Chapter 10 - From Seedlings to Flowers

Time was passing, slowly at the time, yet so quickly overall. The kittens were growing, some shooting right out of kitten hood. Old Deuteronomy smiled down at the tribe that had gradually built itself with his gentle guidance. My, how time flies. While some matured sooner than others in personality, some blossomed in beauty. While some grew stronger in muscle, others flourished with grace. Some yearned to stay the same, and some couldn't wait to be "old enough".

The youngest kittens, of course, began to shine through with their individual personalities. The older kittens, which now only really included two, were very much accepted between the two worlds of kitten and cat. Demeter was much loved with both sides (as long as no unwelcome visitors were on her side) and Mistoffelees, who was far more playful in nature than Demeter, was often a light-hearted break from the norms of life.

The other kittens had now reached a pinnacle point in their lives. While they were not kittens any longer, they weren't truly cats yet. Cassandra, the most recent kitten to celebrate reaching the age of cat-hood, was often considered a loner. She had become quite the agile and elegant looking cat that no one would dare disturb from her deep thoughts and ponderings of her name. Yes, she had her friends, but she most often times took to the far-off stare that made others believe she was fiercely hiding the thoughts that would make others wince. She did have a playful side, though, when it came to dancing. How she loved to dance! A fine specimen of a beautiful queen who caught the eyes of a few toms in the tribe (and outside as well.)

Coricopat and Tantomile, only slightly older than Cassandra, often kept to themselves as well, (though Tantomile would at times join the ranks of one of Tugger's many admirers.) While they did keep to themselves, they were hardly hated. Many cats seemed fascinated with their sense of foresight, especially Mistoffelees. He would often be seen roaming around the two (if not playing if not playing with the younger kittens.)

All the while, mention of the Rum Tum Tugger would make most every queen squeal. Far past the point of up and coming cat-hood like the others younger than him had only now reached, he refused to act his slightly advanced age. His immaturity knew no bounds! He liked to get his way, even if it meant rejecting everything unless he found it himself. A curious trait, no doubt, but his disobliging ways did seem to make the kittens squeal, fighting over tossed aside food that he would not touch.

This was of course upsetting to Old Deuteronomy, who needed a new protector for the tribe. He had hoped his eldest grandson would do something to help the tribe as a while, but alas! As he had told numerous cats (with a queen at his side), he was a lover, not a fighter.

There was, of course, Alonzo. He was considered an adoptive son of the old cat, though no one would really put much thought into said matter. He was now considered an adult and constantly by Munkustrap's side when another cat dared hurt any of the Jellicles in the tribe.

But no, Munkustrap, who was slightly younger, and not quite considered an adult yet, was far more right for the job. While he had always shown a protective streak, Old Deuteronomy knew that the task of keeping the Jellicles safe was not simply about having the will to protect. He also needed the heart and knowledge to rise to this position. Old Deuteronomy hardly worried about Munkustrap's qualifications. Ever since he was a kitten, he would comfort those around him, protecting their hearts as well as their physical selves. That's what made him so loved by kitten and cat alike. Even though he would often try and deny that which innately made him the cat he was, he accepted his nature early on and fell into the job. Old Deuteronomy often felt the young cat missed much of his kitten-hood due to this. But Munkustrap coped well with this exchange. The Jellicle leader could remember a few times he would drop whatever he was doing and race to the aid of the two sisters whom he had long ago befriended…

And, Ah yes, Demeter… From the night she lay between her sister and Old Deuteronomy's warm fur, protected by love, he watched her grow into a charming little queen. While she was still a kitten, she seemed to have a wisdom that outgrew her small frame. She understood things at an early age other kittens would not try and cope with. The only other kitten he has seen with so much compassion for her fellow felines was Jemima, who was a far younger kitten than Demeter. Demeter, however, was too shy and reserved, and often too dependant on her sister, to stray far from that which was comfortable for her. She never seemed to want to defend herself, and naturally those who were often made out to be protectors were drawn to her.

And those who wished to hurt her were drawn to her as well.

So, the matter of Macavity once again swam up to the old cat's thoughts.

Macavity, for quite a while after his talk with his grandfather, did nothing to be grounds to expel him. He even tried to be social, much to the dismay of the other kittens. They found him scary, and really didn't want anything to do with him, as he wanted nothing to do with them.

But Demeter tried. She did her best not to listen to what the others had to say about the ginger cat, as she assumed he was simply misunderstood. She didn't want to hate or fear without reason. But their relationship was certainly an odd one. They were not friends, but they were not enemies. It was probably the only time Macavity felt any connection to another feline that didn't end in fighting.

While the old cat watched, he saw Bombalurina and Munkustrap sitting near each other, neither of them kittens anymore, and looking to be having a very serious conversation.

"He's not that bad, Munkustrap," Bombalurina said to her friend. "Just let it be. He's a little rough around the edges, but as long as you don't get on his bad side, he's a little fun to hang around."

"Demeter never did anything bad when she was safe with us," Munkustrap said to the other. "Don't you remember? Now she seems to get into everything, it seems. Like stealing Tugger's belt! I know she didn't like him, but he's very proud of that belt." Munkustrap let out a sigh.

Bombalurina shifted uncomfortably. "Um…Munkustrap? What if I told you it wasn't Demeter doing all those things?"

Munkustrap perked up instantly. "So it WAS Macavity! He was making Demeter take the fall, wasn't she?"

Bombalurina shook her head. "Munkustrap, you should know by now. He wouldn't get caught doing the things he does. He's very good at hiding the trail that leads to him."

"But it MUST have been Macavity," Munkustrap said, looking desperately to the red queen. "Demeter would never stoop to such ridiculous behavior." The red queen seemed to huff at that statement. Then Munkustrap had a sudden epiphany. "Of course…Every time she's been the one caught, she was covering for something you did."

"Well, it's not like I asked her to!" Bombalurina said, blushing. "I was just trying some things Macavity had shown me. It seemed like a little harmless fun. I didn't know she would take the blame for it." Bombalurina shrugged, pouting slightly.

"Why would you do that to your own sister, Bomba?" Munkustrap asked, slightly angered at the red queen. "Let her take the blame for things you've done."

"Look," Bombalurina said softly. "She did that on her own. If she wanted to get in trouble for something she didn't do, then that was her choice. She never got mad at me for it or anything."

"WHY did you do it, Bombalurina," Munkustrap asked, staring sternly at the red queen. "You could have stopped once you saw Demeter was getting in trouble. But you kept on! And now she looks bad."

Bombalurina's eyes shifted between the intense greens eyes of the tom staring at her. "I don't know," she finally said, breaking her gaze. "It's not like Macavity ever felt guilty about anything he had Demeter be his alibi for."

Munkustrap got up and shook his head. "That's different Bomba. And you know it." Munkustrap looked up momentarily to see the tired old eyes of Deuteronomy gazing at the two. Feeling heat flush to his face, he quickly turned and walked away, almost feeling as though the Old Cat had heard it all…

Old Deutereonomy looked at Bombalurina with some thought. She reminded him of Grizabella at times, but knows that she would never leave her sister. That's why she initially chose to keep a close eye on Macavity. That's why she chose not to trust him. At first. While she deeply loved her sister, she must have felt like she was drowning in her sister's existence, and not finding her own…

As Old Deuteronomy watched all the kittens (and the ones who were nearly cats,) Skimbleshanks and Gus came up to join him in his vigil. After a few moments of silence, the two cats turned to the leader of the tribe.

"The tribe certainly has grown, hasn't it?" Gus commented.

"And we thought it was going to die out," Skimbleshanks noted. Old Deuteronomy smiled at them, all of them looking like proud parents. As Munkustrap was now out of sight, and Bombalurina was slipping off to some unknown location, the older cats seemed to fall into an odd silence. None of them needed to say what was being thought then. It was sad watching them grow…but inspiring as well.

Bombalurina hung her head low as she went to join Demeter. She wouldn't dare let the other cats see her at her lowest, questioning her judgment, feeling like she had failed. By the time she found Demeter, she was sitting back, a bored look on her face. She was watching Macavity beat the living daylights out of a makeshift punching bag he made out of a couple of thrown out pieces of wood with plenty of rug tied around it. Somehow, with the use of the ropes, he made it look like a cat. This day in particular, he took the eyes of a thrown out teddy bear and put them on the "head" of the cat, and used some yarn he stole from Jennyanydots to make whiskers. Now he was taking delight in trying his best to tear it apart.

Bombalurina made sure she could play the part of nonchalance before she walked over to her sister. When Demeter smiled in relief to see her sister, Bombalurina hugged her. After a tight squeeze and letting go, the gold queen looked at her sister in shock. "What is it?" she asked.

"I just thought you deserved a hug."

"Why, do I look sad?" Demeter asked.

"No…I mean, you're just a great sister, is all." Demeter gave her sister a look, telling her how corny that sounded to her, before giving her sister a half hug and turning back to watch the very…annoying…and…loooong…ritual this cat had begun.

"What's wrong with him today?" Bombalurina asked, leaning against an old tire and smirking at the vigor with which the cat before them was trying to tear apart his own creation.

"I didn't bother to ask," Demeter said in a warning whisper. But Bombalurina smiled.

"What's wrong with you, cat?" the red queen called to the ginger cat. Now that he could officially be called a cat, it seemed he would rather not be called anything else.

"He didn't deserve it," he muttered angrily, tearing particularly into the stuffed cat's face.

"Who didn't deserve what?" Bombalurina called over. The other cat didn't answer. He just continued his rampage on the "cat". "We get it! You're strong! You can cut that out now!"

"Strong?" Macavity asked, whacking the stuffed cat in the face. "I know I'm strong. That should be enough."

Demeter looked to her sister, who shrugged. They rarely had in-depth conversations with the cat they hung out with so much. But at the moment, he seemed on the brink of some sort of insanity…(not that he wasn't always on the brink of something)…and they hardly thought talking it out would do any good.

"Rawr!" Macavity made an impressive roar and jumped onto the stuffed cat before tearing into it with his teeth. Demeter backed away.

"Hey, that's enough," Bombalurina said sharply. "I think its dead!" But the cat continued on his rampage.

"Strong….older…bigger…smarter...what else is there?" The cat finally stopped to look down at the pulverized doll beneath him.

Demeter breathed a sigh of relief as she huddled near her sister. Bombalurina took a moment to relax her shoulders. "A lot of things," Bombalurina said.

Macavity turned to the two as though he just realized they were there. The sisters were used to this indifference. It seemed to simply be his way. "Like?" he asked in an unimpressed voice.

"Um…" Bombalurina looked over to her sister for help, but Demeter wouldn't dare speak up. "I don't know… a theme song?" Macavity and Demeter stared at the red queen.

"A theme song?" Macavity asked, some venom to his words.

"Yeah," Bombalurina said. "I'm sure the Rumpus Cat has his own theme song. Oh, and that cute little S on his chest." Demeter pulled out a Rumpus Cat Kitty Comic Book to show her sister. Bombalurina took a glimpse. "You've got the whole fierce and hairy thing going on already, so that can't be what else you need." By this time, she had stopped trying to figure out what was bothering the cat and just enjoyed comparing him to the make-believe hero. "And I'm sure Pollicles scatter when they simply smell you, let alone you having to give a great leap."

Macavity stared at the two. What had he been hanging around since he was promised exile? "And what would this song sound like?" he asked, looking bored yet somewhat intrigued.

"Well," Bombalurina said. "Demeter and I can sing a sexy song about the cat of crime! That ought to work out pretty good... You have a name for yourself. It could be something like 'he stole the milk…from the kittens…lala….' Or something." The two cats stared at the red queen. "IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS!"

Macavity would have said something to belittle the queen, but his stare seemed to do that for him, as she shrunk down ever so slightly. He then turned without saying a word, and walked off. And like two little ducklings, the sisters followed.

Ultra Special Blah Blah Blah (ok, I give, it's from Fruits Baskets, since no one guessed)

Just a quick note, I think I'm passed feeling like school is driving me crazy to the point where school is treating me like a discarded cigarette butt: stomped out and crumpled on the floor! Anyways...

Satin-n-Crimson: Gone for a week! What can be more interesting the roaming around huh? Heh, I hope you have fun, and I'm glad you enjoyed Macavity's...uh...hug...(those are words I never thought I'd type.)

Krissy4: How funny, right as I went to post this you posted your review. Oh, so THAT'S what snow is! We just get earthquakes once every...what, ten years? Not that that's a small feat... Heh, I was so tired when I was reviewing that chapter, I started cracking up at something I had written myself. I mean, I could just see Macavity curled up all cute, and I started laughing at my own joke...Then I felt kind of pathetic that I found my sense of humor that amusing. It was weird. School has gotten to me.

Please review! I enjoy reading reviews...and if it's a bad review...well...I'll deal some how...sniffle