Silverstrike's Story

Chapter Nine

Silverpaw awoke to the yowl from Owlclaw.  He yowled and screamed.  Silverpaw got up and decided to walk over to the sound of his voice and see what was going on.  

He noticed all the apprentices had the same idea.  Except for Shredpaw who had his tail over his ears and looked like he was trying to go back to sleep.  

Once Silverpaw got in eyesight of the warriors den Owlclaw slept in he squealed in surprise.  In the front of the den there was a cat with dripping wet moss all over them. 

 And when he got closer he realized it was.... it was Snakefoot.  And he was dead.  Silverpaw walked away he couldn't believe it.  The last thing he saw before he turned around was Petalleaf rushing over and gaping at the carcass.  

                                                                                          Shredpaw's POV

Shredpaw had decided to disobey the Dark Forests orders and keep Sharppaw from getting in trouble so he got moss and dipped it in the stream and put it on top of Snakefoot.  

He decided he could use Sharppaw a little longer than the Dark Forest wanted.  He would kill him later himself.  He would use him to do his dirty work.

                                                                                     Back To Silverpaw 

Silverpaw didn't understand.  Who would kill Snakefoot?  Why kill Snakefoot?  How did they kill him without anybody noticing it was confusing and Silverpaw wanted answers.  He walked back into the Apprentice Den and then he saw it.  

Shredpaw's fur was wet.  He and Sharppaw had left camp last night and killed Snakefoot.  He decided that Sharppaw had probably made Shredpaw do the dirty work.

   Why though?  It didn't make sense?  What were they up too.  He then realized he was staring at Shredpaw.  And he was glaring right back!  

 "What" he growled.  Silverpaw lied nervously.  "Uhhh did you here that Snakefoot's dead?"   "I figured as much" he muttered.  

He pointed his tail to the entrance of the den where you could here cats talking loudly about it.  "Oh ok"and he left in a rush.  He looked at his mother who was muttering words into Wisppaw's ear staring longingly at the body.

He immediately felt guilty.  He was no better than Sharppaw he needed to be comforting his mother.  Even if he never loved him he knew she did. 

 But there had always been that small part of him that wanted to make him proud.  Now he never would be able too.  He gazed at the sky his star would be up there tonight.  

Watching over him.  If he has the time he thought bitterly.  The only kit Snakefoot had ever had time for was Sharppaw. 

 But once they became apprentices he started to hate all of us.  But did he hate us he thought?  "Yes" he muttered to himself.  He had always hated him and there was no point in thinking differently.  

He was about to get to Mapleleaf and then suddenly all of the bitterness inside of him exploded. He yowled at his mother and all the other warriors grieving.  "What did he ever do for you" he yowled.  His mother looked at him in surprise and fear. 

  "He was a cold hearted idiot who didn't care about anything".  "And you"  he turned to his mother.  "You're the worst mother a kit could ever wish for, you never cared for me by the time I was six moons you never spoke to me again"  he snarled.  

He saw warriors approaching him and cats saying whispering that he had killed Snakefoot.  Nighttail just stared at him looking curious to see what he would do next. This just made him more mad.  He then yowled "and all of you you're useless.  Ignoring me and making my life miserable."  

"And Thorntail he gasped he didn't die a hero he died a rabbit~brain he fell off the edge for no reason!"  "Pineshadow snarled don't you dare insult his memory he died a hero!"  Now cats were closing in.  

Mapleleaf just stood there in shock while Nighttail just sat there with that same expression on her face.  While Swiftstar had literally just woken up and was coming out to see what the commotion was.  Silverpaw was done.  Shredpaw was grinning mischievously.  

Silverpaw jumped at Shredpaw.  The only reason the battle was fair was because he had the element of surprise.  Shredpaw yowled.  

Quickly Woodwhisker had thrown Silverpaw off of him.  Blood was all over his fur.  He glared at all the cats and muttered "useless".  If they were too stupid to realize who killed Snakefoot then he wasn't going to help them. 

 He glared at Shredpaw and they had a silent conversation.  Shredpaw nodded and mouthed your dead.  Silverpaw flew around and stalked off onto the moor. 

 As Silverpaw was walking he realized he had no idea what to do.  And then he scented Cardinalfeather.  He decided to followed the trail until he found Cardinalfeather right beyond the boundaries hunting a hare.  

He waited patiently until he was done he watched as threw it up and clawed at it with his other paw.  He killed it the dead hare flopped to the ground with a thump.  

"Nice catch" he meowed.  Cardinalfeather jumped in surprise and then once he realized who it was he growled "I'm not going back yet I'll wait till I get over it."  "No" Silverpaw said.  "I left I might go back but we got in a pretty huge fight."  

"I figured that you were in sort of the same situation and you would understand."    And then Silverpaw burst into tears and he sat down next to Cardinalfeather and told him everything.   About Sharppaw and Shredpaw and about Snakefoot and Mapleleaf and how Littlepelt was doing he asked.  

Cardinalfeather stared at Silverpaw for a long time then decided "you were right to come to me."  "I was" Silverpaw asked?  "Definitely because it sounds like you and I are in a very similar situation."  

"Except that yours evolves murder and some more serious stuff he joked."  Silverpaw just stared at him.  "Okay not funny?"  "Got it."  "So you he said are going to hang with me until you're ready to go back.  Okay?"  Because I'm not going back soon. 

 Because...  Thorntail was like a brother to me and to lose him is like..... well not good.  So they stayed with each other for six days and they talked. Silverpaw was relieved to find that Cardinalfeather believed every word of him.

  It sort of hurt that no one came looking for them.  But I guess he didn't leave with the best impression.  Things got better he still wasn't guilty about what he said, he still believed it.  But maybe he could of said it a little more nice.  He was starting to think he was ready to go back but he didn't want to leave Cardinalfeather.  He was like a brother.  Except way better than Sharppaw.  He was ready.