The air around him was cold. Spiderpaw's fur felt so light, he was convinced for a second he didn't have any, until the knowingness of being in a dream washed over him. Spiderpaw scanned his surroundings, and for a moment, all he could see was black. He was relieved that this definitely couldn't have been StarClan. He was used to a bright blue sky, a warm feeling and the scent of prey washing over him at every time. But every second that passes in his dream let his eyes adjust - and instead of the bright blue sky he had been expecting, rays of crimson red peered out from the black trees surrounding him. The scent was unwelcoming too. He surely scented prey - except prey that had been left for weeks on end, too sickly for any cat to consume.
Just like he insisted on doing every time he had visited StarClan, he checked to see his paws were translucent and bright. However he could barely see the tips of his feet in the shadows that had been casted along the muddy ground. He glanced around for Briartail, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Perhaps he was right, and he was just dreaming as usual.
Spiderpaw took a few steps forward. The silence around him made him feel less comfortable with every second. The only thing he could hear was his paws slushing against the mud below him.
"Briartail?" Spiderpaw called out. "Are you there?"
His answer was silent.
Not wanting to waste any time he could use to investigate the strange place around him, Spiderpaw convinced himself to take multiple steps forwards - until he felt like he could walk properly.
When Spiderpaw was sure he was on his feet, he began to wander forwards, scanning every tree he passed. For a place that Briartail thought was StarClan, the atmosphere was very empty.
Spiderpaw whisked around as he heard a twig snap behind him. He felt relieved when he suspected Briartail to have found him, but instead when he turned around, he saw nothing. He brushed off the feeling, insisting to himself that his mind was fooling him.
But then he heard another twig snap - this time in front of him. But this time, when Spiderpaw turned around, he saw a dull pair of lights gazing in his direction.
Spiderpaw stood still for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he focused on the luminance. He began to bring himself forwards slowly, stopping when he could make out the faint shadow of a cat standing in front of him.
"Briartail, is that you?" Spiderpaw whispered, suddenly realising he couldn't help himself but to speak too quietly he could barely hear himself. He knew he wasn't alone.
"You must be an ancestor," Spiderpaw meowed, his voice shaking as he increased his volume. "Can you tell me where I am?l
"StarClan, of course!"
Spiderpaw jumped out of his fur when he saw a face appear from around a corner. He paced backwards, his fur fluffing up as the shadowy face approached him.
"This isn't StarClan!" Spiderpaw yowled. "Who are you?"
Suddenly, Spiderpaw's ears flicked up. The cat quickly approached him, and Spiderpaw felt a rush of courage slip over him as he recognised the small figure that had found him. Through the dull light he recognised a small grey face on a thin body with three small legs.
"Ashpaw!" Spiderpaw exclaimed. He couldn't help but approach the small cat with a beam. "Thank StarClan you're okay!"
Ashpaw dipped his head. Spiderpaw could have never imagined seeing the apprentice standing - let alone on three legs.
But what struck his interest wasn't the fact that Ashpaw was defying nature - he was shocked by the way the apprentice's injured leg had begun to wither away.
"Your infection!" Spiderpaw couldn't help but exclaim. "Cats heal when they've come to StarClan!"
"Don't worry," Ashpaw meowed. Spiderpaw felt even more upset when he realised that Ashpaw's voice was still raspy and weak. The flashbacks came back to him - Ashpaw's last days of discomfort. "I did regain my health."
"I don't think you did," Spiderpaw admitted.
"You wouldn't have believed how I was in the other part of StarClan," Ashpaw began. "My leg was healed, and I could run, and I could chase rabbits, just like you always wanted me to!"
Spiderpaw felt relieved for a second, but his courage faded away almost instantly. "But you're not healed."
Spiderpaw stopped himself, realising he was missing out on asking the apprentice a vital question. "Did you say the other part of StarClan?"
Ashpaw nodded. "That's where everyone likes to stay," he meowed.
Spiderpaw struggled to meet his gaze. "Ashpaw," he murmured, his voice lowering. "Why are you here?"
Ashpaw was silent for a second, his jaw dropping as if he wasn't sure what to say. Nevertheless, he replied soon after. "Well, I'm looking for Redshade."
Spiderpaw was taken aback. He felt like he had nearly blacked out when the words of the StarClan ancestor rung in his head - how he had said that not every cat was able to make their way to StarClan.
"Ashpaw," Spiderpaw meowed again. "Are you sure this is the part of StarClan you're meant to be searching?"
Ashpaw nodded. "I searched in the other place, and nobody wanted to help me."
"But there are no borders in StarClan," he meowed. "How did you get out?"
Ashpaw looked around, then back at him. "If you don't think there are, then you haven't searched well enough."
Spiderpaw dipped his head. He felt far too confused to question Ashpaw about anything the wise cat had told him before.
"How are you going to find your way back?"
Ashpaw didn't reply to him. Spiderpaw flocked his head back slightly as Ashpaw looked away, almost embarrassment surrounding him.
"Ashpaw, did you hear me?"
"Yes, I heard you," the cat replied. "But I don't want to go back to that part."
Spiderpaw dropped his jaw. "You have to," he meowed. "You can't stay here!"
Suddenly, Ashpaw scowled at him, his teeth showing behind the back of his lips. "You would not understand," he insisted. "Once you dwell in this area, you can't just go back."
So many questions raced around Spiderpaw's head, and he had no idea what to ask first.
"Don't you want to go back, though?" He asked, trying to add some false course into his voice.
"Why would I?" Ashpaw growled. "I don't want to be near the other cats. Besides, I don't care how long I'll take, I won't attempt to leave until I find her."
Spiderpaw paused. "Why don't you want to be near them? They're our ancestors - they guide our every paw print!"
Spiderpaw flinched with shock when Ashpaw extended his claws. "I know what they did," he hissed, his voice suddenly so full of energy that Spiderpaw couldn't believe he was still sick. "If they are the cats who guide my paw prints, mark my words, I want nothing more to do with them!"