Chapter Twelve

                                    

                                          
Chapter Twelve
                          
"No!" Silverpaw screeched, dashing forwards, attempting to catch her falling sister. Dawnpaw was silent for a moment, than she started to shake as if she were choking. "Aspencloud!" Silverpaw called, but the medicine cat was no where to be found.
                          
Silverpaw buried her nose in Dawnpaw's pelt. "Please, don't go!" She mumbled, inhaling the orange and white tabby's sweet scent, which was slightly muffled from the heavy stench of blood. "We're supposed to become warriors together!"
                          
A soft tail rested on Silverpaw's shoulder. "Silverpaw," Iceleap whispered, let's take your sister back to the camp. We have much work to do." From the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a brown and red fur inching its was towards Iceleap.
                          
"Oh, no, you don't!" Silverpaw muttered, pouncing on Ivy. "You've taken my mother and my sister. I will not let you take my mentor too!" Silverpaw tore Ivy's throat out, watching her flail as the brown she-cat's blood rushed out onto the dirt.
                          
You deserve this, Ivy. No one kills my family and gets away with it alive! Her guilt of killing the cat vanished like it had never been there before as she thought of Dawnpaw.
                          
"Come on, Silverpaw, let's go," Iceleap urged. "Just leave her alone. Let her crawl back to ShadowClan territory- or even better, die on the way there." That's a good idea- give her a taste of her own herbs.
                          
Silverpaw gave the terrible tabby a cold glare as her mentor lead her away from the battlefield, which had cleared of all cats as soon as it had been clear that Ivy would not live to see the next day.


                          
Aspencloud paced around the RiverClan medicine cat's den. Tanglebrook followed her with their eyes. "I told her not to get killed!" A furious medicine cat meowed angrily. Tanglebrook shook his head.
                          
"Dawnpaw is dead, and the thing you're mad about is that she disobeyed you?" Tanglebrook remarked, amused.
                          
Silverpaw sighed. "Even though she got killed, she still got herself killed." She paused. "But I'm still proud of her. But I still want to kill her again for getting killed. Wait, does that make sense?" The two older cats chuckled. Silverpaw looked away and rested her head on her paws.
                          
Why did you have to leave me, Dawnpaw? Silverpaw buried her muzzle deeper into the nest. We we're supposed to fulfill the prophecy together! I can't do this alone!
                          
A voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Tanglebrook, could you please make your way to the clearing? I need to exchange a few words with Silverpaw before the ceremony." As Tanglebrook slowly padded out of the medicine cat's den, Aspencloud gestured to Silverpaw with her tail.
                          
"Come over here, Silverpaw," Aspencloud said, draping her tail around Silverpaw's shoulders. Silverpaw flinched- the action reminded her too much of her own mother.
                          
"What is it, Aspencloud?" Silverpaw asked, shrugging Aspencloud's tail off of her. She turned to face the medicine cat.
                          
Aspencloud sighed, her eyes downcast. "I know you were thinking about the prophecy," she started, looking off into the distance. Her eyes clouded over. "I really thought that you- both of you- were the ones. But I guess I was wrong." The multicolored she cat fixed her eyes onto the silver tabby. "I hope you understand that no matter what, Dawnpaw and StarClan will always be with you. Now go, Silverpaw. I believe that Minnowstar has something to say to you."


                          
Silverpaw sat in the center of the clearing, the empty shell of what had once been her sister in front of her. Cloudwhisker's body lay next to Dawnpaw. Minnowstar, who had recently received her nine lives, stood on the great rock, Silverpelt reflecting in her eyes. Around her, Silverpaw could see all her clanmates. The half-blind Tanglebrook looked on with excitement, and Iceleap grinned proudly at her apprentice.
                          
But the one thing that was missing was her family. Neither Ferntail, or Softwing, nor Dawnpaw was with her. She was all alone.
                          
The clearing was silent as Minnowstar started to speak, her voice ringing loudly and clearly. "The battle against Ivy was well fought. We triumphed over the ShadowClan fleabags!" At this the onlookers burst into cheers. Minnowstar continued. "But this did not come without a cost. Cloudwhisker and Dawnpaw have passed onto the stars. Cloudwhisker was a great warrior, and RiverClan will mourn over him for many moons. And Dawnpaw was an apprentice who in every way deserved to be a warrior." She paused, letting her words hang in the air.
                          
"That is why I ask our warrior ancestors to take pity on this apprentice. She has given her life for her clan, just as the Warrior Code has been written. Let StarClan receive her as a warrior." Minnowstar announced. Silverpaw drew in a breath, trembling.
                          
Oh, how I wish I could see you expression right now, Dawnpaw.
                          
"Let StarClan receive not an apprentice named Dawnpaw, but a warrior named Dawnstrike." Murmurs of the name rippled across the clearing, and Silverpaw gazed upon her fallen sister proudly. Minnowstar directed her gaze from Dawnstrike to Silverpaw.
                          
"Silverpaw, you have also followed the warrior code faithfully. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect this clan, even at the cost of your life?" She looked at Silverpaw expectantly, along with the rest of the clan.
                          
"I will," Silverpaw responded quietly but boldly. "Just... Just like Dawnstrike did."
                          
Minnowstar jumped down gracefully from the boulder on which she had been standing on. "Then from this moment on, you will no longer be Silverpaw, but Silverpool. StarClan honors your loyalty and compassion."
                          
As cheers of her and and Dawnstrike's name erupted around her, Minnowstar touched her muzzle to Silverpool's head.
                          
A haunting breath of a whisper flew into Silverpool's head, and once she heard the familiar tones, her heart seemed to fly out of her chest and join her sister's spirit. 

                          
I am so proud of you, Silverpool.
                          
--End of Book Two--