Baby I'm Longing For- First Draft

You WILL Convaless

Jazzie was fast asleep in bed, when she was startled awake by a quiet knock at the door. She groaned and tried to go back to sleep, hoping they'd go away. She was just drifting off again, when the knocking dragged her rudely out of her nice dose.

"Mistoffelees, if it's Tensy you're after, she's in the Infirmary!" she called, but the knocking persisted. Sighing, she stretched, dragged herself out of bed and loped over to the door. "Yes, who is it?" She asked, opening it, "Oh. Teazer? I was not expecting you!"

"Is it alright if I come in?" Rumpleteazer asked, "only, I needs to speak with ya, proper urgent like."

"Um, certainly. I-I'll make us some tea, you make yourself at home." While she waited for the kettle to boil on the little camping stove, she fumbled for mugs, realised they were filthy and had to give them a rinse in the sink.

"So, Teazer," she asked, when she finally handed the ginger Torbie tabby a mug of tea and sat down on the floor, opposite her, "What seems to be ze problem?" Rumpleteazer didn't answer immediately, but stared into her mug of tea as though hoping to find the answers to her burning questions in its honey beige contents.

"I've been feeling all odd, like, not myself," she began.

"In what way?" asked Jazzie.

"I dunno. Like I'm some sort of crazy person. And I've been doing all these weird things too like..."

"Like ransacking a certain Tom's den?"

"Yeah, I didn't mean to, honest. It just sort of happened. I just wanted to have a chat with him, that was all, but then he wasn't there so I decided to wait. And then I was bored...!" She bit her lip, looking very sheepish. "He were right mad he was!"

"I'm not surprised!" said Jazzie, "Is there anything else you've been doing, that anyone who knows you would say was out of character?"

"Yeah! I've been a right old misery guts I have. I keep ballin' me bleedin' eyes out..." At that moment she sniffed and her voice wobbled, just as her eyes glazed over. "Sometimes I just can't stop...!" With that she burst into floods of tears. Panicking, Jazzie dropped her mug and gathered the stricken queen into her arms as she howled and wailed, "Nobody loves me!"

"Shhh, there there!" soothed Jazzie, "Of course cats love you. Please don't cry!" But this plea had the opposite effect, making the Torbie cry even harder.

"E-even J-Jerry don't want me ara-round! S-said to c-come b-b-back when I-I've ch-cheered up, an-an I've got this awful pain in my tummy that just won't go away! Waaaaaahaaaaahaaaa!" Jazzie waited for ten minutes, gently rocking the Torbie, until she eventually calmed down.

"Rumpleteazer? Rumpleteazer?"

"Yeah?" came a moan from her shoulder.

"I think I may know what is wrong with you." Rumpleteazer pulled away and looked at her hopefully with bleary eyes and wiped her nose on the back of her paw. Jazzie handed her a rag, which she blew her nose into, then handed it back to Jazzie, who then tossed it over her shoulder, into the laundry basket. "Really?" She squeaked.

"Yes, but first, may I ask how old you are?"

"I've seen two Jellicle moons," Rumpleteazer replied.

"Ok. Rumpleteazer, have you ever heard of something called Oestrus?"

"Wassat? I never had much schooling, so I dunno anything."

"Do you know what it means to be on heat?"

"Oh! You mean, like, wanting kittens...?"

"Yes. Your body is telling you that you're ready. And the symptoms will get stronger when a certain Tom is around."