Fan Fiction

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Book 6: Silent Sacrifice
Chapter One

     Weak sunlight filtered through the trees, offering little relief from the cold bite of the wind. The ginger tom shivered as he trudged through the snow, a half-frozen chaffinch hanging from his jaws. A small tortoiseshell padded beside him, carrying a scrawny robin. It was ill-fed, with little meat on its bones, but it was still bigger than the tom’s catch.

     The tom shifted his grip on the chaffinch, tucking it under his chin so he could speak. “You did very well today, Duskpaw,” he told the younger she-cat. “That robin will make a good meal for the elders.”

     With a grunt, Duskpaw shifted her prey as well, her yellow gaze sparking with frustration. “I guess,” she grumbled. “But I wanted to bring more back. The kits are getting too skinny, and Brightheart refused to eat the other day so the queens could have enough. And all I have to contribute is one scrawny robin.” She sighed, lashing her tail. “I should have caught that squirrel – at least that one had some meat on its bones.”

     Worry crept through the tabby’s pelt at the mention of kits. He imagined his own daughter, her pale gray-brown pelt hanging too loosely on a scrawny frame. But he forced that thought back, trying to stay positive for his apprentice’s sake. “No cat catches every piece of prey perfectly,” he told her, flicking his tail-tip against her shoulder. “You were clumsy pouncing at that squirrel, but all you can do is learn from your mistake and do better next time. You did much better catching the robin – I didn’t even scent it before you did.”

     Duskpaw’s ears flicked forward. “Really?”

     “Really,” he assured her. “You’re getting better at this, I promise. Just be patient with yourself. You’ve only been training for two moons.”

     Her eyes gleamed with hope for a moment, before becoming tempered with frustration again. “I know. It’s just really hard to watch our Clanmates go hungry. I wish I could do more to help.”

     “Just keep up with your training, and do your best,” the tom told her. “That’s all you can do for now. But if you keep at it, you’ll be a great warrior one day.”

     The worry began to melt from the apprentice’s expression, a purr in her throat. “Thanks, Blazeheart,” she mewed. As her somber mood faded, Duskpaw’s usual chipper attitude seemed to be returning full-force. Her tail shot up as she moved into a brisk trot, calling cheerfully to Blazeheart, “Come on, we’ll be late for the ceremony!” Blazeheart sped up his pace as well, following his apprentice with an exasperated purr.

     Over a moon and a half had passed since the Code’s Battle, when the Clans had fought to reclaim their home from Breeze and his followers, and restore the warrior code to the lake. Breeze’s cats had driven the four Clans from their territory when Duskpaw had been just a kit, and the Clans had been forced to flee to the distant twoleg city. After almost four moons of living in the massive twolegplace, Blazeheart still felt the occasional flicker of discomfort in his own territory. But that feeling was beginning to fade, and over the past moon and a half, the forest had become ThunderClan’s home once again.

     But their victory against the rogues didn’t mean the end of the Clans’ troubles. Leafbare had hit the forest hard already, even harder than the last leafbare. Only half a moon into the cold season, prey had already become scarce, and freezing winds and thick snow had made hunting harder than it had been in moons. Even worse, the forest still hadn’t fully recovered from the fire that had swept across their territory four moons ago. Blazeheart couldn’t remember prey ever being so scarce. As much as he had tried to sound positive for his apprentice’s sake, he was more worried than ever about the welfare of his Clan.

     The mentor and apprentice managed to reach the camp just as cats were gathering around the High Ledge. Bramblestar had apparently already called the meeting; the massive tabby stoop atop the High Ledge, head held high and amber eyes glowing with pride. But as Blazeheart picked his way through the crowd to sit next Snowfall, he couldn’t help but notice how closely the dark tabby pelt clung to his leader’s frame.

     “Warriors of ThunderClan, we have faced some of the Clans’ greatest challenges these last moons,” Bramblestar announced in his booming yowl. “We lost our home, our pride, and many dear Clanmates. But our courage and our loyalty got us through that dark time, and we stand now victorious over those who would have destroyed our way of life.” Cheers rose through the crowd at the leader’s words. Bramblestar allowed the cheering to continue for a few moments, before waving his tail for silence. “One young cat suffered more than most at the paws of Breeze and his cats, but stood strong beside ThunderClan even before she joined us, and fought bravely on our behalf. Today, we honor that young cat with her warrior name. Step forward, Littlepaw!”

     Blazeheart watched as the small yellow tabby padded through the crowd, coming to stand in front of the High Ledge. Her long, silky pelt had been groomed to perfection, her green eyes blazing with joy as she gazed up at her leader. Though smaller and softer-looking than most of the warriors, there was a fierce determination in the way she held herself.

     Bramblestar leaped down from the High Ledge, coming to stand before Littlepaw. “I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice,” he announced clearly. “She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” He gazed down at the smaller she-cat, rumbling, “Littlepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

     “I do,” Littlepaw vowed, tail lashing with joy. Blazeheart held back a purr. It was good to finally see the she-cat earn her full name – she had grown a lot from the suspicious, scrawny kitten she’d been when she first came to the Clan, and she had worked very hard for this honor. Though her mother and brother had chosen to return to their home at the horseplace after Breeze had been defeated, Littlepaw had chosen to join ThunderClan, and now her hard work and training was finally to be rewarded.

     “Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name,” Bramblestar called. “Littlepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Littledaisy. StarClan honors your courage, and your determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” The new warrior dipped her head respectfully, Bramblestar laying his chin over her head.

     “Littledaisy! Littledaisy! Littledaisy!” Even with the misery and hunger of leafbare over them, the voices of the crowd rose in bright, golden tones as they cheered on their Clanmate. Blazeheart added his voice to the rest of the crowd, cheering for his new denmate. “Littledaisy!”

     It was no surprise to any cat what her warrior name was. When Daffodil had joined ThunderClan, she had requested her full warrior name to be Littledaisy, after her brother Little Whiskers, and her aunt Daisy. Most of Littledaisy and Little Whisker’s littermates had been violently slain by Dark Forest warriors, leaving the remaining littermates with a very close bond. Other than their mother, they were all each other had left of their family. Littledaisy had wanted to carry a reminder of her brother with her, even though they had chosen different homes.

     Daisy was gone now, but she had been been like a second mother to Littledaisy and Little Whiskers when they first came to ThunderClan. Littledaisy had wanted to honor her brave and loving kin, who had died protecting the kits in ShadowClan’s nursery before the Clans had left the lake. Blazeheart hoped the gentle queen was watching over Littledaisy now as she finally earned her warrior name.

     To Blazeheart’s surprise, Bramblestar lashed his tail for silence. Every cat quieted, glancing curiously at their leader. “Tonight, Littledaisy will sit silent vigil, as is tradition. But this was not the only ceremony I planned to perform today,” he told his Clanmates. “There is one cat among us who has served her Clan for many moons, and has decided to retire. Hazeltail, step forward.”

     There were some murmurs of surprise as the gray-and-white warrior padded out from the crowd, coming to stand before her leader. Hazeltail wasn’t as old as most elders, and was younger than the leader, deputy, and medicine cat of the Clan. But a wound sustained in the Code’s Battle had slowed her down in the last moon and a half, leaving her a slower hunter and giving her occasional soreness and pain. Even beyond her injury, Blazeheart could see weariness in every line on the she-cat’s face. She had lost her mate, her young daughter, both of her brothers, and both of her parents, in a very short amount of time. Though she always kept a stoic appearance, Blazeheart knew how much grief she hid inside to keep from looking weak. It was no wonder that she was ready to give up the life of a warrior, and finally find peace and rest in the elder’s den.

     Bramblestar waited for the murmurs to die down before he began. “Hazeltail, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?” he called out clearly for the crowd to hear.”

     Hazeltail dipped her head, her tone rasping as she said, “It is.” Blazeheart felt a chill at her dull tone. Hazeltail had been a proud warrior, wearing a face of stone to hide any pain, so she could appear strong to her Clanmates. But now, she sounded too weary to even care about admitting her weakness and pain to the Clan.

     The leader’s voice was gentle as he continued, “Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest.”

     Finchwing’s voice was the first to rise from the crowd. “Hazeltail!” He approached his mother, touching his nose to her ear in a comforting gesture. The call was soon picked up by the crowd. “Hazeltail! Hazeltail!” The elder in question looked surprised, and touched, as her Clanmates cheered their love and support for her. Russetpaw and Foxpaw bounded from the crowd as well, purring as they rubbed against their mother’s legs. Littledaisy approached her half sister, bumping her muzzle against Hazeltail’s and purring.

     Bramblestar let the cheers continue a while longer, then flicked his tail dismissively, signaling the end of the meeting. As he padded away, and the crowd broke up, Blazeheart saw cats approaching Littledaisy and Hazeltail and giving their congratulations. Sparktail was one of the first to approach Littledaisy. Though the tom had initially seemed disappointed to have a horseplace cat as his first apprentice, now he greeted her with a proud purr, touching his nose to her ear and murmuring something that Blazeheart couldn’t hear. Shadowstripe and Redleaf were there too, congratulating their new denmate, as well as Cosima. The tortoiseshell had looked as soft as any other kittypet four moons ago, but now, she was as strong and sure as any warrior. Her apprentice, Antpaw, stood beside her, golden eyes gleaming with joy. But even as the warriors congratulated their Clanmates, there was a somber air over every cat. The worries of such a harsh leafbare were not banished so easily.

     Blazeheart mewed a quick farewell to Snowfall, then began padding away across the camp. With the cheer of the ceremonies fading, the tom felt his earlier worries creeping back into his thoughts as he stepped through the bramble entrance to the nursery.

     A familiar sight greeted Blazeheart as he padded into the den. The four queens were laying in their nests, watching the kits fondly as they played. All of the kits and queens looked up as the tom entered the den. One kit in particular lit up with joy, crying gleefully, “Blazeheart!” She bounded across the den, nearly barreling into the tom as she rubbed gleefully against his legs.

     Fierce love flooded Blazeheart as he delivered a series of swift licks to the kit’s head and ears, purring as loud as a LionClan warrior. “Hello, Wrenkit,” he greeted his daughter between licks.

     Wrenkit purred as her father crouched to her level, butting her muzzle against his. Blazeheart’s daughter was two and a half moons old now, and was becoming bigger and more lively every day. It gave Blazeheart more joy than he could ever describe to watch his daughter grow, knowing that one day she would be a brave, strong warrior serving her Clan. But for now, he was content to enjoy raising the sweet, cheerful kit she was now.

     “I beat Mousekit and Screechkit at mossball today,” Wrenkit informed Blazeheart proudly. “And Millie told us a story about a kittypet who chased a dog out of his garden.”

     Blazeheart purred, touching his nose to his daughter’s ear. “Sounds like a good day,” he mewed. As Wrenkit pulled away, he looked up again at the other cats in the den.

     Ambertalon had been lying in her nest, but rose to her paws now, crossing the den to Blazeheart and bumping her muzzle against his chin in greeting. Silentstorm was stretched out on her nest, letting Mousekit and Screechkit use her tail as a plaything, waving it back and forth as they tried to pounce on it. Lightningstrike was watching her daughter’s game with amusement, Oatkit sitting near her as he picked at a half-frozen sparrow. The former rogue was slow to trust her new Clanmates around her kits, but Silentstorm had trained with her for a moon before introducing her to the Clan, and Lightningstrike seemed to trust her well enough.

     The last queen in the den lay curled up in her nest, snoring lightly. Seedlight had moved into the nursery a moon ago, expecting Sparktail’s kits. Blazeheart had always thought of the tom as gruff and prickly, but Sparktail seemed to radiate joy every time he visited his mate in the nursery. He even played with Silentstorm’s kits often and looked out for them, as their father was his brother Lightfoot. Whatever his personal opinion about the tom, Blazeheart knew that Sparktail loved his mate, and would be a wonderful father to his kits.

     “How was training today?” Ambertalon asked as she and Blazeheart approached her nest, sitting on the moss together. Silentstorm, who lay in the nest not far from Ambertalon, mewed a greeting as they approached. The tabby leaned against his mate, feeling her shoulder and flank pressed against his own, her cheek resting on his neck. Wrenkit left her parents alone, running off to join Jaykit by the corner of the den, where she was batting a feather around.

     “As well as it can, with prey this scarce,” he told her. “Duskpaw’s getting really good at bird hunting – she just has to learn to be more patient.”

     Ambertalon’s whiskers twitched. “I can’t imagine Duskpaw being patient,” she mewed, merriment gleaming in her eyes. “She seems like she’s always bouncing from thought to thought, and with the energy to match.”

     “Not that you or I were ever all that patient as apprentices,” Silentstorm mewed to Ambertalon, sounding amused, though weary.

     Blazeheart purred in amusement. “She’s a pawful, that’s for sure,” he confirmed. “But as least she’s eager to learn.” His good cheer began to fade after a few moments. “I can’t teach her to catch prey that isn’t there, though.” Ambertalon gave a small noise of agreement, her gaze growing more serious.

     He glanced at the other queens in the nursery. Seedlight looked too scrawny for a queen so close to kitting, and Silentstorm and Lightningstrike had a dull glaze of hunger to their eyes. All of the kits were skinnier than they should be as well. The tom felt a pang of worry when he saw Wrenkit’s frame, too bony for such a young kit. He could even feel Ambertalon’s skinny frame as she pressed against his side. How was he going to protect his family when there was so little for any cat to eat? The fear of his daughter starving, just like his young sister had all of those moons ago, kept him up every night now that leafbare had set in.

     As his gaze drifted towards his sister, a different kind of worry began to prick at his heart, the same worry that had followed him ever since he had learned about the prophecy. When the Clans were still staying in the city, Silentstorm had told him and her closest friends from the other Clans about a prophecy from StarClan. Dark times are coming. Only blind loyalty and silent sacrifice can save the Clans. The prophecy foretold that Silentstorm would be the one to save the Clans from the darkness.

     At first, Blazeheart had thought the prophecy had been fulfilled when Silentstorm killed Breeze. She had been the one to organize the Clans’ allies in the fight against Breeze, and she, Darkbreeze, and Nightfern had been the ones to kill the cruel leader. But at the Gathering after that battle, a darkness like nothing Blazeheart had ever seen had blocked out the light of Silverpelt. Ever since then, he had known that the prophecy wasn’t over, and that an even greater darkness still waited for his sister.

     Blazeheart had tried to share his concerns with Silentstorm, but whenever he brought up the prophecy, she always found some excuse to leave, or change the subject. He didn’t understand why she would avoiding talking about the prophecy; was the burden of it too much for her to think about? Whatever the reason was, he was starting to feel desperate. However scared she was to face it, Silentstorm had to know that there was still danger waiting for her. He had to get her to listen, somehow, so he could warn her.

     Somewhere in the back of his mind, a dark voice murmured, But then what? Even if he got her to listen, what could he really even tell her? All he knew was that the prophecy wasn’t over yet, and the darkness was still coming. But he didn’t know what the darkness was, or how she was meant to stop it. Cold fear filled him every time he thought about the ominous words of the prophecy, and the silent sacrifice it called on her to make. What was his sister going to have to sacrifice in order to defeat the darkness? Every answer he could imagine just added to his growing horror.

     I have to find a way to warn her, Blazeheart thought firmly as Silentstorm drew Screechkit close to her with one paw, beginning to groom the black kit. And no matter what the darkness is, I have to find a way to help her face it, and protect my family.

-~-

COVER: http://jayie-the-hufflepuff.deviantart.com/art/Cover-Silent-Sacrifice-Book-Six-646612813
ALLEGIANCES: http://jayie-the-hufflepuff.deviantart.com/art/Silent-Sacrifice-Allegiances-646613795
PROLOGUE: http://jayie-the-hufflepuff.deviantart.com/art/EOTW-Silent-Sacrifice-Prologue-646614339
PREVIOUS: http://jayie-the-hufflepuff.deviantart.com/art/EOTW-Silent-Sacrifice-Prologue-646614339

Well, I certainly jumped right back into writing these. ^^

Anyway, here’s the first chapter. We get to see a bit of Duskpaw and Blazeheart training together, and we get to see Littledaisy’s warrior ceremony, and Hazeltail’s retirement ceremony. I always wanted to write an elder ceremony, and I never really got the chance, and the only one I think we ever saw in the canon books was Mousefur’s. Hazeltail’s probably 6 ish years old here, so not really old per se, but she’s the oldest warrior in her Clan, has a limp now because of the Code’s Battle, and has lost so many of the cats she loved. I figured she deserved to retire, and it allowed me to finally write an elder ceremony.

The battle against Breeze and his cats is now called the Code’s Battle, as it was the winner of the poll I posted a while back about what that battle would be called, and it’s the name I ended up liking the best.

We get to see a little more of Wrenkit, and the state of things in the nursery. We’ll be seeing more of Jaykit, Screechkit, and Wrenkit’s personalities in the next chapter, I think. ^^

Also, random, but I forgot to mention this on the allegiances – two of Honeyheart’s kits are named after really old RP characters of mine. See if you can guess which ones. ^^

We’ll see when I get around to finishing chapter two. It’ll be in Silentstorm’s POV.