| Double Magus The lanky, sodden cat slipped through the shadows inconspicuously despite her white color. She shook her paw off as it found a puddle and plowed onward through the alley. Exhaustion plagued every bone in her body and it was bitter, bitter cold, but she had to find shelter. She had to push onward. The only comforting thought she could conjure was that Magifra was safe, but even that was a bittersweet thought. She has the power and yet I am the one out here. The cat raised her eyes, ("the color of those funny kiwi things the humans eat," as Magi had once said,) to the crescent moon and prayed she could find a safe shelter, away from all that wished to destroy her. The queen � and she did look a queen, noble despite her soiled fur and starved appearance � left a narrow alley and found herself in what appeared to be one of those places where humans threw waste. Humans were such wasteful creatures. Well, at least it was shelter. An empty drainpipe looked appealing, so the cat crept into it. Her dignity still remained with her (one of the few things she�d managed to keep since being cast out into the world) and she bathed herself, from her plumy, peach-tipped tail to the peach-colored tips of her ears. Her collar was becoming ragged, the diamond rhinestone and soft leather scarred. It was no matter. Once the collar was gone, she�d be an official stray. Curling up in the drainpipe and quickly falling asleep, the queen transferred her mind to her sister. Magifra was probably having a much better night than she was. Magifra was black from her ears to her paws to her tail; the perpetual black broken only by the pearl collar she wore. Her exotic, slanted eyes flashed pure gold. She and Falbriah may have been sisters, but they were nothing alike � at first appearances, at least. She, too, was truly a queen. And the sisters were very close, closer than most cat sisters were. They were not yin and yang, as most guessed, with Falbriah the light and Magifra the dark. They were both the light, and one in the light, their minds were linked by a power only a cat can understand. As Magifra sat on a windowsill, carefully washing her face, she felt Falbriah send her cold, tired mind to her. At ease, Briah, she told her sister, knowing where she was, You are safe, or will be soon. Curling up on the sofa with the not-as-elegant tail around her nose, Magifra prepared for sleep. Both sisters in the one body slipped into the same blue-and-green fantasy of the subconscious while Magifra lay in a warm chair and Falbriah in a frigid drainpipe. When Magifra awoke, she gently sent her sister�s mind back to its own body. Falbriah would need it soon to awaken and face the world, whether she liked it or not. And so Falbriah opened her eyes slowly, each eyelid one at a time. Something tall, with a thick mane, stood before her�it was a cat�no, not him! Falbriah skittered back further into the drainpipe, her eyes on the cat the whole time. "Macavity!" she hissed, ready to defend herself. The cat stuck its head into the drainpipe and Falbriah was relieved to see that it was not who she thought it was. Her muscles lost their tension and she bowed her head at the cat before her, waiting for him to speak. "Who are you?" The words were as hostile as any Macavity could have spoken. "Falbriah," the queen introduced herself boldly. "I apologize for hissing, but I thought you were an enemy." The other cat pulled Falbriah out of the drainpipe rather roughly and set her on the ground before several other cats. "Excuse me!" Falbriah exclaimed as she stood and dusted off her fur. "Why are you here?" The question came from a black cat, much like Magifra, whose eyes held magic. Falbriah prayed that this magic would not be used against her. Returning his gaze, she explained, "I was abandoned by my humans. I�m sorry if this drainpipe belongs to someone else, but I was cold and needed shelter." Another cat, tall and gray � Like a cross between Magifra and I � interrogated, "What did you say about Macavity?" Gesturing toward the black-and-yellow cat, Falbriah impatiently explained, "I saw this cat as I awoke and was afraid it was Macavity. Are you his following? For if you are, than we truly are enemies." The other cats nodded and gave each other looks, wondering what they should do with this intruder. "I�ve told you who I am and I wish you no harm; but who are you? And you still have not answered my question." The black-and-yellow cat was the first to introduce himself as Rum Tum Tugger of the Jellicle clan. The silver one, still looking a little suspicious, said that he was Munkustrap and that the tribe was an enemy of Macavity. The black one did not speak, but looked more at ease. Falbriah was at ease knowing that this was no following of Macavity. "If we are not enemies," Falbriah replied, "then we must be allies." The cats before her were not any more friendly than before, except for a few fellow queens with sympathetic looks. One vulnerable-looking calico cat stepped forward and offered a place for Falbriah to stay. Falbriah�s words of gratitude were interrupted by the black cat (and several others,) arguing, "Jemima, don�t risk it�" "Misto, it�ll be fine." The queen stood firm and led Falbriah across the junkyard, despite objections, to a small den. The black cat reluctantly followed. "Just for tonight," he said. Ignoring him, Jemima replied, "Forgive Mistoffelees, he�s just uneasy about strangers. Everyone is. They�ll get used to you." "I can understand that. Kind strangers can turn out to be Macavity." Jemima only nodded and gave her an uneasy look before guiding Mistoffelees out of the den so Falbriah could rest. Falbriah curled up in a corner in as small a space as possible and rested her tired bones. The drainpipe had left her cold, wet, and still tired, so she slept once again, keeping her mind with her this time. Strangely, she felt safe with these once-hostile cats. Next She did not realize she and the rest of the clan were being watched. A strange commotion awoke Magifra and she leapt onto the floor. It took her a moment to realize that the disturbance was somewhere else. Puzzled, she sent tiny searching fingers from the depths of her mind, looking for the trouble. She saw a startled white cat and her heart stopped. Falbriah! No, it was a smaller cat, pure white, with shorter fur. There were many other cats surrounding her, and the trouble was a large cat, almost as big as a dog, with matted fur, a domed head, and sunken eyes. Though she had never met him herself, Magifra knew the cat to be the enemy to all that was good. Moonlight, don�t fail me now� She shimmied up the curtains and out the open window, scratching her way through the screen. A scream and a hiss pierced Falbriah�s sleep. She jumped up and into an attacking position. Jemima hid in a corner, her eyes wide with terror. "What is it?" Falbriah asked, hearing a disturbance outside. Macavity, Jemima mouthed. "I�I feel so weak," she croaked. Though the words were not spoken, the name filled Falbriah with hot anger and she bounded out of the den. Only pure evil, such as Macavity, would injure an innocent queen. How dare he follow her here? There he was, the devil, holding another white queen hostage. Munkustrap circled Macavity with an air of experience; Falbriah released they had fought before. Mistoffelees aimed a paw at his opponent and a lightning bolt flew out. Falbriah�s eyes widened. He had power, perhaps more than Falbriah herself. He could easily defeat Macavity, couldn�t he? No. This was Falbriah�s fight, no one else should fight it for her. "I believe it�s me you�re looking for," Falbriah called across the junkyard. Macavity turned to her, dropping the other queen, and advanced until he stood close to Falbriah, close enough for either one of them to attack. "You have no right following me here and threatening those who have taken me in." Falbriah�s brazen, diplomatic voice did not faze the tom. She hadn�t expected it to, but at least it hid her fear. To her surprise, Macavity nodded in agreement. "You�re right, Falbriah. And I won�t. That is, if you�ll join me." Of course. There was always a catch. Falbriah spat back, "You cannot have me nor my power." She saw the other cats circling around Macavity and knew that now was all she had. Bunching up her hind legs, she sprung at Macavity, unleashing claws that gashed his chest. She pinned him to the ground and stared into his eyes. His powers of hypnosis were no match for the powers of the Moonlight. Falbriah dug her claws deeper into his chest and Macavity howled, the first time she�d heard him voice weakness. The stare between the two of them was a battle of the yin and yang, good and evil, light and darkness. The rare powers of the Moonlight, passed on only to twins of white and black, penetrated whatever power Macavity had and he shut his eyes to block his mind from it. That was the moment when Falbriah blinked, the chain of power broken. She did not realize she was flying until she hit something hard and slid to the ground. Macavity had used her one millisecond of weakness against her. Rivulets of pain danced up and down her spine. No, the Moonlight wasn�t supposed to end this way� At first, Falbriah thought it was Mistoffelees knocking Macavity back down. But it wasn�t. This was a queen, with magical golden eyes. Her coat shone with pure power, Moonlight itself radiating from her presence. Macavity was down before Magifra even touched him; and when she actually did, sparks flew. "Away from here," Magifra hissed. "You cannot have the Moonlight." That was all that the queen had to say before Macavity wriggled, knowing that tampering with such power would give him a slow and painful death. Magifra she let him go. The others leaped upon him, scarring and tearing his flesh until he could leap onto a pile of trash and escape. The other cats watched Macavity disappear with astonishment, then turned to Magifra. Before the cat could receive her thanks, she glowed brighter and whispered in words only her twin could hear, "Look at yourself. Intrepidity enhances the Light." Then there was a sound almost like metal being cut and the radiant ball of silver thinned to slit before disappearing. Falbriah smiled at Magifra�s grand exit before she noticed that her pain was gone. Her fur had sheen to it, each white hair tipped with silver, the peach bits with gold. The mere fact that she had been brave enough to challenge pure evil had been enough for the Moonlight to trust her. She had the power to protect these cats. But so did Mistoffelees; the Lightning was often more powerful than the Moonlight. And Munkustrap was a good leader, he would protect the tribe with his life. Falbriah didn�t belong here yet. She had not saved these cats, she had merely aided them. And one of the few heirs of the Moonlight was not a homeless stray. First, she had to find a home. Perhaps then she could be a Jellicle. Mistoffelees approached her. "You�re a magus," was all he said. "Who was that other cat?" Munkustrap inquired. "My twin sister, Magifra." |