Chapter 7

"Silverheart. Silverheart!" Silverheart woke up to a prodding feeling on her shoulder. She opened one eye, her vision still blurry from sleep, and saw Cloudkit. It was a little past nightfall, and the patrol against the dogs were still fighting. She hoped they were okay.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice very soft from tiredness.

"Duststar wants you." Willowkit explained. "The patrol against Addertail and the dogs came back."

Silverheart got up and walked into the camp clearing. "Duststar?" She yawned. "What do you need?"

Then she saw it. Her mother, Grayheart. She was splayed out in the center of camp, her back towards the nursery where Silverheart stood. "What happened?" She asked, anxiously.

"She fought off the dogs, drowned them in the nearest river, but was struck down in the process." Thrushfeaher meowed, grief tinting her voice. Thrushfeather was a former FrostClan cat, but joined AcornClan when she decided that FrostClan was not the right Clan for her after her crush, Stormstar, left and she realized that he was evil and thirsty for power.

"No," Silverheart hissed, her eyes welling up with tears of grief. "Is she alive?" She saw the faint up and down of her mothers flanks that gave her hope. She walked forward to see Grayheart. She crouched down next to her. "Grayheart?" She whispered. She couldn't lose her mother. Not now. Not when she was nursing two kits and the Clan was endangered to dogs. And Addertail.

Grayheart stirred, coughed, and opened one eye, squinting. "Silverheart?"

"I'm here," She meowed softly. "What happened?" She asked. "Was it the dogs?"

"No…" She paused, closing her eyes again. She coughed.

"What was it?" Silverheart asked. Her mother didn't respond. "Grayheart?" She asked.

She opened her eyes again, smiling. "There's no need to worry. When you look up at the stars at night, you will see me shining for you. I will miss AcornClan, but I am going to a better place." She shifted, grunting in pain, and Silverheart could then see a giant gash in her belly.

"No, your not going to StarClan! Don't talk like that!" Silverheart insisted.

"Silverheart. There's no fixing this." Grayheart gasped.

"I can't lose you," Silverheart whispered.

"Keep going, Silverheart. I will be with you, always." She closed her eyes, and the up and down of her flanks slowed down.

"No, no!" Silverheart gasped. She buried her nose in her mother's fur. "Mother…" She whispered, tears making Grayheart's fur wet.

Silverheart felt soft fur touch her side. She looked down and saw Willowkit looking up at her. "Momma, are you crying?" She asked.

Silverheart sniffed. "Sometimes as a warrior, it's okay to cry." She whispered, and nuzzled her kit.

"I'm so sorry," Tulipflower meowed. "I know how close you two were. It's awful losing a loved one."

"If it wasn't the dogs, who did this?" Silverheart asked.

"It happened so fast, I don't remember." Duststar explained.

"Check her claws." Duskfoot said.

The Clan looked at him quizzically.

"There's fur in between her claws. What color is it?"

There was a collective "ohh" from the others. Ravenfur grabbed her paw and looked into her unsheathed claws by pressing her paw pad. It revealed the red-brown fur of Addertail.

"It's brown!" Thrushfeather gasped.

"Just like Addertail's fur." Silverheart growled. "Addertail did this!" She declared.

"I knew I didn't like Addertail!" Cloudkit piped up.

The Clan purred laughter.

"What are we going to do?" Beechwhisper asked.

Duststar leaped onto the bramble rock and declared, "we shall attack Addertail and his followers tomorrow at sunrise!"

"How will we avoid fighting the others, who have peace with us?" Dawnblossom asked, tilting her head.

"We know Addertail's followers. They are Fernsight, Mosswing, and Windfur." Jayfang said from the base of the bramble rock.

"How is he still getting us with only three other cats?" Oakstorm hissed.

"They are very strong, so," Duskfoot muttered.

"Yes, but he also had the dogs." Mistythorn reasoned.

"Oh yeah." Oakstorm agreed.

"Anyways, we will come back!" Duststar called, pride and arrogance tinting his yowl. "We will tell Lightstar, get him on our side, and then somehow get Addertail into an ambush along with his followers. We'll drive them out, and FrostClan will be at peace with us again."

"AcornClan!" The Clan yowled.

"Silverheart, Jayfang, Cedarleaf, and I will leave now to FrostClan and speak with Lightstar." Duststar declared. He sprang off the rock and led the patrol out of the Clan.

"We want to speak with Lightstar," Duststar explained to Mosswing when they reached the FrostClan camp for the fourth time. Silverheart squared her shoulders. She was mad at Mosswing for so many reasons. Following Addertail, the cat who literally murdered her mother, and for not letting her Clanmates through.

"Why should I let you talk to Lightstar?" Mosswing said, turning his head stubbornly.

"None of YOUR concern. I must speak with Lightstar." Duststar repeated.

"I will only let you through with an answer; why do you need to talk to Lightstar so badly?" He meowed.

"Leader buisiness." Duststar said.

Cedarleaf growled. "Stay out of it, mouse brain."

"Fine." Mosswing led the cats through a tunnel of stone, and they ended up in a stone clearing. He entered a small den lined with ice and snow, and returned shortly with Lightstar, still blinking sleep from his eyes.

"Duststar, I hear you would like to talk to me." Lightstar said, friendliness sparking his gaze.

"Yes, let's go into you're den and have a chat." Duststar meowed.

"Great! Come along." Lightstar led the cats into the den, Mosswing following them.

"You can stay out of this," Silverheart heard Cedarleaf hiss quietly to Mosswing.

He rolled his eyes, and left to what looked like the warrior den.

"So what do I need to know?" Lightstar asked.

"Lightstar, I'm sure you are aware of the many dogs near your camp, yes?" Duststar replied.

"Oh, yes. They have been stealing our prey for about a half moon by now!"

"Well, I know the cause of them."

"Twolegs, right?" Lightstar said, flicking his tail.

"No, surprisingly. It's actually…Addertail." Duststar meowed.

"Addertail?"

"Yes. A little while ago, he held a small and short battle against us with some other FrostClan cats. I believe they were Fernsight, Windfur, and…and Mosswing. He held the battle without you knowing, and said if I told you, he would kill us. I decided to refrain from telling you, but then we had a severe dog problem. We then found out that Addertail is the one to bring the dogs into the Clans. We tried to drive them out, but Grayheart died in the process. After we checked her claws, there was reddish brown fur in between them. Addertail's fur."

"But, why would he do that?" Lightstar muttered furiously.

"He said he was angry that you didn't choose him as deputy. And that he thinks you hate him." Silverheart explained.

"Oh," Lightstar whispered. "What else did he say?"

"When Stormstar left, and you were chosen as leader, he said that you said you always wanted to have him as your deputy. And then when you became closer to Whitesong, you chose him instead. He felt betrayed. Apparently, when Addertail asked you why he didn't choose me, and he said it's because you saw his vicousness in the battle against us. So, he said that you would always disagree and would never work together. He said that you two fought, and you said he was only proving your point, and that you both haven't spoken since then." Duststar said.

Lightstar looked angry. "Of course I didn't choose him! He fought like Stormstar!"

"I know, I know." Duststar soothed. "We want your help to fight him tomorrow morning."

"Of course, Duststar. I owe AcornClan one." Lightstar replied.