The Bewinking of Talisker Pippin and Pandora Pussycat
2

The Preparation

It is dusk on the evening of the new moon at the Jesse Memorial Cat Complex. Terry Jo (a resident d*g) has spent the afternoon doing a stomping dance in the orchard, to make an area of grass comfortably flat in preparation for the evening�s festivities. The area is surrounded by woods. A path to the south leads to the hoomin house and cat garage, a path to the east leads to the cat house, garden, and Pandora�s batchelorette pad (to be renamed Pandy and Tally�s Country Cabin), and a path to the west leads to a small pond. To the north is a fence, with more woods beyond.

Shamrock has prepared a buffet table full of snacks for hungry cats and dogs to munch on before the ceremony: platters of delicious tidbits, poletree critters, as well as pigs� ears, doggy treets, and bones for the d*gs and special treats for the fireflies and glow worms, specially invited for the occasion.

As it starts to get dark, a circle in the center of the orchard begins to glow with a phosphorescent light, having been dusted with dried phosphorescent crystals gathered earlier from the nearby ocean by Terry Jo and Little Bit (another JMCC d*g) during an afternoon swim. The perimeter of the circle is clearly outlined by glowworms, whom Lenny carefully teleported all the way from New Zealand. It is a clear night, the black sky bright with millions of stars. A cloud of blinking fireflies appears, further illuminating the area, and signalling to the guests that it�s time to come sit around the circle. The fireflies, having agreed to be awakened from their winter sleep for a few hours, were brought in by Bootsie, Sassy, Gizmo, and Princess in a specially heated teleporter.

The Entrance

As the guests gather, Ember, Thistle, and other members of the McClowder All-Kitty Pipe and Drum Band assemble their instruments and gather around the southern border of the area and begin playing a slow, stately pipe tune.

Talisker Pippin emerges from the western path, riding high on the back of Giuliani. Tally is wearing ropes of pearls and seashells around her neck, twisted together with light pink and bright fushia and pale, moon-colored velvet ribbons. The pink and fushia ribbons echo the pink of her nose, the seashells the yellowgreen of her eyes. Her brown tabby stripes and the white fur of her tummy and legs glow in the light of the fireflies. Giuliani, proud German Shepherd d*g and Honorary Cat, looks especially beautiful in her collar of braided velvet ribbons, pink and pale moon-colored and bluegreen to match Tally and Pandora.

Simultaneously, Pandora emerges from the east in her carefully groomed gray tabby tuxedo catfur, flanked on the left by her father Poppy and on the right by her sister Sprint. At the last minute, Salal (Pandora�s brother who ran off to join the Invisible Bandits) materializes to join the rest of the family. Pandora is wearing a headdress of blue-green and pale moon-colored velvet ribbons intertwined with delicate strings of small pearls and tiny seashells, all cascading down her back. The blue-green ribbons light up her brightly colored blue-green eyes. Poppy, Sprint, and Salal wear collars of moon-colored velvet ribbons, edged with narrow cords of pink and blue-green trim.

Both entourages converge in the center, where they circle about, each group initially travelling in its own path; then the two groups join and become one, mingling, still circling, until finally Pandora and Talisker Pippin come to a stop at the north end of the gathering, side by side, while the others step slightly to the side. A pair of yellow eyes appears in front of the north gate, seemingly floating down from the sky, until the fireflies light up the rest of the black catbody that is Miranda�s, floating to the ground holding a black Helium balloon.

The Ceremony

Miranda: Tally an Pandy, why have you come heer tonight?

Tally & Pandy: To ask the blessing of our Clowder and the realm uv Bast on our bewinking.

Miranda: And whut have you to say to each other before dis groop about yer bewinking?

Pandora: Tally, we has bin bestest frends fur a longlong time, all day way back to wen we wuz mentees uv Spike an Yunyur. We have had adventures togefur an gone to dances and partees togefur an luked out fur eech uther an all dat time I noo we wuz soulmates. But it wuzn�t until da moon woke me up by shining her moonbeamz on me dat I realized you have been da winkwink uv my heart fur alla dis time wifout me even knowing it (even though I kinda suspected it but I wuz too scared to say ennyfing). So tonite I wanna tell you in da presence uv all these wunderful frends an familee how prowd an happy I is to offer you all da luv from my heart an take you as my wink and I wanna tell all these frends heer how happee you make me an I wanna share all dat happiness wif effurybody.

Tally: Pandora, u�re thuh winkwink uv my heart, too. I�ve nefur felt thuh way I feel about you wif enny uther kitty. When I�m wif you, I feel warm n safe n happy. When I wash your furz, I feel full uv luv. When you wash my furz, I feel so speshull. I luv smurgling wif you n I luve going on advenchurz wif you. Just thinking about you makes me get all warm all over inside. You�ve shown me all kindza noo fingz, and I want to share efurryfing wif you. So I wanna tell efurrykitty tonite that I�m thuh luckiest kitty inna wurld to haf found a purrrfeckt sister n frend n soulmate n winkwink. U are thuh joyful maiden uv my luv. Furefur n efur.

Pandora: Awwww, Tally, dat�s how I feel about you too!!!!

And the two kitties share a bigbig hug.

Miranda: You have chosen to be winkded on da noo moon, da purrfick time fur noo beginnings. May your love grow as da moon grows frum dis day on an always regenerate itself an be fresh like da moon, eternally being reborn.

Miranda, her black fur echoing the midnight sky, her golden eyes gleaming, pads around the circle and sprinkles phosphorescent ocean dust on the two cats, which glows in the starlight and sparkles in the winking of the fireflies. The gathered assembly of cats is hushed as the Siamese Cats� Chorus, adorned with pale moon-colored ribbons, begin to sing a special song of the noo moon:

Hail to you, you noo moon,
Guiding gem of gentleness!
I am waving to you my tail.
I am offering to you my love.

I am waving to you my tail,
I am giving you my paw,
I am lifting to you my eye,
O noo moon uv thuh seasonz.

Hail to you, you noo moon,
Joyful maiden uv my love!
Hail to you, you noo moon,
Joyful maiden uv thuh graces!

You are journeying in your course,
You are steering the full tides,
You are illumining to us your face,
O Noo moon uv thuh seasonz.

You queen-maiden of guidance,
You queen-maiden of good fortune,
You queen-maiden, my dear one,
You noo moon uv thuh seasonz.

At the conclusion of the song, Miranda gives Tally and Pandy each a big headbutt, saying, �Concatulashuns, you two. You�ze winked!�

Tally and Pandy hug each other and jump up and down, leaping and batting at each other excitedly, while the whole crowd cheers and leaps about.

Pandy: WOOOIEEEEE! Tally, Tally, we winked!!!

Tally: Oh, Pandy! Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

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