I was coughing in harsh rasps even in my restless sleep, ridden with fever from the biting cold air that settled annually every winter. At first my dream was just filled with a choking pitch black that smothered and muffled all other surroundings, but gradually silver streaks danced before my eyes like moonbeams in the night and lit wherever I was.
And I saw, standing in the rays of moonbeams, their fur glittering with small stars that clung to every strand…cats.
Millions of them were standing in front of me. I didn't know how they could all fit in my dream world, but they did, what's more they managed it well. The cats stared at me with serene eyes that practically radiated light. I couldn't stare back very well without blinking every so often against the light I was staring into, so I satisfied myself by squinting somewhere over their shoulders, where impenetrable shadows lingered.
Suddenly catching the eye of what looked like a starry-pelted fluffy kitten, I both felt and heard my stomach give out a ravenous grumble.
One of the starry cats, a silver tabby that I guessed was a female, stepped protectively in front of the kitten I was eyeing. I stared at her ear, still not wanting to meet any of the cats' luminous gazes, and knew it couldn't have been my imagination as a hiss of disapproval echoed around the clearing.
"The fox is ignorant." I heard a soft meow.
Dazed, not registering the fact that some cat had just insulted me, I felt confused and frightened to the tip of my bushy red tail. I knew this was a dream, but seriously? I could understand exactly what the cat was saying.
I shivered back a step.
For a moment there was only silence, in which I shifted on uncomfortable paws, itching to wake up. The starry cats observed me with eyes missing nothing.
I strained my ears, searching for a sound that would indicate where I was.
An eerie silence met my eardrums. Faintly, very faintly, I caught a delicate rustle in the breeze with my pricked russet ears, and sniffed out for the first time the familiar scent of trees.
An iridescent flare of hope danced in my belly. There was forest nearby. Even in my dream, this knowledge reassured me greatly.
But there were still these cats to consider.
The silence stretched on. I eyed each cat with suspicion. What a strange dream.
Finally, a meow broke the silence like shattering glass, but the words were not directed at all at me. A long-furred blue-grey cat turned his face towards his peers and spoke. Again, I understood exactly what the cat was saying.