Chapter 2
Silverstripe opened her eyes. She was still in the Light Camp, but it was different. Yellowflower and Stormclaw were not there, in the Light Camp, anyway. Silverstripe jumped down from the Cold Light and scented for them. Surprise found her. They were there! There scent lingered in the places she had last seen them!
She turned and ran down the stepping cliffs and stopped. There were a couple of cat scents lingering around: Sunstar, Gerbilfoot, Lionstar, all the Medicine Cats...but no others that she recognized or were strong enough. Silverstripe jumped out of the flap door, and the scents faded instantly. She looked around; no Daisypaw, no Rufflepaw.
She jumped out of the hole she had come in and looked around. Something seemed to be calling to her...Silverstripe followed her instincts. She found herself at the Circle Quad. Only this time, there was a difference.
There were cats everywhere. Cats with all scents. Stars were in their fur, glittering down to the ground, following them like new tails. Silverstripe stared around, trying to decipher anyone she knew. She saw something most unusual. Two kits, one an icy-furred she-kit, with dark, blue eyes, just the color of Tagkit's eyes. The most scary of all, beside the she-kit, sitting there himself was Tagkit.
Silverstripe's heart nearly stopped. Tagkit, her Tagkit, was with SoulClan! She could see, even from a distance, that he was more physically there than any other cat.
Suddenly, the kits were blocked from view. Silverstripe was almost shoved into the center of the Circle Quad by the warriors of SoulClan, all of them glittering like the stars in sky.
Silverstripe stared as one cat in particular stepped forward. It was a male. He was black and white, with fiery red eyes.
"Silverstripe," he greeted. His eyes flashed. "I'm Brightsong, the warrior who founded all Clans." Silverstripe dipped her head to him, as he did her. "I'm here to greet you into SoulClan's calling as the leader of StormClan." Silverstripe just looked at him from where she was sitting now. The tom was backing up, replaced by a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat.
"I'm the first leader to join SoulClan," she murmured softly. "Spottedstar, and I welcome you to SoulClan." Silverstripe dipped her head to Spottedstar too. The eldest leader dipped her head and began to back away. A large black she-cat with a silver stripe on her spine replaced her.
Silverstripe stared up at her.
"I'm Nightfly," murmured the she-cat. "I am your mother, Silverstripe, your rogue mother. I gave you to the Clan at birth." She bent forward, purring proudly, "I am happy to see you becoming a leader."
She touched her nose to Silverstripe's, and a course ran through it. A deep, cold, pain erupted from within her. Silverstripe gasped as the cold, lonely sadness threatened to consume her.
All the while, her mother was murmuring to her, "With this life, I give you the strength to make tough decisions, so you can lead your Clan through the toughest times." Silverstripe felt relief fill her as her mother stepped back, staring into her eyes.
"Mother," gasped Silverstripe as Nightfly turned back to the SoulClan warriors, disappearing into the crowd of stars and cats. She was replaced by a huge, dark tabby she-cat with icy blue eyes, staring at Silverstripe for the first time.
"Darkpelt," Silverstripe stared gladly. Darkpelt didn't say anything at all as she touched noses with Silverstripe.
A wave of heat filled her. She could feel the light of battle in her heart, the light filling her eyes. Her claws unsheathed, and as the cold filled her as she gained this new life, it was almost bearable.
Darkpelt finally said something. "With this life, I give you courage in battle. Use it well to defend your Clan in the biggest wars."
Darkpelt was replaced by a new cat that Silverstripe didn't know. She looked just like Tagkit, and Silverstripe was unsure if she could trust this she-cat.
The she-cat whispered to her as she gave her her life, "With this life, I give you loyalty to the code of honor, so you do not break the code and abandon your Clan, the way past leaders have done, and can lead StormClan for a long time." Silverstripe felt more than just a fierce loyalty claw at her. She felt the need to talk to this blue she-cat. When the life was gone, Silverstripe heard her whisper, quieter still, "I am Frostheart, Silverstripe, and I'm your sister. Like you, I was given to a Clan at birth. WaterClan had raised me well. Although I wish I could share their love with you, I am proud of you for doing so well in your Clan."
Before Silverstripe could ask for any more information, Frostheart had turned back to SoulClan, her starry fur billowing in a breeze that followed her.
A new cat stepped forward, a tom she had not seen since apprenticeship. "Grizzlycoat," she whimpered, not able to take a step toward him. The new lives were filling her, making her almost empty of strength. She felt as though weighed down, as though anchored to that spot on the Circle Quad.
Grizzlycoat stared at her sadly, then leaned down and touched her nose. Silverstripe gasped at the fierce, faithfulness washed through her. "With this life, I give you compassion and faith, so you can love and protect your Clanmates as a brother would his sister." Silverstripe watched him as he padded away, feeling too weighed down with lives to be drained of energy. Surprise filled her as the next cat to come forth was Thornstar. He was younger, and stronger, than she had remembered.
Thornstar didn't respond to her greeting except as to touch her nose and whisper, "With this life, I give you fairness in justice, so you give cats a chance to redeem themselves, and are able to punish those who truly deserve it." He whisked away only to be replaced by Thistlestar.
Thistlestar, the one-time leader of HillClan, touched her nose and growled, "With this life, I give you tireless energy, so you can fight for many moons to come."
He stalked off to join the other warriors of SoulClan, and a small, sandy pelted she-cat. Her green eyes flickered lovingly and her whiskers twitched.
"Woodpecker!" wailed Silverstripe, staring at the she-cat. The sandy cat reached forward and said to her,
"Take care of Gorgekit." Then, she touched noses. Weight filled her more than Silverstripe could guess possible and it was so cold! "With this life, I give you loyalty to what you know to be right, so you can lead your Clan through tough times, even if it is by walking away."
Woodpecker winked at her, and instead of joining the others, she and a tan-footed she-cat disappeared over the HillClan hills. Silverstripe wondered if she was following Lionstar. No, Liontail once more. If he wasn't going to accept leadership of StormClan, he couldn't have the name Lionstar. Liontail, she was following Liontail.
Another she-cat stepped forward. It was a sleek, brown/red she-cat with amber eyes that glowed. Silverstripe stared sadly. "Auburnfeather..."
The one-time-great deputy stared sadly in Silverstripe's eyes and stepped forward, touching noses. A loving sensation filled her, blocking out any bad emotions.
"With this life, I give you responsibility and love, so you can take care of business and relax with Softfur." Silverstripe felt a caring fill her at his name. Auburnfeather backed away, and was replaced by a huge, white she-cat with ice eyes. In her jaws was a still, not even breathing kit. She placed the kit at Silverstripe's feet, in between her paws.
"Silverstripe," said Whitestar. Silverstripe stared in awe. "You are a warrior whose compassion and faith have pushed her through the toughest times, and the most complex situations." She leaned forward with each word. "It is time you become a leader, Silverstripe." She reached down, touched noses, "With this life, I give you courage, decisiveness, and assertiveness, so you can be a true, fulfilling leader." Silverstripe felt Whitestar's life fill her. She felt the look of her deputy as they accepted new kits, the warmth of the sun, the love and pain of loving another Clan's leader, the excitement in having Ashecho become a warrior, the panic as her weightlessness bared her down...finally, the last life seemed to swell her, and Silverstripe was beginning to fall.
"Now," Whitestar continued. "I hail you by your new name Silverstar."
Silverstar heard the other warriors in SoulClan calling her name like it was simple Clan meeting. "Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar!"
Whitestar pushed the kit in between Silverstar's front paws as Silverstar lied down. She murmured to her, "This is Mintkit, my lost kit, Silverstar. Take her with you, give her life, keep her from the darkness coming..." but Whitestar's words were lost as Silverstar fell into a deep sleep, still feeling the kit with her as light came to her.
...
Silverstar awoke as the sun reached Sunhigh. She looked around. Yellowflower was bending over her, examining something. Stormclaw was behind her, staring with anxiety and weightlessness touching his amber eyes. Silverstar looked down.
The tiny, still, kit that Whitestar had given her that naming ceremony, was still lying in her paws. The white kit was squirming, trying to wake up.
Silverstar did not talk, but picked the she-kit up and padded out of the den, finding the way down the stepping cliffs and out of the flap. Daisypaw and Rufflepaw had left at dawn, like instructed. Silverstar jumped up and out the hole in the wall, and as soon as she was out, the kit began to wail. Silverstar sought to remember the kits name...Mintkit. This was Whitestar's kit!
Silverstar remembered what Yellowflower had said. She could not talk about what happened with SoulClan last night, so all she could say was that it was Mintkit, and that StormClan were to take it in. Silverstar set the kit down, and Yellowflower asked instantly,
"What is that?" Silverstar responded,
"This is Mintkit, StormClan's new kit." They stared at her as though she were mad. She longed to tell them that this was Whitestar's kit, that they had cared for the kit while her mother finished her lives out. Mintkit.
"Silverstar," greeted Stormclaw properly, dipping his head to her. "It is good to see you're awake. We were waiting...and there was this kit...it came out of no where..." he didn't finish any sentence, and Silverstar guessed it was so hard to explain he had lost words to describe it. Besides, she reflected, it's illegal for him to tell me, right? Silverstar longed to ask him, but, she couldn't because that would be unfair of her.
"Stormclaw," she greeted him. "The new deputy. How are you feeling?"
He narrowed his eyes, not speaking of what caused these feelings. "Good, and you?" Silverstar wanted to say, 'weighed down, tired, too full, almost used,' but knew that that was illegal too.
"Good," she responded. She turned and led them to the camp. Silverstar looked around.
The camp was almost empty. Most warriors were sleeping, but on the way in, Thornfang, who was sitting guard, dipped his head at her. Silverstar nodded as she passed him. Stormclaw stood on the Greatledge, looking around. Two kits, Bloomkit and Thrushkit, were bouncing around. They stopped to look at Silverstar as she jumped up. Silverstar saw one of the elder's ears twitch and they sat up. Silverstar saw cats from the warrior's den stand, shake, and pad out. Silverstar gaped at them. They were staring at her with respect, and admiration, and hope. Realization dawned on her. She had left a camp in ruins, and returned just in time to restore it.
