"Psst, look 'ere. I think 'e's wakin' up. Mungo, he's wakin' up!"

"Cool, I wonder what 'e will be like."

"Ugh! Owww!"

Voices, including my own, fogged my brain, which felt like it was actually trying to escape from my head (in other words, I had a pounding headache!).

Anyway, after a moment, I managed to force my eyes open, to find myself staring into the faces of 2 calico kittens, a tom on my left, & a queen on my right. I could tell at once that they were twins. With a groan, because I was taking in too much bloody info at once, I shakily sat up, & looked around, then groaned again when I realised that I was in the pound. Now, only 2 fates awaited me - either I would get an owner, or the humans would kill me. I'd always told myself that I'd never submit to humans, but at that moment, I would've rather not died. Looking again at the calicos, I noted that they were very well groomed, just like the owned cats in the Jellicle tribe, & younger than me by about 2 months. I wondered if they could be owned, but decided against it, due to the fact that they were in there. Then, the little tom spoke, & I immediately figured that he was a Londoner, because of his rich, cockney accent.

"Hi," he greeted me with a big grin on his face, ", wot's ya name?"

"Er, Tugger. Rum Tum Tugger," I told him, unable to keep the grin from spreading across my own face.

"Oi'm Mungojerrie," he said ", & this is me twin, Rumpelteazer!"

Rumpelteazer smiled sweetly at me. Mungojerrie noticed the look she was giving me, & said, almost evilly, "Oi'd watch out fer 'er, mate. She can charm mice outta their 'oles, but she's a tricky devil…"

However, he didn't get any further, for Rumpelteazer had just tackled him. I began to laugh, as they went flying into the wall of our cage, making the wire shudder. The cat in the cage next to us - an elegant half-Siamese queen - jumped up & hissed violently. She was about the same age as me. Mungojerrie & his sister backed away, then burst out laughing, &, at the look on the queen's face, I just had to follow suit. The queen gave us all the evils, & turned her back on us. I disentangled the twins, & as they got up, I asked, in an undertone "Blimey, is she always like that, or is she just having a bad day?"

The Twins giggled, & Rumpelteazer, not troubling to keep her voice down, said "Nah, she ain't 'aving a bad day - we think she were just born like that!"

The queen turned & hissed at her. I stifled a laugh, & said "So, anyone had a look at you 2 yet, or are you still waiting for - what?"

For Rumpelteazer had just started giggling, & Mungojerrie was looking at me in an odd sort of way. I raised my eyebrows at them, & Mungo said "Er, well, ya see, we're not actually strays."

"Huh - well then, what are you doing in here?"

"Well," began Mungo ", we 2 innocen' little kits were jus' walkin' down the street, when a net fell over our heads &-"

"Oh, yeah, right!"

All 3 of us whirled round. The Siamese-cross queen was eyeing us as if we were disease-ridden rats. I gave her a 'what-the-hell' look, & she said, in her snootiest voice "If you've got brains, then you'll listen to me & not them. They are not strays, & they most certainly are not innocent. It's because of them that I'm in here, & I can guarantee you that my owner will be here before theirs-"

"Georgia!" I quickly stopped myself from laughing, as an over-dressed lady came hurrying towards us. The queen nodded smugly at us, before her human snatched her up into her arms, & carried her off without a backwards glance. I waited until the door of the pound had shut, then burst out laughing, Mungo & Rumpel joining in. Helplessly, we collapsed to floor in fits of giggles. After about a minute, Rumpel straightened up & said, still struggling not to laugh "That queen, she's called Cassandra, well that's 'er cat name any'ow, & she's a right pain up the ar-"

At that point, Mungo nudged his sister, & turned to me; I nodded to show that I got the hint. Mungojerrie eyed his sister with superiority, then said "So, Tugger, 'ow ecsactly did ya land ya self in 'ere?"

"Well, I was waiting for the Jellicle Ball to begin, when-"

But suddenly Rumpel said "Ya're a Jelli'le?"

"Yeah."

"Cool," said Mungo ", d'ya rec'on ya can get us into tha' Tribe?"

He was giving me a very pleading look (well, as pleading as a 'never-will -be-innocent' tom can look!). Grinning, I said "Sure, well if I ever get out of this place!"

"Hey, mebbe our human will adop' ya! They did say they was lookin' fer a new cat a few da's ago, didn't they, Rumpel?"

Rumpelteazer nodded, & I immediately perked up. Mungo proceeded to tell me about their home, & how they could get anything they wanted off their humans. I listened in awe, until eventually their stories got so wild that I began to feel like I was being had on. I was just about to question the 2 now-guilty-looking kittens, when the door of the pound opened. A second later, a shrill voice called "Tiger, Jemima! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Mungo & Rumpel were suddenly swept into the arms of 2 human kids. As they hugged the kittens, their mother, a casually dressed woman, looked down at me, then, barely stopping to think she called the assistant over & asked how much I was. A brief moment later, she was scooping me up into her arms. I was glad she had chosen me, but then came the not-so-nice bit. The assistant came over carrying a leather collar, out of which were protruding a number of fairly large spikes, &, though I struggled frantically, they managed to hold me still & strap the collar round my neck. And that was it, I couldn't rid myself of it. Looking over, I saw the human kids strap collars around the calicos' necks as well, only these collars looked slightly more worn than mine. Next moment, all 3 of us were being carried out of the pound, & to my new home.