Autumn was not a runner. Never had been, never would be. This was not a part of her personality, nor her lifestyle. And yet, here she was, running through the woods, ducking tree branches and avoiding collisions with any obstacles in her way. She was a woman on a mission- Autumn was going to bring those cats home. Rosalinde seemed content for now, nesting with her babies… but she couldn’t stop thinking about if something were to happen to that precious cat. She would never, ever forgive herself. So she huffed and puffed and sprinted like she knew what the hell she was doing.

She remembered the branches she’d come through, now it was just a matter of finding them again. Autumn kept up her pace as best possible, until finally- finally! She reached the bend in the trees. Not minding her hair for once, she ducked under the branches, and re-entered the real world with the moon high in the sky.

So… it was just a few blocks back to her apartment. Autumn hustled as best she could, purse in tow as her jog slowed to a walk, and she eventually stopped to try and catch her breath. Wheezing a bit, Autumn held her knees, waiting for the pain in her chest to subside. Inhale, exhale…

Okay. Round two. She hauled herself back up and back into a hustle, cutting across Ashdown to get back to her apartment. Autumn took the stairs two by two, reaching her doorway before she could get too terribly winded once more.

Throwing the door open, Autumn hustled to her closet. Not the bedroom closet- that was a sanctuary. No, her hall closet was a safe space for junk and s**t she intended to use on a rainy day. A wicker basket? Well, that was perfect for this rainy day usage. (She knew she needed it. She just knew. Her parents had laughed at her insistence to keep on it, but now the joke was on them.)

Then it was back to the park, through the trees, and into the mystery of Other Ashdown. Breathing heavily when she arrived, Autumn sat a moment before approaching Rosalinde and her kittens.

The cat looked up, almost expectantly, and blinked at her slowly. Despite her exhaustion, Autumn found herself smiling, glad she’d made this decision. Now…

“I’m gonna take you home, baby,” she soothed, setting the basket on the ground. Amazingly enough, Rosalinde didn’t fight her- in fact, she seemed to understand, grabbing one of her kittens by the scruff of its next while Autumn loaded up the other two. She was going to be slower this time, not rushing in fear of the family disappearing, but she was going to have to keep her wits about her.

Hauling up the basket, Autumn took a steadying breath, and hustled over to the exit as quickly as possible. Home wasn’t quite as misty as this place, and was safe from prying eyes of beasties. At the very least, Autumn could keep them safe in her apartment.

Once more she went through the underbrush, and emerged in the real world. It had to be near midnight. With her prize in tow, Autumn headed back home, with only one question on her mind.

What the hell was she going to do with these kittens?