The Jellicle Chronicles - Year Four

Nightchaser's Gambit

Gambit - a term used to denote the strategic opening moves in chess.

      Macavity walked casually from the Guest quarters back toward his office. Behind him, at a respectful distance, a smaller Siamese cat carried a courier’s pouch. The Ginger Cat appeared not to be in a hurry, but then not many knew him or his moods. Then again, not very many lived long enough to become that intimate with his emotional states. Only one living being even came close to knowing the “Hidden Paw” and “She” only truly knew but one facet of them. 

      Standing at the door to his office, two large black Jellicles stood at attention. Macavity set his face in the usual neutral mask, and tried not to show the annoyance he felt. These two were relatively new … again! Beezlebub and Satan never showed after a patrol last moon, so their replacements now stood before him. Trainees quickly promoted to Enforcers - most of them not ready to fend off the younger Guardians of the Tribe, let alone to take on the Guardians and Quaxo. 

      Quaxo! Macavity waited until he was behind the door before he hissed at the thought of the Jellicle Sentinel. Munkustrap was bad enough, but the Jellicle who took that position after Old Deuteronomy was Chosen was absolutely insufferable. Macavity had taken on Munkustrap and had beaten him once. Quaxo was another story. After seeing the huge Black and White Tom decimate his Trainees, and his Enforcers, Macavity had no inclination to take him on frontally. At least, not yet! 

      Jumping up on his desk, Macavity looked at the tubular bundle that lay next to the desk lamp. He pressed his paw down on the button, and switched on the lamp. Gently, he unwrapped the object, and sat back. The Gold and hardwood gleamed in the florescent lighting. The black inlaid jet “cat-eyes” seemed to glow red in the lamp’s light. As his paw moved close, the staff took on a golden aura. Macavity growled softly, and pulled his paw back. The staff lay dormant once again. 

      “That will change soon,” he murmured. 

      Looking over the edge of his desk, Macavity examined the courier standing before him. The Siamese never once requested, begged or even demanded attention while he waited below. Macavity wished everyone were like that. However, there was something of importance inside that pouch, so he deemed it was time to acknowledge the Oriental’s existence. 

      “You have something for me?” 

      The Siamese made a short bow, and opened his pouch. Inside, two standard Human sized pages were extracted and carefully straightened out. Satisfied with the job, the Siamese bowed again, and held out the pages without making eye contact. With a hint of admiration, Macavity took the two pages. 

      “Please wait outside while I study these. I will let you know when I have formulated my reply and offer. At that time, you can deliver it to my contact.” 

      Without a word, the Siamese bowed and exited. There were no questions or hesitations on the courier’s part. Macavity watched the Oriental depart and close the door. Shaking his head, Macavity carefully read the first document. After reading the contents over once, he re-read the document very meticulously. A paw came up and he raked his claws through his cheek fur. A few tangles required dislodging, but Macavity did not seem to mind. Satisfied that he completely understood the first document, he set it aside, and began to peruse the second document. The document was a Xeroxed copy of an ancient one. Written in Latin, a Human language not even many Humans knew any longer, this writing had some encouraging items. One word leaped out of page at him in at least three places - “magice.” Taking the first document, and laying it next to the copy of the ancient text, Macavity carefully compared the two. 

      “Not bad for an amateur,” he murmured. “I will inform my contact that they need a better translator in the future.” 

      Moving to the side of the desk, Macavity pulled out a sheet of watermark paper and set it on the desk blotter. Uncorking an inkbottle, he dipped his index claw into the ink, and used it as a quill pen. Macavity’s script writing was beautiful, considering most males had very poor penmanship. Even though he did not use an actual pen, the Ginger Cat wrote with a strong, flowing stroke. Very often, the loops of the “L” or “F” or any of his Capitals would be very obvious and large. Periodically, he would even add flourishes to a Capital. Macavity surveyed the letter, and then nodded. With a grand touch, he signed his name at the bottom. After wiping his claw in a specially treated sponge, he blotted the letter, and then carefully folded it.