Demeter was an early riser by nature. It wasn't that she disliked the evening hours or anything, it's just...
Oh, who was she kidding?
She hated nighttime.
It was cold and dark and not terribly fun. And it brought back memories that she had no desire to relive.
What was it the humans said?
"The early bird gets the worm."
And not to mention she liked to watch the sunrise, even if she was by herself.
The Jellicles were all night owls (or at least the younger ones), and most slept until mid-morning. She was certainly okay with that as it gave her several hours of peace and quiet.
She didn't sleep particularly well last night, and woke up feeling more tired than she did before going to bed. Her den was empty, Bomba must have spent her night elsewhere. Demeter had an inkling of where her sister might be, but never thought to push the matter. They were both adults, and it wasn't really her right to impose any unwanted opinions upon her twin.
She yawned, stretched out her cramped muscles, ate a leftover mouse for breakfast, and eventually made her way over to the hood of the TSE car. It was old and rather decrepit, but it gave her a perfect view of the rising sun. She waved to George as she passed, the poor tom was stuck with the overnight watch shift and should hopefully be able to get some sleep soon when his replacement came to relieve him.
Making herself comfortable (or at least as comfortable as one could get when sitting on rusty metal), the gold and white queen watched the blackness of the sky shift to a warm pink and yellow as the sun peaked through the hillside. It was terribly relaxing, and she felt herself nodding off.
"So you do this every morning?"
Demeter blinked herself awake, turning around to find the Rum Tum Tugger standing behind her.
"A bit early for you, isn't it?"
"Hey, I don't always wake up at noon," he protested, looking very (not) offended.
"No, but I imagine you were probably up pretty late last night."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She shifted closer, taking a whiff of his pelt.
"You smell like my sister."
She could see Tugger freeze.
"What? I was thorough."
Demeter chuckled.
"You're right. You smell fine. But thank you for confirming where Bomba was last night."
Tugger crossed his arms, shooting her a death glare.
"That wasn't funny."
"Really? I was rather amused by it."
"We're just friends."
"Of course."
"Just friends."
"Sure."
It remained silent for a moment before the Maine Coon made a move to sit down.
"Why are you really out here this early, Tugger?"
"You mean you don't yearn for my company on this lovely summer morning?"
She raised her eyebrows.
"Worth a shot. I'm actually here on behalf of the walking stress ball known as my brother."
Demeter's smile disappeared.
"Is he okay?"
"You tell me. I haven't seen you two together in a while."
She sighed, averting her gaze.
"Are you guys going south?" Tugger continued. "Because if you are, I'd like to know in advance and prepare myself for his inevitable mental breakdown."
"We're not breaking up. It's just been a difficult week for me."
"Macavity?"
"It's none of your concern," she responded sharply.
"Maybe not directly," Tugger said, trying to comb through the knots in his mane. "But I've found there to be a negative correlation between Munk's stress levels and the amount of uninterrupted sleep I get per night."
"That's what you're worried about?"
"Well that and the general wellbeing of my brother. It hasn't been easy on him this week, especially with Alonzo and Admetus gone to engorge themselves on Bustopher's curry."
"Has he told you that?"
The Maine Coon snorted.
"That idiot will drop dead before he admits something is wrong with him."
He's not incorrect about that…..
"I didn't mean to upset him," she responded tiredly. "Sometimes when I'm stressed it's just easier to not have to talk with anybody."
"Wow, you guys really are perfect for one another."
She rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to feign ignorance and pretend that was a compliment."
"That wasn't not a compliment. And communication with each other is always a good thing."
Tugger winced as he proceeded to yank a particularly nasty looking knot out of his mane.
Bomba certainly wasn't easy on him last night.
"Six months out of the nursery and you're already giving relationship advice?" she questioned amusedly.
"No. It's more...life advice. I think."
He paused, studying the expression on her face.
"You're judging me."
"Sometimes I can't tell if you're a kit or an elder, the way you act. And don't feel bad. I judge everyone. You aren't special."
"Really? Then my father lied to me."
She tried hiding her smile.
"You're making it very hard for me to hate you."
"Demeter!" he gasped, placing his paw on his chest. "That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me. I think I'm tearing up a little."
Okay, now she was laughing.
"It's the best you'll get out of me. Now are you really going to ditch my sister in your own den?"
"You're changing the topic," he mused. "And Bomba knows how to get home."
He stood up, brushing the dirt from his legs.
"I gotta get cleaned up, anyways."
"Hot date?"
"How'd you know?"
"Wait, I was joking. You really have a date?"
Tugger shrugged.
"You know that ginger queen who lives near the docks?"
"Olga? But she smells like fi-"
"Oh, not her," Tugger cut in quickly, looking rather revolted. "It's actually with her brother."
"Does he smell like fish?"
"Nope. More like croissants. And baguettes. His owner works at the bakery."
"So is this date for him or for the baked goods?"
"Why not both?"
He paused.
"Well….mostly for the bread, but I'll take what I can get."
Demeter stifled another laugh. Leave it to Tugger to put her in a better mood. She stood up, noting the now completely blue sky. It aught to be a nice day out today, though knowing herself, she probably wouldn't take advantage of it. She had things….cats…..to attend to.
"I guess I'd better get going," she murmured.
"Hey...just…" Tugger trailed off, looking a bit lost on what to say.
She put a paw on his shoulder.
"I'll visit Munk," she whispered.
He gave her a soft smile.
"Take care of him, alright? He looks out for everyone here, but once in a while it's nice to know that someone's looking out for him."
She nodded, watching him saunter off back towards his den.
The Rum Tum Tugger was a strange specimen indeed.
#
It had been almost a week since she'd went inside Munk's den.
She found the Jellicle protector sprawled out on his side with his eyes closed. Quaxo was there as well, using the grey tabby's stomach as a head rest while flipping through pages of a book that probably weighed more than he did.
"Comfortable?" she teased, stepping through the entrance.
Quaxo looked up.
"Hi, Demeter!" he squeaked. "I'm reading about infectious diseases."
"Oh really?"
"Yep. Did you know that parasites..."
"Quaxo!" she interrupted. "I'd like to keep my breakfast in my stomach, if you don't mind."
The little tux lowered his gaze.
"Sorry. Did I come on too strong? Jelly says I have trouble understanding social cues."
"It's fine, honey. Just...maybe talk about things that are a little less...gross?"
"Hmmm. You're probably right. Maybe I'll read that book about m-a-c-r-o-e-c-o-n-o-m-i-c-s instead."
Was that English?
She turned her gaze back to Munk, who had yet to make any sort of movement. He was never usually a late sleeper, and they weren't exactly being quiet.
"Is he okay?" she asked, trying to hide the concern in her voice.
"Oh, Munkus? He's on drugs."
…what?
Demeter could feel her chest tightening.
Drugs? He's doing drugs? I know he was stressed but...
"You don't look too good Demeter," Quaxo remarked.
"I...him...drugs?"
"It's alright. I took drugs too. I told mother that the poppy seeds would give me i-n-d-i-g-e-s-t-i-o-n, but then she called me a d-i-v-a..."
She felt as though a great weight had been lifted off of her chest.
Oh, thank Heavyside.
"Quaxo," she clarified, "poppy seeds aren't dangerous. At least not in small amounts. The seeds come from a flowering plant and are used pretty extensively by humans."
"How do you know?"
"I used to help out a lot in Jenny's den. I'm pretty familiar with all of her medicinal supplies."
She bent down, squeezing one of Munk's paws that was dangling limply off the side of his nest.
"So he's okay, then?" Quaxo asked.
Demeter nodded.
"The poppy seeds are making him very sleepy right now. Did you say that Jenny gave them to you?"
"Yeah. I've been having bad dreams lately."
He turned around to look at Munk.
"I think he was having bad dreams too," the tuxedo kitten continued softly. "He moves around a lot when he sleeps."
Oh, Munku…
She could feel the Jellicle protector trembling under her touch. Munk had always been such a restless sleeper, ever since they were kits. Demeter was half tempted to wake him, but even a troubled sleep was better than no sleep at all.
"Poppy seeds can act as a sedative," she explained, "but they unfortunately can't stop you from dreaming."
Still holding Munk's paw in hers, she drew her gaze back to the young kitten.
"Honey, I think it's time for you to go back to the nursery."
"But Demeter..." he whined.
"I'll stay with Munk, okay? And maybe we'll visit later. But if you stay in here for much longer than you'll miss breakfast."
Quaxo sighed.
"Fine," he mumbled.
He closed the book he was reading and waved his paws in a circular motion as the book slowly disappeared.
Demeter's eyes widened.
"You're getting awfully good at that."
"That was easy. I just moved it to the nursery which isn't far. It's living things I'm having more trouble with."
"It just takes practice."
Quaxo nodded, not looking completely convinced.
"I hope you feel better, Munkus," he said softly, nuzzling his side. The grey tabby didn't even flinch, completely dead to the world.
He gave Demeter a small hug as well before leaving for the nursery.
The gold and white queen then laid down beside the Jellicle protector, gently lapping at his ears. She found it to be a rather calming action, and it was frequently used for newborn kittens who had trouble sleeping through the night. It took a while, but she finally felt Munk go lax under her dutiful ministrations.
"Dem," he mumbled groggily.
"I'm here."
"Quaxo?"
"He's in the nursery."
"Jenny drugged me."
She laughed.
"How terribly rude of her. Now go back to sleep."
"But the yard..."
"Is safe. We have cats on watch. It's okay to take the morning off."
He didn't have the strength to respond to her, his eyes slipping closed once more.
Demeter gently guided her tongue from his ears down to his chest and back, cleaning the dirt and grime from his body that his exhaustion prevented him from doing himself. She felt his breathing deepen, much stronger and even than it was earlier.
She stopped only when she was sure he was asleep again, and curled herself around him as she felt her own eyelids grow heavy.
Right now, a nap didn't seem like a bad idea.
Surrounded by a warm mass of grey and black, a belly full of mouse and a beautiful blue sky above her....that was how Demeter spent her morning.