A/N: First CATS fic and I'm ever so happy! Woo hoo! This is a repost of it because I accidentally submitted it under my visiting cousin's account. Sorry, I'm stupid. Anywho, hope you enjoy and please review. I'm getting desperate for other opinions of the crap I write.
Two pairs of eyes watched the decrepit junkyard from up high, waiting and wondering. They lay flat on the stacks of debris, occasionally lifting their heads to look around. A large car bumper covered this small movement, and they remained almost perfectly hidden. Several brightly colored items were strewn about near them, providing just the right environment to hide the two cats' calico coats. However, the female cat's giggles were not so easily concealed.
"Be quiet 'fore they hear us, 'Teazer!" her male companion admonished tensely.
She looked over to him and rolled her eyes expressively. Abruptly, she stilled as a soft rustle sounded from below them. She looked down, eyes wide, as Munkustrap moved below them, obviously alerted by the intruders' noise. He looked up and sniffed the air. The siblings crouched lower behind their shield and remained perfectly motionless. After a moment, the other cat moved away, still unaware of their presence.
"What'd I tell yeh!? We're lucky 'e didn't find us!" Mungojerrie hissed in her ear.
"Oops?" she offered apologetically with a slight shrug.
"That's all yeh can say? Yeh're 'opeless," he muttered, still peeved and slightly frightened.
Unlike his more carefree companion, he realized the consequences of getting caught, so he felt he had every right to be a bit tense. He shuddered mentally and glanced about, searching for their target. It only took him a few seconds. He tapped Rumpleteazer softly, catching her notably flighty attention.
"Found 'im. Right there," he said and pointed toward an ancient automobile on the far side of the lot.
Rumpleteazer craned her neck around, trying to catch a glimpse. After a moment, she nodded, having seen the small, black cat perched atop the car. Mungojerrie let her slip back into her former idle reverie and turned his own attention to the unfortunate feline below them. Mistoffolees was very still, probably sleeping. Every once in a while, he would twitch, swatting at the air with his paws.
The magical Mr. Mistoffolees, he thought. Supposed to be so powerful, but he looks so helpless.
A movement beside Mungojerrie caught his attention, and he saw his sister crawl closer to him. She glanced down at Mistoffolees for a long time and than up at the calico. Her expression was faintly troubled.
"'E's kind of small isn't 'e?" she whispered.
He nodded and looked at her curiously. Her nose twitched slightly as it always did when she was nervous. She nervously rubbed at it with one paw and blinked furiously.
"I don't think this is a good idea," she reluctantly admitted, shrinking down slightly in fear of his anger.
"I don't think it is either, 'Teazer, but we've got no choice," he answered.
She nodded slightly and twitched again. He put a paw on her nose, and she started to giggle. He shushed her impatiently, and she subsided into silence.
"Now, 'ow do we catch the little bugger?" he growled angrily.
Below them, Munkustrap paced, unaware of the two cats looking down on him. The afternoon sun shone down brightly, heating him to uncomfortable levels. There was no breeze and the stagnant air seemed to cling to his fur. Altogether, he was finding it quite unbearable. He glanced around, seeing the other cats in similar conditions. He thought longingly of the cool shadows of his home.
Sighing softly, he walked slowly to a shaded area, collapsing in relief at the temporary reprieve from the sun. Most of the other cats who had come to the junkyard were also hidden in the shade, though their were a few exceptions. He glanced to the top of one of the cars, noticing Mistoffolees curled on it in full view of the sun. One of his paws twitched slightly, reaching up for some unseen object. Mungojerrie couldn't understand how he could endure the sun, especially with his black coat that must soak up all the heat. He watched as the small tom reached his paw into the air again.
I wonder what he's reaching for? Maybe magic, he thought idly.
Munkustrap wasn't sure that magic could be grasped in your paw but, then again, it wasn't his area of expertise. He left such supernatural dealings to Mr. Mistoffolees and stayed as far clear of them as he could. It was not that they frightened him, though he wasn't afraid to admit they made him nervous. It was just magic's sheer uncontrollability. There was too much chance involved with it, too much uncertainty.
Munkustrap shook his head, dispelling the idle thoughts. As he glanced up again, he saw the Rum Tum Tugger sauntering towards him. He gritted his teeth slightly, wondering what his arrogant brother could possibly want. The lion-maned tom gracefully sat down beside him and looked at Munkustrap lazily. He smiled when he saw his brother's irritation but quickly became serious.
"What do you want, Tugger?" Munkustrap asked.
The playboy of the cats looked at him for a moment, probably thinking of something rude to say, but obviously rejected that approach.
"I'm kind of worried about Misto," he said, glancing over to where the small tom was lying.
Munkustrap's eyes widened at this admission. He was not used to having the Rum Tum Tugger notice anyone but himself and the queens. His brother barked out a laugh at Munkustrap's expression, which attracted a few glances from the surrounding cats. They all went back to their business quickly, too hot to even watch an argument between the two toms.
"No need to look so shocked," Tugger remarked dryly.
"Sorry, I'm just a bit... Anyways, why are you worried about him?" he said, changing topics quickly.
The Rum Tum Tugger shook his head slightly, his mane swaying slightly. He ran a hand through it casually, trying to buy time.
"I'm not exactly sure. He's just acting funny and not just his usual sort of funny. He won't do any magic tricks for the queens, he doesn't play with the kittens, and he won't talk to anybody. It's just...weird, and, I figured you should know," he finished, obviously glad to have the matter off his shoulders.
Munkustrap rubbed his paws together lightly and thought the matter over. He had thought Mistoffolees was being unusually quiet, but he was used to the small cat's odd ways. He had never really interacted too much with the other cats, so he had thought the tom had just wanted some time alone. But, if Tugger was noticing something unusual, than it must be fairly serious.
"Have you talked to him?" he asked his brother.
"Me?" he asked, pointing at himself with a paw.
Munkustrap glared at him and waved a paw at their deserted surroundings.
"Who else?" he growled.
"No need to get an attitude. And, no, I haven't talked to him. I've been...busy," he muttered defensively.
"With what?" Munkustrap asked crossly.
Tugger shrugged evasively.
"You know, things...," he said, glancing around.
Munkustrap scowled, wondering which queen the tom had been playing with.
"Well, you can go talk to him now, since you don't seem to be too busy," he ordered.
He scowled, but stood up and began to walk across the sun-baked clearing. He glanced back once and fluffed his mane. Munkustrap glanced over at Mistoffolees, who was, once more, completely still.
He's probably just tired and overheated, he reassured himself.
Light patterns flickered through the air, fluttering like butterflies in a grassy field, dancing before his eyes. They would come close, even land on his eyelids, but, if he reached for them, they disappeared into the air. He batted at the empty air sadly, wondering where light went when it disappeared.
To the stars, maybe, or the moon, he mused. Away from here, at least. I wonder if I could follow, just float away into the sky.
He opened his eyes into narrow slits and the remaining patterns vanished. He glanced up at the sun for a few moments, watching little dots of light race across his vision. He closed his eyes again and the butterfly lights fluttered closer.
Come play with me, he wished sadly.
Warm heat rained down on him, washing into his dark fur in waves. He rolled over slightly, wanting the rest of his body to feel the warmth. A butterfly glow flew close to his closed eyes and he slowly reached out his hands, hoping it would come to him. A shadow fell over him, banishing the warm light, and, he felt a soft touch on his paw. He opened his eyes reluctantly, squinting against the sun. A tall shape stood before him, dark and looming. He blinked slowly, and, the world came in focus, revealing the tall, slim figure of the Rum Tum Tugger. His head was cocked slightly to the side as he stared at Mistoffolees. The small black cat gazed up at him silently, wondering why he was being disturbed.
"Yes?" he questioned, after the silence continued to stretch on.
Tugger shook his head slightly, obviously having forgotten where he was. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it slowly, realizing he didn't know what to say. Mistoffolees kept looking up at him, curiosity evident in his slightly dazed eyes. A spot of light flickered across his vision, making him close his eyes slightly for a moment. Tugger's eyes sharpened as he noticed the near trance the black cat was in.
"I was going to ask if you were okay, but, it's obvious you're not," Tugger said quietly.
"I'm fine," he whispered, though his still unfocused eyes contradicted his statement.
Tugger glanced around for help, but, all the other cats were in the shadows where it was cool. Munkustrap was watching him closely, obviously waiting for him to screw up. He seethed angrily at the imagined slight and returned his attention to Mistoffolees, full of renewed determination.
"Why don't you come in out of the sun?" he offered hopefully.
"No. People are cold, and, I want to be warm," he answered dreamily.
Tugger blinked and tried to make sense of the seemingly nonsensical words. After pondering it for a moment, he looked back down at the cat, more worried than ever.
"You don't want to be around the other cats, Misto?" he asked.
The small cat shook his head and closed his eyes sleepily.
"Why not?" he inquired.
"They forget about me being there," he whispered.
"What do you mean?" he asked, truly curious.
"They just see the magic, as if I didn't even exist."
After he had spoken, his breathing slowed into the steady rhythm of sleep. Tugger stood, staring down at him, and shivering slightly. There had been too much truth in the little cat's statements. Carefully, he picked up Mistoffolees and hoped he wouldn't wake up yet. As he walked across the clearing to Munkustrap, he could feel many eyes following his progress, wondering why he was carrying the magic cat. He heard footsteps behind him, and, without turning, knew it was Bombalurina.
"Hey, Tugger, what's wrong with him?" she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste.
He turned to look at her and noticed the seductive smile on her lips that she always used to manipulate the toms.
"Don't know. I'm going to ask Munkustrap," he said simply.
"Well, after you drop him off, why don't you join me?"she purred.
Abruptly, he felt sick. He turned his face away and began to walk off.
"Hey!"she yowled, but, he didn't bother to answer.
After a few seconds, he heard her receding footsteps as she stalked away in a royal temper. For some reason, it gave him a small burst of pleasure.
Munkustrap had been monitoring his brother since he had headed over to Mistoffolees, waiting for a disaster. He was surprised when none occurred, but he was even more shocked when he saw Tugger turn down Bomba. Things just weren't going normally. He was hoping some answers would be quick in coming.
Tugger walked into the shadows with his small burden and carefully deposited the cat on a soft pile of rags. He sat down as well and looked at his brother expectantly.
"You walked away from Bombalurina," he noted.
Tugger nodded and smiled slightly.
"This must be serious, than," he said, glancing over at the sleeping tom.
"I think it might be," his brother responded.
"Tell me," he ordered imperatively.
Quickly, the short conversation was repeated. After Tugger had finished, Munkustrap sat thinking deeply. Tugger also remained uncharacteristically silent. They remained this way for several minutes, until a soft sigh from the sleeping tom brought them out of their separate thoughts. They both glanced at the cat to make sure he was okay. When they caught each other doing it, they smiled sheepishly.
"So what do we do?" asked the Rum Tum Tugger.
" Maybe, he's just overheated. We should probably wait awhile before we do anything," Munkustrap said.
Tugger nodded, and, they began the long wait.
"Oh, not good," Mungojerrie muttered.
They watched the confrontation with Bombalurina in silence, and didn't speak until Mistoffolees was hidden in the shadows.
"Are they goin' to bring 'im back?" she asked.
"'Ow should I know?!" her brother protested.
They lapsed back into silence, waiting for something fortuitous to happen. After several minutes and no change, Rumpleteazer began to worry. She tried to stay silent but found she couldn't control her mouth.
"This is trouble, isn't it?" she questioned nervously.
Mungojerrie nodded morosely and stared unrelentingly at the spot where Mistoffolees was concealed. There was no movement to reveal what was going on, but he did not move his eyes at all. Rumpleteazer fidgeted slightly, though not enough to attract unwanted attention. Even her slight movements did not distract her brother from his intense superveillance.
"So what do we do?" she finally asked when she was unable to stand the continuing silence.
"What else? We wait," he muttered angrily.
I hate waiting, she thought. It's almost as bad as being quiet, and I just know he's gonna make me do that, too.
TBC...