Chapter 23 - Memory

Demeter sat down heavily, taking a moment to breathe as she stared at the beaten, bloody form of Mungojerrie. He wasn't moving. He was breathing, (they made sure to check.) But that didn't comfort them much as he still wasn't moving. Demeter felt the pangs of guilt rise up in her as she looked down at her wounded friend.

"Come on," Rumpleteazer urged her brother as she licked his wounds. "Wake up, Jerrie…wake up…" Demeter crept forward to try and help…somehow…with something…but Rumpleteazer wouldn't allow it. She was being protective of her brother. Every time Demeter came close, offering to help tend his wounds, she would mumble a soft "no" while putting her body between him and the gold queen. After Demeter would back away, Rumpleteazer would go back to her self-assigned job.

"Please, that won't help," Demeter said to the queen. "He has too many scratches. You have to believe me, I know a little bit about medicine. I used to play around the healer of our tribe. She would teach me a few things. I could tend to his wounds..." But again, Rumpleteazer protectively hid her brother when the other queen got too close. Feeling helpless, Demeter looked down at her own wounds. There were many at that, but they didn't seem to be hurting just then. (She was probably in shock or on a post-running euphoria, but she knew she would barely be able to move once the real pain set in. Taking a moment to lick one of her own wounds, she looked at the unscathed tabby queen. Rumpleteazer must have felt so helpless when watching her brother being attacked and not being able to do anything about it.

"Teazer," Demeter said with a brighter tone of voice than she had meant. "Back in my junkyard, the queen I mentioned, she could heal anything! I'm sure if we get Mungojerrie back there, she'd help him." Rumpleteazer didn't dare look at Demeter. The gold and black queen knew the tabby must have thought Demeter responsible for her brother's state, but was too nice to say anything about it. Demeter would have to assuage her guilty feeling by convincing her to go find the Jellicle tribe. "She's wrapped up our protector time after time against fights with Macavity." (Of course, this was a bit of an exaggeration, as Macavity was a kitten at the time…but Rumpleteazer didn't need to know that.)

"Really?" Rumpleteazer asked, looking from her brother to the queen. Her spirits seemed to rise slightly at the thought. "Where is she?" She asked, sniffling.

"At my junkyard!" Demeter said brightly, reaching out a paw to the tabby queen before realizing that her arm didn't have much mobility in it anymore.

"Where is that?" Rumpleteazer asked hopefully.

Demeter was at a loss for words. She shrugged hopelessly, and gave the queen a sorrowful look. "I…I don't know," she said, tears beginning to trickle from her eyes. Rumpleteazer's face fell. "He knocked me out when he brought me here, so nothing looks familiar."

"Maybe if you name a place nearby, we can 'elp you," said a weary voice.

"Yeah, then we'd prob'ly…JERRIE!" Rumpleteazer hugged her brother tightly.

"OW!" He wasn't so weak as not to protest his sister's onslaught of affection. "That 'urts like 'ell, Teazah." He took in a few deep breaths before groaning, and going limp. Demeter and Rumpleteazer thought he had passed out again, but on closer inspection, his eyes were darting about in an attempt to take in the alleyway they were hidden in.

Rumpleteazer sighed with relief. "You're awake! 'ow long 'ave you been listenin'?"

"Since she mentioned lickin' my wounds," Mungojerrie said softly, pointing an unharmed paw at Demeter. (Technically, she said tend his wounds, but if it woke him up, she wasn't going to say anything.) "I mean, you're my sistah, Rump! I wouldna minded if a cute queen took over. Ow!" Rumpleteazer had given her brother an admonishing nudge, but quickly apologized when she remember just how hurt he was. He took a few breaths, before closing his eyes. He then tried to raise himself up, much to the protest of the two queens. Demeter went over to his head and gently pulled the tom back so he could rest his head in her lap. (He then decided he had tried to move enough, a goofy smile on his face as he rested in her lap.) "You mentioned a junkyard?" he asked, looking up at Demeter.

"Yes," Demeter said, all the while surveying the scratches all over his face and the bites marks around his ears. "It's a junkyard, near a couple of apartments. I remember because they always throw boots at us when we're caterwauling…"

"Mm," Mungojerrie sighed, closing his eyes and resting against the queen. Demeter's heart began to race as she thought he might pass out again. She motioned for Rumpleteazer to come close, whispering instructions in her ear to grab some clean cloth, water…anything that would clean up his wound. Only a few of his scratches were deep enough to continue bleeding. "I might remembah a place like that," he said finally, not bothering to open his eyes. Demeter could hear the weariness in his voice, though he tried to sound his normal jovial self. "It would be awhile from 'ere. We'd…uh…'ave to do alotta walking."

"Can you walk?" Rumpleteazer asked.

"I just need to rest," he said, purring softly as his head lulled in Demeter's lap. She made a motion to Rumpleteazer that told her to go grab what she had instructed. As soon as the queen left, she started stroking the tom's head where he wasn't injured…it seemed to take him mind off things. (In that moment, she could really appreciate the lessons her sister taught her about addressing a tom.) But cats purr for many reasons, and she's sure he was trying to calm the pain all over his body at the time. She stayed with her friend, while looking about warily to see if anything had followed them. So many things that could hurt them, and the injuries alone were too much to begin with. Demeter had to be brave. She wasn't going to let anyone be payment for her freedom.

Rumpleteazer came back with the cloth, bandages, cotton swabs, a tiny bottle of water just perfect for a cat to pick up…she practically had a first aid kit with her in a bag she stole from the Everlasting Cat knows where! Demeter took some time to clean and wrap up the tom's deeper wounds, while his sister licked his minor scratches. Demeter then took the water and dumped some on Mungojerrie's face.

"Hey!" Rumpleteazer said as the tom in question woke suddenly, sputtering and sneezing out the water that went up his nose.

"He needed to wake up," she told her. As Mungojerrie tried to wipe the water off his face, Demeter looked over her work. (Well, at least he wouldn't die of lose of blood.) But he was very weak. Demeter then took some of the water and began cleaning out some of her wounds. With a hiss from her lips, she thought Mungojerrie lucky he was passed out when she cleaned his wounds. She was so sore…

"We 'ave to get going," Rumpleteazer said, looking nervously over her shoulder. "I think I saw some of Macavity's agents around the area…"

"Can you get up?" Demeter asked Mungojerrie, staring down at him. (Her legs were starting to fall asleep.) Without answering her, he lifted up his arm, signaling Rumpleteazer to come over and help him up.

When the tabby queen couldn't lift his dead weight, she grunted and said, "Evahlasting Cat, Jerrie! What 'ave you been eatin'? I can't even lift ya anymore!"

"It's not what I've been eatin'," he retorted, albeit softly. "It's my muscles…I've been workin' out, ya know?" Demeter struggled to her feet, wobbling slightly at the pain and numbness of her legs. After putting the items back in the bag, tossing the empty bottle of water aside, she handed it to Rumpleteazer. She then went to help her hold up Mungojerrie on his other side. Together, they held up the limp tom. The queens exchanged a worried look. Both of them were quite small, and with one injured, they had no idea how long they could hold Mungojerrie up for. And he was putting just about all his weight on them… "I'm fine!" he assured the two. "And I'll be bettah when we get far enough away from 'ere."

"Okay," Rumpleteazer said, trying to sound her usual chipper self. "Where to?" And so the little trio of cats went on their way, Mungojerrie pointing out where to go, and the queens struggling to help the toppling tom in the appropriate direction. Every once in a while, Demeter had to stop, leaning against the wall and trying to catch her breath, holding her sides. She would sometimes discover a new wound, or even have to dress it, as all the activity caused one that was beginning to coagulate to open up. And what's worse, when they actually were moving, the twins did nothing but fight.

"Would you just listen to me, Teazah, I AM oldah than you, ya know!" Said Mungojerrie when she kept asking him if he knew where they were going. Sure, he was too tired to walk on his own, or even to hold himself up at times when they had to stop for Demeter. But what brother can back down from a fight with his sister?

"Oldah!" Rumpleteazer snapped. "By what? Two minutes?"

"That's right, RUMP! And you know what that gives me?" He waited for an answer. When none came, he answered, "Su-pe-ri-o-ri-ty ! That's right! You 'eard me!"

"What can 'appen in two minutes that makes you so superiyah?" Rumpleteazer retorted in a huff before adjusting her brother's weight against her. "Did the Evahlastin' Cat come down from the 'Eaviside Layah and….and….uh…" She seemed stuck on trying to find a good conclusion to her question."

"Bestow upon you his power?" Demeter offered. (She was sure that if Mungojerrie had the energy, he could have cuffed her.)

"Yeah! What she said!" Rumpleteazer smiled to Demeter. "Thanks, love."

"As a mattah of fact, 'e did!" Mungojerrie said in a haughty voice. "An' what of it?"

"If you was the Evahlastin' Cat, you would just have to swish your tail and we'd be to that junkyard by now, wouldn' we?"

"The powah can't be abused…RUMP!"

"DON'T CALL ME RUMP!" But before Rumpleteazer could say anymore, Demeter shushed the two, her ears perked up painfully in attention. She thought she heard something. She stiffened slightly, causing the other two to listen and fidget nervously in place. But when she was sure it was nothing, Demeter breathed a sigh of relief. Looking up at the sky, she realized night time had snuck up on them.

"I think we should rest," she said, trying to dissolve the tension. The other two sighed with relief. (Whether it was to the news of nothing serious following them or the suggestion they were happy to hear, she wasn't sure.)

The three went into an alleyway and settled down there for the night. Mungojerrie looked at his bandages as though he only then realized they were on and frowned. "I would lick my own wounds, but I think I'd 'urt myself…" Rumpleteazer put some old clothing behind her brother and he laid back, obviously exhausted. (Demeter was astounded at how fast she found something for him to lie against! She didn't even see Rumpleteazer leave…)

Demeter sat next to Mungojerrie as Rumpleteazer disappeared again. "I'm sorry you got so hurt, Jerrie," Demeter said softly to the tom. But he seemed to be sleeping already. Her eyes drifted again to the wounds covering his body. All over…scratches, bites, puncture wounds, blood matting his fur. The image of him being dragged down by his former companions filled her head, and she could see it happening all over again. "No!" she said sharply, shaking her head.

"No, what?" Rumpleteazer asked, coming back with some more clothing to make a little bed out of.

"She's lookin' at the damage," Mungojerrie said, causing Demeter to step back in alarm.

"Don't DO THAT!" Demeter said. "Pretending you're asleep when you're awake…it's very disconcerting." The tom opened one eye to look at her and smiled. Demeter smiled softly in return, but it was a sad smile. (She didn't know when the next time she would truly smile would be.) And with that thought, she turned around and sat, staring up at the moon.

After a while, she looked down at her own wounds, feeling her face to inspect her injuries. She felt her ear and winced. No wonder it pained her to rotate her ears… One of the cats seemed to want to rip her left ear off, and by the feel of it, was close to succeeding. Her lip was swollen, but she could feel that by simply talking. Bruises seemed to cover most of her body, and of course there were scratches. She felt a cut across her face, and decided to end her inspection there, resuming her watch of the night sky. "I forgot how beautiful the stars were…I didn't realize I missed seeing the sky so much." She was speaking more to herself than her two companions.

"What are they like?" Mungojerrie asked in a hushed voice. Demeter turned around to see Rumpleteazer nodding. (She wanted to know too.)

"The…stars?"

"You're tribe," Rumpleteazer corrected. Demeter sighed. She hadn't thought highly of them lately. They had, after all, left her...abandoned her. But she did miss them.

"My sister," she began, closing her eyes to think back to the last time she sat in the sun with her. "My sister is a gorgeous queen, and known for that in the tribe. She's always taken care of me. She's been there my whole life." Demeter smiled at the memory of her sister. "Then there are the kittens. They always seem to be getting into trouble…you two might like them." The twins smiled proudly at the thought. (She wasn't sure it was meant to be a compliment.)

"Then there's Jennyanydots, who's the resident healer. Jellylorum helps her at times, but Jenny is always looking for a good deed to do, so she seemed to fall right into that role. She takes on a lot." She hadn't realized how much she missed them all…though it's always been there. Demeter felt a knot form in her stomach. But she continued to talk.

"There are two protectors in the tribe, as well. Alonzo…he's the older one. Only a little older though. But he's not the main protector. The other is…" Demeter felt her stomach tighten more as she thought of the tom she was about to talk about. The thought made her want to cry. All reasoning told her what was real, gave all the logical reasons why they might not be able to find her, but her head kept screaming, 'abandoned.' Why didn't he come for her? He should have come for her.

"Well?" Rumpleteazer prompted. Demeter was brought back to reality.

"His name is Munkustrap," she continued, turning to look back up at the moon. "And that's the name you want to learn. If…he is even looking for me…he'll come when called." (Now she realized she was equating him with a Pollicle.) "He's a good house kitty that way," she heard herself say bitterly.

"Doesn' sound too tough to be a protectah," Mungojerrie said softly.

"Oh, no!" Demeter said quickly before realizing she was coming to the defense of her fallen knight. "He's always been very strong. And he has a very kind heart. The kittens love him…well, not quite like they do Tugger. But they certainly look up to him! They always want him to play, nuzzle him in greeting, and hide behind him when they're scared. He's really loved. By everyone, I mean," she added as an afterthought. She laughed to herself, as though that was all that could keep her from crying. "He's very serious, and when I was a kitten I loved to bug him. But I've far outgrown that, now."

The two cats smiled to each other. "Munka-tappa, did you call 'im?" Rumpleteazer asked. Mungojerrie smiled knowingly to his sister. (Demeter thought she saw Rumpleteazer wink at him.)

"MUN-KUS-TRAP!" Demeter said more hotly than she meant to. Demeter shook her head as Rumpleteazer began convulsing in laughter. Mungojerrie was laughing as well, but he had to stop when he groaned in pain. Rumpleteazer ran over to her brother with concern, going over his wounds with a scrupulous eye, as though she could instantly heal any ruptured wounds.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" said the tabby, a little annoyed by the extra attention. He sighed and tried to shake the bad mood out of his head. When that failed to work, he drew his attention back on Demeter. "You were sayin'?"

"I'm a little scared," she continued, trying not to seem overly concerned with the orange tom. "I have no idea what it will be like when I see them. After all this time…Is it so easy to be forgotten?"

"In my experience," Rumpleteazer began, but she quickly went quiet. Mungojerrie beckoned his sister over, where she curled up next to him, her gaze far off, thinking of something that bothered her deeply. They had been through a lot in just one day, but Demeter forgot how little she knew of her companions. She stayed close to the two cats, looking up longingly at the moon.

"Please…don't forget me…I'm tired of being forgotten," she whispered. Tears began to stream down her face, as she found herself praying to whoever hears a cat's prayers. "I didn't realize until now…how easily someone can simply be a forgotten memory."

About a mile away, a young kitten was looking up at the moon. She came up to this spot often, but tonight she felt beckoned to it. She startled as she heard a noise rustling from behind her, but calmed when she saw who it was. A silver and black cat, made absolutely brilliant by the light of the moon, climbed his way up the junk. Though she was in awe by the striking gleam of his coat that night, the air about him contrasted the beautiful shine. Weary and faded, the cat looked up in surprise at the kitten there. He did his best to smile that usual smile of his, though lately, no one could believe it.

She didn't need to ask what was wrong…everyone knew. She gave him a look telling him not smile simply for her sake. And he listened to the unspoken request, dropping his mask and allowing his tired, sullen face to show. He sat next to her silently, and together they looked up at the moonlight. The kitten sat back and snuggled against the weary, heartbroken protector…and didn't mind when her coat became wet and salty with his quiet tears.

A/N: I'm glad people did not, like, flame me for that last chapter. I was sooooooo worried about it! Hehe...now I just have to decide on an ending and worry about how people will like that...I have a few ideas, but I think I have to wait and see what works best..anyways...

Demo: Do you think her change of heart was too abrupt? I meant to make it something like, "hey, she DOES care about Mungojerrie at least, even though she robbed him blind," but I wasn't concentrating on it, so I didn't think it was abrupt when I wrote it. If so, I definitely have to make a mental note on that.
Krissy4: Welcome home from school! Rumpleteazer was being optimisic...Mungojerrie wasn't really thinking about it...they ARE kittens, lol. And I'm so glad you vote that your favorite! I've been worrying about this chapter since the first review on Macavity.
TigerLily: Everyone is so happy not being able to log in (eh-heh...) You're so optimistic! "Sure, they're hurt, but they get to go home!" ((pats you on the head)) Just like Rumpleteazer.
Lozzypop: I've been told "good work" ((gleaming smile))

You all are so cute, and assuaged all my fears about that chapter. Thankies! Pumpkin Pie to all the readers!