The New Star (Book 4, Series One)

Chapter 1

Silvermoon leaped from the tree onto the rabbit, pinning and snapping it's neck easily. Brightcloud gaped as she finished, Silvermoon tossing her head up. Finally.. good prey. Fireshine and Mosscloud would eat well tonight.. Out of all the cats, they were the most healthiest. Silvermoon in particular had fallen on Branchstalk's watch list. But ever since Lilacpaw.. Lilacwither had betrayed him, Branchstalk stayed quiet. He did his job still, and did it well, but when everyone turned a blind eye, you could find Branchstalk sulking. The fire has shred Silvermoon and Branchstalk emotionally. Every cat could see it. Every cat felt it.

Whilst trying to hunt once more, Silvermoon fumbled and messed up, twisting her front leg and watched as the mouse scampered off. "Mouse-dung!" She huffed. "Well, you tried your best!" The new warrior soothed Silvermoon, as she unsheathed her claws in anger. She was deputy and could hardly care for her Clan. Bitter rage poisoned her like venom. "I'm tired of this!" Silvermoon roared, lashing at the dirt. Brightcloud stared up at Silvermoon, and she heard the warrior's belly growl with hunger. "Take the rabbit back to camp. I need to hunt.." She whispered. Brightcloud knew not to argue right now, she took the rabbit and scampered off.

Silvermoon headed towards the river. Maybe she'd be good at fishing or frog hunting. As she eyed a frog, she carefully padded towards it, tail low and carefully she leaped for it. Silvermoon bumped with a gray blur, and for a moment, the cat looked like her precious late son Graypaw.. but it was foolish dark gray apprentice from StoneClan. "I got it Dustfur!" She purred. "On another Clan's territory!" Dustfur sounded. Silvermoon growled at the apprentice, blurred by the devastation of her Clan she hardly noticed her friend was there. "That's mine!" She hissed lowly. "Ah!" The StoneClan apprentice dropped the frog and hopped over the river. Dustfur soothed his apprentice and looked at Silvermoon. "Life is not treating AlderClan well.." He murmured. Silvermoon stayed quiet and only lashed her tail, gripping the frog. "I saw you on the rock during the Gathering.. Congratulations on becoming deputy. I know you'll be a great leader." Her friend tried to comfort her but Silvermoon just huffed and looked at him. "I can't even be happy.. My mother and son died.. My brother is lost.. I can't feed my Clan.." she sighed. "They've all lost respect for Multistar." Silvermoon mumbled. "Redstar has combined two Clans into one, and now we have even more mouths to feed with the refugees!" Dustfur nodded. "We got most of the refugees." He sighed. "We wish you well Silvermoon. Get better." The tom murmured, resting his head on Silvermoon's. Silvermoon turned away, walking off holding her tongue.

She sat by the tiny grave, staring at it's sorrow that it brought with it. It was not Graypaw's time to die.. Silvermoon stared at the grave and hauled herself back to her paws. It was a cold.. long leafbare already.. and she was so tired..

Silvermoon finally walked into camp just before night. She carried a weak vole and a tiny mouse. Silvermoon dropped them in the prey pile and laid down in the middle of camp. She greeted her kits as they entered camp from training.  They said their hellos before they padded into the apprentices's den. Her children were just as tired. AlderClan was just as tired.

She organized a patrol, before going on one herself. Silvermoon trekked out into the woods, her tail low as her patrol slowed behind her. She turned around, glancing at each cat. Silvermoon hadn't realized how aged Blazefur and Duskfoot looked.. the two were look at each other and than to Silvermoon. "Duskfoot stepped on a thorn..." Blazefur mewed. "Take her back to camp. I'll pick up the patrol myself." Silvermoon replied. Blazefur nodded, touching Duskfoot's nose as the two left. Once the two were out of range, she ran off.

Silvermoon pulled up to her son's burial sight. She held her vole, dropping it on the dirt that covered him. She held her breathe, releasing it in a sob as she crumpled over the mound. "Silvermoon..?" Despair lined his voice. Silvermoon bristled and turned around with a bared mouth. Her and Cloudtuft hadn't spoken, hadn't looked at each other, hadn't exchanged anything with each other since the Gathering. What was he doing here? "I.. I wanted to.. to talk to you about what happened." Cloudtuft managed. Silvermoon growled, giving a warning before turning away again. Cloudtuft tried to approach, but Silvermoon whipped her head around and batted him with paws. "Leave me alone!" She hissed. Silvermoon stared at Cloudtuft's blank expression before she turned and left. Nothing was right anymore. Nothing was happy anymore. The forest was burnt and sad. The cats were lost and sad. Silvermoon hadn't tasted good prey in weeks. To AlderClan, StarClan had betrayed them. Silvermoon couldn't help but agree..

Silvermoon trekked back to camp, failure to hunt once more. She was so mad at herself. It seemed she always was now. Guilt pricked her as she saw Cloudtuft consoling Fireshine. Silvermoon shouldn't of snapped at him. She shouldn't of done a lot of things. Her kits padded into camp with their mentors, each looking some sort of distracted, or frustrated. Silvermoon wanted to take away all their pain.. all their sorrows.. No cat wanted to see their kits in pain.

She picked up a vole from the prey pile and sat by Smalleye. He nodded to her, as Silvermoon offered to share. She took the first bite, scanning the camp carefully. "When do you think a cat is ready to start a family?" Smalleye randomly asked. Silvermoon turned to him. She was surprised. He was awfully young to start thinking of kits. "Well, it depends on you and your mate. You need to discuss it. You don't need kits to love each other. I chose to have kits because I felt we were ready. We both wanted a family." Silvermoon explained. "It's a tricky subject. But I suggest you wait awhile." She added. Smalleye nodded. "Thanks Silvermoon." He purred.

"Branchstalk?" Silvermoon murmured. Her brother was hunched up in the elder's den. Now that the Clan was seriously rebuilding the dens, Branchstalk was sharing with Webbedfoot. His white and black fur was rising and falling as he breathed, occasionally twitching as her brother muffled a cry. Silvermoon padded over to her brother, sitting besides him and wrapping her tail around him. "I miss her too.." She managed. Branchstalk shuddered, before turning around to face her. "How am I supposed to save the Clan, when I can barely save myself?" He asked. Silvermoon frowned, resting her head on Branchstalk's. She didn't have any idea. "It's going to be okay in the end, and if it's not okay.. it's not the end." Silvermoon murmured. But she knew, neither of them could believe it just yet.