Chapter 3

By Nemisis

Quaxo walked back to Electra and Pouncival, pondering what Vicki's big problem with Lec was. When he was spotted, he was automatically pounced upon but his younger brother and his friend. Electra looked around. "Hey, Xo.... Where'd Tumble go?"

Quaxo smiled to himself and put a paw on Electra's nose. "Ah, he had 'tom' stuff ta do..."

Pouncival's eyes lit up and he jumped off of Quaxo and bounded up and down on his paws. "I wanna do 'tom' stuff! Where'd he go!? I wanna help!"

Before Quaxo could say a word against it, Pouncival had zoomed across the junkyard in search. Quaxo shook his head and smiled to Lec. "Say... Uh... Lec... mind having a little talk with me?"

Electra grinned and hopped of him and nodded. "Sure, Quaxo!"

Quaxo sat up and motioned over to his favourite pipe, which Electra followed him into. Quaxo smiled. "You excited about next week, Electra? It's your coming of age ball, you know!"

Lec grinned and nodded. "Yea, but I'm awful nervous! What if no one wants to dance with me? I know it doesn't mean they're your mate forever or anything, but it'd still be pretty embarrassing..."

Quaxo grinned to himself. "Electra, I promise you someone will dance with you... and I bet it will be someone who wouldn't mind being your mate forever..." He nuzzled her comfortingly.

She smiled. "Quaxo? Will you promise me something?"

Quaxo nodded and smiled. "Anything, Electra..."

She crinkled her nose slightly and gained a more serious look. "Well, two things, actually..."

He laughed. "Anything you want!"

Lec leaned up to him and whispered in Quaxo's ear. "If you can't get Tumble to dance with me, would you please take his place?"

Quaxo laughed to himself at hearing her comments about Tumble and he hugged her tightly. "I promise to do both..."

Lec's eyes closed as she hugged him back. "Thank you, Quaxy! I've gotta go tell Cori and Tanto!" She hopped out of his arms and ran towards the pipe where her siblings lived. "See you later!"

Quaxo shook his head and stretched out. "Tumble's one lucky tom for winning her heart... too bad I didn't think about it first..."

~~

"Coricopat! Tantomile!" Electra yelled out as she ran to her siblings pipe.

Tantomile smiled and turned to her brother's spot on a straw pillow. "The kitten is home..."

Corico turned over and smiled, eyes still shut. "...And excited at that..."

Lec ran in and panted heavily. "Cori... Tanto... Ball... next week... nervous... dance..." She plopped to the ground and sighed, still breathing heavily.

Coricopat looked up from his pillow and smiled. "You will be wonderful, little sister"

She looked up to Tantomile and crinkled her nose. "Tantomile... Who dance with you at your coming of age?"

Tanto smiled and shook her head. "I did not participate in the coming of age ceremony.... my year was the same year that the queen Rumpleteazer was to come of age, and I graciously gave her the privilege of dancing in the ball. She danced with your friend Tumblebrutus, I believe..."

Coricopat laughed slightly and sat up. "Though he brother Mungojerrie was prepared to mutilate the poor tom if he tried anything funny with her..."

Electra's ears drooped slightly at the mention of Tumble's name. Tantomile nuzzled her chin and grinned. "Don't you worry now... It doesn't mean that he's her mate... it just shows he cares for her and wants her to grow up to be a strong queen...; you still have a chance with him..."

Lec eyes shut as she curled up on her own beaten up straw pillow as she smiled at Tantomile's comment. Once asleep, Tantomile signaled for Coricopat to follow her deeper in the pipe.

~~

"The poor girl..." Tantomile said once they we far enough from the sleeping quitten. "She has no idea what her past is..."

Coricopat nodded. "But it is so unsafe to tell her now... With the Jellicle ball coming up..."

"Her Jellicle ball..." Tantomile agreed. "We just must hope that Macavity does not find out about her being his daughter."

"It was so close when he came for the mother last year" Coricopat added.

"She is safe with us... we will not let him take her... and if I know those two toms that have their hearts set on her, they will not either..."

~~

Victoria crept through the alleys of London, moving as silently as she could. She shuddered with each catcall she received from the alley toms, but she kept her attention on her journey and she ignored them the best she could.

She was extremely relieved when she approached the broken wooden doghouse that was her destination. She peered in and was greeted by a pair of green, glowing eyes. Victoria stepped the rest of the way inside and came face to face with the one she had been searching for.

"Well well! Long time since I've seen you, kitten..." the voice purred.

Vicki smiled politely and nodded in respect. "Good evening, Aunt Griddlebone... I"m sorry I don"t have the chance to visit more often, but you know how mother feels about you leaving the tribe..."

Griddle sighed and lowered her head. "And she knows I do regret it... but what else was I to do? With Growltiger's kittens, I had no where else to turn but to Tiger's nephew, Macavity; even if the kittens did get a chance to be Jellicles..."

Vicki nodded. "Yes... that family has had a few to stray for the right path... but that brings me to the reason why I've felt obligated to visit you..."

Griddle nodded. "I'm listening, dear..."

Vicki continued. "Well... I know for a fact that one of Macavity's kittens is roaming free in the junkyard, and I fear she's a danger to the other kittens..."

Griddle shook her head. "But to tell him this... the Jellicles would be in danger!"

"Well..." Vicki stated, "If you promise him the kitten and his ex-concubine..."

"...He won't harm the others.... because that's all he wants...", Griddle finished for her.

"Please do this for me, Aunt Griddlebone...; it's for the safety of all of us... especially my sister and brothers..." With that, Victoria hopped out of the house and began running back towards her high society home.