A black tabby cat named Pouncival and a Javanese Cat named Cleopatra sat in the alley where they lived. Their kittens, a stripe-pointed male named Timberfreecy and a Javanese female named Lillylace, played in the street. Their parents watched then play and dodge the cars. But suddenly, two large male Javanese ran up, and grabbed the kittens!
"No!" Cleopatra screamed. She and Pouncival ran out into the street. "Alexander! Gillian!"
The bigger one, Prince Alexander of the Javanese Tribe, turned to Cleopatra.
"Princess Cleopatra." He said. "These belong to King Salem now. They are Javanese Cats, and will be part of the Javanese Tribe. You have done well by having these kittens. He wishes for you to have more so the tribe will not die off. That is all."
He turned and the two princes dragged the kittens away.
"Mother!" Lillylace cried. "Help us!"
Cleopatra put her arms around Pouncival and cried. "My beautiful kittens! They're gone!"
He looked at her sadly. "They're just going to do that? They're just going to take them?"
"They will obey the king. If they don't, Prince Alexander will be cast from the tribe and Prince Gillian will be highest prince in tribe."
Pouncival sighed. He would never understand the Javanese Tribe. Cleopatra was a Javanese, but Pouncival was a Jellicle Cat. They lived with the Jellicle Tribe, but King Salem of the Javanese Tribe had told her she had to be mates with a Jellicle to live there. She had chosen Pouncival. But he was a Practical Cat.
"He will raise them as Javanese." She told him. "They will be taught to forget us."
Pouncival didn't look too happy about that. Suddenly, he got an idea.
"I'm going after them." He announced. Cleopatra looked at him, bewildered.
"You won't get them. They will hold them special place."
"You will go with me. Take me to your tribe. Introduce me to them. I will try to make a deal with King Salem. If I can't, I will take them by force."
Cleopatra said nothing, but didn't disagree. He sighed and walked off towards the forest. She went back into the alley.
Pouncival wasn't going to the Javanese yet. He was going to the Jellicle Leader, Old Deuteronomy. He had to tell him where he was going.
"Deuteronomy." He said as he walked in. The leader nodded to him.
"Yes Pouncival?" he asked.
"A terrible thing just happened. Two Javanese Cats kidnapped Lillylace and Timberfreecy. I must go to their territory and get them."
"By all means! Your kittens are Jellicle Cats, nothing else. You go find them."
He nodded and left. Deuteronomy watched him go sadly. He was the father of a lot of the Jellicles, including Pouncival. His kittens had all grown up now, his mates all died long ago. He was almost 15 years old, and knew he wouldn't last much longer. His oldest son, Munkustrap, would be the new Jellicle Leader.
He knew Pouncival didn't understand Cleopatra. But he was trying. Everyday he learned something he didn't know before. When it came to the Javanese, Pouncival was the expert of the tribe.
Pouncival walked back to his alley. Cleopatra had stopped crying.
"Come on, Cleopatra." He said. "We're going to visit the Javanese."
"But what if King Salem will not let Lillylace and Timberfreecy go?"
"I'll get them back. No one steals Pouncival's kittens and gets away with it! I'll fight guards! I'll even fight Salem! I'll get them back, or die trying."
"Oh, don't kill yourself over two kittens. We can have more."
"You don't know the way of the Jellicles. We are very protective over our kittens. We will kill or be killed for them."
"But why? You can just have more kittens."
"You don't understand. I know we can have more. But there is only one Timberfreecy. And there is only one Lillylace. We can't replace them."
"I understand now. I will help you. We will get them back."
Across London, the two princes arrived at their tribe's territory with the kittens. They bowed deeply before King Salem.
"Are these Princess Cleopatra's kittens?" he asked. Alexander nodded. "Fetch Princess Susannah."
Prince Gillian left and a moment later he returned with another Javanese.
"Princess Susannah, you will show these new Javanese to their rooms." Salem said. She nodded and took their hands to lead them away.
"Who are you?" Lillylace asked.
"I am Princess Susannah. I am oldest princess. I will be your guardian and teacher. I and my younger brother Prince Apollo. Call for us if you need anything. You are now Javanese. What are your names?"
"I'm Timberfreecy." He said. "And she's Lillylace."
"Strange names. You are newest prince and princess of tribe. Here is room you will stay in. You will not leave this room."
The princess locked them in the room and then walked off. A moment later, the door was unlocked. A female Siamese walked in. The kittens huddled together in the corner, scared of her.
"Do not be afraid." She said. "I am Persephone, mother of all Javanese. I am the queen of the tribe."
"But you are not Javanese." Lillylace said. "You are Siamese."
"Yes. They wanted a non-Javanese to be the queen. All Javanese Cats are related, and it would cause interbreeding to have a Javanese queen and king."
The two kittens didn't move from the corner. Persephone smiled at them.
"I know how you feel." She said. "I too was taken from my tribe as a kitten. I soon forgot the Siamese and learned the ways of the Javanese. You will too. You look like Javanese. At least, one of you does. What are your names?"
"I'm Lillylace and he's Timberfreecy."
"Lillylace, you look like a true Javanese. But Timberfreecy has the blood of a Jellicle. Who is your father?"
"The Jellicle Pouncival." He said.
"Yes. You are half-Jellicle. But you will still be a good Javanese. Both of you. But, Timberfreecy, you must prepare yourself for the teasing. The young princes and princesses have never seen a cat with stripes. You will be laughed at and made subject to their jokes. Salem will stop most of it. He is a good king as you will find out. Don't hate him too much for what he's done to your family."
"He has taken us from our mother and father." Lillylace said. "How can we not hate him?"
"He's just doing his job as king. He's trying to keep his tribe alive. Besides, part of his deal with Princess Cleopatra was said she had to have kittens to keep the tribe from dying."
Lillylace and Timberfreecy stayed silent. Persephone turned and left.
It didn't take long for word to spread through the tribe of the newcomers. The kittens never had a moment to themselves. The young Javanese kept coming just to look at the half-Jellicles. They heard giggles and laughter outside and twice Persephone had to shoo them away. The heard her talking.
"Scat! You flock like buzzards! He can't help his stripes!" The giggles fell silent.
"Great." Timberfreecy said. "I've been forced to live somewhere where the cats don't have stripes. Isn't life fun?"
"I hope mother and father come to get us." Lillylace said. "I don't want to be a Javanese."
Just then, Princess Susannah walked in with a male Javanese.
"This is my brother, Prince Apollo." She said. "We are your guardians. You will come with us now."
They gently took the kittens' hands and led them out of the room. Curious faces watched them walk past silently. One kitten walked up behind Timberfreecy and grabbed his tail. He spun around and hissed at the Javanese. Apollo struck him hard across the ears.
"That will not be permitted." Apollo said. "He is son of king. You are son of lowly princess. You will treat him with respect."
Timberfreecy said nothing. Lillylace reached over and held her brother's hand, and they were taken to King Salem. When they got there, Apollo and Susannah pushed them to the floor and forced them to bow to him. Timberfreecy refused.
"You will show respect for your king!" Susannah told him. Salem glared at him when he didn't obey. He made a quick motion with his hand and Apollo pulled Timberfreecy up to him. The prince held him as the king looked at him.
"Bow." Salem ordered. The Jellicle made no move to do as told. Salem gave Apollo a look and the prince held Timberfreecy firmly in from of him. Then, King Salem stood up, and struck Timberfreecy hard across the face. Apollo held him standing, thought the kitten sagged from the blow. Suddenly, they heard a voice from the doorway.
"If you touch my son again I will blind you for life."
Every Javanese turned to see Pouncival standing there. Behind him, obviously afraid of the king, was Cleopatra.
"Princess Cleopatra and her mate, the Jellicle." Salem said. Cleopatra fell to her knees and bowed deeply to him as Timberfreecy struggled against Apollo.
"Step forward, Jellicle." The king ordered. He didn't move.
"It's Pouncival." The Jellicle said. "Not 'Jellicle'."
"Do not talk back to me. You will obey me, I am king!"
"Not my king. I have no king."
King Salem made a motion with his hands and Apollo and Susannah dragged Lillylace and Timberfreecy away.
"No!" Lillylace cried. "Mother! Father!"
Alexander and Gillian pulled Pouncival and Cleopatra up to the king. Salem walked down to face Pouncival.
"You dare to talk like that when standing before me?" he asked.
"Well yes, I guess I do."
The king looked down at Cleopatra who was trembling. "I see where the boy kitten got his spirit." He said. He stepped back and sat in his chair.
"You two are in my territory." He said. "Therefor, Cleopatra belongs to me again. Jellicle, you will be held in a room. But not as a prisoner. You are our guest, and will be treated like any Javanese."
"Thanks but no thanks. All I want are my kittens. Then I'll leave. Cleopatra and I will both leave."
"Jellicle…" he started.
"Pouncival." Pouncival corrected.
"Pouncival. You do not understand our ways. The kittens now belong to me. Queen Persephone will act as mother and be their teacher. They will be taught to forget the Jellicles. The boy will be taught to shame his stripes. You will go back to your tribe, but you will go alone."
"Well Salem, you don't understand our ways. If I am gone more than three days, they will send Mistoffelees to find me."
"This Jellicle will not get here soon enough. It takes day to get from your tribe to my tribe."
"Not this Jellicle. He can be here three seconds after he is told to find me."
"How is this possible?"
"Mistoffelees is a conjurer. He's the most magical cat around."
"I have never seen a magical cat."
"Only Jellicle Cats and Fonicle Cats have magic. We're not to happy about the Fonicles, but there's nothing we can do about it."
"Your conjurer does not scare me. You will stay two weeks. Then you will leave and not come back again."
"Well, it might not be on purpose, but I can guarantee you I'll be back."
"Explain."
"Well, I am, as Alonzo calls me, 'Mr. Trashcan'. I sleep in a trashcan. The dump's over here. Put those together, I will be back."
"I understand. But, for now, let me introduce you to the princes and princesses."
They were seated with Pouncival next to the king, and Cleopatra next to him.
"What's going to happen next?" Pouncival whispered to Cleopatra.
"He will bring out each Javanese prince or princess in order of age, from youngest to oldest."
King Salem clapped his hands and one by one, the kittens stepped forward. Once they were introduced, they sat down.
First the youngest, Princess Nadja, walked up. She bowed to her father then touched hands with Pouncival.
Prince Julius came next, and did the same thing.
Next was Princess Anastasia, who seemed very interested in Pouncival. Salem gave her a look and she sat down with the others.
Prince Timothy walked out, and also touched hands with Pouncival.
Princess Rosemarie came next, and smiled shyly at Cleopatra. She whispered to Pouncival.
"I would come next, but you already know me." She said. Prince Jonathan walked out, and nodded his head to Pouncival.
Then came Princess Aeva, who shyly put her hands in Pouncival's.
Prince Sebastian strutted out, unimpressed by the Jellicle.
Princess Virginia walked out, and didn't even looked at Pouncival before she sat down.
Prince Aaron walked out next, and looked curiously at the scar across Pouncival's nose.
Princess Antoinette came next, and ran up to Pouncival before bowing to her father. Salem cleared his throat loudly, and she showed her respects.
Then came Prince Elvis, neatly groomed and looking bored.
Princess Athena came out next, and politely nodded her head to Pouncival.
After that was Prince Apollo. Pouncival gave him a nasty look.
Then came Princess Susannah, who gave Pouncival a flirty look before her father made her sit.
Prince Gillian walked out acting very superior.
Then, the cat they had been waiting for. Prince Alexander, heir to the throne, strutted out. He fell to his knees before his father, then walked up to Pouncival. The Jellicle nodded to him, and the prince took his place at the front of the Javanese.
Queen Persephone walked out and took her place next to King Salem. Then, the princes and princesses bowed to them.
Pouncival gave Salem a look. "Is that all?" he asked sarcastically.
"I'm expecting another litter in a week." Salem said. Persephone said nothing, but stood and left.
"She's not happy." Salem explained. "She is foolish not to be happy as queen."
"Maybe she doesn't want to be queen. Maybe she wants to go back to the Siamese Tribe where she came from. Ever think of that?"
Salem said nothing to him. To Alexander, he said, "Show the Jellicle to his room. He will stay in there until I say different. Princess Cleopatra will stay with the other Princesses."
He nodded. Standing, he grabbed Pouncival's arm to lead him away. Pouncival pulled away.
"I can walk on my own." He said. "Lead the way."
Alexander walked out and Pouncival followed. A little ways away, out of sight of Salem, Pouncival quietly walked away from Alexander. He wasn't going to be locked up in a room. He was going to find his kittens.
He walked from room to room as quickly and as quietly as he could. He knew they'd figure out he was gone, but he didn't want that yet.
He was walking past a room when he heard crying. He stopped and listened. Someone was in the room crying.
Very slowly, he looked in. Inside the room was Princess Susannah. It was she who was crying. She was alone, and sat on the ground.
Pouncival walked into the room. She looked up and gasped, frightened.
"What are you doing here?" she stuttered.
"It's alright." He told her. "I won't hurt you. Why are you crying?"
She hesitated, not willing to share information with a cat of a different tribe. He knelt down next to her and held her hand.
"You can tell me." He said. "I may not be a Javanese, but you can trust me. You were Princess Susannah?"
"Yes." She said. "I was not told your name."
"I am Pouncival. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help."
"Well, I doubt it. There's nothing anyone can do except King Salem."
"Tell me anyway."
She sighed. Then, it all just poured out.
"No one knows this yet except for Prince Alexander. I have been seeing a cat named Adonis. He is a Siamese in the tribe not far from ours. I have been doing this behind King Salem's back. I am suppose to be mates to Alexander because I am the oldest Princess."
"Why are you sad?"
"On our last meeting, Alexander found us. He threatened to tell King Salem if I see him again because I am supposed to be his mate. But I do not wish to be lovers with my brother!"
"There are some screwy things with your tribe, no offence to you."
"How do the Jellicles live?"
"Well, for starters, we don't have a king. We simply have a leader, Old Deuteronomy. He is not every cat's father, thought he is mine. We don't have to worry about interbreeding or getting in trouble for going with a different tribe because we aren't all brothers and sisters. But Deuteronomy doesn't mind if we are lovers with a cat of a different tribe."
"Your tribe is very wise. I wish King Salem would be like your leader. But he is very strict, and will not change his rules. Now I cannot risk ever seeing the one I truly love because if Alexander tells King Salem, he will kill Adonis and beat me."
"There's another thing. We never get beaten. We just get warned."
Just then, Alexander ran in.
"Susannah, the Jellicle…" He started, but then he saw Pouncival. His eyes narrowed. "You. You do not know how much trouble you are in for running from me. I could have been beaten and thrown from the tribe. Then I would have haunted you down and killed you."
Alexander walked up to Pouncival, and roughly grabbed his arms and dragged him out of the room. Pouncival gave Susannah an encouraging look as he was dragged away.
The next day, Queen Persephone took Timberfreecy and Lillylace out of their room and into the teaching room. Princess Susannah and Prince Apollo went with them, and stood off to the sides.
"First," Persephone told them. "You must learn how to address the king when in his presence. When in his chamber or addressed by him, you must get to your knees and put your ears on the floor. If you do not address him in this way, you will be beaten."
"Why?" Timberfreecy asked. "Why must we grovel on the floor?"
"It is his way. When Alexander is king, he can change the rules, but for know, Salem is the king. We must follow his rules."
Timberfreecy shrugged. "Whatever. So we wallow in the dirt like mice whenever the big boss makes an entrance. What's next?"
"Next, you must never look him right in the eye. Keep your head down. That is how you show respect to the king."
"Ok, so we must drag our ears in the dirt, and all we get to see of the king are his feet. Is that all?"
"Never speak to him if he has not spoken to you first. You will get beaten badly for that one. Every new kitten has learned that the hard way. I don't wish to be bowed to, though Salem wants you to. You must treat Prince Alexander in the same manner of the king, except you may look him in the eye."
"Wow, I get the privilege of looking at the bad boy second-in-command."
Persephone sighed. "If you are not going to pay attention, I will not bother trying to teach you. This is for your own good. If you don't do these things, you will have many scars on your backs. Now, will you listen to me?"
Timberfreecy sighed. "I guess."
"Your mother went through the same thing when she was a kitten, and she learned it all. Now, at mealtime, you will come to the king's chamber and take your seats. Which one of you is older?"
"I am." Timberfreecy said.
"You will take a seat next to Princess Nadja. Lillylace, you will sit next to him. We sit in age order. You are the youngest Javanese now. When you address any other Javanese, you must address them as either Prince or Princess. You are now Prince Timberfreecy and Princess Lillylace." She looked at Timberfreecy.
"You are going to be teased and pushed around by the others. It is your stripes. Stripes on a cat are not normally permitted in the Javanese Tribe. Because you are half-Jellicle, Salem understands. But you are different, and must understand that. Lillylace will fit in perfectly once she learns our language. But you will take time."
"When will we learn to speak Javanese?" Lillylace asked.
"Do you know any of the language?"
"Not much. Mother will speak it when she is aggravated or frightened and can't remember English. I hear all the Javanese speaking Javanese."
"Do you know our songs?"
"Mother sings them."
"You will learn to speak Javanese once you understand us a little more. Then you will learn the songs we sing at the Javanese Ball."
"This Javanese Ball." Timberfreecy said. "Is it like the Jellicle Ball? I've been to one, and it was great."
"We have no Heaviside Layer. We meet once a year and sing for Salem. We sing sad songs, those are the ones he likes."
"Everything with this tribe is all for him."
"Of course. He is king." Just then, Prince Alexander walked up. Persephone gave the kittens a look, and they both bowed to the prince. He nodded to them.
"I see we're cooperating now." He said to Timberfreecy. The boy gave him a nasty look as Alexander walked up to his mother.
"King Salem wishes to see you, the kittens, Susannah and Apollo." He told her. She nodded, and the five cats started for the king's chamber. Alexander pulled Susannah back as the others left.
"What was that Jellicle doing in your room?" he asked. She looked at him, frightened.
"He just stumbled into my room." She told him. "He didn't come for any reason."
"I'm not that stupid. You told him about Adonis, didn't you?" When he saw the fear in her eyes, he knew he was right. He pulled her very close to him.
"You were warned not to speak of him." He hissed. "I am your mate. You cannot prevent that. I will tell King Salem about your nighttime meetings if you do not stop thinking of him. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Alexander." She said shakily. "Very clear."
"Good. Now, we must go to the king. He wishes to see the tribe."
Alexander pushed her ahead of him. Then, he walked very closely behind her and kept his hands on her shoulders.
In the chamber, King Salem looked around at the tribe. He didn't see Alexander or Susannah. Then, last, they walked up. The way they were together made Salem very proud of his son. He had chosen him a very good mate. They would have a lot of kittens together.
The latecomers knelt down next to each other and bowed to the king. Then, Prince Gillian pulled Cleopatra up to the king.
"You all remember Princess Cleopatra." Salem said. "She has been with the Jellicle Tribe for this time. She has succeeded in having kittens with a Jellicle. Now, she will be part of our tribe again, along with her kittens. Will Prince Apollo bring up the kittens?"
Apollo pulled up the kittens. He pulled them away from their mother as they reached for her, and shoved them to the floor before the king. Salem walked down to them and put a hand on their shoulders.
"Prince Timberfreecy and Princess Lillylace." He said. "You are Javanese. You will act like Javanese, speak like Javanese, sing like Javanese. And you will follow me, the Javanese King. You are being taught by Queen Persephone. She is now your mother."
"No!" Cleopatra screamed. She ran to them and flung her arms around them. "They are mine!"
"Princess Cleopatra, you are excused." Salem ordered. Gillian walked up to her and started to pull her away, but she turned and lashed out at him, hissing. Salem struck her hard across her ears. She yelled out in pain, but didn't move.
"Prince Gillian," Salem said. "Fetch me my whip." The prince turned and left. Cleopatra cried, though she stayed where she was. Gillian returned with Salem's whip. The king took it from him, raised in high in the air, and brought it down hard across Cleopatra's back. She screamed in pain, and held her head in her hands as he whipped her, each time stinging more than the first.
He whipped her ten times, before ordering Gillian to take her to her room. The prince pulled her to her feet and dragged her out of the room. Her back was striped red. Salem looked at the terrified kittens.
"You learned a lot for your first day of teaching." He told them. "You know now know how you will be punished for committing a crime or breaking a rule. You are all excused."
Apollo took the kittens back to their rooms, and the tribe left the room.
That night, Susannah snuck out of the territory. She ran far, and into the territory of the Siamese. There, she met a male Siamese at the boarder. It was Adonis.
The lovers embraced when they saw each other, then he looked into her sad eyes.
"Why are you sad?" he asked.
"My brother Alexander. He knows about us, and has threatened to tell King Salem if we do not cease to see each other."
"I hate meeting you only at night." He said. "It is as if we are hiding from the world around us."
"I must hide. If Salem finds out, he will kill you and beat me. I am being forced to be Alexander's mate. I do not want to be lovers with my brother."
"We can run. Run from London. We can go to Liverpool. They will never find us there. We can live there and have our own family. We would be City Cats."
"I couldn't. He would send Alexander and Gillian after me, and if they find me…I don't even want to think about that. We couldn't do it."
"I can't keep meeting like this. We never see each other."
She said nothing. As they kissed, they heard a voice.
"I told you to forget about each other." They turned to see Alexander standing behind them. Susannah gasped and held Adonis tightly. Alexander walked up to them, and ripped her away from him. Then, he struck her hard. Adonis scratched Alexander across his ears. The prince turned to him angrily.
"Run." He hissed. "And you better run far. I will hunt you like a mouse, and when I find you, I will gut you like a rat. Run, and forget about Susannah. She's not yours to love."
Adonis gave him a look of hatred, before disappearing into the shadows. Alexander pulled Susannah up as close as he could get her and looked into her blue eyes.
"If you weren't my mate, I would kill you right here." He said. "But we'll leave that decision to King Salem."
"No!" She cried. "Don't tell him! Please, Alexander, I beg of you! Don't tell Salem, please! I promise, I will never see Adonis again! Please, no!"
"Swear on your soul you will be loyal to me. Swear it."
"I swear. I will be your mate. I will never leave the territory again."
He sighed. "I will keep this from Salem. But this is your last warning. You are my mate, and I expect to have kittens from you when I am king. I will settle for no other female cat."
She nodded, and he pulled her through the forest to their territory. Once they had reached it, he spun around to her, and kissed her hard.
They were right outside of King Salem's room when they did this. He looked outside and saw them kissing in the moonlight, and knew they fit each other well.