," she said with a sigh. Ampersand could be annoying sometimes.

"Will you play with me?" Ampersand asked sweetly. "Oh, fine, c’mon." Victoria slid down off the edge of the old truck, and looked Ampersand square in the eye. "What do you want to play?" she asked.

The red kitten thought hard for a moment, then said decisively "Hide n seek!" The kitten’s white companion sighed. "Oh, Ampers, you need a LOT more cats than just two to play that!" The kitten grinned mischievously.

"I know," she said, and gestured to the main part of the junkyard. As she waved her tail, several of the kittens stepped out sheepishly, Jemima, Electra, Etcetera, Talikhsa, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus… "And here they are! Now let’s play! You’re it!"

Victoria rolled her eyes, and bent her head down onto her arms. She began counting. "One, two, three…" She soon reached twenty. "…nineteen, twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" Victoria looked up. Acting on a hunch, she dashed across to the car and whipped open the trunk. Huddled inside were Jemima and Electra.

"Darn, she found us!" Jemmy cried, and shook her sleepy friend awake. "Wake up, silly." Electra woke up with a startled yowl, and leapt out of the car, trying to regain some of her lost dignity. "Humph," she said, and walked off with her nose in the air. Victoria and Jemima looked at each other and broke out laughing.

"Didja see the look on her face when I woke her up and she saw you?" Jemima said, gasping for breath. "Yeah! It was hilarious!" Victoria cried. The two cats, friends again, laughed long and hard, unaware that their every movement was being carefully scrutinized…

********

"What do you MEAN you can’t find him?!?!?!?" Macavity roared.

"Just that, milord. Can’t find him anywhere. Not to mean that he’s not there. I just need a bit more of a description. You didn’t give me much to go on."

"Very well. He’s a black cat with a white chest, face and paws…"

(Later)

"Good, good, you found him!" Macavity rubbed his paws together in delight.

"Of course, my lord. I live only to serve you."

The owner of the voice, a young black & gold queen, bowed low. Macavity continued to speak. "Get those two, you know, the white one and the black tom, what’s their names, Serena and Helium was it?"

"Selene and Helios, sire," the queen corrected him gently.

"Yes, yes, whatever their names are, go fetch them." The young queen , barely out of kittenhood, smiled, a cruel glint in her amber eye. "As you wish, sire," she said, and bowed her way out of the room.

When she was gone, Macavity rubbed his paws together, and fairly cackled with glee. "Just you wait, magician," he crooned. "I’ll get you and ALL your pitiful little Jellicle friends! MWAHAHAHA!!!"

********

Jemima and Victoria had made up their fight, and were now the best of friends again. Talikhsa played with Ampersand, Electra, and Etcetera and had loads of fun. Even Yalkeesa, after she got over her initial pout about no longer being the kittens’ center of attention, soon became good friends with Cassandra, and spent her time gossiping instead of playing.

One day, as Jemima and Victoria were playing tag with the younger kittens, they were interrupted by a pair of cats walking over to them from outside the ‘yard. Never had the kittens seen two cats more different. One was a queen; the other was a tom. The queen was completely black, with not a speck of any other colour. The tom was as pale as Victoria.

The tom was also very tall, and big. The black queen was slender and petite. Even the expressions on their faces were different. The queen was frowning with all her might, whereas the tom wore a large smile. Victoria snapped herself out of her reverie and walked up to the couple. "Hello," she said. "I’m Victoria. Who are you?"

The tom spoke up, as his female companion didn’t seem inclined to talk. "I’m Dirk and this is my sister Wren," he said. "We’re from America. We were moved here when our pet died, and we heard about some group of cats named the Jellicles who apparently live here. Are you one of them?"

Victoria nodded. She had a feeling this white tom wasn’t telling the whole truth, but she wasn’t sure about her feelings. Victoria made up her mind to take the duo to Tantomile and Coricopat as soon as possible. She swallowed nervously under Wren’s haughty gaze. "Uh, sure, so you want to join us?" she stammered, and then mentally kicked herself.

Here she was, at the time when she wanted to look sophisticated and mature, and she was acting like a kitten. She straightened herself up. "Yes, we do," snapped Wren. "Now take us to your leader." As she led them off towards the vicarage wall, Victoria couldn’t help thinking wryly that the names should have been switched. Wren was as sharp as a dirk, and Dirk was seemingly gentle and kind as a wren.

********

They soon came to the vicarage. Victoria led the two cats off around the back of the garden and to the wall. "Wait here," she commanded, and scrambled easily onto the wall. "Old Deuteronomy?" she asked.

The old brown cat turned from his meditative gaze into the distance to look at Victoria. "Yes?" he said.

"I found these two cats, and they want to be Jellicles…"

"Say no more, dear, but bring them up."

Victoria nodded, and called up Wren and Dirk. Old Deuteronmy gazed at them levelly. "So, you wish to become Jellicles."

Dirk nodded respectfully. "Yes sir, if that’s all right with—"

"Yes we do," Wren interrupted sharply. Victoria closed her eyes, hoping that Dirk could become a Jellicle and Wren would not. But she knew it was not to be.

"Well, you’ll have to take a test first, but I’m sure you will pass."

Dirk thanked Old Deuteronomy graciously, but Wren only gave a curt nod and turned away. Old Deuteronomy didn’t seem to notice Wren’s cold and haughty attitude, but Victoria shuddered inwardly at it. To another cat it’d be bad enough, but to the leader of the Jellicles?

At a nod from Old Deuteronomy, Victoria leapt down from the wall, and told the two that she’d introduce them to some more cats now.

********

Walking them around the yard, Victoria was surprised to see how few cats there were. She finally found Jellylorum and Jennyanydots hemming something, and walked up to them. "Hello dear," Jennyanydots said. "Who are your friends?"

Victoria introduced Dirk, who kissed their paws graciously, and Wren who inclined her head slightly and looked away. Jellylorum and Jennyanydots seemed a bit offended, and Victoria rolled her eyes. If she didn’t start patching her ways soon, that Wren was going to find herself without any friends.

Victoria led Dirk and Wren off to find the kittens, and soon came upon them racing. Jemima came up and introduced herself with a sunny smile on her face, and Dirk responded in kind. Wren seemed even colder, and didn’t even make any pretense at being polite. Then they found Yalkeesa.

When Victoria asked her where Cassandra was, she replied gloomily "At home." Dirk acted a little odd when he saw Yalkeesa, and Wren actually gave Yalkeesa a smile that was genuine as opposed to cynical or sarcastic. Victoria led them, puzzled, off to find some more cats.

After she’d introduced them to everyone, and they’d gone off to their home, she pondered this for a while. They acted the same to everyone else, she thought. Wren being rude and haughty and Dirk being kind and gentle. So what made them act differently with Yalkeesa? After mulling over this for a while, Victoria decided to sleep on it, and went home.

********

"So, you succeeded in joining?" Macavity asked.

"Yes, sire," the black queen, Selene, replied. "Easy as pie."

"Very good, very good. Well, you’re dismissed. You and your brother go take the day off." As Macavity turned to leave, Selene said hesitantly "Sire, there is another matter."

Macavity turned to face her. "What matter?"

"Well…sire, as my brother and I were being introduced to these Jellicles, we were introduced to one ginger queen…sire, that queen was Yalkeesa!"

"WHAT!?!?!" Macavity screeched, jumping into the air. "GUARDS! Get in here NOW!" The bumbling rats dashed in, each of them trying to keep out of his masters view. "Yes sire? What is your wish?" they remarked in chorus.

"Selene here tells me she and her brother saw Yalkeesa when they went to the ‘yard!" At the sound of the name Yalkeesa, the rats straightened up. "Go and KILL THAT WRETCHED TRAITOR!!!!" Macavity screamed. The rats dashed out swiftly, heading towards the Junkyard.

Macavity turned to Selene with a cold glint in his eye. "Are you sure it was Yalkeesa?" he asked. Selene nodded. "There is no mistaking that one, lord. She looks exactly like you."

Macavity nodded slowly. "Yes…my daughter does look like me."

To Be Continued....

On to the Sequel (Revelations) --->

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