A/N: Windcharms requested a sad & fluffy story about Misto injuring himself and not being able to dance anymore. For the purpose of clarity (and also so I can spare myself a bit of a weird google search about feline anatomy) I'll be describing the injuries how you'd describe them in the human body. Sorry it took so long - I got pretty badly blocked about 500 words in and this one kinda got left by the wayside as I worked on my other stories.

Being off my feet for a month and a half was the worst thing I'd ever felt, it was almost worse than the injury itself. I'm still not sure what caused it, but right in the middle of my practice I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. I hadn't fallen or landed a leap badly so I couldn't fathom what went so wrong. I tried to take a step but the moment I put any weight on it the pain shot up through my leg and I fell. Thankfully I wasn't far from our den and Tugger came running when I cried out. Despite my insistence that I could manage as long as he helped, he hoisted me up in his arms and carried me all the way to Jenny's den. I'll confess I loved being in his arms, having him so close always made me feel safe. Luckily we didn't encounter anyone on the way to her den so we didn't have to explain why he was carrying me around like a kitten.

When we arrived at Jenny's den he laid me down on some blankets and I told her what had happened. She felt up and down my calf for a moment before she made it down to just above my heel and I cried out in pain. Apparently I'd damaged my Achilles' Tendon while dancing and I'd have to rest for several weeks before I could dance again. She showed Tugger how to wrap my ankle to help keep swelling down and told both of us that I should stay off it as much as possible and keep it elevated whenever possible. Once she'd finished Tugger lifted me up again and carried me to our den.

As unpleasant as it was being cooped up in our den, it felt so good to have Tugger there. Even under normal circumstances he was always surprisingly attentive, but this was something else. He took care of every little thing, making sure I wanted for nothing. At one point it seemed like he was doing everything but eat my food for me. Don't get me wrong, I've always loved that about him, the way he can make me feel like I'm the only thing in the world that matters to him. Without him, the weeks of rest would've been truly unbearable.

Finally after six weeks Jenny said I was finally ready to start dancing again. She warned me to take it easy since I would have lost quite a bit of my stamina and strength from being down so long. She also warned me that the tendon would still be weak so I should just begin building myself back up instead of trying to dance like I had been able to before I injured it.

After all those weeks without, the first moments were bliss. It felt as if I'd returned home after a long trip. Everything had seemed so foreign, but now everything was familiar. I started slowly, remembering Jenny's warning, but the more I danced the better I felt. I never feel more at home, more myself, than I do when I'm dancing. Nothing else matters, the rest of the world becomes a blur and it's just me and my body. With every leap and pirouette I feel another one of my worries or fears melt away. It's the kind of sensation hat can't be explained, the kind of sensation that only those who have experienced it can understand. The more I felt that sensation the more I wanted it. I danced and danced, picking up the pace and soon I felt as if I'd never stopped. All the stress and anxiety that had built up over the previous month and a half was gone. It was just me, in that moment, doing what I was meant to do.

However, I had been warned against such behavior, as had Icarus, and much like Icarus, I soon found myself crashing back down to earth. I'd flown too high and lost my wings. As I danced I heard a loud pop and pain surged up my leg, as if someone had cut it open with their claw. I screamed in agony as the white hot pain surged through my leg and I collapsed to the ground. There are certain pains that one would wish only upon the greatest of enemies, pain so great that it makes you wish you could simply give in, but not so great as to cause you to. This was one such pain. Every fiber of my being ached with it. Tears flowed freely from my eyes. My vision grew blurry and my mind became cloudy. I didn't hear Tugger's approach, but I soon felt his arms lifting me from the ground and pulling me to his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his mane.

I don't recall much after that until we were again in Jenny's den. As the pain began to fade my mind grew clearer and my vision returned. There was a horrible taste in my mouth, from what I can only assume was something Jenny had given me for the pain. When I finally alert, I became aware of the fact that Jenny was trying to capture my attention.

"Mistoffelees? Can you hear me?"

"I... I can hear you know," my speech was slightly slurred from the medication or the pain, or both.

"What happened? Tugger said he heard you screaming and found you on the ground."

"I was dancing until I heard this loud pop and my leg felt as if it was being torn apart."

"I feared as much. I think you may have fully severed your Achilles'. Can you point your foot for me?" Try as I may, I couldn't.

"So what does this mean then?"

"I don't know how to make this any easier so I'll just come out and say it. I don't think you'll ever dance again."

"Ever?"

"Injuries like these rarely fully heal, as you just learned. If by some miracle the tendon did manage to repair itself enough for you to have full control again, it would be even weaker than it was when you tore it today. I mean, I guess you technically wouldn't be without the capacity to dance again, but you'd end up exactly where you are now."

"What am I going to do Tug? Dancing has always been my whole life! I don't know what I am if I'm not a dancer!" We were seated next to each other on the boot lid of the TSE1, alone in the cold night air.

"I wish I had an answer for you, love, but that's something that only you can answer. You may have defined your life thus far by your dancing, but what's to stop you from finding a new passion?"

"How am I supposed to do that? All we do around here is sing and dance! Sure Jerrie and Teazer go off every now and again and steal from Everlasting knows who, and Skimble goes off to Everlasting knows where on those railway journeys, but I'm not exactly cut out to be a thief and I haven't the slightest idea of how to steward!" I felt the tears pressing against my eyes, part of me wanted to let them fall, part of me wanted to at least appear strong. Tugger put his arm around me, pulling me close and nuzzling my head. I gave in and let the tears flow down my cheeks.

"You'll find your way. Just remember how we felt when we first came together. Neither of us knew how our fathers would take to the news that their sons were in love with another tom, nor did we know how the tribe would react to such a thing, but here we are. Together. We made it through that and we'll make it through this." We sat there silently, together in the pale moonlight. Just as the dawn was breaking, another day dawning, Tugger broke the silence. "Hey Misto? Have you ever thought of trying your hand at magic?"