September

12 Stafford Terrace, Kensington, London, England

"Wh-what the hell is that?!" David froze in his chair, face grey.

Freddie, who had come back from the pet shop not five minutes before, was standing in the living room of the charming little flat they shared, the top-loading wicker basket on the coffee table in the middle of the floor. Tiger the Kitten, as she was now named, hopped out and looked around her new environment with big gemlike eyes. High skirting boards painted white, wooden varnished mantle piece, a large oriental vase with (plastic) colourful flowers in the corner of the room and a bamboo cushioned settee placed against the wall. And to top it all off a very stony faced David Minns was sitting in his armchair, looking back at his boyfriend with eyes filled with annoyance.

"Oh it's a big scary lion that's gonna eat you up until there's noting left but bone..." Freddie said sarcastically. "It's a kitten, David! You've seen a bloody cat before!"

"A kitten..." David slouched back and exhaled. "You came home with a kitten..."

"Isn't she gorgeous?" Freddie exclaimed as he smiled, picking her up off the coffee table.

"What the hell Freddie!" David stood up and barked.

"A little kitten didn't do us any harm..." he pouted before holding Tiger up in his hands and nuzzling her.

"Why now, Freddie..." David groaned. "We're only just settling in... it doesn't even feel like home yet! And we already have one cat to worry about!"

And indeed, the hallway of their flat was still stacked with towers made up of several boxes of their possessions.

"Well, at least Jerry will have some new company..." Freddie fought back, collapsing on the sofa as he kicked his platforms off his feet. It was all he could think of at that moment.

"For f... sake be realistic! Jerry doesn't even get along with the cat next door! They're insanely territorial animals!" David groaned, and as right as David was that didn't stop Freddie's blood boiling.

It was a long story, and it made him very agitated since they'd moved in. Especially since the same people also made a noise complaint one evening (something about banging on the walls... and funny noises...) and the landlord issued them a warning.

"Yeah well maybe if next door's cat didn't bloodywell jump on top of Jerry from the tree like a bloody drop bear or something during his first time in the back garden-"

Before Freddie knew it all the raised voices in the room had caused Tiger to jump off his lap and scamper behind the giant vase for safe hiding.

"Oh now look what you made me do. You've frightened her!" Freddie got on his knees and went looking for her.

David stood up and muttered under his breath, "pathetic..."

"Oh come on dear is it money? Is that the thing?" Freddie stood back up onto his feet and followed his boyfriend out, asking him desperately. "Oh come on, David! You seem to be forgetting that I'm Freddie Mercury! We'll have no problem feeding them!"

"There you go always going on about yourself yada yada yada!!" David shouted as he stomped up the stairs.

"What are you doing now!?"

"Does it matter? I'm going upstairs! What else does it look like?!"

"But babe..." Freddie's voice stopped him.

David sighed at the top of the stairs and spun around on his feet, "What..."

"What about the club tonight?"

"F... all that... you have more important things to do apparently."

"Please, David. She's a baby. I need to look after her... What about tomorrow night then?" Freddie's voice cracked a little.

"I have that side job as a late night runner in the studio, remember? Of course you don't! Because you only f...ing care about what you want!"

And with the slam of their bedroom door, their conversation was over. Freddie felt so stuck. He didn't get another cat out of selfishness, or at least he didn't want to face that fact. Deep down, he'd gotten that kitten in an attempt to make David smile a little, and he wanted to put a bit more life into the new relationship they were starting to build. Freddie even wrote him a freaking love song on Queen's last album, for crying out loud...

Plus that he just wanted another cat, really.

Tiger began to peep out from behind the vase as Freddie walked back into the room, and he smiled when he saw her.

"Oh don't worry about him..." he bent down to her and giggled a little. "He's only jealous because he's I'm afraid I'm going to give all my attention to you. But that's not true..."

He stretched his hand out to Tiger, and slowly she crept over and let him stroke her.

"I haven't showed you the back garden..." he picked her up. "I must! Although Jerry could be there..."

So Freddie opened the grand double doors and carried Tiger outside. It was a lovely sunny day, and the busy London traffic could only be heard distantly as birdsong filled the air. The garden was a very basic one, the front half a stone tiled patio and the other half a lush green lawn. There was a large cherry tree at the bottom right of the garden, much to Freddie's delight, which is one reason why he impulse bought the place. There were vines of ivy climbing up the brick wall side by side. Tiger was swishing her head, looking around at her new environment in excitement, and indeed, there was Jerry the tortoiseshell cat rolling and laying on the grass, basking in the sunshine.

"Oh there he is..." Freddie quickly made his way over to him with Tiger.

Jerry looked up in annoyance, for Freddie's figure was blocking the sunlight. In the dim light he could just about see Freddie holding something, and he could also so sense, or even smell something very off about the atmosphere. What the hell does he want now, Jerry thought. He better be giving me food otherwise there's no point in hanging around to give him my company. As for Tiger, the moment she saw the big, chubby cat ten times bigger than she was she curled up into a ball in Freddie's arms.

"Hello there, Puddikins!" Freddie said in his high, childlike and over affectionate tone of voice that he would, and would always put on with a cat, crouching down to him. "Look who is here to stay."

And slowly and carefully, Freddie set Tiger down onto the patch of grass in front of Jerry. Tiger felt the grass beneath her paws, and it was a much nicer feeling than the damn hay in the cage. Unfortunately a moment later Tiger was snapped out of her daze by a screech and a hiss, and she looked up and backed away from an agitated Jerry.

"Jerry!" Freddie tried to say soothingly, taken aback by his angry reaction.

"What the f... is that mangy little beast doing in my territory?! I'm Top Cat here! I am!" Jerry growled in cat language, hunched up and ears back in anger.

"Oh Jerry she's living here now..." Freddie continued. He only really said that to help himself feel better about the whole situation going on. Tiger huddled away from Jerry in fear and confusion in a defensive stance.

"Ughhhh why aren't you going away!? I hate this! Why did the humans do this?!" Jerry stood up and turned away from them both.

"...Well, you'll just have to get used to having her around... I know you will." Freddie said.

"I don't think I want to live here anymore..." Tiger mewed as she hid behind Freddie's leg.

"Well, f... you all..." Jerry growled before returning one more hiss at Tiger, "stay outta my way! Got it?!" and he darted off to scramble up a tree.

When Jerry was out of sight, Freddie chuckled uneasily and awkwardly, "Well, there's another one down. Seems I'm outnumbered already..."

"I should've stayed in the pet shop..." Tiger mewed again, causing Freddie to smile.

"Oh god, you're precious..." he picked her up again. "Let's get you something to eat. You must be very hungry."

So he took her back inside and into their kitchen where he gave her a saucer of milk and a small tray of meat (in a new bowl of course. Jerry would be raging otherwise if he caught that "mangy little beast" eating out of his bowl), and as she ate happily that gave Freddie enough time to think of a plan to get his boyfriend back to himself again.

They crept upstairs, and Freddie quietly opened their door just a crack so that Tiger could get in. He peeped through the gap and watched as she instinctively scrambled up onto their bed and crawled over to David, as he was the nearest form of human company. He was lying on his side, staring up at the ceiling, taking some time to cool off after their little argument.

Tiger approached him with caution. She was always very wary of humans since her ordeal she had when she was extremely young, especially wary with this one who put himself across and loud and prone to having a temper (Even though Freddie was the more hot headed out of the two). She mewed quietly to grab his attention...

"I know what you're at, Fred..." David sighed, refusing to budge. Although he was turned away from the doorway he heard the creak. Oh yes. You'd think someone as smooth as Freddie Mercury would have had stealth.

"Oh shut up!" Freddie rolled his eyes and opened the door.

As he walked in, David slowly rolled over to face Tiger who had stopped in her tracks. Freddie stood at the end of the bed frame to watch. David looked at her intently, and began to carefully stretch his arm out towards her. She welcomed his hand, prodding over and letting him stoke her. Freddie squeaked happily.

"Oh I knew you'd both get along!" He jumped up and down on excitedly, Tiger purring in content.

"That's because she's not Jerry..." David sat up now.

"Oh... yes..." Freddie murmured as he ran an awkward hand through his bony hair and made his way over, knowing that he got Jerry a few years ago when he was still with his ex girlfriend.

"...you're a f...er. You know that?" David said as Freddie sat down beside him, Tiger the kitten occupied with a fly in the room.

"Oh for god sake David, don't do this to me!" He hissed back at him.

"...I only meant it in a good way..." David smirked, and then Freddie got the message.

"I'm your f...er," he licked his full lips and rolled onto him. "Uh huh?"

"Uh huh..." David replied lustfully before they kissed.

They seemingly forgot that there was a kitten in the room, and Tiger hopped off their bed and set off to explore.

Everything's so big! And warm, she  thought as she headed towards the door. Everything at that moment felt like an adventure as she skipped around the corner-

"HEY!! I thought I told you to stay outta my way! Scat!" Jerry aggressively yowled and hissed at her, launching himself at her from around the corner.

Freddie, who was about to unbuckle a now moaning David's pants, jumped up off the bed, "JERRY!"

"I-I'm sorry! I only wanted to look around-" Tiger mewed pleadingly as she sprung up on the tip of her paws, eyes wide with shock.

"I f...ing said SCAT!" Jerry spat once more before David swooped him up quickly, agitated that he interrupted their intimate moment with his yowling.

"Be nice, Jerry!" Freddie lightly scolded him as he picked Tiger up.

This place isn't as nice and fun as I thought it would be, Tiger thought as she watched David carry Jerry away.

"Watch out..." the chubby feline growled over David's shoulder as he carried him downstairs, returning a grumpy facial expression.

Tiger tried to ignore him, but she couldn't help feeling vulnerable, intimidated and threatened. She didn't want to take his territory; She just wanted a home, and to be loved, to feel loved, by everyone. She looked up at the only one she was sure gave her that already.

"That wasn't very nice, was it darling?" Freddie kissed her little wet nose. "Well, not to worry. Time will do the trick."

Tiger purred in his arms, her new safe haven. And although she may not have understood what he was saying in human language she knew that she wanted to be happy here. She and Freddie had one thing in common: the hope to gain acceptance soon. Not just for one thing, but for many different things in various forms, personal things.

Only time would tell if they got what they hoped for, some sooner than others. Some unfortunately, not even in their lifetime.

That night...

"Look at her, David!" Freddie giggled as he watched Tiger scamper and frolic on the rug in the middle of the sitting room with a rattling ball. "Isn't she so sweet?"

Tiger was having the best time. The last few hours consisted of playing and exploring and attention up until dinner time when she was treated to a whole tin of sardines, courtesy of David. Jerry huddled up in the corner of the room in jealousy, and even when Freddie tried to give him attention he'd turn him down.

"Oh yeah?" He wiped his hands dry with the kitchen towel after washing up. "Who's sweeter? Me or her?"

"Wellllllllll... she is" Freddie teased with a cheeky smirk.

"Oh you. Why do I put up with you?" David shook his head, then Tiger suddenly felt a call of nature, so she meowed.

"Oh w-what's wrong?" Freddie turned back to her.

"C'mon... I really need to go!" she meowed louder this time.

"Maybe she should go outside for a small bit." David said.

"Could be." Freddie picked her up and headed to the double doors.

"Yessss" Tiger mewed as she saw where she was headed, the garden.

"There you go, darling," Freddie set her down on the stone patio. "I'll be back in a bit, alright?"

He left the doors open just a crack, and Tiger turned around as he walked back inside.

Their back garden was a totally different, almost transformed, at nighttime. There was a half moon in the sky, but sadly light pollution meant that stargazing was practically impossible.The busy London traffic could be heard in full swing with the beeps of car horns and revving of engines as the city came alive in the night. The birds had gone to sleep so all that could be heard were bats and the occasional owl, and moths swarmed around each light source available in Stafford terrace. The leaves of the large cherry tree (it wasn't spring so there was no pink blossom yet) glistened in the moonlight. It wasn't just Tiger's new potty; it was her outdoor adventure playground.

She walked onto the grass until she found a suitable flower bed, or at least a "silly old pile of soil" as Freddie called it, and dug up a hole and started doing her business. When she was finished and the hole filled up she sprayed the cherry tree trunk and headed back in direction of the living room, its light cast across the lawn.

Then suddenly she heard a yowl and felt something big and forceful and slightly sharp knock her down. She tried to scamper away from Jerry but he got in the way again.

"You pooped on my territory!" He hissed. "How dare you! That's my territory!"

"But I needed to go!" Tiger mewed, terrified and shocked. "The humans didn't stop me!"

"You dare question me?!" He growled threateningly. "You don't belong here. This is my territory! Mine!"

Tiger all of a sudden felt hurt, but bigger; all of a sudden she also felt very angry.

"Now you listen here, you big fat lazy meanie! The humans, especially the one with the dark hair, give me everything I want and if I want this garden to be my territory too I will make it my territory!" She yowled back at Jerry, poised and ready to strike back at him.

"Oh shut up I was here first..." he meowed loudly, advancing in on her with his fur spiked up. "I said it before! I'm the Top Cat!"

"Prove it!" Tiger hissed back weakly.

But Jerry couldn't think of a good comeback; that's how dim-witted he was, so he pounced at her again. However, this time Tiger was a little more prepared, knowing what was going to come. With one swish of a paw she scratched his nose and he yelped in pain.

"Leave me alone, fatty!" She hissed at him as he scrambled back inside.

Feeling quite proud of herself, Tiger did a little stretch on the grass. But as she got on all fours again she heard rustling somewhere...

"H-Hello?" She mewed, looking around in full alert.

Then, from the corner of her eye she saw Jerry again, slowly and silently creeping towards her, hunched down low with a deep growl in his throat. The was stuck, and she didn't know how to strike back. She knew that if she sped away Jerry would most definitely chase after her. She was a doomed kitten, frozen on the spot.

Jerry began to charge towards her, and much to her surprise he growled, "You stay the f... away from her!". And before she knew it she heard a hiss behind her, and she leapt out of the way in a trice.

"MRRRROOOWWEWWWW!" 

It was another cat. Jerry pounced onto him and and within seconds the two cats were in a spat of their own, hissing and spitting and yowling loudly. Tiger stood by and spectated, terrified as they rolled on the grass thrashing about with a furious speed with a flash of brown and black and white, until eventually the invading cat made a run for it.

"Good riddance!" Gerry hissed as the white cat jumped back over the wall.

Tiger immediately ran inside, but Jerry's soft meow stopped her. That's right, a soft meow.

"Wait!"

Tiger turned back around slowly.

"...You might want to watch out for him next time... he jumped on me from the tree when the human first took me here." Jerry meowed.

"Really?" Tiger mewed, a little shocked and relieved that things were taking a better turn now.

"Yep. He's always trying to claim this garden but he never will." Jerry meowed with pride in his tone.

"Uhm, okay then. I'll keep an eye out next time." Tiger mewed.

"You can scratch his nose," Jerry meowed. "Like you did to me."

"Oh! I-I'm sorry about that." Tiger mewed.

"Nah. It's fine. I guess I deserved it." Jerry meowed. "You proved your point about living here now. It's your territory too."

"...well, okay then." She mewed.

Then suddenly the door opened and Freddie called out, "Jerry! Tiger! Suppertime!"

"Oh! And remember that sound because when the human makes that weird sound that always means food!" Jerry made his way forward. "Let's go!"

"Oh, uh sure." Tiger mewed as she followed him inside.

"Nice to see you two are getting along now." Freddie smiled as he shut the door.

That night over her bedtime meal on the kitchen floor Tiger couldn't help but think that she was going to be happy here from now on, and she had a more positive outlook on her future. As for Freddie, it meant another beautiful being for him to cherish in his life.

November

As you would expect with any cat, Tiger settled into her new home and with her new family quickly. And she was getting a little bigger as the weeks flew past, which frightened Freddie greatly; he wanted her to be a baby forever. Each day when he came home from the studio and sat down one of his highlights, other than the club and (*ahem) being in bed with David, was spending time with his two cats. As for Tiger, her favourite part of the day was when David would come home from work at around five, let her and Jerry back inside, and feed them both.

Well, she is a cat after all. Nobody said she had to be as loyal as a dog. But the part of the day she loved most was being up in Freddie's arms.

During the day they were let out in the back garden, and they both had lots to do. Jerry should teach Tiger how to hunt, and by that she'd stand by and watch him. Despite the fact that they were now getting along, Jerry hated Tiger going within a 10 cm radius of him, or in the case of a cat, whisker length. One day she snuck up and stole a mouse he caught, and he wasn't best pleased with her for the rest of that day. But on this day, Jerry had new plans...

"Where are you going?" Tiger mewed as she watched Jerry walk along the brick walls.

"Just exploring." he meowed in reply. "I want to see if there's anything interesting, find some drama..."

"I might come with you." Tiger mewed and scrambled up the wall via the cherry tree.

"Alright. Just don't stay too close behind," Jerry yowled. "Make it look as if you're stalking me."

"Uhm, sure." Tiger held back a little.

She waited until she was safe distance away from Jerry, when he had gotten past the width of next door's garden before she followed. Cautiously and nimbly she followed him along the walls separating the two rows of terraced houses and when there were past four or five he suddenly jumped into a garden.

"Wh-where is he going now?!" Tiger stopped crawling and mewed.

He landed on the grass and stayed low. The garden had white patio seating, a few large terracotta pots by the double doors and the bottom end had a small round pond. Tiger looked all directions before jumping down after Jerry.

Jerry was having a sniff around the area. What is he up to, Tiger thought as she sat by and watched him. He then pounced his way over to the pond and stood at the edge to look in and watch. Tiger made her way over and sat on one of the stones lining the edge across from him.

"What is it we're looking for?" She meowed, and he replied, "Wait for it... keep looking."

So Tiger peered in, looking back at her reflection and waiting, the irrigation system causing a ripple on the surface every now and then. But five minutes past, and nothing happened.

"I still don't know what it is we're waiting to find..." Tiger mewed.

"Oh, well what happens sometimes is a funny slimy thing pops up and makes a weird noise." Jerry replied. "But maybe not today."

Of course, a frog wasn't going to swim up to the surface in November, but they both still continued gazing at their reflections. After a while Jerry all of a sudden turned turned wide eyed and alert and scrambled back to the wall.

"Where are you going now?" She mewed.

"Watch out!" He meowed as he rushed along the wall edge.

As Tiger looked at him in confusion she saw something big and dark behind her, filling the reflection of the pond. Quickly she turned to face it...

"SHOO! GET OUTTA HERE! G'ON! GO!" The woman with the sweeping brush screamed, waving it at Tiger.

Like an arrow, Tiger ran up the wall after Jerry, "Wait for me!! Slow down!" and in half a minute they were both back at the back garden of house 12, Stafford Terrace.

"That was a close one." Jerry meowed as he climbed onto the branch of the cherry tree. "Are you alright?"

"No! That was terrifying!" Tiger mewed in reply.

"But it was an adventure, no?" Jerry added as he pounced off the branch.

An adventure, Tiger thought as she jumped down after him. So, that's what an adventure is supposed to be like?

"Well, I shan't be going back to that place." She meowed.

"Nah... it's not normally that bad." Jerry said as he headed to the patio. "There's normally two humans who chased me out in the past."

"Oh, well, another reason not to go back then..." she followed him.

"Oh you." He added. "You have so much to learn."

Well, I'll be damned, Tiger thought.

That night...

The whole house was quiet, and Tiger was curled up in her bed (the top-loading wicker basket with one of Freddie's old cushions in which she was carried home in) in the utility room. But she was struggling to sleep with the thought of all of the threats of the outside world she'd encountered. And she was aware of many more: fast cars, savage dogs, diseases, bad humans like the ones who killed her family...

But there was one human she felt safe with. So she got up, wandered into the kitchen and made her way past Jerry who was looking out the window at the moonlit garden before heading to the staircase. He meowed as a gesture of acknowledgement, and she returned a mew. She treaded up the stairs quietly until she reached the room where her favourite human was. She head-butted Freddie and David's door open ever so gently and crawled in and over to Freddie's side of the bed. The moonlight fell in the room, making it brighter and easy enough for Tiger to see where he was.

"Hello... I'm coming in here. I hope you don't mind." She quietly mewed.

She softly pounced up onto the bottom end of the bed and lightly crawled over and onto a half asleep Freddie's body. He smiled at the feeling of her soft little paws on his bare skin, and as she curled up on his warm hairy chest he lifted his arm and began stroking her lovingly.

"Hello baby," he whispered. "Can't sleep?"

She purred and closed her eyes, and he smiled again and set his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes too. Despite all their demons and darkness, their lives at that moment were the happiest they'd ever been.