Buried Alive
By jelliclesoul635
Summary: A blizzard strikes the Jellicle Junkyard in this fluffy, dramatic, and suspenseful one-shot. Centered around Demeter, Munkustrap, and Jemima. Enjoy, leave a review, do the chicken dance if you want, as long as it makes you happy.
A/N: So I live on the east coast, and this winter has been slacking to say the least, so in spite of Mother Nature's temper tantrum/winter strike, I decided to write a bitterly cold winter tale, short and semi-sweet, with just enough suspense and drama. I hope you enjoy!
Also, just so you know, the Jellicles portrayed in this short one-shot are more like humans than felines. For example, they live in houses, but yet they still live in dens. I don't truthfully know any other way to explain this, you'll get the point though as you read… I hope!
Disclaimer: I do not own CATS.
It was going to be a cold, bitter, uneventful night …at least that's what Munkustrap and Demeter thought as they sat in their den. Seated together on a gathering of pillows, they snuggled close for warmth and watched the rapidly falling snow, listening to the wind howl with a furious rage beyond the walls of their den. It had been a long week for the Jellicle tribe, which went double for their leader. He was pleased that everything had been taken care of before the storm arrived; glad that everyone would have enough food, that everyone would have enough supplies to keep them warm. Knowing that his tribe was at ease put him at ease.
Munkustrap coiled an arm around Demeter, enjoying the feel of her rib cage falling and rising against the side of his body as she breathed. She rested her head upon his chest, as he stroked her fur lovingly. He would always be there for her just like he would always be there for the Jellicle tribe. It was what made his nine lives worth living. He lavished in the feeling of being needed, of having a purpose.
Demeter shivered as a draft crept up from the floor and chilled her briefly to the core. "Are you cold?" Munkustrap questioned, holding her tighter to provide more warmth.
"Well, not anymore. Thank you." Demeter smiled and looked up at her mate, handsome as ever. They exchanged a chaste kiss.
"You're beautiful, you know that?"
"Yes, Munkus, so you tell me… every single day." Demeter giggled.
"Well it's true. When are you going to learn to take a compliment?"
"When you learn that I don't need to be complimented. You won me over years ago, Munkus. I'm yours and I always will be."
"That doesn't mean I can't tell you how gorgeous you are." Munkustrap brushed his lips ever so closely over Demeter's. He put a paw on her neck, allowing her head to become weightless in his palm.
Demeter spoke in a whisper. "Well I guess there's nothing wrong with that."
"No, there isn't." Munkustrap replied and closed the gap between their mouths with a passionate kiss. Every time felt like the first time, like he was falling in love over and over again. Demeter felt similarly.
The kiss ended, and Demeter brought a paw up to Munkustrap's face, brushing the fur from his forehead, smiling.
"What?" Munkustrap questioned, Demeter's smile causing him to become weary.
"Oh, nothing. I just can't help but think of how much you look like you could benefit from a pillow hitting you upside the head right now. I really think it would do you some good, don't you?" While finishing her question, she pounded a pillow over Munkustrap's head, knocking him over. She laughed merrily, the joy and hilarity of the moment overwhelming her.
"Well you know what I think? I think you could benefit from a tackle to the ground."
Demeter stopped laughing, eyes growing wide. "You wouldn't."
"Oh no? I beg to differ, sweetheart." and with that, Munkustrap leaped at her. She tried to escape but there was simply no time. His arms were around her waist in a flash and they were both on the floor.
Munkustrap straddled his mate. "Got you." He winked.
"That's what you think." Demeter hauled the silver-ebony tom off of her, straddling him just as he did to her.
"Now who's got who?" she grinned wickedly. Demeter rolled off of him, and the two sat next to each other.
"You know Munk, we should try and keep it down. Jemima's in the other room and I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want to wake her at this hour."
"She sleeps like you though, Demi. I don't think we have anything to worry about." Munkustrap joked. Demeter gave a questioning expression, so Munkustrap explained.
"A bomb could go off and the two of you would sleep right through it as if nothing ever happened."
"Is that so? Well the least we could do is be courteous."
"Alright, alright. Shall we sleep then?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." Demeter answered, yawning. The two felines cuddled under the covers, making sure they were as cozy as two cats could possibly be.
"You know Munkus, I think I still have some of that yarn tangled on my claws." Demeter fanned her paw out in front of her face, and Munkustrap took hold of it to examine it himself, before looking at is own.
"I do, too. It'll be okay."
"How did Jemima even manage that? It was cutest and funniest thing I've ever seen in all my lives. Poor thing could hardly walk, it was more like waddling." The pair laughed.
"I've never seen a kitten become so tangled in yarn before. She looked like you when you tried to decorate the den with those holiday lights." Munkustrap said playfully.
"Very funny." Demeter swatted his ear, before changing the tone to something a bit more sweet and sentimental. "We're both two of the luckiest parents in all the world to have her." Demeter sighed contentedly.
"You're telling me as if I don't already know."
Demeter smiled. She planted a kiss on his shoulder. "Good night, Munkus."
"Sweet dreams, darling."
Just as sleep was arriving, Demeter became alert. Her ears pointed forward, and she sat upright.
"Is everything okay?" Munkustrap asked, but before Demeter could provide him with an answer, the lights went out. The power had been lost due to the storm.
"We don't have flashlights." Demeter stated. Munkustrap threw the cover off of himself, sliding out of their bed and leaving the room, bumping into a few things as he went. He cursed in a hushed tone, but his effort was futile.
"I heard that, Munkus!"
"Sorry." He apologized flatly. "We might not have flashlights, but we do have these." Munkustrap held out a few candles and a box of matches.
"Where did we get those?" Demeter also abandoned the bed to gain a closer look at the materials in Munkustrap's possession. He answered, "Scavenging for materials and supplies was my job, remember? You gathered the food."
"Okay, well let's get a little light in here, shall we?" Demeter took some of the candles and matches from Munkustrap, placing them strategically in the den.
Once the last candle had been lit, their attention had been drawn to the sound of mewing. "Mommy! Mommy I can't see!" Jemima's voice sounded like she was on the verge of crying.
"I'll be right there, sweetie!" Demeter called in response. "Keep the bed warm, will you?" Demeter half-joked to Munkustrap who was fixing up the pillows and blankets that resembled the bed he shared with his mate. "Anything for you, dear." Munkustrap smirked at Demeter as she disappeared around the corner in the direction of Jemima's bedroom.
Jemima was trembling, sitting upright in her bed with the blanket wrapped around her and a pillow clutched to her chest.
Demeter sat down on the bed and as she did, Jemima crawled onto her lap. Demeter held her daughter tenderly. "What's the matter, honey? Mommy and daddy are in the next room and everything's okay. I promise."
"B-but the lights are missing."
Demeter laughed slightly. "Jemima, the lights aren't missing."
"Then where are they?" Jemima was curious as kittens typically are about things they know very little about.
"The power's gone out, and without power, the lights can't shine."
"Ohhh. But mommy, I don't like when the power's not on and the lights don't shine. Fix it."
Demeter laughed some more. "I can't fix it, Jem, but what I can do is let you sleep with me and daddy in the big bed. Do you want to come sleep in the big bed?"
"Are you gonna squash me?"
"No, of course not." Demeter smiled.
"Then ok. Let's go sleep in the big bed." Jemima leaped off of Demeter's lap and scurried around the corner. Demeter followed and when she turned the corner, she found Jemima sitting on top of Munkustrap's chest.
"Looks like we're going to have some company." Munkustrap said, stretching his neck to see Demeter entering the room.
Demeter giggled. She crawled into bed, ushering Jemima to sleep between her and Munkustrap. "Come on, Jem. Time for bed." Jemima slid off of Munkustrap and curled up between the two adult felines and within seconds, seemed to be sound asleep.
"Was everything okay?" Munkustrap whispered.
"Yeah, everything was fine, but when I told her I couldn't fix the lights, you should've seen her dumbfounded expression. Priceless, I tell you." Demeter whispered just as quietly.
"I wish I could have. Well, good night, Demeter."
"Night, dear."
And all three felines fell asleep, comfortable beneath the covers.
Hours later, Demeter stretched and turned over on her side, noticing that something was missing. Her eyes bolted open. She saw Munkustrap beside her, sleeping like a log, and looking under the covers, still found no Jemima. She got out of bed, heading towards Jemima's room. Nothing.
She returned to the main room, looking around the entire place. She stopped for a moment, running a paw through her head-fur. She was panicking. She didn't know where Jemima was and for a mother, it was the most terrifying and debilitating feeling one could ever experience.
Eyes glowing by the light of the candles, they scanned the room. Pillows, candles, rug, floor, windows, door …door …door. Everlasting Cat…
Demeter rushed to the door and swung it open. A gust of wind blew out some of the candles and snow hurried inside. Fear engulfed Demeter as she thought of Jemima lost in this weather. The snow was blinding, not even Demeter could see the distance before her. Without power, no street lamps were lit, increasing the difficulty of the situation at paw.
Without another thought, Demeter stomped out into the snow to find Jemima, her sweet, innocent, helpless Jemima.
The wind blew over Demeter's fur, pierced through to her bones. She was freezing, desperate for some sort of clue. Where could she be? How far could she have gone? If only the moon was full tonight, then maybe it wouldn't be so impossible to see anything except for the snow swirling madly, like a swarm of bees on attack mode.
Her paws were becoming numb as she continued forward. She called out for Jemima, but the volume of the wind was so deafening that she could barely hear her own voice yelling out as powerfully as she could forcefully project it. Keeping her eyes open was arduous as the wind and snow stung her face.
I'll never find her by myself, and there's no time for this. Jemima needs me now! Everlasting Cat, don't let her freeze to death… what do I do? Help me, please. Munkustrap… I'll get Munkustrap and we can look for her together… Bast, I've got to hurry.
Demeter turned around, having made up her mind that she would go for help. Who knows how long Jemima had been out here? She could even be hurt… Demeter didn't want to think about it but she knew she had to act fast, her daughter's life was at risk.
Demeter headed for home, and that's when she realized that she had no idea in which direction home was. In every direction she could see the same thing: flurrying snow and complete darkness. She was taken over by a crippling fear, desperation rising within her. She had to find Jemima, but she couldn't do that without help, and she couldn't get help because she didn't know where help was.
She was lost in her own home. She couldn't see anything but the snow, which blinded her as much as the darkness of the power outage.
She called for help, screamed for help, hollered for help. For anyone. But no one could hear her, no one heard the fright in her voice, the urgency, the despair. She was alone, she was lost, and if she stayed outside for much longer, she'd be dead.
The Next Morning:
Munkustrap rolled over, expecting his paw to curl around the waist of his mate like always, but no such thing happened, no contact occurred. Munkustrap opened his eyes gradually, stretching to life. He sat up. No sign of Demeter. The bed wasn't even warm on her side.
That's odd… maybe she slept with Jemima sometime during the night…
That's when he noticed his daughter, face plastered against the cold glass of the window. Her tail flicked with excitement, and her paws groped the surface of the window desperately.
Munkustrap swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his paws over his face. He gave a magnificent yawn, greeting his daughter with a, "Good morning, Jemima."
She turned around at the sound of his voice, eyes wide, paws tapping the ground anxiously.
"Morning, daddy. Can I umm… can I…"
"What is it, Jemima?" Munkustrap sat on the edge of the bed, knowing very well what was going to come next.
"CAN I PLEASE GO OUT AND PLAY IN THE SNOW? PLEASE? PLEASE? PLEASE?"
Munkustrap smiled. "Have you eaten breakfast?"
"No."
"Well then, I suppose I can let you out to play in the snow, but only until breakfast is ready, then you have to come in and eat."
"Okay, okay! Can I go now? PLEASE?" Jemima jumped up and down.
"Yes, you may go."
"THANK YOU!" Jemima was gone in an instant.
Munkustrap stood from the bed, shuffling tiredly over to the window, watching Jemima frolic in the snow. She was soon joined by her friends, and all of them immediately embarked on a massive snowball fight. Munkustrap laughed as Jemima threw a ball of snow at Pouncival, who chased after her gleefully.
Leaving the window, he searched for Demeter, first stopping in the kitchen to prepare Jemima's breakfast. Nothing had been touched since last night. "Odd…" Munkustrap muttered to himself. Demeter was always the first one up and she always made breakfast, yet everything was in the same order as it was last night when he came in to retrieve the candles and matches.
Walking into the main room again, he noticed that some of the candles were no longer lit. "Strange…" Munkustrap mumbled to himself.
"Demeter? Are you in here?" he knocked on the door of the bathroom with his knuckles before turning the knob and checking it out. Nothing…
Munkustrap shrugged it off, assuming she had gone out for something.
He opened the door of the den, calling for Jemima. She bounded over to him, covered in snow.
"One, it's time for you to eat breakfast, and two, have you seen your mother?"
"No, daddy. I don't know where mommy is."
"Okay, sweetie. Come inside and eat your breakfast before it gets cold." As Munkustrap ushered Jemima inside, a scream echoed through-out the Junkyard. Munkustrap looked up with alarm, not knowing who had screamed, but knowing something was definitely wrong.
"Stay inside, Jemima. I'll be right back." Munkustrap took off towards the gathering of cats. Munkustrap pushed through to the front of the crowd and what he saw made the blood drain from his face. Kittens were being taken away from the scene by their parents and older Jellicles, and for good reason. In the snow, almost completely buried in the snow, was Demeter.
Jennyanydots hurried over, and quickly began digging the snow away from Demeter's stiff body. "Are you going to stand there, or are you going to help me?" she cried.
The remaining Jellicles helped by digging furiously, their own paws becoming numb. She was buried in the snow to the point where only parts of her face were visible, and some of her tail. There was a lot of snow to be moved to free her from the snowy grave, but with the help of everyone, it had taken no more than 5 minutes. Munkustrap delicately uncovered her face as fast as he could. It was blue. Her lips were dry like a waterless river, and as they pulled her out of the snow, her limbs barely moved. She was frozen.
Jenny checked for a pulse, but she couldn't tell if there was one or if there wasn't one. "What do we do?" Jenny looked to Munkustrap for instructions, which horrified Munkustrap. Even in a situation like this he was still the leader, he was still in charge and was expected to give commands.
"We revive her as best we can. We need to get her warm and keep the blood flowing."
"Right." Jenny agreed. "Will you help me carry her inside?"
Munkustrap nodded, scooping up Demeter's body in his arms. As they walked to his den, he was afraid. The more he looked at this icy corpse, the less it looked like Demeter. Part of him decided it was because he had a difficult time accepting this moment as reality, this just couldn't be happening. He couldn't lose Demeter.
What were you doing out there, huh? What happened to you?
He held his composure for as long as he needed to. He wouldn't break in front of everyone, he couldn't. He was the protector, he was the one who was supposed to protect, not need protecting.
They entered the den. "Someone keep Jemima from seeing Demeter like this." Munkustrap instructed. He laid Demeter in the bed of pillows and blankets. Jennyanydots quickly wrapped her up in blankets, rubbing them up and down Demeter's frame in an effort to generate heat and keep the blood in her system flowing.
"I'm going to get a few things, watch over her and keep her warm. I should return within the hour." Jennyanydots told Munkustrap. She glanced over her shoulder at the cats that had followed them inside, nodding for them to leave the room. She turned to Munkustrap, placing a paw on his shoulder. He trembled, restraining himself from exploding.
"If she's going to survive this Munkustrap, she's going to need your help. Be strong for her, okay?"
He nodded.
Jennyanydots left and within moments, Munkustrap's face contorted as he allowed himself to cry. Tears rolled down his face as he looked at Demeter sorrowfully. He grabbed her paw and despite its icy temperature, held it to his face. He kissed it softly, using his other paw to pat down some of her straying furs.
He pressed a paw against her neck to see if a pulse could be determined.
He held it there longer.
He wanted to feel a pulse.
But you can't feel what isn't there.
His head sank, and though wrapped in blankets, he gathered up Demeter in his arms and held her body close to his own. He trembled as the sobs began to escape. He squeezed Demeter as if the pressure would return life to her, he squeezed as thought it could save her, he squeezed with all his might as though his force could make her live.
He gently laid her back down, adjusting the blankets. He climbed into bed next to her, not yet ready to give up on her. He held her, attempting to give her all of his warmth, but the longer he held her, the colder he became. His effort was getting him nowhere. He fell asleep, cradling his beloved like a child clings to their blanket for security.
Hours Later:
"Munkustrap. Wake up, dear." His shoulder was shaking. He opened his eyes and saw Jennyanydots standing over him. He looked next to him and Demeter was gone. He wasn't even in the same bed anymore, instead he was in a reclined chair.
"Where is she?" he was worried immediately.
"Relax. Skimbleshanks helped me move her to Jemima's bed. The pillows you two were sleeping on were wet from the ice melting, so we moved you to a chair."
"Where's Jemima?"
"Bombalurina is taking her in for the night. You have nothing to worry about."
"How's Demeter?" Munkustrap posed this next question fearfully.
"She has a pulse."
Munkustrap sighed with relief.
"Skimble is with her now, keeping her warm."
"Is she awake?"
"No, that'll be the next challenge. If she doesn't wake up soon Munkustrap, there's a good chance she might not recover. We might not be able to save her."
Munkustrap looked down at himself. He didn't want Jennyanydots to see the tears. "Thanks, Jen. Can I go see her, please? Maybe alone?"
"Of course."
Jennyanydots called for Skimble, who came out of Jemima's room. "How is she?" Jenny asked him.
"Still the same, poor lass." He turned to Munkustrap, who had recomposed himself enough to look up from the floor. "And how are you, lad?"
"Holding up. Thank you, the both of you, for helping out. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
"Not at all, lad."
"We'll be returning to our den for night, Munkustrap. Let me know if anything changes." Munkustrap nodded at Jennyanydots and walked them to the door. "Thanks again."
The door closed. Munkustrap turned, facing the interior of the den he shared with Demeter. He walked into the room where she was resting and knelt beside the bed. She looked more like herself now. He took her paw in his own and it was not icy cold as it had been before. The smell of death was nonexistent and Munkustrap felt it in his heart that she would pull through. But the words Jenny spoke echoed in his mind. If she doesn't wake up soon Munkustrap, there's a good chance she might not recover. We might not be able to save her…
Munkustrap held Demeter's paw in both of his own and prayed to the Everlasting Cat. Then, he spoke to his mate, whether or not she could hear what he was about to say.
"You can't leave me now, Demeter. There's so much we've yet to do. I couldn't live without you and you know that. And I know you love Jemima too much to leave her here to grow up without a mother. You'd miss so much. Please wake up, Demeter. I need you so much that I can't even describe it in words. I'm sorry I failed you. My job is to protect this tribe, this family. And you are the biggest part of both of those categories and I let you down more than I've ever let anyone down in my entire life. Just don't leave, please, Demeter. I love you so much."
Munkustrap bowed his head, holding onto Demeter's paw, refusing to let go. And then it happened.
His paw was being squeezed.
"Demi?" he lifted his head, tears streaming freely.
"I love you, too, Munkus… and I'll never leave you."
Demeter smiled at her mate and he smiled in return.
"Oh, Everlasting Cat. Demeter I thought I'd lost you. Don't ever do that to me again."
"I promise. It wasn't exactly on my agenda of things to do twice."
Munkustrap laughed. "Good. So, what were you doing out there, anyway?"
That's when Demeter remembered. Jemima!
"Oh, Bast, Munkustrap. Where is she? Where's Jemima?" Demeter panicked, and so did Munkustrap. She was nowhere close to being 100% recovered and he worried that being this upset could send her back to her state of comatose.
"Relax, Jemima is with Bombalurina. What exactly were you doing outside anyway in the middle of a blizzard?"
"I was looking for Jemima! I woke up in the middle of the night and she wasn't in the bed with us anymore. So I went to see where she was and I couldn't find her so-"
"-you went outside to look for her and got trapped outside."
"Yes. So she was inside the entire time, huh?"
"Indeed."
Munkustrap leaned forward and kissed Demeter's forehead. "You should rest some more. I'm going to tell Jenny you're awake."
"Okay. I love you, Munkus."
"And I love you, darling. Now rest."
Demeter disappeared in the blankets, allowing sleep to claim her from consciousness. Munkustrap walked to Jenny's den feeling better than he ever had. He had his tribe, he had his mate, he had his daughter, and therefore he had anything a tom could ever need.
~End~