by Kali

AUTHORS NOTES: This is the sequel to Opposites. If you’re going to read this, I suggest you read that first. Talikhsa is, by the way, pronounced ‘Ta-LIK-sah.’

"Then what?" the kittens asked eagerly. Dirk was telling them the story of the great Rumpuscat and the Ornery Peke. "Well, when he looked out through the bars of the area, their never was anything fiercer! And what with the glare of his eyes, the Peke ran away, never to come back."

Some of the kittens clapped and cheered, but some of the toms looked sullen. "You mean he didn’t even have to FIGHT anybody?" Pouncival asked.

Dirk laughed, and shook his head. "No, that’s in a different story. Would you like me to tell it to you?" All the kittens said yes, so Dirk began telling them The Story of the Not-So-Great Rumpuscat.

Dirk had become very popular with the little ones in the few weeks that followed he and his sister’s arrival, whereas Wren was friends only with Yalkeesa.

No one, even Yalkeesa’s best friend Cassandra, could figure out why she was such good friends with the haughty, proud, and cold Wren. Except Yalkeesa herself…

*******

"When should we initiate the plan, sire?" Selene asked of Macavity, bowing low as she entered his throne room. "Soon as possible," the ginger cat told her.

"Yes my lord," Selene said, but as she began backing out of the room, she was stopped by Macavity. "Wait," he said. "I need to speak to you, Selene."

"What does your lordship ask?"

Macavity’s expression soured, and grew cold and grim. "Don’t hesitate in the plan if…if Yalkeesa gets in the way. Do you understand? NOTHING, and I do mean nothing, must stand in our way." Selene nodded, and headed towards the junkyard to set off the plan…

*******

Victoria watched carefully as Wren entered the ‘yard that night. Recently, she’d been going off alone, and Victoria was starting to wonder why.

Leaping down from the car on which she’d been sitting, Vicki wandered nonchalantly up to Wren. "Hello, Wren," she said. Wren glared at her, and whirled away.

As Vicki began to follow, Wren stopped short, causing Vicki almost to run into her. "If you’re going to follow me, don’t do it now," Wren snapped, and before Victoria could speak, Wren had disappeared into a garbage pile.

Victoria was confused. Why was Wren being so secretive? What had she to hide? Unless she worked for Macavity! But that was unlikely....wasn't it?

Victoria, becoming more curious by the minute, decided to follow Wren and see what she was up to. Vicki sneaked behind the garbage pile where Wren had disappeared, and once there stopped short. There was Wren, and Dirk, speaking with several rats!

Vicki slunk back out of sight so she could overhear their conference. This is what she heard:

Wren said, "Cier, Crana, and Luddos, you three are to attack the big gray tabby and the black and white tom. Maybe I’ll put someone else with you…Hadri! You’re to work with these three. Understand?"

As the rat in question nodded, she turned towards another group of three. "Aylo, Diran, and Jerdoa, you three are to distract the kittens. Do it any way you wish. I don’t care if you kill them, but the Hidden Paw might want slaves. Oh, and NOBODY hesitate to harm or even kill those two, Yalkeesa and Talikhsa. It doesn’t matter HOW much they claim they’ll rejoin The Hidden Paw, deal with them as you would any other cat."

The rats nodded, and Wren continued. "That’s all for now. The rest of you know what to do." She turned to her brother, who had meantime been conversing in a low tone with another, much larger, rat.

"Helios! Come here. We have work to do." As the rats disappeared into the darkness, Wren and Dirk (or Helios) turned back to the main junkyard.

They were speaking, but Victoria, as she dashed off to tell Munkustrap, only heard Helios/Dirk saying something to Wren that was: "…in the morning, Selene?"

*******

As Victoria was rushing off to find Munkustrap, Selene became aware that there was somebody watching them. She whirled about…but finding no one, proceeded on her way, totally unaware that there was someone watching…

Victoria dashed off to the Vicarage Wall, where she knew Munkustrap would be, making his daily report to Deuteronmy on the Jellicles. "…which is what I thought, but Jemima said that—"

"Munkustrap! Old Deuteronmy! Wren - Dirk - rats - plan - Hidden Paw - Yal and Tali…"

"Slow down, little one. What’s all this muddle about plans and rats?" Vicki gulped for breath and sat down beside Old Deuteronmy.

"Well, I overhead Wren talking to some rats in the alley just back of here, and she mentioned a bunch of stuff about attacking various cats and then she said something about Yalkeesa and Talikhsa ‘rejoining’ the Hidden Paw!!!! And Dirk was with her…and she called him Helios and he called her Selene and said something about the morning only I didn’t hear that…"

Deuteronmy placed a paw over Victoria’s mouth. "Shush, little one…we understand. Now, I suggest you run home to your mother…and stay there tomorrow; do NOT come to the junkyard. And tell your mother and sisters as well."

Vicki nodded, and scrambled off the wall, hurrying for the apartment where she lived with her family and humans.

Deuteronomy turned to face Munkustrap, a grim look replacing the soothing smile he’d worn when speaking to Victoria. Munkustrap’s eyes were narrowed, and he seemed ready to jump off the wall and deal with Selene and Helios, but Deuteronmy placed a restraining paw on the tabby’s shoulder.

"No, Munkustrap," he warned his grandson. Munkustrap relaxed, but there was an angry tone to his voice as he said

"Old Deuteronmy, surely you MUST see that these two traitors must be dealt with immediately!" Deuteronmy nodded. "Yes, I understand that, but I have an idea. We must wait until the morning to put it into action though. I suggest you begin warning the queens and kittens to get to their homes and to STAY there until you or I come and get them tomorrow. Also, tell the other toms, Rum Tum Tugger, Alonzo, Plato and the rest to prepare for a fight tomorrow…I will come to the junkyard later to inform you and them of my plan. For now, I need to perfect it."

And with that Deuteronmy settled back on the wall, eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the fresh, cold night air. Munkustrap was about to speak, but thought better of it and set out for the junkyard to warn the other cats.

*******

One hour till dawn. The toms, and a few queens, were hidden in various places around the junkyard, while the other queens and the kittens were back at their own homes, waiting until someone brought them news that the fight was over.

*******

Yalkeesa was hiding behind an old oven, when she saw a small reddish figure stumble out from behind the tire. Squinting in the dim light of just before dawn, she was able to see that it was Talikhsa!

Jumping to her feet, heedless of Cassandra’s (who was hiding next to her) warning to stay down, Yalkeesa ran out to grab the kitten. She could see blood on Tali’s limp body, and stab wounds in her back… with a small sob, she realised that she was holding a dead cat.

Raising her eyes to the Jellicle Moon, Yalkeesa swore on the body of her sister, that she would avenge Talikhsa’s death.

*******

A few hours later, the fight was over. The Jellicles were the victors. Macavity’s cats had left the junkyard, going back to their own homes.

Munkustrap, wounded by Flameclaw, was lying in the pipe, along with all the other injured Jellicles. Cassandra glanced up from where she was tying a bandage around his paw. "Has anybody seen Yalkeesa?" she asked.

*******

Selene stared at the knife in her paws. She couldn't believe that Macavity had lost the battle, and (as she believed) his life. But it was true, and she had to accept it. Taking a deep breath, Selene placed the dagger to her throat and took her life.

*******

Helios stared at his paws, as though he were seeing the knife in them that took his sister. "She killed herself," he said in shock. "Why would she kill herself?" Old Deuteronmy didn't speak, but he laid a paw on Helios' shoulder, as though comforting him.

After a moment of silence, the white tom looked up from the body. "I want to join the Jellicle tribe," he said bluntly.

*******

Yalkeesa was at that moment standing beside Macavity. Her father. He was badly wounded, and breathing heavily. Since he had regained conciousness, Macavity hadn’t said anything, simply stared at his daughter with rather unnerving sunken-in eyes.

Yalkeesa had been debating what to do with him. She couldn't really kill her own father, not unless she wanted to be cursed with a guilty concisence all her life. And she couldn’t very well let him go free, not if she wanted to stay with the Jellicles…

*******

Yalkeesa slowly walked back to the junkyard. Cassandra was waiting for her. "Where have you BEEN, Yal?" she asked. Yalkeesa looked at her friend with saddened eyes, then, without speaking, she left.

"Hey! Hey, Yal! Yalkeesa! Wait for me!" Cassandra yelled, as she ran after her friend. But the ginger queen was gone. She had seemed to vanish into thin air…

*******

Yalkeesa breathed a sigh of relief as Cassandra left. She was glad she had inherited the power of levitation from her father. Now she could make her escape without the hassle of goodbyes.

Floating slowly down to the ground, the young queen set out for the horizon, not knowing where she was going to go, not knowing how she was going to survive…just knowing that she was traveling somewhere where they wouldn’t know that she had let Macavity roam free.

Where they wouldn't know who she was, what she'd done...

...where they wouldn't know that she was Macavity’s daughter.

The End

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