The Solitude of Silence
Author's Note: This story I wrote a few years ago and then I posted it on another site for comments and someone else posted the exact same thing somewhere *can’t remember * so there’s another Solitude of Silence floating around somewhere if you have seen this story somewhere else tell me! I wanna give that person a piece of my mind! BTW this story is not for people with slightly weak stomachs.
Sirens wailed aboard the star ship as it made it's rapid descent from the blackened sky. Jesse Buckley, Lt. Ace, and Captain of the U.S.S Raven screamed for the crew to abandon ship, hoping his voice could be heard over the sirens and the wails of the missiles being thrown at them from the enemy. He raced through the halls, trying to get everyone, civilians, disoriented crewmen, children, into the life pods. He threw back a sweaty piece of dusty blonde hair before entering the final life pod, and ejecting.
"Captain! You're hurt!" whispered Lt. Celeste Calan. Calan or as she was most commonly called Cal, was a short, petite engineer with long auburn hair that reached to mid calf, normally swept back in a loose ponytail. Jack smiled. He knew she had a crush on him.
"Yeah, damn Arions, I knew the government never should have trusted them. Thanks for the offer." He said as he reached up to touch his bleeding brow. "But you don't look so hot yourself." He said motioning to her bleeding lip and swollen eye. She smiled brightly.
"Do I look that scary?" She said with a chuckle. They were about to continue when there was a rough jolt to the pod. Cal yelped and threw herself into Jack's arms. Not that it was any surprise to him.
"Mr. Clarke! What's going on up there!?!" He shouted. A thin faced Irish man with red hair, Dr. Podrick Clarke; turned towards him, blue eyes fearful.
"Sir I think we're going down!" He said, just as they were pulled into the atmosphere of a moon or some planet nearby. Gravity pulled harshly on the pod, causing the crew to feel very sick. They hit the ground with an enormous thud, causing all four occupants to black out.
Mistoffelees was sitting in his favorite tree playing his pipes - an instrument made out reeds of different sizes with holes in them - when a giant object, appearing almost on fire fell to the earth in the field in front of him, causing him to fall from his lofty perch. He quickly grabbed one of the stronger branches on the way down with his claws, and then began to climb slowly down. When he reached the bottom, he debated on what to do. He knew he should go find Munkustrap and tell him of the foreign object, but somehow, he just didn't want to tell the leader and protector just yet. Slowly he ventured towards the smoking object, wary of the sparks that it was giving off. He approached something that looked like a tiny covered entrance and looked inside.
Callen Cat awoke drowsily from her position on the floor. None of the crew had noticed her inside the pod, but she was used to that. The rest of the crew was still out, she noted as she began to dust off her black jumper. She was a tall girl, about twelve years old, with light brown hair streaked with a few bright gold bits. She blinked her large green eyes and began to wonder where she was. Slowly, trying not to trip on any of the fallen machines she made it to a window. She looked out to see a curious cat face staring right back at her. She screamed and fell back tripping over a fallen chair. The face appeared just as shocked, but said nothing as it backed up.
Jesse arose with a groan as he heard the feminine scream. He looked up to see a very frightened looking young girl. He blinked his eyes and tried to focus as he heard the groans of his fellow crewmates.
"Desiderata..." Came the weak voice of Cal. The crew had given Callen that nickname because when she didn’t like something she swung into action to right it "What the hell are you doing here?" She murmured as she tried to stand up. Desiderata ran over to aid her to her feet.
"I've been here the whole time Cal." Cal seemed to have no quarrel with that as she leaned against a console. Eventually Clarke peeled himself from the ground, as did Jesse.
"What frightened you so, my dear, that you screamed loud enough to awake the dead?" Asked Clarke as he drowsily rubbed his blue eyes.
Desiderata gulped before speaking, "Well, you're gonna think this is silly, but I saw a huge cat person staring at me, and well...I kinda freaked." Cal laughed, even while she gripped her injured side. Desiderata blushed and looked to the floor. Cal put the other hand on Desiderata’s shoulder.
"Not... laughin' at you... sweetie... but I had... that... same reaction... the first time... I saw... a Jellicle!" She said hysterically. Now, Jellicle's, to the reader, are cat like humans. Desiderata’s expression lightened.
"Well," Jesse groaned as he tried to stand upright with out assistance. "We'd better meet these cat people of yours, Desiderata." Slowly he stumbled towards the emergency exit, Dr. Clarke, Lt. Calan, and Desiderata behind him.
Mistoffelees backed slowly away from the covered entrance as the strange furless creature screamed. He didn't go to far, since he was still very curious, but was ready to leave if the inhabitants of the strange object turned out to be less than friendly, or friends of their owners. He clenched a fist as he rubbed his scarred arm, where his metal identification band had once been. Just as he thought he was far enough back he tripped over a branch and fell into the mud with a plop. He rolled his eyes as he slowly pulled himself out. He was in trouble when he got home. Momma would not be pleased with him staining his pants. They were his only everyday pair, and mamma was not going to like cleaning them. He tried to peel away as much of the brown goop from the cream colored pants as possible, but it was to no avail. They were stained, and he was in deep. He flicked his large gray eyes up as he heard a loud mechanical groan. Absently he fumbled for his pipes as they came out. They looked injured, and probably needed some help. But still, he needed to know whom they allied with. Standing his tallest, which wasn't much, he stared at them expectantly.
Jesse noticed almost immediately the small cat creature, in a pair of muddy pants, staring at them. He chuckled as he examined the dirt on the pants. "Looks as if you scared him as much he scare you Desiderata!" He called back as he leaped to the ground, only a four or five foot drop. Slowly he approached the cat, not quite sure what to expect.
Mistoffelees leaped back from the green-eyed man as he came closer. Placing his pipe to his lip he blew a low menacing note telling them to stay back. The man looked surprised, but obeyed. He then saw the wiry red haired man with tiny blue eyes, the shorter woman with long black hair with hazel eyes, and the mahogany haired girl with the deep green ones. He counted four against him should he have to fight them. Slowly he began to motion to them with his hands, asking them whom they sided with, but all he got was confused expressions.
Jack leaned over to Cal. "You getting any of this? It looks as if he's trying to ask us something." He whispered. Cal shook her head.
"Sorry, my translator only works with spoken languages. I can't tell what he's saying either. Let's just hope it's not a threat." She whispered back. Mistoffelees sighed and place his hands at his side. Re adjusting the strap that held his pipes, he turned back towards the village, motioning with one hand for them to follow.
"Finally!" Clarke exclaimed. "Something I understand. I guess he wants us to follow him." He said marching after the cat before he lost him in the tall grass. Seeing no other option, Desiderata, Jesse, and Cal followed.
They carried on for hours, marching through dense forests, which their much more adept guide breezed through, leaving them to struggle along behind him. Fortunately he stopped and helped them through the rougher spots where roots sprung out of uneven and slippery ground. If they fell, he simply smiled and helped them back up. The smiling was at least some reassurance that he wasn't leading him into a trap.
Desiderata watched their guide like a hawk. He was black, with white gloves and boots, a white face and chest, with a black bowtie. He looked to be only slightly older than her, but a little smaller. His eyes were aqua blue and shimmered eerily. Before she could think anymore, he stopped abruptly, and began to play music. She could hear in the background voices talking, but abruptly starting when the music began. A shadow fell and the bushes began to part, and for a moment the humans feared an attack. The large bush in front of them parted to reveal a tall, muscular gray tabby with golden eyes staring at them with a look of slight displeasure.
Munkustrap heard Mistoffelees 'unique' call, and came towards the bushes in which it emanated. He parted the bushes, expecting to see some small animal that he'd found injured, which he would drag into village. He cared for them, healed them, and then set them free. It made no sense, because inevitably they'd capture it and have to kill it to survive. It was those days that Mistoffelees didn't eat of his own accord. When he looked down he saw Mistoffelees and four strange hairless creatures. Very large hairless creatures in comparison to the usual. He looked to Mistoffelees, who had dropped his pipes and had started motioning with his hands. A fist above his hand smacked into an open palm, the scene changed and two fingers walked off the crashed object four times. He then motioned to the four behind him, who looked terribly frightened. Putting together Mistoffelees pantomimes, he understood roughly what had happened, he would have to ask the visitors later. He looked back to Mistoffelees.
"Are they peaceful?" He growled in their native tongue, which consisted of what you would expect the cat language to sound like, mews, meows, snarls, hisses, and growls. Mistoffelees picked up the pipes and played a soothing tune. They were peaceful.
Jesse turned to Cal anxiously. "How about now? Are you getting anything?" Cal shook her head.
"Nope. It's too foreign for the translator. It's not equipped to handle this." She said as Jesse heard the noticeable groans of the electronics trying to find the root words and identify it.
Munkustrap looked up to the frightened people, then smiled. Forcing himself to speak the language of their owners, he spoke, "Hello, I am Munkustrap, and we are peaceful," He said proudly. "And this young one you have met here is Mistoffelees." He said as he gave him a noogie. Mistoffelees shook and played notes on his pipes playfully.
Jesse and the crew let out a sigh of relief as the translator started to function with the different language. Jesse stood taller, and noticed that Munkustrap was a little taller than him, and stronger too, probably not a good idea to get on his bad side.
"I am Lt. Jesse Buckley, this is Lt. Celeste Calan, Dr. Poderick Clarke, and this little girl is Callen Cat." He said, motioning to each respectively. Munkustrap nodded.
"Come, you must stay with us, for you must be tired and hungry from your ordeal. My and my second's wife shall take care of you." He said then led them into the village. As they stepped into the clearing they saw a brightly colored tent town, which blended in with the numerous flowers that grew right along side them. Many brightly colored cats walked around talking and preparing things. Almost immediately a tall ruby red queen in a loose cream dress that was held up by two straps that cut off at the shoulders, stomped up to Mistoffelees and grabbed him by his arm. She scolded him in their natural language, but from the angry gestures to muddy pants, Desiderata could guess what it was about, as well as the rest of the crew. Being a little braver than the adults, she walked over to Mistoffelees who had his head ducked, and the red queen, who she could guess was his mother. She cleared her throat, and the queen looked up at her with silver gray eyes, almost exactly like Mistoffelees. Praying that her personal translator worked, she began to speak.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. It's kind of my fault. He came up to the window and I screamed when I saw him, because I didn't know who he was, and he backed away frightened, and accidentally fell in the mud." The queen stood and studied her for a moment, then looked to Munkustrap, then back to her. The queen at least looked like she understood.
"Well, then, you can help me clean them in the river tonight." She said in a deep and serious voice. Munkustrap growled at her, but she glared at him, and he fell silent. Desiderata looked to the ground, before looking back up.
"Of course...it seems only fair." She said softly. The red queen broke out into laughter, grabbing her sides. Desiderata blushed deeply, and Mistoffelees whipped his head up and shrugged and shot her a look as if his mother had gone insane for no particular reason
"Oh...you took me seriously. You are silly. The mud will come out, eventually. Any way, Munkustrap would have my hide for his carpet if I made you clean them so soon after your arrival." She grinned, as if still appreciating the joke. She kneeled down to Desiderata’s level. "Although it was very brave of you to admit that." She gave a sidelong look to Mistoffelees. "If only *some*one I knew would do the same." She said.
"He doesn't speak much does he?" Desiderata offered. Bombalurina paled for a second, before recovering, confusing Desiderata.
"No...he doesn't. I am Bombalurina, and you are..." She said cordially, even though there was a trace of old pain in her eyes.
"Well my real name is Callen but my nickname is Desiderata so just call me that." She offered softly. Bombalurina smiled even more, and gently pinched her cheek before standing. It was then that Munkustrap spoke up.
"Bombalurina, where is Demeter and Macavity?" He asked. Bombalurina shrugged.
"Demeter I think is taking Jemima and Etcetera out to tend the gardens..." She paused and looked at Desiderata and the three strangers warily. "And Macavity is...out." She paused, then shook her head. "So, who are these three?" She said motioning to the three remaining humans.
"I'm Jesse and this Cal and Clarke." He said pointing to his crewmates. Bombalurina smiled. Just then something creamy white, gray and gold jumped up on Munkustrap's back, giggling madly.
"Etcetera get off of your father!" A gold and black queen called, holding a gold, red, and black calico from doing the same. She looked to the new four. "We have visitors?" She said, just then, the calico wrenched free of her mother's grasp and tackled Mistoffelees, causing him to fall to the ground in a heap.
"Good afternoon cousin!" She giggled and began to tickle his ribs, causing him to shake all over again. He twisted and caused her to fall to the ground, and then he quickly pinned her. He rubbed against her cheek and she in turn licked his nose. Finally he stood up and righted himself. The calico and the unpried creamy tabby stared at her with curiosity, before giggling to each other.
"I'm Jemima!" the calico said giddily.
"And I'm Etcetera!" the tabby said with equal if not more giddiness. Karen smiled, they looked to be a little younger than her.
"I'm Desiderata."
The two kittens beamed at her and said together "Cool name very Jellicle."
Desiderata looked at Cal and shrugged.
Meanwhile the older cats talked between themselves in their own tongue. Fears of trust came from the two queens, but Munkustrap easily soothed them, and asked them to take them in until they could leave. Reluctantly they agreed.
Cal, Clarke and Jesse however were completely clueless through out the whole thing. Bored, Cal looked at the translator see what language these people were speaking. She did a double take as she read the readouts. She then felt Jesse staring at her, she looked up.
"What language are they speaking that has got you so enthralled, Cal?" Jack asked. Cal gulped.
"Well... umm... sir... they speak Arionese." She said softly. Jesse paled. Their last coordinates had been just out side of Arion border, and in his government's territory. But none knew of the people living on this planet back on earth, but then how did they know Arionese? They were close, but not too close to the border. They had to have some contact with them. Jesse stared at the peaceful looking people, and hoped that they hadn't stumbled into the hands of his enemy. Before he had a chance to think anymore he was confronted by Bombalurina.
"You and your Doctor will go with Demeter. She will show you where you are to stay and inform you of where food, toilet, and bathing facilities. And hopefully she'll get you some fresh clothes. I shall take you women with me." She said, leaving no argument, before grabbing Cal and Desiderata by the wrists and practically dragging them off, Mistoffelees scurrying along behind them. Jesse shrugged to Clarke and followed the impatient looking Demeter.
Bombalurina led them into one of the large multicolored tents. Almost immediately Mistoffelees went over to the farthest corner and flopped into a pile of furs. Inside they found it was very spacious, with three beds of the same tent material and some odd wool looking blankets. There were pots and plates in a corner. A small trunk, two benches, and a small place where a fire would probably be going in the winter. Bombalurina almost immediately began to size them up. She went over to the trunk and threw open the lid then pulled out and identical dress to hers and tossed it to Cal then pulled out jeans and a blue t-shirt and tossed it to Desiderata "Here." she said. "Now change." Cal looked around nervously. "What? Is there something wrong?" Bombalurina said attentively.
"Well... umm... your son..." Cal said softly pointing to the black and white tom who was now engrossed in cleaning his pipes. Bombalurina looked around, and said a few harsh words to her son, who blushed and burrowed deep into the furs, disappearing completely. Cal sighed along with Desiderata.
"I'm sorry, I sometimes forget he's there. He's just so quiet." She said almost breaking off with a sob. She shook her head again and smiled. "Don't worry, he knows not to look. I'm the clothier here, so he normally hides out in the corner." With that assurance Cal and Desiderata changed into the looser and more comfortable clothes.
"I must recommend you to the quartermaster back at headquarters. Maybe he could learn a few things." Cal muttered, enjoying the freedom of the dress compared to her everyday uniform. Desiderata giggled as she straightened her t shirt and smoothed the tight but comfortable jeans, which covered her sneakers fashionably.
Bombalurina smiled as she examined them. "Yes, they fit perfectly." She said, straightening the back of Desiderata’s t-shirt. She patted her head softly. "Mistoffelees!" She called. Almost immediately a head popped up out of the furs, aqua eyes glowing in the dark. "Take Desiderata out to play with the others." She prompted. Mistoffelees' expression darkened slightly, but he came out and graciously took Desiderata by the hand and led her out, without the haste of his mother. Cal watched them nervously as they left. "Don't worry, they won't play rough." Bombalurina assured. "Well, I suppose you will want to find your friends, true?" Cal nodded. "They should be next door getting out fitted. You may wander the camp, but don't stray to far, because the feast will be in a few hours, and if you don't arrive quickly, they'll be little left." And with that, Bombalurina sauntered out of the tent leaving Cal to her devices. She exited after having one final look around. These people didn't look like they were part of the Arion alliance. They were camped out like refugees, and surely if they were with the Arions they wouldn't be living like this, would they? She shook her head, and decided to find Jesse and Clarke.
It would not be hard to find them, since they had quite the negative reaction to their clothing, which were hand me downs from Munkustrap. The only problem was that there were no tops. Cal realized this as she entered the tent, where Jesse and Clarke were desperately clutching their chests. It could not, however, hide Jesse's muscular chest, or Clarke's hairy one. Cal giggled.
"I think the quartermaster really needs to take lessons in proper clothing manufacture from these people." She said as she approached them.
"Hardy har har." Clarke said with sarcasm. "You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you missy?" Cal nodded enthusiastically. Clarke and Jesse rolled their eyes.
"Oh, come on, this place is fairly nice, it's sunny out side. Any way, all the guys are dressed like this. But if you hate them that much, Bombalurina might have some dresses your size." Cal laughed, and Demeter began to giggle, think about males in dresses. Jesse and Clarke, faced with this option, dropped their hands, and began to sputter: "No, no, that's okay." and "We'll get used to it.". After Cal had caught herself Jesse looked around for Desiderata.
"Cal, where's Desiderata?" He asked nervously. He would hate to loose a child on this planet.
"Oh, she went with Mistoffelees, to play with the others," Cal said off handedly. Jesse nodded, still uncomfortable with the idea. "They'll be okay Jesse," She comforted. Cal looked around for a moment, before speaking again. "Thanks for the clothes Demeter, come on guys, let's go explore the campsite." Jesse and Clarke nodded, and they walked out and into the sun.
Desiderata walked along silently with her guide, still puzzled about his silence. She looked to him, he looked completely normal, except for the fact that he was part cat, in human standards. The other's talked, why didn't he?
"Mistoffelees?" She asked softly. Her guide looked to her. "Um... can't you speak?" Mistoffelees shook his head, didn't they know what had happened? But then he reminded himself that they were new here. He froze when he saw the rest of the kittens. He smiled nervously at her, then motioned to the group sitting in a smaller clearing of flowers.
Desiderata stared at the four cats there. There was a black one, with a large tan mane, hands, and feet. A pretty white queen. A black and white patched one, and two brown and white speckled ones. They immediately dropped off their conversation, and came over to her. She began to back towards her guide, only to find him gone. "Hi." She said nervously.
"You're new here aren't you?" Asked the white queen. "I'm Victoria, and these are my friends."
"I'm Alonzo." Said the black and white one.
"Tugger, the Rum Tum Tugger." Said the one with the large mane arrogantly.
"Pouncival." said the smallest of the brown and white ones.
"Tumblebrutus." said the others. Desiderata smiled, they all seemed so very polite.
"I'm Desiderata, so what do you guys want to do?" She asked, and began to look around for Mistoffelees. She spotted him on a long log by a burnt out fire. She motioned for him to come over, but Mistoffelees shook his head.
"I know! Let's play hide and seek!" Victoria squealed. The guys didn't seem to have a problem with it. Desiderata smiled, glad that they at least knew some games she knew.
"Okay!" Desiderata agreed. She looked to her guide. "Mistoffelees, you wanna play?" She asked, Mistoffelees looked surprised. She looked to the others, and then noticed their scowls. Mistoffelees apparently did too, for he shook his head, and then climbed a tree above them. Desiderata shrugged, determined to ask them later what was up with Mistoffelees.
Mistoffelees watched from his perch, as they were playing hide and seek. He wished they'd let him play with them. But he could only play with his cousins, the only ones that didn't tease him out of all the kittens in the tribe. He wished he could play with Desiderata too, but that was nearly impossible, since *they* had already adopted her into their group. He sighed mournfully, before picking up his pipes and playing a sad tune to express his feelings.
Desiderata looked up from her hiding spot to listen to Mistoffelees song. It was beautiful, but before she had more time to contemplate, Victoria giggled and tapped her shoulder. Desiderata shrieked and ran over to one of the tents and began to count.
Cal stopped abruptly in front of a large pole covered with silver rings. Jesse was the next to stop and stare at the shining silver in the sun. They all stared in awe.
"What do ya think it is?" Clarke said as he took a nervous step closer. Cal shook her head and whipped out her scanner. She waved it over one of bands.
"They're tracking devices." she said after she finished. "They've been disabled, probably smashed. They look like the fit around someone's wrist, tailor made guessing from the different sizes." Jack nodded.
"But what would they do with all these tracking devices, from the writing their definitely Arion, I'd bet my best pot of ale on it. And where did they get them?" Clarke pondered aloud. Jesse shook his head.
"I don't know, but it appears that we have some questions to ask our hosts when we get back." They were about to leave, heard rustling, and a deep voice growl:
"Who are you, and why are you here?"
Macavity ran through the forest, eager to get back to his mate and his son. He hated having to go back to the 'grounds'. But they desperately need to get information. He was just entering the clearing where their identification bands hung in an act of rebellion against of their former captors. It was then that he saw the four strange creatures examining it, in his tribe's clothing. He began to fear that his tribe had been recaptured. Hiding in the bushes, he tried to frighten them.
Jesse whipped around trying to find out where the voice was coming from.
"Um... we're visiting the resident tribe here. I am Jesse Buckley and this my crew." Jesse said nervously, playing with the pockets of the pants nervously. "Could you please show yourself, we have no intention of hurting you." Jesse said, trying to pull up some bravado. Just when he thought he had some, he lost it all, for a lean, muscular, and extremely tall fire red, gold, with blazes white tomcat appeared. It worried him that he'd been able to hide behind such small bushes. Green eyes studied them.
"I am Macavity, part of this tribe. Have you received permission from our leader?" Macavity asked, testing them secretly. If they were captors, they would say Deuteronomy, or just yes. But if they were truly invited, they'd say Munkustrap.
"You mean Munkustrap, yes, we've received permission." Macavity sighed inwardly with relief. Now the only question was how they had got here, and how they had found the well-hidden tribe.
"How did you get here and how did you find us?" He growled, still not quite dropping his guard. It was Cal who then spoke.
"We crashed here from our ship, and a kid named Mistoffelees happened to be out and about and he found us. He led us here." Cal said with more confidence than her captain, who envied her at this time. Macavity rolled his eyes and smiled.
"That sounds like Mistoffelees. Sorry for my rudeness, but we're very suspicious of new people, we've had..." Macavity paused, then shuddered. "bad experiences with them. I am Macavity, second in command here." He offered his hand politely.
"I am Jesse Buckley as you know, this is Cal and Clarke." Macavity nodded and shook each hand. He stood straighter.
"I've got to report something to Munkustrap. I suppose I'll leave you to your own devices." Macavity said before heading back to the tent town. Jack shrugged.
Later that night, Jesse and the crew were taught what a real party was. The Jellicles knew how to throw one. A big one. A huge bonfire was lit, blazing at least seven feet high. They were all gathered around it on logs. It was then that the crew met more Jellicles than they could remember. The younger queens became really attached to Clarke, and continuously stroked his hairy chest. It sort of miffed Jesse, who was used to being the ladies man, but made no comment. They had decided to ask Munkustrap about the Arions after the feast. They ate many fruits and berries, but the centerpiece was brought in soon. A large skinned cow-like creature sat in the middle of the fire supported by a spigot, which the stronger males turned.
Desiderata however hung out with the younger cats. Victoria chatted animatedly with her, but her mind was focused only on Mistoffelees, who sat as far away from everyone as possible, after he had been pushed out while the youth were dancing around the fire. There was a tedious moment when Victoria had shoved him away that Desiderata feared that he might fall in the fire. Fortunately he gracefully escaped it and melted into the shadows, as if it was a part of the dance itself. His aqua eyes glowed eerily in the firelight. His muteness still frustrated her. Standing she walked towards him. He stared at her all the way with shock. She smiled as she sat with him. It was then that she commenced testing. Gently she reached up behind his ears and began to scratching, knowing all cats loved it. He looked at her queerly for a moment before flexing his feet and hands with enjoyment as he craned his neck with a blissful smile on his face. Still not a sound came from him. He reached slowly for his pipes and began to play a bubbly and flighty tune as his tail curled in contentment. Karen inwardly sighed, not a sound, not even a purr. She smiled and instead focused on the music.
Pouncival was looking for trouble. He had strict instructions from his mother, Jennyanydots, not to disturb the new arrivals. Not that he'd disturb Desiderata. He knew better than disturb the adults, for they could punish him. And he couldn't do anything to his playmates, for they would either rat him out or beat him up. So that left Mistoffelees. He was too dumb to speak, that much he knew. Slowly he crept over to the fire, and using his empty bowl he scooped up a few of the still extremely hot coals. Snickering as he disappeared into the shadows behind Mistoffelees, he was glad that Desiderata was beside him, she was a distraction to Mistoffelees' sharp instincts. Slowly he appeared behind him. Carefully he grabbed Mistoffelees tail and placed it deep in the burning coals, and waited.
It did not take long for Mistoffelees to realize that something was terribly wrong. His tail seemed trapped, and getting very hot. It was then he smelt the smoke. He looked back and saw to his amazement to see his tail starting to catch on the bowl of embers. Running on instinct, he tried to scream, but nothing came out, as usual. He jumped up and started to run, trying to leave the flames behind, but causing them to catch quicker. He tried pouncing on it, desperately trying to put it out. It was then that he heard Pouncival's laughter, and soon found himself completely soaked. Pouncival and most of the tribe laughing and mocking him. He began to choke up, and left with nothing but the overwhelming need to get away, he ran away. He heard his mother call for him, for she probably wanted to see if his tail was alright, but he couldn't go back there. He was most definite in the belief that it had been Pouncival who had lit his tail aflame, and yet he had to give him some thanks because the water did put it out. *I hate it when they do such dirty things, and yet they save me from suffering. It just isn't fair. They should just make me hate them, and leave it at that.* thought furiously as he climbed another one his favorite trees that overlooked the river, glowing in the starlight.
Desiderata glared at Pouncival hatefully, who was now laughing triumphantly with his friends. What a horrible and rotten thing to do. And what if they hadn't been able to put it out? He could have been killed. But yet, she had to thank him, even though she hated it, Mistoffelees had tried to scream at first, and still nothing came out. During that time she got a quick look at his mouth. It looked normal, except for the fact where there was supposed to be a tongue, there was darkness. Of course she didn't get a good look, and it was fairly dark where they were, but still she thought there was something wrong. But right now Mistoffelees was gone, and from the looks of it wasn't coming back for a long time. She sighed, and was determined to ask Dr. Clarke about this later.
Bombalurina watched as Mistoffelees disappeared into the shadows. She had no idea how Mistoffelees had lighted his tail but she thought it had something to do with the now laughing group of kittens. Soon Macavity was standing beside her, calling Mistoffelees also. She looked to him imploringly.
"Will you please go get him, I worry for him." She said softly. Macavity nodded.
"He's growing up Bombalurina, he'll be fine. He'll come home on his own accord." Bombalurina scowled.
"Yes, but last time he ran off he didn't come back for three days, and he was cut up badly." Macavity rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I will go after, but you shouldn't baby him."
"He's my only one, and I'll treat him as I please." Bombalurina replied tersely. Just as Macavity had disappeared, Jellylorum, who had left before the whole incident came running as fast as Mistoffelees had run out. Munkustrap stood immediately.
"What's the matter Jelly?" He asked.
"It's Electra, she's getting worse, and I can't get her to stop shaking." She said, on the verge of tears. Her oldest daughter had been dreadfully ill after a day playing in the forest. Clarke immediately shot up, pulling his pocket first aid kit and medical scanner.
"Where is she." He said to the frantic queen. She pointed a trembling hand to a tent, but it seemed that she wouldn't have to, for a feminine scream punctuated the air. Clarke nodded and dashed over. Munkustrap looked to Jesse.
"Is he a healer?" He deadpanned. Jesse stared at him as if he had another head.
"Yes." He said slowly. "That's what a doctor does." He said softly. Munkustrap shrugged and held Jellylorum in his arms. "What did you think he was?"
Munkustrap scowled and looked into the distance. "An experimenter." Jellylorum shuddered. This only strengthened Jesse's resolve to find out how they were connected to the Arions, but inwardly he feared what might have happened.
Clarke entered the tent and had no problem finding the child, even in the darkness. Slowly he approached and studied her. She was a trim red, black and gray queen. Her eyes were clamped shut and the fur on her head was slicked back with sweat. Gently he held her down as he began to scan her, fearing that she'd have something he wouldn't be able treat. He sighed in relief when he found it simply the flu. He reached to his med kit and pulled out some aspirin and some fever reducer. Gently he pried her jaws open, which was surprisingly hard, and forced her to swallow. The medication took effect almost immediately, for her face relaxed within minutes into a blissful smile. He rubbed her head gently, before leaving.
As Clarke stepped back into the party, he noticed it had gone dead silent, and faces were puckered with worry.
"She'll be okay, a little tired, but she'll be as right as rain in a few days." There was group sigh of relief, and Clarke returned to his group. Quickly he was joined by the Jellylorum, whose fur flickered golden and red in the firelight.
"Thank you." She whispered. "I haven't been able to cure her, and if you hadn't come along, I don't know what I would have done." She said softly. Clarke smiled, remembering this as the greatest part of the job: helping someone.
"It's nothing." He paused and thought for a moment. He would like to study physical make up of these people, and make sure they weren't carrying anything else potentially deadly for them. "But I'd like to examine you all, the kittens especially, just to make sure that you didn't catch it or anything worse." Jellylorum nodded.
"We'd be honored if you would. Munkustrap would most surely agree."
What they didn't realize was that Desiderata was listening to them from beside the fire. She had gotten closer, since the wind had picked up and she was cold. She decided that it would be the perfect time for Dr. Clarke to figure out what was wrong with Mistoffelees. She nodded to herself, and slowly crept closer to him.
Macavity walked through the high grass searching the trees for any sign of Mistoffelees. He found him in an old tree over looking the river. Slowly he walked up to the base.
"Mistoffelees?" He called. He heard some rustling and saw a white face glowing in the starlight. "Mistoffelees will you come down?" He asked. He was too heavy and not agile enough to climb the tree himself. Mistoffelees shook his head furiously and blew several angry and sharp notes out of his pipe. Macavity sighed. "Come on, you aren't going to stay in that tree forever are you?" Mistoffelees nodded. Macavity growled in frustration. "You're letting them win you know. Those ones who tease you, they're winning with you hiding in a tree." Mistoffelees stared at him defiantly. "Mistoffelees, why do you give into them? Come on down." Mistoffelees stared at him for a moment, before he started climbing down. "Mistoffelees, Mistoffelees, why don't you fight them back?" He asked as soon as Mistoffelees had touched the ground. Mistoffelees expression darkened, and he began to play shrill and bitter notes, then high and angelic ones. Macavity nodded in comprehension. "So you don't want to sink to their level. That is a very good reason." He said as he put an arm around Mistoffelees shoulder and led him back to the camp.
As soon as they had entered Bombalurina immediately grabbed him protectively and hugged him tightly, causing the other kittens to giggle and point as Mistoffelees gently patted her back. 'Mama's boy' comments floated through their whispered conversations. As soon as Bombalurina broke off, she immediately began to examine his tail. Some of the fur was gone or singed in some spots, but it had not quite reached the skin yet. She sighed in relief and sat back, holding Mistoffelees protectively at her side.
As soon as Macavity had deposited Mistoffelees into his wife's hands, he pulled Munkustrap into the darkness.
"You get any word?" Munkustrap asked hopefully in a small voice. Macavity mournfully shook his head.
"Not a word about Deut." Macavity sighed. "We should have brought him with us, when we escaped." Macavity whispered regretfully. Munkustrap shook his head sternly.
"Now don't go blaming yourself, it was my decision. Deuteronomy's too old, and it was a small time window, we wouldn't have escaped if we had to bring him with us. He told us to go without him any way." Macavity nodded to this.
"I will go back tomorrow." Macavity said, leaving no room for argument.
Jesse waited nervously until Munkustrap's talk with Macavity was over. As soon as they both came out of the shadows, grim looks on their faces, Jesse approached.
"Munkustrap, could I ask you a question?" He asked as he pulled the gray leader off to the side. Munkustrap nodded and followed. Jesse cleared his throat and paused for a moment, thinking of how to appropriate way to phrase his question. Finally, he spoke. "I was wondering what your connection to the Arions is or was, and what those silver bracelets are." Munkustrap's expression darkened tremendously, a look of absolute hate forming in his eyes. He growled low in his throat, and Jesse feared that he might attack.
"I suggest that you do not talk of this to anybody. We have no connection to the Arions and that is that." He barked before rejoining Demeter and his kittens. Jesse sighed. *That got us absolutely no where.* He thought darkly.
When Dr. Clarke was alone he could possibly be, Desiderata approached. She sat beside him, and took a deep breath before poking his shoulder. Clarke turned to her sharply.
"Well, there you are Desiderata." He said cheerfully. Desiderata nodded and smiled softly, before speaking.
"Umm... have you noticed that Mistoffelees is rather quiet?" Clarke nodded.
"Yes, I suppose that he's just very shy." He said, thinking nothing peculiar.
"Well..." Desiderata said as she shifted uncomfortably. "You know when he caught his tail on fire?" Lister nodded again. "Well, the first thing he did was try to scream, but nothing came out. Nothing at all." She said nervously. "I know you think it might just be the amount of pain made it impossible, but he never even spoke around the others. And when he screamed I got a good look inside of his mouth, and it was like he didn't have a tongue." She whispered, feeling ridiculous, but she was concerned for her friend.
"Well I guess I can check it out when I examine him tomorrow." Clarke stowed away these comments for later examination. Desiderata smiled and dashed off to Mistoffelees' side.
The next morning Clarke began calling in patients, starting with Munkustrap and his family. There was much protesting about the whole thing from Munkustrap, but as soon as Clarke explained his reasons, Munkustrap went along with it, although resentfully. Clarke had stayed behind, while Cal and Jesse had gone back to the ship and try to repair her and get a distress signal out. To Clarke's relief Desiderata proved to be an aide, for while the parents were getting examined, she was able to distract the kittens from getting in his way. To his relief, there were no other flu’s or other's bugs floating around. The last family to show up was Mistoffelees.
Clarke smiled as the fiery red family, with the exception of their son who was two toned, entered his temporary hospital, made out of Jelly's tent, who had graciously let him use. "Hello." He said as he nervously eyed Mistoffelees, as his pipes, a constant companion, rested gently on his hip, supported by a long leather strap. "Well... um... Macavity... if you would step up to my examining table." Clarke said nervously as he pointed to the coarse wooden table. Macavity obliged as Bombalurina sat nervously beside him and Mistoffelees wandered off to a corner with Desiderata. The examinations of the two adults went quickly, and Clarke gave them a clean bill of health, much to their relief. Mistoffelees who had waited patiently off to the sidelines, followed quickly and filled his mother's spot as soon as she had left it. Clarke smiled nervously. "Well...let's get this over with, shall we?" He examined his reflexes, and other such menial things before going to the place that he had been alerted to the night before. Taking a deep breath he said, "Okay, very good Mistoffelees. Now if you could now open your mouth so I could take a look at your teeth." He looked to the parents, Bombalurina looked shocked and her eyes were stabbed with pain. Macavity looked to the ground, an aura of deep sadness filling the room. Mistoffelees looked quickly to his parents, worried, before opening his mouth wide. What Lister saw made him cuss very loudly, teaching Clarke many new words.
"What the bejeezes happened to him! There's not even a stub of a tongue in there!" He shouted as he gained control of himself. A wail erupted from Bombalurina and she crumpled into Macavity's arms. Mistoffelees shot a look of concern to his emotional mother. Clarke congratulated himself mentally for creating total havoc. He turned back to Mistoffelees, who still had his mouth open. "But that shouldn't keep him from speaking." He muttered.
"Check around his throat." Macavity said as he pulled Bombalurina off to the side. Desiderata felt awful for causing her such distress and joined them in a pile of furs. Clarke looked back to Mistoffelees, and bent down and started feeling underneath the fur. In the front he found huge lumps of scar tissue...where the voice box would be. Clarke looked to Mistoffelees sadly, the poor kid, something brutal had happened. What monster would do that kind of thing to a child? He shook his head. "Close your mouth Mistoffelees, you'll catch insects in it." He muttered, and Mistoffelees did, giving him a grim look. Clarke sat on the other side of the bed, facing Macavity and the now slightly calmer Bombalurina. "Please, tell me what happened." He asked, not sure that he wanted to know, but curiosity driving him to ask. Macavity nodded as Mistoffelees sat by his mother.
"It would be best if she did not hear." He said, motioning to Desiderata. Desiderata knew when she wasn't wanted and left the tent. But curiosity too drove her, and she hid behind the tent, listening in on the conversation. Macavity sighed, before starting. "To know what has happened to him, you must first know one of the darkest chapters in our history. Munkustrap will probably kill me, but it is something that must be said, for as long as you are here you are in the long shadow of danger. A long time ago a race of people different from our own landed on our planet, you know them as the Arions." Clarke nodded grimly, feeling the pit grow in his stomach. "We would know them as masters. They enslaved our race, and they controlled us with those silver bracelets you see out there on the pole. We were treated like animals. We were forced to live in barracks, with no privacy at all. That is where I met Bombalurina. Eventually we were married by our leader Deuteronomy, and we had a kitten, Mistoffelees. He was perfectly normal when he was born. Just a happy, talkative tom kitten..." Macavity said, before his memory drifted in.
Bombalurina held her kitten tight in her arms, trying desperately to get him to quiet. It was late at night, and he wouldn't stop crying. He was ill, that she knew, he was burning to the touch, but she couldn't go get him cool water without facing their master's wrath. And so she would wait until dawn. He seemed to quiet, and gently she set him on the bed and curled around him, hoping that he would stay that way. If he were to bother the guards, who knew what would happen. She wished desperately that Macavity was there, he would help her. But he was picking moon wheat, something that only blossomed and could be picked only under the full moonlight. But the silence was not to last, for Mistoffelees started up again, wailing and kicking. She stood and rocked him gently in her arms, cursing the fact that they had no medicine to ease his pain.
It was soon after that the guards broke in. The stench of liquor assaulting Bombalurina's nose first. The guards were tall and well armed, brown skinned men with black beady eyes and long noses and pointy yellow teeth. They laughed and ripped Mistoffelees from her arms. Bombalurina shrieked in fear of what they would do to him. She didn't have to wonder, for they dragged her closer and forced her to watch. One of the guards whipped out a knife and pried open Mistoffelees jaws. There was a strangled scream before blood came squirting out. The guard had something in his hand, and Bombalurina saw it as he threw it to another guard. The guard who had caught it waved in front of her face. In his dirty fingers was a small paling tongue. Bombalurina, who was already crying, wretched all over the floor between screams. The guards laughed and chuckled, and the one of the guards, who must of possessed some heart had sown up the bleeding remains of a tongue, preventing Mistoffelees from choking on the blood. As soon as he was finished, he tried to convince the others to leave. But their minds were so reeked with drink that they jeered him and held him back too. Still Mistoffelees shrieked in pain of his mouth and fever. Another one of the guards, a part time medic, decided to solve this problem and cut away the thin fur around the throat, then carefully made an incision near his throat. Using the knife as scoop he pried at a small lumpy tube viscously. As soon as he had finished, Mistoffelees shook silently before blacking out. Bombalurina howled and tried to claw the guards, but they only held her tighter and jeered her. The medic stitched up the incision and then left her. Bombalurina scooped her still feverish infant in her arms. Sitting in the blood splattered sheets she rocked him and cried.
Macavity stood up from his kneeling position in the fields when he heard the shrieks and cries. He knew immediately whose they were. He stood frozen, hating that he was unable to help them. Who knew what they were doing to Bombalurina.
Munkustrap stood next to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. He knew what he was thinking and fearing. But that was always the price husbands paid for having wives, especially pretty ones like Bombalurina. Macavity nodded grimly and continued to pick the wheat.
When he would arrive home he expected and prepared himself for worse. Bombalurina dead or badly beaten, and their son most likely dead along side her. When he opened the door he found something much worse. Bombalurina sat in the middle of white sheets splattered with red, cradling their son. At first Macavity hoped he'd been mistaken, but as he drew closer he saw her red cracked eyes, and the ugly stitches in his son's throat as he gazed, dazed, into space. He opened his mouth and Macavity shuddered at what he saw. There was the sound of air rushing through his mouth, and that as it. Macavity had all that he could bear, and howled loudly in anger, frustration and hate.
"And that is what happened to him." Macavity ended grimly. Clarke felt like throwing up, while Desiderata already had several times. "That was when he was a year old. Eventually we escaped and broke off our identification bands." Macavity's green eyes glowed hatefully. "But they still hold many of our people, and we are the only ones that we know of that have successfully escape our camps. We're trying to get the other's out, but with lack of success." Macavity looked hopefully to him. "Your uniforms tell me that you work in some organized group. Please will you ask them to help us?" He begged. Clarke shook his head.
"Of course they'll help. We're at war with them right now, I'm sure they'd love to kill them all even if you weren't here." Macavity nodded and picked up his wife, and dragged her limp and crying body away, Mistoffelees trailing behind him, holding her feet.
Cal whooped with joy as the communications came back online. Jesse rushed to her side.
"Come on already, call headquarters!" He said impatiently. Slowly, with groans and beeps from the machinery, they reached headquarters in New York. A weather-beaten face came on, gray hair neatly slicked back, his uniform highly decorated and pressed. He took one look at them and his jaw dropped.
"Hello General Smith, this is Captain Jesse Buckley of the U.S.S. Raven reporting in."
"Captain Buckley, you're... you're alive!" General Smith said, shock pasted all over his face. "We thought you and your crew were dead!" Jesse's face immediately went pale along with Cal's.
"What do you mean? Didn't they survive, they ejected," Cal said nervously. The General shook his head.
"Sorry, not a survivor until now, the Arions blasted them from their border. You two are the only ones left."
"Oh God, Desiderata..." Cal mumbled. Jack bit his lip as he thought of the girl that had been placed in her care, who was now an orphan.
"Sir, there are two others, Dr. Clarke and Callen Cat." Jesse said clearly. The General nodded.
"Yes, I see. Your coordinates indicate you're on a small planet, Celestienne, nearing the very edge of our borders. We'll have a ship come pick you all up and return you to earth."
"Sir... Are you aware that there are inhabitants on this planet?" Cal deadpanned. "Ones with possible relations with the Arions." The general paled. Jesse glared at Cal and elbowed her roughly.
"SUPPOSED relations with the Arions. These people, speak Arionese, but there's these bracelets, identification bands, that would lead me to believe that they were former slaves, of course I've found no one to talk to about it to confirm my suspicions." The General nodded again.
"We'll have to have some investigation into that matter if you don't come up with any evidence either way."
"I have evidence." Clarke said as he entered the wreck that was their ship. "I just got finished talking with one of the higher ups. They were enslaved by the Arions alright, and they're asking for our help." He said as he stared at the screen, giving it a menacing glare. He knew that often times the ones behind the desks were the quickest to leap to conclusions.
"And how do we know, Dr. Clarke, that they aren't allies?" The General insinuated. Clarke began to fume, but controlled it.
"Sir, there is a child in this camp who's tongue, at the tender age of infancy was torn out, and his vocal cords cruelly chopped to pieces, making it impossible for him to speak. These people hold no weapons as the one that leaves its mark across his throat." By this time Cal and Jesse had paled incredibly at the shocking news. They knew who Clarke was talking about. "So sir, I suggest that you listen to these people, despite their appearances of being large cats, they're quite intelligent and asking for our help to free their kin."
"Yes, I see, well it will be something that the president and the panel will decide. A local starship should come to pick you up in a couple days." And with that, General Smith closed the connection. There was a moment of still silence as everyone began to recover.
"So, who told you Clarke?" Jesse asked softly.
"Macavity. Sir, they'd better agree to fight alongside these people, or we've become no better than our enemy."
"Yeah."
The ship arrived a few days later, right on time. They had informed Desiderata of the news of her parents' deaths, and she was in a shocked silence until they left where she a teary goodbye to Mistoffelees, who had given her a beautiful pair of pipes made out of a local wood, with carved flowers. Electra was also there, since she felt she had much to owe to Dr. Clarke, even though he claimed that it would have gone away in time.
Electra had changed much since she had recovered, even though Desiderata and the crew hadn't known her previously. She no longer played with Alonzo, Pouncival, Victoria, Tumblebrutus and Rum Tum Tugger, instead she sat with Mistoffelees as he played on his pipes and chasing each other through trees. Something Mistoffelees didn't seem to mind. Desiderata had often heard Jellylorum, Electra's mother, and of course Bombalurina sighing about true love.
Desiderata watched as the small world got smaller in the void of space. She waved goodbye to the planet, which had been her home for only a few days, yet it felt she had been there a lifetime.