Munkustrap

I don't know what the hell Tugger did yesterday, but leaving me alone for an hour with Macavity was not something I wanted to do again. Jenny told me he took in some lost cat and so Macavity and I didn't bicker considering we had company.

Many people always speculate the reasons why we fight. It's simple. He puts the Junkyard in jeopardy. Up until I was ten and he was twelve, we had always gotten along, but then something changed. He suddenly disliked the Junkyard. I had always loved it and found it a rich place of history. I wanted to be Jellicle Protector, and witht he way things were going with Macavity, I just might. Macavity leaves occasionally. I feel like someone is convincing him the Junkyard is a bad place to live, but then I don't think Macavity gets convinced. He convinces. He has something to do with Mungojerrie, too. Whatever it is, it isn't safe.

I got up the following morning and checked in on Tugger. He was soft asleep in bed, with a tuxedo cat I had never seen before. They were modestly cuddling together, and they looked adorable. Tugger looked much younger than a seventeen-year-old. He might be only a year younger than me, but everyone knows I act older than eighteen, but yet he's still taller than me, but not Macavity, who's nineteen. I decided to leave before he woke up, he'd probably be embarrassed. Tugger told us he liked both queens and toms a long time ago. We kind of expected it. He was a curious cat and had very feminine tendencies and flirted with everyone. The three of us were silent when he told us, and that's when I said, "Well, that's not too surprising Tugger, but it might surprise you that I only like toms." That's what really surprised everyone. I didn't look "gay." Macavity was expected to be with people for wrong reasons and to date bad people. I was expected to be with the perfect queen. Then Tugger was expected to well, be into both people. Though Macavity was actual a dreamer when it came to love. He would sleep around a lot with people outside of the tribe, but I knew he had a soft spot for the innocent. Then I liked toms, and Tugger was kind of a mix of me and Mac. He didn't sleep around a lot, but he flirted around a lot, and he had a soft spot for the adorable, too.

Sometimes, I wonder if that's why Macavity and I started to fight. I came out and then some time later we started to fight. After I told them, he was silent, and he was obviously surprised by me. He didn't say anything and Tugger and I hardly noticed him leave as we talked. Though I know Macavity. He doesn't discriminate because he knows what it's like to be at the other end of the line for that...but maybe it's different because we're related.

I went into the kitchen and found Macavity sitting at the kitchen table, like always. I don't know when he sleeps or if he sleeps, but he's always sitting at the kitchen table in the evening, in the middle of the night, and in the morning. I didn't say anything to him. I got out some milk and started to make my breakfast.

Mungojerrie ran into the kitchen through the back door. "Heya Mac!" he cheered, quite bright for the morning.

"What do you have for me today?" he asked.

Jerrie smiled big. "You'll be real 'appy. That l'il lov-"

Macavity kicked him and Jerrie just must've realized I was there. "Oh, well, you-know-who tis out on te edges of te yard. All alone."

Macavity nodded. "Okay. Anything else other than you-know-who?"

"Nope!"

"Alright. You can go now."

I downed my milk and I couldn't stop myself. "What was that about?" I asked.

Macavity looked over at me, a contempt look in his eyes. "None of your business."

I'm not really a morning person. I prefer the afternoons. I'm very cranky in the mornings, and so I ended up hitting him in the head and knocking him out of the chair. He lunged at me and we started to brutally hit each other.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Macavity shouted.

"What's my problem? What's your problem?"

"My problem is you always getting into my life!"

"You're my brother and Everlasting Cat only knows what the hell you're up to!"

"Way to make it obvious you don't trust me!"

"I can't trust someone like you! You've put everyone in this tribe in danger plenty of times before!"

"You don't know anything! You always think I'm doing something bad but I'm actually doing normal things! But you just can't accept the fact that I'm still normal enough to be Jellicle Protector over you!"

I hit him in the face and we started to fight again.

"Stop it!" Tugger shouted, pulling each of us apart. "STOP!"

Macavity and I stopped but we continued to glare at each other. I didn't want to hear what Tugger had to say so I went outside and started to climb up to my nook. In the back of the Junkyard, all the junk piled up more and more up against the back fence and brick buildings. Though on one side there was this little nook that was only a few feet above the ground while the junk surrounded it. Only one other person knew about it.

"What were you fighting about this time?"

I turned to see Alonzo climbing into the nook. I sighed. "The same old thing. I think he's hurting the tribe. He defends himself. We fight. Tugger breaks us up."

"You should get your own den or something," he suggested.

"I don't know. What about Tugger?"

"He can get his own den. Then Macavity can, too. You can all just move out."

"Before we kill each other." I slid down, propping my legs parallel to the wall. "Where would I even get a den? Tugger's good at putting stuff together and could probably make a den better than any of these in a day. Then Macavity doesn't seem to sleep and he just needs a place to put his stuff, so it won't have to be much. What am I gonna do?"

"Well, you could move in with me."

Alonzo was a week younger than Tugger. He became my best friend once he started to walk. I can't remember how it happened exactly. We just started to play with each other and then we were inseparable. I told him everything. He was practically like my therapist and savior all in one. He was the first one I ever came out to, and then he told me he liked toms, too. Can you believe it? We're both gay and best friends a yet we're not together. Shocking. Though we're like Hephaestion and Alexander the Great. They were best friends and loved each other more than friends but they were never physical with one another, at least not at first. They eventually got together, but before that they knew they were in love and didn't really get with anyone else because of that. I don't know what's going to happen between Alonzo and I. I mean, I would love to be with him, but it's almost like neither of us want to make the first move.

Unless this is him making the first move.

I smiled over at him. "Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. It'll be fun."

"When do you want me to move in?"

"I don't care. Maybe...now."

I laughed. "Why not? I'm still tired and it looks like it's about to rain. I don't want to spend any time in that den any way."

So we got up and I told him I'd be over shortly. I retrieved my stuff, which wasn't a lot. Neither Tugger nor Macavity were in the den, so I left a note saying I was moving out. Then I walked back over to Alonzo's. His den as of decent size. He was lucky enough to snag some old junk, including something with shag. He told me that the small room next his would be mine. Our rooms were only separated by a sheet hanging up. I thought it was stupid. So I yanked it down and scooched my bed closer to his. Then I collapsed into bed, just not wanting to get out at all. It was simply one of those days.

"Remember when we had our first fight?" Alonzo asked, lying down in his bed.

"Yes." I had been complaining to Alonzo and he got really frustrated with me because I never let him tell me his problems. We got over it within an hour and I let him vent all the time, but thankfully he doesn't need to complain that much. If he's complaining, it's normally about me, and I don't blame him.

"I wish you and Macavity could make up easily."

I didn't say anything, as a depressing feeling came over me, a nostalgic one that made me want the way things use to be back.

"Everyone just wants everything to be okay with you three again. We worry so much about you."

"I know," I said, and inside of me, something changed. Something that was going to change everyone else, too, hopefully for the better.