Chapter 1

Silverkit twitched. She and her sisters, Mosskit, Fernkit and Shadekit, were walking through the forest. The littermates were on their way to the river, having just been sent out on a hunting patrol. Her mother, Willowshadow, had been really worried to see her kits marching out of camp like warriors. Silverkit didn't picture her like that now though. In her mind, she saw Willowshadow wearing a proud smile on her face as she and her sisters came back from a successful hunt.

She and her siblings lined up along the river and settled down comfortably. Fernkit leaned away from the river, ensuring her shadow wouldn't alert the fish of their presence. Silverkit followed her lead and Mosskit and Shadekit copied her. Moments had only just passed, but already Silverkit saw a gray fish gleaming. She reached down, her claws swiping in attempt to grab it. She could just feel the scales, "Hey. Hey Silverkit! Wake up!" a gentle white paw prodded her side.

Silverkit kept her blue eyes closed as she meowed grouchily, "What is it? Why can't you let me sleep? This better be important." The paw poked her again, and Silverkit groaned. Unwillingly, she slid out of her nest and stretched out her tiny limbs. She opened her eyes to find Fernkit's pale yellow irises staring back at her. "What?" she huffed.

"Look. It's dawn. The sun is rising." Silverkit was about to complain that she had been woken up from an amazing dream only to be told it was dawn, but Fernkit went on first, "And the Dawn patrol is leaving. I want so badly to go with them. Maybe if we asked nicely, they would let us."

Silverkit rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, Fernkit. Like they'd let kits go." Her mew was crushing and Fernkit's ears dropped and tail drooped. "Never mind, Fernkit! We don't need them! Lets wake up Shadekit and Mosskit and go off on our own!" Silverkit's voice was a complete one-eighty, but it wasn't hard to imagine where she got the idea from. Her dream was still fresh in her mind.

Waking up their sisters was easier said than done. Mosskit was the easiest to wake up, but the hardest to convince. Then with all three sisters trying, they poked and yowled and licked Shadekit. She groaned and finally opened her eyes.

"We're going out into the forest. Wanna come?"Silverkit asked. Shadekit leaped to her paws and nodded. The four kits exited the den without a problem; their mother Willowshadow was still sleeping. It would be harder to get out of camp. They stayed to the edge of the camp and slipped out through the dirtplace tunnel.

Once in the forest, the kits grew a little subdued. They weren't sure which way was the river and was everything always so big? Shadekit parted her jaws to scent the air. "What are you doing?" Fernkit asked.

"You can tell which way the river is by the heaviest scent trails." Shadekit told her. She sniffed again. "This way!" she yowled.

We followed her as she ran through the forest. When the river was in sight, they stopped dead in their tracks. The river was unlike anything Silverkit ever seen. It moved soundless through the trees, twisting and curving around the bends. Mosskit darted forward, jumping in the river before ether of us could stop her. Her enthusiasm completely surprised her sisters; she had been so reluctant to come with them, afraid they would be caught breaking the warrior code.

The kits all cried out in despair as her head submerged underwater. Silverkit couldn't stand there doing nothing. She bolted back to camp as fast as she could. Shadekit took action too. She leaped into the river after her sister, hardly realizing she was putting her life on the line.

"Help! Please help! Mosskit's drowning!" she cried as she ran through camp. Rainstar ran up to her with a patrol of riverclan warriors. They hardly paused as they passed Silverkit. "Hurry!" she yelled, exiting the camp again. The warriors easily overtook her. Within seconds she was alone.

When she was at the river again, four warriors stood on the bank with Fernkit. All their heads were bowed, their eyes dull with grief. Silverkit saw Rainstar swimming in the river. He climbed out with Shadekit in his jaws. After setting her down the sisters huddled together, trying to find comfort in each other's closeness. It was a long walk back to camp.

Rainstar was on Mossrock when they returned. As though they were waiting for the kits, he started speaking as soon as they settled down beside their parents. "The whole clan grieves for Mosskit. She had her whole life to live, to give to the clan. Her death was too soon. I pray she is safe in Starclan, watching over us. May they receive her with honor."

Silverkit sobbed, tears running down her face relentlessly. Fernkit pressed closer to her and Shadekit licked her ears. The meeting ended and the cats dispersed. Willowshadow leaned into Rockshade, who licked her face and murmured something in her ear. The kits dragged themselves over to their parents, who groomed their pelts. Fernkit's white pelt with ginger patches on her back was scuffed up. Shadepaw's gray pelt had dried in untidy tuffs. It should have comforted them, but Silverkit was not pacified.

"Hey Silverkit." Silverkit looked away from her parents to see who had spoken. It was Oakpaw, her best friend. She padded up to him. "I'm so sorry. I know how much she meant to you, how close all of you are. I'm so sorry." He meowed. She nodded and placed her head on his shoulder.

The day passed slowly. Just before the sun was to set, Rainstar gathered the clan again. "Today is the sixth moon for Fernkit, Silverkit and Shadekit. If they feel ready, I shall give them their apprentice names." A hush fell over the crowd. Silverkit was stunned. How could Rainstar think she could be ready for this? Her sister died! I killed her.

"Thank you Rainstar. But we aren't ready. When we pictured this day, we always thought Mosskit would be here with us." Fernkit meowed.

"But she isn't here. So we need to find our strength again." Shadekit added. Silverkit said nothing. The overwhelming guilt was crushing her, hardly letting her breathe.

A/N: Thank you for giving me a shot. The chapters are getting longer as the story goes on. Please review thank you for reading.