"Tugger?" Mister Mistoffelees said, poking the larger cat to see if he was awake yet. It was only just nearing twilight, so the chances were that he was not.
"Merr?" the Main Coon replied from a sprawl on his favourite junkyard car roof.
"I think we should go for a walk."
"Wha?" Tugger slurred with his eyes closed. "i'still a bit of daylight. Could be things about. Big things, go woof."
"I've got a feeling." The kit looked uneasily away to the area of the junkyard that led to the open ground, and the river that ran along one side. He could feel the water calling him. "We need to go to the bridge." The feeling began to intensify and he pawed the ground in distress. "Please?"
Tugger opened an eye in reaction to the tension in Mistoffelees voice and dragged himself to his feet. "To the bridge?" he asked resignedly. Mistoffelees nodded. "Okay, but we're taking the road, not going over the field. I hate the country."
Mistoffelees consider pointing out that four empty, marshy allotments with a bit of river and a copse of trees didn't count as 'the country', but as the Rum Tum Tugger was going where he wanted he kept silent.
With rapid steps Mistoffelees led the way, Tugger loping behind him, aiming to look like he wasn't trying to keep up. As the sun descended a chill grew in the air and crickets sang an early chorus, eager to be on with the nightly activities.
They soon came to the bridge and stopped, hunching down. A human was there, dropping something over the side. Whatever it was screamed like a cat in pain, until it hit the water with a loud splash. Next the human picked up a sack, which was also tossed over the side. Job done they then turned and casually strolled away.
The two cats ran past the bridge and down to the muddy river bank, where Mistoffelees was horrified to see a cat swimming desperately for the shore.
"That's Jennycole, she had Alonzo's kits!" he cried in distress.
"Then it's his kits that are in that sack," growled the Rum Tum Tugger, moving towards the water to help Jennycole. The bag with the kits was still floating, but was moving rapidly out of sight.
"Tugger, no, help me!" Mister Mistoffelees begged, his mind working fast. "I can rescue them, but I need something to concentrate my magic on, a circle, a bucket…," the magical kit looked up and down the shore, frantically hoping something would catch his eye. "There's nothing!" he wailed.
"Wait," Tugger had seen something … yes! He grabbed the old top hat that was half buried under dried grass and pulled it over.
"This do?"
The answer was yes, because Mistoffelees held his paw over the hats opening and began to concentrate, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. This had to work!
Fascinated, and not sure anything was going to happen, Tugger watched as a magical wave ran down the kittens body. His fur smoothed, inky blackness swamped the kittens white patches except for his chest fur and face, and he began to sparkle.
Even though the Rum Tum Tugger had seen the end results of this magical change before, it was weird to see it taking place and his own fur begin to prickle. It finally sunk in that the costume change that he and Mistoffelees had worked on for his performance wasn't just a trick. There was real magic coating his friends skin.
Just then he noticed that Jennycole had made it to the shore and was standing, looking forlornly out at the water. She was making little chirrup noises of distress and patting at the river's edge, as if about to go back in after her kittens.
Now certain that something magical was happening in the hat he went to get her, leading her away from the river over to where Mistoffelees was crouching. Very carefully the younger cat had begun tipping a wet kitten into his paw. Jennycole gasped, then ran to scoop the kitten up.
Reaching in and using a guiding paw, the black cat pulled free another six kittens from the battered hat. Jennycole immediately held them close and started licking them dry.
The hat stood empty and the little family reunited.
"That was marvellous," purred the Rum Tum Tugger, his voice full of awe.
Mistoffelees blinked at him and gave a small grin. After giving Mistoffelees shoulder a nudge of support, Tugger started grooming Jennycole, knowing if she was dry it would help the kits, and after a second Mistoffelees helped too.
It was dark by the time Tugger looked up from his task. The Queen was tiredly nursing her kits, but his magical black friend had curled into a ball and fallen asleep. Tugger had only watched and encouraged in the drama, but he too felt exhausted from all the excitement. Still, with the coming of night they needed to get to some kind of shelter soon.
He decided to let them all be for a while longer and simply stood guard over them. It felt strange, to be responsible for the safety of the others. He didn't particularly like the role, and tensed at every strange or new noise.
Not long into his vigil he was approached by three running cats, a frantic Alonzo sliding to a stop before him, followed by the mystic twins Tantomile and Coricopat. They had sensed what was happening but not where and had summoned the kittens' father to help search.
"You rescued them," Alonzo gasped, amazed.
"Not me just, pretty boy," the Rum Tum Tugger replied coolly, adjusting his ruff with a touch of pride. "Our sleeping beauty over there did, with his magical powers. Pulled the kits right out of a hat. Should have seen it, it was awesome."
The others gaped at him, and not just because the Rum Tum Tugger wasn't taking all the credit. There were seven kittens to be saved after all. That was one marvellous magical rescue!
After some discussion the new arrivals each took two kittens and started moving them to a new den that Alonzo knew of. A tired Jennycole went with them, her seventh kit in her arms, but Tugger gathered up Mister Mistoffelees and carefully carried him home.
Tagging along with Mister Mistoffelees had turned out to be interesting. Tugger liked interesting. He liked it a lot.