The night was calm and quiet. A gray mother cat and her litter were curled up in a brown cardboard box, lined with soft blankets just right for three young kittens. The smallest, black with one white paw and a bushy white tipped tail stirred in the bright moonlight. His mother drowsily opened her eyes to notice one of her litter had gone missing.
"Now where could he have gone?" she wondered to herself, careful to not wake the other two members of her litter as she went to look for her lost kit.
It didn't take long to find her kitten, as he was sitting on a short footrest a few feet away from where the group had been sleeping. He was gazing at the full moon with his recently opened eyes. When his mother picked him up by the scruff of his neck he protested with a tiny squeak. He wriggled a little as she settle back into the box, placing him gently down next to his two siblings.
The kitten was obviously upset his midnight exploration was cut off prematurely, but he didn't make an attempt to escape again. His mother smiled at him, reminded of the adventurous nature of his father, that had led to him going far beyond the village when he was younger. Before long the kit had dozed off and his mother was left the only one awake. She glanced at him one last time before closing her eyes.
You'll be a brave adventurer too, someday, my little Tiny…