A Yellow Sky

Being terrified her whole life ensured that Spiderfur was almost never completely at rest. Her mind tended to linger on everything that had ever happened, and today was no exception. It was almost amazing how her memory perfectly preserved the terrible moments while leaving anything good behind. Even if she had just been a kit then, she could remember the sights, smells, and horrible, terrifying sounds when the dogs took over WindClan's camp. Her mother's death at their paws. WindClan had to attack SkyClan, taking their camp so that they would have a place to stay. Even with the camp, Falconstar led an attack on RiverClan to take territory, where maybe only two - at most three - RiverClan cats came to defend it. It was eerie. She never set paw there.

Her sister, for reasons she could not understand, hated Spiderfur's mentor, Silverdapple. Glidingpaw was often a bit cruel, but when she died, the then young apprentice still missed her for moons. She still had her brother, Kestrelstorm, but he was always detached from his family, obsessed with Falconstar. Soon enough, however, the dogs left and they were able to return home. Moons she could not remember passed before the next memory came forth: settling with her first mate, Hawkclaw. He had been confident, protective, and soon, a father to her kits. Her first litter. She... felt physical pain whenever she remembered then. Harepaw, her adopted son, was crushed in the tunnels soon into his apprenticeship. She could still feel the cold soil that had caked on her muzzle after the overnight vigil. Her other three; Palefoot, Fawnpaw, and Stormpaw, all vanished during the Dark Forest's reign. Hawkclaw's fate too remained a mystery, until she saw his spirit during the battle to reclaim the forest.

Perhaps the reason he hadn't spoken to her was because she'd fallen for another cat. A ShadowClan tom, Wildfang. He was kind, able to make her heart race in a way that wasn't because of fear. They met by the Thunderpath what seemed to be almost every night. At one point she discovered that she was expecting kits. In the moment, she was happy, but then fearful. She was terrified, not by what he'd say, but of what the clan would do if they found out. Especially since her brother had done the same, with deadly consequences. What would her father think? Still, she went to meet him that night. But he wasn't there. She attended the next few Gatherings, looking desperately for his face in the crowd, but she never saw him again. It wasn't long until the kits were born: Dovekit, Heavykit, Dustkit, and Swiftkit. Her initial fear of being discovered lingered for moons, finally settling into a sort of uneasiness. As it became more and more unlikely that someone would find out, her worries transferred to her kits, Dovespirit especially. She was always getting herself caught up in danger, something that was bound to give Spiderfur a heart attack sooner or later. The mother could only hope her daughter would try to stay safe.


The little she-cat's gaze traveled upwards, jolting slightly at the sight of a bird circling overhead. A moment of staring relieved her of her concerns. It was just a vulture. Nothing that could harm them. It was barely visible in the predawn light, wingtips illuminated from the east, slowly gliding over their heads. 'Since I'm awake, there's no excuse to not go on the dawn patrol.' Still, Ashstar and Brindlewhisker had not yet begun putting together the patrols for the day, so perhaps she could remain like this, at least for a little while. Although, she wished that someone else was here too. She didn't want to get lost in her memories again.