"Don't, don't let him forget me, Deuteronomy."
"I won't," the Jellicle leader assured her.
"And don't let Bustopher keep over feeding him. Jellicle cats might be rollie polly, but if he keeps on my poor lad will be rodgy podgy!"
The elder cat smiled and gave his assurances. The tuxedo Queen closed her eyes and bowed her head, "Am I doing the right thing?"
"I have never been more certain, Majestica. The songs are beginning, come – it is time." And he gathered her carefully up and took her to where the other cats waited sadly to make their goodbyes.
….
"What's that you are playing with, Mister Mistoffelees?" the ginger Tom called Skimbleshanks asked, going over to check on the shy kitten playing in the corner.
The black and white tuxedoed kitten opened his paw and a glimmering sparkle danced on his palm.
Skimbleshanks blinked. /Well, what do you know,/ he thought. /A magical cat! How about that?/
….
"We're bored," whined the kits at Jennyanydots knees, their large eyes pleading hopefully for something to do.
"Well now, are you just?" the tubby orange and yellow tortoiseshell cat smiled, and congratulated herself on being prepared. "It just so happens that I was out and about earlier and I lost my thimble!"
At the beloved words the kits smiled, happy to play one of their favourite games – hunt the thimble. All the kits that is, except Mister Mistoffelees. He stood before their caretaker for the day and produced his closed paw from behind his back.
Looking the orange and yellow tortoiseshell in the eyes he opened his paw to reveal … the thimble.
Jennyanydots stared into his dark and mischievous eyes.
"Put it back," she scolded softly. He blinked, she looked down, and the thimble was gone, replaced by a very surprised moth.
"Thank you," she said. Mistoffelees captured and ate the moth.
"All right kittens, see if you can find where the thimble has got to, there will be a reward!" She placed a restraining paw on Mistoffelees shoulder. "You stay."
The other kittens scattered in every direction, while the annoyed Jennyanydots gave the black Tom a lecture on 'being a spoilsport' and how there was 'a time and a place for showing off'. Mister Mistoffelees hung his head and said 'yes Jennyanydots' in all the right places. But she wasn't fooled. He was filled with mischief today and that was that.
"Alonzo!" she called as she spotted the black and white marked Tom prowling by. "Are you off to see your new kittens?" At his proud nod she pushed Mister Mistoffelees forwards and suggested that the younger Tom needed to go with him, to "experience the joy of seeing little ones" which Alonzo rightly guessed meant 'is safely out of my fur, where I won't be tempted to smack him'.
"Let's see if a long walk with no play will teach him not to tweak his elder's tail," Jenny muttered as she hurried off to see how the others were doing.
Alonzo beckoned and the mostly black kitten trotted along besides him. Alonzo was going to see one of his Queens, an ally cat called Jennycole, a dark tabby that had given birth two weeks ago. He was certain that she would not try and injure him, but for insurance he was bringing a large mouse for her which he had slung over his shoulder.
It was a nice warm day and as they went Alonzo got Mistoffelees to tell him what he had done to upset Jennyanydots. Mistoffelees told him, adding that he hadn't tweaked her tail and it was mean of her to say he did.
"Can you move things bigger than a thimble?" Alonzo asked curiously.
"Uh huh, so long as I've seen it before. I can bring just about anything to me. The bigger the thing, the more I have to focus though, so I have to make a circle to focus on, or stuff goes bam. But I moved a huge ball of wool the other day, no problems!"
"Handy," Alonzo commented thoughtfully, and the other cat gave a shy nod.
Soon they came to the alley where Jennycole had her nest and they cautiously approached the fallen woodpile at the end that sheltered the kittens. The Queen first snarled at them, but was soon reassured that it was just her mate. They licked each other affectionately and she ate the mouse he provided with pleasure.
She then moved to one side and allowed them to peek at the kittens. There was a row of seven teeny tabbies, four of them dark, three of them pale. Their tiny little ears were just folds and their eyes were shut tight in sleep.
"Are they really yours, Alonzo?" Mister Mistoffelees asked in awe. The Tom glanced at his Queen and smirked.
"Well, there was some doubt at first," he admitted. The black kit looked over at him, puzzled, then nodded sagely.
"No ruffs," he noted undiplomatically. One of the kits squeaked, and Alonzo puffed out proudly.
"Did you hear that? It said DaDa," he announced.
Mister Mistoffelees and Jennycole glanced at each other. Mistoffelees quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.
The kittens began to squirm and one opened its little pink mouth wide and mewed pitifully. It was time for another feed and Jennycole shooed the male cats away before settling in to nurse them.
When they had walked almost all the way back to the junkyard Mistoffelees looked over at the older cat and asked,
"Will they be coming to live at the Junkyard?"
Alonzo sighed and shook his head.
"No, I doubt that any of the litter are Jellicle kits. We usually get born one to a Queen, except where there are twins. There is a song that all the kits will be learning for the Jellicle Ball."
And he sang -
"Jellicle cats have cheerful faces,
Jellicle cats have bright black eyes,
We like to practice our airs and graces,
And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise.
Jellicle cats develop slowly,
Jellicle cats are not too big,
Jellicle cats are rollie poly,
We know how to dance a gavotte and a jig."
Alonzo's voice was a pleasant baritone and Mistoffelees clapped his paws in delight.
"That is only a part of the song," Alonzo told him, pleased at the young Toms appreciation. "But the part you need to know now is that Jellicle cats develop slowly. It takes a whole year for us to grow into adults, while other cats take only five months. Sometimes a Jellicle will be born with other littermates, but they are so much slower to develop that they can get abandoned by their mothers. That's why we bring them to the Junkyard, so all the Jellicles can help bring them up. You guys need extra watching!"
He reached out and ruffled the tuxedo Tom's fur. Mister Mistoffelees smiled and planned in his head how he would tell all the other kits what he had learnt. And he'd have to tell them that a Queen could have a whole seven kittens at once! "All those kits are yours, that's amazing," he told the tall black and white Tom.
"What you did with Jennyanydots thimble was amazing too," Alonzo generously admitted. "Even if it was a little rude. She should have forgiven you by now, why not run over and see?" They had reached their destination and Mistoffelees bounded away to re-join his friends.
Alonzo watched him then paused to lick his chest fur. /That kitten is going to go far,/ he thought to himself. Then he went in search of Munkustrap, he had some information their leader probably needed to hear about.
….