Chapter 1

Rumpelteazer giggled in delight. Excitement and adrenaline faded as she stood outside her home. Another raid was totally successful due to her. And Mungo, Teazer reminded herself. She frowned and turned her beautiful head ever so slightly to study her mate. Something was wrong. Teazer realized that Mungo hadn't tried to quiet her, which he always did, because he thought her giggles were annoying and a half.

"Mungo, are you mad at me?" Teazer asked timidly. He blinked, as if breaking out of a distant troubled thought.

"Uh, no Teaz. We better get some sleep. You know, delivery in the morning." He padded into the lop-sided box. Teazer stared after him, wide-eyed. Mungo…telling me to get some sleep? The calico queen shook her head. He's tired… or something. It'll be okay in the morning. Teazer followed the pre-occupied tom. He smiled at her reassuringly. She smiled back hesitantly. The day's work caught up with the queen suddenly, and she let go of her anxious thoughts, letting sleep fold around her.

Mungojerrie watched his mate relax into the distant dreamworld. He smiled when her tail twitched. Oh, how much he loved that queen. Fear washed over the tom as horrible murderous scenes flashed through his mind. Possible scenes. Scenes that could happen to Teaz; his Teaz. Losing her couldn't be… wouldn't be an option. If I ever tell…, Mungo shook away the thought. He pushed it to the back of his mind, tying to lose it, knowing in a few hours it would poke at him again. And again. And every time it asked for attention, it'd get worse.

Mungo didn't know when he fell asleep, but it's impossible to dream without being asleep. For once in a week, his dream was frivolous. A dream of singing daisies and dancing clouds. The first dream that week that he could share with Teazer, that they could laugh at. A dream that for sure did not foretell the future.