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.
"Go back to your camp. And stop running across the border." She said, glaring at them with her only eye.
"Go!" Thunderheart roared, as the two young cats scampered away. Wolfheart fixed the scent-line again, and nodded, signaling to head back to camp. "I'll tell Winterheart to send a patrol near ShadowClan again, just incase." He informed.
"We are already done already, aren't we?" Nightfeather replied, stepping up to the grey tom.
"True," he said, flicking his tail for them to follow.
Silentpaw dropped her squirrel in the fresh-kill pile, and watched as Coldkit scampered her way, and grabbed it with his tiny teeth. The white and gray kit grunted as he attempted to lift it, the squirrel's whole body trailing under his belly across the ground as Coldkit headed for the nursery. Silentpaw could see Silvermist retrieve the squirrel from her kit, and licked his ears in thanks.
A familiar scent drifted across Silentpaw's nose. Sunflame! She thought, and whipped around to catch his strong structure. Sunflame walked around Silentpaw, so blurry and misty, that he was see-through. Silentpaw could hardly see a nice glint in his eyes, looking straight at Silvermist. A harsh leaf-fall wind hurled away, making Sunflame disappear.
I miss him so much. Silentpaw didn't leave her eyes off the ground as she padded towards the medicine den.
"Falconpaw didn't die because of the snake, Echopaw." Stormwhisker said.
"What?!" Echopaw screeched.
"Bloodcough tortured him."
"I thought he was healthy!"
"I didn't know that he was exposed to Bloodcough!"
"Then how can you know now?" Echopaw challenged.
"Those kinds of snakes' bites aren't poisonous." Stormwhisker answered, then stopped to look at Silentpaw.
Echopaw glared at Stormwhisker to Silentpaw, and growled, stomping away to her den. Stormwhisker looked down at his paws.
I saw Sunflame, Silentpaw carved in the ground. Stormwhisker's eyes grew wide. "Where?" He whispered.
At the fresh-kill pile. I don't think anyone could see him except me. He was looking at Silvermist and his kits. Do you think it means anything? Silentpaw asked.
"I doubt it," Stormwhisker answered quietly. "You know how caring Sunflame is, he loves his mate and kits."
I feel so bad for him...Silentpaw clawed the ground.
"Silentpaw!" Wolfheart yelled across camp, his voice echoed through the hollow.
"Let's go hunting. Grunt is driving all of us crazy." He said as he skidded to a halt near his apprentice. He eyed the ground. "What have you been doing?" He asked.
"This is how Silentpaw comunicates with the Clan." Stormwhisker answered.
"Then how come I have no idea what it says?" Wolfheart replied.
"Only me and Silentpaw know what the marking means. If she claws something, I can say it for the Clan."
"Okay..." Wolfheart said, and flicked his tail for his apprentice to follow him through the bramble entrance.
Silentpaw seperated her jaws and caught the scent of vole. She carefully and quietly hurried over to the prey, and crouched into hunter's position.
Her tail waved against the ground, rustling leaves as she went. The vole perked up, and ran away. But it didn't notice Wolfheart's paws as it bumped straight into them, then Wolfheart killed it with a single bite in the spine. "Good teamwork," he commented, and buried the vole in the ground to get later.
"Look," Wolfheart whispered, "there's a starling up there." He said, flicking his tail in the tree. "Try and get it. You do need tree climbing practice."
Sikentpaw took a deep, calming breath. She had a rough time at climbing trees. This could be perfect practice for her. "And remember," Wolfheart said quietly, "keep your tail low, but not that low so it wavers across the ground."
The mute apprentice pounced on to the bark, digging her claws sharp into it, and started to climb up. The starling still didn't notice her. The amber-colored she-cat jumped on a branch, and jumped onto another branch, testing it's strength for weight. The starling started hopping around on the branches, and Silentpaw was close to it now. The starling started flapping it's wings, so Silentpaw pounced skillfully, but the bird flew away. Silentpaw yelped as she fell harshly on the ground, the bark scraping her shoulder, causing it to ooze blood.
"Silentpaw!" Terror filled Wolfheart yell. He rushed over to her.
"Silentpaw, are you okay?" He asked. No answer, only a grunt. Dark shears of pain snapped at Silentpaw's head.
"Here," Wolfheart said, helping her up, "let me take you back to camp."
He placed his soft tail over her back to comfort her. Stabbing throbs pounded in the wound on Silentpaw's shoulder.
"What's wrong 'ere?" Stormwhisker perked up and padded out of his den to meet them.
"She fell down a tree and the bark scraped her shoulder badly." Wolfheart reported.
"No worries. The scrape's not that deep. She'll be out inna jiffy." Stormwhisker nodded, and helped Silentpaw towards the entrance. The old medicine cat gave her poppy seeds so she could rest. The stickiness of cobwebs wrapped around her shoulder. Silentpaw silently yawned, and fell to sleep.
**********
Sunflame broke away from the drifting darkness. "Silent One!" He yowled, kicking away claws the raked his hind legs.
Silentpaw rushed over to meet him.
"I don't have much time--" Sunflame screeched in pain and thorn-like claws dug into his spine. Gasping, Silentpaw helped him and bit hard on the grasping paws.
"Stay strong, Silent One. Don't give up!" He warned, but then the darkness grabbed him and pulled the away.
"Protect my kits!" Was all that Silentpaw heard after. Roaring pain scorched inside her, and she quickly awoke from the haunting dream. What was he warning her about? Was all Silentpaw could wonder about.
"Yer all well, Silentpaw." Stormwhisker nodded. The amber-colored apprentice looked over at the scar on her shoulder. It was dark pink, and the fur around it was gone.
"It's a scar. But the fur around it will slowly grow back in." Stormwhisker imformed her. Silentpaw nodded and left the den.
The sun sunk lower so the trees looked that they were ablaze with the glowing rays that cast out fire-like light across the night. The lake looks as if it were on fire. Tonight Moonstar will be meeting Lightningstar near the shore.
"Hey, Silentpaw." Wolfheart called. "Can you do me a favor by getting the vole that we caught? Im here having a meeting with Moonstar and the senior warriors. Thanks." He finished and turned back on his conversation with Moonstar, Winterheart, Thunderheart, Bouncefire, And Mudfur.
Silentpaw walked hesitantly towards the bramble entrance. She sighed and fetched the vole from near the tree where she got her first scar. When she got back to camp and dropped the vole into the fresh-kill pile. Silvermist padded up to her, and smiled, licking the top of Silentpaw's ears. Silentpaw dipped her head and walked over to the Highstone where Moonstar was waiting. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather down under the Hightstone to hold a Clan meeting!" She exclaimed, chin held hight in the night sky.
"Tonight I will meet Lightningstar near the shore of the lake to debate about this mouse-brained category in joining his Clan. I have a group of warriors that will be there with me, but hiding behind the bushes that surround some of the shore." Moonstar reported.
A wave of murmurs sounded across the hollow. "What's her decision?" Applewhisker asked, looking at her mate, Bouncefire. "She refused to tell us," he said.
"Mudfur, bring your apprentice with Winterheart, Thunderheart, Wolfheart and Silentpaw to hide and cover me at the meeting. The rest of you, carry on, Hawkfire, you're in charge while we're gone. Protect the elders and kits incase ShadowClan invades." Moonstar commanded. Hawkfire nodded, and rubbed her muzzle against her mate's, Thunderheart.
"May StarClan light your path and agree with your decision." Hawkfire called after them. Silentpaw felt a rush of excitement. She'll get to hear two of the most powerful cats have a secret meeting that was about to break the warrior code with the decision. What will Moonstar say?
Hi guys! Thanks for reading the very last chapter of Silentmelody's Dream! Wait, just kidding XD not yet! It'll come soon, very soon, just as long as I don't refuse to keep on writing this book...which well deffinately not happen! Just to let you know, I tried to put the song 'Walk Unafraid' by First Aid Kit. This book was inspired by this song, and of many others. Beautiful song, really, love it. So go check it out! Anyways, thanks again for encouraging me to write this book, and through all of those writers' blocks, I kept going.