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A dark figure circled the two cowering kittens; the rain had died down, and was replaced by a thick layer of fog. The Pollicle continued to circle, flickering in and out of the fog. “Etcety, what do we do?” Jemteazer was shaking now, not because of her wet fur, but from fear. She had heard about Pollicles before, they were cruel and relentless, once they had you in their site and on their mind; there was no escape from you fate. She remembered one night in the Jellicle’s Junkyard Haven, when an adolescent female had crawled in on her stomach, her fur caked with blood, one eyes was missing and her paws were badly deformed. Munkustrap had sent away the kittens, but being as curious as she was, and using the hide-away that Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had shown her, she saw the whole thing. Apparently the Queen had wandered into a backyard, where a particularly cruel Pollicle lived, something called a Doby-man. She had tried to escape, but the dog had jumped the fence and perused her till she couldn’t run any longer, then he tossed her into the air, and “played” with her until she passed out. The incident had scarred her for life.
The Pollicle stopped and sat on his haunches, he raised his head and let out a low, menacing howl. It sounded like bone against bone, and it made Jemteazer’s hackles stand on end. The Pollicle, he was a German shepherd, whipped his head around and pointed his delicate nose right at the two princess’s. He sniffed, and stood up quickly, his enormous tongue lolled out, dripping saliva on the ground, as he tried to focus his eyes on what he smelled.
Jemteazers nerves got the better of her as she arched her back and hissed through her kitten teeth. The German shepherd’s ugly head snapped in the direction of the two princesses. “Shut up Jemy! He’ll hear you!” Etceterina was now on her own four feet as well, her hackles raised and claws unsheathed. Despite Etcety’s warning Jemteazer continued to spit and hiss, but she couldn’t help it. The black and cream dog ran towards Jemteazer, however the thick fog muffled the sound considerably, causing her to be spared the dogs attack. Even though he missed her, she continued to hiss, drawing him back to her. This time the dog too special care to listen, so he wouldn’t repeat his earlier mistake. “Maybe if we split up, he’ll become confused.” Etceterina said hopefully. Jemteazer just stared at her. Taking her silence as confirmation Etceterina headed in the opposite direction of Jemteazer.
The fog surrounding Jemteazer was lessening, if not disappearing altogether. Now she could see the fearsome creature Humans called dog, which meant one other thing: He could see her also. His cold brown eyes were fixed on hers, and suddenly she felt very frightened. * No I am going to show Etcety…EVERYBODY…that I am not some weak-minded, scaredy-cat princess * with that thought Jemteazer forced herself to calm down. She took a deep breath and with the mightiest roar she could muster bounded off towards the German Pollicle.
Etceterina, lost in the thicker fog, heard Jemteazers cry and thinking that she was hurt ran towards the sound, right into the two animals path. The small calico saw her best friend in time to stop and move out of the way, but the big dog ran right into her, throwing Etceterina’s body across the air. The dumb dog, stunned for a moment, realized that what he hit was in fact on of the kittens. Hoping that the impact rendered her unconscious, he went over to drag her away. Jemteazer, forgotten by the dog, somehow knew what the dog intended and sought desperately for a plan that would not get herself killed, or kill the little tabby. The closer he got to Etceterina the more frantic Jemteazer became. She searched for something she could throw at it, and found a large rock a few feet from her. Quickly she grabbed it and launched it at the Pollicle. “Yah! Take that, ya miserable mutt!”
Being as slow as he was, the dog took a couple seconds to realize that the other cat was still around and that she had just thrown a rock at him. Not wanting to leave his prey, but not wanting to be hit again by a rock, he looked back and forth between the two, wracking his brain for a decision. Finally, after looking back to his fallen prize and reassuring himself that it was not moving, he started towards Jemteazer. It growled and Jemteazer could feel it vibrating in the ground. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes she repeated, I won’t be afraid, I won’t be afraid over and over again in her head.
In no time the Pollicle was upon her. His teeth sunk deep into flesh, as Jemteazer cried out in pain. “’Elp me, Etcety!” She could not say more, the Shepherd shook his head, her still firmly lodged by his teeth, and she felt skin tear and bone crunch. The dog dropped her on the ground, only to take up batting her around.
Etceterina awoke to gurgling cries and an orange and black figure slam into a tree. “Nooooo!” Etceterina yelled, but being so engrossed with his new “toy” the dog did not hear her screams. Rage filled Etcety as the German Shepherd hit and bit Jemteazer repeatedly trying to get her to stand up to play more. “No more…” she said to herself. Still rage filled, she raised her paws in front of her, lifted her head to the sky and yelled as loud as she could. A pure white light emitted from her pads. As soon as it touched the dog a bright flash of white light filled her vision, and then everything returned to normal.
Out of breath and a little shaken of what she just did, she made her way to her limp-bodied friend. She looked a dreadful sight, punctures in the ankles, upper thighs, pelvic area, ribs, arms, and neck oozed blood, but it was her friend’s stomach that drew attention. A gaping hole had been torn, exposing muscle, and organs. Trying not to empty her own stomach was a chore, and she moved to feel for her friends pulse. At first she couldn’t feel anything, but eventually she felt a faint pulse. One that would not continue if she didn’t find help soon.
Etceterina bit back tears, but soft sobs escaped her lips, * She can’t die…Jemteazer… * Wheezing brought her attention back to Jemteazer. She had her eyes open and moved her mouth, though no words came. “What is it?” Etceterina put her black ear to Jemy’s mouth and faintly heard, “Listen…ta…me…” Coughing made Etceterina retract, and blood sprayed the air. Etceterina went to lower her head to Jemteazer’s mouth again, but instead, Jemteazer spoke out loud and strong.
“Chosen from the Circle…twined with Secrets of Dark…broken from the Waters…mended by Spirit…brought together by One…Sacrifices made…Pain made Clear…Created and Destroyed by Choice. So it shall be.” With a shudder that shook her whole body Jemteazer went limp again, leaving a startled and bewildered Etceterina.
“What does that mean…Speak to me…TELL ME!” she had seized Jemteazer’s lifeless shoulders and shook them violently, sobs blurring her words and tears escaping her eyes. She collapsed on top of Jemteazer, crushing her with her weight and cried into her best friends blood matted fur. * Don’t die…don’t leave me…not all alone…all alone… *
