Tugger ran as fast as he could in pursuit of the house cat that had dared to venture into his garden. His Garden! The cheek! Okay, so Nipperknot was in season and had been calling all the Toms to her side, but there was no need for that Tom to go ambling like a love struck fool through his rose bushes!

"YEOWWL!" came the cry from behind him and Tugger knew that Nipperknot had chosen who would be her Tom for the evening. Damn, he'd hoped to…well.

Even worse, that trespassing Tom had got away so he, the good looking black cat with leopard spots on his chest and limbs and a heavy wild mane was left with an empty evening of nothing but regrets.

Looking about despondently for something to do, he noticed Bustopher Jones walking down the street, with little Mister Mistoffelees trotting by his side. The younger tuxedo cat was struggling under the weight of a large turkey leg. The leg was partially eaten, but still quite heavy for the smaller Tom.

"I know the others don't like him well," Bustopher was saying, "but he eats regularly at one of my clubs and has never done wrong by me."

The big tuxedo cat and the little one looked quite comical walking together, especially with the addition of the turkey leg. Tugger wondered where they were off to.

"Talking about me again?" asked the large Maine Coon, sliding up to them and falling in step besides Bustopher.

"No, dear boy, about Macavity. We saw him just a way back and he gave us a salute. The kit here hadn't seen him before and was wondering who he was. Apparently he made his fur tingle." He paused and gave Tugger a stern look. "Not that kind of tingle, sir."

Justly chastened Tugger looked over at Mistoffelees, who was going a little cross eyed trying to carry his prize.

"Where are you taking that thing anyway, why not just eat it here?"

"Ah," said Bustopher. "He has a plan. Some sort of rescue mission, he says. I personally think he's up to a bit of mischief myself." Bustopher gave the younger cat a loving look. It was quite likely that Mistoffelees was his son, although you could never be sure about such things. His mother had been fond of black and white Toms in general, though he and she had been close for some time. Her death had greatly saddened him.

"Whatever it may be, I must be going, there's a new chef at Boodle's that I am dying to put to the test. Why not go along and see what the kit is up to? Toodle pip!"

And he wandered off, spoon swinging in counterpoint to his luxurious tail. Tugger glanced at Mistoffelees, noted his displeased look and determined that he just had to tag along with the magical kitten tonight.

Mistoffelees sighed and started walking towards one of the side alleys, Tugger slinking along at his side. Okay, he was supposed to have adult supervision when he left the junkyard, but did it have to be the Rum Tum Tugger?

Eventually he got to the fence he wanted and began climbing the pile of empty paint tins and boxes that had built up on one side.

Tugger watched him pull the turkey leg up with difficulty and resolutely didn't offer to help. It was probably character building for the kit to do it himself. And Tugger was feeling lazy.

Not quite lazy enough not to scrabble to the top of the fence when Mistoffelees eventually made it up there, to see what would happen next.

Mistoffelees put the leg down and balanced it on the edge of the fence, licking carefully at his chest where turkey grease had stained it. On the other side of the fence two pollicles were kept and at the sight of the resting cats they went off their heads with barking.

The pollicles howled and leapt, jaws snapping and drool dripping, desperate for a piece of cat to nibble. However they were more than willing to be diverted when Mistoffelees carelessly let the turkey leg fall with a soft cry of "Presto."

Both pollicles went for the prize, then found that the other was getting in their way. A savage dog fight broke out. From across the yard a voice called "You can come out now." It took Tugger several seconds to figure out it was the voice of Mistoffelees, being thrown onto the other side of the yard, a trick the youngster used to bamboozle tribe mates and humans alike.

Next to the yard was a rundown house and from under it two young cats came streaking out. They leapt over the far fence, their claws scrabbling frantically on the wood before disappearing with flicks of their terrified tails.

"That was clever," said Tugger. "Not to mention kind."

Mistoffelees glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "I like to help," he admitted softly.

"Really?" asked the Rum Tum Tugger, suddenly attentive. "How do you feel about uncovering mysteries?"

With a tiny smile Mistoffelees turned to him, his eyes lit up with interest.

….