Chapter Two
Duskkit turned around in her nest, pressing closer to her mother's soft fur. She was careful to ignore the poking of her sister, whose name was Featherkit, she had learned. Lionkit was already awake, and was sitting by the exit, his dark blue eyes, so much like his father's, sparkling with excitement. Featherkit sighed, her pale gray eyes glittering with annoyance. "Duskkit! Let's go explore the camp!" Featherkit exclaimed, poking her sister once more.
"Featherkit, don't disturb your sister! She's very tired!" Snowblossom snapped, her eyes filling with anger. Featherkit's eyes widened, and she crouched down, her pelt bristling in fear. Snowblossom sighed at her kit, her voice gentle. "Why don't you and Lionkit explore the camp yourselves. I'm sure she'll wake up soon." Featherkit immediately bounced back up, prancing over to the exit.
"Okay, Snowblossom! We can ask the apprentices to show us around, right?" Featherkit purred, bounding out of the nursery with Lionkit in tow. Duskkit muttered under her breath, feeling the sensation to open her eyes.
"Duskkit, it's okay. You can open your eyes when you're ready. But, I would love to see you awake, so do it soon?" Snowblossom mewed softly, licking her daughter's head. My mother cares about me so much…. maybe I will open my eyes. Duskkit stretched open her eyes, expecting to see the warm nursery walls. Instead, she found herself staring into blank darkness. Immediately, she began to panic.
"Snowblossom! Why is it so dark? I thought there was sunlight?" Duskkit squealed, her eyes blinking open and closed. Snowblossom gasped, looking down at her kit, whose eyes were most definitely open. "Mama, help me! What's wrong?" Snowblossom said nothing, but quickly left the nursery. Duskkit squirmed in her nest, trying to find her way around the darkness. Soon, she could hear the sounds of arguing and shouting.
"Go check on her! She's probably just really tired! Go check on her!" Snowblossom yowled, growling at Mistleberry.
"Snowblossom, there's nothing I can do. She's blind," Mistleberry replied, her voice dropping towards the end. Duskkit stopped and felt her stomach drop upon hearing this, and she fell down into her nest, trying to find her mother. She felt a warm tongue rasp her ear, and she could smell herbs.
"Mistleberry? Am I really blind?" Duskkit mewed, her voice quivering. Mistleberry sighed, and she felt her mother's pelt against hers.
"I'm sorry, Duskkit. There was just a tiny chance that this would happen, miniscule actually. You'll never be able to become a warrior, but I would be happy to take you as my apprentice," Mistleberry mewed. Duskkit blinked, turning to look at her mother.
"I'll never become a warrior?" Duskkit replied. Snowblossom sighed softly, and she heard Mistleberry leave. "What do I look like? What do you look like? What do Featherkit and Lionkit look like? What does my father look like?" Snowblossom curled around her blind daughter, carefully licking her soft pelt. Duskkit sighed, and she felt tears threatening to escape from her green eyes. I'm blind... Worthless… Pathetic...
"You are so beautiful. You have a dark gray pelt with black streaks and your eyes are a bright forest green. I am white as snow and I have forest green eyes as well. Featherkit is a dappled white she-cat with pale gray eyes, and Lionkit is a golden-brown tabby tom with a white muzzle and dark blue eyes. Your father is Thornstar and he is a golden-brown tabby with streaks of dark gold and dark blue eyes," Snowblossom explained.
"Mama, the camp is so big!" Lionkit squealed, bouncing into the nursery. Duskkit raised her muzzle, recognizing his scent as one of moss. Another scent drifted into her nose, a pleasant scent of leaves.
"Featherkit? Lionkit?" Duskkit mewed softly, raising her eyes. She heard paws run over, and she felt a paw poke her muzzle.
"Duskkit! You're awake! Why don't I show you around the camp?" Featherkit purred, nuzzling her sister with affection. Snowblossom gently pushed Featherkit away, and turned towards her other two kits, whispering. "What? Duskkit isn't blind! There's nothing wrong with her! Her eyes are perf-." Duskkit could feel her sister's gaze on her face. Duskkit stood up with shaky legs, her tail brushing the ground to make sure she wouldn't fall over.
"I'm blind, Featherkit. Can't you see the glossy sheen on my eyes? I can't see anything through it!" Duskkit yowled, her pelt bristling in anger. Featherkit and Lionkit exchanged looks, and they murmured in reassurance. "Oh, shut up! What can words do to heal me?"
"Duskkit! Stop this at once! Just because you can't see, it doesn't mean you can treat your littermates like this! Apologize at once!" Snowblossom snapped, marching up to her kit. Duskkit turned toward her mother, her pelt still bristling, and she cried out.
"I'm sorry, Lionkit and Featherkit," Duskkit mumbled, and she lowered her head, and she felt the first droplets of icy cold salt water hit her paws.
"It's okay…. We promise we'll give you everything we can!" Featherkit purred, brushing up against her sister. Duskkit nodded, but her eyes continued to drip. Snowblossom padded over to Duskkit, quickly licking her pelt, and smiling. It came at once. Duskkit yowled into the air, and the tears crashed out of her eyes, soaking her pelt. Her littermates jumped back in shock and Snowblossom took a sharp intake of breath.
"I just wanted to be normal! Was that too much to ask? I just wanted to go around the camp, bustling around with my littermates, and having all the other warriors coo over me! Know, I'm just a useless lump sitting in camp all day!" Duskkit shrieked, her eyes now too dry to produce more tears. Snowblossom gasped, and Featherkit shook her head so vigorously that she could hear it.
"No! Don't say that! You are going to be a medicine cat, isn't that enough? Isn't that special? Normal?" Featherkit protested, still shaking her head. Duskkit turned to "look" at her sister, and gave a slight nod.
"I just….. I thought.. I could…. Can I just go see the camp later?" Duskkit mewed softly, her eyes no longer pouring. Instead, she was solemn, having accepted her fate.
"Of course you can, Duskkit. Why wouldn't you be able to?" mewed a deep, authoritative voice. Duskkit raised her head, sniffing out the scent of trees and prey.
"Thornstar! You're finally here to see your kits. The last time you came was three sunrises ago," Snowblossom whispered, getting up and heading over towards her mate.
"Daddy?" Duskkit meowed, looking up. She could feel his gaze on her pelt, and then it landed on her face. She could smell the fear and the panic radiating off his pelt. "You don't have to be afraid of anything. I'm blind, true. But that doesn't mean that I can't help the clan."
"How did you know I was scared? I'm positive you'll help the clan. I don't care if you're blind, you'll always be my daughter and I will always be loving you," Thornstar muttered, leaning forward and nudging his daughter affectionately.
"I can smell it from your fur. Can't you?" Duskkit replied, nuzzling her father back.
"Remember, Thornstar. Since Duskkit is blind, her other senses, hearing and smelling, are enhanced. She can smell and hear things we can't," Snowblossom purred. Thornstar grunted in annoyance, but entwined his tail with his mate's. Snowblossom purred once more, before letting go and heading back into her nest.
"Featherkit and Lionkit, I hope you two show Duskkit around camp tomorrow. It's getting dark and we all need rest. Sleep tight and have sweet dreams," Thornstar whispered, turning around to exit the nursery. Duskkit pressed her tail against Featherkit, slowly moving towards her nest. She felt the soft moss and feathers against her paws and she sighed, flopping down beside her sister.
"Duskkit, will we be able to train together?" Featherkit whispered. Lionkit's ears twitched in annoyance, and he quickly nudged Featherkit.
"Featherkit, can't you be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep," Lionkit hissed. Featherkit huffed indignantly, but turned around and buried herself deeper into Snowblossom's fur.
"No, Featherkit, I can't. I'm going to become a medicine cat," Duskkit replied one last time, before closing her eyes.