A/N: If you ever tried to look at this before, it didn't work. I'm sorry, there were some technical difficulties, but now it's fixed. This is one of the earlier fanfictions I wrote that I actually liked—actually it's probably my favorite. I hope you like it, too, please R&R!
Disclaimer: I don't own Cats. I don't own any of these characters, pretty much I own nothing but the ideas—which are mine only because I thought of them. Pretty much the usual.
Spara
Asparagus Altar-Ego
Part One
The Jellicle Junkyard
Asparagus sighed. It was a cold and rainy day, dark and gray.
And he had nowhere to go.
He wandered the streets lost and lonely. There wasn't a soul in sight. Suddenly he tripped over a small wet bundle in the gutter.
The bundle moved.
Asparagus jumped eyes wide. He poked the little black bundle cautiously. Slowly the bundle raised a white faced head, it blinked clogged sickly green eyes at him.
Asparagus swallowed, "Hello."
The sodden kitten, it was a kitten, whimpered and curled back up.
Asparagus sat down next to him, wrapping his ratty tail around his feet, to keep watch over the kitten. He blinked pale gray blue eyes at the small sad little thing.
After some time of this he realized he couldn't just stay out in the open like a sitting duck, what if Macavity showed up? So he leaned over and grabbed the kitten by the nape of the neck and dragged it down the street, even though he didn't really have anywhere to go.
Asparagus dragged the kitten into the park and through the wet grass. He came upon a large tree and dragged the kitten into a hollow between two roots.
He looked down at the tiny boy. He shivered, cold and rainy it was, but at least now he had a companion. He curled up back to back with his new friend and soon fell asleep.
When he awoke it was dark, but not the darkest point of night, in fact it was almost morning, and the rain had stopped. He looked up at the stars peeping through the tree branches, silver light fading in the dawn, and his mind wandered.
He had no family, none but an old Pollicle who had called him Asparagus, saying that he bore a striking resemblance to Asparagus, more commonly known as Gus the theatre cat. He had no friends, none but the smaller boy beside him, who for all he knew hated him.
And then the younger kitten shifted and looked up. He leaped to his feet, green eyes wide and sickly, reflecting a hundred little silver lights from the sky.
Asparagus stood as well, slowly. His patchy brown coat was worn over his thin body.
"Hello," said he.
"Hello," whispered the tux marked kitten, even his voice was sickly.
"My name's Asparagus."
"Mistoffelees."
And with those words a fast friendship began, no questions asked.
"Where is this place?" Mistoffelees asked.
"Somewhere in the park, I'm not quite sure exactly where."
"How'd I get here?"
"Courtesy of my strange ideas, I guess I didn't really like the look of the gutter."
Mistoffelees smiled weakly, "Well, any idea where we could get some food?"
"Only place I can think of is your local garbage can, unless you're any good at catching mice," Asparagus sat down and tilted his head, "of course there'll only be something there if we hurry."
Mistoffelees's face lit up, "Then what are we waiting for?!"
Asparagus leaped back up and they ran off into the now bright light of day.
A few weeks later Asparagus and Mistoffelees had set up a den in the hollow between the roots, and were still firm friends.
"Oh boy, oh boy!" crowed Mistoffelees, "Look at this! The mother of all goodness! A cheeseburger!"
Asparagus poked his head up out of another garbage can, "Sounds nice, you wouldn't be interested in sharing, would you?"
"Sure! Sure!" Mistoffelees dragged the cheeseburger out of his garbage can, it was almost as big as him, "Only one bite off of it!"
Asparagus sprang off the top of his can, tipping it over.
Neither of them noticed the small dark green eyes watching them as they gobbled up their cheeseburger.
When they were finished the observer spoke.
"Excuse me," the watcher was a small multicolored girl. No more than a kitten, certainly younger than the two boy kittens.
They froze and slowly turned to her.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know how to get to the Jellicle Junkyard?"
Asparagus and Mistoffelees looked at each other in slight bewilderment before the latter thought of something.
"I might," he began slowly, "but I'm not sure."
She blinked large eyes at them.
"Okay, we'll try," Mistoffelees gave in, "Asparagus, which way to the park entrance?"
Asparagus gathered his bearings, "This way, follow me."
The three kittens scampered to the park entrance.
"Now what?" Asparagus queried.
"Follow me."
And so they did, Asparagus brought up the rear so that they wouldn't have to worry about losing the little girl.
"I'm Asparagus," he offered.
"And I'm Mistoffelees."
"I'm Jemima."
So together they dashed down streets, going as far as to even play tag as they went.
Suddenly Jemima swerved to the right, tracking instincts kicking in or something.
"Oh woh!" Mistoffelees cried, whirling about to follow her.
Asparagus dashed after them, but Jemima had stopped.
They collided and all three went tumbling out into the middle of a junkyard.
It was indeed, the Jellicle Junkyard, and it looked like something was going on. There were several cats talking, adults, with serious looks on their faces.
Jemima scrambled to her feet, "Pappy!" She ran over to a yellow tabby amongst the group.
Whispers of 'there she is.' 'thank goodness,' and the like ran throughout the cats.
Asparagus and Mistoffelees inched towards the edge of the junkyard, but weren't quick enough to escape. A somewhat large cat, fat if you prefer, was looking right at them, they didn't know it, but his name was Bustopher Jones and he was the best educated cat in the whole city.
"Uh-oh," Mistoffelees whispered.
"Not good," hissed Asparagus.
"And who are these?" Bustopher wanted to know.