Yay! Two chapters in one day! This very long chapter makes up for the previous very short chapter. I am very pleased with myself, and the introduction of my favorite character, Munkustrap. Full of mush, but entertaining nonetheless. Review! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!
Chapter 2- Discovery
I spent a cold and miserable night underneath my owners' car. For the first few hours, I had waited on the step to be let in. I had meowed, and eventually yowled, but to no avail. I was not let inside. In the wee hours of the morning, I finally crept out of my spot beneath the car, stiff and freezing. I wanted to be a housecat again. Freedom just wasn't that great. My normally silky fur was dirty from walking through the mud. My whiskers drooped, and my tail was matted and bloody in one spot from fighting with that other kitten. My once brilliant tabby coat, a mishmash of black and brown, with a white bib, was obscured by a single days worth of filth. Even so, a single days worth of filth is a lot for a cat. I was cold, and dirty, and I wanted to go home. I wandered off of my owners' lot, and down the deserted street, wondering where I was going to go. I knew that there were the occasional few cats living on the street, but I would much prefer to be someplace warm. Besides, I didn't like the look of some of those street cats. I sat down on a curb beneath a streetlight to think a while. That was when I heard it. A soft, gentle, yet strong voice.
"Are you lost, little queen?"
I looked up. The voice belonged to an extremely handsome tom. He was a silver and black tabby, medium sized, and extremely muscular and powerful. I felt rather embarrassed, being so grimy, but as I gazed into his large, soft hazel eyes, I quickly forgot my appearance. I couldn't help but like this tom. I sighed, unable to tear my gaze for his gorgeous features. Luckily, he mistook my sigh of longing for a sigh of sadness and confusion, for he looked at me with pity, and asked me why I was all alone outside in the middle of the night.
"My owners locked me out by accident, and now I don't know what to do..." I mumbled sheepishly. Much to my surprise, the tom grinned and chuckled.
"I know how that feels. The same thing happened to me when I was a kitten. I just had to go and chase that robin that was flitting about on the lawn. I couldn't resist. But when I returned home and wanted back in, the door was shut." He grinned more broadly still.
"That was the last time I ever ran off to chase birds." He said, laughing.
I laughed a bit, too. I liked this tom. He was nice. There was silence while I tried to think of something witty to say in reply, but nothing came to mind. I settled on,
"So, if you aren't supposed to be out, then why are you?"
"Oh..." He said, the smile fading from his face. "My owner was quite old. When he died, my two brothers and I left home to avoid being taken by the cat-catcher." He looked upset, so I leaned in and affectionately nuzzled against his chest. A deep purr emitted from his throat, breaking the awkward silence. When I moved away and gazed into his saddened eyes, he seemed slightly cheered. I risked asking,
"So, what happened? Did you find a new home?"
"We wandered around the streets for a few days, but then we happened upon a tribe of stray Jellicle cats at the junkyard. I became one of them." He brightened, and said, "I was just appointed as the tribe protector." He swelled his chest importantly. "That means that it is my job to protect my tribe, and make sure that none of them come to harm."
"What of your brothers?" I asked. "Did they join your Jellicle tribe too?" The tom shook his head.
"Only one did. My youngest brother, the Rum Tum Tugger. We just call him Tugger, though. My other younger brother, Macavity, was rejected from the tribe, after he was caught attempting to do, well, unpleasant things, to one of the queens. Tugger and I, however, were accepted into the tribe, and adopted by the elder cat of the tribe, Old Deuteronomy. It's been a pretty quiet life since then, although Macavity comes back occasionally, trying to terrorize the tribe. I protect them and make sure he cannot cause any harm." He paused in his story, glancing down at me sitting next to him, wide eyed, mouth agape. He smiled at the expression on my face before continuing, "The Jellicle tribe always has room for more. If you have no place to go, then I'm sure that Old Deuteronomy would be more then happy to welcome you into our tribe." I stared at him, hardly daring to believe what I had just heard. Me, come live in the same tribe as this excruciatingly handsome tom? This had to be the luckiest thing that had ever happened to me.
"I...I don't know what to say..." I stuttered, in shock from my sudden spurt of good luck.
"'Yes' would be a good answer." He smiled a hint of amusement in his voice. All I could do was nod in reply. "Well, if you want to join my tribe, you'd better come with me so you can meet the leader as well as the other Jellicles." He paused. "Pardon me for not asking sooner, but I haven't learned your name." He looked at me intently. My face burned with embarrassment. How could I have forgotten to do such a basic thing? I squirmed under his gaze and muttered quietly,
"My name is Calypso." I said it so quietly, that I am surprised he heard it at all, even with his superb feline hearing. Nonetheless, he inclined his head politely and said,
"I'm pleased to meet you, Calypso. I believe you will mesh very well with my tribe. Come, I'll show you the way to the junkyard." He turned to leave, but I remained where I was. I was feeling self-conscious again, all too aware of my dismal appearance. I would have stayed sitting there all night, had I not remembered something.
"Wait! You have my name, but I do not have yours!" Now the tom turned to look at me, rather embarrassed. He blushed furiously, before looking away.
"Of course, how rude of me, to forget to introduce myself. My name is Munkustrap." He turned away again, and continued his way down the street. I sat where I was, still in shock from meeting such a lusciously handsome tom. Munkustrap. Even his name was sexy. I was dragged from my thought by a call from Munkustrap. He was already surprisingly far down the road, he walked so fast.
"Well, are you coming, or would you rather sit there all night, Calypso?" He shouted, glancing just barely over his muscular shoulder, as he continued to walk down the road. I did not reply, but rather hastened to catch up with him. I did not know where he was taking me, but I was sure that wherever it was, it would be good, as long as he was there too.
