Okay I have the family history now
All of this takes place in the Dark Forest, and the kits are Dark Kits
Badgercrest and Ferrettail couldn't conceive kits on their own, so Ferrettail tricked a she-cat into having his kits. Once those kits were mostly weaned, Ferrettail killed her with the help of his true mate.
While the fake parents hid them away before the deed, it is possible that at least one of the kits, curious or frightened or both, sneaked over and witnessed the act.
Carrying them as far as they could, Badgercrest and Ferrettail settled in an incredibly concealed clearing, where they built a den for them and their kits. They named their kits Ratkit, Shrewkit, Mousekit, and Volekit.
The kits didn't know anything outside of their home and kin.
Badger and Ferret would tell their kits over and over about how this home is the safest place for them, and that other cats will hurt them the first chance they get.
They trained their kits harshly and for extended periods of time. When anyone expressed displeasure, they made sure to reiterate that they were only so hard on them because the world would be harsher.
The kits became molded by this harsh training. Mousepaw became cold, believing that he doesn't need anyone, while Shrew viewed her littermates as weaker (though they both still loved their kin).
Volepaw and Ratpaw, on the other hand, were beginning to break, constantly worried that they didn't have their parents' approval.
As time went on, the roles began to switch.
Voleice was the family's healer, and because of that, she was in good graces with both her parents--even if she did doubt herself often. Ratdusk pushed himself more and more, burning for their approval, until nothing else mattered but working every second to make his family better.
When the first litter are fully grown, Ferrettail and Badgercrest bring a new litter to the family: Chipmunkkit, Squirrelkit, Molekit, and Stoatkit. They state that their real parents can no longer care for them, and don't say what exactly happened to the parents.
With both litters, the kits were not fully weaned. While the first litter could manage, Squirrelkit in the second litter fell sick from the early weaning, and passed.
Badgercrest's death came as a cold blow to the family. They found her remains--or what was left of them, close to the border of their home (many cats don't use borders in the Dark Forest, but the rodent family does).
It wasn't clear what had happened to her, but everyone agreed nonetheless that it had to be the work of a dangerous outsider.
When Mouseclaw met the same fate, the same conclusion was made.
That was why Ratdusk was furious with his once-closest littermate, Shrewshadow, when she met with a strange tom. After all, that tom could be the same cat that killed their mother and brother.
As a young cat, Shrewshadow had been her parents' star-kit, but as she grew, she felt more and more isolated. It wasn't her that her family loved, but her contributions to them, what she could do. She had enjoyed sending more time away, and that's how she met Dusklake, a tom who actually enjoyed her company, seemed to really like who she was, even if she did nothing for him but nuzzle and laugh.
Shrewshadow wasn't planning to have kits, and was panicked when she found out. She knew that her family would be furious with her, and they were.
Ferrettail was enraged, but admitted that the family could use the new numbers. He strongly suggested the names for the kits, even though Shrewshadow had wanted to give them water-based names.
When she told Dusklake, he was happy, but said how he wanted to raise them as friends. But Shrewshadow knew that her family would never allow it, and she was right--when Dusklake tried to near the camp to see his kits, he was chased off by Ferrettail, who gave him a harsh sprain.
Dusklake tells Shrewshadow that they should take some time apart, explaining that he feels weird around her.
Not long after, Shrewshadow notices how her son, Mousekit, avoids the adults, huddling beside Badgerkit. Inspecting them, Shrewshadow sees that Badgerkit was inflicted with a claw-wound.
That is the final straw that allows Shrewshadow to leave. But when she sneaks out to tell Dusklake the plan, she can't find him anyware.
Doubts crept in again. Her family and home was all she knew. She had been told all her life that everywhere else, everyone else, was dangerous and would try to kill her and her kits. Mouseclaw and Badgercrest were proof of that, but Dusklake was a contradiction. Dusklake was the only reason she had to believe anything different, and he was gone.
Ultimately, she decides to leave, with or without Dusklake. But when she's sneaking through the trees, she's caught by Ratdusk.
Her brother, who had once been her best friend, accuses her of betraying the family and knowingly getting with the cat who killed their mother and littermate. He goes further, stating that she must have been part of it, and that her kits have tainted blood.
Shrew didn't want to fight her brother, but when he leapt at her kits, she had no choice. They fought viciously, and Ratdusk ended up pinning Shrewshadow. Having no choice, Shrewshadow shut her eyes tightly and swung, slitting his throat,
Horrified, she grabbed her kits before anyone else could find them, and ran, grieving for her brother as they went.
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