Frozen Cliffs

## **Chapter 1 ~ Out In The Cold**

Cold winds whirled around Silver as she trudged her way threw the snow. Snow covered her pelt but you could just make out the silvery gray fur hidden beneath. She'd been running for about half a moon now. She'd learned to survive on her own. Simple rules: Kill or be Killed. Don't trust anyone. That's how she'd lived for a long time now and a bit of cold wouldn't change that.

Silver looked up at the full moon. It seemed bigger but maybe the cold was just getting to her. She let out a shivering sigh and continued on.

*I have to find shelter soon.*

She looked around. For a cave, a bush, something but all around her was snow and bare trees. The silver tabby shecat continued on threw the cold.

Suddenly her paw slipped on a slab of ice hidden under the snow. Silver fell to the ground in a flurry of snow, her chin bumping the cold soil hard. She let out a sigh but didn't rise. What was the point anymore? What did she have to live for? She'd lost everything. Life couldn't take anything else from her.

*"Silver..."*

The strange, wispy voice made Silver leaped to her feet, now fully aware of her surroundings, eyes narrowed and claws unsheathed.

"Whose there? Show yourself!" Silver snarled scanning the bare trees but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Which was cold and freezing.

*"Silver..."*The voice came again.

"I said show yourself you coward! Face me!" Yowled Silver, her tail lashing. Why was this cat playing games with her? She wasn't one who took games gently. Not anymore anyway.

*"Silver, you must carry on. A life awaits you."*

This time the voice was clear, and close. Silver wiped around claws unsheathed and hackles raised to face a rather old looking white shecat. Something wasn't right about her... she didn't seem to be.... whole. As if she was just a faded image of a cat instead of a real one. And stars seemed to shine inside her transparent coat.

Silver's first instance was to attack but something inside her told her not to.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Silver snarled keeping her eyes glued on the old cat. The shecat simply smiled and stepped closer making Silver hiss loudly.

"Your confused young one, scared, hungry. You've been betrayed, your family ripped away from you," the white shecat meowed gently.

Silver looked at the shecat bewildered, but only for a moment. "Ho-How do you know that?! Who *are* you?" Silver narrowed her eyes even lower, turning them into slits. Her hackles hadn't lowered and her fur was now on end.

"My name is Snowteller. Im one of your many ancestors." Snowteller meowed keeping her crystal blue eyes on Silver. Now that Silver got a good look at them she noticed that instead of pupils the shecat had stars in her eyes.

"I've never seen you before in my life." Silver muttered to her.

Snowteller chuckled. "Well, of course not dear-"

"Don't. Call me dear."

"I was born long before you where even thought of." She finished, ignoring Silver's interruption.

Silver barely payed any attention to the last part of Snowteller's sentence. She looked around her in confusion. From where she had been standing only a moment ago the land had somehow changed to a small clearing, lightly covered in a light blanket out powdery snow. Snow flakes fell gently from the sky although no clouds were seen.

"Where am I? what have you done!?" Silver hissed wiping around to face Snowteller.

"All will be explained, Silver. Until then you have to hear me out. Your destiny is not yet complete. You have a wonderful life ahead of you but that comes with many dangers. You will find peace, Silver. I promise," Snowteller meowed almost urgently.

"But-"

"You must return. Help is here." Snowteller interrupted quickly leaning forward and touching her nose to her forehead before Silver could protests. Then everything went black.

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Silver woke with start. A blurry vision of a ginger tabby tom standing over her with worry clouding his eyes.

"Hey, Stormtail! I think shes up!" he called off into the distance. By now Silver would've gotten up and fought her way out. Like she always did. But she was weak. She was cold. And her brain was to agonized to conjure enough brain power to fight.

Destiny not yet fulfilled? Ancestors? Finding Peace? What had Snowteller meant by all this? How did she turn a snow stormed forest into a gently snowed clearing? Who was this *help*and she called them*?*

Silver only saw them as enemies.

Another cat came into her low span of view, which was now clearing. A shecat this time. She was dark gray with black spotted tabby markings

*Must be Stormtail.*

"Gingerpaw go fetch some moss. Spottedclaw, Foxpaw go inform Crypticstar that she will be having a visitor. Possibly a long term one."

Silver heard a grumble then the sound of paws trudging across snow. What the shecat had said scrambled her brain even more. But only one thing continued to pound in her head.

Long term visitor. No, NO! They can't keep me, I wont let them. I'll claw there pelts off if I have to! I *wont* become a prisoner again!

Silver struggled to stand, her vision still blurry and her legs still incredibly weak. Her legs were about to give away before there was a larger, warmer form beside her, helping her up.

"Woah, Woah. Careful there." Stormtail meowed. Silver scrambled away from her, claws unsheathed and breathing heavily.

Stormtail's dark blue eyes turned soft. "Its okay. We won't hurt you. My names Stormtail, Deputy of Thunderclan."

The words were meaningless to her. She didn't know what Thunderclan is or what Deputy stood for in there system. All she knew was that these cats could very well be enemies.

Rage's words flashed in her mind.

*Don't trust anyone. Kill or be Killed.*

Silver gulped keeping her eyes on the shecat.

"What are you going to do with me." She meowed.

Stormtail's eyes widened in shock. "Nothing dear-

"DON'T call me dear!" Silver attempted to screech but it only came out as a scratchy yowl.

"Listen, I know your scared but you have to trust me. Were not here to hurt you." Stormtail meowed hesitantly.

Silver's voice hurt. Even a small attempt to yowl left her throat burning with pain. She simply narrowed her eyes and sat back on her hunches. She was tired but she wouldn't sleep under the eyes of strangers. Enemies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a while before the cats returned but this time a fairly large mottled gray shecat was following them. She had an odd marking under her eye. It looked like a steel-fang. Silver remembered one of her lessons. Silence, one of the more... less violent teachers, had showed them Man's things.

*\*Flashback\**

*Silver padded alongside her Siblings, Silence in the lead. They'd been walking for over 15 minutes. Silver's paw pads stung and her back leg ached but she knew better then to complain. It usually lead to a beating.. or worse.*

*Silence raised his tail for them to stop. He stepped out of the way to reveal a piece of steel connected to a tin trunk of wood.*

*"Mayae says this is what Man call knife. Some of our group call it a steel-fang. Your choice is either. If Rage asks you to speak one of them you will obey, understand?"*

*"Yes Silence." The four said in unison.*

*\*End of Flashback\**

"Is that a... a," Silver hated the way she sounded weak. Her voice croaked and wheezed. She couldn't show any weakness infront of these cats. Not now, Not ever. Silver cleared her throat and stood, keeping her head and ears high.

"Is that a steel-fang under your eye there?" She asked, trying to sound confident. The shecat looked at her for a moment, a hint of confusing clouding her eyes.

"Under your right eye, that black marking," Silver gestured with her paw to the shecats right eye, "Is it a steel-fang? Did you get burned?" Silver questioned.

Crypticstar narrowed her emerald green eyes. "Im afraid I don't know what your talking about. What is your name?"

Silver hesitated. She couldn't let them know to much but.. knowing her name wouldn't hurt..

"My names... Silver."

"Well Silver, im Crypticstar. I assume you have already met Stormfall," She gestured with her tail to the spotted tabby shecat, "this is Gingerpaw and Foxpaw," Crypticstar flicked her tail towards the Ginger tabby that had just returned, holding a wad of dripping moss in his jaws and a small shecat that Silver almost mistook for an actual fox due to the similarity of the pelt, "and Spottedclaw," she flicked her ears to a brown calico shecat who only grunted in reply, not bothering to face her.

Crypticstar turned to her group of cats. "We will be heading back to our camp," She turned her head back to Silver, "As long as our guest chooses to cooperate."

Silver inwardly bit her lip. She didn't trust these cats, not one bit. But she needed shelter, for now. And food. If these cats were willing to give that to her than she would take that chance. She could fight her way out if she had to.

*Couldn't be that may cats could it?*

Silver gave a curt nod and with that the group headed off.

## **Chapter 2 ~ Thunderclan**

It wasn't far to what these cats called there camp. It only had seemed to be a few crater lengths when Crypticstar stopped infront of a bramble and thicket tunnel. A bulky russet shecat with black paws sat at the front of the tunnel but moved aside when the group came into few. She didn't say anything, just gave the leader a respectful nod. The rest of the group bounded forward into the thicket leaving only Silver and Crypticstar there. The leader turned to Silver with a smile.

"This is the entrance to Thunderclan camp. We always have a guard here but the shifts change. This is Russetfur," She nodded to the shecat who was guarding the tunnel, "The thorns on the outer parts help keep out most of our enemies and ward off others," Crypticstar meowed first gesturing with her tail to the bramble tunnel then to the thorn thickets that trailed all the way around the crevice.

*What does this have to do with me? It's not like im staying her permanently.... right?*

Besides Silver's thoughts, she gave a curt nod and they continued into the bramble tunnel. The two emerged from the tunnel moments later to enter a clearing. Silver took a moment to study her surroundings, mainly looking for escape routes.

Dens lined the tall, jagged walls of the stone hollow. Cats where scattered around the clearing, either in groups or simply grooming themselves in a sunny patch. Silver spotted a rather slim mottled creamy yellow shecat with white tips and two black paws leap up a tumble of rocks that lead to a ledge and disappear into the den that lay atop of it. The strong scent of a jumble of herbs wafted over Silver and she pinpointed it to a small nearby cave. The entrance was blocked with thick vines but Silver already knew what lay beyond.

*Must be the Healer's den..*

A fallen tree with woven leafy brambles into the branches sat a little way away. Cats entered and exited the den and a group of toms sat just outside of it, laughing. As Silver scanned the clearing for any other escape routes it seemed the only way into and out of the camp was the bramble tunnel.

Crypticstar seemed to notice Silver gazing at the clearing, almost in awe because she chuckled and meowed "Like what you see?"

*Yes.*

"It's... nice," Silver meowed. She couldn't show that she liked this place too much. They'd get the wrong idea, "Nicer than what im used to." She muttered quietly, hoping that Crypticstar didn't hear. The leader's ears twitched but she said nothing more.

"This way to the Medicine Cat's den. Shiverstone will see what you need healed. You'll have to stay in her den or in the nursery depending on your health," Crypticstar affirmed padding towards the hollowed out den.

*So... the Medicine Cat must be the healer but what's a...* Nursery?

Crypticstar peeped her head threw the vines.

"Shiverstone?"

There was a grumble from inside then Crypticstar popped her head back out and a rather old looking pure white tom padded out of the den. He had piercing icy blue eyes and his fur looked ruffled and just the slightest bit untamed.

"This is Silver. She was found by Stormtail's border patrol, half dead." Crypticstar said giving Silver a sympathetic gaze.

Silver snorted as quietly as possible. It wasn't this shecats business to tell this.. Shiverstone, as he was called, how she came to be in the stone hollow. Half dead. She couldn't be seen like that. Not now anyway. Not ever. Silver stood to her full height and lifted her head almost challengingly to the tom, trying to look as healthy as possible.

Despite her efforts, Shiverstone looked over her carefully and flicked his tail for them to follow him into his den.

"I'll look her over in my den, see what I can do."

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The four brothers never took their eyes off the Silver shecat until she disappeared after Shiverstone and Crypticstar into the medicine den.

"You can close your mouths now, shes gone," a dark tan shecat who was sitting a little way away meowed.

"Hush Hazelkit!" They all shoot back in union.

The creamy yellow-and-blue tabby shecat at her side tried -and failed- to hold back a snort of laughter and the black tabby tom, Talonkit, threw her a glare.

"And Hazelkit don't act like your innocent. Remember when you had that crush on Cedarheart?" the black tom who was laying beside Talonkit meowed with a mischievous gleam in his pale gray eyes.

The entire group groaned at the memory.

"That was by far, the worst moon of my life. You wouldn't stop jumping on him!" Venomkit -the black shecat with varied green tabby markings- squeaked from beside her.

"It wasn't that bad.." Hazelkit muttered from where her head was now layed on her paws.

"YES IT WAS!" They all threw back.

Hazelkit just huffed, got up, and padded back into the nursery. The shecat who has been sitting beside her just shook her head with a laugh and followed her friend.

"Try to keep her from tearing up my bed Crystal!" Talonkit called after her.

"It was pretty bad.." Branchkit meowed from beside him and a moment later a rather large branch met the back of his head and the entire group burst into laughter while the mottled brown-and-black tom rubbed the spot where it had collided.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, there aren't any wounds but shes weak. Seems that she's been traveling for a while now." Shiverstone reported to Crypticstar after he had rudely shoving his nose in her back fur.

"Im right here." Silver muttered quietly, lowering her head down onto her paws. Shiverstone snapped his hand in Silver's direction, almost making her jump.

"Im completely aware of that. And as you should know I won't be having any of this escaping plan stuff. Not until your properly healed." Shiverstone meowed almost coldly. Silver was so stunned that she couldn't form any words to retort back with. Shiverstone let out a satisfied grunt and turned back to Crypticstar, talking in hushed voices.

Silver turned her head away from them. The moss bed that they had prepared for her was... comfortable. More comfortable than the stone dip. She wouldn't lie, it was nice here, really nice. But she knew she couldn't stay. She never stayed anywhere very long. Silver angled her ears to hear what the two where saying. She had to strain but she could just make out the words.

"I'll be traveling to the Moonpool tomorrow. Maybe Starclan will give us an idea on wear she came from. For now, I think it's best that she stays in Thunderclan. When shes better, in about a day or two, she can head to the Nursery. Im sure Darkmoon or Shallowpool wouldn't mind watching over another appren- er, kit." Shiverstone was saying. There was a moment of silence,*probably Crypticstar going over all of this* Silver guessed, then the leader spoke.

"I'll instruct extra guards. Tell them not to let her leave until my say so. We cant treat her like a prisoner though. I want her to feel comfortable here." Crypticstar responded.

Silver snorted as quietly as possible. That sounded alot like a prisoner to her. Then something hit her. When she had been scanning the clearing there was a small pathway near the back. It was just large enough for a shecat like her to climb up and escape. She'd have to do it at night though but it was worth the risk.

*I won't let them keep me here.*

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The night was quiet and cold, as if the entire forest was holding its breath while Silver slipped quietly out of the den. She stuck to the sides of the clearing, sticking to the shadows.

Sadly the narrow path had been at the*very*back of the hollow. She'd have to slip by the nursery if she wanted to get there without being seen..

As Silver neared the nursery there was a rustling from inside then a hushed hiss.

"You mouse-brain get off my tail! Mom's gonna wake up if you don't shush!" A voice hissed.

Silver froze where she was keeping her eyes trained to where the noise had come from.

"Well maybe if your tail wasn't so fluffy I wouldn't have to step on it!" hissed a slightly deeper voice.

"I swear to go if you guys don't move i'll claw your pelts off myself!" growled a tom's voice as three tom's padded out of the shallow dipped den. One was a sleek black tabby tom and the other was a mottled brown-and-black tabby tom.

"Don't be harsh Echokit-" Meowed a squeaky shekit's voice came from slightly farther back.

"Odyssey!" He corrected.

"*Odyssey.* It's brotherly love!"

"Im a brother!" he exclaimed.

"Yea but your like.. you," She meowed hesitantly.

The cat now acknowledged as Odyssey muttered something that sounded like "What's that supposed to mean" and padded out of the den as a quiet fluffy shekit padded -or rather bounced- after him. In the dark night she could only just make out orange marks on the tom named Odyssey's paws and face. She couldn't make out a tail, but rather a fluffy stump.

Sadly, Silver forgot that she was currently frozen in place, mouth slightly gaped, staring blankly at them. The group had yet to notice her since she was standing rather close to the walls of the camp, her silver pelt dark in the shadows and blending in with the color of the stone.

 Now all five of them where completely out of the den she could see that the one named Odyssey was slightly smaller than the other toms but bigger than the tabby shecat.

"What are we even doing. You three just woke me up and practically pulled me out of the den." Odyssey grumbled giving his chest fur a few laps.

"It's a new game, but it has to be played at night or it wont work. It's basically tag in the dark but instead of tagging, you have to jump on them and successfully pin the other down. Me and Branchkit already tested it out." Talonkit explained.

"We have to wait for Hazel and Crystal though." Branchkit added.