Jelliclesoul635/ I always appreciate your descriptive comments! Thank you. Well, I tried to make my chapters longer (as you have suggested me to do so) while also keeping them interesting. I wonder how it turned out? :) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Stacey C/ I agree… we need more non-romantic stories! I will make sure I use "anway" and not "anyways" – or so I will try. :) I hope I don't start disappointing you in future chapters! Tell me if I do! :)

Immajelliclegirl/ Ah, thank you for your kind compliment! I will try not to make typos… I hope! :) I hope to see you again! :)

Note 1: Thank you to all three who wrote comments for me!

Note 2: There is a rather uncomfortable, bloody description in this chapter.

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Munkustrap was unsure of how to get supper that night.

Mice again? But now we're getting tired of it. Fish? Where to find it? Maybe I can go through the garbage and find something… but that will be an insult to the Jellicles' reputation. Steal something from a restaurant? Now, what am I thinking?

The day was heavily dark; the sky was of an intense indigo. The buildings and any other features of the city were merely black figures against the sky; it was their warm illuminations of usually yellow or red that provided any diversity against the darkness.

It was when he and Jemima were crossing a street when Munkustrap saw a shape on the ground… a horribly disfigured one. He knew instantly that it was of a squirrel… cruelly damaged, probably run over by an automobile.

"Jem, just keep on walking straight," he said, trying to keep the kitten from the bloody sight.

The kitten had an urge to look around her, but she quietly obeyed the protector cat.

When the two reached the sidewalk, Jemima instantly looked around her. She suddenly gasped, looking at the direction of the squirrel.

"Jem, let's go," Munkustrap said, pretending he didn't saw the poor creature.

"Munk… wait…" Jemima said, unable to stop gaping.

"Jem… it's nothing. Let's go," he insisted, "We have to find supper."

"Munk! Is supper more important to you than that?" the kitten shouted with a mix of anger and sorrow.

Munkustrap only sighed.

Jemima ran towards the direction of the squirrel and, without putting her paws off of the sidewalk, scrutinized the condition of the animal. The squirrel's flesh was cut in various places; blood was flowing everywhere. The inside muscle and a bone were showing by the left thigh. He was panting heavily, implying that he was still living.

Jemima, too, was panting – not from the physical pain, but from the mental agony.

Munkustrap slowly arrived by the kitten. "Look, I know that it is sad, but he is going to die – anyway. It's not a cat or anything, so…"

"Munk… how could you say that? How can you dare say that in front of a fellow creature dying? How… I never knew you were that cold-minded…" Jemima said, shivering.

Munkustrap sighed again. It was true – he knew that he had just said something unacceptably cruel… but to him, that was reality.

Jemima sat on the ground and, looking down to the squirrel, tried to put her paw on the animal.

Immediately an automobile raced by; Jemima, startled, put back her paw instantly.

Jemima, panting from the unexpected disturbance, slowly put her head down and, angling her body to the squirrel, kissed him by his cheek. Several tears travelled down from her eyes.

The squirrel, desperate for more air, tried to smile a faint sign of appreciation.

"Friend… tell me your family…" Jemima asked quietly.

"D… da… dai… dai… Daisy…" the squirrel whispered with much challenge, "Thank y…"

It closed its eyes. The panting ceased.

Jemima tried to take long, deep breaths – but it was a great difficulty. She let out a few tears and, after walking to a nearby streetlight, buried her face in her paws.

"Jem… things like this happen every day in the city…" Munkustrap said.

The kitten said nothing.

"Look… Jem… I know I sound cruel… but eventually, you'll accept it as a fact…"

The kitten cried louder.

"I know it is sweet that you mourn over a "friend" but… you just met him… You don't know what it did…"

"Munk! Does it matter to you what it did before? Does it matter if you just met him? Does it matter at all? What matters to me is that it died… died in the streets, away from his family, his body cut open… That's what I care about…!" Jemima shouted out with rage.

"Jemima. This is unacceptable. You do not shout at me like that!" Munkustrap said strongly.

Jemima gave Munkustrap an eye that pierced through his heart. "I never knew you were that cold…" she said.

"Look, Jem, just come here and we will talk about it," Munkustrap said, trying to sound a bit kinder.

Jemima sighed and came towards the gray tabby.

Both walked into a small gap between two buildings. It was cold, damp, and even darker. Jemima shivered at what might happen. Will he beat me up for shouting at him…?

Instead, Munkustrap gave the kitten a hug… a hug of assurance… that he will never beat her up…

"Munk…"

"Jem… you made me realize how adulterated I am…"

"What do you mean…"

"Jem… that's what I love about you kittens… that you don't think so much, that you just react to what is in front of you… I love that…"

"Munk… I thought you were angry at me… Come on… I deserve to be beaten up… for shouting at you so rudely…"

"Jem, it is me who should be beat up… for ignoring that poor creature… just because I don't know him, just because he was going to die, just because… he wasn't a cat…"

"Munk…"

"I know I sound so different compared to myself a few minutes ago… But I realize that I was so cold… I acted like Macavity; no, colder than him…"

"Munk…"

There was a moment of both of the two letting out tears. They didn't care about being embarrassed in front of the others… They just wanted to feel better… by letting tears come out…

"Look, Jem, I just wanted to show you the positive things of this outside world… but I think I exposed you to too much…"

"Munk… I'm older than that…"

"But Jem… to see a squirrel dying like that… was just… just… gruesome. It was gruesome me, and that was part of why I wanted to ignore it…"

"But you saw a lot of gruesome things in your life…" Jemima whispered.

"Just because I see a lot of horrible things doesn't mean I am always immune to them…"

Jemima gasped at this. It broke in her mind a conception of the protector cat… That he was always brave, that he had no fears…

"Jem, is this your first time seeing something "die" like that?"

"I guess…"

"I am proud and thankful you took it like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I am glad I know a kitten like you who is so understanding and compassionate… even to ones you don't know… to those you just met… That's what all grown cats lack…"

"Munk… don't try to comfort me like that…"

"Jem, I am dead serious. I mean it. I know it sounds as cheesy as it can get… but… you are far better than me in that case of being compassionate… that you have that caring heart… the heart that I need but I compress down upon… thinking it's not important… But it is…"

Jemima looked down at a crack on the ground. "It was heart-breaking to see something die in front of me… body all cut up… bones showing… all bloody… But I'm glad I kissed him, to show that someone cares for him even when he is dying… I hope it was something encouraging and happy to him before… he died…" she said.

"And I didn't have the courage to do so…" Munkustrap commented.

"Munk… don't let yourself down…"

"Jem… remember how I told you about how Etcetera may be doing certain things to ignore certain feelings?"

Jemima nodded.

"Well… I think it's a similar thing with grown-ups," he said, "I think that we, the grown-ups, think of emotional feelings about certain things as immature and kittenish, yet those feelings are natural in certain times. And since we want to oppress those feelings, we turn cold to emotional things like death and things… It's terrible, isn't it?"

Jemima didn't know how to respond to this.

"That's why you acted more maturely than most of the grown-ups when you were so kind to the dying squirrel. I need to learn from you…"

"Munk! No! Please… don't let yourself down…"

Munkustrap looked depressed. It was undeniable to the kitten. The protector cat than closed his eyes and released a tired breath.

"Look," Jemima said, trying to slightly change the subject, "I heard him say 'Daisy' to me. I think that may be a family member of his… don't you think?"

Munkustrap opened his eyes. They were two yellow illuminations in the dark.

"Shouldn't we try to find 'Daisy' and tell him… or her… about the death…? Wouldn't that be something nice to do…?" Jemima suggested carefully.

Munkustrap just let out a sigh with a smile. "Tomorrow… tomorrow, we will talk about that," he said. He closed his eyes and hugged Jemima. Within a few seconds, he fell asleep.

Jemima rolled out and gazed up onto the sky… The dark sky with a billion stellar objects… The night sky that she seldom looked up at… these days.

There was a time when such action was common to her.

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Ah, thou eager one who wantest an adventure! To be honest, a huge part of the story is going to be more like this… quiet and gentle, about the two characters learning new things in life. I greatly appreciate those who are reading my story. I apologize to those who feel that my story progresses so slowly, and I will try to write another chapter today. I certainly appreciate – and need – comments! Please be critical! :)