Author's Note: I just wanted to make sure you all know that flashbacks aren't necessarily all related to one another, as in, they had long enough lives that flashbacks can dart around from different points in their lives, and aren't necesarily chronological, in the normal sense of chronology...is that a word? Anyways, you are all smart. I just thought one was out of left field, but to them, it isn't...yeah...please enjoy!

Chapter 9 – Wandering Kitten of the Everlasting Cat

"Demeter?" Bombalurina asked as they watched their mother disappear into the light of the rising sun. "You know I'm going to take care of you now, right? I'm you're older sister…I'll take good care of you. Let's promise each other that we'll stay together for as long as we live. We're all each other have, right? Demeter? Are you listening to me? Dem?"

The Rum Tum Tugger was lazing about inside of an old, thrown out bureau, his head hanging out, with his paws up in the air. He didn't look incredibly comfortable, but considering how he didn't bother to adjust his position, he must have been. He heard what sounded like a muffled whine and twitched his ear. 'Oh, great,' he thought. 'Sounds like a queen is upset about something.'

Slowly, he plucked himself from his position and looked out over the junkyard. He saw a blurry form walking slowly towards him and rubbed his eyes. After a few blinks, he realized it was Demeter, carrying on in a slow amble towards his direction. At first Tugger figured that her changing form due to her kittens were causing her to walk so awkwardly, but as she came closer, he noticed the blank look on her face. Different from the normal look of either nervousness or panic on her face, he decided it best to investigate.

He jumped from his drawer and leaned back against the old bureau, waiting for the queen to cross. When she finally made her way to him, he realized something was definitely wrong with her. If there was one thing he knew - aside from how to be deliberately hard to please - it was queens. Others often saw him as nothing but a queen's tom, but he did, on many occasions, deal with a queen's emotions. And upon looking at the gold queen before him, he was suddenly reminded of her sister when she first came to the tribe. Back then, he didn't know he would be close to any of them. So naturally, he barely regarded the situation as anything he needed to be concerned with. Now, as he looked at the queen and remembered the past, he felt a twinge in his stomach.

Surely, something had happened.

"Hey, Dem," he began, sounding as cheerful as he could. She didn't even flicker an ear to show she had heard him. "Is something wrong?" No response. "Dem, what's the matter?" he asked, as he began to follow her. "I know we're not close, but that doesn't mean you can't come to me when something's up. Did you have a fight with Munk? Is something wrong with the kittens?" There was a tiny, helpless whimper from her throat, and nothing else. "The kittens, huh? Look, I should get you back to your den. You shouldn't be--"

He reached out a paw to grab Demeter's, but she pulled away, rather violently, before going back to her mechanical state of walking. "Stop, Dem…" He tried to take her shoulders and, at the very least, steer her in the direction she needed to go in, but she jerked away so violently, together with a whining sound that he had only ever heard from a kitten throwing a fit, that he let go of her. She was stronger than she looked, but he didn't think she could hurt anyone but herself. It was odd, she being so strong and fragile at the same time. He didn't want to be responsible for anything that would harm her or her unborn kittens, even if it meant letting her drift as she was.

So all he could do was follow. Slow, though she was walking, he was afraid to take his eyes off of her, thinking she would disappear the moment he looked away. He had no idea what else to do. What's worse, she was heading out of the safety of the junkyard.

"Tugger!" called a tom's voice. The Maine Coon didn't need to look around to recognize it was Pouncival. "What are you doing?"

"Go get Munk--" Then he rethought that. If she was upset because of him, it would probably hurt her more to call him. "Make that Jenny! Something's wrong with Demeter." Silence. "GO!" A scampering of feet, and the tom was gone. "And hurry," he muttered under his breath.

The queen was now out the junkyard, mumbling something to herself. Tugger went up close to her. "Come on, Dem…snap out of it! You don't want to leave the junkyard right now." He went to stop her, but the sudden swipe of a claw from the queen and violent hiss made the tom back away. She absentmindedly put her paw on her stomach, and kept her eyes staring at nothing, as she began to pick up her pace, stumbling over her own feet.

"…kittens…just…happy…"

Tugger groaned, as the mumbling queen walked on. He could do nothing but follow, listen, and try to understand.

"…happy…"

They were all so happy. The tiny little kittens from one of the queens they had befriended raced around, each showing their burgeoning personalities with every little movement and squeak they made. Bombalurina lay next to her mate, while Demeter sat alone nearby. She heard the tom say, "You ever want one of those?"

"Nah, I don't do kits," Bombalurina said with a tone of finality. Her mate didn't seem too happy with the news, but kept quiet.

It was later revealed, however, through the actions of the tom constantly bringing the kits around the two sisters, that he was trying to encourage the red queen to like kittens. Of course, he didn't understand. There was a reason Bombalurina didn't want anything to do with the kittens. It became grossly evident when those little ones quickly became fond of the two sisters. Some even went out of their way during the days to go play with them. And the two sisters never declined a play with the kits. How would it look if they didn't want to play with something as irresistible as a baby?

It was, however, those baby features that made it all more heartbreaking. Seeing those bright eyes, that hadn't the chance to lose their baby blue and become their appropriate colors, look up at them with hopes and dreams, and knowing they dash them the moment they were to leave…Knowing every last swirl of their fur pattern by heart, and knowing they would never see them again…and seeing those cute button noses, that became familiar with their smells, and leaving that memory engrained in their brains…it was all too much.

They left that tribe, not for fear of being found out, but fear of their own broken hearts. And in the process, they ripped a part of the kits' happiness away along with them.

"Have you found them yet?" Skimbleshanks asked Alonzo, who shook his head and shrugged. "How about Munkustrap, has anyone seen him? And Bombalurina?"

"She's absolutely freaking out," Alonzo said, glad to at least be able to report something. "She ran out to look for her as soon as I said something was wrong. Where do you think she could have gone?"

"I don't know," Skimbleshanks said, shaking his head mournfully. "Tugger is not good of a fighter. He can't protect her for long."

"Have a little faith, Skimble," Alonzo chided. But before any more could be said, there was a scream from the junkyard entrance. Both toms immediately raced to the location of the scream. Etcetera and Electra were standing over the Rum Tum Tugger, looking terrified. He was doubled over, holding his stomach.

"Help!" Etcetera yelled, looking around frantically, as Electra kneeled beside the maned tom, looking him over, close to tears. Alonzo knelt down next to Tugger, carefully pushing Electra back. He took a moment to assess the damage to the panting tom. His arm looked as though it had been recently mangled. He was also sporting a fat lip, and a torn ear. He refused to move his paw that was clutching his stomach.

Alonzo felt his body go numb. "What happened?" he asked, eyes wide in shock.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, in obvious pain. "I tried to keep an eye on her, but there was a stray dog."

By then, Skimbleshanks had brought Jennyanydots to her patient. She stared only for a moment, taking in his wounds, before going straight to work. Alonzo had faith in the Gumbie Cat's medicine. Now, he had to worry about Demeter. "Do you know what happened to her?"

"I lost track of her," he said, panting. "There was only one dog…so I know it didn't go after her. But she disappeared on me so quickly after that."

"You did good, Tugger," Alonzo said reassuringly. "Facing a dog by yourself. And to save a queen!"

"Yeah," Tugger whispered, as Alonzo helped Skimbleshanks lift the wounded cat. "I'm a regular…defender of the innocent." He shook his head as they began walking to Jennyanydots' den. "Munk is gunna kill me."

"Or thank you," Alonzo said, as they walked past the sobbing kittens. "For being there for his mate." The maned tom just sighed

------

Bombalurina ran frantically through the streets. She didn't understand where her sister could have possibly gone to. She would never leave without her, would she?

Would she?

No, that was impossible. Demeter had always been there with her, through thick and thin, no matter what. They had promised each other that they would stay together until they died. That was assuming they died together. Which was always the plan. Together. They needed to be together. And now her sister had simply gotten up and left without her.

"Demeter!" Bombalurina called as she ran through the streets, rushing in any direction she could go, checking every place they had been to before, were familiar with, or even simply noticed in passing. She had to find her sister. Demeter couldn't have left without her! She couldn't…she couldn't. She wouldn't just leave, after all that time, talking about how she wanted to stay. Stay for the kittens, stay for that wretched tabby of hers. They were trouble, every last one of the cats there, trying to take her sister away from her!

"Answer me, DAMN IT!" She tripped on a break in the sidewalk and crashed to the floor, splayed out on the ground. She felt her knees scrape on the concrete, and the blood begin to seep into her fur, as the throbbing pain ran like electricity through her. But she refused to cry. She refused to let the pain get to her. She refused to let them get to her. "Dem…I need you…"

"Come on, Bombalurina, snap out of it!" Demeter said to her sister, as they hid under a car. The rain was pouring, and lightening was slicing through the sky. They needed to find a place to stay and soon. But her sister, strong as she was, couldn't shake the feeling. Demeter knew what had happened. She had seen it once before, with their mother.

Bombalurina had snapped.

"Please!" said the queen, feeling tears begin to fill her eyes. "I can't do this alone!" No response. "I know you lost your mate…it's not your fault we had to leave the tribe, though. Please…come back to me." Her sister seemed gone. That night, Demeter cried, wailing into the night, the sounds she made mourning the possible loss of her sister masked by the sounds of the storm.

Rumpleteazer squeezed herself out of the tiny opening in the window, before turning around and pulling out her bag of loot. She jumped down to the ground, where her partner in crime was waiting for her. They didn't bother to hide their laughter as they bounded across the lawn and jumped on top of the brick fence.

The small tabby queen leaned against Mungojerrie, trying to catch her breath, as the tom shifted through his items. "This looks good," said the tabby tom. "Nice of Munk' to entrust us wit' gettin' the food 'e asked for."

Rumpleteazer nodded proudly in response. She then looked over to something that had just rounded the corner. The small queen frowned. "Somethin' in our ter'tory…" She jumped down from the wall, leaving her loot there, her partner soon following.

"Whatcha gunna do?" he asked, smiling coyly. "Beat the bloody thin' with your paws like ya did last time?" The little queen shoved her partner in crime playfully before rushing over to the corner, peering around carefully. She gasped in surprise, which made Mungojerrie all the more curious. He raced around the corner, and saw a familiar queen walking down the way.

"Do you think the otha's know she's down 'ere?" he asked to other car burglar. The queen shrugged. He then slowly walked up to the queen. "Demeta'?" He put a paw on her shoulder, and the gold queen snapped back to life for only a moment.

"NO!" she screamed, pulling away. The two cats watched, stunned, as she held her shoulder as though she had pulled something, then continued walking mechanically. She was muttering to herself, drawing in quick breaths now and then, as though she were sobbing. Mungojerrie, at a loss with what to do, reached out his paw again.

"Don't Mungo," Rumpleteazer said. "She'll 'urt 'erself."

"What's wrong with 'er?"

"I don' know." Then to Demeter, she said, "Come on, Dem. You shouldn' be out and abou' at night in your condition. I'm sure the tribe is worried abou' ya." There was no response. The queen leaned close to her partner. "Munkustrap would be 'avin' a fit right now."

"Munkustrap," Demeter gasped. The two cats went still. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "Kittens…need names…the kittens. They're yours, never mine."

"What the bloody 'ell is she mumblin' abou'?" asked the tom.

"Hell," Demeter whispered, continuing to walk. "Jellicles…we can't go to…" She stopped walking abruptly. The two cats took that as a chance to walk in front of her and block her path. They looked at her eyes, looking far off, and her face that looked almost terrified. "I'll…surely…go to hell for that."

"We bettah take 'er 'ome," Rumpleteazer said.

Demeter shook her head. "No…I have no home."

"Well, we'll take 'er to the junkyard, then," Mungojerrie said, rolling his eyes. "We assumed tha' was your 'ome. Look, we got your food for you, jus' like Munk wanted us to get you."

"I need…Deuteronomy…I need…to talk to him," she managed.

"You're nowhere near 'im," Rumpleteazer said gently. "Did you ge' lost on the way?" Demeter went quiet. No more mumblings. No more mindless walking. No more short, sobbing gasps. Instead, she looked up to the young queen before her, eyes glossy from unshed tears.

"I'm…tired," she said softly. Finally, she let the other cats touch her. The two cats led the poor, exhausted queen slowly back to the junkyard. They tried to get her to talk, but she had gone completely silent, looking around every once in a while, as though wondering how she got there, but then deciding to simply let out a sob and falling back to her numb state. Confused, and suddenly saddened themselves, the two cats were quiet the rest of the way, as they led home the poor wandering queen, who seemed like nothing more than a kitten, were it not for the years of agony in her eyes, and the kittens she herself would soon bare.

Demeter nuzzled her sister, who was staring off into the night sky. "Maybe someday we'll be happy," she said hopefully.

Bombalurina shook her head, the first acknowledgement to her sister in days. "No," she said in a raspy voice. "Don't tell yourself that. It will just destroy you in the end."