Silvershine emerged from the warrior's den, stretching. The golden rays of the sun warmed her pelt despite the chill of an approaching leaf bare that was on the wind. She gave herself a thorough grooming as she surveyed the camp, she was on the Sunhigh patrol, but at this time of day there was nothing for her to do, so she might as well make use of her time. Tailwind, Sparrowheart and Echobound headed out, leading the three littermates they mentored. Silvershine watched them go, longingly.
"What's there for a warrior without an apprentice to do?" Silvershine wondered aloud. She had been rather busy as an apprentice between going on patrol, training, clearing dens and hunting for the elders. She had thought that being a warrior would be more work.
With a sigh, she headed to the camp entrance. She nearly collided with Blackpaw, who was returning with a large ball of moss in her mouth. A growl rumbled in her throat as she continued on, glaring back at Silvershine.
Growl all you want, but I'm out of your reach now, Silvershine thought confidently. She pranced out of the camp and down to the lake shore. She froze; a scent on the wind caught her attention. Parting her jaws, she got a better wiff of it. It smelled almost like ThunderClan, but was different and yet familiar.
Cautiously, she followed the scent. She was downwind of it and therefore thought the cat could not scent her and probably did not know it was her. She crouched low as she came over a hill. There, below her, was a small blue-gray tabby tom. Silvershine bunched her hind leg muscles in preparation to pounce down on the intruder, but suddenly froze, recognizing the cat.
"Raccoonpaw?" She asked, padding down the slope.
"Ahh! Don't hurt me!" Raccoonpaw ducked and covered his head with his paws.
"Raccoonpaw, it's me, Silvershine," Silvershine said, crouching to the apprentice's level. "Remember, we met at the Moonpool."
"Silvershine!" Raccoonpaw leapt to his paws, "thank StarClan! I thought I was fresh-kill for sure!"
"You may still be," Silvershine growled. "What are you doing this deep into WindClan territory?"
"I'm lost," Raccoonpaw admitted, shamefully hanging his head. "I chased a rabbit away from my hunting patrol and crossed the border by mistake. After I lost the rabbit, I couldn't find out where ThunderClan was."
"Well you're pretty far off," Silvershine said. "You're almost at the WindClan camp!"
"Really?!" Raccoonpaw asked. "Wow, I really was lost! Where is your camp?"
"Just over those hills," Silvershine pointed with her tail.
"Wow! I'd love to see it!" Raccoonpaw exclaimed, "can we go?"
"Um….you're not supposed to be here," Silvershine said, "and you're definitely not supposed to be in our camp. I can take you back to ThunderClan territory, but that's it."
"Will you really?" gratefulness glittered in Raccoonpaw's yellow eyes as he looked up at the WindClan warrior. "Thanks so much! You're really nice."
"Not really," Silvershine said, leading the way back, "I mean any cat would do the same. It's not really to help you out, it's to get you out of here."
"Well still, it's helping a lot," Raccoonpaw said.
"So, how goes your medicine cat training?" Silvershine asked.
"Oh I'm already over that," Raccoonpaw said. "I mean, knowing what herbs do what and everything is great, and being able to talk to StarClan would be really cool, but it's not my thing. I wanna learn to fight! To defend my Clan and to have power!"
"Life's not all about power," Silvershine said. "Some of the best warriors were only that, warriors. They never got to be deputy or leader or do much more than patrol, hunt, and fight battles, but they served their Clan faithfully and fought with all the strength of StarClan!" Silvershine herself knew nothing about this, but thought it made a great story, and she knew that striving for only power would lead to trouble.
"Yea, maybe," Raccoonpaw still didn't seem convinced.
Silvershine wasn't so sure how to convince him and instead just walked on silently to the ThunderClan border. "Well there it is. Pay attention to the scent markers next time, and don't let me catch you over here again!"
"I won't!" Raccoonpaw agreed, bounding across the border. "Thanks so much! Hey, how does someone get to go to a Gathering?"
"It's up to your mentor and Mudstar," Silvershine said. "Doing extra chores and helping out wouldn't hurt either. But you haven't been to one yet, so I'm sure you'll get your chance real soon."
"I hope there's nice cats like you there!" Raccoonpaw said. "And even that you're there!"
"I'll try," Silvershine replied. "Now get back to your Clan!"
"Yes ma'am!" Raccoonpaw sat up straight and touched his tail to his forehead and then flicked it forward before bounding off into ThunderClan territory.
"Hmmm…wonder what that was just now," Silvershine thought aloud about the odd gesture. "He probably made it up, how cute." She turned around to go back to camp. She looked up to the sky lazily as she padded back, but then suddenly realized, "great StarClan! It's almost sunhigh! I gotta get back! Oh, and I was gonna catch a fish for Lostmind and everything." She bounded over the hills back to the camp.
"I'm here!" she burst through the gorse entrance, "don't leave without me!"
"Silvershine, what's the rush?" Amberpelt greeted her with a worried expression.
"I'm on the Sunhigh patrol, aren't I?" Silvershine asked, sitting down and smoothing her ruffled fur.
"Oh, alright then," Amberpelt said.
"You didn't know that?" Silvershine asked.
"Graymist is leading it," Amberpelt said, "I just told her to gather the patrol together. It's up to her who's on it."
"Oh," Silvershine said. "I thought…well, nevermind. Where is Graymist?"
"She went into the Warrior's den not too long ago," Amberpelt said, "probably to get everyone else together."
Just as Amberpelt had finished talking, Graymist emerged from the warrior's den. With her were Whiptail and Frostfall. Stormstar came from his den and headed towards the camp entrance where everyone met.
"S…Stormstar, you're coming?" Silvershine asked.
"Of course," Stormstar replied, "a Clan leader goes on patrols too. Haven't you seen me go on patrol before?"
"Well, yea," Silvershine said, "b…but I was never on them."
"So, is everyone here?" Stormstar turned to his mate.
"Not everyone," Graymist replied. "Frostfall, where's Icepaw?"
Silvershine froze as if her own blood had turned to ice at the mention of the apprentice's name. "I…Icepaw's coming?"
"Calm down," Whiptail rested his tail on her shoulder, "you out-rank her now, remember?"
"That's why I'm worried," Silvershine muttered.
"Icepaw!" Frostfall called.
"I'm comin' I'm comin'," Icepaw's curt meow came from the apprentice den as the blue-gray apprentice emerged. She glared straight ahead and her ice blue eyes caught sight of Silvershine. The warrior shivered under her piercing gaze.
"Right, shall we go?" Graymist asked, obviously ignoring the tension on purpose.
The patrol of six headed out of the camp and up onto the moor. When Graymist asked which way they should go, Silvershine suggested towards RiverClan; she knew Raccoonpaw's scent would still be rather fresh by the time they got to the ThunderClan border, but at least it'd be staler if they went there last. Fortunately, they agreed to her suggestion without question.
They went down to the lake and then up the RiverClan border. The scent markers were beginning to fade and Silvershine guessed RiverClan's own sunhigh patrol would be along soon.
As if her thoughts had summoned them, five cats came padding down along the border. Silvershine recognized the sleek brown pelt of Otterfur, Dapplepaw's mentor and a light orange tabby she-cat she had seen before at Gatherings. She stood beside the dark gray tabby tom that led the patrol. Behind them was a small gray tom and bringing up the rear was Scratchpaw.
"Greetings," Stormstar dipped his head to the patrol's leader. "How's the prey running?"
"Or swimming as the case may be," the tabby replied, "but it's well enough. With leaf fall in full swing, nothing's ever easy, but there is still plenty of prey in RiverClan."
"Glad to hear it," Stormstar nodded approvingly. "We're doing likewise. It looks like this may be an easy leaf bare."
"StarClan willing," Otterfur agreed.
"Well, we won't keep you from your duties any longer," Stormstar nodded as he led the patrol further up the border.
Silvershine looked back over her shoulder at the patrol. She watched Scratchpaw skeptically, having heard the apprentice's rudeness at the last Gathering. The gray tom pointed with his tail to the WindClan side and appeared to be telling the apprentice something. Scratchpaw seemed to snort and turned away. The orange tabby fell back a bit and cuffed Scratchpaw on the ear with sheathed claws.
I'm going to guess the gray cat is her mentor, Silvershine concluded, and the she-cat is her mother. She turned away as the tabby she-cat picked up her pace to rejoin the leader of the patrol. As the two patrols drew farther from each other, Silvershine couldn't shake a suspicious feeling and a hint of anger and betrayal. Why do I feel this way? Silvershine wondered, and this isn't the first time I've felt things I really can't explain. Is this normal or is something wrong with me?