"I'm... he... what?" stuttered Pouncival.
He raised a paw and touched his neck, which made him flinch in pain. Something underneath his skin adjusted and healed with a dull groaning of his bones.
"Ehm, yeah," said Mistoffelees and tried a nervous smile. "I wasn't really sure on how to tell you. Snapped neck, highly unpleasant."
"I died?"
"You were gone for about 30 minutes, give or take one. I was starting to give up on you."
Pouncival stared. "You brought me back?"
"Yep. Using these babies." Mistoffelees waved his paws about with a proud look on his face. "Electrical shocks got your heart going again."
"But Macavity snapped my neck! I should still be dead!" Pouncival had a distinct feeling that he was getting hysterical.
Mistoffelees shrugged. "You drank the potion, Pounce. It wasn't done yet, and you drank it. It must have healed you or something."
Pouncival paused and rubbed his sore neck. "I'm immortal now?"
The magician snorted and shook his head. "No silly, not immortal! You still needed me to start your heart back up. But I'd say that you're pretty hard to hurt right now. The effect might vanish with time, though."
"Huh." Pouncival stared out into nothing for a bit, processing this new information. "Where did Macavity go?" he asked finally.
Mistoffelees nodded his head toward the stairs. "Munkustrap and Alonzo showed up. They'd heard the noise and thought they'd come check it out." He smiled. "As always, their timing is impeccable. I won't tell you the details, but it was quite a rumpus."
"Rumpus..." mumbled Pouncival. "Really."
"Yes. Macavity isn't stupid enough to stick around when he is clearly outnumbered. Griddlebone followed him. I don't think she had much choice."
"So your secret hideout isn't so secret anymore, is it?"
Mistoffelees shrugged. "I can get a new hideout. I'm thinking something below ground... Maybe a laboratory. I think that would be nice."
"Have you told Munks and Alonzo about..." Pouncival made a vague gesture at the empty bottle, which was now lying in pieces on the floor.
The magician shook his head. "They think I was making soup."
"Magical soup?"
"Just soup. They're surprisingly gullible. Yes, I will tell them," he groaned at his friend's look. "When the time is right, and we know for sure that you won't, you know, explode or turn into a pot of begonias or something like that..."
"Was that a risk? You never told me that was a risk!"
"Well, you weren't supposed to take the bloody potion, were you? It was meant for me! And it wasn't finished. Any side-effects are totally not my fault."
"I'd believe it more if you weren't smirking like that while you said it," muttered Pouncival sulkily.
Mistoffelees grinned brightly. "I'm sorry, I just... I've never succeeded in something like this before. It's quite a step."
"Whoop-dee-doo for you."
The magical cat sighed. "Go home and rest now, Pounce. I want you back here in the morning, to take some simple tests. Everything should feel very different tomorrow, once you've gotten some sleep."
Pouncival was about to protest, but the groaning of his body was far too loud for him to ignore, so he got on his feet and stood swaying back and forth for a moment. He felt odd, dizzy and disoriented. He wasn't really sure how he was going to get back to the junkyard, but it had to work somehow. He took a few steps and, very gently, fell forwards. He was lucky Mistoffelees caught him before he hurt himself.
"Ooo-kay..." muttered the magician and struggled to keep the much larger tom standing. "Easy there. Come on, one step at the time, Pounce. I'll help you out. Don't worry. You'll be all right."
Pouncival slept, and as he slept the pain was working his body, starting at the tip of his ears and ending in his back paws. The pain bored itself into his subconscious and made him dream bloody dreams of screams and horror. Finally it faded away, leaving nothing but a slight tingly feeling in his body.
Pouncival awoke. He felt the tingle vanish like a passing dream, and suddenly he was more at ease and well rested than he had ever been. He took a deep breath and sat up. It was strange, like he was doing it for the first time and hadn't noticed what a wonderful thing it was, to sit up and see the world again with new eyes, to fill your lungs with life-giving air...
As he sat there he became aware of many things that he'd never noticed before. Since he was a feline, naturally his eyesight and hearing had always been good. He was used to noticing small things and find endless amusement in following the gravity defying movements of a piece of dust in the air. But now he... felt things. He felt that there was a fly hovering over the junkyard outside the pipe in which he slept, he felt that Jellicles were talking animatedly, he felt that his father was poking his head into the pipe seconds before he actually did.
"Pouncival?" said Asparagus quietly. "How are you feeling?"
Pouncival let go of a held-in breath and smiled vaguely. This was a good feeling. This was a great feeling. He was stronger than he had ever been, he knew it. He was powerful. He could fight anything now; different tactics and manoeuvres went through his head at an amazing speed. He saw lights surrounding his father's head, and he smiled a little.
"I feel much better, thanks," he answered and scratched himself behind an ear. "What happened?"
"Well, Mistoffelees showed up carrying you and he said you were sick... Did you hear Macavity was close to the junkyard yesterday?" Asparagus sighed deeply. "He'll be showing up in the middle of the Jellicle Ball next, I suppose..." He smiled a little sadly. "Are you ready for today, then?"
Pouncival blinked in confusion before he remembered. His mother. It was the day of her death, and they were supposed to go to the park and remember her. He nodded.
"I'm ready, dad."
"Good. Your siblings are already waiting."
Pouncival walked out into the pale sunshine. It was quite a lovely day, cool but sunny, and the air smelt fresh. In the middle of the junkyard stood Pattipaws and Tumblebrutus and waited for the rest of their family. Pattipaws looked like she'd been crying, and Tumblebrutus was serious, for once.
"Hey," he said quietly and smiled a little. "You feel better now?"
"Yeah," said Pouncival and returned the smile. "A bit."
The little family started walking, Asparagus and Pattipaws in front and Pouncival and Tumblebrutus following. They walked in silence, thinking about the one person who should be with them and wasn't, due to a cruel twist of fate. Soon they reached Kensington Gardens, the park that she had loved and been to more times than Asparagus could count. They still didn't speak, but continued through the gates and followed the road to the Round Pond. There, by a bench they sat down, ignoring the humans that pointed at them and whispered among themselves "look, the little kitty family is out for a walk!"
Asparagus was quiet for a while, looking out over the pond and the swans swimming across it. Then he spoke.
"Noilly," he said softly. "That was her name, and her name we shall always remember. She left us too soon, but we won't forget her name. Noilly."
"Noilly," his kittens chorused.
They relaxed a little. The worst part of the remembrance ceremony was already over.
"I miss the way she'd sing to us when we were born," said Pattipaws. "Her voice was calm and soothing, and I always fell asleep right away."
Pouncival smiled a little. He had vague memories of his mother, since he had been just a few months old when she died, but he did remember the singing, and the feeling of warmth next to him.
They spoke of Noilly, of how good she'd been and how much they'd loved her, and how much they loved each other. Pattipaws started crying once, and Tumblebrutus buried his face in his father's fur that they wouldn't see his tears, but Pouncival couldn't cry. Maybe it was because he was the older brother, and older brothers didn't cry, but it was also because he felt things different now. He still grieved his mother, of course. He would always grieve her. But the feeling had been in him for almost his entire life, ever since she had stepped in front of that car, and it was a part of him now, like the rest of his personality. It was fused into him and made him what he was.
When the ceremony was over, Asparagus and his little family went back to the junkyard. There Pattipaws went away from them, walking over to her queen friends to get back to her normal life of gossip as quickly as possible. Pouncival watched her go.
He should go and see Mistoffelees. He had promised he would when he felt better, and physically, he had never felt this good. He just wasn't sure he could leave his father like this. Asparagus always took the remembrance ceremony the hardest. He had been with Noilly ever since they were both kittens. There had never been any other queen but her for him, and her death had been a huge blow. His kittens had been his only comfort, and it was due to them that he didn't perish in his grief. So Pouncival didn't want to leave him right now. Not on this day.
Asparagus smiled a little at his oldest son. "You can go and play, if you want," he said. "I'll be all right."
"Dad..."
"No really. It's fine. You're growing up. Play for as long as you can, because soon you'll be an adult." He nuzzled his son affectionately. "Go and play with your brother."
Tumblebrutus had gone off to find something to eat, and Pouncival figured he'd join him. He was about to run after his brother, but then he thought of something. He still hadn't paid back Tumblebrutus for that pounce attack about a week ago, and this was the perfect opportunity. He said goodbye to his father, who went off in search of some adults, and snuck after Tumblebrutus.
Soon he felt the same exhilarating feeling that he always got when following something that couldn't see him. He crept close to the ground, his tail waving back and forth, his eyes gleaming. Suddenly Tumblebrutus was gone. He must have spotted Pouncival, and hid behind some junk. Pouncival stopped walking and looked around.
Someone jumped. He felt it moments before it happened, and acted on instinct. Without even thinking, Pouncival balanced on his front paws and kicked the attacker in the stomach with his hind legs, sending him flying.
Tumblebrutus hit the old washing machine, and he hit it hard. There was a surprised yelp of pain as he crumbled to the ground with a confused and hurt look in his eyes. To his horror, Pouncival saw a few specks of blood trickle out of his brother's nose. He ran up to him, apologizing profusely.
"Tumble! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Tumblebrutus stared at him incredulously. He raised a paw to his nose and looked at the blood that stained it. "You hurt me," he said in surprise. "How did you do that? You're not supposed to do that."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it wasn't meant to be so hard, I'm so sorry..."
"I'm... I'm fine..." Tumblebrutus tried to stand up, but got too dizzy and had to sit down again. He blinked a few times.
Pouncival felt like crying. He'd hurt his brother. There was no excuse for doing this.
"Wait here," he said hurriedly. "I'll get Jenny and Jelly, and they'll make it all better. Just wait here, okay, Tumble?"
"Mmm... My head hurts. Tired."
'I can't leave him,' thought Pouncival miserably. 'I don't know what's wrong with him... He might pass out.'
What was he going to do?
"Help!" he called out. "We need help!"
Thankfully he didn't have to wait long before someone showed up.
"What's wrong, Pouncival?" asked Demeter carefully as she came running. She stopped and gasped when she saw the dazed and confused Tumblebrutus. "Oh my... What happened?"
"We were playing," said Pouncival weakly. "And he got hurt... I need someone to sit with him while I run to get Jenny and Jelly."
"I'll run and get them, you stay with him. He might be concussed, just talk with him, force him to stay awake!"
She was already running, and disappeared behind a dumpster. Pouncival tried to make Tumblebrutus focus on him.
"Tumble, I need you to stay awake, now," he said despairingly. "Don't fall asleep, Tumble. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you."
His brother muttered something. His eyes were falling together.
"Nononono, look at me! Don't you dare close your eyes!"
He gently shook Tumblebrutus, forcing him awake.
'Demeter, hurry...'
He sat there for ten minutes or more, ten excruciating minutes of not knowing whether or not he'd killed his brother. Sometimes Tumblebrutus would groan something about his head hurting or that he was tired and wanted to sleep. Every time he spoke Pouncival was washed away in a wave of relief to hear anything being said at all, and every time he fell silent again, Pouncival would shake him carefully to get more words out.
Finally Demeter came, with Jennyanydots and Asparagus in tow. After them came the Rum Tum Tugger, who must have offered to help carry the hurt Tumblebrutus to the car.
"What happened?" asked Jennyanydots as she looked over the wounded kitten. "Pouncival?"
Pouncival wasn't sure of what to say. His father was looking at him expectantly, before looking at Tumblebrutus with terror and alarm. "We were playing, and I just... I..." Tears started falling down his cheeks. "I didn't mean to... Is he going to be all right?"
I'm sure he'll be fine, dear," said Jenny kindly and turned to Tugger. "Would you..?"
The curious cat nodded, and together with Demeter he got Tumblebrutus off the ground and on their way to the TSE 1. Asparagus followed them, his face a mask of fear to lose his youngest son.
Pouncival followed. There was nothing else he could do.
"I assume you heard what happened?" Pouncival asked Mistoffelees later that same day.
Tumblebrutus had gotten a concussion, but with rest he would be fine. Pouncival's voice still sounded dead, though. His face was completely devoid of feelings.
"I did," said Mistoffelees and nodded.
They were sitting in the old secret hideout, the only place where Pouncival felt safe enough to talk about what had happened. It was strange though, that he found this place safe, when Macavity had been here not long ago.
"I hurt my brother," he said.
"You didn't mean to hit so hard."
"But I did anyway." Pouncival paused. "Misto, what's the matter with me? I can't play with Tumble anymore. I'm afraid I'll hurt him."
"You can still play with him, Pounce," said the magician calmly. "You just have to learn how to be careful. You're much stronger now. But you can learn how to control that strength."
Pouncival looked at him. "Like you learned from the Twins how to control your powers? Can you teach me that?"
"I'm still just a beginner myself..."
"You made the potion that turned me into this."
The room fell silent. Pouncival looked at Mistoffelees.
"I can try and teach you, Pounce," said the magical cat finally. "If you promise me that you'll keep this a secret. You can never tell anyone about the experiment with the potion. Not even your dad. Not even Tumble."
Pouncival nodded. "I know. I'll keep quiet, if you'll teach me."
"Then we've got a deal."
