Tugger laboriously climbed the old chestnut tree. The branches were well spaced and easy at the bottom, but became more difficult as you neared the top. Eventually he had climbed as high as a cat his size could, so he settled down onto a branch and casually looked up.
"So, still having problems with the lightning trick," he sail to the tip of one dejectedly swaying tail.
It didn't respond.
"Nobody will laugh if you don't get every trick every time, you know." Tugger examined his claws and bit at one of them to remove some loose nail. "It's amazing that you can do the things that you can do, when you're just a kitten still. Cats know that magic is unpredictable sometimes."
The tail stilled.
"I can't climb any higher, you know."
Slowly the tail disappeared, and Mister Mistoffelees crept onto a lower branch so that Tugger could see him.
"They wouldn't laugh?" the magical cat asked, looking at the Rum Tum Tugger with big kitten eyes.
"No," the Tom assured him firmly. /And if they do,/ he thought, /I'd give 'em such a bite!/
Tugger wasn't going to let another scornful bully, another Grizabella, spring up in their ranks. The old Glamour Cat had been mean, laughing at kits for their weaknesses.
The adults hadn't known, she was mistress of the unseen insult. The evil old crow had even told him once that his mane was scraggly. His mane! And her cruel mocking had made Eppie and Nightingale leave the tribe, just because they liked each other and not Toms. Her taunts had driven them out as surely as blows would have.
He had gone to Munkustrap to complain, but the silver tabby had only recently become protector, and as no one else could back the young Rum Tum Tugger up, his brother had not believed him.
That had been the end of their close relationship. Eventually Exotica and Plato had become old enough to tell what they had seen of Grizabella's ways, and she had been expelled. But Eppie and Nightingale were still gone.
Tugger had made a promise to himself to stand up to anycat that acted like that in the future.
Mistoffelees was looking at him silently, probably trying to judge if Tugger was telling the truth. Would the other cats not laugh?
After a while he turned and began climbing the tree again. The branches sagged under his weight and Tugger held his breath, worried that the younger cat was going to fall.
The branches shook, and Tugger was preparing to break his oath to himself to never talk another cat out of doing something idiotic (that was sooo Munkustrap's job) when Mistoffelees came back down and crouched on a branch adjacent to his.
'Splurk'.
A wet, mutilated moth was spat out on the branch in front of him. Tugger looked into Mistoffelees big black eyes and gave a bit of a silent dry heave. The moth was … gooey.
But … if a kitten offers you a gift, you accept it. No matter how drooled on or squished. Jennyanydots had made that painfully clear to him once after he rejected a half smushed bug from Exotica.
With an internal sigh he picked the moth up and tried to eat it with every sign of enjoyment. Mistoffelees began to purr and knead the tree branch under him.
"You're kind of nice, Tugger," he said. Tugger gave an undignified snort.
"Don't go maligning my character like that!" he declared, clasping at his chest in mock outrage. The younger cat grinned.
"Okay, if anyone asks I'll say you're a total bore. You kinda are that too," the kit added with a twinkle in his eye.
"That's more like it!" Tugger growled. Then he settled himself firmly on his tree branch and closed his eyes. Hmm, that moth had been just the thing for a late snack. Now for a beauty nap and he could do the rounds of his Queens later. Much later.