Cats Always

Chapter 2. Love of all kinds.

There was never a shortage of love in the Jellicle Junkyard, it ranged from familial, platonic to romantic and it would reach every nook and cranny of the home of the cats. Those who had already mated lived in blissful happiness. Cassandra and Admetus, who had become mates at the ball the year after Grizabella had shaken the Yard to its core, adored their little daughter Athena. She was a good mixture of her parents, her coat was grey like her father's, yet sleek like her mother's and she had a soft abundance of fur on her shoulders. It was prophesied before Athena's birth that she would poses the power to seek thoughts in other's minds, but since then Athena had showed no signs of this ability, which Cassandra was thankful for. She had been nervous enough about becoming a mother, worrying that her aloof manner would make it hard for her to bond with her kitten, but once she held Athena in her arms, the concern melted away, she couldn't love another being as much as she loved her daughter, well apart from her mate. On another note, since Rumpleteazer had fallen pregnant, she and Pouncival were happier than ever. Both were young when they became mates, not kitten young but they had hardly lived much of adulthood. So they waited before having a kitten, though you would have hardly believed they were mates, more like best friends, as some had put it, 'the only time Rumple and Pouncival had seemed romantically involved was their union dance.' Now the pair could hardly keep their paws off one another. The couple were overjoyed with the fact that soon a new trouble maker would be causing havoc around the Junkyard. Though, with the happy news about his sister having a kitten, Mungojerrie couldn't help but feel unfulfilled in a way. He hadn't realized it until recently, when he was with his sister and friends. Tumblebrutus had a mate, Alonzo had a mate, Admetus, Plato. Of course though he was unaware of the fact that his newer friend Angelo was now mated. Aside from his sister there were only really two other queens he was close to and they were Caligo and Blizzard. Jerrie didn't know how he felt about either of them in that way. Caligo was only slighter older than him, and they were particularly good friends, she could stand his behavior, often teased him with her magic, but she seemed more like a big sister. Blizzard, well Jerrie had known her for just about a year now and the two were also very good friends, she was always full of energy, wanting to socialize with everyone and she'd also asked Jerrie if she could accompany him on his looting adventures on a couple of occasions. He didn't know, he'd never really had a crush on anyone. It was something that was now continuously baffling the calico tom. 

On a completely different note, Etcetera and the circus cat Springdancer had fallen for each other, yet the only issue was the fact that Etcetera was afraid of what her mother Jellylorum  would think of her daughter taking a queen as a mate. The two queens in question had their own secret meeting point far away from the hustle and bustle of the clearing. They met everyday by the stream under the fruit trees and they would spend their time talking about whatever they desired, they would hold one another in a comfortable embrace as they rested against the tree and sometimes the queens would doze. Usually it was Etcetera who was the early one to arrive to the meeting point, however today she was late. The queen trudged through the winding path to the stream, her head hung low and she was not her ordinary cheery self. Once she joined Springdancer, the circus cat immediately caught onto Etcetera's gloomy disposition and concern crept into her mind. 

"What's wrong Cettie?" Dancer asked softly. She crawled over and sat her self face to face with the other and caressed Cettie's cheek with her golden paw.

Leaning into her paw, Etcetera heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm sick of meeting here..."

"Ok...well we can go to the car stack, or even into the village if you want. Wherever you go my dear, I'll follow."

"No Dancer, I want to sit on the car in the clearing and hold you close, to lay on the tire in the sunlight with you beside me, dance with you like a mate, kiss you in front of others..." Etcetera could hardly face Springdancer, she felt utterly awful for keeping their relationship a secret from everyone, but she had no idea how others would react, because even Tugger and Misto were keeping their relationship out of the public eye.