Dovewing's Silence/Chapter 6

==Chapter description==
:In the warriors' den, Sandstorm splutters as a bout of coughing racks her body. Bumblestripe whispers to Dovewing that he feels sorry for her, but that she should go see Jayfeather so they can get some sleep. The pale gray warrior mutters that she must've thought of that, but sympathizes with the older she-cat. Poppyfrost offers Sandstorm some soaked moss, and she croaks a thank you. The pale ginger warrior apologizes to everyone, and then then den falls silent. Dovewing drifts to sleep, but it seems like just a moment later when Squirrelflight wakes her to lead the dawn patrol. Toadstep joins her, and groggily says that if Sandstorm doesn't go to see Jayfeather today, he'll take her there himself. Dovewing doesn't have the energy to argue, and instead leads him, Hazeltail, and Rosepetal out around the WindClan border. 
:They return without seeing anything unusual, and enter back into the clearing. Cats are milling around, sharing tongues and stretching in the cold air. Berrynose speaks up, suggesting that Sandstorm should sleep in the elders' den because he's coughing so much. Purdy's ears perk up, but when Bramblestar asks the pale ginger warrior, she declines. The leader affirms that no cat is asking her to retire, but that she's keeping the other cats awake. Sandstorms sniffs and says she can sleep in the apprentice's den, since that's empty. Purdy's shoulders slump, but Berrynose quickly offers that he and Poppyfrost will sleep in his den with him. The old tom's eyes light up, and he says that he'll go sort out some nests for them. Dovewing comments that that was nice of Berrynose, but Ivypool counters they only want to sleep away from the Dark Forest trainees. Her sister's words are affirmed when Molepaw and Cherrypaw opt to nest with their parents, while glaring at Birchfall.
:Squirrelflight meows that they may do so, and then says she will sleep with Sandstorm to keep her warm. The older she-cat protests, but her daughter insists upon it. A flurry of activity happens as cats sort out their new sleeping places, but Dovewing stays where she is. Her ears are buzzing, and she thinks that breaking apart the warriors in the Clan could be a terrible omen. Whitewing peers at her daughter, asking if she's okay. Dovewing replies that she's fine, but her mother insists that they should go fetch some moss together. The two she-cats leave camp and trot toward the lakeshore. Dovewing sees the graves of her Clanmates who died in the Great Battle, and starts mumbling. Whitewing comforts her, saying that these wounds run deep, and that everything will work out in the end. The white she-cat pads away, and Dovewing watches her slowly move away.
:It is the night of the Gathering, and a huge white moon hangs over the hollow. Dovewing overhears Berrynose and Toadstep talking, with both toms wondering why Bramblestar would allow Dark Forest trainees in the Gathering patrol. The pale gray warrior bounds forward, defending that those cats have since proved their loyalty many times over. Squirrelflight interferes, saying that every cat should be on good terms because of the full moon truce. Dovewing continues to glare at Berrynose, but eventually moves to her place in the patrol. Blossomfall approaches her and thanks the she-cat for defending the Dark Forest trainees, but notes that it's not her battle. The tortoiseshell reminds that the warrior code is everything to their Clanmates, just as it should be. 
:They join the rest of ThunderClan, and squeeze through the newly made thron barrier. As they head down toward the lakeshore, Dovewing runs to catch up to Bumblestripe. She feels affectionate toward the tom, as they'd basked together in the sun earlier that day, The cats turn onto the stony beach, seeing the pebbles glowing in the moonlight. Bumblestripe pauses to look at Dovewing, teasing that she's slow. The pale gray warrior casts out her senses, hoping to hear the other Clans heading to the Gathering. Dovewing is frustrated when it doesn't work, and she focuses harder. The she-cat panics, thinking that her powers should have come back by now, as it's been a moon since the Great Battle. 
:Suddenly, Dovewing trips over a tree root and Bumblestripe boosts her upward. The striped tom asks her if she's okay, knowing that she'd have fallen on her face without his help. Dovewing snaps that she's fine, and Bumblestripe's ear flatten in hurt. The warrior then feels sorry for what she said, and lightheartedly thanks him, saying that she'd have looked dumber than a sheep if she fell. Bumblestripe murmurs that he'll always be there to catch her, and continues walking next to the she-cat.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
fr:Le Silence d'Aile de Colombe/Chapitre 6
Category:Dovewing's Silence
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Novellas