Chapter two: Letting the true tom out

After Macavity had left, the Mating dance did not continue. The cats merely sat in silence, in shock at what had happened. Lillypaw slithered under Tugger's arm and quivered. Bombalurina sat next to Demeter, who clutched Munkustrap's paw as Jennyanydots examined the cut on his face and pain in his side.

Finally, Munkustrap rose to his feet. Everybody cheered and the ball could continue. Tugger danced his heart out and Lillypaw danced with him, thrilled at the tom he had become. But toward the end, as they celebrated Simon Samson's journey to the Heavyside layer, Bombalurina knocked Lillypaw over so she could dance with Tugger. He looked surprised but just kept dancing, but Bombalurina didn't want that. She shimmied up against him as the fog flowed from the heavens. Lillypaw was furious, but there was nothing she could do. It would be foolish to make a scene at such an important moment, so she merely glared at Bombalurina for the rest of the ball.

When it was over, the cats slunk off to find a place to sleep. Lillypaw headed toward the pipe, but Tugger ran up and took her paw. "Come with me," he whispered.

Lillypaw followed Tugger as he led her up on top of the hood of the truck where they had been sitting earlier. A faint pinkish glow was just starting to appear on the horizon.

"Thank you Lillypaw," Tugger smiled, "Without you, I never would have discover how to live life to the fullest."

Lillypaw sniffed.

"What?" Tugger asked, nuzzling her shoulder.

"Well, it seems to me that Bombalurina taught you more than I did."

"Oh that's mouse shit, you're the one I picked to dance with, right?" Tugger bit lightly on her neck.

Lillypaw purred and snaked her arms around Tugger's shoulders.

"Are we making up for being interrupted?" she asked, breathing in his ear.

"You could say so," he answered, licking down her neck, across her chest.

Lillypaw moaned and spread herself out, across the hood of the truck. Tugger positioned himself between her legs and suddenly the junkyard was filled with moans, purrs, growls, swearing and panting.

Lillypaw dug her claws into Tugger's back as it ended and thought she heard from somewhere a chink of breaking metal.

Tugger rolled off her and lay on his side, stroking her silky gray fur.

"Lillypaw, I think I love you," he whispered.

She gasped. She had longed to hear those words for a long time now. She nuzzled into Tugger's fluffy chest and purred, "I love you too Tugger."

He wrapped his arms around her and they both started drifting off to sleep.

"You made a tom out of me Lillypaw," Tugger murmured in her ear before she dozed off, "I'll never forget you."

* * *

Lillypaw woke up alone. She looked around, rubbing her eyes, trying to see some sign of Tugger. But the only sign he had ever actually been there was a single silver spike lying next to her on the roof of the truck. She picked up the spike and looked at it, realizing it must have caused the noise last night. But Lillypaw was more interested in locating the wearer of the collar, so she jumped off the truck and headed toward the center of the junkyard.

As Lillypaw got closer, she heard the sound of someone singing. Staying hidden she poked her head around the corner and gasped. There was Tugger, standing on top of a heap of junk, crooning to a group of queens circled below him.

"Ladies," he purred, "Rum Tum Tugger is a curious cat. If you offer me pheasant, I'd rather have grouse."

The queens squealed and clawed the air in front of him.

"If you put me in a house," he continued, hopping down, "I would much prefer a flat. If you put me in a flat then I'd rather have a house." He went over to Cassandra and scratched her behind the ears. Cassandra giggled franticly and leaned her whole head into his open paw. Tugger chuckled and nudged her slightly to one side.

"If you set me on a mouse, then I only want a rat," Tugger rocked his pelvis from side to side, causing another uproar of mewing, "If you set me on a rat then I'd rather chase a mouse." He tickled Tantomile under the chin and her serious demeanor melted away as she keeled over backwards in a dead faint.

Lillypaw was seething. He was openly flirting with every young female there. She clenched the spike in her paw so tightly it imprinted its image on her pad. Didn't it mean anything that she had taught him how to let loose and have fun? Didn't it matter that she was his best friend, the one he had confided to and been honest with since they were kittens? And did last night at the ball mean anything to him or had it just been the boost he needed to let the real and ugly tom out?

"Oh Rum Tum Tugger you're a curious beast!" moaned Bombalurina, scratching her paws down her pelvis.

"And there isn't any use for you to doubt it" Tugger answered. Bombalurina strutted toward him, twirling her tail, before rubbing her rear against his. He rubbed back for a moment before spinning around and started to walk off. She thrust her chest out and did a high kick in front of him. Tugger traced her neck with his paw and he looked like he would accept her, but then he let her fall to the ground. She looked livid, but all the other queens laughed and looked relived.

"Rum Tum Tugger is a terrible bore!" someone called out. Everyone, including Lillypaw looked and saw Demeter sitting on top of a washing machine. "You should be ashamed of yourself Tugger," she continued.

"What's got your tail in a knot, Demeter?" Tugger asked sauntering toward her, "Everybody loves Rum Tum Tugger."

"Well, I don't," Demeter sniffed, "Flirting with everyone is disgusting. You should choose one mate and be faithful to them forever."

"You mean like you and my brother?" Tugger asked, lifting an eyebrow, "Demeter, what's the fun of eating one type of food your whole life? If you want to enjoy life, you have to eat many varieties of food and if you can never find your favorite, well . . ." Tugger caressed her cheek, "You'll just have to enjoy the ride."

Demeter clawed Tugger's hand off her.

"You make me want to hack a hairball, Tugger," she snarled.

"It's Rum Tum Tugger now," Exotica mewed, batting her astonishing eyes.

"That's right," Tugger smirked and Exotica fanned herself with her paw, "And Rum Tum Tugger is a lone roamer, but that doesn't mean each and every one of you doesn't hold a special place in my heart."

All the queens mewed franticly and rushed forward the rub themselves against Tugger's body; all except two. Demeter rolled her eyes and walked back toward her den. But Lillypaw just sat where she was, shaking with anger as a single tear rolled down the black patch of fur around her right eye. She couldn't believe what she had witnessed. Her best friend had just used her like catnip, then thrown her away. She had wanted him to be more confident, not to turn him into some queen-crazy man-whore. More tears trickled down her cheeks. Her best friend had completely forgotten her, even after he had told her he loved her.

"Well," she thought, "If Mr. Rum Tum Tugger doesn't need me, I don't need him."

Lillypaw got to her feet, trembling and walked toward the exit to the junkyard. Suddenly the pain became too much and she broke into a run, tears streaming down her face. She flew out into the unknown world outside the junkyard. Where she would go, she did not know. All she knew was she had to get far away from the tom who had betrayed her, after all she did for him.

* * *

"Hey Rum Tum Tugger, did you hear that?"

"What?"

"It sounded like someone ran off, crying."

"I didn't hear anything."