So here's something interesting: I saw Love Never Dies (Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest musical) on the West End last night. It was absolutely spectacular but how does it relate to this? Well, it's showing in the Adelphi Theatre which is where Cats the movie was shot. It made me happy to think that 14 years ago that wonderful cast was standing on the very stage I was looking at and were singing to the rafters. What was even more interesting was the size of the theatre, they make it look so huge in the film but in reality it's nowhere near as big as that. Overall though Love Never Dies was spectacular and I got to have a Cats moment as well. All together a wonderful evening.

A year in the life of the black and white toms

Chapter 14

Freezing

In dangerous and exciting situations it seems that far too many things happen within a relatively short space of time. It is this that influences us to feel that time has slowed down and it bends our minds so the world seems to be moving at a slower rate. The way our bodies work at such times is quite amazing and what is perhaps most interesting is the way we simply do not think about our decisions; they're instinctive.

It was this manner of reaction that threw Munkustrap off of the bridge after his mate who had fallen just seconds before. The silver tabby's heart seemed to skip a beat as the cold, glassy surface of the water got closer and closer and the tom braced himself for the impact. The tabby broke the surface of the river with such force it felt like he had jumped onto concrete. He fell deep into the icy waters and opened his eyes in this new world desperately searching for Alonzo. The need for air coupled with the freezing sting of the water forced the silver tabby to propel himself upwards. He could see the distorted orange glow of the city through the water's surface and dragged his body towards it. Like a torpedo he burst into the air and sucked in a huge breath for his desperate lungs. He whipped his head back and forth hoping Alonzo had come back up but he only saw the tide flow past him – at least, that's all he saw until he noticed the bridge opening up in front of him. He looked through the brightly lit arc of the structure and to his horror saw a huge, menacing boat ready to come through. He began to panic and started to shout Alonzo's name as he struggled to keep above the water. He kept looking around but couldn't see the beautiful black and white tom anywhere. Taking another look at the boat which now started to move towards him he drew in a deep breath and descended back down into the murky depths of the Thames. The water tasted foul as some of it worked it's way into his mouth and it stung his eyes as he desperately looked through the cold, dark world below. He quickly whipped his arms and legs around doing his best to glide through the water but swimming is not something a cat is best at. He felt the need to breath once more scream at him and he was about to rise to the surface once more before he saw a dark shadow. A little way beneath him he saw a shape with light and dark patches. As he focused on it he saw the object had fur which was gently flowing in water that rushed around him. Without hesitating Munk pulled himself through the tide and swiped at the form. At first it was just out of reach but in seconds he had grabbed onto it. As he pulled at the body it spun around and Munk saw the fear-stricken, paralyzed face of Alonzo. Munk tried to signal him to swim upwards but Alonzo was completely petrified and seemed to become further and further away from consciousness. Mere milliseconds later Munk fastened his paw around Alonzo's arm and began perilously pulling him upwards. The task was monumental and the resistance of the water really slowed the silver tabby down but he pressed on; he wasn't about to let his mate drown. Several more horrible seconds crawled by and Munk's head once again broke the surface. He sucked in a breath and with all his strength dragged Alonzo's weak form up from the depths of the river. The tabby wrapped his paws around his mate's waist and supported the lifeless tom as his head hung in the air. Alonzo was limp and his eyes had now closed since he had been brought out of submersion. Munk barely had time to look at his mate before he saw the huge, looming shadow of the approaching boat come right at them. Without thinking he grabbed Alonzo even tighter and began frantically kicking away from the path of the gargantuan vessel. The hard, metal hull of the boat got closer and closer and Munk cried out as it came right at them. With one final thrust to the side the tabby pulled his mate out of the way and the boat glided past missing them by an inch. Munk didn't look back as he continued to heave the black and white tom towards the shore. The short journey through the water seemed like miles as the tide as well as the wake the boat had created pulled against them and very nearly sent them further out into the river. By the time Munk had struggled to the edge of the water he was exhausted and he felt his freezing body slowly giving up on him. With one final burst of energy he grabbed onto Alonzo and dragged him onto the riverbank. The black and white tom lay still as Munk – completely drained of energy – collapsed next to him frantically panting.

The silver tabby's mind began to spin as the oxygen slowly returned and the cold air was like ice on his sopping wet fur. After a long moment of respite the tabby pushed his paws against the muddy riverbank and flipped himself over and onto all fours. He shakily crawled over to his mate and pulled on that tom's arm. Alonzo fell onto his back and lay lifeless on the soft mud beneath him. The water from the river soaked his fur through and his head lay at a slanted angle with closed eyes and not a hint of breath. Munk's eyes stared widely at his mate's still body and watched intently for any sign of movement. Not even Alonzo's chest was moving up and down as Munk took hold of his mate's paw; it was so cold and limp. The silver tabby began to feel sick and shivered as he looked over his dear mate's still body; he looked unmistakeably dead.

In the junkyard Coricopat and Tantomile were surrounded by all of the Jellicles. From time to time they would receive visions of Munk and Alonzo's situation and would reveal to the cats what they saw. The situation had seemingly become bleaker and bleaker and as the twins fell into their trance once again they delivered the harrowing message,

"Alonzo is hanging by a thread…He hasn't got long"

Some of the Jellicles gasped and were shocked by the news. Alonzo simply couldn't be dying. Bomba and Demeter huddled together and held onto each other tightly and hoped desperately that the twins wouldn't tell them their friend had gone. The two queens gripped each other and would have made each other yelp in pain had they not been so fixated on the psychics. The kittens held onto each other too and were kept in a tight bunch as Jenny and Skimble surrounded them. Billy sat right in the middle of the group and was very confused by what was going on around him. He didn't understand what the situation but knew it was serious. He looked around at all the other cats and pondered their expressions; he knew he should have been feeling the same way yet he didn't know why and wouldn't ask as he was far too timid.

The Jellicles continued to gaze and pray as the twins became increasingly silent. As they told the gathered cats the last thing they saw – Alonzo's soaked, unmoving body lying on the shore of the river – they stopped speaking . The message of what had apparently happened began to spread and some of the cats burst into tears.

Munk was completely flabbergasted, Alonzo couldn't be dead. He was Alonzo, no cat ever had more life than him. How could it be that the very life he'd known in him now seemed to be absent?

The silver tabby gently began to shake his freezing mate by the shoulders in an attempt to rouse him. Alonzo remained still and didn't make a sound.

"Alonzo?" called Munk softly. As soon as the words left his mouth he slowly started to come to terms with Alonzo's apparent state. "Wake up, 'Lonz" said Munk as his voice began to crack from the sorrow that was filling his heart. He started to shake the black and white tom with more force and as he did his tears fell onto his mate's chest and mixed with the water that was held in his fur.

"Please, 'Lonz. Please wake up" pleaded the tabby as he moved his paw up to Alonzo's face and began to gently shake his head from side to side. The wet tom below him still didn't respond. His lips seemed to be turning blue and the white fur on his face looked even paler.

"Alonzo" called Munk loudly and becoming more frantic as he returned his paws to Alonzo's shoulders and shook him vigorously. Munk began to shout, "Alonzo! Alonzo, please!"

Munk broke down there and then at his mate's side. He cried loudly and ruthlessly into Alonzo's damp chest fur and clutched at his tom as he lay still. It wasn't long before Munk came to a shocking conclusion: Alonzo was dead.

"No, Alonzo!" cried Munk, "You can't go now! Please, come back! Please!"

The tabby brought his legs around and lifted Alonzo's heavy upper body off of the ground. Munk sat cross-legged and cradled his mate's limp form in his arms and kissed him before crying into his shoulder. He rocked Alonzo back and forth as he let out his pain. He couldn't believe he would never again be able to tell Alonzo he loved him or look into his eyes or kiss his lips. He placed Alonzo's head on his own shoulder and continued to rock him back and forth.

What happened next was wildly confusing for Munk. As he held onto his supposedly dead mate the black and white tom gave a shudder, made a horrible gurgling sound and coughed up a torrent of water down the silver tabby's back. Munk's eyes shot open as he felt the lukewarm fluid run down his body and leant back to see his mate gasping for air. Alonzo – not knowing where he was or what was going on - suddenly gripped onto Munk tightly and pulled at his fur making the tabby wince. Munk didn't care, he was too confused. With each breath Alonzo made a strained, wheezing sound and he continued to splutter water from his mouth and nose. Through the panting he began to yell for his mate,

"Munk! Munk, where are you?"

The silver tabby replied shakily in amazement,

"I'm here, 'Lonz! I'm right here!"

The two toms remained in each other's arms shivering madly for a long time. Alonzo hadn't a clue what was going on and Munk was simply too awestruck for words.

In the clearing of the junkyard the mood was dismal. Many of the cats had drifted away and those that had were sitting up on the junk staring blankly or sobbing quietly. What Coricopat and Tantomile had apparently seen was the worst news they could have possibly imagined and the feeling of having lost one of their own cut deep into the heart of the tribe. Alonzo had been such a special cat; he may not have been the most moral or the most upstanding of characters but he could always put a smile on a cat's face. He had a demeanour which brightened a cat's day and the Jellicles were despondent at the thought that they had lost him.

The air was quiet and the near-silent sound of the twins slipping into a trance again was for once incredibly audible. The cats all looked up worriedly and braced themselves for even more bad news. The psychics stared intently into nothingness but this time did not say a word. The Jellicles found their silence unnerving and hated not knowing what they were seeing. After a long moment the twins' heads drooped and were slowly raised up showing identical expressions of amazement. The awe didn't last long as joy broke through.

"He's alive!" they said together.

The Jellicles erupted into a huge cheer and the kittens jumped around with gleeful ignorance – they hadn't really understood what had been going on in the first place. For a short while the Jellicles had never been more upset and now they found it was all for nothing. Their beloved Alonzo was alive and suddenly everything seemed to be alright again.

Munk and Alonzo were still embracing on the mud of the riverbank long after Alonzo had spluttered back into consciousness. The black and white tom had stopped his frightened shouts and was now shivering in Munk's arms. The tabby held him very close and just breathed deeply. He felt truly relieved to see Alonzo breathe again and never wanted to let him go. He simply couldn't bare to loose him a third time to he made sure not to let him slip away. Munk's arms were a little constricting but Alonzo in his daze didn't care. He revelled in the feeling of being in his mate's arms once again and realised just how much he had missed being there.

"Munk?" Alonzo struggled to say

The tabby barely heard him, "Yes, Alonzo"

The black and white tom shuddered violently as he attempted to speak.

"I'm…sorry"

"It's okay, everything's going to be alright"

"I'm…s-…s-…sorry" repeated the patched tom

"I know, darling, but it's okay"

"I'm…s-…sorry"

"Shhhh. It doesn't matter, I should have been there for you all along. It's my fault"

Alonzo wanted to tell him otherwise but couldn't form words as he was so cold. He simply huddled closer to his tom and tried to soak up his warmth.

After a few more minutes Alonzo started to feel the cold of the night air even more closely and began to shiver. Along with his bare back his coat was soaked and did nothing to protect him against the chill.

"Munk?" the patched tom managed to say shakily

"Yes, darling?" replied the tabby leaning back to look into his mate's eyes

"I'm cold"

The tabby began to rub his back, "We should get home"

"Okay" whispered Alonzo and Munk stood. The tabby tried to help his mate to his paws but his legs simply couldn't find the strength. Each time he tried to rise his shivering form prevented him from getting any higher than a squat and he fall back down into the mud. After a few attempts he looked up at Munk pleadingly and silently begged him to find a solution. The tabby thought for a moment and then looked bravely at Alonzo. He stooped low and grabbed his mate around his back and at the knees. Using all his strength he scooped Alonzo into his arms and cradled him to his chest. The patched tom felt wonderfully safe being held by his mate and latched his arms around the tabby's neck whilst burying his face into his tom's shoulder. Alonzo continued to shiver from the cold as Munk began to walk in the direction of home. As they climbed from the riverbank and onto the streets humans once again stopped and stared at the strange display. Never had they ever seen one cat carry another and the spectacle was amazing. Munk didn't care for the huge beasts' prying eyes and carried on walking past them – 'humans are so stupid' he thought.

After a long time of walking Alonzo's shivering began to subside but he still snuggled close to his mate's body. He told his mate he would like to try and walk again but Munk wouldn't hear any of it. The tabby – for the first time in months – once again felt like the protector he was meant to be. The strong sense of pride he had known so well started filling him back up and his usual intelligent and strong expression showed outwardly – only this time with the indication of a smile at the corners of his mouth. He stared straight ahead concentrating fiercely on where he was going and felt unbelievably powerful. The feeling of properly protecting another Jellicle is what gave him a lot of his strength yet it was the love in his heart that gave him most. The bond he felt with Alonzo as he held him in his arms was not like it had ever been before. It was huger than he could have imagined now and felt stronger than steel.

In his heart Munk knew that somehow things were going to be okay again. Maybe not right away but soon.

The early morning began to appear over the horizon and Jemima watched high up on the junk as it approached. The young kitten had Billy at her side and they shared each other's company like the good friends they had become should. The sun – still hiding below the horizon – illuminated the sky more and more and the two kittens chatted happily as they waited for their protector and his mate to return. Billy was sleepy but would not dare drop off, he wanted to see the toms come back safely. He may have been excited to see Munk and Alonzo but was still worried. He had grown attached to Munk since he had seen him at his most vulnerable and realised he was a cat just like any other. The kitten hadn't spent much time with him since he had been in the junkyard and was scared to death when the tabby had lost his temper but none of that mattered anymore. He had seen Munk show real feline emotion and that in Billy's mind was evidence that there was more beneath the protector's hard exterior. Billy knew it was something good and he felt incredibly drawn to it.

Down on the ground many of the remaining kittens were laying in a big pile of fur. Their young bodies hadn't been able to stay awake for so long and they had crashed soon after the excitement of knowing Alonzo was alive got the better of them. Jenny and Skimble attempted to separate their intertwined little forms and carry them off to bed – it was certainly not an easy task.

Over on the tyre Old Deuteronomy sat waiting patiently. Many of the other cats were gathered around him and keeping a close eye on the junkyard entrance just like him. A few of them upheld light conversation to pass the time and they spoke very happily. They were almost excited to know their protectors were coming back after what had apparently been a critical few hours. None of their reserved happiness rubbed off on Old Deuteronomy – not yet. He had lived a very long time and knew all too well that things were not always as they seemed. He would believe everything was alright again when he saw it; he wasn't about to get his hopes up. He continued to sit silently and carried on waiting for his son and his mate.

Hours of walking through empty streets passed and Munk could really feel the weight of his mate by now. Alonzo had drifted off to sleep some time ago and had become more difficult to hold on to; Munk didn't mind though, he thought it was cute to see Alonzo so kitten-like. The silver tabby stopped from time to time to adjust his hold on the tom he carried and grimaced slightly from the strain. He took it as a labour of love and ploughed on since they weren't far from home now.

As he walked he wondered how he would begin to talk to Alonzo about this ordeal, after all what Alonzo had intended to do was a very serious matter and would need to be handled delicately. At least he knew why Alonzo had thought to jump off a bridge in the first place: he was clearly depressed and hadn't felt he could talk to anyone. That was where Munk would start. He decided the best thing he could do was reassure Alonzo that he was safe to talk to but above that he needed to let him know he loved him. He remembered how much it had hurt to hear Alonzo say he didn't feel loved and how desperate he had been to let him know he was. The silver tabby held on even tighter to Alonzo and promised himself he would make his mate feel perfect again. It was what he deserved.

The sun was just about to peek over the horizon when the junkyard finally came into view. With Alonzo in his arms Munk walked proudly towards the entrance and felt he was right to look triumphant. There was certainly a nag of there still being a long way to go but for now he had succeeded. He had brought Alonzo back from the brink and he had won over the haunting of Macavity. Most of the Jellicles of course didn't know this but he didn't mind; he knew and he was proud.

From her position on top of the junk Jemima cast her eyes across the junkyard and out to the road where the entrance led. A short distance away she saw a small, dark shape moving along the pavement. She moved to see it better and focused intently on what it was she was looking at. As the object got closer she noticed it was a cat and closer still she saw it was Munk. She smiled and was about to call out to the Jellicles when she noticed him carrying Alonzo. She paused and held her breath as she saw the black and white tom hanging there and thought for a moment that the psychics had been wrong. Was Alonzo dead or alive?

Munk began to smile as he approached the junkyard and took large strides towards where he could see the Jellicles sitting. As he crossed the threshold of the entrance it was Misto who turned his head and noticed them first. The tuxedo jumped up and gazed at the two toms happily. His action made the other cats turn to look as well and they followed Misto in kind. There was silence as Munk got closer with Alonzo as the Jellicles were a little apprehensive as to the patched tom's condition. They began to encircle Munk as he walked up to the tyre and looked around at them and Alonzo remained sleeping in his strong arms.

Old Deuteronomy rose with reservation on his face and began to descend from the tyre. Munk waited silently for his father to approach him and in a moment the old tom was standing in front of his son. The two looked at each other and took in each other's expressions. Munk knew what his father wanted to know. Looking down at his mate's head that rested on his shoulder the silver tabby whispered and gently shook him,

"Alonzo, wake up"

The black and white tom stirred quietly and scrunched up his face. He buried himself into Munk's fur as he took a moment to come to terms with how he felt – his body felt quite lousy but he certainly wasn't wondering why. After a few seconds of gentle squirming he turned his head upwards and cracked his eyes to look at his mate. Munk smiled down at him and made him feel slightly better just by the look in his eyes. Alonzo smiled back and then began to look around at his surroundings. He was surprised to see the Jellicles looking back at him and realising he was okay. Some let out excited bursts of laughter as their happiness filled them and they started to crowd around the toms. Soon everyone was talking and trying to find answers and the moment became quite animated. Old Deuteronomy soon silenced them and spoke straight to the black and white tom,

"Welcome back, Alonzo"

The patched tom replied quietly,

"Thank you, sir"

"I hope you can feel better in time. We have no idea what happened to you when you were missing but please rest assured that you can always feel safe here"

Alonzo responded with a small smile and acknowledgement of thanks. Old Deuteronomy then looked up to his son,

"Well done, Munkustrap" he said simply

Munk gave a nod of respect which was returned solemnly – the tabby was secretly elated that his father had praised him. With that he turned still holding Alonzo and slowly made for their den; Alonzo needed a proper rest and he knew he could certainly use some respite as well. As he walked the Jellicles smiled and reached out to touch them both as they went past. It was a wonderful way of showing the toms just how glad they were to see them safe and both Munk and Alonzo felt truly honoured by their tribe's gestures. They soon ascended the junk to their den and were about to enter before Munk felt a tugging on his fur from behind. He turned his head to look down at the cause and found Jemima and Billy looking up at them. He hadn't noticed them as they scampered down from their outlook atop the junk and wondered what they wanted. The two kittens stared up and neither party spoke for a few moments. Eventually Jemima piped up timidly,

"Is he really alright, Munk?"

The tabby smiled and bent down to show them Alonzo who had returned his head to Munk's shoulder. The tabby nudged him and he looked up curiously. The patched tom noticed the kittens and smiled to show them he was okay. Jemima and Billy smiled back and then scampered off excitedly – they were convinced.

Munk and Alonzo laughed at them as they went and then turned to go into their den. Munk set Alonzo down on the bed and was about to stand before the patched tom grabbed his paw. He pulled Munk down who came to rest as his side. They didn't say anything as they gazed into each other's eyes and held each other close. They rubbed their heads together affectionately and were drifting off to sleep as Alonzo whispered,

"Thank you"

Munk continued to rub against him as he replied,

"What for?"

"For saving me…again"

Munk smiled, "I'll always be there to save you." He kissed Alonzo lightly before pulling him closer and drifting off.

They slept the entire day in each other's arms.

Thing are looking up! BUT it's not over yet!

Thanks for reading, reviews are most welcome.