Chapter Seven

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    "This is out of control!" yowled Emberstar. Silverpaw drew closer to Dawnpaw as they stared at the bones that were littering the clearing.

He stepped closer to Minnowtail and hissed," This is not a war! It is merely an opportunity for those ShadowClan warriors to take advantage of our prey-rich territory!" Silverpaw snarled angrily. Dawnpaw looked at her, the newly healed scar on her face evident.

"Well, someone's angry," she commented.

"Aren't you?" Silverpaw asked," Those wretched ShadowClan cats have been stealing our prey! Stinking up our land with their filthy scent! That's enough to make any cat spit, and that's not it!"

"I'm mad," Dawnpaw reassured her," but I'm not acting like a badger who lost all of it's food."

Emberstar stood up. "Cats of RiverClan, I know that this is very dangerous, but I am proposing to send a party of cats into ShadowClan territory for—"

"What?" screeched Tanglebrook,"In ShadowClan territory? They'll be ripped to pieces!"

Emberstar glared at him. "For a peace-talk," he mewed. "And we will send the cats who are least likely to be attacked by ShadowClan patrols." Tanglebrook snorted, but Silverpaw saw his eyes flash with worry in the direction of his apprentice. So he does care about Dawnpaw, Silverpaw thought. He must think that she will be going to ShadowClan territory. Not like Emberstar would ever pick an apprentice to do something exciting, she added ruefully. Emberstar's gaze swept over his Clan. With his thick reddish brown tail he picked out individual members out of the group.

"Minnowtail will go," he mewed," and Silverpaw, and Aspencloud." Me? Silverpaw thought, sitting up straighter. Dawnpaw's tail tightened around Silverpaw, begging her silently not to go.

"Aspencloud and Silverpaw?" Iceleap growled. "Are you sure about that, Emberstar? We have no other medicine cat, and I've spent only spent a little more than three moons training Silverpaw up. I don't want to lose her in the claws of fox-hearted ShadowClan warriors!" Emberstar looked at Aspencloud, who was sitting a little aways from the rest of the Clan, her eyes focused somewhere behind Silverpaw.

"Aspencloud," he mewed," Has StarClan given you any sign or message about danger in the ShadowClan camp."

"My dreams lately have been very confusing," Aspencloud admitted, looking at Silverpaw and Dawnpaw," but there has been nothing to suggest about a battle or something like that in the ShadowClan camp itself. Also," she added brightly," ShadowClan still follow the warrior code, and medicine cats will not be attacked."

"What have you been dreaming about?" Tanglebrook challenged. "If there is danger coming we need to know." Aspencloud ducked her head nervously.

"Oh, just cat's fighting, rivers filled with RiverClan and ShadowClan blood alike." She looked up at the Clan, fidgeting with her paws. "The dreams every cat has when the cloud of war approaches."

She's lyingShe's lying, Silverpaw thought. But why? Her thoughts were momentarily sidetracked by a hiss of fear.

"Apprentices can still be attacked," Softwing hissed, her brown eyes taught with worry. She looked at Silverpaw, then back at Emberstar. "Would you really send an apprentice in ShadowClan territory, against warriors she's not even well-trained to fight yet?"

"I will go to ShadowClan territory!" Silverpaw burst out. "I'm a good enough fighter, and so is Aspencloud and Minnowtail. And just think," she mewed to all of RiverClan," If this peace-talk is successful, so many RiverClan and ShadowClan lives will be saved. Isn't this worth it?" Dawnpaw purred loudly, and licked her sister on the shoulder.

"Well said," she murmured. "You're like a real warrior now! Going on a warrior mission to ShadowClan!"

"It's settled," Emberstar said. "Minnowtail, Aspencloud, and Silverpaw will leave at sun-high today." He looked at those three cats. "May I suggest to eat well and pray to StarClan. For this to work, we're going to need all the help we can get."

Silverpaw stepped out of the camp and looked at the giant sun, which was rapidly going across the sky. Dawnpaw's pelt pressed against hers, wished farewell wordlessly. Aspencloud and Minnowtail glanced back at Silverpaw.

"Ready?" the deputy asked, twitching her orange tail in anticipation. Dawnpaw pressed her nose into her litter-mate's fur.

"Stay safe," she whispered," and don't let those ShadowClan cats bother you."

"I'll be back soon," Silverpaw said, watching her sister go back into camp with one last anguished look.

Am I lying? Silverpaw wondered as the three she-cats bounded through the territory. Will I come back from this patrol? Silverpaw glanced up at the sky again, wishing she could see the Silverpelt. The comforting sight of her twinkling warrior ancestors always restored hope inside of her. After passing the final break of trees, Minnowtail turned back to her companions.

"If the ShadowClan cats attack, the first priority will be getting Aspencloud to safety," she looked at Silverpaw. "So fight your hardest, and don't forget that I'll be fighting alongside you. Don't be scared."

"I will give my life to protect my clanmates," Silverpaw said, feeling like a real warrior. So this is what being a RiverClan warrior is, she thought. I like it— caring for the weaker and protecting our clan mates, even with the cost of our lives.

"Let's go," Minnowtail said, and led Aspencloud and Silverpaw to the ShadowClan border.

Silverpaw could smell the ShadowClan warriors before she saw them. If she had seen them, she would be tempted to run all the way back to camp. They're huge! Silverpaw thought, trying not the wail out loud. She would seem weak if she did.

The patrol was made up out of a white she-cat with only one eye, a black she-cat, and an orange tabby tom, who looked disturbingly similar to Minnowtail. When the warriors saw the patrol of RiverClan cats, they picked up the pace and approached the border, growling angrily. Silverpaw felt weak in the knees and thought that she might topple onto the ground. Suddenly, she felt Aspencloud's orange tail wrap around her shoulders.

"Be brave, Silverpaw," she hissed softly, not taking her eyes off the ShadowClan cats. "Courage is one thing that nobody, not even StarClan, can take away from you." Silverpaw looked into the medicine cats eyes. Somehow, she felt like Aspencloud was talking not just about the ShadowClan warriors, but something else. Before she could ask about it though, Lighteye, the white she-cat let out a yowl.

"Hey! What are you doing in our border?" Minnowtail stepped forward until she and Lighteye stood nose-to-nose, separated only by the scent of both RiverClan and ShadowClan. As the rest of the cats behind Lighteye unsheathed their claws, Silverpaw gulped. Please StarClan, she thought, protect us!

"We have a message for Thistlestar," announced Minnowtail. The ShadowClan cats smirked.

"What kind of message?" hissed the orange tom, his voice barely audible.

"Do you expect of to tell you words meant for your leader?" growled Minnowtail. Her fur was bristling, and she lashed her tail like a reed by the river in anger.

Lighteye sneered and turned to her patrol. "You stay here. I'll take them to camp." The white cat turned back and flicked her tail. "Come on," she hissed," unless you want me to kill you first." Silverpaw curled her lip.

Aspencloud went across the scent-line first, Minnowtail following. Silverpaw extended a paw and looked into the hostile gazes of the ShadowClan warriors. I will not show fear, Silverpaw decided, and padded after her Clanmates, into enemy territory.



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