Pouncival's Crush
"Get out of here, Benjy!!!" The Rum Tum Tugger found himself being dumped in the front garden again.
Only ... it wasn't the front garden.
At least it didn't look like it.
Everything was WHITE and there was no grass or anything ... and standing right in the middle of where the lawn should be, was Bombarulina.
The Tugger ventured forward into the white sea.
He leaped, all four feet of the ground.
It was COOOLD!!!
He narrowed his eyes as he heard Bomba laughing at him.
"What?" he felt hurt.
"It's only SNOW, silly!!" Bombarulina bounded through the 'snow' sending showers of it everywhere, and she flipped some of it at the Tugger.
The Tugger shied away as the white stuff went for his face.
"Snow?"
"You've never seen snow before?" Bombarulina stopped short.
"Well ... I haven't lived here for very long!" he replied huffily.
Bombarulina grinned at him and said "Are you coming or not?"
"But ... but ... but ...?" whined the Tugger pathetically "It's cold!"
"Of course it is! Snow's always cold! You'll get used to it in a couple of minutes, I promise." pleaded Bombarulina, gently pulling his ear.
"OW!!!" he yelled, exaggerating as usual.
Bombarulina sighed - obviously this meant he was in a funny mood.
She shook her head and said "I'll go without you, okay?"
"Wait!" called the Tugger after her as she began to leave "Where are you going?"
"Well ... the junkyard first, I guess ..." Bombarulina looked slyly over her shoulder "That's where the other toms are ..." she began to walk again.
"Oh ... okay ..." muttered the Tugger, and patted the snow with his paw again, sizing up how worth it it was for him to go with Bomba.
He watched as she disappeared around the corner. Tentatively, he pushed one paw down into the snow, then pulled it right back out again.
How could Bombarulina WALK through this stuff?
Bomba walkd quite slowly at first, to see if the Tugger would follow her.
When it became obvious he wasn't going to, she broke into an angry run, thinking bad things towards the Tugger as she went.
She kept running faster and faster, not really looking where she was going.
That ended up in the inevitable collision with something.
"Unghh ..." groaned Bombarulina as she stood up and shook the snow off her back "Uh ... Pouncival?"
"Uh huh!!" the young tom was just out of kittenhood - although it didn't look it - and he was obviously excited about something.
"What's going on, Pounci?" asked Bomba as she began to walk alongside him.
"Oh, not much!" giggled Pouncival, but then he grew serious "Please don't call me Pounci."
"How come?" asked Bomba curiously.
"I'm not a kitten any more!" declared Pouncival.
"Riiight ..." agreed Bombarulina.
"Sooo ... what do you want to do?" he asked.
Bombarulina paused - quite literally stopping dead in her tracks.
"What?" asked Pouncival, feeling confused - was it something he said?
"Do you smell that?" she asked, lifting her nose to the wind.
"What?!" Pouncival whimpered, Bombarulina looked suspicious or even worried.
"Pollicles!!!" hissed Bomba, crouching low to the ground.
"Where?" squeaked Pouncival.
"Close ..." whispered Bomba, even as she said that two Pollicle Dogs could be seen trotting through the park.
"No ...!"groaned Bomba "Come on Pouncival!" she began to run, but Pouncival didn't move.
Bomba skidded back to him "Pouncival!!!"
"Help ...!" he whimpered, staring at the two dogs, who had spotted them and were running directly for the cats.
"You have to MOVE Pouncival! Come on!!!" Bombarulina sunk her teeth into Pouncival's ear, and dragged him for a few feet.
Eventually Pouncival found his paws, and they began to run.
They ran up the street as fast as they could go, Bomba looked back, Pouncival wasn't keeping up with her.
She slowed her pace out of pity for the poor kitten - he was terrified.
"Come on, it's going to be fine..." she said soothingly to him "We just have to get to the Junkyard."
Pouncival nodded, and he forced himself to run faster.
Munkustrap looked up suddenly, they was a very loud noise heading his way.
He looked curiously around, no one.
He was just about to dismiss it as the kittens when Pouncival flew threw the junkyard, whipping past Munkustrap and disappearing into the distance.
"Pouncival?" he called, that kitten wasn't stopping for ANYONE.
He looked back in the direction Pouncival had come from.
Bombarulina was walking serenely through the junkyard.
Munkustrap looked at the queen for a moment, then realised she was out of breath and it looked like her ear had been bitten.
"Are you alright Bombarulina?!" he asked, approaching her quickly.
"Fine, just a ... uh ... run in with some Pollicles ... it's nothing."
"What happened to Pouncival?" asked Munkustrap, as he began to clean the wound on Bombarulina's ear for her.
"Uh ... he was there ..." Bombarulina began worry about Pouncival, and Munkustrap was slowing her down from finding him.
Munkustrap didn't reply, he just kept systematically cleaning out the cut.
"Look, Munkustrap ... I'm fine ... really ... I ah ...really don't need you ... to do that ..."
"Am I hurting you?" he asked.
"Just a little," said Bomba truthfully "But I have to talk to Pouncival, I'll be fine!"
"Alright - but be careful not to let that cut get dirty!" Munkustrap sighed - Bombarulina would never let him help her - not even as a kitten.
Bombarulina began to look around the junkyard for Pouncival.
"Pouncival?"
"Sorry, Bomba," replied Demeter "Haven't seen him. Why?"
"It's a long story - I promise I'll tell you it later..."
Demeter's eyes widened and she said "What happened to your ear? Was it the Tugger?"
"Would you stop trying to blame everything on the Tugger? I left him at home." Bomba turned to leave.
"If i see Pounci, I'll say you were looking for him." called Demeter.
"Thanks!"
Pouncival had ran to a place in the junkyard he was sure no one would find him.
He was deeply embarrassed about the way he'd acted, especially when Bomba had to get him to MOVE ...
At the thought of it, Pouncival cringed uncontrollably.
"Pouncival?"
Oh no ... she was looking for him ...
"Pouncival? ... Oh, there you are ..." Bombarulina crouched down and looked under the ancient truck that the kittens were banned from playing on.
Pouncival turned his face away in shame, what would she think of him? He was acting like a silly kitten ...
"Pouncival?" Bomba crawled flat on her stomach underneath the car and lay beside him. He STILL wasn't looking at her.
Bombarulina didn't have the patience to wait for him to speak to her, so she slid her paw inder his chin and pulled his head around.
She gasped as she saw the tear stains on his face.
He looked away again.
"Pouncival ... what is it that's bothering you?" asked Bomba, more gently this time "Did those dogs scare you?"
"Obviously." hissed Pouncival hostily.
"Well ... why won't you talk to me?" usually Pouncival would talk to anyone.
"It's ... embarrassing..." he groaned, and covered his muzzle with his paws.
"What?"
"That whole...thing with the not moving and ..."
Bombarulina understood completely - his ego was crushed.
"Well ... we can tell people something else." she suggested, resting her chin on her paws.
"Really?" he sounded ecstatic "And you don't mind?!"
Bomba shook her head.
"Thank you!!!!" he jumped on her (as best he could whilst underneath a car) and hugged her.
"It's okay, really ..." began Bomba, about to shove him off, but he noticed her ear.
"Was that the dogs?!" Bomba nodded. "I'M SORRY!!!" Pouncival yelled, almost deafening her.
"Pouncival I'm fine!"
Too late, he was already licking her ear.
Bombarulina decided it was in his best interests for her to let him do what he thought was right - after all, he'd been hysterical only moments before hand.
About ten minutes later, Bombarulina began to notice something different about the way Pouncival was licking her ear.
It seemed more sensual than before, he was licking her more slowly, and not just on the places where it was cut.
"Erm ... Pouncival I ...?!" he began to move down her neck next.
Only the Rum Tum Tugger did that ... and only recently. Bombarulina was well known for being a flirt, but usually it was just a front to hide what she was really feeling.
Pouncival was also always flirting with her, but she'd always dismissed it the way she dismissed the other Toms ...
"Pouncival ... what are you doing?" whatever it was, it didn't feel half bad ...
Pouncival stopped and looked up at her adoringly.
"What?" she asked, feeling extremely uncomfortable under his gaze.
"You're the first ... cat to treat me like an adult!" he explained softly "And your a girl ... which is ... wow ..."
"Pouncival ... don't you be getting ideas now ..." Bomba started edging slowly away.
"I think ..."
"No, no that's usually bad when guys think ..." rambled Bomba, still trying to escape.
"But Bomba I think I'm falling in love with you ..." he whispered, looking sincerely into her eyes.
"No, no you're just imagining it, babe ... really ..." Bombarulina tried to let him down gently.
Pouncival wasn't listening, he was still talking about their "future together".
"And what will the Tugger think?!"
"Oh, I'm sure he'll just laugh it off ..." Bombarulina really hoped this was true.
"And we'll have kittens!"
"Have what?"
"And we'll name them after our friends, and -"
"Have WHAT?" repeated Bomba, feeling dazed. Thankfully the Tugger never talked about kittens...
"And then we can watch them grow up ..."
"Sounds fascinating, Pounce, but wouldn't you rather be out seducing other girls ... away from me?" Bomba knew she was handling this all the wrong way, but she needed sanctuary.
"and..." Pouncival kept talking.
"I gotta go!" Bombarulina leapt out from underneath the truck, and ran as fast as she could away from Pouncival.
"See you later, sweetheart!!!" he called after her.
Demeter was sitting alone, thinking about her long and treacherous past ... and about how she'd lost almost everyone important to her.
The love of her life had been killed by Macavity a long time ago, and he'd dragged her off to his lair, using her as his personal love slave, until one day Bombarulina was flung down into the cell with her.
Together they had escaped and fled to the Jellicle Junkyard.
Everything was great, until the Rum Tum Tugger showed up!
She'd lost her love to Macavity, her parents to her new human owner and now she was losing her best friend to the Rum Tum Tugger.
As she sat fretting over this, Bombarulina sped up in a state of pure panic.
"What?!" Demeter thought from the way she was sweating and the way she was breathing that someone was dead.
"Pouncival just told me he was IN LOVE WITH ME!!!" wailed Bombarulina.
Demeter couldn't help but smile a little.
"Well, you would lead on all the boys, now wouldn't you?"
"But I ... i was just making sure he was okay after the run in with those Pollicles -"
"Pollicles?! Are you alright?"
"Well, I WAS!!!" snapped Bomba "Then he just starts licking my ear, like he was cleaning it and then he started licking my neck and ... and ... then he said he was in love with me and he wanted kittens by tomorrow!!!"
"Did he actually say 'by tomorrow'? Because I don't think that that is genetically possible and ..."
"Demeter."
"Sorry."
The Tugger finally made it to to Junkyard, freezing cold and wishing desperately he'd gone with Bomba four hours before hand.
"Jelly, hon," he stopped when the look on Jellylorum's face told him it was definately not "cool" for him to shorten her name "Jellylorum," he started over "Have you seen Bombarulina?"
Jellylorum smiled with a semi-wistful look on her face as if to say 'Ah, young love' and said "Last time I saw her, Tugger, was when she was running around hysterically over there."
"Hysterically, you say?" he repeated, and began to walk in the direction Jellylorum had pointed.
"Demeter, I swear this is not funny!"
Demeter giggled uncharacteristically "Sorry ... but I've never seen you so ... riled up over something like this!"
"Tugger?" squeaked Bombarulina, and silenced Demeter with one simple look.
"That's my name, don't wear it out babe."
"Uh huh ... honey, what do you think of ... um ... Pouncival?"
"Like how?" wondered the Tugger.
"Just in ... general his personality ... the things he likes ..." continued Bombarulina, sounding so suspicious it actually pained her to continue.
"You mean like the way he completely adores you?" guessed the Tugger, grinning cheerfully at her.
"What?"
"We boys gotta have something to talk about," he winked at Bombarulina.
Demeter sighed as she almost saw the liquid-flirt leak back into Bombarulina.
"What else do you guys say about me?"
"Oh, your reputation preceeds you, darling." joked the Tugger, deciding to talk to Pouncival later and see what was really going on.
As Bomba and the Tugger wandered away shoulder to shoulder, Etcetera chased after the Rum Tum Tugger's tail, and caught it in her teeth.
"OW!!!" yelped the Tugger and whirled around on Etcetera, releasing his claws and holding them above her angrily.
"Sorreee!!!" she whispered, almost in tears.
Tugger softened slightly, and retracted his claws.
"Run along, kitty." he said and shoved her gently in the direction that wasn't in the one he was attempting to walk.
He turned his back on her, and she tugged his tail AGAIN.
"Etcetera, this isn't funny," sighed the Tugger, and turned to face her again "What'll it take to make you go away?"
Etcetera looked frozen on the spot - The Tugger didn't really talk to any of his ... fans.
"Well?" he crouched down to her level.
He could hear giggling from all around, apparerently Etcetera was not alone.
She smiled at him.
"Alright, alright." he quickly leaned forward and licked across the lips.
Etcetera very nearly passed out.
The giggling turned into gasps of disbelief and jealously.
The Tugger grinned and turned to leave, but ... Bombarulina was gone.
Uh oh ... did that mean she was mad at him for ...?
Bombarulina smiled as Etcetera pulled at the Tugger's tail again.
The kittens were crazy for him, just like her.
As she watched his rear end from her fabulous view point, Pouncival ran up, and hissed in her ear that there was an emergency, and Demeter needed her.
Before Bomba could even reach the Tugger to get his attention, Pouncival had pulled her away.
He dragged her through the junkyard to a very quiet spot.
No sign of Demeter anywhere ... oh no ...
Pouncival advanced towards her like a lion hunting prey.
He probably wanted those kittens now ...
"Pouncival, please don't." whimpered Bomba "I only came over here because you said there was an emergency."
"Yeah, but that was just to get you away from the Tugger ... don't you think Etcetera did a great job?"
"Wha ...?" Bombarulina never did get to finish that sentence because Pouncival kissed her.
"Hhmmmm?!!!!" she tried desperately to push him off without hurting him, but with no avail.
Deciding there was nothing else for it, since his paws were wandering, she jabbed her claws into his leg.
He groaned in pain into the kiss, then released her, shocked.
"But ... why did you ...?" he whimpered, he looked like he was going to run off again, but Bombarulina caught him.
"Don't go running off." she said to him softly, in an almost soothing voice "You can't just run away from your problems!"
Pouncival nodded and allowed himself to be led over to a plank of wood.
"Now, why exactly to you have this crazed idea that we're a couple?" asked Bombarulina, not beating about the bush for even a second.
"I don't know ... I guess I've just always had a ... uhm ... hmmm..."
"Uh huh?" prompted Bombarulina.
"Well, I suppose I've always had a sort of... well ... a sort of c..hmmm.. a sort of crush on you and when you were being nice I ..."
"Got slightly carried away." finished Bombarulina.
"Exactly."
"Well, we can't be together, you know that, don't you?"
"Why not?"
Bomba sighed "You know why not ... I love the Tugger, and I could never leave him ... and you ... deserve someone who's better at handling these situations than I am."
Pouncival giggled "Maybe I'll try getting to know one of the single cats."
"Great idea," Bombarulina let out a sigh of relief.
"We can still have kittens, right?"
Bombarulina looked at him, semi-panicked.
"Kidding!!!" he giggled, and bounded away.
Bomba sighed.
The Tugger was working himself into a frenzy, why would Bomba get jealous over a kitten?!
"Bombarulina?!" he called.
"What's up, babe?" she asked, trotting towards him.
"Are you mad at me?"
"About what?"
"For kissing Etcera?"
"You kissed Etcetera?"
Uh oh.
"Anyway, I sorted this whole thing with Pouncival out."
"What whole thing with Pouncival?!"
Uh oh.
THE END!!!