Coming of Age

by Cooking Spray

Disclaimer: Highlight the phrase "fan fiction". Read carefully. Consult dictionary if necessary.

Hello, and welcome to my first CATS fan fic, as well as my first chaptered story in a long time. I promise that the actual story will be significantly less bland and generic as that previous opening line. XD

I had a lot of ideals floating around in my head, and somehow they amalgamated themselves into this, after trying to be a poignant one shot and failing. This story will deal primarily with Tugger and the kittens, specifically Jemima, although the rest of the cast will get their time in the spotlight.

Also, I draw a lot of my interpretation of the CATS universe from the video. It should become apparent on its own in the characterization and relationships, somewhat. As we know, there's no true canon in this fandom, which gives us writers such wonderful artistic license. As such, I view the Jellicles as being anthropomorphic as they are presented presented on stage away from prying Human eyes.

And now, belatedly, enjoy.


Chapter One:

The Fragile Cusp of Queenhood

The kittens were growing up.

It was a singular statement, obvious in its meaning. And, of course, it was also a known, inevitable fact of Jellicle life. Still, for all of its solidity, Tugger had never believed it would come true.

Until recently.

By now, it was a given that wherever the Tugger went, he would be flocked by his steadfast group of star-struck, under-aged admirers. They were young, nubile, and unconditionally faithful - unlike the steady stream of Queens, who came and went from one moon to the next. They were naive enough to idolize his every movement and console him even when he did not deserve consolation, and they were always ready with a sympathetic rub or two when his self esteem was low. To put it bluntly, they were an innocuous bevy of mislead younglings who based all of their judgments on a dangerous sex appeal they could barely relate to and served only as personal ego boosters.

The adults disapproved of the association, even though they knew the only way Tugger would manage to corrupt their kittenish innocence was through one too many dizzying gyrations of his prodigious hips - he did have some standards. But now, after years of virginally twining about his long legs, their displays of fondness had taken an abrupt turn. He probably should've braced himself for the change, but such was not Tugger's way - he liked living from day to day, playing things by ear. All of that planning junk he left up to Old D and Munkus. They seemed to enjoy it.

One sundown, though, upon strutting into the yard with the usual self-important swagger, Tugger was faced with a very different welcome wagon. As always, the Princesses were waiting for him just outside the hole in the fence. When he came into view, they scrambled to get as close as possible, thronging to his effeminate cool with distinctly feminine enthusiasm. That much was standard protocol.

"Hi, Tugger," they all greeted in coy unison, each giving their favorite Tom unique salutations. Etcetera was, of course, first in line, weaving through and rubbing against the Tugger's calves and begging for attention in return.

But Tugger noticed that he noticed that when he gave Etcy the little scratch behind the ears she was so fond of, her reaction was different than the usual high-pitched squeal. A familiar rumbling sensation emanated from the white tabby, momentarily making him freeze. It wasn't a cute mewl, but a purr - one that started deep in the center of her chest and vibrated thickly through her throat, strong and warm.

While he was still recovering, Jemima saw her opportunity and brushed through the Maine Coon's legs herself, rubbing her head against a not-so-innocent portion of his inner thigh. She seemed unaware of the effects of her gesture, though, and merely sat back with the same wide-eyed expression, clinging chastely to a calf. Electra busied herself with possessively burying her face in his ruff, purring contentedly. Tugger was all-too aware of the movement of her hips against his side, and began to grow uncomfortable. Uncomfortable from female attention - it was truly a first. Something about the intimacy of their greetings gave him a wary feeling, though, and he could no longer deny just how far his little fan club had come.

"Ladies, ladies," he admonished, somewhat uneasily this time, shooing the Princesses away from his legs so that he could resume walking. His uncertainty had seemed to telegraph itself in the timbre of his voice, however, because Jemima, ever the intuitive one, picked up on it. She straightened and tilted her pretty head, luminous eyes inquisitive. Even Electra and Etcetera seemed slightly dismayed by the inattention, pouting a bit as they escorted the Tugger into the central part of the Yard.

Though he was a bit unseated by the recent turn of events, Tugger maintained his cool exterior when it came time to greet all of the other Jellicles. Tonight, company was sparse, as the monthly festival was still a couple of weeks away. The only pairs lounging about aside from the tribe's resident matriarchs, Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, were that of the newly-Mated Plato and Victoria and Alonzo and Cassandra. Munkustrap, Demeter, and Bombalurina were curiously absent, which conjured up an amused grin on the Maine Coon's face. He had rather hoped Misto might be hanging around in addition to his sister, since he could use some good conversation (and an excuse to extricate himself from the Princesses' company), but that didn't seem to be the case. The young Toms were all wedged in and around his customary pipe, involved in yet another mysterious game, although they did pause long enough to aim glares at him when he entered with the Princesses. The Tugger still couldn't resist flashing them a wide smile and a wave. His furry body adornments just giggled prettily.

"Well, well, well, look who's come to mingle with the commoners. . ." Alonzo regarded the notorious figure with some contempt, scoring him a swat on the knee from the Abyssinian Queen perched in his lap.

"Yes, so nice you could join us," Plato sneered teasingly. Victoria, still shy about being seen with her Mate in public, just silently shook her head.

The Tugger grinned broadly, and whispered words of dismissal to his fan club. With some reluctance and several parting nuzzles, they left to go and arrange themselves at the feet of Jenny and Jelly, both of whom were eying the Yard's newcomer watchfully.

Plato got up with the White Queen in hand and went to give the taller Tom a pat on the back. Tugger repaid the favor, and then knelt to kiss his Mate's delicate paw. She dropped her eyes almost immediately and clutched a fist to her mouth. Tugger seemed even more pleased with himself than usual.

"Aw, Vicki, don't be shy. . . You know, I saw you dancing with the Tugger here last Ball. You weren't so embarrassed then." He drew the White Queen's tiny body against his own, and she eventually regained her courage, giving the her Mate a little half-grin.

"You were dancing with us, dearest," she reminded, and Plato couldn't help but laugh.

"What can I say? No one can resist the Tugger! He knows it, too." The tortoise-coated Tom winked.

Amused, Tugger ruffled the long fur atop Victoria's head, giving his companion the nod of approval. "You're a lucky Pollicle, Plato." He aimed a deliberate look at the White Queen. "If you ever get tired of him, Vicky, you know you'll always have a place with me."

"I'm very honored, Tugger," Victoria replied with a slight smirk. "But I think Misto knows you too well to approve."

"Get out of here, you old charmer," Plato laughed, giving him a playful shove in the chest. As the Maine Coon pretended to fall back and lose his balance, Victoria laughed and snuggled back against her Mate's chest, pulling his arms tighter around her waist.

At about that time, several muffled thwaps and desperate whispers of compliance sounded, and everyone looked over to see a broody but cowed Alonzo being assisted (or, rather, dragged) down from the tire by his Mate.

Cassandra curtsied in customary Ancient pose. "Good evening, Tugger," she said cheerily, pausing in her oblivion only to cast a victorious smirk at her Mate as Tugger knelt down to her and paid the same respect to her extended paw that he had Victoria's.

Grudgingly, the black and white Tom shuffled over and mumbled his own formalities. Tugger gave him an amused nod, and then Alonzo quickly snatched Cassie up and away again. She waved over his shoulder as they exited, obviously finding her Mate's jealousy too tempting to provoke.

"That was interesting," the Maine Coon remarked, still chuckling over the whole scene. Even though Alonzo had spent a year and a half out of the nursery's confines, he still had a lot of maturing to do. The black and white Tom had always had an arrogant streak and a hot temper, both of which caused him a fair share of trouble. He was probably still put out about the little fling he and Cassie had enjoyed last year, which was really only a lot of un-subliminal flirting and nothing more.

"Those two always are." Plato noticed that Victoria's purr had started to kick in, and gave the Tugger a very meaningful look.

"I think that's my cue to go, too." He winked and gave the White Queen a scratch under the chin, to which she responded by purring even more loudly.

"Well, I sure won't keep you waiting." He stepped aside, motioning in the direction of what he knew to be their home-away-from-home with an exaggerated flourish.

"Goodnight, Tugger," Victoria called after him, before her voice was lost in an eruption of giggles. Tugger watched after them for a while, congratulatory but still a bit green.

When the happy couple had disappeared from sight, he hauled up into his favorite post beneath the broken clock face, watching the waxing moon that was now ere in the sky. He was all by his lonesome now, excluding the Matrons and the kittens. Most of the young Toms had ventured out of hiding to join the Princesses, and Jenny and Jelly were keeping close surveillance as the youngsters entertained themselves with a game of cat-and-mouse. From the looks of it, Tumblebrutus was 'it', and he was fast on Etcy's heels. The only kitten absent from the fun seemed to be Jemima, who was nowhere to be-

"Would you mind some company?"

Tugger started and bolted straight up, confronted with the form of the rust-black Princess. She looked as patient and pure as ever, poising her compact figure on the ledge of the junk heap and ducking slightly to avoid having her eye speared by a twisted minute hand.

"Uh. . . sure." A little bewildered, he scooted over and cleared a space. It was just small enough for Jemima to fit in comfortably, despite the now-cramped conditions. She hung her legs over the ledge and smiled.

"So, why aren't you getting in on the game?" They both watched as Electra desperately stretched to corner Admetus, falling flat on her face but grabbing hold of his hind paw in the process.

Jemima shrugged. "I don't know. I don't feel like playing games much lately. I still like being with my friends, but anymore I kind of feel alone in the crowd." She glanced over at her companion. "You can relate, can't you?"

Tugger was startled by the insight for all of a few seconds, and then he snickered. "Well, since there's really no one in my age group here. . . yeah, I guess I can."

He expected Jemima's ears to droop at the reminder of their age difference, but she merely nodded. "I'll be considered an adult by the next full moon. I guess it just comes with growing older."

Tugger's eyes widened. Jemima was going to become a Queen? Of course, since he had known her from the time she was first brought to the tribe at a very young age, he had some approximation. . . But still, why hadn't he heard any news of this? He gave Jenny and Jelly below a dark look, even though they couldn't see him. Fearing that the Tugger would be all over the opportunity, which was not an unfair assumption, they had probably tried to keep things under wraps with Jemima's interests in mind. Currently, however, they were enraptured by their needlepoint and not paying the slightest bit of attention to the missing Princess, which was proof enough for him that their intentions mattered little.

The Maine Coon's look of surprise did not escape Jemima. "You hadn't heard?"

The Tugger shook his head. "Not a word until now." He grinned, putting his charisma to work for him. "And to think, they were going to let me get off without getting you a present."

Jemima giggled and covered her mouth with a paw, which meant the comment had produced the intended effect. "That's thoughtful of you, Tugger." She paused a moment, something occurring to her. "Would you get a present for Etcy and Electra when they become Queens, too?"

Tugger blinked, not quite sure what she was getting at. "Sure," he replied finally. "Why wouldn't I?"

The rust-black Princess nodded, and the Tugger was disconcerted. Somehow, he knew what he had just said had more meaning than he intended behind it.

"Well, their coming-of-age will be in a few more moons, too," she said carefully. He didn't know why, but her words seemed ominous, like something he should remember for more than what they meant.

Smiling again, Jemima stood to go. Now Tugger was thoroughly confused.

"Thank you for talking with me, Tugger," she said politely, her expression warm and cordial.

"Wait, you're leaving?"

She nodded. "I know the night's early, but I feel a little tired. I think I'm going to go and get some rest."

"Well, uh. . . goodnight, then. Do you need some help down?" Tugger was up on his feet in moments, perplexed by the whole situation and narrowly missing becoming a pincushion for another protruding clock hand.

Jemima shook her head. "I'm fine." She looked at him very pointedly, her attitude still light but also somehow more serious, simultaneously. "Don't forget, okay?"

She slipped past him. Her tail, whether it was intentional or not, traced a path across Tugger's lower abdomen as she left, and he was instantly reminded of the incident when he entered the Yard earlier with a shiver.

"Goodnight, Tugger." The rust-black Princess smiled and waved, and then climbed gracefully down from the pile and into the night's obscurity.

The Maine Coon, somewhat shaken, sat down once again, suddenly unable to relax like he had intended before his visitor had arrived. He knew that he wouldn't be joining Jemima in her slumber anytime soon. Instead, he let his eyes redirect themselves to the kittens again, surveying the progress of their game.

Below, Pouncival had just tackled Etcetera by leaping atop her, true to name, and straddling her stomach, to weakly protesting bouts of shrill laughter. In fact, most everyone had forgotten the rules and were now just rough-housing - Electra had her hands full with the double-team of Admetus and Tumble. In her attempt to tackle the former, she had been pinned from behind by the latter, and she was now squished between both and being tickled mercilessly, screaming to Etcy for help in between her own spasms of giggles. Jenny and Jelly were beginning to run over and stage an intervention, looking each other with knowing eyes.

Once thing was for certain: the kittens were, quite irrefutably, growing up.


Poor Tugger. For all of his feminine appeals, he still knows nothing about the psyche of a Queen. . . XD

I haven't written anything chaptered in an impossibly long time. In fact, I'd sworn off chaptered stories completely, mainly because I never seem to be able to finish them. This, however, is not as epic and wide-ranging as anything I've ever attempted, and I know where I want it to go. It was actually going to be a one shot, but then I kept getting all of these ideas, and it kept taking longer and longer to develop. So, it was unintentional that this is multi-parted.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you found this to be an interesting prologue. D