The Cold

By Robin Girl

Chapter 1

(The Tuxedo Capers inspired this story. I didn't come up with any of the nick names such as Trappy, Ade, or Momma Rummy, I will tell the author's name as soon as I find it out, I found her name it's Triskell!! . If  I was you, I'd read Tuxedo Capers. It's on my site: Robin_Gurl.tripod.com under Way Cool Fanfiction.)

Rum Tum Tugger sat up, something felt wrong. His eyes cleared of sleep and he looked around. Everything seemed to be normal. Then he heard a sniffle and a cough. "Quax?"

A young white face sat up from a pile of blankets. "Momma Rummy?"

Inwardly 'Momma Rummy' sighed. Why..Why? Oh well, the kid was happy, but, ARGH!! "Yeh, you ok?"

The black kitten shook his head. Unsteadily Quaxo got to his paws stumbling over to Momma Rummy. Tugger caught his charge before he fell. The flirt's eyes narrowed, "Does anything hurt?"

"Tum-my.." Quaxo stuttered curling closer. The white face buried it's self into the older cat's chest.

"Stomach hurts?" Tugger put a paw to Quaxo's forehead. The little one was warm. What now? He didn't know anything about medicine.

"Si-ck?"

"I think you are. Go back to sleep and we'll go see Trappy in the morning."

"Sl-ee-ping?" Quaxo asked almost in a whisper. He yawned tiredly and laid his head on Tugger's left arm.

If Tugger had not already been wrapped around the black kitten's paw he wuld have pushed Quaxo off. But then Quaxo would cry and cause a racket. Not only that, but also this kit wasn't so bad. Jenny-Any-Dots actually had been nice to him since he took in the kit, believing that for once he was doing something useful in his life. "Close your eyes Quaxo."

Quaxo obeyed and closed his eyes falling into a deep sleep.

For a while Tugger sat there wondering if he'd done the right thing. Something told him he didn't. Maybe Trappy would know. Trappy? Now he was starting to talk like the kitten. "What have you done to me rascal? Turning me all soft." He made up his mind and decided to go find Trappy and ask him.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Munkustrap awoke hearing a soft knock. Perturbed that he had been disturbed he sat up. "What?" He hissed groggily.

Tugger appeared in the doorway cradling Quaxo in his arms. The kitten was fast asleep.

"It's too early in the morning, what's wrong?" Munkustrap carefully eyed both Tugger and Quaxo. Tugger looked fine. Quaxo , something must have been wrong with the kit.

"Quaxo said he felt sick. I wanted to wait until tomorrow but something told me not to."

Munkustrap sighed and took the black kitten gently so as not to wake him. "He's got a fever." The tabby replied instantly. "I'm glad you didn't wait, it could have gotten worse."

Quaxo whimpered and opened his eyes. His vision too blurry, he made out a gray and black blob holding him. This wasn't Momma Rummy, he almost screamed but then remembered someone who looked just like this blob. "Tra-ppy?"

"Yes little one, it's Trappy. You're sick, can you tell me what hurts?"

"Si-cky?" Quaxo sat up his paws wrapping around Trappy's arms so he wouldn't fall flat on his face.

Munkustrap supported the young one nodding, "Can you tell me what hurts?"

"Tum-my.." Quaxo replied after a moment of thinking.

"Here," Munkustrap laid Quaxo down on his blankets. Playfully he poked Quaxo's nose. "Lay right here with Rummy, I'm going to get Jenny."

"Rum-my?"

"Yeh, Rummy's here." Munkustrap moved to the side giving Tugger's hiding spot away. "Go to him." Strap whispered towards his littermate.

Tugger nodded yawning himself. The flirt lay down beside the black kitten. "Go to sleep, Jenny will be here soon."

Quaxo turned over on his sisde. One white paw poked Tugger's curled up arm. He coughed and hacked twice.

"Come here."

Quaxo smiled despite how he felt and crawled over very slowly putting one unsteady paw infront of the other. Tugger wrapped his arms around the kitten holding him close. Both had just fallen into a deep sleep when Jenny and Trappy ran in.

"Tugger," Jenny-Any-Dots, a motherly cat to anyone and everyone in the junkyard, "Tugger." She shouted again. Everyone except for a few older cats were raised or taken care of by the Queen at one time of their lives.

Tugger opened his eyes groggily. All he wanted was sleep. Was that so bad? If he ever mated, he never wanted to have kits. "What? Oh Jenny..."

"Where is the dear?"

Tugger opened his arms revealing the Black Kitten. Quaxo's paws unconsciously reached for Tugger. "cold.." He whispered.

Normally Tugger wouldn't show affection in public but right now his reputation was the least of his worries. Jenny almost took Quaxo for Tugger's arms but didn't. Tugger cradled the kitten close in his embrace, cooing and soothing the black fur ball. She was impressed, perhaps Tugger wasn't as bad as she had thought.

 "Quax, it's alright, Shh...Jenny's here to check you over."

"Jen-ny?" Quaxo asked tears still hanging like prisms in his black eyes. He didn't want Jenny he wanted Rummy.

Tugger frowned instantly when he got a good feeling of Quaxo's body heat. "Jenny, he's gotten warmer."

"Let me see him."

Tugger worriedly handed him over or tried. Quaxo would have nothing of it. "RUM-MY!!" The black kitten shouted hoarsely groping for him.

"The poor dear," Jenny quickly checked him over despite the fact that her charge was squirming alot. "He's got a cold.."

Quaxo cried to weak to move anymore. These adults were meanies. "Rum-my.." He kept saying through hiccupping sobs.

Munkustrap felt his heart break when the kitten cried. He was glad when Jenny handed him back over to Tugger. The Queen put one of the ragged blankets over Quaxo and Tugger, "Do you have any water?"

"Yes," Munkus replied, "Why?"

"We need to bring down the fever."

End Chapter 1

(There is Chapter 1!! Hope ya like!! Now I just need to get Triskell to put Tuxedo Capers up on ff.net *goes to beg*)