Chapter 10: The family genes shining through
Asteria woke up in shredded blanket inside Munkustrap's den. Yawning, she got up and stretched, peering around. The den was empty, but a small, freshly killed swallow was lying next to her. Smiling, she tore into the feathers and chewed the tender breast of the bird. Some of the feathers began sticking to her face and to her surprise it stung severely.
She brushed the feathers off her face and peered at her reflection on a metal pipe. The distorted glass showed three deep scratches across her face, running from right under her left eye across her nose. She sighed and gingerly began cleaning the cuts, wincing from the pain.
"Are you alright Asteria?" Munkustrap had just entered the den, wiping mud from his paws.
"Yes," Asteria managed to smile, "Just trying to get cleaned up."
"Well, if you are feeling up to it, Jemima wanted me to tell you she wants you to play with her and meet her friends," Munkustrap told her.
Asteria nodded.
"Tell her I'll be out in a minute."
"Okay," Munkustrap turned around and trotted back out into the sunlight.
Asteria gave her mane a quick wash, and then wandered out into the junkyard. She had realized that during the past few days, she hadn't really had time to relax, except when she was with Mungojerrie, and right now she really didn't want to think about him. So she thought she might as well have a little fun with her cousin, after all, she was family.
The kittens were all draped in the corner of the junkyard, chatting. The white one, Victoria, had returned, although she still looked exceedingly bored. Jemima turned her head when she saw Asteria and darted toward her.
"Hey Asteria!" she beamed, "Glad your awake. Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends!"
Etcetera, Electra and Victoria looked over at her and smiled.
"So, you're the new cousin Jem keeps going on about," Victoria smiled, "I'm Vicky."
"Electra," Electra nodded.
"I'm Etcetera!" Etcetera squealed, tripping over her paws in her attempt to reach her.
"I'm Asteria," Asteria smiled.
"So Asteria, how do you like the junkyard so far?" Victoria asked.
"Well it's very different from the country," Asteria shrugged, "But I think I prefer it. The country was just so dull."
"Yeah who'd want to live in the country?" Etcetera asked, chuckling as she batted at her own tail, "Nothing but fields of grass as flat as fish, but here you get bumpy terrain with no end of adventure!"
"True," Electra nodded, deciding to join Etcetera in her pursuit and seized Etcetera's tail. She squealed and pounced on Electra, tugging at her fur and laughing. Asteria giggled at the two little queens, when Jemima leapt on her back and pulled her into the fray. Asteria burst into a fit of giggles and began tugging at someone's fur, she couldn't tell whose. Victoria shrugged and sprung into the huddle, letting loose for the first time since Asteria met her.
Suddenly, two pairs if paws reached into the huddle and pulled Asteria out. Asteria found herself looking into the faces of two tom kittens, around the age of Etcetera and Electra. The one on the left was a cream, black and tan tabby with a large patch of tan covering his left eye. The one on the right was brown and white with a large patch of brown covering his right eye.
"We spotted a different color fur in the huddle," the brown and white tom smirked, "Who are you?"
"Asteria," she wriggled out of their grasp, "Who are you?"
"I'm Tumblebrutus," the brown and white tom grinned, "And this is Pouncival."
Pouncival smiled toothily. The queens detached themselves from each other to look at the toms.
"Tumble, Pounce, why'd ja stop our fun?" Jemima pouted.
"And good morning to you to Jem," Pouncival chuckled, "We were just in the neighborhood and wanted to get introduced to your new friend."
"Who's very cute by the way," Tumblebrutus stated boldly, nuzzling Asteria's mane, "Nice and fluffy. Me like."
"Get off me!" Asteria clawed him off her, only to feel Pouncival playing with her tail. She jerked it out of his reach.
"Hey, what's gotten into you Tumble?" Electra asked, looking very hurt, "You never nuzzle me like that, but you'll nuzzle someone you've only just met?"
Tumblebrutus shrugged.
"I don't know what it is about your friend Asteria," he admitted, "But something about her makes her irresistible."
Pouncival nodded in agreement, stretching and purring deeply. Etcetera threw him a look of loathing.
"Look you two," Asteria said, trying to sound like an adult queen, "I really don't want to come between you and queens who obviously love you." She smiled at Electra and Etcetera, who blushed deeply.
"Awe Etcetera would never go with me," Pouncival shrugged, "The only tom in her sights is a big golden main coon."
A very dreaming look came over Etcetera's face. "Tugger," she purred, happily.
"See what I mean," Pouncival shrugged.
Asteria, who had winced slightly at the mention of Tugger, whispered in Pouncival's ear, "Give it time. She'll soon grow to learn that Tugger is unobtainable."
"Hey, what's going on over here?"
Two more toms had just come over to the group. These two looked a little bit older than all of them. The larger one was a red, black and white marble tom, while his smaller, younger companion was a black and white tuxedo cat.
"Nothing," Victoria smiled warmly, trotting over to rub heads with the black and white tuxedo tom.
Asteria smiled. This must be her mate, Plato. Suddenly the larger cat butted the tuxedo cat out of the way so he could rub heads with Victoria.
"Vicky, Vicky, Vicky," the tom chuckled, "I know Mistofelees is your best friend, but don't you forget who your mate is."
"Of course not," Victoria smiled broadly, "I could never forget you Plato." She nuzzled against him, but Asteria couldn't help but notice the disappointment in her eyes. Apparently though, she was the only one.
"Get a den!" called out Pouncival, and all the others laughed. Except for the tuxedo cat, who scratched himself behind the ear and heaved a disappointed sigh.
"Hi Misto!" Jemima beamed, scampering over to greet the tuxedo cat.
"Hello Jem," Mistofelees smiled, cuffing her playfully on the head. He then caught sight of Asteria. "Who's your new friend?" he asked, eyes widening.
"That's my cousin, Asteria," Jemima told him, smiling as always.
"Hello," he purred, his voice suddenly becoming deeper, more mature, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am magical Mr. Mistofelees, the world's greatest conjuring cat! Let me demonstrate."
He clapped his paws and suddenly as shower of sparks rained down on them. The queen kittens squealed and the tom kits leapt to try and catch them. Victoria turned away from Plato to stare in wonder. Plato snorted and gave a whiny growl. Asteria smiled as the sparks fizzled out before they touched her face.
"And that's not all!" Mistofelees spun in a circle before clapping his paws again. A single orb of light hovered in the air in front of Asteria. He simply sat for a moment before shifting to form the shape of a heart.
"Awe!" the queen kittens sighed, except for Victoria, who pawed the ground, but didn't speak up.
"That's very sweet," Asteria told Mistofelees, "But I am going to have to give you this back." She nudged the heart away from her, back towards him. It fizzled out and died and Mistofelees shook his head and blinked.
"Sorry," he murmured, looking embarrassed, "I forgot I promised my heart to someone else."
"Ooooooooooooh!" the kittens squealed.
"But I forgot it that the moment I saw you," he blushed, "That's never happened before."
"It's all right," Asteria smiled at him; at least he was being more mature about it.
"Awe Mr. Twinkletoes is in love!" Plato chuckled, walking over to cuff Misto on the head again, "Who is it Misty, Rum Tum Tugger?"
"No!" Mistofelees burst out, "Yuck!"
Everyone was laughing now, except for Asteria. Her father truly was the talking point of the junkyard.
"Well you could've fooled me," Plato continued, "Why did he sing your song during the Jellicle ball?"
"I lost my voice, okay!" Mistofelees snarled, the fur standing up on the back of his neck, "I sang a lot of the chorus parts and I lost my voice!"
"Are you sure you weren't just awe struck by the great Rum Tum Tugger?" Plato fluffed up his fur and began prancing around. "Oh Tugger!" he squealed, sounding remarkably like Etcetera, "I love your big poofy mane and your manly spotted chest! I want to feel your paws on my body. I hope you won't mind the glitter raining down on you." He then began marching like a police policle and said in a gruff voice, "Of course not Misty, I love it when glitter rains down on my body. You make me feel so alive, because I am Rum Tum Tugger, the worlds biggest- Oooof!"
Plato was knocked to the ground as Asteria began clawing at his face. She was so angry she could barely breath.
"Don't . . . talk . . . about . . . him . . . like . . . that!" she snarled, tearing at every part of him she could reach, "You evil conniving son of a-"
Suddenly Asteria was yanked up into the air. She squirmed to get a look at her captor and saw Tugger holding her up and looking at her with distain.
"Asteria, what on earth is going on?" Tugger asked.
"TUGGER!" squealed Etcetera, running forward to rub up against him.
"Not now Etcetera!" Tugger nudged her to the side. Etcetera tumbled over and looked him with astonishment.
"Aren't you glad to see me?" she asked, pouting her lips and widening her eyes.
"Of course I am, but right now, I need a word with Asteria," he turned away, carrying Asteria. The kittens watched and Etcetera gave a small sniff. Pouncival hopped over and nuzzled her shoulder.
"He'll be back Etty," he smiled.
Etcetera turned to him. "You think so?" she asked.
"Of course," Pouncival said, both happy and sad, "He's Rum Tum Tugger!"