Mist Rising
Before you read this, understand that it is set in an alternate timeline, in which the canon characters either never happened in the first place, or never had to move to the new territory, (I prefer the second option myself, but you can take your pick) which is my explanation for the events that occur in the sequel I have planned. Thank you, and enjoy. =3
Prologue
"Ravenfoot!"
The black tom spun around to face his medicine cat. She looked at him with eyes filled with sorrow.
"Yes, Meadowsong? Is something wrong?" he mewed worriedly.
"I'm so sorry."
Ravenfoot's face contorted with loneliness and sorrow.
"My...my kits? I must see them!" he yowled.
"There are only two, their littermates were stillborn. I did everything I could, but it wasn't enough. Before she died, Silvershade named them all, except the living ones. she said you should name them,"
"What were their names?"
"The black one is Crowkit and the blue-gray one is Mistkit."
His last kits, a beautiful little silver she-cat with a white muzzle and tail tip, and an unusually small white tom with a black spot over his eye, cried out.
I...I think I'll call the she-cat...Silverkit. For her mother. And this little tom will be Spotkit," Ravenfoot meowed. "But...who will feed them? they're so small...they can't eat fresh-kill yet...they need milk!"
"I will take them." mewed Rosepelt, another queen, whose kits still were drinking milk. "They will have littermates and a loving mother like normal kits should. Of course they'll know I am not their real mother, but it's the thought that counts."
Ravenfoot smiled uneasily, still not sure.
"But, you're the mate of the leader! I couldn't-"
"Ravenfoot, I am the only nursing queen in ShadowClan. Think logically, no one else can do it." Rosepelt meowed crossly.
Ravenfoot looked down at Silverkit. She snuggled against his fur.
"Goodbye little one. This is your new mother now." he sighed. Rosepelt picked Silverkit and Spotkit up in her mouth and carried her to the nursery. Ravenfoot laid down next to his mate, inhaling her sweet scent for the last time.
"I love you, Silvershade."
Allegiances
ShadowClan
Leader: Owlstar-dark brown tom with white paws and black ears with green eyes
Deputy: Foxclaws-ginger tom with black legs, ears, and tail tip
Medicine Cat: Meadowsong-tan she-cat with white paws
Apprentice: Icepaw
Warriors
Sunscar-heavily scarred golden tom with long neck fur
Apprentice: Flamepaw
Dustnose-light brown tabby she-cat
Emberfrost-brownish black she-cat with silvery blue eyes
Apprentice: Silverpaw
Nightclaw-black tabby tom with purple eyes
Apprentice: Falconpaw
Rosepelt-dark brown-and-white she-cat
Ravenfoot-black tom with orange eyes
Apprentice: Spotpaw
Thorntail-gray tabby tom with brown tail and dark green eyes
Sootfeather-dark grey tom with black speckles and feathery fur
Apprentice: Sandpaw
Ferntail-brown she-cat with darker brown points
Apprentices
Icepaw-white she-cat with ice blue eyes, one ear deaf
Flamepaw-fire-colored tom with yellow eyes
Silverpaw- light gray she-cat with white muzzle and tail tip and light blue eyes
Falconpaw-dark brown tabby tom, one fang sticks out of mouth a little
Spotpaw-small white tom with a spot over his eye
Sandpaw-brawny tan tom
Queens
Snowflower-white she-cat with grey spot over eye, mother of Thorntail's kits: Amberkit, Badgerkit, and Lightningkit
Elders
Fawnspring-light brown she-cat with white spots on her back
Redfur-red tom with orange eyes
ThunderClan
Leader: Feralstar-grey tom with black muzzle and mask
Deputy: Pinetail-brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes
Medicine Cat: Lillybloom-purplish-grey she-cat
Warriors
Squirreltail-brown tom with an extra-fluffy tail
Shadethorn-black-and-white she-cat
Whitefoot-large grey tom with white paws
Apprentice: Mousepaw
Birchtalon-light gray she-cat with black spots and abnormally large claws
Bramblestorm-brown tom with white stripes
Apprentices
Mousepaw-brown tabby runt she-cat
Queens
Daisypool-fluffy white she-cat with one green eye and one blue eye, mother of Adderkit and Chirpkit
Lavenderheart-shy and timid light gray she-cat, mother of Feralstar's kits: Goldkit, Swiftkit, Bearkit, and Skykit
Elders
Threefoot-yellow tom missing one of his front feet
WindClan
Leader: Rabbitstar-timid white she-cat with green eyes, very short tail
Deputy: Brownfur-brown tabby tom
Medicine Cat: Padfoot-dark gray tom with huge paws
Warriors
Fleetfoot-white she-cat with gray points
Longear-yellowish tom with large ears
Apprentice: Mudpaw
Grassfur-tortoiseshell she-cat with with coarse long fur
Apprentice: Wolfpaw
Lionstorm-golden tom
Apprentices
Mudpaw-brown tom with black spots
Wolfpaw-gray she-cat with dark eyes
Elders
Shortmuzzle-ginger tom with short muzzle
RiverClan
Leader: Ripplestar-brown and orange she-cat
Deputy: Lakestorm-gray tom with dark blue eyes
Medicine Cat: Saptail-golden-orange tom with a long tail
Warriors
Floodfur-tan tom with mangy long fur
Ratclaw-small she-cat with dark gray fur
Creekheart-silky white tom with long fur
Spottedpath- spotted she-cat
Apprentice: Whisperpaw
Apprentices
Whisperpaw-gray she-cat with a white spot on her forehead and white paws
Queens
Brighteyes-black she-cat with glowing yellow eyes, mother of Creekheart's kits: Blackkit and Cloudkit
Cats Outside Clans
Mr. Fluffybottoms-incredibly fluffy white kittypet tom with a green collar and bell
Annie-black kittypet she-cat with a pink collar
James-tuxedo kittypet tom with a black bow tie
Kate-tan kittypet she-cat with a blue collar
Charles Andrew Thomas III-uppity ginger tom with a gem studded collar
Hunter-dark brown loner tom with a black stripe down his back
Part One
Three moons had passed since she had been born, and Silverkit loved her adopted littermates more than anything! Falconkit, Flamekit, Spotkit, and Icekit were all great fun and they had many play-fights and adventures in the clan camp. They had defeated ThunderClan invasions in the camp and captured their leader, (pounced on Owlstar's tail) killed a mighty bear, (growled at a ball of moss for five minutes straight) and got their warrior names (held a fake warrior ceremony led by Falconkit). They had become Falconstar, Flameblaze, Iceflower, Spoteye, and Silverstorm. Falconkit let Spotkit be deputy, even though he was very small and Flamekit didn't think he was much fun. ("He's too small to play any games!") Sometimes Ravenfoot would come over and teach them cool apprentice stuff, like how to catch mice. Silverkit once had this awesome idea to catch a bunch of mice and present them to the leader to get an early apprenticeship. It didn't work, but Owlstar seemed impressed. With all these thoughts circling in Silverkit's head, Flamekit, Icekit, Falconkit, Spotkit, and she all curled up by Rosepelt to sleep for the night.
Meanwhile, in the medicine den, Meadowsong woke up and dashed over to the leader's den, muttering to herself.
"Owlstar! Owlstar! I've received a prophecy from StarClan! Only… I don't really know what it means." she meowed.
"Really? What is it? Tell me everything, this is probably important." he mewed.
"Well… I was in this big clearing. Then, my mentor Briarmoss walked into the clearing and said: when the falcon hunts the fox, mist will rise and challenge him, but ice will melt away. That doesn't even make sense!" she meowed.
Owlstar thought for a few heartbeats.
"Well, I'm not sure it's supposed to make sense. You should go to sleep, it's late."
Three moons later
"Stop licking me! My fur is clean!" Silverkit mewed definitely.
"Well, today you're getting to become an apprentice, and I don't want you looking like a half-drowned mouse!" Rosepelt meowed. "Oh, look Flamekit, Icekit, Falconkit, there's your father Owlstar."
"I want to be leader like Owlstar when I grow up!" shouted Falconkit.
"No I do!" yelled Flamekit.
"Not if I do first!" shrieked Silverkit.
"I'm gonna be leader!" yelped Spotkit, jumping on top of a small rock.
"You can't be leader, you're too small!" mewed Flamekit.
"That's mean ,Flamekit, don't say mean things like that to my brother." mewled Silverkit.
"Yeah." whispered Icekit.
"Kits! Quiet down, the ceremony is about to start." hushed Rosepelt.
All the kits immediately stopped talking and sat down quietly. Silverkit was so excited her fur might fall off. She only knew one apprentice, Sandpaw, and he was a jerk. But soon she would be an apprentice as well! Owlstar sat down on the Highstump and spoke.
"Falconkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Falconpaw. Your mentor will be Nightclaw. I hope Nightclaw will pass down all he knows to you."
He looked around for a moment, then continued.
"Nightclaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Foxclaws, and you have shown yourself to be clever and courageous. You will be the mentor of Falconpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Falconpaw."
Falconkit-no Falconpawnow-touched noses with Nightclaw and the whole clan started shouting his name. He jogged down and sat next to his mother, with a smile from ear to ear. Owlstar called the rest of them up one by one. Flamepaw, mentor Sunscar, Silverpaw, mentor Emberfrost, Spotpaw, mentor Ravenfoot. When it was Icekit's turn, Owlstar did not say the name of the warrior who could help Icekit learn to fight with the difficulty of her deaf ear. In fact, he didn't say the name of a warrior at all!
"...next medicine cat...Icepaw."
"A medicine cat? She's never been very good at fighting, and her ear makes it hard to hear attacks on that side...I never expected..." Rosepelt trailed off halfway through her sentence and sighed. Owlstar finished the ceremony, and Icepaw skipped down, extremely pleased with herself.
"Are you going to have to sleep in the medicine cat den from now on?" asked Falconpaw.
"Wha?" replied Icepaw.
"I SAID, WILL YOU SLEEP IN THE MEDICINE CAT DEN FROM NOW ON?!" shouted Falconpaw.
"You don't need to yell..." she mewed shyly.
Icefur trotted away and walked towards Meadowsong in the medicine den.
"I'm going to go find Emberfrost, I want to learn fighting moves!" mewed Silverpaw.
One moon later
"I'm so excited! We're going to a Gathering, our very first Gathering!" meowed Silverpaw.
"Yeah, it'll be awesome. Owlstar is going to announce us to all the clans! You think they'll cheer like in our apprentice ceremony?" meowed Flamepaw "I bet they will for me, I'm the best."
"For the last time, Flamepaw, you are not StarClan's gift to the forest! You are an ordinary ShadowClan apprentice!" mewed Falconpaw harshly.
"This is pretty cool! I want to see all the leaders!" laughed Spotpaw
"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" shouted Sandpaw.
"Sandpaw, there's no need to shout..." mewed Icepaw.
"Oh, look there's the Great Rock! Some of the leaders are standing on top of it! Where's the last one?" meowed Silverpaw. "I'm going to sit next to that golden tom over there, I want to meet new cats."
She walked over to the tom and sat down.
"Hi, I'm Silverpaw, from ShadowClan. Who are you?"
"Huh?" meowed the tom. "Oh, I'm Lionstorm, from WindClan. This is my first Gathering as a warrior!"
"Really? This is my first Gathering, as in ever. Can you tell me who's who?" mewed Silverpaw.
"See that brown and orange cat? That's Ripplestar from RiverClan. The white she-cat is Rabbitstar from WindClan, I'm sure you know your own leader, and Feralstar's ThunderClan warriors should be here soon." explained Lionstorm. Suddenly a gray tom with a black muzzle ran up from the forest, followed by several cats, and jumped on the Great Rock.
"Hello, Feralstar. Late, I see." growled Owlstar.
"Well, I have certain things to worry about. Oh, that reminds me, ThunderClan has another litter of kits! Which happen to be mine. All is well in ThunderClan for now."
He stepped backward and allowed Ripplestar to walk to the front of the stone. Just as she opened her mouth, a crashing noise in the undergrowth made everyone's head turn. A fluffy white kittypet had tumbled through a bramble and was trying to remove the twigs from his fur. His green collar had bell dangling from it that was jangling like mad. He glanced up and looked so happy he might explode.
"Oh my goodness! I found them! I found them! Uh, you are the forest cats, right? I have always wanted to meet you! Can I please join your club! My name is Mr. Fluffybottoms!"
Feralstar looked disgusted, and a RiverClan cat hissed. Feralstar pulled himself up to his full height.
"Little kittypet? I have some questions for you, and if you answer correctly, you just might be able to join a Clan."
"Oh, yay!" mewed Mr. Fluffybottoms.
"First: can you hunt for yourself?"
"Well, no but-"
"Second: do you contain a drop of warrior blood?"
"Uh, what's that mean?"
"Third: are you a lazy, useless, stupid, vile kittypet?!"
"Yes...wait, I'm not lik-" squeaked Mr. Fluffybottoms.
"Well then YOU ANSWERED WRONG!"
Feralstar lept from the Highrock and landed in front of the kittypet, fur bristling.
The white cat screamed, and ran into the forest towards Twolegplace.
"He'll find his own way out." snarled Feralstar. "Let's continue with the Gathering."
Two moons later
"Mouse! Mouse!"
"I'll catch it!"
Flamepaw and Silverpaw both dove for the mouse at the same time and bonked heads.
"Ow! Mouse dung, you let it get away! Are you serious?" hissed Silverpaw.
"I'm sorry, but I would have caught it-I'm the best hunter ever-if you hadn't-"
"Look, a squirrel!" Silverpaw shouted, glancing up.
The two apprentices ran through the pine forest together, their mentors following. Once Silverpaw thoungh their mentors were far enough behind, she stopped.
"Okay, come with me. I know this super awesome secret place, just for you and me. It's this way!"
"Umm, we shouldn't do that. We're on border patrol! We'll..."
"We won't get caught. Our mentors won't even notice we're gone," mewed Silverpaw.
In fact, Emberfrost did notice they were gone. But the two apprentices wandered deeper into the pine forest and soon came upon a large open clearing with a pond and flowers surrounding it. The sun sparkled on the water and the flowers released a sweet scent into the air all around them.
"It's...beautiful," meowed Flamepaw, his jaw hanging open.
"Yeah, isn't it great! And it's all ours," Silverpaw meowed smugly.
"Yes, it's all yours. And you can remember that when you search the elders for ticks! You should be ashamed of yourselves," mewed Sunscar, as he walked into the clearing. "I'm going to take you back to Owlstar. Wait till he sees this, his own son breaking the Warrior Code."
"Where does it say in the Warrior Code that you can't walk away from a boring patrol?" mewed Silverpaw.
"And for that, fierce little tiger, you will stay in the camp for a day, and give your fresh-kill for the day to the elders," meowed Emberfrost.
"But..."
"No buts. The prey's killed and eaten now."
"I'm not going to get disgusting mouse bile all over my paws!"
"Silverpaw, please just listen, you're making it worse." mewed Flamepaw, walking in front of her. Silverpaw groaned, and followed her mentor back to camp. they went to Meadowsong's to get mouse bile, then headed over to the elders den. Fawnspring noticed them first.
"Oh, hello dears. What are you doing here?" she asked. Redfur grumbled, and Flamepaw sniffed in distain. Glancing at him, Silvermist mewed "We wandered off while on patrol, so we have to search you for ticks."
Picking up the mouse bile, she started to poke through Fawnspring's long fur.
Three moons later
"Alright apprentices, today you are all going to have an assessment. You will be placed in a pair, and you will fight them until one of you has been pinned, has surrendered, or has been hit in a place that would be lethal if you were really fighting. Do you understand?" meowed Owlstar, looking at the four apprentices.
"Yes Owlstar." they all mewed in unison.
"Very good. Silverpaw will fight Sandpaw, and Flamepaw will fight Falconpaw. Spotpaw, you can fight Silverpaw as well. Remember, claws sheathed. I've seen more that one apprentice get overexcited and claw up another cat during a training session"
Silverpaw gulped. Fight Sandpaw?! He was the biggest apprentice, and he was almost two moons older. She was good at fighting, sure. Emberfrost told her she was very agile and fast. But she wasn't very strong. Sandpaw would crush her!
"Okay," meowed Owlstar, "one...two...THREE!"
Sandpaw jumped straight for her. Silverpaw dodged and tried to leap at him, but his paw shot out and knocked her off her feet. She kicked Sandpaw in the stomach, and jumped to her paws while he was stunned. Silverpaw lept onto his back and pretended to claw Sandpaw. He reared up, but she was able to stay on, by gripping his fur with her sharp little claws. Silverpaw reached out and nipped the back of the neck.
"You're dead! You're dead!" Silverpaw shouted. "I win!"
"GET OFF ME!"
Sandpaw bucked her off and Silverpaw went flying. She landed in front of Owlstar, who smiled down at the young apprentice.
"Very good! Excellent use of the leap-and-hold. Silverpaw is the winner!"
Flamepaw and Falconpaw fought like two halves of the same cat. Where Falconpaw attacked, Flamepaw dodged. Where Flamepaw lept, Falconpaw lunged out of the way. It seemed the battle would go on forever, until Amberkit, Badgerkit, and Lightningkit walked over and sat down on a log to watch the battle. Flamepaw stopped paying attention to his opponent to wave at the kits. In that instant, Falconpaw tacked Flamepaw to the ground, winning the fight.
"Fox dung! I would have won if you didn't pounce on me when I was waving to my fans, because I am the best at everything!" meowed Flamepaw.
"No you're not, you just have the biggest ego that I have ever seen, and if this was a real battle, you would be dead. So I think you should shut up." mewed Falconpaw annoyedly.
The battle with Spotpaw was easy. He wasn't strong or fast, and he was so little Silverpaw simply had to pounce on his back and he was done with. After Owlstar told the apprentices that they could go, Silverpaw walked off to go get some fresh-kill. Spotpaw bounded up.
"Hi, would you like to share a rabbit?"
"Huh? Oh, sure!"
The rabbit they chose was somewhat skinny, but delicious. Just as Silverpaw ate that last bit of rabbit, Owlstar walked to the Highstump, and called the Clan.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather before me for a Clan meeting! Silverpaw, come forward."
"I, Owlstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestor to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn."
He looked over at the silver she-cat.
"Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." she mewed, shivering with excitement.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Silverpaw, from this moment you will be known as Silvermist. StarClan honors your agility and fiery spirit, and we welcome you as a full member of ShadowClan."
He rested his muzzle on her head, and she licked Owlstar's shoulder. The whole clan started yelling.
"Silvermist! Silvermist! Silvermist!"
The ceremonies continued. Sandpaw became Sandsnake. Spotpaw would be called Spotfern. Flamepaw became Flamepelt. Falconpaw was now Falconfang. Icepaw was missing from the scene, but Owlstar assured them she was getting her medicine cat name that very night. Falconfang ate his mouse, and all four apprentices stood at the camp entrance with the setting sun. Soon after, Meadowsong and Icepaw trotted down to the entrance. Silvermist and Falconfang stepped aside to let them pass.
"I'm Icefur now!" whispered the white she-cat. Silvermist nodded, then turned her attention back to not falling asleep. She sat perfectly still watching for possible attackers, her only motion was the occasional twitch of her ears. Then, she noticed Flamepelt beginning to fall asleep. Silvermist nudged him in the shoulder with her paw. His eyes snapped open, and he opened his mouth to say something, but before Flamepelt spoke a word, Silvermist pushed her tail in front of his mouth, blocking it with fur. She bobbed her head once, and twined his tail with hers. Falconfang made a retching motion, then grinned. Spotpaw smiled and rested his head on his paws. Silvermist rolled her eyes at Falconfang, then focused at the pines before her. They looked black in the night that was so dark that you could barely see anything between the trees. Meanwhile, Owlstar padded to Ravenfoot, who was watching the new warriors grinning like an idiot.
"I knew you would like the name, but are you sure naming her after her dead sister is a good idea?" mewed Owlstar.
"It's a beautiful name!" meowed Ravenfoot defensively. "And...well...I never really got over Silvershade and my other kits. Thank you for her name. Thank you."
Part Two
Two moons later
"Come on Foxclaws, it's this way." mewed Falconfang leading Foxclaws deeper into ShadowClan territory.
"What is it that's so important you have to show it to the deputy, anyway?" inquired Foxclaws. "And-wait, is this a badger set? I am not going to fight a badger, Falconfang."
As the badger rushed out of its den, Falconfang grinned.
"Of course you won't. You'd die if you fought a badger on your own."
The badger clawed at Foxclaws' throat. He tried to leap out of the way, but the sharp claws struck the back of his neck, and everything went black.
A little while later
"Owlstar! Owlstar!" panted Falconfang, as he ran into the camp entrance. "A badger just killed Foxclaws! I ran back as fast as I could."
Owlstar hung his head. He walked into his den, telling everyone not to disturb him, he needed to think.
"Falconfang, get some warriors and retrieve the body of Foxclaws."
A long while later, Owlstar came out of his den and spoke:
"I say this before StarClan, so that the spirit of Foxclaws may hear and approve my choice. The new deputy of ShadowClan is Dustnose."
"Dustnose!?" yowled Falconfang.
Everyone turned to look at him. He ducked away in embarrassment.
"I mean, Dustnose! Yay! Heh, heh."
He dashed away. They held Foxclaws' funeral that night, and Falconfang was there. He seemed especially sad. Silvermist thought that must be because he had been there when it happened. Anyone who saw their deputy ripped apart by a badger would surely feel the way Falconfang did right now.
One moon later
"Okay, Sunscar will lead a border patrol with me, Silvermist and Flamepelt. Thorntail and Sandsnake..."
"Come on, let's go, the sooner we start, the sooner we can go back to sleep." yawned Flamepelt.
"You need your beauty sleep, don't you?" mewed Silvermist, with a playful gleam in her eye.
"Stop teasing each other, wait until Dustnose is finished, and then let's go. The only one protecting our border is us." growled Sunscar.
A brown tabby she-cat padded across the ThunderClan border into ShadowClan territory. She glanced around, then nodded. Several more cats followed her across the border and hid behind a bush. A patrol of ShadowClan warriors: Sunscar, Dustnose, Flamepelt, and Silvermist-walked out towards the place they were hidden.
"ThunderClan attack!"
The ThunderClan warriors ran into the open. Silvermist was amazed at how quickly things descended into chaos.
"Get behind me!"
Flamepelt jumped in front of her to bite a white she-cat.
"Not a chance!" Silvermist yowled. She ran deeper into the fray. A striped tom clawed at her side. She darted around, and jumped on top of him. Silvermist raked her claws up his back. He reared up and she was flung off. She landed head-first in front of a brown she-cat with evil green eyes. It was the ThunderClan deputy, Pinetail; Silvermist recognised her from Gatherings. Suddenly, a huge tree branch directly above Dustnose fell off the mighty oak where ShadowClan placed scent marks.
"Run!" shouted Silvermist, but it was too late. Dustnose tried to move out of the way, but before she could, the tree branch crushed her back leg. She screamed once, then blacked out from the pain. Everyone gasped. The ThunderClan patrol began to back away into their own territory. Sunscar ignored them, and yelled at Flamepelt and Silvermist to help him move the branch. They pushed as hard as they could until they were finally able to move the huge log aside. Sunscar nudged Dustnose onto his back and they headed towards home.
"Come on, we have go get Dustnose to the medicine cats' den," growled Sunscar. "And Snowflower's kits are having their apprentice ceremony today, we don't want to be late."
They dropped Dustnose off with Meadowsong and Icefur. Then Owlstar called everyone to the Highstump. The apprentice ceremonies went quickly. Badgerpaw, apprentice of Sootfeather. Lightningpaw, apprentice of Sandsnake. Silvermist receiving Amberpaw as an apprentice was a surprise to her. She couldn't believe Owlstar though she was worthy of having an apprentice. She would be the best mentor ShadowClan ever had! And she was ready for the responsibility of being the mentor of this tiny golden cat.
The next morning
Silvermist trotted over to the medicine cat den.
Just as she got there, Icefur walked out with some moss in her mouth.
"Oh, hi Silvermist," Icefur said.
"Hey, Icefur. How's Dustnose's leg doing? Will she be okay?" Silvermist meowed. "Whoa, one question at a time! I can't hear too well out of one ear, if you don't remember." Icefur complained. "Dustnose is doing well for her first morning, but it won't fully heal. She'll have a permanent limp, and Owlstar will have to chose a new deputy."
"I can talk, you know! I don't want to be an elder, I'm only 60 moons old!" came a voice from inside the medicine den. Meadowsong's voice rang out sharply.
"Well, you don't have a choice. You can't be a warrior with a crippled leg. You might even require a rename."
"Actually, you can't hear at all out of one ear," Silvermist purred, ignoring the injured deputy. Meadowsong poked her head out of the medicine cat den.
"You can go and tell Owlstar, since you know."
Silvermist rolled her eyes and padded over to the leader's den.
"Owlstar! Owlstar wake up! You have to chose a new deputy, Dustnose needs to retire to the elder's den." mewed Silvermist, prodding Owlstar's side with her paw. Still half asleep, the brown tom groaned and half opened one eye.
"But Duskpetal, I'm still tired, can't the ceremony wait one minute...oh! It's you. Right, I'm awake. I'll name a new deputy before moonhigh."
Just before the moon rose, Owlstar came out of his den and climbed onto the Highstump.
"As most of you know, Dustnose has been injured by a fallen tree branch, and must retire to the elders den. That means I must once again choose a new deputy."
Everyone knows who it'll be, thought Silvermist. Sunscar is the best warrior in ShadowClan! He'll be a great deputy, and an even better leader.
"I say this before StarClan, so that the spirits can hear and approve my choice. Silvermist will be the new deputy of ShadowClan." meowed Owlstar.
Silvermist gasped. Her?! Deputy?! Still in shock, she walked towards the warrior's den.
"Wow! My mentor, the deputy!" mewed Amberpaw, rubbing up against her legs. Nobody noticed the evil gleam in Falconfang's eye as he congratulated Silvermist. Owlstar watched from the Highstump. Perhaps the mist the prophecy foretold is Silvermist. I certainly hope so. She will be a good deputy, she's the right one, I'm sure.
The brown tom shook his head and sighed.
I can't lose another deputy.
One half-moon later
"Silvermist, Flamepelt, Sootfeather, and Fawnspring will accompany me to Fourtrees." called Owlstar, scowling at the thought. "Come on, we don't want to be late. I have a bone to pick with Feralstar, and Pinetail, and their whole mangy Clan!"
"He's in a bad mood tonight." mewed Flamepelt.
"Well, hello, Flamestar, leader of ObviousClan!" growled Falconfang. Ever since she was named deputy, Falconfang had been in a bad mood. He hardly spoke to anyone, and barely left his nest. Why, Silvermist had no idea. She trotted after Owlstar. Once they got to Fourtrees, they were in for a shock: a bunch of kittypets were relaxing on the Great Rock! Feralstar prowled into the clearing. His jaw dropped, and his face twisted into a fierce scowl.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" he yowled.
A fluffy white kittypet got up and trotted nearer. Silvermist recognised him as Mr. Fluffybottoms from her first Gathering. I suppose he didn't learn his lesson from last time he came here. And this time, he's brought friends!
"Oh, hi! Welcome to clan camp! We built it ourselves. Everyone, these are the clan cats I told you about earlier. Clan cats, these are my clan members, Annie, James, Kate, Hunter, and Charles Andrew Thomas the Third!"
The cat identified as Hunter looked over at the kittypet.
"I told you, I'm not a part of your stupid Clan! This isn't even a Clan. I know Clans. I come through their lands every Greenleaf. I just wanted a place to stay while I'm here."
Feralstar looked so angry, he might explode. Taking a deep breath, he roared,
"THIS. IS. NOT. YOUR. CLAN. CAMP. THIS. IS. FOURTREES. LEAVE. NOW. OR. I. WILL. SLIT. YOUR. THROAT. YOU. STUPID. KITTYPET!"
Mr. Fluffybottoms blinked in surprise and took a step back. Kate and Hunter exchanged a worried glance and backed away. The cat identified as Charles got up and padded in the direction of Twolegplace.
"This is boring. I am missing a whole bowl of cream right now, and my twoleg will be lonely."
"Ooh cream! Can i come?" mewed Annie. She started to follow him. Feralstar ignored them to focus on Fluffybottoms. He gritted his teeth and unsheathed his claws. Silvermist knew what was going on, and she could not just stand here and watch it happen.
"Stop!"
Feralstar glanced back at her.
"You dare to defy me, a Clan leader? My word is law. This kittypet-"
"Did nothing wrong. I, as deputy of ShadowClan, will escort all these trespassers back to Twolegplace and then the Gathering can continue."
She padded away, motioning for the kittypets to follow. They followed her nervously, and Hunter slunk away while no one was looking. Once she returned, she sat next to Flamepelt, and ignored the cats staring at her.
Two moons later
"Today we will attack ThunderClan, and gain revenge! Silvermist, Falconfang, Flamepelt, Sootfeather, Amberpaw, and Nightclaw come with me." called Owlstar.
Silvermist glanced nervously after him.
"You heard the leader, let's go." mewed Flamepelt twining his tail with hers.
"I don't agree with this. Owlstar and Feralstar have been at odds with each other for too long, and cats will get hurt."
"He is our leader, and everything else is secondary to his word."
Silvermist purred, and started to follow after her leader's attack party.
"You always were mindlessly loyal."
Flamepelt turned to look at her.
"Loyalty is a good thing! I may like to dream big-"
"You do not 'dream big' you have a huge ego."
"No, I do not! As I was saying, I will do anything for my Clan, and I will defend you with extra vigor because you are both my mate and the deputy!"
"I can defend myself you know. What a deputy I'd make if I couldn't even protect me!"
"I know that, I was just saying-"
"Be quiet, you!" purred Silvermist, twining her tail with his. Flamepelt purred loudly, and Amberpaw turned to look at them and giggled.
A little while later
"ShadowClan, attack!"
The ShadowClan warriors flew into the clearing. Silvermist almost instantly found herself surrounded by enemy warriors. A huge gray tom with massive white paws clawed at her and pinned her to the ground. She raked his face and belly with her sharp claws until he let go, and plunged herself right back into the fight. To everyone else it seemed like the battle would go on forever, but to her, battles always seemed to short. The fun parts went so quickly! Oh well, time flies when you're having fun. A while later, Silvermist found herself surrounded on all sides by a trio of ThunderClan warriors. She clawed and whirled around, but she was tiring, and whenever she turned to bite one, the other two would claw her to ribbons. Suddenly, Falconfang burst out of nowhere, and chased them off. Shockingly, he jumped at Silvermist. She was caught off guard, and was knocked off her feet. Falconfang bared his teeth down at her. Then, out of the battle Flamepelt lept onto Falconfang, knocking him away. Behind her, Owlstar, having noticed what was going on, sounded the retreat. The ShadowClan warriors ran off, chased by ThunderClan nipping their heels whenever they stopped, until they were back in their own territory.
"What was that about?" meowed Owlstar.
"Why don't you ask this traitor, who was trying to kill our deputy!" growled Flamepelt.
"I wasn't trying to kill her, I saved her from those three ThunderClan cats who were shredding her to mincemeat!" hissed Falconfang.
"Whatever was going on, let's get back to camp. All three of you need to see a medicine cat."
Silvermist wasn't sure why Falconfang had attacked her. But the little part of herself that always was a pessimist was sure that something was going on. I'm sure he has a good reason. Maybe he thought I was an enemy cat for a moment. But then why would he help me? Though she tried to think of explanations for her trusted friend's behavior, Silvermist couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Two moons later
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highstump for a Clan meeting! Amberpaw, come forward."
"Wow! I'm going to become a warrior! A real warrior! Me!" mewed Amberpaw excitedly. Silvermist was also very excited for her young trainee. Amberpaw had only been an apprentice for six moons, the same amount of time Silvermist herself had been in training.
"I, Owlstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the noble ways of your code, and I commend her as a warrior in her turn."
Owlstar looked at the golden she-cat and smiled.
"Amberpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code, even at cost of your life?"
"I do," she mewed
"Then from now on you will be known as Amberdapple. We honor your kindness and we welcome you as a full member of ShadowClan."
What a beautiful name. She'll be a great warrior! Silvermist thought.
"I'm so proud of you, Amberdapple!" she purred. But Owlstar wasn't done yet. Shortly after, Badgerpaw became Badgerstripe, and Lightningpaw became Lightningclaw
Silvermist walked over to the fresh-kill pile and selected a plump mouse. She padded to Flamepelt, and they shared the delicious piece of prey. The next morning when she was done selecting patrols, she was surprised when Falconfang and Icefur came and told her that they would like it if they could have a joint patrol to collect prey and herbs. Silvermist agreed to join them, and they all set off.
A little while later
"Wow, a whole field of catnip! Look! You can find lots of prey around here, I'll collect some." mewed Icefur. Silvermist was dizzy with delight. So much catnip! She shook off the giddy feeling.
"Hey, I think I smell mouse. Come over here…" mewed Falconfang, walking around a huge tree that was wider that five cat-lengths. She followed him around the tree.
"Okay, Silvermist be quiet, I need to tell you something." mewed Falconfang.
"Okay...what is it?" meowed Silvermist. Falconfang creeped closer to her, and whispered in her ear.
"My father will be proud of me."
He unsheathed his claws, and tried to claw Silvermist's throat. She screamed "Help!" and backed up, stunned at his treachery.
"What are you talking about!" she gasped.
Suddenly, Icefur ran up, having heard the commotion, and jumped in front of Silvermist just as Falconfang lashed out a killing blow on her neck. Blood gushed from the wound, staining her snow-white fur red, and Icefur died.
"No-Icefur!" yowled Silvermist. Falconfang took as step back. His jaw gaped with realization of his deed. He meowed in horror, "What have I done?"
Blood still staining his paw, he ran away, and in a moment was gone. Silvermist was shocked, and sat still for a few heartbeats. She started to chase after him, but began to tire, and still hadn't caught up when he crossed into RiverClan territory, where she couldn't follow. She treaded back to the catnip field and picked up Icefur's body and sadly padded back to the camp to tell Owlstar and Flamepelt the horrible news. Chasing him wasn't worth it she decided. Flamepelt was the first to see her.
"Oh, hi Silvermist! Back already? Didja find any-wait. Is that Icefur? What happened!" mewed Flamepelt, shocked.
"Falconfang tried to kill me. He ran away, and he's gone by now, crossed into RiverClan's land. He won't come back, not after killing his own sister." mewed Silvermist miserably. Flamepelt started to cry and Owlstar, noticing them, motioned for Silvermist to follow him, his face somber.
"Silvermist, there is something I have kept from you, even though you are my deputy. Meadowsong received a prophecy a few moons after you were born. A prophecy I believe was about you and Falconfang."
Silvermist gasped. A prophecy about her?!
"Wha...how did it go?" asked Silvermist.
"When the falcon hunts the fox, mist will rise and challenge him, but ice will melt away. The falcon was Falconfang, and the fox was Foxclaws. I now think that Falconfang may have killed Foxclaws so that I would appoint him as deputy. You are the mist who rose and challenged him, and Icefur's untimely death was the melting ice." Owlstar mewed.
"Well if StarClan sent us the prophecy to warn us about Falconfang, they might have made it a little more obvious so we actually knew what it meant before Falconfang had the chance to kill anyone!" Silvermist groaned, "It's my fault Icefur died, that blow was meant for me."
"It's not your fault. Icefur made her choice, so if you don't keep living because you think it's your fault-which is isn't, Falconfang killed her, not you-then her death was for nothing. Now come on, it's time to bury Icefur."
Flamepelt, Silvermist, Spotfern, Rosepelt, Meadowsong and Owlstar all stood vigil for Icefur, although Silvermist may have accidentally fallen asleep a few times. Spotfern cried on Silvermist's shoulder a lot, and she had to clean herself after the vigil so her fur didn't dry sticky.
The next morning
"Silvermist?" mewled Flamepelt, his voice lacking all of his usual bravado.
"Yes Flamepelt?"
He turned to look at her.
"Don't die. I can't lose you."
Silvermist purred, and licked his cheek.
"I won't. Not for a long time at least, cause' I'll have nine lives! Deputy, remember?"
She playfully ran a few steps in front of him.
"Come and get me!" she purred.
"Oh no you don't!" Flamepelt laughed.
Flamepelt chased her, but she was faster than him and easily outran his pursuit. He collapsed into a heap of orange fur, and she stopped running and licked him between the ears.
"I love you Flamepelt."
"I love you too."
Epilogue
Two moons later
"Alright, you are allowed to come and see them." yawned Meadowsong. She glanced at Silvermist, who had curled her tail protectively around her newborn kits.
"Come and help me decide on names!" called Silvermist. Flamepelt, who had been pacing outside the nursery, eagerly walked in to inspect his kittens. First, he stuck his head through the entrance, then came completely inside, glancing at Meadowsong nervously, as she watched his every move. He sat down next to his mate, passing Silvermist a mouse he had been saving for her. Silvermist ate it gratefully, then turned to the small piles of fur suckling milk from her belly.
"This little gray she-cat is Fogkit, that golden tom is Wildkit, the brown she-cat with the white spot on her chest is Hawkkit, and our white tom is Icekit." Silvermist mewed.
Flamepelt looked down at the kittens, then back up at Silvermist.
"They're perfect. Which is obvious, seeing as I'm the father."
Silvermist purred with laughter.
"You and your ego."
Flamepelt smiled down at the sleeping kits. He nuzzled Silvermist, then stepped out of the nursery.
"Bye. Since you can't do your duty because you're busy with the kits, Owlstar appointed me temporary, unofficial deputy. Ne ceremony of course," Flamepelt added, "But I have to organize the patrols. See ya."
Silvermist nodded, then lay down with her head resting on her paws. The kittens, as if by some strange connection, stopped suckling, yawned, and fell asleep curled up next to their mother. Silvermist's eyes drooped once, and she was asleep.
The End (For Now, Anyway...)
I hope you enjoyed. Please comment, and tell me how you liked it! =3