Her Moment of Happiness
A CATS fanfiction
By: Something Dysfunctional
Chapter One: Introduction and Misjudgement
Disclaimer: I know... if you have read my profile and my story listing, you're thinking... "Wtf? Why is she writing a MUSCIAL story?!" Well, if you must know; I enjoy Broadway shows and theater. It's my major. Dur. XD And "CATS" just happens to be up there in my top five Broadway performances. Recently, I got a copy of the DVD and fell more in love with it than when I watched it when I was twelve. And one cat, to me, stood out from all the rest. The beautiful and darling Jemima. She's just SO precious! Demeter and Bombalurina are tied for second and then it's Munkustrap, Tugger, and Mistoffelees. Moving, this story is going to be about Jemima and how I think she came about somewhat. Please, regard this kindly and review nicely! Happy reading!
-NOTE: Please, please, PLEASE understand that how I'm going about in this story is from inspiration from some fanfiction I've read and adored. The pairing seems not possible, but I think it could. Remember: IT'S A FANFICTION UNIVERSE. You can do whatever you want! :)
--
It was a calm and cool night in the Junkyard, when the little one was brought before the others. Dozens of stars littered the midnight sky, like diamonds pressed into the blackest of velvets with waxing moon nestled in like a lost pearl. The air was light, not too cold and just comfortable for the pack of cats that waited for their leader and his mate. It was noted straight-away from the older felines that the newest member was something else entirely. The Queens could tell you that it was the way she stared when presented to them.
"It was like she could read your very mind!," trilled Jellylorum to Jennyanydots later on. The Gumby cat agreed, though her heart went out to the kitten. "But she seems so scared. Perhaps she was born odd...?," the tabby thought quietly to Jellylorum. Asparagus, one of the older tomcats, simply looked on, a happy look on his face. "It is a grand day to see a new kitten for us! We're getting bigger!" Pouncival and Tumblebrutus took one glance at each other and snickered silently at the old fool. The twin felines, Coricopat and Tanomile, glared at them for their sniggering and silently went back to studying the newest member.
Alonzo, the second-in-command of the clan, sniffed, looking down from his nose at the child that was borne of his best friend and his mate. The kitten looked puny. Weak and timid. But he would note later on that her eyes intimated him as well. There was something unique about them. Almost as the same for the limber Burmese Cassandra, who spoke little, but danced like liquid and bore large, gray-green eyes that seemed not of this world. Even the playful duo, Mungogerrie and Rumpleteazer, came out to witness this event and pulled and pushed each other over to get a better look from their hiding place.
Everyone seemed to be on edge as her father, Munkustrap, presented her to the others and the three kittens that came before his own. Electra, Ecetera, and Victoria flitted around the youngest member with wide expressions and mewls of questions for her. She answered them with nothing, twisting her tail in her paws.
She, however, remained silent, keeping her gaze down on the ground. Her mother, Demeter, looked on with worry in her pale green eyes. She turned towards her dear friend, Bombalurina, who in return, shook her head slightly, not sure what to say or do. Her daughter didn't speak since she was first born, not even to her or Munkustrap. Approaching her daughter, Demeter placed her lithe paws on her girl's shoulders. "Darling, don't you want to say hello to the others? It's rude to not say anything...," she trailed off when she shrugged herself out from her mother's touch. Munkustrap sighed and knelt before his own. His dark eyes mirrored his kitten's, reading each other silently. Deep within, she only trusted her father and mother. And Munkustrap was close to her heart than any male. She frowned as tears gathered in her large earthy eyes. He smiled gently at her and picked her up. She curled up against his sleek silvery chest, hearing his steady heartbeat that she always fell asleep to.
Gulping and gathering her courage, she turned her head to the clan and spoke in a clear, sweet voice that could envy the pure-snow white kitten Victoria's, and said:
"Hello, everyone. It is very nice to meet you all. I'm honored to be apart of the clan."
With that said, everyone melted at the sincereity and sweetness of the tiny kitten and rushed to pet and coddle her in her father's arms. Demeter looked on with shinning eyes, paws clasped together, a large smiled plastered on her heart-shaped face. Bombalurina sauntered beside her and placed a arm around her shoulders. "Now... that wasn't so hard for her, was it? I tell you, your mate is something else. He can do anything," she mused. Demeter chuckled and leaned into the dark scarlet feline's body. "I know. She's his shadow. He could work miracles if he wanted. Oh, I'm just so happy she's talking!"
The kitten was handling herself very well with the group of cats until she felt a sharp tug on her tail. Yelping, she twisted in her father's strong arms and hissed into the face of a black and white tomcat. He grinned at her and wiggled his claws at her, sparks flying off of them. "Mistoffelees!!! That was not very nice!," Victoria cried at him, her blue eyes narrowing at her friend's behavior. Munkustrap placed his daughter down and turned to the mischevious older kitten. "Now, now... exactly what was that for, young tom?"
Mistoffelees shrugged, his ebony fur shinning in the dim light of the half-moon. "She didn't say hello to me yet! I was getting offended." Ducking underneath Munkustrap's arm, the kitten glared at him, her upper lip curled. "What you did was uncalled for! If you wanted me to say 'hello' to you, you should be more poliet!" The magician cat straightened up and bowed gracefully before her. "Young miss, I am truly sorry for my actions. Perhaps now you will forgive me and tell me your name?"
Startled at this, the kitten grew wary and pressed against Munkustrap, her tiny paws winding their way in his thick fur. "Why? Why do you want to know?," she asked softly, unsure. "That's how we can get to know one another, you silly thing! And be friends," Mistoffelees added for safe measures.
'What a peculiar creature. She is very smart for one so young! The kittens and older ones are going to eat her alive out here... maybe I can be friends with her, just to protect her? Munkustrap would like that I'm sure,' he thought to himself.
Silence stretched out between them until she came forth gracefully towards the young tomcat. Biting gently on her bottom lip, she raised her head up to look into his eyes. At once, Mistoffelees had nothing to say. She made him speechless. Those eyes pierced within him, causing his heart to jerk in odd movements. And dare he say, made his paws get sweaty and the fur on his neck to stand slightly? She cocked her head to the side, and slowly, grinned at him so prettily, he had trouble breathing!
"Jemima. My name is Jemima."
--
Several months had passed and Jemima was part of the trio of female kittens. Instantly, she was drawn to the charms of Victoria, who taught her how to dance for the first time under the caring eye of the gorgeous scarlet Queen, Bombalurina. Secretly, Jemima worshipped her greatly. "Why must I learn again?," Jemima asked one day whilst trying to twist in the air with her legs. Victoria rolled her large eyes and ran a paw through her soft white mane. "For the Jellicle Ball! Hasn't Munkustrap told you anything?! Honestly...," she grumbled and suddenly went down in a split so fast, it made Jemima fall over on the ground. "Jellicle Ball? What's that? It sounds so grand... and mysterious!," she gushed, her eyes wide with excitment. "From what I can gather from the queens, it is. Old Deuteronomy is coming tonight to give us our parts. Bless his old heart... he only comes during once a year, but Ecetera said she overheard Tumblebrutus talking to Alonzo about him coming! Said it was important this year for some odd reason." Jemima nodded slowly, letting all this information sink in.
"So, if he's coming, then he'll leave and come back again, huh? I would love to meet him," she said wistfully, stretching out her arms and slowly pirouetting like Victoria had taught her. "I as well. That's why I'm practicing so hard now so that I can get a solo dance. Or lead the Jellicle Ball! Eeekkk! I'm so estatic, I could die!!!," the white kitten squealed, clapping her paws. Jemima silently agreed, slightly jealous.
It was true... Victoria could dance. Very beautifully at that. Bombalurina and Cassandra had taught her the basics, then, she took it personally to train Jemima since she was new. It was as if every cat had a special gift. Jemima wished she knew what hers was...
but she could never finish that thought when a abrupt pull on her tail shook her back to reality. With a piercing yowl, she whirled around so fast, she tripped on her feet. Instantly, she closed her eyes to brance impact when... gravity didn't do it's job. Opening one eye, she saw nothing but a white chest surrounded with black fur. Groaning outwardly, Jemima spoke;
"It had to be you, right?"
Muscial laughter reached her ears as a pair of strong hands hoisted her up. A sudden heat flared within her and her limbs trembled at his genility. Her eyes closed briefly in happiness, inhaling his smoky and spicy essence. Opening her eyes, she met the gaze of her friend Mistoffelees and punched his arm playfully, pulling out of his arms. "That wasn't nice! You keep doing that I won't have anymore fur on it! I'll go on in life with a bald tail," she whined. "Please. Your fur grows back quickly. Quit complaining," he teased, winking flirtatiously. Jemima stuck out her tonuge, turning away from him with a saunter that made him raise a questionable eye. "What are you doing today?," he asked, as an act of conversation, distracting himself from her walking. "Practicing dancing... for the Jellicle Ball. Don't you know anything?," Jemima mirrored Victoria's words to him, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at him with a knowing gaze and a smile on her lips. "Of course I do! I had the pleasure of performing at it for two years," he smirked at the kitten. Frowning, she pursed her lips tightly. "Right... I forgot. You're an old kitty cat!," she giggled. Mistoffelees reached for her in mock anger as she twirled out of his grasp like a twisting blade of grass, elegant and fluid it made Mistoffelees's heart beat quicker. 'She's practicing, my claw. She's amazing!' "You are getting too cocky for yourself, madam!," he countered, falling for her charm easily.
Victoria coughed polietly from her perch on the ground, still in her split as the two ignored her almost entirely. She looked over her shoulder, all coy and innocently at the black and white tom. "If you please, Mister Mistoffelees, we are trying to learn a lesson," she said coolly with a tiny smile. "Oh, but do forgive me, Miss Victoria. Might I assist you off the ground?," he asked like a gentleman, bowing to the white kitten and offering a hand. He watched Jemima from the corner of his eye as her face faltered and her smile fade from her rosy mouth.
Jemima's heart jerked oddly and she fell back into an old habit of hers by pulling her tail around her waist and twisting it in her small paws. She did this when things where awkward or she was hurting or embarassed. As Mistoffelees brought Victoria up, she turned and bounded towards home and soon, into the arms of her mother.
--
Demeter looked up from her preening as her daughter clambored into their tiny home that overlooked the Junkyard. "Jemmi? What's wrong, darling?," she asked as the kitten dove into her mother's lap, head-first. "I'm a total prat," came the muffled reply, childish and sadden.
"How are you a prat, love?"
"Just am."
Demeter often wonder if she was this bad as a kitten. She couldn't recall. Sighing, she smiled and ran a paw through her daughter's black, auburn, and cream colored mane. Demeter felt Jemima relax under the treatment and soon, a soft purr reverbarated around them. Demeter was awfully proud of how her daughter had grown so far. She was still tiny and delicate with high cheekbones and eyebrows. Her coloring was a odd mixture of her own and Munkustap's but she wore a spiked collar that Bombalurina found just like Demeter's. Her markings gave her an expressive face, especially around those alluring dark eyes. Lately, since being around Victoria and Cassandra, her dancing improved greatly for someone her size. Her voice was now a husky tone that was still sweet and her demenor kind and gentle like Munkustrap's. But her eyes were her own.
Including her voice.
Munkustrap would wake in the night and know that his daughter would be up when there was a full moon. She would sit on top of the old car in the Junkyard and stare at it with wonderment. He'd watch her for a good while until like the wind, her voice would float down to his ears. It was so quiet but clear, it made him shiver at the tone and words of it. She was gifted in song. Demeter never got a chance to hear her yet and eagerly waited the opprotunity.
"Now, darling, sit up and talk to me. What's wrong?," she asked, pulling Jemima's head up with her paws. Dark eyes stared at her mother and quickly, they fluttered, trying not to cry. "I... can't help it... I want to do good for Old Deuteronomy and then, I compare myself to Victoria, Ecetera, and Electra! The next thing you know, I won't be good like you or beautiful as Bombalurina and get a mate! I want to be happy like you and Father are!!!," Jemima blew up, tears streaming down her face. Demeter blinked rapidly, her voice caught in her throat. "Oh dear... I-I didn't know that's what was wrong... Listen, the Jellicle Ball is nothing to be anxious about. Old Deuteronomy knows all of us better than "we" do. The part you will get will be fine! You can work on it and be the best one at it! And what makes you think Victoria will get all the good parts? Us Queens know more and can do anything just as well at kitten still.
As for the part of finding a mate... you have plenty of time, sweetheart. No one is pushing you. You're still young. And believe me; you'll know your mate when you find him," Demeter finished soothingly, wiping away the tears on Jemima's face and brushing back her ruffled fur. "... what if I already know?," Jemima whimpered timidly, turning her head away. Demeter's paws faltered as her pale green eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Wh-what?," she whispered hoarsely. Jemima shook her head and pulled away. "Nothing. It was nothing... probably just a crush... I'll go on then," she mumbled and fled back outside, leaving behind a befuddled and shocked mother.
"What... just happened?"
--
Jemima crossed over wooden plank towards the black and silver figure that was her father. If there was one person that could set her feelings at ease, it was Munkustrap. She adored him so much, she hated not being near him. She was spoiled, oh yes, but never was bratty to any of the kittens or other cats. Her steps faltered when she noticed he was preoccupied. He was talking to another feline that she had never really seen before. Curious, she ducked underneath her father's arm and rubbed against him, her full face looking at the stranger before her. "Ah, Jemmi. Allow me to introduce to you... ah. Hm. How do I put this the right way?," Munkustrap thought out loud. "I'm her uncle. Your brother. The most amazing cat to grace this Yunkyard?," the willowy tiger cat purred, adjusting his fluffy mane that encircled his neck and head inticingly. Jemima blinked owlishly at him. "If you're so amazing, why are you here now?," she asked matter-of-factly, causing the lean cat to blanch at her. Munkustrap chuckled and looked at his brother. "I told you. She's as brilliant as they come. Jemmi, this is Rum Tum Tugger. He's come to live here for awhile." She nodded and bowed to him sweetly. "Forgive me, I'm sorry. My name is Jemima. It's a pleasure to meet you," she introduced, smiling at him prettily.
Tugger grinned back and reached forward, tickling under her chin with a sheathed claw. "Sharp kit. I like her. Will you give me a tour then, darlin'?," he asked so charmingly, Jemima felt her face growing hot. "Ah... okay! Follow me, please!," she asked and slid off the plank easily to the ground and tumbled forward, twisting around so quickly and standing back up that Tugger and Munkustrap were caught off guard. "Victoria must have been training you," Munkustrap guessed to her. She nodded and smiled shyly. "Have I improved?"
"Very much so. I'm proud of you, sweetheart."
Jemima's heart leapt with joy at her father's praise. She mewled and rubbed at her ear. "Thank you, Father! Oh, come this way, Rum Tum Tugger," she offered as he followed her with a confident sway that she nearly ran into a junkwall.
--
HA!
First chapter done!
SUCK IT, BLUES!
Real quick question; if any of you know the breed of some of the cats, email me and let me know, please!
---the moonlight carries message of Love.---
Later Days!
SD