By Mistacor
Part II
"Are ya kiddin'?? " Rumpleteazer gaped at Mista. "Ya act'ally blew off Tugger? The Rum Tum Tugger?? That's.... that's....weird!"
Mungojerrie laughed as the three walked together through the streets of London near their home. "Believe me, Teaza, I thin' ev'ryone there mu' 'ave though' th' same thin'."
"Bu', Jer', tha's li' 'avin' a mouse ignore 'im," his little sister persisted with eyes as wide as full moons. "Tha'll ma' fer qui' a show. 'E won' let tha' drop."
"I can take 'im," Mista said roughly and was surprised when Mungojerrie gently licked her cheek.
Rumpleteazer stopped in mid-step and she smirked mischievously. "We're 'ere."
Mungo grinned as he stared up towards the colossal house in front of them. "Wha' d'ya thin', Teaza? Ou' big'est caper ye', huh? "
"Def'nat'ly, Jer' "
Mistacor looked up at the giant mansion but then her ears perked as they caught a sound that made her and her two friends startle.
"Di'n't know they 'ad a dog," Teazer said in surprise as she and her brother exchanged worried, knowing looks.
Mista strode past them toward's the mansion's side window. Both cat burglars stared at her with visible shock.
The stubborn Jellicle kitten turned to them. "C'mon, ya guys. We've got a job ahea' of us an' I r'fuse ta le' me past inte'fere."
Mungo went to her and raised an eyebrow. "Ya sure?" She nodded. Jerrie smiled. "Aw'righ' then. Le's go."
"Yeah!"
The calico tom stopped abruptly and looked to his sister. "An' Teaza?"
"Yea', Jer'?"
"No gig'lin' li'e a bloomin' fairy."
Mista grinned.
"Fine, Jer', bu' don' ya go 'shhhing' me li'e a frigh'ened mouse, aw'righ'?" Teazer shot back sweetly with a smirk.
" 'Ey! "
Mista couldn't help but let a giggle out.
"Shhh!" the siblings turned on her, making her eyes as wide as theirs before they all saw how silly they were acting and broke into fits of laughter.
~
In the Junkyard, Mungojerrie stretched on the old Ford and then lay down beside Mista who then rolled on her back and batted playfully at one of his whiskers.
"Tha' was fun!" she laughed. "An' di' ya see yer face when Teaza doubled o'er laughin'? It wa' priceless!"
"Yea' an' then she righ' alerted th' dog," Mungo said in mock irritation.
"Ah, come on, Jer'. Tha' wa' th' best part," she chided, giggling. Her eyes began to light up with dawning realization of what she had done. "I still can' believe I jumped from th' top o' tha' dog's head to th' window."
"If ya 'adn't wacked 'im 'ard wit' tha' fruit bowl when ya di', we 'ould 'ave been Peke sup'er," the tom said truthfully.
"Aw, i' was nothin'," Mista blushed under her fur.
"You could have hurt yourself," a stern male voice spoke from the ledge above them and both jumped up quickly to see Munkustrap there looking down at them in scorn. "I advise you not do that again."
Alonzo, an adult black and white tom, was already seated on the ledge and turned his attention to the scene unfolding. So did a few other Jellicles who were curious enough - that accounted for a lot of them.
"Aw, come on, Munku," Mungo started smoothly. "Tha's wha' we do. Ya know tha'."
Munkustrap narrowed his steel blue-grey eyes slightly. "Stealing? That's what you and your sister do but now you're corrupting a kitten."
Mistacor narrowed her eyes in turn which flashed silver for the briefest moment as the tall, stern tabby jumped down from the ledge to confront them eye to eye. She had to keep herself from hissing; as far as she was concerned, this was an act of challenge.
"I'm no' a kit'en ju' born, sir. Before I came 'ere, I made me own decis'ons an' di' things by trial an' error," she spoke evenly, controlling her temper.
"You are still a kitten, nevertheless, and you have a family now, Mistacor," Munkustrap countered firmly.
From the corner of her eye, Mista saw Rumpleteazer run up, her smile fading when she saw the crowd and the Jellicle leader.
"And laws to abide by," the practical Jellicle cat added. "You must learn to look up to someone and use them as a role model-"
"I 'ave a role model," Mista said, her voice rising slightly to become fierce. "I look up ta Mungojerrie."
If the moment hadn't been so grave, Mungo would have sworn he would have grown wings and flown to Heaviside.
Munkustrap gave a short, exasperated sigh. Demeter was there in an instant to give him a gentle nudge of encouragement and the large tom finally looked up to Mistacor with a new tact and an energy to match. "You care about Mungojerrie greatly, do you not, Mistacor?"
"Ye', sir. I do."
"I respect your dedication to him but, even though you're mature, the quality of your decisions is still rather questionable. Therefore, I am commanding that you stay away from Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer until I decide otherwise."
Mista took in a sharp intake of air and held it there in the frozen pit of her throat, her eyes wide as the moon overhead.
"Munku, please change yer min'," Rumpleteazer's voice broke through. "We won' take 'er wit' us any more."
"Rumpleteazer," Munkustrap spoke loudly as his eyes met hers, and then more softly, "I have spoken."
Teazer bit her lip and looked up imploringly to the twins that stood on the highest ledge overlooking the Ford. Tantomile and Coricopat shook their heads sadly at her. She felt the greatest pity when she saw Mista's silent tears turn her eyes into unblinking molten pools unable to scarcely believe the reality of the Jellicle leader's words.
Mungojerrie growled in frustration, anger filling his words. "An' where is she s'posed ta live now?" Sarcasm made his words even more bitter. "Me an' Rumple's 'umans 'ave grown rat'er fond of 'er. Wha'? Ya gon'a tell 'er she can' be roun' 'umans, too?"
"Don't be silly. She can live with my humans, for the time being." Munkustrap ignored the calico's scoff. Neither of the toms nor anyone else in the Junkyard expected Mista's fierceness as she glared at the black-striped tabby with hatred, eyes glowing full-scale silver.
All exchanged glances of shock. Not all the moonlight in the world could do that. Tantomile and Coricopat, bonded twins at birth and since the twine of magic, exchanged looks.
"No!" Mista was saying, her claws unsheathed in her rage. "I'd rat'er die tha' live wit' you -- or anyone else!" Then, without another word, she jumped off the old Ford, shoved away the Rum Tum Tugger, and crawled into a hole between the garbage until she was out of sight. It was a good hiding place, too, because large and too big cats wouldn't be able to get in.
Tugger's eyes were wide, a grin spreading across his face. "She's great!" Bom elbowed him in the stomach sharply.
Mungo moved to go after her but Munkustrap stopped him with his words directed to everyone: "No one is to go in there after her. She'll come out sooner or later on her own. I want her to learn responsibility and pampering her is not the way."
"What if she stays in there?" Electra mewed.
"What if she starves in there?" Etcetera joined in softly with concern.
"What if she freezes in there?" Jemima and Victoria whispered semi-softly.
Alonzo jumped down and went to Jemima's side to rub his head against her shoulder. "She'll be alright."
"What if she isn't?" Pouncival spoke out boldly, taking a turn at mature seriousness. Jellylorum gave the kitten a warning glance while Jennyanydots took on a somber contemplation.
After a very long silence, Mungo made a feline snort and turned to jump off the car. Munkustrap's words stopped him. "This is for the best, Jerrie."
The calico tom turned on the Jellicle leader. "An' ju' who's best wou' ya be talkin' abou'?" he asked dangerously low, his eyes darkening slightly.
"Mistacor's, of course. I have nothing against you or Rumpleteazer, Mungojerrie, but you must know you aren't the best role model for a young, impressionable Jellicle like her," Munkustrap answered, his voice showing some of the warmth he always had for the kittens of the tribe.
"Le' me tell ya a secret, Munkustrap, tha' possibly no Jellicle leader 'as known fer all the hist'ry of the Feline Divinity..." A low growl undertoned each word he breathed. "A cat will do whatever th' moon 'as borne 'im ta do. Th' 'eart, too. I'm livin' proof. Trial 'n error is th' only way ta do it. By 'avin' ot'ers ma' ou' deci'ons fer us, we destroy ou' lives. Mista won' do tha'. She'll figh'. An' by pin'in' 'er ta th' wall, yer doin' th' wor' thin' possible." He turned away again, this time determined not to look back.
"Mungojerrie, I care about her, too," the tabby called.
Mungo kept true to his determination. "I do, too. Tha's why I'm ne'er gon'a ap'ove o' wha' yer doin'." Without another word, he left, his sister Rumpleteazer following behind him silently.