~The Mungojerrie AND Rumpleteazer Series~

 

The Abduction Of The Jellicles

Part 2

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Chapter 3 ~ The Macavity Menace

 

“Mungojerrie!” Jemima called. “Where’s Mungojerrie?”
“Oi’s roigh’ ‘ere,” Mungo said, running over from where he’d been sitting with the kittens. “Wot’s wrong?”

“Zeus came and carried off Rumpleteazer,” Jemima explained.

“Zeus!” Mungo hissed. “Auow, tha’ fool! ‘E’ll pay fo’ this, ‘e will!”

“Wait! Where are you going?” Jennyanydots asked as Mungo ran out of the yard.

“To bring back moy Rumple!” Jerrie called back.   

“No! Wait! Jerrie!” Jenny shouted after him. “It’s far too dangerous for you to go by yourself! Come back! Mungojerrie!”

But Mungo was already out of earshot. Munkustrap turned to Pouncival, Coricopat, and Alonzo.

“Follow him!” he ordered. The three toms immediately took off running.

“Mistoffelees, go tell the rest of the toms what’s happening,” Munkustrap instructed. “Skimbleshanks, come with me. We’ll have to organize a rescue group for when those three return. Mungojerrie may be hurt when they find him.”

“What do I do?” Jemima asked.

“You should get Etcetera, Victoria, and Electra to help you set up a room for Jerrie. He might need it if he gets hurt,” Munkustrap said, hurrying off with Skimble.

“Gets hurt? Oh, I hope he doesn’t,” Jemima whimpered.

 

Meanwhile, Alonzo, Pouncival, and Coricopat are having quite a time tracking Jerrie…

 

Between the three of them, they kept on his trail for a while, but they eventually lost him. It was no surprise, as Jerrie was a master thief.

“This is just great!” Alonzo fumed. “What if Macavity catches him?”

“It’ll be no walk in the park for Jerrie,” Pouncival said.

“Stay calm,” Coricopat advised. “We’ll find him.”

“Yeah, let’s just hope he’s not dead when we do,” Alonzo replied.

“Come on, Alonzo, have a little optimism,” Pounce said. “Jerrie’s smarter than that.”

“He’s smart, but Macavity’s got about a hundred cats working for him, and Jerrie’s hardly a match for even one of them,” Alonzo said. “Even the smartest cat in the world couldn’t take on ten or more cats twice his size.”

“Okay, okay, point taken,” Pounce said. “Let’s find Jerrie before Mac does.”

 

Unknown to them…

 

Mungojerrie had reached Macavity’s lair. He walked angrily in and went straight to Macavity. Oddly, no one tried to stop him. He should’ve been worried about that, but he didn’t notice. He just wanted his Teazer back.

“Whe’s Rumpleteaza?” he demanded, getting right to his point. “Wot’ve you done with ‘er?”

“Me? Done something with your sister? Why Jerrie, don’t be so judgmental,” Macavity said.

“Tha’s Mungojerrie to you!” Mungo said angrily. “Oi wos tol’ tha’ one o’ your agents carried off Teaza! Where a’ ya ‘oidin’ ‘er?”

“I’ve had enough of you, Mungojerrie!” Macavity stormed.

“You ain’t seen ana’thin’ of me yet, Macavity!” Mungo shot back.

“Take him to prison! Now!” Macavity yelled at his hench-cats. Dusty moved ahead of the others and pinned Mungo before he could react.

“Get offa me!” Jerrie said, pawing at Dusty and squirming to get away. But Dusty wouldn’t budge. Three more cats were instantly on top of Jerrie. One of them bit his tail, and another dug his claws into Mungo’s arm.

Jerrie squirmed and kicked, trying to get away. But the hench-cats dragged him down, and they relentlessly beat him, clawed at him, and bit him, among other agonizingly painful things, until he was so badly injured, he could hardly stand. He took a weak swipe at Dusty, who ducked and tripped him.

“There’s a knockabout clown for you!” Dusty taunted. All the hench-cats and Macavity laughed.

“Take him away,” Macavity ordered, waving his hand dismissively at Mungo, as if the tabby tom weren’t important at the moment. The hench-cats dragged—literally dragged—Mungo to a cell and threw him in. Mungo struggled hard to raise himself, but he fell back onto the cold, hard floor. As he lay there, only partially conscious, he could feel someone’s warm fur close to him, and a rough little tongue on his face…

“Teaza,” he said weakly, snuggling his Rumpleteazer as best he could. The warmth of her body and familiar smell and feel of her fur were comforting.

“Jerrie,” Teazer replied. “Wot ‘ave they done to ya?”

“Oi don’ wonna say,” Jerrie told her.

“Oi wouldn’t ‘xpect so,” Rumple said, running her tongue over his face again.

“At least Oi foun’ ya,” Jerrie replied.

 

Unknown to them, Pouncival, Alonzo, and Coricopat are finally back on Mungo’s trail…

 

“What’d I tell you?” Pounce asked. “I told you we’d track him!”

“Yeah, except you forgot to add ‘straight to Macavity’s lair’,” Alonzo replied.

“At least we tracked him at all!” Pounce objected. Coricopat sighed loudly. Those two, though they usually got along well, were fighting like…well, like Jellicles and Pollicles.

“Come on, you two,” Coricopat said. “Fighting isn’t going to help Jerrie. We have to go get some help. There’re a lot of cats over twice our size in there. And Mungojerrie was badly hurt. I peeked in and saw them beating him up. He’s no match for even one of them, and you both know it.”

“He’s right,” Pounce said. The three of them raced back to the yard, where everyone had just finished up their assigned tasks.

“Well?” Munkustrap asked anxiously.

“Jerrie’s locked up in Macavity’s lair,” Alonzo reported to his brother. “We didn’t find out if Rumple is there with him, but we do know that Jerrie was badly hurt.”

“Alright, good job. Everyone, listen up!” Munkustrap called. All the Jellicles turned to him. “Alonzo and Tumblebrutus have been appointed captains of the search teams who will try to track Rumpleteazer. If she’s with Mungojerrie, my group will get word to them. Brutus’ group is Plato and Admetus. Alonzo’s group is Mistoffelees and Rum Tum Tugger. I’ll take my group to Macavity’s lair and try to get Jerrie out.”

“Okay,” everyone agreed, and the three teams split up. Alonzo led Misto and Tugger in the opposite direction of Brutus, Admetus, and Plato. Munkustrap, Skimbleshanks, Coricopat, the younger Asparagus, and Pouncival all headed for Macavity’s hideout, which was a large building on the outskirts of London, out of use to humans, that Macavity had fixed to fit his own purposes. Once there, they circled the place until they found the prison cell windows…locked and impassable, of course. They looked into each one until they found Mungo and Teazer.

“Hey! Rumpleteazer!” Pounce whispered.

“Pounce! Is tha’ you?” Teazer asked from inside.

“Yeah, but keep it down,” Pounce said. Teazer scampered up to the window.

“Is Jerrie in there with you?” Munkustrap asked.

“Yeh, ‘e is, an’ ‘e ain’t no pret’y soight noitha’,” Teazer said. She moved aside to let the group see her wounded twin.

“Gee, he looks bad,” Pounce said. “Is he dead?”

“No,” Teazer told him. “Jus’ ‘urt.”

“Asparagus, go find Tumblebrutus’ search party and bring them back here,” Munkustrap ordered. “Coricopat, you go bring Alonzo’s group here. And when you find them, Cori, tell Misto to go back to the junkyard and tell Jenny to get ready to take care of Jerrie. He looks bad.”

The two toms nodded and sprinted away.

“Rumpleteazer, do you think can we get you out from out here?” Admetus asked. Rumple shook her head.

“Then we’ll sneak past the guards,” Munkustrap decided.

“This is giving me the chills,” Pounce whispered as they went in.

“Quiet!” Munkustrap hissed. They stepped into a dark, deserted hallway and quickly scanned the surroundings. Then they pressed forward.

“Who are you?” a rough voice suddenly asked behind them. They turned and saw a number of guard cats.

“We’re…uh…new agents and we’re…um…checking out the place,” Pounce said. “Yeah, this is a real nice place. Echoes quiet a bit, but…”

“Macavity didn’t tell us about any new agents, did he?” the leader of the guard cat group asked. The other cats all shook their heads. The lead cat turned back to the Jellicles.

“I’ll have to go check on that.”

Before he could turn away, Pouncival had landed a punch square in his face.

“Get them!” the afflicted cat shouted at the others. “They must be Jellicles trying to rescue Mungojerrie!”

“Pounce!” Munkustrap said. “Go find Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. We’ll hold these cats off.”

Pouncival left the scene and raced desperately down one passageway of cells after another. Most of the guards had gone to see what the commotion was about back where Munkustrap and Skimble were fighting. As he wasn’t sure how long the other two toms could last, Pounce went as fast as he possibly could, only having to sneak past a few guards.

“Finally!” he muttered when he found the cell he was looking for.

“Kin ya git us ou’?” Teazer asked.

“I think so,” Pounce told her. “Just give me a second.”

“We can’t take mo’ toime than we absa’lutely need!” Teazer said. “Jerrie’s ‘urt bad!”

“Is there something big and hard I could use…like a rock?” Pounce asked. Teazer pointed at a brick lying on the ground. Pounce grabbed it and smashed it against the lock a few times. The lock broke and Pounce rushed in.

 

Meanwhile, Skimble and Munku are still fighting…

 

They were both rather beat up, but they wouldn’t back down. They had to win, but more and more cats were joining the fight against them. It was an almost impossible task.

Skimble took another blow to his face and stumbled. Munkustrap got a light scratch across his back, whirled around, and gave the hench-cat a direct hit.

“We can’t take much more of this,” he told Skimble. Suddenly a flash of fur leaped onto one of the hench-cats.

“Whoops, clumsy me,” said the Rum Tum Tugger. Within moments, Tumblebrutus, Plato, Admetus, Alonzo, Coricopat, and the younger Asparagus had joined him. All the toms leaped into the fray, and the odds were evened out. The hench-cats were easier to defeat with more Jellicles fighting against them, and once they were taken care of, the group ran to the cell where Pounce and Teazer were trying to move Jerrie quickly, and without hurting him worse. Plato offered to carry Jerrie. The group ran back to the junkyard. When they reached it, Munkustrap called for Jenny.

 

Chapter 4 ~ Poor Jerrie

 

 The Gumbie cat came running, with most of the other female cats behind her.

“Oh no!” she exclaimed.

“Poor Jerrie!” Etcetera added.

“Wot do we do? ‘E got it bad!” Teazer said.

“Calm down,” Jenny said, trying to stay calm herself.

“We need to do something!” said the always-logical Electra. “He’s really hurt!”

“Wot do we do?” Teazer asked.

“Bring him to the room that the kittens got ready,” Jenny instructed. Suddenly Mungo started tossing and turning, obviously thinking he was in a fight, and Plato nearly dropped him from surprise. Jerrie looked up at them all with a frightened look.

“Jerrie, hush,” Jenny said, trying to calm the delirious tabby tom.

“No! No, don’ touch me!” Jerrie cried, swatting at Jenny’s paws.

“It’s only me, Jenny. You know me,” Jenny tried again. Mungo still wouldn’t be calmed.

“Keep ‘way from me!” he said.

“Jerrie, please wake up,” Victoria said.

“Yeh, Jerrie,” Teazer put in. “You know us. Don’ be sca’d.”

“Oi ain’t sca’d!” Jerrie said. “You jus’ keep yourself away from me!”

“But it’s Rumpleteaza,” Teazer told him. “Jerrie, wake up. Oi loves you, an’ Oi don’ wont you ta doie!”

“You ain’t Teaza!” Jerrie insisted. “You ain’t! You don’ even look loike ‘er!”

Rumpleteazer began to cry at this, and the cats all became seriously worried. Something was indeed very wrong with Mungo if he didn’t even know his own twin! Everyone was suddenly in a flurry.

“Throw cold water on him,” Mistoffelees suggested.

“That’d give him pneumonia,” Alonzo objected.

“Throw hot water on him then,” Jemima said.

“That would burn him!” Victoria told her.

“Wait, I have an idea,” Pouncival cut in. “Throw warm water on him.”

“Pouncival!” Electra scolded.

“Just joking,” Pounce said.

This is no time for jokes!” Electra said.

“Mistoffelees, you wake him up,” Plato suggested.

“Yeah, you’re the one with the magical powers,” Tumblebrutus said.

“Me? I’d probably just mess it up and kill him!” Misto objected. Amidst everything, Etcetera suddenly started screaming.

“Who’s got some strong cheese?” Tugger asked.

“Cheese? What for? Jerrie’s not a mouse!” Jemima reasoned.

“Not for eating, silly, for smelling!” Tugger told her.

“I’ve got perfume,” Bombalurina offered.

“Please, Bomby,” Pouncival said. “That’d just make him go farther into unconsciousness.”

“I’ve got soap!” Jemima called out suddenly. Everyone stopped talking and shouting, and stared at her.

“Soap? What for?” Tantomile asked.

“Yeah, he doesn’t need a bath right now, Jemima,” Etcetera added.

“I thought you guys wanted something that smelled strong,” Jemima said.

“Does your soap smell strong?” Electra asked.

“I don’t know,” Jemima admitted.

“Everyone!” Jellylorum called. “Listen! Mungojerrie needs serious help! Talking isn’t going to get us anywhere!”

“Good point,” Tugger agreed.

“Why don’t we give him some medicine?” Jemima asked.

“I don’t think that’s the kind of help he needs,” Victoria said.

“What about pain reliever?” Etcetera said.

“I don’t think that’s the thing you’d give him right now,” Victoria told her sister.

“But he’s in pain, isn’t he?” Etcetera asked. “I mean, look at him. And you know, it’s called pain reliever for a reason. It relieves pain; get it? Pain reliever, relieves pain…”

“Quiet! Please!” Jenny called at the top of her voice. Everyone looked up at her.

“Okay,” Jenny said. “Jemima, go get a bowl of water, preferably cold, but not too cold, and a clean cloth. Pouncival, you know where I put the medicines that I made, right? Good. Can you please bring them here? Thank you.”

The two kittens ran off to their assigned chores, while most of the other Jellicles went anxiously about their own business. Despite his reputation, many of the tribe members were worried about Jerrie.

Skimble, Jenny, and Teazer were in the makeshift room with Mungo when Jemima came running with the bowl of water and the cloth. Pouncival had already brought the medicine, and Jenny was carefully administering it to Jerrie.

“What’s it for?” Jemima asked, handing the water and cloth to Jenny.

“I think if we got some of the blood off his face and fur, he’d be a bit more comfortable,” Jenny said. Jemima looked down, got her first good look at Mungo, and shuddered. Being the smallest, she hadn’t really gotten a good view of Jerrie until now.

“Oh, gosh!” she whispered. “That must hurt!”

“It ain’t a pret’y soight, is it?” Teazer asked. Jemima shook her head. Rather numbly, she turned and walked out into the center of the yard.

“What is it?” Victoria asked.

“Oh! Poor Mungojerrie!” Jemima cried. “Macavity sure beat him up!”

“He looks that bad?” Victoria asked.

“And worse!” Jemima told her. “He looks awful! Why would they do that?”

“That’s beyond me,” Victoria said. “True, he’s a thief and a prankster, but he’s still friendly.”

“I guess those mean cats just don’t like anybody,” Jemima decided.

Over an hour later, Jenny and Skimble came out of Jerrie’s room. They looked worn and a little too worried for anyone’s comfort.

“Is he better?” Jemima asked hopefully. Her delighted spirits sank to her small toes when both cats shook their heads.

“Nothing,” Jenny said. “There’s been no improvement yet. But at least he’s asleep now. We’re hoping that when he wakes up, he’ll eat something. Or at least drink something, so he doesn’t dehydrate.”

“What medicine we could get down him could hardly be called sufficient,” Skimble added.

“It wasn’t very much?” Victoria asked. Skimble nodded.

“Not much at all. It’s doubtful whether it’ll even do anything for him.”

“We hope he’ll cooperate better when he wakes up,” Jenny said.

“If he wakes up at all,” Victoria corrected quietly.

“That’s always a possibility, I suppose,” Jenny replied. “I’m not exactly sure what happened to him.”

“As I understand it, about four cats, maybe more, pounced on Jerrie at once,” said Skimble. “He couldn’t defend himself against all of them.”

“No wonder he was bloody,” Jemima mumbled to herself. A few nearby Jellicles looked at her.

“Can we see him?” Electra asked.

“I think it would be best for him if just Rumpleteazer stayed with him for now,” Jenny told her.

“Why?” Jemima asked.

“Because he’s very sick,” Jenny explained. “He’s running a very high fever, he’s dead tired out, and he doesn’t feel very good. Rumpleteazer is his twin sister, so she has more right to be in there than anyone, and he knows her better. If he wakes up and sees, say, me, he might not know me right away because he’ll be confused and not be able to see very well. But if he sees Rumpleteazer, he has a better chance of knowing her because he sees her every day.”

“Oh,” said Jemima, not understanding very well but getting the basic idea.

“ ‘Ello,” Rumple said sadly as she walked over to them.

“Is Jerrie better yet?” Jemima asked.

“No,” Teazer said. “Ain’t any betta ‘t oll. Oi guess i’s good tha’ ‘e’s sleepin’, but Oi’s so ‘fraid ‘e’s gonna go ‘way ta the…ta the…‘Eavisoide!”

With that, Rumpleteazer began to cry inconsolably.

“No, Rumpleteazer, don’t be afraid,” Skimble said. “Mungojerrie’ll be better soon enough.”

“Do ya b’lieve tha’?” Rumple asked.

“Of course I do, and you should too,” Skimble said. “Now, if you don’t want to sit with Mungojerrie, why don’t you go play with Etcetera? She’s been asking for you.”

“Tell ‘er Oi’ll play when me brotha’s betta. ‘E needs me now,” Teazer said, and with that, she returned to Jerrie’s side.

“Wot ‘n the ‘Eavisoide Laya’ is goin’ on?” Mungo asked her. “Oi’s in ‘ere oll boi meself! Oi ‘ad no oidea whe’ Oi wos! Woy am Oi in this ‘ere place?”

“You’s in the junky’d, ‘o cou’se,” said Teazer. “You’s ‘ad a nasty ‘xperience, but we’s took ca’ o’ ya. Now, le’ me give ya this ‘ere med’cine.”

“Wot fo’?” Jerrie asked. Rumple related all that her brother probably didn’t remember. Mungo obediently swallowed the medicine.

Just as he’d finished, Old Deuteronomy himself entered the small makeshift room. Rumple stood up, and Mungo raised himself on one elbow.

“Oi’s sorry Oi can’t stand, Ol’ Deut’ronomy,” he said. Deuteronomy smiled.

“That’s just fine, young Mungojerrie,” he told the tabby tom. “I’ve heard you had an unpleasant incident.”

“Oi guess ya could coll it that, if ya loikes, guv,” Jerrie said. Deuteronomy gently pushed Mungo back into a lying position, resting his paw on Jerrie’s forehead. Mungo stared up at the Jellicle leader.

“Oi jus’ gave ‘im the med’cine fo’ ‘is feva,” Teazer said. “ ‘E got te’ble beat up boi Macavi’y’s gang, ‘n oll. Jenny says ‘e needs the med’cine, so Oi gives it ta ‘im.”

“It’s very good that you’re taking care of Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer,” Deuteronomy said. He turned to Mungo. “You do look quite ill.”

“Oi guess ya could put it tha’ way, if ya’ loikes, guv,” Jerrie said. “Oi musta picked up somethin’ from bein’ so beat up. Oi’ll get betta. Oi don’ think i’s anathin’ serious.”

“I wish you a speedy recovery,” Deuteronomy said. He patted Mungo’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Thank ya, guv,” Mungo called after the departing leader. He and Teazer could both hear Old Deuteronomy laugh at what Mungo had called him as he walked out. Rumple grinned down at Mungo.

“A’ ya ‘ungry?” she asked. “ ‘Cause Oi am.”

“Yeh,” said Jerrie. “Oi s’pose Oi’s ‘ungry, but…”

“Stay ‘ere, then. Oi’ll be roight back,” Teazer interrupted. She skipped out of the room and down towards the river, singing her and Jerrie’s theme song softly to herself. “Mungojerrie an’ Rumpleteaza’ ‘ave a wonda’ful way o’ wo’kin’ togetha. An’ some o’ the toime you would say it wos luck! An’ some o’ the toime…”

She stopped at the riverbank and saw Demeter and Munkustrap sitting on the bridge above her. She darted behind a tree and listened.

“That’s a sweet of you, Munkustrap,” Demeter was saying.

“How can you not say something sweet about someone sweet?” Munkustrap replied. Rumpleteazer stifled a giggle.

“Are you making a point?” Demeter asked shyly.

“Yes,” said Munkustrap. “And I’m asking a question that’s been waiting awhile. Will you be my mate?”

“Oh yes!” Demeter told him. Rumple didn’t wait for more. She jumped up and, completely forgetting why she was at the river in the first place, raced back to Jerrie.

“Wot’s ‘appened ta’ ya’?” Mungo asked. “Ya’ look loike ya’ did the day ya’ killed you’ fi’st mouse.”

“Oi ‘ea’d Munku propose ta’ Demeta’!” Rumple said.

“Did she ‘cept?” Mungo asked.

“Ya’ bet she did!” Teazer told him.

“They’ll be tellin’ the troibe soon, Oi s’pose,” Jerrie said. Teazer started to say something, but she slapped a paw to her forehead.

“Bloimy!” she cried. “Oi fo’got the only reason Oi wos at the riva’ at oll! Oh! Oi am so stupid sometoimes. Duh!”

Rumple began slapping herself repeatedly in the head while repeating the word ‘duh’.

“ ‘Ey, now, Teaza’, don’ beat ya’self up ‘bout it,” Jerrie said. Teazer looked at him. “Oi wos gonna tell ya’, ‘fo’ ya’ ran off, tha’ Oi can’t eat nothin’ any’ow.”

“Woy?” Teazer wanted to know.

“Oi’m feelin’ sick. Oi don’ wanna take chances,” Jerrie explained.

“Ummm…good point. Oi neva’ thought ya’ moight feel loike tha’,” Teazer said. Jerrie grinned.

“So, wot’s everyone up ta’ outsoide?” he asked.

“Jus’ usual stuff,” Teazer said. “But everybo’y’s worryin’ ova’ ya’, Mungo, even Demeta’. They’ll be ‘appy ta’ know you’ll be gettin’ betta’.”

“Oi’m ‘appy ta know Oi’ll be gettin’ betta too,” Mungo said. Teazer giggled, and Jerrie laughed with her.

“Rumpleteazer!” they heard Jellylorum calling from outside. Rumple ran to where the older queen was standing in the center of the yard.

“Electra and Jemima have been pressing me to ask you if they can see Jerrie,” Jelly explained.

“Oi s’pose ‘e’d loike tha’,” Teazer said. Jelly beckoned to Jemima and Electra.

“Follow Rumpleteazer,” she said. Jemima and Electra did.

“Jerrie!” Jemima said. “You’re getting better…I think!”

“ ‘Moima!” Mungo exclaimed. “ ‘Lectra! Oi didn’ know ya wos comin’! Oi woulda troied ta look mo’…uh…present’ble.”

“It’s okay,” Electra said. “We just wanted to see if you were feeling better.”

Jemima cuddled her head on Jerrie’s shoulder until he gently brushed her off.

“Heaviside, Jerrie!” Jemima exclaimed, rubbing a small paw on Mungo’s face. “You’re so hot!”

“Oh, i’s jus’ this feva’ Oi gots,” said Jerrie. “Musta picked it up a’ Macavi’y’s place. It’ll pass.”

“Do you feel very sick?” Electra asked him.

“Yeh, Oi s’pose Oi do,” Jerrie said. Electra’s smiling face changed serious.

“So sick that you might…you know, throw up?” she asked. Jemima’s eyes widened and she took a few steps back from the tabby tom’s blanket. Jerrie stared at Electra.

“No, ‘Lectra,” he said.

“Don’ go askin’ ‘im pe’sonal things!” Teazer scolded. “If ‘e wos sick, ‘e’d say so! Ya should know betta than ta ask Jerrie a quest’in loike tha’!”

“Well, I was just making sure,” Electra defended herself. “If he was that sick, he might need assistance or something.”

While Rumpleteazer and Electra were engaged with this conversation, Jemima was staring at Jerrie and growing increasingly curious about how sick he really was. There were some things that pointed themselves out to her, and she decided to ask Mungo about them.

“Are you tired?” she asked.

“Yep, very toia’d,” said Mungo. “But ‘ow did ya know?”

“I can tell,” Jemima explained. “You look like you’re very, very tired. And you look like…like…like you’re hurting. A lot.”

“Yeh,” Mungo told her. “You’s good a’ guessin’.”

Jemima smiled at Jerrie. “But soon you’ll feel better, so don’t worry.”

“Oi won’,” Mungo promised. Jemima smiled again and skipped out the door after Electra.

“ ‘Moima,” Jerrie said thoughtfully, smiling amusedly to himself. “She’s fonny sometoimes. An’ she’s a noice kit. So’s ‘Lectra.”

“Yeh, they’s noice,” Teazer agreed. She picked up the cloth and water from earlier and let Mungo snuggle her as she wiped sweat off his face. Soon Jerrie fell asleep, and Teazer was glad of that, because she was sure he could use rest. But she continued bathing his face. She was sure it would make her Mungo feel better, and being with her brother and being able to take care of him made her feel better as well.

 

Chapter 5 ~ Mungojerrie’s Close Call

 

When Teazer woke up, Jenny and Skimble weren’t in their lair as she’d expected them to be. She walked about, listening to talk from the other cats.

“Mornin’ ‘Lectra,” she greeted her friend.

“Good morning Rumpleteazer,” Electra said, a little less cheerful than what Rumpleteazer was used to.

“Whe’s Jenny an’ Skimble?” Teazer inquired.

“Skimble’s around here someplace,” said Electra. “Jenny’s in there with Mungojerrie. He took a big turn for the worse last night, I’ve heard the adults saying.”

“Tu’n fo’ the wo’se?” Teazer asked. “But tha’ can’t be! ‘E wos gettin’ betta yestaday!”

“I’ve only heard the adults talking about it.” Electra shrugged. “I haven’t actually seen him or anything. The adults say that Skimble stayed up with Mungojerrie most of the night, but by morning, Jerrie was a lot worse. Skimble went and got Jenny, and she’s been in there since. They don’t know if she can do anything, either. They sound nervous.”

Teazer backed away from Electra with a stunned expression on her face and ran to find Skimble.

“You shouldn’t have told her that,” Victoria said to Electra.

“She was going to find out sooner or later. Everyone’s talking about it,” Electra said. “Better now than later. If Mungojerrie…dies, Rumpleteazer should be there with him. She shouldn’t be kept out.”

“I didn’t know he was that sick!” said Victoria. “Do you think that he’ll…?”

“I don’t know,” Electra told her. “No one knows.”

 

“Skimble! Skimble!” Teazer ran around the junkyard madly, looking for the railway cat. She was in such a flurry that she ran right past Skimble without noticing. Skimble grabbed her by the arm as she passed.

“Hold there, lass,” he said. “What’re you doing running about the yard like that?”

“Tell me it ain’t true!” Teazer cried, clinging to Skimble. “Oh, please, Skimble! Tell me it ain’t!”

“What’s not true?” Skimble asked.

“Tha’ Jerrie’s gonna doie an’ go ta the ‘Eavisoide an’ leave me!” Teazer practically screamed the words out in dread.

“No one knows that for sure,” Skimble told the small tabby queen. “All we know is that he has more wrong with him than he can handle right now. May the Heaviside and the Everlasting Cat look after him.”

“Wot do ya mean, mo’ ‘n ‘e kin ‘andle’?” Teazer wanted to know.

“Well, come sit with me and I’ll give you the whole story,” Skimble said. He took Rumple to a sunny spot on the car hood and sat down with her.

“About one o’clock this morning, I wasn’t asleep. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t,” Skimble related. “So I decided to have a look at Mungojerrie while I was up, just to make sure he was alright. He seemed all right. He was breathing, and he was asleep, so I let him be. I sat outside until one-thirty or two in the morning, until I was tired. I decided to take one more look at Mungojerrie and go inside. I expected him to be just fine, but that simply wasn’t the case. I looked in his room, intending to make it just a quick peek. But when I looked, he was tossing about and shouting for you. He kept repeating ‘I want my Teazer’. I didn’t want to wake you up at that hour of the night, so I sat with him. I eventually quieted him down, but by then, he was so sick that I was afraid to leave him alone. I didn’t want to wake anyone up, so I just sat with him and tried to make him more comfortable, until Jenny came in the morning. All night he just got sicker and sicker. I didn’t know what to do.”

“But Oi still don’ get it,” said Teazer. “Wot do ya mean, mo’ ‘n ‘e kin ‘andle?”

“Well, think of it this way,” Skimble tried again. “If a cat pounces on a mouse and toys with it the way Macavity and his hench-cats toy with Mungojerrie, it’ll weaken more and more until it dies. Right?”

Teazer nodded.

“Mungojerrie isn’t strong enough to handle the abuse he’s been getting, so it’s weakening him,” Skimble explained.

“An’ will ‘e doie, loike the mouse?” Teazer asked.

“No one can say that for sure,” Skimble told her. “We’re doing all we can.”

“Oi’ve gotta see ‘im,” Rumple said. “Ya said ‘e wonted me. Wot if ‘e needs me?”

“Come with me. We’ll go see him.” Skimble led Teazer across the yard and into Jerrie’s makeshift room. Munkustrap was there, along with Jennyanydots.

“Munkastrap? Jenny?” Teazer said softly. “Is ‘e…okay? Is ‘e…dead?”

“No,” Munkustrap told her. “But he looks bad. I’m not sure he’ll pull through.”

Skimble swatted gently at the gray tabby tom, rebuking him for saying such things to Rumple.

“There’s always hope. Remember that, Rumpleteazer,” Jenny was quick to say.

“There has to be hope if we’re ever to get Mungojerrie through this,” Munkustrap added.

“ ‘E’ll get betta because ‘e ‘as to, Munku,” sad Teazer. “ ‘E ‘as to! Oh, Jenny, wot’ll Oi do if Jerrie…if Jerrie…”

Rumple couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. She loved her Mungojerrie too much. There would never be a time in her life without Mungojerrie. They’d always been together, for as long as she’d lived. How could that possibly change now?

“Don’ leave me, Mungojerrie,” she whispered to her twin brother, taking his paw. “Oi needs ya! Oi loves ya!”

Jerrie choked, as though he was trying to say something.

“Moi…Teaza.”

“Yeh,” Teazer said, so relieved that she felt tears run down her face. “Oh, please, Jerrie! Wake up!”

But Jerrie had gone silent and still again, and he showed no evidence that he’d even spoken at all. Maybe Teazer had just imagined it.

Rumple sighed sadly and stroked Mungo. It was breaking her heart to see him lying there so incredibly sick.

“Don’t worry, Teazer,” Jenny said softly. “We’ll have him on his feet again. You wait and see.”

“This feva’s oll ‘e’s down with?” Teazer wanted to know. Jenny shook her head.

“He’s got several serious injuries,” she said. “Deep cuts and the like.”

“His right front paw is broken and his left back paw is sprained pretty badly, as well,” Skimble added.

“Wot ‘ave ya done so fa’?” Teazer asked.

“I’ve given him several medicines and rubbed cream on some of the cuts and scratches,” Jenny said. “I tried to get him to drink some water, but he wouldn’t. I think I was choking him, so I stopped trying to make him drink it. But I’m worried he’ll dehydrate. It’s dangerous for him to be so sick and not drink anything.”

“Le’ me troi,” Teazer said. “Maybe ‘e’ll listen ta me.”

Jenny gave her a cup of water. “If he’ll drink this whole thing, then it’ll be at least a little help.”

“Jerrie,” Teazer said quietly, so as not to excite him. “Ya needs ta drink the wota, so ya kin git betta. ‘Ere, drink it.”

She put the cup to Jerrie’s mouth and tried to tip some in, but Jerrie coughed and knocked the cup out of Teazer’s hand in his struggle.

“Oh, Jerrie!” Teazer exclaimed. “Look wot…”

Jenny picked up the cup, refilled it, and gave it back to Rumple. “He won’t drink it willingly, Teazer. Be patient with him.”

“Mungojerrie,” Teazer tried again. “Drink this ‘ere wota. It’ll make ya betta. ‘Ere now, drink it.”

She put the cup to her brother’s mouth and tried again to get some in, but Jerrie simply refused to open his mouth.

“Come on, Jerrie!” Teazer said. “Oi needs ta get this down ya real bad! Drink it!”

Jerrie finally came to his senses enough to relent and open his mouth. Teazer gave him some water. Jerrie choked, but he managed to swallow some, enough to satisfy Jenny for the moment, obviously, because she took the cup away from Teazer and left the room.

“Je’,” Teazer mumbled.

“Teaz,” Jerrie replied, and he fell back in her lap just as Pouncival walked in.

“Hi,” Pounce said. “I just came to see if I could help. Or if I’d be in the way…”

“Not a’ oll,” said Teazer. “Oi’s jus’ ‘bout in ova’ me ‘ead. Oi could do with some ‘elp.”

“Okay.” Pounce took a seat besida Rumpleteazer. “What do I do?”

“Um…” Teazer looked around the room. “Ya kin wrap up these two of ‘is paws in…uh…these!” She held up some long pieces of white material.

“Okay,” said Pounce. He started to go about his task, listening to Teazer talk to Jerrie encouragingly. He picked up Jerrie’s right front paw, intending to wrap it, but Jerrie pulled sharply away from him and whimpered softly.

“Well, how am I supposed to wrap up his paws if he won’t let me touch them?” Pounce asked.

“Loike this.” Teazer picked up Mungo’s right front paw to see if she could wrap it, but Mungo pulled away from her too.

“Jus’ do the otha one,” Teazer decided. “It ain’t broken; jus’ sprained. Jenny‘ll ave ta do the broken one.”

“Uh…okay,” said Pounce. He carefully wrapped up Mungojerrie’s sprained paw. Pleased with his work, he smiled to himself.

“This tom will be as good as new in no time,” he said. “Right, Jer? You’ll be around the yard again soon.”

“Wot?” Jerrie asked, coming out of his faint.

“ ‘E say tha’ you’ll be good as new soon,” Teazer said.

“Oh. Oi ce’tainly ‘opes so.” Mungo fidgeted with his blanket with his good paw.

“Owwie,” he said to himself.

“Jenny’s comin’ back,” Teazer told Mungo. “She’ll wrap this paw so it kin ‘eal. Okay?”

“Okay,” said Jerrie, not quite getting the point of what Rumple had just told him. He guessed she’d said it out of encouragement.

Jenny wrapped Jerrie’s paw, with Jerrie biting his lip the entire time. When finally she was done, Jerrie didn’t know if it hurt worse now or when it was unwrapped.

“Sorry if I hurt you a bit,” Jenny told him.

A bit? Mungo was thinking. A lo’ is mo’ loike it.

 

Soon Mungojerrie was reasonably healed. Within a week, he could stand on his own, and soon after that, walk with support.

One day, as he was sitting on the old car trunk, Pouncival joined him, looking cheerful.

“I love sunny days, don’t you?” Pounce asked.

“Yeh, Oi s’pose Oi do,” said Mungojerrie.

“Um, I don’t suppose you’d know where Jemima’s at?” Pounce asked shyly.

“Su’ Oi do.” Mungo pointed to where Jemima was visiting with his sister. “She’s roight ova the’ with Teaza.”

“Thanks Jer.” Pouncival hopped off the trunk and scampered over to the two queens.

“Hi girls,” he said. “Hey, Mima, I was sort of wondering if you’d want to go out with me tonight.”

“I’m in the middle of a conversation right now,” Jemima said. “I’ll go with you when it’s over. All—”

Suddenly there was a crash behind them. They looked and saw Mungojerrie sitting on the ground with a metal pail over his head.

“Jerrie!” Teazer and the other two Jellicles ran over to the tabby tom.

“Hey, pail face, what’re you doing in there?” Pounce asked. Mungo lifted the bucket off his head, laughing.

“Woy Oi…Oi…” he stammered. “That wos fon!”

“Fun?” Jemima exclaimed, coming over. “You could’ve gotten hurt!”

“Oi knows, bot it wos still fon,” Jerrie told her. “Oi wos goin’ ova ta you goys, noice an’ slow-loike, an’ my paws jus’ plain slipped out from unda me!”

“Well, I hope you’ve learned your lesson,Mungojerrie,” said Jennyanydots, overhearing them. “When you can’t walk without support, don’t.”

“Oi kin wolk foine, i’s jus’ tha’ nobo’y will give me a chance,” Jerrie countered.

“Still, you’ve got to be careful,” said Jenny. “You could’ve really hurt yourself like that, Mungojerrie. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Woy, Jenny, ya do ca’,” Mungojerrie teased.

“Of course I care. That’s why I’m the tribe nurse,” said Jenny, smiling.

“Mima, about that walk…” Pouncival began.

“Okay, Pouncy. Let’s go,” Jemima said. The two of them strolled out of the yard, their tails twined and their paws clasped.

“Looks loike Pouncy found ‘imself a queen,” Mungo remarked.

“They makes a noice couple,” said Rumple. She grasped Mungo’s paw and helped him up, supporting him as they walked around the yard together. They stopped to talk to Jemima.

“ ‘Ello Moima,” Mungo greeted kindly.

“Hi Jerrie,” said Jemima, smiling sweetly at the Cockney tom. “Did you know Munkustrap’s birthday is next week?”

“Nope,” said Mungo. He looked at Teazer, and they grinned at each other. They were already thinking of a way to cause commotion.

The next week, while Jellicles were celebrating Munkustrap’s birthday, Mungo and Teazer caused their bit of trouble.

When Munkustrap came to talk with Pouncival and Jemima, whom Mungo and Rumple were sitting with, Jerrie and Teazer jumped out from behind the table and threw their pieces of birthday cake at Munkustrap. Rumple giggled loudly.

Munkustrap started to laugh. Mungo and Teazer were very pleased with themselves, for soon the entire tribe was laughing and throwing cake!

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had a wonderful way of working together, and of loving each other, and of causing trouble.

And there was nothing at all to be done about that!

 

Continued In The Mungojerrie AND Rumpleteazer Series: 2 ~ A New Kind Of Magic