Amyflit sat on the top of a junk pile looking down at Tugger who slept in the center of Bombalurina, Demeter and etcety. Controlling the urge to leap down on his head and shave his mane off; then then make a war trophy out of it. Quietly Rumpleteazer came up beside her and sat down, startling Amyflit, who quickly gathered her fallen dignity and smiled at the other cat.
"You look like you want to jump down there and eat Tugger for dinner.”Rumple
commented, smiling at the foreign Jellicle.
“Is he always like this? So flirty and loving every female that comes his way, I mean." Amyflit asked her.
"Always, and I don't think anyone will ever change him. I suggest you live with it rather then try and get revenge, Amyflit. He can’t change his ways any more then Mungo and I can give up our lives of crime. It’s his nature to act like the.”
With a sigh Amyflit nodded. “I guess so. I’ll live, thanks Rumple.”
“You’re welcome, now for my original reason fro coming, Enigmatat's calling for you, she's on the North fence."
Nodding Amyflit purred at the thief and ran off to the North fence to find her friend. She found the gray and white tabby, looking out at the horizon. Leaping up beside her Amyflit smiled and poked her.
"There you are! I was bored and Mistoffelees is off doing something. Wanna talk?"
"Sure, how are you and Misto doing?”
"He's a walking light show but you got to love him." she replied with a grin.
Amyflit laughed, and answered before Tat could ask Amyflit the coming question. "Tugger is cute and flinny but he's in love with himself more than anyone else."
"Glad to see someone agrees with me about that walking hair disaster."
Amyflit giggled and swatted her friend “Still planning on going home soon?"
“I doubt it. It's not bad here and I don’t think they'll miss me. If they do I'm sure they'll send someone to come get me.”
Amyflit held in a giggle, Enigmatat didn't know how true that was. Palmaracus had almost begged her to take Eniggy with her. She’d acceppted, of course, and Eniggy had been wanting to see Munkustrap for a long time.
“Amyflit? I don't think you've taken the Tugger info as well as you make on." Eniggy told her worriedly.
"Your probably right. I'm going to go take a walk” Amyflit told her friend as she leapt gracefully off the fence out of the Jellicle boundries.
"Keep an eye out for that over grown throw rug!" Eniggy called to friend.
Amyflit laughed and walked down the street to disappear into an alleyway. Looking at nothing in particular Amyflit went down the alleyway and wandered around town. She passed places Victoria Grove and even vicarage Wall until she arrived at Tottnem Court Road. It was basically a run down market place. Walking among the various stalls she heard a skittering sound from a bag of wheat, looking up at the old lady tending the stall she saw she was oblivious to such an obvious sound. Carefully Amyflit maneuvered herself into a pounce position near the bag where a small mouse chewed at the burlap, hoping to steal the grains inside. With an angry hiss she chased the mouse away from the bag and under several other stalls. Through the flowers and vegetable isles she chased the little rodent until it ran down an alleyway out of the market place. Cornering the little beast by a trash can she dealt the final blow. With the mouse hanging in her jaws she turned around intent on returning to the junkyard.
A quiet whimper alerted her to the presence of another in the alleyway. Slinking over to a shivering heap behind a few trashcans she careflilly sniffed the unknown creature. Finding it to be a cat she looked it over. It was hard to see the cats coat coloring through the mud and dust on its coat. It appeared to have been involved in a large fight involving rats and at least one other cat. Small bites and gashes in its coat told her all she needed to know. Upon turther scent inspection she found the mystery cat to be a male of about her age. Carefully she got out of swiping range and hailed the cat. "You need help?"
The other cat's eyes shot open as it looked at the female before it. Her eyes were a beautifull brown, almost black and her coat was red and orange in color with black spots and stripes. She wore no visible collar, and smelled faintly of other cats and trash. She hadn't the scent he was running from so he made no move. "You need help?' she asked again.
Amyflit tried to look as unthreatening as possible as she watched the strange cat. His eyes were a beautiflil aqua green and her mind threatened to drown in them. He watched her with those frightened green eyes until she guessed he deemed her no threat. "I don't think so." He replied at last looking around as if to find an escape route.
"Well you certainly look like you do." Amyflit told him, suddenly feeling her 'Jellylorum Instinct' coming forward.
He seemed to look himself over as if he hadn't known he was quite that dirty, then he turned back to face her, and tried to smile. "I didn't know I looked as bad as I did." He said shyly.
"Well I'm sorry luv, but you look like somcone's been dragging you behind their car!" Amyflit tried to make light of the situation. "You sure you don't need any help?"
He nodded and tried to stand, before he flopped over on his side. Amyflit leaned against him to keep him upright, "Sure, you can try to act all macho but I ain't buying it. So where are we going?" she told him, helping him to stay upright.
"There's a place I know, not far from here, where I can be safe. That's where I was going. Can you help get me there?" he asked quietly.
"Sure, you tell me where and I'll get you there. My name's Amyflit, by the way.”
He attempted to smile again as they walked down the alley away from tottnem court. "Toby."
"This is where I live. Where else can I go?" he asked her.
"You can go with me. I'm sure I can find somewhere safe for you to stay where I live. While we're going you can tell me how this happened."
Toby seemed reluctant at first but atter a short purr and a reassuring nuzzle from the new female he climbed out of the storm drain and followed her down the alley way towards the junkyard.
"So? What happened?"
"I betrayed my leader and my punishment was banishment and.. well, this." He replied quietly, indicating his current appearance.
"We've been having problems with traitors where I am too. What did you do?" Amyflit replied, not making any judgement yet.
"I attempted to stop my leader from attacking a rival cat faction." He replied simply.
Amyflit frowned. "Who was your leader?"
"His name is Madison. He answers to Macavity most of the time but claims he's independent. I knew it would be a slaughter so I refused to follow him and many went with me. I was worst punished."
"Well now you’re with me. We're almost there. You'll have to lay low till I can figure out how I'm going to tell Munkustrap about you, but I'll find somewhere safe to put you."
Toby's ears perked. "Munkustrap? The young Jellicle leader?"
“Yes, do you know him?"
"Only rumors. Will he not be very angry that I'm in his territory? I don't think I will be very welcome...."
"I will protect you till you can protect yourself. Don't you worry."
Toby didn't feel very confident but something about this female sparked an interest in him that none ever had. The other males had always made jokes about him and how picky he was but really he wasn't. None of the other females had ever really interested him. This female, this Amyflit, she was so foreign, so different. Her interest in him was purely heartfelt about his predicament, not like so many of the females in his tribe. All they wanted was a good time and would do anything to get it.
"Thank you." He announced quietly.
"Taadaa." she announced and turned to find Toby had disappeared. “Toby?”
“I’m here.” He announced, appearing from under a large tire. “I thought I should hide from view until you were finished."
"Okay.. You sure are jumpy!" she smiled at him and motioned for him to go in. "You should be safe in there until you're healed or I can explain you to Munkus."
"Is it true what they say about the great Munkustrap?"
"The great Munkustrap?" Amyflit raised an eyebrow. "What do they say about the great Munkustrap?"
"That he has magical powers and can kill a rat with a look. My mother used to threaten that he'd come and eat me at night if I wasn't good. Do his eyes really burn like fire?"
Amyflit fell over laughing "They say that about Munku?! You've got to be kidding! That's hilarious! No, he can't do any of those things! He's a great leader but not some sort of a god. Mistoffelees has magical powers, not Munku."
"Mistoffelees?!" he asked looking around like he was suddenly more scared then before. "The great magician that calls huge pollicles to do his bidding?"
"Get in there and stop worrying! Next think I know you'll be telling me your mother said Rum Tum Tugger can fly!" Amyflit laughed and pushed the dirty cat into his new hiding place and covering him up with the cardboard box.
Before she walked off Rumpelteazer walked up. "Hey Amy! What you doing over here? Almost no one walks these paths." She asked.
"I'm new and curious! What are you doing here?" Amyflit retorted.
"Mungojerrie's supposed to meet me here. We like coming to these back of the junkyard paths to talk!"
"Sure!" Amyflit winked and quickly got tackled by Rumple.
"Hey babe." He said, flashing his signature smile.
"Hey pretty boy." She mumbled between the mouse's tail, which attempted to escape.
"Where you going with that morsel?"
"To eat it." she grinned.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Does catching your own dinner ruffle your mane to much, or has Bombalurina refused to feed you tonight?"
"Hey now! That was a bit below the belt. What's bitten your tail today?"
"Nothing, I just want to eat my dinner tonight, alone." She grinned evily at him and stalked off' hoping she hadn't hurt his feelings too much. Quickly she snuck up to Toby's hiding place and scratched at the cardboard. "Toby?" she asked quietly, looking behind herself, just in case.
"Come in," she beard him whisper.
Quickly she hopped inside the cardboard door and looked around, her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness. She then spotted Toby lying in the back corner of the small room. "Good evening. I brought dinner. It's a wonderftil night and I doubt anyone will be walking around this path tonight. Wanna watch the stars?" she asked him cheerily.
Toby simply nodded and followed her out into the night. Amyflit held in a gasp when she spotted him in the moonlight. He must have spent the day grooming. Not a speck of dust could be seen on his amazingly shiny coat. His coat was spotted like a leopard and his fur was of such a shining silver it would put Munkustrap's coat to shame. He seemed to be healing well, the gashes across his sides had scabbed over and he didn't look as bad as he had earlier.
“Is something wrong?" he asked, noticing her silence.
"No, no. I was just seeing if there was anything I might do to help you heal is all."
He smiled shyly at her, he knew she was lying but said nothing. "So what did you bring for dinner?"
She smiled back and presented the mouse to him, it tried to skitter away but he caught it under his paw. Smiling they started their dinner.
Halfway through dinner Amyflit heard the sound of humming coming down the path, she turned to warn Toby but he had already ducked inside his hide hole and was quickly replacing the box over the opening.
Just as the box stopped moving Skimbleshanks waltzed over humming to himself "Well hello, lass. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" he asked politely.
Amyflit smiled at the railway cat, "Just catching some fresh air. You know how it is, sometimes you just need to get away."
He nodded understandingly. "Aye lass. And this is the night to do it. Beautiful" He looked up at the dark sky and smiled. "Well, I'll leave you be then. Goodnight, Lass." he smiled and walked off down the path humming.
"Some Jellicles these days." She laughed at herself "Come on out. He's gone."
Toby peeked out from the cardboard box and looked at her. "So tell me about yourself." He said unexpectedly.
"Why?" she asked simply.
"Well you know all about what happened to me, why don't you tell me more about yourself?" he retorted.
Amyflit laughed and at down beside him and looked up at the stars. This was going to be one long story....
Toby seemed deep in thought as he looked up at the stars. "So the Bengals have really come to help? I never thought it possible. They are a very self-orientated pride and almost never have relations with other cat factions." He said at last, more to himself then Amyflit
"Well that's what has been going on as of late. Any suggestions?" she smiled.
"Think, if things here get worse, I will offer myself as an alley to Munkustrap. I think then I will be accepted to live with you here."
Amyflit thought about that statement for a moment. "I think he would let you stay. Would you be of any help though?"
"I have a bit of experience in fighting, I cannot take on whole groups but one on one I believe I am very good. I am very wanted in my pride, but I'm not with my pride. If I join you, will I get to fight Macavity's cats?"
"Yes you will get to fight Macavity's cats. if you join the Jellicles."
"Wonderful." He grinned a funny grin and Amyflit couldn't help but laugh and rub under his chin, purring.
