As told by the storyteller:

Mia follows her mother out of the Eavey Forest and into the Vole Fields. Her mother encourages her not to dwell on her memories of being a kit. Mia questions her mother’s judgment that she is grown up, for she does not believe that she has undergone any sudden changes since the incident with Miss Vix. The terrain is unfamiliar as they travel deeper into the woods. Frustrated by the obstacles, Mia’s mother acquiesces to Mia’s plea to take a longer route, saying, “I’ve lost enough kits today” (77). When Mia insists that her siblings are with Miss Vix, her mother hastily agrees, suddenly reminded of the comforting lie she told Mia about the other kits’ safety.

Unsettled by the proximity of a road, Mia’s mother redirects her daughter back into the forest but cries out in pain as her paw is clamped shut inside a trap. Mia struggles to help and hears a strange voice but does not know who spoke. Meanwhile, her mother urges her to run, but Mia is wracked with guilt because she was the one to insist that her mother take an alternate route. When Mia protests, her mother is finally honest with her and tells Mia that as the only remaining kit, she must survive for the good of future generations.