The rising moon glowed over the silent river and sleeping forest as a short furred tomcat crept toward his meeting place. A short while away, a formerly lithe she-cat waddled toward that same meeting place; her belly round and heavy with kits. She sat down in the dark, between the river and the boathouse. She only had to wait a few heartbeats, as the tom soon arrived. He murmured, “My love, I didn’t expect you to come. I thought your clan would make sure you got your rest. You are so close to giving birth, you don’t need to be up and about.” His eyes were troubled.
The she-cat narrowed her own eyes and said, “I