WARRIORS: THE HOPES

Chapters 26-29

Ch 26

Frostpaw's bones shivered. Even if he had never met that rogue, she didn't deserve whatever pain came to her. There was no StarClan for rogues. She could never be with her kits ever again. The claws and teeth known as grief tore through his gray fur. His vision was clouded with tears. He had never really lost someone. Daisyface had died before he could grasp the concept of death, but she had come to him in many visions, along with a tom named Bonegrass. He wasn't sure why he was reminiscing on old dreams.
"Frostpaw" Coldair mewed "She was a clan cat. Her name was Stoatfur."
Suddenly, the grief splashed over him again.
"But, why would she be so deep into our territory?"
"I-I…" He stuttered, and stopped. He didn't know. Neither of them knew. Frostpaw's ears pricked. Tiny mewling and rustling grass. "Quiet, I need to listen"
"Hey! Now there's mud all over my paws! They'll stain my white fur, you bat-brain!"
"You mean mouse-brain?" a she-kit laughed.
"I'm gonna wash up in the river"
"But your mama said-"
"Don't care! I'm not listening! I don't listen to beaver-brains!"
"Creek! I'm sorry!" The she-kit was older, and more rational. She called him Creek. Maybe they are just rogues. The sound of splashing was followed by a piercing shriek. That tom kit fell in! Coldair had already jumped out. The she-kit was at the edge of the river, her paws were slipping but she held her grip. "Creek! Please!" but Creek was already too far out to grab onto anything. Frostpaw wanted to stay back. He wanted to run home and cry to Moonshine and Leaftuft. He wanted to hear Elkleap call him a stupid kit. He wanted Leaftuft to defend him. He wanted Moonshine's laugh and her stories, but he wasn't a kit. He was barely an apprentice anymore. Elkleap was so distant, and Leaftuft was deputy.
Coldair was rushing towards the she-kit. Frostpaw followed behind. I'll never become a full medicine cat if I let a kit die.
"Please! Help him! You're warriors!" The she-cat was pale gold, with ginger stripes and sapphire blue eyes, like no cat he'd ever seen before. Is that true? I feel like I've had a dream like this.
Coldair dove into the water. He reached out for the flailing kit. He was a claw length too far. "What am I doing!" Frostpaw accidentally shouted "I can swim!" without another thought. He dove out, clamping down on the kit's white scruff and hauled him from the river. Coldair had managed to scrabble out of the rushing water. Creek coughed out water while the she-kit licked him dry.
"Thanks Frostpaw, I thought you were just going to watch" Coldair panted, almost sounding like his father's deep voice. He thought I would let the kit die. He thought I was too scared. "Yeah…"
"Alright, who are you two?"

Ch 27

Who are you two? The question rang out over the sound of the river. Sprig answered before Creek could mess anything else up
"I'm Sprig, he's Creek. We're waiting for our mother to come back with food." she mewed calmly. The tom who asked was white with a single gleaming yellow eye. The other was dull with blindness.
He looked viscous, like the nursery stories they'd told about ShadowClan fighting like foxes and killing in cold blood. She had heard most Dark Forest cats were ShadowClan. The other was light gray, with eyes that were so pale blue he looked blind as well. He had a healing wound on his cheek, but he smelled of herbs. The other called him Frostpaw. He looked the same age, or even older than the half-blind warrior, but had an apprentice name. He must be a medicine apprentice. One was a noble warrior and the other was a reserved medicine cat.
"Well, I don't believe a word of that" Sprig's stomach dropped. Frostpaw pointed a paw at Creek. "That's Stoatfur's son. Jaystar said his name at the gathering."
"Yes, Creekkit" The white tom blinked.
"But I don't know a Sprigkit…"
"Maybe this one really is a rogue. If they were siblings, they'd both be named at the gathering."
"That one is older anyway" The white tom jabbed at her. She felt so helpless. These cats unraveled her lie in front of her in a few seconds.
"Fine!" Creek stood up "We were RiverClan, but we left!"
"Left?" Frostpaw glanced at his partner.
"Yeah!" Creek shouted.
"Coldair, are you alright?" His name is Coldair. What a scary name.
"StarClan kits" he murmured under his breath
"Huh?"
"I-I had a dream…I know warriors don't get dreams but-"
"No, you're right…I've seen Sprig in a dream before" Frostpaw stared into the stars. I'm in a prophecy? Sprig had a prophecy of her own, given to her by Wiltedstar.
"The sun has guided you out of the river, but now the shadow will guide you home." She meowed. The ShadowClan cats stared. Eyes quickly blinking. The white one's tail thrashed.
"River…Shadow…" Frostpaw began to piece her prophecy together. Sprig didn't understand it at all, but it seemed to click in the medicine cat's mind.
"You left RiverClan…and ShadowClan will guide you home!"
"But…where's home?" Creek piped in. Doubt tanged in his mew.
"I…I don't know." Frostpaw stuttered "But what I do know is that you must come with us." No! I won't be going anywhere near that damp forest! And I'm definitely not eating lizard!
"Nu-uh! I'm waiting for my mother!" Creekkit wailed. The ShadowClan cats looked at each other.
"Stoatfur…is dead." Coldair said flatly. Frostpaw's ears flattened when the words came to him. Dead? "If you laid a claw on her-"
"No! We were out just having fun…there was a snake. We found her by the time it was too late."
"We would have done everything we could if she was still alive." Coldair tried to comfort. Sprig believed them. It had clearly hurt them as well.
"I want to see her" Creekkit wailed "I want to see it for myself!"
"Creek no-"
"I'm sorry Creekkit, but I just can't let a kit see that. It wasn't a pretty scene. Creek wailed, louder than he usually wailed. Frostpaw picked him up by the scruff. "Come on, we have a queen that just kitted. She'll take care of you."