On the Other Side of the River

Chapter 1: At First

The day I first met him, I was on a hunting mission. The chill of frosty winds hung around the air. I padded along by the river, wondering if there were any fish left in the water for me to catch for my clan. That's when I saw him.

A gray tabby, thrashing in the river's strong current, paws clawing at thin air. Another cat watched him in horror from the opposite bank. It dawned on me that these cats must be from ThunderClan. For a spilt second, I hesitated. Then quickly I made up my mind. A life was a life, no matter what clan it was from. I sprung from the shore with a yowl and jumped onto a sheet of ice further downstream. I then plunged into the icy water. I felt the current pushing and pulling against me, threatening to sweep me away. But I kept moving my strong legs and stayed afloat in the water. As the drowning tabby cat went by me, I grasped his fur with my teeth. The cat's weight was more than I thought it would be. We were both pulled underneath. My thoughts seemed to mingle with the churning water, but one thing was prominent: I must save this cat. My paws found the pebbly bottom of the river and I heaved upward, kicking with my front legs. My silver head broke the surface of the water; I inhaled deeply through my nose and then swam towards the shore, near to where the other cat, a flame colored male, was waiting.

The gray cat's weight hung by my side like a log, but I was able to use the water's buoyancy to keep the both of us afloat. I dragged the cat onto another sheet of ice, keeping a firm grip on his fur. At one point I slipped, knocking my back leg against the thick ice. I winced and then continued pulling the cat up onto the bank. The orange cat slid down the bank and hurried towards me. Panic filled his eyes; I had seen it before on the faces of Queens who had lost their kits to the river's fast current. We both struggled to bring the gray cat up onto the shore. Once I had deposited the cat on the riverbank, his friend anxiously peered at him. The gray cat opened his eyes and coughed weakly. He murmured something to his friend. I closed my eyes and shook the water off of my fur. My body was cold from the chill of the ice water but I wasn't about to let these intruders know that. What were they doing in my clan's river anyway? And that stupid, mouse-brained cat had to go and throw himself in the river. He could have died! And I could have died trying to save him. The gray cat looked up at me and opened his mouth.

"Thanks." I narrowed my eyes. My anger boiled inside of me.

"You idiot. What are you doing in my territory?"

"Drowning?"

I flicked my ears and had to keep myself from smiling. This cat had a certain charm about him despite his stupidity.

"Can't you drown in your own territory?"

"Ah, but who would rescue me there?"

I found myself strangely drawn to this cat. No, I told myself, he's not for you. Just a fool from ThunderClan. You shall probably never see him again. That's what I told myself. ThunderClan. What would Father do if he knew? Scratch my ears off most likely. The gray cat was talking with his friend again. Apparently, there were more ThunderClan cats hiding in the bushes. I suppressed a growl. How many cats would wander into RiverClan's territory? The gray cat turned back to me.

"Thanks again," he said. I nodded, acknowledging his gratitude. Suddenly I smelled the faint scent of RiverClan. A patrol was coming, I realized.

"Hurry, go now! If my father knew I rescued a ThunderClan intruder he'd shred me for kit bedding!" I hissed urgently.

"Why'd you save me then?"

"Instinct. I couldn't watch any cat drown. Now go away!" Fear was slowly rising in my chest. If I was caught on this side of the river with these cats…

The orange cat faced me and thanked me for saving his friend. Then he turned and began to climb up the riverbank with the gray cat. Suddenly the gray cat looked back towards me.

"What's your name? Mine's Graystripe." My heart flipped for a minute. His eyes shone handsomely in the light reflected from the water. The scent of the RiverClan patrol coming closer jolted me back to reality. I quickly answered his question and turned, crossing the river and heading into my territory. My words hung in the air where I stood,

"Silverstream."