I looked out at the ground below, sitting atop of an upturn oven. Most of the tribe was here already, three cats were still missing. One was the leader of our tribe; he has lived many lives and couldn�t move quite as swiftly as the rest of us could. The other two were coming from the far side of town; they were expected to be late, even with their early start. They had agreed to accompany the leader, Old Deuteronomy, to the Junkyard where the Jellicle Ball took place. I jumped out on the ground, landing on all fours before straightening up and standing on my hind legs. Several cats came, greeting me with a nuzzle or rubbing their shoulders against mine as I passed. I looked down at the queen in front of me; Demeter, her golden fur illuminated in the soft light of the moon. I butted my head against hers before I nudged her back into the group, making her join in with the rest of the festivities. I went to step in, seeing them exercising their terpsichorean powers and feeling the urge to use mine when a paw fixed around my arm, forcefully pulling me into the shadows. Another paw clamped over my mouth as I was turned around, coming face to face with a calico tom.

�You�re coming with me; no time for questions.� I knew something was wrong when I saw Mungojerrie, without Rumpelteazer by his side. He hadn�t been more then a foot away from her since he found out that she was pregnant. His paw left my mouth although the grip he had on my arm tightened as he began to run. I stumbled for the first few steps, my heart skipping a beat as I came close to landing face first in the soft dirt. One of my front paws flew to the ground, giving me enough stability to push me to my feet and catch up with the other tom. I never knew that he could run so fast. I thought about the tribe, they would certainly notice that I was gone and that I failed to leave anyone in charge before going. Alonzo, or even Skimbleshanks, would certainly take over until I got back; they�d be able to protect the tribe until then.

Mungojerrie pulled me out of the Junkyard, and on to the side of the streets, the pads of my paws were painfully pounding on the pavement. I tried to release my paw from his grasp; he only gave it another tug, forcing me to catch up. He led me down a side street; I had no idea where we were going. I never even gave a thought as to where I was being brought. He shoved me through a large hole in the fence that lined the road, sending me to the ground. I felt him pick me up, not even uttering an apology for his harsh nature. I tried to brush some of the dirt from my silver fur as I found myself in the yard next to the Vicarage wall. I gave Mungojerrie a glance before he began to lead me around the wall; his pace was slower although his long strides told me that he was still in a hurry.

I could have sworn that for a half a second, as he reached the corner of the stone wall, Mungojerrie paused; not to wait for me, but to prepare himself for what was on the other side. My heart quickened its pace in that moment; there was something so unsettling of seeing someone who was determined, in the past few minutes especially, need a moment to before continuing. I followed him, slowing my pace as I caught up with him. I walked around the corner, seeing Rumpelteazer crouching beside Old Deuteronomy, who was lying on his back, a paw over his chest. I looked up at Mungojerrie, hoping that he would provide an answer; instead he walked towards the pair, sitting next to the revered cat, on the far side of him with his mate. I slowly made my way towards them, unsure as to why Mungojerrie sounded so urgent when he dragged me from the tribe. Everything seemed to be fine. I was certain that it wasn�t that he needed help bringing the older tom to his feet, seeing how he was able to help Rumpelteazer to her feet without anyone else aiding him. It wasn�t until I was standing over them that I realized the problem. A long gash ran across his stomach and several smaller cuts decorated his body, all of them seemed to have recently cleaned. Most likely it was Rumpelteazer who did it. I fell to my knees, looking over at him, �Old Deuteronomy?�

He opened his eyes, seeming to be fighting to keep them open. A placid smile spread across his face as he grabbed one of my paws. He took a shuttering breath, the raggedness and the hollow sound of it sent a shiver down my spine and caused my heart to plummet. �Hello, Munkustrap.�

I looked down at him, a lump forming in my throat, making it hard to talk and breathe, �How... How did this... What happened?�

Old Deuteronomy cringed in pain, taking a sharp breath. His chest heaved as he breathed, taking in air in short and shaking gasps. Seeing that he was unable to respond, Rumpelteazer spoke up, �It was a Pollicle.�

A Pollicle... of course. I turned to Mungojerrie, trying to keep all traces of anger from my voice. Granted, it wasn�t easy, �Why didn�t you bring Jennyanydots... or Jellylorum? They could save him.�

I was about to go on when I felt Old Deuteronomy gently squeeze my paw, much like he would do when I was little and frightened. �I lived.� Plain and simple, like everything that he ever said. He wouldn�t go on into longwinded speeches; he�d go to the point. No matter how much it hurt to hear that point. I looked down at him; Old Deuteronomy, my leader, my mentor, my teacher, my father. He was at death�s mercy; the wounds that were inflicted on him were too deep and too numerous to fix. All there was left for him was to die. As much as it pained me to think it, I had to admit it, there was nothing we could do for him but keep him company as he passed. I looked down at him, trying not to cry, trying to show him that I learnt what he taught me � how to be strong even in the hardest of times. He lifted the paw off in chest slightly, curling the tip of it slightly, telling me to come closer to him. I leaned in as he grabbed my other paw, holding on to them as tightly as he could. �You... shall lead them.�

My heart stopped. I always imagined this moment, the time and place when Old Deuteronomy would choose who�d reign after him. Never, in all the times I fantasized about it, was I � or anyone else � chosen on the night of the Jellicle Ball as he died. Never did I ever give a thought to him dying; it�s not something that one likes to imagine � their father�s death. I felt his grip loosen on my paws as his slipped. I grabbed them, giving them a reassuring squeeze as I looked down. His eyes were open and his mouth was ajar, his body limp... his chest ceased to move. He was dead. Rumpelteazer tentatively brought her paw to his face, carefully closing his eyes before placing a kiss on his forehead, Mungojerrie doing the same. I brought his paws to my face; I numbly placed a kiss on them before I nuzzled my head against them and crossed them on his chest. I stayed beside him, taking a moment to honor his memory before standing up. Mungojerrie stood halfway before grabbing his mate�s paw and placing an arm around her, steadying her as she got up � her balance was thrown off by the litter of kittens she carried. They looked at each other for a second before turning to me.

�Let�s go.� That�s all I said, that�s all I could manage. I took a different route back to the Junkyard, the one I was accustomed to taking. I didn�t even know that the other one, the one that Mungojerrie took me through, even existed. I do have to admit, it was much quicker then any of the ones I knew; right now though, I was in no big hurry. I didn�t want to see the tribe right away and tell them that he passed... I need a moment or two to prepare. I looked behind me, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer followed silently, always ten steps behind. Close enough that we could still talk if we felt the need to, but far enough away that I had my space. I turned around and stopped for a moment, them stopping a few feet away. Something was weighing on my mind. Neither of them seemed surprised, to say the least, when Old Deuteronomy said that he wanted me to lead. There wasn�t even an attempt to appear shocked or amazed. �Why didn�t you two do anything when Deuteronomy chose me?�

Mungojerrie looked down at his mate who nodded in agreement. �He told us last week that he was choosing you.� I stared at Mungojerrie in confusion. Why on earth or Heaviside would Old Deuteronomy tell them that and not me? Mungo seemed to have sensed what I was thinking for he spoke up. �We were his confidants. We�d tell him what was happening at the yard and anything around the town that might interest him. In return, he�d get our opinions on various matters, such as who should reign and who should ascend.�

My brow scrunched up and I arched a brow, looking between the two. Was that true? The two most juvenile cats in the tribe were the ones that Old Deuteronomy shared everything with? Granted, it was said that they had an unusual gift of the gab but, that doesn�t mean that he�d confine in them; does it? I did have to admit, even thought they were kittenish at time, those times did come rarely. It was just that they stood out so much more then when they were being responsible; they�d draw so much more attention to themselves when they were fooling around. I turned back around, not saying a word, and continued to the Junkyard, where I was to await my fate.