The Jellicle Chronicles - Year Five

Can You Hear Me Crying?

Quaxo often enjoyed his perch on the pile of cars. Since he had taken the post of the Sentinel from Munkustrap, he had added one thing to the hood of the top automobile. He had found a section of outdoor carpeting that had enough cushion to it that it took away the sting of cold in the Winter and the heat of the Summer. He liked being up here alone, and he liked it even better when Scatterburr was alongside of him. Try as he may, he still could not get over having the beautiful Brown Tabby Queen as his Mate. And, what was even more exciting, she felt the same way about him. 

      Tonight would be warm for the Festival. In some ways, Quaxo was hoping that there would be stories tonight. It felt too warm for dancing, but just right for holding Scatterburr, and just right for listening or even singing. Yes, a song would be nice. 

      The best part of the automobile pile was its height. From this position, the Sentinel could see most of the main parts of the Yard. He could see the front of the Yard and the Yard Office, where the Human worked during the day. Lady Growler, the Pollicle, lay asleep in front of her house near the office door. He could also barely see the Railway Pipe, made possible only because of the fire burning down a pile blocking it. To the east, the ironmongery pile blocked the Vicarage Pipe. To the south, a pile near the old oven blocked his view of the Square. However, he could see most of the fence top, and that was important. Ever since Tailkinker had managed to climb over the fence, a feat he still gave credit to the young Healer, he watched the fence top carefully. 

      As the glow of the moon began to show over the horizon of the Village and the trees, Quaxo did not notice movement over his shoulder to the right. Scatterburr was against that shoulder, so she did not see it either. The movement was brief - the appearance of an individual vaulting up onto the fence. There was a faint “twip” of claws hitting wood on a utility pole, but it barely registered on either of the Jellicles atop the cars. Seeing the area on the other side was also open, the individual quickly came down off the fence. Black and white striping worked well in the Yard - something Munkustrap had learned long time ago as a kitten. Such striping worked well on a moonlit night in the Yard with its uneven shadows. 

      However, nothing really passes Quaxo without something giving him an irritation. Some members of the Yard were gifted with magic, healing, or the like. The huge Sentinel did not have a Power, per se. He did have a discipline that was close to being a Power. He learned as an adolescent to be able to seek the life-force within himself, a Jellicle sense called thechiarr. Once he had perfected this sense, he found that he could project it to a certain distance around him. That distance was usually short-range, say three or four lengths of his body. So, the entry of the stranger did not register on his senses. However, the sound, faint though it might have been, did. One ear rotated back over Scatterburr’s head. By the time his head followed the ear, the stranger had moved away from the fence. 

      Although the stranger had eluded the sight and hearing of the Sentinel, there were other denizens of the Tribe whose vigilance was harder to elude. One such member was a near-adolescent black kitten, who was sitting outside the pile of cars at that time. Nightchaser was special in more ways than one. Son of Tantomile, the Witch Cat, and Coricopat, the Wicca, Nightchaser knew the Land. The Land was very difficult to fool, even by the best of mortal beings. The Black Kitten, nicknamed “Ghost” by some members of the Tribe, was a Master of the Land’s force - even though he was young. When the stranger touched the soil inside the Yard, the force created in the Land was like a pebble tossed into a pond. The vibrations reached Nightchaser soon afterward. 

      The Black Kitten reacted as though the stranger had touched his tail. Sponging, he was halfway up the pile of wrecked cars in moments. He hissed in reaction to his fright. That sound carried, and Quaxo quite readily heard that.