Dawnlark Plains baarish hoti hai

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.