CotS #1: The Dark Path (currently being rewritten)

Chapter Eighteen

I awoke in the nursery after spending a relaxing moon in StarClan. I opened my eyes, my piercing violet eyes, and found I was suddenly so tiny. I got up and shook myself. I noticed Honeykit and Hivekit staring. It was weird, staring at them from Silverkit's perspective. They were literally bigger than me, and as Stormdawn, I'd towered over them.

"What?" I asked, my voice something like a squeak.

Hivekit cocked his head. "Silverkit, you woke up for the first time and you can already walk?" He sounded quite curious.

I shrugged.

"And you can shrug? And you can talk?"

"I'm a smart kit," I said. It wasn't entirely a lie. I was a smart kit, though, truly, I wasn't a kit. Hivekit didn't need to know that. Nobody would ever need to know that.

Hivekit frowned back. And then I saw Wheatpelt nursing Nightkit, Fluffykit and Skykit. Well, not nursing.

"Where's my mother?" I asked, trying to play the kit act. It was also an easier way to find out who was my foster mother.

"That's her there! Her name's Appledawn. And that's going to be you new foster mother when she has her kits!" Hivekit pointed energetically. I looked around, and my jaw dropped. Plumwhisker?! She was going to be my foster mother? But Plumwhisker's eyes were softer now. Perhaps mating with Duskypelt had made her mellow.

"I'll try my best, Silverkit," she meowed, and her voice was so gentle, like a soft morning breeze.

I still had to play along. "Why's Appledawn giving me away? Do I have littermates?"

"No," said Hivekit. "They all died!"

"Hivekit!" Honeykit chided. "That's very rude! Your two littermates," she added to me, in a gentler tone, "Sandkit and Stripedkit, they died, along with your mother, Coriandermist, and your father, Frogleap." She smiled at me sympathetically, as if trying to make me feel better. To be honest, I was happier with Hivekit's straightforward answer. I hadn't seen Sandkit or Stripedkit in StarClan, but then again, I'd mainly kept to myself, only seeing cats I wanted to see.

"Oh," I said, "okay." I didn't even cry. I mean, Coriandermist and Frogleap weren't my parents. That purple-eyed white she-cat outside was. I wondered what she was doing here, anyway. She was hardly expecting more kits - who would want her?

"She looks just like my Stormdawn," Peacewind murmured, almost in a loving, motherly way.

I couldn't help myself. "Is that the cat you abandoned?" I squeaked. Luckily, I managed to keep the contempt out of my voice.

Peacewind took a step back. "She talks?" she asked, gawking at me. She was so much bigger!

"Yeah I do, dumb cat!" I muttered.

Peacewind's eyes widened as I insulted her. "She's rude!" Peacewind hissed to Appledawn accusingly.

"I haven't taught her manners yet," Appledawn meowed dismissively. "I didn't even know she could talk until a few moments ago!" Appledawn stared at me lovingly, like a mother should. Peacewind just looked annoyed.

Peacewind narrowed her eyes at me. "Your attitude also reminds me of Stormdawn!" she said, and she laughed.

"Who's Stormdawn?" I played along.

"She used to be deputy." It was Starrynight who replied.

"She always came to visit!" Twilightkit piped up.