WARRIORS: THE HOPES

Chapters 13-14

Chapter 13

Blood rushed in Spirestar's ears. ThunderClan is invading…I have to warn my own clan before it's too late. Jaystar and Spirestar were fighting tail to tail, covering eachother's backs. She had a lot in common with him. They were both made deputy of their clan in the same moon. Hawkstar, the former RiverClan leader, was his mentor, and for a while she thought he was his father. Hawkstar was always filled with rage,but definitely afraid to get his own paws bloody, but overall a strong, respectable leader. Jaystar lashed out at a large, red and brown ThunderClan tom. That's Redberry. He tried to kill me at my first gathering as deputy!
Jaystar struggled under the giant tom. He was definitely a better fighter, but Redberry was crushing him. ThunderClan cats trained to use their weight.

Spirestar shook off an apprentice jabbing its teeth into her tail and jumped on the back of Redberry and ripped her claws through his pelt and into his skin. He flung himself on his back, suffocating Spirestar. Jaystar gasped for air and shook off his pelt before attacking again. Redberry's stomach was exposed. Jaystar knew it was vulnerable and slashed both claws across it. Blood splashed out like a river in a storm. Jaystar pushed Redberry's bleeding body off of Spirestar.
"Thank you"
He nodded.
Spirestar looked back at the red and brown tom. He was gasping, calling for Stingstar, Dovefur, and StarClan. Jaystar shouldn't have done that. It was just too bloody.
"You!" It was Dovefur "I loved him!" Uh oh, were they mates?
Redberry had stopped gasping. He was dead. Dovefur's white paws were stained in his blood. He nuzzled him "I'm so sorry, my love"
"We were defending ourselves" Jaystar hissed, but Dovefur had already put an attack into motion. She swiped her claws across Jaystar's muzzle, leaving a trickle of blood. Spirestar kicked her back legs out and knocked her to the ground. Dovefur was a smaller cat for ThunderClan. She couldn't crush anyone with her weight, making her an easy opponent. Jaystar lashed at her flank, but she dodged.
"I loved him! You…you" she got choked in a sob for a breath "He was a good cat! A noble warrior…and"
"Enough! Did you start a battle and expect us to let you destroy the clans?"
"WindClan refused us food! And you remember when ShadowClan took our land when Shellstar was leader?" She rasped.
Spirestar did remember. It was a tremendous victory for ShadowClan. It had happened early in Stingstar's reign, which destroyed her clan's belief in her.
"Wait…are you invading ShadowClan, too?" Jaystar snarled, blue eyes burning.
"Yes, all our warriors, attacking at both camps!"
Spirestar's heart dropped. Her clan was leaderless and under attack.
Jaystar looked at her, and knew the words before she had said them. "I have to go. I have to protect my clan." He nodded. Spirestar ran.
"You fox-hearted coward!" Dovefur was quickly behind her. Spirestar's wounds tugged at her body. I've lost a lot of blood. It's hard to run so…so fast. Dovefur was on her tail. The border wasn't that far now.
"Raaah! You think you can kill my mate and take off? Snakestar was such a mouse-brain! To think he saw anything leader-like in you!"
Fatigue kept Spirestar's mouth clamped shut. She was right. There was no Great Spirestar. There was Spireleaf, who rejected her lives from StarClan. Spireleaf who got her mate killed and refused to take the blame. She wasn't a leader.
She turned around. Dovefur stood in front of her, snarling like a wolf.
"I'm so sorry, Doverfur. He was a good cat. Jaystar shouldn't have killed him."
"That won't bring him back!" She screamed through her tears. Rain clouds began to form over the sun.
"I know. I lost my mate too. I wanted to rip and tear through fur and flesh until I felt better, but it won't change anything"
Dovefur closed her eyes, letting waves of tears flood her face. Spirestar approached her, calmly. Dovefur flinched away. She opened her eyes. Grief had flipped to burning anger. Spirestar knew what came next.
"You took him from me. It's all your fault!" She slashed her claws quickly across Spirestar's neck. Blood poured and her vision blurred. White fire sizzled in her throat. Blood choked her. Dovefur was gone. Spirestar collapsed. I'm so sorry.

Chapter 14

Tansypaw stared at Petalwing. They were hidden in the musky medicine den, far in the back. Petalwing and Daisyface had dug a tunnel for kitting queens to hide if there was danger in the camp. It was uncomfortable. Petalwing turned Frostflake away when he tried to hide with them. If he dies, it's her fault. Tansypaw had grown up hating Petalwing. Frostflake told him about all the horrible things she did, and how no queen had all her kits survive if Petalwing was helping.
"Get off my tail!" He hissed. Petalwing quickly moved her back paw. I'm such a coward for hiding in here. Oh, StarClan, I can't stay here for another minute!
Tansypaw screeched, a face at the end of the tunnel appeared. They found us! A she-cat's black face stared with its yellow eyes "What are you doing, Tansypaw?"
It was Daisyface. Her ghostly appearance became more familiar.
"Daisyface?" Petalwing gasped
"You cowards! I dug this tunnel to protect kits! Not for warriors to hide away!"
"But we're not warriors…"
"Yes you are. Right now ShadowClan needs you to be."
Petalwing's fur bristled. Tansypaw stepped closer to the light. Blood rushed in his ears quietly. Light blinded him as he stepped from the tunnel. Daisyface nodded with approval, just like Frostflake did.

Tansypaw watched the battle from inside the den. He was shivering with terror. He saw the bodies of his clan mates, bleeding out or already dead.
Daisyface licked her paws "Well? Grab cobweb and save those who can still be saved!"
He felt frozen "But you died while trying to heal your clan mates"
"I died jumping in front of Snakestar and Stingstar. They would have torn each other apart. I stopped a war"
"Well, maybe you just postponed it, '' he whispered under his breath. Tansypaw waited for his paws to leap. He needed bravery to pulse through his body. He stared, when the wind chilled him. Daisyface felt it too. Her starry pelt began to fade, but not before looking at Tansypaw
"Spirestar is in danger. If you can't fight here, go to the border between WindClan and ThunderClan. I'm going to see her now." Her starry pelt vanished.
The bravery struck Tansypaw and his paws kept forward. He ran through the blood puddles and bodies. A tan and white she-cat lay dead in the grass, her throat pooling with blood.
Moonshine.
Elkleap, Frostflake, and Leaftuft's mother. There was time to mourn later.
F Bravery was still pulling his paws to Spirestar. He saw for just a second, a glimpse of a ghostly figure, sitting in a tree, lashing its tail. A white pelt, but he could see through it. Two yellow eyes burned into him.
"Get out of here, Hailspiral! I won't listen to a word you say!" Tansypaw cried to him. Hailspiral stared, laughing to himself. This was the first time he had seen the StarClan forsaken tom in the fur. I don't have time for this! He kept running. Hailspiral had been stalling him. Stealing Spirestar's time. Tansypaw had done the right thing by ignoring the cruel tom. A scent drifted nearby, stinging through the wind.
"Spirestar!" Tansypaw cried seeing the black she-cat with a slashed neck, bleeding into the dry grass. He put his ear to her chest, no breathing. She was losing a life, probably speaking to Snakestar right now in StarClan. All I can do is stop the bleeding so she doesn't lose any more!