"I can't believe we get to be trained soon!" Daffodil Bloom exclaimed.

Quiet Ocean bounced up and down with excitement alongside her brother and sister. Small Fox had already made it clear to them that this was not something to be celebrated. Though they were very near training age, the only reason training had been sped up was because a battle with rogues was likely imminent. To Quiet Ocean and her siblings, however, they were simply just thrilled to leave the nursing den.

"I'm going to learn to fight all the rogues," Snow Fall said.

"I'll bring down a whole deer!" Daffodil Bloom argued.

Quiet Ocean joined in the excitement, but even she couldn't deny a sense of nervousness about the battle. She thought of what her mother had said about the past battle, how she had lost her two brothers, and how Lily Petal had gone insane. As she saw her sister and brother celebrating, she nervously wondered if they would all still be together a few moons from now.

Slowly, she stopped celebrating and made her way to the entrance of the den.

"Going somewhere?" Small Fox asked Quiet Ocean.

"Just to lay outside in the sun," Quiet Ocean said.

"Don't stray too far," Small Fox warned.

Quiet Ocean nodded and made her way to her normal spot, though she knew better than anyone that she was on her way to the omega den. She had continued speaking with Dandelion Puff and had found a close companion in the she-wolf. She tried to limit her visits, knowing her mother would be mad that she was straying near Lily Petal, but Quiet Ocean figured Dandelion Puff could always protect her if something happened.

Though Quiet Ocean was in her usual spot, Dandelion Puff was taking her time meeting her. Quiet Ocean was growing impatient and feeling disappointed. She had longed to speak to the she-wolf today, especially after the news that she would be training earlier than expected.

Though Quiet Ocean never usually entered into the den herself, she figured Dandelion Puff just might be napping and it wouldn't hurt to poke her a few times. Slowly, she approached the den and peeked inside. Dandelion Puff wasn't there, but Lily Petal was wide awake and staring at her. Quiet Ocean jumped.

"W-Where's Dandelion Puff?" Quiet Ocean asked when Lily Petal narrowed her eyes at her.

"She'll be back in a few minutes," Lily Petal said. The she-wolf seemed a little more sane today, and briefly, Quiet Ocean remembered what Dandelion Puff had said about talking to Lily Petal one day.

"Um, okay. I'll just go," Quiet Ocean murmured, not wanting Lily Petal to revert back into screaming at her.

"You've been talking to Dandelion Puff a lot," Lily Petal observed.

"Oh, um...yeah."

"Why?" Lily Petal asked.

"I don't know. She's nice to talk to," Quiet Ocean said. "I like talking to her."

Lily Petal only huffed.

"I really should just go then," Quiet Ocean murmured. 

"Funny how my sister is the best one now. I was always the star of my family, then Morning Dew died and my life went downhill from there," Lily Petal grumbled. Quiet Ocean had no idea who Morning Dew was. She was trying her best to stay near the entrance, but slowly, she became more curious.

"Dandelion Puff said I should talk to you," Quiet Ocean said. "And if she's taking her time then..."

"Why would she say that?" Lily Petal growled.

"I don't know. I was telling her that I just didn't feel like I fit in, and I don't know. I don't know why you're not yelling at me like normal," Quiet Ocean murmured. "But Dandelion Puff said I should talk to you."

Lily Petal began to cackle some. Quiet Ocean froze, listening to Lily Petal's cackle begin to grow and grow.

"Oh, she wanted me to speak about that, then?" Lily Petal asked, finally calming down.

Quiet Ocean was tempted to run out, but she was frozen in place.

"A-About what?" Quiet Ocean asked. "All I said was that I felt a little out of place in my family."

"It's no wonder why," Lily Petal laughed. "You think that she-wolf is your mother? No, my dear. I am."

Quiet Ocean froze in place. For a moment, it made sense. The white fur on her chest and paws, why Small Fox told her to stay away, the feeling of being left out, Dandelion Puff's understanding of her problem. But Quiet Ocean couldn't believe it. 

"No. No you're not. Your pups died. That's what Small Fox said," Quiet Ocean argued.

"No. My pups are very much alive. Her pups were the ones that died, except that one pup, Daffodil Bloom, is it? She just managed to live. But you, and your brother, Snow Fall? You're my pups."

"But...but why? It just doesn't make sense," Quiet Ocean murmured. "You can't be my mother. The pack wouldn't just keep all of that a secret."

"The pack likes to lie about a lot of things," Lily Petal said.

"I still don't believe you," Quiet Ocean whispered. She heard footsteps behind her and spun around, seeing Dandelion Puff finally re-entering.

"Quiet Ocean? Are you okay?" Dandelion Puff asked.

Quiet Ocean held back a sob and rushed out of the den. She ignored the cries of Dandelion Puff and immediately ran back to the nursing den.

"Quiet Ocean, what's wrong?" Small Fox asked as she re-entered. Her siblings were playing in the corner, unknowing of what had just been revealed.

"Are you my mother?" Quiet Ocean asked.

Small Fox blinked for a moment. "Quiet Ocean, settle down. What is this about?"

"You lied to me," Quiet Ocean spoke through tears. "Is is true? Are you not my mother?"

Snow Fall and Daffodil Bloom had begun to overhear the conversation.

"You went and saw Lily Petal," Small Fox realized.

"Why did you lie to me?" Quiet Ocean cried out.

"Pups, you all come with me," Small Fox murmured, leading them out of the den.

"What's happening?" Daffodil Bloom whimpered.

"What is Quiet Ocean talking about?" Snow Fall asked. Fear seemed to linger in his voice as well.

Small Fox only led them slightly into the woods behind some bushes. The dens and wolves were still visible in the distance, but they had more privacy here than in the nursing den.

"Why didn't you tell me that Lily Petal was my mother?!" Quiet Ocean complained.

"She's lying, right?" Snow Fall asked.

Small Fox let out a sigh. Quiet Ocean could see the pained expression in her "mother's" face. It seemed the golden she-wolf was holding back tears as well.

"I didn't want to lie," Small Fox murmured.

"So it's true?" Quiet Ocean asked. 

"What's going on?" Daffodil Bloom asked.

"You pups were never intended to find this out. I tried so hard to keep you away from Lily Petal because I was afraid she might one day have the courage to tell one of you. Quiet Ocean and Snow Fall, I am not your mother."

Snow Fall froze. "No," he said. "You're lying."

"I am not," Small Fox said. "Lily Petal and Jay's Tail are technically your parents."

"But...but I am?" Daffodil Bloom asked.

"Yes," Small Fox said. "You are not the sibling of these two."

"Then...then where are my siblings?" Daffodil Bloom asked.

"Sit down," Small Fox commanded the three. "As you know, Lily Petal went insane after the death of her mate. She was pregnant at the time, and all of us close to her knew she wasn't well enough to take care of pups. I was also pregnant at the time with Golden Sun's pups, so the decision was made that I would raise Lily Petal's pups as my own. I went into labor prematurely, and all my pups died except for you, Daffodil Bloom. Very shortly afterwards, Lily Petal gave birth to Quiet Ocean and Snow Fall."

Quiet Ocean was silent and in too much of shock to say much of anything.

"Please, don't be upset," Small Fox murmured. "The pack agreed to keep this secret for your well-being. I have always been your mother in some way. I named you two, and I took care of you, and I treated you exactly the same as Daffodil Bloom. Golden Sun has done the same."

"But you lied to us," Snow Fall growled.

"So our father is dead and our mother is crazy?!" Quiet Ocean exclaimed.

"I just wanted you to have a normal life," Small Fox said. She was choking on her own tears now.

"So...so what even am I to them now?" Daffodil Bloom asked her mother as she glanced at Snow Fall and Quiet Ocean. "How many other brothers and sisters did I have?"

"You're all still my pups. You're all still siblings, even if we're not all directly related. Nothing has to change. I still love you all, and so does Golden Sun."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Quiet Ocean murmured.

"Me either," Snow Fall said.

"Fine. Let's go back to the nursing den, then," Small Fox decided.

Quiet Ocean was silent the entire walk back. She kept looking at her brother, wondering if he was going through the same feelings as she was. Quiet Ocean couldn't deny the hurt racing through her at the thought of how every wolf lied to her, except her own biological mother, she supposed.

As Quiet Ocean curled up alongside her brother, she purposefully kept a distance from Small Fox and Daffodil Bloom. She wasn't quite sure how she fit alongside them anymore.