KITHOOD:
"Ravenkit! Ravenkit!" A small black kit opened is eyes. "You've opened your eyes! We've been waiting for weeks!" A smoky grey she-cat squeaked. "Settle down, Stormkit," a black she-cat meowed. Stormkit? Ravenkit thought. The smoky grey she-kit was no more than four weeks old. Ravenkit was born late, so he was a couple days younger than Stormkit. He wanted to say something, but all that came out was a "SHH!" Stormkit laughed. Ravenkit cocked his head. Learning how to speak would be hard.
...
"C'mon, Ravenkit!" Stormkit called. "You're three moons old!" Ravenkit hissed. "I now!" he managed to say. "Know," Stormkit rolled her eyes. "Know. Not now." Ravenkit cocked his head. "That what I say!" he protested. "That's what I said." He corrected himself, saving Stormkit some breath. "Good," she sighed. Ravenkit wanted to try to say know. "I know I'm tree moons old," he mewed. "Three moons old!" Stormkit shouted. "Right. Three," Ravenkit smiled. "Haha! Loser can't speak!" a blue tom laughed. "Waterkit!" a small blue queen hissed. Ravenkit closed his eyes.
He felt tears stream down his face. "Mommy! MOM!" He cried.
Darkflower, his mother, looked down on him. "Oh, baby! What did they do to you, precious?" she fretted. "It's okay," Stormkit soothed. Lunarmoon, Ravenkit's and Stormkit's father, came inside the nursery. "He's weak," he hissed. "Serves him right."
Darkflower stared at him in disgust. "I can't believe I EVER loved you," she hissed. "He needs to be strong," Lunarmoon looked away sadly. He patted his son's head. "You'll be my strong boy, won't you?" he asked Ravenkit. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Darkflower yowled. Lunarmoon bristled. He padded outside. "Why did you send dad away?" Stormkit asked. "He's no father," Darkflower hissed. "He's a peice of fox dung. That's what he is." Stormkit gasped. "That's a bad word!" she meowed. "Serves HIM right," Darkflower muttered.
Ravenkit began to repeat what his mother said. "Fox-" "NO!" Stormkit yowled. She laughed weakly. "D-don't say that." Ravenkit cocked his head, still crying. He laughed with Stormkit. Except it came out more like a cracking noise. I have a serious speech problem, he told himself. He had to admit it. And it's NOT going to get better.
...
Morning splashed through the clearing. Ravenkit yawned. His encounter with his father had been a surprise. Lunarmoon was a complete JERK. Ravenkit looked at Stormkit's nest. It was empty. Ravenkit panicked. He raced around camp. Darkflower yawned. "Where are you going?" she asked. Ravenkit pointed to Stormkit's nest. "She's gone!" he meowed. His speech DID get a little better, but it would need to be perfect when he reached six moons. He was on his fifth moon. "Ravenkit, honey-" Darkflower stopped.
Stormkit came padding into camp. "Stormkit!" yowled Ravenkit. "You back! Did a fox catch you?" he asked. "Relax! Relax!" Stormkit mewed. "I just went to make dirt." So THAT's what mom wanted to say, Ravenkit felt stupid. He was panicking for nothing. "Don't feel dumb," Stormkit soothed. "If I really WAS in dager, you could have saved my life by telling the clan." Ravenkit guessed the expression on his face told what he was feeling. Or Stormkit was just a mind reader.
Darkflower chuckled. "Goofballs," she meowed.