Snow lightly dusted the ground. Little bits of grass poked out of the frost, making the park's lawn appear dotted with little holes. The branches of the trees did not bow under the weight of the snow, nor were the paved walkways slick with ice. Only a mild winter scene decorated the park. The harsh bite of winter was just on the verge of giving away to spring. There was a chill in the air, but not one that seemed to foretell of harsher weather to come. Above, the unwieldy, gray sky had begun to break up, allowing only slivers of sunlight to beam down on the earth.
Castiel considered all of this with a plaintive mind. His thoughts whirled with the tragedies of his past, and fears for the future. This tranquil scene before him did not bring Castiel the same peace as it once would have. Yet still he regarded the landscape, and the simplicity of the city park before him with a dull sense of quietness. For a moment, he allowed himself to rest on a wet, wooden bench sitting in the center of the park. As the sun broke through the clouds, radiating down on Castiel's shoulders, he allowed himself to relax. The warmth beamed across his body and fell gently upon his crown. This was a moment for simple pleasure, one that not even Castiel could deny himself. Slowly, gently, resting became dozing and dozing became napping. Castiel let himself slip into a strained, but peaceful sleep.
As quietly as he had fallen asleep, Castiel awoke. There was a gentle sneeze next to him, quiet and timid. Castiel turned his gaze towards the noise, just over the edge of the bench and down to the ground. Next to him sat a strange sight. Below the bench, gathering around his feet and trailing across the wood slats of the bench was a mess of fluffy, white feathers. The downy feathers looked light and warm spread over the slush soaked ground. Following the trail led Castiel's gaze to a nest of white fluff, haphazardly concealed under the park bench.
Sitting quietly in the midst of the mess was a tiny kitten, barely old enough to have been weaned from his mother. The creature looked up at Castiel with a tiered face. The kitten was a tabby, with a white chest and a white chin. His big, dark eyes, surrounded by a thin line of white, were still wide from his games with the feathers. Above his eyes, his ears hung low amidst bold, dark stripes, almost flat, as if he were too exhausted to keep them up. The whiskers sticking out of his cheeks drooped tiredly around a dark gray nose. Down covered his black and gray fur, gently clinging to the tips of the kitten's hairs.
As the kitten peered quietly into Castiel's eyes, the angel smiled. He stood, careful not to disturb the mess of feathers and soak the warm down. Quietly he walked over to one of the park trash cans, and looked inside. Castiel pulled a small, cardboard, shoe box out from the metal bin and carried the crate back to the bench. Crouching down, Castiel began carefully gathering feathers and placing them in the box. He carefully avoided placing the cardboard on any wet surfaces, afraid of soaking the material and ruining the crate. Under the bench the kitten sneezed again, and Castiel noticed how wet the kitten's striped paws and light belly fur looked. He must be a stray, all on his own.
When Castiel had finished picking up the feathers on the bench and around the nest, he paused. As slowly and gently as he could Castiel reached under the bench. The kitten hissed lightly at him and Castiel paused again. For a moment he waited, but the tiered creature didn't move away and Castiel began to move his hand more slowly towards the kitten. After what seemed like a long time Castiel finally touched the kitten. The creature was either too tiered or too cold to care that the angel was touching him and did not move away from Castiel's hand. As Castiel lifted him from the nest he frowned. The kitten was so small, and skinny too. His damp fur felt cold, and dirty. Castiel's gray-blue eyes held a hint of pity as he carefully rested the creature in the cardboard box he had balanced precariously upon his knees.
Slowly he allowed his knees to fall, adjusting the box to rest in his lap instead. Castiel could feel the mud and slush begin to soak into his pants and into his long coat, but for now he didn't mind. The kitten had splayed his legs, digging his claws into the layer of feathers to hold on as the box had moved. When the motion stopped the creature fell over lightly, falling face first into the pile of feathers. As Castiel watched the kitten looked up at him, not daring to stand up again. The creature was timid, and probably frightened, but he didn't attempt to leave the box.
Even more carefully than before Castiel gathered the feathers from under the bench. He covered the kitten in the light plumage to help trap what little heat the creature could make. Then he rose, carrying the crate close to his chest and walking in a slow, but steady gate down the paved pathways of the park. Castiel walked out of the park, following the roads as they wound around city blocks until he came across the animal shelter. The walk had been a long one, Castiel had been walking as lightly as he could to not disturb the kitten. By the time he had reached the shelter steps the small kitten had fallen asleep.
Slowly, deliberately, Castiel lowered the box onto the steps, being careful not to place the cardboard in any of the slushy puddles lying across the ground. Someone was sure to see the box soon, especially in the middle of business hours in the middle of the business week. Castiel left the kitten, breathing lightly in the small box. He was sure the small creature would find a home soon, and would be much happier than he had ever been.