A Good Mother (short story)
“Violetwater!”
Violetwater’s heart squeezed at the sound of Robinkit’s tearful voice. She turned around just as he slammed into her, stuffing his face, wet with his cries, into her stomach.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she asked. She struggled to hear her son’s answer between the muffled words and quivering voice, but eventually she was able to hear “Sparrowkit hit me!”
“Again?” Violetwater asked, careful to keep her irritation hidden. She pulled back so that she could crouch low and meet her son’s eyes. “Why did he hit you?”
Robinkit’s mouth wavered like a water’s surface. Violetwater took a moment to lick the tears from his face in an effort to calm him, but they only kept coming. “I had the pinecone, and he took it from me, and I was getting it back, and he hit me on the head!” He finished with a wail.
“That troublesome kit!” Violetwater couldn’t hold back the hiss. She pulled Robinkit close to her, grooming his fur until his body finally stopped shuddering. “Don’t worry, my dear,” she promised him. “I’ll take care of Sparrowkit.”
—-
At dawn the next morning, Violetwater was awoken by Sandhare’s panicked cries.
“Sparrowkit! Sparrowkit! Has anyone seen my son?”
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little character introduction