~S.i.l.v.e.r.p.e.l.t.~

[Battooth]

When Dapplekit's pelt was so clean Lilypelt could nearly see herself, the ginger-and-white queen stopped grooming her child. She looked around and spotted the EarthClan medicine cat, Ivorywing, having just entered StarClan's hunting grounds. She flicked her tail to Dapplekit (who heaved herself to her tiny feet and followed her mother, trying to shake off the feeling that she got after a crazy grooming session from her mother) and the mother and daughter approached the medicine cats. Lilypelt sat a few tail-lengths away, wanting to ask the current EarthClan medicine cat for a favor once she had finished talking with Berrybloom. Dapplekit sat between her mother's paws again, staring intensely at the two medicine cats. Lilypelt spoke quietly to her kit, making it so that neither her daughter nor she would hear what was going on between the two medicine cats, but speaking softly enough so that she wouldn't disturb the two.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Ivorywing purred at the sight of her old mentor. Her eyes darted back and forth between Dewstripe and Berrybloom. She knew Berrybloom quite well but she didn't quite know Dewstripe -- who had been in SkyClan -- as well, although she did know the she-cat's name.

"Berrybloom," Ivorywing meowed warmly, looking at her old mentor. "The Clan is going well," she meowed, although she knew that this was not entirely true.

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[frosty ♥]

Berrybloom felt a sudden pulse of emotion come from Ivorywing as she told her that the clan was doing well. With a glance at Dewstripe she dipped her finely mottled head. "Its is good to see you again" she meowed softly, her amber eyes glowing.

Berrybloom would soon have to show her the malicious smile in her vision, but no more than that.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"Dewstripe." Ivorywing meowed, turning to face the gray tabby she-cat. Meeting the she-cat's gaze, Ivorywing was rather surprised at the intensity that Dewstripe's blue eyes had. Perhaps those were the eyes that had caused Ivorywing to trust Dewstripe's prophecy even though Dewstripe had been a SkyClan cat. "What did you mean by 'beneath the layers of my trust'?" Ivorywing asked, her bright green eyes pleading for an answer to her inquiry.

Dewstripe heaved a mental sigh as she looked at the medicine cat. With a glance towards Berrybloom, she responded, "I myself do not know. The future is cloudy even for StarClan. Whatever happens, happens. Just remember that StarClan will always be there for you."

"But wait, no, what do you mean?" Ivorywing asked, desperately holding on to the fading images of Dewstripe and Berrybloom as well as another StarClan cat -- Lilypelt with her kit whom Ivorywing didn't know the name of. "What do you mean..." Her soft voice echoed for a while. Opening her eyes in real life this time, Ivorywing realized that she was awake.

With one glance towards the Mooncrystal, she began padding out of the den so that she could wait in peace for Musicsoul to be done with her own visit to StarClan.

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[Battooth]

Lilypelt watched as Ivorywing faded from StarClan's hunting grounds. "Looks like I was too late," she meowed to Dapplekit. She thought for a moment, then decided to go for it. "Dapplekit, stay here," she ordered. The kit opened her mouth to argue, but closed it a second later. Lilypelt trotted towards the pool of water and glanced down into it. She placed her front paw in the water and then whispered, "Tell Maplestar I send my regards. Lilypelt and Dapplekit do." The message would reach Ivorywing if she was still close to the Mooncave and Mooncrstyal. She pulled her paw out of the water and then padded back to her kit and the other she-cats. She wondered if the young medicine cat would actually tell Maplestar her message. The ginger-and-white queen knew it was forbidden to tell what went on at Mooncave, but if it was important, it was alright. And Lilypelt figured that was kind of important.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

I must speak to Shatterwind.
I've been trying to summon up the courage to speak to him for a long time.
How will he reacct to me?
Will he be the kind old tomcat who I once knew as my best friend?
Or will he be bitter and jealous and will rage war at me like that fateful day?

The figure of a brown tabby tomcat moved silently through StarClan's Silverpelt, not even bothering to see where he was going. He just continued moving as if he didn't have a care in the world. In truth, he didn't really. Looking up through amber eyes that appeared slightly clouded with thought, he saw other StarClan cats ahead. He knew that no hostile feelings rippled amongst the StarClan cats, yet he didn't really want to mingle with SkyClan cats, for they had been the rivals of his old Clan, EarthClan.

He looked at the crowd of StarClan cats, trying to determine any old and familiar faces that had joined the ranks before him. He saw Berrybloom, the old medicine cat of EarthClan, speaking to another cat who had been in SkyClan. Well, still, talking to the SkyClan cat and Berrybloom would make better conversation and give better advice then just keeping all his feeling inside of him.

Ashbreeze walked up to the two cats, gazing at them with a pleading look. "Please," he began, "can you help me with a... a... /quest/ that I must complete?"

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[frosty ♥]

The mutli-colored she-cat took a step away from the other SkyClan cats and padded delicately over to Ashbreeze. "Yes?" she asked in her soft voice. Glancing at the other behind her she padded over to a shady area. Seating herself she waited patiently for the other StarClan cat to join herself. Her eyes twinkling with starshine.

What was so urgent? Thoughts floated gradually through the beautiful medicine cat's mind.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"I need to speak to Shatterwind," Ashbreeze meowed, looking at the she-cat intently, "he's in EarthClan." The latter part of the statement was unneccessary since Berrybloom probably knew who Shatterwind was, but Ashbreeze just added it. He looked with uncertainty as he waited for the medicine cat's response.

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[frosty ♥]

Berrybloom blinked, "what's so urgent you need to connect into his dreams?" she asked quietly, a serious expression on her face instead of the usual playful medicine cat she was. When it came to things like having to walk in the clan leader's dream she was always serious. There was nothing funny about that.

As she awaited an answer she curled her tail over her paws neatly and quickly gave her chest fur a few swift licks to smooth it down.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

"I need to assure Shatterwind that I'm not angry with him," Ashbreeze meowed simply, hoping that Berrybloom wouldn't ask him for a full explanation of why he wanted to walk in Shatterwind's dreams. His dark colored eyes were filled with pleading and longing as well as a slight spark of hope that Berrybloom would agree to let him and would tell him how to appear in Shatterwind's dreams once he slept.

[/size]

[frosty ♥]

Seeing the pleading look in the tomcat's eyes she dipped her head. "If you must, you must" she murmured then swiped her tongue over his ear before turning away. Not wanting to go back to talking with the other StarClan cats she trotted into the trees until she came to a grassy clearing.

She curled up and began to groom herself in smooth, slow licks.

[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Ashbreeze nodded. Looking down through the crystalline watery pool, he looked around from above at the EarthClan Camp. "Where's Shatterwind?" he murmured softly, looking around wildly throughout the rippled image he saw. Suddenly, the image on the pool changed to show a scene of Shatterwind laying down in the forest.

Suddenly, Shatterwind materialized in front of Ashbreeze. "Oh, my dear friend, what are you doing in the forest and lying down like so?" he greeted his former tomcat friend from EarthClan.

"Ashbreeze!" Shatterwind called out wildly as he saw his old friend. "I'm so sorry! I don't know why I killed you! Please, accept my forgiveness!" he cried out. He attempted to throw himself at Ashbreeze's paws, but Ashbreeze quickly backed up.

"It's all right, Shatterwind. It isn't your fault. It's what Amaryllis did to poison our minds," Ashbreeze responded quietly, although fear struck him in the heart as he realized how much to heart that Shatterwind took killing his best friend.

"Please, tell me I am here to join the ranks of StarClan!" Shatterwind wailed as he looked at Ashbreeze, his eyes filled with pleading for Ashbreeze to allow him to enter StarClan. "Please!" Shatterwind cried out desperately.

"No, Shatterwind," Ashbreeze responded gently as he looked at his friend. "You are /not/ here to join StarClan. Besides, now that I'm in StarClan, you must live out both the lives of yourself and me, don't you?" he meowed, a hint of amusement gleaming in his eyes.

"Do not remind me, Ashbreeze, of the horrible crime that I committed!" Shatterwind cried out. "I wish to join your ranks here and I do not want to go back to that cruel place known as earth!"

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[>>BLACKiE! ]}]

Looking around, Ashbreeze's eyes sought out a cat that could help him make Shatterwind understand that he didn't belong in StarClan quite yet. Out of the corner of one of his amber eyes, he recognized Dewstripe standing nearby and listening in on the conversation. On normal circumstances, he would've gotten annoyed at the she-cat for eavesdropping, but now he knew all she could do on the conversation was good. "Dewstripe!" he called out to the gray tabby she-cat. Instantly, she responded and padded nearer to them.

"Explain to Shatterwind why he can't join the ranks of StarClan just yet!" Ashbreeze begged, a pleading look passing through his eyes as he looked at Dewstripe. He gave a mental sigh of relief as she nodded slowly and opened her mouth to speak -- perhaps her words of wisdom would strike Shatterwind and make him believe that he couldn't join StarClan yet.

"Shatterwind," Dewstripe began slowly, "there are still many things worth living for in your life." Looking at him to make sure he was digesting every single word she said in his mind, she paused for a moment before continuing. "You're too young to leave the earth yet. My heart was broken once before like yours -- a tomcat I loved left the Clan for the soft life of a /kittypet/. I soon died out of loneliness, but that was only because it was my time to leave SkyClan," she meowed quietly, completely understanding Shatterwind's dilemna and his pleading to die and join StarClan to be with his friend. "Indeed, you killed Ashbreeze out of pure rage and jealousy, but that just proves you were friends to the death -- that you didn't kill him because you just /did/. You killed him because a she-cat tricked you, not of your own will. Please, understand." Dewstripe's own sense of pleading passed through her sapphire gaze as she looked at Shatterwind, willing him to understand.

Shatterwind was gazing intently at the she-cat, wondering why a SkyClan cat would /ever/ help an EarthClan cat. Well, perhaps now that Dewstripe was in StarClan, she didn't belong to SkyClan anymore. "Thank you," he meowed, bowing his head, "my mind will take those words to heart, although I cannot gurantee you that later on I will be happy with this decision to return back home instead of living here."

With that, the sight of Shatterwind's beloved friend and the SkyClan cat began growing blurry in Shatterwind's eyes. Half of him wanted to cry out again 'sorry' to his friend, but he knew that Ashbreeze understood. He was now on his way back home; back to EarthClan Camp.

[-MOVING SHATTERWIND FROM HIS DREAMS BACK TO THE FOREST-]

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[Battooth]

Owlpaw had watched her StarClan friends quietly, her tail laying in the water of the pool. Her ears flicked back suddenly and she glanced back at the pool to look down at the EarthClan and SkyClan cats. Her fur bristled as she turned towards it. "]What did she just say?" the apprentice meowed furiously to herself as she looked down.

She had been listening in on Onespot and Honeypaw as they talked, although she had made it seem like she was merely staring off into space. She had heard Honeypaw's almost whispered comment.

’I like him so much, why can; I just tell him?

“What is that she-cat thinking?” Owlpaw hissed angrily. She whirled to look at Stonepelt and Nightwing who were staring. “Did you hear what that apprentice just said?” she demanded.

The two darkly colored cats shook their heads. “Whatever she said you should calm down about it,” Nightwing meowed. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

Owlpaw growled softly to herself. “Not that bad?” she repeated. “Not that bad? She’s basically telling Onespot that she lo-” Owlpaw broke off her sentence and looked away. “She’d better stay away from him,” she meowed after a moment.

[Battooth]

Owlpaw's fur bristled and she looked nearly twice her size. "Of course I'm angry you little- you- you-" The she-cat was nearly too angry for words. She finished by spitting down into the pool. The image of her old mentor and his 'hopefully' soon to be new apprentice faltered for a moment and the off-white apprentice waited for the scene to be still again. She glared down at the honey colored apprentice. "What does he think he's doing?" she wondered aloud, fury and desperation in her green eyes.