Over six months passed, and Demeter and Bombalurina adapted to their life in the Jellicle Junkyard as if that's where had lived their entire life.
As the leader of one of the strongest Cat tribes in the London metropolitan area, it was Old Deuteronomy's duty to travel to other not so successful tribes and help them improve, which was far too common those days and meant that Tugger and Munkustrap were spending a lot of time in Jenny and Jelly's care. Besides those four kittens, four more kittens were found on the streets alone and were taken in by the tribe.
Cassandra, a sleek brown, Abyssian kitten, was found sleeping behind the crates outside of the junkyard gates, just like Bombalurina and Demeter. However unlike the sisters, her mother was hit by a car and didn't just up and leave her randomly.
A few weeks after that, Asparagus and another Jellicle Tom, Admetus, rescued two Siamese twins, named Coricopat and Tantomile, from a group of aggressive Pollicle dogs. Days before that, their parents had been picked up by animal services while they were out hunting, leaving the poor brother and sister pair alone to fend for themselves.
Finally, right as the snow melted and spring had arrived in the city, Skimble and Jenny were on a stroll along the river together, when they found a black and white spotted kitten named Alonzo passed out on a river bank. He had been a part of a litter born to a house cat and was unfortunately thrown into the Thames, along with his seven siblings because the humans didn't want them.
The back bedroom of Jenny, Jelly and their mate's den, that once only had two beds in it, now how a row of twin sized beds lining both its walls. Since the Toms were often hunting or on patrol, Jenny and Jelly were the main caretakers of the eight energetic kittens. Like they feared, Tugger and Bombalurina became partners in crime and were constantly looking for ways to stir up trouble. Like the two queens also predicted, Demeter and Munkustrap were also easily talked into participating in whatever their siblings were up to. They were constantly running off from the clearing where they were supposed to stay and climbed large piles of trash in the back of the yard, only to sheepishly return back to the yard after somebody got hurt or when they were discovered by an older cat.
As they all began to leave their kittenhood and enter into teenhood, their kitten like innocence left them too. What was once loving feelings of friendship, was now growing into something more. It wasn't uncommon for Tugger and Bombalurina, Munkustrap and Demeter and even Alonzo and Cassandra to go off together and spend time alone as young adolescent couples. They kept things Lowkey because they knew the older cats, especially Jellyorum and Jennyanydots, would not approve of their young love.
On nights that Deuteronomy was in the junkyard and not away tending to his diplomatic duties, Munk and Demeter would both sneak out of their dens and meet and lay on top of the highest junk pile in the entire yard, listen to the city traffic, watch the sky and talk for hours.
"God I wish we were old enough to live in our own dens". Demeter said thinking about how she would have to leave their perch among the city lights and sneak back to her bed without Jenny, Jelly, Skimble or Gus hearing. Especially Jenny or Jelly. Demeter shuddered at the thought of getting caught by one of her adoptive mothers. She never wanted to leave that spot next to Munk. When they were up there together, it felt like they were on top of the world, where nobody could touch them.
Munk nodded in agreement.
"My dad will kill me if he finds my bed empty."
Demeter laughed "You?! Have you met Jenny or my god Jelly?! She would have me sleeping with her and Asparagus for eternity"
Munk laughed too. "You have a point there."
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Do you ever think about your mum?" Munk asked, a little scared of Demeter's reaction.
Demeter sat up a little and looked at him with surprise. He looked back at her with genuine interest and concern. Demeter laid back down and sighed.
"All the time" she began softly. "I don't remember very well because I was so young, but I always wonder what it was about my sister and I that made her want to leave us."
Munk watched her with sad eyes.
"I mean I've heard Jenny and Jelly say that it was probably because it was hard to care for both of us and herself but..." she paused and took a distressed breath "I've always had a feeling it was more than that. Like we were holding her back from something so she just dumped us in the streets and took off." Her voice cracked as she finished her sentence. She put her paws up to her mouth and let out silent sobs. All this time since her and Bombalurina had wound up in the Jellicle junkyard, she was able to keep her emotions about the whole ordeal to herself and just be grateful that she was living somewhere where she was safe and cared for. But right there on the pile of trash, Munk was able to rip the top off the jar that was holding in all the grief and sadness Demeter had successfully bottled up since she was old enough to fully understand what had happened to her and Bombalurina.
Munkustrap curled his arms around her and nuzzled into her neck.
"I'm sorry Dem I didn't mean to get you this upset" he said desperately hoping he hadn't totally wiped out whatever romantic relationship was forming between them.
"No" she said taking a deep breath "I haven't cried about it since I was small. Who knows how much longer until I exploded".
Munk nodded
" But I do know one thing. When I have a kitten of my own" she said with a touch of determination in her voice "I will never, ever, leave them. No matter what else is going on in my life. That kitten will be mine and always mine."
Munk watched the young queen with admiration. She rolled over and looked the Tom in the eyes.
" I do know another good thing" she said smiling through her tears.
Munk smiled too "what's that?"
"If my mother hadn't of left us, and we didn't end up behind those crates , we would had never of met...and Bomba would have never had met your jackass brother" she finished, comically interrupting the sentimental moment she created.
Munk laughed "this is true" he said as he gently caressed Demeter's face.
"Not saying I'm glad your mother abandoned you...but I am glad you two ended up behind those crates that night."
Demeter grinned. "me too" she whispered totally forgetting about the heart wrenching conversation they had only minutes before. Using the paw that was stroking the tabby queen's face, Munkustrap gently pulled her face to his and kissed her. The kissed lasted only a few moments but it felt like a lifetime.
They stayed up on the pile for a while longer, before they decided they better go.