Ah yes, I forgot to say. There won't be an update next Sunday either. So you'll get two chapters next Wednesday too (7th of July) :)
Meanwhile, outside, Bombalurina had gone over to Misto for information the moment Demeter and Tugger had left. As Skimbleshanks, Cassandra, Plato, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, and many more, were joining in, Misto and Eriva proceeded to relate everything that had happened in the abandoned buildings, with the help of Edinson and Celestiara. Leeko was shyer; he spoke little. He definitely regretted that Anu wasn't there.
After they had told the story in its tiniest details, some of the kittens assembled around Celestiara, studying her curiously. She turned to Edinson with an annoyed sigh, sick of being looked at, but he gave her a warm smile and signaled to her that it was okay. Unlike Artemis, there was no reason these kittens should mean any harm.
"What happened to your eye?" a small male piped up.
"Pounce", a white female kitten said, holding him back. "I'm Victoria, and that's Pouncival. And the others are Jemima, Electra, Etcetera and Tumblebrutus. You're Celestiara, aren't you?"
"Uh... Yes."
"What happened to your eye?" Pouncival put in again.
"That's... Not something I like to talk about."
"Were you in a fight?"
"I was attacked, more like. When a cat's so tall and strong and about three times your size, and you're just a helpless kitten... I don't think you can call that a fight."
"Or a very uneven fight, then", Tumblebrutus said with a kind laugh. Tiara found herself laughing along.
Misto, Eriva and Ed were sitting together a little way off, watching the kittens.
"She was attacked by Macavity, the day we found her", Ed told his companions quietly. "We never quite knew what happened for him to target a helpless kitten. She must have witnessed something he didn't want anyone to see... Luckily for her, it was close to our den, and Anu and Leeko stumbled on them, and ran for help. Lady Felegrine was too late to save her eye... But she still stayed with us afterwards. I don't think she has anywhere else to go, actually", he admitted almost to himself.
"None of us have anywhere else to go", Leeko pointed out.
"Except for the twins. But yes, almost all of us are stray cats, actually."
"So you don't live with humans?" Misto asked.
"No. Some of us used to... I used to. I only joined the tribe for good when my family abandoned me. They left town and left me behind", he said bitterly.
Leeko comfortingly rubbed his head against his friend's. He knew this to have been one of Ed's deepest hurts. The popular cat, who was used to being loved by everyone, was suddenly left behind, thrown away.
Edinson was looking over to Celestiara again. Misto followed his gaze.
"She'll be okay. Our kittens are very kind."
"I don't doubt that. I'm just worried about how she'll react. She's so used to being set aside that she sometimes... Just excludes herself."
"I know someone else who does that", Misto said softly, rubbing his head against Eriva's. Eriva shyly laughed.
Apparently, however, Ed's fears were not founded. Soon, Tiara was sitting in the midst of a circle of eager kittens bombarding her with questions about her tribe.
"How many cats are there in your tribe?"
"Do you all live in that yard?"
"Don't you have humans?"
"What are they all like?"
Eventually, Victoria called for the other kittens to calm down.
"She can only answer one question at a time, you know!"
Tiara laughed softly. She was starting to like the white female.
"There's..." she made a quick headcount "twelve of us. Oh no, fourteen, I forgot the twins. The twins are the only ones who don't live in the old buildings. They have humans."
"You don't?"
"I never did. Some other cats used to, though, but they were abandoned."
Some of the kittens shivered.
"That sounds scary."
"I can't tell you about that. I wouldn't know."
"But how do you feed yourselves if you don't have humans?"
"We hunt. Or we steal sometimes."
"Are there many other kittens?" Etcetera, eager for new playmates, asked.
"Five."
Celestiara's tone turned colder at the mention of the other kittens.
"Are they nice?"
"That's... I think I'd better not answer that."
Awkward silence followed. It was Tumblebrutus who broke it.
"Does Lady Felegrine actually live with you?"
"Yeah. I think she founded the tribe, actually."
"Woah! Don't you wish Old Deuteronomy would live with us!" Pouncival exclaimed.
"I wish we could meet all of your tribe!" Jemima cried out happily.
"Oh, wouldn't that be great?" Victoria agreed. "Imagine our two tribes meeting up! And maybe we could come and see each other now and then!"
Tiara's face lit up with a spark of hope at this.
"That... Could be fun", she conceded.
"Come on!" Etcetera excitedly put in, deciding she had had enough talking. "Let's show Celestiara the junkyard!"
The seven kittens all got up and the Jellicles proceeded to show their new playmate around. Soon all of them were climbing everywhere, jumping on tires and slipping through every possible crack.
"Kittens", Skimbleshanks told them off. "Now's not the time. Remember Munkustrap..."
"Oh."
This had the effect of calming down all the kittens at once. They sheepishly sat down, staying around their elders, now and then whispering to each other.
YOU ARE READING
The cats and the moon - I/ TWO TRIBES
Fanfiction[CATS fanfiction] The story you are about to read takes place in a London junkyard. It is the home of a tribe of cats known as the Jellicles. They live peacefully between their beloved junkyard and their human houses, their bliss only disturbed by t...
