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The story of Pouncival ~ by Kimberlina
¡@
"Look, Deuteronomy. Three sons."
*Huh?* I thought. *What are they talking about? What just happened to me?*
The weirdest thing had happened. I'd just been born. That fact was confusing to me. What did it mean? I don't know. At least, I didn't at the time. But I knew that I couldn't see anything. That ment something. I knew that there were three bodies next to me, two of which were the same size as me. The other was huge. It must have been my mother. The other two, my brothers. Or sisters. I couldn't see them, so I didn't know. I knew I was male. That was a start.
I decided to gather up everything I knew already. I had been born. I had two brothers, or sisters. I was a male. I couldn't see. I was hungry.
I decided to deal with that last one on the list first. So I started to cry for mother to feed me.
I found out how to eat very quickly, and believe me, when you're that young and that hungry, milk sure does taste good. Especially mother's milk.
After a while, I got bored with eating. My mother started to clean me, apparently I was a messy eater. I didn't know, and didn't care. But her tongue had a comforting feeling to it.
I had started to drift off to sleep, when I heard someone walk up.
"Yes?" I heard my mother ask stiffly.
"I just wanted to see my three new brothers."
"Fine."
I heard a rude laugh. "You call those cats? They're just balls of fur!"
*Excuse me?* I thought. *You're probably not much to look at yourself!*
"Well, excuse me, Rum Tum Tugger! You looked the same when you were just born! Don't criticize my sons!"
That pretty much told me that I had two brothers, not sisters. So it was a litter of three males. Alright. Whatever.
I slept for quite a while after that. I heard my brothers waking up and crying for milk, but I was content. At least, for the moment.
Three days later, my mother finally named us.
"Plato, Pouncival, and Admetus." She told my father proudly. I heard the same rude voice I had heard earlier.
"It took you three days to come up with that?"
"They're perfect." Mother said back stiffly. "Isn't that right, Deuteronomy?"
"Yes. Perfect."
*Ok.* I thought. *So who am I?*
I found a good way to find out. I started to cry for food, and mother sighed.
"Pouncival, you're always hungry." She complained. Well, now I knew my name.
It took about two more days for my eyes to open. Once they did, I could finally see my brothers and myself.
I was a black tabby, and quite a handsome one, if I may say so myself. My brother Plato was a red tabby, and my brother Admetus was a grey and brown mix. I also got to see the rude cat who had been insulting me.
He was a brown and black mix, and apparently was my stepbrother. He really didn't look like anything, but he acted like the king of the world. His name was Rum Tum Tugger. He had an older brother, a grey tabby named Munkustrap. He was much nicer than Tugger.
About a day after my eyes opened, I heard Munkustrap in the other room, talking to my father.
"I found him out in the forest."
"Bring him up to me."
There was a hesitation, before father spoke.
"He is young, and not weaned. He must be fed."
I heard an unfamiliar cry of a kitten in the room. Well, it wasn't the cry that wasn't familiar. I was a kitten too, at the time, and often cried. It was the voice that was strange. It wasn't a cat I knew.
My father carried a brown tabby kitten into the room I was in with mother. He wasn't much older than I was.
"Munkustrap found him in the forest." He told her. "He isn't weaned, and needs milk."
"I will feed him. He will be my son until we find his parents."
Father put the kitten down beside my mother, and he started to nurse. *How dare he?* I thought in outrage. *She's my mother, not yours! You don't have the right to drink her milk!*
He nursed anyway, and when he was finished, he curled up beside me to sleep. Before he slept though, mother talked to him.
"Young boy, what is your name?" she asked. He spoke in a soft, unstable voice.
"I don't have one." He told her. "Mother never named me."
Then, he fell asleep, curled up beside me, and after a moment, I too slept.
The no-name kitten grew as my brothers and I did. We were the same age, and we had started to just call him our brother. He didn't mind. Actually, I think he liked having a family.
One day, I was roaming the forest with Asparagus Jr., the son of one of my father's best friends, Asparagus. He was much older than me, even older than Tugger. Each one of us had gone off with someone different that day; I got Asparagus, Plato was with his sister, Jellylorum, Admetus was with Munkustrap and No-Name was with Rum Tum Tugger.
When we returned home at dusk, because that was our curfew, Tugger and No-Name weren't there. My father had Munkustrap searching the forest for them, and mother was crying.
We had no word on them for days. I had started to just assume they were dead. Tugger may be irresponsible, but he would have brought him back by now.
Then, one day, news came. Jennyanydots, a friend of Jellylorum, had been picked up by the cat catchers at the pound, but she was owned and was released. She said that while she was there, she saw Rum Tum Tugger. He told her that a human had taken No-Name the day before as a housecat. So we knew he was safe. Tugger would be too if a human took him before the cat catchers killed him.
The next day, No-Name came back. He had a shiny diamond collar around his neck, and was cleaned and groomed. But, most of all, he had a name.
"Tumblebrutus." He told us proudly. "My human named me Brutus, so I added 'Tumble' to the front. That's my name."
Sadly, that same day, my mother turned up missing. We had no word on her for most of the day, until Lillabelle, Asparagus' mate, had found out what had happened.
Mother had met a young Tom Cat, and ran off to elope with him. She would never come back to see us. Father had a broken heart after he heard that news. But he also announced that he would find a new wife.
Apparently my mother had been his second wife. The first was the mother of Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger, but she had been hit by a car. Now he would find a new wife, to continue the generations.
Sure enough, the next day, he told us that he had found a new wife. She was a beautiful calico named Macy, and was nicer to me and my brothers than my real mother had been.
The day after he got Macy, my brothers and I were released from the cave to live on our own. I went straight for the city, mostly because I found it more interesting than the boring old forest. Plato seemed to think so too, because he also went to the city with me.
I got my own alleyway, all to myself. It was abandoned, but had some nice trashcans in it, full of goodies. Plato found a nice place to sleep not far from me.
The next day, Tugger came back. He had a dog collar around his neck, complete with spikes, from his owner. He was not happy about that.
I learned after that, that Macy was pregnant. She had been for three weeks, but I hadn't heard about it until now.
I heard about something called the Jellicle Ball. Father and the protector of our tribe, Macavity, had been talking it over. Apparently it was in a week.
That night, the strangest thing happened. I had been pigging out on trash in the trashcan, and had fallen asleep in the can. The next thing I knew, I was being tossed through the air.
"What the? I exclaimed, as I flew through the air and landed on a pile on garbage. I was covered in trash, and buried in it.
After a moment or two, I realized I was moving. The trash truck! It had come today, and I had been in the trashcan! With sickening realization, I remembered how far the dump was from my home. Could I find my way back?
It took a few hours of sitting in that vile garbage for us to reach the dump. Once we were there, they dumped me out.
It took about another hour for me to unbury myself, and finally take a look around. I realized that I was on the other side of London.
After thoroughly cleaning myself, I started to walk. I figured one direction was as good as the next, so I could either get home, or get even farther from it. Either way, I was getting away from that vile trash.
It took all day for me to get somewhere that I actually recognized. I had gone the right way! I was home!
I ran all the way to Plato's alley, and slid to my knees at his feet.
"Plato!" I cried. I didn't realize until then how upset I was. I was crying, and wrapped my arms around his legs, as he tried to comfort me.
"What happened, Pouncival?" he asked me. He pried my arms off of his legs, and knelt down beside me.
"I was so scared!" I stuttered. "The humans…the truck?
"Calm down, Pouncival. Tell me what happened."
"I fell asleep in the trashcan. They took me to the dump!"
"That's all the way across London! Did you walk all this way back by yourself?"
"Uh huh. I thought I was lost forever. I'll never do it again, Plato. I swear, I'll never do it again."
He laughed. "You amaze me, Pouncival. Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"
"Um? I quickly examined myself, and realized that my left wrist had been hurting for a while.
"My wrist hurts." I told him. He examined it.
"It's probably sprained. Be more careful, Pouncival. You don't know what's out there. It's beyond our territory."
"I'll go see Deuteronomy. He can fix my wrist."
"I'll come with you."
He helped me to my feet, and we went to Deuteronomy's cave. He smiled at me.
"Why, hello, Plato, Pouncival." He greeted us. Then, he frowned at my tears.
"What's wrong, Pouncival?" he asked. Plato answered him.
"He fell asleep in the trashcan last night, and the humans took him to the dump. He just got back. He says his wrist hurts."
"Come up here, son."
I walked up to Deuteronomy, my father. None of his children call him "father" because he's the leader of the tribe.
I let him examine my wrist, and he led me to a side room of his cave. Macy lay in there, grooming herself.
"What happened?" she asked, worried.
"Pouncival sprained his wrist." Deuteronomy told her. "I'm going to wrap his arm up while it heals."
He had a stash of gauze, and wrapped my wrist up in it tightly, so I couldn't move my hand.
"I want you to stay here until you get better." He told me. "It's safer than the city. Plus, I can take care of you."
I nodded and wiped away my tears with my other hand. "Thank you, Deuteronomy. I'll be more careful where I sleep next time."
A week later was the Jellicle Ball. I still had my wrist all bandaged up, and Jellylorum and Jennyanydots kept pestering me.
"Poor boy! He's so young, he shouldn't have to worry about injuries. He's still so cute though!"
They followed me around until Rum Tum Tugger got there. Then, they ran to him.
"Oh isn't he just adorable?"
I noticed a pure black kitten, Jestenta, walking around alone. It was strange for her to be alone. Her best friend was Macavity, the protector of the tribe, and they were always together. Some thought that when they got old enough they would become mates.
Macavity never showed up at the ball, and I could see Jestenta was worried. She followed Tugger around all night, and he let her touch his mane, which had just started growing. He loved the fact that he was growing a mane, and showed off whenever he could. I was not impressed.
Around midnight, I heard a scream of terror!
"Ahh!"
I turned to see a red tabby that I had never seen before. He had his hands around Jestenta's neck, and was choking her!
I didn't get to see anymore, because Lillabelle took my good hand in hers and led me away.
"Come, Pouncival." She ordered. "This is no place for kittens."
"He's killing her!" I cried.
"I know. Trusian is evil. Once he has made up his mind to take a life, you cannot save it. She will die. There's nothing we can do."
"Who is Trusian?"
"Macavity's father."
I gasped. Could they have planned this? It fit together perfectly. Macavity was the Jellicle Protector. But the one time Trusian comes to kill, he's not there to protect. But it made no sense that Macavity would kill his best friend.
The entire tribe sat out in the street, waiting for Trusian to leave. But that was one ball that was never finished.
I heard someone panting in the shadows, and Jellylorum, Jennyanydots, and Lillabelle had run over.
"What's going on?" I asked Admetus.
"I think Macy's kittens are coming!"
I saw Rum Tum Tugger and Munkustrap carrying Macy out of the city and into the forest, trying to get her to the cave before the kittens came. The older cats made us, the kittens, stay in the street. Deuteronomy, Gus, Asparagus Jr. and Jellylorum left to go help.
Soon, we were allowed to go to our homes, since the ball had been cancelled. I went into the junkyard for a moment with Admetus, Plato and Tumblebrutus to see what was there.
Trusian was gone, but Jestenta lay, face down on the ground. Most of her tail had been cut off, apparently a souvenir for evil Trusian. But there was no life in her eyes.
"We have to do something." I told them.
"Like what?" Plato asked.
"Bury her. We can carry her into the forest and bury her."
"You can't carry her. Your wrist."
I looked down at the bandage. "I know. But you three can carry her. We must do this for her."
It took a moment for me to talk them into it. Then, Tumblebrutus and Plato picked her up. They were the strongest of us four.
They carried her into the forest, and Admetus picked a spot to bury her. It took about half an hour of panting and sweating to bury her, but we got it done. I mostly supervised, because of my wrist.
Once we were done, we went to our homes. I knew that Deuteronomy's cave would be a madhouse because of the new kittens, so I decided to go back to my alley.
I went back, and tried to find a place to sleep, but nothing was comfortable. I looked up at the trashcan.
Within seconds, I was fast asleep, warm and cozy in the garbage.
The next day, I went to the cave to hear about the kittens. There were three apparently, a male and two females. The male and one of the females were identical twins. They were black tabbies, like me, and their names were Coricopat and Tantomile. The other one was red with a white chest and black paws. Her name was Bombalurina.
"Twins." I snickered. "Mistakes."
Apparently no one heard me, or they ignored my rude comment. I don't know why I was being rude. It was just my nature, I guess. Lately I'd been having nasty thoughts, where they came from, I don't know. But something about the twins made me sneer in amusement.
The whole tribe gathered in the cave that night. It was the trial of Macavity.
He stood in the center of the cave, his head down in shame. He knew he had done something wrong.
"Macavity," Deuteronomy said. "Do you know what you've done?"
"It wasn't my fault." He whispered.
"You are the Jellicle Protector. It is your job, your duty, to come to all celebrations and protect your fellow Jellicles. You broke two rules. One, you never showed up. Two, because of this, the Jellicles weren't protected. Your father came and killed Jestenta."
"I know. He brought me her tail." He looked like he was about to cry.
"Now, I'm not saying you had anything to do with this terrible deed. I can't see any reason why you would kill your best friend. But I must know why you never showed up last night."
"I wasn't able to."
"Tell me what happened."
Macavity hesitated, before he spoke.
"I was getting ready to go to the ball. My father called me into his room. He had pulled a cage into the room, and when I walked in, he locked me in it. My mother found me, and let me out, but it was too late. When father came home, they fought. He…he killed her." He looked down at his hands. "And then I killed him."
Deuteronomy's eyes got wide. "Macavity, you are expelled from the tribe. You are no longer a Jellicle."
"But?
"No arguments. I want you to go back to your cave in the land of the Forest Cats, and stay there. Do not come back to our territory, do you understand? You are no longer a Jellicle."
The sad look in Macavity's eyes flashed, and was replaced by a look of pure hatred. He narrowed his eyes, and his body shuttered.
"You will regret what you have just done." He hissed. "You will regret it for the rest of your life!"
With that, Macavity disappeared into thin air! Deuteronomy gasped.
"A conjurer." He whispered. "He's a conjurer."
I knew right then that what Macavity had said, he ment. He had always been a shy kitten. But Deuteronomy's words had pushed him to the limit. Now, he was as wicked as his father had been.
Rum Tum Tugger had started to get on my nerves.
The dames followed him around constantly. Especially Bombalurina. To tell you the truth, I was beginning to want to be him. He may be obnoxious, but all the dames were insanely in love with him. I wouldn't have minded it.
One day, Munkustrap was going to take Bombalurina to go visit me in the city. I waited all day. They never showed up.
Confused, I went to Deuteronomy's cave. Plato was there.
"Where are Bombalurina and Munkustrap?" I asked.
"Taken." Plato said sadly. "I saw it. The cat catchers took them."
I must admit, I did not feel sorry for them. She needed some time away from Tugger anyway. She hung all over him constantly.
I noticed that Jellylorum was sitting with Deuteronomy, her hand in his.
"New romance?" I questioned. Deuteronomy smiled.
"My newest wife." He told me. He motioned for me to come up to him. When I did, he took my arm, and unwrapped my wrist.
"It's really sore." I told him when I moved it.
"It will be. Let it rest, and don't move your hand for a while. It will get better."
"Thank you, Deuteronomy."
Two days later, I heard that Munkustrap and Bombalurina were back, each with a shiny new collar and owners. But they were not happy.
Apparently, she had gone into heat at the pound. They were in the same cage together, and when she had gone into heat, she had forced Munkustrap upon her. Now, she was going to have kittens.
A month later, her kittens were born. Because she was so young, two were stillborn, but one, a calico, lived. She named her Demeter.
The same time Demeter was born, Deuteronomy announced that Jellylorum was pregnant. Jennyanydots was also expecting kittens the same time, from Skimbleshanks, a red tabby she lived with.
I wasn't there when the kittens were born. But from what I heard, they had a miracle kitten.
It was a litter of two, both females. One was a brown tabby, nothing special. The other was pure white.
They named her Victoria, after the queen. The brown tabby was named Etcetera. She had the word "opportunity" written all over her.
They were having a party that night, to honor the pure white Victoria. I decided to take the long route to the cave.
As I walked, I heard a scream of terror!
"Who's there?" I asked the trees. I could hear muffled screaming, and panting not far away.
I ran over to where the screams were coming from, and got a shock.
Macavity had Bombalurina down, on her back, on the ground. She slashed at him, and tried to scream, but he was kissing her, their faces locked together. I could tell that he was going to seduce her.
"Get off of her!" I demanded. He looked up at me and narrowed his eyes.
"Get out of here." He hissed. "Go, and forget you saw anything. You can't help her. She's mine."
"Help me, Pouncival." Bombalurina pleaded. "Get him away. He's hurting me."
Macavity hissed at me, but I stood my ground. "Get away from her." I ordered.
"What if I don't?" he challenged. "Are you willing to fight me?"
I hesitated a moment. Then, I looked at Bombalurina. She was crying.
"Yes." I told him. "Now move!"
Macavity stood up and flung Bombalurina into the bushes. "Are you sure you want to fight me, Pouncival? I will skin you alive!"
"I don't care." I hissed.
"Here's the rules. The last one standing wins. The first one to hit the ground looses. Any questions?"
"No."
Macavity ran at me, and swung one arm at my head! I ducked, and swung both my legs to the side, swiping his legs out from under him. I heard a snap, and he screamed in pain.
I landed, on my feet, and he crumpled to the ground. I had broken his leg with my kick.
Macavity looked down at his broken leg, his face racked with pain. He was trying not to cry.
"You lose." I told him. I walked up to Bombalurina, put one arm around her, and led her away.
"Oh Pouncival!" she cried, wrapping her arms around my neck as we walked. "I was so scared! You saved me!"
"It's alright." I told her. "He won't be going anywhere for a while."
She kept her arms around my neck, crying, as I led her to Deuteronomy's cave, where the party was.
The moment we walked in, everyone fell silent. I led her up to stand in front of Deuteronomy.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Macavity tried to seduce her." I told him. "I found them out in the forest before he got into it."
"What happened to him?"
"Picked a fight with me." I smiled proudly. "I broke his leg."
Deuteronomy motioned for Bombalurina to come up to him, but she didn't want to let go of me. He walked down to her instead.
"He won't hurt you again." He told her. She pulled her face closer to mine, and whispered to me.
"I love you, Pouncival." She whispered. "I love you so much."
I nodded, knowing she was in distress. But then, she pulled herself even closer to me, and kissed me.
I lost my innocence that night.
After that, Bombalurina was officially my girlfriend. I loved it, and I did love her. She was beautiful. And, if I may say so myself, I think it made Tugger jealous.
One day, it was my job to baby sit Etcetera. We were at my home in the alley, and I couldn't help myself.
"You know, Etcetera, you're not popular." I told her. She glared at me.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, it's obvious. Your sister is a star. She's pure white, she's beautiful, what more could you ask for? Look at you. Just a boring old brown tabby."
"Shut up, Pouncival."
"Have you ever wondered why they named you 'Etcetera'? I mean, you sister was named after a queen. You're just 'and so on'. Doesn't that tell you something?"
She started to cry. "Stop it, Pouncival! Stop!"
"Why? I'm just telling you the truth." I walked up close to her and held her arm tightly, so she couldn't run.
"I bet you won't ever get the chance to mate." I hissed. "You're no good. I bet Victoria will get a mate. She'll probably have kittens. But you? What would any Tom want with the leftovers?"
Etcetera kept crying, and tried to pull away from me. "No!"
"You know, there is one Tom in the entire tribe who'd ever go with you. If you ever feel the need to mate, come see me. I can give you a good night. It doesn't even have to be night. Right now is a great time."
I pulled her even closer, and kissed her hard. I don't know why I was doing that. But I felt like teasing someone, and she was right there.
She tried to push me away, but I didn't let her. I pulled her down to the ground.
"I've lost my innocence already." I told her. "So this isn't anything new."
"Please, don't do this to me." She pleaded. "I need to lose my innocence."
"You don't have to, to have love. You only need to lose it if you're going to mate. I won't do that to you. But I will give you a good loving."
Suddenly, Plato ran into my alley.
"Plato!" Etcetera screamed. "Help!"
"Pouncival!" he cried. "What are you doing?"
"None of your business." I hissed. "Get out of here."
He ran up to me, grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, and pulled me off of her. He was very strong, and could pick me up like that.
"What do you think you are doing, Pouncival?" he demanded, holding me above the ground by the scruff of my neck.
"Nothing!" I gasped. "Get out of here! I was in the middle of something!"
He pulled Etcetera to her feet with his other hand, and pushed her behind him. Then, he let me go.
I fell to the ground, and he held Etcetera back. Plato started to lead her away.
"You're a mistake!" I screamed after her. "Just leftovers! You're nothing!"
Plato just led Etcetera away.
¡@
Part 2
Soon came the next Jellicle Ball. Etcetera, Victoria, another young kitten named Electra, and Jennyanydots' daughter, Jemima, were all over Rum Tum Tugger. It made me sick.
Bombalurina pulled me into the shadows a couple of times for a small make-out session. The others didn't care. They were busy with their own affairs.
Around midnight, I saw Munkustrap and a few others staring intently into the shadows. I looked too, and saw a very young male tuxedo cat watching us. He wasn't of our tribe.
Munkustrap pushed us all to the other side of the junkyard, as the little tuxedo kitten crawled into the junkyard. He was no older than Victoria or Etcetera.
"Who are you?" Munkustrap hissed.
"Are you the Jellicles?" he asked in a small, whispery voice.
"Yes. Who are you?"
"I came to find my uncle. He's a Jellicle."
"You get nothing from us until you tell us your name."
The kitten hesitated a moment, before answering.
"Mistoffelees."
"What do you want with us?"
"Munkustrap!" Deuteronomy scolded. "You're scaring him!" he looked down at the kitten and smiled. "Who is your uncle, Mistoffelees?"
"Bustopher Jones. Is he here?"
"I'm here, Mistoffelees." The fat cat walked into the light. He looked exactly like the kitten, except he was much older and bigger.
"Where is your mother?" Bustopher demanded.
"I don't need her! I can fend for myself! I came here to see you, uncle Bustopher."
"You didn't have to come see me. I would have gone to see you."
"No, I want to be in your tribe." Mistoffelees looked up at Deuteronomy. "I want to be a Jellicle."
Deuteronomy kept smiling. "Come up here."
Mistoffelees got to his feet, walked up to him, and bowed to him. Deuteronomy laughed.
"You are very much a little gentleman, Mistoffelees." Deuteronomy told him. "I see no reason why you shouldn't be a Jellicle. But I have one question."
"What's that?"
"Can you dance?"
Mistoffelees smiled. "Mother always said I was the best dancer she'd ever seen. She said it was because I'm so small."
"Show us."
The kitten walked back out to the center of the junkyard. Then, he made us all jealous.
That boy could dance. Not just your usual jump around, do a few splits, twirl, he took up the whole floor! I don't know what the others were thinking, but I knew that he was on my list to humiliate. I'd already humiliated Etcetera. Now I had Mistoffelees on the list. Also on my list at the moment were Tantomile and Coricopat, the twins, because they were twins. Bustopher was on his way to the list, because of his weight. Tugger may soon be on the list, because he's such a show off. But Mistoffelees was next on the list. He'd get a visit either tomorrow or the next day.
When he was done with his dance, Munkustrap introduced him to all of us. When he walked up to me, I glared at him.
"Watch your back, boy." I hissed. "You're on my list."
He clutched at Munkustrap's arm, afraid of me. He had good reason to be afraid. I was going to teach him some manners.
The rest of the ball was pretty boring, and Mistoffelees had the nerve to be eyeing Victoria! Tugger took care of that. He danced with Victoria, making sure Mistoffelees got the hint. I figured that I would take Tugger off of my list now. He was pretty cool.
When we were leaving the ball, I went to my three brothers.
"We are going to teach him a lesson." I told them.
"Why?" Plato asked.
"Because he deserves it, that's why! He's a show off, and a flirt! Besides, there's something about him that just doesn't seem right. He's going to get a taste of us. And I hope he remembers it."
"When are we gonna do it?" Tumblebrutus asked. Of my three brothers, he was usually the first one to take sides with me. I guess he had a wicked mind like I did.
"Tomorrow or the next day. Remember, we still gotta do those twins. But they can wait now. He comes first."
"I'm free tomorrow." Tumblebrutus told me. The other two agreed.
"Good." I said. "Meet me in my alley at dawn, tomorrow. We can plan our attack."
The next morning, after a day of rest, they came to my alley. I already had a plan in mind.
I told them my plan, and we started off into the forest. We searched the whole territory for his home, until we found it.
He was stretching, with one leg straight up in the air and the other underneath him, his arms high above his head. He had his eyes closed, so he didn't see us.
Tumblebrutus walked around behind him, just like we had planned. The moment Mistoffelees put his leg back down, Tumblebrutus wrapped his strong arms around him, and held him still.
Mistoffelees cried out in surprise, unable to move. He couldn't see who it was, because Tumblebrutus was behind him.
Plato and Admetus each stood on either side of the kitten in case he got away, and I walked up in front of him.
"Pouncival!" he exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I told you to watch your back." I hissed. "You're on my list, Mistoffelees."
"What list?"
"My list of cats to humiliate. It's your turn."
I saw fear in his eyes. "What are you going to do to me?"
"Well, you're such a great dancer, I just wondered if you were as good a fighter. But there is one big difference. You see, my brother is holding you still. You cannot move. I, on the other hand, can move. So we can see who will win this fight."
I scratched him hard across his face, and he screamed in pain. Tumblebrutus kept his grip on him, as I struck him, again and again.
I kept striking him until he was about to loose consciousness. He was crying, and he hung limp in Tumblebrutus' arms. Blood ran down his face.
"Let him go." I told Tumblebrutus. He did, and Mistoffelees collapsed to the ground. I knelt down and looked him straight in the eye.
"That oughta show you about how well a show off is accepted into our tribe." I hissed to him. Then, we left him to cry.
As we walked, Plato went up to me.
"That wasn't very nice, Pouncival." He scolded. "You shouldn't have hurt him like that."
"He deserved it." I muttered. Plato put one hand on my shoulder and spun me around so I was facing him.
"Pouncival, need I remind you that I am the oldest of us four." Plato said strictly. "You are the youngest. Therefor, I have to accept responsibility for everything we do. I don't want you to hurt him again, understand?"
I said nothing, and he actually hissed at me!
"Alright!" I cried. "I understand! We won't hurt Mistoffelees anymore! Jeez, Plato! Calm down!"
His face softened up. "I don't like the way you're being so mean to everyone. First Etcetera, and now Mistoffelees? Who else is on your list?"
"Tantomile, Coricopat, and Bustopher."
"You will NOT hurt Bustopher, understand?"
"Yes Plato."
"I don't care what you do with those twins. But I won't help you."
We separated and I went back to my alley.
Nothing happened for a month. Then, something did happen.
I was gutting a rat I had caught, when I heard a lovely voice behind me.
"Excuse me?"
I turned to see two Havana brown dames, and a black and white Tom Cat. One of the dames, the one who had spoken to me, wore a collar around her neck.
"Why, hello!" I greeted them. "And who might you be?"
"I am Cassandra." The owned Havana told me. "This is my sister, Exotica, and my mate, Alonzo."
I was disappointed that he was her mate. She was a very pretty cat, just like Bombalurina, who was still my girlfriend. Exotica was darker than her, and not as pretty.
"I'm Pouncival." I told Cassandra. Then, ignoring Alonzo, I took her hand in mine, and gave it a kiss. Alonzo growled at me and put his hands on her shoulders. I glared back at him and kept her hand in mine, showing him that I wasn't afraid of him.
"We wish to become Jellicles." Alonzo informed me, pulling Cassandra away.
"Fine. I'll take you to our leader."
I led them into the forest and to Deuteronomy's cave. Tugger was there, but I ignored him.
"May I present the Lady Cassandra, her sister, Exotica, and her mate, Alonzo!" I announced cheerfully when he saw us. Tugger rolled his eyes, but Deuteronomy looked interested. "They wish to become Jellicles."
"Oh?" Deuteronomy said.
"Yes." Cassandra told him. I saw her look at Tugger, and he flashed his smile. Alonzo glared at him, but Cassandra looked interested.
"You have light points, like a Siamese." Deuteronomy observed.
"Yes. My mother? she smiled at Exotica. "…our mother, was a Siamese. Exotica did not take her markings, though I did lightly. But I am a Havana brown. I am not a Siamese."
"Well, I see no reason why you shouldn't be Jellicles." He looked at Alonzo. "How old are you?"
"Two years."
"You are the same age as my two oldest sons, one of which is Rum Tum Tugger." He motioned to Tugger, and Alonzo sneered at him. Tugger rolled his eyes and left.
"I see you are owned." Deuteronomy said to Cassandra.
"Yes. My owners moved here, and Alonzo and Exotica moved too, to be with me."
"Are you familiar with the territory?"
"I am." Alonzo told him. Exotica nodded.
"So am I." She said.
"I'm not." Cassandra told him. He motioned to me.
"Pouncival can show your around the territory." He told her. She nodded and walked up to me, and I smirked at Alonzo.
I led her out of the cave.
"Where do you want to go first?" I asked.
"Your home."
"But you've already seen my home."
"I want to go there again."
I shrugged. "Whatever."
As we walked, I got up the nerve to put one arm around her. She gave me a flirty smile.
When we arrived at my home, she looked up at me.
"Where do you sleep?" she asked.
"Mostly in the trashcan. It's comfortable, but once a week they take out the trash, so that's a drag."
"Oh."
She looked around the alley, but at the same time she slid one of her hands across my chest. I smiled. Now she had really turned me on.
Cassandra noticed the wild look in my eyes. "Wild cat." she teased. "All Tom's are wild cats when they're around a female."
"Oh, not just any dame." I told her. "Only beautiful ones. And you are extremely beautiful."
She giggled and put one hand on my face. "You are so adorable. How old are you?"
"Almost two years."
"You have a kitten face. One day, when you're fifteen years old, no one will be able to tell, because you'll always look like a kitten."
"I hope that's a good thing."
"Oh, it's very good. Kitten's are always so cute."
She was teasing me now. Pretending she was interested. The sad thing was, I was falling for it.
"There's a place in the forest that I could show you." I purred. "It's called Lover's Oak. Lover's go there and carve their initials in the tree."
"Ooh, take me there."
I took her hand in mine and led her back to the forest. *This is great!* I thought. *I just hope Bombalurina never finds out.*
I took her to a dark clearing in the forest. There was a huge oak tree in the center, with many initials carved into it. It was Lover's Oak.
"This is interesting." She commented. I thought she'd go over to read the initials, but she stayed standing at my side. She kept one hand on my chest, and I felt her other hand slide up my back. She was definitely flirting.
"Alonzo never takes me anywhere romantic." She purred. "He's too protective."
"I can understand why. You are very tempting."
"Oh?" she smiled at me. "Really? How temping am I?"
"Lets just put it this way: if you didn't have a mate, I'd be all over you."
She giggled. "You can pretend I don't have a mate." She walked in front of me and put my hands on her waist. "He'll never know."
She turned to face me, and actually kissed me! I had been trying not to get all over her, really, I had been, but now I couldn't help myself.
We got to the ground, and then, Hell froze over.
Alonzo walked into the clearing.
"Cassandra!" he gasped. I looked up at him.
"Uh, hello Alonzo." I stuttered. He gave me a look of ice.
"Get off of her!"
I didn't obey. "You gonna make me?"
He grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, and pulled me off of Cassandra.
"Alonzo, please, don't hurt him." Cassandra pleaded. "It was my fault."
"No one gets her but me, shrimp!" he hissed at me, ignoring her. I glared at him.
"What are you gonna do about it?"
"You want a fight? Fine!"
He shoved me away from him, and prepared to fight. The fur on his back stood up, and his claws came out. I did the same.
I soon realized that he was a much better fighter than he looked. He had the same rules Macavity had used: the first one to hit the ground was the loser. I was determined to win.
He put up a good fight, but I was smaller, and more agile. I could move faster. But, because he was bigger, he could scratch my face easier. And my face was exactly what he found a good target.
He kept striking at my face, and I blocked all his blows. But I was tiring. This fight was much longer than my fight with Macavity had been. I was getting tired, and not blocking him as fast.
Suddenly, his claws struck home! He cut a deep gash right under my left eye, and across my nose. Any higher, and I would have been blinded.
I screamed in pain, and pulled my hands up to my face. He struck me hard again, and I fell to my knees. That was the end of the fight. I had lost.
"Don't you ever touch my mate again." He hissed. Then, he grabbed Cassandra's arm, and pulled her away.
After a moment, I opened my eyes and looked around. I couldn't see anything, my blood was blurring my vision. I needed to go to Deuteronomy.
Shakily, I stood, and slowly started for his cave. I held onto the trees as I walked, for I couldn't see very well. It took a long time, but I made it to his cave. I was still crying when I got there.
"Pouncival!" He cried. "What happened?"
"Alonzo!" I cried. "He fought with me!"
Deuteronomy walked down and looked at the gash across my face. He shook his head.
"Normally I wouldn't punish him." he told me. "All cats fight. But he nearly blinded you. I can't let that go unpunished. I will hold a trial tonight. We will decide his punishment. Until then, I want you to stay here. Go to Jellylorum. She'll clean your wound."
I nodded and stumbled into her room. She gasped.
"Pouncival!" she exclaimed. "What happened?"
"Alonzo did it. He fought with me."
"Poor dear. Come here, sit down. I'll clean your face up."
She cleaned up my face, and my vision cleared up. I rested for the rest of the day. When I awoke, it was dusk. The trial was about to start.
I walked out and saw that no one had come yet. I went up and sat beside Deuteronomy.
"Tugger will laugh at me." I told him.
"Hide your face." He told me. "I'll tell you when to show them."
Alonzo, Cassandra, and Exotica were the first to arrive. I hid my face in my hands. The sight of him made me start crying again.
Soon, all the others had come. Deuteronomy called attention to himself.
"Where are Victoria, Electra, Etcetera and Jemima?" he asked, confused.
"They were in the city with Mistoffelees." Tugger told him. I heard Jellylorum gasp and start to cry.
"We will deal with Mistoffelees later." Deuteronomy said. "This trial is for Alonzo. He was just made a Jellicle today, so most of you don't know him. But he has already broken a rule. Alonzo, do you know what you've done?"
"I don't think it was wrong." He muttered.
"Alonzo, our tribe doesn't work this way. You can't do these things."
"It was all his fault!"
Then, Deuteronomy spoke to me. "Pouncival, show them your face."
I moved my hands, and I heard gasps of horror. I could understand why. I probably looked terrible.
"Now, I know every cat fights." Deuteronomy told Alonzo. "I used to fight when I was your age. But you nearly blinded him. I cannot excuse that."
"He was trying to seduce my mate!"
"I was not." I spoke up. "I was just trying to make friends. It got a little out of hand."
"Tell me," Alonzo said to Deuteronomy. "Does Pouncival have a mate? Or a girlfriend?"
*Oh no.* I thought. *Bombalurina.*
"Yes, Bombalurina is his girlfriend."
Alonzo looked out at the crowd. "Who is Bombalurina?"
She stood up. "I am."
"Your boyfriend was cheating on you. He was literately on top of my mate. What do you think about that?"
She glared at me. "I think we are no longer an item. And I think I never want to see your scarred up face again."
She grabbed Demeter's arm, and stalked out of the cave.
*No!* I thought desperately. *Come back! Don't leave me!*
I knew she was serious. That fact made me really start to cry.
In the end, Alonzo was confined to his home for a week. He was allowed no visitors, and was not allowed out of his home. If he disobeyed, he got another week. I was disappointed. I was hoping he'd get expelled.
The next day, Mistoffelees came into Deuteronomy's cave, alone. I was staying there until my face healed, so I overheard the conversation.
"Where were you last night, Mistoffelees?" Deuteronomy demanded. "You and the four female kittens never showed up."
"I'm so sorry Deuteronomy!" he cried. "I tried so hard to stop it from happening!"
"What happened?"
"We were in the city, right? Well, I was taking them back to the forest for the trial, but the cat catchers chased us into an alley! I tried to protect them, honestly, I did. But they took Victoria."
Deuteronomy sighed. "Where are the other three?"
Jemima is with her parents, and Electra and Etcetera are with her."
"Why did they only take Victoria?"
"Well, Jemima and I had collars on, so they knew we were owned. I got Etcetera and Electra away in time, but Victoria was too slow."
"We just have to hope a human takes her. She is too special to lose."
Mistoffelees looked like he wanted to say something, but he quickly shut his mouth. He nodded sadly. "Yes. We just have to hope."
*That boy isn't that bad.* I decided. *A little off the head maybe, but he's still kinda cool.*
It didn't take long for word to come on Victoria. Munkustrap's owners had bought her. So he had a roommate now. At least we knew she was safe.
It took about a month for my gash to scar. I knew that I would have that scar for the rest of my life. A pity, really. I mean, I was adorable.
Nothing insanely interesting happened for a while. I went back to my usual life style: sleeping in the trashcan and running from Scotland Yard. I didn't care. I was a cat.
¡@
Part 3
Sooner than it seemed, the Jellicle Ball had come again. I was determined to be one of the first ones there. So I left a little early.
When I got there, the celebration hadn't started yet. Munkustrap, Cassandra, and Skimbleshanks were there, but that was all. It was pretty cool. I was the fourth one to show up.
Others came shortly after, and the celebration started. Almost all the cats were there, when young Asparagus, Gus' son, saw a human watching us. Munkustrap also saw him, so we left the junkyard to wait till he was gone. But Victoria didn't leave.
She had a beautiful diamond collar, and it shown brightly against her white fur. While she was alone, she did a slow dance. It looked a lot like what Mistoffelees had done when he had first come, except she did it much slower.
I saw Mistoffelees watching her from a drainpipe. *He must have taught her.* I thought. *Makes sense. He's the perfect one to go to for dancing lessons.*
She danced for a moment, before her teacher ran out. To my surprise, he sang the invitation. Deuteronomy must have given him that job.
"Jellicle Cats come out tonight,
Jellicle Cats come one, come all,
The Jellicle Moon is shining bright,
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball,
Jellicle Cats come out tonight,
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball!
While he sang the invitation, we came back. Munkustrap told the kittens that they had to wait for Deuteronomy to get there before the real celebration began.
While we waited, Munkustrap sang about old Jennyanydots, a Gumbie Cat. She seemed to have her own fan club, consisting of Jellylorum, Bombalurina, and Demeter. *I can have some fun with this.* I thought.
Quietly, I crept to a different part of the junkyard. I found exactly what I needed: a garbage bag, a pair of glasses some human had thrown out, and an old bent up fork.
I put the garbage back over my head, and used my claws to cut a head hole and arm holes in it. I put the glasses on my face, then strutted back into the junkyard, fork in tow.
You see, I knew that she trained cockroaches. So what better way to have some fun than to dress up as a cockroach?
The moment she saw me, her eyes got wide and she stalked up to me.
"Get out of here!" She ordered. I smirked and shook my hips around, which made the others laugh. Jennyanydots shoved me out of the junkyard.
I came right back, and when I did, it appeared that I had started something! The others had copied me, and she was going nuts!
We pranced around like idiots for a moment, before I heard the voice of the most annoying Tom Cat in the world.
"Meow."
I looked up to see that Rum Tum Tugger had finally arrived. All the dames ditched their cockroach costumes, and stared at him like morons.
The rest of us got rid of the costumes, and I jumped up onto the big tire and started to imitate Tugger. Skimbleshanks rolled his eyes at me, and I stopped the imitation and sat down beside him.
Mistoffelees grinned at me, when someone threw a ball at Tugger! He kicked it, and it went flying right at Mistoffelees!
"Whoa!" he cried. He ducked, and the ball flew over his head. Tugger just went off doing his thing like he hadn't even noticed.
I walked down to stand with my three brothers. All four of us started to imitate him, and he glared at us. Admetus and Plato walked away, and Tugger walked up to Tumblebrutus and me.
He grabbed our arms and knocked us off balance, and we both fell down on all fours. Then, the little creep sat on my back! He sat on me like I was furniture!
He stood back up, and kicked my arms out from underneath me. I fell on my face, and then he did the same thing to Tumblebrutus and pranced off.
Shortly after, he used Plato as a chair too! Plato didn't seem to mind though. He was using the opportunity to dance with the dames.
"Smart." I muttered. Admetus was doing the same thing. Soon, Tumblebrutus and I also gave in, and we danced around with him. Actually, Plato and Tumblebrutus were dancing with Cassandra, Admetus was trying to dance with Etcetera but was failing, and I was trying with absolutely no success to dance with Bombalurina.
After a moment, Tugger stood, alone, in the center of the junkyard. He had Victoria, Jemima, Electra and Etcetera at his heals.
The girls screamed for him as he shook his hips, and Bombalurina was going nuts! She was standing right next to where I sat, and she looked like she was going to eat him up! I rubbed up against her, and she jammed her claws in my leg and shoved me away.
What happened next was just plain weird. An old cat that I had never seen before limped into the alley, smiling at Tugger. He said something very rude, and stalked off. The old dame wasn't of our tribe.
She tried to touch Mistoffelees, but Munkustrap shoved him away. Jellylorum and Jennyanydots pulled their children away. I walked up to Tumblebrutus.
"Dare you to scratch her." I whispered. He glared at me.
"No, I dare you to scratch her." He whispered back.
"No fair! I dared you first!"
"But I double dare you!"
"Fine!"
He walked away, and went to stand next to Plato and Admetus. I put on my best kitten face, and motioned for the old dame to come over to me.
She smiled and started to limp over to me, reaching out for me. I guess she thought I was an innocent kitten like the others. But she didn't know me.
When she got close enough, I scratched her arm, and slid out of the junkyard, followed by my three brothers. I saw Demeter walk up to her, but she ran away after her father gave her a look. Bombalurina put a protective arm around her daughter.
"Remark the cat who hesitates towards you." the old dame hissed to Munkustrap. "In the light of the door which opens on her like a grin."
She turned to see Jellylorum with her daughters, Victoria and Etcetera. "You see the boarder of her coat is torn and stained with sand!" the old cat hissed. Jellylorum herded her daughters away, and the old dame turned to glare at Cassandra.
"And you see the corner of her eye twist like a crooked pin!" she hissed. Demeter crept forward.
"She haunted many a low resort." She said. "Near the grimy road of Tottenham Court. She flitted about the No-Man's land, from "The Rising Sun" to "The Friend At Hand". And the postman sighed at he scratched his head - 'You'd really have thought she'd ought to be dead'. And who would ever suppose that that was Grizabella: The Glamour Cat?"
Grizabella limped out of the junkyard, a tear in her eye. My brothers and I crept back just as Bustopher Jones made his appearance.
Plato and Admetus walked away from me to stand with the other Toms, who were greeting Bustopher. Tumblebrutus and I stayed back.
"Old fat cat." I snickered.
"Yeah." Tumblebrutus snickered back. We watched from the side as Jennyanydots sang about Bustopher, then Bustopher sang about himself. Mistoffelees stood next to him and agreed with every word he said.
Tumblebrutus and I crawled over to him and waved to him, and Mistoffelees glared at us. I just smiled with fake sweetness.
It became clear that Mistoffelees had told Bustopher about my harassing him, because somewhere in the song, Bustopher walked up to me and smacked me on the head with a spoon that he carried around. I fell flat on my back, and Mistoffelees laughed at me.
CRASH!
"Macavity!" Demeter hissed. I certainly didn't want to be around with that demon. We all went to the shadows.
Two Jellicles that I haven't introduced yet came out. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteaser. They were almost identical tiger tabbies, but were in no way related. Actually, there was a bit of romance going on between those two behind our backs. But that's not what they were doing now.
They sang about how they were burglars to their humans. They made it sound like a good thing!
We let them sing their song, before coming out and chasing them away.
Shortly after they left, Deuteronomy arrived at last. Then, the part I'd been waiting for.
"Jellicle Cats meet once a year," Munkustrap announced. "On the night we make the Jellicle Choice. And now that the Jellicle Leader is here, Jellicle Cats can all rejoice of the awful battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles! Together with some account of the participation of the Pugs and the Poms and the intervention of the great Rumpuscat!"
This was going to be fun. We were going to perform a little play for Deuteronomy. The males would be the Pollicles, the females would be the Pekes. Therefor, I got to be a Pollicle.
We started the skit, and Mungojerrie and Rumpelteaser were the first two "dogs" out there. They barked at each other until Munkustrap shoved Mungojerrie away.
As Munkustrap told the story, we went off and got into our costumes. The plan for the Toms was to get in a line and march out, pretending to be the Pollicle Dogs.
Naturally, I went to the front of the line. Tumblebrutus shoved me away.
"I get to be first!" he ordered. I glared at me.
"No, I do!" I said back. I shoved him to the end of the line and he stalked off, leaving the front to me.
Munkustrap gave me the signal to come out, and marched out. Munkustrap just happened to be in my way though. I shoved him aside and he glared at me.
Munkustrap walked around in front and put one hand on my head so I couldn't go any farther. He shoved the box I had on my head down over my eyes so I couldn't see anything, and held me there. I slashed at him, and then he let go, making me fall flat on my stomach.
The rest of the play went smoothly. Admetus got to play the great Rumpuscat, since he obviously isn't real.
When we were done, Deuteronomy started telling us some junk about Jellicles and Pollicles. Suddenly -
CRASH!
"Macavity!" Demeter hissed. We ran out of the junkyard, except for Munkustrap and Deuteronomy.
Slowly, Victoria and Jemima came back. Alonzo came after them, and I crept out too, to prove to him that I wasn't afraid of Macavity.
"Jellicle Cats are black and white." Alonzo sang. "Jellicle Cats are rather small. Jellicle Cats are merry?
"…and bright!" I said back, mostly just to make him mad. The others came back, and it was time for the actual Jellicle Ball.
We danced for a moment, before getting to the ground. Plato stayed standing, and started to dance with Victoria, to help her lose her innocence. I had a job during this part. It was a pretty boring job, but I had to do it.
I stood up on my hands. The dance continued. Suddenly, I felt someone's hand across my chest. I looked down to see Bombalurina!
*Cool!* I thought happily. *Maybe she's forgiven me!*
I couldn't have been more wrong.
I got down off of my hands and crawled up on top of her, and she scratched me across my face! She had been teasing me!
Once the "lose your innocence" dance was over, Grizabella had the nerve to show up again!
Again, the kittens tried to touch her. This time, I needed no bets with Tumblebrutus. She had made me mad.
I walked up to her and rubbed up against her. She smiled, and I booted her away. She almost fell over, and I ran off with my brothers again.
When we came back, she was gone, and Deuteronomy started to sing a song. Something about happiness. I don't know.
Jemima sang a verse, and I sat down beside Deuteronomy. I saw that Jellylorum had brought her father, old Gus, into the junkyard. *What's up with that?* I wondered.
She started to sing about him, and told us something that we didn't know. Her father was a retired stage actor. He played with the best of the best when he was young.
*Oh shut up about the old man!* I thought grumpily. *This is so boring! Why can't we go play some more?*
I'm glad I didn't say it out loud, because I might have gotten smacked over the head. Soon, Jellylorum lead Gus out of the junkyard, and Deuteronomy and Jemima started to sing about her father, Skimbleshanks.
Ok, I guess Skimbleshanks is ok. If anything, he's better than boring old Gus. Plus, I got to do something this time.
Since he's the Railway Cat, we had to do something for him. So we made a make-believe train out of junk. I got to hold up an umbrella in the front.
Our train didn't turn out too well. Actually, not well at all. It fell apart. But he was happy. At least we had tried.
CRASH!
*Oh, go away, Macavity!* I thought angrily. *You ruin everything!*
He stayed longer that time. Then, he let out a haunting laugh that even scared the heck out of me.
We ran off, and, to my surprise, Bombalurina and Demeter sang a song to the other dames about Macavity! *Jeez, is she an idiot?* I thought. Bombalurina was basically begging him to try and seduce her again!
Well, long story made short. He kidnapped Deuteronomy. Then, our leader came back. But it wasn't really Deuteronomy.
Demeter jumped up onto his back, and pulled the costume off. It was Macavity! He tried to kidnap Demeter, but Alonzo carried her away as Munkustrap fought Macavity.
He did not do well. Macavity threw him to the ground, and Munkustrap rolled off to the shadows, wounded. Alonzo jumped up to fight, and Macavity picked him up and held him up above his shoulders!
*Dang that cat is strong!* I thought. Macavity spun in a circle, holding Alonzo over his head. Suddenly, Alonzo caught him in the side with his claws. Macavity dropped him, and clutched at his side, his face racked with pain. The others were being brave now. They started to fight him, and he held one hand out to try and stop them.
Soon, Macavity used his magic to cut the lights. He ran off, and left us in the dark.
I found a lantern that, to my surprise, worked. I turned it on and shined it on Munkustrap, who was getting his wounds cleaned by Demeter.
"We have to find Old Deuteronomy!" they cried. Then, I heard the voice of the Tugger.
"You ought to ask magical Mr. Mistoffelees." He said. "The original Conjuring Cat. There can be no doubt about that."
I shined the light in his face. *What is he talking about?* I thought. He started to tell us some stuff about Mistoffelees. According to Tugger, he was magical.
I really didn't believe him. That is, I didn't until Mistoffelees himself came out of hiding.
He looked very different! When he had introduced himself, he'd had three white socks and white on the tip of his long tail. Now, his fur was so black, it sparkled. He didn't have white socks, and his tail was pure black and much shorter.
"Presto!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. Suddenly, the lights came back on!
*He really is magical!* I thought. *Cool!*
He did an amazing trick. He brought Deuteronomy back. Then, he jumped straight up in the air, did a split, and disappeared! He reappeared on the ground beside Alonzo.
"Daylight." Jemima announced. It was time to chose who would be reborn.
Deuteronomy was about to chose, when old Grizabella had the nerve to show up again! *That little witch!* I thought angrily. *Can't she get a hint?*
She started to sing about when she was in the tribe. Then, at the end, Deuteronomy chose her to go to the Heaviside Layer!
*Oh, I can't believe this.* I thought angrily as he led her up onto the old tire. *She doesn't deserve it!*
Once the Jellicle Ball was over, we all went home. I went alone. She made me mad.
"Pouncival!"
I turned to see Bombalurina running after me!
"What?" I muttered.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I teased you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Does this mean we can get back together?"
She laughed. "In your dreams, Pouncival. In your dreams."
The End!