Cats: And The Dance Goes On.

Chapter four- The Arrival of Old Deuteronomy

The Jellicle cats lounged around the junkyard, as the moon slowly climbed higher and higher into the nights sky.
Graciette sat by Alonzo, having plucked up the courage to ask him to the dance, to which he heartily agreed, much to Cassandra's  despair.  Ariadne sat with the charming, flirtatious Tom of the junkyard, much to the envy of most other queens, and some toms. Bombalurina would glare daggers over at them every so often.

Both sides of the family of the junkyard sat with each other, with those who were once related to the late Bustopher Jones, but unmated to one side or the other, flitted between the two, having many conversations at once.
Jellylorum sat with Asparagus, discussing who their numerous offspring could be attracted to, and perhaps even mate with in the future, but, to be fair, Asparagus wasn't really listening, he was just nodding and humming in agreement at appropriate times.
Skimbleshanks sat beside his darling Jennyanydots, watching Electra tumble around with her cousins, as Jenny desperately tried to keep the twins in order, till Old Deuteronomy arrived.

"Will you calm down!" Jenny hissed at the pair.
"No." Mungojerrie replied flatly.
"Because tonight would be a good night to ransack a nearby abandoned house." Rumpleteazer added with a nod, crossing her arms in a huff as she spoke.
Jenny shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "For the last time." She said quietly. "I do not want you to wander around in derelict buildings, that could collapse, and crush you at any moment!" Jenny waved her hands around wildly as she spoke, clearly worked up about this.

"It's not going to!" Mungojerrie replied, waving his hands around in a similar manner, mocking his mother.
Jenny pointed an accusatory finger at her son. "Don't you dare, young man, not tonight." She warned, and Mungojerrie sighed, but nodded, sitting down by his father's feet, much to the annoyance of Rumpleteazer. "Mood killer." She huffed to her brother as she reluctantly sat beside him.
Skimbleshanks, as always, sat like an old Victorian gent, prim and proper, waistcoat and all, just like how his father had raised both him and his brother. He straightened himself up a bit, as Jenny settled in beside her mate, nuzzling him affectionately, a small smile growing on her face as she began to relax a little bit. She kept an eye on Electra, who was now the only one of her offspring who was causing mischief, though Jellylorum seemed to be keeping it all under control, at least for the moment.

On the other side of the junkyard, Jemima sat with Victoria. Though they didn't say much aloud, the looks and giggles they kept giving each other suggested that they were still communicating easily.

Munkustrap sat beside Demeter, watching their young reddish kitten interact with her cousin. Demeter smiled warmly, slowly moving so that she could rest her head on her mate's shoulder. As she did so, Munkustrap moved as well, putting his arm around her shoulders, and pulling her that bit closer.
The golden queen looked up at her mate. "Do you know when he will arrive?" She asked softly, to which Munkustrap replied with a shake of his head. "We never do, do we, my dear?" He chuckled lightly.
Demeter nodded softly in agreement. "I suppose not, yes..." she smiled gently as she spoke.

A wind began to build throughout the junkyard, and both Mister Mistoffelees and the mystical twins sat upright. Mistoffelees hovered his hand just above the ground, seemingly testing for something. "Old Deuteronomy?" He asked, a smile forming on his face. Everyone looked to the twins, hoping for confirmation of Mistoffelees' suspicions. They slowly nodded, smiling as well, speaking in unison, as they almost always seemed to. "I believe it is Old Deuteronomy..."

Toms, queens and kittens alike got to their feet, ready to welcome the elderly Jellicle leader. He stumbled towards the group, Misto going to help him forward. The kittens crowded around him, viewing him as some sort of godlike figure.

Munkustrap took his father's hands gently in his own, leading him up to the tyre, where he usually sat.
The Rum Tum Tugger bowed his head in respect, as he always did with Old Deuteronomy. He was the only cat Rum Tum Tugger seemed to have any respect for, and how could he not? Old Deuteronomy was his father, too, after all.

Old Deuteronomy greeted every cat he passed with grace and warmth. His annual journey down from the vicarage he called home was not particularly long, but it tired the old Tom out. However, it was certainly worth it. The production that Munkustrap and many other cats put on was always astounding, and he loved every second of it, even if it was the same thing every year.

It always astounded him, that one of sons, the calmest of the three, was able to create peace and order out of what was normally mayhem and madness.
As Munkustrap, and the twin offspring of the Railway cat prepared themselves for the opening of the annual tale, Victoria and Jemima crawled over to Old Deuteronomy, sitting by his feet with warm smiles.

The tale got underway, and, as it had been in previous years, it started to go wrong in a variety of aspects.
First of all, Mungojerrie barked at the wrong time, like he did almost every single year.
Then, Rumpleteazer started to wander off towards her mother, before springing back, and sliding through Munkustrap's legs.

After that, when the 'dogs' began to bark back and forth, back and forth, the noise became so tumultuous, that Munkustrap had to scream the next line at the top of his lungs to be heard. That startled everyone into silence.

And, just when Munkustrap thought it couldn't get any worse, the Great Rumpus cat leapt onto the scene, in the wrong place. He dragged the cat hero forward, and continued his epic tale, before finishing with a flourish.

The cats crowded around Old Deuteronomy once more, eager to see his reaction to the failed production. As always, he loved it, and was incredibly proud of his son, and the rest of the tribe.
He said a few words that no one could quite understand, as his voice was now very low, and incredibly shaky, but they listened respectfully nonetheless.

In the distance, there was a loud crash, and Demeter stood straight immediately, her ears perked, listening closely for a moment. Both her mate, and her sister, regarded her with concern.

What Demeter exclaimed next, sent the cats into a wild frenzy, causing them to scatter like sheep, but this time, they were not acting.

"Macavity!"