Summary - A tribute to Silverstream, and how her death affected those closet to her.
Silverstream Tribute
Feathertail
I don't remember much about my mother as a kit. She died so soon. She wasn't even alive long enough to give me and Stormfur names. But I do remember one thing - her scent. It smelled so sweet. Like willows in the new-leaf, or lily's by the stream. As I grew up I always used to cling to that scent. It was like my comfort object. I would always remember it before my training assessments, or when I was upset. I remembered it the day I became a warrior too. Whenever I would think of Silverstream's scent, I felt like she was there with me.
Sometimes it was the only thing that kept me going. It always filled me with strength and hope.
Stormfur
I always used to wonder what life would be like if Silverstream had never died. Would she have left RiverClan with us to join ThunderClan with Graystripe, or would Graystripe still join RiverClan to be with us? Or would Graystripe continue to live in ThunderClan, and Silverstream remain in ThunderClan? I used to pad over to my favorite fishing spot and spend all afternoon just staring at my reflection, wondering. How things would be different; would we be like the perfect family, or would RiverClan despise us?
I never blamed Graystripe for returning to ThunderClan. It didn't take a water vole to see that he stuck out like a black patch on a white pelt. But it killed me whenever we would cross paths on border patrols, or when Leopardstar would condemn him for betraying RiverClan, or when I would watch hopefully for his solid gray pelt at gatherings. It hurt, not having either of my parents in RiverClan. The loneliness I felt was so unbearable sometimes that I thought about running away, and joining Graystripe in ThunderClan. And I couldn't tell a single soul how painful it was. Not even Feathertail. Because a small part of me couldn't help but blame Silverstream for my loneliness.
Stonefur
When I found out Silverstream had died giving birth to Graystripe's kits, every fiber in my being screamed at me to swim across the border and kill Graystripe right then and there. It just wasn't fair. Intelligent, encouraging, beautiful Silverstream had been killed because she allowed some ThunderClan crowfood to impregnate her. And for that, I hated Graystripe. When Leopardstar tasked me with mentoring Stormpaw I was determined to make sure that he grew up to be a proud, faithful warrior of RiverClan. Someone that his clan mates would admire, and couldn't help but see passed his tarnished bloodline. One of my biggest regrets was dying before I had the chance to mold him into just that.
I used to force myself to believe that Graystripe had taken advantage of her - that Silverstream would never dare take some ThunderClan mutt as a clan mate! But as time began to pass, and Silverstream's death became more real, I was forced to accept reality: Silverstream's heart had belonged to Graystripe since the day she saved him from drowning; it had never belonged to me.
Mistystar
She was my best friend. My shoulder to cry on. The one I went to when Stonefur just didn't understand how I felt. Silverstream was almost like a sister to me. She was always there, ready to help me with whatever I needed. When she died birthing Graystripe's kits I just wanted to curl in and go to sleep, and never wake up. Although it seems foolish now, I used to wait for her to appear in my dreams and tell me that I had to move on; that she was happy in StarClan, with the mother and sisters she couldn't remember. But she never did. In a way I suppose it was for the best. If she came to me I never would have stopped waiting for her to come again. My world would have revolved around my dreams, waiting for my best friend to return.
I thought Leopardstar was just being cruel when she assigned me to mentor Feathertail - Featherpaw back then. How could she possibly expect me to train the cat who killed my best friend?! And she looked so much like her mother, they had the exact same spirit too, you know. At first I was determined to spend as little time as I could with the gentle apprentice, but over time I found myself growing attached to her. In a way, mentoring Feathertail was almost like having Silverstream back.
Crookedstar
I couldn't believe it. I couldn't accept the fact that Mapleshade had won. She had finally taken away everyone I cared about. Starting with Shellheart, then Willowbreeze and two of our kits, then Oakheart, and just when I thought the nightmare had ended, Silverstream was ripped away from me. I knew my clan mates blamed Graystripe for her death, and I would never forget the appalled look that Stonefur shot me when I granted Graystripe's wish to join RiverClan. But I knew better. I knew that it was all Mapleshade's doing; Graystripe had simply provided her the means of ending my daughter's life.
I loved Silverstream so much that sometimes it hurt. I protected her with everything in me, and was indescribably proud of the lovely she-cat she grew up to be. She was just as beautiful and graceful as her mother, just as light-hearted and noble as Oakheart, just as selfless and determined as Shellheart, and I constantly saw myself shine through her. She would have made a fantastic mother to Graystripe's kits, and mentor many fine apprentices to come. I blame myself for her death, and I would have taken her place in a heart-beat.
Graystripe
Words cannot describe the burning, aching love that I felt for Silverstream. Like a roaring fire so passionate and fierce that I would afraid it would consume me whole. She was perfect; everything I ever dreamed my future mate would be. The fact that she was in RiverClan was unfortunate, yes, and I was trembling like a leaf when I asked her to meet with me, but I don't regret it. Not at all. Not ever.
Silverstream made me feel something that I had never felt before, and there were so many times when I was scared that she didn't feel the same way. But when she told me that she loved me - the first time she said it - I could have died happily right then and there. I know Firestar was only trying to protect me when he ordered me to stop seeing her, but his efforts were fruitless. What we shared was amazing. It was unstoppable.
When she died I wanted to curl up in the grass and die right along side her. I prayed that StarClan would take me with her. But they didn't, and I would be lying if I said I didn't resent them for that. But perhaps it was for the best. I got to watch my kits, our kits, grow to be fine warriors. I know Silverstream was just as proud of them as I. And I know she understood when I couldn't stay in RiverClan. I needed my best friend. I know that if our positions were reversed, she would have left ThunderClan for Mistyfoot.
No one will ever be able to take Silverstream's place. Although I never told Millie that, I knew that she knew. She had always known that my heart belonged to Silverstream, and Silverstream only. Apart of me felt bad for taking Millie as a second mate when I knew that I could never love her the same way I did Silverstream. But knowing that she knew and didn't care helped.
I miss Silverstream with every passing heart-beat, and every fiber in my being. That will never change. But for now, I am comforted by the fact that when I reach StarClan, she will be there, waiting for me.
When most people talk about Silverstream they say that her death was the most heart-wrenching one in the whole series - I agree completely. And it inspired me to write about how her death affected others: friends, family, etc. Silverstream is easily one of the most beloved cats in the entire series, and yet there's very few fics/one-shots about her. Fingers crossed this will inspire others to write something or another for her!
Question of the Day
Would you like to see more "tribute one-shots" in the future? If so, then for who?
This one-shot is dedicated to Silverstream. You're death was one of the very few that made me cry.
