Silverscreech had a moment of peace by herself as she sat at a nearby river. It's gentle movements as the water trickled and flowed over rocks and the riverbed. With her piercing yellow eyes downcast, she curled her fluffy gray tail around her striped paws, her ears lowered against her skull as a light breeze blew through the night. She hated realizing it, but she found herself feeling lost in life. Her mate FearedJackal was gone. Her kits no doubt hated her for abandoning them…but she couldn't help herself. Losing the one person in her life she loved and fully trusted so dearly was gone. When her mate died that day rescuing her clanmate, a part of her died also.
She was never comfortable with anyone else back then. Even now…she struggled to even try talking to Heph and Briar. Tears began slowly streaming down her face as she choked back her sobs. Looking up at the night sky of Silverpelt, Silverscreech silently called to starclan for guidance. Anything to help her figure out what she was supposed to do. Go back to the clan? Or live as an outcast forever like her father had been.
Going back to her clan where she was originally born now honestly seemed too difficult. Silverscreech knew she would have to swallow her pride and take a step into the very home that she had once abandoned...facing and owning up to her mistakes. Facing accusing glares and eyes of judgment. Was she even strong enough to mentally handle that? Was she strong enough to face her children? All those moons wasted. She had never got to see them grow into fine warriors. Instead, she ran from her responsibility as a mother. And all over what? A broken heart? Her kids should have been able to mend that hole in her heart. But whenever she glanced at her kits…all she saw was FearedJackal. And it silently tore her apart.
Angrily she got up and kicked a rock into the stream. “WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE ME!?!?” She yelled bitterly into the night, her voice carrying her echoes of pain along with it. The light of the moon shone on her long fur gray coat, its light appearing to make her shimmer in the darkness as she paced about in thoughts of her past. Shortly before finding out she had kits, Silver and her mate ended up in a huge argument. She hadn't yet told him her family's background. Her dads murderous plot to kill the clan leader. Her family's exile. And who her parents once were. After dreaming about her mom and talking in her sleep, he had believed she fell in love with him to use him for finding out about her past. But no. She hadn't. Instead, she had decided to join her birth clan and leave the life of a loner to be with him. But he wouldn't listen to reason. Even after their kits were born, they had issues with one another.
Now that he was gone, Silverscreech could no longer resolve things between them. And that only made her heart ache more. He was the only one to make her guard fall. The only cat to put up with her ass of a behavior and sarcastic witty quips. And most of the all… he was the only one able to see the kind side she had been unable to show. He believed in her when no one else did. And that gave her some hope in her life. Something to live for instead of living a life of silent solitude. Now she was back to where she had started. The only thing keeping her going now in life, was her kits Zinnia and Torrent.
Once Silverscreech calmed down, she began heading back to the Catio where heph the kittypet had said she could stay with her kits. As much as it made Silverscreech uncomfortable being so close to twolegs, it was the only option she felt was best for now. Her kits would be well fed and had a safe place to sleep that was warm. Silverscreech promised herself she would take care of her kits this time.
Finally, after she made it back to the catio, Silverscreech entered a small enclosure with a soft bed inside. Quietly as she entered, she had come to find Zinnia and Torrent had gone missing. Where? She wasn't sure. The scent was beginning to stale, meaning they had left while ago in her absence With yellow eyes wide with fear, Silverscreech stepped back out into the nightly air. “ZINNIA! TORRENT!” She yelled frantically, her fur fluffed up as she looked around. Heph was no longer at the catio. He had been there when her kits fell asleep. Where he would go, she was unsure. But one thing was for certain…she needed to find her kits.
Carefully, she opened her jaws, trying to track Zinnia and Torrent’s scent. After a few moments, she found their scent and began following it…only to stop outside the forest borders. Silverscreech was apprehensive to enter. She knew where they were going. “Shadowclan.” It should have occurred to Silverscreech that after hearing her talk about it with Briar and Heph, Silverscreech knew they would become curious and wander off to find it.
Closing her eyes briefly, she took a breath and raced off into the darkened forest. “I'm coming.” She whispered.
♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
Zinnia and Torrent had quite a head start as their mom was gone for some time to herself. Torrent trudged through the brush behind his sister. The fact she had convinced him to come along at night when predators tended to roam, just showed how stupid his sister Zinnia was at times. But he couldn't let her go alone, so he followed. “I wonder why mama never bothered to tell us we had more family out there. And in a clan no less.” Zinnia mewed curiously. Her fluffy ginger fur began to get some burrs stuck as she accidently walked through some foliage. Her yellow-green eyes looked back at her brother as he kept the pace.
“Weren't you listening? Obviously mom has some issues with them.” He replied seriously. Looking back behind him, his blue eyes glanced around worriedly. “We shouldn't be out here. Mom will be furious if she realizes we left in the middle of the night. And there are predators out here no less.” He added. Rushing forward, he stopped in front of Zinnia. “Please let's go back!” He pleaded uneasily.
“Oh quit being a scaredy cat.” Zinnia retorted, annoyed with her brother's goody goody behavior. “The scariest predator out here is us.” She mewed happily as she puffed out her chest. “There is nothing to worry about. Now come on!” Pushing her brother to the side, she kept stalking forward, mouth open as she took in all the different scents lingering in the forest. Meanwhile, Torrent sighed and silently kept going on this random escapade.
Eventually they began to smell an unusual scent as they unknowingly began nearing the camp. It was rather pungent, causing the kits to cover their nose. "Ew. What is that smell?" Zinnia said disgusted. Torrent shook his head in confusion. "I don't know, but its unpleasant." he replied
Widowsting |The Sharp-Tongue of Shadowclan|
At this point, Widow had tuned out the spitfire ginger kitten, knowing that Zinnia thought she was old enough to take care of herself and her brother. No point in trying to argue with a kit, she would learn sooner or later that she was not as big and tough as she perceived herself. Right now it was taking everything within her not to claw at Silverscreech, just seeing the silver tabby left a sour taste in her mouth. Why couldn’t she just enjoy a peaceful stroll on her own? All Widowsting wanted was to drown out her sorrows, not having them boil over the surface. Her paper thin ears twitching at the faint gasps of surprise from the two small kits, but her fiery gaze remained level with Silver. The petite charcoal diluted tabby sighs softly to herself, maybe she should just return home, save both of them the trouble.
Yet, she remains where she was standing, tilting her head as a flicker of satisfaction gleams in her eyes at spotting the frustration and anger briefly in Silverscreech’s facial features. It would seem that her words did have an effect on the older molly after all, how fun! From what she remembered of her mother, she certainly got her temper from her. Widow found it amusing that Silver was trying to reel in her emotions, when Widow could easily tell that she was struggling. Biting her inner cheek as she forces her sharp features to remain cold and neutral, she did not need nor want to hear excuses from Silver’s mouth. It made no difference now, her mother was right about one thing—what was done was done. No way to change the past now. Though the past is always close behind, sneaking up on you when you least expect it. One can never run from the past but accept it. Which Widowsting was having a hard time doing.
“Improving yourself?” Widow coldly laughs, shaking her head in disbelief. “You mean running away from your problems and starting anew” She corrects. Her autumn orange eyes flicker down towards Zinnia and Torrent, it would seem that she was an older sister. Even though she knew she was being unreasonable and illogical, Widow could not help but feel slight resentment towards the two kits. They got to experience having a mother, having a mother figure to fret and dolt over them. While all she experienced or remembered was her mother walking away twice. Huffing through her nose as she forced herself to look away from the two kittens as she blankly stares at Silver while the older molly started trying to explain her reasoning. It was like Silver was trying too hard to push her words onto Widow.
This time, Widow could not hold back a snarl as she bared her fangs at Silverscreech. “I do not need your pathetic excuses! You were not the only one hurting! It is not all about you! Everyone has hard and shitty lives but they push through, especially if they have family. You only cared for yourself back then, I am sorry you had a hard upbringing…but that is not an excuse to abandon your kits” Widow’s voice held the pain and resentment she felt. Closing her eyes briefly, taking a deep calming breath as she needed to subdue her temper, there were kits around that did not need to witness her fury. Shaking her head as she turns away from Silverscreech, her gaze staring off into the dark forest. “I do not want to argue with you. I have accepted long ago that you were not fit nor ready to become a mother. I had been naive once to allow you back into my life but as soon as life got hard…you ran” her tail flicks side to side as she distracts herself.
“Dewbristle left the clan after receiving her warrior name. Yet, she still comes around to check in on her siblings, nieces and nephews. I know you were hurting when dad died, but you were not the only one feeling the loss. We lost our father and our mother at the same time” Widow bitterly states. “You left with hardly any explanation, what did you expect? Me to greet you with open arms? You took the easy way out. Time for you to reap what you sowed, own up to what you did, stop making excuses” she hissed out. Even though Widowsting was dealing with the loss of one of her mates, she had kits and Mintstrike to think about, she was hurting but she still had a lot to fight for.
Smiling bitterly down at her little half-siblings, “Wish we could have met under better circumstances” she hums out before eyeing Torrent. “Keep your sister in check” she teases before smirking at the spitfire ginger kit. Turning completely away from the three as she begins to pad away. Stopping a few feet away as she looks over at her mother, “You better do right by those two, they deserve to have a mother. I am sure you know your way out, better leave before a patrol finds out.” Widow dismisses Silverscreech with a sharp sting to her voice.
Widowsting |The Sharp-Tongue of Shadowclan|
Arching a brow as she gives the two young kits a disapproving motherly look, one she would give her young kits if she caught them sneaking about the territory late at night with no supervision. Widowsting did not have the time nor patience to handle someone else’s problem when the molly was already going through so much already. Her pale autumn orange eyes flicker over to Torrent, noticing him trying to hide his amusement at his sister getting scolded. Sighing through her nose at Zinnia’s defiant response, her eyes narrowing down at the ill mannered kit. “No one did, but I gave it to you anyways, deal with it” Widow snips. One would think that motherhood would have softened her usual sharp-tonged persona, yet if anything it made her tempered.
Hormones are a bitch. Watching Torrent cover his sister’s mouth, causes her lips to twitch slightly in amusement, especially at the angered look Zinnia shot towards her brother. “Hmm count yourself lucky that your brother is here to keep that mouth of yours in check. He is your only saving grace. Don’t think I will feel guilty for leaving you to defend yourself if you think you are so big and tough” Widowsting warns, she hated how much of herself she saw in the little ginger she-kit. Pausing as she looks over at the two kits over her shoulder as they begin to interrogate her. It would seem the two had been searching for a clan, a clan that their mother had been from. Brows furrowing in curiosity as she wondered who their parents were, opening her mouth to question them further when she was rudely interrupted.
Scowling as her attention sharply turns toward the new intruder. Her fur ruffling as she prepared to attack as she hardly recognized the scent. Yet, she finds herself frozen in place as her gaze lands upon a figure she had never expected to see again. Her breath hitching in the back of her throat, standing a few feet away was… her mother. If she could even be called that, she hadn’t seen the she-cat for nearly 3 years. Widow could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, no words or sounds escaped her as she silently watched Silverscreech. It was as if she was a ghost, an invisible bystander as the worried mother frets over her kits. Widow could hear the genuine concern and relief in Silver’s quivering voice as she reprimanded the two troublemakers. The more Widowsting watched the spectacle before her, the more the shock wore off and in its place anger and resentment began to surface.
Years of suppressing her hurt, anger, loathing, and frustration was boiling within her now. Those negative emotions had always been there, but festered deep inside to the point she had hardly recognized those emotions until now. How dare she? Abandoning her and her siblings, only to have started a new life and with a new family at that. Keeping a stoic expression on her sharp features, relaxing her tense posture as she silently regards the silver and white tabby molly. Though she could not hide the burning rage in her eyes, they glowed a fiery hue, it was as if her gaze could set Silverscreech ablaze. Her long tail lashing side to side behind her when she heard Silver’s soft hesitant voice utter her name. Widow certainly noted that Silver trailed off when saying her name, the older Molly realizing that she did not know Widow’s full name.
Pursing her lips as she had half the mind to just walk away. Why waste a single breath on her? Yet, her emotions outweighed her rational judgment. “It is Widowsting now…though you would not know that now would you?” She mocks; her voice dripping with venom. “I am shocked you could recognize your own daughter. Been what? 3 years since you abandoned your family?” Widow seethes. The small charcoal diluted tabby wanted her words to burn, to fester deep into Silverscreech, she wanted the poison to eat and claw at the silver and white molly. Widow had no problem with being the bad guy.
Widowsting |The Sharp-Tongue of Shadowclan|
“I could say the same about you two” a lithe molly slips out of the foliage, her piercing gaze flickering back and forth between the two kits before her. It was obvious that these two stranglers were not of Shadowclan, their scent and mannerisms gave clue that they had to be loners. What mother would leave their kits unattended? The charcoal diluted tabby molly sighs to herself as she was not sure what to do with the two kits before her. Frowning at the ginger she-kit, she could tell that she was the oldest and one calling the shots. “You should have listened to your brother, wandering around is not safe.” Widowsting chastises.
Widows had wanted to just enjoy a simple evening stroll before returning to the nursery to tend to her three kits. Her heart aching at the thought that Mercuryrose would not be waiting for her there. It was just her and Mintstrike now. There was a permanent hole in her heart, she would never be whole again. Brows furrowing as she could detect a certain scent clinging on to the two small kits but could not tell where she had smelled the scent before.
Sighing to herself as she regards the two before her, “Now lead the way back. Wouldn’t want to have to take you two as prisoners for trespassing. I will escort you back to make sure you do not stray” Widowsting grunts out, nodding her cranium in the direction she saw the two kits come from. She hoped her little white lie would scare the two from wandering on their own ever again.