I'd love to read your reviews and hear any writing tips! Thank you so much if you decide to review this for me!
Thanks to Leithleah for letting me use the name Jessny, which she made up, and thanks heaps for beta-ing this for me! hugs
I didn't write any of the songs at the beginning of the chapters, they belong to whoever wrote them! (There's a list of the songs's authors, in case anyone wants to know, on the last page.)
This fanfic was originally written with minor parts given to some people from the RPG website 'Jellicle Paradise' (link also on the last page). I've rewritten these parts and given them to some real Jellicle characters to minimize confusion! Thanks anyway to Aoide, Aislinbrad, Jeniiva, Mitsuki, Leithleah, Gamivair, Jemeter and Persephone. If anyone wants to read the original copy for any random reason, link is again on the last page. (Go the last page!)
Hope you enjoy it! From Felina -
(Time: This happened a few years before the time of the musical.)
CHAPTER ONE
I closed my eyes
Drew back the curtain
To see for certain
What I thought I knew
Far far away
Someone was weeping
But the world was sleeping
Any dream will do
"Where is he? Where is he?" Tumblebrutus awoke with a shock. He yelped in astonishment as he was grabbed by both shoulders. His teeth clacked as he was shaken hard, his head jarring at the rough, sudden violence. "You know, don't you? Tell me!" Growltiger raged. Tumblebrutus gasped as his captain stopped shaking him and flung him painfully back onto the coiled anchor chain, where he had been sleeping.
"Tell you what?" Tumblebrutus asked, ducking the following slap expertly from years of practice.
"Grumbuskin! He's gone. Stinkin' traitor's turned tail and run!" Growltiger glared, clenching his fists. "You knew 'im well. Where did he say he was goin'?" Tumblebrutus scrambled backwards off the chain.
"He didn't! I swear, I didn't know he'd gone!" Tumble told the angry Cat, his heart still beating wildly and adrenaline pumping through his body at the sudden awakening. It was the truth - Tumble had noticed his friend had been preoccupied and restless recently, but then all the crew were. So Grumbuskin had gone? No wonder Growltiger was in a worse rage than usual. Grumbuskin had been first mate for Growltiger ever since Tumble could remember, and a long time before that too. He was a very good sailor, sometimes Tumblebrutus secretly thought Grumbuskin was a better sailor than Growltiger himself. Of course, he never mentioned this to anyone. A thought like that would get him instantly slain for mutiny and treachery. But right now, it looked like he was going to be slain anyway. Growltiger towered over him, his sword drawn.
"You don't know…" He hissed. "You should have been keeping a better watch, you half-grown son of a sea-rat!" The tip of his sword came closer, quivering at the nape of Tumble's neck. He had nowhere to run to and his own sword was lying discarded by the chain coil. Tumble tried not to let his fear show, for he knew Growltiger hated any 'weak' emotion such as sadness or terror, and he was more likely to kill him if he showed his fear. Tumble had known this would happen sooner or later, known that one day he'd be caught unawares by the fearsome captain of the barge. He held his head high, staring at the older Cat, though his eyes might have betrayed his dread. Growltiger grinned menacingly, then amazingly drew his sword away.
"But then…it wasn't your watch." He said almost to himself. Tumble could hardly believe his luck. He swiftly rolled to his feet and slid noiselessly into the shadows as Growltiger turned away, watching his captain with wary eyes as Growltiger walked towards the bows of the ship, his sword still drawn. The captain often had dangerous mood swings, but this time it had seemed to come in Tumble's favour.
'Who is on watch?' Tumble wondered. 'Not me, and not Bluepoint…' Then he remembered, and suddenly he knew what was going to happen. He leapt out of the shadows with a cry, rushing forward to the bows, knowing that it was too late even as he did so.
Growltiger shoved his sword into Jessny's back, and Jessny crumpled silently forwards, falling limply over the rail and into the cold, murky water with a soft splash.
"Jessny!" Tumble cried in horror, reaching the rail and leaning over, calling his friend's name. There was nothing to be seen in the water. Jessny was gone. Tumble turned slowly to Growltiger, biting his lip hard, knowing he mustn't show weakness in front of the captain.
"You killed her!" He said, his voice sounded shocked and hollow even to him. Growltiger smiled.
"Yes, Tumblebrutus, I killed your little friend. But she should've been keeping a better watch, shouldn't she?" He stared at the young crewmember, acting careless and unperturbed, but his paw was ready on his sword. He knew Tumblebrutus was talented at the sword, although he wasn't properly trained, and he wondered if the kitten would try anything. But Tumble averted his eyes. He had seen Growltiger fight, and knew his own skill wouldn't match up to the captain's lethal blade – yet.
His head low so the captain wouldn't see his sorrow, he crept back down the length of the barge and curled up tightly inside the anchor chain coil, leaving Growltiger cleaning his sword alone in the moonlight.