A/N: Uh... hi? Long time, no update. Meh, procrastination is in my blood. Well, it has been about three months since the last udpate, so enjoy! Special thanks to Story . Time . After . Regret! (1) -cue applause-

Web of Lost

Chapter Seven

A Fragile Mind

The sky was hidden under the bright white of clouds, and small drops of rain sprinkled from above. The air was cold and frosty, and small gusts of wind would occasionally scatter the rain droplets in a messy flurry. From inside Web's den, the thundering of the road could be heard—many monsters were traveling it today.

Web flinched when a cold droplet of rain hit the brown fur. Maybe sleeping outside wasn't the best idea in the world. She rolled over onto her feet and shook off the pieces of dead grass that clung to her fur. The brown tabby hated mornings like this. It was summer, not fall. At least the rancid smell of no-fur garbage was almost gone. From what Web could tell, her pelt smelt a little better. More like wild grass than half-eaten pizza.

A roar from the road woke Laney up. A gust of wind blew into the den, making the black she-cat shiver. Laney's old collar clanged against an empty tin can, creating somewhat of a sweet tune. It took Laney a second to realize where she was, and when she did, soreness from the night before came crashing down on her. She stepped off her blanket to stretch. The cold air and dampness on the tattered fabric from the night before had turned Laney's nest into a somewhat frozen mat.

Carefully, Laney stretched, trying not to pull anything she shouldn't. Web entered the front of the large den with indifferent eyes. She dropped a mouse they had caught the night before at Laney's feet. Web stepped out again to grab another mouse for herself.

"Thank you," Laney mewed gratefully. She plopped to the dirt ground and began to devour the small mouse. When Laney was with her housefolk, she would occasionally catch a mouse in the basement, so she knew what the meat tasted like.

"No problem," Web mumbled, doing the same as Laney when she slipped back in the den. The brown tabby looked unsure of what to do. "So…" she began. Laney looked up with a mouth full of mouse meat. The mouse was very cold, and the black she-cat would have much rather preferred a nice warm piece of prey, but at least the little brown creature was plump.

"How'd you sleep?" Web asked, taking a small nip at the mouse in front of her. She would have much rather preferred some other sort of prey, but she knew she couldn't always have what she wanted. Laney tried to say something, but the meat in her mouth prevented her from mewing anything understandable. With an audible gulp, she swallowed the bite.

"Okay. How about you?" Laney replied. She wasn't sure if her 'mother' was still mad at her or not for the night before. The she-cat's throat burned from the large mouthful of food that was shoved down it.

Web shifted uncomfortably and took a larger bite of prey. "Okay," she muttered like a child, bits of mouse dribbling from her chin. This time Laney shifted uncomfortably. This was the first time Web was being kind and motherly to her since they first met. When was that? Three days ago? Time flew by so fast; it brought that surreal feeling back to Laney for only a moment.

Web tore into her mouse ravenously, pulling out meat with a somewhat muffled ripping sound. The elder she-cat didn't have any mealtime manners, and Laney felt a bit embarrassed to be eating with her. Trying to brush it off, the black she-cat took another bite of her prey, eating it slowly and with as little mess as possible.

"Hurry up and eat, we're gonna go hunting soon." Web stood up and kicked away the dead, eaten body of her mouse. She began to clean herself.

Laney cringed and took a big bite of her mouse before beginning to wash herself as well. It had almost stopped sprinkling, but the clouds weren't retreating, much to Laney's dismay. As if things weren't already dreary enough. Once Web was finished, she turned to her apprentice with a gleam in her eye. Without warning, the brown tabby she-cat sped off to the forest.

Laney huffed and followed. Web's "forest" was really a small patch of trees a little bit west of her den. Web stopped at the very edge of the trees. It was dark and foreboding between the few trees that were exposed. Those few trees stood alone like sticks, dead, without a doubt. Web stared at Laney with expectant eyes.

"I assume you remember the hunting crouch I taught you yesterday?" Web didn't face her apprentice. Laney nodded.

"Yes, Web," she replied. Web spun around, studying the black cat.

"Show me." Laney took a sharp intake of breath. She was nervous… so nervous. Web nudged a small bit of twigs and leaves out in front of her apprentice. "This is your mouse. Treat it like it is a living and breathing creature."

Laney got into a crouch, or at least the best one she could remember. In her basement, all she would have to do was corner the mouse between boxes or other solid things. She could hear Web snort behind her.

"Like this." Web pushed Laney out of the way and got into a crouch. Laney observed the movements, how Web's body curved and how silent her paws were on the ground. The brown tabby snuck closer to the "mouse" before springing and attacking. Laney noticed that her mentor hit the mouse with ease, but she was particularly violent with the attack. "Got it?" Web asked, gathering the twigs she'd displaced in her leap.

"Yes," Laney answered. She got into a crouch, trying to mirror the elder cat perfectly. Web made no noise, but nudged Laney's footing a little. The black cat took her first step toward the pile of sticks and leaves. Web cringed a little, but said nothing. Laney advanced a little quicker.

"Your paw steps are so loud! Any mouse with a brain would have run by now," Web hissed quietly to the younger cat, as if the pile of leaves and twigs really were a mouse. Laney slowed down, and her feet against the earth weren't so loud and heavy. A crow cawed and flew into the bright grey sky, breaking the near silence (the two she-cats had gotten used to the roar coming from the road).

Laney heaved herself through the air and landed in a way that was far from graceful. She curled a paw protectively and roughly over her prey, sending a few leaves flying into the air. Web let out a mrrow of laughter despite herself. Laney got up from the cold earth, and looked with expectant eyes at her mentor.

"You might have caught the mouse if it were deaf, blind and mentally challenged!" Web purred. Laney cast a sad glance at the long grass she stood in. "At least you hit the target, though. Come on, we don't have all day," Web snapped, gathering herself again. Laney couldn't tell if her comment was praise or not.

--

"What do you smell?" Web asked Laney in a whisper. They were deeper into the forest now, and Laney had her nose in the cold, frosty air. The brown tabby was getting impatient. It was like Laney had no sense of smell at all. This could be a minor set back for Web, and the she-cat wouldn't have that.

Laney could sense her mentor's impatience, and just that was making the young cat's nerves even more frayed. Laney took in a big breath of air, hoping to catch the scent of some type or prey… any type of prey. All of the scents were mingled together; she couldn't focus on anything. Something finally caught her nose. Faintly, she could detect a mouse's scent. "I smell something!" she squeaked, somewhat proud of herself.

Web sighed. "What do you smell?" Her tail flicked back and forth.

"I smell a mouse! I smell a mouse!" Laney mewed loudly. She shut up when her mentor's strict gaze came over her.

"Be quieter! You'll scare all of the prey away, you stupid little animal," Web hissed, letting her anger get the best of her. The insult slipped right through her sharp teeth. "How many mice do you smell?" She'd recovered quickly.

"One?" Laney whimpered. The sky above the two was still cloudy as ever, and dark thunder heads were gathering in the south. Web sighed.

"Two. There are two mice. And they aren't very far away," Web muttered, passing Laney. The black she-cat groaned mentally. Now that Web had told her, she could vaguely smell two little bodies of mice under the ferns and dead leaves from the year before. Why couldn't she smell that before? What was wrong with her? She could sit on these questions or follow her mentor. Silently, she crept along the forest floor after the elder she-cat.

Soon enough, the two mice could be seen cleaning themselves under a large fern. One was a bit ratty, with messy fur. The other was very plump and seemed to roll around on the forest floor in an attempt to clean itself. Laney stood behind Web, afraid to make a wrong movement and send the little creatures catapulting into the woods.

"Now's your chance," Web whispered into Laney's ear. She nodded and got into a hunting position, looking up at Web with questioning eyes. Web studied her form, and nodded. She could be better, but she could be worse. The younger cat's small black paws made little noise against the earth, but every step or so she would mess up. Once she neared the mice, she pounced.

She landed loudly, missing the mice all together and giving them a chance to run. She bounced onto her feet and clawed helplessly at the rattier mouse. It sped away from the black cat. Web flew from behind her and sprinted after the fatter mouse. After disappearing into the underbrush for a few moments, she returned with the mouse in between her teeth.

"Sorry!" Laney squealed upon noticing the disapproving look in her mentor's eyes. Web dropped the dead animal at her feet and and half walked, half ran out of the forest without saying a word. Laney sighed sadly, and picked up the rodent. She was unsure of whether she was to stay in the forest and continue hunting, or if she was to follow Web. She took a chance, and followed the brown tabby out of the forest.

--

Spiderfang watched Mousetail slink delicately out of the warriors den. He couldn't help but gaze at how her beautiful body gracefully stepped over to the fresh kill pile. It was early, so there wasn't very much prey in the pile, but Beetlestar had sent out a hunting patrol a few minutes ago. Mousetail sat down in front of the apprentice den and held down a thin fish with her white paw, tearing out a chunk of meat.

"Wow, Spiderfang. I never knew you liked Mousetail." The grey tabby tom spun around to face his best friend, Hawkclaw. Hawkclaw let out a quick mrrow of laughter.

"Who doesn't?" Spiderfang sighed. Hawkclaw turned to his friend, and Spiderfang faced the dark ginger tom as well.

"She-cats, I would hope," Hawkclaw joked. Spiderfang huffed. They were fifteen moons old now; he should act more mature. Of course, he'd never say that to Hawkclaw's face. "But seriously, she is pretty."

"Which is why I'll never get her." Spiderfang pitied himself but his friend just rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you mouse brain. I'm sure she'd love to mate with you." Spiderfang hit Hawkclaw with his paw playfully.

"No possible way. She'd much rather mate with someone else. You know… someone pretty like her?" Spiderfang reasoned. Hawkclaw sighed. Mousetail had finished eating and had begun to bathe herself.

"Maybe you are right. She'd definitely mate with someone like me!" Spiderfang hit his friend again for that comment. Hawkclaw hissed under his breath annoyed. "I'm just kidding. Mousetail is pretty and stuff, but she's kind of stuck up. I hear she's a real pain," he confessed.

Spiderfang clenched his teeth to stop from saying anything offensive. What gives Hawkclaw the authorization to say things like that about Mousetail? The grey tabby tom huffed but said nothing as he continued to watch Mousetail wash her beautiful brown fur.

--

Laney sat in the long grass in front of Web's den, her yellow eyes focused on the ground and her back was rigid. She curled her tail protectively around her paws. Web paced back and forth in front of her, muttering an array of things. She looked flustered and cold in the wind.

"I'm sorry," Laney squeaked again. She highly doubted Web was listening, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Web stopped pacing and looked at the little black cat. Laney braced herself. Was this going to happen every day? Would Web be abusive? She wanted to sink into the ground. This couldn't be happening—it was way too weird.

"Battle training begins now," Web snarled, backing away from Laney. The younger cat dared to look up and witnessed the brown tabby leap from her position and lunge at Laney. The black she-cat squealed and tried to run from her mentor's grasp. Claws weren't allowed in their battle training.

Gripping the black she-cat with her paws, Web tumbled over onto her back, bringing her apprentice with her. Laney let out a fearful mewl, trying and ultimately failing to claw at Web's stomach. Web rolled over once again, pinning the black she-cat to the ground. Laney wondered for a moment if her front legs would be torn off, the way Web was pushing on them. She tried with no avail to claw at her mentor's underbelly, but since she kept her claws hidden, the skin wouldn't break. Web felt no more than a slight tickling sensation.

Web brought her face up to Laney's, smashing the younger one's head into the cold, hard ground. "You'll have to try harder than that," Web hissed into Laney's ear, her face so close Laney could smell the mouse from before on her breath.

Then something clicked. Lightning fast, Laney snapped at Web's face, nipping the tip of her nose. It was enough to catch Web off guard for a moment, giving Laney the chance to break free of her grasp. Her limbs were sore as she scrambled out from underneath the tabby. Is this really what I signed up for? What if Web will kill me? Would anything matter? She thought with dismay, suddenly missing the warmth of her home with the housefolk, even her neglectful owner.

A sharp pain snapped the black she-cat out of her thoughts. She spun her head around to see Web with an angry glare in her eyes. Growling, hissing, and sputtering, she had snapped her mouth shut on Laney's tail, grinding her teeth into the flesh. Without thought, Laney yowled and scratched Web across the face, claws scraping away bits of fur and skin. Laney immediately snapped her paw away, jumping a foot away from her mentor, afraid of what the consequence would be.

Web paused for a minute, her eyes clouded with confusion. The scratch wasn't deep, just drawing blood, but it was still a scratch. For a moment her tail lashed with anger, but then she calmed down and a slight purr escaped her throat.

Laney's mouth dropped open. Had Web really just purred? After she had scratched her face in a no-claws battle? What was going on in Web's mind?

Web, on the other hand, stood in the frost tall grass with cold droplets of rain hitting her pelt and a feeling of happiness and warmth. It looks like Laney was the one after all. "Congratulations, I've decided to keep you."

(1) Stupid new Document manager won't let me space out her name right. Sorry!