A/n: Here I now return to my first love, CATS, for which I wrote my first fanfiction stories (which I hopefully burned). I recently heard of this drabble contest for CATS fanfiction, and I started thinking maybe it would be good practice trying to just spit a few random stories out rather than killing myself over carefully planned ones as I have lately. I don't quite know if I'm allowed to post on and then the contest board, but I wanted some feedback. I mean, it's after 1 AM. There's no way I'm gonna be objective in editing my writing after 1 AM. I gotta get some help. It's definitely not in its finalized form, so I'll probably update this when I've got a final or something.

And one more thing (then I'll shut up). Apparently, many ships have what is called a ship bell that is rung every half-hour and signals the beginning and end of watches for deferent members of the crew. Instead of time, sailors would report to "bells," which apply to different stages of the day. Eight bells in the middle watch would be midnight. Eight rings would toll to signify this. Eight bells also is an idiom for the end, as it is midnight and a new day and therefore yesterday's watches are all done and all... so sometimes eight bells is a phrase used in reference to death.

This doesn't play much into the drabble, but it is an interesting undertone all the same, I think...

So without further ado, your feature presentation!

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Eight Bells in the Middle Watch

Eight bells. It was my watch.

I was still awake in my bunk when the heavy ringing sounded from the deck. Sleep had never come to me easily, even when the winds were calm and the waters still. Inside, I was always restless.

I hopped down from the top bunk of the two-story bed and scurried through the cabin door, the floorboard marking each footstep with a shrill creak.

It was a relief to feel the breeze again. I grinned at the crewmen of the previous watch as they swaggered sleepily off to bed. My job was to keep a lookout, a task only recently appointed to me after almost a year of cabin boy duties, and I always manned my station with boyish eagerness.

And sometimes, if I timed it right, I would get to see him. Even talk to him!

There! On the port side, standing on the deck, staring into the night. The terror of a pirate himself was there, our captain. Growltiger.

He was everything a boy could only dream of being. The glory, the majesty of a pirate was never better displayed than in that bravo cat. It was in the way he held himself, the way he looked at you, as though fear did not exist for him.

"Grumbuskin!"

I had dallied too long. The scolding crewmate woke me to reality and sent me scrambling to my post as the captain finally turned his sunken eyes on me for one brilliant moment.

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A/n: Well that was... brief. Herm.

I know I should try and get more physical descriptions in there, specifically of Growltiger, but with the contest word limit I just cropped out the crap. I have to figure out what to remove if I really want to add...

Uh, and for the perverts like me, no, this isn't actually supposed to be slash, though if you want to interpret it that way it's cool with me. I can see why you would, but it's really just supposed to be a general, boyish fascination with a sort of hero.

And on that note, should I have used the word "tom" in the place of "boy?" Make it more specific to cats...

Also, if this isn't clear, Grumbuskin is young in this. As in he hasn't become the first mate yet and has no idea of his future working with the great Growltiger. This means that Growltiger is also youngish in this, a little less scruffy maybe, a little more aloof. Interesting, though, and kind of sad that Growltiger dies in the poem and Grumbuskin does not. I was actually going to do this from Tumblebrutus' point of view, but figured that he was too obvious a choice. Grumbuskin would be a fresher take, I thought.

AGH, I need to shut up! And sleep. Right now. Thank you very much for reading, I hope you had fun, now good night and good luck and love and peace and rock 'n roll and whatever just somebody shut me uuuuupp...

REVIEW!!

...Please? I'll review your stuff... if I haven't already... seriously, I go crazy with reviews... so... please review.