Contrary to popular belife I am still alive! I know it had been several internet years since iv uploaded so here is an update to move things along!
Please review. It makes me happy and eager to write more. more reviews=less waiting time for you.
Tugger sat, frozen, staring out at a large pile of junk, not tempted by the few mice that would occasionally scurry by. Mistoffelees being pregnant was a hard concept to swallow, he knew his father would never joke around. Maybe they were trying to teach him a lesson he'd already learned; that 'having sex against someone's will is wrong,' or perhaps this was just a very realistic nightmare that was manifesting itself from stress.
Tugger rested his forehead in his hands, covering his eyes as he contemplated raising a kitten. Maybe Mistoffelees will want it for himself? Surely the junkyard could agree that Tugger was an unfit role-model. Something about that idea didn't make Tugger feel any better; he couldn't just abandon his child the way he discarded lovers after a night of romance. Of course this is assuming the child made it to adulthood. What if Mistoffelees didn't make it? It was clear there was already complications. He wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing he was responsible for sending Mistoffelees to Heavyside before his time. Would he have to raise the kid alone? Would it be healthy? Normal? All ten fingers and toes?
The possible mishaps were endless! Tugger didn't know what to expect, or how to react; he knew the odds were that one day he would mistakenly knock someone up, he always figured it would be Bomba. At least he wouldn't be so uninformed if that was the case.
As Tugger stared at the large piles of junk surrounding him, he could hear footsteps approaching. He recognized the scent to be Munkustrap's, he was glad his brother came alone, the silver tabby had been the most supportive in the junkyard. Maybe it was their blood bond, but Tugger didn't care for the reasons, he was just happy to be treated like a feline. He felt a hard smack against the back of his head, turning to look at Munkustrap he raised his voice in frustration. "What was that for!"
"How could you do that to Mistoffelees?" Munkustrap asked, his face clocked with a serious, calm expression but his voice was filled with disappointment and anger. "I didn't plan on him getting knocked up!"
"He could hear you! And you just ran off!" Munkustrap yelled, pointing in the direction of Jenny's den. Tugger's brow furrowed, he didn't consider what Mistoffelees had been feeling about this new discovery. "I went easy on you before because I figured you learned something! But your still so insensitive!" Tugger understood what Munkustrap was saying, he didn't mean to add to Mistoffelees stress by running off, it was just his first instinct in high pressure situations like these.
Tugger walked past Munkustrap back towards the clearing, Munku turning and walking behind him. "Where do you think your going?"
"I'm going to talk to Mistoffelees."
"I don't think that's a good idea; Victoria was visiting when I left."
"He's telling people already?" Tugger asked, seeming hesitant to take another step in Mistoffelees' direction. "We haven't even discussed this yet."
"You ran off. I don't blame him asking for Victoria," Munkustrap said in a harsh tone. "He needs someone to talk to." That hurt Tugger, reminding him of all the times Mistoffelees would come to him when a day didn't go quite as planned; the way they interacted now seemed like those times never existed at all.
Despite knowing Victoria would massacre him, Tugger continued walking towards the den he saw Mistoffelees in last with Munkustrap following quietly, waiting to see how his brother would handle the magician now. As he approached the den he noticed Jenny's arms crossed in a stubborn pose, beside her was a fast talking Jelly. Tugger walked by them confusedly, wondering what would have Jelly in such a pleading, worrisome state.
As Tugger pulled back the curtains to Jenny's den, he noticed Mistoffelees sitting up in the surgical bed with Old Deuteronomy on his left and Victoria, who was now glaring in his direction, on Mistoffelees's right. Munkustrap walked in, taking his spot beside Old Deuteronomy. As Tugger walked in slowly all eyes turned towards him, but Tugger's eyes were locked on the deep purple ones that refused to make contact. As Tugger stared at Mistoffelees, silently pleading for the tuxedo to forgive him, Victoria grew confused by the sudden and drastic changes in the environment.
Tugger took in a deep breath. "I think you should keep the kitten," he said breaking the silence that seemed to last a lifetime, the words causing Mistoffelees eyes to open in horror, not believing Tugger had outed his pregnancy to his sister. Tugger realized his mistake instantly, covering his mouth as if changing the future would some how alter the past.
Victoria clued in instantly and shrieked. "Kitten! who's the lucky girl?" she smiled momentarily, contemplating who this special queen could be until her eyes wandered back onto her brothers slightly bulged stomach. Her smile faded to a look of confusion, then to worry. Mistoffelees began to pinch the bridge of his nose as he watched Victoria deduce the situation with her own wits. "How in Heavyside did that happen?" Victoria asked.
Mistoffelees sighed, before he could answer Munkustrap stated simply, "It's his magic." The explanation of magic was enough for her; growing up with Mistoffelees made her certain there was nothing his magic couldn't do. "When were you going to tell me?" Victoria asked loudly, still keeping her voice calm to spare Mistoffelees' feelings. Mistoffelees avoided eye contact, his silence was enough to answer her question.
"I can't believe you weren't going to tell me!" Victoria said feeling offended. She could understand Mistoffelees closing himself off to the tribe, but she was blood, they share everything! At least they used to. He looked towards Tugger then to his sister. "It doesn't matter, I'm not keeping it."
"You can't just abandon it," Victoria said, obviously not understanding Mistoffelees's full intentions.
"I won't. Once I find someone willing, I'm going to have it removed."
"You can't do that!" Tugger said loudly as Victoria gasped, Mistoffelees had expected such a reaction.
"It's a parasite, I'm getting rid of it as soon as possible."
"A kitten is not a parasite, it has life," Victoria continued to argue, Mistoffelees was unmoved. It didn't matter what anyone said to him at this point.
"Tugger, say something! This is your child too!" Tugger was surprised by the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach at the sound of those words. He said nothing but stared at Mistoffelees blankly.
"He doesn't care, he can't even defend it," Mistoffelees said in response to Tugger's silence.
"Your keeping it," Tugger said simply. "I don't care if you don't want it, I won't let you kill an innocent kitten." The seriousness in his tone surprised everyone, especially Mistoffelees who began to fill with anger as Tugger attempted to, once again, control him.
"How do you plan on stopping me?" Mistoffelees asked. "You going to follow me everywhere?"
"If that's what it takes, then I will," Tugger responded.
"Good luck keeping up with me," Mistoffelees said mockingly.
"Shouldn't be too difficult, not like you can conjure yourself anywhere." Mistoffelees glared at Tugger, defeated. The maine coon was right, soon he wouldn't be able to do much of anything. "You'll forget about it in a day" he replied weakly.
"I guess we will have to wait and see," Tugger said accepting the challenge Mistoffelees was hinting at. Mistoffelees just glared, not seeing Tugger as a problem that couldn't be dealt with.
After listening to long hours of Victoria conversing the topic of kittens with Tugger, Mistoffelees sat boredly; contemplating how much his day had been wasted in a rickety old medical bed that gave him sores. Mistoffelees threw his legs over the side of the bed and climbed down, quickly regretting the action when his head began to spin from the sudden rush of blood. Mistoffelees's movements caused Tugger to look up from Victoria to eye Mistoffelees with a look of suspicion.
"Where do you think you're going?" Tugger said. Victoria turned towards Mistoffelees, cocking an eyebrow. "Out." Mistoffelees replied with a glare, staring at Tugger while waiting for a reply.
"You should stay in bed," Victoria said with a frown on her face; she didn't want Mistoffelees to resent Tugger anymore than he already did so she decided she would be the one to keep Mistoffelees in bed. "I'm not going to sit here and wait for 6 months," Mistoffelees said as he began walking towards the den's opening, walking slowly. As expected, one of the watching Jellicles went to block his path. " You need res..." Victoria began, moving swiftly towards her brother but was stopped abruptly when Tugger grabbed her arm.
"Mistoffelees has a point; we both know it's impossible to keep him bedridden."
"We can't just let him wander alone," Victoria argued. Mistoffelees took this opportunity to leave the den.
"I'll keep an eye on him, no need to worry your pretty little head," Tugger said attempting to act natural, his voice still sounding un-confident causing his flirtatious words to feel forced and awkward.
Victoria watched as Tugger chased after Mistoffelees; the sight wasn't new, but had been scarce for too long. Victoria could remember the days his brother would constantly complain about the arrogance of the main coon but didn't once make an attempt at avoiding his company. As the couple faded out of sight, Victoria's thoughts began to focus on more important things, she realized that Mistoffelees's pregnancy hadn't hit her yet. The idea was ridiculous, although Mistoffelees had been known to amaze and confuse all who have seen his performance, she just couldn't bring herself to accept the seriousness of his situation. Judging by the lack of a reaction from Mistoffelees, both siblings held onto their denial with the hope that this problem would soon be forgotten over time.
"Stop following me!" Mistoffelees yelled as he stormed though the junkyard, Tugger following not too far behind; just close enough to catch the tuxedo if he decided to make a break for it. Tugger kept quiet, not wanting to start a commotion with the childish tom. Mistoffelees stopped, turning his head slightly to look at Tugger as he thought about his options for losing the maine coon. Mistoffelees felt un-confident to run and magic wasn't an option.
Tugger stopped as suddenly as Mistoffelees had; he didn't want to approach the tux in case he decided to take out his frustrations physically. He noticed a small smile creep across Mistoffelees face, he must have found an answer for whatever he had been contemplating. Tugger prepared himself for a chase as Mistoffelees turned around, surprisingly the boy just continued to walk leisurely down the path before taking a turn Tugger knew was towards an opening that was a popular place for the kittens to play.
Tugger knew exactly what Mistoffelees was planning! But he wouldn't get distracted, no matter how rambunctious the kittens were today, he had a responsibility -a mission to attend to! As Tugger followed Mistoffelees into the park he could see the kittens playing on some large junk piles. Watching them recklessly climb over the sharp areas of glass made his stomach knot. He pushed the feeling away when he felt small arms warping around him.
"Tuggie! I knew you'd come to visit me!" Etcetera said, snuggling her face into his stomach, he could see the rest of the kittens running up to great him as well. "I guess that means Mistoffelees left again," Electra said with a frown, it seemed the little queen had moved on from him to another.
"Actually, he's around somewhere..." Tugger looked around realizing Misto had gotten somewhat of a head start. "I'll have to play with you kits later," Tugger said turning on his toes and running in the direction he last saw Mistoffelees. Pounce and Tumble distantly complained about how they never getting a word in; the queens were much more pushy when it came to talking to Tugger.
The coon turned a corner, surprised to see Mistoffelees hadn't sped up his pace. Tugger just smirked and approached the other feeling quite confident. "Guess you thought you'd lost me, huh?" he said walking with his arms behind his head. "I wasn't trying to lose you." Tugger brought his arms down to his side slowly, feeling confused. Perhaps Mistoffelees is warming up to me, he thought happily. "Now, I'm going to lose you," Mistoffelees said looking up to the maine coon with a devilish smirk. Tugger just looked at him confused, as he looked forward again he noticed his red queen standing right in their path.
"Hey, Bomba!" Misto shouted. Tugger grabbed Mistoffelees, covering his mouth with his hand, but it was to late; he could see Bombalurina's back tense before she turned around to see the tuxedo struggling in Tugger's arms. He immediately drooped the small tom onto the dirt ground and put his arms up as if to show he carried no weapons. Mistoffelees scurried over to Bomba, his mind set on frustrating her to the point where she would keep Tugger on a leash for the rest of his un-nurtured life. "Did Tugger tell you yet?" Mistoffelees asked innocently.
Bombalurina glared and the small tuxedo. "Yell me what?" she asked, bearing her teeth in warning. Tugger kept hope that Bomba wouldn't lash out at Mistoffelees because he knew she would take the opportunity to attack him if it presented itself.
"Oh? He didn't tell you?" Mistoffelees continued, driving Bomba's patience with his cocky smirk; one she was just about ready to scratch right off his face. Tugger ran up in a hurry, he wanted to wait to tell Bomba about Mistoffelees at an appropriate time...Like on his death bed. "You, Tugger, and I have found ourselves in somewhat of a pickle..."
Bombalurina glared at Tugger who was now beside the tux. "What's he talking about, Tugger?" Bomba hissed now angered.
"Uhhh..." Tugger looked to her, noticing the claws ready for any bad news. "Maybe now's not the time," he continued, causing Bomba's noes to wrinkle with anger. "I think now is the perfect time!" Mistoffelees chimed in, still keeping his cheerful facade. "It's such great news, isn't it Tugger? Isn't it great news?" he looked to the cat in question, loathing noticeable in the young tom's blue eyes. "Aren't you just so happy you could die?" Tugger sensed the threat behind that statement that caused him to swallow hard. Even Bomba was caught off guard as his eyes squinted angrily.
Tugger searched the area, hoping for someone who could get him out of this awkward mess. He noticed Alonzo far across the dirt field talking with Cassandra, he looked around hoping for a better option but found there were no other cats. He yelled over to Alonzo; the patched tom just glared at him before turning back to Cassandra. Tugger yelled again, persistent on getting him over. Alonzo looked over again, warning in his eyes; he turned his head back to Cassandra, but quickly whipped back towards Tugger. Alonzo said something that hinted at an apology then a 'good bye' to Cassandra before he beelined over to Tugger. "What the hell are you doing near Mistoffelees?" Alonzo asked shoving Tugger, causing the maine coon to lose his balance. Mistoffelees just stared at the coon on the ground beside him while Bombalurina intervened. "What the hell, Alonzo!"
The anger in Alonzo's face caused Mistoffelees to smile slightly, it was good to know someone else harbored anger for the maine coon. "Rapists don't belong in the Jellical tribe," Alonzo said kneeling down to look Tugger in the eyes. "If your father wasn't Jellicle leader, you wouldn't last a second," he scowled. Tugger was aware of that, but hearing it aloud still hurt.
Bomba shoved Alonzo slightly. "Shut up! That dirty tux lead him on!" Alonzo looked at her with pity, did he actually convince her that's what happened? Was he that horrid that he would lie about something like that. "You're just as bad, Bomba, letting him get away with such a thing is sickening!" he paused, her face stayed fierce. "What happened to the strong, independent girl," Alonzo said seriously. Bomba's face fell slightly. "Your just an ignorant, dried up whore." Bomba's eyes widened, did he really think of her like that?
Tugger was up on his feet by this time, staring at Mistoffelees with slight anger. He knew he didn't have the right, but Mistoffelees could have said something to spare Bombalurina's feelings at the least. The four jellicels stood in awkward silence, staring each other down with despise and utter hatred. Even as Munkustrap ran to the group with Cassandra walking far behind, they didn't unlock their stares.
Munkustrap stepped between the groups, he knew both parties well enough to assume what had happened; an explanation wasn't important. He just wanted to separate Tugger and Alonzo, possibly Mistoffelees, before they made a scene and attracted other cats to the area. As Munkustrap began leading Mistoffelees and Alonzo away, Tugger placed his hand on the tabby's shoulder before whispering into his ear. Mistoffelees heard a few words he could piece together, causing him to glare at Tugger who gave a winning smile as Munkustrap promised to keep a close eye on Mistoffelees.
Alonzo was unaware of the interaction as he talked angrily to Cassandra, who continued to nod while Alonzo let out some steam regarding Tugger. The four walked away, Mistoffelees glaring behind his back to Tugger as he stormed off with Munkustrap close behind him. Before Tugger could explain his faulty explanation regarding the issue Mistoffelees had mentioned, Bombalurina began talking quickly. Tugger knew her speed talking was a sign that the queen was upset and attempted to cover it, he frown slightly looking into her sad eyes. He never wanted her to become upset, he promised quietly to himself that he would do whatever it took to make it up to her. He was so close to losing her so many times before, he couldn't let that happen now.
Tugger kissed the scarlet queen that lay beside him before unwrapping his arms from her busty frame and crawling gently out of bed. He couldn't sleep knowing Mistoffelees could have easily lost Munkustrap and made his way out of the junkyard. Tugger assured himself that Munkustrap would have told him by no but that didn't help him feel any better.
He left his den, walking into the cool summer's night air, he had no desire to admire the moon that night as he raced towards Munkustrap's den.
He approached slowly, poking his head though the door. "Hello?" he whispered, he didn't want to wake Demeter; the gold queen could be as feisty as her sister, she just hid it behind her maturity. "Munkustrap?" he said taking a small step into the dark den, he heard shuffling of covers, pausing to listen for a reply but when none was heard he continued. "Munkust..." he muttered before he was met with angry, brown eyes. Demeter hissed. "Munkustrap didn't come home tonight." Demeter paused. "He told me he was out babysitting for you," she raised an eyebrow. She didn't know Tugger had children, poor things must have been deprived of attention. Tugger knew what Demeter was thinking as he was caught in her judgmental glare.
"He's not babysitting, he's just watching Mistoffelees," Tugger informed. "We... Don't want him to leave the junkyard again," he said. hiding any real details as to why from the golden queen. "What does any of that have to do with you?" Demeter asked. "You shouldn't even be near the boy," she said before she snickered meniacly at Tugger's failures. "I think you've done more than enough." Tugger rolled his eyes and wondered if Demeter was this cruel to anyone else. He felt certain he was part of a minority.
"Yeah, yeah," he repeated boredly. "I know, I've heard it all before," he sighed turning on his heel. Demeter watched quietly as Tugger walked to the next place he suspected Munkustrap to be, or more important, where Mistoffelees would be.
He approached Mistoffelees's den to see Munkustrap pacing impatiently by the door. He walked towards Tugger the second he saw the main coon walking down the dark pathway surrounded by junk.
"Where have you been!" he asked in a harsh whisper. "I was supposed to be protecting the junkyard, what if something had happened!"
Tugger was taken aback by the anger, he felt somehow proud of Mistoffelees for brining Munkustrap to this level of frustration. "You are not dumping this responsibility on me!"
"Ok, ok! Won't happen again, I promise," Tugger said, putting his hand over his heart and looking sincere. Munkustrap stormed off glad he was finally free to go, he wasn't going to get himself caught in that situation again. Tugger looked towards the red fabric that covered the entrance to Mistoffelees's den and stopped light winds from freezing the den. He turned back to see Munkustrap was far in the distance when he realized he had a red queen to get back to. "Wait, Munkustrap!" he shouted loudly, running ahead. As he pulled further from the den he began to worry. He stepped back, hoping Munkustrap had heard him yelling. But the tabby was already engulfed by the fog.
Tugger slid down the wall, disappointed. What was he supposed to do now? He had hours to kill that night but nothing even slightly entertaining to do in such a small boundary, he considered sleep but obviously that wasn't an option, Mistoffelees could easily sneak out. Probably write on Tugger's face and he'd be none the wiser. He watched the setting moon and sighed, it was going to be a long night.