That morning, on the day of the uprising, whilst Zara was making her way to the palace, and I was tidying my room, and whilst Fatma and Ahmet, Izmir and Izabel, each of them in their own way, were coming to terms with the darkness, Elvan was still snoozing.
The sunlight, ascendant, slipped over the rooftops and shone through first one window and then another, before landing upon Elvan's face. Stirring for a moment, he opened his eyes, took in the beauty of the morning, and then rolled over, content, cosy and too comfortable to even think about getting up. He reached out an arm and let it fall over Jezabel's body, pulling her closer for a cuddle.
At that moment, somewhere out of hearing, Mother Arap awoke to find a note tucked under her paw. A moment after that, she screamed.
Some time a little later Kadir too awoke with a note tucked under his paw. Some time a little after that, he roared, which was noise enough to disturb all of the cats living nearby, and indeed many cats living far beyond.
Jezabel shook Elvan awake.
'What a glorious day' she purred, 'rise and shine my king.'
Elvan opened his eyes and felt a sharp pain penetrate his chest. He looked about blearily. What had happened? Suddenly he felt awful.
There was a miaow from around the corner. Someone had come with news.
'A message from Longshanks' he said.
It was Hasbi, Elvan's head of special operations.
'Yes, yes' replied Elvan, rising slowly, 'come, give it to me.'
Hasbi walked around the corner and stopped, shocked at the sight of Elvan's sleeping quarters. Jezabel stretched in the sunshine and knocked over an empty wine bottle, which, clunking, hit the ground and then rolled away towards Hasbi. He looked at Elvan in disgust.
'Here' he said roughly, throwing the note at him.
Elvan leant over from his semi-risen posture and took the note. He read, at first aloud…
'We have the adventurers: Ahmet, Fatma and Izmir. They stand accused of the murder of fifteen rooftop knights at Karendir, two humans at Galata Tower and three more at Topkapi Palace. They are to be executed tomorrow morning…'
He stopped, catching sight of his own name. He read on, now to himself silently…
'…If you hand over Elvan we will release the kittens. Your King, Longshanks.'
'The note is everywhere' said Hasbi, 'it was delivered first to the Araps, and then to Kadir, and then to several other families, mostly those close to Ahmet or Fatma. You are needed outside Elvan.'
With that he turned around and left.
'What did it say at the end?' asked Jezabel.
Elvan froze in shock. He wanted nothing more than to be able to think in peace. What on earth was he to do? He looked aghast at Jezabel, still stretching in the sunshine. She smiled sweetly at him.
'What is the matter?' she asked, 'Surely you are capable of rescuing them, or something? No doubt you'll figure it out.'
'Longshanks says that if the gutters hand me over then he will let the kittens go' replied Elvan, his head sinking against his chest. He sighed.
Jezabel's eyes widened.
'That is blackmail' she said. 'You can't give in to blackmail Elvan, you must be strong enough to stand up to them. Your choices are clear it seems. You can't let the kittens be executed, and you can't let yourself be executed either. So you must fight Elvan. Let today be the day. Or is it that you doubt your cause?'
Elvan's gaze shifted beyond those eyes spread wide of Jezabel and caught sight of a new reality, inspecting for the first time the decision to go to war, today.
Jezabel got up and walked over to Elvan, bringing her face close into his and placing a paw around his shoulders.
'I believe in you. You must believe in yourself, or what then was it all for?'
She brought back her paw and then pulled away, walking past him and out into the streets. Looking back over her shoulder, she said, 'Come now. I will see you tonight for the feast. Bring me a victory Elvan.'
Elvan lay back down and rolled over, stretched his arms and legs, tipped back his head and then glared at the sky.
'Oh why?' he asked, 'why oh why did this have to happen?'
He sprang back up and began to pace the outline of his quarters. He needed to focus. Where to look? What to do?
A thought, the thought that the gutters might turn on him, might hand him over to the rooftops, hit him squarely in the face and passed straight through his brain, the force of it entirely reshaping his appreciation of the world around him. The fundamental context in which he lived was utterly changed. What options did he now have? Jezabel was right, the very least he could do was to mount a rescue attempt. But was that the right thing to do? There were so many what ifs. What if they were spotted on their way? What if Longshanks was waiting for them? What if he retaliated? What if they failed? His credibility as a leader would be lost.
The other option was simply to revolt. He was convinced that their force as a tribe would be enough to defeat the rooftops in open battle. The what if then of course was what if the gutters said no, no we don't want to go to war, we would rather lose you.
The tribe would need to be persuaded. Surely there was reason enough to choose war. His mind passed over those things he considered most important to his position: the photo of Longshanks (how his heart had rejoiced); the speech he had made (how the crowds had roared); the news of the adventurers, of the coming of Izmir, and of victory foretold in prophecy. How certain he had been of success.
But then how indignant it made him feel, to have his paw forced, and not by the alleys, but by Longshanks. He thought back to his meeting with the four cats of the moment, remembering their advice, that he should be the one to attack the rooftops first. It was almost as if they could read the future. He winced. He had then decided to play the waiting game, at least to pick the perfect day, and so had relaxed. Now the moment had come, and it was true, he had no choice.
The idea of a rescue attempt made him feel bereft. There was so much risk, and even if they succeeded he would only be back where he started. War, on the other paw, well the idea made him feel alive. Perhaps Longshanks had done him a favour. Perhaps the capture of the kittens, and the need for an immediate response, would concentrate the minds of the gutters. Perhaps it would provide sufficient pressure to draw them out of safety.
The decision to go to war today returned, once again occupying his mental gaze, but this time he did not feel nervous or burdened with foreboding, instead he felt positive, largely confident that he could win and sure of his way forwards. He could do it.
There was no point in getting upset. So the gods had decreed, this is how it happened. Damn the prophecy, damn the kittens, these things were now an utter nuisance, but they had happened, there was no avoiding that, and he would have to make the best of it he could.
He stopped in his tracks. It was time. He turned about and ran out into the streets.
Hasbi was waiting for him outside. He looked at him with expectant eyes.
'An outrage' said Elvan, 'this will not be allowed to stand. I am calling a rally in Taksim Square. We must consult the tribe. Tell your team to spread the message. I will get Kadir and meet you there…'
He paused and took in the eyes of Hasbi.
'Are you ready?' he asked him.
'We stand behind you Elvan' said Hasbi, smiling. 'Long live the revolution!' he added before running down the street, calling for his captains to join him. 'Kamber to Beyoğlu, Mücahit to Eminönu, Tayfun to Fatih, Volkan to Beşiktaş … Summon the gutters! Now we march on the rooftops!'
Well that at least was something. He should have counted on Hasbi's support. Of course, the note had not changed anything. The tribe had been ready for war days ago, and they would be even more ready now. Perhaps this was going to be easier than he had imagined… Long live the revolution… What enthusiasm.
Elvan walked quickly down the street and made his way towards Yildiz, his mind rushing through the pathway forwards. Even if Hasbi was on board, he was not a gutter cat, and no doubt the average citizen, those unused to fighting, would be more reluctant. A good rationale was going to be essential. He would need to build a story that allowed only one interpretation.
His justification began to take shape:
'Longshanks is not to be trusted.'
'If you turn me over, the kittens might be executed anyway.'
'There is no knowing where it will stop, for if the kittens are not killed, tomorrow they might simply ask for someone else.'
'Who will be sacrificed next? It could be any of you.'
'Of course the kittens must be rescued, but why not go with their full strength? To send a team of ten cats would be an insult to their efforts.'
Anyway he thought, although the news was terrible, they could not let this distract them from the righteousness of their cause. They knew that Longshanks was the problem, they knew that he had killed King Richard, so he just had to go, and right now, before he caused any more trouble.
Arriving at Yildiz he was pleased to find Kadir drilling the troops. Excitingly, he was in a ferocious mood. Cats were lined up before him and forwards they came one by one. Each lasted only for a few shaking moments before Kadir swept them away into the dust.
'Kadir' called Elvan, 'go easy on them. We'll have no soldiers left if you carry on like that. Now, yes that's it, stop fighting, to me everyone.'
Kadir let his paws fall and then walked towards Elvan.
'I am so sorry' he said, 'but we cannot let the kittens be executed. We must rescue them. Please let me lead the mission. I will die to save them Elvan.'
'Kadir' said Elvan, 'thank you, of course we will rescue them, but we cannot get caught in Longshanks' web. I imagine he would be delighted to have our champion go rushing off to the rooftops, but even you cannot defeat them by yourself. How about we all go with you?'
Kadir's eyes lit up.
'To war' he said.
'To war' replied Elvan, now delighted. His brain had not deserted him. The right words had just come tripping off his tongue.
He turned to face the rest of the cats.
'No doubt you have all heard of this latest piece of mischief from Longshanks,' he said, 'but we should not be surprised that this has happened. Of course he wants to divide our tribe. Of course he would rather spend his time picking us off one by one rather than face our united strength, but we know better than that. We know that in times of crisis we must stick together. We know that our enemy is a monster, who must be defeated. The time for our victory is now. Come my friends, follow me. To Taksim Square! Today the tribe meets to conclude this ugly business once and for all.'
Kadir smacked one paw into the other.
'At last!' he cried.
He turned towards the troops.
'To war!' he cried.
'To war!' they cried in response.
Elvan was overjoyed. It had been a nervous moment for him. The darkest parts of his imagination had awaited a 'Why should we?' or worse, 'Come on Kadir let's get him', but in fact he had not even needed to try. They were already there. War was their expectation. All he had to do was point in the right direction.
He punched the sky and turned about, then walking up the hill with a swagger. A fire was beginning to burn within his chest. This was something more than anger, for in truth he felt quite calm. The energy now about his being seemed set on the victory that he had so long dreamed of. In this sensation lay the defeat of his enemies. He would release the fire and all Istanbul would fall before it. There was one last thing to do before realising his vision. He just had to win this fight and then tomorrow the world could be made anew. It was wonderful to think of. All the senseless suffering they had been subjected to would be brought to an end. All the injustice in their society would be stopped. The tribe would once again be happy.
It was enough to quicken his pace. By the time the procession of cats reached İstiklal he was practically sprinting. The closer he got to Taksim the more energised he felt. It was as if the air around him now shared his objectives, for when he breathed, the fire within his chest burned all the brighter. He was elated that the moment had finally come. Cresting the hill, the square appeared before him and his mind rose another notch. Somewhere a switch had been flicked and now there was a white light shining through his consciousness, guiding him onwards. Wherever he looked he found that the message was the same. His ego quested, to war it cried. His alter-ego cried back, louder still, to war!
The square was well on its way to filling up. Cats were pouring in from every direction. It was a veritable flood. He scanned the crowds. At the back of the square was Hasbi. He stood before the raised flower bed from which the great gutter cat conference had been conducted. Here they were again, but now there was no one to contradict him. His memories of that night rushed back to him. He could still remember his speech:
'At a certain point in time you will be faced with a choice. When you can no longer deny the reality of their objectives, when you accept that they will take everything you have if you let them, then you can choose to fight back or not.'
He had been right. His speech had been a good one. It was obvious now that Longshanks was as bad as he had said. The reality of his objectives could not be denied. He was sure the gutters would agree. He Elvan had been their real leader all along. Now they were going to carry him to the top. Tomorrow he would be king of the cats, and what could be more fitting than that. He deserved it. He was the best cat for the job.
He scanned the scene a final time. Near the front, about ten rows back from the flower bed, he saw a concentration of cats, a circle pressing in. It had to be the Araps. He started making his way through towards the front, Kadir and the procession from Yildiz close behind. The crowds parted around him and Elvan paused momentarily to offer encouragement as he passed.
'We're going to get them for this' he said to one cat, 'don't you worry.'
To another, 'You are right to be angry. Today I will give you the chance of revenge.'
'To war!' Kadir cried behind him.
'To war!' called his followers in return.
He pushed through the circle around the Araps. It was crucial that they agreed.
'Fear not' he shouted, 'the kittens will be back with you tonight.'
Reaching the Araps he put his arms around them. The white light seemed to expand from his mind, forming a sphere around the three of them. Mother Arap stopped crying. Father Arap looked at him bravely.
'I am sorry Elvan' he said. 'What a miserable thing to do! But don't worry, we will not let the tribe down. We will be there with you. I will kill Longshanks myself if I have to.'
'I admire you both more than you could possibly ever know' said Elvan. 'To war then' he added. They both nodded, clearly resolute. His soul let out a quiet cry of joy. He gave them both a quick hug and marched onwards through the crowds.
Hasbi was on side, Kadir was on side and the Araps were also on side. This was all going extremely well. Now what? There was the tribe to persuade. He glanced at the faces of those cats in sight. They looked hungry, but ideally he wanted them absolutely boiling.
He lifted his head and looked back across the square. What was that sound? It was a drum! Boom, it went, boom boom boom! To his left came the sound of another drum, and then to his right came another. Boom ritatat boom! Boom ritatat crash wallop boom! Within moments the air was thick with the noise. What a brilliant idea he thought. Who had thought of that? He squinted at the distance and could make out a few of the cats drumming, they were all members of his special operations team. What excellent cats they were! How right he had been to form such a squad.
Arriving at the flower beds, he saluted Hasbi. He had never saluted anyone before, but it just felt so natural to do so.
'Hasbi well done' said Elvan, 'the drums are brilliant. Now let us plan.'
He turned back and waved over Kadir, who was locked in a tight embrace with the Araps.
As Kadir walked over the word plan settled in his mind. He had spent so much time thinking of how it would all happen, but now it all seemed incredibly simple.
'Now' he said when Kadir arrived, 'while cats are still coming in let us use the time to discuss our plan.'
'We fight!' roared Kadir.
Elvan smiled.
'Yes, we fight, but it is important that we get this right. First, we need as many cats as possible to join us. While we are not the best equipped, our army is much the larger. If all the cats in this square come out to fight then we should outnumber them by ten to one. Although the core of our team is clearly committed, the gutter cats out there are not warriors like you two. They will need to be carried. We must use all our skill and passion to persuade them to give this fight everything they have. I want you both to make speeches, use the time you have now to prepare. You should also make sure that those cats closest to you are well-briefed. There must be cheering and clapping, shouting and screaming, and it must be clear that there is only one direction forwards: war. I will make the last speech and by the time I have finished I expect us to be ready to march.'
'We are at your command' said Hasbi.
Kadir nodded, but now his face had clouded. On hearing that Elvan wanted him to make a speech a good deal of enthusiasm had forsaken him.
'Then' continued Elvan, 'there is the question of tactics. We will be at our most vulnerable whilst climbing up. Although there is much to be said for presenting one overwhelming force, we cannot afford the risk of being trapped in a bottle-neck. We must therefore divide the tribe into teams. It seems natural to me that there are three teams, one led by each of us. Kadir I suggest that once I give the order you lead the first team down İstiklal. Hasbi you stand at the exit and after roughly a third of the cats have passed, you take another team down. I will then do the same. We cross Galata Bridge together and then when we are over the river we split up. Kadir I want you to head towards Fatih and then loop back round towards Sultan Ahmet. Hasbi I want you to head along the coast and attack from the South. I will head directly through Eminönu. Once on the rooftops, kill all that stand in your way. One final thing, do not touch Longshanks. He is mine.'
The next hour or so the three cats passed wandering around the square, talking to their tribe, explaining that the decision to go to war was to be taken during the following presentation. Most cats simply nodded, some cats agreed more vehemently, but disappointingly for Elvan, a significant number of cats left immediately.
Kadir asked many of his friends what to say in his speech. In general he was advised to focus on Ahmet and Fatma, for was that not the reason they were prepared to fight? Therein the conversation often passed to remembering the times they had spent with these two kittens, who had always been much loved, Fatma the smartest and Ahmet the fastest cat in town.
Hasbi toured the perimeter of the square, stopping to brief his special operations team. Those not drumming slipped away and then a few moments later returned carrying piles of dried sticks. Then in the bins and in whatever other nooks and crannies they could find fires were lit.
Elvan was often surprised during the stops he made to discover how appreciated he was as a leader. He looked to find the signs of resentment, evidence of a desire to betray him, but there seemed to be none at all. Everyone before him was cast in the bright white light that his being exuded, and he was often assured that he had their full support. Many cats were insistent about the need to depose Longshanks, and without prompting, suggested war to be the best option. Too many others however seemed disinterested in the idea. The speeches would need to be good, for with this number dissenting they would be considerably less formidable. Otherwise, although he tried his best to dismiss the notion, he could not avoid noticing how un-war-like most cats were. They were a domestic tribe. Despite his best efforts, the gutter cats of Istanbul had not been turned into a military force. He could only think how grateful he was that Hasbi and his friends had come to help them.
Eventually Elvan waved to Kadir and Hasbi that it was time to begin. Both walked across the square towards him. Hasbi gave a signal and the drums stopped booming. The crowd, sensing the happening before them, fell quiet.
'Kadir you first' said Elvan when they arrived. 'Keep it short and simple. You understand the point. Today is the day, there is no choice now but to fight, and how could we want anything else.'
Kadir nodded and stepped up onto the flower bed.
'I would like to dedicate this speech to Ahmet and Fatma' he started. The crowd erupted, and so loud was the cheering that the windows around Taksim Square rattled in their frames. Ahmet and Fatma were after all the most popular kittens in Istanbul.
'We all remember last time we were assembled here to discuss our future. Then we talked of war, and then we talked of peace, but neither option satisfied the tribe. There were two kittens within our number brave enough to give us another option. They chose to leave the safety of Istanbul and head out into the wilds of Turkey, looking for the prophecy, and this display of courage gave us all hope.'
'I remember' he continued, 'the next day, teaching Ahmet how to fight. He was always the best amongst us for running and chasing, but never had he thrown a single punch. I gave him the best advice I could, but sadly, as at the time I feared, it was not enough to save him.'
Kadir paused, visibly moved, and so too was the crowd. Certainly they thought this was Kadir's best ever speech.
'I remember Fatma' he shouted, 'and who could forget her, for like Ahmet, she was always streets ahead of the rest of us, but not of course with running and chasing, but with her cleverness and wisdom. How many of you out there learnt something from her? She was always only too happy to help other cats out with their thinking problems, I know she helped me many times, and I always felt better for seeing the world from her point of view.'
'I remember too the other day when Father and Mother Arap came down from the rooftops, after their interview with Longshanks, and how proud we all were that they had found the prophecy, and found Izmir. We all felt fantastic that they had succeeded. We all shared in that feeling. But now they have been captured, and tomorrow, if we don't save them, they will be executed.'
'Now we must share in their bad luck. We cannot leave them there to die. We must go now and get them back.'
'I say, who cares if they killed a few rooftop knights, I plan to kill many more this evening. Who cares if they killed a few humans? How dare Longshanks speak of such a thing as a crime? Next he will be sleeping with the dogs!'
Taksim Square broke down in a combination of roaring, cheering and laughing.
'But now seriously' said Kadir, 'I say that when Hasbi and Elvan have finished their speeches, we go and teach those nasty rooftop cats a thing or two about what it means to mess with the gutters!'
Hurrah! Hurrah! Kadir was almost deafened by the response. How exciting thought the gutter cats of Istanbul.
Kadir stood down and Hasbi stood up.
For a few moments Hasbi said nothing and the crowd turned to talking amongst themselves. Hasbi was a new cat in town and opinions about him had not yet settled. Although he was much admired for his martial prowess amongst his followers, he lacked many of the qualities the gutter cats valued. He was not very talkative, and no one had ever seen him smile. Where did he come from? Why had he left his home? Where had he learnt to fight like that? Would he ever become one of them?
The crowd stopped talking and looked about each other anxiously when a series of great crackling sounds came drifting across the square, followed by a collection of coughing noises from those cats on the periphery. But there was red smoke in the sky!
Unbeknownst to the gutter cats, Hasbi had ordered a special sort of powder to be dropped into the fires that had been lit in the bins and various nooks and crannies of Taksim Square.
'Now we have a chance to change this world' began Hasbi.
The crowd of course cheered.
'I am here to tell you that we must take this chance. I am here to tell you that our moment has arrived, and that we must seize this moment.'
The red smoke continued to blow in from the edges of the square, and the crowd started to feel a little nervous.
'I want you to believe me when I say that if we let this day pass, if we choose not to defend our freedom, if we make any other choice than to fight, then we will regret it for the rest of our lives. And I will tell you why.'
'If we do not stand up to the rooftops now, tomorrow we will wake up knowing that our weakness cost either the lives of the two kittens, who we love, or Elvan, who is our leader. This of course is what Longshanks wants. He has told us that we must choose pain, for we know that we cannot lose either. How dare he insist to us that we should pick between shades of suffering? How dare he ask that we sacrifice our future, which through our leader we will find, to save those cats dearest to us?'
The gutter cats of Istanbul did not know the answers to these questions, but they were sure of one thing, this speech was making them feel very angry. Hasbi was right, it was unfair to make them choose between Elvan and the adventurers. In fact, it was the most nasty thing they had ever heard of. And Longshanks, what a bad cat!
Some cats noticed that the red smoke in the sky was steadily turning black, but most cats did not, for they had turned inwards, and were staring with fury into their imaginations. They could see the rooftop cats feasting and laughing. They could see the kittens in prison. They could see that Ahmet was wounded. They could see Izmir chained to a table under a bright white light. They could see that his body had been whipped.
'I will tell you a story' said Hasbi. 'I will tell you how I came to be myself. Once upon a time I had to make a choice like this. This was not in Istanbul. This was in another city, the capital of a country that lies to the East, that has had more than its fair share of troubles over recent years. My father was a funny cat, always making jokes about one thing or another, and not like me at all really. One day he told the wrong joke to the wrong person, and the cat in charge of that country decided to punish him. He sent his guards to our house one morning to teach my family a lesson. The guards said that we would be offered one more chance. I was that chance. I would learn not to make jokes, and to teach me that lesson I had to make a choice. One of my parents would die, and I had to pick which one. Of course I could not make that choice, so they killed them both before my eyes.'
The crowd could not have been more appalled. They felt sick at just hearing of such a thing.
'I could not choose, and I could not fight back, so I had to suffer instead. You can understand that since then I have found it very difficult to be happy. As I grew up I often thought back on that day, wishing that I had done differently. If only I could have saved them. If only I could have fought off the guards. But I was only a kitten, and I was not strong enough to do so. I went out into the world and I learnt to defend myself. One day I came back to my hometown and I killed the cat that had been in charge at the time, but it did not bring my parents back, and the pain did not go away.'
'You can understand then how I feel about Longshanks' message. This is why I am stood before you now, so that you do not have to suffer as I did. Together we are strong enough to avoid such a sacrifice. Now I will ask you, will you let this happen? Will you let this day pass without fighting for your happiness? Will you hand over Elvan to our enemy? Will you let the kittens be murdered?'
The crowd did not know what was happening. They just knew that the answer was no.
'Nooooo!' they screamed. 'No, no, no!'
'No you will not' said Hasbi. 'You will not put up with such cruelty. You will not accept Longshanks as your ruler, if he offers you only suffering. You will not tolerate this society to continue if within it you have no choice but to lose. Tonight then we must win, once and for all. In a few moments our leader will take to the stage, and he will tell us again why we must win, and right now. Let's hear it for Elvan!'
Although the crowd felt dirty and angry, and many were now desperate to get out of the square, they were still prepared to cheer for Elvan.
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Then the drums started again. Boom boom ritatat boom! Boom ritatat crash wallop boom!
Elvan climbed up onto the flower bed and hugged Hasbi on his way down.
He turned round and let his eyes wander through the crowd. Taksim Square had never held such a scene as this. It was like wild fire in a wheat field, the thousands of cats swaying underneath a sky thick with red and black smoke. It was an impressive sight to behold, and undeniably, they now looked like a force to be reckoned with. Hasbi had done so well, how he wondered would he have done it without him. The drums and the fires were touches of military genius. And how sad it was to hear of his youth, such things as that had to be avenged. Just thinking about it made him want to go and kill some rooftop cats.
He was startled by a thud at his feet. Someone had thrown something down from the rooftops. He looked at the two lumps, confused for some moments about what they were. What was that? A bundle? It looked like something that a gutter cat would carry on a journey. And that? That looked like a human bag. Perhaps… Perhaps they had belonged to Ahmet and Fatma. Why he would think such a thing he did not know, but suddenly he was sure of it.
He picked up the bundle and held it up to the light cast from the circle of fires around the square.
'That's Ahmet's bundle!' Mother Arap screamed.
He had been right, but had no time to dwell on what it might mean before the Araps were before him. What of it? It changed nothing.
'Don't worry' he said, thinking for a moment before handing them over, 'it's just the rooftop cats trying to intimidate us. The plan is still the same. We will rescue them immediately as soon as I have finished my speech.'
Mother Arap wailed on opening Ahmet's bundle and finding some half eaten packages of the food she had prepared. It brought back memories of the morning they had set off, and for a moment she could see his face so clearly. My how she missed him.
Meanwhile Father Arap, for lack of anything better to do, was pulling out the contents of Fatma's rucksack. What was this? And this? Where did Fatma get such things from? And then what about this?
He pulled out a scroll and opened it. Fatma had once taught the Araps to read a little human.
'The Prophecy of Izmir' he read.
Elvan flinched, the sound of Father Arap's voice somehow penetrating the noise from the square and entering his ears.
He looked down at the same moment that Father Arap looked up.
'You better see this Elvan' said Father Arap.
Elvan reached down and took hold of the scroll, trembling. This really was a surprise.
He had barely a moment to think of the implications, and had not even opened the scroll, before the news was communicated from those cats stood nearest Father Arap to those stood behind him. In no time at all the news had spread across the entire square.
'We have the prophecy!'
'The Prophecy of Izmir has just fallen from the sky!'
Elvan unrolled the scroll and read its contents.
'Elvan let us hear it!' someone cried.
The drums stopped and the crowd fell silent.
'Read it out loud Elvan!'
Elvan's head was spinning. The prophecy didn't sound like a bad thing. Why not read it out? Afterall, how could he refuse them?
'The Prophecy of Izmir' he announced.
'In times of deepest, darkest strife, A cat from the East, from Izmir become, A hero to form, and for his wife, Three treasures unites, from enemies won, To bring down the walls, to lift the streets, To help the poor, to raise the weak, A true hero will come to save the cats, From two evil kings, with one evil pact.'
The gutter cats of Istanbul were united in a sense of awe. What a mystery! But what on earth did it mean? Who was Izmir's wife? And what were the treasures? And who were the two evil kings?
Elvan too was lost. He had started to think about how to interpret the prophecy, but then it made him feel so frustrated to do so. He could not tolerate interruptions at this point in time. They were about to march. Oh whatever he thought, let's get back on with it.
'The Prophecy of Izmir' he roared. 'Who now could deny that our victory is in sight? The gods have spoken! The future has already been told. Tonight we will bring down the walls! Tonight we will lift the streets! Tonight we will be saved!'
Taksim Square once again erupted with cheering. Hurrah! Hurrah!
Elvan's eyes sparkled with bright white light. This is what he lived for.
'Some things are meant to be!' he cried. 'Some things cannot be stopped!'
'We are the cats that will change this world! It is our destiny to destroy this unfair system. We will rebuild society so that it works for all of us. Rather than have all power and money in the paws of a few greedy cats, we will see that it is shared between us…'
He paused to check the reaction of the crowd and was pleased to see that most cats were deeply enthusiastic for his words. But then… What was that, off to the left, near the slopes leading down into Beyoğlu. There seemed to be some sort of distraction. But then he couldn't believe his eyes. Was that Zara? He hadn't seen her since the morning of their planning meeting.
Zara had finally come back to the gutters. She had apprehended the first cats she came across and then asked them what was going on. And so she had learnt of the note, apparently from Longshanks, and the rally in Taksim Square. Heading straight there she had arrived to find a dreadful scene. What on earth had happened to her home?
'What is wrong with you?' she shouted at the cats stood nearby. 'Have you no wit at all? How do you know the note actually came from Longshanks? I am his sister, although you never knew it, and I can tell you all for certain that Longshanks does not have the kittens or Izmir. I'm sorry to say that Mr Respectable claims to have already killed them.'
Most of the cats close enough to hear her thought she must have lost her mind. Zara was always so tense. And where had she been? They decided to ignore her and turned back to the speech. The special operations team however were furious. They had been stationed around the perimeter of the square to stop exactly this sort of thing. No interruptions will be tolerated they had been told.
They looked over to Hasbi, who was too far away to understand what was happening. He looked up to the sky and received an update. He gave a signal to one of his captains stood on the same side as Zara.
Elvan looked on in horror. What else could possibly go wrong? He was so close!
The crowd, on seeing Elvan stop in the middle of his speech, had now realised that something was happening. They looked about them to see what it was.
The captain made his way towards Zara. He had no idea of who he was dealing with.
He pushed through the cats stood around her.
'Get out of the way' he screamed. 'This cat is mine!'
A space cleared around them. Zara remained motionless. The captain charged. Zara side-stepped at the last moment and spun, swinging her paws around her as she went. The captain's head fell backwards and blood spurted into the air. She had almost decapitated him.
Hasbi frowned and gave another signal to three more of his captains, who immediately began to advance upon Zara.
'Then here I meet my end' said Zara to herself. She was prepared to fight all of them if she had to.
But it was not the end for Zara.
'This will not do at all' said a voice from behind her.
It was Serkan!
'Zara come with me now. I am leading a party out of Istanbul and into the country. You must come with us. You will have plenty of other opportunities to help this tribe. Do not waste your life on these thugs.'
There was always Serkan, thought Zara.
'So be it' she said. She turned around and made her way back down the slopes.
Serkan came into the square. Now there was absolute silence. What drama!
'All of those who do not wish to die come with me' he called. 'I will lead you to safety. I can assure you that you will be making a mistake if you go to war against the rooftops. You will solve nothing in sacrificing yourselves. Come now, go down the slopes, follow Zara, that's it.'
Elvan raised his paws to his face. What a disaster! To his dismay, many cats were leaving.
All across Taksim Square the message was passed. Peace was still an option? Well that was news.
Elvan decided he had to do something.
'Kadir' he called, 'Kadir lead the first party out. Go now! Quick!'
The drums began to beat again. Boom boom boom! Boom ritatat crash wallop boom!
'To war!' screamed Elvan.