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

Silentpaw and Eeltooth hurried to greet Darkbreeze as WindClan swarmed onto the island. The she-cat greeted them with enthusiasm, butting her head against Silentpaw's shoulder and purring loud enough for a half-deaf badger to hear. "Silentpaw! Eeltooth!" She greeted the RiverClan tom with equal gusto, which the gruff tom took unusually well. "It's so great to see you again! How are you?"

"Great," Silentpaw purred. She, Darkbreeze, and Eeltooth began retreating back to their fern clump.

As they walked, Eeltooth asked, "How are things in WindClan?"

"Pretty good," Darkbreeze answered, "though hunting's hard, you know, with leafbare and all. And things are pretty different now, after what happened last half-moon."

Silentpaw's ears perked with interest. She hadn't been able to meet Darkbreeze much in the last half-moon, so anything that had happened in WindClan would be news to her. "What happened?" she asked curiously. "Is everything with Nightfern alright?"

Darkbreeze's tail curled in delight. "Nightfern is great," she purred. "So much better now that Wetwhisker joined WindClan."

"What?" Both Eeltooth and Silentpaw gaped at the delighted Darkbreeze. "That ShadowClan tom?"

The warrior nodded. "Nightfern met him while she was staying with ShadowClan during the flood," she explained. "They fell in love, and she's been meeting him ever since. Last half-moon, they decided they didn't want to keep sneaking around, so Wetwhisker asked to join WindClan."

"And Ashstar just let him join?" Eeltooth asked in surprise.

Darkbreeze shrugged. "She's seen this before, with Crowfeather," she pointed out. "And Nightfern and I are her kin. I think she'd rather let some ShadowClan cat join her Clan than say no and possibly lose Nightfern forever." She glanced back towards the rest of the cats, adding, "Ashstar said she's going to watch how he does in the Clan and be sure of his loyalty before making him a full warrior. He's definitely not fully accepted yet. He and Nightfern still get a lot of glares. But I think a lot of cats are impressed they decided to be mature about it and take responsibility by having Wetwhisker leave his Clan for her rather than keep lying."

Silentpaw blinked, still trying to take it in. She didn't know Nightfern very well. Every time she'd spoken to her, she'd seemed much shyer than her sister. But Darkbreeze seemed much more at ease now that the truth had come out. Silentpaw got the feeling that now that her secret was out in the open, things were much better between the two sisters. "I'm glad she's happy," Silentpaw told Darkbreeze, "and I hope your Clanmates start to accept Wetwhisker."

"Me too," Darkbreeze said, "Especially now. A few days after he joined, Nightfern found out that she's expecting kits."

Silentpaw's ear flicked in surprise. Nightfern was young to be having kits, but Darkbreeze just sounded so happy, and she guessed she wouldn't be so cheerful about it if Nightfern had reservations. "That's great!" she purred.

Eeltooth added, "Don't worry about Wetwhisker being accepted, either. It took a while, but my Clan got used to Silentpaw well enough."

"I think it was because they realized I'm about as threatening as a two-legged badger," Silentpaw joked, nudging Eeltooth's shoulder. "Once they saw me bumbling around, they just sort of let me be."

Darkbreeze's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Well, Wetwhisker's still working on his rabbit hunting," she said. "He's definitely a lot bigger and slower than most moor runners. But I think he's starting to get the hang of it." She flicked her tail, purring, "I think he'll find his place in no time."

"Cats of all Clans, the Gathering has begun!" The three cats looked up as Ashstar's cry rang across the island. They retreated from their secluded spot, rejoining the rest of the cats as they announcements began.

Ashstar was the first to give her report, and she wasted no time in getting to the point. "Wetwhisker of ShadowClan has joined our Clan," she announced clearly. The news was met with shocked yowls and cries of surprise. Ashstar made no effort to try and stop the rush of questions and cries. She just waited until cats fell silent of their own accord before continuing, "He is a welcome addition to WindClan, and my Clan will be all the stronger for it. Nightfern is now in the nursery expecting his kits. We look forward to the birth of these new kits, and the raising of new warriors."

Her strong tone dared anyone to challenge her on the matter. A few cats were still grumbling, but no voice rose enough for Ashstar to hear. The leader continued, "Sedgewhisker gave birth to three healthy kits two sunrises ago. I have nothing else to report." She stepped back, allowing another leader to take her place. Silentpaw could still hear cats grumbling, and even some warrior growling at each other. It mostly seemed to be the RiverClan and ShadowClan warriors around her that were snarling. It was clear these cats had battled recently, and were waiting to see if either Clan would push the other into a new battle.

Bramblestar was the next to address the Clans. He rumbled, "Hunting is hard, as it is every leafbare, but ThunderClan is faring well in the cold weather. We bring with us today a new apprentice. Finchpaw has begun his training, and is being mentored by Snowfall."

The atmosphere seemed to relax when Bramblestar spoke. None of the battling Clans currently had a quarrel with ThunderClan, and Snowfall was popular with the other Clans. Cats all around were cheering, "Finchpaw! Snowfall! Finchpaw! Snowfall!" Silentpaw didn't know where Finchpaw was in the crowd, but she was willing to bet he was shying away from all the attention.

As the cheering died down, Bramblestar fell silent, his report at an end. Silentpaw's tail twitched in surprise. He hadn't mentioned the ShadowClan scents over the border. After a moment's though, however, she decided that made sense. Things were already far more tense than at the last Gathering, with the revelation of Wetwhisker's choice and the clear tensions between RiverClan and ShadowClan. It would only anger every cat further if Bramblestar brought up faint scents from a moon ago that might not have even been trespassers.

There was a brief shuffling of paws, and a snarl from Mistystar as she cut off Tigerstar's attempt to step forward. The RiverClan leader's voice was heavy with rage as she snarled out, "ShadowClan has been stealing prey!"

Yowls of outrage broke out from the ShadowClan warriors. Silentpaw froze, shocked by the intense reaction. She heard Tigerstar growl, "That's a lie!" The apprentice noted with surprise that Tigerstar's tone didn't have the same certainty that it'd had at the last Gathering.

"Are you blind?" Mistystar hissed. "My warriors have been battling invading ShadowClan patrols for the last moon! The scars we all bear are proof enough. Will you try denying that foxes have red pelts next?"

There was a brief silence. Silentpaw was starting to become truly confused. She leaned closer to her friends, hissing, "Why is Tigerstar acting like he doesn't know about the fighting?"

"Maybe he really didn't know," Darkbreeze murmured back. Silentpaw's pelt prickled eerily at the thought. Perhaps Tigerstar wasn't behind these attacks. Did he truly have so little control over his own warriors that they were waging full war on another Clan without his knowledge? Somehow, that thought was far more terrifying than a leader who had gotten too greedy.

Finally, the ShadowClan leader blustered, "I don't have to justify my Clan's actions to you. You've clearly driven us out, you won. No need to keep yowling about it."

Mistystar started to retort, but the furious yowling of her warriors drowned her out. Eeltooth was bristling with pure fury beside, Silentpaw, and she could hear all the RiverClan cats she had come to know so well yowling and screeching pure venom at the ShadowClan leader. And to her shock, it wasn't just RiverClan voices she heard. Shrewfoot sat near the apprentice, along with two other warriors, Snowbird and Treeshadow. All three she-cats were adding their voices to the caterwauling, screeching curses at their own leader. Such a blatant show of disrespect from Tigerstar's own Clanmates utterly shocked Silentpaw. She couldn't imagine what Tigerstar must have done to earn such disloyalty.

When the wailing finally died down, Mistystar spoke again. She seemed to have realized just how many ShadowClan voices had risen against their own leader, for her voice was far more subdued now, tinged with surprise. "You're showing the same arrogance as another cat of your name," she warned in a low growl. Silentpaw's eyes widened at the insult. "Just keep your cats off of my territory, or you'll have more than your own warriors to worry about."

Silentpaw took in a sharp breath. "I've never seen a Clan so angry at their own leader before," she breathed.

"Me neither," Eeltooth admitted. Even after his own fury at ShadowClan, he seemed shocked by their behavior towards their leader. "Even if I disagreed with something Mistystar had done, I'd never yowl about it at a Gathering."

The apprentice had to agree. Unless Bramblestar had done something truly monstrous, she would never humiliate him in front of the other Clans like that. But a part of her had to wonder if Tigerstar didn't deserve it. For all appearances, he was a truly terrible leader. He hadn't noticed that his own warriors were coming back from hunting with their pelts clawed up by RiverClan warriors, he was arrogant, stubborn, oblivious. He wasn't the sort of leader Silentpaw would ever want to follow. Perhaps it only right that ShadowClan was showing him such disloyalty.

Tigerstar showed tact for the first time in his leadership and didn't respond to Mistystar's threat. Instead, he began his report in a carefully clipped tone. "Olivenose has moved into the nursery, expecting kits. There is nothing else to report." He stepped back.

"Olivenose is expecting kits?" Darkbreeze repeated in surprise. "Doesn't she have an apprentice? Who's training him?"

A nearby ShadowClan cat, a young apprentice by the sound of it, hissed back, "No one. She's still training Smokepaw."

Silentpaw's eyes widened. "She's training an apprentice and helping Tigerstar run the Clan, all while expecting kits?" She shook her head, awed. "Tigerstar may be a mousebrain, but it sounds like his mate doesn't mess around."

Mistystar waited until Tigerstar was silent, then completed her report. "Mossyfoot's kits were born a few sunrises ago. She gave birth to a healthy she-cat and tom." The end of her report signaled the end of the Gathering. Silentpaw was more relieved than she could say. Tigerstar hadn't been nearly as aggressive, but somehow, it had still been far worse than the last Gathering.

As cats began saying their goodbyes, Darkbreeze told her friends, "Come on, I want you two to meet Wetwhisker." She led them away through the mass of cats, finally halting as they reached the cat in question. "Wetwhisker, Nightfern, I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Silentpaw of ThunderClan, and Eeltooth of RiverClan. Guys, this is Wetwhisker, and you've already met Nightfern."

"Nice to meet you again," Nightfern murmured. She was as quiet as ever, but somehow, her voice sounded lighter, more at ease. Silentpaw could hear how she and Wetwhisker were standing close enough for their pelts to touch, and Nightfern's scent was now tinged with the milk-scent that Silentpaw knew from ThunderClan's nursery.

Silentpaw dipped her head to her. "Likewise," she said in a friendly mew.

"It's nice to meet you, Silentpaw and Eeltooth," Wetwhisker rumbled. From where his voice came from, the tom sounded absolutely massive, even taller than Silentpaw's father. And somehow, that voice sounded familiar. She froze as she realized she had met this tom before – at the border between RiverClan and ShadowClan. When she had been staying with RiverClan, two warriors, Wetwhisker and Specklefoot, had come to the border looking for Tawnypelt. They had met Silrntpaw and assumed she was an apprentice of RiverClan. What if Wetwhisker recognized her now? He might assume RiverClan and ThunderClan had an alliance against his former Clan.

Silentpaw shrank back against Eeltooth, trying to keep from his sight as much as possible. Luckily, the tom didn't seem to notice anything. "We should go," was all he said. "Ashstar will be expecting us."

Nightfern nodded. "You're right. Nice to see you two again," she told the ThunderClan and RiverClan cats in a quiet, friendly mew. "See you at the next Gathering."

"See you then," Eeltooth returned. Apparently, he hadn't realized who Wetwhisker was. Silentpaw didn't relax until the new mates had padded away to rejoin their Clan.

After they left, Darkbreeze told her friends, "I should probably go too. I don't want to keep Ashstar waiting." She touched noses with both cats, purring, "I'll see you again soon." With a final flick of her tail, the WindClan warrior bounded after her sister.

Eeltooth grew somber after Darkbreeze left. In a low voice, he told Silentpaw, "If Tigerstar can't control his own warriors, they're not going to stop. They'll just keep hunting on my territory, because they know they can get away with it. And with hunting as hard as it is, I don't know whether we'll be able to keep feeding ourselves while constantly watching our borders to make sure ShadowClan isn't there." The two cats began walking, wandering the island as they spoke.

Silentpaw's chest clenched with cold fear. "And if they can't find prey on your territory, they'll come looking for it on ours," she whispered back. "We've already found a few scents over the border." Eeltooth glanced at her, stiffening in surprise. "With the way they were acting tonight, I wouldn't be shocked if we find ShadowClan warriors on territory very soon."

As they walked, they passed Shrewfoot and her warriors again. Silentpaw froze as she overheard the warrior meowing loudly, "It's a disgrace. Tigerstar couldn't even see what was going on right under his nose, and now Wetwhisker is gone. What kind of leader doesn't notice such treachery going on in his own Clan?"

Another warrior, Snowbird, hissed, "Tigerstar wouldn't know if a rat had nested in our camp and were calling itself a warrior. He isn't fit to be any cat's leader."

"Rowanstar was a fool to make him his deputy," Treeshadow added in a snarl. "He can't feed our Clan, he can't keep himself from getting us into fights for two heartbeats, and he can't even keep his own warriors from scattering like leaves."

Shrewfoot lifted her head high, saying in a loud, clear tone, "But what should any of us have expected from the son of that ThunderClan traitor?" Silentpaw and Eeltooth both flinched in shock. The apprentice couldn't believe was she was hearing. Shrewfoot was daring to blame Tigerstar's poor leadership on his ThunderClan blood?

"We've seen it time and time again." Shrewfoot was practically making her speech to the whole of the Gathering at this point. All around, cats were falling silent, their attention on Blackstar's daughter. "Cats with divided loyalties live divided lives. How can we ever expect Tigerstar to be loyal to us when he has two paws in ThunderClan?"

Snowbird snarled, "His very birth broke the warrior code. Tawnypelt may have joined us, but her blood tainted our Clan. I see that now."

Alright, that's it. Cats all around were grumbling and muttering, but none had challenged Shrewfoot yet. And Silentpaw'd had enough. "Well, well," she growled, loud enough for Shrewfoot to hear. "I always thought cats would mock me for being the blind apprentice. I never thought, after all this time, I'd still have to worry about being hated for my blood." She stood tall and proud, daring Shrewfoot to challenge her. "My father is half WindClan. Do you think my Clan should run me out of the forest because of something I can't control?"

"And my leader is half ThunderClan, just like Tigerstar," Eeltooth spat. He stood strong beside Silentpaw, his hackles starting to raise. "Would you have her banished for Bluestar's crime?"

Snowbird and Treeshadow bristled, but Shrewfoot just stood steady in the face of Silentpaw and Eeltooth's anger. "Like I said, divided blood means divided loyalties," she said simply. "A cat whose absolute first concern isn't the preservation of their own Clan can't be trusted. Cats like you are no better than rogues."

Silentpaw bared her fangs at the arrogant she-cat. Her blood was positively boiling with rage. She was ready to tell her exactly who she thought wasn't trustworthy of the two f them, but Eeltooth cut her off, growling at Shrewfoot, "Worry about your own Clan, Shrewfoot. Our loyalty is our own business." The RiverClan tom shoved Silentpaw away from Shrewfoot and her cats, leading her away. He told her in a low voice, "She just wanted you to blow up at her to prove her point. What better proof that halfClan cats aren't trustworthy than to make one break the truce?"

"It would've been her own fault," Silentpaw snapped, still reeling with rage. But as she and Eeltooth walked on, and her fury began to fade, she realized reluctantly that he was right. Getting into a fight with Shrewfoot would have only made things worse. She sighed, forcing her hackles to lie flat. "You're right," she rasped. "Thanks for stopping me."

He touched noses with her briefly. "Well, someone's got to stop you from running headfirst into trouble," he joked. "I need to get back to my Clan now. See you again next Gathering."

Silentpaw nodded. "See you then." Her tail curled as she added, "Maybe if we're lucky, I'll be a warrior when I see you again."

"Maybe," Eeltooth replied, amused. "Good luck to you and your Clan." He padded off, leaving Silentpaw alone with her worries.

SCENEBREAK

"Silentpaw?"

The apprentice looked up wearily. It was the same night, far after ThunderClan had returned from the Gathering. It was long after the rest of her Clan, and yet Silentpaw hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep. She'd given up on sleep a while ago and had wandered out of camp, lying atop the stone wall above the camp. It was a nice place to sit and be alone, and to still hear her Clanmates snoring peacefully below. But apparently, she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.

She turned her head to face the tom, giving a weary wave of her tail in greeting. "Hi Jayfeather," she mewed quietly.

The medicine cat settled beside her, his pelt brushing against hers. "I could hear you worrying away from my den," he grunted.

Jayfeather was the one who could read minds, but Silentpaw knew his mind well enough to guess his thoughts. "Admit it," she said, "you couldn't sleep either."

There was a pause. "No." Jayfeather tucked his paws under his chest, settling. "I'm as worried about what we heard tonight as you are."

Those worries squirmed inside her chest, powerful enough to make her ache. "You heard Shrewfoot tonight," she murmured. "She has it out for halfClan cats. I thought it was just one mousebrained leader being greedy. But it's so much worse." She shook her head, trying to ignore the twisting fear in her gut. "She's not going to stop. She's going to keep stealing prey and attacking patrols, because she knows Tigerstar won't stop her, and she thinks she's justified. She probably hates RiverClan – their leader is halfClan, after all. And ThunderClan's notorious for taking in strays and halfClans. What will she do to us?"

Jayfeather was silent for several moments. Finally, he challenged, "Are you afraid?"

"Of course I am," Silentpaw snapped. "I'm scared of any cat who hates so openly. She's not going to stop, and she'll come for our Clan next. And with hunting so hard, we're already weak. Our warriors aren't eating as well as they should be." Silentpaw's own pelt hung a little too loosely on her frame, and she could hear hunger sharpen the mews of all her Clanmates. "If ShadowClan attacks, it won't go well for us. So yeah, I'm afraid."

The medicine cat nodded, satisfied. "Good. You should be. Only a fool wouldn't be afraid."

Silentpaw waited in wary silence. Ever since her return from RiverClan, Jayfeather had been acting cold towards her, same as Blazepaw. This was the first time he had approached her since her return two moons ago. What would he say to her?

"I'm sorry." Silentpaw blinked in surprise to hear the words escape the stubborn tom's mouth. "I shouldn't have shut you out like that." He gave a swift, comforting lick to her ear. "I understand why you left for RiverClan. But it's not just your thoughts I can hear. I can feel all the pain and fear your parents and brother have been feeling, and everything they've been feeling since you got back. It was difficult to deal with their fear for you on top of my own. But it still wasn't right to just ignore you like that. I'm truly sorry."

Silentpaw curled against the medicine cat, suddenly too exhausted to be wary any longer. The long trek to the Gathering island and back, her worries over Shrewfoot, and her family, had her utterly bone-tired. "Blazepaw is furious with me," she murmured, "and my parents."

"They're angry, yes," Jayfeather told her. Her uncle laid his chin over her head, curling protectively around her, as though she were still a kit. "But it's anger born of worry. You left them with no way of knowing whether you were alive, or if you'd been drowned in the lake. Now that you're back safe and sound, they're angry that you made them worry like that. But they won't be angry forever. Talk to them."

The apprentice nodded groggily. Relief crashed over her like a wave. Jayfeather had forgiven her, he truly had. And if he had, perhaps she could get Blazepaw and her parents to do the same. As her fears began to fade, at least for the present, she became aware of how utterly exhausted she was. With Jayfeather curled beside her, Silentpaw finally managed to drift off to sleep.

Another chapter done already. :P I should really be focusing more on finals. But I wrote most of this late at night, after studying. I probably won't get another chapter done until after finals, though, so you'll have to wait. At least you get a pretty long chapter this time. It's nearly 4000 words.

Ugh, I'm not totally happy with this chapter, especially towards the end. But it's done, at least.

Yes, as at least one reader guessed, Nightfern was sneaking out of camp to meet a ShadowClan tom. The tom in question is Wetwhisker. And instead of sneaking around until either someone dies or gets caught or kits are born with divided loyalties, Wetwhisker left his Clan behind to be with Nightfern.

I'm considering writing a short, novella-styled story about Nightfern's moon with ShadowClan, falling in love with Wetwhisker, and their choice to be together in WindClan. I would call it, "Nightfern's Choice." If I write it, it would probably be after the main series, but who knows. I might find some time this summer to write it. ^^

Also, I'm starting to get close to being halfway through this story. That's kind of insane. I'll be onto book three before I know it.

Seems like Tigerstar doesn't have very good control over his Clan. And Shrewfoot is prejudiced. And Olivenose is expecting kits. And cats are going hungry in all four Clans. Fun times.

A small timeskip for the next chapter, and we're back to Blazepaw's POV.

Also, something I meant to mention a while back - when a cat dies in my fanfic, I'll say which spirit accompanied them to StarClan.

Dewpaw was led to StarClan by Whitewing, his sister.

Petalkit was led to StarClan by Icecloud, her father's sister. Icecloud is also acting as Petalkit's mother in StarClan, looking after her while her parents cannot, like Snowfur did for Mosskit.

Tawnypelt was led to StarClan by Goldenflower.

And Rowanstar was led to StarClan by Tawnypelt.