After a great drought destroyed much of ForestClan, warriors are low and they fear for their survival. But the cousins Silverpaw and Stonepaw are determined to become warrSiors, no matter what it takes.
Silverpaw slowly opened his eyes, making sure Stonepaw was still safe beside him. Good, he thought, she hasn't disappeared again. Like yesterday. Silverpaw shivered at the thought. Yesterday, Stonepaw had almost drowned in Long Lake, if she hadn't been saved by a BlizzardClan cat by the name of Wickedcone, she would be crow-food. Silverpaw dipped his head in silent thanks to the BlizzardClan warrior.
He nudged Stonepaw and she jerked awake.
"Hey," he mewed, "Do you want to see if we can catch anything before training starts?"
She nodded and they exited the den. Greenmoon was on guard. He spotted the two apprentices.
"Where are you going?"
"To see if we can catch any prey." responded Silverpaw.
Greenmoon narrowed his eyes and then nodded in agreement.
Grateful, Silverpaw took the lead out of camp, pausing every few steps to sniff the air. Finally he scented a mouse, and began to follow the scent trail. It led deeper into the woods than Silverpaw had ever been.
Suddenly, Stonepaw spoke up from behind him. "Be careful over here. We're near BlizzardClan territory." Silverpaw pricked his ears, but there seemed to be no sign of trouble, so he went on.
He followed the trail around lots of bushes, but he never got there. Something strange was going on. It seemed that whenever he took at step, the mouse took a step way from him.
Finally, he spotted the mouse. But-
-it was in the paws of a brown tabby she-cat, who was smiling with satisfaction.
She lunged at them, and Silverpaw realized who she was. Pinebreeze. He dodged her attack, but she swerved and hit him back into a tree. There, she pinned him, but only for a second, because then she let out a screech and let go. Stonepaw had bitten hard into her tail.
Silverpaw silently gave his thanks and rejoined the fight, leaping on top of Pinebreeze and sinking his teeth into her scruff, practicing his leap and hold. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know about the defense. Pinebreeze rolled over and crushed him underneath her, leaving him stunned.
Stonepaw roared with fury and slammed herself into Pinebreeze and clawing out tufts of fur with such force that Silverpaw could hardly believe what was happening. He joined in, angrily slicing her nose. She turned on him, picked him up by the scruff of his neck, and rammed him hard into a tree. Silverpaw felt agony inside him but Pinebreeze wasn't done. She shredded her claws along his throat, and one of the last things he heard was Stonepaw's angry yowl.
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. . .
Silverpaw opened his eyes. His limbs felt sore, his back felt broken, and he couldn't feel his neck. Powersnow was staring down at him, applying herbs and wrapping cobwebs.
"What-what happened?" he asked.
Powersnow looked at him. "Ah, You're finally awake." she crossed over to the herb wall, and then back to him. "You were attacked by Pinebreeze. She nearly killed you and Stonepaw. But-"
"Wait-" Silverpaw interrupted. "Where is Stonepaw?" He looked around, desperate. What if she had died? He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to spot her from his spot. Whenever he tried to move, pain shot through him like a lightning bolt. He didn't dare try to stand.
Silverpaw sighed with relief when he spotted her. She was curled at the end of the medicine cat den, breathing lightly. Silverpaw, satisfied, turned his attention back to Powersnow.
"So, what happened next?" he mewed.
Powersnow looked at him fondly. She continued, "But then, Greenmoon came to your rescue. He fought Pinebreeze out of our territory with the skill of a LionClan warrior. Then he brought you back to us."
"Wow, he's brave." said a new voice. Silverpaw turned to look. Stonepaw was sitting up in her nest, gazing at them with wide eyes.
"Good, you're awake," mewed Powersnow. "I have a few things to tell you both."
"Both of you will be sleeping with me in medicine den tonight. Understand?"
Silverpaw and Stonepaw both nodded their heads.
"You will lie down and rest, NOT play around, UNDERSTAND?"
They both nodded their heads again.
"And you shall have no training for the rest of the moon, understand?"
"NO TRAINING?!!!!!!!!!!!!?????" screeched Stonepaw. "How will we become amazing warriors with no training?" She clawed the ground angrily, hissing.
Silverpaw was devastated. How would they become amazing warriors with no training. At least it was only for the rest of the moon. He suddenly wished that he had never offered to hunt this morning, and had never been foolish enough to follow the mouse trail to Pinebreeze.
It's all my fault, he realized. It's my fault that we don't get to train for the rest of the moon. I deserve this punishment, not Stonepaw. He glanced over at his sister. She was spitting angrily, raking her claws in the dirt. She growled to herself.
Silverpaw felt overwhelmed with guilt. Oh, StarClan, why did this have to happen?" He felt hot and sticky, so he lay down and closed his eyes.
He blinked awake slowly, confused. What happened? Am I alright? He was lying in the cool grass, feeling painless and fresh. But that's not right. I got attacked by Pinebreeze, didn't I? He padded towards a gorse bush. The yellow flowers hurt his eyes. All around him, the forest was fresh and green. A flowing river with stalks of watermint growing near it splashed nearby. The night sky was hazy with the sounds of jackdaws calling to each other.
Beneath his paws were starry grass, glistening in the moonlight. The air was rich with the smell of prey. Silverpaw shivered. He walked a little farther, padding along the banks of the river. A misty chill went through him, ruffling his fur just the slightest bit. Stars dusted his pelt and whispering filled his ears.
He came to a lake. Its glossy black surface shone in the moonlight, illuminating the reflections of the trees around him. He perched on a rock next to the water, taking in the beauty around him.
"Enjoying the night?" came a voice behind him. Silverpaw jumped. He turned to see a glossy black tom with deep violet blue eyes padding up to him.
"W-who are you?" Silverpaw stammered. The tom looked at him in a meaningful way. Silverpaw noticed stars glowing around his pelt.
Realization hit him with a blast. "I died, didn't I?" Silverpaw mewed thoughtfully. The tom smiled at him, amusement glittering in his eyes.
"No. It is not your time yet. You just came here to recover." he paused. "I'm Dragontaste, by the way."
Silverpaw talked with Dragontaste for a while, before the urge to wake up started biting at him. He bid farewell, and slipped out of StarClan.
