BOOK II:
The Diamond in the Rough
Sabregata was all alone now. It wasn't her fault---she knew that for
a fact. She could have stayed if only Sebastian hadn't gotten drunk again.
He was doing that a lot lately---going to the pub and drinking whatever
the humans spilled on the floor. The owner only let Seb in because he was
a good mouser. After he caught a few mice, he would get drunk, come home,
and smack Sabre around.
That night, she had had enough. Before Seb came home, Sabre left without a trace. She swore to herself she would never return to that horrid life.
There was another reason Sabre left. She had the healing touch. If any cat was sick or hurt, all she had to do was place her magical paw on the cat's body, concentrate on the healing process, and the cat would be magically healed. Because Seb would come home sick from drinking, Sabre would have to heal him. If she didn't, he would hit her.
Up the street, Sabre saw a junkyard: "O good! I can sleep there with no problems."
As she slowly walked in, she was stopped abruptly by a large black and orange tom. "Who," he sneered, "are you?"
"Don't mess with me, all right," Sabre gave him a cold stare. "I've taken down pollicles ten times your size. I just need a place to sleep and then I'll be outta your fur."
"Ohoo! Feisty!" The tom smiled. "They call me The Rum Tum Tugger. Tell me YOUR name, and I might convince the others to let you stay."
"They call me Sabregata," she replied. "Who are these 'others' you're talking about?"
"The Jellicle Tribe. If they like you, maybe you can join. Then, you'll always have a place to stay."
Tugger led Sabre into the junkyard where she was met by at least a couple of dozen cats. Although the kittens seem friendly and curious about Sabre, she immediately noticed resentment from some of the older queens. "Wait here," he told her. "I'll go talk to Old Deuteronomy---see if he'll let you stay."
"So, where'd Tugger pick you up at? Some back alley pub?" Etcetera scorned. She hated it when Tugger was around other females.
"Etcetera! Is that any way to treat a guest?" Bombalurina broke in. "Don't let her get to you. She just gets jealous sometimes. What's your name?"
"Sabregata. I was just looking for a place to sleep. I'm sooo tired!"
"There's a nice soft pillow over there by the stove," Jennyanydots piped up. "Why don't you go lay down and you can meet everybody in the morning."
The next morning, Sabre awoke to a crowd of curious kittens all around her. "They're gonna let you stay!" Ignatesa, the little red queen of Victoria's, shouted. "Isn't that great!"
"We just got the message from Ol' D," her sister, Ayanazayan, squealed. "He wants to talk to you. He's over by the Old Ford. You'd better hurry!"
"Tesa! Ayan! Get over here now and quit bothering her!" Plato shouted.
"Yes, Father!" they both called back.
Sabre walked over to the rusted out vehicle and saw an old, gray tom sitting there. "That must be Ol' D," she thought. But whom were the two young black toms walking towards him. Their eyes shined and glittered like hers did. Sabre concluded that these cats must be magical like she was.
"Good morning, Sabregata," Ol' D said calmly. "Morph, Misto. All three of you must be wondering why I called you here this morning."
"Does it have anything to do with the secret you're keeping from us?" Morph, the jet-black cat with one green eye and one blue eye, asked.
"It has everything to do with it," Ol' D explained. Three years ago today, when you and Misto were barely two weeks old, your sister disappeared. That little queen was Sabregata. She stands here before you today."
Sabre's, Morph's, and Misto's jaws dropped. All three were silent for what seemed like an eternity while the news sunk in.
"You mean to tell me that these two are my brothers?" Sabre finally questioned.
"Yes. It's part of an incredible secret. A secret I've kept since all of you were born. I will tell you everything when the time is right."
"Why can't you tell us now?" Sabre asked him.
"Because it is not time. Soon you will understand why," Ol' D left without another word.
Sabre spent the next few weeks bonding with her newly found family. Morph and Misto even taught her some new magic such as mind-speak and disappearing into thin air. She also got to know Tugger better. She found out that the elders considered him a little trashy. To Sabre he was a diamond in the rough. She didn't know it, but that's how Tugger viewed her. Best of all Sabre, Bom, and Demeter became best friends. The three of them were inseparable.
The night before the Full Moon Celebration (the tribe has a party every full moon), Tugger was acting kind of strange. "Sabre, how would you---- No. Miss Sabregata. I would be honored if-----NO! This will never work."
"What's this? The Rum Tum Tugger rehearsing how to ask out a queen? But why? You'll find a new one tomorrow." Demeter had just walked in.
"Shut up, Dem!" Tugger nearly screamed in her face. "Sabre's different, all right. She may be rough around the edges, but I've never met a queen as nice as her. Those sparkling gold eyes----that wild orange-calico fur--- -the way her nose is pushed in, like a Persian, but not quite that far in. She always laughs at my jokes, yet she's the only cat here that will take me seriously----the way her melodic voice---"
"Oh my!" Dem cut him off. "You're in love." With that she ran off.
Sabre was rooting through the trash looking for food when Dem came running up. "Sabre! You'll---never guess---what I----found----out!"
"Demeter. Calm down. Catch your breath and then tell me what the big news is."
"Tugger's in love! I never thought it could happen but it did!"
"Street Trash! In love!" Jellyorum was sunning herself on an old tire nearby. "HA! That'll be the day!"
"It's true!" Dem cried, "and you'll never guess who with!"
By this time there was a whole crowd of queens pleading with Dem to tell them who's Tugger in love with.
"It's Sabregata," came Demeter's reply. "Tugger's in love with Sabre. He wants to ask you to The Full Moon Celebration."
I---I can't believe it, Sabre thought. I know we're good friends and that he rescued me from the streets, but I didn't even realize his feelings ran this deep!
Tugger eventually worked up the nerve to ask Sabre out. They went to the Full Moon Celebration and had a blast. Tugger and Sabre couldn't keep away from each other all night long until----------------
"MACAVITY!!!" came the cry from Demeter. Everyone scattered (like sheep?), but Macavity wasn't there. Instead, a mangy, staggering, Norwegian Forest Cat entered the Junkyard.
"Sabre? SABRE!?" the drunken tom croaked.
"Who's he?" whispered Skimble from under a chair.
"Sabre, do you know him?" came the whispered demand from Tugger.
"SABRE!" the tom yelled again. "Ya git yer arse out here now and I'll forgive ya fer leavin' me!"
Sabre suddenly jumped from her hiding place. "I will NEVER go back to my old life with you, Sebastian! You get drunk, come out here and expect me to go back to a life where you'll just smack me around some more! I'm staying here with Tugger. He treats me with the respect I deserve!" Her voice was cold and harsh.
"Why you little whore!" Seb raised his paw to smack her, but she dodged his blow. "You probably found him in the gutter. That's where you belong!" He finally succeeded in clawing her.
"DON'T YOU LAY A PAW ON HER!!!!" Tugger ran out and tackled the drunken Sebastian to the ground. The fight went on for what seemed like an eternity. A thick cloud of dust arose until neither tom could be seen. When the dust settled, Seb limped out of The Junkyard leaving a trail of blood. Tugger's body lay lifeless on the ground, bruised and bloodied.
All the Jellicles were silent as Sabre wept over Tugger. "Why? You were the only tom I've ever really cared for. I," she placed one of her healing paws on him as her voice cracked, "I love you Tugger----I always have---- ever since we first met."
A feeble moan came out of Tugger. "ahhh--------Are you all right, Sabre? Did he hurt you?"
"You're alive!" Tears of pain turned to joy in Sabre's eyes. She smothered him in nuzzles and tended to his wounds. Both of them knew that they were destined to be together at that very moment.
Miraculously, Tugger quickly recovered without a single scar. Within a few weeks, he was back on his feet. Soon after his recovery, Sabre came in with some news.
"Tugger, I have wonderful news," she said. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father."
Tugger's reaction could be heard all the way from Vicarage Wall to Totnam Court: "YES!!!! MY BOYS CAN SWIM!!!!"
That night, she had had enough. Before Seb came home, Sabre left without a trace. She swore to herself she would never return to that horrid life.
There was another reason Sabre left. She had the healing touch. If any cat was sick or hurt, all she had to do was place her magical paw on the cat's body, concentrate on the healing process, and the cat would be magically healed. Because Seb would come home sick from drinking, Sabre would have to heal him. If she didn't, he would hit her.
Up the street, Sabre saw a junkyard: "O good! I can sleep there with no problems."
As she slowly walked in, she was stopped abruptly by a large black and orange tom. "Who," he sneered, "are you?"
"Don't mess with me, all right," Sabre gave him a cold stare. "I've taken down pollicles ten times your size. I just need a place to sleep and then I'll be outta your fur."
"Ohoo! Feisty!" The tom smiled. "They call me The Rum Tum Tugger. Tell me YOUR name, and I might convince the others to let you stay."
"They call me Sabregata," she replied. "Who are these 'others' you're talking about?"
"The Jellicle Tribe. If they like you, maybe you can join. Then, you'll always have a place to stay."
Tugger led Sabre into the junkyard where she was met by at least a couple of dozen cats. Although the kittens seem friendly and curious about Sabre, she immediately noticed resentment from some of the older queens. "Wait here," he told her. "I'll go talk to Old Deuteronomy---see if he'll let you stay."
"So, where'd Tugger pick you up at? Some back alley pub?" Etcetera scorned. She hated it when Tugger was around other females.
"Etcetera! Is that any way to treat a guest?" Bombalurina broke in. "Don't let her get to you. She just gets jealous sometimes. What's your name?"
"Sabregata. I was just looking for a place to sleep. I'm sooo tired!"
"There's a nice soft pillow over there by the stove," Jennyanydots piped up. "Why don't you go lay down and you can meet everybody in the morning."
The next morning, Sabre awoke to a crowd of curious kittens all around her. "They're gonna let you stay!" Ignatesa, the little red queen of Victoria's, shouted. "Isn't that great!"
"We just got the message from Ol' D," her sister, Ayanazayan, squealed. "He wants to talk to you. He's over by the Old Ford. You'd better hurry!"
"Tesa! Ayan! Get over here now and quit bothering her!" Plato shouted.
"Yes, Father!" they both called back.
Sabre walked over to the rusted out vehicle and saw an old, gray tom sitting there. "That must be Ol' D," she thought. But whom were the two young black toms walking towards him. Their eyes shined and glittered like hers did. Sabre concluded that these cats must be magical like she was.
"Good morning, Sabregata," Ol' D said calmly. "Morph, Misto. All three of you must be wondering why I called you here this morning."
"Does it have anything to do with the secret you're keeping from us?" Morph, the jet-black cat with one green eye and one blue eye, asked.
"It has everything to do with it," Ol' D explained. Three years ago today, when you and Misto were barely two weeks old, your sister disappeared. That little queen was Sabregata. She stands here before you today."
Sabre's, Morph's, and Misto's jaws dropped. All three were silent for what seemed like an eternity while the news sunk in.
"You mean to tell me that these two are my brothers?" Sabre finally questioned.
"Yes. It's part of an incredible secret. A secret I've kept since all of you were born. I will tell you everything when the time is right."
"Why can't you tell us now?" Sabre asked him.
"Because it is not time. Soon you will understand why," Ol' D left without another word.
Sabre spent the next few weeks bonding with her newly found family. Morph and Misto even taught her some new magic such as mind-speak and disappearing into thin air. She also got to know Tugger better. She found out that the elders considered him a little trashy. To Sabre he was a diamond in the rough. She didn't know it, but that's how Tugger viewed her. Best of all Sabre, Bom, and Demeter became best friends. The three of them were inseparable.
The night before the Full Moon Celebration (the tribe has a party every full moon), Tugger was acting kind of strange. "Sabre, how would you---- No. Miss Sabregata. I would be honored if-----NO! This will never work."
"What's this? The Rum Tum Tugger rehearsing how to ask out a queen? But why? You'll find a new one tomorrow." Demeter had just walked in.
"Shut up, Dem!" Tugger nearly screamed in her face. "Sabre's different, all right. She may be rough around the edges, but I've never met a queen as nice as her. Those sparkling gold eyes----that wild orange-calico fur--- -the way her nose is pushed in, like a Persian, but not quite that far in. She always laughs at my jokes, yet she's the only cat here that will take me seriously----the way her melodic voice---"
"Oh my!" Dem cut him off. "You're in love." With that she ran off.
Sabre was rooting through the trash looking for food when Dem came running up. "Sabre! You'll---never guess---what I----found----out!"
"Demeter. Calm down. Catch your breath and then tell me what the big news is."
"Tugger's in love! I never thought it could happen but it did!"
"Street Trash! In love!" Jellyorum was sunning herself on an old tire nearby. "HA! That'll be the day!"
"It's true!" Dem cried, "and you'll never guess who with!"
By this time there was a whole crowd of queens pleading with Dem to tell them who's Tugger in love with.
"It's Sabregata," came Demeter's reply. "Tugger's in love with Sabre. He wants to ask you to The Full Moon Celebration."
I---I can't believe it, Sabre thought. I know we're good friends and that he rescued me from the streets, but I didn't even realize his feelings ran this deep!
Tugger eventually worked up the nerve to ask Sabre out. They went to the Full Moon Celebration and had a blast. Tugger and Sabre couldn't keep away from each other all night long until----------------
"MACAVITY!!!" came the cry from Demeter. Everyone scattered (like sheep?), but Macavity wasn't there. Instead, a mangy, staggering, Norwegian Forest Cat entered the Junkyard.
"Sabre? SABRE!?" the drunken tom croaked.
"Who's he?" whispered Skimble from under a chair.
"Sabre, do you know him?" came the whispered demand from Tugger.
"SABRE!" the tom yelled again. "Ya git yer arse out here now and I'll forgive ya fer leavin' me!"
Sabre suddenly jumped from her hiding place. "I will NEVER go back to my old life with you, Sebastian! You get drunk, come out here and expect me to go back to a life where you'll just smack me around some more! I'm staying here with Tugger. He treats me with the respect I deserve!" Her voice was cold and harsh.
"Why you little whore!" Seb raised his paw to smack her, but she dodged his blow. "You probably found him in the gutter. That's where you belong!" He finally succeeded in clawing her.
"DON'T YOU LAY A PAW ON HER!!!!" Tugger ran out and tackled the drunken Sebastian to the ground. The fight went on for what seemed like an eternity. A thick cloud of dust arose until neither tom could be seen. When the dust settled, Seb limped out of The Junkyard leaving a trail of blood. Tugger's body lay lifeless on the ground, bruised and bloodied.
All the Jellicles were silent as Sabre wept over Tugger. "Why? You were the only tom I've ever really cared for. I," she placed one of her healing paws on him as her voice cracked, "I love you Tugger----I always have---- ever since we first met."
A feeble moan came out of Tugger. "ahhh--------Are you all right, Sabre? Did he hurt you?"
"You're alive!" Tears of pain turned to joy in Sabre's eyes. She smothered him in nuzzles and tended to his wounds. Both of them knew that they were destined to be together at that very moment.
Miraculously, Tugger quickly recovered without a single scar. Within a few weeks, he was back on his feet. Soon after his recovery, Sabre came in with some news.
"Tugger, I have wonderful news," she said. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father."
Tugger's reaction could be heard all the way from Vicarage Wall to Totnam Court: "YES!!!! MY BOYS CAN SWIM!!!!"