Dawnlark Plains baarish hoti hai

@Kasatka

he was aware of some commotion around the whelping den, but the veil of grief had dropped over him, dulling his senses enough that he didn't pay it much notice. what he did notice, eventually, was that kitten had been taken back to the den--she had left? he hadn't even noticed--and was just outside it. her little face looked troubled, and he came closer, brows furrowed in worry.

"kya hai, merbani?" he crooned gently, approaching her slowly. he motioned to her to come to him, sitting on his belly on the ground. "come here, kitten. it's all right." he had promised himself that he'd take care of these pups the best he could; perhaps a little selfishly, he was using them to fill the own lack of children in his life.

selfish or not, kitten needed love. they all did. adi whimpered softly, golden eyes soft as he stared over at the girl.

she remembered the way his large tongue had smoothed over the entire top of her head as morningside lingered over the cold, rigid form of her daddy.  she remembered grayday's mouth on her baby feet, the tickle of his throat against her ear.

it wasn't the same, but it was something.  everyone was too busy trying to explain to her what happened, that it was okay, or that it wasn't, or that daddy was in a better place (or that he wasn't) that nobody except for her momma and aditya had truly stopped and allowed her to grieve.

so for the first time, she began to babble, and then she began to weep, burying her nose into the thick ruff of fur at his throat.

his chin lifted to press her against his neck, letting her cry. the soothing words he murmured rumbled in his throat, and he closed his eyes, allowing kitten to draw as close to him as she wanted. his tail swept slowly back and forth on the ground, like a metronome. back. . .and forth.

"lag ja gale ke phir yeh haseen raat. . .hmmm. . ." an old song came suddenly to his mind, bubbling over his tongue. he sang in no louder than a whisper, the tonality of it barely coming through. his mother had crooned this to him, when he'd gotten sick the first time, and while his rumbling tenor didn't nearly do the soprano aria justice. . .he did his best.

"lag ja gale ke phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho,
shaayad phir is janam mein mulaaqat ho na ho,
lag ja gale. . .e. . .e. . ."

it was a song about departure, which seemed macabre, under the circumstances. but he thought of moonlight and love when he heard it; it was bittersweet, but reminiscent of an embrace, one that lasted only moments but was remembered for an eternity.

"hum ko mile hai aaj yeh ghadiyaan naseeb se," aditya went on, voice cracking a little as the notes got higher. he cleared his throat, continuing. "hum ko mile hai aaj yeh ghadiyaan naseeb se. jee bhar ke dekh lijiye hum ko kareeb se. lag ja gale. . .he. . he. . ."

each successive note got quieter and quieter, but he continued to sing the song, verses trailing off into murmurs.

she eventually stops her crying to listen to aditya's song.  it is in a language she does not understand, but that is not saying much as she hardly has a firm grasp on english thus far.  she is still small, but the song's meaning is not lost completely on her.  his melody gives her comfort.  

as he gets quieter and quieter, she drifts off to sleep, leaning against his plush fur for comfort.

to his utmost relief, she began to quiet, relaxing against him with each successive verse. "sona, merbani," he instructed her, keeping his voice within the tune of the song. "main tumse pyaar karte hoon, merbani. sab theek, chhoti bachchi. sab theek."

he rested his head on his paws, eyelids drooping. how he longed to be with his mother now, in a simpler time, before he'd known death. his uncle to the side, crooning quietly along. he wished it for kitten, too. . .to not have to grapple with her father's passing at such a young age. it simply wasn't fair.

aditya wanted to protect her from the world, while knowing how cruel the world could be. he couldn't wrap her in his embrace forever. soon she would grow, and have no need for his songs. . .

but for now, the songs were all hers. he would sing until his throat was useless.