Chapter One

"What are you doing in ThunderClan territory?" A shadowy figure demanded once he dropped her near the shoreline, his deafening mew piercing the she-cat to the core.

The world spun around her. She attempted to speak, but all of which she did for a while was cough up bouts of water. Her sides heaved, and her legs were limp. After a long moment of gagging, the cat threw a hiss at her rescuer and bared her teeth, although her blurry vision did not allow her to see him. He should have let her die…it would have been more noble than prolonging her miserable existence.

It seemed as if the Clan cat was waiting for an answer. The she-cat merely flopped down onto the jumble of water and ferns and lay there, not bothering to acknowledge him. Images of the dead kit's body still flashed through her mind, and in fighting her grief, she burrowed her face into the dirt. An annoyed growl sounded from above. "I asked you a question, and I want it answered. What are you doing in ThunderClan territory?"

The she-cat lifted her head. It had been a while since she had spoken. More than a while, in fact. Even when the kit followed her around, the kit did most of the talking. The she-cat tried to utter a sentence. "I-I… need to…need to…"

She broke off. "D-die."

There was a pause. The tom changed the subject. "What is your name?"

Blankness snatched her. The she-cat hissed. "W-W-Why do y-you need to know?"

"It would be helpful to know what to call you."

The she-cat did not remember her name. It had been countless seasons since anyone had voiced it—and at that moment, she dug into her mind, trying to think of what her mother had called her. There was no success.

Giving up, she created one. "S-Silver."

"Well, Silver, you are trespassing on ThunderClan land."

Silver lashed her tail, although it hurt. "I know." She was aware that these atrocious and "mighty" Clan cats were always fussing about their precious land.

"Perhaps you should care not to do it again."

"And what are you going to do if I t-tre-trespass again? Scold me?"

The air grew tense. "You will feel the wrath of teeth and claws if you do." What a joke, Silver thought, wishing that she was strong enough to leap up and attack the Clan cat. However, her muscles ached with every breath, and she would regret it. "I bet you h-have not given any cat so much as a scratch."

She felt the Clan cat scrutinize her with annoyance. "I am considered a great fighter in my Clan. Do not pretend to know me."

It was then when Silver's vision finally started to clear, and she could view her rescuer with the aid of the moonlight. He was quite muscular and broad-shouldered, his golden pelt shone in the light and his fiery amber eyes glared at her.

"Oops, my mistake," she said in a rather sarcastic tone. Her gaze did not depart from his as she heaved herself up and ignored the searing pain in her limbs, at last getting a grip on her balance and shooting him an intense look of hatred.

She decided to taunt him, just to see where the limits of his anger reached.

"I like this what you call 'ThunderClan' territory," she snarled, "Maybe I should wander around for awhile and feed on your prey as I go."

The irritation in his eyes grew. "Leave here, or you will have my leader to deal with."

Silver disregarded his warning. "The rabbits are most a-a-appetizing. I think I will eat one of yours once the sun comes up—"

At that, the Clan cat sped over to her and grabbed her by the scruff. She let out a startled screech as he began hauling her forward, her fur trailing over the dirt and grit that littered the forest floor. "Bramblestar would be interested to know about your intrusion, even if he never asked to be awakened during the night to be informed," the tom hissed through clenched teeth.

Why is this numbskull awake at this time, even if the rest of his Clan is asleep? Not caring enough to ask, Silver reluctantly complied.

After a short time, the scents of many cats hit her nose.