treble, triple, trouble (c)

Fernkit quietly sat still, all on his own. The nursery was somewhere behind him and the evening sky was above. Ideas floated around his head. Theories and plans about the most efficient time of night to hunt. Observations about birds waking hours and nocturnal prey. Time moved slower as the kitten indulged his thoughts. The stirring clanmates were vague, just below his gaze. Just once, his mind drifted to wondering what his siblings were up to. Suddenly, he no longer needed to wonder.

The pain that seared his ear in a hot flash sent him flying. Fernkit spun around to stare at Wolfkit with wide eyes and grey spiky fur. He blinked twice while trying to process his brother’s actions, but the gears in his brain had fully halted. Unable to contain the bewilderment in his voice, Fernkit blurted, “Why?!” Wolfkit seemed pleased by his little stunt. The startled kit’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why did you do that?” he echoed, confused and upset. The gears slowly began to move again. Was it a mistake? Maybe he didn’t mean to yell?

No, this is Wolfkit, of course he meant to yell. “You know that hurts my ears, right?” he accused sternly, frustration making the words a tight rumble in his throat. Why would his brother ever do that to him? Fernkit’s tail flicked back and forth with energy. He thought of doing something in return. He thought of making things even. But his thoughts were only brief. It would be stupid to act out. So Fernkit swallowed his anger and instead held a cold stare, waiting for Wolfkit to explain himself.