NEIGHBOURS

By Rio

Storyline by Rio and Anna-Karin Larsson

Chapter Two - July

"Where ya goin'?"

Topper spun round to find Nicole standing less than two paces behind him. Yelping, he staggered back a step, hand clutched to his heart. "Geez, Nicci! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that!"

"Once a day, give or take a dozen times." She smiled smokily. "So, where ya goin'?"

He raised a finger in the air and sniffed once. "Smell that?" She nodded; seeming a bit put out that he had rejected her...implication. The scent of cooking meat was sweeping through the yard and they could both smell it. "I wanna see what it is."

"Always thinkin' with your stomach, huh?" She gave him a teasing grin. "Mind if I tag along? Smells interesting..."

He shrugged. "Fawn's coming too. I'm sure that at least one of us will be able to nick something from whoever it is that's cooking it." Offering his arm, he tried to make a debonair bow. "My lady?"

She curtsied coquettishly. "Good sir." Taking his arm, she chuckled as they moved from beneath his tree, Fawn joining them as they rounded the large Piccadilly bus and shifted into the house cat forms to pass through the gate.

The trio stopped short.

The large door that was usually closed, the one between the food dumpster and the junk dumpster, was open. A gleaming kitchen stood beyond a white tiled hall, a flight of stairs visible, facing the door.

The scent of delicious cooking grew stronger as they carefully edged closer. "Up for a challenge, ladies?"

"I am if you are, handsome." Fawn winked at him and he felt Nicole's paw skim over his rump, accepting that as approval.

"Ladies first."

The red queen chuckled. "Wuss." She murmured, as she slinked through the opening of the door, unaware of a calm pair of eyes observing her. The other two followed, both looking around furtively.

A pair of humans were working in the kitchen but seemed oblivious to the triad of cats. Several plates of food sitting on a small trolley near the door of the kitchen, the trio all but obscured.

"Look at that!" Fawn whispered in awe, gesturing to a large and elaborate-looking knickerbockerglory that stood on the trolley. "Have you ever seen anything that looked so good?"

"Well I can sure see something."

All three sponged at the unfamiliar, merry voice. Spinning around, they searched for the speaker. "Th-that sounded almost like...Tugger." Nicole murmured, glancing up and down, almost missing the shadowy form on the stairs.

"That's what I thought." Fawn agreed, her eyes coming to rest on the silent figure on the stair well.

The feline stood up and gazed down at them. Then, a voice that sounded almost exactly like Tugger's drawled. "Well, hello, pretty ladies."

"Tugger?" Topper was spinning in circles again, looking around. "Tugger, man, this just isn't funny! Come out where we can see you!"

The cat on the stairs, scrambled over the banister rail and dropped to his paws right in front of the two queens, looking them up and down with interest, then turned to the bewildered grey tom. "Who's the loon?"

Both queens gaped at the tom. He looked like a replica of Coricopat. Sleek-furred and patterned, but his voice! That was the thing that made them stare at him more than anything.

A Coricopat who spoke like Tugger.

It was just too disturbing for words.

"You...was it you that spoke?" Nicole took a step towards him, to check that it was his mouth that created the sound.

The tom chuckled. "Pretty lady, I don't see anyone else." He inclined his head in a cocky little bow. "And can I say you look even better up close than from a distance."

A blur of gold and cream announced the arrival of a very flustered mystic. "What are you doing in human territory?" He demanded, his eyes falling on the brown, black and white tom, which smirked at him. "So it was you..."

"Hey, man," The new tom strutted towards Khan. "I just wanna thank you for bringing the foxy ladies into my humble abode." He glanced at them again, his eyes lingering on Nicole's face for a moment. "Thank you very much indeed."

Khan eyed him suspiciously, Topper edging behind the mystic. "And you are?"

"The only kitty whose paws are allowed to touch this mat, Golden boy." The tom grinned infectiously. "But, seein' as I haven't had company for a while, heck, I'll let y'all come on in."

Topper whimpered. "He's scaring me, Khan...he-he-he looks like Cori...but he has the voice of-of Tugger."

"My dear Topper," Eyes still carefully on the tom, Khan patted Topper's shoulder reassuringly. "It must be a facsimile of your extrasensory perceptions that this tom has assumed the replicationary appearance of our good associates at the other assembly."

"Most remarkable." The Tugger-voice disappeared. "Another intellectual equal with verbal capacities to reach an equilibrium with my own! And to think that I was quite insensible to your imminent arrival until I witnessed the isolation of la belle chat in the unacceptably dire domain outwith my home."

A grey hand waved over the now-gaping Khan's shoulder. "Translation? Please?"

"The man can talk like a toff." The Tugger voice returned. All four of the tribe were staring at the patterned calico, who was smirking again. "What? Just cos I talk like the King don't mean I can't be a gentleman?"

"You still haven't told us who you are."

The tom regarded Khan calmly. "And you still haven't told me why you came into my home uninvited."

"We were hungry." Topper grumbled loudly, receiving a pointed glare from his two female companions.

The tom glanced at him. "Like burgers?"

"Well, yeah."

"One moment...if you wouldn't mind stepping outside the door..." He moved passed the trolley and nodded. The four exchanged glances and stepped outside. The tom sat upright, pawing the floor and started to mew.

Topper sniggered and received a mock-glare from the tom. The kitten-like mewing did not cease until one of the humans crossed the floor and bent to rub the calico behind the ears.

"Singing for your supper, eh?"

The tom purred and the human moved to the music device on the window ledge. A song none of the felines recognised started to play, but the tom on the kitchen floor seemed to recognise it.

Swaying from side-to-side, he started to mew in time to the music and the humans applauded, returning to the work surface and snatching a handful of goodies to place in the bowl near the door.

Only then did the man lift his face and spot the wary quartet of felines. "Well, bless me!" He laughed. "Helen, come and take a look at this - Bertie's brought some friends for something to eat."

Fawn and Nicole looked to one another, both mouthing one word. "Bertie?"

"They're only humans." The tom drawled, moving around the face them, his half-smirk still in place. "You can call me Presley." He half-inclined his head, lifting his chin with a cocky grin as one of the humans bent to ruffle his fur.

A large plate of meaty scraps was placed on the ground beside the step and the human male stepped back, looking pleased with himself. "Well, kitties, any friend of Bertie's is a friend of ours."

"All right!" Topper was grinning in delight, lunging for the bowl, only to feel a paw on his tail.

The tom that called himself Presley shook his head once at the Guardian, who looked confused. "Ladies first." He purred, his eyes settling on Nicole once again. She smiled prettily and moved to the plate with Fawn.

"Th-thanks." Gulping down several scraps of juicy meat, she felt a bit unnerved by the Tugger-grin that kept flitting in her direction. She had never really liked Tugger's attitude and now, when she was finally free of it, she had another one of them living next door and eyeing her like Tugger did Cassie.

Releasing the indignant Topper's tail, Presley settled down on his haunches, sitting upright. His tail wound around his forefeet, his expression calm and lazy, a definite variation of the Tugger expression.

Moving between the two queens and the grey tom, Khan sat down to face the calico, his blue eyes fixed on the tom's careless face. They stared at one another balefully for a long moment, then one calico paw extended.

"Kinda nice to meet someone new." The tom drawled as the humans shut the door behind him. A gold paw touched his, the warlock still carefully surveying the young tom's features.

"Forgive us for intruding so rudely."

Presley shrugged. "Hey, I ain't gonna kick up no fuss. Haven't had no one to talk to for...well...a long time..." He glanced passed the Himalayan towards the gate. "I'm guessin' you guys live somewhere out there, huh?"

"In the yard just beyond the gate."

Presley chuckled softly. "On the buses?"

"I wanted to live in the pink caddy, but Goldielocks, here, wouldn't let me." Topper complained around a mouthful of something, receiving a dirty look from Nicole, who he had kindly sprayed with food.

The house tom eyed him. "You wanted to live in the caddy too, huh?" Topper blinked at him, nodding eagerly. "I was born there...my ol' mum gave the humans a shock, dropping me on the leather seats."

"So you've been here a long time?"

"My whole life." There was a flicker of some odd emotion in the blue-green eyes, but it was quickly disguised with a cheeky sparkle of mischief. "So, how many of ya moved here? I saw ya out here, pickin' up scraps."

Khan seemed to have judged the tom safe and actually smiled slightly. "There are nine of us."

"Eight." Fawn corrected. "Seb's at the other..." She trailed off, looking worried that she had said something she shouldn't have. "Uh...sorry, Khan..."

The warlock waved a paw dismissively, turning his attention back to the calico tom, who looked like he was about five years old. "You have no tribe?"

"Like I said, haven't had anyone around for a long time. Last cat I talked to was my ol' mum and they haven't let me out of the yard since she..." He shrugged again. "I guess I've been on my own for about three years now."

Khan looked to the other three felines. Each one met his eyes and shrugged in a way that said 'Why not?'. He turned back to the calico and looked him over once again. "I would like you to meet our leader. Would you agree to it?"

"Big stripy fella?"

"That's him."

"Sure, don't see why not."


Cheetara's lips almost rose in a smile. The snuffling against the sole of her foot began again, but she bit her lip, smothered the laughter that was bubbling up. A cool nose rasped against the pad of her sole.

Hiding her face in the pillows, she faked a yawn, hoping it would be enough to stop her laughing out loud.

It worked.

Briefly.

The same, familiar muzzle started to journey over her heel, up her calf. Warm breath teasingly ruffled the thick fur and she curled her toes, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Again, she tried to remember if sleeping on her stomach when Victor was bored was a good idea or not. All sensible thoughts seemed to scatter, though, when his sand-papery tongue traced the back of her knee.

A muffled gasp escaped her and she pressed her face into the pillows, wondering how long he would tease her, before he even acknowledged that she had a part of her body above neck level.

Usually, she capitulated and pounced on him before he even got to her thighs, but she was determined to outdo him one day. She would NOT start to laugh, she would NOT jump on him and kiss him senseless, she would NOT...

Victor grinned up at her, her legs straddling his waist. "Good morning, dear."

Smashing her mouth down against his with unnecessary force, she pulled back and grinned back at him. "I almost had you there." She stated proudly, trying to ignore his fingertips tracing the spotted pattern on her legs.

"Of course you did." His hands roamed up over her thighs, coming to rest on her hips. His fingers continued to move in lazy circles. "I knew you weren't asleep, you big faker."

"How can I sleep, beloved," She murmured, her hands resting on his shoulders, gazing down at him. "When you insist on waking me up in such interesting ways?"

He chuckled throatily. "You call that interesting?"

"Compared to the bucket of water, yes." Bending to catch his lips again, she gasped against his mouth as his hand traced over the base of her back, a tingle of pleasure spreading through her.

He smiled up at her, his expression innocent. "I liked the bucket of water approach."

"Huh?" Eyes half-closed, she tried to find a coherent word, failed miserably. Even swallowing hard several times did not help, his clawed fingertips slowly scratching at her tail root.

"I liked the bucket of water." He breathed again, his eyes meeting hers. "You looked so tempting soaking and dripping...and..." A dreamy look crossed his face. "I got to dry you."

"Uh huh..." Her hands caught his jaw, lips meeting again. "Can we stop talking, please, Vic?" She murmured huskily, her body pressed against his. The purr that ran through him made her shiver again.

Rolling her onto her back against the rugs and pillows, he half-smiled. "Perhaps." He replied, kissing her gently again, feeling her respond to his caress. Then it was gone and her eyes popped open. "But later."

"Vic!"

He was on his feet, smoothing his ruffled fur down. "What?" He looked surprised to be asked.

"You can't just stop like that..."

Bending, he lifted her chin and kissed her deeply. "I can." He whispered softly, barely a warm breath in his ear. "It'll make later on even better." She blinked up at him, the smile he gave her making her stomach flip in anticipation. "I'll be back soon, beloved one."

"Uh..."

Swinging towards the stairs, he glanced back with a slight grin. "Very eloquent." He chuckled, bounding down the twisting staircase.

Cheetara moaned in annoyance, flopping back against the pillows and blankets that made their little 'nest'. He was just too good at that, teasing her until she thought she could not bear another minute, then leaving her to wait.

But...

A small smile reached her lips, one hand running down the front of her body.

It was always something incredible when he returned, blowing her mind with the anticipation and the reward that he always gave her for being so patient. The smile widened a fraction.

It was going to be a long, long day.


"Nice place." A black heap of fur and muscle dropped down in front of the calico, rising to tower over him. The calico looked the Guardian up and down, twisted his lip in a slight smirk. "Big..."

"Whose this?" Starcatcher rumbled, eyeing the young tom curiously.

Khan stepped alongside him. "Starcatcher, this is Presley. He lives in the restaurant with the humans."

"Correction, my friend." Presley interrupted. "They live with me." He repeated the cheeky grin. "No one can own the King." He gave a shake of an imaginary ruff of fur around his shoulders.

"He think he's Tugger or something?" Mattie asked, descending from the bus step and moving to her mate's side.

The calico looked at her quizzically. "Whoa! Boys! Stand aside! Another foxy laydee!" Starcatcher growled slightly and Presley raised his hands with a laugh. "Easy, big fella. And who's this Tugger ya keep mistaking me for?"

"You don't wanna know." Nicole muttered under her breath. "One conceited ape is enough. We don't need more."

Presley glanced at her, raising an eyebrow slightly. With a shrug, he turned back to the former Enforcer and his pretty mate. "Nice to meet y'all." He gestured to Khan. "I got an invite from this guy."

"Khan?" The voice spoke with unmistakable authority. Victor was learning rapidly and strode from the Piccadilly bus to take in the new arrival. "Am I to assume that we have a new member for our tribe?"

The mystic looked at Presley. "He's Presley, a house cat, Leader." Khan summarised under his breath, loud enough for the leader to hear. "He was orphaned several years ago, been cared for by humans ever since. He knows nothing of Ivy and Macavity. He is strong, so I would say he would be a safe addition."

"Hi, Presley. I'm Victor." Offering a hand to the calico tomcat, Victor inclined his head in polite greeting. "I am the appointed Leader of this mad little bunch. Do you want to join our number?"

Presley looked at the outstretched hand, then at its owner. "Do I wanna join your gang? What do I gotta do if I join up? If I gotta knit bootees or sew pillow cases or somethin', I am outta here!"

"Nothing like that." Victor couldn't help chuckling. "You just have to do what you're best at, as long as it helps the tribe in some way." The calico's hand touched his, but Presley looked distinctly sheepish. "Welcome, Presley." He frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"I gotta do what I'm best at?" Victor nodded, raising a brow. "Uh..." Looking even more sheepish, the tom looked down at his feet, wriggling his toes in the dirt. "Well, I ...uh...I'm kinda good at sewin' and knittin'..."

None of the rest of the group could hold in the laughter, doubling over and clutching at one another, while Presley's blush shone through the few white patches of fur that scattered his body.


The sun peeked through the leaves of the trees. The branches shifted in the faint wind, the air hot and warm. On a rug beneath one of the three trees, Nicole lay on her belly, toying with the fringe.

She wanted to nap, to rest, to anything, except think about that damn annoying little tomcat that had just joined their little group.

Sitting up, she glanced around the yard and exhaled an aggravated breath. Even when he wasn't anywhere near her, she had the sneaking suspicion that he was watching over her.

Part of her was flattered, but part of her screamed that he was an annoying little tom who probably ran after everything that had a tail and curves. After all, he had flirted with little Mattie as well...

She ran her fingers through her mane, moving her hand to retie the purple scarf that was around her neck. The closest thing she had ever had for a collar, she fingered the soft material and found herself thinking of a collar.

A white leather collar with blue rhinestones studding it.

Presley's collar.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" Flopping back on the rug, she threw her hands over her eyes. It was times like these that she wished it was just the old crew. She missed just sneaking into Topper's sleeping quarters, just playing around.

The grey tom seemed to have something else on his mind lately. He barely even noticed her attempts at flirtation. The only tom that did was - of course - that dratted calico, who was currently driving her mad.

Not that he'd done anything.

It was simply his presence.

Rolling onto her belly, she worked her claws into the rug beneath her. No doubt she just needed to fool around with someone. She needed to get rid of the extra tension or something like that.

Glancing at the tree house, she shook her head with a sigh, resting her chin on her folded arms.

Not just now, though.


Sprawled lazily on the broad hood of the Cadillac, Topper yawned, glancing at his sitting companion. The new tom - in his opinion - was going to be a fun addition to their tribe.

After all, the tom was already willing to sit on guard duty with him, on the sun-warmed bonnet of the obscenely pink car.

Presley's arrival in the tribe had gone well. No tears, no fuss, just a series of greetings and a brief mind probe by Khan, who had later admitted that he had never seen so much of Elvis Presley in one place.

Presley had just smirked at him.

It was just a shame that the poor tom's first association with Cheetara - Victor's usually quiet and polite mate - had been when she pounced on him, assuming he was her mate, coming back into the bus.

Shifting his head to rest on his forepaws, he cast a sidelong glance at Presley. To his surprise, the young tom had reacted remarkably well. He had managed to utter a single syllable that sounded similar to "Guuuuuuuuuuh!".

The abashed Cheetara had fled to the other end of the bus, closely followed by the laughing Victor, who was tickled with amusement at his mate's interest and very apparent eagerness.

"OH CRAP!"

Both toms jerked upright at the human holler, the gate to the restaurant swinging open sharply to reveal Helen. She looked equally startled by the voice and stared down the alley.

All three gaped at the sight.

A tall, dark-haired man on a lime-green bicycle was trundling rapidly down the sloped drive towards the pink car, his feet skidding uselessly on the ground. "I can't make it stop!" He howled, fighting for control of the handlebars, the front wheel shaking all over the place. "Brakes have died!"

Topper dived off the bonnet of the car and disappeared underneath, the bike moving far to rapidly towards them for his liking. He heard Presley chuckle and peered out warily from beneath the fender.

The bike's out-of-control manoeuvre looked certain to leave it in a collision with the parked Cadillac, but the moment before it hit, there was a soft thump as the brakes were applied.

The tyres stopped less than an inch from the car and Topper was started to realise he was panting. Edging out from beneath the car, he watched the human lean over the handlebars of the bike and roughly pet Presley, who cast a wicked grin down at the shaking grey tom.

"Andy, that's the fifth time you've done that this month." Helen folded her arms over her chest, trying to look annoyed with the young dancer-in-training. "It wasn't funny the first time and certainly isn't now."

The brunette flashed an engaging smile at her, hopping off his bike. It looked like a wreck, the colour a hideous shade. Pink flowers peeked out from beneath the paintwork that was clearly done by a non-professional.

"Bertie likes it, don't ya, puss?" The tom stretched up onto his feet and stalked towards Andy's outstretched hand. The teen grinned and petted him again. "See?"

"Well, Bertie is also as crazy as you are." Helen replied, shaking her head. "Do you have a chain for your bike? If you don't want it nicked from out here..."

He chuckled. "You paint it lime green and make it look as crappy as possible and no one in their right mind would want to steal it anyway." Tossing it carelessly alongside the Caddilac, he bent down and peered under the car. "'Ey, Helen, did ya know you have another cat here?"

"We've got a whole bunch of them living out there." She gestured to the yard with a wooden spoon. "They're keeping the rat population down..."

Topper backed further under the car. He didn't like humans. The big, clumsy beings had always managed to hurt him in the past. Presley hopped down beside the half-squatting Andy and stared at him.

"Whatcha hiding for?"

"He's a human."

"And?" Presley butted his nose against the young human's arm and received a scratch behind the ear for his effort. Andy received a purr and grinned. "This guy's okay, Tops."

Helen cleared her throat. "Ahem?" Andy looked round at her and Topper took the opportunity to squeeze backwards to the other side of the car. "Shouldn't you really be doing what you came here for, Andy?"

"Eating all your burgers?" He grinned engagingly, whimpering slightly as she thrust a flowery, plastic-covered apron in his direction. "But I wanted the one with the Harley Davidson on it!"

Helen chuckled, gesturing him through the gate. "Sorry, kid," Her voice drifted back to them as the gate shut. "I got first dibs on that one today."

Waiting until the gate was closed, Presley rounded the car and stared at Topper in bewilderment. "What the heck was that about, Tops?" He inquired. "Why'd you act like a bush-baby when Andy tried to see you?"

Sitting behind the car tyre, merging into the shadows, Topper shrugged. "I...I don't like humans very much. They don't like me either." There was a long silence. "What kind of human is he anyway? Is he one of their tribe?"

"Andy?" Presley chuckled. "Nah. He works for Helen and Bertie." The tom stretched out on the ground next to the car and eyed Topper. "He's not a bad guy, that one... knows how I think, which is great."

Topper edged out from beneath the car and settled on his haunches, his tail curling around his feet. "Your humans...they don't..." He picked for the words, frowning. "Do they hurt you?"

"Me? Nope! One hundred percent kitty lovers." The calico chuckled slightly. "They treat me like one of their kittens." He flexed a hind leg. "Look, Tops, come into the cafe one day and see what they're like. I can't imagine not having them there."

"Wouldn't they mind?"

"Me bringing a pal in? Doubt it...and there's something I just gotta show you..."

Topper half-grinned. "Why do I suddenly feel very scared?"

"Because you're a sensible boy." Presley grinned back, hopping gracefully to his patched feet. "Now, how about we hop back up on the car and see if we get freaked by any more passing cyclists?"

"Next time, we slash the tyres, right?"

Presley's smirk widened. "I like the way you think, my friend."


Sitting beneath the spreading branches of the trees, the four queens watched the toms trying to lug some of the massive, old, wooden crates away from the centre of the yard to the edges, out of the way.

While normally, she would be chatty and playful, Mattie could not seem to take her eyes off the huge form of her mate, often having to be spoken to at least twice or three times before she decided to give an answer. "What is with you today, girlfriend?" Nicole gave the patterned queen a nudge.

Mattie – to their surprise – clapped her hands over her mouth and started giggling, her eyes dancing. "I'm just happy today!" She choked between giggles. She ran her hand over her belly, something she had been doing a lot for several hours.

"Um…can I touch you, just for a second, Mattie…?" The rainbow queen nodded, grinning giddily. Fawn laid a hand lightly on the other queen's chest, her eyes closing briefly. "Ho boy…"

That only made Mattie giggle more. "So I'm right?"

"That was fast work, Matt!"

"Anyone want to tell us what's happening?" Cheetara put in, watching Fawn's hand move in slow circles on the queen's belly.

Both queens exchanged looks. "Do you want to tell them?"

"I'm pregnant!"

"WHAT!" The quartet of queens glanced across the yard just in time to see the former Enforcer and one of the largest toms present keel over in a dead faint, taking one yelping mystic and sniggering leader down with him.

Mattie frowned slightly, failing to hide her grin. "Maybe I should have told him when he was sitting down, huh?" She remarked, pushing herself to her feet to go and wake her mate up.


Stepping carefully around the swinging gate, Presley's eyes wandered around the alley. Andy's bike still stood against one wall, which meant the funny, big clown of a human was still around.

The calico tom chuckled.

Of all the humans he had met, Andy was one of his favourites. Crazy, lively and completely mad, the singing, dancing teen would have made a perfect Jellicle, if only he had been born in the right form instead of one of those clumsy human ones.

Glancing back at the fence, he recalled the little tribe there. It had been several days since he had first joined their number and he was rapidly learning who was what and what was who.

Victor, the Leader, was a good sort. He knew when to lighten up, but when to be strict too. His mate was cut from the same kind of mould, although – Presley grinned wickedly – she did have nicer legs than her mate.

Khan was a puzzle. There was something about him…something melancholy and distant that seemed to keep the golden-cream tom's head in the clouds. Probably a queen, he mused, the root of all toms' daydreams.

Starcatcher and Mattie were just the average cute couple in love. There was something mentioned about a dark past, but he didn't feel like picking at it. Fawn fitted in with their group too. Quiet and happy.

Topper, his new best bud, his amigo, his MAN, was a cool cat. He had never lived in a house, something that impressed the house-raised Presley greatly. To be tough enough to survive the rough outdoor life and be such a cool tom was something the calico envied beyond explanation.

However, one kept crossing his mind.

She had been fitted into a special place in his thoughts, ever since he had seen her sitting on his doorstep almost a month and a half previously.

Nicole.

Even just the sound of her name made a nice feeling swell inside of him. Even if she kept glaring at him and trying to ignore him. Teasing her was such a bundle of laughs, if only she wouldn't take it so seriously.

He sighed and pushed his way through his cat flap. One of these days, he would have to talk to her, instead of winking at her every time he saw her. But, a nervous shiver ran down his spine, that would involve actually talking and making conversation with the most gorgeous figure he had ever seen.

No Elvis movie had told him how to talk to someone when he felt like his heart would pound through his chest every time he looked at her. The King would just look at a woman and she would swoon in his arms, but Nicole…she wasn't like that.

Music from the café caught his attention. Pushing all moping thoughts to the back of his mind, his ears swivelled forward. Apparently Andy had been left to do the clearing up and was singing at the top of his voice.

Crossing the tiled floor of the sterile kitchen, Presley pushed through the gap left between the door and it's frame. The sight he beheld made his eyes goggle and he dropped on his haunches, laughing.

Andy was whirling around the room, but it was his dance partner that Presley found particularly ridiculous: tall and thin, with a stick for a body and a mop for a head, Andy was serenading it and looking thoroughly sincere with every word.

"And I will always love you…" The song trailed off and was immediately followed by something that was very different.

Swinging the mop around, the young dancer moved in time to the latino beat, leaving wet streaks all over the floor as he bellowed along in time with the song, his hips gyrating wildly.

"Talk to me…tell me your name…"

Presley shook his head mournfully. Ricky Martin. What was the world coming to when his nice crazy human started to sing 'La Vida Loca'?

"Up side, in side out, she's livin' la vida loca!" Andy whirled around, then froze as he found Presley staring at him.

The brunette blinked down at the large calico cat. If he could trust his sleepy eyes, the tom was smirking at him, a smug look on his face that just screamed 'Now, who looks like a twit?'

Unsure why he should be embarrassed, Andy dipped the mop handle towards the cat as a microphone and grinned. "Wanna sing along, kitt?"

Tossing his head in a gesture of indignation, Presley got to his paws and stalked towards the Jukebox on the other side of the room and scrambled up to sit on top of it, his tail curling around his feet.

"Whatever…" Andy grinned and spun back around, the mop skidding on the wet floor. He started to sing again. Presley peered down over the edge of the box, wondering how long he would be forced to listen to the nightmarish music. "Wanna pick a song?"

Presley grinned and swatted at the keypad in a gesture of assent. The Jukebox had to be one his favourite human toys in the whole house. It was closely followed by the TV, though, and his Elvis videos that his owners seemed to think they owned.

Sliding across the slippery floor in his trainers, Andy used the music system to brake and dug a fifty pence piece out of his pocket, slotting it into the machine. The tom leaned forward and swiftly bapped three numbers in.

Immediately, the voice of 'The King' filled the café.

"Jailhouse Rock?" Crooking an eyebrow at the swaying cat, the tall human shook his head with a grin. "You, Bertie, are the strangest little bugger of a feline that I have ever met in my life."

Behind half-closed eyes, Presley smirked. If he could have spoken to the young man, he knew he would have told him that the feeling was mutual.


Fawn stirred slightly, lifting her head from its resting-place on Khan's hip. Rubbing her eyes with a fist, she frowned. Neither of the two felines she slept with seemed to have noticed. Khan was fast asleep, his head pillowed on Nicole's back.

The healer cocked her head.

She could hear something crying.

Carefully getting to her feet, she stepped cautiously around the red and gold cats, making her way down the steps to the lower level of the bus. The low cry got louder the moment her feet touched the floor of the bottom deck.

"Is-is anyone there?" She asked, as loudly as she dared. A whistle of wind whirled through the bus, ruffling her thick fur. Crossing her arms over her chest, she rubbed her upper arms and shivered. "Hello?"

A shadow passing the window caught her attention and she gasped. Had she been able to, she knew she would have screamed in shock and fear. But, as it was, she was frozen and could do nothing but stare at the massive silhouette passing the windows further up the bus.

Edging into the hidden enclave beside the stairs, she cringed back into the shadows, as the cry turned into a deep lowing sound. The huge, horned head lifted towards the night sky and the lips parted in a rumbling bellow.

"Oh Rumpus…" She whispered, pushing herself hard back against the wall as the shadowy head turned in her direction. Two, large, bright red eyes glowed through the dirty glass and a shrill shriek of terror escaped her before everything went black.

Something was shaking her. Hard.

Both her hands snapped up, smashing defensively against the face of her attacker. A yell of pain made her eyes snap open, to see Khan kneeling over her, his blood streaking his cheeks. His hands were locked around her upper arms, his face a mask of concern.

"Kh-Khan?"

"What happened, Fawn? What were you doing down here?" Nicole was by her side too and gathered the leopard-patterned queen in her arms. "Did you fall down the stairs or something? We heard you scream…"

Fawn's eyes flicked to the window, but all she could see was the buttery glow of the small light out on the street. "I…I heard someone crying…" She tried to sit up, but her head was throbbing agonisingly. "I know I heard someone crying…"

"There's no one here, Fawn." Khan touched her arm gently. He was clearly very worried, uncaring of the slashes across his cheeks. "I would have sensed if someone in the tribe was in pain…"

She shook her head. "Not a cat…" She whispered. Tears of fear leaked from her eyes and Nicole held her closer. "Rumpus…it was horrible…" She stared hopefully at the mystic. "It might have been a bad dream, maybe…"

"Do you remember coming down here?" Nicole asked her gently, helping her to her feet. "Maybe you were sleep-walking…"

The healer nodded slowly. "Maybe I did…" She let the pair support her and help her back up the narrow flight of stairs. "Have I mentioned how much I hate crazy dreams that make me sound like I've be sniffing the catnip…?"

"I can understand that. We don't think you are crazy, Fawn." Khan soothingly said, helping her back into the nest of blankets and pillows they shared, as the only mateless felines in the group aside from Topper and Presley.

Curling between the red queen and gold tom, Fawn nodded sleepily, felt Khan's fingers touch the back of her neck lightly. Immediately, her head sagged limply against the pillows and soft snores escaped her.

"She gonna be okay?" Nicole stroked the queen's red headfur.

"She'll be fine." Khan replied, lying easily. So he wasn't the only one who was sensing something strange in the yard. Any invader, be they human or cat or any other species would register on his protection spells. That meant whatever had scared her was something that he could not have prepared for.

Something strange was happening in this yard.

Perhaps, he mused, he would have to learn more about the land, before he could truly understand what seemed to be haunting it. He curled behind Fawn and sighed thoughtfully. How he was going to do that, he just didn't know.


Chronicler's Note:

Well, here we are. The Topper Chronicles. Sounds pretty neat, huh? This is Topper, by the way, in case you hadn't figured out who was writing this. Just thought I'd update you on everything that's been going on here.

Um…we have two buses, a snazzy pink Cadillac, a load of boxes, some trees and a big garage thing. Oh! And I have a tree house! How cool is that! It's a lot better than the old yard was, even if its not as big. And its not like we need the space. There's only a few of us.

Mattie and Star have been getting down and dirty. She's told us we're going to have our first tribe kitten in a few months. I still think Vic and Chee could have beaten 'em if they'd wanted. I tell ya, those two are as bad as bunnies!

Khan's spent days moping over Stareye. I mean, we were left to drag massive great big crates all over the yard and he was sitting and staring into space and we weren't allowed to disturb him cos – and I quote Nicci – "He's our Mister Magica! You want him to give you the electric zap treatment?". I woulda disturbed him, just to blame Nic and watch her face when she got sparked on the arse.

Anyway, he's got the yard all protected and stuff, but we don't have our Sentinel yet cos Seb's decided to stick around the other yard for some reason or other. Sometimes, I really just don't get that guy. I've known him for years and he still confuses the tail off me sometimes.

We've got Vic and Starcatcher to keep the yard safe for now, though. And me, of course. Plus, we've just got my new best bud: Presley. When he's not doing his Khan-speak, he's a cool guy. Lived in a house all his life, lucky sod.

As for the ladies…

Cheetara is completely hyper. I don't know what Vic does to her, but whenever anyone risks going into their level of the bus, they're pounced, before she runs away and looks very embarrassed. I get the feeling her 'dearly beloved' mate keeps setting her up.

As for Nic, my dear old bud, she seems to be a bit antsy. I s'pose she hasn't had any action for a while, unless she's got passed the whole "Arrrrrrrrgh! A Tugger-like" Noooooooooo!" thing with Presley. Poor git has the biggest crush on her and she can't even tell.

I would offer to keep her company, but Pres…I think he'd be a bit p-o'd if I decided to keep his object of lust cozy. And I can't seem to think of her that way anyhow. I keep on thinking leopard spots and not in a Tugger or Jennyanydots way! (Don't even go there!)

Anyway, that's pretty much it. We've got a big party with the old crew next month, so I'll let y'all know what happens there and if anything interesting happens between then and now.

Signing out, Topper.

P.S. That's me – the Chronicler.