The snow muffled the sound of a predator on the prowl. The queen of the forest, on the hunt once again. A majestic snow tiger. Her golden eyes locked on to her prey, blissfully unaware of her presence. She readied her claws, preparing to strike. With a sudden pounce it was over. Her target captured with a deadly precision.

"Momo, don't wander off too far."

"Okay!"

Momo tossed the poor pebble aside, satisfied with her hunt. She skipped through the small smattering of snow back to the hiking trail. Aiko was waiting for her, wrapped up in the largest coat Momo had ever seen. Her caretaker had offered to take a Christmas stroll up in Momo's favourite part of the city, but now looked like she was regretting it. Momo threw her arms around the shivering woman, she wanted her to enjoy their time together as well.

"Thank you for taking me up here!"

Aiko gave a weak smile under her large hood, returning the hug.

"It's alright honey. Are you having fun?"

"Mmmmhmm!"

"Well go play some more, just stay where i can see you."

That was all the permission Momo needed. She bounded to the edge of the trail and scampered up a frost covered tree. She loved being surrounded by nature. The sounds that filled the air, the new smells she could track through the woods, it was much better than the tight, smokey confines of the city. She hopped along the branches with inhuman agility, excellent balance was a natural trait of the young cat girl.

It was a long while before Momo came back down to the ground, her small collection of twigs and pine needles shoved in her pockets. Her eyes were getting heavy as Aiko took her hand and started leading her back to the car.

"Come on sweetheart. Once we get back you can have some more turkey and then take a nap."

"Yay!"

Her response was fairly subdued, but Momo was looking forward to it. Turkey was one of her new favorite foods, it was almost as nummy as tuna, and Miss Lola had done an amazing job with their little take out meal. Naps were a necessary part of the day of course, but if Aiko was treating her that meant an added bonus.

"Will you have a nap with me?"

The Asian woman gave her hair a gentle stroke.

"Sure sweetheart. We can use the big bed."

Momo clambered into the passenger seat and let Aiko strap her in. she could feel her eyes closing as she tried to stay awake, it had been an exciting day. From all the tasty food, to the presents Aiko had told her to open in the morning, Momo was a happy level of tired. She fought to stay awake as they drove home. She liked the car, mostly because she could look out the window as they sped along.

"Have you enjoyed today Momo?"

"Yeah." The young girl pressed her face to the glass as the trees gave way to hard gray concrete, her ears once again hidden under the floppy bucket hat. "I liked talking to Grandma this morning. She says she wants me to paint her next."

Aiko gave a chuckle.

"You were pretty into it this morning. I'm sure she'd love a picture from did you like most then?"

Momo had to think carefully, draining what little energy she had left. The food had all been wonderful, and she'd really liked calling everyone to say happy Christmas. They were even going to Miss Jessie's party at new year. But there was one thing that made the day perfect.

"I liked having you home."

There was a short silence in the car, just for a moment. When Aiko spoke her voice cracked slightly.

"Th...Thank you Momo. I'll try to be home more after the holidays. We still get two weeks together though! That'll be fun."

Momo didn't fully hear her though. Tiredness had claimed her. She managed to whisper a soft reply before falling asleep.

"Yeah…...Mommy."

The car continued on its way as the sleepy kitty drifted off. If she'd stayed awake she would've seen the single happy tear roll down Aiko's cheek.