Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer and Jellyorum escaped from the cacophony. Plato and Tumblebrutus trotted up to them as Gus came out of Old Deuteronomy's den. "What's going on," Plato asked as Tumblebrutus rushed to help his father. "Me and Munkustrap found a trio of cats on the outskirts of the junkyard," Mungo explained. "Jenny and Skimble just offered them a place to stay." "New cats?" Tumblebrutus said eagerly. "Aunt Evita's kittens," Rumpleteazer continued. "Do you remember Evita dear?" Gus asked Jellyorum. The old cat had mild palsy in his left arm, causing his paw to shake, and he was getting on with only Old Deuteronomy being older. Despite this he was still as active as he could be, dancing with the other Jellicles, taking part in the plays they so often put on and always eager to play with the kittens. Gus and Jellyorum had fallen for each other when they were much younger and now the elderly couple tried to take life easy. Like Old Deuteronomy they had numerous children, with all but Augustus and the four youngest having left. Plato, Admetus, Tumblebrutus and Bill Bailey were litter mates that were nearly fully grown toms. All still lived with their parents and a theatre manager, helping out around the stage, clearing out the mice and rats that their father just wasn't a terror to anymore and looking after their aged parents. At the junkyard however they lived separately, allowing each of the toms to have their own space. Augustus was much older than his brothers, having his own mate and humans. It was a long standing joke that the kittens insisted on referring to him as Asparagus or Gus, just like his father, because of the similar names. Some visitors and newcomers even got confused, though they could not be the same of course as each Cat's second and third names were unique. Jellyorum and the older cats swore that he looked just like his father when he was younger.
Jellyorum smiled at her mate. "Of course I remember her. Such a pretty little thing. Beautiful black, white and ginger fur." Jellyorum smiled sadly. "Such a pity. I'm sure she would have been happy here. Broke father's heart when she left." At that moment Erik and his siblings slid out of the den, freezing as they saw the two unfamiliar toms. Erik instinctively stepped forwards, pushing his brother and sister behind him. His golden eyes fixed on Plato and Tumblebrutus. "Is everything ok?" Mungojerrie asked the young cat, confused by his behaviour. "Who are they?" Erik growled. "This is Plato and Tumblebrutus," Rumpleteazer answered. "They're your cousins." Erik slowly back down from the other teens, allowing Syrie and Rusty closer to examine them. Plato introduced himself, as did Tumblebrutus, with a mock bow that made Syrie giggle. "Do you want to see something cool?" Plato asked enthusiastically. The kittens nodded. Plato whispered to Tumblebrutus and the two brothers sprang backwards, paw over paw as they back flipped four times in perfect synchronisation. The kittens clapped in appreciation of the acrobatics as the two teens landed on their paws.
Mungojerrie heard a snort from next to him. Rumpleteazer grinned, pretending to strut around like the two acrocats. "What's up?" came an arrogant drawl as a large Maine Coon rounded the corner, coming upon the small group. Mungojerrie scowled inwardly. Unlike most of the younger cats, Rumpleteazer included, he disliked Rum Tum Tugger. He and the tall cat had never seen eye to eye, particularly after Tugger had started flirting with Rumpleteazer. Mungojerrie had the utmost trust in his mate, but wished that Tugger would respect the rule that mates were off limits. Tugger's mate Bombalurina was almost as bad, even having gone after the young thief. Why they couldn't just be satisfied with each other, the thief couldn't understand.
"What do we have here?" the Maine Coon asked, cocking his head as he examined the newcomers. Erik could practically see the cocky arrogance rolling off the larger cat in waves. "A trio of Kittens Mungo and Munk found on the edge of the territory," Jellyorum replied curtly, frowning. Like many of the older cats, she shared Mungojerrie's view of Tugger. "My brother had been adopting kittens has he," the large tom laughed, crouching low to look at the young cats face to face. Erik snarled, causing Tugger to hastily retreat. "Scared Tugger?" Mungo asked, a smile on his lips. Tugger scowled at the young tabby. "It's alright Erik," Rumpleteazer mewed to the black furred teen, stepping in-between Tugger and the paranoid tom. "He's not dangerous." "No … just annoying," Mungojerrie cut in. "Ha, ha, ha," Tugger muttered. "Little Mr Sneak Thief thinks he can play with the big boys." At that even Rumpleteazer frowned reproachfully at the cat. "Say that again, I dare you," Mungojerrie snarled, striding up to the Maine Coon. "Didn't you hear me? I called you a sneak thief," Rum Tum Tugger replied, a smile on his face quickly being replaced with something coming close to fear as Erik and Mungo advanced on him. It suddenly struck Tugger how muscly the pair of teens looked, and how Mungojerrie had held his own against Macavity only the previous night. "Whatever," Tugger drawled, turning on his heel and leaving hurriedly.
"Who was that?" Erik inquired of Mungojerrie as they trudged on, leaving Jellyorum, Gus and their sons behind. "Rum Tum Tugger," Rumpleteazer replied a little too quickly. Mungo raised an eyebrow to her, causing the young tabby queen to blush as red as Bombalurina. "He the resident rebel and queenizer. No respect or maturity. All the kittens, and most of the teens," he said, glancing at Rumpleteazer who blushed again, "Fall over themselves as part of his little fan club. Even some of the younger queens who should know better. You should see Tamoline. Normally she's so serene and mature, put her in the same room as Tugger and she becomes a drivelling kitten." Erik laughed, a harsh sound that sounded strangely like a dog's bark. "You're laughing now, but wait until he's got Syrie and Rusty hanging off his tail," Mungo muttered darkly. "He's not that bad," Rumpleteazer clarified. "He's a bit self-absorbed, but he's a good cat really." "And so handsome," Syrie squeaked before she knew what she was saying. Erik, Mungo and Rumpleteazer all looked at the small kitten. "Told you," Mungo laughed. "If you don't take a shine to him, you can join the club. Me, Plato and Exotica are declaring war on him." "What're you going to do?" Erik and Rumpleteazer asked. "We don't know. Maybe shave his mane off," the tabby tom laughed. The teens all laughed together as they continued.
After allowing Old Deuteronomy to meet Syrie and Rusty, the young cats headed towards an area of the dump where there were blankets and pillows to be found in their thousands. The new cats need something to sleep on, even if they were used to hard ground. "I can't thank you enough for all you've done," Erik said to Mungo as Rumple led the kittens on ahead. "It's fine. Any cat would have done the same." At that point they came upon the soft ridges and folds of their destination. Mungo could see a family of cats already rooting through the pillows and duvets. Munkustrap and Demeter's scents, mixed with those of their daughters, drifted towards the cats. Electra and Sillabub bounded down the hill of fabric, eager to meet the new arrivals. Jemima held back, descending at a more leisurely rate with her parents.
Rusty and Syrie ran towards the kittens, eager to meet them. Demeter smiled at them. "You should have told me you were starting a family Rumple," she laughed in a clear voice. Rumpleteazer rolled her eyes. "Good evening ma'am," Erik nodded to Demeter. "Oh, call me Demeter," the queen smiled. Erik nodded back. "This is Electra and Sillabub," Munkustrap introduced two of his daughters. "And this is Jemima." The shy little queen trotted out from behind her parents and sat on her haunches, looking at the black tom. Erik nodded politely to her and did the same. Munkustrap smiled. "Would you look at that, one would think you two were mutes," he chortled. He turned to Demeter. "Why don't we leave them here for a bit? Let them get to know the new ones." Demeter frowned slightly. "What about Macavity?" she asked in a low voice. Mungojerrie spoke up. "Me, Teazer and Erik will stick around, and you don't need to go too far. Just let them get to know each other without adults breathing down their necks. The kittens eagerly agreed. "Oh alright then," Demeter sighed.
Electra and Sillabub were getting along with their new found cousins like a house on fire. Only Jemima kept her distance slightly, as if scared of the newcomers. Rumpleteazer strode over to her, settling next to her cousin. "Everything ok?" she asked. To her surprise Jemima did not sound scared or frightened. She sounded … dreamy. "Yes, I'm ok," she muttered as if her mind was on something else. Rumpleteazer sunk back to her mate, nuzzling against the tabby tom. Erik padded up to them, sitting down and licking his front paw. "Who's that?" he asked, nonchalantly nodding towards Jemima. The young queen noticed the slight motion and suddenly got up, pacing over to her sisters where they were tumbling around with their new cousins. "That's Jemima, and she's strictly off limits," Rumpleteazer retorted. "No idea what you're talking about," Erik replied, but Mungojerrie could have sworn that the black cat's skin just got a little darker.