A brown, dried leaf floated down to meet the crisp, hard ground below.
The air was getting colder, the wind blowing harder.
A dark brown tom barely managed to leap on a chaffinch before it flew away.
He looked at the sky and saw white flakes started to fall. The snow was like ice and the cold bit into his fur, making him want to curl up right then and be warm, if not comfortable.
But he knew he couldn't. He had to get back to Rain. She must've already given birth. He had been gone since moonhigh and it was minutes till dawn. He grabbed the chaffinch, scooped up the two mice and a scrawny vole he'd caught earlier, and pelted to his den, his jaws stuffed with mouthwatering scents of prey.
He ran for two whole minutes before he arrived at a bramble thicket, interwoven with twigs and leaves and bracken.
He slipped inside the narrow entrance and warmth almost overwhelmed him, scents of moss and milk drifting to his nose.
A gray she-cat with darker speckles was lying on her side, four tiny kits nuzzling her belly.
"Falcon?"the she-cat asked drowsily.
"Its me, Rain."the dark brown tom, Falcon, glanced at the four kits, the fresh-kill forgotten for the moment."I didn't expect so many. I'm sorry I left you alone. They could have died. I should have been here to help."
Rain flicked her tail.
"Hush now, Falcon. They all survived,"Rain meowed.
Quickly skimming her mind for a way to distract him of the uncomfortable note of possible death, she mewed."I've named them already. Would you like to know your kits' names?"
It worked.
His blue eyes grew bright.
"Of course."he meowed.
"The gray and white she-kit is Cloud. The brown tom with the cream speckles is Speckle. The gray and white tom-kit is Smoke. And the silver she-kit with the cream paws is Dawn."Rain meowed, then yawned.
"They're beautiful. And now you should get some rest."Falcon meowed, his eyes glowing with adoration."I'll watch over you and the kits."
Rain only nodded sleepily and fell asleep.
The only sound now was the kits as they mewed a couple of times and fell asleep on the spot, beside rain's warm belly.
Falcon watched them lovingly.
After hours of keeping watch, when the sun was high enough to where the day should have been warm, but snow was still falling in thick groups, falcon finally dozed off.
Only one cat was awake at this moment. She fell asleep after Falcon, but she'd known, even though she was temporarily blind and deaf, that she was surrounded by security and that someone wanted her to know something, to do something. And it was only a kit.
And it was Dawn.