Today, the sky was cloudy; the sun's illumination was covered up. Nothing was new today; just a plain, normal day. No new gossip excited chattering cats, and all Jellicles simply let time go doing what they would usually do.
Today, I will be more confident. Today, I will be braver. Today, I will act like a tom…
Pouncival chanted quietly to himself underneath the broken chair.
Today, I will be braver. Today, I will act with guts. Today, I will do better….
It was as if he was hypnotizing himself. Whenever he thought about how unconfident he acted in front of Etcetera yesterday, he immediately blushed and felt as if he wanted to go hide in a hole. He didn't want to be seen by her as a shy, unconfident, weak tom. He was more than that. What he was yesterday wasn't the side of him that he wanted his crush to think of him as.
Yet when he looked at Etcetera, with Jemima, Victoria, and Electra far away by the broken refrigerator, all of his confidence seemed to collapse. His mind went blank, and he didn't know what words to say.
No… no…! Not today! Come on… Pounce… Act with your guts… Think straight… She's nothing but just a cat like you… he told himself. With some of his confidence recharged, he promised himself that he will go to her – and talk to her.
Although his heart was screaming for him to stay, Pouncival let his legs take over and slowly walked to where his crush and her friends were.
"Hey guys," he said, trying to look as cool as possible. (What the hell is being cool, anyway? he questioned within.)
"Oh, hey, Pounce," Electra and Victoria said. The others just smiled. Pouncival smiled back and lay down on his stomach.
"Are you gonna talk to her today?" Jemima whispered in his ears.
He nodded with a grin. Jemima nodded back with a satisfied smile.
"So…" Pouncival said, although he felt rather awkward, "What were you guys doing…?"
"We were just talking and – wasting time, I guess," Victoria answered.
"Oh… that's… great," he said.
They – all except Pouncival – just did their usual gossip and talking. Etcetera, of course, talked the most. Almost all the time, she was simply hyper and excited about whatever the topic was.
They are interested in the least interesting topics… Pouncival thought, rolling his eyes.
"So, Pounce…"
He instantly opened his eyes wider and tried to act as if he had been paying attention. "Wait, what?" he said.
"Pounce – we're just curious – who was your first kiss?" asked Electra. Pouncival realized that his heart's speed was rapidly accelerating.
"Well… uhh… Well… Actually, I never had one…" he answered honestly, although with a scarlet face.
"Awwwwww!" The four queens said in unison.
"You're like… so innocent!" said Victoria.
"Well, you're already mated, Vic!" said Electra, giving her a friendly punch on the side.
"I mean, I'd love to have a first kiss… but…" Pouncival continued.
"Awwwwwwww…!" The queens purred again
"Well, if you could choose, who would you want have a first kiss with, among us four? No, wait; us three, since Victoria is already mated…" asked Etcetera. She had a large smile on her face.
"Well…" Pouncival felt that this was his chance. He felt that he ought to grab onto this chance… Just shout it out, that it's Etcetera! cried something within himself. Yet another side of him made him more hesitant about it…
"Well… it'd be… Jem, I guess…" he answered with a sigh, yet looking into Etcetera's eyes.
They all laughed, except Jemima, who rolled her eyes. Eventually, she joined into the laughter, too.
"Awwww… You're such a cute tom, Pounce!" exclaimed Etcetera.
He smiled – a smile of accomplishment. "I can't believe I'm having such conversation with queens," he commented. "This is rather awkward…"
"Oh, we're always like this, so don't worry," said Electra.
"I mean, do you guys… like… know more… about those stuff… than what I suppose?" he asked.
"Oh, queens always talk about those things. Trust me, they always do," answered Jemima.
"We think it's romantic. You know… something like… a good, friendly tom at our side, under the moonlight; our face buried in their chests; eventually, leading to a good, long kiss…" Etcetera purred.
All of the other queens purred, too. Pouncival didn't know what to say.
"I mean, Plato is that kind of a tom. He is sweet, he is cute, but more than that, he's a tom that you can trust on. Whenever I'm next to him, I feel that I am being protected and that I'm in safety," Victoria said.
Pouncival simply nodded with a smile. Inside, it was as if he was taking notes on what she had just said. Being reliable… being reliable… he repeated inside himself.
A few hours had passed so, without much more excitement. By the time when the sky darkened and the night was coming, almost all of the cats have returned to their (or someone else's) dens.
Pouncival was walking with Tumblebrutus. The two were rather quiet, somewhat tired after the day.
Pouncival looked up, and he saw Etcetera coming toward his way. Immediately, his body became tense and his heart began to race again.
"G…good evening, Etcy…" he managed to say.
"Hey! Pounce, you were so funny at the conversation! I hope you and Jem go well!" she said, laughing.
"No… I was only joking about… you know… the first… you know… with her. I mean… Don't take it too seriously…" he said with an embarrassed shrug.
"Ok. Well, see you tomorrow!" she said. She excitedly sprinted towards Jemima's den. (Where does all of her energy come from? he wondered.)
"Pounce… What happened today?" Tumblebrutus asked with a slightly amused face.
"Oh…. n… nothing…"
"You liar. Come on; your face is red."
"Really… nothing much… Just had some talk with the queens…"
Tumblebrutus sighed. "Oh, Pouncy. You're just a kitten after all. Just a little kitten…"
Pouncival became a little bit annoyed at this comment. "What do you mean…"
"You'll find out later… you will. But let me tell you something. Many times, what your heart tells you to believe may not be what you're actually feeling. Just keep that in mind…"
"You're drunk," said Pouncival, half-joking and half-irritated.
Tumblebrutus threw at him a friendly punch and then started to go about his way. "Pounce, you're just young… Younger than you think…" he said as he was going, looking back at the kitten.
Pouncival gave him a confused look. Tumblebrutus, in exchange, gave him a tired smile. But it wasn't a usual, simple smile… It was… a smile with a deeper meaning… a deeper meaning which Pouncival couldn't understand…
In his eyes, everyone around him seemed to be turning into philosophers… Yesterday, Jemima… Today, Tumblebrutus…
What in the world are they trying to say? he thought. Am I missing out on something…?
I most certainly appreciate comments and criticism, so please tell me what I need to improve on. Thanks! :)
