Faustian | warrior cats

xx | again and again

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THE yellow, sun-bright eyes that she had seen many times in her nightmares had sunburned her all over. They tortured her, blinded her thoughts and burned her skin. The tuckered-out and tired she-cat awoke in a startled jolt, expecting to see the rays of golden sun trickling through her vision. However, the morning was not bright with the eastern sun and she opened her eyes to realize that in fact, the sight of yellow had only been another dream. She had been dreaming a lot recently, especially of yellow eyes.

She kept waiting for the owner of those eyes to return. Hollowhawk had promised. He would visit her, but when? Her patience was running thin. Everyday without her tom felt like the sun and moon were cycling in an endless circle, not a thing changed. Though Larkmoon knew that once he was at her side again, he would chase away the hallucinations that kept haunting her. Oh, those yellow eyes. Usually, they comforted her. She daydreamed about basking in their warmth, spending sweet evenings lounging in their golden glory. Now, they scared her. It reminded her of the yellow in great forest fires, something to run from. Something that would cause her downfall.

The morning looked to have just begun, the sun was easing its way into the sky, painfully pushing its yellow crown into the kingdom of blue. Larkmoon didn't mind the early day, she stirred from her decaying moss bed and slowly treaded to the river's edge. She rested on the damp side, weeds and moist mud getting clumped beneath her claws. Larkmoon hung her head over the rushing riverside, watching the whirl of water whisk away. If only she could go with-

Her saddened thoughts were interrupted by the sight of her reflection. It was something strange to see; after all this time, she still had the same face. It was ill-looking now, plagued by the presence of fatigue. Larkmoon had worn herself out trying to have a second chance at being beautiful and young. She should've never left StarClan.

Turning away from the runnel, a flash of white captured her eye. Standing in the thick coat of mist was a pale-colored cat. Larkmoon froze still when she saw him, not believing her eyes. Another ghost? Here to haunt me? Fear dashed beneath her skin. The figure was stirring slowly, age causing his legs to limp. He slithered elegantly from the eerie mist, stepping closer and closer until Larkmoon could see who he was. Webstar? But she hadn't killed-

He was real. The realization whisked her sense of peace away. Her stomach suddenly growled and groaned. It stirred in a way she had not felt for a long time. Deadrush. He was rousing inside of her. Larkmoon could taste his hunger for death on her tongue. Her claws slid out of her sockets without her consent. She knew this was not going to end happily.

Webstar was nearer now. He no longer seemed like a speck among the mist but a real-life leader, standing before her. "Larkmoon," His elderly voice hissed, "I know what you've done."

Rather than trying to argue her way around his words, she simply sunk into the truth. It no longer terrified her, there was no point in hiding any longer. "That's right. It was me." She inhaled a large breath, feeling Deadrush's anxious claws scratch at her insides. "I killed those cats. And I enjoyed it."

Seeing the fear color Webstar's aged eyes sent a villainous thrill soaring through her veins. Surely, he had known that showing his face before the murderer was stupid. He was on his last life and with old age sticking to his bones like cobwebs, his last life was dangling in front of death's jaws by a thread. Still, the old ThunderClan leader held up his chin. "I remember your death, Larkmoon."

The she-cat frowned, "What?" It was the answer she had been searching for, the reason she left StarClan in the first place. She thought her life had been robbed from her, so she deserved to have another chance to live again.