A/N: At this point in the story, Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie are about
eight in human years. Demeter, Bombalurina and that crowd are teenagers.
Munkustrap is in his twenties with Tugger being a little younger and
Skimble in his thirties.
"You god forsaken kittens! Get back here this instance!"
Jennyanydot's cry pierced the ears of every cat in the junkyard. Tugger frowned and covered his ears.
"What do you suppose happened this time, brother?" Munkustrap inquired of Tugger.
"It was probably Mungojerrie." Tugger said nonchalantly. "Or Rumpleteazer. Perhaps both."
"Yes, that was obvious enough." Munkustrap rolled his eyes. "But what do you think they did?"
Jennyanydot's scream rang in their ears again. "First they rip up my chair, now they've taken all my food! Skimbleshanks!"
Tugger and Munkustrap laughed. Jenny came toward them and glared at the brothers. "You shouldn't laugh! You'll only encourage them!" They adjusted their faces to look serious and concerned. "That's better! Now where have those two little monsters gone?"
An unmistakable giggle was heard from behind an old hat. Jenny's eyes lowered and, followed by Tugger and Munkustrap, she knocked away the hat to reveal two completely guilty looking tabby kittens.
Jenny scoffed at them. "I suspect two of our most respectable toms can take care of this?" The two nodded and Jenny walked off.
"Well if it isn't Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer," Munkustrap growled as Tugger pulled the two up by the scruff of their necks. "Up to no good again, I see?"
"Oh, come on guv!" Mungojerrie pouted. "It wos just a bi' a' fun!"
"Yea!" Rumpleteazer giggled. "You ain't mad at us, ah ya?"
"Don't you start talking like him!" Tugger frowned. "You said 'you are NOT' not 'you ain't'. You two have been spending far too much time together."
"Come along, Rumpleteazer." Munkustrap muttered, dragging the kitten off.
"Bye Teazah!" Mungojerrie said with a worried expression on his face.
Rumpleteazer waved, trying to grin. She glanced up at Munkustrap with frightened eyes and asked the burning question. "Ya ain't, I mean, aren't gonner tell father, ah ya Munku?"
"Oh, you can bet I will." He hissed. Rumpleteazer moaned as she saw Skimbleshanks approach them, followed by a few other older queens who constantly cooed over her.
"Rumpleteazer!" Hissed her father. The kitten bowed her head in mock shamefulness, though inside she was bursting with laughter.
"Look at her fur, Skimble." Jellylorum muttered, licking the girl's coat clean, though it was a difficult task for the little one had become quite mangy after running around all day. "I didn't know a kitten could ever be so dirty."
"Why don't you tell your father what you were up to when Tugger and I caught you?" Munkustrap hissed.
"Do I haveta?" Rumpleteazer grumbled, only to be met with a cuff over the head. "We was just playin'!" She protested.
"Indeed." Skimble rolled his eyes. "Tell me, what was today's crime? Were you playing where you shouldn't be, with something you shouldn't touch, with someone you shouldn't be with?"
Rumpleteazer looked away. "All three?" She grumbled. "Me n' Mungojerrie was playin' near Jenny's place, n' we tore up her cushion chair." She smiled innocently up at her father.
"Oh, what are we going to do with you!" Jellylorum cooed.
"Is this true, Munkustrap?" Skimble asked his friend.
"I'm afraid so." He replied, glaring down at the kitten.
"What's wrong with you, Rumpleteazer?" Skimble said, exasperated. "I told you to stay away from Jennyanydot's place, and especially away from that troublemaker, Mungojerrie! Now you're even speaking like him! As if you were a stray instead of the upper-class lady I know you'll be!"
"Aw, pa, I'm sorry." Rumpleteazer said.
Skimble just frowned. "To bed with you!" She pouted. "Now, Rumpleteazer!" The kitten moaned and ran off.
Skimble shook his head as she left. He turned to Munkustrap. "Thank you, I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't for you, Mistofflees and Tugger watching her." He sighed. "She's so difficult, it's like she doesn't even care about rules."
Munkustrap laughed. "Of course she doesn't. It's all a game to her. But I assure you, Skimble, we won't let her get into too much trouble."
"Ever since she started hanging out with that Mungojerrie!" Jellylorum scolded. "She's been dropping her h's and saying words like 'ain't' and 'guv'na'." The queen shuttered. "I understand how difficult it is, Skimble, raising her on your own. It's not your fault."
Skimble sighed again. "I must get to the train. Make sure she stays at home, will you?"
"Of course." Jellylorum smiled. Skimble hurried away from the junkyard and Jellylorum hurried to the cardboard box which Rumpleteazer called home. The kitten was speaking to Mungojerrie.
"You'll be there?" He whispered.
"'Course!" She smiled.
"Be where?" Jellylorum questioned, frowning. The two shook their heads, looking incredibly guilty. "Skat, Mungojerrie!" The little tom skittered off, grinning widely. Rumpleteazer giggled. "What were you two planning?"
"Nofing!" Rumpleteazer smiled.
"Certainly." Jellylorum glared. "Go on! Get to bed, you heard your father!"
"Aw, 'e ain't gonner be back till mornin'!" The kitten pouted. "Iffin I stays up, he won't ever know!"
Jellylorum lightly swatted the little one's ear. "Enough. I'm to look after you when Skimbleshanks doesn't have enough time."
"Says who!" Rumpleteazer protested angrily. She was unused to Jellylorum's strict bedtimes and rules. When Skimbleshanks was at the train she was free to run around with Mungojerrie until Munkustrap caught her.
"Your father, that's who. Oh, you're so much more difficult than Dem and Bomb were!" Jellylorum snapped at her, referring to her adolescent daughter, Bombalurina and her best friend Demeter
"Dem and Bomb are a bunch of tom-chasing prissys!"
"And we'll all be lucky if you're half as obedient as they are." Jellylorum sighed. She was letting her temper get the better of her. "Come along now, no more fuss, to bed."
Tired from arguing, Rumpleteazer reluctantly obeyed, curling herself into a little ball and collapsing on small blanket. Exasperated, Jellylorum scampered away to find Gus. The kitten opened one little eye to make sure her caretaker had gone. She quickly got up, stretched, and left her little home to meet Mungojerrie.
"You god forsaken kittens! Get back here this instance!"
Jennyanydot's cry pierced the ears of every cat in the junkyard. Tugger frowned and covered his ears.
"What do you suppose happened this time, brother?" Munkustrap inquired of Tugger.
"It was probably Mungojerrie." Tugger said nonchalantly. "Or Rumpleteazer. Perhaps both."
"Yes, that was obvious enough." Munkustrap rolled his eyes. "But what do you think they did?"
Jennyanydot's scream rang in their ears again. "First they rip up my chair, now they've taken all my food! Skimbleshanks!"
Tugger and Munkustrap laughed. Jenny came toward them and glared at the brothers. "You shouldn't laugh! You'll only encourage them!" They adjusted their faces to look serious and concerned. "That's better! Now where have those two little monsters gone?"
An unmistakable giggle was heard from behind an old hat. Jenny's eyes lowered and, followed by Tugger and Munkustrap, she knocked away the hat to reveal two completely guilty looking tabby kittens.
Jenny scoffed at them. "I suspect two of our most respectable toms can take care of this?" The two nodded and Jenny walked off.
"Well if it isn't Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer," Munkustrap growled as Tugger pulled the two up by the scruff of their necks. "Up to no good again, I see?"
"Oh, come on guv!" Mungojerrie pouted. "It wos just a bi' a' fun!"
"Yea!" Rumpleteazer giggled. "You ain't mad at us, ah ya?"
"Don't you start talking like him!" Tugger frowned. "You said 'you are NOT' not 'you ain't'. You two have been spending far too much time together."
"Come along, Rumpleteazer." Munkustrap muttered, dragging the kitten off.
"Bye Teazah!" Mungojerrie said with a worried expression on his face.
Rumpleteazer waved, trying to grin. She glanced up at Munkustrap with frightened eyes and asked the burning question. "Ya ain't, I mean, aren't gonner tell father, ah ya Munku?"
"Oh, you can bet I will." He hissed. Rumpleteazer moaned as she saw Skimbleshanks approach them, followed by a few other older queens who constantly cooed over her.
"Rumpleteazer!" Hissed her father. The kitten bowed her head in mock shamefulness, though inside she was bursting with laughter.
"Look at her fur, Skimble." Jellylorum muttered, licking the girl's coat clean, though it was a difficult task for the little one had become quite mangy after running around all day. "I didn't know a kitten could ever be so dirty."
"Why don't you tell your father what you were up to when Tugger and I caught you?" Munkustrap hissed.
"Do I haveta?" Rumpleteazer grumbled, only to be met with a cuff over the head. "We was just playin'!" She protested.
"Indeed." Skimble rolled his eyes. "Tell me, what was today's crime? Were you playing where you shouldn't be, with something you shouldn't touch, with someone you shouldn't be with?"
Rumpleteazer looked away. "All three?" She grumbled. "Me n' Mungojerrie was playin' near Jenny's place, n' we tore up her cushion chair." She smiled innocently up at her father.
"Oh, what are we going to do with you!" Jellylorum cooed.
"Is this true, Munkustrap?" Skimble asked his friend.
"I'm afraid so." He replied, glaring down at the kitten.
"What's wrong with you, Rumpleteazer?" Skimble said, exasperated. "I told you to stay away from Jennyanydot's place, and especially away from that troublemaker, Mungojerrie! Now you're even speaking like him! As if you were a stray instead of the upper-class lady I know you'll be!"
"Aw, pa, I'm sorry." Rumpleteazer said.
Skimble just frowned. "To bed with you!" She pouted. "Now, Rumpleteazer!" The kitten moaned and ran off.
Skimble shook his head as she left. He turned to Munkustrap. "Thank you, I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't for you, Mistofflees and Tugger watching her." He sighed. "She's so difficult, it's like she doesn't even care about rules."
Munkustrap laughed. "Of course she doesn't. It's all a game to her. But I assure you, Skimble, we won't let her get into too much trouble."
"Ever since she started hanging out with that Mungojerrie!" Jellylorum scolded. "She's been dropping her h's and saying words like 'ain't' and 'guv'na'." The queen shuttered. "I understand how difficult it is, Skimble, raising her on your own. It's not your fault."
Skimble sighed again. "I must get to the train. Make sure she stays at home, will you?"
"Of course." Jellylorum smiled. Skimble hurried away from the junkyard and Jellylorum hurried to the cardboard box which Rumpleteazer called home. The kitten was speaking to Mungojerrie.
"You'll be there?" He whispered.
"'Course!" She smiled.
"Be where?" Jellylorum questioned, frowning. The two shook their heads, looking incredibly guilty. "Skat, Mungojerrie!" The little tom skittered off, grinning widely. Rumpleteazer giggled. "What were you two planning?"
"Nofing!" Rumpleteazer smiled.
"Certainly." Jellylorum glared. "Go on! Get to bed, you heard your father!"
"Aw, 'e ain't gonner be back till mornin'!" The kitten pouted. "Iffin I stays up, he won't ever know!"
Jellylorum lightly swatted the little one's ear. "Enough. I'm to look after you when Skimbleshanks doesn't have enough time."
"Says who!" Rumpleteazer protested angrily. She was unused to Jellylorum's strict bedtimes and rules. When Skimbleshanks was at the train she was free to run around with Mungojerrie until Munkustrap caught her.
"Your father, that's who. Oh, you're so much more difficult than Dem and Bomb were!" Jellylorum snapped at her, referring to her adolescent daughter, Bombalurina and her best friend Demeter
"Dem and Bomb are a bunch of tom-chasing prissys!"
"And we'll all be lucky if you're half as obedient as they are." Jellylorum sighed. She was letting her temper get the better of her. "Come along now, no more fuss, to bed."
Tired from arguing, Rumpleteazer reluctantly obeyed, curling herself into a little ball and collapsing on small blanket. Exasperated, Jellylorum scampered away to find Gus. The kitten opened one little eye to make sure her caretaker had gone. She quickly got up, stretched, and left her little home to meet Mungojerrie.