Courtesy of Momma Jo Its the afternoon of the 26th in New Zealand and Juanny has been impatiently pacing about for hours. He's spent half an hour rolling in the lavendar to get himself smelling nice and has carefully flattened down his normally unruly fur with Dr McCavity's Wonderful Fur Oil (guaranteed to bring about thicker softer fur). He decides he's sick of waiting and heads off to the teleporter, forgetting the time differences. Making a stop or two along the way he turns up HOURS too early at Momma Jo and Momma Beth's house, hoping like hang Yarrow got his message that he'd meet her there. He pushes a rather large wooden wheelbarrow ahead of him, stopping every so often to rest. The contents of the wheelbarrow are covered by what *looks* like a smurgling blanket. Seeing no-one about (Its very early) he looks for a suitable spot and finding one that looks cosy, parks his wheelbarrow, takes the blanket and spreads it on the ground and arranges a small oblong box; first this way, then that, till he's happy with the result. Out of the wheelbarrow he takes the 365 roses which he bought and begins to arrange them all around the blanket; scattering them nonchalantly here and there. They are beginning to look a little wilted with the lack of water, but the scattered effect fits in with the general ambience. After surveying the scene and pleased with his handiwork, Juanny takes one more peek into the little oblong box he has carefully arranged. I hope she likes it, he thinks to himself as he looks at the burgundy coloured pen with gold lettering "From Juanny to Yarrow", and closes the lid. He sighes and curls up on the blanket to sleep and wait for the others to turn up...... It's late at night on a clear moonlit night in Oregon at the Jesse Memorial Cat Complex. The moon is almost full, and the air is a comforable 50 degrees or so. Salmonberry, Poppy, and Teva are asleep in their catbeds in the Cat Garage. Sprint, Miranda, Stone, Jasper, and Penrod are asleep in their beds in the Cat House. Pandora, the Shady Cats, and the Invisible Bandits are asleep in their hidden living quarters (undiscovered by hoomin eyes) in the adjacent woods. Momma Jo, Momma Beff, Simba, Orange, Cleo, Terry Jo, and Little Bit are getting ready for bed in the hoomin house. Gradually, the cats in the Cat House become aware of faint rustling sounds and unfamiliar smells just outside of the Cat House in the garden area. They creep to the windows and find a new cat arranging things on a smurgling blanket. Soon, the cats in the woods and in the Cat Garage also become aware of the new presence. They creep silently around the edges of the garden. Now, 13 little pairs of hidden cat eyes are on the mysterious stranger. He is quite attractive in a rugged sort of way, with the easy but cautious manner of one familiar with feral life, but softened by experience and love. Soon, he finishes arranging things and curls up on the blanket to sleep. The other cats approach, sniffing for a better sense of his aroma. Yes, cat, definitely cat, but with a smell of spring flowers--at this time of year???--and--yes, it must be lavendar. Where did this strange cat come from??? Silently, they approach without waking him. He must be tired from a long journey, he is sleeping soundly, at least for the moment. They extend their mental feelers into his mind to read his intentions and find only kindness there. Drawn by the warmth of good will, 13 cats silently curl up on the blanket with him and close their eyes to sleep, hoping to share in the beautiful dreams he seems to be dreaming. Inside the hoomin house, Momma Jo, in late from an evening out and having recently come in from offering the outside cats their late night snack, locks up for the night but lifts the shade to take one last look outside to ESP her cats a goodnight blessing. She sees what looks like a small wheelbarrow where she knows she has not left one, but pays little attention since she is not wearing her glasses and it could be anything. There is a beautiful glow of light over the garden... awfully bright for the moon, she thinks. So peaceful out there, the night before the Jellicle Ball. She closes the shade and goes to bed, dreaming of the tribute she will make to her beloved Jesse, Rainbow Bridge Cat, for whom the Cat Complex is named and who first opened her heart to the Wisdom and Love of Cats. Tomorrow will be a good day.... Aurora is next to arrive. "What a beautiful sight," she whispers. "All those beautiful cats surrounding the very rugged Juanny and his tributes to Yarrow. I do hope they have a wonderful time together. I'm going to slip into the house and watch over Mamma Jo while she sleeps." Momma Jo wakes up before dawn the next morning, wedged in, unable to move, between four furry lumps of sleeping cats. She takes inventory: Terry Jo and Little Bit snoring on their d*ggie beds. Cleo, who came in from her perch on the kitchen counter. Orange and Simba, butt to butt. And one more. Uh-oh, another lost little cat come wandering through the cat/d*g door?? But this is a well cared for cat. A lovely, refined, ladylike, petite little elder womancat, all snuggled in the covers staying warm. "Hello, little cat, who are you?" she says Momma Jo. But Cleo DOC VC recognizes her from rpc social events and, also a lady with old-school manners, introduces them. "Momma Jo, this is Aurora, SOC, come to chaperone Yarrow and Juanny and to get warm and eat KFC." "Aurora! I'm so glad to meet you," says Momma Jo. She escorts the elders to a pillow on by the fire and serves (weak) catnip tea and breakfast. Cleo brings a ball of yarn, and the two ladies "knit", as only cats can do, and talk about the old times, while waiting for the others to come inside. Juanny wakes after a deep and peaceful sleep and sees all these other cats! He decides caution is the better part of valour and if he stays perfectly still they might just think he's a leaf or something. Gradually he realises that they are not enemies, and in fact, he already knows some of them from rpc. Sensing him awake, the cats gather round him, purring and grooming him to reassure him and let him know that he is among friends. Inside the hoomin house, Aurora, warmed from the fire and the tea, peers out the window and sees that the outside cats are awake. She excuses herself to Cleo and silently slips out the cat/d*g door and pads out to the garden where they are gathered, passing by 20 buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken on the way that Momma Beff has discretely by a large table set for 22+ cats and 2 d*gs. Outside, Juanny picks up the oblong box and holds it tight in his paws Then he sees a kitty who he instinctively knows is Aurora, looking frail but with kind eyes. "Meow, Ize so plezed tu meet yu, wares Siggy, an hav yu seen Yarrow yet? " "Meow Juanny, so nice to finally meet you. My you smell wonderful -- is that lavender? or all the roses you've brought for the very very lucky Yarrow. I see you've made some wonderful new friends already. Is that chicken I smell? I must go back to Mamma Jo again and thank her for all the trouble she's gone to for us. I'm hoping she'll give me a preview of her tribute to the great Jessie. My beloved Siggy seems to be among the missing, I hope Mom2 didn't hurt her paw again. I'm sure he''ll be here soon. I haven't seen Ms. Yarrow yet, but I'm sure she'll be along soon. You must meet Mamma Jo. She is wonderful. She fixed a nice place for Cleo and I to visit and gave us Nip Tea and breakfast. Cleo and I enjoyed a lovely conversation over out niptea. This is a very special place, and a wonderful place for you to meet Ms. Yarrow for the first time." Aurora disappears into the house, and, thinking the cats outside must be chilly and hungry, returns shortly thereafter with a plate full of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Several of the cats approach eagerly and begin to eat. Suddenly, near a large wheelbarrow that is unfamiliar, but smells very nice, two shadows appear. One is a large cat, parts of him seeming to appear and disappear. What is this mystery? Those that live here smile to themselves. They know this trick of old from Marble, for that is who it is. They have learned that as the full moon comes and goes from behind the clouds, Marble changes, because he is a powerful black and white cat, half in shadow, half in light. Next to him crouches a very small cat, stripey, hard to see, even in the light cast by the moon. That is until she looks in the direction of Juanny and she catches the moon in her eyes. The large cat leans over the little one, seems to whisper something in her ear. She bats him on the head and "mreeps" softly in amusement. Marble turns towards Aurora and sweeps his tail in a graceful cat bow. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am. Here is my adopted little sister, Yarrow. I am sure you will look after her. Watch out for her, she can be a bit impetuous. Now that I have placed her in your care, excuse me, there are two hoomins that I love very much that I would like to visit. I will rejoin all of you at the ball." A cat, fading in and out of sight, strolls towards the house, tail held high. "Mreep, Ms. Aurora," says Yarrow. "Nice to meet you and all that. I promise I'll be a very good cat. Here, have some more chicken, for once I don't seem to be very hungry." The little cat haltingly, but with a certain sassy swing, walks towards the blanket and the rugged, but handsome cat lying there. Once on the blanket, she notices a small, oblong box, stops and gives it a sniff, and then continues on. "Hello, Juanny." Suddenly overcome by shyness, she gives him a quick sniff, an equally quick bat on the top of the head and scoots back. She sits and looks at him, the moon still in her eyes. And now the big moment arrives. Yarrow is here and the waiting is over. Juanny tries to say something witty or friendly, or anything, but all that comes out of his mouth is a dry "mreep?". He shoves the small oblong package at Yarrow and waits stock still for her to open the box. "Fer me? U brought a present fer me. I didnt bring you anything, oh dear! Be right back." Yarrow disappears and then re-appears clutching a plastic bag in her teeth. She puts it on the blanket and pushes it towards Juanny, who takes a deep appreciative sniff. "Oh Yarrow, how kind uv yu......mmmmmm ....mmm (a slightly glazed look appears on his face) well, I can fink uv a gud use fur dis, heh heh heh....lets save dis till later shall we, wen weze alone." (Juanny surprising himself at such thoughts). He turns his attention back tu Yarrow and the box. "......it...its ....I fort yu mite like it coz I no dat you like dat sort uv fing....," Juanny mumbles. But as Yarrow becomes busy trying to open the darned box Juanny gets a good look at her. He sighes deeply and smiles to himself. She is beautiful. She is everything he could have ever hoped for. He wants to reach out his paw and touch her head, but restrains himself for fear she might run away. Yarrow finally pries the box open and gazes down in amazement at what she sees. Then she looks up at Juanny, a mixture of wonder and shyness in her eyes. "A pen, wiff my name on it... n ur name too! A pen of my very own, that I doesnt have to share with anybody, if I doesnt want to?" Yarrow delicately reaches into the box with one little paw and takes the pen out. Taking it into her mouth, she runs in a happy circle around Juanny, singing the whole time to him about how happy she is with her pen. Finally she drops it in front of Juanny and invites him to share it with her. When he seems slow to respond, she gives him a quick headbutt and dances backwards, just a very little bit. Juanny is a bit slow to respond at first, intoxicated as he is with Yarrow and his first whiff of Nip. Then he catches on and picks the pen up in his mouth and circles around Yarrow, slowly and gracefully, carefully moving closer and closer until he faces her, eye to eye, nose to nose a whiskers breadth away. They stare at each other fascinated and unable to move or speak... Finally, Yarrow breaks the spell. She sidles up next to Juanny, headbutts him under his chin and purrs; "Wanta go to the ball? N when the ball is over, we could go to the Halloween Hop. I figgured out costumes fer us. You could go as Long John Silver, wiff a patch to cover up the side of ur face that TED took, n a crutch to help u walk, n I could go as a coquette (thats not a kinda bird, Shu, so relax). I could wear a really tall wig on my head, a patch on my cheek, (it's not a dirt smudge!) and a beeutifool gown wiff really full skirts, so nocat could see my back legs don't work so good. Ohhh!!! Yeah!!!! The gown would have a decollete that went from here to waaaaaaaaay down there. (Pawline would be sooooo proud!)" -Yarrow, shimmering alongside Juany. Meanwhile, the sun begins to rise, and Orange, Simba, and the d*gs rush outside to greet up the circle of cats sitting on a smurgling blanket, surrounded by hundreds of roses, with the handsome Juanny and the lovely Yarrow in the center. They invite them all in for breakfast while the d*gs