Fawnkit
As Autumn Colors Fall
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Fawnkit woke up early, earlier than usual and earlier than most of the clan. She perked her ears, but heard none of her clanmates, save for the snoring of the cats around her. Climbing quietly out of her nest, she stretched and walked out - the sun hadn't risen yet, the world was dark, though hints of purple and pink already colored the cloudless sky.
The world around her was colder than it had been during the days, the grass littered with dew and the sky with fading stars. She sat down in the clearing, eyes closed, and listened. The wind carried the early song of a blackbird looking for a mate, the breath of leaves shivering on the breeze and insects, so many insects. A single drop of dew fell to the ground.
Fawnik had heard none of these sounds during the day, the world filled with voices and chirps of birds, movement and breaths. But not now, now it was peaceful and quiet.
With her eyes closed, hearing wasn't the only heightened sense - Fawnkit could feel the gentle wet breeze on her whiskers, on her fur, brushing her softly. She could smell a lot more too - the damp soil, the fallen leaves on the ground, the flowers. This was a whole new world - though she doubted she would get to experience it often, for it required waking up early, and usually Fawnkit enjoyed resting next to her mother's warm body, curled around her sisters, way past the first light.
A familiar sound drew her from her thoughts - pawsteps, slowly, but steadily approaching through the grass. She didn't open her eyes, instead she waited for the cat to approach her first, listening to the rhytm of their steps blending with the blackbird's sorrowful song. Until her clanmate reached her, she would keep the world dark, filled only with the sounds of the approaching morning.
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