Spider’s Web

Swiftheart woke up in the warriors den and stretched with a yawn. She got up and walked out of the dark den. Blinking in the evening light she walked out into the camp clearing. She could feel the kits more and more and knew they were getting closer really. She was excited for it but also a bit nervous… what if something went wrong? What if… what if what happened to her mother murkystar happened to her? She squeezed her eyes closed at the thought and fought back tears remembering her loss. Sighing a little bit she shook her head clear of these negative vibes … no she would be okay… Basil lion her older sister and the clans trusted med cat would know what to do when the time came.

Walking over to the nursery she inspected it a bit… hmm needed some work, she thought to herself. There were cracks in the stick walking and there was a bit of disarray with the nests that needed organizing.


She saw webshadow in the camp clearing out of the corner of her eye and smiled widely “webshadow!” she purred happily. She was so glad to see him back on his paws, the last time they spoke she had brought him some lunch but he looked pretty beat up. He looked a lot better now … all safe for his eye that was still missing. However swiftheart was just happy he had recovered as well as he did and didn’t mind or make it a big fuss. “It is so good to have you fully back” she said happily purring as she walked over and nudged his shoulder with her head a little in a friendly manor. This was not unusual for her as she was super extroverted and loved hugs and the like of that type of thing. She smiled faintly and sat next to him “how is frostgaze?” she blinked a couple times… wait a second she thought to herself… ”ermm.. froststar “ she corrected herself quietly. The name sounded foreign on her tongue and she just wasn’t used to it… yes he hadn’t officially been ceromonized but still he deserved the respect that came with the title. She had always really looked up to frost and he was actually the one to take her to the moonstone since Basil was gone on her flower hunt at the time. Web and frost were always good together she thought to herself.

She sighed a little subconsciously more than anything as she looked back at the nursery “hmm I should probably clean up a bit in preparation she added on quietly…

Pausing a bit she looked to him. She was comfortable enough with him and considered him a very good friend so asking him for help didn’t feel weird to her at all . “You can help me if you would like to… but don’t feel you have to” she purred happily

Webshadow had been sitting in the heart of camp pawing at a half-eaten mouse, trying to will himself into forcing down the rest of it. He grimaced, and was about to crouch forward and choke down another bite of it when a familiar voice called out his name. He twisted just in time to catch Swiftheart's approach before she gave his shoulder an affectionate, friendly bump, and the dark tabby offered her a small small. "Still gaze, for now. Do not worry about formalities." He assured softly. "He is as well as the rest of us, I suppose. There is lots to do, and more to think about, given Murkystar's..." Blue eyes flicked over the soon-to-be queen's features, and his smile tightened into a frown; eventually, he finished with: "absence."

The white cat twisted, gaze trailing towards the nursery, then quickly followed any small talk up with an invitation. Swiftheart had been... an unlikely friend. Outgoing, energetic, and always with something to say; the polar opposite of him, and of most of the friends he kept. But she'd become a good friend regardless, and Webshadow was grateful for her light presence. A sense of protective duty now tethered him to her, as well. Knowing how close they'd been, Ratrunner's absence, just as untimely as Swiftheart's mother, left a shared hole in their hearts. After a moment's pause, Webshadow nodded, rising to his paws. "Of course I will help." He mewed, traces of a smile returning to his features. Nodding, padded over towards the den, shuffling around its walls, poking his nose against the wrapped tendrils of bracken, sticks, patches of down and fur shoved almost haphazardly into the walls where holes had crept in. Twisting to look towards Swiftheart, he dipped his head towards the nursery and hummed, "Would you be able to gather some... sticks, bracken, torn roots for us, Swiftheart? The wall will need work before anything. There is no sense in patching the interior if any rat or fox can crawl its way through."

Swiftheart nodded at her friends words looking down at her paws in a moment of silence for Murkystar and Ratrunner.

Ratrunner had been Web's apprentice
(I think? my memory isnt always correct but im like 99% sure)

losing him had been very hard, she was fortunate to have a clan that backed her upduring all this... she couldnt imagine being a rouge and having to do everything on her own.



She walked behind Webshadow glancing over his shoulder as he explained what had to be done. She nodded attentively and purred softly thinking how much nicer it would look soon with some much needed attention.

"Sure, I can gather those up" she said eagerly and with her typical enthusiasm and good attitude.

After a while of gathering the sticks from just outside of camp, braken from some undergrowth in the nearby marshlands of shadowclan land, and the torn roots as well she came back carrying the supplies, it took her a couple of trips to get everything but it was now all ready.


To her luck, she also caught a bird "I think the feathers could help with the nesting maybe"

She mentioned as she started the tedious process of plucking the soft underfeathers out to combine with some moss to make for bedding that replicated sleeping on clouds.

As was her nature she loved to talk while they worked, quite opposite to webshadow and his many rather reserved friends.

"Hmm there has been so much speculation on the new deputy"

(lets say this takes place before the deputy ceromony,, I think the creation date agrees with that as well)

"I think you would be a good candidate" she said glancing up at him curious to see his reaction to this suggestion.

"I for one... would never want to become deputy" she said shaking her head as she worked next to him.

"... I was never meant to lead... growing up as kits, whenever we played pretend I never even like pretending to be leader or deputy like the other kits... and not much has changed" she said honestly with a little purr. She was perfectly happy being a warrior and didnt seek to move higher than that. The decision making that came with the deputy/leadership was not something that she envied at all.

Glancing over to her more reserved friend she asked him a question, she usually did alot of the talking but she didnt want to shut him out completly... "Would you ever want it?" she asked quietly looking into his soft (Green?) eye that still remained. She was gentle how she asked, caring even.

She had also gotten used to his appearance of missing his eye. She did not look at him funny like she had seen some apprentices do (idk maybe npcs), but she also did not over-sympathize anymore either. She had told him once already how sorry she was for him when she visited him during recovery and figured he didnt want people fretting over him. His eye was just the way it was now and she accepted that.

"I think you would be a good choice" she said quietly reassuring him as she continued to help him put the nests together and fill in holes in the walls.

Swiftheart was eager as ever, leaping to work at the first thing Webshadow asked for. The tabby's smile grew, ears lowering contentedly, as he watched her trot off, slipping out of camp with an almost hop. She's bright, and a good cat. He mused to himself as he turned to nose further at the wall. She would make a good queen, when it came time to briefly retire to the nursery.

It wasn't long before pawsteps were echoing at his side again, and Webshadow turned to watch his companion make several journeys in and out of camp. When she arrived with the last of everything– including a bird, which Webshadow gave a grateful ear flick to –he nodded, shuffling closer to the pile of brush she'd gathered. "Thank you," he mewed in his usual easy cadence, leaving her to pick at the bird while he gathered a few soft branches between his teeth. But working on her catch hadn't left Swiftheart occupied for long; she went chattering away, and a snort of amusement passed through the senior warrior's nose. She settled onto the topic of deputy, and quickly mentioned him for the position. The tips of his ears warmed, and Webshadow shook his head. He was quiet as he listened to her, occassionally twitching his whiskers in acknowledgment. He was more focused on figuring out the proper angle of his head to weave a stick into place, and how to keep it from falling out. Just managing to get the ones he'd picked up in place for the moment, he pressed a gentle paw to the branches. When it proved the den would not collapse immediately, he turned towards Swiftheart– who was just turning away from looking at him with expectancy. Her eyes flicked up to him, then back down to her own working paws, and Webshadow cleared his throat.

"I would not want it, either," he mewed eventually. His tail tip flicked left-right-left, and he ducked closer to the wall. "I would not object if Frostgaze were to choose me. I trust his judgment. However... much like you, I am not fit to lead. Patrols, perhaps, but not an entire Clan." A shudder bristled his fur from hackles to tail, though he willed it flat quickly. Gatherings alone were enough to put him off the whole idea. He couldn't imagine standing on the Great Rock, staring down at all five Clans... another shudder passed through him. "Of course, I appreciate your belief in me. But I would not want it. You and I would do well to stay here... fixing the nursery." Turning away, he pawed at the branches he'd just shoved into place, trying to prod them into a sturder position. "For what it is worth, I think you will do well here. In the nursery, I mean." He blinked, slow and thoughtful, and did not take his eyes off his work. "I am sure you will make a good mother. I am looking forward to watching your kits grow up."

Swiftheart purred softly listening to him as they worked together. So he did not want the position either? hmm she wondered to herself who would get it then. Perhaps Webshadow already knew who was going to get it? She wondered glancing at the senior warrior.

After all, he and Froststar were mates they probably told each other things such as that right? she wondered to herself.

She hesitated and spoke slower now chosing the words very carefully now. She knew this was bit of a strange request and probably not the most formal of things to ask of her friend but she still felt obligated to say it, her clan needed the best for this position and she could not fufill that.

"Webshadow??" she said a bit slower than her usual speedy nature of talking

"Could... ermm... well I know this is not really proper of me to say or ask ... erm but could you tell Froststar about this? Ask him not to name me as deputy? I really do not want it... but also dont want to bug him over it... Perhaps even in just passing you could mention it to him?

She purred softly. She glanced at him knowing that this was a very strange request perhaps.

Still she felt strongly enough against the position that she was willing to take that.


She continued working next to him quietly until the topic of kits came up. Her eyes lit up happily and she purred at his compliments of mothering. "Thank you webshadow!" she said happily "I cant wait for them really" she meowed excitedly.

She was nervous thought too... Ratrunner was gone and if something happened to her during the kitting.... like it did to her mother Murkystar... The kits would have no parents... she knew the clan would look after them if it came to that but still the stress really got to her thinking about it.

She glanced downward at her paws and sat down taking a break...

She drew little lines and pictures in the dust below them. "Froststar drew you little pictures and games like this didn't he? Back when you two first started dating? Like little puzzles" she asked him as she continued to doodle in the dust with her paw.

(idk how swiftheart would know about that detail of Web and Frost relation but I loveeee the Frost and Web ship so if it okay I think it would be okay? let me know if that is a nah though)

"You two are so good together" she grinned with a sparkle in her eyes. she thought back to the time she had poked them forward with their relationship when flintshard, webshadow and her had talked a bit of a grin.

The next time Swiftheart spoke, it made Webshadow's ears flick. Not the gentle, easily missable twitch to show he was listening, distantly; it was a more exaggerated motion, a conscious effort to lower an ear further. He blinked at her, as slowly as she'd spoken to him, and cocked his head to the side at the same snail's pace.

"You are an interesting cat," he breathed, voice soft and steady. "You look at me as if I will refuse you. It is not such an unreasonable ask as you may think, Swiftheart. Yes, I will tell him for you. I do believe he has had his eye on other candidates, though." And he left it at that, dropping his head to focus on his work. Swiftheart purred approval at his compliment, and the dark tabby nodded simply, a silent you're welcome. A brief spark of anxiety emanated from her pelt, and it made Webshadow's whiskers twitch, but he said nothing. Not until she stepped away from the nursery to sit down, scraping a paw through the earth.

Before she'd even asked him, he'd turned to look at her. He watched with interest, attention flicking upwards when the she-cat spoke again. "Yes," he answered, one simple word, but his usual blasé tone was warmed with affection. "Yes, he did. Here, spare me a moment." Sweeping aside some of the dust with his tail, he lifted a paw and ran his claw through the dirt; two parallel, horizontal lines, and two matching vertical lines crossing through them. The scratchmarks he left were shaky, and rather uneven, but they served their purpose. Then, turning, he plucked a stone from their pile of twigs and debris and dropped it in a corner box, closest to Swiftheart.

"This one is rather simple. I trust you can solve it. Move this rock from here," he waved his paw across his 'board,' to the other diagonal end, closest to him. "Without touching the lines. If you touch the lines, you will lose. I believe this will be a nice break for us, yes?"

Swiftheart listened quietly to him and nodded with a bit of a shrug at her being an interesting cat. She was very relived however that Frost was considering others.

She watched very intregued and excited at his line making and puzzle that he then explained to her.


She purred contently listening to the rules and watched him place the rock down in the corner of the tic-tac-toe board.

Hmm move the rock to the other side without touching any lines?? It didnt look possible and she gave him an oblong glance raising an eyebrow.

She pawed at the stone a little bit... "... can we just pick it up and over the lines?" she asked knowing that was probably against the rules but it seemed the easiest way and only thing she currently could think of.

the game worked wonderfully as a distraction from the worries/stress she had however and it made her giggle again thinking about other possibilities that Webshadow had in mind.

"or maybe we go around it like this" she drew a line in the sand around the board from one diagonal to the other avoiding all the lines in a big loop.

Webshadow watched intently as Swiftheart mulled over his puzzle, a flicker of amusement across his features the only thing that betrayed his interest. He said nothing as she offered potential solutions, only hummed softly. She was smart enough to figure it out on her own, he knew that much. He wasn't going to intrude upon the joy of solving it. It was always a pleasure, finding the solutions to the little games Frostgaze laid before him, and it warmed the tips of the tabby's fur to grant that same joy to another friend. He dipped his head in a slow nod, watching as she rolled the rock underpaw.

Eventually, the solution came to her; the one he had thought of, at least. "Yes, that is what I intended," Webshadow mewed, angling a paw towards the line she had drawn. "Though, I suppose I could not stop you from simply lifting it across. I did not lay out very many rules, except that you could not disturb the lines. That would certainly fit within those constraints." He huffed, a hollow snort of amusement, before carrying on, "This one was rather simple. Frostgaze has shown me more difficult puzzles before, though some were time sensitive. Such as trying to arrange sticks and leaves in a manner such that the sun's light would fall upon a certain spot, before the sun moved too far. That one was enjoyable." The dark tabby purred, looking thoroughly pleased with the memory. "This is an enjoyable break, is it not? I am content to spend my time like this. Repairing dens and playing games. Though, I suppose that is not very warrior-like, but I am not very concerned with that."