by Dream Painter
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"There she is!" Etcetera whispered in awe to herself. The kitten watched from behind an old cardboard box as Victoria laughed and talked with her friends. Victoria. Beautiful, elegant, talented Victoria who all the toms adored and everybody liked. Victoria with the spotless snow-white coat and bright blue eyes that seemed to twinkle like two stars when she laughed. Victoria—Etcetera's idol.
Victoria was older than Etcetera—she was almost full-grown while Etcetera was just barely an adolescent. The snowy queen was a lady and part of group known as the belles, which included Cassandra and Exotica, Victoria's two closest friends. Bombalurina and Demeter were also considered belles, but Bomba was older and Demi spent most of her time with her older sister. Cassandra and Exotica were presently saying goodbye to their friend and parting down one of the junkyard's many paths. Now was her chance! Hesitantly, Etcetera approached the lovely queen.
"H-hi, Victoria," she greeted, almost breathless.
"Oh, hi!" Victoria returned with one her beautiful smiles. "But please call me Vicky—Victoria sounds so . . . formal. Friends shouldn't have to be formal with each other."
"Friends?" Etcetera echoed.
"Yes, of course," Victoria laughed. "We are friends, aren't we, Cetty?" She called her by her nickname! She knew her name!
"Yes," the younger cat eagerly responded. "Yes, of course!"
"Oh, I'm glad." Victoria was glad to be her friend?
"Vicky, you're so . . . so beautiful a-and elegant! You're divine!" Etcetera exclaimed in adoration. "Everyone likes you!"
"Why, thank you," Victoria smiled.
"Vicky, can I—can I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
"Am I . . . Do you think that I . . . That I'm pretty?" Etcetera asked hesitantly, trembling slightly. What if she said no? Or if she lied so she wouldn't feel bad?
"Let's see," Victoria replied, slowly walking around the younger cat. "Nice, healthy white fur with intricate silver markings, long, quivering whiskers and a delicate face with sparkling, vibrant green eyes . . . . Yes, Cetty, I think you're a very beautiful young queen." She sat down in front of the younger cat. Vicky hadn't called her a kitten!
"Vicky, could you," Etcetera started haltingly, fearfully. "Could you teach me to be a lady? To be a-a belle?" Victoria gently cupped her face in her paws.
"It would be my honor, Miss Etcetera," she replied.
---
"You gotta keep your shoulders straight and your head held high so the world can see your confident smile and the sparkle in your eyes," Victoria had told her. "Remember, a belle is a belle because she's beautiful and therefore has nothing to be ashamed of." Etcetera repeated those words to herself as she walked along. Victoria—beautiful, much-loved Victoria—was teaching her to be a belle. Oh, that she could be as pretty as that snow-white queen! She was on her way now for another lesson. It was absolutely wonderful to spend time alone with Victoria. Perhaps with Vicky's help, everyone will forget what a hyper, tom-crazy kitten she had been.
"You're crazy, Vicky," Etcetera heard Cassandra's voice saying. The white and silver queen stopped behind an abandoned washer to watch.
"Etcetera is a hyper-active kitten," Exotica added. "She's not even a true Jellicle—how could she possibly become a belle?"
"She's a Jellicle adolescent just like we are," Victoria responded. "I concede that she is a bit exuberant, but I'm sure she'll grow out of it. Look how much more mature she's become already. Besides, there's nothing wrong with having a little energy—it makes it impossible not to adore her."
"Oh, please, Vicky!" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "You are TOO charitable! Her real parents were alley cats!"
"Etcetera could never compete with you as a belle," Exotica asserted.
"We're not competing!" the snowy queen exclaimed. "True, she is bigger than I was at her age, but so what? I think she has great potential."
"Yeah," the Egyptian queen scoffed, "potential to make a fool of herself." Etcetera drew in a sharp breath. The others didn't think she could do it! Fleeing from the spot, the young cat bit her lip in an attempt to fight bad the impending tears. She could never measure up. She wasn't really a Jellicle, even. But Victoria—Victoria had faith in her. She'd said she had potential. Yes, of course. If Victoria believed in her, she would not let her down.
"I can do it," Etcetera spoke determinedly as she looked at her reflection in a broken mirror. "I will."
---
"Hey, Cetty, wanna play with Tumble and me?" Pouncival asked expectantly, wriggling in excitement as he approached his friend.
"Not today, Pounce," Etcetera told him.
"Wh-at?" the tom uttered in surprise. "Aw, come on, Cet, Tumble's gonna teach us a new game. You don't wanna miss out on that."
"Maybe I do," the queen said, going around him. Pounce followed along beside her.
"Well if you don't want to play a game we can go over to Victoria Grove," he offered. "Mungo and Teazer got a new bag of loot last night and they said we can each pick something—for keeps." Etcetera stopped to look at him. He couldn't help but think that there was something missing from those bright green eyes—something that was usually there and that he now missed.
"I've got other things to do today, Pounce," she told him quietly. She turned and continued on her way.
"Are you avoiding me?" he asked suddenly, a hint of hurt in his tone. The young queen paused to look back at him.
"Pounce, why would you say that?" she questioned.
"Because you never want to do anything with me anymore," the tom answered. "Cetty—you're my best friend. You have been since you were first adopted into the tribe. But now . . . I can hardly get you to take the time to talk to me."
"Pounce, you're right," she confessed, "I have been ignoring you—but it wasn't on purpose. I just got busy. Look, I can't do anything today, I promised Victoria that I'd meet her, but how about we do something tomorrow?"
"For the whole day?" Pounce asked hopefully. Etcetera smiled.
"Just like old times," she promised.
---
"Cetty loves the meadow," Pounce was telling Tumblebrutus. "We always roll down the hill and the flowers are beautiful right now. And then we'll visit the train station—Skimbleshanks always tells the best stories and sometimes when a car's being moved just a short distance, he lets us go for a ride. And then—"
"Pounce, why don't you just ask her on a date?" Tumble interrupted.
"Ask . . . Etcetera . . . on a date?" his friend echoed.
"Yeah, why not?" the brown and white tom replied. "It's obvious that you're crazy about her. And it's not like you're kittens anymore—we're adolescents now." Pouncival considered this for a moment, an unreadable expression on his tan and cream face. He thoughtfully scratched his head with a tan paw.
"You're right," he said slowly. "We're not kittens anymore." A smile spread across his face. "We're adolescents now!"
"And you have admit," Tumble added, "Cetty's real pretty."
"Of course she is!" Pounce exclaimed. "But . . . what if she only wants to be friends?" Tumblebrutus hit himself in the forehead.
"Pounce," he declared, "you think too much."
---
Pouncival watched Etcetera from the opposite side of the clearing. Their day out the week before hadn't gone as he had hoped. His friend just wasn't herself. Something was bothering her, but he couldn't figure out what. In fact, she didn't look well. Her fur had lost some of it shine and her big green eyes seemed to have become somewhat lackluster and lifeless. Something was wrong, something that caused the young queen to behave in a way that the tom had never seen. Maybe she was sick. That's it, he thought, he would go and talk to Jennyanydots, she would know what to do. He turned to hurry towards the gumbie cat's den.
"Jenny?" Pounce called as he neared the old car that the spotted and striped queen had made her home away from home. The motherly queen poked her head out from within the trunk.
"Pouncival!" she exclaimed in delight. "Hello! What can I do for you, young tom?" She gave him a hug before standing back to take in his serious expression.
"It's Etcetera," he told her. "I don't think she's doing well and she's just not acting like herself. I think she might be sick."
"Cetty hasn't complained about feeling ill," the gumbie said thoughtfully. "But I haven't really seen her for awhile. I'll talk to her."
"Thanks, Jenny," he sighed in relief.
"You care for her, don't you?" she asked suddenly as he started to go.
"Of course I do," he said, turning to face her again. "She's my best friend."
"That's not what I meant, Pounce." The young tom's face began to redden.
"Then, what did you mean?" he questioned, hoping Jenny couldn't tell he was blushing.
"That you're both growing up and that maybe you don't think of her as just a friend anymore," the queen replied.
"H-how can you tell?" Pounce stammered. She smiled kindly.
"I'm a mother, Pounce," she answered. "I know these things."
---
"Hi, Vicky," Etcetera said as she approached the older queen. "Where are you going?"
"Well," Victoria responded, "Cassie, Exotica, and I were going to meet for dinner. Would you like to join us?"
"Would I?" the younger cat breathed. Victoria had invited her to join them!
"Come along," the snowy queen beckoned. Willingly, Etcetera followed.
"Vicky, there you are!" Exotica said when they arrived at a secluded area of the Junkyard. Exotica and Cassandra had set up a box as a table and had prepared some human food for their consumption.
"Sorry, I'm a bit late," Victoria replied. "I invited Cetty to join us—you don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all," Cassandra responded graciously. "A friend of Vicky's is a friend of ours."
"Thank you," Etcetera murmured shyly. She had called her a friend!
"Come, Cetty," Exotica motioned to the empty spot beside her. "You can sit by me." The white and silver adolescent had to work really hard to keep from trembling with excitement. She was eating with Victoria and her friends! She belonged!
"When we finally made it back," Cetty was finishing off a story towards the end of the meal, "I told him, I said, 'Pounce, I don't think we should ever do that again!' We were covered in mud!" They all laughed.
"Now I understand why Vicky likes you so much!" Exotica exclaimed. "Cetty, you're wonderful to be around!" The younger cat blushed.
"Thank you," she responded graciously.
"Cetty, you've hardly eaten a thing," Victoria noted. "Aren't you hungry?"
"Oh, no, I'm full, thank you," Etcetera told her. "In fact, I've really got to go. Jenny wanted to speak to me."
"Well, it was great having you," Cassandra declared. "We'll have to do this again sometime."
"Yeah," she agreed. "That would be great. Goodbye, now."
"Bye, Cetty," they told her. She bounded off down one of the paths. Pausing beside one of the junk piles, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then, climbing the side, she found an old coffee pot and vomited. Returning to the ground, she continued toward Jenny's, unaware that a pair of large golden eyes had seen her.
"Hi, Jenny, Jelly," she said, when she arrived at the old car. Jennyanydots was knitting a blanket as she spoke with Jellylorum. "Sorry I didn't come earlier. I was with Victoria."
"You're fine, child," the gumbie cat replied, setting her knitting aside. Jellylorum was looking at the young cat with concern.
"You wanted to speak with me?" Etcetera asked, avoiding the calico's gaze.
"Yes, I heard . . ." Jenny halted suddenly as she really looked at the adolescent. "Heaviside, child! Are you feeling well?" She placed a paw on the younger cat's forehead.
"I—I feel fine," Etcetera answered hesitantly. "Shouldn't I?"
"It looks like you haven't been eating properly," Jellylorum stated as she came up beside them.
"Haven't your humans been taking care of you?" Jennyanydots demanded.
"Yes!" the young cat exclaimed. "They haven't mistreated me at all. They take good care of me."
"Worms, maybe?" Jelly whispered to Jenny.
"I don't think so . . . ." Jenny returned.
"Etcetera," Jellylorum asked gently. "You have been eating, haven't you?"
"Yes," the younger cat answered slowly. "I just came from eating with Victoria, Cassandra, and Exotica."
"You don't feel ill at all?" the gumbie persisted. Etcetera shook her head.
"No."
"Very well, then," Jenny sighed. "But I think I'd better keep an eye on you, okay?"
"Okay."
"Now, run along," Jenny waved her off and Etcetera hurried away. Jellylorum gazed after her, shaking her head.
"Something is not right with that kitten," she stated.
"Her humans aren't the best-to-do, they might be going through some financial difficulty," Jenny said. "She probably doesn't want to make them look bad—she really cares for them, you know."
"Well, if they aren't providing her with enough food, then we will," Jellylorum declared.
"Agreed," said the gumbie cat.
---
Etcetera sat off by herself, thinking. Over the past few weeks, everyone in the tribe had been inviting her to join them for meals: Munkustrap, Bomabalurina, the belles, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, Coricopat and Tantomile, even Tugger once. She didn't understand. Did they suspect? Oh—she felt so tired, physically and mentally tired. Her eyelids had begun to droop shut when she was tackled from behind.
"Ah!" she cried in surprise as she and her attacker tumbled across the ground. "Ouch! Pounce—get off!" she demanded, when they'd come to a stop.
"No," he spoke stubbornly. "I know what's really happening to you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she growled.
"I know you're not eating," Pounce told her.
"Of course I am—ask anyone in the tribe!"
"You throw it up, I've watched you." She struggled to push him away. "Everlasting Cat, Etcetera—look at you! You can't even defend yourself anymore! You're killing yourself, and for what? To look like some stupid, over-groomed housecat?"
"Victoria's not stupid, not get off of me!" she hissed, batting his ear. He let her up, looking at his friend with tears in his eyes.
"I'm going to tell everyone what's really going on," he declared.
"If you're really my friend, you wouldn't, Pounce!" she cried angrily. He bit his lip.
"Fine, I won't," he agreed. "Just . . . eat something." Etcetera looked into his golden eyes as tears streamed down her white cheeks.
"I can't."
---
"Cetty, come out," Pouncival pleaded with his friend. The white and silver queen had confined herself within a cave-like structure in the side of a junk pile.
"Go away, Pounce," her voice, barely louder than a whisper, responded.
"Etcetera, please—you haven't come out for almost three days," the tom pointed out. "I thought you said you were going to start eating."
"I can't, Pounce. I've told you I can't," she removed the piece of wood blocking the entrance.
"Heaviside, Cetty!" he gasped. She'd become even worse since he'd last seen her. Her fur was matted, barely hiding her protruding bones, and her once lively green eyes, soulless.
"I've tried," she whimpered, "but it just comes back up again."
"Cetty!" he admonished, as she blocked the doorway once more. She'd obviously found an effective of locking herself in.
"You've been a good friend, Pounce," she cried softly. "Now, just go away. Please, go away . . . ." Hesitating a mere moment, the young tom ran towards the clearing.
"Pounce!" Jennyanydots exclaimed as the younger cat nearly ran into her. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Is it okay to hurt a friend's feelings if you're trying to help them?" he asked earnestly. Jellylorum, Munkustrap, and Demeter paused in passing to listen in on the conversation.
"It depends on the situation," Jenny answered cautiously. "Pounce, what is this about?"
"It's Etcetera," the young tom told them, tears streaming down his face. "She hasn't been eating and I—I think she's dying."
"But Cetty's eaten with many of us over the last few weeks," Demeter pointed out.
"She throws it up," Pounce said, "I've watched her. She didn't really go home a few days ago—she's locked herself in a cave in the side of junk pile. I can't get her to come out . . . she's so thin . . . ."
"Where is she?" Munkustrap inquired.
"I'll show you," Pouncival answered. As the small group followed the younger cat, Munkustrap motioned Rum Tum Tugger to join them.
"Cetty?" Jenny called gently when they reached the spot.
"Go 'way . . ." the young queen murmured as though she were sleeping.
"Cetty?" the gumbie cat called again. There was no answer. "Can you get in here?" she asked Munkustrap and Tugger.
"We can try," the tabby replied. After pushing for a bit, the two toms stepped back.
"She's got it blocked off pretty good," Tugger said. "But we can move some of the stuff out here and pull board out this way." Several minutes passed as the two of them worked, careful so as not to make the pile collapse around them. Finally, they removed the makeshift door and Munkustrap went inside. A moment later he re-emerged carrying Etcetera in his arms.
"Everlasting cat!" Jenny gasped. "Pounce, how long have you known?"
"She told me not to tell!" the tom exclaimed.
"How long, Pounce?" the gumbie repeated.
"Too long," he whimpered. "I should've told sooner . . . I'm sorry."
"You can still save her?" Demeter asked fearfully.
"I can try," the older queen answered gravely, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Take her to my den." Later, as Jenny bent over her patient, the little cat came to.
"Jenny?" she whispered.
"Hush, child," the older queen told her softly. "Save your strength." There was a knock at the entrance. "Come," she called. Quietly, Victoria entered, her blue eyes filled with tears. She sat next to her biggest fan.
"Oh, why, Cetty?" she cried. "Why?"
"I—I heard you say . . . th-that I was bigger than you were at my age," Etcetera answered faintly. "I just wanted to look . . . pretty . . . . like you."
"Oh, Cetty," Victoria sobbed. "I never meant that you were fat—only that you're a bigger cat than me . . . that you were taller, built to defend yourself. There was nothing wrong with the way you looked."
"Oh . . ." Cetty whispered. Jenny stepped outside.
"Well?" Munkustrap asked on behalf of the others who waited near her den.
"Her condition is beyond me," Jenny admitted tearfully. "There's nothing more that I can do. One of my humans is a vet . . . maybe he can save her."
"Just tell us what we can do," said Tugger.
"Someone needs to carry her to my home."
"I'll do it," Pounce volunteered.
"No, Pounce," Jenny told him. "You stay here. Munkus, will you carry her?"
"Yeah." Going into Jenny's den, he came back out with Etcetera in his arms. Demeter hugged Victoria, who blamed herself, as the rest of them watch on helplessly as Munkus and Jenny took Etcetera away, uncertain that they would ever see her again.
"Oh, Cetty," Pounce murmured to himself. "Don't you know how beautiful you were?"
---
Pouncival looked across the empty clearing. Life had pretty much returned to normal since Jenny had taken Etcetera away over two months before. The gumbie cat hadn't said much about the adolescent, in fact, she'd spent most of her time at the young queen's side. Everyone else may be able to go on, but Pounce felt that his life was meaningless. Oh, why hadn't he told someone sooner? As he sat there sulking, he was tackled from behind.
"Etcetera!" he exclaimed, looking up into a pair of mischievous sparkling green eyes.
"Tag!" she declared. "You're it!" She bounded away and he jumped up to pursue her. Jenny's human had done it! Etcetera was healthy again, her fur practically shining and her eyes as full of life as they had ever been before. He leapt at her and they tumbled several times before coming to a stop. Etcetera smiled as she looked up into his golden eyes.
"Okay! Let me up!" she laughed, playfully batting his ear. Pounce looked at her a moment before suddenly kissing her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm sorry!" he apologized, jumping to the side as his face turned a deep scarlet. Etcetera stood to her feet.
"Well, you know what I think?" she asked shyly, a faint blush on her snowy cheeks.
"What?" he asked. She stepped towards him so their noses were only an inch apart.
"I think I was just kissed by the handsomest tom in the junkyard—and the bestest friend anyone could ask for!" She threw her arms around his neck and he returned the embrace, holding her close to his heart. "You saved my life!" she told him. He gave her a gentle squeeze.
"I saved mine," he said.
---
End.