Admetus yawned. The night before had been a big one. The Jellicle Ball was over for one more year, and he had made his annual appearance as The Great Rumpus Cat. He chuckled silently to himself. He still couldn't believe that no one had caught on to who he was.
"Hiya, Ady!" someone chirped. Admetus' head shot up and he saw Etcetera walking toward him. He smiled a silent hello. "Ady, how come you don't talk?" He rolled his eyes. He was fond of the hyperactive queen, but her constant question to him was becoming tiring. He shrugged.
"You should," Etcy continued, sitting next to him. As she often did, she drifted to another subject. "Gosh, did you see Rumpus Cat last night? He was awesome!" Ady shook his head, grinning. "You're never there!" the queen pouted, "You never get to see him! Oh well, I'm sure you will one of these days." She smiled.
Admetus smiled back and shrugged as if to say, "We'll see." Inwardly, he was quite amused. He had always admired Etcetera from afar, for her constant happiness and her everlasting energy and her kittenish good looks. But he wouldn't betray the silence he had kept for most of his life to tell her how he felt.
Suddenly Etcy frowned. "Think I have a flea," she muttered, scratching behind her ear. Ady raised an eyebrow. This girl switched gears faster than a Ferrari. He silently reached up and gently scratched her behind her ear. She closed her eyes and began to purr. "Feels good." Admetus smiled hugely and fought the purr rising up to his throat.
Unfortunately, a short purr slipped.
Etcy blinked. "'Scuse you," she said. Ady wondered what she meant for a moment, then realized that she thought he had burped. He grinned and nodded a thank you.
~*~
Plato stared disbelievingly at his friend. "This doesn't mean what I think it means, does it?" he asked. Ady nodded as he shoved the last bit of his Rumpus Cat suit into the trash bin. "You can't give up being Rumpus Cat! Think of all the kittens! They love you!"
Admetus gave him a piercing glance. Plato caught his meaning. He hadn't spoken a word, but his face said, "They don't love me. They love the costume."
Plato sighed. "I gotcha, mate," he said. Then he smiled slyly. "So you're gonna try and win Etcy without the costume, eh?" Ady turned a bright red and avoided looking at the tall tom. Plato laughed out loud. "Come on, Ad!" he said, "It's no mystery that you like her, especially not to me!" Ady's blush intensified. "Aw, come on," Plato said, lightening up, "It's not that bad. I mean, all of us have our crushes..."
Admetus grinned cheekily and mimicked Victoria's graceful dancing. Plato sputtered, but didn't say anything in contradiction to his friend's assumption. Ady went back to stuffing the Rumpus Cat costume into the bin. "Ah well," Plato said as he watched him, "I suppose all good things must come to an end. C'est la vie and all that." He stretched and yawned. "And now my friend, I'm off to find a nice little spot in the sun for a cat nap. Ciao for now." And he was gone.
Ady looked after him and sighed silently. The fact that Plato knew about his... affinity for Etcetera was rather unsettling. Plato didn't exactly have a reputation as one who could keep secrets. But if there was anyone that Ady would have wanted to know about it, it was Plato. At least he was his best friend. He sighed again as he thought, 'As far as the people who know me as Admetus go, he's my only friend.'
~*~
"Oy!" Rumpleteazer exclaimed as a cardboard box tumbled onto her head. "'Oo's there?" Silence. Rumple turned on her 'cat burgler' mode and crept stealthily up to the pile of junk from whence the box came. "Oi said, 'oo's there?" she repeated. Still no answer.
The tabby narrowed her eyes. She heard a soft giggle, answered by a low chuckle. A tom and a queen. Coming from...
THERE!
She pounced.
And immediately landed on Mungojerrie and Electra.
"TEAZA!" they exclaimed. Rumpleteazer rolled her eyes and clambored off of them.
"Wot ah you two doin' 'ere?" she asked. Struck with a sudden unexplained jealousy, she said, "An' wot were ya doin' back there in tha dahk by yaselves?" Mungo's eyes widened and he grinned.
"Jealous, Teaza luv? Dun worry. We was jus' 'avin' a bit o' fun with ya," the grin widened, "What did ya *think* we was doin'?"
Teazer felt her face flood with a blush. "N-nothin'," she stammered, "Jus'... jus' askin'." While they had their exchange, Electra watched them, delighted with the mischief she had caused by persuading Mungo to dump the empty box on Teazer's head.
"Trick! Trick! Trick! Trick!" she chirped happily, bouncing back and forth.
The notorious couple of cats turned to look at her. She smiled brilliantly. "Oi'm so prouda meself!" she exclaimed, "Oi'm gettin' ta wheh Oi can cause trouble jus' about as good as you, Teaza!"
Teazer sighed. "Yeh... yeh... ya gettin' there."
"'Ey, 'ave any o' you seen Ady today?" Mungo asked, changing the subject. "Oi saw 'im 'eadin' toward an alley carryin' a bag... Oi couldna tell wot was in it, but it didna look too pleasant."
"'Ow big was it?" Electra asked, wide eyed. Mungo thought for a moment.
"Oh... Oi'd say 'bout yo' size, Lec. Maybe smawller."
A dawning realization passed over the three like the scent of an old shoe.
"D... dya think..." Rumple asked tenatively, "Dya think 'at it was a..."
"Body?" Mungo asked, finishing her sentences as was usual. "Oi dunno... coulda been."
"Oh, 'Eavysoide!" Lec exclaimed, "You two don' think 'at po' Ady's a killa, do ya!?"
~*~
"AAAAAAAAAADYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!" Admetus' head shot up. His sleepy vision cleared to see a 300% hyper Etcetera running toward him with a huge grin on her face. "Ady! Wake up!!!"
Ady shook his head and buried his face in his paws. "You hafta wake up!!!" the bouncy kitten pouted, poking him. He immediately reached up and grabbed her paw, pulling her down next to him as if to say, "Why don't you go to sleep instead?"
Etcy blinked. "Adyyy!" she whined, "This is no time to sleeeeep! You gotta wake up!!! Monkey told me to come get you!!!"
For a moment, Ady wondered if his favourite queen had finally gone off the deep end. Who was Monkey? Then he remembered: Monkey was Munkustrap. Why, he didn't know, but at least he knew who she was talking about now. He looked at her questioningly.
"Monkey's calling a meeting! Everybody's s'posed to come! That means YOU!" She grinned. "Come on! Rumpus Cat is supposed to be there!!!"
Ady's previously closed eyes flew open. Rumpus Cat!? At a meeting that Munkustrap wanted *him* at too!? What was he going to do!?
"I know!" Etcy exclaimed, misinterpreting his disturbed expression, "Isn't it great!? You'll finally get to see him!" Ady shook his head violently, but Etcetera didn't seem to notice. "Come on, it'll be great!!!" He sighed silently as she dragged him along, as if to say, "I'm sure it will."
~*~
"Awl roight," Rumpleteazer said, trying to collect her thoughts, "Do you two really think 'at Ady... is a killa? Oi mean... it jus' don' seem loike 'im!"
"Oi know, Oi know..." Mungojerrie replied, pacing back and forth, "But wha' else coulda been in 'at bag, Teaza??? Wha' else is tha soize of a body??"
"A costume?" Electra offered. Her companions looked at her. "Wot?"
"A costume, Lec?" Rumple asked, "Why would Ady 'ave a costume?"
Silence.
"Maybe..." Lec began, "Maybe... 'e's... RUMPUS CAT! Yeah yeah, an' 'at was 'is costume!" She was excited now, "An' 'e don' wanna be Rumpus Cat no mo', so 'e was dumpin' it off somewhehs!"
More silence.
"No," she reconsidered, "'At's jus' sillay."
~*~
Ady sat in the midst of the group of excited Jellicles, shaking frantically. Why did Munkustrap call a meeting? And why did he expect Rumpus Cat to be there? Munkustrap hadn't made any attempt to approach Rumpus Cat... at least that he knew of. And he *should* know, shouldn't he?
Ady's eyes wandered distractedly around the crowd. Suddenly he spotted three cats eyeing him very suspiciously. It was Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, and Electra. They were staring hard at him, as though they were trying to read his very thoughts...
~*~
"D'ya think 'e's plannin' 'is nex' victim?" Electra asked quietly.
"Oi still say he don' look loike a killa," Rumpleteazer muttered under her breath, "But of you goys say so..."
"Rumple!" Mungojerrie reproached her, "'Ow can you doubt tha evidence o' yo' own eyes?"
"Oi didn't *see* him take tha body inta tha alley, sweetums."
"... Oh yeh..."
"But still!" Lec interrupted, "Jus' lookit 'im over theh! 'At's not natural, 'ow 'e's lookin' 'round loike that!" Suddenly she stopped. "Goys..." she whispered, "'E's... 'e's watchin' us!!!"
All three pairs of eyes turned to look at the silent tom.
And his eyes stared back.
~*~
'What are they looking at?' Admetus wondered. He shook his head and turned away.
"All right everyone!" Munkustrap was calling the tribe to order, "I've called this meeting for a very important reason. We all know about and love the great Rumpus Cat, correct?" Cheers rose from the cats. "Exactly. So - I think it's time that he stepped forward and let us know who he really is!" This statement was met with wild applause from every cat present... except Admetus.
Admetus sat shivering with fright, wondering what in the name of the Everlasting Cat he should do. Step forward? Stay where he was? Make a wild run for it? Faint dead on the spot? The last option seemed to creep nearer and nearer to reality.
"'Ere now... wot's wrong 'ith Ady over theh?" Mungojerrie wondered aloud to his companions. They looked over at him to see that he was shaking, and that his normally expressive face was drained of all colour... except for the fact that he looked slightly green. "'E looks sick!"
"'E KILLED THA GREAT RUMPUS CAT!" Electra half wailed, "'At's why 'e's so shook up!!!" Any remaining colour in her face also slipped to the ground, "Don' you see??? 'At's tha body wot was in 'at bag! An' now 'e's worryin' 'bout ol' Munku foindin' out!"
As she fabricated an elaborate story of how Admetus brought about the demise of the tribes local hero, the two older cats hung on her every word, watching her intently.
"Genius!" Mungojerrie muttered under his breath.
"Fantastic!" Rumpleteazer agreed quietly.
"Psychotic!" Electra concluded.
"Who wants to volunteer to go and find the Great Rumpus Cat so we can publicly ask him to reveal his secret identity to us?" Munkustrap asked from the tire.
Without thinking, Admetus shot his hand up. All eyes turned to him. The usually silent, reserved tom kit seemed extremely willing to accept a difficult, and maybe even impossible mission in front of the whole tribe.
"Yo' roight," Mungojerrie said, "Somfin's up!"
Munkustrap smiled benevolently at the unexpected offer. "Admetus?" he said, "You're sure? It'll be hard finding him." Ady smiled in a strained manner and nodded. "All right then. Come back as soon as you can!"
~*~
Etcetera watched the coffee-coloured tom race off. 'Now why was *he* so eager to help?' she wondered to herself, 'He never volunteers for anything!' After she made sure no one was watching, she ran off after him.
~*~
"Lookit lookit lookit!" Electra cried, "Etcy's followin' 'im!! 'E'll kill 'er! 'E'll kill 'er!" She was practically in tears. "Etcy's loike a sista t' me! We can' let 'im get a 'old of 'er!!!"
Mungo's eyes widened; he hated seeing kittens cry, especially the little girls. "'Ere... 'ere now..." he said, gingerly putting an arm around her, "We'll not let yo' Etcy get... get..." He grinned. "Up t' us, 'twill be a long toime b'fore she's brown bread!"
Rumpleteazer smiled. Mungo would make a good father one of these days.
But not yet.
"C'mon, Teaza," he said, striking a heroic pose, "We gotta follow 'at cat!"
~*~
Ady slunk slowly along an alley, wondering what to do next. He couldn't come back as Rumpus Cat, everyone would wonder what happened to Admetus. He couldn't come back as Admetus, everyone would be demanding to know where Rumpus Cat was, and answering them required talking to them. He shuddered at the thought.
"Ady, is somethin' wrong?" At the suddenness of the voice, Admetus nearly jumped out of his fur. He whirled around to see a curious Etcetera.
The brown tom had to use all of his willpower to supress the urge to yell at her for scaring him. Instead, he glared at her, hoping to convey his message.
"Sorry," the queen said sheepishly, "I was just curious. You've seemed worried lately." Ady sighed. "I don't mean to pry," she quickly added.
He shook his head. Gesturing toward another alleyway, he headed off. "Follow you?" Etcy ventured. He nodded.
~*~
"Oh, Bast..." Electra muttered, "Theh 'e goes. 'E's takin' 'er in! We gotta do somfin!"
"Calm dahn, Lec," Rumpleteazer hissed, "We'll follow 'im, don' worry."
"Ahm, Rumple?" Mungojerrie said tenatively, "Oi'm not so sure 'at's a good idear..."
This earned him a death glare from his mate. "'Ey, ah we gonna 'elp Lec o' not? You *promised* you would, Mungojerrie..." The tom couldn't resist the plight of a kitten.
Or the possibility of destruction, courtesy of an angry Rumpleteazer.
"Awl roight, awl roight," he sighed, following the queens into the alley.
~*~
"Where are we going, Ady?" Etcetera asked. Her escort shrugged. "OK!" she chirped. They trudged along for a few minutes. "Where are we going?"
Ady sighed and looked at her. "Patience," he said shortly, then turned away and resumed walking.
"You talked. You TALKED! Ady, Ady, Ady, you *talked* to me!!!" Etcy squealed excitedly, "I can't believe it! You actually said a word!"
"Yes I did," he answered sardonically, "Lookee there, I just said three more."
"You don't have to be mean," she pouted.
"Not trying," the once-silent tom apologized, "But you don't have to make a big deal of it."
"Of course I do! Does that mean you're gonna start talking all the time now?"
"Of course not."
"Why me then?"
"..."
"Ady?"
"What?"
"Why-"
"We're here."
"Where are we?"
~*~
"'E tawlked. 'E *tawlked*."
"'E prob'ly tawlks t' awl 'is victims b'fore 'e takes 'em outta tha picture."
"Lec!"
"Well-"
"Ya know," Rumpleteazer commented, "Oi'm stahtin' t' think 'at maybe 'e's not a killa afta awl."
Mungojerrie glared at her. "Ya mean we took this walk inta tha jaws o' death fo' nothin'!?"
*Thump* "Suck it up, hot stuff," Rumple said, half purring, half growling, "Be a tom."
"Ooooowww..."
"C'mon, we gotta follow 'em."
~*~
"What's in that bag?"
"You'll see." The brown and white tom dug in the garbage sack and pulled out his Rumpus Cat costume, earning a gasp from the young queen.
"You... you skinned Rumpus Cat!"
A shriek came from behing a garbage bin, causing Etcy and Ady to jump. "What was that!?" Etcy cried.
Hushed whispers rang through the alley. "Lec! Lec! Gawd, she's fainted..."
"Who's there?" Admetus said.
Silence.
"Nobody."
"MUNGO!!! Great 'Eavysoide..."
"Mungojerrie? Rumpleteazer? Electra?"
A tabby head stuck out from behind the bin, wearing a rather displeased expression. "'Ow'd ya eva guess?" the queen asked acidly.
Ady sighed. "What are you doing here?"
"Yo' *tawlkin',* Ady!" Mungojerrie exclaimed, grinning, "'Ow come ya neva did befo'? Oi'd thought ya was mute!"
"Not one fuh tact, ah ya, Mungo?" his mate muttered under her breath.
"I didn't have any reason to talk," Ady answered.
Electra, who had woken up a few seconds earlier, couldn't believe what she was hearing. "OK! Admetus 'as *killed* tha Great Rumpus Cat, and we're tawlkin' about 'im tawlkin'? Wot's goin' on 'ere!?"
"I didn't *kill* the Great Rumpus Cat," Ady nearly growled, frustrated, "I *AM* the Great Rumpus Cat!" This earned him a collective stare.
And a chorus of laughter.
"Y-You?? Rumpus Cat!? AAAAAAahahahahahhahahahaahahhahaha!!!" Rumpleteazer was having a giggle fit and her mate was rolling around on the ground next to her.
"'At's a good one, Ady!" Electra chuckled, slapping his shoulder, "You. Rumpus Cat! Hahahaha!"
Admetus just stared at the cats, then frowned. "I *am!*" he pouted, "I *am* the Great Rumpus Cat! Why don't you believe me?"
"Oh Ady," Etcetera said, hugging him, "You're just too sweet to be Rumpus Cat!" Admetus blushed and muttered something that the queen didn't seem to hear. "I mean," she went on, "He scared away all those mean old Pekes and Pollicles! And you couldn't do that!"
Admetus sighed.
"So, if you didn't skin Rumpus Cat..." Rumpleteazer said, recovering from her hyperventilation, "An' yo' *obviously* not 'im... wot ah ya doin' with 'at?"
It was impossible to make them believe that he was telling the truth about his superhero identity, so Ady tried a different tactic. "I'm... I'm Rumpus Cat's assistant! I keep his suit clean for him."
"Oooooo!" Etcy said, stars in her eyes, "That sounds really important!"
So they believed this. Why not that he could scare dogs? "Oh, it is," he assured her, "I'm very important." Etcy sighed happily.
"Well, now *'at's* a lil' mo' believable!" Mungojerrie chuckled. "Why'd ya keep it from us?"
"Well... um... Rumpus Cat didn't really want everyone knowing... he thought I may reveal his secret identity... and he didn't want that." He cleared his throat. "Why don't you guys go on back... I'll go get him. Oh, and if you could... let's keep this whole talking thing between us, eh?"
~*~
"Oi 'ope Ady come back soon," Rumpleteazer sighed as they approached the eager throng, "Ever'body looks ready t' meet theh 'ero."
"Where's Admetus?" Munkustrap asked with concern, "And Rumpus Cat?"
"Um... Ady was 'avin' a bitta trouble foindin' 'im. 'E sent us back 'ere t' tell ya," Mungojerrie said quickly. He glanced at Teazer for her approval and she nodded.
"Yeh, that's it."
~*~
"Oh, what do I do now?" Admetus mumbled as he paced around the alley. "I can't believe I ever said anything! No, I can't believe that they didn't believe me! Why shouldn't I be able to scare away Pollicles? I can do it, I DID do it! Grrrrr..."
He flopped down on his haunches, fuming. He flapped his lips impatiently. "Well, Ady," he said to himself, "I guess there's only one thing for me to do..." With that, he reached for his costume.
"Ady?"
"AGH!"
"Sorry!"
The tom growled. "I thought I told you to go back with the others." Etcetera drew circles on the ground nervously. Admetus sighed, dropping his defences. "What are you doing here?" he asked, a little more gently.
"I didn't want to leave you here all by yourself, Ady," Etcy answered, not looking at him, "It's dangerous."
Ady barely supressed a smile and walked up to her. "You wanted to protect me?" he asked. Etcy nodded. Laughing lightly, he tilted her face up to meet his. "And what would you have done?"
Wide-eyed, Etcetera stared at him. "I... uh... I dunno." She blinked.
'This is it,' Ady thought to himself, 'Now or never.' He lowered his head, slowly, carefully. Suddenly he pulled back. Etcetera's eyes were closed, her face raised slightly. He smiled, then dove in for the kill.
~*~
"Look! It's Rumpus Cat!" someone exclaimed. The crowd of cats turned to see the Great Rumpus Cat heading toward them, a huge smile adorning his face. On his arm was...
"Etcy!" Munkustrap exclaimed, "Where's Admetus?" Suddenly, he seemed to understand. "Admetus... Rumpus Cat..." His eyes widened.
"Seems that way," Demeter agreed, coming up beside him.
The Great Rumpus Cat smiled at the crowd, and reached up to remove his mask...