Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 2: The Broken Shadow
Chapter Eight

"Silentpaw? Where are you going?"

The apprentice turned to face Squirrelflight. The deputy was still restricted to the camp, taking care of her kits, but she carried out her duties within the camp. Which included keeping an eye on apprentices who were trying to sneak out of camp alone.

Silentpaw lifted her head, ears perked and pelt smooth and at ease. "Hunting," she said easily. "Ivypool's busy, so I thought I'd find something for the elders to eat."

Squirrelflight regarded the apprentice dubiously. "Maybe I should send a warrior with you," she said.

"No, I'll be fine," Silentpaw told her. "I won't go near ShadowClan's border, I promise. Just around the gorse thickets."

The deputy hesitated. Finally, she mewed, "Alright. Just be careful. Don't be out too long."

Silentpaw purred, "I won't!" With a final flick her tail, the apprentice disappeared out the thorn barrier and into the woods.

She hadn't lied to Squirrelflight, not exactly. She had every intention of bringing back prey for her Clan before the day's end. But it wasn't her only reason for leaving camp.

The apprentice bounded easily through the forest, at complete ease in her environment. After four and a half moons of training, she knew every shrub of her territory, every dip and rise, every root. She could hunt as well as any warrior, and the last half-moon of battle training had her confident in her ability to fight. Any doubts of the ability of a blind warrior to carry out all the functions of a sighted warrior had been all but crushed at this point.

In a few minutes, she had reached her destination. The area was still thick with trees, but the scent of moor was everywhere, especially along the border itself. And right beside the border was the cat she'd come to meet.

"Silentpaw!" Darkbreeze's mew was as bright and cheerful as always. The WindClan warrior touched noses warmly with the apprentice. "How's the prey running?"

"As well as ever," Silentpaw purred in reply. "I caught this huge magpie earlier. It nearly scratched my ears off, the mangy old thing. Squirrelflight and her kits seemed pretty grateful, though." She settled onto a comfortable, mossy patch on her side of the border, while Darkbreeze stretched out on the grassy patch that was usually her seat on WindClan's side. In the half moon since the last Gathering, Darkbreeze and Silentpaw had met often, complaining about Clanmates, telling stories, and just chatting and hanging out. Silentpaw hadn't told any of her Clanmates, due to the already high level of suspicion towards her, but she felt no shame for what she was doing. ThunderClan had her loyalty, but Darkbreeze, and Eeltooth, had her friendship. If RiverClan and ThunderClan shared a border, she'd be meeting Eeltooth as well. Her Clanmates were probably happier not knowing anyway.

Darkbreeze purred, "Good thing it didn't carry you off," she joked. The warrior twisted her head around to lick her shoulder fur down. As she groomed herself, she joked, "I swear, Weaselfur has it out for me. I've been on four dawn patrols in a row. If I have to wake up before the sun rises one more day, someone's going to lose their whiskers."

"Probably you, if you try bothering Weaslefur," Silentpaw teased.

Her kin just gave a good-natured purr in reply. "You're probably right. But it's starting to get ridiculous. Send me on as many night patrols as you like, but stop making me wake up so early. I'm not a morning cat in any sense of the word. I'm pretty sure if a rogue had crossed the border, I'd be so out of it that they'd be able to creep up on me and take me out without a problem."

Silentpaw snorted. "At least you're being useful for the Clan," she said.

The warrior tipped her head, asking, "What's that mean?"

"Nothing." Darkbreeze's silence was enough to tell Silentpaw that she didn't believe her. With a sigh, she admitted, "It's just, Ivypool's been acting weird lately."

"Weird how?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. One minute she's all about training as much as possible and non-stop battle training, the next she's cutting our sessions short, or just sending me out on patrols without her. And she never wants to talk about it. She gets all weird whenver I ask her what's up." The apprentice lowered her head, trying to hide her uncertainty. "I guess I just worry. I thought Ivypool was one of the few who wasn't treating me weird because of the whole RiverClan thing. But now, with that way she's been acting..."

Darkbreeze sobered. "I'm sorry, Silentpaw," she mewed quietly. She got to her paws, stretching her muzzle across the border just enough to touch her nose to Silentpaw's ear. "I know things have been hard since you got back. Just try to remember, ThunderClan is your family. They're just worried about you."

"Oh yeah," Silentpaw snorted, "Sparkpaw seemed really worried when he called me a traitor."

The warrior purred in amusement. "Yeah, that cat sounds like a harebrain," she allowed. "But I'm sure the rest of them just don't want to lose you. They must have been really worried about you the moon you were gone, and now that it turns out you were fine the whole time, they're worried that you might decide you like living somewhere other than ThunderClan. They don't want you to leave."

Silentpaw knew Darkbreeze was right. She laid her head on her paws, grumbling, "It's been a moon and a half. You'd think they'd get that if I was going to leave, I'd have done it by now."

There was a brief silence. When Darkbreeze spoke again, her voice was oddly subdued. "Once someone you care about leaves once, you never really shake the fear that they might leave again."

Silentpaw's irritation faded. In her bitterness, she had forgotten that Darkbreeze knew about that worry better than any cat. "I'm sorry," she mewed quietly. "How's Nightfern doing?" After her sister stayed with ShadowClan for a moon due to the flood, Darkbreeze must still have been worried about her, if her own Clanmates were any example.

Darkbreeze sighed, admitting, "I don't know. She's been acting weird lately too. I mean, Nightfern's always been quiet, but I know she's keeping something from me. She sneaks out at night, and she won't tell me why." She paused. "I'm really worried about her, Silentpaw. I already lost her once. And I'm so scared that I'm going to lose her again."

Nightfern was sneaking out of camp? That wasn't a good sign. Silentpaw had thought Nightfern was just bitter about being mistrusted, like her, but if she was sneaking around like that, there was probably something else going on. She struggled to find something to say that would do anything to help. Finally, she just said, "Nightfern knows much you care about her. If she really wants to leave, she wouldn't just turn her back on you without another word. You're her sister."

Darkbreeze was quiet for a few moments. "Would you have told Blazepaw?" she asked finally. "If you were leaving ThunderClan for good?"

Silentpaw paused, blinking in surprise. She forced herself to really think about it. Would she? If she decided tomorrow that she would rather return to RiverClan than remain in ThunderClan, would she tell her family, or would she just leave in the night like last time? To just leave would be so much easier. But she knew now how much it would hurt the cats she cared about. If she were truly to leave them, they would deserve to hear it from her face to face, and to be given a proper goodbye. "Yes I would have," she answered honestly. "And so would Nightfern. Like you said, you already lost her once. She wouldn't let you lose her again without telling you why. She wouldn't want to hurt you like that."

"Well, I hope you're right," Darkbreeze replied. Her new sounded a little lighter, which Silentpaw decided to take as a good sign. Darkbreeze shook her head, quickly changing the topic. "As for you, I wouldn't worry too much about your mentor. I bet it has more to do with her mooning over Toadstep than you."

The apprentice's hackles raised in shock. "What?"

Darkbreeze's whiskers twitched amusement. "What, don't you know?" she purred. "I saw those two at the Gathering. I don't think a mouse could've squeezed between them they were sitting so close together."

"You think Ivypool likes Toadstep?" Silentpaw repeated in surprise. She had never thought of mentor as the sort to pad after any cat. But it did make an odd sort of sense. If Darkbreeze was right, Ivypool wasn't cutting training short to avoid Silentpaw. She was just trying to spend time with Toadstep. He did seem to be on most of her patrols these days, and maybe he was a little quieter around Ivypool, now that she thought about it. Aloud, she mewed, "You know, you might be onto something. She has been hunting with him a lot."

"Told you," Darkbreeze purred. "I'll bet you a moon's worth of prey that I'm right about them."

Silentpaw just closed her eyes, purring in contentment. Even with the biting cold of leafbare, the distrust of her Clanmates, and the lack of prey that had them all hungry, life was still alright. Joking with Darkbreeze, or hunting with Ambertalon and Seedlight, or training with Ivypool, made all the hard times worth it.

One dark worry still itched at the back of her mind, however. A half moon had passed since her dream. For a few, brief moments, she had been in the Dark Forest. Silentpaw had not dreamed of that dark place since, nor had she been given any answers as to why she'd found herself there. All she had were the memory of feeling cold mist wrapping around her, and the distant growling of some dark spirit.

The dream had haunted her memories ever since she'd had it. The Dark Battle against the spirits who walked in that forest had been fought and won long before Silentpaw had been born. Surely none of the cats still walking there had plans on trying to train Clan cats again? And if so, why her? They had to know that she'd rather fight a forest of badgers than ever betray her Clanmates to the Dark Forest.

She'd considered asking Jayfeather if he had any idea why she might have ended up there. But the medicine cat was still being pricklier than usual. It was starting to get irritating. She would have thought that he, of all cats, would understand where her loyalties lied. He'd seemed alright enough with her decision to stay with RiverClan when he'd walked in her dreams there. But now that she was home, he seemed so stiff around her. He hadn't asked her about it, so he probably hadn't read it in her thoughts, and bringing it up would more likely result in clawed ears than anything. So asking him was out.

Besides, she remembered what Ivypool had told her about the cats who had walked in the Dark Forest. They had been shunned by her Clanmates. Silentpaw was distrusted enough by her Clanmates as it was, she had no intention of fanning that flame by telling them all that she'd had a lovely stroll in the Dark Forest the other night. She could only hope that, whatever had happened, would never happen again.

Darkbreeze's voice managed to shake Silentpaw from her worries. The warrior mewed, "I should probably head back soon."

Silentpaw's ears perked in surprise. "Already?" The visit had seemed far too short.

The WindClan warrior stood, shaking grass from her pelt. "My fur's thinner than yours," she reminded Silentpaw in an amused purr. "It's too cold to be out so long. Besides, my Clanmates will be wondering where I am. And I promised to go hunting with Nightfern and Quickpaw." Her tone, as bright as it was, still held a hint of concern. Silentpaw knew that the warrior still feared for her sister, no matter what she'd said to assure her.

"Alright," Silentpaw mewed reluctantly. She rose to her paws as well, stretching out her limbs. "Want to meet again soon?"

"Sure. It'll have to be a few days, though, I've promised to help clean the elder's den. Only one apprentice, and all that."

Silentpaw nodded. "Does four days sound alright, around sunhigh?"

Darkbreeze curled her tail, purring, "Sounds good to me. See you then!" She stretched out her muzzle to touch noses with Silentpaw, then bounded off, racing away to her moor home. Silentpaw waited for her to leave, then took off further into the woods.

SCENEBREAK

Silentpaw made sure she didn't return to camp empty-jawed. A squirrel was clenched in her jaws, along with a mouse. She'd hoped to bring back more, but she knew, perhaps better than most, that sometimes there just wasn't prey to be found. It was still better eating than there'd been in the first few days in RiverClan.

As she brought her catch to the fresh-kill pile, she found Blazepaw there, sharing a shrew with Ambertalon. She mumbled a friendly greeting around her squirrel, but Blazepaw just stiffened. He rose to his paws, mewing shortly, "I have to get to training, Bumblestripe wants to practice fox fighting." The apprentice dipped his head briefly to his sister, then padded away.

Silentpaw tried not to feel too miffed as she dropped her catch onto the pile. It must have showed on her expression, though, because Ambertalon spoke up. "Don't worry, he'll come around eventually," she told Silentpaw.

"I'm starting to doubt it," Silentpaw grumbled. She knew Blazepaw was angry at her for leaving like she had, but she'd never seen him hold a grudge this long.

Ambertalon just got to her paws, flicking her tail against Silentpaw's shoulder. In a friendly mew, she said, "Come on, the day's still young. Let's go hunting."

Silentpaw hesitated. She'd already been hunting for a while, and she had been looking forward to resting back at camp. But Ambertalon was one of the few cats who had never tiptoed around her or held a grudge against her for helping RiverClan. She didn't want to seem rude by saying now. "Sure," she mewed.

The two she-cats set out into the forest, chatting and joking. Ambertalon lifted her head, looking skyward. "I wonder if it'll snow soon," she said, tail-tip flicking. "It's certainly cold enough for it."

"It hasn't snowed since I was a kit," Silentpaw said. "I barely remember it." Her memory of those first few moons was fuzzy. Only brief flashes of the warmth of Cinderheart's belly and two bodies beside her. She had been protected from the cold of that terrible leafbare. This time, she wouldn't be so lucky.

Something rustled nearby. Ambertalon stiffened, hackles slowly raising as she sniffed for prey, but after a few moments, she relaxed and padded on. "It's cold and wet and makes hunting a pain in the tail. It's beautiful to look at, though."

"I'll have to take your word for it," the apprentice returned dryly.

Ambertalon just shook her head. "You really do take after Jayfeather." Her tone grew more serious as she added, "Prey's going to be scarcer for every Clan. If ShadowClan can't find food on their own territory, they'll try to find it on ours."

Silentpaw's ear twitched, and she asked in surprise, "You really think they'll hunt here again?" It had been half a moon since ShadowClan scents had been found on ThunderClan territory. Since then, the border had been patrolled tirelessly, sunrise to moonrise. No cat had seen any ShadowClan cat set so much as a whisker over the border in all that time. If they hadn't strayed over the border yet, why would they start now.

"You saw Tigerstar at the last Gathering," Ambertalon growled. "He's got about as much respect for the warrior code as the last cat with that name."

The apprentice's ears flattened against her head. "That's a bit harsh," she said, a hard edge to her tone. "Tigerstar may be arrogant and foolish, but at least he's not out there slaughtering countless innocent cats."

Ambertalon just snorted. "Yeah, well, he's causing enough trouble without all that."

"All he's done so far that we know about is make a fool of himself at a Gathering and possibly leave a very faint trace of scent in our territory," Silentpaw growled. "I wish every cat would stop acting like he's waging war already." As Ambertalon went to speak, she added with a snarl, "And I'm not just saying that because I'm soft on the other Clans, or I'm a traitor, or whatever I'm being called behind my back these days."

"I wasn't going to say that," Ambertalon sniffed. "Get your tail out of a twist. I trust you." Silentpaw relaxed, shaking her head and letting her hackles lie flat. "I'm not saying that we should just barge in and attack for no reason. I'm just saying I don't trust Tigerstar, and we need to keep an eye on him, and on our borders. And if he does try anything, we don't let him get away with it."

Silentpaw sighed, her anger gone. "That's fair enough. And if he does attack, I'll stand and fight with the rest of ThunderClan."

Ambertalon glanced at Silentpaw, tone softer as she said, "I know that. And so do your Clanmates. Just give it time."

The apprentice gave a small nod to let Ambertalon know she was grateful. As much as she missed her friendship with Blazepaw, the support of Ambertalon and her other friends meant a lot. And she was right. If it truly came to battle with ShadowClan, she would give those prey-thieves something to think about. She'd put the doubts about a blind warrior fighting to rest once and for all.

She only hoped it didn't come to that.

Not totally happy with how it ended, but eh. Here's the new chapter.

We get to see more of Darkbreeze and Silentpaw just chilling together. I'm pretty sure Darkbreeze is my favorite of the characters I created for this, other than Silentpaw (but maybe a little more than Silentpaw). She's so much fun to write.

So, seems that Nightfern's hiding something, and Ivypool's acting strange around a certain black-and-white tom. I love the theory of Ivypool being ace and/or aro, and I'd love for her not to have a mate in the canon series, we need more female characters who don't want or need mates. But here, I planned out something for her ahead of time, and I'm pretty happy with how it's going to go (whether it ends happily or not).

Next chapter is Blazepaw, and there's another time skip. There's going to be a couple of those in this book, sorry about that. I'm trying to cover a lot of ground here.