A Fresh Start

Chapter 1

It had been three sunrises since Silverwind went to Sunnystones and got in an argument with Blackstream, the WaterClan cat she used to love. She saved him from drowning in the river when they were apprentices and kept seeing him. Ever since the argument she felt a hollow space in her.

She trained her apprentice, Grasspaw, with Squirrelfur and hardly paid attention. "I'm gonna try my hardest to do what I need to and get Blackstream out of my head," Silverwind meowed. She and Squirrelfur were out hunting and already caught a water vole and a rabbit.

"I know how you feel, Silverwind," Squirrelfur meowed, licking her neck fur. Silverwind looked up at him and padded on. When she heard scuttling at the roots of a tree she dropped into a hunters crouch and stalked toward the noise.

She shot forward and caught a squirrel, finishing it off with a swift bite to the neck. "Come on, Squirrelfur, lets get back to camp. We've been hunting since sunhigh," she meowed through a mouthful of fur. They brought back the water vole, the rabbit, three squirrels, and two mice. She dropped her catch in the fresh-kill keeping the water vole for her and Squirrelfur to share. Thornheart padded up with a thrush and sat on Silverwind's other side.

"Okay what's up? You've been moping around for three days." He asked.

Silverwind shook her head. "Nothing."

"If you say so," Thornheart meowed padding over to Brackenclaw.

Silverwind looked at Squirrelfur to see warmth in his gaze. "Do you know who's going to the Gathering tonight?" She asked him.

"I almost forgot!" Squirrelfur meowed. "I only know which apprentices and warriors. Brownpaw, Spottedpaw, Dustclaw, Sandtail, Cloudfur, Brackenclaw, Bramblefoot, and Flamestar said I could go, but I don't want to." At that same moment Flamestar came out of his den and called to the cats Squirrelfur listed.
Silverwind went over to the Bigstone and sat under it. Squirrelfur came over to her and meowed, "You need some rest. You've been on your paws for three days."

"No, I want to wait for them to come back," Silverwind argued.

"Okay. Then I'm staying with you."

"You know what Squirrelfur? You've been there for me since the beginning. You know how I feel and you're always there for me. I don't know how to repay you," she meowed licking his neck fur.

"Your friendship is enough," he replied sleepily, his fur brushing hers.
Silverwind almost fell asleep when clouds covered the moon. She nudged Squirrelfur, who had dozed off.

"Something happened," she meowed. Just then the cats who were at the Gathering came rushing back into camp.

Brownpaw, Silverwind's brother, came rushing toward her. "We got in a fight with DuskClan got in a fight! Flamestar said we should be prepared for battle."

Silverwind woke up the next morning to hissing outside. She ran out of the den to see DuskClan attacking the camp! She flung herself at Cedarclaw and raked her claws down his back. He rounded on her and knocked her down. She got up immediately and scratched his neck and he went running out of camp.

Silverwind looked around and flung herself at Oakpelt. Oakpelt turned, surprised, and rounded up, knocking Silverwind down. She got up and scratched Oakpelt's flank and pinned him down. It didn't last long, and Oakpelt flung Silverwind across the clearing with his hind legs. She felt blood trickling from her stomach and her flanks heaved heavily as she fought for breath. She felt all of her senses drifting away and she fell into a dizzying blackness....

• • •

Silverwind woke up with a giant gasp and drank in the familiar scent of Squirrelfur and craned her neck to see him washing a gash on Silverwind's shoulder. "Good, you're awake," Leafpaw, the medicine cats apprentice and Squirrelfur's sister, meowed.