Silentmelody's Dream

Chapter 12

Silentpaw screamed again, or so she tried to. She just remembered that she was muted, and also struggling in a tangle of thorns. Suddenly, Silentpaw was lifted from the brambles, and set back down again on the flat, dirt ground. "Whatja doin' in there, Silentpaw?" The funny, but soothing voice of Stormwhisker asked, as Silentpaw looked up over she shoulder to see the blue-grey raggled, and tangled whiskered tom. She smiled, but then remembered the horror of what Bloodcough brought to them. "What is it, sweetie?" Stormwhisker asked again. Without looking at the medicine cat, Silentpaw rushed back to camp.

"Where have you been, Silentpaw? You were supposed to go on the sun-high patrol. Well, its too late now, anyway. Now its time for your battle training." Silentpaw was caught by Metalclaw, who picked her up by the scruff, forcing her to go with him. Urgg, Metalclaw! Let me go! You have no idea what I've been going through! Silentpaw though viciously as she fought Metalclaw, hanging by his jaws. Finally, she was placed back down, facing Falconpaw, Snakepaw, and Echopaw. "Where have you been? You missed all our training sessions since we became apprentices!" Metalclaw snarled. Silentpaw softly shuffled her paws into the sand. "Now get up, and pay attention!" Silentpaw looked up at Metalclaw, who nodded at Falconpaw. Suddenly, Silentpaw was knocked to the ground, with Falconpaw on top of her. Falconpaw snarled, and lowered his head to her ear. "Don't worry, its just practice." He whispered. Silentpaw frowned as she forced him off, then stuck her front paw behind Falconpaw's leg. As the grey apprentice fell down, he yelled: "Hey! You tripped me!"
Metalclaw smiled. "Nice, Silentpaw! Good job for attacking back at your enemy." He praised. But Silentpaw still wasn't smiling. She just needed to get this over with so she can meet the other medicine cats at moonhigh. "Echopaw, and Snakepaw, you two practice the claw swoop, while Falconpaw and Silentpaw, finish their ambush." Metalclaw announced. "Falconpaw, get back down on the ground as if Silentpaw just tripped you." Falconpaw obeyed his mentor. Silently hissing, the muted apprentice jumped on Falconpaw, grabbing one of his front paws and slid it behind his back. Falconpaw screeched in pain, as Silentpaw pushed his arm more, just able to see his paw from the other side of his body. With his free paw, Falconpaw drew his claws out and sliced Silentpaw's muzzle. Ignoring the wound, Silentpaw growled in her throat and pushed Falconpaw's arm even more. "Silentpaw! Stop! Get off of him!" Metalclaw ordered. But still the apprentice shoved her hardest as Falconpaw yowled him pain. Suddenly, Silentpaw heard a pop! from Falconpaw's arm. "You piece of foxdung!" Metalclaw cursed and threw Silentpaw off of his apprentice. "Sunflame should be here by now, punishing you. Instead, he's stuck in the medicine den!"
"I can't feel my arm!" Falconpaw wailed. Picking Falconpaw up by the scruff, Metalclaw growled at Silentpaw as he passed by her to the medicine den.
**********
"Silentpaw, I couldn't believe you would do that!" Nightfeather said. "You broke Falconpaw's arm!" Silentpaw looked away, still not feeling the guilt. Well, Falconpaw sliced my muzzle. With his claws! She thought, feeling the blood ooze out from the deep wound. "May I have Silentpaw, please?" Stormwhisker asked Nightfeather. The one-eyed warrior nodded. Quickly, Stormwhisker shoved Silentpaw closer to him. Silentpaw could feel his icy cold breath. "I'm not sure that you'll be able to go with me." He whispered. Silentpaw's heart beat rose. I am! I am going with you! I'm the one who knows most about it! I saw a sign! "I'll try to figure out a way so that you can escape." Thank StarClan!
After Stormwhisker placed cobwebs on Silentpaw's sore, he told Nightwhisker, "She goin' t'have that wound for a couple of moons. She might start pawing at it, and the wound might swell bigger around it, the skin turning pinkish red. For her own safety, I still think she needs to stay with me for the night."
"How will a little clawing do all this?" Nightfeather asked.
"Soon, if Silentpaw keeps pawing at it, the swelling will grow inside her cheek, and into her neck. Then she might not able to breathe. So, I need to keep a careful watch at her just incase." Stormwhisker informed seriously. Will that really happen? Or is he just making that up? "Well.....okay." Nightfeather agreed. "But you already have Sunflame, and Falconpaw in here, you and Duskpaw sleep here, and also Silentpaw. I don't really think its that necessary. I can still keep a good watch at her, I am her own mother."
"Now, listen. Do you ever question you medicine cat, eh?" Stormwhisker asked harshly, his tangled whiskers twitching. "No." Nightfeather said as she padded out of the den. Once she left, Stormwhisker whispered, "Yes, Silentpaw, that will really happen to you. I wasn't just makin' that up." Silentpaw's heartbeat quickened. The horrible, itchy tinge exploded on her skin. She carefully lifted her leg it paw at it, but Stormwhisker quickly reacted, and forced her leg down strongly. "Now," he said. "We'll work on some Twoleg marking until moonhigh."
**********
The waxing gibbous moon hung bright through the night. Silentpaw padded over to Stormwhisker, waking him up from his 'healer nap' he calls it. Still closing his eyes, Stormwhisker mumbled, "Who dares to wake me by my healer nap!" Once he opened his eyes, he laughed. "It's just you. Are you ready?"
Silentpaw nodded. StarClan, she thought, Please give the other medicine cats the wisdom about Bloodcough, please let them understand me.

As they got to the Moonpool, Neonfang dipped his head as Amberpool entered, followed by Silverleaf. Stormwhisker and Silentpaw were the first ones to get there, despite the lack of time.
Neonfang touched his nose to the pool, along with the other medicine cats. Silentpaw hesitated. She never done this before. Finally, she let the icy water lap over her nose, chilling her to the bone.
She awoke to see Jayfeather, Firestar, Stormwhisker, Neonfang, Amberpool, and Silverleaf in a row.
"What took you so long to get here?!" Neonfang asked Silentpaw. "Never hesitate to touch the Moonpool! We have to talk about this only in StarClan because you're the one that's muted!" He hissed. Jayfeather stepped to her side. "And she's also the one that knows most about Bloodcough."
"Except Blood," Firestar commented harshly. "That's my point!" Neonfang yelled, and sat back down. "Tell us," Silverleaf pleaded kindly. "Tell us what you saw."