Coricopat shot into Erisa's den in the corner of the junkyard. Erisa was nowhere to be found, there weren't any kittens around being kitty sat which normally meant she was out, but he knew she was around. She wouldn't be unreachable at a time like this.
"'Ris? Where are you? I know you're here, I can sense you." Coricopat being a witch's cat wasn't comfortable in situations like this. He could find anything and anyone anywhere and not being able to find Erisa in a space as small as her den unnerved him. "Erisa, stop playing games with me. It's Tantomile, she's…."
"Had her litter, I know." Erisa dropped down from behind a cardboard box and greeted her friend. "I hope you told Old Deuteronomy before you came here. He'd choke on a fur ball if he thought he wasn't the first to know."
Coricopat smiled, "Of course I did. He mentioned that I ought to tell you next, though he doubted you actually needed to be told. Tant was asking for you as well. She, well we both, thought you might turn up for the birth … Actually she was a little worried."
"I didn't want to intrude, I would have come if she'd needed me and she didn't so I waited until invited." The small queen picked up a bag from on top of one of the many boxes in her den, "Well come on 'Copi, Tant'll be wondering where we are, and the sushi won't be as nice if it gets warm." Catching the look on the tom's face she added, "I went to visit Uotani-san who was kind enough to give me the leftovers from his restaurant, Tant could do with something to eat I'm sure."
Coricopat shook his head and laughed to himself as they set off across the junkyard. Erisa was legendary in the tribe for always being able to get what she wanted from humans and most Jellicles as well for that matter. She was small, young looking and decidedly fluffy, often with bits of twig caught in her fur, most assumed she was a large kitten, maybe a young queen, but she had been around for as long as anyone cared to remember. Old Deuteronomy adored her quirky ways and would hear nothing bad said about her which she used to her advantage. The parent cats of the tribe thought Erisa was the best thing since catnip; she had elected herself tribe kitten sitter and would keep the kittens for as long as they wanted with no charge at all. The kittens loved Erisa because she would take them out to the fishmongers for supper, teach them how to stalk by playing 'Prowl and Pounce', this is similar to hide and seek but the idea is to sneak up on each other and pounce before you are seen and best of all, as long as they went to bed when they were told, she would wake them up for midnight feasts; purely hush hush of course. For a Jellicle of seemingly very little actual power, she had a lot of control over the tribe.
The pair arrived at Coricopat and Tantomile's den and quietly went in. Tantomile was lying on an old sofa with her kittens sleeping next to her. Looking up at her friend she smiled. "I thought you'd forgotten about me. I was so sure you'd be here."
Dropping the bag down beside the sofa, Erisa looked hurt. "'Miley, I'd never forget you, I just didn't think you'd want me here… I'm hardly a calming influence; after all, when I was named after a goddess of chaos it was done for a reason." Opening the bag she handed Tantomile some of the sushi then pushed the rest over to Coricopat.
"Ris! How can you say that? You are the nearest I have to a sister and I wouldn't have cared if you brought Jenny's beetle tattoo with you." Tantomile sighed; there was no point worrying about it now. "You're here now, that is what matters."
After Tantomile had eaten she gently picked her kittens up so Erisa could meet them. There were 6 in total, three tom kittens, three princesses, and every one of them the spitting image of their mother and uncle. Erisa wasn't surprised in the slightest; a witch's cat was a witch's cat. It didn't matter who the father was, the kittens would look like their mother and uncle even if the father had been green.
"'Miley they are adorable, you'll have your paws full though. Six is quite a litter to bring up by your self." Erisa wasn't fishing to know who the father was, she knew that already; but she wondered if Tant would allow him to have any part in raising them.
"She won't be alone," hissed Coricopat, "I'll be here to help her and I can't imagine that you won't get your paws on them at some point either. I'm not having the kittens' dad having anything to do with them. He's not one of us, he doesn't know our ways. No arguments." Coricopat had always been protective of his twin, but when she had told him she was expecting he hadn't let any tom with the exception of Deuteronomy anywhere near her, he didn't know who was responsible so wasn't going to allow any of the options near.
"Copi; you know full well what I meant. He should be allowed to take some part in their lives." Erisa was all for family helping out, but she felt the kittens should know their dad. "I'm sure you will be a wonderful uncle to them but it's not the point at all. I will also point out that you don't have to ask me to look after them. It isn't tribe law after all."
Tantomile was furious with her brother. "Coricopat how dare you speak to 'Risa like that? If it hadn't been for her getting her paws on us when we were kittens1 we would have starved to death, no-one else would have taken us in. Apologise to her this minute. And the kittens will know who their dad is."
"I'm sorry Erisa; I didn't mean it like that. I do appreciate what you did for us, and what you will hopefully do for us in the future, truly." Coricopat didn't often take back anything he said, and it showed, he looked very uncomfortable indeed, but when it came to his sister's and Erisa's feelings he had to make exceptions. "We'll talk about the father later" he hissed at his sister.
Erisa accepted his apology with a smile. The sound of a twig snapping outside alerted them to the visitors that were on their way as word of the births had spread around the tribe. Bombalurina, Cassandra and Demeter were the first to arrive they cooed over the kittens asking if they'd been named, which was oldest and all the other things everyone asks when someone has children. Next to arrive were the Rum Tum Tugger, Skimbleshanks and Griddlebone; they were almost as gooey as the first three. Slowly all the tribe arrived to coo and wish the family well, even Gus and Bustopher Jones took time away from their respective clubs to pay their respects. (Demeter was fairly sure that Jellylorum had insisted that Gus came, it was almost unheard of for him to miss a drink.) Last of all to arrive was Old Deuteronomy aided, as ever, by Munkustrap. Coricopat found an old crate for Deuteronomy to sit on as everyone cleared a path for their leader to get through.
The old cat smiled as he saw the latest members of his tribe, he knew they were at least part his blood line so they were his children as far as he was concerned. After some time Deuteronomy announced that there would be an official welcome for the kittens as soon as their eyes were open. The tribe knew Deuteronomy loved a party, and welcoming kittens was as good an excuse as any to have one, though it never ceased to amaze them that he could still cope with the fuss they always caused. Deuteronomy had a few words of advice for Tantomile, this being her first litter, while the others stood round looking on. When Deuteronomy had finished talking with Tantomile he instructed everyone to go home. It was his opinion that mother and babies needed their rest and they wouldn't get that if there were all these visitors around. The tribe slowly wondered back to what they had been doing, leaving the twins in peace. Erisa was the last to leave; making sure Tantomile had everything she needed before she went back to her den.
1 Coricopat and Tantomile had been found by Erisa when they were only kittens themselves. She had brought them to Old Deuteronomy to ask if he knew where they came from. He'd looked worried and told her they were not normal Jellicles and she should put them back where she had found them and leave well alone. Erisa had put them back as she was told, but kept an eye on the tiny twins. For 3 days she had brought them food before she decided she couldn't leave them any longer. They were dirty, cold and scared; no-one was coming for them, that much was obvious to her so she took them to her den.One night she'd been out watching as she always did when there was a mist, when a human woman had approached her. "You took my children in didn't you? I am in trouble and can't look after them any more. You are a good Jellicle, Take care of them for me, when they grow they will know what they are and you will get your reward." With that the woman disappeared in to the mist. The twins had lived with Erisa until their first Jellicle Ball as adult Tom and Queen, when they moved in to the Den they have shared ever since.