Silverfoot's Journey

Chapter 10

Silverfoot woke up to see the body of Willowdapple in front of him. 

"No!", he rasped with a cough. 

"It's okay", a gentle voice whispered. 

Silverfoot recognized the voice of Mallowflower.  He looked up at the StreamClan medicine cat's hazy light tabby form. He blinked and saw Pouncefoot and Violetblossom looking out from behind the she-cat's side. 

"I'm okay", he mewed. 

"Willowdapple is dead isn't she?", a voice asked. It was the voice of Riversplash. 

"She is dead", Mallowflower meowed. 

"I'm so sorry", Silverfoot sighed. 

"It's not your fault", the mottled tom meowed.  

A dark gray she-cat nudged the tom away with a look of pity at Silverfoot. Silverfoot felt pain coming from his chest. A large patch of cobweb was plastered on his white chest.  He felt dried blood coming from his hind leg.  

"We need to bring him back", Violetblossom meowed. Her amber eyes were filled with sadness. 

"Here. Take these herbs",  Mallowflower meowed. 

"Thanks", Pouncefoot meowed.

When they reached the camp, he let out a yowl of grief. His brother Rubbleclaw was lying dead beside the lean tabby body of Fringepelt.  Breezewind and Cloverpool eyed him with sympathy as he limped up to his dead brother.  Mistflower watched from the nursery while their three kits tumbled around her. She raced up to him and nuzzled his cheek with sadness in her blue eyes.  Graysplash, who was sitting vigil for Fringepelt, looked up. 

"It was my fault. I should have stayed with the kits in the nursery", the gray elder sighed.

"It's not your fault", Silverfoot sighed. 

He laid down beside his mate and sat vigil for his brother.  He would never feel the brush of his dark gray pelt. Never hear his cheerful meow as he came out of the warrior's den with him. Things would be different. The wolves were gone, but they had managed to take lives of brave warriors with them. He looked up at the sky and closed his green eyes.  

"You'll see him sooner than you think", Dominostar whispered. 

                                        .................................................................

Moons had passed and Sweetkit, Echokit, and Briarkit had become apprentices. Silverfoot watched with emotion in his green eyes.  His mate had died no long after Rubbleclaw. She had become sick and died in Silverfoot's arms.  He let out a sob and looked at his kits. So many had been lost to him. Once the ceremony was over with, he went by himself outside.  He was padding alone when he heard a snarl. Claws gripped his chest and he looked up with fear. It was one of the wolf cubs. He let out a yowl of agony as the claws ripped through his white chest fur.  The weight was lifted and Silverfoot saw Grazeclaw attacked the wolf cub. His eyes closed and he sighed. He felt his body being drug back towards camp.  Weedblaze watched with wide eyes. 

"No!", a voice yowled. 

Silverfoot looked up and saw Sweetpaw standing over him. The silver-and-white apprentice dug her claws into the ground while Briarpaw lashed his dark gray tail from side to side. Echopaw's gray tabby fur was spiking with fear.  

"I'm so sorry", he whispered. 

He looked at the corner from his eyes and gasped. The shimmering bodies of Rubbleclaw and Mistflower were in front of him.  

"It's time my love", Mistflower meowed softly while Rubbleclaw placed his dark tail gently across the dying tom's scarred back. 

"You did it brother",  he meowed. 

Silverfoot dipped his silver head and laid it down gently. He gasped when he saw a dark tabby shape shimmer into view. It was his mother Smokytail! He purred deeply. 

"He's seeing all of his kin!", Echopaw gasped. 

"How do you know?", Briarpaw asked. 

"That's because she's a medicine cat apprentice", Juniperheart meowed from beside Bronzeclaw. She nuzzled her apprentice softly.

"Call her Echosight when she becomes a full medicine cat", Silverfoot gasped. 

"She sees what others can't", Sweetpaw mewed. 

Violetblossom whispered in his ear.  "Tell Runningcreek that I love him."

Silverfoot felt her father's spirit sigh beside him.  The great warrior was eyeing hid daughter with affection.  Fringepelt sighed and brushed against Graysplash as she padded off. He felt his eyes begin to close and his kits cried out. 

"Good bye. My journey is over with", he sighed.  

He let the darkness overtake him and he welcomed it gladly.