Jayfeather entered the Nursery to the sounds of cooing and cheering and he saw Twigkit, climbing the Nursery walls. Sootkit, eager to impress everyone the way Twigkit was, started climbing too.
"Look, mommy!" Cinderheart barely heard Sootkit's mew over the cheering.
"Sootkit! Get down from there! A respectful kit doesn't climb the walls of the Nursery!" Sootkit frowned.
"Then why does Twigkit get to?"
"Because she… She…" Cinderheart struggles to find something to say, and when she can't, tries to change the subject. "Why don't you go get something to eat? Maybe Jayfeather could watch you for a bit?" The grey she-cat looks up at Jayfeather.
"Of course. Come on, Sootkit. Let's go share a mouse."
He lays his tail over the kit's shoulders and leads him out to the fresh-kill pile to let him pick out a mouse, and they retreat to Jayfeather's den to eat.
"Why is life so unfair! Mom lets Twigkit break the rules, but when I do the same stuff, she yells at me!" Sootkit frowns and rips at the mouse they chose.
"Well, Twigkit's-"
"Special; I know. Mom always tells me that. Just because she was born with three legs, she gets to do stuff that no one else does! If that's the case, I want only three legs, just so I'm treated the same!" Jayfeather lays his tail over Sootkit's back.
"Sootkit, I can't make you feel any better. But I can tell you that when I look at Twigkit, and then at you, I love you both the same, feel the same amount of pride for both of you, and I'll never treat either of you any differently than the other." Sootkit just eats more of the mouse, and then pushes the rest toward his father.
"Thanks." The gray kit goes back to the Nursery and slips inside. Jayfeather finishes the mouse and sniffs through the herb store, and while his nose is pushed into the marigold checking for useless petals, the sound of Cinderheart's voice startles him.
"Cinderheart! What can I do for you?"
"What in StarClan's name did you say to Sootkit! He won't even look at me anymore, and when I asked him why, he said, 'Dad said he won't treat Twigkit and I any different from each other, so I'm not going to look at anyone who doesn't do the same.' What were you thinking!"
"Cinderheart, I was only trying to make him feel better. But in all honesty, you do treat them differently." Jayfeather flinches when Cinderheart lunges forward and thrusts her face into his.
"No I do not!"
"Yes, you do. Just earlier you were letting Twigkit climb the Nursery walls, but when Sootkit did, you scolded him. That isn't right, even if Twigkit is crippled. She seems to be getting on like any other kit, so she should be treated like one, and if you don't scold her, I will." Cinderheart's jaw gapes at the medicine cat as what she hears sink in.
"No you will not! She needs special treatment to make her keep moving forward and making progress," Cinderheart argues.
"I will, and she doesn't need the special treatment. If you think she needs special exercises, build her something to use instead of letting her tear up the Nursery! Warriors won't appreciate it when they have to rebuild the Nursery because there's too much of a draft because some kit has been clawing it." When Cinderheart opens her mouth to object, Jayfeather adds, "Cinderheart, I have nothing else to say to you. Please go so I can do my work."
Cinderheart closes her mouth, and before she leaves, Jayfeather sees sadness and despair in her eyes. Pain stabs his heart like a thorn, and for a moment he contemplates going after her and apologizing, but he refrains. Instead, he finishes clearing the herb store of old herbs and takes inventory.
Time passes quickly and before Jayfeather knows it, the evening patrol is back and the Clan is readying for the evening meal before they go to their dens.
Jayfeather looks over at Sandstorm who had come down with a cough around sunhigh.
"What would you like from the fresh-kill pile?"
"Oh, Jayfeather, I can get it myself," Sandstorm offers.
"No, no. I was going to stuff your meal with some coltsfoot so it would go down easier. Coltsfoot can be a bit difficult to get down when you have a sore throat," Jayfeather explains to her.
"Oh, all right. I'll take whatever you find fit. Thank you." Jayfeather exits the den and heads for the fresh-kill pile. Cinderheart and the other queens were taking advantage of the last weak rays of sunshine, and a few warriors were gathered around the fresh-kill pile. The gray tom picks a plump vole off the pile and takes it back to the medicine den and stuffs it with a bit of Coltsfoot. He adds some honey so it will soothe her throat as well, and then gives the stuffed prey to Sandstorm.
"Thank you, Jayfeather. Will this make me feel better?" Sandstorm queries.
"It should. The Coltsfoot will help your cough, and the honey will help soothe your throat." Jayfeather goes back to the fresh-kill pile and picks a mouse for himself. He decides to eat it in the clearing for a change, and he finishes his prey in a few famished gulps.
Jayfeather watches the queens as they go back to the Nursery after the last rays of sunlight diminish.
He also thinks about the Gathering tomorrow, and what news might be presented there. His heart lurches when he recognizes the voice yowling from the Nursery.
"My kit! Where's my kit!" Cinderheart races out of the Nursery and turns to look straight at Jayfeather. "Sootkit's missing!"