Inside the warm nursery, the she-cat strained, belly heaving, while the worried medicine cat stood over her.
"I...can't...do it Sparrowsong!" the she-cat yowled.
"Just one more push, Fadinglight!" Sparrowsong murmured. "Just one last push and it will all be over."
The queen heaved and groaned as a small, dark lump fell into the nest. Sparrowsong immediately began to lick it.
As Fadinglight lay breathing heavily, she heard a gasp. Her head shot up in alarm.
"What's wrong Sparrowsong?"
The medicine cat hesitated. "N-nothing's wrong...it's just that this kit is...a little different."
"What do you mean by different?" Fadinglight urged.
"It's n-nothing. Congratulations. You have two lovely she-kits," Sparrowsong muttered as she placed the kit next to the one already nestled in Fadinglight's soft belly fur.
Fadinglight stared at the kit with wide eyes. She was tiny, with rather ugly patchy black and brown fur and a slightly crooked nose.
"I don't see what's wrong with her," Fadinglight demanded.
"There's nothing wrong," Sparrowsong said again. "She's fine. Just...different."