~**Chapter Five**~ Teammates or Mortal Enemies?
"He's not here!"
"What?" Victoria asked form the base of the tree. She and Sophanispa were waiting below for Mistofolees to come back from asking his brother for a favor.
"Well," Sophanispa said relieved. She began to whistle absently and wander. "I guess I don't have to stay here then."
"No," Mistofolees contradicted. "I can write him a letter!"
"You can write?" Victoria stammered.
"Of course," he answered rather obviously. "Only Munkustrap and I, in my family anyway, can write but the others can read. I'll write him a note and leave it at the base while Sophanispa sleeps at the top."
"Don't wanna!"
"Oh, come on!" Victoria persuaded. "If he gets mad, say it was our idea."
Eventually, Sophanispa was persuaded to climb into the leafy abyss beyond the branches. She looked down through the leaves at her two new friends and waved. Mistofolees left the note attached to the trunk with magic so the occupant of the tree wouldn't miss it when he returned.
Sophanispa looked around the tree. A large plateau-like floor had been woven with pieces of junk and trash so that the upper region of the tree was like a room and could accommodate a number of things, such as the ratty leather beanbag chair and a worn ottoman, both covered in tufts of golden-tawny fur as if a cat had shed on them. The floor was worn in a few spots, which suggested repetitive contact with a moving thing. She didn't want to inhibit the occupant's sleeping when they arrived so she picked a less worn patch of floor and curled up into a ball to sleep. She jumped several times at noises in the night before she actually fell into sleep. Then the worst began, as it did each night, with her dreams. It was the same thing every time. The half-inflated tire that contained her, the sobbing, the mad roar that seemed to fill her world with fear. She could never understand the dream and never had anyone to ask. The only people she'd been around wouldn't have been any help and relished when she woke crying in the night instead of comforting her.
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As soon as he reached the base of his tree, he knew he shouldn't have left. He could smell that his search had been in vain, for his quarry had passed by earlier. It was then that he saw the white note on the trunk. It clung to the wood as if it were full of static and made a Velcro-like noise when he peeled it off. It was a note addressed to him.
He opened it and read quickly, becoming highly intrigued as he learned of what Mistofolees thought of him. His little brother was basically buttering him up before asking for something. His grin faded a bit when he got to the part about the favor. His quizzical eyebrows took a dive and he looked up at the tree with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
He was planning to spend the night at the base when an idea occurred to him. He quickly scaled the bark and looked around his abode for the golden cat. she lay curled in a corner, trembling.
Curiously, for the word utterly defined him, he crept closer and heard a chilling sound issuing from the small queen. She was mewling and crying in terror, adding to her frightened shaking. He crept as close as he dared, his nose just inches from her trembling shoulder. He placed a paw on her arm and shocked her out of her sleep. She woke with such a start that she rolled over and planted her claws in the floor beside him, her shoulder knocking him over. He landed on his back and rolled until he was lounged on his side like any cat. He propped himself up on an elbow and grinned at her. "You," she seethed. "You had to scare the living moonlight out of me to get even, huh." "I just wanted you to stop crying," he answered arrogantly. "You were already afraid of your dream." "Or maybe it was waking up to your cocky face that frightened me," she spat at him. Tugger (who'd you think it was?) was shocked yet again by her for two reasons. One; just about every single queen in the tribe went nuts at the sight of him and two; she wasn't wearing his collar. She had a silver adorned one, not his flashy gold spikes. "Where's the collar?" he asked a little frantically. She seemed to be the only cat that could send him out of his normal air of seduction. She blushed and then laughed outright. She pulled on the little silver one around her neck and continued to laugh. Tugger's face was completely serious. She looked at him and forced herself to be silent. His mood at the moment reminded her of something she'd left behind and she wanted him to stop being that reminder. "I gave it to Mungojerry and Rumpleteazer," she told him truthfully. He sighed in annoyance and slapped his knee. He moved over to the edge of his home and plopped down into the beanbag. He looked at her for a long while, just staring, almost as if he were posing for a picture. Sophanispa began to squirm as he stared her down. She didn't particularly care if he liked her or not. Not like Etcetera did or even Jemima. But she didn't want him to dislike her either. She wondered how she could fix this problem and decided an apology might be a good start. "Um . . ." she began. "I'm sorry I took your collar. Maybe you could go and ask Rumpleteazer for it." "No," he whispered, his face curving into a gigantic grin. "I have an idea. Since you sound so sorry, and I am so convinced," his sarcasm was thicker than the night air. "You and I are both going to go and get my collar back. Mungojerry and Rumpleteazer are going to experience a little of their own medicine." "I don't think-" she began but Tugger cut her off by sliding down to where she sat and draping an arm around her fragile shoulders. "Think of it," he said, moving his free had about an imaginary horizon. "They'll have tons of stuff there. All I want is my collar but you can take whatever you want. Did they put it on?" "No," she told him, moving away from him so she was sitting a few feet from the edge of the floor. "They put it into a bag and gave me this collar instead." "Tell me," he said. "What did this bag look like?" "I think it was purple," she answered after a moment of thought. "Great," he said enthusiastically. He jumped up and ran down the tree trunk. Sophanispa didn't move. "Come on!" he shouted up at the tree. She looked down at him and smiled. He put his paws on his belt and waited. She tried to go down feet first but couldn't get a hold on the bark. The flooring he'd slapped up there was too far away from the trunk and she couldn't reach with her short legs. She scampered back up and looked out again. Tugger shook his head and climbed back up. "How in the world did you get up here?" he asked her. "Mistofolees helped me up," she told him flatly. "I guess you'll just have to leave me here since I can't get down. Good luck with the collar, I'm going back to sleep." She crawled back to her little spot on the floor and lay down. Tugger grinned and followed her. "I don't think so," he hissed playfully in her ear. Before she could protest, he rolled her up into his arms and over his shoulder. Sliding across the floor and down the trunk, he set her down in the dirt at the base of his tree. She was hissing and sputtering furiously and only fueling his laughter with her anger. "What'dya do that for!?" she exclaimed, finally finding words.
"You got me into this," he told her. "And you're going to help get me out of it."
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"You never told me your name," he whispered as they neared the notorious cats' hideout. They were almost moving in harmony as they hoped over the wrought iron gate that lead to the family on the grove's house. The cats' place was in the backyard of this house and they two intruders rolled to hide under a car.
"Sophanispa," she whispered quietly. They would have to wait for a while because the cats didn't leave until the family slept. The lights in the house were still on.
"So," he began, trying to make conversation to fill the time. "Where are you from? Today is the first time I've ever seen you." 'It's also the first time a young queen hasn't drooled all over me,' he thought to himself.
"I can't tell you everything," she answered. "But I can tell you what it was like. Imagine almost never seeing the sun or the moon because you are cooped up within a cat's domain. Fear of being clobbered for no reason other than the abuser is all nipped up is ever present and no living soul known to you can or will help you." She said all this nonchalantly as she stared out across the neatly trimmed yard.
Tugger, who had been silently scrutinizing her, decided that she was speaking the truth. That would explain her sudden flinching every time someone raised a paw, even to scratch his or her own ear.
"How did you get my collar off so quickly and how come you could move that fast?" Tugger was so full of questions for the golden queen.
She continued to watch for any signs of movement and answered him distantly again, as if she were speaking of someone else. "In addition to profuse eating of catnip, I would have to run errands for this abominable unmentionable, which included fighting or doing exactly what we are attempting to do now. I know my way around the Mungo/Rumple compound probably better than you do."
"Who is this person I keep hearing about," Tugger asked. "They sound like a real blast to be around, especially if you're a defenseless queen the size of a-"
"I am not defenseless!" she cried indignantly. "Quiet! The lights just went out! It'll be any minute now."
They waited in silence, only the sound of their hearts and breaths mingling with the night sounds of crickets and the like.
"I don't see any-"
"Quiet!"
The silhouettes of two figures appeared on the roof of the large house, one a bit smaller than the other. They hopped over to a rose trellis, not making any sound except for the random giggle.
They landed softly on the damp ground and sped across the lawn towards the car. The car under which the intruders were hiding had been broken down for quite some time and the bowels of this car had been scooped out, leaving just a hard shell of cured metal. Tugger caught hold of a cross bar within the shell and pulled himself up into the car. He winked at Sophanispa as she stared up at him in protest and hid a giggle when a cockney accent announced that they had picked up a foreign scent.
"Teaza!" Mungojerry stage whispered. "There be som'mat 'ere! Tek a whif!"
"Smells familia," she answered nonchalantly. "Listen, Jerry. I don't wont ta leave roight this mint. Oi don't wont ta leave our new colla there. Whot if it gets stolen?"
"Teaza," Mungojerry started. "One, on'y cat 'oo knows we 'ave it is'at 'ittle goldie queen. Two, 'f anyone stole it, it'd be 'at fussy tom you 'ooked so 'namored wit earlia todai."
"Don' be so jealous, Jerry," Rumpleteazer exclaimed. "Loik 'at 'ittle 'un sed. You're actin' loik I be you're mate or sum'mat!"
Sophanispa looked up at Tugger. He was splayed across the foundation bars and shaking his maned head with a look of disgust on his face.
"Um . . . no Oi ain't!" Mungojerry protested.
"Don' matta anyways," she told him tartly. "E's me brotha."
"Oh yea, well," Mungojerry began indifferently, about to bring up another argument. He turned back after he realized what she'd said. "E's whot?"
"Me brotha!" she shouted in his face obviously. "Di' ya not 'ear me the fust toim?" She turned around and stalked off toward the hideout. "'At's whoi Oi go'ta stay. 'E won' think not'n of stealin' frum 'is own sista."
"Foin," Mungojerry said forlornly. "Oi'll be beck." He trudged toward the gate a few steps and suddenly perked his head up. As slowly as in a horror film, his head turned to gaze at the broken down car. He suddenly sprinted over to it and dragged Sophanispa out by the arms.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Lemme go! I wasn't doing anything! Lemme go!"
"Whot are ya doin' 'ere!" he asked her furiously. Tugger was trying his best not to laugh lest he give away his position.
"I was only trying to find a place to sleep," she told him innocently. "I don't have any family I'm proud to mention so I thought maybe I could just camp under the car where nothing could really get at me. I didn't mean to move in on your territory, honestly. Please don't throw me out."
'She sounds so sincere," Tugger thought. 'But she's anything but innocent.'
"You cin stay," Mungojerry told her. "But ya go'ta come wit me roight now. Oi can' mek this bust wit'out a second. Ya wan' 'elp?"
"Okay," she answered a little too enthusiastically. She grinned, realizing that Tugger would be on his own to retrieve the collar.
Mungojerry set out without another word. She followed him quickly, glancing back at the car. Tugger gave her a way and waited until the two were out of sight. Now, to contend with his sister.
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Rumpleteazer sat upon a velvet cushion stolen from the old bungalow. She held a glittering object in front of her as she lounged there, not a care in the world except for the object.
"Oi'll 'ave ta cut it down o' course," she said to herself. "It be much too big fo' me."
There was a crash and Rumpleteazer was sent into a flight response in which she rolled off the cushion and under an oak table that had taken days to drag into the hideout. She looked about and suddenly wished Mungojerry was there. She could handle most people but if it were one of the larger toms, she wasn't up to much.
She slowly slinked out from under the table to peek out a window. She couldn't see much due to the bad condition of the window and the velvet thick darkness outside. Cats can see in the dark but not when there is a tom covering the port hole window. Rumpleteazer, forgetting her origin for the moment, only thought that it was too dark for her to see.
She moved back to the cushion and curled into a ball, the collar clutched to her chest. She, unlike most of the cats, didn't wear a collar but a pearl necklace found after Grizabella left the first time. Her mother, Jennyanydots, had disapproved of her the first time she ever knew her.
{FLASHBACK} "You should be lady like, Rumpleteazer." Jennyanydots scolded when Teazer had returned from playing with her brothers. "You shouldn't be gallivanting around with your brothers and getting dirty! Manners! Don't give me that look, young lady . . ."
Her mother shooed her away, never treating her very nicely. She was always acting as if something were wrong with her daughter.
"How will you ever catch a tom if you don't act like a lady?" she asked exasperatedly.
"I don't wanna catch a tom!" Rumpleteazer snorted. (This was before she acquired her cockney accent.)
"That's not what I heard," Tugger hinted as he sauntered along. "You should have seen her with that older tom, Mungojerry."
Rumpleteazer cuffed her older brother and shouted. "He's only my friend! What about you and Bombalurina, huh?"
"There will be none of that, missy," Jenny scolded.
"Damn you and your double standards," Rumpleteazer had shouted. She had left her mother as soon as she was old enough and moved into Victoria Grove with Mungojerry. His human family had been willing to keep her as well, even though she got into as much mischief as her partner in crime.
~back to present~
She thought of the old days and was glad they were over, except for the fact that she didn't know what to do about Mungojerry. She did like him, but like Victoria and her feelings for Mistofolees, she didn't want to lose him as a friend if his feelings weren't the same. She pulled her garters up a bit (the other thing that only she wore) and closed her eyes, preparing to go to sleep, when a tug and a breath of air woke her up. A paw, black with a leopard spotted wrist attached to it, was trying to jimmy the collar from her clutches. Rumpleteazer rolled over on the cushion to find herself face to face with her abominable brother, the Rum Tum Tugger. They were but inches apart, and Rumpleteazer was sure that if she'd been a queen not related to him, he'd have kissed her to get the collar. As it was, he grinned and pulled her arm over, carefully plucking the collar out of her hand. She was so shocked to see him that this was easily done. She snapped out of her stupor as he was nearing the escape hole and took a flying leap at him, landing on his back.
"Give it beck!" she squealed in his ear.
"Yeah, right, kid," he told her, leaning so she tumbled off to the side. "I'm taking it back, if it's all the same to you."
"O' course it ain't!" Rumpleteazer exclaimed, attempting to snatch it again. "'At 'ittle cat got it frum ya, meanin' she cou' keep it. She gave it ta me! It's moine!"
"Sorry, kid," he told her, prying her fingers off his arm. "I'm taking my collar and nothing you can say or do is gonna stop me."
"Foin," she sneered. "Tek it an' see whot Oi do! Oi already know 'ow to roil ya up! Oi'm a cat wit' a plan, brotha!" Tugger however ignored her and continued on his way.
Rumpleteazer had no plan but a lingering scent on Tugger lodged itself in her mind. He smelled as if he'd been near to the little golden cat again. 'This could be useful information,' she thought. She hopped back onto the cushion to form a battle plan.
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Mungojerry and Sophanispa sped across the lot of an old liquor market where Mungojerry had another stash.
"You ain't seein' none o' thi'," he told her.
"Gotcha," she answered. "I know nothing."
'We go' ta git inta the sto' an' git som'mat," he whispered.
"Okay," she nodded.
"Jus' mimick me an' we'll be foin," he instructed. She just nodded in silence and followed him.
She listened to his breathing and watched his movements, mimicking him as he had asked. It felt strangely like a waste of time for he'd stop and make some strange movement with his leg that she would copy to a T. He began to hum something, which made Sophanispa wonder if she should mimick him.
They continued along the roof of the building and he added words to his song.
"Mungojerry and Sophanispa, we're a notorious couple of cats . . . Oh, Teaza!" he began to bawl like a kid who's lost a puppy. He clamped onto Sophanispa and they tumbled off the roof.
They landed with a tremendous thud, Mungojerry crying into Sophanispa's shoulder like an abandoned child. She patted his shoulder uncomfortably and tried to shift his weight to a more balanced position. He just clung to her like she was a lifeline and sobbed, choking loudly every few seconds.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked him quietly.
"I-i-i-it's jus' n-n-n-not the saim with ou' Teaza!" he bawled. "I don' know whot ta do! She's neva wonted ta stay behoind loik 'at b'fore!"
"It's all right, Mungojerry," Sophanispa tried to comfort him. "I'm sure she's just having a mood swing or something. She is a queen after all, no matter how tomboyish she may act."
"Maybe she knows," Mungojerry cried. "Oi think she does! Whoi else wou' she ect this wai?"
"Knows what?" Sophanispa asked innocently.
"Knows 'ow Oi feel 'bout her!" he sobbed even louder this time. "Oi loiks her! There, Oi sed it! No'un cin say Oi'm a chicken now!"
"You do, huh," Sophanispa smiled. "I was right!"
"Yea," he answered sheepishly.
"Well," she told him. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to tell her."
"Tell her whot?"
"How you feel!"
"But she already knows!"
"No she doesn't! You just think she does 'cause you can't come up with a better reason for her actions! Trust me on this one. I'm a queen, I know these things."
"All roight," he finally succumbed. "Oi'm gonna do it."
"Good luck," she told him as she helped him stand.
They parted ways, Sophanispa going towards the tree, Mungojerry back towards Victoria grove. She turned her back and was outright surprised when someone grabbed her from behind.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" it was Mungojerry, still sobbing.
"All right, all right," she sighed. "You're welcome. Anytime, Mungojerry. Now, go on and find Rumpleteazer and say what you need to say!" he smiled and waved as he scampered off.
'All in a day's work,' she thought to herself as she rounded a corner of the junkyard. Someone grabbed her from behind and covered her eyes.
"Okay, Mungojerry," she said. "That's enough!" The person just laughed and Sophanispa noticed that the arms had a slight fringe to them. Tugger had that fringe.
"You can let go now," she told him. "I trust you got your collar back."
The tom let go and she turned to look at them. Every hair on her body rose when she took the figure into sight. She let fourth an ear splitting shriek and sped off into the night. "MACAVITY!"
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Demeter sat up with hearing that sound and Munkustrap looked out the dusty window of the bungalow. Nothing could be seen but the screams had been heard quite clearly. Macavity had tried something with one of the queens. The voice wasn't recognizable but not many voices were when they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Munkustrap slinked out the door, followed timidly by Demeter.
They turned a corner and came to where the call must have originated. The only thing was, nothing could be seen.
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Tugger heard the cry not far from his tree and though he hadn't known her for long, he recognized the voice at once. He looked out from the branches of his tree and spotted them right off. Macavity was closing on the tiny cat, though not many others could have been keeping up with her speed. She was letting out piercing shrieks as she tore along the dusty pavement.
"I guess I have to help her," he said to himself rather stubbornly. He swung out onto a branch and prepared for them to pass the tree.
She ran by, trying to climb the tree but of course, both fear and inadequate size made her clumsy. Macavity had her cornered and was closing slowly.
"What do you think you're doing Sophanispa," he growled. "Where are you supposed to be?"
She only shivered, growling slightly in the back of her throat. He reached out to touch her face and she almost bit him. He slapped her hard across the cheek and she stumbled.
'All right,' Tugger thought. 'He's gone too far, now.' He swung hard into the Hidden Paw with his feet, sending the wild tom careening. As Macavity was trying to right himself, Tugger pulled Sophanispa up into the higher branches where she could get into the tree herself and dropped to the ground to keep Macavity at bay. 'The other toms should arrive soon,' he told himself. 'I hope.' Macavity stood up and wiped of his front. Time for round two.
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Alonzo, Admetus, and Mistofolees awoke at the cry and exchanged glances with each other in their spacious, cockroach free, dumpster. (Don't worry. It's an abandoned dumpster) Mistofolees was the first one over the wall, shortly followed by the other two. They raced over to where the cry had come from just in time to see Tugger go flying into the trunk of his tree, Macavity riding down on him like a Peke on a Pollicle.
He never got there for out of the branches came a golden streak so fast that before anyone knew it, Macavity was sprawled on the ground and Tugger was safely up the tree. Mistofolees looked up through the branches to see his brother looking down at the cats, Sophanispa visible just behind his shoulder.
Macavity flung himself onto his feet, growling around. He couldn't see where they'd gone and by that time, Munkustrap and Demeter had arrived, followed by Plato, Pouncival, Cassandra, Tumblebrutus, and Bombalurina. Macavity looked around, deciding whether or not fighting his way through would be a good idea or not.
He evidently decided for he jumped away in the direction of Demeter, sending her into a fit of shrieks. Munkustrap pulled her over to his side as Macavity was leaving and Sophanispa hissed at him from the tree, along with most of the other Jellicles.
The Jellicles all exchanged looks of fear and worry. Demeter was clinging so furiously to Munkustrap's arm that he had to detach her before announcing to the cats that it was safe to go back to their niches and sleep. Mistofolees left Alonzo and Admetus, who had both already slunk away, to climb up into Tugger's tree.
"What happened?" he asked the two within.
"We were going to get his collar back," she gestured at Tugger. "I went with Mungojerry because Rumpleteazer didn't want to and I talked to him while we were gone. Apparently, Mr. Casanova over here got the collar back but forgot that I couldn't get into the tree without help. I walk over here and get attacked on the way!"
"It could have been worse," Tugger added indignantly. "I saved you, remember."
"And I, you," she retorted. They looked at each other with a mixture of rivalry and fondness. At least they weren't at each other's throats anymore.
"Well," Mistofolees said uncomfortably. "I'm gonna go check on the rest of the queens. Do you want to come and stay with me?" he asked Sophanispa.
She looked at Tugger with a sort of confusion and back at Mistofolees.
"He'll expect me to leave after that," she answered. "I think this is the safest place at the moment, if you don't mind of course," she said the last to Tugger.
"You can stay," he said with mock annoyance. "But you've got some explainin' to do, little one."
"Fair enough," she told him. Mistofolees smiled and slid down the trunk.
"He's not here!"
"What?" Victoria asked form the base of the tree. She and Sophanispa were waiting below for Mistofolees to come back from asking his brother for a favor.
"Well," Sophanispa said relieved. She began to whistle absently and wander. "I guess I don't have to stay here then."
"No," Mistofolees contradicted. "I can write him a letter!"
"You can write?" Victoria stammered.
"Of course," he answered rather obviously. "Only Munkustrap and I, in my family anyway, can write but the others can read. I'll write him a note and leave it at the base while Sophanispa sleeps at the top."
"Don't wanna!"
"Oh, come on!" Victoria persuaded. "If he gets mad, say it was our idea."
Eventually, Sophanispa was persuaded to climb into the leafy abyss beyond the branches. She looked down through the leaves at her two new friends and waved. Mistofolees left the note attached to the trunk with magic so the occupant of the tree wouldn't miss it when he returned.
Sophanispa looked around the tree. A large plateau-like floor had been woven with pieces of junk and trash so that the upper region of the tree was like a room and could accommodate a number of things, such as the ratty leather beanbag chair and a worn ottoman, both covered in tufts of golden-tawny fur as if a cat had shed on them. The floor was worn in a few spots, which suggested repetitive contact with a moving thing. She didn't want to inhibit the occupant's sleeping when they arrived so she picked a less worn patch of floor and curled up into a ball to sleep. She jumped several times at noises in the night before she actually fell into sleep. Then the worst began, as it did each night, with her dreams. It was the same thing every time. The half-inflated tire that contained her, the sobbing, the mad roar that seemed to fill her world with fear. She could never understand the dream and never had anyone to ask. The only people she'd been around wouldn't have been any help and relished when she woke crying in the night instead of comforting her.
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As soon as he reached the base of his tree, he knew he shouldn't have left. He could smell that his search had been in vain, for his quarry had passed by earlier. It was then that he saw the white note on the trunk. It clung to the wood as if it were full of static and made a Velcro-like noise when he peeled it off. It was a note addressed to him.
He opened it and read quickly, becoming highly intrigued as he learned of what Mistofolees thought of him. His little brother was basically buttering him up before asking for something. His grin faded a bit when he got to the part about the favor. His quizzical eyebrows took a dive and he looked up at the tree with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
He was planning to spend the night at the base when an idea occurred to him. He quickly scaled the bark and looked around his abode for the golden cat. she lay curled in a corner, trembling.
Curiously, for the word utterly defined him, he crept closer and heard a chilling sound issuing from the small queen. She was mewling and crying in terror, adding to her frightened shaking. He crept as close as he dared, his nose just inches from her trembling shoulder. He placed a paw on her arm and shocked her out of her sleep. She woke with such a start that she rolled over and planted her claws in the floor beside him, her shoulder knocking him over. He landed on his back and rolled until he was lounged on his side like any cat. He propped himself up on an elbow and grinned at her. "You," she seethed. "You had to scare the living moonlight out of me to get even, huh." "I just wanted you to stop crying," he answered arrogantly. "You were already afraid of your dream." "Or maybe it was waking up to your cocky face that frightened me," she spat at him. Tugger (who'd you think it was?) was shocked yet again by her for two reasons. One; just about every single queen in the tribe went nuts at the sight of him and two; she wasn't wearing his collar. She had a silver adorned one, not his flashy gold spikes. "Where's the collar?" he asked a little frantically. She seemed to be the only cat that could send him out of his normal air of seduction. She blushed and then laughed outright. She pulled on the little silver one around her neck and continued to laugh. Tugger's face was completely serious. She looked at him and forced herself to be silent. His mood at the moment reminded her of something she'd left behind and she wanted him to stop being that reminder. "I gave it to Mungojerry and Rumpleteazer," she told him truthfully. He sighed in annoyance and slapped his knee. He moved over to the edge of his home and plopped down into the beanbag. He looked at her for a long while, just staring, almost as if he were posing for a picture. Sophanispa began to squirm as he stared her down. She didn't particularly care if he liked her or not. Not like Etcetera did or even Jemima. But she didn't want him to dislike her either. She wondered how she could fix this problem and decided an apology might be a good start. "Um . . ." she began. "I'm sorry I took your collar. Maybe you could go and ask Rumpleteazer for it." "No," he whispered, his face curving into a gigantic grin. "I have an idea. Since you sound so sorry, and I am so convinced," his sarcasm was thicker than the night air. "You and I are both going to go and get my collar back. Mungojerry and Rumpleteazer are going to experience a little of their own medicine." "I don't think-" she began but Tugger cut her off by sliding down to where she sat and draping an arm around her fragile shoulders. "Think of it," he said, moving his free had about an imaginary horizon. "They'll have tons of stuff there. All I want is my collar but you can take whatever you want. Did they put it on?" "No," she told him, moving away from him so she was sitting a few feet from the edge of the floor. "They put it into a bag and gave me this collar instead." "Tell me," he said. "What did this bag look like?" "I think it was purple," she answered after a moment of thought. "Great," he said enthusiastically. He jumped up and ran down the tree trunk. Sophanispa didn't move. "Come on!" he shouted up at the tree. She looked down at him and smiled. He put his paws on his belt and waited. She tried to go down feet first but couldn't get a hold on the bark. The flooring he'd slapped up there was too far away from the trunk and she couldn't reach with her short legs. She scampered back up and looked out again. Tugger shook his head and climbed back up. "How in the world did you get up here?" he asked her. "Mistofolees helped me up," she told him flatly. "I guess you'll just have to leave me here since I can't get down. Good luck with the collar, I'm going back to sleep." She crawled back to her little spot on the floor and lay down. Tugger grinned and followed her. "I don't think so," he hissed playfully in her ear. Before she could protest, he rolled her up into his arms and over his shoulder. Sliding across the floor and down the trunk, he set her down in the dirt at the base of his tree. She was hissing and sputtering furiously and only fueling his laughter with her anger. "What'dya do that for!?" she exclaimed, finally finding words.
"You got me into this," he told her. "And you're going to help get me out of it."
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"You never told me your name," he whispered as they neared the notorious cats' hideout. They were almost moving in harmony as they hoped over the wrought iron gate that lead to the family on the grove's house. The cats' place was in the backyard of this house and they two intruders rolled to hide under a car.
"Sophanispa," she whispered quietly. They would have to wait for a while because the cats didn't leave until the family slept. The lights in the house were still on.
"So," he began, trying to make conversation to fill the time. "Where are you from? Today is the first time I've ever seen you." 'It's also the first time a young queen hasn't drooled all over me,' he thought to himself.
"I can't tell you everything," she answered. "But I can tell you what it was like. Imagine almost never seeing the sun or the moon because you are cooped up within a cat's domain. Fear of being clobbered for no reason other than the abuser is all nipped up is ever present and no living soul known to you can or will help you." She said all this nonchalantly as she stared out across the neatly trimmed yard.
Tugger, who had been silently scrutinizing her, decided that she was speaking the truth. That would explain her sudden flinching every time someone raised a paw, even to scratch his or her own ear.
"How did you get my collar off so quickly and how come you could move that fast?" Tugger was so full of questions for the golden queen.
She continued to watch for any signs of movement and answered him distantly again, as if she were speaking of someone else. "In addition to profuse eating of catnip, I would have to run errands for this abominable unmentionable, which included fighting or doing exactly what we are attempting to do now. I know my way around the Mungo/Rumple compound probably better than you do."
"Who is this person I keep hearing about," Tugger asked. "They sound like a real blast to be around, especially if you're a defenseless queen the size of a-"
"I am not defenseless!" she cried indignantly. "Quiet! The lights just went out! It'll be any minute now."
They waited in silence, only the sound of their hearts and breaths mingling with the night sounds of crickets and the like.
"I don't see any-"
"Quiet!"
The silhouettes of two figures appeared on the roof of the large house, one a bit smaller than the other. They hopped over to a rose trellis, not making any sound except for the random giggle.
They landed softly on the damp ground and sped across the lawn towards the car. The car under which the intruders were hiding had been broken down for quite some time and the bowels of this car had been scooped out, leaving just a hard shell of cured metal. Tugger caught hold of a cross bar within the shell and pulled himself up into the car. He winked at Sophanispa as she stared up at him in protest and hid a giggle when a cockney accent announced that they had picked up a foreign scent.
"Teaza!" Mungojerry stage whispered. "There be som'mat 'ere! Tek a whif!"
"Smells familia," she answered nonchalantly. "Listen, Jerry. I don't wont ta leave roight this mint. Oi don't wont ta leave our new colla there. Whot if it gets stolen?"
"Teaza," Mungojerry started. "One, on'y cat 'oo knows we 'ave it is'at 'ittle goldie queen. Two, 'f anyone stole it, it'd be 'at fussy tom you 'ooked so 'namored wit earlia todai."
"Don' be so jealous, Jerry," Rumpleteazer exclaimed. "Loik 'at 'ittle 'un sed. You're actin' loik I be you're mate or sum'mat!"
Sophanispa looked up at Tugger. He was splayed across the foundation bars and shaking his maned head with a look of disgust on his face.
"Um . . . no Oi ain't!" Mungojerry protested.
"Don' matta anyways," she told him tartly. "E's me brotha."
"Oh yea, well," Mungojerry began indifferently, about to bring up another argument. He turned back after he realized what she'd said. "E's whot?"
"Me brotha!" she shouted in his face obviously. "Di' ya not 'ear me the fust toim?" She turned around and stalked off toward the hideout. "'At's whoi Oi go'ta stay. 'E won' think not'n of stealin' frum 'is own sista."
"Foin," Mungojerry said forlornly. "Oi'll be beck." He trudged toward the gate a few steps and suddenly perked his head up. As slowly as in a horror film, his head turned to gaze at the broken down car. He suddenly sprinted over to it and dragged Sophanispa out by the arms.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Lemme go! I wasn't doing anything! Lemme go!"
"Whot are ya doin' 'ere!" he asked her furiously. Tugger was trying his best not to laugh lest he give away his position.
"I was only trying to find a place to sleep," she told him innocently. "I don't have any family I'm proud to mention so I thought maybe I could just camp under the car where nothing could really get at me. I didn't mean to move in on your territory, honestly. Please don't throw me out."
'She sounds so sincere," Tugger thought. 'But she's anything but innocent.'
"You cin stay," Mungojerry told her. "But ya go'ta come wit me roight now. Oi can' mek this bust wit'out a second. Ya wan' 'elp?"
"Okay," she answered a little too enthusiastically. She grinned, realizing that Tugger would be on his own to retrieve the collar.
Mungojerry set out without another word. She followed him quickly, glancing back at the car. Tugger gave her a way and waited until the two were out of sight. Now, to contend with his sister.
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Rumpleteazer sat upon a velvet cushion stolen from the old bungalow. She held a glittering object in front of her as she lounged there, not a care in the world except for the object.
"Oi'll 'ave ta cut it down o' course," she said to herself. "It be much too big fo' me."
There was a crash and Rumpleteazer was sent into a flight response in which she rolled off the cushion and under an oak table that had taken days to drag into the hideout. She looked about and suddenly wished Mungojerry was there. She could handle most people but if it were one of the larger toms, she wasn't up to much.
She slowly slinked out from under the table to peek out a window. She couldn't see much due to the bad condition of the window and the velvet thick darkness outside. Cats can see in the dark but not when there is a tom covering the port hole window. Rumpleteazer, forgetting her origin for the moment, only thought that it was too dark for her to see.
She moved back to the cushion and curled into a ball, the collar clutched to her chest. She, unlike most of the cats, didn't wear a collar but a pearl necklace found after Grizabella left the first time. Her mother, Jennyanydots, had disapproved of her the first time she ever knew her.
{FLASHBACK} "You should be lady like, Rumpleteazer." Jennyanydots scolded when Teazer had returned from playing with her brothers. "You shouldn't be gallivanting around with your brothers and getting dirty! Manners! Don't give me that look, young lady . . ."
Her mother shooed her away, never treating her very nicely. She was always acting as if something were wrong with her daughter.
"How will you ever catch a tom if you don't act like a lady?" she asked exasperatedly.
"I don't wanna catch a tom!" Rumpleteazer snorted. (This was before she acquired her cockney accent.)
"That's not what I heard," Tugger hinted as he sauntered along. "You should have seen her with that older tom, Mungojerry."
Rumpleteazer cuffed her older brother and shouted. "He's only my friend! What about you and Bombalurina, huh?"
"There will be none of that, missy," Jenny scolded.
"Damn you and your double standards," Rumpleteazer had shouted. She had left her mother as soon as she was old enough and moved into Victoria Grove with Mungojerry. His human family had been willing to keep her as well, even though she got into as much mischief as her partner in crime.
~back to present~
She thought of the old days and was glad they were over, except for the fact that she didn't know what to do about Mungojerry. She did like him, but like Victoria and her feelings for Mistofolees, she didn't want to lose him as a friend if his feelings weren't the same. She pulled her garters up a bit (the other thing that only she wore) and closed her eyes, preparing to go to sleep, when a tug and a breath of air woke her up. A paw, black with a leopard spotted wrist attached to it, was trying to jimmy the collar from her clutches. Rumpleteazer rolled over on the cushion to find herself face to face with her abominable brother, the Rum Tum Tugger. They were but inches apart, and Rumpleteazer was sure that if she'd been a queen not related to him, he'd have kissed her to get the collar. As it was, he grinned and pulled her arm over, carefully plucking the collar out of her hand. She was so shocked to see him that this was easily done. She snapped out of her stupor as he was nearing the escape hole and took a flying leap at him, landing on his back.
"Give it beck!" she squealed in his ear.
"Yeah, right, kid," he told her, leaning so she tumbled off to the side. "I'm taking it back, if it's all the same to you."
"O' course it ain't!" Rumpleteazer exclaimed, attempting to snatch it again. "'At 'ittle cat got it frum ya, meanin' she cou' keep it. She gave it ta me! It's moine!"
"Sorry, kid," he told her, prying her fingers off his arm. "I'm taking my collar and nothing you can say or do is gonna stop me."
"Foin," she sneered. "Tek it an' see whot Oi do! Oi already know 'ow to roil ya up! Oi'm a cat wit' a plan, brotha!" Tugger however ignored her and continued on his way.
Rumpleteazer had no plan but a lingering scent on Tugger lodged itself in her mind. He smelled as if he'd been near to the little golden cat again. 'This could be useful information,' she thought. She hopped back onto the cushion to form a battle plan.
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Mungojerry and Sophanispa sped across the lot of an old liquor market where Mungojerry had another stash.
"You ain't seein' none o' thi'," he told her.
"Gotcha," she answered. "I know nothing."
'We go' ta git inta the sto' an' git som'mat," he whispered.
"Okay," she nodded.
"Jus' mimick me an' we'll be foin," he instructed. She just nodded in silence and followed him.
She listened to his breathing and watched his movements, mimicking him as he had asked. It felt strangely like a waste of time for he'd stop and make some strange movement with his leg that she would copy to a T. He began to hum something, which made Sophanispa wonder if she should mimick him.
They continued along the roof of the building and he added words to his song.
"Mungojerry and Sophanispa, we're a notorious couple of cats . . . Oh, Teaza!" he began to bawl like a kid who's lost a puppy. He clamped onto Sophanispa and they tumbled off the roof.
They landed with a tremendous thud, Mungojerry crying into Sophanispa's shoulder like an abandoned child. She patted his shoulder uncomfortably and tried to shift his weight to a more balanced position. He just clung to her like she was a lifeline and sobbed, choking loudly every few seconds.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked him quietly.
"I-i-i-it's jus' n-n-n-not the saim with ou' Teaza!" he bawled. "I don' know whot ta do! She's neva wonted ta stay behoind loik 'at b'fore!"
"It's all right, Mungojerry," Sophanispa tried to comfort him. "I'm sure she's just having a mood swing or something. She is a queen after all, no matter how tomboyish she may act."
"Maybe she knows," Mungojerry cried. "Oi think she does! Whoi else wou' she ect this wai?"
"Knows what?" Sophanispa asked innocently.
"Knows 'ow Oi feel 'bout her!" he sobbed even louder this time. "Oi loiks her! There, Oi sed it! No'un cin say Oi'm a chicken now!"
"You do, huh," Sophanispa smiled. "I was right!"
"Yea," he answered sheepishly.
"Well," she told him. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to tell her."
"Tell her whot?"
"How you feel!"
"But she already knows!"
"No she doesn't! You just think she does 'cause you can't come up with a better reason for her actions! Trust me on this one. I'm a queen, I know these things."
"All roight," he finally succumbed. "Oi'm gonna do it."
"Good luck," she told him as she helped him stand.
They parted ways, Sophanispa going towards the tree, Mungojerry back towards Victoria grove. She turned her back and was outright surprised when someone grabbed her from behind.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" it was Mungojerry, still sobbing.
"All right, all right," she sighed. "You're welcome. Anytime, Mungojerry. Now, go on and find Rumpleteazer and say what you need to say!" he smiled and waved as he scampered off.
'All in a day's work,' she thought to herself as she rounded a corner of the junkyard. Someone grabbed her from behind and covered her eyes.
"Okay, Mungojerry," she said. "That's enough!" The person just laughed and Sophanispa noticed that the arms had a slight fringe to them. Tugger had that fringe.
"You can let go now," she told him. "I trust you got your collar back."
The tom let go and she turned to look at them. Every hair on her body rose when she took the figure into sight. She let fourth an ear splitting shriek and sped off into the night. "MACAVITY!"
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Demeter sat up with hearing that sound and Munkustrap looked out the dusty window of the bungalow. Nothing could be seen but the screams had been heard quite clearly. Macavity had tried something with one of the queens. The voice wasn't recognizable but not many voices were when they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Munkustrap slinked out the door, followed timidly by Demeter.
They turned a corner and came to where the call must have originated. The only thing was, nothing could be seen.
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Tugger heard the cry not far from his tree and though he hadn't known her for long, he recognized the voice at once. He looked out from the branches of his tree and spotted them right off. Macavity was closing on the tiny cat, though not many others could have been keeping up with her speed. She was letting out piercing shrieks as she tore along the dusty pavement.
"I guess I have to help her," he said to himself rather stubbornly. He swung out onto a branch and prepared for them to pass the tree.
She ran by, trying to climb the tree but of course, both fear and inadequate size made her clumsy. Macavity had her cornered and was closing slowly.
"What do you think you're doing Sophanispa," he growled. "Where are you supposed to be?"
She only shivered, growling slightly in the back of her throat. He reached out to touch her face and she almost bit him. He slapped her hard across the cheek and she stumbled.
'All right,' Tugger thought. 'He's gone too far, now.' He swung hard into the Hidden Paw with his feet, sending the wild tom careening. As Macavity was trying to right himself, Tugger pulled Sophanispa up into the higher branches where she could get into the tree herself and dropped to the ground to keep Macavity at bay. 'The other toms should arrive soon,' he told himself. 'I hope.' Macavity stood up and wiped of his front. Time for round two.
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Alonzo, Admetus, and Mistofolees awoke at the cry and exchanged glances with each other in their spacious, cockroach free, dumpster. (Don't worry. It's an abandoned dumpster) Mistofolees was the first one over the wall, shortly followed by the other two. They raced over to where the cry had come from just in time to see Tugger go flying into the trunk of his tree, Macavity riding down on him like a Peke on a Pollicle.
He never got there for out of the branches came a golden streak so fast that before anyone knew it, Macavity was sprawled on the ground and Tugger was safely up the tree. Mistofolees looked up through the branches to see his brother looking down at the cats, Sophanispa visible just behind his shoulder.
Macavity flung himself onto his feet, growling around. He couldn't see where they'd gone and by that time, Munkustrap and Demeter had arrived, followed by Plato, Pouncival, Cassandra, Tumblebrutus, and Bombalurina. Macavity looked around, deciding whether or not fighting his way through would be a good idea or not.
He evidently decided for he jumped away in the direction of Demeter, sending her into a fit of shrieks. Munkustrap pulled her over to his side as Macavity was leaving and Sophanispa hissed at him from the tree, along with most of the other Jellicles.
The Jellicles all exchanged looks of fear and worry. Demeter was clinging so furiously to Munkustrap's arm that he had to detach her before announcing to the cats that it was safe to go back to their niches and sleep. Mistofolees left Alonzo and Admetus, who had both already slunk away, to climb up into Tugger's tree.
"What happened?" he asked the two within.
"We were going to get his collar back," she gestured at Tugger. "I went with Mungojerry because Rumpleteazer didn't want to and I talked to him while we were gone. Apparently, Mr. Casanova over here got the collar back but forgot that I couldn't get into the tree without help. I walk over here and get attacked on the way!"
"It could have been worse," Tugger added indignantly. "I saved you, remember."
"And I, you," she retorted. They looked at each other with a mixture of rivalry and fondness. At least they weren't at each other's throats anymore.
"Well," Mistofolees said uncomfortably. "I'm gonna go check on the rest of the queens. Do you want to come and stay with me?" he asked Sophanispa.
She looked at Tugger with a sort of confusion and back at Mistofolees.
"He'll expect me to leave after that," she answered. "I think this is the safest place at the moment, if you don't mind of course," she said the last to Tugger.
"You can stay," he said with mock annoyance. "But you've got some explainin' to do, little one."
"Fair enough," she told him. Mistofolees smiled and slid down the trunk.