My Life pt 2.
Thankyou Shego. Hopefully this chapter will make you just as happy.
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"Say hello to your little sister, Jemima."
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Jemima was such a pretty name and my sister was such a pretty kitten, she had to stay in the den a lot though and was always sick. I wanted to play with her all the time but mummy kept shooing me away saying that she was too small or wasn't well and that I'd hurt her.
I won't hurt her. I love her. Why would I hurt her?
One day mummy was outside and daddy was looking after us in the den. He went off to do something in the other room and I finally got the chance to play with Jemmy. I didn't mean for it to happen but she was so light and she kinda slipped out of my hands when we were twirling around, I only wanted to teach her how to dance. There was so much blood and I screamed and ran.
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We found her tucked up the end of a small tunnel in the back of the junkyard a few hours later. Dem was frantic with worry, she had all sorts of horrible thoughts going through her mind, the most common of which was that Macavity had stolen her. It was one of the hardest things for me to deal with to be honest. This extreme paranoia about my brother, though it is completely justified. I'd had Jenny sedate her back in the den. She was curled up around Jem sound asleep.
When we eventually found her, she wouldn't come out to us. She had this idea that she'd killed her sister and that we all hated her. It was just a little cut on the head, they bleed a fair bit but everyone knew that, didn't they? I keep forgetting that Teaser is only a little over 5 because her behaviour is so adult like, she probably didn't know.
We couldn't get into the little tunnel Teaser had gotten herself in. Every time we called she simply looked at us with scared eyes and shook her head. I didn't know what to do, my little girl was scared of me, it was times like this I really hated the times I'd lost with her when she was a kitten. Then, bless him, Skimble came up to us and wanted to give it a try. He'd been a better father to her than I had in those 3 years her mother was missing. He motioned us all back and called to her quietly. Everlasting cat it worked. Teaser crept out and clung to his leg. She kept peering around his legs at me and hiding again every time she knew I was looking, it was heartbreaking, she was actually terrified. I'd never do anything to hurt my little Rumpleteaser.
Asparagus came over and told me that it'd probably be best to let Skimble take her for now, and for us all to get back to the dens. I sighed and agreed, motioning everyone to head back. I gave my daughter one final look and left her with the railway cat.
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"What's wrong lassie?" Skimbel asked me.
"I, I killed my sister" I wailed, "and everyone will hate me and mummy and daddy won't want me anymore."
"Ach. You didn't kill her dearie. It was just a little bump on the noggin." Skimbel replied.
"But all the blood and she just lay there." I wasn't hearing what he was saying to me, I was still too upset.
He bent down on one knee and picked me up, sitting over on an old tricycle with me on his lap. "It's ok Teaser. You didn't hurt her, it was an accident. Cuts on the head bleed and can kind of make you a little sleepy, but your sister is ok. Your mum and dad are beside themselves with worry over where you are though.
"They're worried about me?" I couldn't believe it.
"Aye love. Jenny even had to give your mummy something to help her sleep she's that scared something has happened to you and you saw how upset your daddy was just then."
"But I thought he was mad." I shrank back a little.
"Not mad silly. Just scared that you didn't love him anymore." Skimble gave me a little shake and a big cuddle. "Are you feeling a little better now? Reckon you can come back with me?"
"Y… yes maybe." I didn't know I was still scared that I'd be in trouble.
"It's ok. No one will be mad at you" he reassured me, then took me home.
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Demeter woke from her induced sleep with a foul taste in her mouth. "Damn that Jenny. I should know better than to take anything from her when I'm upset" she thought to herself a little groggily. She looked around and saw the bandaged toddler on the bed with her, the incident earlier came crashing back down on her and she got up out of the bed and headed to the door, where she hesitated, looking back at Jemima.
Jem was sound asleep and Demeter looked around the room again, before coming to a decision. She ducked back to the bed and kissed her youngest daughter on the head and walked out the door. As she left the den a mass of cats were entering the clearing from the opposite side and her mate Munkunstrap was in the lead. She rushed over to him and began to ask where Teaser was.
Munk took her by the hand and led her back to the den and sat on an old box out the front, pulling Demeter down beside him.
"We found her in a small tunnel at the back of the yard, but she wouldn't come to me. She managed to go to Skimble and he is calming her down now. She was scared of me Dem. I looked in her eyes and she was scared of Me! What have I done that could have made my little Teaser scared of me?" Munk was basically breaking down in front of her with worry about their wayward daughter.
She wrapped a comforting arm around him and pulled him into her shoulder. "Shh honey. It'll be alright. She'll be ok." Dem was suborning her own concern into comforting her mate. If there was one thing that she gained from her time as the captive of Macavity, it was an ability to distance herself from her own emotions if she had a distraction to use.
They were still sitting there a while later when the marmalade tom brought the little calico kitten back to the yard. Skimble brought the kitten over to her parents, however couldn't convince her to come out from behind his legs. It wasn't until her mother basically got down on her knees and began to cry that the little queen timidly approached Demeter.
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"Don't cry mummy." I said.
Mummy wiped her eyes and just held her arms out to me.
I couldn't stop myself, I needed a cuddle from my mummy. I threw myself at her sobbing that I was sorry I hurt my sister and I'd never do it again. Daddy wrapped us both up and was crying too. Skimble disappeared sometime while we were crying.
Mummy took me inside the den and showed me that Jemmy was ok and just had a little cut on her head just above where her hair started. Then she took me back out into the living room and I had to tell them what happened.
"Jemmy was awake and I wanted to play with her so I thought I'd teach her to dance." I said.
"Teaser. I've told you before that your sister isn't well. She is a lot smaller that everyone else her age and she can't play with you the way you do with Electra and Etcetera." I was told, again.
"But all we were doing was dancing, and she was laughing and having fun before she slipped. All we want to do is play with each other" I complained.
Daddy looked at mummy over my head and then back down to me. "We'll talk about it, but once her head is better we might start letting her play with you-" I squealed, "-if your mummy or I am around so nobody gets hurt again."
Mummy didn't look exactly happy about that but it was then that everything caught up with me and I let out a huge yawn. Daddy picked me up and put me in bed beside my sister and mummy kissed us both on the head and pulled up the covers.
…
Life got steadily better for Jemima after that. Demeter began to let the frail kitten out into the clearing to play with the other kits and she soon made firm friends with young Victoria and Mistofolees. The three became inseperable and were watched over by Jelly and Demeter. Teaser continued to play with the little kittens and was very quick to step in if anyone got a little too rough with them. Something Vic and Misto's step brothers, Plato, Tumblebrutus and Pouncival were constantly doing.
Dem still worried about the relationship between Teaser and Jem. Not that they were loving siblings but that Teaser was losing her kithood in looking after her sister, but she couldn't see a way to stop it from happening. Munk was proud as punch at the attitude his oldest daughter was showing and began to wonder if she'd want to take over as the tribe protector when he retired, not that it'd be any time soon.
About the only time that she reverted back to being a kitten was when his no good brother would come out into the clearing. He had some kind of mystical draw to the queens in the yard, including all the kittens, Etcetera in particular was besotted with him. Rum Tum Tugger was well aware of the effect he had, how could he not, but after a brief fling with Demeters sister, Bombarulina, would not commit to anyone past flirting. Once over a bit of nip, Munk had gotten out of him that he'd fallen in love but didn't know how to approach the object of his affections. Munk laughed his head off at that, the tomwhore of the tribe not knowing how to approach a queen. The reactions that he got from his inebriated brother ensured that it would be a very long time before Tugger would reveal who it was, only that it was one of the unattached adult cats and that it wasn't Bombs.
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The years continued to go by and Teaser continued to look out for her sister who gained strength with every day. Teaser had continued to teach Jemima and Victoria to dance, Jem was an indifferent student though she enjoyed it, however Vic was simply incredible. She'd taken everything that Teaser, who was pretty damn good herself, could teach her and then went and learnt everything that anyone else in the yard could impart. She learnt Jazz, Ballet, Ballroom, Classical, Spanish, Latin and anything else that she could, then managed to combine it all into her own interminable style. Teaser didn't care, she just enjoyed being with the two of them.
Teaser was about 14 years old when things changed.
They were sitting outside in the clearing with some of the other kittens and one of the older teens had brought out a radio he'd found in the yard and put some music on. Victoria was taking the opportunity to dance with her brother when a song came on that they'd all heard before.
All of a sudden the most exquisite sound came from a small figure in the group of kits. A sweet soprano voice rose from Jemima singing along with the music on the radio and everything stopped. They entire clearing watched in awe as the small timid kitten, stood there facing the moon and belted out this exquisite sound.
After the song had faded the entire clearing rushed around Jemima, praising the little kit, who quite innocently did not realise what the fuss was about. She just liked to sing. Unnoticed by everyone a calico kit slunk off into the shadows and into her den.
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I shouldn't be jealous. I know I shouldn't but why her?
I mean what have I done wrong? I do everything that I'm asked. I look after her, I look after all the kittens but why don't I get anything special? Vickie can dance, the brothers are just nuts, Etcy is hypo but everyone loves her anyway, Electra is one of the sweetest kittens out there, Misto has that mr sparky pants thing going and now Jem has the voice of an angel. What do I have? Nothing. I'm plain and quiet and nothing. (A/N: You know how hard it is for a 40 year old bloke to write like a moody emo teenage girl? I'm not going to dwell on this just accept that's what's happening, ok?)
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Jemima came back into the den a while later, ecstatic from the reception her singing got from the tribe and found her sister lying on her bed. Oblivious to the funk Teaser was in, Jem went on about how everyone loved the song and mum had come over and said that it was like hearing Jem's namesake again. She bounced up and down excited over the evening until Teaser angrily told her to shut the hell up and leave her alone, punctuating the nasty comment with a cushion in the face.
The 11 year old kitten was shocked at her sisters actions and went crying to her mum, as little kittens do. Demeter calmed her down and got her off to sleep in the bed she normally shared with Munkunstrap, then headed into the girls bedroom for a little heart to heart with her oldest daughter.
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"You want to tell me what that was all about, young lady?" Dem asked as she entered the room.
"She annoyed me" I replied, the bloody little sneak had run off to mum.
"She was excited over her singing. You of all cats should be happy for her." Mum said to me.
"Well I'm not so leave me alone!"
"You wake up to yourself. Your sister adores you. What's this all about?" mum asked.
I didn't want to tell her. "Nothing" and I turned and faced the wall.
Mum stood there for a few seconds and then went out of my room and slammed the door.
"Good."
…
"I don't know what's gotten into that kit." Dem fumed as she stalked into the living room.
Munk looked over. "What do you mean?"
"She's just bitten Jemima's head off because of her singing."
Munk laughed. "What did you expect? She is a teenager after all."
"But it's so unlike her. She's always been so responsible." Demeter complained.
"Maybe a little too much? There's nothing we can do at the moment. Let's see what the new day brings." And with that Munk picked Demmy up and took her off to their bed.
…
The next few months saw a very noticeable change in Teasers behaviour. She'd become sullen and moody, she constantly went off by herself exploring the far flung corners of the junkyard. No area was off limits or too dangerous for her to enter, all attempts of contact by her family or friends were rebuffed and answered with a haughty silence.
She began to use the natural gymnastic ability granted by her dancing to get into places both in and outside the yard that were normally considered inaccessible. She loved being able to sit in a shadow where no one expected her to be and listen to all peoples secrets.
Teaser had just exited an apartment complex a couple of blocks from the junkyard when something completely unexpected happened. She was walking through the alley at the rear of the building when something bright and shiny attracted her eye. She approached it and noticed it was a metal mirror hanging from some sort of wire mesh. As she got up for a closer look she stepped on some sort of latch and a wire gate came down behind her. She was trapped?
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"Munk? MUNK? Where are you." Alonzo was racing through the yard.
The tribe protector turned from where he was talking to Jelly's kittens who'd just managed to somehow flood Rum Tum Tuggers den with an old fire extinguisher that they'd found. "Alonzo. Over here."
"OH thank the cat I've found you" panted the bi-colour tom. "I just saw something awful."
"I was coming back from Bomba's pets house and I saw Teaser. Munk she'd been caught in some sort of trap and the humans were taking her away."
"WHAT?" shouted Munk, and then a little more quietly. "What humans?"
"Umm I think it was the pound" supplied Alonzo.
"That should be ok, We're all registered on the council with the yard on our collars." Munkunstrap started to settle down a bit.
"She wasn't wearing her collar when I saw her boss" said the tom a little timidly.
"Oh shit. Umm. She's a good looking kitten, some human will take her home, I hope. In the meantime we need to start working on a way to get her out. For cats sake, don't tell Dem." Munk started to think of options and ways to get his daughter free from the pound.
Try as he might there wasn't much he could come up with.
Teaser might just have to get herself out of this one…
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Well that's it for this chapter. It may not be as polished as normal but it's about 2 am and I'm dead on my feet.
Read and review please people.
Next and last one will deal with the return of Teaser and the first meeting with Jerrie.