AN: Hoping to finish up this darling little fiction in the near future~
Spottedflight lay beneath a squat grassland tree, lazily grooming her tortishell fur. Her amber eyes were emotionless. She was neither upset nor glad about the fight she and Puddlefrost had gotten into the previous day. The sunny meadow had lulled her problems away, the wildflowers catching her worries and turning them into pastel colors she could enjoy.
Ravenstar had sent out a patrol at the crack of dawn to make peaceful contact with the other Clans. He had gone himself, determined to put his best paw forward and extend a friendly greeting to the cats SkyClan would be living alongside. He had left Creekstone behind to keep the Clan subdued and to make sure SkyClan wasn't attacked, instead taking Thymeheart, Bristlehaze, Tawnythroat, and Jayspots with him. A few cats were worried that he was showing off and that he would intimidate the Clans with the three powerful warriors he had chosen, but the large black tom had waved his tail and left.
The warrior had nearly dozed off, her amber eyes closed, when she was roused by the voice of a tom. She lifted her head lazily, her eyes focusing in on a small black tom with one green eye and one blue. "Spiderpaw," she greeted in a monotone, no more happy to see him than she would have been to see Puddlefrost.
He kneaded the ground nervously with one paw for a few moments, knocking the tall grasses aside. Finally, he opened his mouth. "Puddlefrost is really sorry," he said quickly, as though worried he would be cuffed upside the head if he said the sentence slowly.
Eyes dark, Spottedflight watched him, a cold smirk on her lips. "She's sorry? Oh, well, then, let's throw a banquet and make her queen!"
Spiderpaw gave the she-cat a confused look. "I—"
"Don't understand?" Spottedflight interrupted. "I shouldn't be surprised."
Hurt etched on his face, the tom turned away. "I'll...I'll just tell her I couldn't find you...Or something…," he mumbled. Spottedflight said nothing to this, instead watching as Spiderpaw, his tail hanging low, padded off through the grass. The stalks were so tall that even a large cat like Ravenstar was hard to spot over them: Spiderpaw was hidden from view in a few moments.
Very suddenly, Spottedflight leapt to her paws. She followed Spiderpaw's scent through the perfumed wildflowers. Though she was hardly larger than the tom she was tailing, she kept her head low as though she were stalking a large oddly colored rabbit. She poked her head through the grasses in front of her and drew back swiftly. A stretch of inexplicably shorter grass lay through the gap, dotted with bushes, a couple short trees, and boulders. Spiderpaw and Puddlefrost were lying in the shade of a massive juniper bush wedged directly in front of two large rocks.
"I just d-don't understand!" Puddlefrost was wailing. Spottedflight peered through a thinner patch of the longer grass to see her sister bury her nose in the black pelt of her mate. Spiderpaw licked her head reassuringly, his eyes compassionate. "Why d-does she h-hate me?"
"Spottedflight doesn't hate you," Spiderpaw mewed, pulling away gently to give her a tentative smile.
Backing farther away, Spottedflight drew in a sharp breath. A wave of her old persona washed over her and suddenly the remorse was overpowering. I did that to her! Spottedflight thought wildly. But before she could burst through the soft green stems and apologize, her new, darker emotions took control. Brat deserved it, I reckon, a voice crooned in her head. Flaunting her happiness around you. She, Mistsong, and their stupid mates should expect nothing less from you than dislike.
The words were convincing, entrancing. Spottedflight turned tail on the touching scene and left, seeking solitude. Before she could find another nice place to snooze, however, she was nearly knocked over by a pile of golden and black fur.
"Sorry, Spottedflight!" a voice squealed. The tortishell warrior turned to see Mistsong and Lionpaw picking themselves up and shaking the scraps of dirt from their fur. "Didn't see you there," Mistsong added.
"No one every sees me," Spottedflight pointed out darkly.
Mistsong gave her a curious look. "Alright, O-Great-And-Mighty-Grouch. See you around," she hummed. She gave Lionpaw a suggestive smirk and the two bounded off, leaving Spottedflight seething with more rage than she thought possible.
Spottedflight was rooted to the spot where she stood for a moment. Her ears twitched angrily, but it seemed to be the only movement she could make. She unsheathed her claws; their sharpened points slipped easily into the earth. She stayed stationary for a few moments longer before tearing out large clumps of earth that caught under her honed nails. Her claws slid back into her paws and she let loose an angry snarl.
Without thinking where she was going, Spottedflight took off through the grasses, slashing aside plants with excessive cruelty. She leapt forcefully over rocks in her way rather than going around them, left deep scratches in trees that forced her to step aside. She was caught entirely off guard when her nose bumped into a smooth foreign surface. She jumped back in alarm, baring her fangs and letting loose her dirty claws. She noticed quickly that it was merely a fence she had been about to attack. Slightly embarrassed, she took a moment to recuperate before proceeding.
Scenting the air, Spottedflight noted that Ravenstar had been through here with his patrol. Underneath the scents of SkyClan, however, lay the scents of cats she could not identify and the slender brown creatures that cantered beyond the fence. She decided these cats could not be the Clans, because they appeared to be coming mainly from a beat-up red building not many fox-lengths from where the warrior stood.
Perhaps it was anger at her siblings that made her make her next decision. It may have been anger at herself, or possibly just pure anger brewing in her insides. With a final haughty sniff, Spottedflight slipped under the fence and trotted off towards the barn, ready to meet some cats who had more substance than a rotting pile of foxdung.