jelliclesoul635/ Thanks for the comment! It's great to see I "addicted" someone to my story (no offense… sorry), but I guess it also means that I must keep up the work and not get lazy! :)

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A small song of a bird was what woke Munkustrap up. When he opened his eyes and looked around, he saw a heavy dark-blue color in the sky. The cold air was still the conqueror of the lands.

He tried to stretch his stiffened body, yet such daily process was more of a challenge today… The bones and muscles were definitely not completely immune to the unpleasant cold.

He slowly walked to the sleeping kitten. She was shivering. It was clear that she was trying to find a fragile balance between maintaining the slumber and being unfriendly to the temperature.

I shall be extra kind to her, Munkustrap thought, I shall not let what happened yesterday happen again. He reminded himself that what may be just a somewhat-cruel joke to him could be a devastating bomb to a kitten. He was embarrassed in just realizing this simple fact after all of the years of being the protector cat.

Munkustrap put his head next to Jemima's head and purred a friendly morning greeting.

She, startled, got up like a stressed spring and started to panic.

"Wh… wh… whe… where am I? Munk! Munkustrap?" she cried.

"It's alright. I'm right here. Remember, we're not at home," he said, trying to soothe the frightened kitten.

"Oh… oh… O… Ok," she said as she shook her head violently, "I just had… had a terrible dream…"

Munkustrap grew curious about upon what subject her nightmare was on, but he coerced his curiosity down. Respect her privacy, he reminded himself silently.

He gently hugged the kitten so as to warm her shivering body. Jemima would've usually complained, saying that she wasn't that young anymore, but today, she just kept still since she needed warmth.

After a few hours, the sun ascended higher into the sky. Munkustrap faced towards the direction of the solar illumination while closing his eyes. He let the warmth of the rays permeate into his fur… warming him… somewhat comforting his yearn for the warmer seasons… He wanted to preserve this moment…

"Munkustrap…"

He didn't want to break his moment of pleasure…

"Munk…"

"Oh, sorry, Jem. I was just enjoying the rays… from the sun…" he sighed, sighed because he was rather disappointed that the moment was brought to an end.

"Munk, what should we do now?"

"Hmm…?"

"I mean, don't you want to do something… exciting?"

Munkustrap sighed again. What he wanted was quietness and relaxation. But kittens hated that…

"Sure. We'll share stories…" he said quietly.

Jemima looked up, wondering what he meant.

"How about this? I'll share about Demeter if you share about Alonzo," Munkustrap suggested.

"Munk! My tomfriend is none of your business!" Jemima shouted with a giggle.

"I thought you wanted exciting?"

"Grrr. Ok. Alright. Well… Alonzo… he's… he's… I mean, he looks pretty muscular and all but… but… I like that sense of responsibility in him. I mean, not as much as you, but… in his own way…" she said shyly.

"Well, Jem, all of the tribe was surprised when the news of you and him dating was heard. I mean, not only are you young to date but you were also once obsessive of the Tugger…" he asked.

"Yeah… but… that was kinda joking along and like a… a… silly thing. This is like serious… I mean, really caring for each other, so on…" Jemima commented.

"Is Etcetera still obsessive of Tugger?" Munkustrap asked with a smile.

"Yeah – she still is. Maybe that's what makes her different from me… Maybe I'm a bit more mature?" she asked shyly.

"I definitely agree with that. But have you ever wondered why Etcy is so into Tugger?"

"I don't know. Maybe his physical appearance?"

"Jem, maybe it's that… But sometimes, cats who seem just "crazy" and very open of their emotions – Etcy is a perfect example – sometimes just are more sophiscated on the inside. Maybe Etcy has a little concern about something in the inside… and wants to ignore that by being obsessed with something."

"Munk, but Etcy doesn't seem that complicated. I mean, no offense to her, but she doesn't seem to have anything that troubles her,"

"Jem… you never know. In such teenage years, Etcy may be experiencing tempests in her mind… like moral issues, future problems, et cetera…"

"So maybe she's "loving" Tugger to try to free herself from those worries?" Jemima asked.

"Maybe. I don't know. But don't mention it to her."

"Ok. I promise. Munk, you really make me think a bit different about her. Really… she doesn't seem like the same Etcetera. Maybe I should talk to her if anything bothers her…"

"I would rather not, Jem. I would take it more slowly. After all, we don't know if that's really the case for her. Maybe she's just attracted to Tugger, nothing more. Jem, I don't want to spoil your view of your best friend."

"I know. You don't need to worry about that. It's just… seeing a different possibility in her… I mean, I'm still gonna treat her the same way, anyways… as my best friend," Jemima answered.

"I'm happy to hear that. Now, did you ever kiss Alonzo?" Munkustrap said playfully, taking a risk.

"Munk! Really!"

"Ok… sorry… I'll just start telling you about Demeter, I guess…"

Jemima looked at him eagerly.

"Well, Jem, I guess it's the same thing for Demeter, too – just like how you see Alonzo. There's the physical beauty that she has, but there's also the inner beauty that shines… She seems shy but also is sophiscated. And there's this good mood I feel when I get close to her… She seems like someone who I can talk freely to… a good friend… someone who can comfort me when I feel sad… And that's how I try to be to her, as well…"

"Wow… Munk… It's just like the feeling I have towards Alonzo."

"I guess it's a universal thing for lovers," Munkustrap replied, "Anyways, let's go find some lunch."

Jemima nodded with a pleasant smile and followed him.

..

I know that some of you are disappointed in the lack of action and adventures in the story so far. However, sometimes we need quiet aspects in a story. After all, life isn't just adventures, is it? :) I certainly appreciate comments. Please be critical. Actually, I need your comments to help me to keep on writing this story, to be honest! :)