Six months later
The kitten yowled with fear as she saw the car coming right at her. She knew it was going to run her over, but fear had paralysed her, and she could do nothing but sit there and watch the BMW close in. Terrified, her eyes snapped shut. She could not bear to watch...
Suddenly she was lifted off the ground as someone ran by, picking her up by her neck. It was over in a flash, the car drove by, and the kitten found herself standing on the sidewalk with a grinning black tom beside her. She gaped at him.
"You're him..."
"Fidelina! Fidelina, where are you, my darling?" The kitten's mother hurried up to her daughter and nuzzled her lovingly. "There you are..." She became aware of the black tom, and flinched before she saw the R on his chest. "Oh..."
"He saved me from the car, mama," said little Fidelina proudly. "It's him you see, the one that they all talk about..."
"I can see that, darling," her mother said and smiled at the Rumpus Cat. "Thank you for saving my little princess. Would you like to come inside for a sip of cream?"
She showed on her house, a grand place. Her humans must be quite wealthy. The Rumpus Cat grinned and saluted her.
"I very much appreciate it, ma'am, but I have a previous engagement," he said.
Before she could start insisting, he was gone. Seemingly without even trying he climbed up the pipes of a house and ran across the roof. He soared through the air, as close to flying as you could come without actually having wings. A couple of blocks away from a certain junkyard he slowed down, and rested behind a chimney as he changed out of his disguise. Then he jumped down from the roof and landed perfectly on four paws. He didn't allow himself to stay long, but continued jogging down the street.
"Late, late, late, late, so very, very late..."
Pouncival hurried into the junkyard, adjusting the Pug hat on his head. To his great relief he noticed that there was no order whatsoever yet, and the actors were merely milling about. A couple of toms, among them Mistoffelees, were practicing their dance routines in a corner, murmuring the steps to themselves. Mistoffelees was wearing his silly plaid Pollicle hat, which made Pouncival snigger as he walked up to them.
"I didn't miss anything, did I?"
Mistoffelees didn't break a beat as he danced, slowly and rhythmically. "One, two, three... Hey Pounce... Four, five, six, seven... No, you're just in time, actually. Munkustrap hasn't started yet." He paused and started stretching. "Any interesting story to tell today?"
Pouncival shrugged. "Just a kitten who'd gotten herself in front of a car, and I believe there was a robbery going on in a jewellery store over in Notting Hill, but otherwise things have been quiet."
"Good." The magician carefully adjusted hit hat. "Tonight is a rather special night." He smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel really good." Pouncival looked at the gathered Jellicles and grinned a little. "Got my own song."
They were all there, his tribe. Munkustrap was bustling around, trying to set things right. Poor tom. He fought a losing battle. The junkyard was a mess and had to be made clean for the Jellicle Ball tonight, and the cats themselves were uncaring of the protector's woes.
Munkustrap brought his paws together and bellowed: "Okay everybody, let's begin this play then! Admetus, stop goofing off, for Heaviside's sake, you're the Great Rumpus Cat!"
He glared at Admetus, who grinned mischievously and ran off to his hiding place to wait for his cue. The kittens who had been admiring his outfit sighed in disappointment, but hurried to their positions when Munkustrap gave them a stern look.
"I'm confused," said Mungojerrie nervously and tried to scratch himself behind the ear with the cardboard box covering his paw. "When is my cue to start barking, again?"
Munkustrap sighed deeply. He'd had many problems with the calico siblings, and not just talking about the play. Not that long ago, after having lived among the Jellicles for six months, they had come up to him. Rumpleteazer had been pale and almost in tears while Mungojerrie's usually merry face had been a mask of fear. They had told him about their mission. They had told him that they were agents of Macavity, sent out to spy on the Jellicles and report back to him, which they had been doing. But now things were different. Because now Rumpleteazer was with kittens, and she wanted a place where she knew they would be safe. That place was not with Macavity. He must never know they existed in the first place.
"Is he the father?" had Munkustrap asked, and Rumpleteazer had nodded and started weeping.
So Munkustrap had discretely spoken of the matter with Jennyanydots, who had promised that she'd find a safe haven for Rumpleteazer and her brother with humans. Not a week ago, the siblings had moved into a family in Victoria Grove, which was ideal. Mungojerrie still checked in with Macavity occasionally, to keep up the illusion that they were still working for him, and he said that Rumpleteazer was ill. In reality, they were both double agents now.
And Mungojerrie was proven to have a lousy memory, even when it came to simple matters like barking on demand.
"Every other time," said Munkustrap for the fifth time that afternoon. "If you could just remember that when Rumpleteazer has barked, it's your turn." He looked over at Pouncival and Mistoffelees in the corner. "Oi, you two! Could you possibly get over here so that we can start the rehearsal sometime today?"
"Sorry Munks," said Pouncival humbly and joined his fellow Pollicles over on Mungojerrie's side of the stage. 'They got a lot of things wrong,' he thought. 'The Peke should be male and the Pollicle should be female, because that's how it was. And there was more fighting going on before I scared them off. And they cut my speech completely. I was so proud of that, too.'
He tried to concentrate. This was not the time to think about tiny little details, but to try and entertain Old Deuteronomy. The old cat had gotten back from his holiday with Grizabella alone and sad, since they had spent the entire trip arguing and she had left in the end, and he had missed the entire battle. It had been Munkustrap's idea to make a show out of it to bring his father up to date with the events.
Pouncival looked at the tail of Admetus, which was still sticking out of his hiding place behind a junk pile. He didn't envy the younger cat for getting the best part in the show. Being first Pollicle in the march was also quite of a challenge. He had to remember a little bit of song, even.
The hero in disguise focused on the words of the marching song. Tonight he would be normal. He would not go out. He would stay home with his tribe and celebrate the mystical divinity of unashamed felinity, and he would just be Pouncival for a little while.
He smiled contentedly. Just Pouncival.
Pouncival the hero.
