The Jellicle Chronicles - Year One

Castaway

The Yard did not look any different at first glance. The Yard Human arrived at the building near the entryway at dawn, and left near sunset. Piles of Human cast-offs changed as items were added or taken away, but mostly stayed the same. The pipes allowed wastewater to enter the Yard, flow through it and exit out the other pipe. Only a keen observer knew somethinghad changed. 

      If someone looked atop the pile of wrecked automobiles, they would still see a cat. The colors were different and the size was different. The Black and White Jellicle was larger than the previous occupant, and looked uncomfortable. If the observer checked around the Vicarage Pipe, they would see another cat. This time, the cat was smaller, and mostly white, but took his new posting seriously. In fact, too seriously, if you asked a certain Leopard Cat about it. 

      “Alonzo, if you don’t get out of my face, you are going to need a body cast.” 

      “You never gave Quaxo that type of lip,” the White and Black Tom growled as he stepped aside for Tugger to enter the Yard. 

      “Quaxo never got in my way,” the Tugger shot back. “Besides, he always was polite about it all and bowed to me.” The Leopard Cat shuddered slightly. “That always freaked me out, too. Well, tootles, 'Guardian’.” 

      Alonzo watched the tall Jellicle disappear around a set of iron pieces, and then shook his head. This new position was not working out too well. However, the Tugger did have a point. Quaxo only oversaw the entry, and did not stand in it. Maybe he should do the same, and only stop someone who should not be there. Shrugging his shoulders, he went inside the area just to one side of the pipe, and settled down in a pile of blankets. 

      Quaxo, the new Sentinel, watched the Tugger come around the pile of iron and head toward an old closet. He felt out of place up here, and almost felt as though he was not doing his job. However, according to Munkustrap, Quaxo would actually be a better Sentinel. Unlike the previous one, Quaxo did not have a Human home, and could oversee the Yard all the time. Still, Quaxo wished it whole thing had not changed at all. He sighed, and decided to take a perimeter check. 

      Tugger knocked on the wood near the opening to the old closet. He had learned that after a furious Bombalurina almost took his head off. Instead of knocking the last time, the Tugger had gone through the opening while she and Munkustrap were “occupied.” Needless to say, she had not been happy about the interruption. 

      “Go away, Tugger,” Bombalurina’s voice shouted. 

      The Tugger grinned. “Don’t you ever give him a break, Bomba?” 

      “Go away, Tugger,” Munkustrap’s voice replied. 

      “Okay, okay,” Tugger replied, and moved off toward the tire. 

      Quaxo listened to the exchange as he moved around the Yard and toward the fence. A slight smile crossed his lips. The new Leader deserved the time alone with the Scarlet Queen. Leaving the closet behind, Quaxo moved quietly along the fence near the tracks. So far, the sun still had a bit to go before it set and the Full Moon rose. Turning the corner, he could see the small hole in the fence further on. He went inside the piles close to the fence, and finally came up on where Tumblebrutus should be. The brown and white cat was not there. 

      Quaxo grunted. What would take Tumblebrutus away from his post? He stopped and listened, swiveling his conical ears like radar. Something just outside the fence made a little bit of noise, and that was all he needed. He moved quickly to the hole in the fence. 

      And then nearly recoiled! Tumblebrutus was just outside, crying. Carefully, the large cat eased himself through the small opening. Outside, the young Tom had found a sack that had been tossed toward the junk pile. Coming gently over, Quaxo found out what had been in the sack.