Most mornings, Sowon would wake up with a light feeling in her chest. But today was different.

It was like there was a pressure keeping her body down as she slipped from her dreams into reality. Her chest was heavy, her breathing steady but the pressure was making it slightly hard to breathe at the same time. Was she getting sick? 

No. No, she wasn't. The sight waiting for the blonde as she opened her eyes revealed the truth.

Sowon had gone to bed alone last night but Yerin had snuck into her room while she had been sleeping. The former ginger kitten was sleeping right on top of her, long brown hair falling against Sowon as Yerin had her face completely buried in her shoulder. Sowon usually never slept on her back but Yerin must have shifted her in her sleep so she could get comfortable. The soreness in her back made the blonde groan, barely able to move thanks to Yerin.

"Yerin. Hey." Sowon mumbled, reaching a hand up to push at Yerin's head. The former ginger kitten shifted, moving her head back to sleepily stare at Sowon. The blonde let out a breath of relief at the release of the girl's weight on her chest. But it was short lived. Yerin immediately went back to her previous position, her hands gripping at Sowon's pajamas. 

"Yerin." Sowon groaned again, wanting to get up so that she could get breakfast ready for the rest of the former kittens. But Yerin was stubborn, refusing to move. 

"No." Yerin responded, her voice small and whiny. 

"Yerin, come on." Sowon said, yawning briefly before attempting to sit up. Yerin held on tight, wrapping her arms around Sowon's torso like a clingy child. 

"No." Yerin repeated again. Sowon was about to reply before the sound of her bedroom door opening broke into the air, revealing a sleepy Umji standing in the doorway. This was a common occurrence. Most mornings, Umji would come into her room to snuggle together for little bit before the two would get breakfast ready for everyone else. Umji looked surprised at the sight of Yerin attached to Sowon, the blonde looking just as confused as she was.

"Yerin?" Umji asked, making her way to the side of the bed to pat Yerin's head. Yerin let out an irritated hiss, gripping onto Sowon even tighter. Umji raised an eyebrow before staring up at Sowon for some type of answer. Sowon could only shrug.

"I don't know either. I woke up and she was attached to me." 

"Really?" Umji let out a small laugh, sitting next to the two on the bed. Yerin let out a grumble when Umji gently ran a hand through her messy brown hair. 

"I would expect Eunha to be like this but not Yerin." Sowon sighed, absentmindedly rubbing Yerin's back. "I hope this doesn't mean that she's not feeling well or something."

"I don't think its that." Umji replied. "I've rarely seen her in kitten mode after we all transformed back. Maybe this is what her kitten mode is like?"

"She did get like this back when I told you all about my past." Sowon mused, Yerin nuzzling her face into her neck happily. "You might be right."

"It's cute seeing her like this." Umji smiled. "She was always taking care of us back when we were kittens. She was the one giving affection instead of getting it."

"Well, I don't mind." Sowon placed a kiss against Yerin's head. "She deserves to be pampered for a day." 

"But I wanted cuddles too." Umji expression slipped into a pout. 

"We can later, okay?" Sowon laughed. "How about you tell me about how Yerin was as a kitten before we get started on breakfast."

"You really like hearing stories about us, huh?" Umji's smile rece Sowon nodded. "I don't mind. I can remember a lot of them now." 

"Go for it." Sowon smiled back. Yerin gently nibbled at Sowon's neck, still firmly attached to Sowon as Umji started to tell her story.

______________________________

The brown striped kitten was trembling, barely able to walk through the different alleyways and parks without being frightened at every little thing. She didn't know who she was. She didn't know where she was or how long she had been wandering. All she knew was that she was alone. A tiny nameless kitten without a place to call home. What had happened? Her memories were fuzzy, the knowledge that she had been human once the only thing remaining. 

Something about the situation felt familiar though. Almost as if being alone was a normal thing for her. The small kitten had tried to find food but there was always another cat that had beaten her to it. The brown striped kitten had tried to communicate with the other cats she came across but none of them had responded or given any sign that they could hear her. A few cats had even tried to attack her, sending the small kitten running as fast as her small legs could take her until her pursuer had given up the chase. 

Taking shelter against a building, the brown striped kitten rested her paws, still shaking. Her fur was messy and full of dirt, a result of her hiding from various animals and humans. The kitten was starting to feel hopeless. There was no where for her to go, no one for her to follow. Was this it? Was she going to die like this? The brown striped kitten started to shake even more, pressing her body against the wall of the building.

The sound of little paws patting against the concrete echoed against the brick walls suddenly, signaling that something was approaching.

The brown kitten looked up in fear, spotting a ginger kitten, a white kitten and a black kitten making their way down the alleyway. The ginger kitten stopped, spotting the trembling bundle of fur against the wall. The trembling in the brown striped kitten's tiny body only got worse, the baby cat trying to make herself smaller. There was no where for her to hide. She was trapped.

"D....Don't hurt me....Please...." The kitten desperately mewed, unaware that her voice had been finally heard in the group of kittens heads.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The ginger kitten's gentle and feminine voice echoed in the brown striped kitten's head. "Are you okay?"

The brown striped kitten was shocked, staring at the other kitten curiously. The ginger kitten took a few steps forward and the brown striped kitten started to shake again, still afraid. The black kitten seemed irritated, almost glaring at the tiny cat. The white kitten gave a small to the black kitten's face, earning a small annoyed grumble from the black kitten. 

The ginger kitten had made her way to the brown striped kitten's side, already at the messy and dirty fur. The brown striped kitten could only stay still, fearful of moving. Slowly, the shaking in the tiny kitten's body stopped as she was bathed and groomed, eyes staring up at the ginger kitten. The ginger kitten continued her cleaning until the other kitten looked presentable to her, the black and white kittens only watching from a small distance away.

"We were going to find food." The ginger kitten's voice said. "Do you want to join us?"

The brown striped kitten stared again for a few more seconds before nodding her head, still too afraid to speak again. 

"Welcome to the pack." The ginger kitten's voice sounded happy. The black kitten didn't seem too enthusiastic about the whole situation, unlike the white kitten, who was eager to make her way to the brown striped kitten's other side to keep a watchful eye on her. 

"Are you sure she can keep up with us?" The black kitten's voice was firm but there was a touch of jealousy in her tone. 

"Of course she can." The ginger kitten's voice replied. "Now behave. She's part of our group now."

"She's right. She's one of us now." The white kitten's voice said as she at the brown striped kitten's face, making sure her face was completely clean. The brown striped kitten found herself leaning into the other kitten's tongue, purring softly. The ginger kitten ran back to her side to join the white kitten in the other's face as well before trotting off, following behind the black kitten to join the resuming search for food. The white kitten stayed by the brown striped kitten's side the entire time, making sure the tiny bundle of fur was able to keep up. Eventually, the group was successful, the ginger kitten and black kitten finding an overflowing trash can full of discarded meals. 

"Here." The black kitten's voice said as she placed a piece of meat in front of the brown striped kitten's paws. The brown striped kitten looked scared still, unsure if she could take a bite. The black kitten batted the meat with her paw, pushing it closer to the other kitten.

"Eat." The black kitten's rough voice instructed. "We'll head back to our hideout after you finish."

"....Thank you." The brown striped kitten's voice responded before growing quiet, the kitten hungrily eating her share of the find. The black kitten watched for a few moments before making her way back to the ginger kitten's side, at the ginger's fur gently as the kitten ate her share as well. The white kitten sat next to the brown striped kitten supportively, already having finished her share. The white kitten nuzzled against the hungry brown striped kitten, the white kitten's voice talking excitedly to the new member of the pack even though her new companion was silent.

It was strange to be taken care of but the brown striped kitten was thankful, happiness finally filling her chest as she ate. It was nice to finally belong.

_______________________

"How sweet." Sowon chuckled, wincing as Yerin's firm biting at the same spot on her neck started to cause the spot to get sore. 

"She took me in so fast." Umji said, smiling at the memory. "I owe her everything. I don't think I would have survived out there if it wasn't for her." 

"Sowon?" Yuju's voice called out, Umji turning her head to look at the suddenly opening door. Yuju stood in the doorway with Eunha behind her, both girls curiously peeking inside the room. Yerin stopped her biting to turn to look at the approaching girls.

"There she is." Yuju commented with a small sigh of relief, Eunha leaving her side to give Umji a big good morning hug. "I saw that her bed was empty when I walked by her room and got worried."

"I woke up to her practically glued to me." Sowon laughed. Once Yerin had spotted Yuju, the former ginger kitten let go of Sowon, running into the former gray kitten's arms. Yuju laughed, returning the hug. 

"I want a kiss." Yerin whined. "Yuju, I want a kiss."

"What's gotten into you today?" Yuju chuckled, giving Yerin's soft cheek a quick smooch. Yerin only whined again, this time louder.

"Kiss." Yerin repeated.

"Is she okay?" Yuju asked, tilting her head as Yerin continued to beg for more affection.

"Kitten mode." Umji quickly explained, her head resting against Eunha's shoulder. Eunha grinned, nuzzling against Umji's head with her own.

"First SinB was in kitten mode last week and now Yerin." Sowon mused, watching as Yuju gave Yerin's forehead a kiss. "Its like something's in the air."

"I wanna eat." Eunha grumbled, Umji gently rubbing her back. "We were supposed to have breakfast ten minutes ago."

"I'll go wake SinB up and then me and Umji will get started on it, okay?" Sowon asked, making sure Yerin was okay with her leaving for a bit before leading the girls outside of her bedroom. Yerin was still firmly clinging to Yuju, the former gray kitten picking her up into her arms and making her way downstairs. Eunha was holding Umji's hand, both girls talking happily as they followed behind Yuju. Sowon made her way into SinB's bedroom, flicking on the lights and causing the blanket covered former black kitten to groan unhappily.

"Why can't you just let me sleep in?" SinB grumbled, pulling the blanket away from her face to glare up at the taller girl.

"It's not good for you." Sowon replied. "Come on. Get up. It's time for breakfast."

"Five more minutes." SinB huffed, pulling her blanket up over her face again. Sowon sighed before leaning down and pulling the blanket off of the former black kitten's body. SinB hissed at the light and cold of the morning, frantically trying to grab