Chapter Two:
Memories
Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Skimbleshanks crept up behind the seemingly unsuspecting stray.
“Don’t worry, I can take care of it,” Alonzo said cockily.
“Just remember to keep quiet,” Munkustrap hissed under his breath. Alonzo smiled and began walking towards the stray. “No prob-” The stray turned and neatly tripped the black and white tom, causing him to fall flat on his back. He gazed up into the glowing eyes of a henchcat, one of the most beautiful cats he had ever seen.
“Solitaire,” he breathed. The black feline straightened and grinned.
“The one and only.” Skimbleshanks hissed. Solitaire was one of the most feared of Macavity’s henchcats, and for good reason. She had been trained ever since she was little, and had lived her entire life in his criminal organization. Most cats didn’t last more than a year, maybe two if they were lucky. Skimble jumped at the henchcat, but she easily threw him off her using her in hind feet in a surprisingly graceful maneuver. Next Munkustrap attacked with his claws drawn. He leaped and attempted to slash her shoulder. Solitaire twisted at the last possible moment and jumped on Munku’s back, careful not to draw too much blood. Alonzo woozily stood back up, but went immediately to his friend’s assistance. He stalked up behind the midnight black stray and slowly pried her off Munkustrap’s back. It then took the both of them to pin her down. She hissed angrily.
“Why are you here? Did Macavity send you?” Munku demanded. A gleam appeared in Soli’s eyes.
“Macavity doesn’t control my every movement, you know,” she said fiercely. “I am here because I wanted to watch my daughter dance.” Taking advantage of the jellicles’ shock, Solitaire rolled out from beneath Munku’s and Alonzo’s grasp. “That’s better,” she remarked, cleaning the dirt off herself.
“Daughter?” Munku repeated.
“She has a lot of her father in her, but she got her black coat from me as well as her eyes. And my beautiful figure,” she added, chuckling.
“So it’s true,” Skimble mused. “Her father is Macavity.”
“Quite,” Solitaire said simply.
“Then why is she a jellicle? Macavity would have sent for her by now. And didn’t he have didn’t he have a different mate a year ago?” Alonzo asked.
“It’s a long story,” she replied. With a deep sigh, she lay down and watched the kittens.
“Would you tell it?” Skimble asked politely. Solitaire turned to face the three toms. They shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
“Purrrrrrhaps,” she said lightly, rolling her r. “Give me your promise that you will allow me to stay and only then will I tell you what you want to know.” The toms glanced at each other. Though none of them wanted to let one of Macavity’s strays wander freely around their territory, this was perhaps their only chance to learn the truth about Nefret’s past. They grimly nodded their assent.
“Very well; where to begin? When I was a young cat roaming the streets, I was adopted by Macavity and his gang. He was just beginning his famous exploits then, and I was all too eager to join in on the fun. As his gang grew larger and larger, I rose higher in the hierarchy. We were very close, him and I. Oh sure,” she said, with a wave of her paw, “there were other females, but they came and went. I remained.” Solitaire paused for a moment to assess the toms’ reaction so far. There was none. She sighed. “I suppose that’s where Nefret comes in. To say I was surprised when I figured out that I was to have kittens would be an understatement. I had never thought about having kittens. It was a possibility that had never occurred to Macavity either. When I told him, his reaction was a mixture of surprise, pleasure, and…I almost want to say horror, but it wasn’t nearly that extreme.” She paused for a moment, thinking.
“Why horror?” asked Munkustrap curiously.
“He had a new mate. Her name was Tigress, and she was fiercely protective of any other queen; especially me. Macavity and I knew that I must be hidden until the pregnancy was over. I went and stayed in an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town. I wasn’t alone,” she added quickly, seeing their expressions. “Two other queens came with me, as well as a few of my most loyal and fierce fighters. Five kittens were born; only two survived, both females. The other three, one female and two males, died within the day.” For a brief second her eyes grew sad, and it seemed as if the henchcat had aged twenty years. She shook it off, though, slamming the window to her inner thoughts and feelings shut. “The first kitten was all black except for the tip of her tail, which was red. I named her Desdemona, Dezzy for short. The second kitten was also black, but she had gingerish-red patches that looked exactly like her father’s. That was Nefret. For the next two weeks we stayed in the warehouse. Macavity dropped by for visits from time to time and played with the kittens. The last time he came I could tell something was wrong. He told me that Tigress was getting suspicious of his daily departures and that she had followed him. The henchcats herded Nefret and Dezzy outside, and I was about to follow when Tigress arrived. She was furious; and when a stray gets angry, it is not a pretty thing. She demanded to know what was going on. When Macavity told her bluntly it was none of her business, she hissed and attacked him!” Solitaire laughed merrily, the sound oddly pure and innocent, not befitting its owner at all. “I think she thought she actually could win, the misguided darling! Of course, Macavity easily threw her off of him. Whatever affection he had for her had dissipated in that one move. Next she had the audacity to leap at me. I got rid of her with the same maneuver I used to get rid of you, Skimbleshanks.” The orange tom muttered something to himself under his breath, and Solitaire chuckled. “Macavity ordered his henchcats to take Tigress back to his lair. She was locked up in the darkest, dankest cells that exist in the sewers. For all I know, she’s probably still there. I immediately ran outside, closely followed by Macavity. Dezzy was there, but Nefret was no where in sight. I figure that’s when she ran into you.” There was silence as the jellicles searched for something to say.
“Then why hasn’t Macavity sent for her yet?” Alonzo asked, repeating his earlier question.
“Perhaps he has,” Solitaire suggested slyly. Munkustrap bristled visibly. “Truth be told, he doesn’t know she’s with you. You kept us hidden from her so well that we never saw her after that night. I was prowling the junkyard last night, looking to stir up some trouble and I had the fortune, or perhaps misfortune, to see her playing with some of her friends. At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but it really was my Nefret! My Nefret, whom I had thought was gone forever…My first impulse was to run back and tell Macavity, but right when I was about to leave some movement caught my eye. It was you,” she said accusingly, walking towards Munkustrap, “you coming to take them away. You should be thankful I didn’t snatch her away right then and there!” Munkustrap’s ears laid back in anger, and stood taller. Solitaire tossed him a scornful look, almost as if to say that he could never overpower her. She continued on. “But I didn’t. It dawned upon me that the two kittens I had assumed were her friends – “
“ – Were actually her foster brother and sister,” interrupted Munkustrap, finishing her sentence for her. Solitaire glared at him.
“Yes,” Soli confirmed. “If I took her away then she would only hate me. So I waited; and I continue to wait.”
“Continue?” Skimble asked suspiciously.
“Continue,” she repeated, a dangerous gleam appearing in her golden eyes. The three toms unconsciously back up a few steps.
“Is that why you’re here?” Alonzo asked bluntly. “To catnap Nefret?”
“No,” she replied quickly. “Not today. Today I am here just to watch my daughter. Now go before she suspects something is amiss,” Solitaire ordered. After a moment’s hesitation, the toms obeyed and started to leave. Skimbleshanks glanced over his shoulder one last time to look at the stray – the wily henchcat had disappeared back into the shadows as fast as she had come.
