I lifted my head, inhaling two short whiffs of air. My whiskers twitched. In the calm stillness of the night, I listened ... I waited. My tail whipped back and forth rapidly as I continued sniffing. It was still there—the familiar smell.

The smell that I had left my colony for.

I knew I was hidden, I sat completely still in the tall grass. It provided enough cover to conceal my presence. So predators weren't an issue, and my ears were perked already, capturing every possible rustle and snip.

But there was none.

Under the pale moonlight, there was nothing but me and the infinite stretch of tall grass.

I waited anyway—my long tail quickly swishing back and forth. It was all I could do to settle the ache in my soul. To calm my racing, trembling heart. Besides, I had heard it before, I had smelled it! I knew it would return, and once it did I would know.

I would follow.

A strong gust of wind blew towards me, creating a ripple in the rustling grass as it carried leaves from lands afar. Leaves that may as well have been made of silver the way they shone in the moonlight. But I didn't care about the colour or the shine right now. Something else had caught my attention.

My tail twitched as I perked my head up, the wind had brought something else ... I let in another whiff to confirm.

There was no mistaking it.

It was the smell I'd been searching for! And that wasn't all. In the dead silence of the twilight, the wind brought its second present.

A yowl.

It was faint and distant, but it made my trembling heart soar. This! This was what I had been waiting for! I leapt to my feet and dashed on all fours. All day I had been searching for my missing litter. I had travelled so far from the den ... from my colony. But once I would find my kittens, everything would be okay again.

I was sure of it.

I dashed along, ignorant of the owls hooting on the tall trees beyond the horizon. I ran until I felt the vibration in my whiskers. Something was wrong. I froze in position, waiting for the event. And sure enough, with a deafening boom that appeared out of nowhere, the world began to tremble.

I stopped as the thunderous rumble continued, crouching low in the grass to conceal myself. But nothing else happened, no one came. I sniffed as the wind picked up again. The smell of my litter was still there ... but fainter.

I ran again. Faster if it was even possible. I didn't stop until I saw them. All six kittens, yowling, rolling ... swathed in unfamiliar fur.

I paused. I sniffed again.

And again.

Two of the kittens had stopped rolling and got to their feet. They stood still, looking straight into my eyes. I didn't look back. Instead, I crouched down and flattened my ears on my head.

The youngest let out a soft purr.

I snarled.

By now, all of them had stopped and were looking intently at me, but I didn't acknowledge it. There was something off about the smell. It wasn't mine anymore.

They weren't mine anymore.

One of the kittens lifted its head and trotted toward me. I hissed and arched my back and tail, moving my front legs against my hind ones ... my final warning.

The kitten hesitated for a moment and then gave a low yowl. It purred as it put one foot forward and then another.

I pounced.

-𓃠-
(602 Words)