Warning: This next chapter may get very sad _
"Where're we goin', mama?" Duskkit squeaked as she trotted along the trail with her mother. Her eyes shone with the excitement of being out of camp. Sweetblossom padded at half the pace of her kit, nowhere near as excited as she was. The tabby queen tried to put some cheer in her voice as she mewed, "We're going all the way down to the lakeside."
Duskkit bounced up and down, her tail flailing all over the place. "The lakeside! The lakeside! The lakeside!" she squealed, then stopped and cocked her head. "What's a lakeside?" Sweetblossom mrrowed with amusement. She licked Duskkit on her head and purred, "The lakeside is like an upside-down sky. When you look at it, another 'you' appears. It's so pretty, and it goes on for so far, all the way to Riverclan camp." This brought more peals of excitement from Duskkit.
The little kit looked around the forest with crystal-blue eyes the size of moons. Her ears twitched with every sound, and her giant bushy tail flicked back and forth. Most of all, her nose sniffled like a rabbit's, taking in every scent, more than any cat could ever smell. The rest of the walk passed as fast as lightning for Duskkit, while Sweetblossom's paws moved as if through mud. Every step was a mile dash, and she dreaded reaching the lake.
Finally, they both emerged from the bushes onto the shore. Duskkit squealed and tried to rush to the water, but her mother held her back. Her eyes were flooded with nervousness as she told Duskkit to wait a moment before going to look at the rippling mirror. "Duskkit, honey, sit down. Mama has a story to tell you."
While Duskkit sat, curious but also anxious to go see the lake, Sweetblossom took a deep breath. "Awhile ago, when I still was as round as a badger with kits, I went for a walk in the forest. I heard a kit, way back in the woods, wailing for its mama. I got scared and ran towards the tiny mews, and Raggedstone had to climb a tall, hollow tree to fetch the kit. I didn't know why at the time, and I didn't care, but he was really nervous about going up there. When he got back down, he had a fox kit in his jaws. At first, I was angry at him when he didn't have the kit, and then I realized that the fox was the kit."
"Starclan gave me that little kit, and I have raised it as my own." Sweetblossom gazed at Duskkit, who had a confused look on her long face. "Duskkit, you… St-Starclan gave me you. That's why you feel so different. Duskkit, my sweet little kit… you're a fox."
Duskkit's eyes welled up and tears spilled over as she backed away. "That's not funny, mama. Don't be silly. I-I can't be a fox, I'm a cat…" Then she saw her mother's sorrowful face. "No… no, no NO!" She raced over to the lapping waves of the lake, sobbing, and looked down at her reflection. A long red snout appeared in the water, and bright blue eyes shone from a monstrous face. Its black-tipped ears flattened back right as Duskkit's did the same. She wailed as she stared in terror at the fox in the water. The wail turned into a fox's howl, and it barked as she raced off towards the bushes.
Sweetblossom looked up at the sky, a tear tracing down her cheek. Starclan, what have you done? She asked silently before running to follow her little fox kit.
Later, Duskkit laid down in her nest, nose trained at the ground. When she'd finally come back to camp, she had found Long-ear guarding the entrance. Just my luck, she'd thought bitterly. When Long-ear saw her miserable expression, he'd shown the tiniest of sneers. It was enough. Duskkit ran the rest of the way to the nursery, fighting back sobs. She ignored Daisyfern's concerned look as she barreled into camp. She ignored Briarkit and Bearkit's invitation to play. She ignored Crystalkit and Twistedkit's greeting as she plopped down into her nest.
She didn't want Sweetblossom's comforting words. She didn't want her sibling's playful attitudes. She only wanted Midnight. The old badger was the only one who came close to understanding what Duskkit was feeling. A fox, she cried inside. I'm not a cat. I'm a… a monster! I'm what queens warn their kits about when they've been naughty. I'm what kills and eats cats for breakfast. I'm worse than Tigerstar! An image came to her mind; a giant red monster feeding on the bloody corpse of her mother. Her stomach twisted into knots, and she retched on the floor beside the nest.
The next thing she knew, Duskkit was in the medicine cat's den. She chewed on some bitter chamomile and chervile leaves, Daisyfern fussing over her. Sweetblossom came in, and the nasty image that made Duskkit heave came back to her. She gagged again and plopped down into the nest, coughing and spitting. Sweetblossom raced over and began licking Duskkit's long face and red pelt. Daisyfern brought her some poppy seeds, which she licked up numbly. Soon, she drifted off to sleep.
Midnight found Duskkit sitting in a clearing beside a hollow tree. The little fox was gazing up at the starry sky, dried tears stuck to her fur. "Hi, Midnight," she barked gruffly, trying to sound more cheerful than she did. She sniffed once and looked over at the old badger. "Guess what?" she said. "Mama told me that I'm not a cat, and I actually believe her." She gave a great sigh through her nose.
Midnight sat and pulled Duskkit closer. "Sweet little firepelt. She never meant to hurt you. Feeling not all that sad, maybe? Perhaps it is good, that you know. Make more sense; can understand now, why you are feeling so different," she barked back in her broken cat voice. "But, whatever happens, do not be angry at dear Sweetblossom. She risked much, adopting you."
Duskkit tried to flex her claws and smell through her mouth, like cats do. Her claws didn't budge, and the only scent she got was through her powerful nose. "Midnight, how will I ever be a warrior if I'm not a cat? I'm too strong and bulky. Foxes can't be warriors," she sniffed. Then she cocked her head. "Can they?"
Midnight also cocked her head, thinking up a reply. "Maybe you can be strongest warrior. Maybe you will be best of all," she rumbled. "If you learn to control strength, you can be leader one day, I'm sure." Duskkit snorted. Whatever, she thought. I might as well go live with the dogs in Twolegplace.
They sat in silence, gazing at the moon. It was almost touching the horizon; they couldn't see much. Blue tinted the other side of the sky. Morning was near. Midnight touched noses with Duskkit and faded away, leaving her by herself for a few seconds before she woke up in the medicine cat's den.