Warriors: FlowerClan's War #1 - A Clan's Choice

Chapter 3 - Silverstar

Silverstar looked up at the sky, the moonlight making her silver fur glow. She hadn't slept since she had gotten back from the gathering. It would be dawn soon. Silverstar got up from her nest, stretching before padding through the camp entrance. Icenose was outside, keeping watch over the camp.

Silverstar walked into the forest, opening her mouth slightly to taste the air. Through the sounds of the forest, she could hear something rustling in a bush a fox length in front of her. She dropped into a hunting crouch, stalking over to the bush. She lifted her tail slightly, feeling the breeze flow through it. She was downwind, and she caught the scent of a mouse as she started to walk around the bush. When she got close enough to it she leaped, pouncing on the small animal.

She scraped earth over it and continued on her way. She found herself heading towards the new FlowerClan border and began to think about what had happened. She had yelled at Icestar and FlowerClan without even asking them for reasons. Even Lightningstar had agreed with Silverstar and Dewstar on some things, but she hadn't been screaming about it!

She looked up at the stars, hoping StarClan would send her a sign that she wasn't a horrible cat. The stars sparkled unresponsively overhead. With that, she fell asleep under the stars.

***
She walked into camp the next morning and was greeted by a tired voice.

"Hello, Silverstar. Where have you been?" Said Ivyshade, her stomach heavy with kits.

"I just went out for some night hunting and fell asleep," Silverstar said through the mouse clamped in her jaws. She had picked it up on her way back from the forest. It was a lot colder now, but somebody would eat it. She placed on the fresh-kill pile and took a small squirrel for herself, then padded over to where Icenose, Stormheart, and Ivyshade were eating.

"So what do you think of FlowerClan's new leader?" Silverstar said, biting into her squirrel. She hoped she wasn't the only cat with suspicions about how well Icestar could lead.

"Well, FlowerClan must have a good reason for choosing her to be their leader," Icenose said, licking one of his forepaws.

"But she was a kittypet. Like Silverstar said yesterday, she knows nothing about the warrior code." Stormheart said, taking a few bites of his mouse. Lionpaw walked over to them and sat down next to Ivyshade, carrying a vole.

"How do we know she was a kittypet?" Lionpaw asked, looking at Silverstar.

"Well, she smelled like a kittypet, and she wasn't part of the rogues that made FlowerClan," Silverstar said, stretching out one of her back legs. Lionpaw nodded, taking a bite of her vole.

"So when are your kits due?" Silverstar asked after a few moments of silence.

"In a quarter moon," Ivyshade said, moving closer to Stormheart. Silverstar finished her mouse and stood up, stretching. She decided that she would take a nap so she wasn't so tired. She had barely gotten any sleep last night even after she had gone into the forest. She walked sleepily over to her den and sat down in her nest, burying her nose in her tail before falling into a deep sleep.

She appeared in a forest, snow falling around her. She walked forwards, trying to figure out where she was. She crossed a fallen tree and saw the lake in PondClan territory. It looked frozen, the surface shimmering with a cold light.

She walked towards it, wondering why the ice was not damaged. PondClan fished through holes they cut in the ice during leafbare, so how could the ice be so solid?

She tested the ice with one paw, surprised to find it didn't crack at all. She jumped softly on to the ice, and it turned to mist. Silverstar didn't have time to call for help as she was thrust into the icy water, sinking to the bottom of the pond quickly. She could feel the lives draining out of her and she looked around, only to see what would have made her scream if she had any air.

Cats were all around her, lying dead on the sandy floor. She recognized all the cats from her own Clan, as well as the other Clans. She sat up, relieved to be able to breathe again, but was struck with horror as she realized she had left her own body behind. Laying beside it was Dewstar and Lightningstar, their tabby pelts slowly melting into the water. She gasped as they were suddenly gone, the other cats around her disappearing until she was alone with her body. It too melted, leaving behind nothing. Silverstar looked down and saw her silver fur turning darker until it was almost black and she was quickly pulled out of the water. She had a brief moment of happiness of being out of the water until she was pulled into a dense forest.

The ground was red with what looked like blood, and the sky was dark, not a star to be seen. She walked forward cautiously until a dark red she-cat emerged from the darkness. She was covered in scars, and a wound on her black back dripped blood that pooled below her. She leaped at Silverstar, baring her bloodstained teeth.

Silverstar woke up, Spruceclaw looking over her, worry showing in his eyes. Silverstar rushed past him to the medicine den, hoping that Berryfall was there and not hunting for herbs.

"Berryfall! Berryfall I had a dream!" Silverstar said, rushing into his den at the sight of him. She explained her dream quickly, never stopping to make sure he was paying attention. Berryfall paced around his den as she finished the story.

"It could mean something, but I have no idea what," Berryfall said.

"What if it means that leafbare is going to kill us all!?" Silverstar exclaimed, too frantic to listen to her medicine cat.

"Well, leafbare isn't what killed those cats in your dream, right?" Berryfall assured her, touching his tail to her shoulder. Silverstar thought about it for a moment, then decided her medicine cat was right.

"It might be better not to mention this dream to the Clan yet, not until we understand it a little better. If wouldn't be nice to worry them over nothing if it was just a dream." Berryfall said, going back to sitting herbs. Silverstar walked out of his den, trying not to think of all the cats that had died in her dream.