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"I Know Exactly Why I Walk And Talk Like A Machine."
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It's rather boring, being a queen. Dawnclaw thought to herself, as she lapped from a small puddle. It had rained that night, but had cleared up slightly.

The sky was grey, which annoyed Dawnclaw. It was a reminder that Leaf-bare was coming, and Dawnclaw preferred to forget her troubles. But she knew she couldn't do that about Sablekit.

It had been four sunrises since his diagnosis, and Dawnclaw was growing more nervous by the moment. She knew there was only a slight chance that he didn't have the disorder... but she couldn't help hoping all the same.

A small droplet of water hit her back. Dawnclaw didn't feel it due to her fur, but it was soon easy to see the raindrops that fell through the large trees.

The amber-eyed queen let out a hiss of disgust. SpruceClan cats hated the water. In fact, all three of the Clans did.

She began to run back to camp as the rain turned from drizzle to proper rain, her dilute tortoiseshell fur becoming wet quickly.

She arrived back at camp, running between the close group of spruce trees, which was how SpruceClan got their name.

She immediately ran into the shelter of the nursery, and was shocked at the sight of her clanmate, Brindlebee. The tortoiseshell cat was lying peacefully in the nursery.

"Brindlebee?"

The pretty cat looked up, her green eyes looked like large pools of ivy.

"Hello Dawnclaw! Guess what? I'm your new denmate, Swallowpelt and I are expecting kits!"

The she-cat purred.

"Oh.. I.. congratulations!" Dawnclaw was shocked, but a part of her were happy. Brindlebee was going to be a much better denmate then Minkfoot had been. The problem would lie in Sablekit. Dawnclaw knew she would have to tell Brindlebee, how would the tortoiseshell react?

"Oh, I'm so happy! We've wanted kits for ages, and we finally got them! Oh, Swiftear was so happy about them, but he was concerned about the timing, Leaf-bare is approaching. Oh, but he's so nice with kits, isn't he? He's always helping you out. Really, I..."

Dawnclaw tuned out her friend's rambling, choosing to watch the small sleeping form of Meadowkit instead, watching her chest rise and fall.

"Dawnclaw." A low, and surprisingly cold voice interrupted Dawnclaw's thoughts.

Aquiver.

"Bring the kits." She said, her sentences short and sharp. Just with those words, Dawnclaw's heart sunk, slowly swirling to the bottom of her ribs, sinking between the cracks, and sliding down her spine, like a snail.

"And Pinetuft."

The brown she-cat stood back, watching as Dawnclaw stood, numbness clouding her brain.

Brindlebee flashed her a curious look, but Dawnclaw merely flicked an ear.

She rushed a tail over Meadowkit and Sablekit. They both woke, looking at her with questioning eyes. Well, Sablekit didn't look at her at all, just behind her.

"Follow me." She breathed, and they obliged.

Martenkit, Coyotekit and Maplekit were outside, talking to their father.

Convenient, Dawnclaw thought.

"Guys.. we have to go." She said simply. With one look at Dawnclaw, and Pinetuft understood.

The seven followed Aquiver into the medicine den.

She sat down, Swiftear was already sitting. Dawnclaw and the others followed suit.

"Alright, everyone, you must be wondering why you're all here. Well, kits, Sablekit is different." Aquiver said, in an straight-forward manner.

Dawnclaw was shocked at Aquiver's manner, but bit her tongue, saying nothing. She risked a glance at Sablekit, but his eyes showed no emotion, he simply stared at the brown she-cat.

"I noticed. Swiftear noticed. Pinetuft noticed. Dawnclaw noticed. I'm sure you, kits, noticed too." Her sentences were short and sharp, and Dawnclaw's nerves were pulsating against her skin.

"We did a little test, to see what was wrong. Sablekit, you have something called Reactive Attachment Disorder. This disorder is stemming from the emotional neglect you received when you were younger. Dawnclaw never meant it to happen. But it did."

The kits knew what neglect was. Dawnclaw wasn't prepared for the expressions her kits wore as they turned to face her. Sadness, horror, anger, pity.. Her triangular ears pressed flat against her skull.

"This disorder means that Sablekit can't connect on an emotional level to you, his family. There are two types, and Sablekit has the inhibited type. This is why, Sablekit, that you don't smile. Why you don't want to join in. Why you dislike, and don't understand touch. It's why you feel so isolated, and alone."

Aquiver's bright yellow eyes were staring straight at Sablekit's green ones, and Sablekit cracked.

His shell stripped off him, and Dawnclaw was rewarded with a fleeting glimpse of a broken kit, his interior raw and scared, and so alone. He was different and he knew it. And know he knew why.
There was a reason he acted and felt this way.
He wasn't broken.
He had a disorder.

His shell reattached the moment it fell, but it was a moment that would remain in the cracks of Dawnclaw's mind.

"You mean I'm not a monster who can't feel?" The little kit whispered.

His words were a bitter rainfall of hope.

And Dawnclaw couldn't help it, she let out a sob. It was explosive, violent, and full of regret.

"I'm sorry!" She wailed. She was ready to unhinge her jaw and scream her woes to the sky, but Pinetuft silenced her, his tail stifling the words about to launch off her tongue.

"Dawnclaw, I know you're hurting, but today is about Sablekit, not you. Stop the self pity, and focus on him. Apologies can come later." He hissed, his eyes were beacons of concern, and Dawnclaw's throat melted.

Her unspoken words dripped in sour drops, slowly sliding down her throat, softly dripping into her stomach. Immediately, their acidic tang eroded her stomach lining, hiding in the inflamed flesh, never to rise again.

Dawnclaw nodded.

"Yes, Sablekit. You don't feel love because of a disorder. You're not a monster, Sablekit. You never were. You feel anger, and sadness for no reason because of this. But guess what? We can make it go away. We can help you feel love and connect to your parents and littermates. But it will be a long road. You have to be determined. And all of you, Maplekit, Meadowkit, Martenkit, Coyotekit, Pinetuft and Dawnclaw.. You have to all help him. Do you understand that?" Aquiver's piercing gaze raked the group.

And everyone, exchanging looks with each other, at Sablekit, nodded.

They would help him.

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A/N

Sorry for how long this took.
I've had a terrible case of writer's block, but I'm getting there.

What's your opinion on Pinetuft?

He reminds me of a sweet little duckling. I'm quite attached to him.

Fact Of The Chapter: Aquiver is pretty insensitive, and working with kits is very difficult for her because of this.