Mungojerrie sat in the shade, his eyes lazily roaming the yard. Kittens were playing and laughing, pouncing and tackling one another. It reminded him of home. The kittens's play seemed more like training, getting ready to become thieves and spies themselves. Do cats in this tribe work like they do at Macavity's? They seemed to be a independent society where Macavity's worked as a community. Some would be assigned to go for food instead of a couple grabbing mice by themselves. Every now and again Rumpelteazer and himself would bring some food back with them and share with the others. It was winning them favours with the Jellicles. Even with one he'd rather not be in favour with.

Rumpelteazer sat below, talking with 'Goldie' as she did every day. Now and again the red one would join in. She seemed alright, they were becoming good friends or had the charade of it. Rumpelteazer was comfortable with them. He could pick up the slightest change in her demeanour when Munkustrap joined them. Rumpelteazer still wouldn't say what happened the other night, but he knew it wasn't anything good. The most he was able to get out of her was that 'not much' happened? What did that entail? Did Munkustrap just advance on her and make her scared; uncomfortable maybe? Did he grab her? Did he touch her? Did he kiss her? So help him, if Munkustrap dared do anything with Rumpelteazer…

He had to find out. It was going to drive him mad.

She had mentioned that the incident stopped when Coricopat called for Munkustrap. Maybe Coricopat seen something, maybe he had some insight he was willing to share. It didn't hurt to ask; after all he had to make sure he kept Rumpelteazer safe. She was his partner, she was his whore - she was Macavity's whore. If he failed at that, he could kiss his cushy life at Macavity's goodbye and say hello to guard shifts and crummy jobs. He just had to find Coricopat. Mungojerrie looked around the yard, studying each tom lazing about. None of them looked like a 'Coricopat'. He wasn't sure what a 'Coricopat' would look like, but none of them struck him as one. Maybe it was time to stop being passive and start being active. He'd have to get out there and find Coricopat. He couldn't let Rumpelteazer get hurt again.

Mungojerrie stretched himself out and hopped down from his perch, feeling the sun's warm rays on him. He wasn't used to getting so much sun. There would be patches of sun beaming through the windows at home, but they were quite sheltered - which was perfect during the rainy winters. Frankly, all the sun made him sleepy quite often and hard to keep on task. He had to prove to Macavity that he was the right choice, though. He looked over, seeing one of the toms give him a wave. May as well start there. He had to make friends, that was the only way to get information and Macavity's little courtesan was way ahead of him there.

"You settling in alright," one of them asked as he came to join the group.

"Yeah, we're doing okay," he nodded, sitting back down. That's right, keep it easy, keep it casual. "We're learning our way around, trying to learn everyone's names…."

The tom nodded understandably, seeming to sympathize with Mungojerrie's plight. "There is a lot of us. Never feel shy to ask us what it is again. You're new - we get it. Plato," he informed, gesturing at himself. "You settled in the east, right?" Mungojerrie gave a nod. "So you're near Tantomile and Coricopat then, I think they're the only two who den there."

"I don't think I've met them," Mungojerrie said honestly.

Plato sat up, scanning the area. "I don't see them. They both look similar; long, lean, dark… they're a pretty quiet couple." Well, there goes that. Had the mysterious cat been there he may have gone dashing off to Coricopat to talk to him before excusing himself. It was probably for the best - he at least knew who to look out for now. Mungojerrie sat with the toms,learning morsels of information that didn't seem to further his mission. It would be too much to hope to have it all handed to him on a platter, though. He was going to have to work for it. He would find a way to handle the situation and would fix everything. He would be the hero and then he would have his pick of the litter.

"Hey, boys," Rumpelteazer giggle, bounding up to their perch. She ran her paw through Mungojerrie's head fur, earning a quizzical look from him. Just what was she doing? What about their whole 'just friends' ruse? He knew he was supposed to follow her lead, but she was pulling him in all sorts of directions. Or… was she craving a bit of Mungojerrie? The other night was fantastic; who could blame her? "Can I steal Jerrie away for just a mo'?"

They were going to need several moments. Once 'what's your will' passed through her lips there would be nothing but moans of ecstasy.

Mungojerrie allowed her to lead him away to her den, giving himself a small pep talk. It was sudden, but he could work himself up enough to wow her. "Last night needs to happen again," she said matter-of-factly, going to the piece of mirror she had found, preening herself. There was no need in her trying to pretty herself up, he would do away with all that work.

"If you insist," he grinned. He walked up behind her, about to bury his face in her neck. Rumpelteazer turned, placing her paw on his forehead to stop him.

"With Munkustrap," she clarified, earning another dumbstruck look. "When he… approached me. It needs to happen again - this time I need others to see. If I just went up to someone and told them what happened, they would never believe me. Nobody saw."

"What about Coricopat," he asked, still held at bay by her paw.

"I don't know if he saw anything. I just heard him, but I never looked. Point is, I'm new and they have too much trust in him. He could say that it was I who came on to him. That I put the moved on him, tried to seduce him."

"But you didn't," Mungojerrie protested. She only flirted with those who Macavity told her to flirt with. He didn't tell her to do that here, did he? With the very one they were trying to over-take? She seemed to have been briefed on her task long before he was, it was possible…

"They think I'm single, though. I have every motive to hit on him. He's an upstanding, handsome, powerful tom - what queen wouldn't swoon over that?"

Was that hypothetical? He could answer and look like an idiot for answering it, or he could not answer and seem like an idiot for not being able to think of an answer. Either way, he risked looking like an idiot. "A queen who…" liked other queens? Was she into that? She was awfully buddy-buddy with 'Goldie'. "Is in a relationship?"

"Exactly," she approved, removing her paw from his forehead. "A queen who is in a committed," her paws found his arms, running up to his shoulder; "devoted," running down his chest; "loving," around his waist; "relationship," and a double-handed squeeze of his butt. Mungojerrie jumped slightly, looking down at her sly smirk and cocked eyebrow. "Have you discussed us?"

"Not at length."

"Well that will simply have to change."

A/N: Well it has been ages, hasn't it? I came back across this story a few days ago and fell back in love with it. I need to find out where it's going to end...