Astronomy

Kittens

This is really short.

Minkfrost stared at the three small bundles of fur nestled against the warmth of her stomach, each mewing as they continued to nurse loudly. One of her mates — Duskflicker — was pressed against her back, their head resting on the grey and white molly's side. The tortoiseshell feline purred loudly as they watched the kittens — their kittens — with wide, round eyes. Speckledcall, their second mate, lay on the opposite side of the nest, his yellow eyes narrowed in content.

The molly returned her focus on the three incredibly small kittens, bending her head down to absentmindedly run her tongue over their unruly pelts.

One, the largest of the three, cried loudly in protest. His speckled tail twitched in protest, his snowy white paws grasping at air. "Hello, Blizzardkit," the queen murmured, brushing her nose against the feisty Blizzardkit's head. He stilled at the sound of her voice, instead focusing on a meal as Minkfrost repeated the action for the next kit.

This kit was smaller, yet just as active as her littermate. Her black and silver pelt caught in the moonlight as she wormed her way closer to Minkfrost, letting out a harsh cry as her littermates wriggled around her. "Hello, Dovekit," Duskflicker whispered, emotion strong in the tortoiseshell warrior's voice. They brushed their nose against Dovekit's back with a shaking purr, before doing the same to Blizzardkit.

Finally, Minkfrost came to her last kit. This one was even smaller than Dovekit, her voice remaining unheard in the night air. His pale grey pelt resembled downy feathers, unusually thick and soft. Speckledcall reached forward, nosing the small tom-kit closer to Minkfrost. "Hello, Flutterkit," he welcomed softly. The downy grey kitten finally let out a sound, his head swiveling towards the sound of Speckledcall's voice. The tomcat let out a chuckle, brushing his nose against Flutterkit's back.

"They're wonderful," Duskflicker breathed out, settling their head back down on Minkfrost's back. "They're the most spectacular kits I've ever seen..."

Minkfrost nodded, a sudden flurry of emotions rendering the queen speechless. These kittens — her kittens — were so small, so precious. It was nothing like what the grey and white molly expected. They were here, they were her's, and they were simply wonderful. "They are," she eventually choked out. "They're ours."