A/N: A continuation of last chapter. Takes place the next morning.
"Pa?" Rumpleteazer's small voice piped up.
"Yes, little one?" The tom responded.
"Why is Jennyanydots so angry?" The kitten asked.
Skimbleshanks glanced over at where the kitten was staring. Jennyanydots was prancing around the junkyard, fuming at the ears. In her paw she carried a wet rag and in the other a bar of soap. From behind a cereal box Jellylorum heard a small giggle obviously belonging to the newest addition to the Jellicle tribe. Skimblehanks smiled brightly and looked down at his young daughter who was playing with a little blue sock.
"Your friend Mungojerrie doesn't want to wash behind his ears." To tom laughed lightly. "But I know my Rumpleteazer is a good little lady, she always washes behind her ears."
The "good little lady" smiled, recalling how her father chased her down the previous day. She frowned, and dropped the sock in favor of finding the young tom. She walked over to his hiding place where he was crouched low, obviously on alert for any signs on an intruder.
"Hey." She perked up.
The kitten jumped. "Cor! You scared me!" He panted. "Wot you fink your doin', sneakin' up on a fella loike 'at? Coulda killed me, you could 'ave. Just moindin me own business ovah 'ere, I was! I ain't doin' nofing wrong but you just felt you 'ad to 'ave a li'l fun, 'ey? Well, I says 'Jerrie, you's a good boy, you is-"
"Why do you talk like that?" Rumpleteazer interrupted him.
"Loike wot?"
"Just like that." She scrunched up her face and imitated him "Loike wot."
"Oh, I dunno." He shrugged. "Why do you talk the way you do?"
"Because that's the way everyone else around here talks." She said simply, giggling a little.
"I don't care." He giggled. "I'm not gonner wash be'ind me ears just 'cause every other ki'en 'round 'ere does. Who's gonner make me? You?"
"No. I hate to wash too." Rumpleteazer said. "But pa always makes me."
"Well, don le' 'im." Mungojerrie smiled. The little queen scrunched up her nose. This sounded too easy. "'ey, you 'ungry?"
"A bit." The kitten shrugged. She raised her head and called "Hey Jenny! Me n' the new tom are hungry!" Mungojerrie's eyes grew as big as dinner plates as the little girl alerted the queen to his location. Jennyanydots walked swiftly over to the pair, grabbing Mungojerrie by the scruff of his neck and leading him off, with Rumpleteazer following, giggling all the way.
Once the new tom was clean the two had before them a bowl of nice, wet cat food. The kittens sat down to eat with Demeter and Mistofflees. Mungojerrie at first did speak to the tiger kitten but he gave up. He glared at her, hissing "Wot was that fo?"
"You have to wash, it's the rules." Rumpleteazer giggled through bites of food.
"Teazer, don't eat while you're talking." Demeter hissed at her. Rumpleteazer hissed at her, but this did not faze the already mature kitten. She just rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know what's wrong with you. I hate having to eat with a bunch of babies."
"Maybe that's because you'd rather eat with Rum Tum Tugger." Mistofflees muttered quietly. This caused the two youngest kittens to burst into laughter. Mistofflees was a quiet young tom, much older than Mungojerrie but younger than Rum Tum Tugger. He was still considered a kitten, though he was highly respected in the tribe. Even Rumpleteazer respected him, though she found him to be no fun to play with.
"You shut it, Misto-fleas!" Demeter hissed at the tom. Rumpleteazer giggled at the insult, but the tom rolled his eyes. Mungojerrie on the other hand did not seem very happy. Demeter turned to him. "What's wrong with you?"
"I don't loike this food." He said simply. Rumpleteazer scrunched up her face in outrage, and opened her mouth to say something stupid when Demeter hushed her.
"I'm sorry, this is what we eat here." Demeter said with a hint or arrogance.
"What's wrong with this?" Rumpleteazer asked, shocked at the newcomer's statement. "It's not dry like lots of house cats get."
"Well, I don't like it." Mungojerrie said. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said for the smallest queen's ears only. "I've dined on other koinds of food. Grilled steak, fresh fish, catch of the day! You evah 'ad a pot roast before Teazer?" The kitten shook her little head. "It's the most delicious thing evah, you can eat a 'ole plate full and still be lickin' your li'l paws wantin' some more. One taste of 'at stuff and you ain't nevah gonna want cat food again."
Rumpleteazer's eyes brightened. "Where do you get this stuff?"
The tom smiled mischieviously, and whispered in her ear. "Steal."
"What?" Rumpleteazer cried in outrage. "Washing behind your ears is one thing, but-"
"Shh!" Mungojerrie hissed. The kitten covered her mouth. "It's not that big o' deal, an' the people don't moind." He laughed. "Sometoimes."
The young girl's eyes lit up, yet not in shock, disgust or outrage like before. This time she smiled was filled with a wonder and fascination of the life Mungojerrie once knew. She often thought of what it would be like without always having to go to bed whenever she was told or washing when she was told. Now she realized that no one was going to tell her to do anything if she wanted it that way. She flashed this smile at Mungojerrie who returned it as well with enthusiasm.
Those two smiles would seen be infamous.
"Pa?" Rumpleteazer's small voice piped up.
"Yes, little one?" The tom responded.
"Why is Jennyanydots so angry?" The kitten asked.
Skimbleshanks glanced over at where the kitten was staring. Jennyanydots was prancing around the junkyard, fuming at the ears. In her paw she carried a wet rag and in the other a bar of soap. From behind a cereal box Jellylorum heard a small giggle obviously belonging to the newest addition to the Jellicle tribe. Skimblehanks smiled brightly and looked down at his young daughter who was playing with a little blue sock.
"Your friend Mungojerrie doesn't want to wash behind his ears." To tom laughed lightly. "But I know my Rumpleteazer is a good little lady, she always washes behind her ears."
The "good little lady" smiled, recalling how her father chased her down the previous day. She frowned, and dropped the sock in favor of finding the young tom. She walked over to his hiding place where he was crouched low, obviously on alert for any signs on an intruder.
"Hey." She perked up.
The kitten jumped. "Cor! You scared me!" He panted. "Wot you fink your doin', sneakin' up on a fella loike 'at? Coulda killed me, you could 'ave. Just moindin me own business ovah 'ere, I was! I ain't doin' nofing wrong but you just felt you 'ad to 'ave a li'l fun, 'ey? Well, I says 'Jerrie, you's a good boy, you is-"
"Why do you talk like that?" Rumpleteazer interrupted him.
"Loike wot?"
"Just like that." She scrunched up her face and imitated him "Loike wot."
"Oh, I dunno." He shrugged. "Why do you talk the way you do?"
"Because that's the way everyone else around here talks." She said simply, giggling a little.
"I don't care." He giggled. "I'm not gonner wash be'ind me ears just 'cause every other ki'en 'round 'ere does. Who's gonner make me? You?"
"No. I hate to wash too." Rumpleteazer said. "But pa always makes me."
"Well, don le' 'im." Mungojerrie smiled. The little queen scrunched up her nose. This sounded too easy. "'ey, you 'ungry?"
"A bit." The kitten shrugged. She raised her head and called "Hey Jenny! Me n' the new tom are hungry!" Mungojerrie's eyes grew as big as dinner plates as the little girl alerted the queen to his location. Jennyanydots walked swiftly over to the pair, grabbing Mungojerrie by the scruff of his neck and leading him off, with Rumpleteazer following, giggling all the way.
Once the new tom was clean the two had before them a bowl of nice, wet cat food. The kittens sat down to eat with Demeter and Mistofflees. Mungojerrie at first did speak to the tiger kitten but he gave up. He glared at her, hissing "Wot was that fo?"
"You have to wash, it's the rules." Rumpleteazer giggled through bites of food.
"Teazer, don't eat while you're talking." Demeter hissed at her. Rumpleteazer hissed at her, but this did not faze the already mature kitten. She just rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know what's wrong with you. I hate having to eat with a bunch of babies."
"Maybe that's because you'd rather eat with Rum Tum Tugger." Mistofflees muttered quietly. This caused the two youngest kittens to burst into laughter. Mistofflees was a quiet young tom, much older than Mungojerrie but younger than Rum Tum Tugger. He was still considered a kitten, though he was highly respected in the tribe. Even Rumpleteazer respected him, though she found him to be no fun to play with.
"You shut it, Misto-fleas!" Demeter hissed at the tom. Rumpleteazer giggled at the insult, but the tom rolled his eyes. Mungojerrie on the other hand did not seem very happy. Demeter turned to him. "What's wrong with you?"
"I don't loike this food." He said simply. Rumpleteazer scrunched up her face in outrage, and opened her mouth to say something stupid when Demeter hushed her.
"I'm sorry, this is what we eat here." Demeter said with a hint or arrogance.
"What's wrong with this?" Rumpleteazer asked, shocked at the newcomer's statement. "It's not dry like lots of house cats get."
"Well, I don't like it." Mungojerrie said. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said for the smallest queen's ears only. "I've dined on other koinds of food. Grilled steak, fresh fish, catch of the day! You evah 'ad a pot roast before Teazer?" The kitten shook her little head. "It's the most delicious thing evah, you can eat a 'ole plate full and still be lickin' your li'l paws wantin' some more. One taste of 'at stuff and you ain't nevah gonna want cat food again."
Rumpleteazer's eyes brightened. "Where do you get this stuff?"
The tom smiled mischieviously, and whispered in her ear. "Steal."
"What?" Rumpleteazer cried in outrage. "Washing behind your ears is one thing, but-"
"Shh!" Mungojerrie hissed. The kitten covered her mouth. "It's not that big o' deal, an' the people don't moind." He laughed. "Sometoimes."
The young girl's eyes lit up, yet not in shock, disgust or outrage like before. This time she smiled was filled with a wonder and fascination of the life Mungojerrie once knew. She often thought of what it would be like without always having to go to bed whenever she was told or washing when she was told. Now she realized that no one was going to tell her to do anything if she wanted it that way. She flashed this smile at Mungojerrie who returned it as well with enthusiasm.
Those two smiles would seen be infamous.