hello people! this is sarbear's present, for winning my writing contest! please read and review! i'm actually really proud of this one, it was like, 4,000 words! anyway, ENJOY! and BTW, i'll have the next chapter of Demeter's jellicle ball up ASAP! and it's my birthday on the 10th of JUNE! YAAAY!

disclaimer: i don't own CATS... :/

Brava was a cat that had never found a home. Fate chose to give her another chance. This is her story. She was named Brava, because she was braver than anyone had ever given her credit for. She was a female cat with jet-black fur, a white belly, and green eyes. The tips of her ears and the tip of her tail were crimson red. Everyone thought she was hardly normal. Nobody knew she was still a kitten, abandoned by her mother to fend for herself, as soon as she was weaned. She was only five months old.

Her place now was atop the rubbish bins in the junkyard, observing the tribe as they danced at the Jellicle ball. She yearned for contact of that kind, to be loved and have your own place in the tribe. She listened to their voices and almost mingled her own in them. She kept her eyes on one cat. He had stripes of black and brown on a white chest and back. His face was slightly different. One brown triangle covered his right eye, while a white streak covered the other. Freckles dusted the skin on his cheekbones. She later found out the tom's name was pouncival. He was seven months old, two months older than she was. Very fitting for a cat that jumped all the time.

At the end of the ball, an old mangy cat named grizabella ascended to the Heaviside layer, and all the cats went back into hiding for sleep. Brava moved from her place to where the cats had been dancing. Sighing, she lay down and let the moon lead her to sleep.

The second night the cats danced again, this one just like the night before. The mating dance was in more detail, and almost every cat danced with another. To her delight pouncival sat alone on a rickety wooden chair, watching the dance from above. She stalked up to him during the dance and sat next to him.

Pouncival was envious of the dancing cats during the mating dance. He wished he would find his mate soon. He sensed a cat next to him. He turned his head to see whether he recognized the cat. If it wasn't a Jellicle, the cat was intruding on their ball and was invading their territory. Pouncival had never seen a cat that shade of black. The animal's eyes were forest green and seemed to glow in the moonlight. It then occurred to him that it was female. More importantly she was his. He could feel it in his bones. He blinked, and she was gone. Those eyes lead him to sleep that night.

That week Brava appeared to pouncival on more occasions. The two talked more as the days went by and Brava felt herself attracted to pouncival more and more. One afternoon, as they were hanging out near the borders of the junkyard, she brought up the subject of mates. "Who are the mates in the junkyard?" she asked, while stretching herself out on the warm rock she was lying on. Pouncival smiled such a sweet smile that Brava's heart melted.

"Um, let's see, we have Demeter and Munkustrap, but that must be pretty obvious" and Brava nodded. Pouncival continued, "We have Tugger and Bombalurina, jellylorum and asparagus, Cassandra and Alonzo, and Mungojerrie and rumpleteazer, but they're siblings, and so don't have any feelings towards each other. They're called the twins that can't be trusted, AKA the TTCBT. We have coricopat and Tantomile, my brother Tumblebrutus and Munkustrap and Demeter's kitten Jemima, and us." he waited patiently for his words to set in.

"what?" she cried, whipping her head around to look him in the eye. Pouncival gave her a grin, and nodded to indicate he wasn't joking around. "We're mates?" she asked, uncertainly. "Yes" he replied, his voice a whisper. "How do you know?" Brava asked. "Haven't you felt the pull Brava? Haven't you felt this bond between us? I know you can't lie, because I know that you've felt it too" he replied, his eyes suddenly ablaze with passion.

Brava looked away; partly afraid of his blazing eyes, partly because she knew he was right. She had felt the pull, and all of her wanted nothing more than to become pouncival's mate and solidify the bond. She looked Pouncival in the eye again, and nodded. Pouncival's face melted into another smile, and he nuzzled her cheek. She nuzzled him back, and purred. They talked until the sun went down, and then Pouncival left for his den and his family, and Brava went to her temporary den outside the junkyard.

A week after the Jellicle ball, Brava made her move. This would decide whether she would be accepted into the clan, or shamelessly rejected. After a dance, when the electricity had fallen out once again she stalked onto the grounds. The cats saw her. In the corner of her eyes she saw pouncival nod reassuringly. Some hissed and ran away, while others snarled threateningly and stood by others for support.

Some of the smaller kittens came up to her and stretched their paws out in front to touch her, only to be pulled away by older ones. They seemed to have forgotten completely about grizabella, and how they had rejected her in the same way they were rejecting Brava now. Suddenly, out of the shadows came a fat, faded cat. "Jennyanydots!" the kittens shrieked, and ran over to her. Brava had seen how earlier, Jennyanydots disappeared in the shadows, and didn't return. The cats feared the worst, for all they knew, she could have been dead.

Brava was suspicious of the cat which had appeared. The face was too stony, and it showed no emotion, which she had learnt was unusual for a cat like Jennyanydots. Then, she saw a flash of red beneath the mangy coat. Macavity, she thought. Pouncival had told how the Mystery cat had killed Demeter's parents, who happened to be his own as well. He had told of his terrible crimes, and she had come to hate him. In a flash she turned on protective.

Snarling and hissing ferally she ran towards the imposter. The mask he was wearing was very convincing. She glanced at Demeter, who realised something was wrong too. "Get away from her!" Brava hissed to the kittens, who bolted away, frightened by her sudden appearance. A black and grey tabby cat came up to her. "What do you think you're doing?" Munkustrap snarled. Brava snarled and snapped her jaws in reply. She ran up to macavity and jumped on his back. Cats ran up to her and tried to shake her off, but Brava had clamped her jaws firmly on the fake coat.

At last she was ripped off by the momentum of the cat beneath her spinning rapidly, but the coat went with it. "Macavity!" Demeter cried in turn with everyone else. He let loose a rippling laugh. In the shock of the moment the cats forgot all about Brava and concentrated on getting away from macavity as fast as possible. Brava tore across the space and at macavity. She snarled aloud and her claws sprung out of her paws. They danced around each other, swiping claws at each other's faces.

She got a few good cuts in, but macavity turned the whole thing around when he hit his large nailed paw across her face. The claws sunk in deep, and trailed deep, red slits where blood welled out of the wound. She yelped in pain and was thrown off her feet. She landed a few feet away from Munkustrap and Bombalurina, who were protecting Demeter in fear he would abduct her again.

"Brava!" pouncival cried from his spot on the chair. With a running leap he vaulted off the chair and, true to his name, pounced onto macavity. Hissing ferally he hacked at macavity's face with his claws. A red haze descended over pouncival's eyes and he was relentless as he refused to stop hacking at macavity's face and body. Macavity ran away from pouncival's jaws and claws. Pouncival retreated to a corner where he proceeded to lick clean his wounds.

Macavity short cut the lights again, and the junkyard fell silent and dark. Brava still lay unconscious in a corner. Demeter saw her, and slinking away she went towards her. Demeter nuzzled Brava's neck with her nose, but to no avail. Munkustrap went to her. He gently pulled her away from Brava's unconscious body. Demeter struggled somewhat, but allowed him to take her anyway. Bombalurina took Demeter. Brava coughed. Demeter turned around, and kneeled by her again. Brava coughed again, and turned her face towards where Munkustrap stood.

"Munkustrap?" she said, her voice frail and fragile. "Yes?" he asked her, kneeling down by Demeter and putting an arm around her. Demeter snuggled into Munkustrap's body, when fawn asked, "have I made it into the tribe?" Munkustrap smiled, and looked around at the jellicles faces, worn, tired and somewhat grateful for the bundled heap of cat at his feet. He saw how kittens came out of their hiding places, accompanied by older cats. "Consider it done" he answered, and smiled. Brava smiled gratefully, and her head sank back to the ground. Tumblebrutus came up to her. "Brava?" he asked, carefully. "Yes?" she replied. "There is a young tom worried sick for you. Can he come to you?" and Tumblebrutus inclined his head towards pouncival.

Brava smiled and nodded. Tumblebrutus disappeared into the darkness and a second later came back with a pale pouncival. "Pouncival!" Brava cried, and attempted to get up, but the pain inside was too much to bear. Pouncival rushed over. Demeter, Bombalurina, Munkustrap and other kittens were watching the scene unfold before them. Demeter smiled a knowing smile as she saw how pouncival used a massive amount of care to look after her. Munkustrap looked at her. "What do you think?" he asked her. "They're mates" she answered, and looked up at him into his calm, grey eyes. "Just like us" he said lovingly, and nuzzled her face with his nose. Demeter smiled, "just like us" she said, and snuggled further into his chest.

Pouncival propped Brava up with a paw under her back, and he leant down and gently licked the gaping wound macavity had created. Brava smiled at him. "You were very brave out there pouncival" she said. "Not as brave as you" he replied, "you unmasked macavity. If you hadn't done that Demeter wouldn't be among us." Brava blushed. "He's right Brava, if you hadn't unmasked macavity, Demeter wouldn't be sitting next to me at this point in time." Munkustrap cut in, looking down at his mate. Demeter smiled. Brava turned her attention back to pouncival. She saw cuts on the side of his face. "Pouncival!" she cried out, "you're hurt!" pouncival smiled at her, and replied in a soft voice, "It was well worth it" and licked her cheek. Brava nuzzled his neck with her nose and licked his cheek too.

The two cats heard a shriek of some sort. Pouncival soared upright, and stalked around his mate's body, ready to be protective when need be. Etcetera shrieked in delight as she saw them. "Oh my gosh!" she cried, as ran towards the other kittens. Relieved, pouncival dropped down beside Brava, and snuggled up against her. Brava felt pouncival's body behind her and snuggled up against him as well. She was comfortable now, with her wound no longer aching and her mate beside her, life was pretty much perfect.

The cats slept accompanied by the light of the moon, and when it was morning, they woke. Munkustrap and Demeter checked the perimeter of the Jellicle territory for macavity, but naturally, he wasn't there.

*Munkustrap and Demeter*

Munkustrap woke up beside Demeter. He cast an arm around her, then realised he should patrol for macavity. He got up, stretched his stiff limbs and rubbed sleep out if his eyes. He shook Demeter awake. "Demeter" he whispered and gently shook her shoulder. Demeter rolled over and looked at Munkustrap. He smiled at her, loving how cute she looked all ruffled up with sleep. "I'm going to patrol for macavity, you in?" he asked her. Demeter shot upright at hearing that name. She suddenly didn't want to be alone anymore. She got up and stretched as well. She joined him as he walked out of the den.

They walked through the soft grass fields that surrounded the junkyard. Macavity was nowhere to be found. Demeter had known this from the start. There wasn't much use, really. Nonetheless she didn't want to pass up some quality time with her mate. Munkustrap had been busy ever since old Deuteronomy had been taken by macavity, at the Jellicle ball a week earlier. He had stepped up security, and had taken the first five night shifts on his own. Demeter had missed him terribly, and that is why she went with him. Munkustrap walked silently beside her.

He looked so serious, she almost couldn't bear it. She pounced on him. "What the..." Munkustrap swore. He whirled around to see Demeter's smiling face. "Demeter!" he snapped his teeth together playfully. Demeter ran away, laughing as she loped away with lengthening strides from her mate's arms. Munkustrap threw his pride in the wind as he chased Demeter around the clearing like a kitten.

He finally caught her and spun her around in his arms. She laughed. Munkustrap collapsed on the ground in the soft grass. He laughed and so did she. "You've been so serious lately" she commented as she rolled over on his chest. Munkustrap smiled and closed his arms around her. "I mean, you're always either on patrol, taking night shifts or sorting out quarrels. You're never home, and when you are, we barely have time together" Demeter went on.

Munkustrap looked down at his mate and brushed fur out of her face. "I'm terribly sorry Demeter" he said, truthfully. "And I swear, if you ever feel you want more time with me you should just say so. I care for the clan, but I also strive to care for you with the best of my ability." Demeter smiled at him. "Let's go back to the junkyard, before the kittens wreak serious havoc" she said. Munkustrap laughed, and got up. He took her paw, and they left the clearing together.

Brava and pouncival spent the day together in the sun, lazing and talking. When night came, they went back to the junkyard, for a slightly smaller version of the Jellicle ball, for Old Deuteronomy wouldn't appear, and no cat would ascend to the Heaviside layer. This night was just for the pure enjoyment that dancing and singing with the tribe provided. The moment she entered, she was assaulted with small bodies pressing in on her. Pouncival stood to the side, watching with amusement as his mate was being hugged to death by the kittens. I used to be like that, he thought to himself, just a week ago I was still messing around with tumble, Alonzo and the other kittens.He heard from the other mated toms that finding your mate would mature you beyond your years, but he had never believed it. He did now.

Brava shook herself free and gave the kittens' individual hugs. She shook paws with the older cats, who had accepted her. The ball went ahead, and she and pouncival sat on his chair, observing the dance. It was just like it had been a week ago, except now Brava sat snuggled with pouncival and truly felt at home. Tugger's song came on. Brava watched with amusement as the kittens swooned over him. She turned her head to Pouncival, to find him looking on with interest.

His face was half concealed by shadows, and half bathed in moonlight. The moonlight showed off the prominent ridges of his muscular and lean body. He was extremely handsome. Pouncival turned his head and caught Brava looking at him. "What are you doing?" he asked her with a smile. "Looking at my handsome mate" Brava answered. Pouncival blushed. "Do you think tugger is more handsome than I am?" he asked, his voice soft with slight insecurity. Brava smiled and replied, "He doesn't hold a candle towards you, so don't worry. I only have eyes for you pouncival" she snuggled up even closer to him to show it. Pouncival purred at her.

The mating song came on and she and pouncival jumped down to the floor. She and pouncival had the solo this time. They danced together, and with every move she felt more complete, as if dancing with pouncival filled a gaping hole in her she didn't even knew excised. The dance was over. She snuggled up with pouncival in a corner, overlooking other couples that stalked away to their own places. Skimble with Jennyanydots, (the real one) Alonzo with Cassandra, Mist with Victoria, Munkustrap with Demeter, Tantomile with Coricopat, Mungojerrie with Rumpleteazer (even though everyone knew they were siblings and has no feelings whatsoever for each other), Tumblebrutus with Jemima, and Bombalurina with Tugger.

She purred. She felt at home, more than she had ever felt. She looked at jemima, who stood up on her spot on top of the fence. She began to sing with a beautiful, ethereal and pure voice. Something in Brava called out to her. She didn't know who had the next part, but she couldn't stop herself. She slid away from pouncival's embrace to where jemima was singing on top of the fence above the car trunk. Jemima didn't see her coming, none of the cats did. Jemima finished singing her bit. She knelt down, and Brava stood up. She began to sing.

Moonlight, turn your face to the moonlight,
let your memory lead you, open up, enter in.
If you find there the meaning of what happiness is,
then a new life will begin.

Memory, all alone in the Moonlight,
I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then.
I remember the time I knew what happiness was,
Let the Memory live again.

Burnt out ends of Smokey days,
the stale cold smell of morning.
The street lamp dies, another night is over,
and another day is dawning.

Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise,
I must think of a new life, and I mustn't give in.
When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too,
and a new day will begin.

At first, she sang softly. Tumblebrutus, who worked the spotlight, shone the light on her. When she felt the warm glow on her face she became more confident. She sang louder and louder, and smiled like jemima had. When she finished her bit, jemima stood up again and the two cats joined paws and melded their voices together for the final chorus.

Sunlight through the trees in summer,
endless masquerading.
Like the flower as the dawn is breaking,
the memory is fading.
Touch me; it's so easy to leave me
all alone with the memory of my days in the sun.
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is.
Look, a new day has begun.

They finished the song together and the junkyard erupted into loud clapping. Jemima turned to Brava and gave her a hug. "Thank you so much Brava, I had to sing your bit all on my own." Brava's smile tripled and she hugged jemima back. "Let's go" and they climbed down. They went over to where tumble and Pouncival lay concealed near the abandoned bed-frame. Pouncival greeted her with a warm hug and led her over to where tumble was hugging jemima in the same manner.

Munkustrap and Demeter came over to where Brava and Jemima lay with their mates, talking quietly about the ball. Brava and Jemima were still recovering from their song. Brava spotted the advancing pair and sat up, drawing the group's attention. They followed her line of sight and sat up once they realised they were coming over.

"Brava, Jemima" Munkustrap said. Demeter nudged him and shot him a glare. "You were beautiful tonight. Your voices left everyone quite emotional, they were wonderful together." he said. Demeter looked pleased. Brava got up and gave Demeter a hug, and then she gave Munkustrap one. "Thank you for letting me" she whispered. Jemima followed suit, giving her father a hug and then her mother. The pair left and pouncival, jemima, Brava and tumble watched them go.

Demeter saw how Munkustrap had looked at Brava and jemima when they hugged him. It was an expression of fatherly love, which shone out of his eyes when he saw them. She understood his love for jemima, she was his daughter anyways, but as for Brava, Demeter was surprised when she saw him look down at her with love. He was treating Brava as his own kitten. Demeter was happy. Now that jemima was mated to Tumblebrutus, who happened to be pouncival's brother, she and Munkustrap could treat Brava as their own, because she was jemmies' half-sister. Demeter knew Brava's mother had abandoned her, and she wanted to give her the love a mother should, the love she had missed out on.

The group still lay down at the edge of the junkyard, because they were too lazy and tired to go to their dens and sleep. "Hey" Brava said, sitting up and drawing their attention. "Pouncival and tumble are brothers right?" pouncival and Tumblebrutus nodded. "Doesn't that make you and me half-sisters?" Brava asked jemima. "Huh, I guess it does" Jemima smiled. Tumble yawned, showing his teeth. "Show-off" jemima punched him playfully. He smiled at her, before whispering something in her ear. "I and pounce are going to bed, okay?" jemima said, standing up and stretching her stiff limbs. Brava nodded. The two melted into the shadows.

Brava got up, and walked to the middle of the junkyard. Pouncival followed her with his eyes. She began to dance. The steps came to her as instinct. She just knew what to do. Pouncival got up as well, and melted into the shadows so she wouldn't see him. He stalked up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She melted into him. She found that all that mattered now was pouncival. She felt his warm body behind her and leant into him before she even bothered to check who it was. She already knew. They danced together in the moonlight, just as they had done in the mating dance. This time they had no audience, so they could dance as they pleased. There was no stopping. Brava was vaguely aware of the dawn breaking across the horizon, but she wouldn't stop dancing with pouncival.

At last, pouncival lifted her in the air and carried her from the dance floor to the den that belonged to Demeter and Munkustrap. "What are you doing?" she asked, breathless. "Bringing you to your mother" he replied, sounding just as breathless as she was. "Demeter isn't my mother" Brava said. "She is now" pouncival replied, referring to the conversation they had with Tumble and jemima. He put her down at the entrance. Pouncival hugged her tightly. Brava laid her head on his chest and purred. "See you tomorrow" she whispered. Pouncival rubbed her cheek with his own, and then she rubbed her head with his.

She smiled. Pouncival let her go, and she watched him disappear in the shadows. She hesitantly went inside. She saw jemima, curled up on a large pillow. Further into the den lay Demeter snuggled up with Munkustrap securely in a corner. She didn't want to invade them now. They looked so peaceful. Quietly, she left the den and searched for pouncival. She spotted a tail hanging from his chair. She climbed up and saw pouncival, stretched over the surface of the chair, sleeping peacefully. She could see the gentle rise and fall of his chest. She lay beside him, and allowed the warmth of his body to spread through hers. She fell asleep.

Pouncival was vaguely aware of a body beside him. He opened his eyes and smiled to see his mate lying against his chest. He drew her closer and put an arm around her, sheltering and protecting her. He laid his head in her neck and breathed her scent in through his nose. The smell of her calmed him and lulled him into the comfort and reassurance sleep provided. He felt her snuggle into him further. He smiled and kissed her head, and then he fell asleep.

Epilogue

When Alonzo did his first morning shift; he was quite surprised when he saw two tails, one jet-black, one striped with black and brown, hanging over the side of the chair. Upon further investigation, he saw the two mates; Pouncival and Brava snuggled up together. They looked so peaceful that he didn't dare disturb them. As he returned to his den, he stopped by the den that belonged to Munkustrap and Demeter. He told them about what he had seen. The two grinned and thanked Alonzo.

As a year went by, the bond between Pouncival and Brava strengthened intensely, more any cat had ever dared to think. Pouncival helped Brava overcome her shyness, and Brava matured pouncival to the extent to which at the next Jellicle ball, Brava and pouncival danced the invitation of the ball, the ultimate sacrifice to the tribe; for she was now one of the Jellicles, she was a queen, and pouncival was a fully grown tom.

Demeter got what she wanted too, she received a strong bond between her and Brava, and she could finally call Brava her own daughter, because she certainly treated her that way. All of Brava's dark memories of her, alone and cold in side-alleys where macavity's henchcats prowled faded from her memory and were replaced by much powerful, lasting memories of happiness.

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