Silverfoot's Journey

Chapter 1

Silverfoot sat up in his nest and looked around. His silver-gray head turned towards his Clanmates.  The remainder of his dream still clung to him like cobwebs on a wound.  After he shook his fur out, he slid past his Clanmates and padded towards the nursery.  Mistflower looked up from where she was sleeping, her light silvery form black against the sun.  Her ears flicked up and her amber eyes looked up at her mate.  Bronzeclaw was busily washing her golden-brown flank while her kits tumbled around her paws.   

"Lionkit! Be careful! Specklekit stay away from Mistflower.  She's tired",  Bronzeclaw meowed. 

She nudged her two kits past the two mates and scurried into the clearing to find Weedblaze.  The ginger tabby was busily talking to Grazeclaw, the Clan's deputy.  The large gray tom's tail twitched with annoyance as he eyed the nursery.

"Come on Silverfoot!", he called.  "You're needed for a patrol."

Silverfoot  licked his mate's cheek and stepped outside.  "I'm coming", he meowed with a wave of his long silver tail.

"Bring me back a nice plump mouse!", Mistflower called.  

The silver tom dipped his head to the gathered cats and waited patiently for his patrol.  His brother Rubbleclaw and Violetpaw were already at the camp's entrance.  

"Come on you slow slug!", the dark gray tom called with amusement in his dark amber eyes. 

Violetpaw's whiskers twitched as she licked her mottled white pelt. Her amber eyes were full of excitement.  It was her last assessment today.  Rubbleclaw meowed a few words to her and he waved his tail for Silverfoot to follow.  With one last look around the camp, Silverfoot raced after them.  The mottled apprentice was keeping up well despite her injured leg.  She had twisted it during a fight with a rogue.  Her training had been stalled and now she was ready to become a warrior.  

"She will be a good warrior", he told his brother. 

"I know", the gray warrior meowed.  

Violetpaw raced off at top speed and the two brothers followed her.  In a few heartbeats, she had managed to catch a mouse.  Silverfoot exchanged a surprised look with his brother and padded softly after them.  A loud alarm call sounded and the beat of wings told him that she had killed another piece of prey.  He was right when he spotted Violetpaw trotting towards an opened hole with a blackbird in her jaws.  Her amber eyes were shining as she placed earth back over it and looked around with her jaws parted.  Her ears twitched and she was off again at top speed.

"She's doing great!", a voice called.  

A gray-brown she-cat trotted towards the two toms and waved her tail in a friendly greeting.  Her amber eyes were the same shade as Violetpaw's.  He realized that this was the mottled apprentice's mother.  A pang of sympathy for the two she-cats rushed through him. The father of Violetpaw had been killed by a monster a few moons ago.     

That's horrible how  Runningcreek won't be able to see his daughter become a warrior.  he thought to himself.  

The mottled gray-and-white tabby tom would've loved to see his daughter rise to her warrior position. Silverfoot had known the outgoing tom since he was a kit in the nursery.   So many good warriors are gone.   He shook his silver fur out to chase the memories away, but they came back in a rushing wave.    'Help! My father is in trouble!', the voice of Violetkit yowled in his head.  'Dad! No!', the tiny voice squeaked as two warriors drug the large tom's body into the clearing.  Silverfoot had been an apprentice back then.  Smokytail, their mother, had led the two brothers back into the apprentices den.     Another cat who didn't deserve to die  he thought sadly as he remembered his smoky gray mother.  Their father Sharpfang had died before he had been born.  His thoughts were brought back to the present when he heard his name being called.

"Hey! Mouse-brain! I passed my assessment!", Violetpaw meowed as she pawed Silverfoot's flank. 

Silverfoot widened his green eyes when he had noticed that he had been digging his claws into the grassy ground.  Rushflower's tail was placed on his flank in a comforting gesture. He dipped his silver head awkwardly to the gray-brown warrior. She took her tail off and nudged her kit away. Rubbleclaw turned to Silverfoot with worried amber eyes.

"Are you okay? You've been quiet. Have you and Mistflower quarreled again?", he asked. 

"Oh, no. I was just thinking about how Violetpaw's father won't be able to see her daughter become a warrior today", Silverfoot sighed.

"You can blame the Twolegs for that", the dark gray warrior meowed. With a good natured flick of his tail he meowed,  "Don't worry. She still has Rushflower."

Back at the camp, the warriors had already gathered to admire Violetpaw's catch. Cloudpaw padded up to the she-cat and meowed a few excited words. Breezepaw was beside her and was purring as well.  Those two are close  Silverfoot thought.   That would mean they would probably be mates soon once they became warriors. 

"Let every cat gather below the High Ledge for a Clan meeting!", a voice yowled.  

Silverfoot looked up to see a large golden-brown tabby figure on top of the High Ledge.  The leader's green gaze was traveling through the crowd of cats until he pinpointed Rubbleclaw. 

"Rubbleclaw. Is Violetpaw ready to take on the full responsibilities of a warrior?", he asked.

"Of course", the dark gray warrior meowed in reply. 

"I, Brackenstar, leader of RainClan,  call upon StarClan to look on this apprentice. Violetpaw, are you ready to become a warrior?"

"I do", Violetpaw meowed with bright amber eyes. 

"Then by the powers of my warrior ancestors, I give you your warrior name", Brackenstar meowed.  "From this moment on you will be known as Violetblossom. StarClan honors your courage and diligence.  Tonight you will come to the Gathering." 

"Violetblossom! Violetblossom! Violetblossom!", Rushflower began the chant.  

Every cat yowled the new warrior she-cat's name.  Silverfoot could imagine Runningcreek yowling his daughter's name.   I hope she has made you proud  Silverfoot thought as he yowled the new warrior's name to the sky.