~Chapter Six~

A snowflake spiraled down, landing on my outstretched paw.

"Jelly?" The queen felt a soft poking in her side, annoyingly awaking her.

"Mhm...what? Asparagus, it's two o'clock in the morning. What is it?" she grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Look," he replied softly. He turned his head towards the front window with gleaming eyes and an enchanted smile. She followed his gaze and her own eyes widened in return.

She could see little white flakes falling gently from the sky.

"Snow," she breathed. It hadn't snowed all winter. The brown, bare ground had been looking very lonely without the powdery white magic to clothe it.

"Help me over to the window, could you?"

Without a word, Jellylorum took hold under his arm and shifted his weight as she did earlier. Her gaze kept changing from mesmerized towards the window to sympathetic towards the wincing tom next to her. With one final gentle push, Asparagus made it up onto the thankfully low window sill, and she hopped up next to him, curling her tail around her feet as she stood in awe. Her paw repeatedly twitched upwards as she tried to catch a snowflake behind the glass, but then remembered her dignity before it was too late. She couldn't help but notice the limp, frayed bandages daring to fall off of Asparagus' wounds.

She noticed her human's thick blue curtains out of the corner of her eye. The gears in her head were spinning, so she unsheathed her claws and began her work.

"What are you doing?" Asparagus inquired.

"Changing your bandages," she answered simply. She tore off a sliver of the curtain and, taking off the old one in the process, re-wrapped his sprained paw sturdily. She continued to work as he stared out into the cold night, watching the snow fall gracefully.

"Last year, I saw all the kittens poking out their tongues and tasting the snow. I know it sounds silly, but I secretly wanted to do that along with them."

With a gentle smile, Jellylorum tugged him down back onto the carpet and led him over to the cat door. He was surprisingly more able with his new curtain-bandages. She lifted up the plastic flap and led him through.

"We won't be out forever, though," she warned.

"Yes, Mother," he sighed sarcastically. Jellylorum, even though offended, couldn't help but smile, and slipped through the small square hole after him.

"Oh, it's even more gorgeous outside," he breathed. They both looked straight up towards the sky, and were captivated by the simple majesty of the snowflakes falling to Earth. Asparagus quickly stuck out his tongue and waited patiently for some white fluff to land.

"Ah! I caught one! I caught one!" he exclaimed in a kitten-like way once he felt the cold droplet, his voice distorted without the aid of his tongue.

"Well?"

Asparagus retreated, and swiveled his tongue all around his mouth, analyzing the taste.

"Needs sugar," he contemplated simply.

Jellylorum giggled, and then watched her breath float up into the night air. Then, she noticed something across the street by her peripheral vision.

"Hey, look," she gestured, pointing in the correct position. A snowflake spiraled down, landing on her outstretched paw.

(A/N: Anyone who gets the reference Asparagus used, you rule. ^^ And I hope I don't get murdered for not using the exact words of the prompt.)