Running From Family

By Actress of Broadway

Edited by Skimbleshanks the Railway CAT

I don't own "CATS." I just own the new cats. By the way, don't kill me if you don't agree with my ideas of who's related to whom and who are mates. This is just what I believe from what I've seen in the DVD.

Chapter 1: Rumpleteazer's Discovery

Rumpleteazer was walking around the junkyard just as the sun was starting to climb up into the sky. Its warm rays reflected off of her tiger-striped fur as she stretched. "That was a good Jellicle Ball," she said to herself. "One of the best ones I've ever been to … even though there were humans watching us," she added. She wondered for a moment why the humans were there. "Enough of that," she said. "Where is Mungojerrie? He was supposed to be here by now."

As she started to wander looking for her mate, she saw families of cats leaving to return to their homes. Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots headed with Electra trailing them. Rumpleteazer wondered where Pouncival was until he jumped down next to her and caught up with this family. Alonzo, Cassandra, and all of the young toms who came on their own (Tumblebrutus, Plato, and Admetus) soon passed her as well.

When she was alone again in a part of the junkyard she had never been through before, she heard something that sounded like mewing. At first, she didn't pay attention for she thought she knew what the mewing meant. "Ugh … are Etcetera and Electra still swooning over Tugger?" she asked, rolling her eyes and not really wanting to know if she was right.

But then she realized that it couldn't be them. The biggest clue to give her that thought was that there was only one voice and it sounded like it was in pain. Also the voice was very near her, which also proved that it wasn't the kittens, unless they followed her, which seemed very unlikely. As she looked around for the source of the mewing, a couple of empty paint cans suddenly crashed to the ground near her. She jumped and noticed a young female Jellicle slumping next to the paint cans.

She looked about Electra's age. She had a bright red coat with three white stripes on her back and two on her stomach. Her legs and arms also had a white stripe at the top joint and her hands and feet were white as well. Her tail had three stripes on it, at the base, middle, and tip. She had a white line around her neck like a collar. She had white ears and a white circle formation around her ears, stopping just above her eyes. She didn't have a light colored face; instead, her face was just as red as the rest of her body. She was covered in dark blood, fresh scratches, and looked deathly thin.

Rumpleteazer's eyes went wide when she saw the cat. "You! What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here!"

The kitten didn't answer. Instead, she clutched her left shoulder, took a couple of steps toward Rumpleteazer and gasped, "Help … me …" With that, she collapsed.

Rumpleteazer stood frozen, wondering what she should do with the injured female, when Mungojerrie came up behind her. "There you are, Rumpleteazer! I've been—" He stopped when he saw the female crumpled on the ground. "What's going on? She's supposed—"

Rumpleteazer slapped a hand over his mouth. "Ssh! Do you want the others to know who she is? Think of what HE would to do to you!"

Mungojerrie thought about that for a second and agreed. Removing her hand, he said, "Well, what shall we do? We can't just leave her here."

Rumpleteazer looked down at the injured female. "You're right. He'll have our heads if we don't care for her."

Mungojerrie didn't agree. "I don't know about that. He was always scratching her for one reason or another."

Rumpleteazer considered the kitten and came to a decision. "Let's just take her in … out of kindness."

Mungojerrie nodded and picked her up, avoiding her injuries. When he had a good hold of her, he asked, "What shall we tell the others?"

Rumpleteazer simply said, "Let's just tell them we found her. We can't tell them the truth. They won't help her if they knew."

Mungojerrie agreed and started back to the open area where the Jellicle Ball took place with Rumpleteazer right behind him. They didn't have to go very far until they returned. Only eight cats remained at that time: Munkustrap, Demeter, her daughter Jemima, Asparagus, Jellylorum and their kittens Etcetera, Victoria, and their brother Quaxo. Jemima was the first to notice them.

"Mungojerrie, who is that kitten?"

Munkustrap looked and saw the kitten in Mungojerrie's arms. He quickly went to him and took her.

"Be careful. She's badly injured," Mungojerrie warned him.

Munkustrap didn't respond but he was extra careful. The kitten stirred a little and moaned softly and then fell back into unconsciousness. Seeing how badly injured she was, Demeter went, got a few torn-up pillows and set them up in a corner. Munkustrap gently laid the kitten on them. Victoria rushed over to her and saw up close how injured she was.

"We are going to help her, aren't we?" she asked.

Mungojerrie said kind of forcefully, "We have to." Then, seeing everyone looking at him, he added, "I mean, we can't just leave her like this."

Rumpleteazer eyed him forcefully, saying with her eyes, "Keep quiet." Ignoring the two troublemakers, Munkustrap said, "We need to get her wounds cleaned up first. Mungojerrie, Asparagus, we're going to get some clean wrappings, anything we can find. Demeter and Rumpleteazer, start cleaning her up."

Jellylorum held the kittens back while everyone else went to work. Munkustrap, Mungojerrie, and Asparagus left to find something to wrap the kitten's wounds in. Demeter and Rumpleteazer started to clean the blood off her fur. Etcetera and Jemima kept trying to go over to Demeter and Rumpleteazer to satisfy their curiosity but Jellylorum refused to let them more than an arm's length away. Victoria couldn't keep her eyes off the kitten, wondering anxiously if she would be all right. With a glance at her brother she saw that he was intently focused on the kitten as well.

"Quaxo … are you all right?" she asked.

Quaxo didn't seem hear her. He just kept looking at the injured Jellicle, greatly puzzled.

"Why?" he asked himself.

Victoria asked, "Why what?"

Quaxo barely turned his head to her, leaving his eyes on the kitten. "I don't know how … or why … but … for some odd reason … she looks … familiar."

Victoria looked at the young, red Jellicle. "Familiar? How?"

Quaxo turned his head fully toward the new kitten. "I don't know. I know I've never seen her before."

Hearing this, Victoria thought of something. "Maybe … Mistoffelees knows her?"

Quaxo considered that possibility but figured that he would probably never find out. His other self Mistoffelees was vague and aloof even to his host. He rarely told Quaxo anything. Quaxo could have tried to ask him since they could communicate but he didn't bother. He knew that Mistoffelees would never say if he even knew the kitten because he liked to keep out of this sort of business. Still greatly puzzled, Quaxo kept watching the kitten and hoping she would be all right.

Finally Munkustrap, Mungojerrie, and Asparagus returned with their arms filled with soft paper, ribbons, and anything else that could be used to wrap her injuries with. By that time, Demeter and Rumpleteazer had cleaned her fur. Munkustrap started to wrap her arm but Mungojerrie stopped him. "Let me take care of her. I found her so she is my responsibility."

Rumpleteazer looked a little disconcerted at this pronouncement because she had found the kitten but in the interest of protecting her she decided to keep quiet. Mungojerrie proceeded to wrap her up as fast as he could. Asparagus and Munkustrap tried to help but Mungojerrie insisted that he could do it. Finally Rumpleteazer came up behind him and said, "What are you doing? Why aren't you letting the others help?"

Mungojerrie started wrapping the kitten's right hand and said quietly, "How do you think she'll react if she learned that a male other than me touched her? Even if she knew that he was helping her, she still would freak out."

Rumpleteazer realized what he was getting at. "You're right. Not only that but she would never speak—" Mungojerrie looked at her skeptically. "—never look at us again."

Mungojerrie nodded as he finished. Getting up, he said to Munkustrap, "I think she'll be alright. We just have to wait until she wakes up."

Munkustrap agreed. "That is true. But that will probably take all day."

Rumpleteazer quickly said, "I'll stay with her." Everyone looked at her surprisingly. She said, "What? I can care for her."

Mungojerrie said, "You sure about this?"

Rumpleteazer gave him a look and he got the message. He said, "I'll stay too."

Munkustrap didn't really trust the two troublemakers to watch over the kitten but he didn't want to argue. He simply said, "Fine. Just come and tell me when she wakes up. I want to ask her where she's been."

The mates nodded and Munkustrap headed off with Demeter and Jemima. Asparagus and Jellylorum started to leave as well with Etcetera behind them when they noticed Quaxo and Victoria were still looking at the red Jellicle. Asparagus said, "Come on, you two. We need to head home."

Victoria obeyed but not before patting the Jellicle on the hand. Quaxo took a little longer since he still wanted to know why she looked familiar. Jellylorum said to him, "Quaxo, listen to your father."

Quaxo sighed and joined his family. Taking one last look at her, they left. As soon as they were out of sight, Rumpleteazer said, "How long can we keep her secret? They will find out eventually."

Mungojerrie nodded as he put his arm around her. "We'll only tell if she wants us to tell. If not…" They both wondered what might happen if the tribe learned the truth about the red, injured Jellicle as they took a look at her.