Family Matters

Few days are like that of the first day of summer. Throughout the large park in the city, bees buzzed from flower to flower and grasshoppers munched lazily at the green grass. The day was comfortably warm, the exact temperature that makes one want to lay down on a soft spot of grass and take a nap. The warmth of the sun mixed with the intoxicating scent of the blooming flowers were enough to send anycat into a state of drunkeness.

Munkustrap lay stretched out on his back among a bed of sweet-smelling flowers in the city park. His eyes were closed, letting the warm sun shine down on his face and warm his entire body. He took a deep breath, taking note of every scent he picked up: a patch of daisies above his head to the right, several violets below by his paws, a single rose to his left not too far away...Munkustrap felt like he was in paradise. So much, in fact, he started to sing to himself.

"In that lusty month of May..." he sang quietly. It described the summer scene perfectly, but it was July, not May. It didn't matter much.

Munkustrap was on the verge of falling asleep when suddenly something appeared above him and blotted out the sun. His eyes snapped open and he bared his fangs in surprise. It was only the lanky brown-tabby Asparagus. Munkustrap blinked and propped himself up, looking curiously at the panting tom.

"What?" was all he said. Asparagus swallowed, panted, then answered in short gasps.

"There's a...a cat...female...over at the gates...raising a fuss...you won't believe--"

Munkustrap held up a paw, silencing the cat. "There's only one thing I want to know, Asparagus: is she a Jellicle or not?"

Asparagus shook his head vigorously. "No! Of course not! I've never seen her before. You'd better get over there before her and Alonzo kill each other."

Munkustrap hated to leave the serenity of the summer park, but the call of duty was always strong to him. He leaped to his paws and was off running before Asparagus had time to turn around and follow.

Munkustrap reached the junkyard with just a break of sweat. He slowed when the gates came into view. There he saw Alonzo and Skimble, standing with heads lowered in a defense stance between the open gates. Also, he saw, standing in a similar position in front of them...a bobcat?

At least, she looked a bit like a bobcat. She was bigger than Munkustrap or any other tom could ever hope to be. Her fur was thick and shaggy, a tawny brown with darker brown spots and stripes. The features that betrayed she wasn't a true bobcat came from her tail, which was natural length; her ears, which were black but did not have the tufts of a bobcat; and her paws, which were enormous, more like a lynx than a bobcat. Munkustrap froze when he saw her, surprised by her wild appearance. He recovered quickly, however, and put on a straight face before marching up to them. The enormous female had her back to him, and Munkustrap made a mistake by approaching her from behind and speaking.

"Something wrong, guys?" he asked. The female must have been surprised by his sudden appearance. She whirled around to face him, her black lips pulled back over her gleaming white fangs. Faster than greased lightening her enormous paw shot out and whacked Munkustrap on the side of his head...hard. Munkustrap was thrown completely off his feet and landed on his back several yards away. The female leaped powerfully and landed standing over him, one paw pressing down on his chest. It was hard to breathe.

"Who are you?" she snarled, her breath blasting his face, hotter than the day was. Not to mention it kind of smelled bad. Munkustrap gasped for breath and tried to tell her to let him up, but her pressure on his chest allowed no air in. He was saved by Alonzo and Skimble grabbing the female's other paw and trying to pull her away.

"Hey!" he heard Alonzo growl. "That's Munkustrap, the one we were tellin' you about. Let him up. You're gonna suffocate him!"

The female glared dangerously at Munkustrap again, then slowly backed away, taking her enormous paw from his chest. Sweet air filled Munkustrap's lungs again and he sat up coughing. His chest hurt as he breathed slowly, watching the large bobcat-looking female glare at him. He glared back, matching the stare in her wild, golden eyes.

"Who are you?" Munkustrap demanded as soon as he caught his breath. "What d'you want here?"

The enormous female sat back on her haunches and licked the paw that had pinned Munkustrap a moment ago, as if touching him had made it filthy. She looked down at them and growled in her deep, but satiny smooth, voice.

"You may call me Charlamange. I am here to see a member of my family."

Munkustrap smoothed his chest fur with a few licks, keeping his eyes locked defiantly with the enormous female. "Charlamange? A pretty name I have to say, but what Jellicle here would be related to a bobcat?"

The female rose and snarled, her great size towering over the three Jellicle toms. Her paw rose, as if she was going to swipe at them again. "I am not a bobcat," she growled menacingly. "My mother was part wildcat and part Maine Coon, while my father was a true wildcat. This accounts for my size and coloring. I am not a bobcat!"

She ground out the last `bobcat' through clenched teeth, as if the very name drew her to hate. Munkustrap tried to keep a defiant stare aimed directly in her eyes, but Charlamange merely glared back, her eyes seeming to say Why do you bother to stare, foolish cat? I'm high and mighty as Bastet and you are nothing but dirt. Her stare made Munkustrap feel no bigger than a kitten.

"Fine," he said evenly, trying desperately to show that he wasn't afriad of her, and trying to keep his knees from shaking as she stared at him. "You may not be a bobcat, but nonetheless you aren't a Jellicle, and who are you related to?"

Charlamange sighed and sat back on her haunches. Her gaze tore away from Munkustrap's and seemed...sad, almost. She looked at the ground. "My son..." and she gave his name.

Munkustrap took an unsteady step back at the mention of her son's name, his eyes wide with shock but his mouth turned in a half-grin. "I don't believe it," he gasped.

The Rum Tum Tugger had always loved attention, and it was obvious if one watched his antics now. The maned punk cat back-flipped onto an old rusted car and shook so that his fluffy mane flared and ruffled in the bright summer sun. His energetic showing-off was rewarded as the squeals of four little female kittens reached his ears and some other male kittens cheered and rooted him on. He ran his paws through his belt and made an obscene movement to increase their cheering and squealing. He leaped down from the car and was surrounded by squealing kittens, not the least of who was Etcetera, a small white kitten with multi-colored stripes and spots. She all but screamed her fur off as she flailed her paws and clawed at Tugger's tail, trying to grab it. Tugger grinned at the attention, savoring every moment of it, and whirled his tail in her face, only succeeding in making her squeal harder.

"Why doncha kneel and kiss his paws while you're at it, Cet?" came a belligerent voice. Tugger immediately froze, turned around, and stood in his usual slouching stance, gazing casually at the voice's owner.

"Come over here and say that t' my face, ya tuxedo-wearin' spark factory!" he shot back. The `tuxedo-wearing spark factory' was none other than Tugger's best friend, the young cat prodigy, Mistoffelees. He snorted at Tugger and glared back.

"I would, but your absolute ugliness might kill me!"

The two friends were only playfully teasing each other, as tom cats will often do. But, as one might have predicted, a fight broke out. It started with Tugger casually picking up a tiny pebble, tossing it up once and catching it to test its weight, then hurled it toward Mistoffelees along with a profane insult.

"Ow!" Mistoffelees threw a paw to the side of his head. "Hey! That hurt!" He then, in turn, flexed his claws and shot a series of sparks out at Tugger. The sparks landed right on target: Tugger's backside. The punk cat jumped and grabbed himself, yeowling terribly and leaping nearly five feet straight up before landing on his tail.

"Yeow! Why you little...!" He jumped up and charged at Mistoffelees, bowling him over as he hit the black and white cat directly in the chest. The two tumbled head over tail on the junkyard ground, scratching and biting playfully, laughing the whole time. The two's playing was immediately silenced as something hard and slim whacked them both over the head.

"Now that is enough!" a sharp voice screamed at them. The two toms released and fell back from each other, panting and looking up in surprise at the cat that now stood over them. The Gumbie Cat Jennyanydots stood glaring down, her paws akimbo and a large wooden spoon in one. She glared at the two young males.

"What in the great blue above do you two ruffians think you're doing?" she practically screamed in their faces. "Do you want these kittens watching you to grow up violent like that?" She jabbed her spoon at the group of kittens giggling nearby. Tugger gave a sideways glance at Mistoffelees, a wide grin with it. He stood up slowly and brushed himself off, then approached Jenny with a look of remorse on his face. He looked slowly up at her, his eyes seeming to hold shame for himself.

"We're sorry, Jenny," he said slowly. "We wouldn't dream of teachin' these kittens any wrongdoing..." he looked back at the ground. Jenny smiled satisfactorily and was going to praise him, if she hadn't been stopped by his next action.

Tugger seemed to suddenly come back to life: his head shooting up, a grin across it, his eyes bright and cocky. He lunged forward, grabbing Jenny by surprise and leaning her over, then planting a big, wet kiss right on her lips. Jenny was taken completely by surprise, and could only stare in shock as Tugger kissed her. He finally released and grinned, still supporting her as he leaned the old female over. He grinned and snorted in her face: "Not!"

He released Jenny and pushed her roughly to the ground. The Gumbie Cat landed with a grunting `ompf' and could only lay there, overcome with shock at what had just happened. Tugger stood above her, paws shoved in his belt and slouching. He strutted around her a moment, kicked dirt in her face, said some profane things, and then made a VERY obscene guesture to her with one of his famous pelvic thrusts.

"RUMFORD TUMAINI TUGGER!"

Tugger froze, his face a mask of horror as his entire name was called out with such force you'd think it could have frozen time itself. He stared at Mistoffelees's shocked face a moment before turning slowly around. He came to a sight he thought he'd never have to see again.

She stood there, her enormous size towering over the males gathered at her sides. Her golden eyes glared and seemed to bore holes right through Tugger's gangly self. The bobcat-looking female he'd known so long ago: his mother: Charlamange.

Tugger's throat suddenly became very dry. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something. All he could manage was a dry and cracked stutter. "Mom?"

Charlamange's gaze softened somewhat as she gazed at her son. "Tugger." She took a slow step forward, blinking gently, her normally stern and mean face now looking soft and caring, like any mother. Several emotions battled inside Tugger as he stared at her in disbelief. Joy? Hate? Sadness? What should he feel now? He felt nothing. Everything was just numb. Charlamange took a step forward, but Tugger stepped back and shook his head, still staring in disbelief.

"No," he said quietly, his voice growing louder as one emotion triumphed in the battle with the others: hate. "No! No! You didn't want me! I left because you didn't want me! Why are you coming back now?" His voice rose until it became an all-out yell of rage.

Charlamange looked shocked at his angry attitude. She spoke softly, slowly stepping toward her son. "How can you say that? I loved you! Your father and I both loved you! Judas lo--"

Tugger snarled and yelled, surprising all present with his anger. "Don't you talk to me about Judas! Judas is a filth-eating catnip-head! He's the one that made me do it! He made me do it!" Tugger panted in the summer heat, which seemed only to get thicker as a silence fell around him, nocat wanting to speak after his outburst of rage. It was Charlamange who finally spoke.

"Don't talk like that. You were confused and scared; you didn't know what you were doing. Your father lived, didn't he? We still love you, Rummy, we want--"

Tugger snarled and flexed his claws. "Don't call me that!" he growled between bared fangs. In this state he looked every inch as mean and wild as his mother, his fluffy mane emphasizing his savageness.

Munkustrap would have laughed out loud. He wanted to laugh so much. Rummy? Now what could possibly be funnier than seeing this tough punk cat being called by his proper and pet names? Munkustrap would have been rolling on the ground holding his sides, but he looked at Tugger's face. Despite how much he despised Tugger, how much they fought, the hate-filled and anguished look on Tugger's face filled Munkustrap with nothing but pity and remorse. He looked up at Charlamange's face, and saw the same. He wanted to laugh so much, but didn't.

The heat of the day was forgotten by the gathered Jellicles as they watched intensely the angry Tugger and his pleading mother face each other. Tugger finally spoke, shattering the silence like a brick would a glass window.

"How could I come back?" His voice now was cracked and quiet, as if he was going to break into tears. "After what I did, how could I come back? Judas hates me...I know Dad hates me...you hate me..."

"No I don't, Rummy. I love--"

"I said don't call me that!" Tugger snarled again. "I'm the Rum Tum Tugger and I don't know you...or Judas...or Dad. I don't know you and I don't need you. Leave me alone!"

Tugger turned and held his arms over his face as he ran through the summer heat and disappeared into the junkyard. Munkustrap took a step forward as if to follow him, but an enormous paw landed on his shoulder. He looked up at Charlamange. The pleading look in her eyes begged him not to follow Tugger. Munkustrap looked back in the direction Tugger had gone, then sighed and turned to follow Charlamange as she slowly padded back toward the gates.

Charlamange plopped down outside the gates, panting as her shaggy coat didn't help in the summer heat. Munkustrap sat next to her, gazing toward the city as the sun reached its peak.

"I'm sorry," Charlamange said after a few moments of silence. "I shouldn't have come here. He's not ready. I shouldn't have embarassed him in front of everyone. I shamed him..."

Munkustrap laid a paw gently down on her flank, since he couldn't reach her shoulder. He spoke to her gently. "It's alright. We're an understanding group of cats." He wanted to ask her something, but he wasn't sure about how much it would upset her to. He finally blurted it out. "What happened between you two?"

Charlamange looked up at him, and for a moment Munkustrap thought she was going to yell and leave, but she merely looked away.

"I'll tell you. I see that you're his friend..."

Boy, is she wrong, was Munkustrap's thought. He settled down in the hot sun to listen as Charlamange narrated Tugger's veiled biography.

"I met Rumford's father in a place far over the ocean, a long time ago, when I was very young, probably about your age. To make things short, we had two kittens together. Two that survived, anyway. It was rough. The oldest is Judas, Rummy's brother. Rummy's the youngest. Well, when Rummy was about six months, oh, you could hardly recognize him from now. Stop getting off-track, Charla." She wiped at her eyes and continued. "When Rummy was about six months old, his father and I discovered that Judas had gotten mixed up in catnip, terribly mixed up in the stuff. We found out he was getting it from a cat who worked on the sea docks. We thought we could get Judas away from it by coming here. We snuck passage on a ship here, but it wasn't over. Somehow Judas had found another catnip dealer and kept getting it. He started to get in lots of trouble, and filled Rummy's mind with all kinds of awful thoughts. Until then Rumford was his own cat, very independant and liberal, I must say. But the thoughts Judas put in his head were terrible! Things about how we didn't love him and he even tried to get him into catnip." She sighed, falling silent.

Munkustrap was hooked now. He was interested in this gangly black cat he'd never gotten along with. "And...?" he pressed. "Then what? Something about somecat living?"

Charlamange nodded and kept going. "Judas convinced Rummy that his father despised him and didn't want him in the first place; that he was an...accident. Rummy began to believe him. Judas said that their father was planning to run away with me and leave Rummy all by himself, to fend for himself, and Rumford believed it. Judas said the only way to keep me from running away with Tager-their father-was to kill him. Rummy tried; he put poison in his father's food one night. It didn't kill Tager, but made him terribly sick, and he's been that way ever since. Oh," she wiped her eyes again, "Rummy and I were very close. He just didn't want me to leave. He was afriad I would leave him. I sat down and tried to talk to Rummy, but he felt so terrible about what he'd done that he ran away, and I never saw him again until today." She looked away from him and shut her eyes. "That's what happened."

Munkustrap had listened to Tugger's life story silently, each tragic detail unfolding in his head as she narrated. But something puzzled him. "What of Judas? Is he still with you?"

She shook her head. "He was for some time after that. But then we found out that he still had access to catnip. He would stay out for days at a time and not come home, giving the excuse that he was staying with a cat he knew. We found some catnip in his possession, and we had a terrible fight that night. It almost turned violent, but I was too big for him. He also ran away, and lives in the city now as a stray. I see him from time to time, but we haven't spoken."

Munkustrap's heart felt heavy as he heard the tragic story of Tugger's past. Tugger had known his family, and had to endure the pain of being betrayed by and thinking they hated him. He glanced at the ground and mumbled: "Why did you come back, then?"

Charlamange shook her massive head. "I don't know. Perhaps for a fleeting happy moment I thought that if I could see Rumford I could convince him to come home. You see, his father never got well after that illness, and he is now dying...and I thought Rummy would want to see him again. What a fool I am. Rummy has changed so much since I last saw him, I could hardly recognize him. But the moment I saw him look at me, his face, I knew...I knew then that he wouldn't want to come back. I knew...but I tried anyway..."

Munkustrap's paw squeezed her flank gently but comfortingly. He tried his best to reassure her. "You did the right thing. You gave him the chance to come back, but he refused. He made his own choice. Perhaps if I talk to him I can change his mind-"

"No." Charlamange bluntly interrupted him, whipping her head around and speaking sharply. "No, you're right. He made his own choice and I can't change that. If he doesn't care to see his father before he dies, then neither do I care to see him again." She stood and growled as she walked away. "Tell him I said that. Goodbye."

Munkustrap could only watch in stunned silence as the large bobcat-looking female silently stalked off toward the city, the sun playing off her back in golden spots and stripes. Only then did Munkustrap truly realize the bond that she and Tugger had once shared. It had broken, and that was worse than what had happened between Munkustrap and his mother. It was worse than being abandoned; it was being betrayed and forgotten.

Tugger had wandered aimlessly through the junkyard for what seemed like hours. The heat of the summer day then began to take its toll on the punk cat. He began to feel light-headed and dizzy. He started panting, then decided he should find water and shade. He headed toward the city.

The heat was still in the air, but the gigantic city buildings offered more than enough shade. Tugger walked slowly down the sidewalk, ignoring a flock of pigeons that scattered before him. He had a quick drink at a dripping hydrant and walked on, not caring where he went. His thoughts weren't on his destination.

His thoughts were back, back when he still lived with his family. They had always been a regal group, tracing their (what his mother called: royal) bloodline generations back. He saw his mother: young, strong, enormous. He remembered the cold winter nights when he would curl up in her shaggy, bobcat-colored coat and listen to her deep voice sing him songs about the wild cats of a great land far away; the great wild cats that were part of him. There was very little of it, but the wild cat blood from his grandparents, ancestors, and mother flowed through his veins along with his domestic cat blood from his father. His father: the brave and strong solid-black cat that had protected him for so long from so many things: the bilgerats at the sea docks near where they used to live; the stray cats that tried to attack him when he was at home; from Judas when he was catnipped-up.

Tugger's mind turned to his older brother, the one called Judas. He and his parents had often made jokes because of Judas's coloring. He looked nothing like either of his parents or grandparents; they were all bobcat-colored or black, while Judas was a musky gray with earth tones of brown, gray, red, and white spattered here and there throughout his coat. He had always been reckless and daring, liking to show off and be different like Tugger. He and Tugger had been very close, and Judas was truly a good cat at heart, but the terrible plant catnip changed all that. Tugger growled as he remembered.

Judas had once led Tugger away into an alley, saying he was going to show Tugger something `new and exciting'. This was when Tugger was very young, and they lived far across the ocean in another place. Judas had led him to an alley and uncovered a small, wooden box decorated with exotic-looking animals and various plants. He opened it, and took out a small, tightly wrapped bag. It was a cloth bag and looked like it had traveled a great distance. He slowly opened it and took out a tightly rolled, green leaf. He held it out to Tugger.

"Just pop it in yer mouth an' chew, but don't swallow," Judas had said. Tugger had taken it in his paw and carefully looked it over, then uncertainly back at Judas.

"What is it?" he had asked. Judas had laughed and slapped his flank.

"Catnip," he answered. "What else would it be?" He watched Tugger stand there another moment, looking blankly at the catnip leaf. He tried to pursuade Tugger further. "It's really cool, Rum. It's cool an' sweet an' tastes really good. It'll calm ya down an' make ya mellow, like me." He puffed out his chest in pride. "Go on, try it ya scaredy cat."

Tugger had glared up at him. "I am not a scaredy cat!"

Judas shoved him playfully. "Then try it. You'll love it. Here, watch..." He took another tightly-rolled leaf and bit half of it off. He chewed it up, sucked on it awhile, then spit it out on the ground in a soggy green lump. He grinned back at Tugger as the catnip took effect. "Just chew it up, suck on it, an' spit it out like that. Don't swallow it, though, it'll make ya sick."

Tugger still wasn't certain, but he remembered what he had done. His paw had been shaking as he took the rolled leaf and bit half of it off and started to chew. It was cool and tingly on his tongue. He chewed it up like Judas had done, sucked on it, then spit it out.

Judas clapped him on the back. "See? Now was that so bad?"

Tugger was about to say no. In fact, catnip seemed to be very relaxing. He felt really good. The catnip was sweet and cool as he felt the taste trickle down his throat. A wonderful feeling spread throughout his body. He was about to agree with Judas, when the catnip taste suddenly hit his gut. His stomach turned knots as he doubled over and felt sick. He wanted that feeling back, that wonderfully relaxing feeling the catnip gave him at first. Why did he feel so sick now? He didn't have much time to think about it before he vomited. It was over fairly soon. He crouched there in the alley, panting, when Judas clapped him on the back again.

"Aw, you'll get used t' it. That happened t' me th' first time. Ya jus' gotta weak stomach. This stuff'll make yer stomach strong and makes ya feel real good, don't it?"

Tugger remembered the look in Judas's eyes as he looked up. Those eyes that were cloudy and uncaring, hyped-up by catnip. That very day Tugger vowed never to get within ten feet of catnip again, or Judas when he was catnipped-up.

These kinds of thoughts whirled through Tugger's head in a jumble of memories. He remembered the times when Judas was sober, those few and precious times. If it hadn't been for that blasted catnip, Judas could have been somecat really important. He was a very good fisher and loved to watch the ships sail in and out of the harbor they lived near. When he was sober, he and Tugger would often sit on the high cliffs jutting out over the water and watch the ships arrive and leave.

"Someday," Judas often said, "I'm gonna be a seacat, jus' like Growltiger. A pirate. An' I'm gonna be famous. They'll make a song for me."

Tugger leaned against a brick building, still staring at the sidewalk. His mind screamed at no one: Why, Judas? Why did you have to get into catnip and ruin your life? Everything woulda been fine if you hadn't gotten into that junk!

Tugger shook his head, wanting to banish those terrible memories of his catnip-addicted brother. His parents had tried to help Judas, but Judas hadn't tried to help himself. He couldn't get away from catnip. Tugger cursed at himself for ever trying it.

The loud honk of a car brought Tugger whirling back to the present. He had unknowingly stepped out onto the street and had to think quick to dodge a fast-coming vehicle. He scolded himself for becoming careless and was determined to pay more attention. Better yet, he should just sit down.

Tugger plopped down near the corner of a building and an adjacent alley. He fluffed up his mane and set about grooming his fur, just to take up time; he didn't know what else to do.

"Well, who'da ever thought I'd see you again? Still holding out, Jellicle?"

Tugger's head snapped up to a stack of empty crates against the opposite alley wall. He hadn't even noticed it when he sat down, let alone the musky-gray cat that lay on top of it.

"Judas..." he hissed, his eyes slitting. His older brother looked very much the same as he did the last time Tugger saw him: years ago. He was much bigger, of course, his fur was now scruffy and raggedy from the tough life of a stray cat, but his coloring was much the same and his eyes were bright and lively, letting Tugger know he was sober. Judas grinned.

"Rummer-cat," he said playfully, using Tugger's old play name. Tugger replied, using the name he called Judas for fun.

"Judy-cat." He said it playfully, though it was flat. He had not cared if he saw Judas ever again or not, and seeing him only brought back those old memories that somehow always involved catnip. He gazed up at Judas, hoping that his brother felt the same.

"What d'you want?" Tugger growled. Judas rolled over and rubbed his back against the wooden crates.

"Actually, I think it was more o' what Mum wanted," he said back, just as flat and even. Tugger's ears perked forward.

"She wanted me to come back," he growled. "So what? Why didn't she get you to bug?"

Judas had stopped scratching his back now, and looked curiously down at his younger brother. "Ya mean ya dunno? Jeez, Rummer, I thought ya were smarter'n that. Pop's dyin', y'know."

Tugger leaped to his paws. "What?"

Judas was surprised at Tugger's ignorance. "Ya heard me: Pop's dyin'. Old age finally caught `em. That, and, uh..heheh."

Tugger was shocked, so in fact he didn't catch Judas's indication of the poison. "Why didn't Mom tell me?" he asked, more to himself than to Judas. His brother kept his gaze leveled down at Tugger.

"Y'kin probably still go see him b'fore he goes, y'know..."

Tugger surprised his older brother by reaching up and yanking him down from the top of the crate stack. He pulled Judas down roughly and held him by the scruff of his neck, their faces so close their whiskers touched. Tugger glared and growled so angrilly he would have made the meanest dog back down.

"You're coming with me," he ground between clenched fangs. Judas wilted under Tugger's commanding stare, and said nothing. Tugger didn't let him go, but instead dragged Judas by his neck scruff down the alley toward the docks, where he remembered his family had lived when they first came here...before everything had gone downhill and Tugger left to be taken in by the Jellicles.

It was an old abandoned boathouse on the shore, made from old planks of wood and deserted for years. Inside were forgotten and out-dated items you might find on an ancient sailing ship: old lanterns, ropes, anchors, crates, and canvas. The small window that Tugger and his family had always used as a door was covered by a tattered cloth hanging losely from the top. Tugger moved that cloth aside and shoved Judas in before entering.

The place was dark, the only light coming from sunlight that filtered in through gaps in the wooden planks. Tugger leaped to the floor from a stack of crates and looked around, whiskers and ears pressed forward. He heard Judas panting beside him, but didn't look at him. He stalked toward the old pile of rope he remembered his father liked to sleep. It was still there, and so were his parents.

He froze in his tracks as he saw them: his father stretched out on the pile of rope and his mother crouched beside him. His mother must have heard Judas's panting, for she turned to look at both of them. Her face was shocked at first, then softened. She smiled.

"You came," she said softly. Tugger approached her and his father slowly.

"Of course I did," he answered, his voice cracking once again. "If you'da told me you know I woulda come. Why didn't ya?"

Charlamange looked back down at her mate. "You seemed so convinced. I thought you'd convinced yourself that we didn't care about you. I knew you wouldn't change your mind..."

Tugger set his paw on her shaggy coat and sat beside her. "I was wrong, Mom. I knew you and Dad still loved me, but I've done some thinkin' and I've realized that you an' Dad'll love me no matter what I've done or will do. I was just mad. Mad at myself, mad at...I dunno... everything, I guess." Tugger stared at the floor, knowing what great effort it took to say that. His father grunted and slowly shifted positions, looking up at his son.

"Rumford," he said slowly, placing a withered old paw on Tugger's. Tugger looked into his father's kindly, old face. His black fur had long since lost the glossy shine it once had, and was now covered in several gray battle scars. He smiled. "Rummy, don't feel bad about anything. I don't blame you for doing what you did. I don't blame Judas either. I don't blame anycat. It happened, it's in the past, that's that. Just forget it."

Those small words had a powerful impact on Tugger. He held his father's paw and made peace with him. That single moment seemed to last an entire hour, until Tugger released his father's paw. He slowly stepped back as Tager summoned his other son to his bedside.

"Judas," he said gently, "what you do with the rest of your life is your decision. Only you can choose. We can't rule your life for you, but I just want you to know that I don't approve of anykind of catnip use. Continue to use it, if you think that's best. Only you can decide." He then took Judas's paw and held it tightly, as Tugger had done. Tugger watched Judas's face, but the blankness on it revealed no trace of what he was thinking. Judas finally released and stepped back beside Tugger. The room was silent and hot for a long while, not one of them uttering a word. Tager breathed short gasps for a moment, then closed his eyes and breathed no more.

The pressure in the room snapped like a taut rope as Tager's life left him. Charlamange gently grasped his limp paw and quietly held it to her and closed her eyes. Tugger looked at Judas. Judas looked at Tugger. An understanding passed between them; not a brotherly love that they could have had, but understanding. Tugger found comfort in his friends and flirting among the Jellicles. Judas, however terrible it may be, found his comfort in catnip. The two understood each other, and slowly walked out of the boathouse to leave their mother in peace.

Tugger and Judas sat on one of the sea docks, looking out over the water as the sun set. They watched the dark forms of ships slowly creep in and out of the piers, loading and unloading goods and food. Tugger sighed.

"Still have any thoughts about bein' a pirate?" he asked. Judas shrugged.

"Dunno. Mebbe. Met a feller called Greeneyes who's been teachin' me a few things `bout ships an' sealife. I still think `bout it sumtimes. How `bout you? Gotta dream yet?"

Tugger shook his head. "Nothin' in particular. I guess stay in th' Jellicles hopin' I'll be sent t' Heaviside someday. Maybe then I'll think of something. That's `bout it."

They watched the water a few more minutes until the sun disappeared completely. Judas yawned, stretched, and finally stood.

"Well, I'll be seein' ya `round. Mebbe we kin get t'gether sumtime."

Tugger chuckled. "As long as you're sober."

Judas trotted down the dock and disappeared into the oncoming darkness, muttering something Tugger couldn't make out. Tugger fluffed up his mane, licked his fur smooth, then trotted himself home to his wonderful tribe of Jellicles. Everything was fine.

Munkustrap could hold it no longer. He and Alonzo rolled together on the ground, holding their sides, kicking their legs in the air and laughing hysterically.

"Rummy! Hahahahaha! Hey Rummy, come here and get a spanking! Hahahaha!"

"Whoohoohahahaha! Hey Rumford, don't talk back to your mother like that! Hahaha!"

"Rumford Tumaini Tugger! Haha! That's a good one! Hahahahaha! Who'da thought?"

"Jus' wait'll Bombalurina gets a load of this! Hahahahahahaha!"

THE END