Merry Christmas! Oh wait…Christmas was nearly a month ago….
Big thank you to my reviewers once again, Demeterfan and Bombafan, I'm so delighted you two have enjoyed it. And Bombafan, I just might consider that. Since I juggled too many ships for this one I could only write mini scenes to keep from dragging the whole thing out. But a sequel might be a fun idea, so I could focus more on the whole Tugger/Bomba dynamic. But for now, I hope you two, and anyone else reading, enjoy the ending to this one. =)
Oh, and to clarify, Asparagus is an adolescent cat in this story. Lots of people view him as an elder since he's seen with the older cats, but based on his behavior, I see him as a young tom that just likes to associate with the elders. So here that is what he is, a young fella.
Munkustrap sat beside his mate, who was propped up against a sturdy bale of hay. Both parents were holding one of their mewling newborns. While exhausted from the grueling delivery, Demeter still beamed down at her daughter, a tortoiseshell kit with patches of rich golds and reds mingled with midnight black on her coat. Demeter gently bounced her, the pains suffered quickly forgotten and replaced with unending love for the tiny creature she held.
The proud tabby father cradled their firstborn, nudging her front left paw with his finger.
Jenny was holding their oldest son, a golden tabby tom with white fur that started at his chin and ran all the way down his belly, while Bombalurina was stroking the fourth kitten's back.
Demeter was receiving a loving nuzzle from her mate when the rest of the tribe started filing in, eager to see the newest additions. Some cats perched on the stall gate, while others stood, peering in from afar, erupting in a series of "awwww"s.
"Look at them!" Electra squealed. "They're so cute!"
"How precious," Jellylorum commented, placing her palm over her heart with a warm smile.
"They're so tiny!" Etcetera noted as she gripped the wooden railing and poked her head inside to get a better look.
"I hope one day I get to have kittens as cute as them," Jemima sighed.
Munkustrap and Demeter leaned close to each other, appreciating the kind words but most of all just happy to finally hold their kits in their arms, and relieved that the uncertainty and anxiety of the delivery had passed, replaced by sheer contentment.
"Hey! Look at that one there," Tugger said, pointing to the biggest of the litter, a tom. "He looks like me! He has my mane at least."
Munkustrap looked down at the tiny tom-kit trying to inch his way towards Bombalurina. As he pushed himself up halfway and mewled loudly but squeakily at the queen he had mistaken his mother for, Munkustrap took notice of the fluffy mane he sported, the silver puff sticking out against a sleek coat of black. A surge of panic rising within him, the tabby father looked to Demeter with an expression of mild horror. "Demeter, p-please tell me you didn't…you didn't…" He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. Instead he only looked helplessly from his promiscuous brother to Demeter, praying this didn't mean what he thought it did.
With what little strength she had left, Demeter laughed hoarsely in disdain. "Everlasting Cat, Munk, no! I can't believe you'd think something like that." With another weak giggle, she pawed at the worried tabby's face. "That's absolutely ridiculous! Tugger and I? Of course not."
"Yea, Munk." Tugger rolled his eyes. "I mean, sure Deme's a hot little number, everyone knows that, but I would never betray my own flesh and blood by doing something like that with her."
"Oh thank the Everlasting Cat," Munkustrap whispered, gently pulling Demeter to him, nestling his nose in her matted head fur as he gave a sigh of deep relief. With his other arm, he cradled the newborn against his chest.
Tugger frowned, his eyebrows deeply furrowing. "Honestly Straps, I'm hurt that you think I'd actually pull a stunt like that. Demeter's your mate. Mated queens are off-limits. Even I abide by that unwritten rule."
"I'd never let him touch me anyway," Demeter offered quietly, feebly scrunching her muzzle. A smile appeared on her lips moments later, her way of letting him know she was teasing…for the most part.
Tugger merely smirked and snorted a laugh. He and Demeter had never been close, but ever since she and his brother became mates, they both reached a point where they could tolerate each other's company at the very least. And any ill feelings towards each other weren't openly expressed in front of others. Besides, it was Christmas and they were all too wrapped up in the tender moment that unfolded to think about fighting or bickering or any grudges they held.
"I think he's adorable," cooed Bomba, holding the maned kit close to her face and nuzzling his nose.
"Oh they all are," chimed Jenny, holding the gold and white tabby kitten up in the air to get a good look at him. "Of course this was to be expected of a litter from these two."
"They really are beautiful," Mistoffelees complimented shyly.
"Thank you," Munkustrap and Demeter said in unison, both giving Mistoffelees amiable smiles.
Demeter searched the river of faces until her eyes fell on Victoria. The petite ivory queen was hugging Plato, the two smiling brightly, pointing at the silver tabby kitten, most likely commenting on how cute she was or how she looked just like Munkustrap.
"Victoria," Demeter rasped.
Victoria's ears perked up at the sound of her name. "Yes, Demeter?"
Demeter continued to gently bounce her newborn daughter in her arms. "I'm so sorry the Waltz was cancelled because of this. I can't imagine how much time you all must've spent working on costumes, and you looked so beautiful in your dress. I feel terrible about this."
"Oh it's alright," Victoria replied in a compassionate voice. "Don't apologize! You shouldn't feel bad about this. Kittens being born is such a wonderful, miraculous thing." She hugged Plato and rested her head on his chest. "I can't wait to have kittens someday too."
The new mother gave Victoria a tender smile. "Still…I hope you can forgive me for this…"
"Are you kidding?!" cried the snow white queen, lowering her voice and shielding her mouth with a paw. "This is a million times better than having to dance with Asparagus and kiss him during the finale." She made a comical face of disgust. "Ick."
"Hey! I heard that!" Asparagus shouted from the back of the group.
Victoria slapped a paw to her mouth, blushing, and a wave of laughter passed over the gathered cats.
The laughter eventually faded and the Jellicles returned to speaking to one another in hushed voices as Demeter continued on. "Is there any way we can just postpone it instead of cancelling it completely? Perhaps have it be performed tomorrow night we're all back in the junkyard?" She glanced over at Munkustrap. "Would that be a possibility?"
"Well…" Munkustrap said. "I'm not sure. That's ultimately up to my father…"
They all looked to the Jellicle patriarch, a tender smile on his face. "That sounds like a splendid idea," he said. "While it is tradition to never have the performance held in the junkyard…" Old Deuteronomy grinned broadly at the sight of the silver tabby kitten nosing through her father's chest fur in an effort to seek warmth before Munkustrap leaned down and planted a kiss on her little head. "…I suppose we could break with tradition. Just this once."
Tugger decided it was high time he met his nephew that had inherited his noteworthy mane. So he slipped inside the stall, kneeling down beside Bombalurina and slipping an arm around her. She naturally inched closer, smiling up at him. "Oh Tugger just look at him!" she cooed. "Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?"
"Well of course, how could he not be?" Tugger chuckled, flashing a proud grin. "He got his looks from his Uncle Tug. He might be black and silver like Straps here, but he got the important traits from me, without a doubt." He carefully slid a fingertip along the side of the maned kitten's face. The kitten responded with a loud mew and a series of quick kicks. "Oh yea, with moves like that right out of the womb, he'll be a legendary dancer in the tribe when he's older." With the tip of his claw he scratched one of the kit's ears, the grin on his muzzle turning devious as he lifted his gaze to meet his brother's, and said, "I just can't wait to show him how to pelvic thrust."
Munkustrap's teeth were gritted as he directed a stony glare of warning at Tugger, a snarl building up in his throat. "Don't. You. Dare."
The following evening was quite a busy one in the junkyard. Jellicles exchanged gifts, something they'd been doing for years now after Rumpleteazer informed them that this was something humans in the city always did. Gifts given mostly consisted of mice and fish, or even pheasant and quail. And toys for the kits of course.
The Waltz of the Persimmon Persian and the Pollicle Prince went off without a hitch. Well, aside from Mungojerrie sending his army of rat soldiers out too early, which accidentally cued the Persian's flock of songbirds to join the scene before it was time for them to go on. That, and Asparagus' fur got caught in Victoria's jeweled collar during their kiss, which made separating tricky. As if things weren't awkward enough already for the poor young queen.
But aside from that, everything went smoothly. Demeter got to see the entire performance, up until the finale. That's when the hungry newborns demanded to be fed, so she quietly slipped off to the den she shared with Munkustrap to tend to them.
Once the performance was over, the protector took his bow alongside the other cast members. Their audience, consisting of Old Deuteronomy and a few of the others cats who were either too young or too old to play a part, or preferred not to be in it this year but watch instead, applauded them. The Jellicle leader was more than content with the night's events, for not only did he get to see a most entertaining re-enactment of his favorite holiday tale, but he got to hold one of his grandkits while watching.
The cats broke into groups afterward, the tribe abuzz with praise given to the cast on a job well done, and talk of plans for the remainder of Christmas night.
Munkustrap was passing through the crowd with purpose, scanning the area for his sweetheart. He was stopped several times by the other Jellicles, who commended him on his phenomenal narration of the story. He thanked them and in turn asked if any of them had seen his mate, and each time they told him that they hadn't.
He walked right past Asparagus as he was shedding his Pollicle costume. "You did a fine job tonight Asparagus!" he called over his shoulder, but didn't stop to chat.
"Thank you, so did you!" Asparagus called back. He had busied himself with stacking all the different pieces and hadn't even noticed Jemima stroll up behind him. A tap on the shoulder had him whirling around, nearly startled.
"You were wonderful," she said to him, smiling brightly.
He blinked in surprise, turning his head to look behind him. Surely she was talking to someone else. A paw pressed to his chest in gesture to himself, he said, "What? Who, me?"
"Yes you, silly!" Jemima tittered. "You're the only one here, aren't you?"
Asparagus forced a nervous laugh. "I guess I am." He smiled back at her. Everlasting Cat, she had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. "Ah…um, thank you."
She bashfully clasped her paws behind her back, drawing a circle in the dirt with her toe. "Must have been fun, to play the Prince, hm?"
He shrugged, laughing once more. "It was an honor to portray the role. Especially since I was sure I was a bit too young to even be considered for such a major part. I was beside myself when Munkustrap asked me. And it feels good to honor my father, following in his footsteps and all."
"I bet he's looking down at you right now from way up there in Heaviside, and is as proud as can be!"
"I can only hope…"
Jemima titled her head. "Victoria's so lucky that she got to dance and sing with you."
He shuffled his feet in a humble fashion. "Oh uh, well, I'm not so sure she felt that way…"
"Oh?" Jemima asked, oblivious to the undercurrents that had formed. "Why do you say that?"
"Well, Plato was up for the role of the Prince too, remember? And I think it was a letdown for her, to end up playing opposite me. But I don't fault her for being disappointed with how things panned out. In all honesty, if I had to kiss someone in front of all my friends, I'd want it to be my mate or queenfriend." His smiled faded. "If I had one, that is."
"I wish I could have gotten to play the Persian," said Jemima. "I would've loved to dance with you…" Biting her lip, she dared to finish that sentence. "…and kiss you."
His heart skittered like a rock tossed across a lake. Was she being serious or just kidding around with him, pulling his leg? Surely she couldn't be serious. Surely a gorgeous, spirited queen like Jemima would never find a boring tom like him appealing in the slightest.
"But I'm happy Victoria got the queen lead this year," Jemima went on. "She deserved it. She's such an amazing dancer…I could never play the part like she did…I can't dance like that. Not really. Think I'm destined to always just be a village cat."
"Oh it just takes practice Jemima," the tom assured her warmly. "Lots of practice and determination. And besides, the waltz itself is fairly simple. Once you get the basic steps down, there's really nothing to it." Hesitantly, he held his paw out to her. "I…I could teach you right now, if you'd like."
He almost withdrew it in his flustered state, but before he could she grasped his wrist, and he watched as a grin blossomed on her face.
"I'd love that," she said.
A breathy, jovial chuckle slipped from his muzzle, and he proceeded to lead her into the waltz. "And hey who knows?" Asparagus said as they circled. "Maybe next year, you'll be playing the Persian. Don't sell yourself short, Jemima. You're every bit as deserving of the role as an experienced dancer like Victoria. You just need to have a little more faith in yourself."
Back in the center of the junkyard, a scowling Mistoffelees was trying to remove his costume, having difficulty reaching around so he could unlace a pair of massive black wings.
"Need a paw there?" Tugger didn't wait for a response, deftly ridding the tux of the last article with able fingers and tossing them on the ground near the mound of fabric and props already piling up.
"Thank you," Mistoffelees breathed in relief.
"Not a problem." The maned cat put a palm to his friend's back. "Take a little stroll with me, hm?"
The magician was suddenly wary. "Why? Where are we going?"
"Just down this way," he answered, leading him down a path that curved around to the right. "I just thought we could talk."
"What about?"
"You're all business aren't you Misto? Well, I was wondering if you got a chance to talk to Patches yet."
"Alonzo?" The tux shook his head. "No, I haven't talked to him since last night when I was with you, and that doesn't even count. I saw him during dress rehearsal but that's it."
Tugger nodded. "I figured as much. So, any plans for this evening?"
"None at all," Mistoffelees replied. "I'm going back to my den, read a little perhaps and then get some sleep."
Tugger grimaced. "That sounds dreadfully boring Misto. Even for you. It's Christmas! You should be out having fun with everyone else, not staying cooped up in your den." He paused a moment before suggesting, "You should go find him, Alonzo I mean. See what he's up to tonight, if he's going to a party or something. He might even invite you to tag along. Never know."
"I'm quite sure whatever plans he has for any Christmas outings don't involve me. He's probably off cuddled up with Cass somewhere."
"Well," said Tugger, "what if I told you that he's right around the corner, waiting for you in fact, underneath the mistletoe?"
Laughing once at how absurd that sounded, Mistoffelees tossed the other a doubtful smirk. "I'd say you were insane."
They rounded said corner and Tugger flashed the conjurer a cheeky grin. "Well, I suppose you'll just have to escort me to the nearest asylum then."
Just ahead, Alonzo was standing beneath a makeshift archway made entirely of junk, tinsel snaked around the fixture. And hanging from the archway was a sprig of mistletoe.
Tugger swept a paw out in front of him, gesturing to the archway and the tom beneath it. "Like I said, he's been waiting for you."
The tuxedo tom began to hyperventilate, heart beating away in his chest like the frantic flapping of hummingbird wings. Shaking his head rapidly, he gaped at Tugger, the older looking particularly satisfied. "What did you…what is this?" he whispered, his jaw taut. "Tugger, are you playing some sort of sick practical joke on me? It's not funny, it's not funny at all! If you had something to do with this I swear I'm going to k—"
Rolling his eyes, Tugger didn't give him a chance to finish and shoved the smaller tom, sending him stumbling straight for Alonzo. The patched feline had been leaning against the archway, fingers drumming on his arm. But his ears flicked and he looked up in time to see Mistoffelees almost crash right into him. He easily caught the smaller, looking rather amused to have had the tux nearly fall straight into his arms.
"Found him for you, Lonz!" Tugger called.
"Hello again," Alonzo greeted him warmly as he helped steady the conjurer. The patched tom thanked Tugger but his gaze never strayed from the other black and white cat's.
"H…hello Alonzo," Mistoffelees murmured. Everlasting Cat! his mind screamed. Why can't I speak? Why can't I ever say more than hello to him? What is wrong with me?!
"It would appear that I caught you under the mistletoe," Alonzo said, a gentle smirk pulling at his muzzle, his claw raised, pointing up at it.
"You—" Mistoffelees whipped his head up, staring at the little sprig, a red ribbon tied around the string keeping it suspended, and he wondered to himself if his heart could be any louder than it was right now. "So you did."
"You kind of have to," Tugger sang out. "Might be a human tradition but it's one us Jellicles have always used, need I remind you?"
The magician's eyes were fixated on Alonzo, who shrugged and displayed a striking smile that made the tuxedo cat feel weak in the knees.
"He does have a point," said Alonzo in a sheepish manner. His smile faltered a bit. "Of course, if you'd prefer I didn't—"
"No!" the tux blurted abruptly. "I mean…I mean yes…I…" He huffed softly. "What I'm trying to say is that…is that we really shouldn't continue breaking traditions."
That stunning smile returned in full as Alonzo leaned in, placing a soft peck on the other's lips, and the magical tom's ears lowered. When he drew back, Mistoffelees had a wide gleeful grin on his milky white muzzle that had Alonzo chuckling.
"There ya are Lonzy!" a female called.
Rumpleteazer and her brother were walking along the top of the fence that bordered the junkyard. She waved down at them. "Hiya Tuggah! Misto."
"Lonz ya comin' or what?" Mungojerrie asked. "If we don't leave soon all the trout'll be gone."
Alonzo took hold of the tux's paws. "Mistoffelees, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer invited me to a Christmas party they're attending tonight."
"It's at my tomfriend's human's place, real nice flat in the city," Rumpleteazer interjected.
"They asked me to come along and said I could bring one more cat with me," Alonzo continued. "So…would you like to be my 'plus one'?"
It took Mistoffelees a moment to formulate a proper sentence. "You want me to go with you? A-as in me me?"
"Yes, you you," Alonzo teased playfully. "If you'd like."
Mistoffelees had no idea at all what compelled him to but still he said, "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to bring a queen with you? Like Cassandra?" Why? Why when his voice decided to work, stupid things always came out? He really wanted to kick himself in the head.
Alonzo pursed his lips and boldly brushed his knuckle underneath the conjurer's chin. "Cassandra's a lovely queen," Alonzo admitted. "For certain. But she's not nearly as interesting as you are." He canted his head to one side. "So…?"
"Well come on Presto, we ain't got all night, yes or no?" Mungojerrie grumbled impatiently from his spot on the fence.
"Can it Jerrie!" Rumpleteazer hissed, tossing the pair an apologetic glance.
The magician hardly heard either of them, too lost in his own personal cloud of bliss. "Yes. Yes, yes I'd love to go with you. I…yes."
"Wonderful." Alonzo swiftly nuzzled him.
"Yes yes wonderful," Mungojerrie echoed in a mutter, rolling his eyes. "Now c'mon lovebirds, let's go already, I'm starved!"
"For food or attention?" his sister wondered, causing the others to snicker.
As Mistoffelees scaled the fence with his date for the evening, he turned his head to see Tugger still standing in the same place as before. When the tux smiled down at his friend, the maned tom gave him a thumbs up before the four partygoers cleared the fence and disappeared from sight.
"I have been looking all over for you!"
Tugger turned around to see the scarlet queen sprint over, and his tail flicked cheerfully. "There's my Bombshell!"
"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I thought you left without me!"
"Now why would I do a thing like that?"
"Because you tend to be forgetful at times." She shrugged, gesturing with her head towards the fence. "So…Alonzo and Misto, hm?"
"Yep," Tugger said. "Misto's been keeping his crush on Patches a secret, but I was able to get him to spill it at the gala."
"And Alonzo felt the same? How did he find out if Mistoffelees has been keeping it secret?"
"Well, there is a slight chance that I might have tipped Alonzo off about it."
Bombalurina smirked, shaking her head. "Playing matchmaker again, Tug?"
"Hey, I am the best at it." He shrugged. "I just wanted to give them both a bit of a nudge. And see, now they can both be happy. No one deserves to spend Christmas alone."
She smiled at the profound statement, but followed it up by pointedly elbowing Tugger in the side. "Yes well, for a short while I was convinced I'd be spending the rest of Christmas alone, since I thought you were gone already."
"Love, my dad's still here, that should've clued you in that I haven't gone anywhere yet." He grasped her fingers and pulled her forward with an impish grin. "Now c'mere you, we should be putting this mistletoe to good use like those two, don't you think?" he purred, leading her beneath the archway. "The Rat King's final decree is that he gets a kiss from the loveliest queen in the royal court."
When it came to kissing, Tugger wasn't the least bit shy or reserved, never holding back, not even a little. He dramatically dipped Bombalurina and captured her lips in a fervent kiss. She didn't protest, smiling into the liplock and tilting her head, tangling her fingers in his mane.
Munkustrap had impeccable timing, jogging over and interrupting their brief snog session. He forced an audible cough, and the two parted, unwillingly, Bombalurina quickly smoothing her head fur back out.
"Hey there Daddy Dearest," said Tugger. "What's up?"
"I'm so sorry to break up your…moment," the tabby said. "But have either of you seen Demeter?"
"She went back to your den during the finale," Tugger informed him. "Saw her and Jenny tiptoe away with the fuzzballs right before the wedding scene."
Munkustrap turned to leave but his brother grabbed his wrist. "Hey whoa whoa, where do you think you're going? We have to escort Dad back to the village, remember?"
The protector had forgotten all about that. He wanted to make sure his father got home safely, but he had his own family to attend to and wanted to be with them. "Yes of course I remember," Munkustrap mumbled, frowning as he idly combed his fingers through his head fur. "My thoughts seem to be all over the place and jumbled at the moment, sorry…um, right, well, I suppose we should get going then."
Tugger grinned and shooed him away. "Go on, go, scurry back to your little family Straps. Bomba's going with me to help him get home anyways." Tugger kissed the scarlet queen's cheek, and she giggled.
"Yea, we've got it covered, Munk," Bombalurina assured the tabby.
"Thank you!" called Munkustrap, already taking off in the other direction, practically itching to get back. "Merry Christmas, both of you!"
Demeter was resting with her daughter, the little tortoiseshell kitten who resembled her the most, when her mate entered the den. A smile of pure adoration on his muzzle as he admired his little family, he wasted no time joining them, laying down beside Demeter on the fleece blanket. He slipped an arm around her, pulling her to him, her back to his chest, and planted a lingering kiss on her lips when she turned her head. "Hi," he whispered once they broke apart.
"Hi," she whispered back, giving him a small grin. "You were wonderful, as always. I got to see it all up until the very end. Then I had to come back."
"Thank you," he murmured. "And don't worry, some things hold a higher priority." He slid two fingers along the edge of his daughter's face, chuckling softly when she mewled and pawed at him. "I see Seraphina is still awake."
"I had barely set her down two seconds after nursing her before she started to cry. I think she may end up being our clingier one."
Munkustrap hummed, rubbing his palm down Demeter's arm, his nose pressed to his love's shoulder. "She's absolutely stunning Deme. She looks just like you."
"Mm, but I'm hoping she has your eyes. Your deep brown eyes, the eyes I was captivated by when we first met. And am still captivated by to this day."
He purred his contentment and gave his mate another kiss, brushing his nose through her velvet cheek fur. "It was more than just your eyes that had me enraptured," he admitted. "It was your smile, your laugh, your lovely voice. The way your nose wiggles when you're deep in thought. The way your tail thrashes when you're angry or frustrated."
She stifled a giggle, keeping quiet so she wouldn't disturb Seraphina. The tiny kit was drifting off to sleep at last.
The little tabby tom rolled over and landed on his brother, who complained with an indignant mew. Munkustrap reached over so he could run his paw along each of their little bodies. "I wonder which one will take over as protector when I have to pass the title on. Will it be Lysander?" he mused, sliding his thumb alongside the golden tabby's face. "Or maybe Aristor?" The maned kitten whimpered and kneaded at the blanket. "Why do I feel as though he'll be the one to give us the most trouble?"
Demeter laughed. "Maybe the kitten who bears such a striking resemblance to her father will end up being the one to take his place."
With a contemplative countenance, Munkustrap's eyes strayed over to his firstborn daughter. She was inching away from her brothers and over to the edge of the blanket. A large striped paw gently guided her back to the center of the blanket. But instead of joining her cuddling brothers, she crawled over to her parents, curling up against her mother's stomach, the fur there so warm and comforting to her. The kitten meowed as Munkustrap tenderly stroked her ears. "My little Persephone." While extremely rare, a queen protector was not unheard of. Thankfully he didn't have to think about Persephone, or the other three for that matter, growing up and taking his place for a very long time.
"You think we chose good names for all of them?" Demeter wondered.
"I think they all have exquisite names."
"But…should we have put more thought into choosing their names? I mean, naming kittens isn't just some silly holiday game."
"Of course not," Munkustrap replied with a gentle laugh. "But I think the names we gave them are all lovely, and suit them well."
When all four kittens finally fell back asleep, the parents could relax, for the time being anyways.
"I love you Munk," the golden queen whispered, purring as she nuzzled him under his chin. "Merry Christmas."
"And I love you Demeter. Thank you, this has without a doubt been my most cherished Christmas yet. I look forward to so many more."
As Demeter snuggled up against him and fell into slumber with their litter, Munkustrap stayed awake a while longer, regarding the Jellicle moon, its glow pouring in through the den window. As he did, he made a vow then and there to watch over his family.
"Come what may, I'll protect you," he whispered. "Whatever it takes, whatever I have to do, I will keep you safe. All of you. I promise."
The End
Poor Munk, thinking his own brother went off and had sexy time with Deme.
I actually came up with the name Aristor on my own, but I searched it up to see if it was already an existing name. Turns out it is. It's the second part of the scientific name for a swallowtail butterfly. Maybe that kitten will grow wings one day.
Let's see, we got Munkustrap/Demeter, Plato/Victoria, Misto/Alonzo, Tugger/Bomba, Jenny/Skimble, and a hint of Asparagus/Jemima. That's six ships, right out of a hat. And on that cringeworthy note, I'm out. Look out for more CATS fics from me soon!