Web of Lies

ii

"Hello?" Robinflight called out, the dark night blocking her vision. Only the stars answered her, small specks of light littering the night sky like diamonds. She knew this was a dream, but that didn't take any of the fright away. "Where am I?"

"Hello?" A voice similar to hers echoed. It sounded young and feminine, filled with fear of the unknown. "Reed? Is that you?"

"Where are you?" Robinflight asked the voice. She took a few steps towards the voice, her paw steps uneasy and irregular. "What's your name?"

"Reedkit! Reedkit, where are you? I'm scar-" The voice was cut off by a high-pitched scream. Robinflight ran in the direction of the voice, frantically sprinting through the endless darkness. She reached the source of the voice, only to see a small kit, almost identical to herself, huddled up next to a rock.

"Are you okay?" Robinflight asked, checking the kit for wounds. There were no cuts, scratches, are injuries on the tiny kit, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurt. "What's wrong?"

The kit seemed to be unable to see Robinflight. The kit looked around fearfully, as if there was a badger that had her in a corner. Robinflight wasn't able to see what was threatening the kit, and she couldn't remember anyone she who was named Reedkit, except for, well, Reedspeck.

Robinflight watched as the kit screamed and wailed, unable to do anything.

"Someone help her!"

Suddenly the dream changed. Her dark surroundings became a sunny beach, the bright blue waves rolling in and the salty breeze blowing through her fur. Cats ran around the beach, some laying in the sun, others playing and chasing each other.

She was in OceanClan, the clan she was raised to fear.

A light gray, silver tabby she-cat appeared next to Robinflight. No other cat saw Robinflight, so she assumed it was just a regular dream cat. Until an apprentice sized cat ran right through her.

"Uh, hi there," Robinflight said awkwardly. "OceanClan looks rather... uh... not-kill-MossClanish today, right?"

"Oh, so you're from MossClan," The she-cat noted. She resembled Willowberry, from the tall body and the skinny legs. Her eyes were calm and nurturing, filled with a sort of kindness Willowberry's lacked. "I lived there. How is it? I've been quite busy, I haven't been able to check on my daughter." Her eyes were sad, longing for something.

"Who's your daughter?"

"You might know her, Willowberry. I haven't seen her since I was... well, alive."

"You're dead!" Robinflight exclaimed. The she-cat laughed softly, not even vaguely offended by the rude comment.

"Oh, darling! Of course I am! Did the cats running through me not set you off?" She joked, her yellow-greenish eyes cheerful.

"O-oh. What's your name?"

"You wouldn't remember me, you were only a kit when I died. Your mother... Harepelt, right?" She guessed, avoiding the question. She turned towards the waves, her silver paws stepping through the sand and wading through the water. Robinflight followed.

"Uh, yeah. Harepelt," Robinflight answered. More like hare-brain, her mind hissed. She put the thoughts out of her head. Her mother already nagged her in her real world, she wouldn't let her mother have any power here.

"Oh," The cat said, glancing towards the horizon. "You must go now. When you leave, do you mind giving Willowberry a gift from me?"

Robinflight nodded her head. Willowberry's mother pushed a piece of driftwood that had washed in from the ocean towards her. The wood dried immediately. There were little nicks, like tiny claw marks, along the middle of the wood. It was blackened at the ends, as if it had been dragged out of a fire. Robinflight pulled it towards her, surprised it was rather hot. So hot, in fact, she felt it would set on fire.

"It's kind of..."

"Hot?" The she-cat finished. "Willowberry will know. Tell her it'll help not only her, but... those cats."

"What cats?" Robinflight asked, suddenly confused. What did Willowberry know? What significance did this piece of... junk have?

"I've already said too much. I enjoyed our chat, but you must leave. Don't lose the stick," She commanded. Robinflight didn't ask questions. She scooped the stick up in her mouth, flinching at the warmth against her tongue.

Robinflight felt the sand give away under her feet, scrambling to get a grip on the suddenly slippery sand. Her heart dropped as she was plunged into darkness. Robinflight tried to scream, scream for help, answers, anything, but her jaws held onto the stick. Her tongue burned in pain, the fiery stick scorching the inside of her mouth. How could she experience such pain in a dream?

Suddenly, she landed on a soft nest of moss, leaves, and fluff. She kept her eyes shut, praying that if she opened them, she wouldn't be in another twisted dream.

"Morning," Quailfern's familiar, soothing voice said. A wave of relief came over Robinflight's body. No, not one wave. Wave after wave of relief, calming her, soothing her.

"Good morning," She responded, getting out of her cozy bed. She flinched at the warmth of the stick, which had appeared in her bed. It had cooled down significantly, the once burning stick now feeling as if it had been slightly warmed by the sun. "How's your cut?"

"I think we should go get checked out. It stings, and-"

"Then let's go check it out!" Robinflight interrupted. She wanted any excuse to get this stupid stick out of her possession and out of her life.

"Uh, sure. Let's go. Bit forward, tho-"

"Nope!"

Quailfern looked at her, a concerned look on his face. "Alright, then."

Robinflight speed walked out of the den, and Quailfern followed.

She was determined to end this, not let this weird situation get out of hand. She would not let this dead cat mess up her duties as deputy.

Willowberry was going to take this stick, there was no way around it.

A/N: oof this one is a little short but i have cadets in like two minutes so-

sorry! have a good day xoxo