Chapter 2

"Look Through My Eyes."

4/27/17 - 4/28/17


~ Aspenkit ~

The wind. The birds. They can fly as high as they want. Why can't Aspenkit?

The gold brown tom stands on the nursery and tenses his haunches before leaping into the air and waving his front forelegs, expecting gravity to work in his favor. Aspenkit falls face first into the dirt, and spits out the soil as he hears laughter.

"Jump higher! I don't think you're brain is screwed up enough!" Flashkit taunts as her sister, Cherrykit, falls on his back laughing.

Mean. Cruel. Harsh.

Why were they always like that? Why couldn't they just leave me alone?

Aspenkit staggers and looks at the birds flying overhead. A paw hits his head, and Aspenkit shrieks.

Intrusion! Pain! Irritation! Never touch me!

Aspenkit whirled around and scratches Flashkit's face before backing into the corner.

"Ow! You hit me you freak!"

"You - first!" Aspenkit shrieks.

"Mom! Aspenkit tried to kill us!" Cherrykit and Flashkit race inside the nursery, Gingershine storms out and narrows her eyes on Aspenkit.

"Aspenkit, what happened? Did you scratch Flashkit?"

"Y-Yes."

"That is a very wrong thing to do." Gingershine scolds him, making him sink lower to the ground. "You never attack your Clanmates no matter what. Apologize to Flashkit."

No! He caused the pain! He is nothing but pain!

Gingershine makes Aspenkit stand in front of Flashkit. The light grey tom's eyes give away smug arrogance.

Gingershine nudges him again. Aspenkit's limbs shake. "... Sorry…"

"Louder."

"Sorry!"

Gingershine nods and pads to the nursery. Flashkit chuckles and looks down on Aspenkit. "Nobody wants to defend a defective freak. So why don't you keep your mouth shut?"

Hate. Hate you. So mean and I don't know why!


"Aspenkit, where are you going?"

"Out." Was his short reply before leaving after his afternoon nap. Only moving a few steps away from the nursery, Aspenkit feels claws dig in his back and sees Flashkit.

"Gingershine told me to play with you, and you better not hurt me."

Aspenkit feels the claws make his skin feel like fire ants are crawling over him, and squirms out of his grasp.

Hurt! Hurt! Get off!

Aspenkit couldn't take it anymore. It was all too much. Aspenkit shrieks and Flashkit jumps off of him. Just as he did, Hollykit and Poppykit race to his side.

"Aspenkit, what's wrong?" Poppykit whispers to him. Aspenkit curls near Poppykit as he whimpers incoherently. Hollykit sees Flashkit sneaking away and stomps on his tail with her paw.

"What did you do to him?!"

"He screamed on his own. He's just starting trouble." Flashkit lies.

"Liar!" Hollykit growls. "He doesn't 'just start trouble' until you or Cherrykit pick on him!"

Flashkit narrows his eyes. "You coddling him too much. Why do you think he's so slow-?"

"Slow?! That's it!" Hollykit jumps Flashkit, nipping his ears when Gingershine broke it up.

"Hollykit, Flashkit, what is wrong with you? And why is Aspenkit-?"

"Aspenkit screams because he simply brushed him." Flashkit told his mother.

"Oh come off it! You hurt him, that's why he's crying!"

Loud voices. Noise. Shouting. Make it stop.

Aspenkit removes himself from Poppykit and tries to hide behind the nursery and escape.

"But he's just mean, Mom!" Flashkit told Gingershine. "He doesn't play with us and thinks he's better than us!"

"Are you sure it's not because he's different?" Gingershine questions him. "Flashkit, you were close to the nursery. I heard what you called Aspenkit."

Hollykit snorts smugly to Flashkit.

"That brings me back to what Cherrykit said. Did Aspenkit attack you first, or did you two lie to my face?"

Flashkit fluffs his fur. "No - I mean! Aspenkit hurt me!"

"Liar." Aspenkit choked out. Gingershine moves behind the nursery and sees Aspenkit staring at her with fear.

"Aspenkit. Was Flashkit lying to me about what happened?"

Of course he was! How could she not see?

"Yes." Aspenkit whispers.

Gingershine glares at Flashkit. "We're going to have a talk with your father when he returns. You and Cherrykit are in big trouble."

"But-! But-!"

"No buts." Gingershine wraps her tail around Flashkit. "You're going to apologize to Aspenkit and we'll discuss your punishment."

Gingershine forces Flashkit to stand in front of Aspenkit. The light grey tom frowns and glares at Aspenkit. "Sorry!"

His mother takes him back to the nursery, Aspenkit is relieved, but…

Flashkit is mean. Stay away from him.


Those birds again. Aspenkit wants to know, where do they go? How do they fly?

Poppykit and Hollykit play with each other as their brother stares into the sky. A white fur coat catches his eye, and he sees the white, silver cat from the other day.

Pretty. So bright. Who is she? Oh, Snowpelt.

Snowpelt carries a rabbit to Gingershine and exits the nursery just as quick.

"Snow." He calls out. Snowpelt stops and looks at him.

She sees me! Am I happy? Yes!

"Oh… Hi, Aspenkit."

"Salutations!"

Aspenkit's sisters stop playing, when they hear him speaking. Even Gingershine pokes her out to see who is speaking, and is surprised to see it was Aspenkit.

Snowpelt flicks an ear. "Well. I have to go now." She said to her young cousin.

"Visit again!"

With Snowpelt gone, there was another cat who took notice of Aspenkit's behavior. Lightstripe watches as Aspenkit quickly becomes stone faced and hides further in the shadows to avoid attention, and looks at the sky to find the birds.

Lightstripe knew where he saw this, and why this seems so familiar…


Four moon old Lightkit once noticed Stealthfire staring into the afternoon sky without breaking her gaze, she was still as a statue.

"Mommy!"

Lightkit runs over and nuzzles the golden pelt of Stealthfire while her back was turned. Stealthfire quickly jumps back and Lightkit falls down. He looks up at his mother with sad eyes.

"Why did you do that?" He wails. Lightkit runs away without waiting for a reply and tells Stoatfrost.

The skinny white tom blinks. "Oooh. I get it. She doesn't hate you, Lightkit."

"Then why didn't she let me touch her?"

"Your mom has...a condition. She thinks and learns different from other cats, she also is very sensitive to being touched by others, especially when she's not expecting it."

Lightkit frowns. "Is it my fault?"

Stoatfrost shakes his head. "No way. I'll talk to her about it, don't worry."

In the early evening, Stealthfire approached Lightkit with Stoatfrost nearby.

"I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. I didn't know you wanted a hug."

Lightkit blinks. "Can I…?"

Stealthfire sits down with her front paw outstretched to him. Lightkit was cautious at first, he feels Stealthfire's paw rub his back as he rests his head on her chest. He purrs with delight at the warmth of his mother's fur.


Lightstripe blinks back to reality hearing Gingershine call the kits back inside. Poppykit goes to Aspenkit and brushes her paw on his shoulder. The gold brown tom recoils from her touch.

"It's nap time, Aspenkit." She told Aspenkit. The gold brown tom blinks and nods before following Poppykit inside with Hollykit.

Lightstripe definitely recognizes Aspenkit's behavior. Whatever "condition" affected his mother, Stealthfire, it was the same one affecting Aspenkit.


Shout out to the guest reviewer who said they think Aspenkit has a form of Autism. You were right! :)

Sometimes Autism is hereditary, but sometimes it can be found in kids with no family history Autism. Aspenkit and Stealthfire are in the same family, so it is passed down to him.

His little thoughts of phrases is how he feels, and how he sees everything around him.

Poppykit and Hollykit have already picked up on Aspenkit's behavior patterns, as well as Lightstripe, remembering his kithood with Stealthfire. Aspenkit is already taken to Snowpelt, maybe he will like Lightstripe, too. ~ Kyubi