Bound By Blood Part One

Bound By Blood - Part One

They were still alive. She could feel them burning with life. It was almost time. She'd tried to kill them. She'd tried to kill herself. She tried to kill him. She hadn't the strength. But it couldn't be helped. This was her punishment for running away, for being seduced by evil. At the time she had thought it best, but that time was gone. Only the evil prevailed. She moaned once more, but in the pitch darkness of her cell the sound was swallowed.

That one sound seemed to drive them wild. Her body convulsed and she curled tight, screaming and clawing against the metal floor. For a fleeting moment she thought she was going to die. But her breath slowed, the fire within her withdrew, and her muscles unlocked as she rolled onto her back, her tear-filled eyes turning up to the full moon that shone through the barred window of her prison: her only link to the outside world.

When she was younger, she had been taught the moon was a beautiful thing: a thing to be praised and to dance under. Now it was a cold, wicked, staring down at her without care. Slowly, she pushed herself to her hands and knees, dragging her battered form to the window. She slumped against the bars, looking up, offering her soul and body for the moon to take: to free her from the evil she carried. The moon only stared back: cold and uncaring. She felt the evil lives inside her writhe, scratching to get out with razor claws, wanting to tear free from her body. It was all going as he'd planned it.

He: the tom. The tom she had fallen in love with. He had brought her here, and forced himself upon her to plant the disease inside the queen. When she realized what he'd done, she tried to escape. He beat her, and locked her up. Now he had abandoned her, leaving her alone with the disease. He would return to kill her, no doubt, after she'd served her purpose.

The corruption inside her leaped to life again, and no long caring or aware of her surroundings, the queen bent to its will. She stumbled away from the barred window and fell, plunging into the shadowy darkness of the back corner, welcoming the release of death as her head slammed against the hard metal floor. She lay still, unmoving. Against her own will, her heart beat steadily, and her lungs continued to draw air. And now came the final agony...

It came as an unbearable white-hot fire deep within, which spread throughout her, burning, igniting every muscle and nerve in her body, pushing forth a scream of agony from her throat. Every muscle in her body burned. Her claws gouged at the floor, her form squirmed as though to get away from an unseen tormentor, and she was engulfed in the burning pain.

"Noooo..."

For a long time she lay still as the fire withdrew, and the diseases left her. Now all she felt was numbness. Slowly, she pulled herself up to lean against the dank metal wall, looking down at the things that lay on the floor. Still wet from birth, the tiny litter of kittens crawled and mewed, searching for warmth and milk. The queen stared at them. There were five. She sat, and watched, as, one by one, they lie down and lay still. When she finally moved, only one still lived.

She reached out and picked it up, cradling it in her arms. It was a small female kitten, her fur looking much like her own. But the queen didn't see that. Inside this kitten, running in its veins, was the blood of the tom. Her eyes fixed on the small kitten, the queen's paw rose and closed around its neck. She began to squeeze. The kitten squirmed and thrashed until its struggles grew weaker.

There was a beastly roar behind her, and the queen was knocked to the ground, the kitten swiped from her. Looking up limply, she saw, standing tall and regal, the kitten in his grasp: the tom. The look plastered on his face never flinched as he raised a set of claws, and killed her with a single swipe. He never once looked back as he slunk out.

Demeter's blood ran cold, her heart stopped and her breath froze as her eyes rose fearfully from Munkustrap's limp body and into the face of Death.

Close enough.

Macavity wasted no time. In one thin, iron black paw he captured both her wrists, baring his fangs at the terrified queen. He's going to kidnap me...her mind rang...he'll lock me up...beat me...kill me...

Demeter was frozen stock still, Macavity's sunken gold eyes filling her vision. In a smooth, powerful movement he pulled her trapped wrists close, drawing her forward, pointing a long black claw at the prone tabby. "One sound," he hissed, "and I'll kill him."

All noise immediately halted in her throat. So menacing was his voice, so vibrant her memory of his deeds, she feared for Munkustrap's life more than her own. There was no knowledge of what the Mystery Cat was capable of. Her breathing grew short and rapid in fear as a grin split his battered face, the tips of his white fangs gleaming in the moonlight. "Say goodbye, Demeter," he hissed. She only had time to wonder what was going to happen when something grasped her mind, whether it was real or not, and she slipped into darkness.

Most cats rummage through garbage, it's true. Some of the things humans throw out can prove invaluable to any cat: a needy meal, shelter from a storm, or even a neglected plaything to pass the time. Now while more dignified and radical cats think it improper and lowly to rummage through human filth, Alonzo was not one of them. The tempting scent of a discarded hamburger had caught his keen nose landed him straight into a trashbag headfirst...and unable to get out.

"Confounded...blasted...lousy...stupid..." he pushed and strained against the black of the trashbag, his claws penetrating but unable to tangle the plastic from around his ears. "Mrrowph!" With a final push, his head wiggled loose and he tumbled free, landing with a grunt on his backside. With a final insult and spit at the trashbag, he growled and stalked away. "Fine job fer a trashbag to rob me of a good meal." He stalked on his solitary way through the dark alleys, unafraid of danger that may lurk in the shadows or around each corner. His empty stomach rumbled in a call for food, but with his luck all that he found were a rancid sausage link that didn't stay down long. He nearly stumbled over the limp form of Munkustrap before he saw him. Startled, he jumped back, ears and whiskers forward as he crept again towards his friend, gently nudging his shoulder, stirring the tabby into wakefulness. "Hey, Munkustrap."

"Ughnn, my head..." Munkustrap's face scrunched in pain as Alonzo hefted him up. The brawny brown-shaded tom patted his shoulder, grinning.

"What happened, Stripes?" he chuckled. "Bad night with the 'nip?"

Something stiffened throughout the tabby's body, his eyes going wide as they rose and stared into the distance. "Demeter! Where's Demeter!?"

Alonzo's face darkened. "What?"

"Demeter." Munkustrap's throbbing head was forgotten as he pushed Alonzo away to stand upon his own feet. "Something happened...I...I got hit...Demeter was with me. Where is she?"

Alonzo's concern turned to fear. He grabbed his friend's shoulder, their faces meeting. "Strap....?"

There was no need for words. Munkustrap's instincts took over and he issued orders, stumbling as he stalked away. "I'll find the others. You follow her scent if you can. If we hurry it might still be fresh. We gotta find her!" And the two cats parted.

When Demeter's mind came back into consciousness, it was to the feeling of hot air gently blowing against her whiskers. She moaned, grunted quietly, and slowly opened her eyes. Two blazing, deep golden orbs stared at her. She jumped and drew back with a sharp gasp, her vision filling with the face of Macavity. Instinctual fear drove her scrambling backwards, her paws slipping against the cold metal floor. Her eyes locked on the Jellicles' enemy, she barely noticed the dark cell both she and the feared Mystery Cat seemed to b enclosed in. Her mind raced. How long had she been unconscious? What had he been doing? What was he planning to do? She found herself unable to back away any further when her back pressed up against the grimy wall. Behind Macavity was a bolted metal door, a stream of light from beyond filtering through as it was open a mere inch. For a long moment neither spoke.

"Comfy?" he hissed deeply. The sound of his voice sent an involuntary shudder through her, and she tried to shrink down into a smaller ball than she'd already bunched into. Macavity's face lowered, his eyes remaining fixed on her. "Don't be scared, Demeter. If I wanted you dead I'd have killed you already."

"Then what do you want?" she asked in a harsh whisper. His reputation preceded him: she thought she already knew the answer. Macavity leaned back, seeming to settle into a more comfortable position from the beast-like crouch.

"What do you think?"

Mind games, she thought. He always plays mind games. Only she didn't know how to respond. When no answer came from her the finely-muscled tom rose and sauntered toward her in a graceful stride, standing tall and regal over her trembling form. He reached down and grabbed her arm, hauling the younger female to her feet. "What you're thinking," he said, "isn't true. I'm not going to hurt you." He stepped closer to her, keeping hold of her shoulder, and ran his long claws through her mane. She squirmed and jerked away, wanting nothing more than to get away from him. She dashed for the open door, but before she could lay a paw on it the heavy metal clanged shut from the outside. She scratched at frantically. Macavity would grab her...he'd beat her...ravish her...kill her...she had to get out!

"The door's metal," Macavity said aloofly, "the window is barred. You're wasting your energy."

She turned, bristling, mind racing with fear. "I'll get out," she gasped. "The Jellicles...they'll come for me. You can't keep me here...I'll escape!"

"You can't escape me, Demeter. I'm in your blood."

Demeter was frozen in his gaze, her heart racing, but the rest of her immobile. "I...I don't know what you mean."

"Think, Demeter," he slunk toward her, drawing close, their faces inches apart. "Don't you feel it?"

Demeter tried to jerk away, but her limbs wouldn't cooperate. "Feel what?" Her voice was barely over a whisper.

His eyes slitted dangerously. "This..." He took his black paw and enclosed hers within it, pressing it against the filthy white of his chest. Demeter felt the deep pulse of his heart. At first she was surprised ...he had one, after all. Physical, maybe, but not the kind of heart-

"And this..." He turned to press her golden paw against her own chest, over her own heart. "Don't they feel the same?"

Demeter felt her breath run ragged. Her heart sped in fear. "I...don't understand..."

"You will," he grinned, showing the tips of his long white fangs. "In time, my dear, you will." He swept his paw over the empty cell, indicating it and the warehouse beyond. "You belong here. You know it. With the Jellicles you've always felt...different...out of place."

Demeter felt her breath nearly stop as she met his eyes. Deep. Entrancing. They seemed to strike down into her very soul, pulling at her conscience. "No..."

"But you have. Those nights of the full moon, you've had urges to get out. To run. To hunt. Even kill." Demeter felt his breath against her whiskers and tried to turn her face away, but couldn't. "It's the blackness inside you. The same blackness in me, in all cats blessed with the thrill of the hunt."

Her heart skipped a beat. "No..."

"You feel it, don't you? The burn...all over you...when you get close to them. To Munkustrap. You think it's love." Here he laughed, softly, mocking. Demeter felt a shudder run through her. "You call the fire love, but it's not. You know it, deep down. It's fire. It's the want for blood. You can't stand remaining close to them for long." He saw her withdraw, not only physically but mentally, into her fear at his words...and the obvious truth of them. "Yes...you've felt it. It's not love, Demeter." Macavity lightly turned his head to the side, letting his eyes break contact to rove over her face. "So much like your mother," he said softly, running the back of his hand down Demeter's cheek. The young queen felt his sharp claw tips brush against her neck and she turned her face away, knowing it was useless to try and escape his touch.

"What do you know about my mother?" she tried to snarl, but all that emitted was a harsh whisper. Macavity chuckled, a deep, evil sound that echoed into her mind. She shuddered.

"Plenty."

Demeter couldn't help but turn to meet his battered face again, hugging herself tightly in fear. "H-how?" Now her voice was barely audible, fearing what he might say. Her insides were liquid in terror as he took her chin, catching her eyes in his mesmerizing gaze.

"Demeter...I'm your father."