Finish the Story: V

Question

Time for the fifth installment of 'Finish the Story!'

As before, here's the beginning:

 

“The wind whistled through the treetops. Sunlight was quickly being eclipsed by the dark storm clouds pushing their way across the horizon. As the storm seemed to swallow all light, the distant rumblings announced the oncoming deluge like a drum signaling an approaching army.”

Word Limits: Minimum = None. Maximum = 300 words.

Timeline: I'll judge any responses by February 25th, two weeks from today. If there is one response (or less) I'll extend the deadline by a week.

Good luck, and I look forward to your responses!

Comments

Come on people! Give me some competition!! ;P

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Will do, but not today.

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Just a reminder that the deadline for this challenge passed a long time ago. Since it's a series of challenges, not picking a winner means that the series is at a standstill.
I know that I said I'd join too, but I just haven't been writing much in a while. Maybe this comment gets the attention of other responders. If not, I suggest that WoN carries the torch as the only participant.

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That sounds fine to me. I'll give it the weekend and then take over, if that's alright.

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Sounds like a plan.

Answer 1

The wind whistled through the treetops. Sunlight was quickly being eclipsed by the dark storm clouds pushing their way across the horizon. As the storm seemed to swallow all light, the distant rumblings announced the oncoming deluge like a drum signaling an approaching army.

When I was finally thrust out of my awe, I saw lightning strike a few hundred yards from my place in the center of a field and the thunder was instantaneous. The drops hadn’t started yet, but the threat of rain was palpable in the humid air and the constant thunder.

That is when I saw the cat.

More of a kitten, really. He was so tiny, and curled in a ball, his orange fur shaking and shivering in the cold. The tree he was coiled under was among the tallest on the outskirts of the field, and opposite the road I needed to take to get home. I should have turned and ran home. But I couldn’t leave him there.

I ran to him as fast as I could.  At first, he didn’t want to come with me. His little body mustered what strength he had to crawl away and fall down some distance from his original position. He was clearly in sore straights. When I got ahold of him and finally started walking to the road, I looked down; I noted with disdain the bloody scars on his face. He’d been attacked by someone.

A sudden crack! from behind me knocked me out of my angry stupor and I turned to see the tree Pumpkin (as I had begun calling him) had been under only seconds before fall to the ground. I ran as fast as I could to the road, the tiny bundle of orange in my arms breathing deeply.

Comments

Reminds me of a kitten I rescued about 10 years ago... you're tugging at my heartstrings, here!

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It's funny, when I was first writing, it was a dog. But then I thought that the story works better with a kitten. They can be _so_ small - in most cases much smaller than puppies - and I wanted the animal to be really tiny so it would be more vulnerable.
And well done, rescuing a kitten! That's amazing!