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

Chapter 26

For the next moon, Silverpaw avoided Scarpaw. Snowfoot was very sympathetic about Silverpaw's encounter with the kittypets, as Silverpaw told her the first chance she got after that night, but her mentor also very alarmed. "You can never tell any other cat!" She warned. "You could be in big trouble."

"Should I tell Oakstar?" Silverpaw asked.

"Silverpaw, you can't even tell Oakstar. Promise me you will never tell anyone about your heritage." Snowfoot insisted.

"Why would I try to tell anyone if it would just be bad news?" Silverpaw had responded.

"Good. You keep that a secret." Snowfoot had replied.

Silverpaw thought back to that moment now, as she ignored Scarpaw's teasing. Eventually, Oakstar overheard it.

"How dare you call a clanmate a kittypet?" He roared. "No Thunderclan warrior should stoop so low. I never want to hear you call any Thunderclan cat that again!"

Scarpaw had whimpered and obeyed at the time, while inside, Silverpaw was smiling very happily. Silverpaw had simply slipped away to the apprentice den to be alone. It was outrageous what they thought of kittypets, just because that legend about Burn! She wouldn't be surprised if a kittypet-hating loon had simply invented the story to drive off outsiders from the clans. Maybe Mooncloud's ancestor or something.

Firestar understands. Silverpaw thought. Maybe I can talk to him. She fell asleep quickly, and, even though she tried hard to focus, hoping that it might bring her to see Starclan, Firestar never came.

It was the day of the gathering. It was almost suspicious that suddenly Thunderclan's neighbors, Shadowclan and Riverclan, patrolled their borders much less frequently, and the threat of war seemed to vanish. Either that or it was just a way to lure them into a false sense of security before they strike. The nonetheless, it was then that Silverpaw finally worked up the confidence to speak with Oakstar about going to the Starshine Lake.

"Oakstar, can I speak with you?" Silverpaw asked timidly outside of Oakstar's cave.

"Yes Silverpaw, what is it?" He asked.

"May I travel to Starshine Lake and see the Moonrock?" She asked boldly.

Oakstar hesitated for a moment, and looked at her with an unreadable look. "You are right, you should go sometime. But I cannot spare the warriors. Unless you can go alone, which I doubt, you will just have to wait."

"Then I can go alone." She insisted. "I just need to go to the Moonrock."

Oakstar looked at her as if she were insane. "Alone? But you don't know the way."

"You can tell me." Silverpaw said. "I'll be there and back in a day."

Oakstar still looked doubtful, but finally said; "I'll let you go, but only because I promised you earlier that I'd let you."

"Thank you Oakstar. When do I leave?" She asked.

"Just after the gathering, considering it goes well, and you get permission from the clans." Oakstar said. "You'll already be a quarter of the way there. Mooncloud can tell you where to go."

"Thank you." Silverpaw said, dipped her head, and left the cave.

"Mooncloud," she said after entering the medicine den, "Oakstar is allowing me to go to the Moonrock. He told me to receive my instructions from you."

He turned around in surprise. "You?!" He exclaimed. "You want to go to the Moonrock?" He burst out laughing. "I see your plan. You aren't going to destroy the clans' only connection with our ancestors on my watch! You can't make me tell you."

"I believe that would be an order, Mooncloud." Oakstar said, stepping up from behind Silverpaw. "Your silly nonsense about a dream has gone on long enough."

"I don't see how you don't take this seriously!" Mooncloud yowled. "She can't go to the Moonrock!"

"Silverpaw, I'm sorry about Mooncloud, he just seems to be a bit... under the weather."

"It's fine, Oakstar." Silverpaw retorted. "You get used to it."

"Mooncloud, it's possible you misinterpreted the dream." Oakstar reasoned. "Please reconsider..."

"I've already thought this through, and you can't change fate by convincing a medicine cat the stars shine somehow new!" Mooncloud spat back. "I refuse to tell her how to speak with our ancestors!"

Oakstar turned out of the medicine den, ignoring Mooncloud, and Silverpaw followed.

When they had stepped back out into the sunshine, Oakstar told her the instructions. "You just have to walk along the Riverclan border until you reach a fallen tree. Cross it. Then continue on the Windclan side of the river. Then, when you reach a lake, keep going along the border until you see an island. Go to it on the stepping stones. When you're there, put your nose to the Moonrock and sleep, that is, if it's bathed in moonlight. If not, you missed it."

"That's it?" Silverpaw said. "That's all I need to know?"

"Well, actually, that's it. Just watch out for Windclan and Riverclan. They still might be a bit hostile, even though cats are granted safe passage to the Moonrock, and their threat to us seems to have suddenly died down."

"Thank you." Silverpaw nodded.

The clan leader returned the nod and walked back towards the medicine den to speak with Mooncloud.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Thunderrock for a meeting!" Oakstar called, jumping upon the Thunderrock. "For this gathering, I will take my deputy, elders, and medicine cat, along with Mousepelt, Scarpaw, Grayfoot, Snowfoot and Silverpaw."

Everyone gasped. "But you can't take them, the clans might get upset!" Piped up one voice from the crowd.

"Yes, but we must show we are not afraid, and it was not our fault in the first place. So why should we have to hide? Besides, the threat of war seems to have faded. I hope we can gather in peace tonight."

The cats still looked doubtful, but nodded. "Good!" Oakstar yowled. "Then let's go to the gathering."