|
Post by X2 on Jan 7, 2020 15:18:26 GMT -5
There went Munkustrap's paw again, as he stepped in front of Demeter as he had heard the approach before he saw Tumblebrutus. At seeing the white and brown tom he once more relaxed. He moved forward and dipped his head slightly. "Morning Tumble." Though his greeting was friendly enough, he frown tugged at his lips. It was very early morning, and Tumble was heading back to the gates, alone. He didn't jump to conclusions, nor was he going to interrogate and ask the tom twenty questions in front of one of their newer members. Especially not since Paw had agreed to seek out some of the strays to try his luck at comforting them. Munkustrap was hoping the tom could help convince them to stay.
Not only did they need to increase their numbers, but those strays were traumatized and would do well to stay long enough to heal. Still, though he would never throw them at Macavity, he was still thinking tactfully. It had been a long time since Macavity had broken into their tribe and to do so on their Jellicle Ball of all times. Well it told Munkustrap, the Macavity was getting bolder, that he had plans and was close to enacting them upon his friends, upon his jellicle family. No the time was coming where Macavity was going to strike again, and harder, more forcefully this time. He had stolen their leader for pity sake. If Macavity could do that, didn't matter that it was only for a short period, Munk feared what else the tom had in store for them. "Paw..." Munkustrap gave a quick glance to the tom and saw him a million miles away. He waved a paw in front of his dazed face before clearing his throat.
"I believe you can find most of the strays around the infirmary. Many are still being treated by Jenn. And she's the main reason why any of them are still sticking around. Our young healer is a stubborn one." That was the last he had seen of any of the strays. He did shrug, hoping Paw was listening to him, and not still daydreaming. "If they're not there, or if Jenn won't allow you to interfere with her patient's, I'm sure you could look around the center of the junkyard. Possibly the pipes, in case any of them may be thinking of leaving and just haven't yet. Not sure why any of them would sneak out that way." Sometime the smell in or around the pipes even made him gag. And why go through the trouble of leaving the yard that way, when there were bigger, better, and faster ways to get back into the city. "They would benefit with someone with more patience...then myself." Munk added softly, as though he didn't like to admit he had that flaw.
|
|
|
Post by violetrook on Jan 7, 2020 16:29:58 GMT -5
Pawprince snapped out of his memory and smiled. His eyes watered slightly at the fondness he felt and at now having the chance to give back.
"Oh, dear...I hope none of them are too injured," he said, "I'll just go pop in and have a look-see."
Then Pawprince looked to Tumblebrutus. Still being new and all, Pawprince was having a hard time recalling who he had already met. So he just bowed his hello.
Pawprince then blew a fast friendly kiss and wink at Demeter. To avoid any fuss from her he then spun and nodded to Munkustrap in thanks as he made his way to the strays.
[Exit Pawprince]
|
|
|
Post by Typhoonflame on Jan 9, 2020 8:01:24 GMT -5
Demeter watched the exchange between Pawprince and Munkustrap, not interrupting them, merely rolling her eyes at Pawprince's statements. She was already used to cush behavior from him and knew not to take anything he said seriously. She was glad he'd decided to help the strays. Any helping paw was welcome in these somewhat trying times for all of them. However, she did wonder how the strays would take to a well-groomed show cat. Would they be negative and sneer at him, thinking he had a life they could never imagine having? She quelled the anxiety within her and gave Pawprince a nod. "Good luck, Paw."
She turned to the newcomer, quickly recognizing him as Tumblebrutus, gently moving Munkus's paw as he raised it. "It's fine, Protector." she said lightly, giving Tumble a nod. "Where are you tumbling off to?" she asked, slightly suspicious. Tumble really wasn't one to go anywhere at this hour, especially alone...She couldn't help but wonder where he was headed.
|
|
eliaza
Wonderful Jellicle
By singing songs about themselves, of course!
Posts: 525
|
Post by eliaza on Jan 9, 2020 9:17:11 GMT -5
Tumblebrutus's head whipped back and forth between Munkustrap and Pawprince during their exchange, then he watched as Pawprince left, until the tom was out of sight. Odd. Very odd... At least, the show cat seemed odd to Tumble. But then, what did he know? It wasn't as if he and Paw knew each other all that well, since Paw was often gone for shows and such. It was a shame, really; Tumble might find a potential ally in the other tom, someone who agreed with his wanting to wander the city and who might even help or cover for him sometime... Well, nothing for it, he'd run off to play hero for the broken strays, and Tumble supposed any chance at getting to know him would have to wait till later.
He turned back to Munkustrap and Demeter. "Nowhere," he answered Demeter's question, though his tone sounded unconvincing even to himself. "Just, you know, having a...morning stroll." He looked at Munkustrap, trying to take the attention off himself. "Anything interesting to see this morning, Munkus?"
|
|
|
Post by X2 on Jan 9, 2020 11:02:52 GMT -5
Munkustrap was slightly irked with Demeter for dismissing his protection so readily. Sure it was just Tumble, but the tom was young. Too young to be wandering the streets before the sun as even risen, Munkustrap thought to himself. Also young enough to not know if he was being followed. Didn't matter to Munkustrap that Demeter was her own queen. He was the protector.
He'd protect her, whether she liked it or not!
Moving away from Demeter, he went to place an arm around Tumble's shoulders. And it wasn't in a friendly way either. More of a overbearing father, keeping a small frightened boy from running away from potential discipline. He looked over his shoulder slightly. "Should we be expecting Pouncival making an appearance any time soon? Or did you really run off into the city alone, in the middle of the night?" His tone was both light, and full of disappointment all at the same time.
Giving a small smirk at Tumble's attempt to change the subject. He gave Demeter a slightly amused look, before he nodded his head. "Come to think of it, I did see something interesting this morning." Eyeing Tumble out of the corner of his eye, his amused look had disappeared. "There was this young teenager, roaming around the dangerous territory outside this junkyard, before the sun had even rose. Pretty interesting and suspicious."
His tail swished behind him in slight annoyance, and his ears were slanted backwards. "He's also about to explain to me what he thought he was doing, without another lame 'morning stroll' excuse, and tell me who helped him get past me earlier." Munkustrap was on patrol that night and early morning. And while he wasn't perfect, something or someone would have to distract him for Tumble to slip past his senses. And he wanted to know if there was someone who had helped Tumble. His eyes darkened at a sudden thought. He'd bet anything Tugger had a paw in this.
((Also, I made sure that Munkustrap hadn't actually wrapped an arm around Tumble. Totally up to you if Tumble avoided Munkustrap's arm or not.))
|
|
|
Post by Typhoonflame on Jan 10, 2020 11:26:39 GMT -5
Demeter raised an eyebrow at Tumble's response. "Really now? Well, I see...If you say so." she said, still doubting him. She had nothing against the tom, of course, but there was the undenaible fact that he was a troublemaker. Demeter didn't have anything against a tiny bit of mischief, but putting oneself in danger for it was quite another thing.
She watched as Munkus put an arm around Tumble's shoulders and lashed her tail once, worried that Tumble would object to the Protector's words and potential scolding. She had no idea if Tumble had really run off into the city at night, having only heard rumors, and it wasn't like she talked to Tumble often. Heck, she barely talked to many cats except Bomba, unless they approached her.
She met Munkus' gaze and returned his amused look, her suspicions confirmed in his next words. So...Tumble had done it again...She could understand why, sometimes life inside the boundaries of the junkyard got boring and stale for the younger cats, but it was safe and that was what mattered most. She did her best to stop her thoughts from spiraling into all the terrible things that could've happened to the young tom out there.
She sighed. "Tumble...the Protector's right. I hate to be the second cat to scold you here, but know we both say these things for your own good. I could name a thousand scenarios in which you get hurt and you can say I'm an anxious mess, I know I am." she chuckled briefly. "But trust me, I mean well. We all do, this tribe exists to protect one another. Please, don't put yourself in jeopardy now when everything's semi-peaceful."
|
|
eliaza
Wonderful Jellicle
By singing songs about themselves, of course!
Posts: 525
|
Post by eliaza on Jan 10, 2020 12:34:26 GMT -5
Tumblebrutus allowed Munkustrap to place his arm around his shoulders, for a moment thinking the silver tabby was just going to accept his "morning walk" explanation and let the matter drop. An instant later, though, catching a glimpse of the Jellicle Protector's expression, Tumble realized his mistake and mentally berated himself for an idiot. Of course the adult tom wouldn't just 'drop it,' this was Munkustrap, what else should Tumble have expected? Now he was about to get a right proper dressing-down, if past experience were any indication, and it was too late to escape. If Tumble shrugged off Munkustrap's paw or tried to move away now, it would just raise the protector's suspicions that Tumble had been "up to something." To Tumble's mind, he hadn't been up to anything, or nothing bad at any rate. But how could he possibly make Munkustrap understand that?
Before Tumblebrutus could even begin to think of an answer, Demeter started in on him too. Two against one! Totally unfair. His ears perked up hopefully when she seemed to accept his explanation... Then flattened again in irritation as she went on, babbling the usual things about danger, blah blah blah. Might've known she'd take the Protector's part.
With a sigh, he nodded as agreeably as he could at Demeter, though half of what she'd said had gone in one ear and out the other. Then he turned to the more formidable problem: Munkustrap.
"I can't exactly explain anything when I can't get in a word edgewise," he pointed out, trying to hide his annoyance and not let his tone sound 'cheeky' or 'disrespectful,' as the adults sometimes accused him of. "And besides...what's to explain? Is there a...reason I can't wake up early and take a walk sometimes?" He stalled, trying to think of what to say and what not to say. He hated straight-up lying, so generally just tried to keep things to himself if he didn't want others knowing. But Munkus was asking some quite direct questions, which was causing the patched tomkit difficulty. How vague could he be?
Above all, he didn't want the protector assigning somecat to "babysit" him, or otherwise somehow prevent Tumble from ever leaving the 'yard. That thought caused Tumble to blurt out, before he could stop himself, "What is this, anyway? A junkyard or a prison?"
|
|
|
Post by X2 on Jan 12, 2020 21:06:50 GMT -5
Demeter understood. She knew all too well. Life experience had taught her the dangers beyond their borders, and it wasn't right. Still, he'd like to think she'd understand even without the madness of the Henches and her history with Macavity. Being an adult, they knew the way the world truly worked. Far better then any of the kittens or teens. And he tried to remind himself of that. That Tumble just wasn't old enough. He's gotten the protection of the Jellicle tribe for a while, and it was something easily taken for granted. A part of him, the voice of his father, informed him that every cat needed to make their own mistakes.
However, there was another more nagging part of his brain that warned him if he did that, Tumble could eventually pay for his mistake with his life. Sometimes, he hated being a protector. How was he suppose to protect these cats from themselves? Was he meant to just let them do whatever the heck they wanted and then say I told you so while mourning over their deceased corpses later? He became a protector in order to prevent that. All his internal struggles over how to deal with Tumble ceased the second the patched tom spoke. Oh he listened to what Tumble had to say, all of it and grumbled when Tumble asked if this were a prison.
"Oh that is Tugger's influence." Was mumbled under his breath, though he suspected Tumble had heard him since he still had an arm around him and was keeping him close.
Tugger once upon a time had called their leader, his jailor. The arguments that ensued, between Deut and Tugger, and himself and Tugger. Though he admitted, he and Tugger argued more and far louder. Clapping his paw on Tumble's shoulder, he lead him away from the yard. "Okay." He spoke loud enough. He turned to Demeter,"A walk sounds just great this morning. Demeter and I were on our way to hunt some fresh meat and eat. You will be joining us." He didn't make it sound like a punishment, though if Tumble was determined to go wandering away from the yard, he'd have chaperones. It was indeed a punishment; a tame one. Munk would have locked his behind up for a week, but he knew Deut wouldn't approve. So he hoped Tumble still took this as a punishment. Needing a babysitter, despite no longer being a kitten.
|
|
|
Post by Typhoonflame on Jan 13, 2020 17:24:14 GMT -5
Demeter let Munkustrap handle the younger cat from there, seeing that Tumble would not consider her his superior as he much as he would his protector. It annoyed her, however, very much. Tumble refused to listen and kept on lying to two adults who only wanted the best for him. Still, she knew better than to show that to the other two cats and just kept her gaze on Tumble.
Her tail lashed irritably, however, when he said the junkyard was a prison. *Try being almost captured by the Henches...and abused by their leader and then call this a prison!* she thought.
She knew she was being unfair by thinking that...She could remember her own days of youth where she had not a care in the world and all she had to worry about was a nice meal and some company to explore the junkyard with. It really wouldn't be good if they took that away from Tumble...that sense of wonder. The only issue was, Tumble took that sense of wonder to unsafe places! She sighed.
Before she could give Tumble a piece of her mind, Munk had saved her once again by resolving the situation...hopefully? She'd hoped for a nice walk and now had to pray to Heavyside that Timble wouldn't complain the whole way. Hunting was silent work and she could only hope the younger tom would remember that.
She gave them both a nod. "That's right. Come on, Tumble, you may get to show off your hunting skills!" she said, trying to give their "prisoner" some motivation so he wouldn't be completely miserable. "Just think what the other cats will say when we bring them all some fresh food. They'll be grateful to us all, and you'll get some spotlight for it."
|
|
eliaza
Wonderful Jellicle
By singing songs about themselves, of course!
Posts: 525
|
Post by eliaza on Jan 14, 2020 10:54:33 GMT -5
And just like that, the two adults had decided for him. Tumblebrutus stiffened rebelliously as Munkustrap clapped him on the shoulder. It irked him that Munkustrap was punishing him—and it was a punishment, Tumble knew. You’ll be joining us. It wasn’t a question, or even an invitation. You’re not my dad, you can’t tell me what to do, Tumble was tempted to answer back. But he wasn’t quite stupid enough to think that would hold any weight; Munkustrap held the ace card, being the Jellicle Protector. The thing that truly stunk about being without parents was that every adult in the general vicinity considered him- or herself an authority over Tumble. At least, whenever he did something they didn't like. Briefly, Tumble wondered what would happen if he refused to go with Munkustrap and Demeter and simply ran off. Would they stop him or let him go? And if they did let him go, what then? Probably he’d be summoned to Old Deuteronomy for a “talk.” And maybe even more—had he garnered so many bad marks against himself that he might be banished or something? Tumble didn’t really believe Old D would allow that. But you never knew. Macavity had somehow managed to get himself banished.
Just then, Tumble’s stomach rumbled. Very audibly. It reminded him that he hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day. He’d meant to have dinner off scraps from this new restaurant he’d got wind of—only he’d never actually found it. He’d made a wrong turn somewhere, got lost, and spent most of the night in a panic trying to get home, only to realize in the early morning that he’d been wandering in circles right near the Junkyard for hours. Never in a million years would Tumble admit that to anyone, but it did make him re-think matters. Forced or not, going hunting with Munkustrap and Demeter didn’t seem such a bad idea. It also appeared Munkustrap was giving up on getting Tumble to tell him where he’d been all night, which was another plus. And another thing—Tumble was sure he’d heard Munkustrap mumble something about Tugger. Did he think Tugger was somehow responsible for Tumble’s city wanderings? Though mildly annoyed that Munk thought he wasn’t clever enough to get out on his own, Tumble did tuck the idea away in his mind for later use. Oh, he’d never lie and say Tugger helped him…but if Munk suggested it again, he might just go along with it…
And lastly, Tumble truly had no desire to make Munkustrap so angry that even the thought of threatening Tumble with banishment crossed his mind. ("If you like the streets so much, you can stay there," or some such notion.) Last night had reminded Tumble, in the most humiliating way, that he still depended heavily on the Jellicles and the Junkyard for shelter, for food, for…well, his entire existence, really. Unless of course he tracked down those humans who had tried to "adopt" him. But no doubt life in a human's house would be even more limited than life in the Junkyard. In any case, last thing he wanted was to be kicked out onto the streets permanently. Or at least not until he learned to navigate them properly.
With all this, some consciously, some unconsciously, on his mind, the patched tom heaved a sigh, nodded at Munkustrap, and at least attempted to smile at Demeter. “All right, then. Breakfast-hunting it is. Where are we going?” It didn't occur to him that agreeing so easily might seem suspicious.
|
|
|
Post by X2 on Jan 21, 2020 10:24:56 GMT -5
Munkustrap had almost smiled at Tumble's growling stomach agreeing with his way of resolving the situation. And then Tumble had agreed;
just...like...that.
His eyes were guarded and his whole body went rigid. Tumble had agreed easily to being treated like a kitten needing a chaperone. Too easily. Still, he knew Demeter was still there, and she had seemed slightly on edge with the situation. Either with Tumble's cavalier attitude, or with his handling of Tumble. Munkustrap couldn't guess. And he had resolved it, at least in the short term. There was nothing to be gained bringing everything back up and rehashing it. Tumble would close off more, may make a run for it, either into the city or back into the junkyard. (maybe even right into Tugger's arms) Munkustrap could think of worse things then Tugger, but for the moment, all his ire was focused on the negative influence Tugger already had on their younger members.
The unfortunate aspect of his job was to think up all the worst case scenarios, so that he and the rest of the protectors could better prepare for them. Just in case.
He gave one extra squeeze to Tumble's shoulder, before he let him go. Munkustrap would keep his suspicions for now. But he was hungry after a long shift. Not to mention he has obtained information he's needed in the past by being friendly instead of accusatory. Maybe over breakfast he could learn why Tumble seems to be in such a hurry to put himself in harms way. And if it's just Tumble or if the eternal thorn in his side had a hand in Tumble's recent endeavors. Then again, he doubted Tumble would really open up. Still, his own stomach rumbled a bit and he started heading out.
"We'll head to the fields about two blocks to the west of the junkyard. There's always a lot of rodents at this time in the morning. Unless you two know of a better hunting ground this early in the morning?" A small olive branch, but he figured Tumble would think anything he says for the next couple hours will be a 'trap'. So he assumed most of his conversation would be with Demeter. Sad, but something he'd come to expect from his role as Protector. He often had do dish out the punishments when Deut wasn't around, and he ended up getting all the anger, while his father got all the love.
|
|
|
Post by Typhoonflame on Jan 22, 2020 17:06:32 GMT -5
Demeter glanced at Tumble as his belly rumbled, chuckling. "Someone's hungry. Seems like you need this hunt as much as we do. Hunger will keep you motivated." she added, only slightly stern.
She knew well enough that Tumble was less than happy, much less than happy, about this arrangement. But unlike Munkus, who had to be the stern and strict Protector here, she could be the one to try and motivate the young tom to see this as...well, he'd still probably see it as a punishemt, she thought, but perhaps he could look at it from a more positive perspective and see it as a learning experience, a way to learn how to take care of his tribe more, instead of consntantly feeling like someone who was seen as a kitten that needed a supervisor.
She returned his smile, placing her tail on his shoulder for a moment. "Yeah, come on, it'll be fun."
She nodded as Munkus declared they'd be going to the fields. "Oh that sounds great! It's been a while since I've hunted and an open field is just what I need." she said, her tail swishing in a satisfied manner. "I'm out of the loop on other hunting spots, unfortunately, so I wouldn't know." She shrugged.
|
|
eliaza
Wonderful Jellicle
By singing songs about themselves, of course!
Posts: 525
|
Post by eliaza on Jan 23, 2020 9:32:15 GMT -5
They sounded so condescending, the pair of them. If Tumble was punished, he was punished; why did adults always have to punish you and then turn around and try to make you feel better? Oops, I was too harsh; but I can’t change my mind, he’ll walk all over me and never listen to me again; better at least soften the blow.
He tried not to let it annoy him. He knew that Demeter, at any rate, was genuinely trying to help him feel better. Her worries, overblown though they might be, were actual legitimate worries, he knew. He had heard of her past with Macavity, not the entire story, but he’d heard murmurs here and there—who hadn’t? So he vaguely knew she had reasons for seeing the world outside the junkyard as dangerous. And she was trying to lighten him up in spite of it.
Whereas Munkustrap—well, it didn’t matter what you did, he was sure to find some reason it was too dangerous or a bad idea. Did the guy ever have any fun? Why couldn’t he just…keep an eye on things and jump into action when there was actual real danger, instead of smothering you and obsessing about what might happen? Of course I might get eaten by a dog or captured by Macavity. And…the sky might fall.
Tumble shook these thoughts away. He’d decided to make the best of the situation, and grumbling would get him nowhere. The ticket was to get back on Munk’s good side and have the older tom breathing down his neck for as short a time as possible. Then, he ought to think of someone who could help him navigate the streets and teach him how to be more subtle about leaving the ’yard…but more of that later.
His stomach gave another loud rumble. He would have been embarrassed if not for the fact that just a moment ago Munkustrap's stomach had done just the same thing - not as loudly as Tumble's, perhaps, but being right next to him, Tumble had heard it. Even great protectors are mortal and have to eat, eh. "Fields make the most sense to me too," he agreed, and it was true. The few rodents he’d caught deeper in the city from time to time mainly consisted of big, foul-smelling rats that he hadn’t been able to bring himself to eat. Sometimes you could catch fish by the docks that made for good eating, but no way was he admitting he’d ever been there at this particularly delicate moment. "And not to worry," he added, "I'll catch you both the two fattest, juiciest mice around." The corner of his mouth lifted in a cheeky smirk, and he tried to hide it by turning and winking playfully at Demeter.
|
|
|
Post by X2 on Feb 27, 2020 11:12:35 GMT -5
Well it was settled. They were going to the western fields for food. Munk rolled his eyes to the sky as he took point and started off towards that area. This was going to be a fun morning. Tumble would forgive Demeter for siding with him like it was nothing and he'd be getting the awkward end of the conversation. Though that wasn't anything new. He socialized enough to please his father, but other then that he wasn't real good at maintaining relationships or deepening them. Not after Ryder, not after...
Glancing back to make sure Tumble and Demeter were keeping up, he reassured them,"We're not that far from the fields." More to at least supply something to the conversation then anything else. He was sure they knew the location, and didn't actually need his input. But Demeter was trying to smooth over her friendship with Tumble and he was fairly certain Tumble didn't want to really talk to him at the moment any way. Munk took the path that was the quickest away from the city, where he had assumed Tumble was trying to venture into.
Best not to feed into or encourage the toms behavior and curiosity. And Demeter, well she didn't like being in the city any more then she had to be.
|
|
|
Post by Typhoonflame on Feb 29, 2020 10:43:37 GMT -5
Demeter laughed, shaking her head at Tumble's wink. "I don't doubt that at all. But who knows, I may beat you to them. I bet you don't know this, but I used to be quite the huntress before I...ehm, shut myself in." she said, whiskers twitching with some shame. "We'll see if I still have my old skills."
She nodded at Munkus' words. "Good, I assumed so. Haven't been in these parts in a while...but I must say, the scents haven't changed that much." she commented, taking a breath to taste the air. "Quite quaint." she mused to herself as they walked on. The last time she'd been here was probably before she got attacked by Macavity at the Ball, after which she'd decided to just stay in the Yard and never leave it. Which, thinking back on it now, was a ratzher stupid idea. Running never helped anyone, much less the tribe. It would be better for her to stand and fight instead of having to be protected....if she could do that. No, she could, she would do that.
She noticed they were taking the route away from the city and was glad for it. She was sure Munkus was trying to steer them away from the city to keep Tumble away from it, but if you asked her, she had no wish to see any Henches or other dangerous cats that might dwell there. Keeping her ears pricked and her eyes open, she kept walking.
|
|