The wind roared ferociously as the small cat padded into the warm barn. It felt nice to get inside after being in the cold all night. The sun was already beginning to rise over the horizon.
"Amber, where in the world have you been?" Catnip hissed at the kit, though Amber could see in his eyes that he wasn't mad, just worried.
"I was exploring! I never knew the farm was so big!" Amber squeaked. She had been born in Twolegplace, but her mother had died during her kitting. Her mother's father, Catnip, had taken her and her brother, Smokey, to live with him in the barn.
"Hey, why didn't you take me? Catnip never lets me go outside!" Smokey mewed as he bounded over to them. He was smaller than Amber, but he was just as energetic.
"Amber wasn't even supposed to be out." Catnip sighed. "You kits are going to make me older faster." He smiled.
"Sorry, Catnip. I won't leave again." Amber promised. "Not until I'm old enough, anyways...." she added under her breath.

By sunhigh, the Twolegs had left their nest and were going around the farm on big loud things. "They're called tractors." Catnip explained as they watched from the barn entrance. "Who knows what use they are. For all I know all they do is make lots of noise and bother cats."
"They're stinky! And there's gray stuff coming out of the back!" Smokey chirped.
"Like I said, who knows what they're for." Catnip shrugged.
I want to get a better look at one of those tractors. Amber thought. There's a sleeping one over there. If I could just slip past Catnip....
"Hey! I see you, Amber. Don't go running off again." Catnip meowed and picked her up by the scruff.
"Put me down! I want to go see the tractors!" Amber wiggled all around and Catnip dropped her.
"No. No tractors. If it wakes up, it could smush you like a bug!" Catnip reasoned.
"Amber-Buggy!" Smokey squeaked and he leaped on his sister. Amber fell on her side, but was quick to get up again, flinging her brother off and gently batting his ears.
"Catnip, watch out! There's an intruder in the barn!" Amber yelped.
"Uh oh!" Catnip meowed in mock surprise as he moved out of the way and got comfortable on a haystack, watching the kits play-fighting.
Just then, a Twoleg kit came in with something in her large, pink paws. It was black and furry, and squirming around wildly. She set down the little scrap of fur and sat down, pushing it towards the other two kits and saying something in her weird language. "There you go, kitty! You three play." Who knows what it was trying to say.
Amber padded up to the new kitten. "Who are you supposed to be?" She mewed, giving him a sniff.
"I'm Coal." He mewed with his chin up. He couldn't be any older than Amber and Smokey, and he seemed a tad bit odd, but he was okay.
Catnip padded over. "Are you here to stay in the barn, Coal?" He meowed. There was warmth in his eyes.
"I guess?" Coal shrugged and looked around.
"Yay! New friend!" Smokey squeaked excitedly.
He seems okay. Maybe it won't be much different with him around?