Fallen Spruce

She was a miracle. Her mothers, Little Moth and Doe’s Breath, had struggled for moons to have kits. Finally they’d been blessed with a litter of 3, though it wasn’t long before one of the three, a little tortie kit named Oak passed. The surviving duo, Spruce and Pine, were inseparable from both each other and their parents. Eventually though, all birds must fly the nest, and the two were made into apprentices. Spruce became Fallen Spruce, apprenticed to Red Vulture, and Pine became Twisted Pine. It was during this time Spruce developed a crush on a fellow apprentice, named Singing Shrike. She shoved it down, as she began to adopt Vulture’s undying loyalty to the empire (and, thus, decided that love would get in the way of that) Shrike, for whatever reason, loved her back. Despite Spruce’s best efforts, Shrike never left her completely alone. In the midst of all of this, Pine was forgotten.

He’d liked Shrike as well. And while Shrike did like him back, it wasn’t in the same way. As he lost Spruce to her ambition, and Shrike to Spruce, Pine found himself alone. And when you’re alone, you don’t always make the smartest choices.

Some foxes had been scented in the territory, and late one night Pine had tried to rally his sister and friend into searching for them. Shrike was eager to go, and while Spruce didn’t actually like the idea, she couldn’t stand seeing her sibling and crush hurt, so the three went. And only one survived.

Fallen Spruce had never quite recovered from what happened that night, and she’d never tell anyone no matter how much they asked. They’d found the foxes…and Pine had attacked. It didn’t go well, but Shrike had dove in to save him, sending Spruce back to get help. By the time she’d returned with help, both of them were dead. And Spruce stood still, a lone tree in a barren forest, and she didn’t cry. Or mourn. Or grieve. She just took back whatever pieces she could salvage, and hid them behind walls made of the thickest bark. Spruce threw herself into her training, stopping at nothing to impress her mentor. Eventually she was made into a warrior, earning the name Fallen Spruce, the Steadfast as a show of her loyalty to the empire.

Moons down the line, Spruce befriended Dusk, accompanying her on a periwinkle hunting expedition, despite her better judgements. Neither of them knew this at the time, but this simple snail hunt would be a catalyst for Spruce’s growth. Through spending time with Dusk, befriending Sun, and opening herself up more to others, she’s begun to change and work on herself, even if the process is still a bit slow moving.