Altaica's STory-Part 10-Missing
Author's note-Well...the usual...Alta, Ocenir, Sarge, Trista, and Engle are mine, Ruffles and Truffles belong to L and Mell, and...well....just...enjoy!-Amber
Alta leaned on a makeshift half-crutch, gazing out of the pipe longingly. Since she had become mobile, her care had been turned over to Jellylorum and Jennyanydots, and she missed having "doctors" her own age to talk to. Besides, the older queens always worried more. Bed rest didn't suit the slender queen, and all she did now was watch the others go about their lives.
She sighed and leaned against the edge of the pipe. Recovery was so.... tedious. Nobody stopped by after awhile, and when she asked for a mirror, the Nurses refused to give her one. That only got her more depressed. Winter was coming, she had her face smashed in like a dented aluminum can, and at the rate she was going she wouldn't get out of this pipe until she was at least as old as Jennyanydots.
"Dearie! Stay away from the door!" it was Jellylorum.
"Yes, Jelly," Alta replied listlessly. The Nurse turned away, Alta noticed as she looked back. Almost as if she couldn't bear looking at her.
Tears started down Alta's cheeks as she determinedly walked out of the pipe and began scaling the junkpile, unbeknownst to anyone below. If they didn't want her....find, they could have it their way, she decided, plopping down onto a discarded mattress with a sigh. She'd just....rest for awhile....
"MISTOFFELEES!!!!" came Jellylorum's cry from the pipe. He panicked, thinking that something might be wrong with their patient, and raced over.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Alta's gone!!!!!!" Jennyanydots cried. Misto stiffened.
"She's dead?"
"NO! She's GONE! Left! Missing! I don't know what, but she isn't here!" Jelly cried.
Misto's eyes widened. That was worse than dead, he thought as he sped off in search of Munkustrap.
The silver tabby had been resting the Old Ford when the smaller tuxedo came speeding up. "MUNKUSTRAP!"
Munkus sat straight up, hitting his head on the underside of the dashboard. He poked his head out, annoyed. "What IS it, Mistoffelees? Is it so important that I almost got a concussion?"
"Alta's gone!"
"She's WHAT?" the tabby cried, leaping out of the car.
"Jellylorum and Jennyanydots were watching her, and she was thee...but now she isn't!"
Munkustrap tensed visibly. "Search parties immediately, search the park, areas near Macavity's apartment, anywhere else they can think of. She can't be gone for too long, not in her condition...."
Misto nodded and scurried off. Munkustrap sighed and set out on his own, checking choice places around the Junkyard.
It was dark when they called off the search. They had been unsuccessful, and nobody thought to look through the junkpiles.
The tribe was gathering around the Tire as Alta continued her climb, wanting to seek solace in the moon. She felt ugly, stupid, unfit. Damn Engle! She thought bitterly for the first time in months. Life had a way of coming along and slapping you in the face when you least expected it, and Engle had always been that nasty little hand to slap her.
She reached her destination, a ragged old armchair set on the very tip of the northern junkpile. She nestled into it, leaning her crutch against the arm, pulling her raggedy blanket around her securely as the moon rose in the sky.
Standing on the Tire, Munkustrap called the meeting of the tribe to whatever order they could manage. Ruffles and Truffles were driving everyone insane, asking for "Auntie Altie". Ocenir, Misto, and Munkus were beside themselves, and Demeter and Bomba had broken down in tears. Looking at the array of basket cases, the rest of the Tribe was clearly puzzled.
Munkustrap sighed. "This afternoon, at about three-thirty p.m., Altaica was discovered to be missing from the recovery area, which was supervised by Jellylorum and Jennyanydots. Search parties scoured the immediate vicinity and Alta's usual Junkyard spots, but by nightfall we turned nothing up. Alta is presumed dead, merely because of the delicacy of her condition," he said, staring at a point above the Tribe's heads. He slid to his knees on the tire, his head in his hands, while the Tribe burst into an absolute uproar.
On the junkpile, Alta cast a glance over her shoulder as the tumult broke out below. A tear shimmered on her cheek before falling, falling in perfect form, to rest gently on her leg. Let them have their fun...it's not like they cared, she thought bitterly as she turned back to the moon.
When the confusion had died down, Misto shook his head. Ocenir noticed, of course...he noticed everything.
"What's wrong, Misto?"
Still shaking his head slowly, Misto looked up at the larger patchworked tom. "You don't think she seriously believed what she said, do you?" he asked.
Ocenir was puzzled. "She said a lot of thing. Which one are we talking about here?"
"'Sometimes, that's all you live for. To die.' You don't think that she....wanted to die, do you?"
Ocenir sighed and looked out over the northern junkpile. He almost thought that someone was sitting up there, but he blinked and it was gone. "I don't know. You never could tell with Alta...she'd say one thing and mean another, merely to see if you were paying attention. It was one of her little mind games...."
"Little mind games?" Misto was clearly puzzled. The only Alta he had known was the sweet, kind Alta....and, of course, her counterpart...the feline she became in a fight. He shuddered, remembering the pure rage that had taken over her eyes during those fights.
Ocenir sighed and scratched at an ear. "You didn't know her like I did, Misto. She's so complex....was so complex, I mean. A psychiatrist would have loved to figure out how her mind worked. She would say or do one thing and mean for you to see that it was something different. She could do anything, and the only problem with that was that she thought that she was invincible." He laughed suddenly. "But it was the little things that made her Altaica...."
"Like what?" asked Munkustrap, joining the two. Ocenir grinned.
"Like how she would care for anyone and anything, as long as it was alive. I remember one time, back home, there was this little bluejay that broke a wing and was hobbling down the street looking all pathetic. The door guards had already divvied him up, but Alta ran forward and grabbed the poor thing, to take him back to her cell."
"Her cell?" Misto thought that it was merely a figure of speech, but started when Ocenir nodded.
"Her cell. Bars in the door, cement floor, pathetic little cot."
Munkus shuddered. Misto asked quietly, "What happened to the bird?"
"Oh, she gave it to Trista...Trista was the healer, and they let it out again the next week."
They were silent again for a time, Ocenir staring at the stars, Munkus at the ground, Misto at nothing in particular. Then, Misto started chuckling softly. The other two cast worried glances at him, and he held up a paw.
"I was just remembering the day that she let Ruffles and Truffles bleach you, Munkus...."
Munkus growled softly. "That wasn't funny...." Not only had Alta given the kits permission to bleach the silver tabby, she had helped.
Ruffles and Truffles came trotting over. Ocenir half-wondered if Truffles knew about the sawdust all over her back, and decided that she did.
"What're we doing, y'all?" Truffles asked.
"And where's Auntie Altie?" Ruffles asked, peeking around Misto.
Ocenir cleared his throat and glanced at Munkus, who was at a loss for words. Misto was busy trying to keep Ruffles from cutting his tail off.
"Well...you see...we don't know where she is, exactly....she's missing."
"An' why aren't y'all looking for our Auntie Altie?" Truffles asked, indignant.
Munkus sighed. "We think that she's dead...."
Truffles burst into tears. "Sh-sh-sh-she always let us hit people with stiiiiiiiicks!!!!"
Ruffles frowned and whacked Truffles over the head. "I always let myself hit YOU with sticks, Truffles..."
"It isn't the saaaaaaame, y'all!"
"She let us bleach Munkustrap!!! And torture Tugger! And paint Alonzo gold!!!"
Misto snickered when they mentioned Munkustrap's ambush. The silver tabby hung his head and groaned. Ruffles looked up and grinned evilly.
"Awwww, Uncie Monkey, you looked GOOD as an Albino!!!"
Munkustrap sighed. On a normal day, he would be annoyed at the kit's antics (and at them calling him Uncie Monkey) but today...well, he'd just ignore it. He lay down, placing his head on his paws. Demeter came over then, running at a shockingly fast speed.
She burst into the small circle. "Munkus! I just heard! Did you find her?"
Munkus shook his head without lifting it from his paws. Demi knew what it meant, to be missing in this cold in her condition. She let out a strangled cry and sank to her knees. "She was the only one who ever knew how I felt.....this place is going to be so EMPTY...." She said softly, looking around blankly.
Ocenir just stared bleakly and Misto nodded. Munkus rubbed the slender queen's back until her breathing slowed. As she sat back, Ruffles and Truffles peered around at her in confusion.
"Why iz y'all crying, y'all?"
"Auntie Altie'll be back!!!!!"
The older cats glanced at each other over the kits heads. Just five minutes ago, the two had understood that Alta was never coming back. Why were they....?
Munkus wasn't that great with the kits. "Ruff, Truff, Altaica won't be coming back..."
Ruffles glared at him. "Two things. First of all, don't call us Ruff and Truff, or you might be making friends with another bleach bottle."
Munkustrap gulped, and Truffles picked up where Ruffles left off. "And we KNOW that, we're trying to make them FEEL better, you eejit!"
Munkustrap blinked. "Right. I knew that."
Misto and Demeter snickered softly, but Ocenir stood up. They thought they knew her, but they didn't....
"Guys, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Munkus, search tomorrow morning?"
Munkustrap nodded. "She should have a proper burial, at least."
Ocenir stiffened slightly. "Right. I'll see you all tomorrow...." He turned and, for some unknown reason, walked toward the northern junkpile.
Alta had been watching them for ages, them and the moon. Now, she sighed and looked down at the trash around her. She had no idea how she had gotten up here and no idea how she would get down...something reflected the moonlight near her feet. She reached down and snagged the shard of mirror, holding it loosely in her hands.
"And now...the moment of truth..." she muttered to herself. Taking a deep breath, she flicked the mirror toward her face, using the moon's rays for light.
She frowned. Yellowing bruises dotted her face and lined her still-sore jaw, which, she noticed, Misto had done a good job of fixing. He cheekbone was a little messed up and he smile went crooked, but overall she couldn't see why Jelly and Jenny refused to let her see a mirror. After all, she mused, I've been worse.
She threw the mirror away from her, wincing as she heard it shatter. Does the seven years bad luck rule apply to an already broken mirror?
Ocenir was halfway up the junkpile when he paused. He'd seen some motion near the top, something bright being flung away from a ratty armchair. He paused, wondering if he should turn back, but he continued onward, quickening his pace a little as the cold night air bit into his skin. It was colder up here than below, the junkpiles sheltered the small main Yard. He shivered as the wind picked up again, hoping that the chair would have at least one small blanket.
Alta shivered when the wind picked up and curled tighter in her blanket. She sat up straight, however, when a shooting star streaked across the sky. She closed her eyes, feeling almost as though she were a kitten again, and made a wish. Although, she thought wryly to herself, she didn't hurt this much before she was in Engle's lair as a kitten....
She froze when she heard a footstep on an old television set nearby. She swiftly hunkered down into the blankets, hiding almost completely beneath it. Only the tip of her tail showed, and that didn't matter, since both it and the blanket were black.
Ocenir paused before the chair, remembering the day that he and Alta had figured out the way up. Sighing, he picked up the blanket....and stopped, staring.
Alta jumped when she felt the blanket being whipped off of her, and she guiltily opened one blue eye. She frowned when she saw Ocenir's shocked expression.
"'Ayve you evah 'ad ta put up wit dos two nursin' yas? It's enough ta make a cat go crazy, it is..."
His jaw dropped, and he gathered her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank Bast you're all right...." He said, his voice muffled now that his nose was buried in her fur.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, why wouldn't I be all right?"
He pulled back slightly. "Everyone thinks that you're dead?"
"WHA?"
He told her the whole story, and when he was done, she had a guilty, although lopsided, grin on her face.
"I didn' know dat dey'd flip like dat!"
He shrugged. "Do you want to go back down?" he asked, wrapping the blanket tighter around her.
She looked up as another star shot across the sky. "No, not yet," she whispered, resting her head against his massive chest. "Not while the stars are falling...."
Sure enough, a regular shower of shooting stars was starting up. He rested his head on top of hers, and they watched the silvery lights arch across the sky, silent. Just savoring each other's presence.
Ocenir and Alta went back down as the sun peeked over the horizon, waking Misto and Munkus as Alta stumbled on her crutch.
"Ocenir?" Munkus mumbled, rolling over.
Misto squinted. "ALTA?"
That woke everyone up, and, recovering or not, she was soon covered in a heap of furry bodies. "AHHHHH! HEEEEEELP!!!"
Ruffles and Truffles marched through, parting the crowd like the Red Sea. They stood before Alta, Ruffles with her arms cross, Truffles chasing her own tail.
Ruffles spoke up. "You had us worried!" she said accusingly.
"Uncie Monkey liiiiiiied, Auntie Altie, he said you were all deadified!!!"
Alta laughed and mouthed at Munkustrap, 'Uncie Monkey?'. He shrugged.
She turned to the kits. "Nah, I wouldn' go an do a stupid ting like dat...."
Truffles frowned. 'But how can we be suuuuuuuure?"
"Sure o' what?"
"That you aren't from beyond the grave!" Ruffles said impatiently.
Alta thought for a minute and cast a wicked grin at Munkustrap. Turning back to the kits, she said "Got some bleach?"
They nodded, and then, the three turned to face Munkustrap.
The color drained from his face and he slowly began backing away. "Now, Alta, you know you don't want to...."
"GET 'IM, YOU TWOS!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Author's note-Well...the usual...Alta, Ocenir, Sarge, Trista, and Engle are mine, Ruffles and Truffles belong to L and Mell, and...well....just...enjoy!-Amber
Alta leaned on a makeshift half-crutch, gazing out of the pipe longingly. Since she had become mobile, her care had been turned over to Jellylorum and Jennyanydots, and she missed having "doctors" her own age to talk to. Besides, the older queens always worried more. Bed rest didn't suit the slender queen, and all she did now was watch the others go about their lives.
She sighed and leaned against the edge of the pipe. Recovery was so.... tedious. Nobody stopped by after awhile, and when she asked for a mirror, the Nurses refused to give her one. That only got her more depressed. Winter was coming, she had her face smashed in like a dented aluminum can, and at the rate she was going she wouldn't get out of this pipe until she was at least as old as Jennyanydots.
"Dearie! Stay away from the door!" it was Jellylorum.
"Yes, Jelly," Alta replied listlessly. The Nurse turned away, Alta noticed as she looked back. Almost as if she couldn't bear looking at her.
Tears started down Alta's cheeks as she determinedly walked out of the pipe and began scaling the junkpile, unbeknownst to anyone below. If they didn't want her....find, they could have it their way, she decided, plopping down onto a discarded mattress with a sigh. She'd just....rest for awhile....
"MISTOFFELEES!!!!" came Jellylorum's cry from the pipe. He panicked, thinking that something might be wrong with their patient, and raced over.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Alta's gone!!!!!!" Jennyanydots cried. Misto stiffened.
"She's dead?"
"NO! She's GONE! Left! Missing! I don't know what, but she isn't here!" Jelly cried.
Misto's eyes widened. That was worse than dead, he thought as he sped off in search of Munkustrap.
The silver tabby had been resting the Old Ford when the smaller tuxedo came speeding up. "MUNKUSTRAP!"
Munkus sat straight up, hitting his head on the underside of the dashboard. He poked his head out, annoyed. "What IS it, Mistoffelees? Is it so important that I almost got a concussion?"
"Alta's gone!"
"She's WHAT?" the tabby cried, leaping out of the car.
"Jellylorum and Jennyanydots were watching her, and she was thee...but now she isn't!"
Munkustrap tensed visibly. "Search parties immediately, search the park, areas near Macavity's apartment, anywhere else they can think of. She can't be gone for too long, not in her condition...."
Misto nodded and scurried off. Munkustrap sighed and set out on his own, checking choice places around the Junkyard.
It was dark when they called off the search. They had been unsuccessful, and nobody thought to look through the junkpiles.
The tribe was gathering around the Tire as Alta continued her climb, wanting to seek solace in the moon. She felt ugly, stupid, unfit. Damn Engle! She thought bitterly for the first time in months. Life had a way of coming along and slapping you in the face when you least expected it, and Engle had always been that nasty little hand to slap her.
She reached her destination, a ragged old armchair set on the very tip of the northern junkpile. She nestled into it, leaning her crutch against the arm, pulling her raggedy blanket around her securely as the moon rose in the sky.
Standing on the Tire, Munkustrap called the meeting of the tribe to whatever order they could manage. Ruffles and Truffles were driving everyone insane, asking for "Auntie Altie". Ocenir, Misto, and Munkus were beside themselves, and Demeter and Bomba had broken down in tears. Looking at the array of basket cases, the rest of the Tribe was clearly puzzled.
Munkustrap sighed. "This afternoon, at about three-thirty p.m., Altaica was discovered to be missing from the recovery area, which was supervised by Jellylorum and Jennyanydots. Search parties scoured the immediate vicinity and Alta's usual Junkyard spots, but by nightfall we turned nothing up. Alta is presumed dead, merely because of the delicacy of her condition," he said, staring at a point above the Tribe's heads. He slid to his knees on the tire, his head in his hands, while the Tribe burst into an absolute uproar.
On the junkpile, Alta cast a glance over her shoulder as the tumult broke out below. A tear shimmered on her cheek before falling, falling in perfect form, to rest gently on her leg. Let them have their fun...it's not like they cared, she thought bitterly as she turned back to the moon.
When the confusion had died down, Misto shook his head. Ocenir noticed, of course...he noticed everything.
"What's wrong, Misto?"
Still shaking his head slowly, Misto looked up at the larger patchworked tom. "You don't think she seriously believed what she said, do you?" he asked.
Ocenir was puzzled. "She said a lot of thing. Which one are we talking about here?"
"'Sometimes, that's all you live for. To die.' You don't think that she....wanted to die, do you?"
Ocenir sighed and looked out over the northern junkpile. He almost thought that someone was sitting up there, but he blinked and it was gone. "I don't know. You never could tell with Alta...she'd say one thing and mean another, merely to see if you were paying attention. It was one of her little mind games...."
"Little mind games?" Misto was clearly puzzled. The only Alta he had known was the sweet, kind Alta....and, of course, her counterpart...the feline she became in a fight. He shuddered, remembering the pure rage that had taken over her eyes during those fights.
Ocenir sighed and scratched at an ear. "You didn't know her like I did, Misto. She's so complex....was so complex, I mean. A psychiatrist would have loved to figure out how her mind worked. She would say or do one thing and mean for you to see that it was something different. She could do anything, and the only problem with that was that she thought that she was invincible." He laughed suddenly. "But it was the little things that made her Altaica...."
"Like what?" asked Munkustrap, joining the two. Ocenir grinned.
"Like how she would care for anyone and anything, as long as it was alive. I remember one time, back home, there was this little bluejay that broke a wing and was hobbling down the street looking all pathetic. The door guards had already divvied him up, but Alta ran forward and grabbed the poor thing, to take him back to her cell."
"Her cell?" Misto thought that it was merely a figure of speech, but started when Ocenir nodded.
"Her cell. Bars in the door, cement floor, pathetic little cot."
Munkus shuddered. Misto asked quietly, "What happened to the bird?"
"Oh, she gave it to Trista...Trista was the healer, and they let it out again the next week."
They were silent again for a time, Ocenir staring at the stars, Munkus at the ground, Misto at nothing in particular. Then, Misto started chuckling softly. The other two cast worried glances at him, and he held up a paw.
"I was just remembering the day that she let Ruffles and Truffles bleach you, Munkus...."
Munkus growled softly. "That wasn't funny...." Not only had Alta given the kits permission to bleach the silver tabby, she had helped.
Ruffles and Truffles came trotting over. Ocenir half-wondered if Truffles knew about the sawdust all over her back, and decided that she did.
"What're we doing, y'all?" Truffles asked.
"And where's Auntie Altie?" Ruffles asked, peeking around Misto.
Ocenir cleared his throat and glanced at Munkus, who was at a loss for words. Misto was busy trying to keep Ruffles from cutting his tail off.
"Well...you see...we don't know where she is, exactly....she's missing."
"An' why aren't y'all looking for our Auntie Altie?" Truffles asked, indignant.
Munkus sighed. "We think that she's dead...."
Truffles burst into tears. "Sh-sh-sh-she always let us hit people with stiiiiiiiicks!!!!"
Ruffles frowned and whacked Truffles over the head. "I always let myself hit YOU with sticks, Truffles..."
"It isn't the saaaaaaame, y'all!"
"She let us bleach Munkustrap!!! And torture Tugger! And paint Alonzo gold!!!"
Misto snickered when they mentioned Munkustrap's ambush. The silver tabby hung his head and groaned. Ruffles looked up and grinned evilly.
"Awwww, Uncie Monkey, you looked GOOD as an Albino!!!"
Munkustrap sighed. On a normal day, he would be annoyed at the kit's antics (and at them calling him Uncie Monkey) but today...well, he'd just ignore it. He lay down, placing his head on his paws. Demeter came over then, running at a shockingly fast speed.
She burst into the small circle. "Munkus! I just heard! Did you find her?"
Munkus shook his head without lifting it from his paws. Demi knew what it meant, to be missing in this cold in her condition. She let out a strangled cry and sank to her knees. "She was the only one who ever knew how I felt.....this place is going to be so EMPTY...." She said softly, looking around blankly.
Ocenir just stared bleakly and Misto nodded. Munkus rubbed the slender queen's back until her breathing slowed. As she sat back, Ruffles and Truffles peered around at her in confusion.
"Why iz y'all crying, y'all?"
"Auntie Altie'll be back!!!!!"
The older cats glanced at each other over the kits heads. Just five minutes ago, the two had understood that Alta was never coming back. Why were they....?
Munkus wasn't that great with the kits. "Ruff, Truff, Altaica won't be coming back..."
Ruffles glared at him. "Two things. First of all, don't call us Ruff and Truff, or you might be making friends with another bleach bottle."
Munkustrap gulped, and Truffles picked up where Ruffles left off. "And we KNOW that, we're trying to make them FEEL better, you eejit!"
Munkustrap blinked. "Right. I knew that."
Misto and Demeter snickered softly, but Ocenir stood up. They thought they knew her, but they didn't....
"Guys, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Munkus, search tomorrow morning?"
Munkustrap nodded. "She should have a proper burial, at least."
Ocenir stiffened slightly. "Right. I'll see you all tomorrow...." He turned and, for some unknown reason, walked toward the northern junkpile.
Alta had been watching them for ages, them and the moon. Now, she sighed and looked down at the trash around her. She had no idea how she had gotten up here and no idea how she would get down...something reflected the moonlight near her feet. She reached down and snagged the shard of mirror, holding it loosely in her hands.
"And now...the moment of truth..." she muttered to herself. Taking a deep breath, she flicked the mirror toward her face, using the moon's rays for light.
She frowned. Yellowing bruises dotted her face and lined her still-sore jaw, which, she noticed, Misto had done a good job of fixing. He cheekbone was a little messed up and he smile went crooked, but overall she couldn't see why Jelly and Jenny refused to let her see a mirror. After all, she mused, I've been worse.
She threw the mirror away from her, wincing as she heard it shatter. Does the seven years bad luck rule apply to an already broken mirror?
Ocenir was halfway up the junkpile when he paused. He'd seen some motion near the top, something bright being flung away from a ratty armchair. He paused, wondering if he should turn back, but he continued onward, quickening his pace a little as the cold night air bit into his skin. It was colder up here than below, the junkpiles sheltered the small main Yard. He shivered as the wind picked up again, hoping that the chair would have at least one small blanket.
Alta shivered when the wind picked up and curled tighter in her blanket. She sat up straight, however, when a shooting star streaked across the sky. She closed her eyes, feeling almost as though she were a kitten again, and made a wish. Although, she thought wryly to herself, she didn't hurt this much before she was in Engle's lair as a kitten....
She froze when she heard a footstep on an old television set nearby. She swiftly hunkered down into the blankets, hiding almost completely beneath it. Only the tip of her tail showed, and that didn't matter, since both it and the blanket were black.
Ocenir paused before the chair, remembering the day that he and Alta had figured out the way up. Sighing, he picked up the blanket....and stopped, staring.
Alta jumped when she felt the blanket being whipped off of her, and she guiltily opened one blue eye. She frowned when she saw Ocenir's shocked expression.
"'Ayve you evah 'ad ta put up wit dos two nursin' yas? It's enough ta make a cat go crazy, it is..."
His jaw dropped, and he gathered her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank Bast you're all right...." He said, his voice muffled now that his nose was buried in her fur.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, why wouldn't I be all right?"
He pulled back slightly. "Everyone thinks that you're dead?"
"WHA?"
He told her the whole story, and when he was done, she had a guilty, although lopsided, grin on her face.
"I didn' know dat dey'd flip like dat!"
He shrugged. "Do you want to go back down?" he asked, wrapping the blanket tighter around her.
She looked up as another star shot across the sky. "No, not yet," she whispered, resting her head against his massive chest. "Not while the stars are falling...."
Sure enough, a regular shower of shooting stars was starting up. He rested his head on top of hers, and they watched the silvery lights arch across the sky, silent. Just savoring each other's presence.
Ocenir and Alta went back down as the sun peeked over the horizon, waking Misto and Munkus as Alta stumbled on her crutch.
"Ocenir?" Munkus mumbled, rolling over.
Misto squinted. "ALTA?"
That woke everyone up, and, recovering or not, she was soon covered in a heap of furry bodies. "AHHHHH! HEEEEEELP!!!"
Ruffles and Truffles marched through, parting the crowd like the Red Sea. They stood before Alta, Ruffles with her arms cross, Truffles chasing her own tail.
Ruffles spoke up. "You had us worried!" she said accusingly.
"Uncie Monkey liiiiiiied, Auntie Altie, he said you were all deadified!!!"
Alta laughed and mouthed at Munkustrap, 'Uncie Monkey?'. He shrugged.
She turned to the kits. "Nah, I wouldn' go an do a stupid ting like dat...."
Truffles frowned. 'But how can we be suuuuuuuure?"
"Sure o' what?"
"That you aren't from beyond the grave!" Ruffles said impatiently.
Alta thought for a minute and cast a wicked grin at Munkustrap. Turning back to the kits, she said "Got some bleach?"
They nodded, and then, the three turned to face Munkustrap.
The color drained from his face and he slowly began backing away. "Now, Alta, you know you don't want to...."
"GET 'IM, YOU TWOS!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"