9 No Care

Pouncival couldn't think.

Not only that; he couldn't eat or sleep or anything. All he knew was the infuriating giggle ringing out from the other side of the room.

"Would you shut up?" he managed, voice hot and devoid of patience.

Tumblebrutus only laughed harder. But it couldn't really be called a laugh at all – the only thing it could be described as was a giggle, that high, loud, maddening giggle.

Pouncival groaned and stuffed his face into the straw mattress he was lying on. The giggle was muted but still perfectly audible. I'm going to go mad, I'm going to go mad, I'm going mad-

"Pouncie," Tumblebrutus said.

With a sharp intake of breath, Pouncival realized that the giggling had stopped. He lifted his head from the pillow.

Tumblebrutus was right there, right there. He was perched like an inquisitive sparrow on the very end of Pouncival's bed, smiling.

Just smiling.

Pouncival scooted back against the wall and shook his head warningly. "Get off, get off," he blabbered.

"No," Tumblebrutus said. He sat cross-legged on the bed, still smiling.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Pouncival groaned, placing his head in his hands. "Bast, why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Couldn't do that," Tumblebrutus said.

Pouncival flushed red, remembering what had passed between them earlier. "Get off my bed!" he cried, swiping an arm across his lips just in case any traces of Tumblebrutus remained there. "Off!"

Tumblebrutus didn't move. He just stared calmly into Pouncival's eyes, then drew a bit of catnip out from behind his ear and chewed on it, eyes closing in delight.

Pouncival fidgeted. There'd once been a time when the two of them were best friends. There was none of the weirdness, the repulsion, th-the kissing…

"I hate you," Pouncival said abruptly, just wishing that Tumblebrutus would get off his bed.

Pouncival wasn't really expecting a response. He'd learned by now that nothing affected Tumblebrutus, that he'd just bare teeth stained with nip in wide smiles that resembled grimaces. The wild spark that seemed to accommodate nip never disappeared.

So why was Tumblebrutus suddenly shifting back? Why were his eyes so… bleak?

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Tumblebrutus said softly. "Sorry, Pouncival." He smiled wryly and hurried back to his own bed.

"Thank goodness," Pouncival muttered.

Bitterly, Tumblebrutus fumbled under a pillow for some more nip and drowned within himself.

The first thing Jemima felt when she woke up was hot, moist air on her face. Not really registering where she was, she breathed in. The smell…!

Choking, she sat up. Her forehead smacked into the nose of a cat who had been leaning over her. Crying out, she slammed a hand into the cat's already bleeding nose without really seeing who it was. While they groaned in pain, she made her escape over the back of the sofa she'd been sleeping on.

"Stop."

Jemima's breath caught.

"What are you doing? Get away from her! Now!" A filthy, near skeletal queen shot out of the shadows, eyes flitting hopelessly to Jemima's face as she passed.

"Is that… mother?" Jemima whispered.

"That's my daughter you're trying to hunt, if you hadn't forgotten!" Jennyanydots spat. The tom who had been stalking Jemima quailed slightly and hissed.

"We're desperate!" he snapped. "We're starved! The little lady was sleeping – I saw it as my last chance!" He took a deep breath and turned away. "What am I going to do?" he shouted into the sky. "Everlasting Cat, am I going to die?"

Jennyanydots lowered her head. "Not if I can help it," she said. "But in no way are we eating my daughter. I… can't do that. Not yet. We have to keep trying."

Jemima covered her mouth with a hand, horrified.

"What, you want to help them?" Suddenly, there was an arm wrapped around her shoulder. It wasn't the friendly sort of arm that was there to comfort her. That arm was there to trap her, to prevent her from running away.

I'm dead, aren't I?

"Yes… but I can't," Jemima said softly. A tear escaped her eye. She wished more than anything she could lift an arm and rub it away.

"And why not?" the owner of the arm taunted.

"I can't hunt," Jemima admitted. "It sickens me."

"How funny it is that you should die the victim of a hunter like him, then…"

Jemima knew it was true. The cat speaking to her mother was desperate. One way or another, he would continue hunting her, despite Jennyanydots' words.

"Unless…" Here, there was a laugh. "Unless I offer them something. Food."

"You could do that?" Jemima lowered her eyes to the ground. "No, you wouldn't. There's no reason for you to."

"Exactly."

"I'm sorry, Etcetera," Jemima said. She closed her eyes.

The arm released her. Jemima heard light footsteps moving away from her. The squeals of something dying. And then…

"You're hungry? Well, here."

A thud as something hit the ground. Scuffling, ripping, chewing…

Jemima opened her eyes. There was no one there. Jennyanydots and the other tom had disappeared. The "arm" had apparently gone as well. Jemima took a deep breath. The scent of death, of blood, hung in the air. She took a few steps forward. The skeleton of a rat, no meat remaining on it, had been left there.

"But why would he help me?" Jemima whispered.

Cassandra knew that she had to complete Etcetera's job, but it was a difficult task with Rumpleteazer constantly latched onto her arm.

"Mungojerrie's coming for me," she'd whine whenever Cassandra would try to gently push her away.

"I'm not always going to be here," Cassandra warned. "Remember that my family expects me back soon."

Rumpleteazer just shook her head.

"You have to learn how to fend him off," Cassandra said quietly. "You used to be the stronger one out of you and him – what happened?"

"Macavity," Rumpleteazer mumbled, shuddering.

"Of course," Cassandra sighed. She bit her lip. Rumpleteazer wasn't helpless, but... "Come on, let's keep walking."

"Where are we going?" Rumpleteazer asked.

"I have a job," Cassandra answered. "I need to get it done."

"I'll come," Rumpleteazer said immediately. "I can help."

I'm not sure about that, Cassandra thought to herself. Part of my job is to be looking at the behaviour of cats like you... But she said nothing, and Rumpleteazer didn't inquire further as to what exactly the 'job' was.

Without warning, the two of them stumbled upon a strange scene. Two identical cats stood, identical expressions of rage upon their faces. And behind them was...

"Mungojerrie," Rumpleteazer whimpered, her voice no more than a breath. Only Cassandra heard her.

"Coricopat and Tantomile," Cassandra murmured. "My, has it been a while." Her eyes narrowed in curiosity.

"Cassandra, let's go," Rumpleteazer begged, tugging the Abyssinian's arm. But Cassandra didn't move.

"You go," she said. "I'm staying to watch."

Rumpleteazer made a strange noise in the back of her throat and released Cassandra's arm. Nervously, she danced from foot to foot. But she didn't leave. Cassandra smirked and inched slightly closer to the scene they had discovered.

"You idiot!" Tantomile cried, lashing out at Coricopat. He deftly stepped back, eyes blank. "You know you can't hide anything from me! You can empty your mind as much as you want, but you can't hide from me!"

"Easy girl," Mungojerrie chuckled.

Tantomile sent him a quick smile before turning on Coricopat again. "What are you trying to do?" she hissed, grabbing hold of his shoulders.

"I thought I couldn't hide anything from you," Coricopat said tonelessly. Not even a flicker of emotion reached his eyes. "Why are you bothering to ask?"

Tantomile let out a cry of frustration and slapped him hard across the face. Not even that could affect the strange blankness of his face.

"So, apparently, I'm better at concealing things than even you expected." His lips pulled up into a smirk. He'd let his guard down. Like a cobra, Tantomile struck. She threw herself at him, and he gasped out as he hit the ground.

"Let me in," Tantomile snapped, teeth gritted. Coricopat exhaled heavily.

"No," he said, face becoming emotionless once again. Tantomile opened her eyes and stared darkly at him before getting up. Coricopat stayed on the ground, staring into space.

"What is it about this Jemima that fascinates you?" Tantomile said quietly. "Surely you don't care about her?"

"Of course not," Coricopat said almost indignantly. "I'm simply curious as to her motives for creeping down among the likes of us. Etcetera does not appear to have rejected her... so why is she here?"

Tantomile narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said. "But don't let me catch you wanting to know anything more than that."

Mungojerrie chuckled lightly. "Are you done, Tantomile?" he asked.

Tantomile turned to him, smiling. "Yes," she said simply. He turned away and left, Tantomile following quickly, the expression on her face almost reverent. Coricopat sighed and rubbed his forehead before getting up and leaving in the opposite direction.

"Well, that's interesting, isn't it?" Cassandra said to Rumpleteazer.

A/N: Been a while since my last update, huh? And I'm afraid this chapter was a little disappointing (in my opinion) but I have plans and I'll eventually get them written down.

So keep on reading, keep on reviewing. ;D

P.S. I didn't proofread cause I'm in a rush, so... yeah...