Silver-ripple's Story

Chapter 4

Silverpaw padded through the forest with her mentor. Whitebee was with them, and they were patrolling the borders. Whitebee sniffed the air. "I smell ShadowClan." He meowed. Just then, a black she-cat pounced on him. "Traitor!" She hissed. "Stop Blade!" A voice hissed. The she-cat, Blade, got off of Whitebee.

"I was just making sure he knew what he'd done, Ace." She looked back at him. "Don't you know that you left me behind, brother?" She hissed. Whitebee shook his head in confusion. "Brother? What? Am I supposed to know you?"

Blade stared at him, with wide eyes. "You're not Jay, are you? You look exactly like him." She meowed. A black-and-ginger tom appeared beside her. "C'mon Blade. It's not Jay, now that we know. He may have traveled far from here. He might be dead by now." He meowed.

"Ace, if he's dead, then I'm too late. I wanted him to die under my claws. Not somebody else's." She hissed. They leaped over the bushes, and were never seen again. Silverpaw flicked her tail tip. "That was weird," She commented. "It's like they expected him to travel with them."

Foxtail nodded. "Let's head back." She meowed. As they got back to camp, everything was quiet in the leaf-bare sun. Suddenly, a yowl of attack came from all sides of the camp. Cats rushed in and started attacking.

"Where's our warrior, Whitebee?" A blue-gray tom hissed. Silverpaw looked around, and couldn't see where he was. Fernstar held up his tail. "Enough! Stop this!" He yowled. Everyone sheathed their claws and looked at him.

"Why do you want Whitebee back, Wetstar?" Fernstar challenged. Wetstar padded towards him and looked him straight in the eyes. "He's my kin, and he belongs to ShadowClan. We'll take him back by force." He hissed.

Whitebee finally stood out of the shadows. "You treat me like I'm no longer a warrior under you. Why have you decided to finally notice me?" Wetstar looked at him. "I need you now, I am losing my cats to greencough. Kits are dying, and our mother is dead." He meowed.

Whitebee looked at Wetstar with wide eyes. Then, he turned to Foxtail and purred and whispered something into her ear, then padded towards Fernstar. "I believe I'm now needed. I'm sorry Fernstar. But, I'll go back to ShadowClan." He meowed. Fernstar nodded. "You were a great warrior to ThunderClan." Fernstar replied.

Wetstar called his Clan and they left the camp. Everyone was murmuring about Whitebee's leaving. Halfsky hissed to quiet them. "We still have duties to perform!" She meowed. Fernstar nodded at her. "Wait." He meowed.

"We have a ceremony to begin." He padded up onto the Highrock. "Acornkit, Flamekit, step forward." He beckoned to them with his tail. "You both have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. Acornkit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Acornpaw."

Fernstar looked at his warriors. "Your mentor will be Birchstorm. I hope Birchstorm will pass down all he knows down to you." He curled his tail, and flicked it. "Birchstorm, I see fit that you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Beefall, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and fierce. You will be the mentor of Acornpaw, and I expect you pass on all you know to him." Acornpaw and Birchstorm touched noses, and the Clan cheered Acornpaw's name.

Just then, a yowl was heard from the nursery. Frostbreeze? Beartail, who had just earned his name from Swiftflame, ran into the nursery with herbs. He came out, with a bright look in his eyes. "Birchstorm, you're a father!" He meowed. Birchstorm ran into the nursery. Good thing Lightstep isn't here anymore.

A couple of moons back, when Silverpaw was still learning more battle moves, Lightstep had decided to attack Frostbreeze, when she had just moved into the nursery. Fernstar was told on what had happened, and when he tried to exile her, she took one of his lives. In return, she had died from Fernstar's warriors. Before she died, she had killed Snowberry, Breezefoot, and Nightwhisper, trying to save her own life. She didn't make it for very long.

Silverpaw still remembered the day she found her mother slowly dying from blood loss. She shook her head, and leaned into Ravenfrost's side. "Do you still miss Snowberry?" She whispered. Ravenfrost looked down at his daughter. "Yes, love, I still do. But, I have you, don't I?" He meowed into her ear.

Silverpaw purred. Fernstar continued the ceremony. "Flamekit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Flamepaw. Your mentor will be Lilybreeze. I hope Lilybreeze will pass down all she knows onto you." He flicked his tail at Lilybreeze.

"Lilybreeze, you have trained an apprentice before, but it didn't mean you trained her the wrong way. She chose her path and died from her mistakes. Don't make yourself feel bad, as you didn't change her." Fernstar looked down at her. Lilybreeze nodded.

"You have shown yourself to be kind and gentle. You will be the mentor of Flamepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." As they touched noses, the Clan cheered Flamepaw's name.

Silverpaw was prodded awake. "Hey, wake up." A voice meowed. She blinked opened her eyes, and saw what looked like Snowberry. "Snowberry?" She mewed. The cat shook its head. "I'm covered in snow, but I'm not Snowberry." She heard Cedarpaw's voice. She shook her head, and her eyes got used to the dim light. "What do you want, Cedarpaw?" She meowed.

He pointed with his tail. "Foxtail wants you." Silverpaw stretched and yawned. "What does she want from me?" He shrugged. "I don't know." Silverpaw sighed, and padded through the snow. "Foxtail?" She meowed.

"In here!" Came a voice. Silverpaw looked at the nursery in confusion. As she padded towards the nursery, she heard mewling. Frostbreeze's kit. She poked her head in. She purred when she saw her friend's kit. She was a dark brown she-kit with yellow eyes.

"Robinkit, meet Silverpaw." Frostbreeze purred. Robinkit turned, and stared at Silverpaw with big eyes. "Hewwo." She mewed. Silverpaw purred. "Hello, little one." She turned her head to Foxtail. "Are you expecting kits?" She meowed.

Foxtail nodded. "Yes, Whitebee's kits." Silverpaw stared at her with wide eyes. "H-How?" She mewed. Foxtail closed her eyes. "A few moons back, when I wasn't starting to show." She meowed. Silverpaw shook her head. "Are you still training me?" Foxtail looked up at her. "Not anymore. You have excelled in your training, and I think you're ready to become a warrior. Can you go tell Fernstar?"

"No need to." A voice from outside replied. Silverpaw backed out of the den. "I heard everything, and I agree with Foxtail. But, before we start, I'm going to ask Dustclaw to assess Duskpaw." He meowed. Silverpaw nodded.

As the time passed, Silverpaw ate her mouse slowly, waiting for Duskpaw to come back. As she finished, Dustclaw was padding inside of the camp, and continued on to Fernstar's den. Duskpaw bounded over to Silverpaw. "I think I passed. I'm nervous." Silverpaw licked his ear. "You don't have to be, y'know."

She heard Fernstar yowl from the Highrock. "All cats old enough to hunt, please join me under the Highrock for a Clan meeting." As the cats scampered over, Silverpaw and Duskpaw stood in the middle of them. "I, Fernstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

He padded down from the rock, and faced Duskpaw. "Duskpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" He meowed. Duskpaw straightened himself. "I do." Fernstar placed his head on Duskpaw's. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Duskpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Duskstorm. StarClan honors your loyalty and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Duskstorm licked Fernstar's shoulder, and everyone cheered his name, before Fernstar continued. "Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Silverpaw looked into Fernstar's eyes. "I do."

Fernstar placed his head on top of hers. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Silverpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Silver-ripple. StarClan honors your curiosity and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Silver-ripple! Duskstorm! Silver-ripple! Duskstorm!" Silver-ripple heard the Clan cheer her name around her.