The Legend of Silverflame (Completed) {Warrior Cats Fanfic}

Chapter 13

Silverpaw was woken at moonrise to go to the gathering. "Tell me everything about it when you get back!" Stormpaw insisted.

"Don't worry, I will." Silverpaw said, her tiredness vanishing instantly at the thought of joining her clanmates at Tallrocks under the full moon.

Oakstar rounded up his group for the night, which included the usual, Smallwhisker, Bramblestem, Mooncloud, and Goldenrock, and then added Silverpaw, Snowfoot, Brightfur, and Blackclaw.

As they exited the camp on silent paws, and dashed to the Gathering, Silverpaw couldn't hold back excitement. She wondered who would be there, but she couldn't decide whether she hoped Darkpelt would attend or not. She would be able to confront him peacefully, but Silverpaw didn't want to stir up trouble.

When the cats were almost to the clearing, they ducked behind the last of the bushes, and on Oakstar's signal, flooded into Tallrocks.

The size of Tallrocks still amazed her, and she gazed up in awe. Around her, Shadowclan and Riverclan had already arrived, coming earlier than expected. Then, Silverpaw spotted Darkpelt, who had his back to her, and was telling a dramatic story to a group of Riverclan and Shadowclan cats. She couldn't help listening in.

"Yeah, I see action all the time. All we Shadowclan cats do. Just the other day, I was patrolling the border with only one other clanmate, and when we came to the Empty Stream, we found a Thunderclan spy on our side. It taunted us, me and my clanmate. Tricked us into a fight. A fight of impossible odds." He told the group, giving a heroic look to the starry sky at his own words. "There were only two of us defending the territory, and we had to fight an entire patrol. One of the cats I faced had been trained with moves I'd never seen before."

The Shadowclan cats listening seemed to have heard the story many times before, because only the Riverclan cats seemed to be fascinated. They asked him what the moves were.

"No, no, they were not moves that should be used by a clan warrior. That cat must've learned its fair share of moves from its mentor, who happened to be a killer." Darkpelt's voice lowered dramatically, and the Riverclan cats gasped at his story. "It attacked me so ferociously, and it just wouldn't stop. But if I let it beat me, how many of my other fellow clan cats would be killed in those jaws? It could've attacked Riverclan, or Windclan, or more of Shadowclan, and I couldn't let that happen."

"What did you do?" One of the Riverclan cats asked in an angry voice. "What did you do to the traitor?"

Darkpelt glanced up, looking at the Riverclan cat straight in the eyes. "I finished her."

Some of the Riverclan cats seemed relieved, some seemed a bit edgy, but calmed down as the idea sunk in. Darkpelt continued. "When she was aiming for my neck, I kicked out and threw her against a rock. It broke my heart to do such a thing to another cat. But I made sure she didn't suffer. Her skull was broken, and there was so much blood, some of it is still there, at the scene."

Silverpaw felt somewhat outraged, somewhat amused at hearing the story. She stepped out from behind him. "Darkpelt, you seemed to have misinterpreted a few details." She said, shouldering him aside. He looked ready to faint as she continued. "You make it sound like the two of you attacked a whole patrol. It was only two other cats. And you make it sound like the cat who attacked you was a full grown warrior. It was me, a six moon old apprentice. I got out of the wrong side of the Empty Stream by accident, not even crossing your scentline, and you attacked me anyway. I was exploring the territory for the first time. I'd die before I use killing moves, and my mentor would too!"

"D-Do you seriously expect us to believe that story?" Darkpelt spat, who was apparently already recovered from the shock. "I came here for one reason, and one reason only. To warn Riverclan about you. A-And I had to try to finish you, because it only takes a six moon old apprentice and a few killing moves to beat a full-trained warrior."

The Riverclan cats looked to be agreeing with Darkpelt, and Silverpaw felt even angrier.

"And I'll have you know, if you think your mentor is innocent, you're wrong." Darkpelt hissed. "That cat you idolize, calling her mentor, has done something you clearly don't know about. Your rogue teacher is nothing better than a deadbeat kittypet, she..."

"How dare you say that about Snowfoot!" Silverpaw screeched, and sprang at Darkpelt. It took all her self-control to keep her claws sheathed, but she didn't try to stop herself from wrestling Darkpelt. He deserved it.

The Shadowclan warrior, who obviously could easily beat her, didn't unsheathe his claws on her either, to spare the shame of hurting an apprentice at a gathering, so she was shocked when blood spurted from his neck, staining her light-colored fur.

"What have you done?!" Snowfoot screeched, coming towards her. "How dare you attack a clanmate at a gathering and..." She stopped, seeing the blood on Darkpelt's neck. "You didn't..."

"I didn't do anything! I don't know what happened!" She protested. As she glanced around, most of the rest of the clearing had seen what had happened.

"We will discuss this later." Snowfoot hissed through clenched teeth. "I want you to try to act like this is just a normal gathering, and leave Darkpelt alone."

"But..." Silverpaw exclaimed. "I didn't even unsheathe my claws!"

"The bleeding scratch on his neck says otherwise." Snowfoot spat. "And if you can't control yourself enough to..."

Snowfoot was staring at Darkpelt. She turned around to see what she was looking at. Darkpelt was licking blood from his own claws.

He framed me. Silverpaw thought. She got furious. Nobody else noticed Darkpelt doing so. "Why you...!"

"Don't!" Snowfoot exclaimed, and pinned her down. "Don't let him get to you." She whispered. "It'll only make things worse."

"You should teach your apprentice something other than how to kill the Shadowclan Deputy." Darkpelt snarled at Snowfoot, setting down his clean paw.

He's Shadowclan Deputy?! Silverpaw thought nervously. Ignoring Darkpelt's comment, Snowfoot spun around and went to the Thunderclan side of the clearing. Silverpaw reluctantly followed her, swallowing down a snarling insult she so badly wanted to throw.

Then, Silverpaw looked over her shoulder to see Thistlefur-- no, Thistlestar staring back at them with his eyes gleaming. His gaze was fixed specifically on Snowfoot. Silverpaw saw him sheathing and unsheathing his claws, working the ground with his paws.

"What's up with him?" Silverpaw asked.

"Nothing, besides the fact he wants to kill me." Snowfoot spat.

"What?" Silverpaw gasped.

"He hates me. He wants me dead. I'll tell you the story later, now isn't a good time." Snowfoot replied, still having an edge to her voice. Silverpaw wanted to ask her more, but she said, "Enough, I don't want to hear it."

So Silverpaw retreated to her own thoughts. Then she realized; If my own life is in danger because I'm was hated by the Shadowclan Deputy, then what will happen to Snowfoot, if she's hated by the Shadowclan leader?