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I stepped towards him and touched his cheek. “I know you will. There’s plenty of time for you to grow up first though.”
A strange sound came from behind his back, and he took a step backwards quickly.
“What was that?” I asked, frowning. “Kaye?”
“I brought you a coronation present,” he said hastily. “I’ve been waiting for the right time to give it to you.”
I had a sinking feeling I knew what he had brought. “You don’t need to give me anything. It’s not as if I need anything else, Kaye. But thank you for the thought.” I reached for the door as if to pull it shut. “Anyhow, I think you’re right. It’s growing late. I should get dressed...”
“Morgan, wait.” Kaye stepped back into the room.
I sighed. “Kaye, please.”
“You don’t want to at least see it?”
“Not if it’s what I think it is.”
Kaye frowned. “Well, I think you should see it. Then decide.”
There was another sound from behind his back. This one was distinctly mewing.
My brother moved his hands.
“Kaye, please.”
But it was too late.
He held out a kitten.
Not just any kitten. I was staring at a tiny version of Nightclaw himself.
The cub was diminutive compared to its father, larger than a regular kitten but still barely filling both of Kaye’s hands.
Despite its vastly different size, the kitten possessed the same velvety obsidian coat Nightclaw had had, albeit with softer, more delicate fur. Golden stripes covered its small body, but less pronounced, like faint whispers of the powerful markings Nightclaw had borne.
The cub stared up at me, its eyes a mesmerizing amber just like its father’s. Full of curiosity and innocence, the cub’s eyes were completely devoid of the bitterness and anger that had been there when I’d first met Nightclaw in the menagerie.
The kitten swatted a paw towards my face enthusiastically and gave a playful growl, revealing tiny yet sharp-looking fangs and reminding me of the wild instincts waiting to awaken within this adorable bundle of fur.
“They’re very sweet,” I said. “But no.” I started to turn away. “You should take it back to its mother.”
“Don’t you want to know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Kaye inquired. Closing the door behind him, he set the kitten down on the floor.
“What are you doing? Kaye, I have to get ready.”
“No one will care if you’re late. Besides, you’re the queen. Isn’t it fashionable to be late?”
“That’s just something people like to say,” I said distractedly, watching as the kitten raced across my room straight over to the bed hangings, where it began to attack the tassels hanging from the coverlet. “They don’t really mean it when they’re the ones having to wait.”
“Sunstrike took the other kittens hunting,” Kaye said. “But she left him behind.”
So it was a boy then. A little Nightclaw.
“Why didn’t she take this one, too?” I asked, already secretly worried. Was there something wrong with this one? Was he smaller than the others? Was Sunstrike rejecting him? I hadn’t even been to see the female exmoor since we’d returned. It had been... too painful to contemplate. Now I wondered if I should have asked Draven more questions about the cubs.
“She told Draven this one is too wild to take along. The two girls listen to her better.” Kaye grinned. “So I offered to watch him.”
“You’re catsitting,” I said. “Catsitting on coronation day. My chamberlain will be thrilled.” My eyes widened. “Oh no. No, Nightclaw, down!”
