Tugger glanced outside the den and realized it was nearly dawn. He stared at the sky above for a second debating if he really wanted to take on an orphan. He sighed he had given his word to Macavity and he refused to go back on it now. Outside the den in the main square of the Junkyard where the Ball was held no one moved. Tugger hoped all the cats were in their beds asleep, he didn't want to have start answering questions about Pouncival until he had to. He left the den silently wishing Bombalurina could have come with him but he couldn't tell her yet though she would be annoyed that he hadn't told her no matter how good his reason.
He left the den as quietly as he could. Not even Munkustrap was on his rounds yet. Macavity hadn't attacked in a while, probably because that pollicle's daughter more commonly known as Demeter hadn't ordered him to. He got to the north side of the junkyard unmolested by either his older brother or one of his many adoring fans; he smirked at the thought of his fan club. He was going to have to teach Pouncival how to get the queens. Speaking of Pouncival where was he? Macavity had said he'd be here by dawn but there was no sign of the ginger tom. Tugger realised he had absolutely no idea what Pouncival looked like; Macavity had never told him so he was going to have to search for some strange cat in the dark.
He had just begun searching when he fell over something in the dark.
"What the Everlasting cat?"
Tugger sat up and shook his mane out. He crawled back to what he had tripped over, a little brown and white tom kit lay curled upon the ground.
"Hey little guy."
Tugger gently shook his shoulder. The little tom jerked awake and pulled back from the tall tom.
"W-who are you?"
The fear showed plainly in the little tom's face as he pulled himself away from Tugger. Tugger smiled softly and held out one paw.
"I'm the Rum Tum Tugger, call me Tugger most of the others do. I assume you're Pouncival?"
The little tom nodded still scared. Tugger sighed; this was going to be harder than he thought.
"Where do you come from?"
Tugger doubted Macavity would have left him here without a plausible story but he had to know what the story was.
"I used to be a housecat but my owners locked me out so I wandered off, got lost and wound up here."
Tugger watched the little tom for a moment; the story was plausible he had to admit. If Pouncival didn't know where he used to live Munkustrap couldn't try and make him go home, not that Tugger would allow that.
"C'mon we're gonna go back to the junkyard and meet the others. The sun's risen they should be awake now. You okay to walk there?"
The little tom shook his head and Tugger realised Macavity had probably made him run all the way to get here.
"I'll carry you then."
Tugger made something of an entrance into the junkyard with Pouncival in his arms. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum immediately ran over to begin fussing round the little tom kit. They said he should take him to the infirmary but Pouncival wasn't having any of it and clung to Tugger's mane, screaming every time either of the two queens tried to remove him from Tugger's arms.
"Ladies please. Leave him, kindly before he pulls my mane out."
Tugger winced as Pouncival did pull some of it out as Jellylorum tried to get him off Tugger.
"He might be injured."
Jennyanydots protested, glaring at Tugger. She always had blamed him for the corruption of Rumpleteazer apparently he and Mungojerrie were responsible for turning Rumpleteazer from a nice princess into a wayward queen though the only part Tugger took responsibility for there was turning her into a queen. Mungojerrie had been the one making her wayward as Jennyanydots put it.
"I don't think he is. I think he's just tired."
Tugger almost shrunk back from Jennyanydots' glare.
"Because you know oh so much about medicine, don't you?"
Her voice just dripped sarcasm.
"How about I let him sleep in my den for now then when he wakes up I'll bring him to you and you can check for injuries?"
Jennyanydots scowled at him but Jellylorum nodded.
"I think that is reasonable."
"You'll have to call a meeting."
Jennyanydots called after Tugger as he walked away. He grimaced, that would mean explaining to Munkustrap that he had "found" Pouncival that morning and that he wanted to adopt him, something he doubted his older "brother" would accept without an argument. He smiled at the little kit as he put him down on the bed.
"I'm gonna have to go now, kiddo and make sure you get in the tribe okay. I'll be back soon so stay here and sleep, yeah? When you've slept you can go meet the other kits. I think you'll like them. Sound good?"
Pouncival nodded then rolled over and fell asleep. Tugger quietly left the den.
Outside the main square the rest of the Jellicle tribe had assembled, Jenny and Jelly must have called them. Bombalurina slipped over to him.
"What's going on?"
Her brown eyes were worried but Tugger didn't have time to reassure her now.
"You'll find out in a moment."
Tugger made to walk past her towards the tyre where Munkustrap was standing but she pulled him back.
"This has something to do with why your den smelt like Macavity doesn't it?"
She said it in barely a whisper but Tugger looked around the clearing anxiously anyway in case one of the others had heard, nobody had. The assembled Jellicles were chattering among themselves, even Exotica had appeared. Munkustrap was watching him, waiting for him to explain what all the fuss was.
"Shhh. I'll tell you later, right now sweetie I need to go."
He knew he would pay for not telling her earlier but he had bigger things to think about. Bombalurina sighed and walked away from him back to Alonzo. She lay down next to him, using him as a pillow for her making him the subject of many jealous glances from the male population of the Junkyard. Tugger jumped onto the drainage pipe and waited for Munkustrap to call the meeting to order.
"Jellicles!"
As much as Munkustrap annoyed Tugger he had to admit that he was respected by his fellow Jellicles.
"We have been assembled here to discuss the instatement of a new member of the Jellicle tribe."
Tugger rolled his eyes. Munkustrap could never just put something simply if he could make it sound complicated. The tribe began to talk among themselves again.
"The Rum Tum Tugger is going to tell you about the potential new member as he found him."