The next day Rumpel gazed at her reflection in the creek. She stirred it around with her paw, smiling to herself. She once saw a bunch of humans outside the Junkyard, where the creek flowed as well. She would see parents dragging away young children who'd attempt to take a dip in the flowing water. Humans are so stupid, Rumpel thought to herself. It's not like it's contaminated or anything. With a contempt feeling inside her, she batted away an empty spaghetti can that happened to be floating by in satisfaction.
"Rumpel?"
Rumpelteazer turned around and saw Mistenia standing behind her. "Oh! Hi!" she said cheerfully. "'Ow did your fishin' trip go?"
"It was great!" replied Mist distractedly. "Guess what I found out!"
"What?" asked Rumpel eagerly.
"You know Mistofelees?"
"O' course! Ev'ryone does."
"Well, I came from this Jellicle tribe out of town," said Mistenia. "I ran away because I didn't like the fact that they always treated outsiders unfairly. And so did Misto."
"Wha'? Misto was in your old tribe?"
"Yup." Mist grinned. "Turns out we're brother and sister."
"Wow!" said Rumpel, astonished. "Tha's great, Mist!"
"Yeah, I know! He came over last night to tell me. It was a wonderful surprise on my first day in the tribe."
Mistenia looked up at the rising sun. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "It's almost sunrise! I promised Misto I would meet him at his den. See ya!" And she walked off.
Rumpel watched Mist's retreating back and could tell that she was having a great time being a new tribe member. She herself was glad that Munkustrap had excepted her.
" 'Ey, Rumpel!"
Rumpel saw Rumex and Ele heading in her direction, pounding along the ground with furious speed. She greeted them by knocking Ele to the ground and ginning form ear to ear. "Hi guys!"
"We jus' raided th' Johnson's house!" Rumex announced. "They got a Pollicle now. A spaniel."
"Yeah, an English toy!" Ele scoffed from underneath her sister. "Quit tha' braggin', Rumex, it was easy!"
"Yeah, yeah," said Rumex impatiently. "Anyway, we grabbed some food an' a solid gold necklace..."
"Fourteen karats!" Ele cried out.
"Who's tellin' th' story 'ere, Ele?" said Rumex impatiently. "Anyway..."
Rumpel giggled. Her sisters were always fighting about what really happened during their most recent house raid and who should get most of the credit, much like herself and Mungojerrie. When her sisters finished their tale, they slung their bags over their shoulders and galloped away.
The young queen turned her attention back to her reflection. She examined herself for a while, then adjusted her pearls. She looked back into the water and saw a familiar face next to hers. "Ack!" she cried out, then spun around. "Mungo! What's goin' on?"
"The car!" Mungojerrie was panting, obviously out of breath from running all over the place, trying to find her. "Take a look at th' car!" He turned and started to run.
Rumpel followed him to the broken down car. What she saw made her squeal to a halt and stare in shock. The car, broken down as it already was, was now in an even worse state. There were several new dents in the sides and roof, and all of the two cats' treasure was strewn across the ground. Rumpel quickly squatted down and started gathering their prizes, when she heard a distant moaning.
"Mungo?" she asked shakily. "What was tha'?"
"I don' know..." Mungo murmured. Rumpel watched as he followed the sound around to the hood. Then she heard him gasp.
"Rumpel! It's Mist!"
Rumpel didn't need to be told twice. Within a second she was at Mistenia's side, holding her head up. "Mist!" she cried frantically. "Mist! Wha' 'appened?!"
Mistenia choked and stared into Rumpel's face. "Macavity...looking...you...leave..." she gasped, struggling to make herself cleat.
Rumpel looked worriedly at Mungo, then turned back to Mistenia. "Wha' should we do?" she asked. "You're 'urt!"
"Doberman...I'll...go..." was all Mist could choke out. An she disappeared.
Rumpel knew what Mist had meant. The Doberman House used to belong to a human couple long ago, now abandoned. A team of friendly Pollicles now worked there to heal wounded or sick animal inhabitants of the metropolis. Rumpel was relieved that her savior knew where to go, but there were still plenty of things to worry about. Macavity was back, and she was sure that Mist was warning them to leave the Junkyard, and that would mean retreating to their home in Victoria Grove, to the mother and the kids and the father and...
The father... =^..^= "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!"
Mungo and Rumpel ran pell-mell into the guest room, dodging flying objects and the madman's pounding fists. Rumpel turned back once and put on a burst of speed; she had just gotten a close-up view of the father's molars.
"Hurry!"
"Ya think I'm not runnin'? I'm runnin'!!!"
" I didn' say you weren'--AAARRRRGH!"
Mungo leaped a foot in the air as the father's foot came crashing down, only inches from the tip of his tail.
"Mungo, you alroit?!"
"Neva bin betta. Keep goin'!!!"
At long last, the two Jellicles reached the room at the end of the hall and dove under the bed. Rumpel peered out from under the bed skirt to see the crazy man rampaging around the room, looking for them.
Then he stood in the middle of the room, neck bulging in rage. "YOU'RE NOT COMING OUT! I'M LOCKING THE DOOR, AND YOU WILL NEVER GET OUT AGAIN! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" He laughed insanely and stormed out of the room, locking the door.
Mungo spoke from under the bed. "Rumpel, you alroit?"
"Yeah," she replied. She felt that the father had over-reacted. They were in danger, had to take refuge in the house, and he goes around ranting and raving and locks them in the guest room. Well, that was perfectly fine with Rumpel. She really had no intention of breaking anything in this situation, and she didn't have any time anyway.
The two cats crept out into the room. Mungo leaped onto the bed. Rumpel glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Nine o'clock. She leaped after Mungo, then curled up next to him and they fell asleep. =^..^= Rumpel woke with a start. The flash of lightning streaked across the sky. She hissed and nudged Mungojerrie awake. "Mungo!" she whispered. "Mungo, wake up!"
Mungo gave a loud snore and jerked awake. "Wha-what?" he asked no one in particular.
"Mungo, it's--" Rumpel began, but she never got a chance to tell him. Something crashed against the window. Mungo reacted by pushing Rumpel off the bed. "Git down!" he snapped. She obeyed, but peered around the corner of the bed. She could see a dark figure on the other side of the area window. That was when she knew; they had been found.
The figure stood on the windowsill, unmoving. Rumpelteazer held her breath. Then, in a split second, the window flew open, and there was Macavity.
"What're you doin' 'ere?" Mungo snapped. " 'Ow didja foind us?"
"I have my ways," Macavity sneered.
Rumpel had half a mind to leap out from behind the bed and start to tear the horrid cat limb from limb, but something told her that Mungo knew what he was doing. Nonetheless, she kept watch, ready to spring into action if her friend needed it.
"Git outta 'ere," Mungo hissed. "I'm not comin' back an' ya know it. I'm stayin' with th' Jellicles, an' I will nevah betray anyone of my troibe."
Macavity stood speechless for a moment, then he spoke. "Ah," he said silkily. "but you betrayed me, Mungo. I give you a home, I take you in, only for a small price, and this is what I get for it?"
"You're lyin'," Mungo snapped. "You kitnapped me from th' vet's office aftah I was attacked by a Pollicle. You nevah did anythin' for me, only made me yer slave, an' I don' hafta pay a proice for what ya did ta me, you do." Then he added, "An' I found out tha' it pays ta have a moind of yer own. 'Cause if I hadn' climbed tha' fence, I nevah would've met you. An' if I hadn' escaped from ya, I nevah would've met Rumpel. An' if I nevah met Rumpel, I nevah would've become a Jellicle. But," he added. "none o' this woulda 'appened if I 'ad been a good kitten an' stayed in my yahrd."
The mangy tom pulled back his lip, exposing his razor sharp teeth. "Yes." His voice shook with a mixture of anger and triumph. "If you had obeyed your mother then you would be a house cat, safe and cozy in your little house cat home. But do you know what ever happened to your mother?" He grinned sinisterly, and his eyes took on a manic appearance.
Mungo just stood there, ears flicked back. Rumpel watched, wondering what the Hidden Paw would do.
Macavity snapped his fingers. Another cat leaped through the window, carrying a jar covered with a black cloth. "This is what happened to your mother!" he shrieked, and he removed the cloth.
Rumpel couldn't hold it in anymore. She screamed in horror when she saw the jar. For inside it was a heart. The heart of a cat.
Macavity swiveled facing Rumpel's direction. There was nothing she could do. He had spotted her. Macavity turned back to Mungo, the evil sneer still planted on his face. "Oh, you brought your little sweetheart, didn't you?" he said. "Well, the more the merrier, they say where I come from. Because now," he added, "there will be two murders committed tonight!" And he lunged at Mungo.
The jar fell to the ground and smashed, the petrified heart lying among the remains. The two toms fought and caterwauled, scratching and biting. Rumpel ran over and lunged at Macavity's shoulder, sinking her teeth into his skin. The tom howled and slashed at her with his claws, writhing and flailing as he struggled to pull her off. His henchman fled back through the window, not wanting to be around anymore. Mungo lashed out a claw and cut Macavity's neck. Rumpel finally let go and ran to the bookshelf. She grabbed the World Altas, held high above her head, and flung it at Macavity. The book came down on him, he uttered one last scream, and he vanished.
Rumpelteazer leaped to off the shelf and hurried over to Mungo. He got up and they nuzzled. "You alroit?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. "Partners--"
"Forever," Rumpel finished, and they hugged. =^..^= "And therefore," Munku finished. "the young queen known as Mistenia is accepted as a permanent member of the Jellicle tribe!"
The cats cheered as Mistenia bowed and joined Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer. "By the way," she said to Rumpel, "thank you for everything. I'm so glad I'm staying!"
"Us too," Rumpel said. "So, how's Misto?"
"We're doing great," she replied. "He was so glad that I'm a permanent member now. We're gonna enjoy being together again. Well, gotta go," she added. "I'm meeting him at his den to celebrate." And she walked off.
Mungo and Rumpel went home to their car. The two of them hopped into the front seats. Rumpel smiled and Mungo. "I'm glad you came 'ere," she told him. "I don' know where I'd be without you!"
"Yeah," said Mungo. "Er, Rumpel? Can I ask you something?"
Rumpel raised her eyebrows. "Sure," she said. "What?"
He hesitated, then said, "Rumpel, will you be my mate?"
Rumpel sat there stunned. Then she grinned. "I thought you'd nevah ask," she replied.
Mungo smiled. And the two of them held paws. *** The next day, the two cats stripped bark off a tree and propped it up against their car. It read: Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer Partners Forever And there's nothing at all to be done about that. THE END