Of the Cat Burglar and the Cat Protector

Wait and Hope

Both Rumpleteazer and Munkustrap's eyes widened. Rumpleteazer wasn't surprised that her brother would address a love letter to a book character or to any fictional cat for that matter. He had lied to the other cats that he had a girlfriend named Arlene from the United States; it was later discovered that "Arlene" was a comic character. Although she knew that her brother was going to pull something like this, she was nonetheless impressed by his earnest tone in the letter.

Rumpleteazer moved in order to face Munkustrap. His eyes were glued to the floor, reading each line, each word, each letter over and over. His pupils were dilated. Carefully, Rumpleteazer walked closer to Munkustrap's face, trying not to trample over the letter. When she got within a few centimeters from his face, he finally looked up. He looked like he was in a trance.

"It is a nice letter," Munkustrap finally said. His voice was slightly higher than normal. "It is a really nice letter."

"Thank you, Munk'," Rumpleteazer replied. She was fascinated by his odd gaze and his voice. "Are you okay? Yer look is freakin' me out," she quickly asked. She lifted her right paw in front of his face. "Munk? Helloooo?"

"Huh?" Munkustrap finally noticed Rumpleteazer's paw and shook his head rapidly. "O-oh, yeah. I am okay. Very okay."

Rumpleteazer swiftly batted Munkustrap's back, nearly throwing him off of his balance. "Great! I was gettin' worried 'cause of your starin' and talkin'."

Munkustrap cleared his throat. "W-what talking? My voice is all normal." His voice had gotten higher in pitch.

"I think you caught somethin'," Rumpleteazer said as she pointed to her throat. "You should talk with Jennyanydots about that."

"I did not catch anything. It is an issue with my... allergies."

"Huh, didn't know you had alle'gies." Rumpleteazer grabbed Munkustrap's face with her front paws, staring intently at his eyes. "Still think you needta get yer throat checked out." With her gaze focused on Munkustrap's face, Rumpleteazer didn't notice his tail twitching.

"I assure you that I am fine, 'Teazer. Please stop touching my face."

"Heh, sorry."

Although her pupils were back to their normal size, Rumpleteazer was puzzled by Munkustrap's pupils dilating more. In spite of her plan centered around love, Rumpleteazer actually had no idea what that looked like. Sure, she had seen how the kittens (and Bombalurina) acted around the Rum Tum Tugger. Mimicking him, shrieking in excitement. It was the same behavior her brother took on when he tried to woo the pink plastic cat. However, Munkustrap was not acting like that at all.

"Will you come back tomorrow? It is getting dark and I know that your family does not want you out too long." Munkustrap then headbutted Rumpleteazer. He had underestimated how much larger he was for Rumpleteazer ended up tumbling down.

"Is this 'cause I slapped yer back?!," Rumpleteazer shouted as she coughed and sputtered from the dust that floated around her. "I'm terribly sorry about that! Well, not really, but still."

"Good grief", Munkustrap muttered as he helped her up. After dusting off the dirt from her coat, Rumpleteazer thanked Munkustrap and sped out from the junkyard. Staring out at the entrance of the junkyard, he sighed.