By Mysticlees

Part One Part Three Part Four

Sillabub and Shen-Shen exchanged looks.

"What cat tribe do you belong to?" Sillabub asked. Again the kitten tried to get free.

"Well, I always wanted to be a jellicle, but I don't know how to though. But," she continued eagerly, " I can jump high. And I am black." the two Jellicles raised their eyebrows," and dark red. I'm small, I got black eyes and I normally have good balance." she glanced at Sillabub meekly, "Sorry about the bottle, that's the first time I've slipped. If you'd kindly put me down, I could be able to see straight again, and maybe you could me find the Jellicles." Sillabub sat the kitty down and the kitten jumped to the middle of the glass bottle mountain and walked the rest of the way up. Both Jellicles noticed that not one of the bottles shifted at all.

"I'll be back in a minute." meowed the kitten's voice from above. Sillabub turned to Shen-Shen.

"The only things about that kitten that is un-jellicle like is how talkative she is and her dark red rings" The kitten did have red rings varying in width around her body, but the kitten's face was pure white. "But..."

"She doesn't know if she's junkyard or housecat. She doesn't even have a name."

"I have one for her until she becomes a Jellicle, if she does anyway. How about Squirt?"

"I like it!! Now I have a name!!" Squirt jumped of the bottle mountain and landed softly next to them. She turned to Sillabub. "Hi, I'm Squirt. Did I tell you I was sorry? What's your name?"

"I'm Sillabub. That's Shen-Shen. We're Jellicles." Squirt stood awed by the two Jellicles. Shen-Shen gently licked her head to get her back to herself.

"Wow! How can I be a Jellicle too?" Squirt asked eagerly, her large almost black eyes shining. Sillabub ignored Squirt and turned to Shen-Shen.

"We've added four kittens already, and that's pushing it. And I hear that even junkyard cats have to pass a test to be a Jellicle now."

"I don't think she stands a chance unless she's a junkyard cat. She said she never knew her parents." Squirt sat quietly, listening.

"I think I know someone who can tell. But you get to do the talking." Sillabub meowed mysteriously as she ran through the junkyard. Shen-Shen and Squirt looked at each other, shrugged, and followed Sillabub.

***

Mistoffelees yawned, stretched and rolled over as he felt his left side grew flat from laying on it so long. He heard and sensed Shen-Shen before she tapped him lightly. He popped open one eye then closed it.

"Mistoffelees. Hey Mistoffelees, you asleep?" Shen-Shen asked him quietly. Mistoffelees grinned, but kept his eyes shut. "Yes." he meowed. Shen-Shen laughed and nudged him with her nose until he totally rolled over. Mistoffelees sat up and licked her head. "And to what do I owe this honor?" he said teasingly.

"Well, see... well...." Shen-Shen faltered.

"Hi, I'm Squirt. What's your name? Are you a Jellicle cat too? Wow, I like your fur. It's so dark and soft. It reminds me of pure black. Say, that's the color right? How come you have a white face? Hey, did you know that you're eyes are almost black? Did I tell you I like your fur? I mph mf ph ppfff." The red-ringed kitten had ran out onto the porch Mistoffelees and Shen-Shen were sitting on before Sillabub could grab her. Shen-Shen, after getting over her initial horror of the kitten barreling out of the bushes straight for them, and clamped her paw over Squirt's mouth. She hesitantly glanced at Mistoffelees' face and almost laughed. The look on his face was so startled and surprised that Shen-Shen couldn't suppress one.

"Well, heh heh, I wanted to know if you could tell if she," Shen-Shen motioned to Squirt," is a housecat or a junkyard cat?"

"Come on out Sillabub." Mistoffelees said, not even glancing at her as she sulkily crept up to the porch to them. The whole time, his eyes never left the slightly befuddled kitten Shen-Shen held. "Yes I can tell, but I need one of the parent’s names."

Squirt managed to squirm herself free from Shen-Shen’s paws. "I’ve been alone all my life, so I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t even have a name myself. But she gave me a name," Squirt puffed out her chest," Squirt. Are you a Jellicle? What’s your name?"

Instead of answering the kitten’s questions, Mistoffelees turned to Shen-Shen, looking a bit spooked. "I can’t tell unless I have one of the parents names."

"What’s wrong?" Mistoffelees pulled Shen-Shen aside.

"I couldn’t sense her there. Smell her, hear her, nothing until she was directly in front of me."

"That’s odd." Shen-Shen agreed.

"Odd? It’s amazing. But I feel her as having amazing agility and dexterity. She also has potential for magic. As for her being junkyard cat or not," he shrugged, "you’d have to consult Old Deut. Come on." Shen-Shen hopped onto his back, Sillabub picked up Squirt, and the four of them trotted to the junkyard.

***

Victoria hopped onto the old couch next to Alonzo and snuggled up against his back. She sighed. "Nothing interesting is happening today. I’m bored. There must be something to do." she snuggled up closer to Alonzo. He turned around and smiled.

"We could go mice hunting." he suggested. Victoria shook her head and snuggled even closer yet to Alonzo.

"I was thinking more along the lines of," she was cut short by a loud chorus of giggles from who could only be Mungojerrie and his ever-present companion, Rumpleteaser. They sat with their heads sticking through junk and trash laughing at Victoria’s vague advances. Alonzo had started laughing also. He knew what she wanted all along, he had just been giving her a hard time. She got off the couch, and gave them each a curt reply. She started to stalk off.

"Wait!" Alonzo called out. Victoria turned around, hopeful. Alonzo had to speak slowly, trying to get his words out through laughs. "You needn’t get angry. It’s just that we all know of your hobbies..." he couldn’t finish his sentence because he had fallen on his back laughing so hard. The two notorious cats were leaning against each other for support because they were each laughing so hard, they could hardly stay seated upright. Victoria gathered her shredded dignity about her, and stalked out of the junkyard.

Suddenly, Rumpleteaser drew a soft gasp, and whacked Mungojerrie on the head.

"What? That...oh." he rubbed his head and followed Rumpleteaser to the secret alcove they had claimed. For Rumpleteaser saw a flurry of red, black and white fur fairly pounce on Alonzo. Mungojerrie simply saw Mistoffelees with a mounted Shen-Shen appear beside the couch, and a frustrated Sillabub stalk in.

Alonzo's mirth slowed when he felt poofy fur rub against his paw. He turned and found himself looking into a small pure white face, framed by poofy black fur with red rings.

"Hi, I'm Squirt. What's your name? I wanna be a Jellicle. Are you a jellicle? I like your spots. You look like Shen-Shen. Did you know that I'm Squirt?" she looked eagerly into his face. Alonzo looked a bit surprised at Squirt's sudden appearance, but was as curious about her as she was of him.

"I'm Alonzo, and yes I am a jellicle. How did you find your way here?"

"He forgot to tell me his one of his names so I'll call him Black. Black brought me." Suddenly a black and white blur appeared then took shape next to the kitten. Squirt smiled and turned to Alonzo. "Alonzo, meet Black, Black Alonzo."

"Charmed," "Black" said with a bit of disdain. Alonzo glared and turned to the kitten.

"You really want to be a Jellicle?" Squirt nodded rapidly. "Are you a housecat?"

"That's the whole problem!" came an exasperated Sillabub. "She doesn't know!"

"Her parents?"

"Never knew them." Mistoffelees put in.

"Hey Black," Squirt tapped Mistoffelees," can I still be a Jellicle?"

"His name is Mistoffelees: the original pestering cat!" Alonzo told her, getting up from the couch.

"Why don't you go entertain yourself with one of your many housecat consorts." Mistoffelees returned. The two cats sat glowering at each other. Alonzo hissed.

"Come off of it magician! You're just jealous!"

"Jealous?! Of what?"

"How about the fact that females prefer my company, conversation or otherwise, other than yours!" Alonzo had struck a chord within Mistoffelees. The black cat fairly emanated heat and sparks danced readily on his fingertips. Alonzo had a smug look, being the first to get Mistoffelees to lose his cool, but wisely kept distance between him and the glowing magician. Words best not repeated came from Mistoffelees. Alonzo openly challenged him. Shen-Shen looked on from behind the old couch. Her love to her father, and devotion to Mistoffelees, clashing with each other, made it hard to determine who was at fault. But her father had dealt a dangerous blow against Mistoffelees pride and reminded him again of a loneliness he had been suffering from lately.

Mistoffelees often found himself wishing for a family he never had. Sure enough he was a Jellicle, and although they were supposed to be his family also, he was different from them and felt as if he didn't belong. He wished often for a small pack of black kittens of which he and another were parents who all loved each other. And the children he would teach, be proud of and love. He was a young cat, not even near being middle-aged, but still he yearned for a family of his own, who understood what he said and meant. He often felt alone. Shen-Shen had dimmed this feeling, but she still felt like a friend and he felt responsible for her but she still didn't feel like kin. And all the females in his set didn't want to have just one male cat, have a family, or had any romantic interest in Mistoffelees. His manner, secretive nature and the way he spoke all turned the females off. But mostly the problem was his shyness, although the females did find it cute to see him blush and fumble around. The first time he met Cassandra, he stared at his paws and his voice was high and fluttery. And he also had nothing in common with the other cats or the same interests. The last few weeks, he had been swinging in and out of melancholy moods, picking fights with nearly everyone. Not even Shen-Shen knew that to Mistoffelees, in the end he felt he was alone. Utterly alone. Shen-Shen was a kindred spirit and eased the pain, but she didn't know how deep it ran. He always wanted a sister, mother, father, brother, lover or child of his own. To belong to someone else. To belong.

Now, Alonzo had unwittingly brought this up and mocked him for it and nearly but Mistoffelees in a frenzy. Shen-Shen yearned to comfort him, but didn't want to bring about her father's wraith or disappointment.

The only good thing Alonzo was ever for was sire Shen-Shen, he screamed silently, and Alonzo flinched, but didn't back down, feeling the malevolence of the magician's thoughts. Something soft rubbed against Mistoffelees' leg, and something rough rubbed his left paws fingers, as if to douse the sparks on his fingertips. A small voice piped up.

"That was very rude, Alonzo. And what you said wasn't very nice either, Black. Both of you apologize right now." Squirt had heard the words exchanged between the feuding cats, and decided to take matters into her own hands. She sat right on Mistoffelees' right hind paw, staring at them both expectantly. The forthright kitten expected to be obeyed.

"Not saying you shouldn't be taught a lesson magician. You've done many things for all of us, and I do owe you my daughter's life. I'm sorry."

"Yes. Fine, I accept. I haven't been myself lately either, sorry." Alonzo nodded and started to leave. He looked back to Shen-Shen. She sulkily followed her father out of the junkyard. Sillabub trailed along beside her friend. Squirt spit some black fur off her tongue.

"My, you've got think fur." She looked up into Mistoffelees' face. "I should wash you mouth out with soap," she spit some more on the ground," in fact, I think I should wash my mouth out too. It must have been something I ate."

"Thank you for stopping the fight. I'm not sure what I might have done to him."

"No prob. Hey Black," she tugged on his tail, "can I be a Jellicle?"

Mistoffelees smiled, liking the blunt kitten. It would be a loss to lose one so different, so much her own cat.

"We'd have to ask Old Dueteronomy. He's wise, he'll know. Come, this way." As they started off, Squirt leapt onto his back, and sit straight upright, expecting Old Duet to be this wonderful, huge, old creature who can help. Instead of shaking off anyone who wasn't Shen-Shen, Mistoffelees' grin only broadened.

"Hey Black, can you slow down? I'm getting a little seasick."

Part Three

To the Junkyard