Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The Rats Are Coming

Just when Susan thought the noise would go on forever, the gong sounded for the third time and silence fell over the cats.Tucker remained silent at her side, paw still on her foot, the only reason Susan was still standing there. Her instincts told her to run, even though she was sure if she tried she would be smothered in cats before she could go even a few feet. But Tucker's presence, standing so firmly in face of such opposition, made her braver and want to stay to help her friend any way she could.

And it wasn't like she knew the first thing about getting home from where she was, anyway. The City was huge and she could just as easily get lost as find the exit even if she did manage somehow to escape the thousands of cats.

Susan watched as a cat detached himself from the crowd and came forward, not sure what to feel about it. Was he a friend or not?

From Tucker's tension, Susan guessed the worst.

The newcomer was gorgeous, though, she had to admit, long and slim, but heavily muscled, with the markings of a leopard, large black spots covering most of his body. He was an unusual color, however, striking silver, with huge eyes of the same color with a highlight of blue in them. He stopped beside Susan and Tucker, sitting neatly next to Tucker, although seeming to lean away from her friend with a look of what Susan thought was arrogance on his flawless face.

"I would speak to the Council," he said, his voice silky smooth, rich and vibrating.

Susan's stomach clenched.

Albert nodded immediately. "Of course. The Council will hear from the captain of the guard. Speak, Julian, son of Marigold and Pilot."

Julian inclined his head gracefully to Albert and the others. "My thanks. I actually have a question for the young Gatekeeper." He made it sound like Tucker was a silly child just by the way he said it. Susan started to get mad.

"Ask," Tucker said simply and Susan felt pride mix with the anger. Tucker will show him, she thought. Julian who?

"I would like to see your proof," Julian said simply, not looking at Tucker at all, speaking instead to the crowd of cats.

A murmur ran through the crowd, soft this time, but echoing Julian. Susan actually felt the mood shift. Could they possibly believe Tucker after all?Tucker looked up at Susan. He rose up on his back legs and set both front paws on her hand. "They need to see the bite," he said.

Susan nodded, holding up her hand. Five sets of eyes peered at her unblinking as the Council of cats leaned forward to look.

"Susan was attacked by a rat," Tucker said clearly, voice carrying to every cat in the square. "She has the bite mark to prove it."

Albert leaned back, one paw rising to swipe slowly at his whiskers. "I must admit," he said, "that is, indeed, a rat bite."

Three other Councilors, the two Siamese and the Persian, all grudgingly agreed. The last cat, the lean bronze with the huge ears, simply watched Tucker.

Obviously feeling braver now that his proof was shown, Tucker continued. "The rats have returned. They attempted to use Susan and her family against us, to hurt her so the family would leave. I had to save her, to keep her safe."

"And this warranted bringing her to the City?" Julian's tone was filled with disdain and Susan wondered how much ground Tucker gained after all.

"This was their second attempt," Tucker said, causing another wave of chatter that faded quickly. "Which is why I moved in with her family. So I could keep an eye on the situation and protect her."

Susan could feel the mood of the crowd changing. Suddenly, she wasn't quite so scared for herself. The cats watching her actually seemed to be ignoring her now. She heard frightened whispers of rats travel through them.

"And where exactly are these rats?" Julian wanted to know. "And why," he turned slowly in a circle, addressing the entire crowd in his powerful voice, "are you the only one in the City with this particular knowledge?" Julian spun on Tucker, actually looking at him for the first time, stalking toward the young butterscotch tabby, fur standing up, ears flat. "Really, boy, you expect us to believe the rats are back and you are the only one who has seen them?"

The crowd swayed. Susan could feel it. They were choosing to believe what they wanted to believe. She was shocked and horrified. What more proof did they need?

Tucker stood his ground as the cats started growling around him. "I'm not," he said. "There are others who know, as well."As the gathered cats snarled at him, Susan saw Julian exchange a look with the silent Councilor. She looked up to see him stand up and yowl loudly. The cats fell still.

"Enough!" His voice was deep and strong and brought silence as well as the gong had. He looked down at Tucker with his huge golden eyes. "The truth of the matter is that Gatekeeper Tucker, for whatever reason, broke our oldest law by bringing a human here. It's obvious he created this rat story to cover for his error in judgment. He clearly was taken in by the life of a common cat." He shook his head at Tucker. "There is no shame in it," he told Susan's friend. "It has happened before."

The crowd hissed and meowed, falling in line with the words of the Councilor.

Susan's anger got bigger. Why wouldn't they listen? She looked down at Tucker, and was shocked. Her friend was shrunk so low to the ground he was almost lying down, his whiskers and tail drooping, ears flat sideways as he looked up at the Councilor who addressed him. She never saw her friend look so pathetic and hurt and in that moment her anger burst past her fear and she spun on the Council, cheeks flushed and eyes flashing.

"Are you all stupid or something?" She demanded.

She was not prepared for the sudden and complete silence. Albert's fur puffed up completely and he looked so ridiculous Susan wanted to laugh. The two Siamese were crawling all over each other as the Golden Persian shrank back, ears flat against her wide head. Only the bronze observed her calmly.

Albert finally managed to sputter at Susan.

"YouÉ you can understand us? Everything?" She really would have laughed if she hadn't been so mad.

"Of course I can, you ninny," she said. "Tucker told you. A rat bit me and now I can hear you. Proof enough for you?"

There was a huge sigh through the pack. Finally, Susan thought. They are getting it.

She had no idea, however, how resourceful Tucker's enemy could be. Julian stepped up before Susan could stop him and, claws extended, cuffed Tucker across the side of the head. Blood welled from a cut in the tabby's ear as Julian hissed at him.

"You fool!" Julian raged. "You gave her the power to understand us and tried to blame it on the return of the rats! Did you not think we would know?"Tucker shrank against Susan's legs and despite worrying what the others might think, she bent down and lifted him into her arms. The cats hissed at her in shock, but she didn't care. There was no way she was going to stand by and let them hurt her friend for trying to help her.

"Leave him alone!" She yelled at Julian. "He did the right thing and you're punishing him for it! You're the liar if you say you don't believe him."

Julian's ears flattened again and he growled at her. "You've just proven my point, human," he said. "He's gotten so common he needs you to protect him."

Susan looked around at the other cats and mentally kicked herself, knowing he was right. She looked down at the beaten Tucker in her arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears welling. "I just wanted to help."

Tucker's paw rose and touched the tears. "I know, Susan. Thanks for trying. Please put me down okay?"

She set her friend gently on the ground between her feet. He shook himself, raising the same paw that wiped away her tear to swipe at the bead of blood on his ear, smearing it over his beautiful fur. Susan heard a grunting noise behind her and looked back. The four guards who had begun her escort were restraining Vinnie, although it looked like they had already been through a battle to do it. Susan realized had Vinnie been free, Julian would be the one bleeding now, not Tucker.

Susan looked down at her friend who faced the Council.

"I have told the truth," Tucker said. "The threat is real, whether you choose to believe me or not. I have done what I can." He bowed his head to them and Susan knew he was done. Her heart went out to him. It must have been so hard for him to stand up to his people for her sake and she only made things worse.

"We will judge your guilt or innocence later, Tucker, son of Cynthia," Albert said. "But that issue is not the one that brought us here. We are in this meeting to decide the fate of the girl."

Susan definitely didn't like the sound of that. Neither did Tucker.

"I told you," he said. "She didn't do anything wrong. We need to return her to her family.""Are you insane?" Julian snarled at him. "She would tell the humans about us." "I swear I won't!" Susan spoke up before thinking. "They wouldn't believe me

anyway," she whispered to herself.

"Like we can trust her," Julian said. "She's a human. We all know how trustworthy they are."

Not for the first time, Susan found herself wondering what happened to the people who lived in Cat City.

"She cannot just be returned, Tucker," Albert said. "Measures will need to be taken." "We could wipe her memory," Miku suggested in her hissing voice.

"Good suggestion, Miku," Maku leaned over to lick the side of her face in approval. "Thank you, Maku," said Miku.

"And waste our precious magic on her?" Julian demanded, although Susan noticed he was far less aggressive when he spoke to the actual Council members, voice softening and becoming more like the slimy salesmen Dad sometimes brought home for dinner, who called her Ôcutie' and Ôlollipop' and tried to get on Mom's good side by complimenting her horrible cooking.

"Then what do you suggest, captain?" Tabitha asked with a soft purr to her voice. "There are a few solutions," he offered, "that would ensure the safety of the City." "Such as?" The bronze cat asked, amber eyes locked on Tucker who stared back. "We could lock her up," Julian said. "She would remain here the rest of her life." The crowd of cats didn't like the idea and, quite frankly, neither did Susan.

"I don't think so," she said to him. He rewarded her with a hiss. "Silence, human. No one cares what you think."

I'm going to step on his tail the first chance I get, she thought.

"If we did so," Tucker spoke up, "her parents would come looking for her and increase our risk of being found."

"Agreed," the bronze cat said.

"Do you have a suggestion, Khai?" Albert asked the bronze cat.

"I leave such matters to our captain," Khai offered mildly. "Please, continue, Julian." Julian bowed his head to the Council."She could be put to sleep for all eternity, returned to her family in a coma," Julian offered.

"Using our precious magic?" Tucker threw it back at Julian. "Better to erase her memory."

"Agreed," Albert said and the other cats were also nodding. Susan wasn't sure if that was a win or not, but she was grateful that particular item was off the table.

"Don't I get a say?" She asked, not caring if she was digging herself in deeper or actually helping her case. "I'm the one being judged, here. You don't even know me! How do you know I'll betray you?"

"You're human," Julian said. The rest of the cats howled at her and Susan fell silent. "There is one other suggestion," Julian said. "Rather a distasteful idea, but would

solve the problem permanently."

Susan was sure if Julian found it distasteful it would mean bad news for her. "That being?" Khai asked.

"Kill her," Julian said flatly. "Leave her at the base of the tree and blame it on the fall. The humans wouldn't know the difference and we would be safe."

Susan, through her shock and horror, was pretty sure her feelings were shared by most of the gathered cats. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful or not.

"You'll have to kill me, too," Tucker said softly to Julian. "Because I won't let you do it."

"Now, now," Albert sputtered, his whiskers twitching wildly. "I don't think that is an option, Julian, really."

The rest of the Council nodded to each other and Susan felt better.

"If she really was marked by a rat," Julian said, "she is contaminated and is at this moment leading them right to us."

Again, the silence. This time, however, Susan was really worried. Faced with their own survival, would the cats choose their City over her?

"So now you believe me, is that it?" Tucker's tail thrashed against the ground, his ears flattening against his head. "You can't have it both ways, Julian.""The rats have been gone for centuries," Julian snarled, stalking closer. Tucker left Susan and started to circle, body low to the ground, a heavy growling yowl coming from him.

"We assumed they were gone," Tucker spit back. "We were wrong. They've found us again and we are in danger."

"So pathetic," Julian yowled, eyes flashing, pupils down to slits, "protecting your own skin with lies."

"What are you afraid of, Julian?" Tucker growled. "That I'm right and you will actually have to do your job?"

Julian howled in rage, tossing his head back and forth, tail thrashing, fur on end. Susan stood frozen, unable to help her friend as the two cats faced off.

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