Spider's Life [Warrior-Cats Fanfiction]

Chapter 3

I just stood there. Jaystone was my father-- the killer of our former leader?! The whole reason now why we lived in a hole, battling rogues and the new clans around us each day, the reason why Frostpebble never visited me? Was she too ashamed of her own kit also being a killer's? I glanced to Nightpaw again, his blue eyes were keen and calm. Was he lying?

"It can't be, Jaystone died many moons ago... didn't he?" I desperately mewed.

"Yes, four moons ago. It was Leaf-fall, the fire was caused by him because he was the new deputy after Bonestar, before Bonewhisker, was exiled. And-"

"If Bonestar was exiled why is she our leader now?!" I hissed, I didn't care if the warriors over heard us, it was a true question.

"Because she was the deputy before, a powerful and sly cat, and she took back the clan. We do need a leader." He mewed, sitting down to lap at his paw.

"But why would Jaystone want to kill?! Doesn't he care for his clan?!" I questioned.

"Because that greedy cat only wants power and wisdom! I bet if you keep asking questions you'll end up just like him! Dead on the stones surrounding the Meeting Stones, fire engulfing you, scorching you while your friends leave you behind to rot as you tried to betrayed them!"

I turned around, I darted away. I didn't want to hear anything any more. Nightpaw had to be lying-- right? I plunged into the med cat's den, looking around for Blade who might have the answer. Past the hanging moss that dangled from the top of the stone building, you could see the old she-cat shuffling about herbs and leaves into a neat pile on each side of the stone until the whole stone was covered in leaves, herbs, damp moss, bowls of honey in honeycombs, and seeds in their flower heads.

"Why have you entered my den, your not hurt and no one else is." Blade mewed, her voice was muffled by the pale magpie she had just started to eat. "Its Jaystone, Nightpaw says he was my father who killed Rimestar! Is that true?" I burst out, my voice trembled and my long tabby tail curled along my flank.

Blade sighed. Was what Nightpaw said true? "Jaystone did kill Rimestar, and he was your father little one. But--" Blade purred softly and she turned around to see me. But I had ran away. I didn't want to hear or see anyone any more. Were they already judging me for what my father did? Was that why Frostpebble never came to see me? Why those toms acted so rude towards me even when I'm just in the clearing?

I ducked into my nest, covering my face in the dull moss. Voices muffled around me, I didn't care to listen. Something poked me, I tired to ignore it, but it poked my tail again. I shifted off the moss and looked up. It was Lightkit and Toadkit poking at my tail. "Why are you hiding? Didn't you want to hear more stories?" Toadkit mewed. I sighed, if I didn't know Jaystone was my father, how would they?

"No need to be such a bummer! If you don't want to listen to stories we can play!" Lightkit purred, she surged from her paws and formed a hunting crouch, she must have been watching Flamepaw again. Lightkit would like to watch the apprentices train from the shade of the elders' den after hearing stories. She too would even try hunting a mouse near the ledge of the hole we call home. She would fail of course, losing her footing on the burning rocks that were baked by the sun. Or, if she didn't lose her footing the mouse did; or the mouse would hear or see her and dart off. Then there was that one time were she nearly caught one, but her mother Birchtail pulled her back to her den.

I shook by head clear of her stories, maybe she was right. Maybe we can just play a game instead of listening to stories from now on. I nodded without a word. "Ok! What game do you want to play?" Lightkit purred. "We can play Tackle Another! I used to play that all the time with Fishkit!" Toadkit mewed, bobbing up and down as he jumped. Lightkit laughed,"You mean you only played that game this morning, your only a day old!"

The two kits laughed, I just watched them as I rested on my old enmeshed moss "nest". "Oh wait! Lets play Clan! Or we can play Moss Attack, Race, Dare Eachother, or play Hide-n-Seek!" Lightkit mewed turning towards me. "I wanna play Dare Eachother! I sounds like fun!" Toadkit meowed, lapping at his fur that had ruffled when laughing and leaping around. Lightkit nodded and mewed,"We both want to play Dare Each other, wanna join?" What choice did I have? They already picked a game; I've never heard of it let alone played it before. "Sure, but how do we play?"

"The game is easy! We dare another to do something, if the kit you picked to do something does it they get a point", Lightkit mewed, nudging us out of the den and into the scorching heat," If they don't they lose one, first kit to five points win!" Toadkit spun around and yelled,"I want to do a dare first! Spiderkit dare me to do something!" I stared at him and then glanced around the camp, searching for something a day old kit could do. Then I saw Bonestar, she was padding towards the Fresh Kill Pile. An idea grew in my head and I mewed,"Alright then, I dare you to steal the prey Bonestar is going to pick out from the Fresh Kill Pile!"

Toadkit gulped, turning to and away from Bonestar who was now resting next to the Fresh Kill Pile and yowled,"Oh no! I'm not going to do that!" Lightkit laughed,"Then you lose a point Toadkit! Now you get to dare Spiderkit something!"

Toadkit spun around towards me and mewed,"Ha! I dare you to run out of the camp, and bring me back one of those green bulbs from those sharp things up there!" He pointed with his paw, with only three paws supporting him he stumbled and fell, then returning back to four paws. He must have meant the trees. Kits shouldn't leave the camp, but a dare was a dare; and I didn't mind leaving a camp full of cats like Nightpaw. I nodded and mewed,"Sure! I'll go get the bulb, and I'll even go deeper into the forest for more points!"

Lightkit's jaw dropped, and Toadkit giggled,"Sure! You'll get five points and win if you do that! But you must get the bulb and get something from beyond the forest!" I nodded, and turned towards the rocky walls of our camp. I lunged towards the wall, hauling myself up at the ledge one jump at a time. I was out of breath all ready at the fifth leap.

This was going to be a difficult dare, but I didn't mind it. Something told me I would regret going out of camp, yet something seemed to be calling me towards it. I shook my head of those thoughts, and hauled myself up again. I was going to see the outside world, no warrior code could stop me, no cat, no owl, no badger, no fox, no twoleg, and I was going to see what I was going to regret, what was calling me, and win that game.