Jellicles Empire's Capital
Royal Palace
Royal Apartments
Tugger was nervous and this is quite unusual for him.
He want to ask Marguerita for a trip with his siblings and some friends.
He had asked a lot of queens before so why he was so nervous now?
All right, she wasn't a jellicle's queen but she was becoming more and more like one of them through the time.
He walked towards Marguerita and Tantomille's rooms. He stopped in front of the bedroom they shared and took a deep breath.
He knocked the door. Marguerita opened the door and smiled when she saw him.
Tugger heart lost a bit seeing her smile. What the hell she was doing to him?
He smiled "Hi Margue" he said
"Hi Tug" replied the girl.
"I was wonder if..." he glanced behind her and saw his sister approaching.
"Munk and I want to make a trip in the woods, I was wondering if you two want to come" he asked.
Tantomille smiled a knowing one and looked intrigued to her brother.
"You know you sound like a kit?" she joked to him.
"Get out!" replied Tug glaring at her.
Marguerita looked through them and smiled. She was now accustomed to Tanto and Cori silent chatting with the others. She could replied to them, too.
Tantomille smiled "I have to go with Cori at the Temple" she replied "but you and Marguerita can go"
"Sure you can't come?" Marguerita asked.
Tantomille shook her head.
"I'm sorry" she replied "but I'm sure you would enjoy that trip!" she added in Marguerita mind.
Marguerita looked strangely at her. She was quite sure that Tantomille was meaning much more than what she said.
"What do you have in mind?" she asked.
Tantomille didn't replied but pushed her into her back towards Tugger.
"Go and have fun!" she replied before closing the door.
Tugger shook his head and took Marguerita's hand.
"Come! The others are waiting at the gates" he said.
Marguerita let him led her outside the city gates.
Here Munkustrap and Demeter, Alonzo, and Cassandra with Misto, Rumple, Tumble and Pounce were waiting for them.
They greeted them and all together they went into the forest.
At first they followed some traced paths then Tugger led them through different ways.
"We aren't going a bit to far?" asked Marguerita looking worried around.
"Don't worry!" replied Tugger smiling. He still was holding her hand.
Marguerita smiled back, she simply trusted much that too grow cat.
Misto was jumping around them, he ran after all the butterfly and insects he saw.
"Mitto happy!" he yelled jumping on a three.
"Misto!" exclaimed Demeter, Cassandra and Marguerita at the same.
Misto looked at the three worried females and smiled innocently.
"Come immediately down!" said Cassandra.
Misto smiled and jumped into the air. He disappeared and then pop on his father back.
"Misto ride!" he declared from Alonzo back.
They reached a big clearing and stopped there.
The cleaning was covered by soft grass and they sat in the middle, with Misto, Pounce and Tumble jumping and rolling all around.
They enjoyed a little pick nick and let themselves relax.
After a while Tugger stood up.
"Come! I want to show you a place!" he said offering his paw to Marguerita.
Marguerita took it and followed him into the woods.
"Ok here we are" said Tugger, he pushed away some lianas and Marguerita felt her jaw fall.
In front of them opened the most beautifull clearing she had never saw.
It was in the middle of the forest. The light was lightly and quite blue.
The clearing was no more big than three or four meters by diameter.
Some plants, similar to the bamboo stand out like secular tree.
Between them ferns with tall trunk grew. They seemed coming from the very old ages of Earth.
Behind she could caught a glimpse of a little crystal waterfall.
Marguerita looked up. The leaves of both bamboo and ferns made a vault in which the light played some tricks.
"It's wonderful" she murmured lost in the vision.
Tugger sat at her side and smiled.
"Yes, this his a very special place" he replied looking around "when we were little father was used to take us here when we were sad or in a bad mood" he said patting the grass with his paw.
"Now he sometimes take her Etcetera and Tumble here" he added.
"For this you took me here?" asked Marguerita looking at him "because you think I'm sad?"
Tugger didn't look at her, instead he concentrated on the grass.
"I feared it" he admitted "you seemed happy but you are away from your word and..."
Marguerita smiled and put an hand on his cheek. She made him looking at her.
She could saw the sincere sorrow and worrying into his gaze. She smiled sweetly.
"I'm not sad, Tugger" she replied rubbing his cheek "I was a bit lost at first, but now I'm at home"
Tugger looked at her with his gold and brown eyes. His gaze was so deep and amazing that she almost lost herself into.
"Margue...I..." he started.
Something picked up his ears. He twisted them, like cats when they heard some strange sound.
"What?" she asked but Tugger rose up a paw and silenced her.
She obeyed and looked at him. He tensed and slowly rose up.
A laugh reached their ears.
"Well, well" said someone behind them.
Tugger grabbed Marguerita and stood completely up.
Marguerita found herself behind him, looking at a new jellicle.
He was a tom. He was tall as Tugger but more thin. His head was highly domed and his ginger fur was dusty and his whiskers were uncombed.
He was in some way handsome but something made Marguerita shivered under his gaze.
She noticed the similarity with Tugger.
"Macavity" hissed Tugger assuming a defensive position in front of her "what do you want?"
"Hi, little bro" replied Macavity advancing "I see you are in good company"
He turned to Marguerita and she shivered again. She closed herself to Tugger.
"What an exotic creature!" exclaimed Macavity, he was in some way pleased.
"You have really a good taste" he laughed "surely a family gift as I could say!"
Tugger growled at that words. He tensed and surprised Marguerita heard his voice in her mind.
"Be ready to run! I will distract him!" he said.
She started to protest but Macavity took both of them by surprise. He threw himself against them with a jump.
Tugger caught him and send him against some bamboo.
"Run!" Tugger yelled to her, fighting his big brother.
Marguerita stood frozen, she couldn't move even if she wanted.
On one side she wanted to follow his advice and ran, but the other want to help her protector.
"Margue!" yelled again Tugger seeing that she didn't move.
Macavity laughed but he found himself thew through the first line of ferns and bamboo.
Tugger didn't follow him. He turned towards Marguerita and grabbed her arm.
He led her through the clearing.
Behind them more steps echoed. Tugger cursed.
They were followed by at least five toms.
Tugger and Marguerita ran into the woods, sometimes some little animals ran away, frighted by their passage.
Something moved in front of them and Tugger stopped.
The steps behind them stopped too. Then they resumed but in the opposite direction. Soon they disappeared.
Marguerita looked to the big figure they were facing.
It was a very big boar. He was looking at them with a very less friendly gaze.
He was tall at least two meters and large one and an half.
He snorted and tapped the ground.
Tugger slowly moved and brought Marguerita behind him, backing.
"Don't move suddenly!" he ordered into her mind.
They backed some steps. The big boar shivered and jumped against them.
Tugger let his grip on Marguerita's arm and threw her aside. He caught the animal and threw him on the ground.
He jumped on him.
Marguerita tried to stand up but her leg yelled in pain and she fell again.
She turned to look at Tugger and frozen.
Tugger was on the boar with his claws on the boar tough skin. He was aiming to the boar throat.
The boar tossed him away a couple of time. At the third attack Tugger managed to get his aim.
Without a sound the boar fell still beyond Tugger' fangs.
Tugger backed and stood up. He looked very sorrow to the dead animal.
He turned his head towards Marguerita.
She looked in shock at him.
He has blood on his mouth, the blood of the his prey. Tugger eyes were sparkling with inner light.
He cleaned his mouth with the back of his paw.
Then he approached her.
"You are alright?" he asked kneeling beside her.
Marguerita nodded.
"You?" she asked looking worried to the cuts that the boar, and Macavity before, had left on his beautiful body.
Tugger starred at her, then he burst into laugh.
"What?" asked Marguerita surprised.
Tugger shook his head still laughing.
"You are amazing!" he replied "I just killed a peke in front of you and you are worried about my well being"
"oh sorry!" exclaimed Marguerita picked.
Tugger smiled and kissed her forehead making her blushing.
"No, no" he quickly added "I'm happy you worried for me! I was only hoping in an amazed compliment!"
"You, you!" tried to say Marguerita "selfish, megalomaniac and..." she couldn't finished because Tugger looked up behind her.
Munkustrap, Alonzo, Cassandra, Demeter and the others ran into the forest.
They frozen and their gazes ran from Tugger and Marguerita to the dead peke on the ground and back to them.
This time even Marguerita chuckled seeing their lost expressions. This made her groan with pain at her side.
Immediately Cassandra and Demeter were at her side.
"What happened?" asked Munkustrap while he knelt beside Tugger and checked up his wounds.
He looked worried to Tugger' wounds. They weren't all by the peke.
"We had to take them to Jenny and Jelly" said Cassandra "I'm not sure but you" she looked to Marguerita "can have a broken rib and your leg isn't fine"
"Thank the Everlasting Cat that you are one of our best fighters, Tug!" said Alonzo picking up Misto who was looking at the dead boar.
"Or you and Anna would be a nice snack for him" he added seriously.
Marguerita shivered
"That is a peke?" she asked pointing the boar.
"Yes" replied Munkustrap "pekes were the most dangerous animals in the forest after the pollicles. They sometime battle in a very hard and chaotic way"
He looked at the pair "It is really a good thing that Tug is able to handle a peke on his own"
He looked at the dead peke.
"Lonz" he said "we have to come back and picked it to the city. We can't waste his death. At least we can eat him"
Misto clapped his paws happily "I like pekes!"" he said from his father arms.
Tugger picked Marguerita up, carefully.
Marguerita was tired and she leaned her head on Tugger chest.
Under his soft fur she could sensed his tonic muscles and his strong and comforting heart.
She closed her eyes and a smile lighted her face.
"I want to show our secret place to Margue" explained Tugger while they started to walk back.
"But Mac had decided to show up" he added with a smirk.
"Macavity?" exclaimed all the others.
Demeter shivered and Munkustrap quickly embraced her.
"So he was the one that tortured Dem and Munk!" realized Marguerita.
"Yes" replied Tugger
"Yes" he said, this time loudly "but don't worry! He and his henchmen just escaped like cowards when they saw the peke!"
"I don't think so!" replied a voice from the top of the trees.
They looked up and hissed.
"Macavity" hissed Munkustrap holding Demeter close to him.
Demeter was now shivering hard. She was between Tugger and Munkustrap, gripping to her mate chest.
Alonzo and Pounce put Cassandra, with Misto in her arms, and Tumble behind them.
Macavity smiled evilly.
"I'm impressed with your ability" said Macavity to Tugger.
"Unfortunately you can't use it against this" he added.
Before anyone could act, Macavity threw a crystal ball in front of them.
When the crystal hit the ground a cloud of smoke surrounded the jellicles.
Marguerita felt her eyelids becoming heavy. Tugger collapsed on the ground still holding her.
At their side both Munkustrap and Demeter collapsed still in each other arms.
Then all went black.
Hope you will enjoy it!
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