The Second Tale: Manipulation

Without a Tale

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Trigger Warning!! Story Rate Extreme!There are mildly gorey descriptions and death, along with cannibalism. If you find these things disturbing, please visit another page! Thank you!

By Moonberrii and Dreamclaw21

## Allegiances

* ThunderClan

**LEADER** Boulderstar - large, bulky, light gray tom with hazel eyes

**DEPUTY** Berrysky - Blue-gray she-cat

**MEDICINE CAT** Ivyleaf - creamy she-cat with a fluffy tail and green eyes

Silverberry - small silver she-cat with dark gray ears and white paws, along with no tail and green eyes

**WARRIORS** Rubybloom -Reddish brown furred she-cat

Whiskerflower - pale brown tabby she-cat

Lilywillow - long-haired white she-cat with blue eyes

Redoak - reddish-brown tom

Skydawn - silver she-cat with blue eyes

Whitefrost - white tom

Elmbramble - dark brown tom with green eyes

Survivalclaw -

Shadowspirit - large black she-cat with blue eyes

Larkmeadow - strong, muscular dilute calico she-cat

Browntail - light brown tom with a darker brown tail

Slitherscale - gray tabby tom with envious green eyes

Flamejay - ginger-and-gray tabby tom

Stormsplash - light brown tom with dark, stormy eyes

Copperbee - reddish-ginger tom

Tundrabird - ginger tom with silver, tundra-colored eyes

Treeclaw - large dark brown tabby tom

Foxfern - dark ginger she-cat

Haventail - yellow she-cat with dark ginger ears

Warmbreeze - black she-cat with green eyes

Wolfhowl - gray tom with black eyes

Riverstep - ginger tom with swirly brown tabby markings

Blueeyes - ginger tom with unusual blue eyes

Stagscratch - huge dark brown tom

Violetwing - fluffy dark gray she-cat with light gray tips

Featherblaze - pale ginger she-cat who keeps a robin feather behind her ear

Silkbriar

Cricketfly

Flamestreak

**APPRENTICES** Geminipaw

Opalpaw

Birchpaw

**QUEENS**  Twotail - strong, pretty, white tabby she-cat with blue eyes and two tails

Flytail - white she-cat with a black tail patch

Flowermist
## Prologue: Silent Night

**CREDITING: By Dream**

The stars twinkled and gleamed, swirling around and creating colorful bursts in the night sky. Twotail watched them silently from the nursery entrance, knowing that StarClan was watching over her.  The gentle breathing of her denmates could be heard from inside.  Flytail and her new kits, and then there was Flowermist and her kits, who were getting closer and closer to becoming apprenticed.

Feeling antsy, Twotail decided to take a walk.  She avoided Silkbriar, who was on patrol, and also her brother Cricketfly.  She smiled.  It felt like it hadn’t been so long since they were kits.  Now they were full warriors.

She turned invisible and ducked out of camp.  The ThunderClan territory was just *beautiful* at this time of night, especially in the beginning of leaf-fall.  And as she kept walking, she thought of her current life.

She was now mates with Survivalclaw.  She was even expecting kits!  Life was good.  Life was happy.

The night was quiet and gentle.  She wondered how Survivalclaw’s sister Kiki was doing.  She’d joined the Clan but had left the day before her warriorship because the Clan life didn’t work for her.

As she kept walking, she felt… a pang.  An awful ripple in her stomach.  *Uh oh.*

Twotail’s kits were coming!  In a blind panic, she managed to run back to camp, ignored Silkbriar and Cricketfly, and found Silverberry first thing she could.

“My kits are coming!” she yowled.

Silverberry ran out of the medicine den, looking a bit startled, but she had a bundle of herbs in her jaws.  “Let’s get you into the nursery,” she murmured, and Twotail followed her in, thankful that her nest was clean and ready for her.

“—and she’s doing fine?”

“Uh huh.”  Silverberry flashed a tired smile at Ivyleaf. “Biggest litter I’ve ever seen though, seven kits.”

“That many, huh?”  But Ivyleaf wasn’t looking for a response.  “She’s probably tired and exhausted, so why don’t you go check on her?”

Silverberry gave a swift nod.  “I'm also worried that she won't have enough milk and energy for all seven kits.  I might have two nurse on Flowermist, since her kits don’t need milk anymore.”

“Flowermist would never turn them down, and she loves dealing with kits,” Ivyleaf agreed quietly. “And how’s Survivalclaw doing?”

A tiny pang of jealousy hit Silverberry.  He’d once fallen for her many moons ago, and she turned him down like his sister, who’d also proposed.  He learned that her sister Twotail had been the she-cat for him, but in the process he left behind the love he had for Silverberry.  A tiny part of her still wanted Survivalclaw to worship her like he had before, but that wasn’t the right route for life.  Besides, she was being selfish for wanting it.  Twotail and Survivalclaw were happy together now with their brand-new family, and only a monster would want to tear it to the ground.

“Silverberry?”

“Huh?”  She looked at Ivyleaf apologetically.  “Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts.  I’ll go check on Twotail, you go check on Survivalclaw. He seemed a little stressed during Twotail’s kitting.”

“Alright,” Ivyleaf said. “Do you know where he was last?”

“Uh…”  She paced for a moment.  “I think Flowermist sent him out to hunt with Stagscratch because Redoak because he was being restless,” she told the older medicine cat.

Ivyleaf gave a tiny nod. “Then you go check up on Twotail.”

She watched Ivyleaf stride out of the den on her dainty white toes.  She picked up her herb bundle and slowly walked into the nursery. The sun was beginning to rise, but all the queens and kits aside from Twotail were still silently sleeping.

“How are you feeling?” Silverberry whispered to Twotail, not daring to wake the others up.  Flytail could be a little more than anyone’s worst nightmare if she was woken up, especially early.

“F-fine!”  She watched as Twotail put on a strained smile.

She shook her head. “Obviously not.”  She noticed that Twotail’s fur was bristled, and there was a stressed look in her eyes.  “What’s wrong?  Are you feeling sore?  Does it hurt when the kits feed?  What’s going on?”

Twotail whispered something inaudibly, the panic in her eyes going wild.

“What?”  Silverberry couldn’t be more confused.

“I…”  She started frantically whispering things again.

Irritably Silverberry flicked her ears.  “I don’t understand.”

“I tried everything. I tried controlling, I tried healing, I tried turning invisible; I tried everything.”  Twotail’s voice was still barely audible, but it seemed louder this time. “I can't use my powers.  They’re gone.”

## Chapter One: Nothing but Hurt

**CREDITING: First part by Dream, second by Moon**

Brown eyes as gentle and soft as feather watched the other kits play.  Those eyes belonged to five-moon-old Swalekit, and they grew lonely.

She would’ve loved to play with the other kits, no doubt about it.  Except she didn’t, because of one thing: they became uncomfortable when she was around them.  It wasn’t because of the way she acted around them; it was because of the way she *looked*.

It was just her luck to born and look *exactly* the way a she-cat named Sunflower did.  It also didn’t help that Sunflower happened to be her evil grandmother who attacked the nursery before she was born.  At least Sunflower was dead.

Her mother, Twotail, was at least kinda about it.  She said those white speckled under her eyes and the crescent-moon-shaped-patch on her forehead distinguished her well from Sunflower, but it was a straight-up lie. Her father, Survivalclaw, often told her the same thing, but he was a better liar than Twotail.   It helped that her littermates didn’t treat her like the other cats, either.

Besides, Swalekit didn’t behave at all like Sunflower.  She was kind, gentle, shy, and also an excellent stalker (or so claimed Twotail). But cats didn’t see her for who she was; *nooOooOOo*, they saw her for who she *resembled*.

Like today.

Flytail’s kits were gossiping with the apprentices when Swalekit overheard them.   The apprentices were half-Clan, kits of Boulderstar and Flowermist, but everyone loved them anyways.  So why was it that the Clan rejected Swalekit for her appearance yet they didn’t give a mousetail about the apprentices’ bloodline?  It made no sense.

“—I don’t understand why Onekit even hangs out with her!” whispered Opalpaw.  Despite her whispers, she failed at being quiet.

“Well, they’re sisters,” replied Pepperkit.

“Yes, but Swalekit will curse her sister, just like she’s cursed!” Geminipaw butt in.  Her emerald eyes were haughty.

“It’s Onekit’s choice,” Opalpaw whispered, “but if it were up to me, I’d ditch her the first chance I get.”

But Swalekit didn’t want to hear anymore.  She *couldn’t* anymore, she just couldn’t.

She rushed into the nursery, into her nest, and fell into it, covering her face with moss, bedding, and her paws, attempting to keep in her tears.  She failed, but at least she was glad that the nursery was less crowded, and that everyone would rather play in the Leafbare snow than stay in the nursery.

Flytail’s kits, Meteorkit, Pepperkit, Jasminekit, and Wingkit slept there too, and it was a lot less crowded since Boulderstar and Flowermist’s kits Geminipaw, Birchpaw, and Opalpaw left the nursery.  But Swalekit had six more littermates, and they took up most of the room in the nursery.

She had two other sisters, Onekit and Sierrakit.  Onekit looked like a miniature Twotail, and she was the oldest kit.  She was fun, energetic, and always had the best games. Sierrakit was a lot different. She wasn’t a big kit like Onekit was, and getting into an argument with her was a trap.  Even if she was guilty, she always found a way to turn the tables and make her opponent seem and look guilty with diplomacy.  She was sarcastic, but also very clever.

Then were Swalekit’s four brothers.  Antkit was probably the most odd of the four, and he often seemed to be a different cat ever day.  It was unusual.  Second was her brother Terrakitkit.   He was sneaky, sly, and a bit of a jokester.  He looked a lot like Twotail, but he also had a few of his father’s traits and looks.  Her brother Asterkit was nervous and skittish, a bit like her, but he was well known for his good memory.  He always won memory games, like when Twotail often asked, “where did you see Terrakitkit last? I can't find him!”  And then there was her brother Fluffkit.  She felt like she related the most to him.  He was also shy and lonely like her, but mostly because he stayed away from the rest of the Clan, whereas they rejected her.  He looked the most like Survivalclaw.

After about fifteen minutes of crying, Swalekit decided that she felt better now, even if she didn’t.  She left the den.  Onekit was playing with Terrakitkit and Sierrakit.  She decided that she was done feeling lonely for the day and went over to join them.

“What are you playing?” Swalekit asked Onekit shyly.

“Camp raid!” Onekit exclaimed.  “Mother and Flytail were going to take us to the forest to play!”  Twotail, who was watching them nearby along with Flytail, flicked her ears at the mention.  “But first we need another cat!  You be on Sierrakit’s team!”

“Can we join?” Meteorkit and Pepperkit came over.

“How do you play?” added Birchpaw, who had previously been eating with Opalpaw.

“Well, there’s two teams, FierceClan and BraveClan,” Onekit exclaimed.  “You can make your camp wherever you want it to be in the forest as long as it’s within range of the play, and one of the queens will supervise it to make sure we’re safe.

“Anyways, you chose your target.  It could be anybody on your team!  The target has to stay in their territory, but the camp is best guarded.  The goal is to tag out the other Clan’s target, because then you win!  Once you cross borders, if you get tagged you’re out!  But if you get tagged in the opponent’s camp, you have to head back to your camp and wait a whole minute before you go back into the game.

“Now we can decide teams! I’ll be the leader of BraveClan, and Terrakitkit, Meteorkit, and Opalpaw will be on my team, while Twotail supervises ours!  Sierrakit will be the leader of FierceClan, and then Swalekit, Pepperkit, and Geminipaw will be on that team, supervised by Flytail!”  Onekit’s tail stuck up in excitement.  “Now go!  You have an hour on the clock before we attack!”

And then Onekit’s team ran into the forest, followed by a smiling Twotail.

“C’mon, FierceClan, let’s go set up our camp,” Sierrakit directed, walking in the opposite direction of Onekit’s Clan.  No one paid mind to Flytail who followed them.   “Swalekit, you be our target.”

“Oh, okay.”  Swalekit’s heart sank, but she said nothing as they went into the forest.  “Why me?”

“You're good at staying hidden and quiet,” Sierrakit said.  “We’ll make them think that Geminipaw’s our target and guard her in our camp, but really, you're our target, so you’ll hide somewhere in our territory.”

They came to a small clearing.

“This is good, don’t you think?” Flytail asked.

“Fine,” Pepperkit said. “Can we attack them now?”

“The game hasn’t started yet, Pepperkit.”  Sierrakit rolled her eyes.  “You and Geminipaw start building around that tree.  We guard that; it’ll be our tower.  Swalekit and I will strategize.”

Geminipaw and Pepperkit didn’t argue and began surrounding it with brambles.

“Lean in close,” Sierrakit whispered.  “I have a plan…”

Swalekit wondered if her hiding spot was good enough. She had found a hole in a tree close to the ground that if you covered with some dead leaves leftover from leaf-fall, you could barely see her. Now all she had to do was wait.

After she heard a cry of victory, Swalekit wondered who had gotten who. Of course, since she was the target, it couldn't have been Onekit's team.

Assuming she was safe, she tried to see the action. No one knew she was it, so it wouldn't matter if they saw her. Swalekit climbed out of the hole, feeling proud for probably the first time.

Unfortunately, Onekit's team had breached Sierrakit's camp, Geminipaw started shrieking from Terrakit throwing dirt at her, Pepperkit trying to stop him but getting stopped by Onekit and Meteorkit, and Opalpaw tussling with Sierrakit. When Geminipaw saw Swalekit, her face scowled.

"I'm not the target, she is!" Geminipaw pointed at Swalekit, before Meteorkit slammed into her.

Terrakit grinned. "Well then I guess I'll bring her back to base."

Moments later, FierceClan lost.

Antkit smirked at Pepperkit when the kits came back to the camp/ "Good job losing."

Pepperkit growled, but Sierrakit broke it up. "Antkit, it's only a game."

"That you *lost*."

Swalekit could see Sierrakit was trying not to get mad. "That doesn't matter. Do you think Boulderstar gives a mousetail about that when we become warriors?"

"No, but he might care if you can't even make a good strategy for a *kit's* game."

Sierrakit frowned. "I had a good plan, my members just didn't follow it."

"So you can't get cats to even follow your orders too?"

Sierrakit took a deep breath, clearly trying not to raise her voice. "They did, but then Geminipaw and Swalekit didn't do as I told them to do."

"No wonder."

When Geminipaw heard her name she added, "It's Swalekit's fault she got out of her hiding spot. I was being tortured."

Swalekit tried not to flinch when Sierrakit looked at her. "I thought you won, since I heard a cry of victory!"

"That was Onekit's team. They had gotten into our base," Sierrakit said with gritted teeth.

"Well I thought since I was the target, they couldn't have possibly taken me, so I thought you took their target."

"Well she didn't," Antkit added unhelpfully.

"So you just assumed that we won?"

"Well the plan was brilliant-"

"No it wasn't," Antkit said.

"The plan was that if they didn't see you, they couldn't take you!"

"But I thought-"

"You thought wrong! In fact, are you sure you can even think with that tiny brain of yours?!" Sierrakit snapped. "If you hadn't shown up, we would have won! You made us lose! It's all your fault!"

*All... My... Fault?*

Swalekit couldn't blame Geminipaw for giving it away. Onekit's team would have found out anyway, and if she hadn't left, Sierrakit *would* have won. It was her fault. She was the worst.

*You were cursed to be Sunflower because you're no better then her,* a voice whispered. *You'll never have any friends. You don't deserve them.*

Antkit began teasing Pepperkit again and Twotail had to stop another fight before they got sent to the medicine den like last time, and Twotail noticed Swalekit's sadness.

"You okay, Swalekit?" Twotail asked softly. She sat down next to Swalekit.

"I- I'm fine," Swalekit stammered.

Twotail raised a brow, and Swalekit sighed.

"Sierrakit gave me a hard time about losing the game."

"Do you want me to talk to her about it?"

"No, it wasn't her fault." *Your fault, your fault.* "Antkit got her riled up because she tried to stop Antkit from teasing Pepperkit."

"What about him? Should I give him a good scolding?"

"No, I doubt he is going to be like that right now. He always seems to be a new cat after this."

Twotail got up. "Well tell me when I can do something. At least, when you can do something."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever something goes wrong for you, you never want me to even talk to the person who made you feel bad. I hope you don't blame yourself for this."

*Twotail blames you too. She hates you even more!* the voice whispered. Swalekit shook it off.

"Thanks for talking to me," she said.

Twotail smiled. "Anytime for one of my pride and joys."

When Twotail left, Swalekit let out a sigh. She knew Twotail loved her, and tried to ignore the Sunflower resemblance, but why couldn't anyone else? Sure, Twotail *was* her mother, but... what was that thing Silverberry always said ever since Kiki learned it from her Twolegs? Oh yeah. "Treat everyone how you want to be treated." Do they want to be referred as the evil recarnation of Sunflower when they just want a mouse?

"Hey." Swalekit looked up. Sierrakit was back, this time looking embarrassed.

"Yeah?" Swalekit asked nervously. She wondered why Sierrakit was embarrassed. She wasn't the one who had been the reason they lost. It was her!

*Don't blame yourself,* a voice whispered in her head. *It was a mistake, and anyone can make mistakes!* Swalekit wondered where this voice was when the meaner one was talking.

"What I said earlier," Sierrakit began. "Well I'm sorry. Antkit made me lose my cool, but I shouldn't have done that. Besides, maybe I should have made the fake target someone who doesn't hate you as much as Geminipaw."

Swalekit laughed, trying to ignore the truth of those words. Geminipaw hated her, and everyone knew it, but no one had verbally acknowledged it. "That's true."

"Does this mean," Sierrakit's face turned hopeful. Wow, Swalekit was really lucky today. She had seen three emotions from Sierrakit! "We can be friends again?"

"Of course." Swalekit smiled. "We always were, and always will be."

Sierrakit flicked Swalekit with her tail. "I was going to ask Onekit for a rematch. Want to join?"

"Yes! This time I won't mess up!" Swalekit followed Sierrakit, happy. Maybe she could enjoy life, just maybe.

Sierrakit's team won that day.

## Chapter Two: Keep Positive

**CREDITING: First part by Moon, then Dream?**

Onekit always smiled. To her, everything was exciting! So what if her ears were a bit bigger then usual? That shouldn't stop her from laughing and enjoying life!

Everyday when Onekit woke up she did the same things: get up and out of the nursery, say hello to everyone, have a mouse, and invent a game to play that mourning.

If it was raining she still did it.

If it was snowing, she still did it.

No matter what the conditions were, she did get her schedule done. If she didn't, she couldn't help everyone smile and be happy, so she stuck to it every day.

Sometimes she wondered why she wanted people to be as happy as her. Was it because she had been born first and developed an instinct to help everyone? Was it that she felt bad? For whatever reason, she wanted to make life fun for anyone around her, and she loved it.

Onekit walked over to Swalekit, smiling even bigger. She knew Swalekit had it harder, looking like their grandma and all, so she tried her best to cheer her up.

"Onekit, hi," Swalekit said. Onekit sat down.

"Do you want to play a game?"

"Sure!"

Onekit flicked her tail. "Single player or multiplayer?"

This was part of her afternoon schedule. She would find someone and make a game, depending on what they liked. When Swalekit chose, it normally was alone since most cats didn't like her for no reason except looks. So what if she looked like a psycho murderer who basically brainwashed their mom? If Sunflower hadn't, then Twotail wouldn't have met Survivalclaw, and they wouldn't have existed!

Sometimes Onekit wondered if people thought she was overly optimistic. She tried to see the best, and only the best. Maybe they thought she was dumb for trying to ignore the worst. Maybe they hated her.

Onekit pushed the negative thoughts away. She told herself again that those thoughts weren't true. Think positive!

"Well, does anyone want to play with me?"

"What?" Onekit asked, distracted.

Swalekit repeated the question.

Onekit thought about it. She couldn't remember the last time Swalekit tried to play with others. "Well, maybe not Geminipaw, Ankit seems to be extra happy today, so maybe him, I think you and Sierrakit made up, so that's also an option, Jasminekit and Terrakit said they'd like to play a game, and I think they don't go out of their way to avoid you-"

Swalekit sighed, smiling. "How about you go around asking if they want to play the afternoon game with me? I don't need to hear your thought process about who likes or dislikes me."

Onekit nodded, and dashed to the center of the camp. "Game of the afternoon! Step right up it's multiplayer!"

Wingkit came first, but tripped and tumbled into her. "Can I play?" she asked softly, her pale blue eyes looking huge on her tiny white frame. Onekit felt a twinge of guilt. She knew that she would have to ask Wingkit's mom, Flytail, who would most likely say no, that Wingkit was too frail and needed to eat more before she could play, and so she wouldn't exhaust herself/

"Wingkit, you know your mother doesn't want you to play and get hurt," Onekit started.

Wingkit tried to protest. "I never get to play! Why can't I join you once?!" even though she was shouting, Wingkit was very quiet, and her shout was like a regular cat talking.

Sierrakit walked over. "Wingkit, we don't want you to hurt us! You're so strong, you could defeat RiverClan!"

Wingkit smiled. "Really?"

Sierrakit nodded. "But if you play now, you won't be strong enough later. Save your energy!"

Wingkit nodded back, feeling happy. "Then I can rule all of the forest!"

When Wingkit left, Onekit looked at Sierrakit. "I didn't know you were so good with her!"

Sierrakit shrugged. "If I can convince warriors, why not her?"

Asterkit came next. "D-Do you think I could play?"

"Of course!" Swalekit got up from her spot, and joined the kits at the center. "Anyone can play, if they want to play with me."

"If it's one of Onekit's games, I'll join!" Pepperkit ran over, and Terrakit and Antkit followed.

"I enjoy a friendly competition," Terrakit said, grinning.

"As long as we don't have to hurt anyone!" Antkit added.

Onekit was happy. She was happy everyone was happy, which she had wanted. "My game is Chase the Mouse! Someone is the Mouse, and you guys got to get the mouse before the Mouse can make it to the nursery, which will be the hole the Mouse escapes into."

The kits nodded, all thinking about what they'd do.

Terrakit raised a paw. "Do we get to choose the Mouse?"

Onekit shook her head. "That might be mean. I'll pick, since I'll be the one watching to make sure you don't cheat!"

"How could I cheat?" Terrakit asked, feigning innocence. Everykit knew he tended to "spice things up" or make stuff a bit "easier."

Pepperkit nudged him. "Don't you dare make this a repeat of the Balance Game!" Onekit remembered that event. Balance game was chose for Antkit, where you walked across the log without tripping while everyone else tried to get them to fall. Terrakit had found ants and poured them over Antkit, causing him to fall in and almost broke a leg.

Terrakit groaned. "That was ONE time!"

"What about the rat incident?" Sierrakit asked.

"Well, maybe it happened a few times," Terrakit admitted.

"If you're talking about all the times Terrakit caused injuries, there was also the Honey Thief, since the bees didn't like him stealing it, The Cobweb Hole, where you caused Onekit to fall in the hole when she was it for tag, the-" Asterkit began.

Terrakit slammed his paw on Asterkit. "Okay, I think they understand it now!"

Onekit giggled. She knew Terrakit was smiling, even if he was trying not too. "Shall we start?"

Everykit nodded, and Onekit chose Terrakit to be the Mouse, hoping this would help him not cheat. Unfortunately, he decided to throw dirt at the cats trying to "stalk" him and ran away when they tried to get it out of their eyes.

—

Terrakit was in trouble. Twotail took the kits who had been thrown dirt at to the medicine den, in case it could hurt their eyes, and Survivalclaw was left to glare at Terrakit.

"Terrakit, what are we going to do with you?" Survivalclaw asked.

Terrakit shrugged. "It's a natural instinct for one to want to defend themselves."

"This was a game! A kit game for StarClan's sake!" Survivalclaw sighed. "Do you know how much this did to your mother?"

"What about Twotail?"

"You know how she has a blind eye?"

"Yes?"

"Did she tell you how it happened?"

"Sunflower I guess."

"Did you know she was freaking out about this because she thought it might make your siblings and the other kits blind too?"

"No but-"

"What about the fact Sunflower basically manipulated and abused Twotail?"

No answer from Terrakit. Survivalclaw sighed.

"Your actions have consequences. I hope you realized that."

Survivalclaw turned away, leaving Terrakit alone to feel guilty.

“MY EYES!  MYEYESMYEYES!!  I DON’T WANT TO GO BLIND!!”

“Settle down, Pepperkit, you're not going to go blind, but you have to settle down so I can treat your eyes.  Actually, scratch that, if you don’t stop thrashing around, you *will* go blind.”

Pepperkit stopped being so antsy almost immediately and sat down unmoving, whimpering softly as he allowed Silverberry to treat his eyes.

She moved on to Antkit, who was calm and cool.  His ears turned inwards, but other than that he seemed perfectly fine.

“Are their eyes going to be okay?” Twotail asked worriedly.  Swalekit rested a paw on her mother’s soothingly, who had just been treated.

“Yes, Twotail, they’ll be fine.”  Silverberry dabbed Antkit’s eyes with the wet moss and then gave it back to Jasminekit, who acted like her apprentice.  “Antkit, tilt your head up.”

Antkit did as he was told and looked up, ever as calm and collected as ever.

“Hey, uh, guys?”  Swalekit turned and Terrakit entered the den, looking embarrassed.