Perspective/Spiderleg

Spiderleg

chapter 1

What do you know me by? A murderer? A thief? A traitor? No.

You know me by the fact that I left Daisy, left her kits, to her own devices. To their own devices. I didn't give a mouse dung about them. That's what you heard. You heard that I was abusive in my special way. I didn't care for them, didn't love them, didn't give them the time they needed. I didn't give them a father.

But that's not all.

I wish to show you why I left her. Never loved. Never took a mate. You say I'm in love with Ambermoon? No. I'm not. Never was, never will be.

~*~

"Wake up, Spiderkit, wake up!" I opened my eyes, to the dim light of the nursery, pressed up against Ferncloud. My mother. Someone was shaking me, which caused me to shrug them off.

"Wake up!" The voice shook me even more forcefully. "Firestar's going to make us apprentices!" At once my drowsiness fell away. I leaped up and ran around the nursery in excitement. Shrewkit, my brother, was all over the place. We were laughing and whooping until a soft ginger tail stopped us. "Hush, you two. You'll wake Whitekit." We stopped and tumbled outside the nursery, where Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Mousefur were yawning and getting ready for dawn patrol.

Graystripe, snoring, stumbled outside the den. He tripped over Shrewkit's tail and nearly squashed me. Pausing to blink sleep out of his eyes, he mumbled a sorry, and smiled. "Apprentices, huh? No wonder you're up early."

By the time the sun was up, we were standing in front of the Highrock, eagerly awaiting the arrival of our apprenticeship. Who will be my mentor? I wondered. I didn't like bossy mentors, but I wanted to be the best I could be. ''I don't like Cloudtail, or Mousefur. I want Brackenfur as my mentor-he's so cool! But maybe Thornclaw? Or Graystripe! Yeah, I want Graystripe!''

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" announced Firestar. He looked down at us and flicked his tail. We scampered up Highrock and tried to look solemn and dignified. Later Whitekit told us we looked like we had fleas. [We did not, Whitewing! Shut up!] "These kits have reached six moons, and are ready to be apprenticed.

"Spiderkit, from this day on, you will be known as Spiderpaw. I entrust your mentorship to Mousefur. She will guide your paws in everything from hunting to battling to loyalty." No! I didn't want her!

She padded up to me. "I know you didn't want me," she murmured. How did she know? "But you'll learn to like me in time." Are you sure?

Firestar continued on with the ceremony. "Shrewkit, from this day on, you will be known as Shrewpaw. I entrust your mentorship to Thornclaw." Lucky! "Thornclaw, you were the lucky apprentice of Mousefur. You will be an excellent mentor to Shrewpaw." ''Hah! Thornclaw, lucky?! Firestar must have bees in his brains!''

~*~

"Are they here?"

"Let me see!"

"Move over, Squirrelpaw!"

"Come on, let your mother have space."

Ferncloud lay on the ground, panting and sweating heavily. Her body convulsed, yet no kits were arriving. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw were sitting near her, with the gray she-cat murmuring about the kits being stubborn. "They won't arrive. They're stubborn."

"Like Dustpelt," joked Squirrelpaw.

"Shut up!" I growled. Just because you're snarky doesn't mean you can insult our father!

"Touchy, touchy."

"Enough," sighed Firestar. He was anxiously waiting for the kits so he could announce it to the Clan, and at later's Gathering.

tbc