A Warrior's Truth Fan Novella

Silverstream's love - Chapter two

Silverstream gazed nervously at the crowded cats. What if I come off as rude?  

"Hello ThunderClan! I... uh, I... guess I'm pregnant with your Clanmate's kits, Graystripe. So uh. Here I am. You kind of can't stop me, uh, Bluestar said yes, so... y'know, don't try anything. And uh. I'm completely honored. Uh. Thank you," she called out to the clearing. 

"Go Silverstream!" Fireheart called from below. Graystripe looked too happy to speak. 

"I would like you to officially meet everyone in our Clan," Bluestar ordered.

Silverstream leapt onto the ground and turned to Tigerclaw, and dipped her head down, down, down at him. "I've always respected you, forever. Now you're my deputy, and I'll serve you the best I can. I heard about the way you avenged Redtail, the way you saved him as an apprentice. It was breathtaking. Of course, I will still be hesitant to battle RiverClan, since it contains all of my friends and family, but ThunderClan is my new Clan and I will fight fiercely to be accepted."

Tigerclaw sighed. "I would like to believe that would be true. But don't count on me. I won't ever save you until you prove your loyalty."

"Tigerclaw!" Bluestar scowled. 

He dipped his head, then looked to Dustpelt, Longtail, and Darkstripe. Then he nodded. Weird, Silverstream thought, dazed. She then made her way to the elder's den. 

A brown tabby with half a tail reached the stub out to hers in a friendly gesture. Silverstream was familiar with this strategy: trust building. If a cat changed Clans, it would be good to wrap your tail around theirs. 

Silverstream complied. "You know my name's Silverstream, but I don't exactly recognize you...?"

The tabby let out a rich purr. "My name is Halftail. I think you know where I got my name from. As long as you change my moss once in a while, I don't even remotely care about you at all!" He told her.

That... is... surprisingly relieving  and disappointing at the same time, she thought, padding over to the next elder standing outside the den. 

"Hi, I'm Smallear. I have small ears. I'm always called cute for this. Anyways, please don't do anything behind our backs, Silverstream? I was fine with Fireheart, I always have been. I just.. hope you're no different," he mewed sweetly. 

Silverstream dipped her head. "I love Graystripe more than anything. And I will learn to love this Clan more than anything. I belong to ThunderClan," she assured him. Then padded to the next in line. 

All the elders were pretty much the same. Either straight up mean, or friendly with mean undertones.

When she made it to the queens, she was relieved when Brindleface padded right up to her.

"Hi, Silverstream. Welcome to the team. I see you're showing signs. I'll make sure to look after your kits as though they were my own," she said.

Fireheart bounded up to them. "She sure will. She took care of Cloudpaw when he was a kit, when no one else would." He exchanged a very loving glance with Brindleface. Not romantic, but like he would follow her to the heart of the Dark Forest if he had to. 

Silverstream dipped her head in respect. "Thanks for welcoming me. I'm not sure any of the others will be as keen to."

"Don't worry about it. Fireheart came and all of that was the same. But now he's one of the most beloved cats in our Clan. You'll love it here."

_

"You'll be sleeping in here tonight," Brindleface told Silverstream. She felt a small shiver travel down her spine. I thought that ThunderClan cats were organized. This is nothing like that.

She thought maybe it was because of Bramblekit, Tawnykit, and Snowkit playing around in here. But they were pretty much newborn. How could they cause so much trouble?!

"Frostfur kicks in her sleep," Brindleface rolled her eyes. "I love Frostfur, but she really needs to let go of that habit. Snowkit also kicks in his sleep. And anytime you wake him up and tell him to stop he acts like a deaf elder!" She continued.

Silverstream purred of amusement. "Kits can be stubborn. I just can't wait for mine," she mewed wistfully. Graystripe's kits. Having these will solidify this decision. Going to ThunderClan. Forest. Ew. For Graystripe. But... I can't shake the feeling that I should go back. Does he expect me to just leave everyone I know and love and be okay with it?!

"What do you think you'll name them?" Brindleface asked, pulling Silverstream into the real world.

"RiverClan likes naming cats on their appearance. Like, Silverkit, because I was silver, Mosskit, because her fur was all frizzy and fluffy, Graykit, because she was gray, you know. But I'm in ThunderClan now... what do you guys name your cats on?" She asked her friend.

"A mix. Rarely we legacy name, sometimes we do it on appearance, sometimes we do it on personality, and sometimes a mix. There's Longtail, whose name speaks for itself. Darkstripe, the same, but Tigerclaw is because he has stripes, and claw is because he... well, I think you can tell he's not the sit down and talk it out type," Brindleface answered.

"Fireheart is the same. Fire for his orange pelt, heart for his bravery and strength, you know," she continued.

"Well, if one looks like me I think I might name them Streamkit. Or maybe... Graystripe told me that I was like a delicate feather, flying everywhere through the wind, eagerly but gracefully. Maybe Featherkit. But I like Streamkit better," Silverstream responded.

Brindleface winced. "I don't think that Streamkit is a good decision."

"What, why?" Silverstream wailed, immediately sad.

"Because it's a call-out to their RiverClan ancestors. ThunderClan would be angry. Of course, I think it's beautiful, but ThunderClan would be totally angry. Any other pure ThunderClan kit would be fine with a kit named Streamkit. But because you came from RiverClan..." Brindleface trailed off.

Silverstream understood now. "Oh. Well... maybe not Featherkit, either. I think we should meet them before naming them," she mewed, staring off into the distance.

The mottled tortoiseshell beside her nodded, seeming to sympathize. But Brindleface knew nothing.

Rage seared beneath Silverstream's pelt. They hate me just because I'm from RiverClan! And that's it! They don't even know me! She tried to calm herself down by asking herself how she'd feel if... say, Longtail came into her camp and said he was in love with Mistyfoot and was carrying her kits, then how would she feel?

Ticklish, Silverstream thought, chuckling. Longtail carrying Mistyfoot's kits!

But then she got serious, and then she couldn't get herself to stop being angry. "Well, I'm going to bed," she told her friend quickly, trying not to let the angry thoughts escape through her mouth. Brindleface was only trying to be nice. Silverstream was just being a jerk.

As she laid down, she could only wonder. Do I really belong here? Do I want to be here? But as she wondered, she felt searing pain wave through her stomach.

As long as these kits are inside me here, I'm stuck.