Silverwing's Story: The Prophecy Begins

Chapter Twenty-Two

Silverpaw awoke drowsily in a familiar greenleaf clearing. She blinked sleep away from her dark-blue eyes, her vision adjusting to the bright sunlight.

She sat up expectantly, her tail swishing back and forth. "Soulsilver? Are you there?"

To her surprise, a black tom emerged from the undergrowth.

Silverpaw flinched. "Talonclaw?"

The dead warrior padded silently to her. "Hello, Silverpaw," He greeted, his green eyes shining in happiness. His pelt was no longer bloody or limp, but full of life and joy.

"How can you be so happy if you're dead?" Silverpaw asked, and then silently scolded herself for asking such a rude question. But Talonclaw didn't seem to mind.

"I'm back with the ones I love."

"But what about Rosewhisker and your kits? And what about Sharpaw?"

His gaze flickered to worry, but immediately back to joy. "They all need comforting. Featherfall already has Basilpaw, but the others will need more. I've come to ask you for help," -he paused with a sigh- "To help them finish grieving for me. Sharpaw will be a warrior in two moons, as will you, and my kits can't grow with a grief-stricken mother for their entire kithood," a sense of longing grew in his voice. "True, they'll never know their father as well as I'd like them to, but at least they can still have a mother who won't neglect them."

Silverpaw felt guilt strike her. "What can I do? I was never close with Rosewhisker, and I've been too busy to play with her kits. I've already tried to help Sharpaw, but I only got myself in trouble."

Talonclaw gazed at her with sympathy. "No need to fret of that, today wasn't a perfect day for Manglestar. And Sharpaw will need time to grieve; you can't try to distinguish misery the day it started. As for my mate, if I know Rosewhisker well enough, seeing our kits cheerful will help cure her sorrow."

Silverpaw thought about playing with Thistlekit and Bramblekit. The two tiny toms adored tussling with any cat, gladly pretending they were attacking a cat from Shadowclan, or another clan around the lake.

Talonclaw's eyes suddenly changed into seriousness, and Silverpaw was a little surprised at the sudden change.

"There is one more thing I've come to warn you of, Silverpaw," he said. "Stay cautious around the-"

Silverpaw woke before the black tom could finish.

Paws were shaking her frantically back and forth. "Silverpaw, wake up!"

The apprentice shot up at Skipfoot's order. She immediately became conscious of the chaos flooding around her. Faint moonlight drifted into the den through the cracks in the roof, hardly lighting the nest. Lightning was cracking and the rain was thundering above, plummeting like hail into the den.

The puddles were no longer small pools on the ground, but the whole nest was an entire pond. The water was up to Silverpaw's ankles when she stood in surprise. The liquid rippled, crashing against the stone barriers.

"What's happening?" Silverpaw asked as the fur along her spine fluffed up.

"The rain became worse; it's flooding the Twoleg den!" Skipfoot hissed.

Silverpaw looked around as her heart burst out of her chest. She sighed in relief when she spotted the exit. The water was rising quickly, now almost at her elbows.

"Come on!" She pelted through the waves toward the entrance, but she tripped from a stray piece of wood underneath the water. Her head submerged beneath the pool. A set of jaws grabbed her scruff and yanked her out of the water. Silverpaw gasped in shock when she emerged again.