Niko

I lay awake in the dark, tossing and twisting blankets, turning to the left and right. I finally sigh and give up, just as I hear Wayne start to crawl his way towards consciousness, undoubtedly to tell me to lie still. I grab my pillow and water and pull open the door to our bedroom.

He's sitting in the doorway across the hall as if he's been expecting me and is impatient I took so long. As I cross the hall into the guest room he jumps up, grasping my leg, and I can hear his rolling purr begin like the first toll of faraway thunder. I toss my pillow onto the bed and climb in, although he's already there purring and entangling in the blankets as I pull them back. He thinks this is all a game, that the only reason I've come is because I want to play. The night concentrates his affection, purifying it into a thick, sweet syrup winding its way around my arms and fingers.

He begins by pouncing on the gaps between the blankets, paws grasping for strings and insects unseen. Although I'm tired--exhausted, really--I laugh and begin to play. Ignoring him only means he will sit atop the bed, waiting and anticipating the slightest move as I drift off to sleep.

The game intensifies and he prowls the top of the blankets, crouching, jumping and pouncing on my toes and fingers as they move beneath the covers. When he pounces, his sharp little teeth grab the fabric as he pulls and shakes the blanket. I grab his little writhe body with my hands and he play-bites and rabbit-kicks my forearms while I pretend to be overpowered. He is the kitten equivalent of a fourteen year old boy--awkward, full of war, and learning to use his muscles.

We play like this for a bit until I can feel our energy ebbing, sleep grabbing at my periphery with gray wispy hands. I lie back and he follows, curling up on my neck with his face in my hair, his purring vibrating through my skull. My thoughts thicken, dampen, soften and finally they go away, quieted by the fun of midnight hunting.

Together we drift off to sleep, both with smiles on our faces.