Rising from the Ashes

Chapter 32

"You ready?"

Hawkstar gave himself a firm shake and turned to see Hareflight approaching. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

It was their turn to take care of the elders for the day. It was always an honor to care for the cats that had protected the Clan from danger, kept every belly full and raised further generations of warriors. After leading long, full lives of service to their Clan, it was now their turn to be served. Even now, it was the elders that held the wisdom of the Clan, offering the advice earned after seasons upon seasons. As leader of GrassClan, Hawkstar respected the elders more than ever, relying on their collective experience to help him weather every storm that had come his way.

"How was your night?" Hareflight asked.

Hawkstar flicked an ear. Normally, a young warrior like Hareflight wouldn't dare to be so direct with his Clan leader but he had been the sole surviving GrassClan warrior not so long ago. Such formalities no longer existed between them and really never had. The two of them weren't so far apart in age with Hareflight being only a couple seasons younger than Hawkstar. It was no surprise that Hareflight was more a friend than a subordinate.

Hawkstar twitched his whiskers. "Not great."

"Worried about the Clan surviving the hardest season."

The two toms exchanged a look full of understanding.

The long, cold, prey-poor moons of leafbare were drawing ever closer. GrassClan knew hunger far better than the other Clans ever could. It was every leader's greatest fear to see their Clan weak and struggling to survive. Last leafbare, they had been exactly that. Hawkstar had lived through that nightmare for too long. Hawkstar tried to not let those dark memories overshadow the present. He tried to tell himself that this leafbare would be different. The Clan was stronger than it had been for many seasons. He had to trust in StarClan, in his warriors and in himself. Even if holding onto hope felt like running across ice: slippery and in danger of plunging him into the bitter waters of despair.

"I can't help but think about it. It's my job as leader," Hawkstar explained.

"You're just one cat, Hawkstar. We don't expect you to do everything," Hareflight meowed.

"Not so long ago, you, me and Thistletail were doing everything."

"But that's not the case anymore. Your Clan is here to support you just as much as you are here to support us," Hareflight meowed, lightly tapping Hawkstar's shoulder with his tail.

"Thanks, Hareflight. I'll try to remember that," Hawkstar meowed, feeling

encouraged. With Thistletail still being difficult, Hareflight was his oldest friend. Just

sharing his worries with him had been a relief. Hawkstar still bore the burden of the

Clan's survival on his shoulders, but the weight had been eased a little.

They slipped into the elder's den, finding it noticeably warmer inside than it was out. It was a stark contrast to Hawkstar's own den that felt too big, too empty, too quiet, too cold, and far too lonely. Doeheart and Beetleflight were curled up together, sound asleep. Daisyheart was curled up against her mate's side, also asleep. Breezefoot was the only one awake, amber eyes narrowed in warning.

Hareflight and Hawkstar got the message, dipping their heads in silent

acceptance before making their exit.

"I thought it was too early for the elders. When it turns cold like this, they much prefer to sleep than anything else," Hareflight meowed.

"At least we know that they don't need anything from us at the moment,"

Hawkstar meowed.

"We can check back in with them later after a hunting patrol gets back. They should be up and ready to eat by then."

They strolled towards the Meeting Stone where Birchleg and Bumbleflight were having a mock fight. Stonesplash sat to the side watching the two young toms with an experienced eye. The big gray tom flicked his ears as he noticed Hawkstar and Hareflight join them.

"Alright, that's enough," he directed to Birchleg and Bumbleflight.

Instantly the two young toms broke apart, Bumbleflight swiping a quick paw over his whiskers as he saw Hawkstar.

"I hope you don't mind, Hawkstar but these two were itching to do something,"

Stonesplash explained.

"Please, don't stop on my account. I appreciate my warriors keeping their skills sharp even if there are currently no apprentices in training. It's always good to be prepared," Hawkstar meowed.

In a heartbeat, Birchleg pounced on Bumbleflight though he was really no match for the other warrior's weight. Bumbleflight used that to his advantage, bowling over his leaner opponent and pinning him to the ground. Birchleg reached up to box Bumbleflight's ears. Caught off guard, Bumbleflight reared back to escape this onslaught. He shook his head but couldn't get his bearings as Birchleg reared up onto his hind legs to make himself look bigger.

Bumbleflight met Birchleg with the same. Wise enough to know he was nowhere near strong enough to beat Bumbleflight in a boxing match, Birchleg dropped, quick as a snake to strike at Bumbleflight's hind paws. Bumbleflight dropped in hopes of squashing Birchleg, and the two toms wrestled briefly. In the end, Bumbleflight was able to pin Birchleg a final time as the mottled tom struggled to free himself in vain. Bumbleflight lashed his tail in triumph before letting his friend up.

The two young toms shook their pelts free of bits of grass they had picked up

during their fight and turned to face their audience.

"That was well done, both of you!" Hawkstar praised, impressed with his warriors' abilities. "You both know your strengths and weaknesses and knew how to use them to your advantage. I'm proud to call you warriors of GrassClan."

"Thanks, Hawkstar!" Bumbleflight purred, briefly puffing out his chest at the praise.

"That was fun!" Birchleg chirped, clearly not fazed by his loss.

Hawkstar was reminded of his own playfights with his siblings when they were apprentices. That had stopped shortly after they became warriors when Hawkstar was appointed deputy of the Clan. Being such a young deputy hadn't been easy, with so much expectation on him. He didn't feel comfortable goofing off with his brother as he once did after he had a greater responsibility to bear. How he missed those lighthearted days!

It was good to see such liveliness in the Clan again. Hawkstar had almost

forgotten what it felt like to have young cats around that enjoyed playing games and had an abundance of energy that they didn't know what to do with.

"How are the elders this morning?" Stonesplash asked, drawing Hawkstar from his thoughts.

"Sleeping and not wanting to be disturbed," Hareflight explained.

"In that case, I was planning on going hunting with these two if either of you care to join us."

"Sure, I'll go with you," Hareflight meowed.

Bumbleflight shuffled his paws. "Actually, I wanted to check in on Honeypool."

"I'll stay here just in case the elders end up needing something after all," Hawkstar meowed.

"Then we'll see you later!" Stonesplash meowed with a wave of his tail in

farewell.

"Happy hunting!" Bumbleflight called after them.

"Can we go fishing too?" Birchleg asked as he darted beside Stonesplash.

"No, we can't go fishing," Stonesplash meowed.

"Aw, why not?"

"Because the water will be freezing and the last thing we need is for any warriors to fall sick."

Hawkstar exchanged an amused glance with Bumbleflight. Life with Birchleg was never boring!