1. A storm is coming

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The summer months in Ireland were over and Autumn had officially begun. The air now had a chilly nip to it and the blanket of grey clouds overhead made sure there was a constant chance of rain. The leaves hadn't changed color yet, but the animals of the forest were well into their preparations for winter.

A particularly purple looking cloud hovered above as I scampered through the grass, back towards the den. I shifted the strap on my left shoulder, the weight of my bag beginning to hurt it. Earlier this morning I had found a blackberry bush ripe with berries. Thankfully it was untouched and so I woven a makeshift bag from thin blades of grass to carry as much as possible. Thunder sounded from the sky as the first spits of rain began to fall. I quickly ducked under the roots of a familiar tree and walked down the short tunnel to the den.

As I stepped into the darkness I was greeted with six pairs of bright green eyes. It seemed everyone was already here. I dumped my bag by the entrance and was immediately tackled by a purring, black, fluff ball. I laughed, purred in return and petted the kittens head, which only caused more purring. Lightning lit up the dark den for a brief second, as thunder followed it shortly after. The mother cat gave a short mew, calling the kittens further into the den and away from the storm. I quickly grabbed my bag from the entrance, before being eagerly picked up by one of the five kittens brought to the back of the den where everyone was piled on top of each other.

I sighed and smiled as the kitten nearest to me began purring in its sleep. I lifted a blackberry from my bag and slowly ate it as I thought of my plans for the future. Now that the kittens could walk properly they would learn to hunt. A small, slow target like myself would be perfect for practice and even if they had no ill intent, their play fights would soon become too rough for me. The forest had plenty of food and shelter for someone like me, you just had to find it.

One week, that's how long I would stay. Then I would find my own home.

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