Forbidden

I'll come out when I hear them making noise on the deck, chasing after one another or climbing on the furniture, not too long after dark. They're excited and very animated when they see me — they'll often run away, but then when they realize who I am, they come scurrying back, to sniff and paw at my feet. (I try not to wear sandals when I do this, just to be safe.) The more timid one will usually peek at me from the edge of the deck, only to come up when everyone else is eating. They still don't trust me, not completely, not enough to be completely comfortable around me, which is probably for the best.

It's a bit like a forbidden romance, really. You know it must end, sooner or later, but you enjoy the small moments while you can (and you hope nothing leaves a mark you'd have to explain).