In the fading light of day, a tall, imposing, ginger feline paced restlessly. In his eyes was a look of murder and few could bring themselves to approach him, out of fear and what could happen if the wrong thing was uttered in his presence.

He was rumored to be one of the most feared of felines, but now his reputation for crime and evil was heightened. Most only had to look at him to realize the true reason behind this. One look in his savage eyes could tell anyone that he was driven to a point where good and evil knew no difference in his mind. For him, the end justified the means and if that meant killing anyone who represented any kind of obstacle, he willing to do what was necessary to get what he desired.

It hadn’t always been like this, though. Years ago, he was still known for his reputation as a criminal, but some could claim a soft spot within him that those who appealed for sympathy could find. Now, however, there was nothing that could even begin to reason with him once he had his mind set to something.

Perhaps it was the way that fate always seemed to play against him. The hand that the world continued to deal him was what some say had driven to this coldhearted, bloodthirsty persona he now embraced willingly. Some could sympathize with him and said that it was only natural that he had given up on the ideals most of the other felines embraced. Why should he, they asked amongst themselves. All he had ever gotten from those ideals were pain and suffering.

Now, he suddenly stopped in his pacing, turning slowly towards the doorway, his sharp eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Who is it?” he hissed, his tail swaying back and forth in annoyance.

The tom in the doorway watched him carefully for a moment before stepping in. Almost the physical opposite of the tall, thin criminal, the tom was white with brown hints on his fur. He was somewhat shorter and far more muscular. He met the ginger tom’s eyes without much fear.

“It’s me, Macavity,” he said quietly, straightening his back. “Someone said you wanted to see me.”

“Who?”

The white tom shook his head. “I don’t recall.” They stared at one another, knowing perfectly well that the white tom was protecting his source. Nobody ever spread rumors about the ginger tom without fear for their lives, so those who did made sure that those they told wouldn’t reveal the source of the rumor.

Sneering, the ginger tom turned away and began to pace again. “Did they bother to tell you what about?”

“No, they didn’t.” The white tom frowned, starting to reach out to touch the other tom, then drew his paw back. He decided it would be best not to touch the angry, stalking animal in front of him, lest he be attacked.

“No, of course not,” Macavity said quietly, looking towards the white tom. He pressed his paws together in front of him as he walked. “I just wanted to know exactly what is going on with you and…” He seemed to hesitate a moment, as though to collect his thoughts. His eyes suddenly seemed to burn with a dangerous fire. “My mate.”

The white tom felt his mouth go dry and he swallowed. “Excuse me?”

Macavity laughed lowly. “My mate, dear friend. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so presumptuous as to think that you would willingly admit to anything.” He took a step towards the white tom. “But, come now, old friend, tell me what exactly is going on.”

The smaller tom shook his head in fear, taking a quick step away. He didn’t know what to do. What to say. He was caught and he was trapped where he stood. Nothing he could do would help him and he shivered to think what his old friend would to do him.

Just by looking into Macavity’s eyes, he knew that he wasn’t dealing with the same tom he had known all his life and had almost given his own life for more than once. This Macavity was different, far more cold and calculating than he had ever seen him before. Something in him had indeed snapped, only it was the white tom’s bad luck to find out that this had happened when he did.

“Nothing is going on, Macavity,” he said, forcing his voice to stay calm. “I don’t know where you heard this from, but it’s not true. I wouldn’t do anything to betray you.”

“You wouldn’t?” Macavity continued to pace, extending and retracting his claws. He eyed the other tom like a predator watching its prey.

Without warning, he lunged forward, forcing the white tom off his feet and down onto the ground. Putting his full weight onto the other tom, Macavity growled and pressed his claws against the soft flesh of the white tom’s throat.

“Damn it, Ry, don’t you think that you would know by now that I can’t stand to be lied to?” He narrowed his eyes. “Admit it now, or I’ll kill you right now.”

Orion looked away from his friend, terrified to look at him any longer. This wasn’t his friend. It couldn’t be! But, it was! And, he was going to kill him, if he didn’t do something.

“Macavity, please don’t do this,” he managed to whisper, wincing in pain as the ginger tom’s claws bit into his skin. “It isn’t what you think.”

Macavity smiled slightly. “It isn’t? Then, pray tell, inform me exactly what is going on.”

Orion didn’t speak for a moment, then cried out in pain as Macavity drove his knee into the smaller tom’s stomach.

“Answer me!”

Hating to have to do this, Orion closed his eyes, prayed to the Everlasting Cat for forgiveness, then swung a fist up from his side and smashed it against his friend’s head. Macavity hissed, but was distracted enough so that Orion managed to fling him off. The white tom whirled back around, kicking his friend in the stomach, and feeling ill while doing it, breathing hard as he watched Macavity slump down, breathless.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Orion panted, his paws clenched at his sides. “You wouldn’t understand because you’re different now. You’re not the tom I used to know.”

Macavity raised his head to look up at Orion with murder in his eyes. “I’m going to kill you for sleeping with her. And, for what you just did.”

“No, you’re not, Macavity. I’m not going to let you do that.”

As if to prove his point, Orion slammed his fist down on the back of Macavity’s neck. The ginger tom slumped forward, sprawling out on the ground. He was out cold. Orion cringed, wanting to take it back with all his heart, but instead whirled and raced from the room, fear pounding into his head.

He ignored the questioning looks that he was getting from the other strays as he took off through the dark, twisting corridors of the warehouse. Several times, he stumbled from looking back over his shoulder. After a while, he burst through a low doorway and out into the crisp night air.

He doubled over, closing his eyes and willing himself to stay calm. He had no idea where he could run. There was nobody he could turn to. No one he could run to for help. Besides, even if there was, who would shelter someone who Macavity wished to see dead?

He gathered his breath and senses and continued to run, finally collapsing somewhere a distance away from the warehouse. He had no idea where he was and didn’t care. He could barely think, let alone let himself be concerned with his whereabouts. He buried his head in his paws, trying desperately to recall what had happened. What had led to this night.

~*~

Orion paused outside of the low doorway, sniffing the air cautiously. He thought he knew who was in the room, but wasn’t quite sure. He frowned, sensing deep down that something wasn’t right. The white tom stepped forward, curiosity on his face.

He hesitated right inside the room, watching as the beautiful, white queen crouched on the ground, arms wrapped around herself and weeping. He didn’t know what to say, or if he should say anything at all. He started to back away, thinking perhaps he could find someone who know what to do when she turned to him.

Her pretty face was tear streaked and held the most heart breaking look that he felt himself grow almost weak with sympathy for the suffering creature. Her normally well groomed fur hung limply around her shoulders and was tangled into her eyes. She quickly brushed at her face, trying to compose herself.

“Orion,” she managed. “I… I didn’t hear you come in.”

He took a step forward. “Are you all right?” he asked her softly, frowning as he spoke. “What happened?”

She laughed bitterly, rocking back on her heels. “Nothing and everything,” she replied, looking away from him suddenly. “I was thinking about Otto.”

Orion tensed. She looked up at him slowly, then looked down again. “I know I shouldn’t. I know that I should just forget, but how do you do that?” She tugged her fingers through her fur. “How do you forget your eldest child? How can you just go and pretend he never existed. That I never borne him. That…” She stopped. Her eyes met Orion’s again. “I’m sorry for what he did to you, to all of us, but I can’t help it. I want my child back.”

Orion knelt down beside her, resting a paw on her shoulder gently. “I know you do, Griddlebone. Nobody’s blaming you for what happened, you know that right?”

“Oh, I know. I know. It’s just that whenever I bring him up, Macavity gets that distant look and gets short and angry with me. He snapped at me today when I mentioned Otto’s name in passing. He told me that I was never to mention his name again because he was worthless and he said that he was glad he killed him.” Griddlebone sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what she had just admitted to him. She licked her lips, then looked back.

“But, there’s something else,” Orion noted quietly. “Or else you wouldn’t be here like this.”

She smiled, but it lacked any humor. “You’re right, as usual, Ry. It’s Giselle.”

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked, feeling his stomach sink.

Griddlebone let out a low moan of agony suddenly, pitching forward into his arms. Orion rocked backwards, confused and startled. He put his arms around her, hoping to offer some comfort, but feeling uncomfortable about embracing his friend’s mate. Still, there was something very wrong and he had to do whatever he could for her.

“Griddle?”

“Oh, Heavyside, Ry. They think that she… she…” She let out another choked cry, unable to continue.

“She what?”

“She has wh-what Otto had.”

Orion shivered suddenly, pulling her closer into his arms, feeling cold and frightened all at once. He shook his head suddenly.

“No, they can’t be right. It wouldn’t be true because there’s no way she could’ve gotten it. No way…”

The white queen looked up at him. “But, there is, Ry! Don’t you remember! Don’t you remember what happened to her! It’s not impossible, you know!” She drew in a breath. “He must’ve given it to her and now… now, she’s going to die!”

“No, Griddle. We’ll go now and make sure. It has to impossible. I mean, Heavyside wouldn’t be so cruel to treat you like that. To treat anyone like that. It wasn’t her fault.”

Griddlebone retreated from his embrace. “Orion, why can’t you just except that it’s a possibility? I’m her mother and I can except that it could be happening.”

He looked away, unable to answer her. He couldn’t possibly tell her that he refused to believe because, for him, having the little child die could be a defeat for him. After he had risked his life to save her and Macavity, and now she was going die? It couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen.

He grabbed hold of Griddlebone’s paw and suddenly pulled her to her feet. She blinked at him, startled.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“We’re going now. We’re going to go find someone to help her. Surely, the strays here wouldn’t know what to do. We’ll find a Jellicle to help us,” he answered, looking frenzied. She squeezed his paw.

“All right.”

~*~

Orion stood silently beside the bed, separating himself from the others. Macavity was holding Griddlebone close to himself, his face emotionless as stone. His mate was weeping into his fur, moaning softly. The other kittens had not been allowed in and the only other person with them was a rather uneasy Tantomile.

The young queen had agreed to come to the warehouse alone since her mate had flatly refused to come. He felt no sympathy for Macavity’s family, personally believing that everyone got as they deserved. However, his mate felt that they deserved some kind of help, despite what kind trouble they had gotten themselves into. She didn’t care who she helped, just as long as she could try and help someone.

Now, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, resting her paw on the kitten’s forehead. Giselle seemed not to notice, her eyes bright and feverish. She was looking around the room with a kind of crazed panic that brought fear to the young queen’s heart. She had heard of rabies before, but had never witnessed it. She had hoped that the child would be silent and unconscious instead of wide awake and raving in her bed where she lay.

“Poppa!” the kitten suddenly screamed, arching her back and struggling to free herself from the bed. Tantomile cringed back a second, then gently forced the child back down onto the bed. Macavity bit down his lip, but otherwise showed no emotion whatsoever.

“Poppa!” she repeated, frantic with worry. Orion glanced at his friend quickly.

“Damn it, Macavity, say something to her!” he hissed, surprising himself. Macavity looked up sharply, a look of confused anger on his face. He shook his head, then looked back down at the whimpering kitten.

“I…I’m right here, Gissy,” he said quietly. “What’s wrong, love?”

“Poppa! It’s Otto again! He’s in the room!” she moaned in agony, trying to sit up in the bed and unable because of Tantomile’s paws. Macavity flinched. “Poppa, he wants to hurt us again! He said he does! Poppa, make him leave! Make him go!”

Macavity took an involuntary step backwards, breaking away from Griddlebone. “No, Gissy. No, he’s not here. I promise you that.”

The kitten suddenly screamed again, wrenching free of Tantomile and hurling herself onto the floor. Griddlebone cried out in terror, running to her kitten’s side. The tiny creature hissed savagely, trying to slash at her mother for approaching. Tantomile touched the white queen’s arm and pulled her back.

“Don’t touch her,” the dark queen said quietly. “It’s not safe.” She sighed. “It’s the last stages. From what I know, she should be calming down soon and then she’ll drift off.”

“How can you say that?” Griddlebone demanded. “That’s my child! I can’t just let her suffer like this! She needs me to hold her.”

Tantomile held her back again as she tried to move towards Giselle who hissed again, her unnaturally bright darting around the room. “Do that and she could infect you as well. You could get it, too.”

Griddlebone stared numbly at Giselle, then spun and hurled herself against Macavity. He didn’t move to put his arms around her, only stared at his child in a kind of numb, stupid disbelief. She wept against him, her shoulders heaving with the agony that only a mother with a dying child could know. Orion turned to Giselle, bending down.

He met the kitten’s eyes, trying to figure out what was going through her mind. Her large, savage eyes met his, her small, pretty face distorted with a look of rage and hostility. She hissed at him, extending her claws. When he didn’t move or show any signs of backing away from her, Giselle stopped moving, simply watching him. She suddenly sunk to the ground, her eyes rolling up into her head. Orion started to reach for her, but felt Tantomile’s paw on his shoulder.

“She’ll come around in a minute or so.”

Orion waited, not seeing Macavity turning his face from his child and friend, looking very much like he wanted desperately to be out of the crowded, sick room. After a minute or so, Giselle’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked at the white tom who sat crouched in front of her, then began to weep.

“Uncle Ry?” she whimpered through her tears. He nodded.

“What’s up, sweetheart?”

“Is it going to stop soon? Do I have to keep hurting like this any more?”

Griddlebone whimpered again, turning back towards her child. “Giselle, honey, Mommy’s here. Mommy won’t let you hurt anymore.”

The kitten nodded, holding out her arms. In a blur, Griddlebone held the child to her. Giselle wept quietly against her mother, then looked towards her father.

“Tell Daddy it’s not his fault,” she whispered, barely audible. “Tell Poppa that I don’t blame him.”

“Of course, love,” Griddlebone whispered.

Orion jumped when the kitten turned her eyes to his.

“Or yours, Uncle Ry.”

He nodded slowly, suddenly feeling how Macavity outwardly looked. He felt nothing, he knew nothing. That emptiness frightened him, but he knew that if allowed himself to feel anything, he couldn’t stand the pain.

He bowed his head as Giselle drew her last breath, feeling a jolt of inner pain rush through his body. He turned to look as Macavity drew in a short breath, looking sick and disoriented, before turning on his heel and marching from the room. Griddlebone seemed not to notice, clutching her child closer still to her bosom.

~*~

Orion turned slowly from his quiet repose to face Griddlebone. The queen stood silently staring at him. He stood, his face drooped with sadness.

“How are you?” he asked, knowing the answer full well.

She shook her head. “Ry, he won’t even talk to me. I asked him how we should bury her and he… Ry, he slapped me and told me not to say anything about it. He said that if we didn’t talk about it, then she wouldn’t be dead and we wouldn’t have to think about it.”

Orion shook his head, standing still. “God… what’s happening to him? I know that this is his child, but he’s got to admit that she’s gone.”

Tail and ears drooping, Griddlebone moaned. “Don’t say it, though. Maybe he’s right…”

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, brushing the tears from her face. She looked up at him, startled.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“I… I was just trying to comfort you,” he answered lamely, starting to pull away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

He stopped moving as she touched her paws to his waist, pulling him to close her body. She rested her head against his chest.

“No. Don’t pull away from me. Don’t you think Macavity does that enough now. He won’t even look at me if I dare to mention either of their names. It’s awful.”

He held her close. He didn’t want to think about it. It frightened him to think how Macavity had stared at his child, that cold, unknowing disbelief that made the white tom’s blood run cold. He knew why Griddlebone was so upset. He squeezed her shoulders.

“It’s all right,” he murmured.

Orion jumped in shock and alarm as she tilted her face up to his and pressed her mouth onto his. He pulled back.

“What are you doing?” He shook his head. “You can’t do that! Don’t you understand what Macavity would do? He’s not himself. There’s no telling what kinds of torture he could think up to punish us if he knew.”

Griddlebone shook her head. “Damn it, Ry. I don’t care. Just what you said: he’s not himself. I don’t know where to turn. I need comfort and I need you now. You’re the only one who seems to understand.”

Orion stared at her for moment, then aggressively pressed himself against her. She moaned lowly, but he couldn’t tell if it was from desire or sadness. He decided to not care what it was from and kissed her almost savagely. It had been many months since he had even had a queen. He hadn’t been physically capable of it because of what Otto had done to his body and had truly lacked any desire.

Now, though, he felt desire rush through him and knelt down onto the ground, bringing her down with him. He covered her neck and face with kisses and she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her head fall back.

After a time, they lay together, side by side, and entwined in one another’s arms. He felt weakened, his back and stomach throbbing from a long ago pain awakened by their nearly frantic love-making. He nestled his head against her shoulder, trying to stifle a low moan of pain. She touched the back of his head tenderly.

“Ry, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he responded, looking back up her with a weak smile. Her face darkened.

“It hurt you, didn’t it?”

“No, of course not,” he said, his eyes revealing that he was lying. She stroked his face.

“Next time, I’ll be more careful,” she promised. “I forgot that you…”

“There’s nothing wrong with me…”

“Ry, I know what happened. I know why it hurt. Don’t try and lie to me,” she said, her voice soft and gentle. “Please, let me know what’s going on with you. I don’t want you to hurt any more.”

He nodded weakly, burying his face back against her shoulder. He felt that he could lay in her embrace forever and just forget what had happened to him.

~*~

They met secretly, she unable to cope with the ever growing coldness of her mate and he unable to cope with all that had happened to him within the past year. They both knew that what they were doing was dangerous, because Macavity had abruptly taken on a cold, calculating manner that frightened them both more than anything else ever could. They both feared him, but not for what he could physically do to them. Orion had watched what he did to the unfortunate strays that dared to defy him and knew perfectly well that the ginger tom, the now fast becoming dreaded Napoleon of Crime, was also becoming a master in getting precisely what he wanted.

He no longer seemed to care what either of them had to say to him, merely giving them blank stares, then turning back to his task at hand. Orion could vividly remember trying to convince the taller tom to stop his mind games with a mere kitten that had broken a simple rule and being snapped at and feeling as though if he dared to say anything more on the subject, he would be physically threatened.

Griddlebone hooked her arms around Orion’s waist, panting. They had decided to meet again in the small, dark room far from Macavity usually went. Orion could feel his stomach flare up with pain each time he entered her and was concentrating on not feeling that awful, sickening pain. He found himself cursing Otto each time. Not exactly the greatest thought to have on your mind while making love, he reflected, but it was something he supposed he’d have to get used to.

He let out a sudden, loud cry of pain slumping on top of her. Griddlebone held onto him for a moment, then began to stroke his head. When he didn’t really move other than to nestle his face closer against her thick fur, she become worried.

“Ry? Are you all right?”

He moaned, shivering. He hadn’t felt this much pain since… since Otto had taken it into his head to try and tear his insides out. He couldn’t stop this stupid shivering and knew he was frightening Griddlebone. She continued to stroke his head.

“Please, answer me,” she pleaded, worried.

“I’m all right,” he answered weakly. He somehow managed to roll himself onto the ground next to her. Her eyes studied his carefully.

“We can’t keep doing this if it’s going to hurt you every time.”

“I’m not weak,” he growled, more at himself than her. “I can handle it… if it weren’t for this stupid pain in my stomach, I’d be fine.”

“I know…” she whispered, pulling him close to her. He bit down on his lower lip as another jolt of pain coursed through his body. “I’m sorry, Ry.”

“You know, the boss ain’t gonna like this one little bit,” a rasping voice came from the doorway.

The lovers jerked away from one another, Orion crying out again and wrapping his arms around his middle. The tom standing in the doorway smirked.

“Oh, that’s good, Orion. Try and cover what the two of you were doing by going and pretending that you’re hurt. I get it,” he cackled, making Griddlebone bristle. “I bet she was trying to kiss it better, huh?”

“Get out of here, you scum,” she hissed, putting a paw on Orion’s shoulder, trying to soothe his pain best she could. “Get out of here! This is none of your business.”

The tom laughed. “Maybe it’s none of mine, Griddlebone, but it certainly is Macavity’s. I think he ought to know what his pretty, little queen is doing behind his back.” He laughed again. “And, to think, she’s been doing it with his best friend the whole time.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“I would so.” He narrowed his eyes at Orion, who was struggling upright. “You should’ve thought of this before you went and chose him over me. You could’ve had me, darling Griddlebone, and no one would’ve ever known about it.”

“Bastard!” she shrieked, standing and extending her claws. “Don’t you ever say anything like that to me again! Macavity will kill you for talking that way to me!”

“Correction. Macavity will kill that miserable excuse for a tom you’ve been playing around with. Heavyside knows what he’ll do to you, my dear, but it won’t be pretty.”

“Get out!” she screamed, lunging at him.

The tom easily threw her to the ground as she came at him, then backed out of the doorway. He sneered angrily at the lovers, then strode away. Griddlebone panted in fear and anger, then turned to Orion.

“What are we going to do? He’s going to tell him! He’ll find out and everything will…”

She found her way back into his arms, trembling with fear. Orion closed his eyes, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He didn’t want to have to tell her that whatever they did, they would be doomed. He knew that Macavity wouldn’t take well to whatever happened.

They held each other in silence, each dreading what they imagined to come.

~*~

Orion made his way silently through the halls. He noticed everyone staring at him. Several looked away from him, as though disappointed or fearful that by even looking at the doomed tom, they would be putting themselves in some kind of mortal danger.

One young queen approached him, her face expressionless. “I hear that Macavity wants to see you.”

Orion swallowed. “He does?”

“Of course, he does.” She looked around. “But, I suggest you get there fast or get the hell out of here. He sure is pissed and I would hate to make it any worse by making him wait.”

Nodding numbly, Orion made his way towards the dark room that he knew Macavity would be in.

~*~

Now, sitting on the cold pavement, Orion felt himself grow weak with depression. He wasn’t sure how he would be able to survive out here. Macavity had always been the one to survive- he just got pulled on along. Maybe he could fight well enough, but Macavity had always had the brains of the duo, at least in Orion’s opinion, and without the ginger tom by his side, he felt lost as to what he should do.

He feel asleep there in the alley, awakening a while later. He opened his sleep coated eyes as the first rays of sunlight began to strike the pavement. Orion rubbed his face, looking up at the sun dully. Another day. What was that supposed to mean to him? There wasn’t anything for him to do anymore. Nothing for him to live for.

As he sat there, feeling sorry for himself, he suddenly felt a rush of hope flow through him. A new day. Of course. It was the old Jellicle idea, come back to haunt him. He could start this new day completely anew.

He found strength enough to raise from the ground. That was it. He would start a new day and a new life. Hard as it would be, he’d have to forget and to not look back on what he had done. He’d have to forget Macavity and Griddlebone and Otto. It was the way things must be done.

Setting his jaw, the white tom nodded and began to walk forward. Orion was dead. He would no longer be called Orion. He would leave that name and identity in the past and make a new future for himself. Somewhere else and far away from here. Maybe, someday, he would find the strength to return, but, for now, he knew that he no longer belonged there.

Orion was no more.