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Months went by without any disturbances or events, besides the occasional scares by Macavity. Mungolees had left briefly after Indoclees' threat as promised. Quaxo and Fombulabri were spending more and more time together - Alonzo still kissing her once in a while, but expecting more. But he backed away, seeing his efforts were useless and moved on to Tandilana. She, on the other hand, didn't mind in the least. And Blaizerette developed a huge crush on The Rum Tum Tugger and Pouncival.
Bri winced when the morning sun blinded her. She yawned prolongingly and stretched. She licked her paw and applied it to her mane, smoothing the cowlics down evenly. When she decided she was decent enough for Misto's eyes, she descended out of her and Blaize's den. In the center of the Yard, the six other kittens, Etcetera, Sillus, Jemima, Electra, Victoria and Tammy, were sleeping atop each other. They huddled close, as the frozen liquid surrounded their shivering forms. Winter had come on fully and the rusty tattered objects in the Junkyard were getting worse. Bri returned to their den when she heard Blaize groan tiredly.
'Psst. Blaize, it's snowing!' Blaize, who was rubbing her eye, jumped up not caring about her appearance. Never seeing snow before, the two bounded into the white pillowy substance. They embedded themselves within it to hide from each other, lept out, kicked and threw snow at one another and giggled uncontrollably. Being as loud as they were, the other kittens awoke and joined in the fray. Eventually, The Rum Tum Tugger and Skimbleshanks clamboured down from atop the mass. They stopped in their tracks when they saw the kittens playing. Tugger looked at Skimbleshanks, shrugged and continued down. Skimble sat where he was and watched Tugger try unsucssessfully to avoid the young Queens. He tried to tiptoe around them, but caught Bri's eye. She lept in his direction, batted at his tail and bit it. She growled playfully, and Tugger winced. He turned around and removed her. Immediatly, the other kittens bounded apon him. He fell to the ground, mixed balls of fur wrestling on him.
'Eh hem.' A deep voice cleared his throat for their attention. Their eyes, so speratic that one could not have distinguished to whom they belonged, looked up to see Old Deuteronomy. The kittens slid off the Tugger and sat attentively. Tugger, who had actually been enjoying the fun, stood up and brushed himseld off as if disturbed. He bowed before their leader briefly. Deuteronomy returned the action and looked at Bri. Bri saw the disturbed look in his eyes. She stopped giggling with the other kittens and stood up, completely serious. Being up to Tugger's shoulders, she stood fully.
'My dear,' he directed toward her. 'Mr. Mistoffelees has been borrowed - catnapped - for magical purposes. He is no where to be found to our knowledge.' After hearing these words, the Tugger turned to face Fombulabri. To his surprise, her face showed no pain, but bravery. He returned his gaze to Deuteronomy.
'So, our Conjurer is missing?' Ha patted Bri's shoulder. 'I'll start a search.' By the time he had disappeared into the fog, the kittens were crowding Bri to make sure she was okay. She was still looking at the Leader, confusion in her eyes. She could see that he had no answer for her. He leaned over and embraced her close. The warmth of his thick coat enfolded around the young Queens. The mews echoed in the snow as Old Deuteronomy slowly let go and sauntered to his tire. There he sat in his usual pose. Fombulabri sighed, still wrapped within her friends and looked up on the pile of jnuk where Tugger's companion had laid. Skimbleshanks had gone and the fog thickened around the shivering kittens. Within minutes, the couldn't see inches in front of them.
'Bri?' Etcetera's voice quivered. Fombulabri turned to her white tabbied friend.
'What's that?' They all followed her gaze to a blurry black spot in the haze. Bri stiffened and Jemima repeated the action of her friend. The black spot didn't change in size, moving closer or further to the kittens, but moved from side to side. Snow began to fall once again, which made it harder for them to see. Electra squinted, trying desparetly to see, but the unknown figure had faded. She shivered, suddenly realizing she forgot where they were. Fear rose within her. She couldn't see any pile of junkor other object recognizable as their home. The kittens looked around nervously. Electra could tell that the other Princesses felt as lost as she. Her eyes snapped to the left as similar black forms appeared. This one, however, did float closer to them. As it came closer, Electra could tell it was the same form as before. By this time, Blaize and Tammy had huddled close to Fombulabri for warmth. Bri, already hugging the first two, reached out and gathered Jemima, Sillus and Etcetera with them also. They shivered together, watching the strange object move closer.
'Vicky?' The young Queens turned to see Electra searching frantically for the white Queen.
'Where'd she go?' Jemima asked, not receiving a response from the rust coloured Queen. Sillus let go of Bri and clung to her sister. Electra was eventually out of view as well, so the group stayed where they were. After a few icey breaths were drawn, they heard a faint digging and scratching sound. They inched a little in Electra's direction, and haden't gone far when they found the rust tabby mewing at the ground from which she pawed. Tandilana and Bri sauntered over to see what her so disgruntled. Victoria had fallen in the fluffy white substance and fainted. The still falling snow had only covered her hind legs, so the groups of kittens uncovered her shivering body frantically. It didn't take long, for as soon as they had her completely freed, as voice boomed, or rather echoed, behind them. Jemima and Etcetera screeched in surprise and lept behind Blaize and Bri. Sillus laughed at them, because she was the first to notice that the voice belonged to none other than the playful Pouncival. Sillus trilled and padded over to her crush. He rubbed his paw over her head and down her back, which received a purr. Fombulabri and Etcetera followed Sillus and, trilling, pranced over to Pouncival.
'Boy, are we glad it's you!' Bri chimed, hugging the young Tom. Electra nodded. 'Oh yeah!' She noticed it was Pouncival who had caught their eyes as the black spot in the mist. Pouncival smiled after finishing his embrace with Electra and looked beyond them at Tammy, Blaize, Jem and Etcety, who glared in return. *He scared me half to death!* Tandilana thought, slightly angry at the horrible Tom. Her anger faded when she noticed, as well as Bri, that there was a different look in his eyes. Sad and unrecognizable - unusual for Pouncival. She crawled over to the four, followed by the other, who were now almost carrying Victoria, to greet Pouncival.
'Pounce, which direction did you come from?' Electra asked, wanting desperately to find her home. Pouncival didn't even look at her. Instead, he locked eyes with Bri and collapsed into the snow. Sillus screamed and lept apon him, making sure he was okay. Fombulabri dropped to his side and laid a paw across his cheek. She quickly recoiled, which caused te others to jump.
'What is it?' Electra asked, concern in her voice. The other Queens' eyes all bared the same question.
'He's ice cold!' Bri's voice cracked. Sillus whimpered and spread out on top of him, attempting to keep him warm. Etcetera curled around him, tears in her eyes.
'C'mon, guys! Let's all huddle 'n be warm!' She urged the rest. They complied and screated another clump of fur around Pouncival's cold body. When Tammy curled delicately around his head, she whimpered inwardly.
'Oh, Pounce, you're so cold!' Her voice quivered, sounding frightened for him. She forced a purr, thinking that would warm him up faster. When all except Bri and Vicky were wrapped tightly about the calico Tom, Fombulabri sat next to Victoria. Her eyes were closed, but she still breathed heavily. Bri rested her paw atop Vicky's stomache. Suddenly, she felt a tingling sensation run through her paw and burst into warmth, which she felt ascend into the snowy Queen.
She blinked. Fombulabri snapped her paw back with surprise. She tilted her head at the now awake Victoria. The white Queen sat up and yawned as if awoken from a deep slumber.
'What happened?' She asked Bri, dazed. Blaize lifted her head at her voice. From the sound of slight snores, all the other kittens had fallen asleep. She slithered off slowly and crawled toward her sister and Victoria.
'You passed out from the cold, and I...' Fombulabri interupted herself and walked in the direction Blaize had come. Blaize dismissed her and continued toward Victoria, who was confused. She hugged her white friend with relief.
'Don't worry. Bri always does that. Well, lately anyway.' The two watched the black tabby flop next to Pouncival, causing his carers to wake up, mewing angrily. Bri placed her paws apon Pouncival's chest. Immediatly, she felt the tingling return, turn into warmth and leave her, being given to Pounce. His chest heaved, being able to take in a deep breath. She placed her paw apon his face. Warmth was once again making Fombulabri relieved with her friend's health. He did not wake up, like Victoria, until Bri laid her head apon his chest and fell fast asleep. The kittens returned to their positions, Victoria finding one of her own, and also dreamed. Pouncival, however, awoke and almost rose. He eased himself back down when he noticed his helpful friends surrounding him, deep in sleep. Not knowing what happened, he shrugged, put his arm around his favoured Queen and did the same as the kittens.
Bri's eyes fluttered. How long had she and her friends slept? She tried to sit up, but her weight seemed extra heavy. She relaxed and looked at her shoulder. Pouncival, having his arm laid on her, was the cause of the struggled. She felt movement around her legs and lifted her head. Jemima, who was wrapped around her legs, was just pawing the air in her sleep. Fombulabri smiled at her friend and found she could now see around her. Pouncival had shifted his weight to his other arm.
They must not have been asleep that long, because their surroundings had not changed. They still lay engulfed in the mist with no sign of the Jellicle Junkyard. Electra yawned in Fombulabri's ear and smacked her lips.
'Hey, Electra.' Bri greeted her friend with a cheek rub and a purr. Electra smiled and returned the purr. Electra stood stretched and looked down at Bri.
'Looks like you're trapped,' she laughed. Bri rolled her eyes and carefully removed Pouncival's paw from her. She joined her friend in her standing position. Pouncival repositioned and wrapped his arm around Victoria.
Finally, Electra realized that they still could not see.
'Are we even still in the Junkyard?' She asked assuming Bri would know. Bri's mouth opened to reply, but was cut short by a loud, high-pitched whistle. The sleeping Jellicles lept at the sound, and clutched their ears - as Electra and Bri had already done. Sillus wailed in pain as tears streamed down her face. After what seemed like hours, the tear-jerking noise ceased. Jemima immediatly went to her sister's side and held her close. Panting, th kittens looked around. Still not being able to see anything, they huddled once again.
'What was that?' Etcetera at obviously, from the tone of her voice, been crying in fear.
