This follows with the random Allegiances I made
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Under a dim evening sky, within a two-leg nest, a tan-and-white she-cat lay curled in a fluffy pink bed. At her belly, three tiny shapes slept, all except one.
"Mamma," the little tabby mewled, "Do wild cats really live in the forest?" Buddy stared up at his mother with wide eyes. She'd been telling him about the stories their neighbors had shared with her that morning, of cats who lived out in the forests beyond their home.
"No, little one. It's all just stories. Now, you settle down, it's getting late and you need sleep." a purr rumbled deep in Belle's chest as she watched her kit. He was the smallest of the litter, but he was as curious as his already-asleep siblings, Oreo and Marley.
"But mamma, I wanna hear more stories!" the young tomkit blinked, excitement flaring in his amber gaze. His mother sighed.
"Alright, just one more, then your going to sleep."
The kittypet thought for a few moments, her son kneading the soft pillow under him as he waited with perked ears. "Have I told you the story of when Jack lived here?"
Buddy shook his head, straightening in joy to hear another tale. "Well, he was a glossy black tom. Quite handsome, if you ask me." Belle chuckled lightly to herself, then continued.
"He was called by the name Jack, as I said. He was the most adventurous out of all the house cats I've known, and he lived beside us, always exploring his garden or sitting on the fence and watching the forest. He never did miss anything that went on, here or out there."
"What do you mean by he did? Is he gone now?" Buddy cut in, tilting his head curiously.
"He left his housefolk one day, claiming he wanted to explore... None of us have seen him since." Belle's gaze darkened, but the shadow left as soon as it came. "Some of the cats who stop by here on their journeys state they've seen a dark-furred cat by a place called a barn, but I'm not really sure."
The tiny brown kit purred in delight. "Please can I hear just one more story?" he begged, hope burning in his wide eyes. "Buddy, what was your promise?"
He huffed, "That that was the final story. But please!" Buddy's small tail lashed against the pillow, making Oreo shift and Marley sneeze as it hit her soft nose.
"Buddy, your waking up your sisters!" Belle muttered, gently nudging him away from them with her muzzle.
"Mamma!" he protested, his tail twitching in annoyance. A moment later he calmed and flicked his whiskers.
"Mamma, can I go see the window? I've never seen the garden before at night!"
Belle hesitated, glancing between him and his two sleeping sisters. He wasn't going to sleep, he clearly wasn't tired. The mother sighed, nodding.
Buddy purred in joy, quickly hopping from the bed and hurtling across the cold, hard wooden floor. Belle gently nosed her two other kittens from her belly, rising to her paws and quietly following him.
The tiny tomkit was standing at the bottom of a large, dark table, which loomed above them both like a silent shadow. Belle caught up to her kit, grasping his scruff between her teeth, careful not to harm him.
Buddy squealed in delight as his mother bunched her haunches, then sprung up onto the table. Her paws slipped on the slick surface, though she regained her footing, never letting Buddy touch the wood.
She trotted across it, the early moonlight bathing the table in silver, and bleaching their pelts. She placed him down on the window frame beside the table, then sat down beside him, her tail sweeping across the cold wood behind them.
"Woah!" the kitten gasped, staring out into the shadows. The tidy garden stretched out, the sides lost in the gloom. Moonlight illuminated the normally-welcoming hollow, which was now eerie in the pale light.
"It's a full moon tonight." Belle mumbled, her tail wrapping around her kit. Buddy reared onto his hind legs, his forepaws pressing against the smooth glass. It would normally be cold, but the warm air outside had made it quite tolerable to be touched.
"Can we go out there?" he turned, looking up at his mother with an excited gaze.
"Tomorrow, my dear. It's far too late now, you'd get lost in the darkness." the tan-and-white she-cat parted her jaws in a yawn.
"Now come on, it's time to sleep. You've seen the garden." Before Buddy could retort, she grabbed him by the scruff and hopped off the windowsill onto the sturdy table. She padded silently across the sleek surface, before leaping down to the wood floor below.
The kitten squealed as she carried him back towards their bed, Oreo and Marley curled in the pink fabric. Belle paused at the side, gently setting the brown tabby into the soft bed, before climbing in and curling up where she'd been before.
This time, Buddy didn't protest, but rather yawned and curled up beside his sisters. A few heartbeats later, his gentle breathing told her he had fallen asleep. Belle purred, watching the three, laying protected at her belly.
She laid her head down on her forelegs, wondering what the future held, and whether or not Buddy would ever leave her like Jack did all those moons ago.
