The Chronicles of IceClan
The Beginning
Book II: Twisted Paths
By: E. S. Northrup
IceClan
Leader:
Moonstar- Black she-cat with white patches (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Deputy:
Splitfang- Dark brown tom with a front fang split in two (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Medicine Cat:
Briarberry- Orange and white she-cat with brown markings on her head and a black tail (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Apprentice, Frostpaw
Warriors:
(toms, and she-cats without kits)
Silverheart- all silvery-gray she-cat with one blue eye and one green eye, and a large, jagged scar running down her entire side (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Apprentice, Flowerpaw
Sunclaw- light gold she-cat with darker gold stripes (Formerly of RiverClan)
Apprentice, Spotpaw
Polarpelt- pure white tom (Formerly of WindClan)
Apprentice, Silentpaw
Sparrowtalon- small light brown tom (Formerly of ShadowClan)
Clovertail- ginger she-cat (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Apprentice, Shadowpaw
Farstripe- bluish she-cat with gray stripes (Formerly of Wind-Clan)
Apprentice, Snowpaw
Eagletalon- white, black, and gray tom (Formerly of ShadowClan)
Apprentice, Darkpaw
Embertail- black tom with orange streaks (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Frostfeather- white she-cat (Formerly of RiverClan)
Fiercefang- tabby tom (Formerly of RiverClan)
Bigtail- large gray tom (Formerly of ShadowClan)
Duskfur- pitch black tom (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Apprentices:
(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)
Spotpaw- dark and light brown she-cat with a single white paw (Formerly of WindClan)
Snowpaw- tabby she-cat with white paws (Formerly of WindClan)
Flowerpaw- black and orange tabby she-cat (Formerly of Shadow-Clan)
Darkpaw- black she-cat with a white crescent on her head (Formerly of ShadowClan)
Frostpaw- grey she-cat with dark ear tips and amber eyes; blind (Formerly of ShadowClan)
Shadowpaw- black tabby tom (ex-kittypet)
Silentpaw- grey tabby tom (ex-loner)
Queens:
(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
Patchtail- multi-colored she-cat (Formerly of RiverClan)
Foxfur- Black ears, eyes, and paws, orange with white belly, half tail, and muzzle; she-cat (Formerly of ShadowClan)
Elders:
(former warriors and queens, now retired)
Whiskerfur- golden tom (Formerly of ThunderClan)
Prologue
"All right, we've given them the prophecy, now what?" The same three cats were again speaking alone about IceClan. They did not know why they were so bent on helping the newest Clan, perhaps they just wanted it to survive to be a haven for all those cats deemed "unfit" by the other Clans?
"We wait and see what they do, Snowfur." Bluestar told her sister. "They have already made a fatal mistake, but there is nothing we can do about that, we have to let them figure it out on their own."
"But why?" Snowfur whined.
"Because," Raggedstar answered this time, "we cannot simple do everything for them; it would make them fat and lazy like kittypets."
"Speaking of kittypets, have you seen the ones that were just brought to the green-leaf twoleg place? I can't place my paw on it, but they seem strange in a very bizarre way…"
"Now you're just gossiping like an elder, Bluestar."
"Oh yeah? Why don't you go and see for yourself, Raggedstar, then come and tell me I'm gossiping."
"Let's see then, the green-leaf twoleg place, I see… two toms. What is so strange about… wait a second, I see what you mean. That is quite strange. Should we tell the Clans about this?"
"Let me see!" Snowfur pushed her way around Raggedstar. "Now that is just weird, I think we should tell them, just in case those kittypets fancy a visit to Clan territory."
"Ok," Bluestar paused to think for a moment, "What would we tell them?"
"How about this..." Raggedstar whispered into both she-cats' ears, and idly flicked his tail as he waited for their reactions.
"That seems right, maybe smooth out a few rough edges, not use such crude language," Raggedstar shot Snowfur a look, but she continued as if it had never happened, "and we have ourselves a message. Which Clans should we tell, I mean, RiverClan and WindClan shouldn't have a problem, but ThunderClan, Shadow-Clan, and IceClan will."
"Tell all five of the Clans, who know what kittypets will do, especially ones this peculiar. You know, I never imagined that anyone would do that, toms these days, eh Snowfur?"
"I'm right here, I can hear you," Raggedstar protested.
Ignoring him again, Snowfur said "Yes, Bluestar… toms these days…"
Silverheart was lying on her back in the forest looking up at the sky. It was the morning after Moonstar's late night escapade, and the silver she-cat was still exhausted. She had been out in the forest all night after her time on the high-ledge. A leaf fell down from the tree and fluttered near Silverheart's face. She batted it back up in the air, playing with it like a kit. I may be all grown up, with a warrior's name and all that, but I'll always just be little Silverkit on the inside. I bet all Clan cats, and all kittypets for that matter, are like that… but the part that is always a kit might be more dominant in some than it is in others. Like Whiskerfur, he's the oldest cat in the Clan, but he plays with the kits as if he were one…
Silverheart continued to bat at her leaf, until it fluttered out of her reach. It was then that she realized that it had been brown. Leaf-fall must be coming… I just wish green-leaf could last forever… no cat would starve if we couldn't find food… the kits wouldn't have to go hungry… The sudden cracking of a twig under paw caused Silverheart to bolt upright.
"Who's there?" she hissed, hoping to StarClan that she didn't have to fight, because she knew that she would lose.
"It's just me, Frostfeather," the white she-cat said as she stepped out of the bushes to stand in front of Silverheart.
"Oh, sorry I hissed at you Frostfeather, I thought you were someone else… I am kind of close to the boarder…"
"Don't be, I would have done the same thing… so, I should say sorry for sneaking up on you. But, I didn't see you in the warriors' den earlier, or in the camp anywhere, and you weren't on a patrol or out for a hunt so…"
Silly Frostfeather… "Well you found me, as for hunting, I'm starving, want to go and see if we can dig something up?"
"Sure, but do you mind if Fiercefang comes too? I know you don't like him, but I really do…"
"I should probably bring along Flowerpaw anyways, she needs a few lessons if she is going to become a warriors."
"Race you back to camp?"
"No, you go on ahead, I'll catch up." Silverheart declined Frostfeather's offer.
"If you're sure." Frostfeather trotted swiftly in the direction of camp. Got to go see Briarberry before we go… to get these cobwebs checked… I still can't believe Moonstar was able to rip my scar opened again… just goes to show me I guess… you never know what's going to happen next…
Just Silverheart finished that thought; something hit her square between the ears. She looked up only to see an irate squirrel chattering angrily down at her. "What?" She growled at it, "Did I eat your mate or something?" she ducked another acorn, "if you keep throwing things at me, you'll be next!" The squirrel chattered one last insult, then shot into a hole in the tree trunk. Oh yeah, that squirrel is so dead, just wait until I get back here… Pelting off to camp, Silverheart focused on naught but how good that squirrel would taste…
At the apprentices' den, she called out for Flowerpaw. The tabby she-cat promptly trotted out to meet her mentor, so quickly, that she actually bumped into Silverheart.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"No time to worry, we are going hunting with Fiercefang and Frostfeather. And I found the perfect place to start. Let's go!" Silverheart dismissed the apology with a flick of her ears. Not noticing that Flowerpaw was barely keeping pace with her, Silverheart hurried to meet Fiercefang and Frostfeather.
They were at the fringes of the forest, sitting so close together they looked like one big multi-colored cat. "You're in a hurry." Fiercefang observed when Silverheart shot passed him
"Yes, I am, and I will explain all in due time." Without a word, the other cats followed her into the woods. On the way, Silverheart instructed her apprentice. "What you want to do is crouch low to the ground, but without any of your belly fur or tail touching the ground, like this." Silverheart paused for a second to show Flowerpaw. "Can you do that?"
"Yes," Flowerpaw said as she copied Silverheart's position.
"Excellent, and remember, be light on your paws. Don't thump around like a dumb badger; it will scare away all the prey."
"Yes Silverheart."
At the tree again, Silverheart jumped up onto it to scale to the hole in the trunk. "Sometimes," she called down, "you can climb a tree to reach prey, but I don't advise that, because… sometimes things… can happen. Like…" Silverheart stopped talking as she ducked into the hole in the tree. There the squirrel was sitting there holding a bunch of acorns in its paws. "Told you I'd be back." Silver-heart muttered to it. "Payback time…" She launched herself at the squirrel. There was not much room to maneuver inside the tree, but Silverheart managed to get hold of the squirrel. Once she had a good grip, she dragged it out of the tree. She gave it a little shake to make sure it was dead, then climbed back down the tree.
"Wow…" Flowerpaw looked at her amazed, "what did that squirrel ever do to you?"
"Yes," Frostfeather came out of her silence, "what did it do to you?"
"It… threw acorns at me…" Silverheart replied a little embarrassed that she had gone overboard like that.
"Ah… then I see where you were coming from."
"Really?"
"Well yes, I would have done the same thing. No one should get away with throwing things at an IceClan cat."
"I'm glad you agree. Now, Flowerpaw, show me what you would do to try to sneak up on prey." Silverheart instructed, then smiled when Flowerpaw instantly dropped into the proper position. "Now, use it to see if you can come up with any-thing. Keep your ears, eyes, and nose open for the slightest hint of prey, and then follow it."
Flowerpaw nodded, "I can hear a rustling coming from… that way," she pointed her tail back the way they came, "but I think that it is only the wind. And I smell some trace of something… I think it is mouse. Sparrowtalon brought us some one time to share…"
"Good, now see if you can find it," Silverheart said, wondering if the tabby apprentice would be able to catch something on her first outing. Not many cats do, but at least I did… that was such a wonderful day… back when Moonstar wasn't so busy all the time…
"You're doing well for a first time mentor," Frostfeather commented once Flowerpaw had disappeared into the underbrush.
"What? Oh, thanks… I do my best." Silverheart said in surprise, at the compliment. Am I really doing a good job, or was she just saying that?
"Shouldn't we all go try to catch something though?" Fiercefang spoke for the first time.
"Um… yes." Silverheart responded hastily, "I was just about to suggest that." she buried her squirrel in a pile of leaves. The leaves are sure falling fast… I hope we will be able to find enough prey before leaf-bare sets in...
"It got away," a dejected Flowerpaw mewed as she walked slowly back to her mentor, "I was a whisker away from it, when I guess is saw me, because it ran back into its hole. Patchtail told me to never follow prey down a hole. She said that I would have no idea what is down there, or if I could ever find my way out again."
"Well, this was your first time. Not many apprentices even get as close as you do, plus, there is always next time. We can come back and try again tomorrow if you want to."
"Yeah, but can you teach me a little bit more today?"
"Sure, now, if Frostfeather and Fiercefang went that way, which way should we go?"
"In the opposite direction?" Flowerpaw made the answer into a question.
"Yes, lead the way."
"Ok…" Flowerpaw hesitantly took the lead.
"Remember, keep all of your senses trained on the task at hand, but keep in mind to always check for any stray cat scents, especially by the border. Now, what can you tell me about the forest around us?"
"I can hear birds chirping, and squirrels chattering." Flowerpaw reported. Mouse-brained squirrels… "And some mice are sitting in that clover patch…"
"Ok, show me how you would go about hunting them."
Flowerpaw dropped into position again, and went straight towards the mice.
"Make sure to come from down-wind of them, so they can't smell you. And try not to be so heavy on your paws; the mice use the vibration to sense danger." Silverheart called out a hint to her apprentice in a quiet tone. Flowerpaw adjusted herself in accordance. She was a tail-length from the mice before she sprang. She managed to nip one of the mice's tail, but no more.
"What did I do wrong?" she whined.
"Nothing, except that your tail was waving in the air like a banner, keep it close to the ground so that it won't warn off your prey."
"Silverheart, Flowerpaw? Where are you?" a voice rang out from nearby.
"I think that's Frostfeather. Over here!" Silverheart yowled back.
"We're coming." It was Fiercefang's voice this time. The white she-cat and tabby tom appeared out of the forest carrying a large rabbit between them.
"We found this," Frostfeather explained, "half-dead in the forest. It was still kicking, so I doubt it has any diseases."
"Ok, I think that should be enough for now, let's started heading back to camp." Silverheart said as she took the lead of the hunting party. When they passed the tree Silverheart had climbed, she paused to collect her squirrel. "Do you need any help with that rabbit? It looks really heavy."
"No," Fiercefang mumbled through the rabbit's fur, "We can manage."
"If you say so…"
When Silverheart and company returned to camp with their catches, Frost-feather and Fiercefang where hailed as heroes. The rabbit had fed both queens and Whiskerfur. Only Silverheart wondered why it had been so big. Maybe two-legs did something to it? I hope nothing will happen to Whiskerfur… or the queens! If something happens to them, who will take care of the kits? Silverheart did not bring this up, for she was sure that the other cats would just think that she was jealous of not catching the rabbit herself.
She was sitting alone near the entrance to camp when Eagletalon came up to her. "Hi Silverheart…" he said.
"Hello Eagletalon."
"I was wondering… would you like to…" he paused, and there was an awkward silence for a second before he hurriedly continued, "bring Flowerpaw on a hunting trip with me and Darkpaw?"
Silverheart knew what he meant to ask, so she said "Sure, how about after sun-high? That when the prey runs the most."
"Uh… ok… I'll meet you at the forest." As he padded away, Silverheart fancied she could feel the heat coming off him in waves. Toms are funny… they get so nervous asking a she-cat to do anything with them. I wonder just what goes on in those minds of theirs…
Silverheart yawned, and started to walk to the warriors' den. The episode with the squirrel had tired her out, and she knew that she needed her rest for tomorrow. She curled up in her nest, and sank into a peaceful slumber…
Silverheart awoke to sunlight streaming from the roof of the den straight into her face. She blinked in confusion, trying to figure out what was going on. But, before she could think on it for any length of time, something heavy rolled on top of her.
"Get off…" she complained, subsequently stiffening at the sound of her voice. Why was it all high-pitched?
"What?" an annoyed meow sounded from on top of her. Was that Night-fang? He rolled away, and Silverheart looked at him. He was no bigger than a kit! Did that mean…?
"Nightfang, where are we?"
"Who in the name of StarClan is Nightfang? I'm only Nightkit, remember? Besides, that's a warrior's name. Silverkit, are you ok?"
"Yeah… maybe I dreamed it…"
"Good morning, little ones." Someone said from above Silverheart's head.
"Ferncloud?" Silverheart said as she realized that she was snuggled up to the she-cat.
"What is it Silverkit?" Ferncloud asked as she proceeded to give Silverheart a bath.
"Nothing… can I go out and play?"
"Aren't you hungry?" Ferncloud paused in mid lick.
"Yes!" Nightfang said at once.
"No…" Silverheart shook her head.
"But you're always hungry when you wake up… Are you not feeling well? I can have Leafpool come check up on you." What in the name of StarClan is going on here?! Leafpool isn't medicine cat anymore, my name isn't Silverkit, my brother is dead, and what am I doing in ThunderClan's nursery?!
"No, I'm fine. Can I go out and play now?"
"I guess, just don't go too far, and don't bother the elders!"
Silverheart nodded as she pelted out of the nursery, and tripped on her short legs. Getting up, she muttered a few words.
"Silverkit, where did you learn to talk like that?"
"Uh… sorry… I heard some of the warriors say it a few days ago…"
"Don't let me catch you saying that again."
"Yes Ferncloud…" Silverheart apologized as she started to walk, more carefully now, out of the nursery. When she made it, she looked around. Never thought I'd see this place again…
"Ah, Silverkit, on an early morning walk I see." Comettail said. What the…!?
"Um… yeah…" Aren't you supposed to be dead?
"Well, I'm off to go hunting. Maybe I'll take you sometime if you become my apprentice." Fat chance, Moonstar was my mentor, speaking of her… Silverheart saw her padding out of the nursery behind her. Great StarClan… I forgot what is what like for her to be bigger than me…
"Hey, Silverkit," Moonstar said, looking down on her future apprentice, "what's up?"
"Moonst- I mean Moonkit?"
"What?"
"Um… nothing…" ok… I am really freaked out now…
"What to go see if Leafpool will let us collect some herbs with her?"
"Ferncloud said I couldn't go far…"
"Oh, ok… see you later then."
All of a sudden, the view changed, and Silverheart was in the apprentice's den. What now…
"Silverpaw, ShadowClan is attacking, hurry up and get out here." A voice called out. Silverheart raced out of the den, but it was not ThunderClan's camp she ran into, it was IceClan's. And it was not ShadowClan that was attacking, it was WindClan. Silverheart was backed up against the wall with her brother trying to protect from attacking cats. She watched helplessly as Breezepelt killed Nightfang again… and again… and again. The same scene replayed over… and over… until Silverheart screamed at him, and everything else, to stop
"JUST STOP!!" she pleaded.
"Silverheart, it will be ok, just wake up. Wake up."
Silverheart's eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring into the blue ones of Eagletalon. "E… Eagletalon? I had the worst dream ever!"
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"No…"
"Do you want me to stay here?"
"Sure… if you want to… What are all you guys starring at?"
"You've been screaming and kicking me for the last hour, Silverheart." Bigtail complained, "And you've probably kept the rest up half the night."
"Don't mind him," Eagletalon whispered in her ear, "You know how he is." He raised his voice so everyone could hear him when he said "Shut up, Bigtail, maybe Moonstar should have called you Big-mouth instead."
Bigtail hissed at Eagletalon. "Oh yeah… well…"
"What is going on here?" A new voice asked, it was the voice of Briarberry.
"Nothing, Briarberry," Eagletalon said before anyone else could speak up. "Silverheart just had a bad dream, that's all."
"Well, you managed to wake me up, and my den is a good distance away, furthermore, there are thick stone walls between our dens."
"Sorry Briarberry…" Silverheart muttered.
"It's fine. Do you want something to help you sleep?"
"No, its fine…"
"All right, just call if you need something. I'm sure I'll hear you…" Briarberry laughed softly at her own little joke as she padded back to her own den.
That morning, Silverheart wondered why she was all curled up. Usually, she was sprawled out, almost falling out of her nest actually… She stretched bit, and jumped almost to the ceiling, she had brushed against something warm and fury… not what she expected first thing in the morning.
"Did I scare you?" it asked.
"Eagletalon, what are you doing in my nest?"
"Well, after your dream, you told me I could stay, so I did."
"Oh…" it all came rushing back to her, and she bristled at the memory. One day, Breezepelt will die for Nightfang… "Well go back to your own."
"I'm not tired, and what about our… hunting practice today?"
"Uh, right… go and get Flowerpaw and Darkpaw, and I'll meet you at the forest." Without waiting for his answer, Silverheart sprinted to the forest, needing a moment alone. Oh StarClan, what am I doing? I know I said that I wouldn't mind if he wanted to be my mate, but now I'm not so sure…
"Silverheart, where are you?" Flowerpaw's voice rang out through the relative quiet of the forest.
"Here," Silverheart called back to her apprentice as she stepped out of the trees. "Are ready to go Flowerpaw?"
"Yes, I can't wait to see how I fare against Darkpaw; she thinks she can catch something before I do, but I'm going to prove her wrong!"
"That's the spirit!" Silverheart praised her apprentice. And there's that fire again, what a warrior she'll make one day… "Now remind me what you do."
"First, I stay alert, and check with all my senses for prey. If I find anything, I sneak up on it, like this." Flowerpaw stalked a leaf, pretending it was prey. She even executed the leap properly, though Silverheart had only shown her once. "Then, once I catch it, I bring it back to feed the Clan!"
"Yes, now see if you can catch something other than a leaf," Darkpaw said from behind Silverheart. The silver she-cat had known she was there, so for once she didn't jump sky-high when someone spoke from behind her.
"Shut up, mouse-brain, I'll catch more prey than you, you'll see!" Flower-paw retorted.
"Mouse-brain yourself, crow-food breath," Darkpaw hissed at her sister, obviously not expecting that particular comeback.
"Enough of that," Eagletalon silenced both apprentices with a stern look and sweep of his tail. "We are here on a hunting trip, not an insult trip. If you two can't keep civil tongues, they I will have no choice but to punish you, understand?"
"Yes, Eagletalon…" both apprentices muttered.
Stepping in, Silverheart said "Both of go in opposite directions and look for prey."
"Yes, Silverheart…" both apprentices went off into the forest to search for prey.
"Apprentice these days, eh Silverheart?"
"Yes…" Silverheart agreed distractedly, trying to keep him talking so she would have to say as little as possible. She half-listened to him blabber on about it, adding in little prompts to keep him going. Yep, I definitely changed my mind; he doesn't know when to shut up. Isn't there a single tom out there that isn't a complete mouse-brain? Nope, for some reason I doubt there is. Silverheart answered her own question a heartbeat after she asked it. She was spared from hearing anymore, for at that moment Flowerpaw returned carting a tiny mouse. Darkpaw came a second later, her jaw empty of prey.
"Remember Flowerpaw," Silverheart beamed at her apprentice, "always give thanks to StarClan for the life your prey gave to sustain your own."
Flowerpaw nodded, eyes shining. "I'll remember, Silverheart. Should I go look for more now?"
"Yes, see if you can find one more piece of prey before we return to camp."
"Come on Darkpaw, I'll show you how it's done."
"I don't need your help," Darkpaw spat back. She reminds me of… Silverheart gasped silently, Blackstar! I bet that's who their dad was! Wait, that means that he threw out his own kits!? How heartless can you get…? Why StarClan ever let a tom that spiteful lead a Clan is beyond me…
"Shouldn't we catch some prey too? Leaf-bare is coming you know, you know what that means." Eagletalon interrupted Silverheart's silent realization.
"Yes," Silverheart said quickly, not wanting him to go on another mono-logue. One a day is bad enough… "You go that way, and I'll go this way." Without waiting for him to answer, Silverheart set out away from the tom. Soon she came upon a few small voles and mice, but missed nearly everyone she was so agitated. Why did I let him stay in my nest last night? Stupid dream clouded my judgment. I hope Eagletalon will be able to find someone else like Fiercefang did. If he doesn't on his own, I better step in again… the last thing I need is a tom bungling along behind me all the time… Out of the five prey animals Silverheart found, she only caught two, and they just happened to be the smallest ones. When she returned to where she had left Eagletalon, he was sitting next to a bigger pile of prey.
"No luck in your direction?" he asked when he saw Silverheart's meager offering.
"Nope, but I see you were successful."
"Yep, I'm going to need a bit of help carrying all this back to camp, would your apprentice would help me?"
Wonderful try, but I'm far too smart to fall for it. Silverheart told him in her mind, she had heard the meaning under his tone. "That's a pretty big pile, I better help too, see you later!" Silverheart dismissed him with a flick of her tail, while at the same time scooping up at least four more pieces of prey from Eagletalon's pile. She ignored his shout of protest, and continued on her way back to camp.
"Thank StarClan it's time to go," Flowerpaw's voice suddenly spoke up to the left of Silverheart, "I don't think I could have taken Darkpaw's insults anymore. I don't know what happened to her, all of a sudden after our apprentice ceremony she started acting more and more like Blackstar, he's our father you know. But don't tell anyone, ok?" I knew it!
"Of course not, but, I'm just curious, why don't you want me to tell anyone?" And why did you tell me in the first place?
"I… I know that no one would ever do this, but I'm still afraid… Afraid to tell anyone least they kick me out for being the kit of the one who started all this in the first place." What a hypocrite Blackstar is… he will pay for punishing us for something that wasn't under our control one day...
"You secret is safe with me, Flowerpaw." Silverheart reassured the fright-tened she-cat. "Now let's see if we can beat those two mouse-brains back to camp, shall we?"
"Yeah!" Flowerpaw agreed all traces of fear and sadness were gone from her eyes; all that was left was Silverheart's favorite fiery look.
"Race you…" Silverheart whispered in her ear before she pelted off towards camp. To anything passing by, she was naught but a silver blur shooting through the otherwise green world. Although it was true that this world of green was slowly changing into a world of brown; Leaf-fall had come early for the cats of IceClan…
Silverheart managed to reach camp, put her catch on the fresh-kill pile and move two fox-lengths away before a wheezing Flowerpaw even made it to the clearing.
"Wow…" she panted when she collapsed next to Silverheart, "You're… really fast…"
"Guess that's what comes from being part WindClan, huh?" Silverheart chuckled as she answered her apprentice.
"Hey… no fair… that's cheating!" Flowerpaw protested as she began to regain her breath.
"All fair in love and war, and you're excused for the rest of the day, do with it what you will." Silverheart told her now bewildered apprentice before she headed off the find Splitfang. He was dozing in a patch of sun, and for once Clovertail wasn't with him.
"Hey, Splitfang, where's Clovertail?"
"On a patrol, why did you need to talk to her?" he answered without opening his eyes.
"No, just wondering. And I was actually about to ask you if you needed anyone for a patrol."
"I'm afraid you're a bit late today."
"Ok, see you later Splitfang."
"Bye…" The tom's words faded as he drifted off into sleep. Wish I could take a nap, but then I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, then I would be too tired to do much of anything… But what should I do to take my mind off naps? Thinking about this, Silverheart zoned in and out of focus. To all those passing by, it looked like she was staring at the entrance to camp, like she was waiting for something…
"Silverheart, I need to talk to you."
"What?" the silver warrior hissed after her paws landed on the ground again.
"I just received an extraordinarily disturbing message from StarClan."
"Whatever, Briarberry, quit sneaking up on me like that."
"If you say so…" Silverheart did not miss the mischievous glint in the medicine cat's eye. If you want to play, then I'll come back ten times harder, and you will lose.
"Shouldn't you tell Splitfang too? I mean, he is deputy."
"Do you still want to have a face tomorrow? If you do, I suggest not trying to wake him up, ever. It wouldn't be pretty… trust me."
Once inside Moonstar's den, Briarberry motioned for them to come closer so she could whisper to them. When she finished, Moonstar was the first to speak.
"That is… really creepy. I didn't know toms did that… crazy kittypets…"
"Should we do something about it?" Silverheart spoke next.
"No, let them be and see if they come seeking us out, if they do, then we will do something."
"The only part… well two pats actually… that really freak me is out is how and why. I know that kittypets are weird, but Firestar never did anything like this."
"True, and from the stories I heard as a kit," Moonstar said, "he always had a warrior's heart, even when he first came to the Clans barely past being a kit him-self; so, that doesn't count."
"I guess… do you think the other Clans have been warned about this?" Silverheart broke in.
"Maybe," Briarberry answered, "but what about our Clan? Should we tell them?"
"Yes, they need to know what to look for," Moonstar finally decided. "Briar-berry, you are going to make the announcement, as you know what they look like."
"Yes Moonstar," Briarberry dipped her head.
"Let all cat old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the high-ledge for a Clan meeting!" Moonstar called the cats together. Once they had gathered, she continued: "Briarberry will be making an announcement instead of me today, give her your fell attention." Else you might find death berries in your fresh-kill.
"I received a vision from StarClan this afternoon," the medicine cat began, "they warned me that a group of kittypets have gone into the ways of… well let's just say they aren't normal. Just so you can know who they are, this is what they look like. They are two toms, one I very short and plump, with grey tabby fur. The other is black, he is tall and skinny and even his eyes are black."
"Briarberry!" a cat called out from the ranks of IceClan.
"What is it Bigtail?"
"So let me get this straight, they look like that?" he pointed over his shoulder at two kittypets that met the descriptions perfectly.
"Actually, yes, that's them. What are you doing here? Don't you know that you are trespassing on IceClan territory?"
"No," the short plump one said in an annoyingly high voice, "we were just taking a walk."
"Well, you're going to be going for a run. IceClan, attack!" Moonstar yowled. All the cats of IceClan sprang to do Moonstar's bidding, hissing spitting, and yowling as they chased the kittypets out of camp. Silverheart was about to join them when Moonstar blocked her way with her tail. "No need for you to be going, there are more than enough cats to see them safely to the border."
It took a while for the warriors of IceClan to return, as they had chased the kittypets a long way. When they all made it back, and had gathered under the high-ledge, Moonstar held up her tail for silence. "As you all know, tomorrow's the gathering, and as always we leave at dawn. The cats that will be coming are as follows:" Moonstar then proceeded to call out a list of names, and again Silver-heart was one of them. "Get a good rest, there will be much to discuss."
At dawn the next day, Silverheart was trudging along behind Moonstar towards ThunderClan's territory. The she-cat was in deep conversation with her deputy on how she would bring up the kittypets. As they reached the end of Wind-Clan's territory, they had reached an agreement. Moonstar would start by saying they had been visited by some kittypets the other day, and they would ignore Blackstar if he started to say something, then she would call up Briarberry, who would explain her vision.
ShadowClan was the only Clan there when IceClan arrived, so there was little talking. Silverheart saw Snowbird however, so she padded over to talk to her.
"I heard that you wanted to talk to me," she said from behind the Shadow-Clan she-cat. The later jumped, much like Silverheart did.
"What…" she spun around, "Oh, Silverheart… I didn't recognize your voice, but yes, I did want to talk to you. I wanted to ask you how you were doing, and if you could forgive me for now being able to take care of you…" her voice sank to a whisper as she finished her words.
Why always with the forgiveness? "I am doing well, and of course I forgive you, and I wish I could say that I understood, but I don't think I ever could."
"No, you probably couldn't… you could never understand how painful it was to now know you all those moons, to wonder if you were doing all right…" her voice again sank lower and lower until she was muttering unintelligibly to her-self.
"Let the gathering begin!" Moonstar called from the tree branch. All talking and activity ceased as the cats of all five Clans turned their attention to the leader. "If you don't mind, I would like to star. We have two new warriors: Bigtail and Duskfur and three new apprentices: Flowerpaw, Darkpaw and Frostpaw." Moon-star paused to let the Clans cheer. "One more thing before I step down, Briarberry, my medicine cat, has something to say."
Briarberry climbed up onto the tree until she was at the branch just below the leaders. "I received a message from StarClan that we believe all the Clans should hear about." She told them about what had transpired in camp the previous day, and gave descriptions of the two toms. Her piece done, she returned to her spot next to Frostpaw at the base of the tree.
Onestar stepped forward next. "Barkface had also been shown these cats." Firestar, Leopardstar, and even Blackstar, admitted that their medicine cats had had the dream as well. "What I want to know," WindClan's leader continued, "is what we do about it."
"We could always attack and remove them." Blackstar said his voice quite for once, like he was unsure.
"Let us only use that as a last resort," Firestar said, "Why don't we just send a cat from each Clan warning them to say off of our territory?"
"Well, yesterday," Moonstar said, "we were visited by the kittypets, and we chased them off after telling them that they were trespassing. I don't know if they would be stupid enough to return, but I think Firestar's plan is a good one."
"For once," Blackstar broke in before anyone else could say something, "I can agree with you. Even though I want to be rid of them before they even have half a chance with disrupting our way of life."
"Well," Leopardstar spoke for the first time, "we don't know if the threat they represent is that strong, I mean, what can two toms do to the many others we have in the Clans?"
"I guess we will just have to be careful then, and make sure that nothing goes amiss." Moonstar said. It was the last word on the subject. The gathering continued with the various reports of new apprentices and warriors, deaths and kits. When the final remark had been said, all five Clans broke apart.
"Good-bye Silverheart," Snowbird said before she followed Blackstar and the rest of ShadowClan.
"Bye," Silverheart mumbled in return.
"Ok, Flowerpaw, come at me again, but this time try to knock me off my paws." Silverheart called to her apprentice, who in turn took up a battle stance. With a growl, she launched herself at Silverheart, who neatly step-sided and cuffed the apprentice softly with her paw. "Try to not be so obvious when you try a direct attack like that. Either that, or work on being faster."
"I'm trying, Silverheart, really," Flowerpaw answered. "Can we practice something else?"
Silverheart smiled a little. "You mean something that you're good at?"
"I never said that!"
"No, but I know you were thinking it. But if you want to, how about seeing how long you can hold me off for? Ready… go!" Silverheart dropped into her improvised battle stance. Flowerpaw didn't bother with hers; she just rushed head long at Silverheart. Silverheart stepped out of the way again, this time pinning her apprentice to the ground. "You're going to have to do better if you want to survive your first battle."
"Yeah, but when will that be?" Flowerpaw asked, fighting vainly to try and remove Silverheart's paw.
"Well, it could be right now, or in a number of days, one never knows." Silverheart said, lifting her paw to allow her apprentice up.
"Can we take a break now? I'm tired." Flowerpaw complained as she shook dust out from her fur.
"Of course, but we will continue tomorrow."
"Yes Silverheart." Flowerpaw said as she bounded off back to camp.
All said and done, she is still a good fighter. If she could only get it through her head to be faster, or at least not broadcast to the world that she was going to attack… maybe we'll work on stealth tomorrow.
When Silverheart returned to the warriors' den, she found Eagletalon sitting in his own nest. "We need to talk," he said.
"About what?" There is nothing to talk about!
"About us." There is no 'us'!
"What about 'us'?"
"Well, for starters, where exactly are we going, I mean… you send mixed signals, Silverheart. One moment you do something to make me think you want to be with me, but the next you shove me away. Which one is it?" Has this guy been stealing herbs from Briarberry?
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Silverheart stated bluntly. "No matter what 'signals' you speak of, we are nothing more than clan mates and friends. I don't know what you see in me, but I don't see anything in you. I'm sorry, Eagletalon, I just can't imagine myself settling down with anyone just yet. I've only been a warrior for little over a season, and I know you haven't been one that long ether. Maybe my feelings will change one day, but for now I wish to remain friends."
Eagletalon was silent for a long time before he replied. "I see… If that is how you want it to be, I can live with that… for the time being. One day though, I will win you over, you'll see." He turned his back on her then.
Whatever you want to think you mouse-brain, you can find someone else, to bother. What about Farstripe? I know she likes you, why can't you like her back? Why does it have to be me? Silverheart continued to shout mentally at the tom until she could find no more to say. After a few more seconds of just glaring at his back, Silverheart followed his lead and went to sleep.
"Flowerpaw, make sure that you always look before you leap. You almost got it that time, except you fell right into my paws. Try again." Flowerpaw obliged, and this time she managed to nick Silverheart's ear before she was pinned down. "Now that's how you do it! Just try to get away again before you get hit." She let her apprentice up. "Again." Silverheart only caught the tip of Flowerpaw's tail that time. "See, you're getting faster, once more. Try and get away this time." And she did after landing a good blow on Silverheart before springing out of the way.
"How was that?" Flowerpaw panted.
"Wonderful, think you could take on Spotpaw or Snowpaw anytime soon?"
"Maybe…"
"Perhaps in a couple days, after your first assessment."
"What's that?"
"Well, it's when I test your skills, ether hunting or battle. In this case, it will be both. First hunting, then after a day or so of rest, battle, but don't worry, I still have a few things to teach you before we do that. For instance, what if I told you that you were going to try and catch a rabbit?"
"I'd say that's impossible, only WindClan cats eat rabbit."
"Well, lots of the warriors of IceClan aren't WindClan at all, and they man-age to catch rabbits."
"They probably had WindClan mentors that taught them how."
"But how do you know that I don't know how to hunt rabbits?"
"Because you were from ThunderClan!"
"A stray rabbit would often come over the border to the forest, and we were taught how to hunt them. The only think I really don't know how to do is fish. If you want to know how to do that, you'll have to find someone who does."
"Yuck… fish are nasty…"
"Have you ever eaten one?"
"No…"
"Then how do you know?" Silverheart pressed her apprentice to answer.
"Well…"
"Exactly. Just because you've never tired something before it does not auto-matically make it disgusting."
"Why should I take you word for it?"
"Simple because I know a bit more than you about how the world works than you, which is why I'm the mentor and you're the apprentice."
"That's the most mouse-brained answer I've ever heard."
"Well, that's the only answer you're going to get, so live with it. Go back to camp now, training is over for today." Silverheart's temper broke; usually she was able to take Flowerpaw's remarks without a problem. Must be stupid Eagletalon, him and his mouse-brained self is distracting me… Why did I have to let him stay that one night? None of this would have happened if I had just said no…
"Moonstar, the kittypets have been sighted again." Frostfeather yowled as she ran into camp ahead of her patrol.
"Yes," Silverheart said catching up to her, "they have ignored the countless times we have warned them to stay away. We need to do something."
"And we will; Silverheart, fetch Briarberry and Splitfang and some to my den." Moonstar ordered. Silverheart nodded, and quickly went to the medicine den to find Briarberry. Said cat was shifting through the herb patches that grew by her pool.
"Briarberry, Moonstar wants to see you in her den. And have you seen Split-fang?"
"Tell her I'm busy. I need to fix up her medicine, and it takes a little while. And Splitfang currently sleeping in my den, he cut his paw on a rock somewhere up stream when he was fishing."
"I didn't know he could fish… But, really, you have to come. It's about the kittypets."
"Oh… well in that case…"
"Come on." Silverheart took the lead as both she-cats hurried to Moonstar's den. Once there, Silverheart didn't bother with a greeting, she just padded right in. "What did you have in mind to do, Moonstar?"
"Well, it is obvious that these kittypets will not leave. And their… odd ways… are a threat to the Clan, so I think we should do what Blackstar wanted to do, before something that we can prevent happens."
"You mean kill them? How?" Silverheart was a bit shocked that Moonstar would side with Blackstar even the littlest thing, let alone killing someone.
"Yes, and Briarberry, I need your help to do this, because I want to use death berries."
"How do you propose we do this?" The medicine cat's eyes took on a steely glint, almost like she was looking forward to the deed.
"I want you to lace a piece of fresh-kill and give it to them as a 'peace offering', they'll never know until it is too late."
"What if they don't want to eat it? They are kittypets after all, and kittypets aren't known for eating fresh kill." Silverheart pointed out.
"Oh they will, don't worry. And Silverheart, would you come as my warrior escort?"
"Sure…"
"Hey, where's Splitfang? Didn't I tell you to bring him too?" Moonstar asked before Silverheart and Briarberry left.
"He cut is paw on a rock while he was fishing, so he's in Briarberry's den right now."
"Ah… he should be more careful then…"
"Ok," Briarberry said after Silverheart had followed her down the incline, "first I need to stop by me den to pick up some supplies. Meanwhile, you pick something from the fresh kill pile to use, you might have to carry it a fair distance, so don't pick anything too big." Silverheart nodded and veered to the left when their paths split. There just so happened to be a small mouse right on top of the pile, so Silverheart decided it would be good enough. She waited for Briarberry at the fringes of the forest.
"Let's hurry and do this…" Silverheart started walking into the trees.
"Yes, it's almost time to give Moonstar her medication… I hope we will get back in time." Brairberry replied as she caught up to the silver warrior.
"We will… if we hurry!" Silverheart said as she quickened her pace. "They are at the green-leaf twoleg place right?"
"Yes, and since it is leaf-fall, no twolegs will be there."
"I wonder why their twolegs didn't take them back with them when they left."
"Maybe they were even too weird for twolegs, but who really cares?" I do… and I don't really like killing them in cold-blood like this, it's just not right… Just before the she-cats reached their destination, the toms stepped out from nowhere.
"Hey, what's up?" the tall black one asked.
"Silverpelt and StarClan." Silverheart said back.
"Who?" the fat one spoke up obviously confused.
"Never mind," Briarberry cut in, "we brought you something." She pointed to the mouse that Silverheart was carrying. "It's a peace offering, which means you can come and visit us and we won't attack you." She's a good liar…
"Sounds nice, but do we have to eat it?"
"Just a small bite, after I have crushed the ceremonial berries over it." Briar-berry crushed the red berries carefully with her paws, then wiped them on a patch of grass. "You two take first bites, then we and my escort will." Brairberry nudged Silverheart softly. The latter felt like she was going to be sick. The two toms, as stupid as one could get both took bites out of the mouse.
Pretty soon, they began to choke, and Silverheart had to look away. It seemed like an age before they both stopped breathing, and lay stiff and still on the ground in front of the mouse. "What should we do with them?" Silverheart asked, her voice barely reaching her own ears.
"Nothing, just leave them here. Leave everything here. Their all full of poison, we don't need to follow in their paw prints by biting something poisoned."
"If you say so… let's get back to report to Moonstar… By the way, whose turn is it?"
"Mine, but I have to make the herbs first. And that takes a couple of days, and that's what we have. Just the right amount of days."
"Have fun then… She can get a little cranky when it's time for her medicine."
"You don't think I know that? One time she almost ripped my ears off!"
"Oh yeah, well once…" Both she-cats traded stories back and forth of what had happened to them it their turns. It took Silverheart's mind off of what they had just done.
Silverheart was padding along the ShadowClan boarder at the head of her patrol, when a cat called her name. "Silverheart, how have you been?"
Snowbird? "I'm fine, and I have some news for you to give to Blackstar."
"What is it?" Yep, that's defiantly Snowbird.
"You know those weird kittypets? Well, they're dead, so we won't have to worry about them anymore."
"Oh, how did they die?"
"Um… One of our patrols found them, said they had been hit by monsters." Silverheart lied, hoping her face would stay straight.
"I will tell Blackstar then, he will be pleased to hear the news. Good-bye Silverheart."
"Bye…"
"I told ThunderClan about the cats just like you asked, Moonstar." Fierce-fang spoke up when Moonstar had called a Clan meeting. "And they said they would tell WindClan."
"Excellent. Silverheart, were you able to reach ShadowClan?"
"Yes, and I can assume that they will tell RiverClan."
"Good, good. You are all dismissed."
"Silverheart, it's time."
"Hey I thought it was your turn." Silverheart turned to see Briarberry standing right next to her.
"Well yes, but after our discussion the other day, I can see how mouse-brained it is for us to do it separately. Moonstar has almost killed us every single time we go and try to give her the herbs. So I think we should just work together."
"You just don't want to do it, so you're dragging me along." Silverheart remarked after Briarberry had finished her mini speech.
"So, just come with me."
"Fine… but you owe me."
"Like you have anything else to do right now…" Briarberry snapped.
"Touché…" Silverheart ignored the medicine cat's tone, but admitted the tie.
"Moonstar, are you there?" Briarberry called after she had regained her composure.
"Where else would I be?" Moonstar's irritated voice hissed back at them. Great StarClan, are we late again?
"We brought you something." Silverheart said once she could see Moon-star's tail, which flicked crossly behind the leader.
"What is it?" she asked, her eyes narrowed like she expected trickery.
"Your medicine." Brairberry said.
"But I'm not sick!" Moonstar protested.
"Are you going to eat them or not?"
"No!"
"Silverheart, if you would."
"I guess…" the silver warrior sighed as she tackled Moonstar. Before she could react, Briarberry had shoved the herbs down her throat, and Silverheart had returned to her original position. "Let's go…" Briarberry nodded, and they backed out of the den.
"That was fun…" Briarberry commented as they trotted down the path.
"Yep, it's my favorite thing to do." Silverheart replied sarcastically. "Maybe we should give it to her a day or two earlier so she doesn't try and kill us."
"Nope, she has to start to get crazy before I can give them to her, or it will be too much for her system."
"If you say so…"
Silverheart was sitting at the entrance to camp, with some cat next to her. They did not speak; it was as if they did not even know the other was there. After a few moments, Silverheart heard paw steps coming from behind them. She tried to tap the cat with her tail, but it passed right through their shoulder.
"What the!?" Silverheart exclaimed, her voice sounded muted and far away, even to her own ears.
"Be calm, Silverheart, and watch." A black tom said as he rose up from the ground on Silverheart's other side.
"Nightfang?" he just nodded, and motioned for her to watch.
"What are you doing out of your den?" the cat to Silverheart's left asked.
"That's nothing to you!" someone else spat.
"Moonstar wouldn't approve if you ran off somewhere."
"Do you think I care what that crazy mouse-brain thinks?"
"Hey, you can't talk about your leader that way!"
"Watch me!" All of a sudden a startled choke sounded from the cat to Silverheart's left, and it fell dead at her paws. "Oops, forgot, dead cats can't see! And you know what, that stupid she-cat isn't my leader anymore, from now on, I lead myself!"
"Wha…" Silverheart sat stock still in disbelief. "What just happened?"
"Nothing yet, but this will happen if you don't prevent it."
"How? Tell how me I can fix this!"
"The prophecy, Silverheart, remember the prophecy!" Nightfang's voice faded away, and Silverheart found herself once again in the warriors' den. I've got to tell Brairberry and Moonstar, and no matter what, this can't wait until morning!
"Briarberry, wake up!"
"What?" The groggy medicine cat mumbled.
"I just had a dream from StarClan, someone died!" Silverheart explained in a hurried whisper. Briarberry was up in an instant. "Come on, next to tell is Moon-star, and I'll explain the rest in her den." She took the lead in the race to Moon-star's den. Once there, Silverheart stopped. "Moonstar, I need to talk to you!"
"What is it…?" the leader's voice spoke from within the cave.
"I had a dream from StarClan, and it can't wait until morning."
"Come in then…" Once Silverheart and Briarberry were seated in the cave, Moonstar continued. "Ok, what was your dream about Silverheart?"
"Well, I was sitting in the front of camp, like I was on guard. I heard someone coming up behind me, so I was going to tap the cat next to me, but my tail went right through him. Nightfang appeared then, and told me to watch. The cat next to me asked the other what he was doing. The other cat said that it was none of the guard's business. The guard said that you wouldn't approve, Moonstar. The other cat then said that he didn't care what a crazy mouse-brain thinks. The gaud was shocked, and protested, and then the other cat killed him and said that he was now his own leader. Oh, and then Nightfang told me to remember the pro-phecy."
Moonstar was silent for a long time before she answered. "Briarberry, I want you to consult StarClan when you go to the Moonpool tomorrow, and ask them what is going on."
"Yes Moonstar."
"Go back to sleep you two, we all need fresh minds if we are to deal with this. And maybe a good rest will help us to figure this out before someone is killed. The future is not always set in stone…"
"Silverheart, can I talk to you?" a voice startled Silverheart out of her nap.
"Hmm?" she mumbled without opening her eyes.
"I need your help."
"Ok, what is it, Flowerpaw?"
"I want to know, who do you like better, Shadowpaw or Silentpaw?"
Silverheart sat up and stretched before she answered, trying to buy enough time to think up a decent answer. "That's a strange question, why do you ask it?" she gave up, and avoided answering by asking a question.
"Well…" the tabby apprentice shuffled her paws awkwardly, "I think they both like me, and I like both of them, but I can't choose which one."
"And you're coming to me why?"
"Well, you're my mentor, and your suppose to teach me things." Flowerpaw snapped a bit.
Not about the matters of love! "Ok… tell me a bit about each one, and I'll see what I can do."
"Shadowpaw is clingy, while Silentpaw is distant. Shadowpaw never stops talking while Silentpaw never talks. But Silentpaw is nice, he brings me little things sometimes, Shadowpaw just spends every waking moment following me around. Even when I tell him I just want to be alone, he keeps following me."
"Huh… that's a tough one. They both have their flaws, but I would prefer someone who knows when to leave me alone, so I would pick Silentpaw if I was you, but don't just take my word for it. Spend time alone with each of them, and see which one you like more. When you have decided, try and get the one you don't pick interested in another she-cat, that way no one will be broken hearted."
"Thanks Silverheart!" Flowerpaw scampered off to try out what Silverheart had told her. I hope things work out for her; it would be horrible to be hated by both cats that you like… then again, aren't they a bit young to be thinking about love? They were all just made apprentices a little over a moon ago… I guess that's what's on everyone's mind these days; almost every warrior in IceClan has a mate or someone close. I can only name a few… and the toms outnumber the she-cats… blood is going to be spilled, I can feel it.
"Silverheart, can you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"A favor, I need your help."
"Sure, but that's two you owe me, Briarberry." That's two today… since when was I so helpful?
"You had nothing to do the last time, so I don't"
"How do you know that?" Ha! She admitted that she owes me one from this time!
"Because you said so."
"Did not."
"Did."
"Not."
"Whatever!" Briarberry finally snapped. It's fun to annoy her…
"What did you need?" Silverheart smiled. I won this time, told you, Briar-berry.
"I'm out of catnip, and since leaf-bear will be here soon, I want some incase of an outbreak of greencough."
"So, what do you need me for?"
"The only place I know of that has it is across the ShadowClan boarder, so I need a warrior escort."
"Why do I have to do it?"
"Once again, I know you have nothing better to do."
"… Fine."
"Exactly, now hurry up. Unlike you, I actually do have things to do today."
"Sure you do…" Silverheart muttered under her breath before rushing to catch up with the medicine cat.
At the border, Silverheart took a deep breath, searching for any sign of ShadowClan. The wind shifted, and brought with it the fresh scent of a ShadowClan patrol. "A patrol is coming." She whispered.
"What are you doing here?" someone asked before Briarberry could answer.
"I need to cross the boarder to get some catnip," The medicine interrupted Silverheart before she could say anything.
"What is she doing here?" the cat said as he appeared from the trees and pointed at Silverheart with his tail.
"That's my warrior escort."
"What, you don't trust us?"
"No."
"That's good. You'll live longer that way. Follow us, and we will take you to the twoleg nest." The journey there was quick, and nothing exiting happened. Once they were there, the ShadowClan tom spoke again. "On your return journey, we will be watching you, but you will not see us. Take care to hurry out of our territory." He melted back into the forest with his patrol.
"They think they own the lake…" Briarberry snorted when he was gone. "Anyways, keep watch for me, and tell me if anyone comes."
"Sure…" Silverheart followed Briarberry up to the wall, but instead of jumping down into the garden, she stayed up on it.
"Almost finished, just a few more and that should be enough." Briarberry whispered.
"Hurry up, some twolegs are coming!" Silverheart jumped down from the wall to protect Briarberry from the twolegs. "Go, I'll catch up." She told the medicine cat as the twolegs got closer.
"Don't be long." Briarberry cleared the wall in a single leap, and disappeared over it. The twolegs were yowling to each other, and one pointed at Silverheart. The other one went into the nest and came back holding something in its paws, the object was handed over to the twoleg that had pointed. That one spread the thing between its paws, and was walking slowly over to Silverheart. It was talking softly to her. As if that will work… In return, Silverheart hissed and spat while she shrank into the corner. When the twoleg was close enough, she lashed out at it with her claw fully extended. The twoleg caught her leg in the thing it was holding, and dragged the rest of Silverheart with it. What the!? Since when were twolegs that fast!? She was wrapped in the thing, still hissing, growling and thrashing. Through a crack in the thing, she saw Briarberry's horrified face on top of the wall.
"Run!" she yowled, "I'll be fine. Just tell Moonstar, and don't come back. If StarClan means it, I will return. GO!" the door slammed shut. Silverheart had been captured by twolegs.
In the nest, Silverheart clawed at the twoleg that was holding her. It let out a small grunt of pain, but kept a tight grip on the thrashing warrior. The thing that was wrapped around her was taken off her head, and something was snapped around her neck. She was carried to another door, which was opened. She was thrown inside, and the door quickly shut. She was trapped.
"Stupid twolegs…" Silverheart mumbled to herself. She scratched at the thing around her neck. It had this big awkward thing on the side of it, and Silver-heart could hear it buzzing and humming. "What is this mouse-brained thing?"
"I believe it's called a collar." A voice from the darkness made her jump.
"Who's that?" she hissed.
"My name is Cinderstrike, what's yours?"
A Clan cat? "Silverheart… are from one of the Clans?"
"Yes, ThunderClan to be exact, what about you?"
"IceClan."
"Ah… how did you end up in this place?" Cinderstrike stepped out of the shadows then. He was a little taller and broader than Silverheart, and his fur was several shades darker. Not black, but dark grey… like cinders.
"I was acting as warrior escort to my medicine cat, and I stayed behind so she could escape. She should be almost back to IceClan territory actually… what about you?"
"I was sent by Firestar to talk with Blackstar. I was just passing by the wall when the twolegs grabbed me. I've been here for about a moon, and no one has come looking for me…" His deep amber eyes lost some of their sparkle, while Silverheart had the strangest inclination to go wrap her tail around him and comfort him. Hold on a second… What I'm I doing? I just met him… and who knows what things the twolegs have done to him, he might be crazier that Moonstar!
To distract herself, she looked around the dark room. There was a window that let in the last light of the day. She padded up to it, and gazed out at the sunset. Will I ever get back to IceClan, or will I forever be stuck here? Presently, Cinder-strike joined her on the windowsill.
"The sunset is beautiful today." He said.
"Yes… Hey! Why don't you have one of these boxes on your collar?"
"The twolegs took it off, I'm not sure why, but I'm glad. If you…"
The door opened then, cutting him off. A bowl was placed inside, but before Silverheart could react the door was shut again.
"Dinner time," Cinderstrike told her. He jumped down from the windowsill and over to the bowl.
"What's in there?" Silverheart asked when she joined him.
"Kittypet food… Oh how I miss fresh kill… But this is all we get. And this is more than usual, but I guess that's because you're here. Want half?"
"Yuck… no thanks. I'd rather eat crow-food"
"This is all we get." Cinderstrike repeated, "And what do you think this stuff is? But I'll leave you some anyways, in case you're hungry later." He attacked the food then, and Silverheart could hear him crunching it. Sounds like bones… I won-der if that's what it's really made of… She watched him for a second before she took to wandering around the room. There was a thing that looked like a nest there, and it was big enough for two Silverheart noticed with a small twinge of unease. A little bit from that was a thing that looked like a tree. Smiling slightly, Silverheart climbed it to get a better view of her prison. Not much else was there, only a few things scattered here and there, and a big box in one corner.
"Hey," Silverheart called down to the tom when he had finished, "What's that box over there?"
"Our equivalent of the dirt-place, not very nice, I know, but it's all there is." Great StarClan… I'm not even going to ask… To try to take her mind off of home, Silverheart pestered Cinderstrike with questions. He didn't seem to mind, but as the moon rose higher and higher into the sky, he started to answer the questions more and more slowly, with shorter and shorter sentences.
Finally, he yawned. "Is there no end to your questions? If not, can we at least take a break until tomorrow?"
"Oh… sorry…" Silverheart stopped short, "Good-night then."
"Aren't you going to come down from there?"
"No, I like it."
"Ok… just don't fall on top of me in the middle of the night."
"It's already the middle of the night."
"You know what I mean!" Cinderstrike snapped.
"Ok, ok… no need to get so snappy."
The tom merely grunted moodily, and soon Silverheart could hear his snores rising from his bed. It was then that she tip-pawed back to the window. It was open a crack, and Silverheart sniffed at the fresh breeze that wafted in. It was tainted slightly with ShadowClan scent, but it was better than nothing. She looked up at the sky then, and saw the moon. A wave of homesickness washed over her as she thought about what the moon always reminded her about.
"I'm so sorry, Moonstar. I never meant to get captured… I just hope that I will be able to see you again, and not in StarClan, but face to face." She whispered to the silent glowing orb above. As she gazed at it, sleep gradually stole over the exhausted she-cat…
Silverheart was looking at the moon again, but she could tell that is was a different time and a different place. "Where are you, Moonshine?" the words sprang unbidden from her mouth, and her eyes flicked around without her telling them to. I guess I'm just here for the ride this time… "Moonshine?" she called again, panic starting to well up in her voice.
"Over here, Silverpaw!" The other she-cat called back. Silverheart hurried find the source of the yowl, and find it she did. Moonstar was trapped under a tree, pinned there by a huge branch. She was not hurt, Silverheart could tell, only trap-ped.
"What happened?"
"The wind blew this tree on top of me, go and find Brambleclaw and the rest of our patrol!" Silverheart nodded, and took off to find help. She didn't want to go far however, for who knows what dangers awaited were about in the wind-swept forest.
Pretty soon, Silverheart could hear someone talking. She peeked through the bushes, only to see Hollyleaf run her claws through Ashfur. She strangled a startled squeak, and ran all the way back to Moonstar. Brambleclaw and the rest of the patrol were there, and Moonstar was free from the tree. Silverheart rushed up to her and whispered in her ear. She didn't say anything, but began to tremble like a leaf in a gale. Hollyleaf stepped out of the trees then, like nothing happened. She stared at Silverheart like she knew that she had seen. Silverheart looked away, not being able to meet her gaze. All of a sudden, Hollyleaf leaped upon Silverheart and was about to sink her teeth into…
Silverheart woke with a yelp, and fell off the windowsill. Cinderstrike was there in an instant. "Are you all right?" he asked, concern for the cat he had just met was written in his face.
"Yeah… bad dream…" Again…
"Would you feel better if you weren't sleeping on the windowsill?"
"Yes…" Here I go again, what's wrong with me? Silverheart followed Cinderstrike back to the nest-thing. He took a position in the far corner, obviously not going to force himself upon Silverheart, but she snuggled up next to him any-ways. He started to purr slightly before he fell asleep, and so did Silverheart.
In the morning, Silverheart was awakened by the sound of slamming doors. "What's going on?" she mumbled drowsily to no one in particular.
"The twolegs are up."
"Oh…" Silverheart was surprised that she didn't jump when Cinderstrike had answered her. And she was surprised that she wasn't freaked out by how close to her he was. It just feels… nice…
"Look, breakfast." Cinderstrike startled her out of her thoughts as the door opened to let the food bowl in.
"I still don't want to eat it…" Silverheart grumbled as she followed Cinder-strike.
"Got to keep up your strength," he said around crunching the hard pelts, "if you died, I'd be lonely again."
"I'm not going to die if I don't eat for a few days. I've gone on a lot longer without eating."
"Well, we don't need to repeat that. At least have a bite."
"Fine…" Silverheart subsided and reluctantly ate a small bit of the kittypet food. "Yuck!" she spat it out, "this tastes worse than crow-food."
"I told you," Cinderstrike laughed as he watched Silverheart. "But again," he grew serious, "this is all we get. Don't take it for granted."
"Do they ever let us outside?"
"Yes, but I've only been once. If you meow and scratch at the door long enough, they'll let you out." Silverheart didn't answer, but only took his advice. She reached as far up as she could, and let her claws run down the door as she cried out long and piteously.
"How was that?"
"Pretty good, but how long can you keep it up?"
"As long as it takes, even if it takes forever."
And it did. Silverheart scratched at the door and meowed until she felt as if her claws were going to fall out and her voice was going to crack. At long length, the door open, and Silverheart shot out closely followed by Cinderstrike. The two-leg jumped in surprise, but opened the door to the nest anyways.
"FREEEEDOOOOM!" Silverheart yowled as she sprinted to the wall.
"Silverheart!" Cinderstrike called after her, "don't do-" But it was too late. Silverheart had tried to jump over the wall, but the box on her collar started hum-ming wildly, and an electric shock jolted through her body. She landed heavily on her paws a short distance from the wall, her fur stood up like the spines on a porcu-pine.
"So that's what is does!" She proceeded to smooth out her fur. "Hey look, it's sun-high…"
"Yes, are you all right?"
"I've been through worse and lived to tell the tale. You see-"
"Great StarClan!" Cinderstrike interrupted her, "What did you do?" he was pointing to her scar with his tail.
"Oh that? It's nothing." Silverheart dismissed it with a flick of her tail, but launched into the story anyways. When she finished, Cinderstrike just stared at her. "What?"
"You should be dead," he finally whispered after several moments, "or at least unable to walk. Forget what your medicine cat did, it was StarClan that really healed you."
"Come on," Silverheart turned to hide the discomfort in her eyes, "let's explore."
"Ok… just don't go near the wall again."
"Hush, I'm looking for something."
"Just wait, you'll see." Silverheart waved her tail at him. She scouted around everywhere that the box did not hum around, and at long last found the thing she was looking for.
"What are you doing with that jagged rock?" Cinderstrike was unable to contain himself any longer.
"I'm going to get this box off, then I am going to jump over the fence."
"Oh… why didn't I think of that?" Cinderstrike's tone was bitter and sar-castic, "Oh yeah, because as soon as the box fell off, the twolegs set their dog on me."
"Sorry to hear that," Silverheart said without pausing, "but I'm not going to do it all at once. You see-" she was cut off when the twolegs whistled.
"Time to go in…"
"But I wasn't finished!"
"Oh well, there is always tomorrow."
"But…" Silverheart protested as she followed Cinderstrike inside. They were shoved back into the room again. Silverheart climbed back up on top of the tree thing, and started to ask Cinderstrike some more questions. Without her noti-cing, it grew dark outside. More food was placed just inside the door, but this time there was a bowl of water next to it.
Silverheart jumped down, and lapped gratefully at the water. She pulled a face, however, when its metallic taste set in. She did not comment, but waited for Cinderstrike to join her. "I know what you're thinking." He said when he did, "It tastes weird."
"And I know what you're going to say." She cleared her throat and did a passable imitation of Cinderstrike's voice. "But this is all we get."
"That was pretty good, but I'm tired. Could you not fall off the windowsill tonight?"
"Who said I was going to sleep on the windowsill?" Silverheart caught the glint in Cinderstrike's eyes as they padded together back to the nest-thing. Once there, they curled up together. Cinderstrike was asleep almost in an instant, al-though Silverheart could hear him purring in his sleep. What has come over me? I just met him, yet I already like him… a lot. If we ever get out of here, I hope he doesn't go back to ThunderClan… Well, here we go, night two of being away from IceClan. I hope everything is all right there, and Moonstar isn't freaking out be-cause I'm gone.
Silverheart was kept awake by these anxious thoughts, until Cinderstrike's rhythmic breathing, and the sound of his contented purrs, soothed her into a dream-less sleep…