Chapter 1
"Mama!" Wails a loud noise. I shift uncomfortably, sitting up and spinning around to shoot Mousekit a glare. She doesn't notice and keeps tugging at Ripplefur's tail repeatedly.
"Mama, Goldenkit pushed me!"
"Goldenkit, don't push your sister. Mousekit, stop tugging my tail." Ripplefur growled absentmindedly. Goldenkit scowled, his ginger and pale ginger striped coat bristling at the dusky brown she kit. She flicked her silver paw at him and he jumped on her. They tussle playfully with each other while Honeykit snickers at them, her brown coat shaking. I ignore them and watch the ceiling.
"Silentkit, aren't you gonna play with us?" Mousekit asks hopefully. I glare at her once and shake my head. "Have it your way." She growls back after I decline, green eyes flaring. The whole litter- Mousekit, Goldenkit, and Honeykit, have green eyes except for me. Like Deepstrike, a ginger tom with green eyes, our father. Ripplefur is our mother, and she has grey and brown patched fur, with yellow eyes. I inherited her grey fur, and her yellow eyes. I have one silver paw that matches Mousekit, and usually we are closer. But not right now. I stalk out the den and sit at the entrance, brooding. And thinking. I'm always thinking. As a kit, I never made noise. Maybe one tiny mewl when Goldenkit pushed me- but that's it. That's why I was called Silentkit. The elders, Darkroot and Tanglebranch, smile at me and then lie down, stretching, for a sleep in the sun. I shift my paws. Bored, I look around for anything to do. I leap to my paws and stare around, yellow eyes wide in interest. I trot around, paws scraping in the dust. I trip and find one of my paws wet. I look down into the stream that runs through our camp, and I'm shocked at how shallow it's become. A muddy puddle with dirt floating through it. It used to be clear and bright, rushing past as me and my siblings played in it. I jump back out, horrified. Featherpool, the deputy, sees me looking down at the stream and hurries me back to the nursery.
Six moons! Six moons until I can explore all that! I think furiously, staring out at the vast countryside rolling out from the camp. Well, three moons, but… it's already been three moons! I can't wait much longer!
"Silentpaw, you shall be mentored by Deepthought. Deepthought, you are a clever and talented warrior, and I hope you shall pass these skills onto Silentpaw, and you will share a bond linked by your likeness." Rushstar called.
"Mousepaw! Goldenpaw! Silentpaw!" The clan cried. Honeypaw watched from the edge of the crowd, yowling the names, but hidden in her eyes was a shadow of sorrow. She had been prevented from becoming an apprentice by a sickness. It could be cured, but in another moon would Honeypaw become an apprentice. Deepthought pulled Silentpaw away.
"Don't worry about training. I was like you as an apprentice…" Deepthought said.
Yeah right, I snort, scuffing at the ground. Deepthought's the biggest chatterbox in the clan! Deepthought must have seen my scorn, and she mewed,
"Oh, ask Darkroot and Tanglebranch, they'll tell you all about it." She purred in the memory. She was a silvery tabby she cat with bright green eyes. Goldenpaw and his mentor, Barkfang, a tabby brown warrior tom who growled at most cats, but was clearly taking a liking to Goldenpaw. Mousepaw followed, eagerly bounding in front of Darkwhisker, and old, dark grey she cat who looked like she would like to cuff Mousepaw over the ear.
"Let's explore the territory." Barkfang called. Deepthought nodded.
"Let's go." The patrol explored the stepping stones and the trees.
"How about we separate, maybe teach them to hunt?" Darkwhisker suggested.
"Good idea." Deepthought mews, taking me off. "Okay, so let's learn the basics. A mouse will feel your pawsteps before they hear you, and a rabbit will hear you first. So, what do you do when stalking a mouse?" I know she's going to try and get me to talk. So instead, I demonstrate. Stepping as lightly as I can, I stalk and pounce onto a leaf, pretending it's a mouse.
"Nice tactics." Deepthought murmurs approvingly.
Tonight I dream. I dream of a silvery warrior. She has bright yellow eyes and her pelt glitters with stars. Her name is Greatleap, and she was a warrior from long ago. She visits me and murmurs,
"A silent path you will tread, across the stars, and through the dark forest, to stop the great evil that is planted at the heart of your clan." She gestures to a silver path etching through the starry trees ad passing through a dark, foggy forest filled with evil cats. I shudder and look away from it.
"What must I do to save my clan?" I ask defiantly. My first words spoken to anyone apart from myself.
"Brave." She whispers. "So brave…" I wake up lying next to Foxpaw, my nest shredded.