Fanfic: Rum Tum Tugger Story

I don't own CATS (although I wish I did)
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I had just been born and I already thought I was handsome. This was confirmed by a voice, from whom I assumed was my mother, saying,

"Just look at that little black and brown one, so adorable, he'll be a right ladies' cat when he's older."

I felt so important, the cat of the moment. But I was brought right back down to earth with another voice saying,

"It doesn't really matter, the silver tabby is the oldest, he will be the leader of the Jellicles after, Deuteronomy."

Oh great I thought, I mean nothing do I, my brother's the best is he? My mother just started to lick my head and said,

"Don't worry little one you'll be best in your own special way." This calmed me down a bit.

"What should we call them?" A pleasant male voice said.

"They are your sons Deuteronomy, you should name them" She answered

"Very well... I shall name the silver tabby Munkustrap"

"And what about the black and brown one"

"I think... Rum Tum Tugger"

"That's a big name for a small cat Deuteronomy"

"We shall call him Tugger for short. And when their eyes open I can bless them as a Jellicle"

And with that came silence. So I curled up next to my brother and fell asleep.
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After a week my eyes opened and I could at last see the world around me. I was a black cat with leopard pattern around my paws and on my chest and face.
My brother, on the other hand, was a silver tabby.
My father was a brown/grey mix and my mother was a black/brown mix.

I looked at myself and thought I was going to handsome, not trying to be a jerk but I looked cool. Soon after this we were blessed into the Jellicle tribe, I did not understand what this meant at the time.

I was not actually allowed to stray far from my room but that didn't stop me. So one day while my mother was tending to my brother I sneaked out to where my father was in the main room of the den.

When I got there, I saw there were two cats talking to my father. One was a ginger cat, he looked about six months old, the other was a young kitten, dare I say younger than me, with him, he was a black and white tiger tabby. The ginger cat turned to my direction and stared at me with cold blue eyes. His glare made me shiver.

"Tugger!" I heard my mother shout "Rum Tum Tugger get back here"
She ran out and scooped me up.

"Sorry Deuteronomy, he's just a curious kitten"

"It's alright" he said and he went back to business while my mother took me back.

"Who was that?" I asked her.

"Probably new tribe additions. You mustn't go out there yet, it's not safe. Now stay here with your brother"

I went and curled up in my room with my brother.

Who was that ginger cat? He didn't look too friendly, and who is that kitten?

I soon dismissed the feelings and went to sleep.
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When I woke up a little later, I found that Munkustrap and I were alone.

"Where's mother?" I asked.

He shrugged "She had some business to do" He told me. "She said she'd be back soon and then we could have our dinner"

We waited for nearly two hours, my stomach was starting to hurt from hunger. I could hear Munkustrap's tummy rumbling. We were both hungry.

"I'm going to go and ask father where she is." I finally said, but Munkustrap stopped me,

"No, we're not allowed out yet Tugger"

"But this is and emergency, I'm sure he won't mind"

With that he let go and I went to father.
"Father. where's mother"

"I don't know son, she should have been back by now, I've sent Asparagus to get you and your brother some food"
He allowed me to sit with him and wait, shortly after a brown tabby named Lillabelle came in. She was Asparagus' mate.

"Deuteronomy" she said in a shaky voice, "We've found her"

"Where is she?" he asked with deep concern.

"Well she was in the city..." She hesitated, wondering if she could say it in front of me.

"Go on" He told her.

"She was hit by a car" she finished" She dead"

My father, overcome, just closed his eyes, sighed deeply and then nodded.

"I'm sorry Deuteronomy" She said "There was nothing we could do"

He stayed silent, Lillabelle left, then he looked down to me "Go and get your brother and bring him in here"

I nodded and walked into our room, a moment later we stood before him.

"My darling sons" He said "I have terrible news. Your mother won't be with us anymore. She's... she's gone away"

I knew what really happened but I was too young to understand so I just accepted what he was telling us now.

"I will find a new wife and have more children, but you Munkustrap will always be the oldest and you will rule the tribe one day"

He nodded "Yes Deuteronomy"

Father didn't notice that he had called him by his usual name. To be honest I didn't really notice either.

Asparagus came in a little later. He brought our dinner and he also brought his two kittens, they were two months older then Munkustrap and I.

"I believe you know my children Deuteronomy" He told my father, "My daughter Jellylorum and my son Asparagus Jnr"

We had our dinner and left. Munkustrap and I curled up together, alone, for the first time. Father stayed in his chair all night.
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It took father a month to find a new wife, and a month after that I had three new stepbrothers. I walked into the cave and father smiled at me.

"Tugger. My wife's just had her kittens, you may go and see them if you like"

"Where's Munkustrap?" I asked.

"He's scouting the territory at the moment, he should be back shortly"

I nodded and walked into the room where my father's wife lay with her three sons. A red tabby, a black tabby, and a brown/grey mix.

"Hello" She said stiffly. She was a preppy dame who didn't like Munkustrap and me very much. "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to see my stepbrothers, if you don't mind" I said to her.

"Fine"
Safe to say our conversations were always short and to the point

She let me walk up to see them, I sneered.

"You call those cats? They're just balls of fur"

"Well excuse me Rum Tum Tugger, but you were exactly the same when you were born. Don't criticise my sons"

"Well, what are their names"

"I don't know yet. The naming of cats is a difficult matter, you know. I must think about it"

I rolled my eyes and went outside and there was Munkustrap and that black and white cat I had seen with my father. Out of instinct I hissed furiously and he recoiled but Munkustrap frowned.

"Don't be cruel Tugger, he's a friend. Tugger this is Animayus, Animayus this is my brother Rum Tum Tugger"

He nodded to me courteously and said "Nice to meet you" in a weak voice. But I was still cautious.

"Who are you exactly? And who was that ginger cat I saw with you"

"That cat was my father, his name's Macavity, he's protector of this tribe. And I'm just Animayus the Black and White Tiger Tabby"

He didn't seem too bad, it was his father that really creeped me out. So I let him hang out with Munkustrap and me... just to give him a chance. Even though she thought about it all day my stepmother still couldn't come up with anything. It wasn't until three days later that she came up with suitable names.

"Plato, Pouncival and Admetus" she said proudly.

"It took you three days to come up with that" I said to her rudely. I figured that if she was going to rude to me, I'd be rude back. She glared at me.

"There're wonderful names" She said. She looked up to my father, who was there, "Aren't they Deuteronomy?"

"Why yes dear," He replied. I don't what he saw in her. They were exact opposites, he was kind and she was wicked. Just goes to show stepmothers really are wicked.

About a day after their eyes opened, Munkustrap came running in with a kitten under him arm.

"Deuteronomy" He said "Look what I've found"

"Bring him here" My father ordered, Munkustrap handed him over and Deuteronomy looked him over. "Where did you find him?"

"On the border of our territory. He was all alone"

The kitten chose that moment to start looked like he could barely be older than my stepbrothers. Deuteronomy stood up and brought him into the room where his wife lay.

"Who is that?" I heard her ask.

"Munkustrap found him the forest all alone." He told her, "He's not weaned, and needs you feed him"

"Of course, Deuteronomy, until we find his parents he will be my son"

An hour later I looked in and the new kitten, a brown tabby, was curled up with Pouncival, the black tabby.

"What's his name?" I asked her.

"He says he doesn't have one." She told me "Poor dear, his mother abandoned him before she had even given him a name"

I knew what this was leading up to, another weeklong contemplation to find suitable name for this kitten.

"I suppose you're going to name him?" I asked her, but she shook her head.

"No I don't know if his parents are still out there. I will try and find them. I won't name him until I'm sure he has no parents. They must have named him something"

I went over to Munkustrap, who was sitting in the corner,

"What do you think?" I asked, Animayus answered.

"Personally I don't think he going to going anyway for a while. A kitten's only abandoned that young if it's not wanted"

And he was right, the kitten was with us for a long time. My stepmothers told him and her three sons they were all four brothers, and the kitten knew nothing more than that. All four were brothers.