Silentmelody's Dream

Chapter 21

That night, when Silentpaw slowly drifted to sleep, Jayfeather finally came to greet her. His beautiful, sightless blue eyes bore deep into her soul.

"It's been a while," he said, rubbling his muzzle against hers. "I've been waiting for you."

"How long is it 'till I become a warrior?" Silentpaw asked impatiently.

"Your name will come soon." Jayfeather answered.

"I thought I was held hostage in DeathClan, remember?" Silentpaw changed the subject, but shivered at the thought of what she said.

Jayfeather hesitated, and shook his head. "That was only just a nightmare. Dreams are real, not nightmares."

Silentpaw was relieved. She hated being in the large clearing with deadly cats, who's pelts were ripped and saggy, and eyes that could see straight through her.

Beware, for a bite that never gets healed. Blood had warned her. Silentpaw still didn't know what it meant. If nightmares aren't real, according to Jayfeather, then the warning must've been completely fake. And also DeathClan! But what about Sunflame...? Silentpaw couldn't stop thinking about her former mentor.

"The sun's rising quickly, Silentpaw." Jayfeather said, nodding farewell. "I can feel it on my fur."

"Bye." Silentpaw said, and dark enveloped her once more.

A sharp, cold point shoved into her shoulder, causing Silentpaw to awake. "We're on the dawn patrol," the familiar voice of Wolfheart sounded, "so get up!" He exclaimed, pushing his apprentice hard with his paw. Silentpaw shook her head clear of the dream, and staggered up, blinking away sleep from her eyes. The mute apprentice stifled a silent yawn, arching her back into a nice stretch.

"C'mon," Wolfheart jerked his head toward the bramble entrance, "let's get going."

"Which border are we going to, Wolfheart?" Nightfeather asked, who also seemed to be on the dawn patrol with them, and Thunderheart.

"The ShadowClan border." Wolfheart answered shortly.

"We do need to clean up the stench that they put on our territory." Thunderheart said, scrunching up his nose. "I have to say," he said, "Out of all the other Clans, ShadowClan's scent is the most disgusting." The other nodded in agreement, and stopped to spray the scent-line.

"Silentpaw," Wolfheart summoned her with a flick of his tail. "How about you gather around that rock. I can smell it all the way from here."

Silentpaw nodded, and scampered over the the reeking area. She circled around it, rubbing her fur against it and spraying the ground to get rid of ShadowClan's stench. Suddenly, she heard paws thumping against the ground. A ShadowClan hunting patrol! The amber-colored apprentice finished her work and hurried over to Nightfeather, Thunderheart, and Wolfheart. The paws were sprinting closer, creating echoes across the forest. Silentpaw quickly spotted a squirrel running from the direction of the border, with two ShadowClan warriors chasing it. Silently growling, the mute apprentice pounced on top of the squirrel and killed it as she planted her teeth into it's neck. The two trespassing warriors stopped and panted behind her.

"That was our prey!" A dusty tabby tom yowled.
"You just caught it because you were in front of us!" A dark she-cat screeched, lashing her tail.

"Silentpaw caught it because you chased it into our territory." Thunderheart growled, stepping in front of the two young warriors.

"I thought ShadowClan already did something for us, and surely now they're hunting for us?" Wolfheart teased.

Silentpaw slowly picked up her catch and padded next to her mother, Nightfeather.