He was my brother . . . Right? Yeah, he was. At least he was my closest brother. He didn't know all my secrets. He didn't know all my fears or joys. Somehow we were close. I respected him for his position. He respected me . . . For well . . .I not exactly sure. He hasn't told me, and I haven't figured it out yet.

"Tugger."

I yawned and stretched, staring lazily at Munkustrap. He smiled and jumped up next to me. My brother lay down, resting his head on his paws. He looked out on the Junkyard, face clam and free of any worry at all. I leaned onto me back paws.

"How do you do it?"

. . . Pause . . .

"Do what?"

"Do everything. Watching Dad, the kittens. Especially dealing with Demeter. How . . .?"

A chuckle from him and an odd glance from me.

"No, really. I want to know."

"I just do. It's never been hard for me. True, sometimes I wish I could be as carefree as you, but . . . I enjoy this. This 'job'," he stopped. He never did talk much to me about personal things. I know he wasn't even going to touch the subject of Deme. Sometimes I wondered if he was as fragile as her.

"You're brave."

I meant it too. He was brave for taking the post that was most likely to get him killed. Apparently he didn't mind too much though.

"You're going to do this your whole life . . . Aren't you?"

"Most likely."

We sat there in silence for a few long moments. It wasn't uncomfortable. No tension or hard feelings. I had never felt like that around him. I knew he didn't particularly care for my reputation. But we never spoke about it. We never fought. Clouds covered the sliver of moon and it looked like it was going to storm. I didn't exactly care to get my fur wet that night.

"You go. I'll be okay."

I blinked in surprise. Munkustrap always had that weird way of knowing what was on my mind. Even Mistoffelees, magical as he may be, wasn't so as Munkus about that.

"Yeah . . . Just don't catch a cold."

I grinned and slapped his shoulder in an awkward brotherly fashion. Then I leapt from the trunk of the old TSE1, heading somewhere out of the oncoming rain.

Yeah . . . Munkustrap is my brother most definitely.