Silverlight's Virtue #1: Dark Shadows

Chapter 7

Silverpaw woke up shivering, the feel of water still on her pelt. She shook herself lightly and padded out of the den, careful not to disturb any sleeping cats. She tried to make her way across to the fresh-kill pile without being seen, but that didn't quite work.

  "Silverpaw!" Leaflight mewed. "Do you want to go on dawn patrol with Birdflight and I?" Silverpaw groaned inwardly. No, I want to sleep. "Sure," Silverpaw mewed. 

  Leaflight grinned. "Excellent. We're going to the FireClan border today! Excited, Silverpaw?"

  Silverpaw shrugged. "No," she mewed. Leaflight rolled her eyes. "Come on, grouchy face. Let's go."

  Silverpaw pushed through the exit to the camp, stumbling over a branch as she went. Her eyes were cloudy from sleepiness. "Did you not sleep at all last night or something?" Leaflight mewed, looking concerned.

  "No, I was just...unable to sleep," Silverpaw muttered. Leaflight seemed to accept that and said nothing else on the matter. "Who was your mother?" Silverpaw mewed impulsively, and cursed at herself. Idiot! You don't go around asking cats that!

  Leaflight didn't seem to take any offense. "Well, my mother was Dovewing," she mewed.

  Silverpaw stumbled. "What? You mean like the Power of the Stars Dovewing or whatever?" she exclaimed. Leaflight sighed. "Honestly, Silverpaw. Is there any other Dovewing that you've heard of?" she mewed. Silverpaw shrugged. "I guess not?"

  Silverpaw was so occupied with this new information that she crashed into Birdflight and caused her to lose her mouse. "For LightClan's sake, Silverpaw! Are you sleepwalking or something?"

  Silverpaw nodded absently, not quite hearing Birdflight. Birdflight snorted and stomped off, probably scaring off all the prey in a five mile radius. Leaflight gave Silverpaw an odd look. "Let's hurry to the FireClan border, Silverpaw," she mewed.

  Silverpaw pricked her ears. She had heard something. "Leaflight, did you say something?" she mewed. Leaflight shook her head. "No. Are you hearing things now? It's amazing how lack of sleep can cause such strange things to happen to young cats," Leaflight teased. Silverpaw ignored her. She was certain she had heard something.

  "Erghh! Why does LeafClan's territory have to be so LEAFY?" a distant voice mewed. Silverpaw pricked her ears again. "You heard that, didn't you?" she mewed. Leaflight nodded. "I heard that, it sounds like...FireClan," she replied.

  "Oh, what do we do?!" Birdflight squealed. She didn't sound very scared.

  Silverpaw's nervousness boiled inside her. She asked herself the inevitable question: What WAS FireClan doing in LeafClan's territory? 

  Leaflight angled her ears toward the sound of the voices. "Let's go check it out," she mewed. "Stay behind me."

  Silverpaw bounded after Leaflight, and the patrol came into view. There were seven of them, all FireClan warriors. "It looks like they brought all their warriors!" Birdflight whispered.

  The tom in the lead turned around. Silverleaf recognized him. It was Firelight! "We need to enter their camp quietly, to ambush them," he mewed. "If anybody makes any sound, you'll be sleeping in the dirtplace for a week! We'll make LeafClan pay for their insults to FireClan!"

  Leaflight whipped around, urgency showing in her eyes. "We need to get back to camp and prepare everyone, right now. FireClan's going to attack," she whispered.

  Silverpaw followed Leaflight, pelting into the camp at top speed. She let out a sigh of relief. It hadn't been attacked yet. "Everyone wake up! FireClan's going to attack!" she yowled at the top of her voice.

  Leaflight sighed at Silverpaw. "That's not how you wake everyone up," she mewed. She went and stuck her head in the warriors' den, and Silverpaw could hear her telling the warriors what was going on. Silverpaw went ahead and stuck her head in the apprentice's den. "FireClan's going to attack soon! I heard them on our dawn patrol! No, really, Sparrowpaw!"

  Finally, the whole Clan was ready. The elders had been led up the hill to safety, and everyone else was positioned around the Clan entrance and back emergency entrance, in case FireClan attempted to enter from there.

  "I hear them!" Kestralhawk mewed. He was known for his sharp ears. Leaflight sighed. "If you just now heard them, it might take a while for the rest of us to hear them," she mewed. Then she perked up. "I hear them now!"

  The sounds of arguing FireClan cats reached Silverpaw's ears. "Idiot, Blazepelt!" someone growled. "Stop stepping on my tail!"

  "Well stop making so much noise then!"

  "Look who's talking, mousebrain!"

  "Shut up!" snapped a voice Silverpaw recognized as Firelight. "Okay, remember our plan..." he continued. Silverpaw perked her ears to hear the rest, but alas, curse her bad hearing >:(.

  Suddenly, a FireClan she-cat  burst into the LeafClan camp. "Atta-" she started to yowl, but was cut off by Mapleclaw jumping onto her head.

  "Attack!" Leaflight screeched, hurtling out of hiding, followed by the rest of LeafClan. The FireClan cats were caught off guard, and Silverpaw leaped onto a tom twice her size. She sunk her front claws deep into his pelt and clawed him with her hind legs.

  The tom barely even seemed to be hurt and shook Silverpaw off as easily as if he were shaking off a flea. 

  Silverpaw went flying into the nearest tree.

  Silverpaw struggled to sit up, the world spinning around her. She dimly heard Goldenstrike chasing after a tom, yowling, "Die! Die! Die!" Silverpaw staggered to her feet, and found herself facing the tom again. Uh-oh. I'm too young to die!

  Silverpaw decided she might as well go down fighting. Letting loose a snarl, she launched herself at the tom. Before she knew it, the tom's hefty paw was crashing down on her head, and she blacked out.

  Sorry, kind of short chapter. I just HAD to end to it there for the cliff-hanger effect *evil grin*. Next chapter will be awesome. Maybe. Hopefully. Leave a comment below if you like this book, and for any suggestions to improve it. Don't forget to vote and follow me! ;)