Shining of the Four

Chapter 31

            It was a beautiful spring day, and Sunrise sat perched on the windowsill, allowing the warm sun to warm her back. She purred as she rested, thankful for a relaxing day. From afar, she could hear the distant mews of Holly and Polly, who were fighting over a toy.

            Sunrise turned, glancing at her two sisters. They both struggled to leap, their bellies holding them down. They had been taken to the vet a week before, and since they were deemed overweight, Sunrise had enjoyed watching them groan and complain over their smaller meals and forced exercise.

            Unfortunately, now that Holly and Polly sat outside for one hour each day, Sunrise had limited time with Fawn, whom the two didn't know about.

            Sunrise and Fawn had continued visiting Anna, listening to her stories, chatting about their days. Sometimes, Fawn would vaguely mention a dream, though most of the time she told her dreams in secret to Anna.

            Sunrise hoped the old she-cat wasn't coming between her and her friend, though she'd gotten a bit jealous lately being shoved off to the side while they chatted for what seemed like an eternity.

            Assuming Holly and Polly wouldn't be forced outside for awhile, Sunrise leapt down from the windowsill and padded out the cat door, the warm spring sun immediately shining on her white and gold pelt.

            She sat outside for a few moments, watching bees buzz by her nose and sniffing the flowers that had grown. Soon, it would be summer, a season Sunrise had only heard about since she'd been born in the fall.

            Sunrise sat, gazing around the lively backyard. She licked one of her paws and flicked an ear, watching two robins soar across the sky and land in a nearby oak tree.

            "I bet I can climb that tree," Sunrise whispered, assuming she could catch the robins.

            Slowly, she padded across the backyard and leapt onto the fence, gazing at the oak tree that sat in the neighbor's yard. With much inspiration, she pushed off the fencepost and leapt, sinking her claws into the bark. Slowly, she scrambled up the tree, attempting not to lose balance.

            Unfortunately, she created quite a bit of noise, causing the birds to quickly flee the try.

            "Darn it!" she shouted, pulling herself up onto a branch and knocking leaves down below.

            "Sunrise?" came a familiar voice.

            Sunrise froze, then gazed down at the ground. Fawn stood at the bottom of the tree, a confused look glued to her face.

            "Oh, hey, Fawn!" Sunrise called.

            "Sunrise, what are yo doing?" Fawn asked.

            "Well, there were these birds see, and—"

            "I don't want to hear it," Fawn responded quickly. "Come on! Let's go to Anna's! She wants to tell us something."

            "You mean she wants to tell you something?" Sunrise asked.

            "No, she said you can come too. Now, get down from the tree and come on!" Fawn called excitedly.

            Sunrise quickly picked up her excitement and found her way down, meeting Fawn on top of the fence post. Together, they walked along the line of fences towards Anna's house.