Eight months before the Jellilce Ball
Jemima looked up tentativley through the leaves of the branch she was sleeping on. Hmm, she thought, the word cutting a tiny hole in the fog of her mind, Green.. "I hate mornings." She grumbled as the sun hit her eyes in little spots. She blinked, trying to clear her sleep hazed mind once again, but all that came through was Green... She shook her head and yawned, her small jaws gaping open and she rolled over to get out of her bed. Being half asleep, she hit the ground very hard.
"Ow! Hey, my basket was never that high- where am I?" The kitten spun around in the shade of the tree looking right and left pensivley. A tree? Why was I in a tree? And where is Mama? she thought nervously.
"Mama?" She called. There was no answer.
"Mama?" She tried again, but with the same results.
"Mama?! MAMA!!!!" The echo of the kitten's pitiful scream bounced off the forest walls with increasing despair. Jemima looked around frantically for some semblance of Jellicle Life. Her newly trained nose picked up a soft scent that didn't smell like Mama, but it had Jellicle in it. Jemima took a hesitant step foward, tripped and stumbled slightly. She was still getting used to her legs. Her stomach growled and she realized she was hungry. But Mama gave her food when the Big Legs weren't there, and neither the Big Legs or Mama were there right now. Where was she going to get her food? Tentativley, she decided that following the Jellicle scent would be the best solution and set off, if not a little clumsily, for her unkown destination.
"Oof!" Jemima grunted as she fell at the feet of a large black cat.
"Heyyyy...wassthis?" It, he, slurred. The kong black legs with a touch of leopard print around the ankles bent and she was face to face with a rather exotic lookig cat. He was buff, with a short shiny black coat and a huge furry mane. It was obviously still a bit too big for his body and she almost laughed at his slight awkwardness. But something else caught her eye. He was really cute. She supressed a giggle and pulled herself off the ground, shaking dust out of her coat.
"I'm Jemima!" she said perkily. Looking up at him curiously, she let out a huge yawn. The cat chuckled.
"Why hello, Jemima, I'm Rum Tum Tugger. But that seems a little big for your two bit body, how bout you call me Tugger, kay?"
"Okie. Have you seen Mama?" She asked, looking at him hopefully. He frowned.
"What's Mama's name?" "Mama." The cat looked away for a moment and said under his breath: "I think I need to get Munkustrap..." Then he turned back to the kitten.
"Sweetie, I haven't seen you're mama around here," Tugger felt his heart break when he saw the look on her face, "but I know someone who might. Lets go visit him, okay?"
"Okay." She said and went to follow him but she tripped over her paws and landed with an 'oomph'. Tugger turned around and chuckled again. Jemima smiled, she liked his chuckle.
"Hey, kid, how old are you?" Jemima scrunched her nose, trying to remember.
"Mama said I was born one...m-moon? yeah, moon after the Jellicle Dance."
"Oh! The Jellicle Ball! So that would make you...one month? So young! Well how bout this? I'll carry you to the junkyard, alright?"
"Okie!" Tugger chuckled again and picked up the kitten and they were off.
"Munku!!! HEY MUNKU!!" Tugger called as best he could when he got to the junkyard. The silver tabby was sitting on his grandfather's magic tire, watching Bombalurina and Demeter play.
"What?!" Munkustrap wasn't in the mood to be disturbed, he was watching Demeter and that's all that mattered.
"Hey! Someone rolled off the wrong can this morning!" Tugger said as he trotted over and dropped the kitten in front of Munkustrap. Jemima looked up at Munku and said desperatly;
"Have you seen Mama?" Munkustrap's frown melted away and he shot Tugger a helpless look.
"I am weak from the utter cuteness of that kitten. Now tell me, kit, what's your name?"
"Jemima!" the little kitten said happily. She was playing with the tip of his tail absentmindedly.
"Why hello, Jemima, I'm Munkustrap."
" _You're_ Munkustrap?!" Jemima said and immediatly straightened. Tugger raised an eyebrow and Munkustrap cocked his head.
"You've heard of me?"
"Oh yes! Mama said that you were going to be the leader when Old Deu-Deuter-Deutero-Deuteronomimi.."
"Deuteronomy?"
"Yeah! When Old Deuteronomy went up."
"She did, did she?"
"Yes. She told me after the last Jellicle Dance."
"Ball." Tugger corrected.
"No, it's a Dance. That's what Jellicle Cats do, they come and Dance. You should know! You smell Jellicle."
"Jemima, what's your mother's name?"
"Mama."
"No, her Jellicle name?"
"Mama. She only said to call her Mama. She doesn't have another name. But I do! She called me Jemmy."
"Well, Jemmy, wait- you said she CALLED you Jemmy?"
"Yup. But she w-wasn't th-there when I w-w-w-woke up!!" Jemima started sobbing and Tugger embraced her for support. He shot Munkustrap a look. Munkustrap nodded, remembering the Jellicle meeting last night. When SHE left. And she said to find her precious kitten.
"No one shall know." Munkustrap whispered. Tugger nodded. The secret was sealed.
The next Jellicle Ball...
"Jump! Bounce! Bounce!" Jemima called along with Victoria as they cheered Mistoffelees on. He had brought back Deuteronomy safe and sound. Macavity had been foiled...again. She crawled over to the old cat along with the rest of the tribe to see who would be chosen when another soft meow interrupted everything. She recognized the cat instantly, it was Grizabella, and afraid of being scratched again, she quickly retreated to the top of the car trunk. The tune that the old cat was singing was horribly familiar.
"Memory, all alone in the moonlight..." Jemima sat there thinking. All she could remember was a soft nose and a playful paw. Trees and warm food. She saw Grizabella lay down in defeat and all of a sudden it came rushing back. She stood up and in the clearest voice she had ever heard, sang with all her heart:
"Sunlight through the trees in summer, endless masquerading.." Please, please.. All her wishes came true as Grizabella joined her.
"Like a flower as the dawn is breaking-" Jemima stopped. She couldn't go on anymore. She just say there, watching, sobbing. Across the junkyard Munkustrap turned to Tugger and they both nodded. It came as no suprise that Grizabella was picked for the Journey. Jemima sat there, looking longinly at the old cat and the golden stairway she was ascending. Right before Grizabella dissapeared into the Heaviside Layer, she shot a loving look down at a kitten on the trunk of an old car. Jemima smiled at Grizabella and whispered softly:
"Goodbye, Mama."