Warriors: Hope's Awakening (In Progress)

Chapter 2

Fade followed Blackrose back to camp. Sparrowpaw had scurried away when sent ahead to warn the others, apparently glad to escape the stranger's presence. Eaglefire brought up the rear, pressing Fade's pace from behind. Once he'd caused her to bump into Blackrose's haunches, though luckily for her it was clear that the fault was Eaglefire's.

As they neared the camp, Blackrose told Fade all about the Clans. There was HillClan, SunClan, SwampClan, and LakeClan, all of which lived near to each other. HillClan's territory was the second largest, the largest being LakeClan's, though if you went by amount of land, LakeClan's was the smallest by far.

Fade also learned that twolegs were what she'd referred to as notails, and kittypets were the cats that lived with them. Lastly, the Clans each had a leader, a deputy, and a medicine cat, while the rest of the cats hunted and fought for the Clan. Of course this wasn't all there was to know about the Clans, but Blackrose fell silent as they bounded up a grassy hillock. They squeezed through a gap in a thick cluster of gorse bushes, and emerged into a large, sandy hollow.

A deep grey tom sat waiting for them, his slightly pluming tail wrapped neatly over his paws. He gazed at them with expectant eyes, which were a dark, greyish blue.

"Greetings." he mewed as they descended the shallow slope. "What brings you to HillClan territory?" Fade felt a little embarrassed, but she couldn't risk the cold season alone... not a second time.

"I was searching for other cats to stay with." she replied, holding her chin high to hide a pinch of embarrassment. She knew that she shouldn't be embarrassed, as none of the other cats knew why she'd been looking for them, but she couldn't help how she felt. She just couldn't stand weakness - at least, not in herself.

"And why, might I ask, were you doing so?" he pressed, signalling for the others to leave with nothing more then a flick of his ears. The others obeyed, though Eaglefire seemed somewhat reluctant.

"That's none of your business!" Fade snapped, more fiercely than intended. There was no way she was going to reveal anything to them. The still-calm Ashstar opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by an old black and white tom.

"She'll just be another mouth to feed!" the grizzled cat protested, tail lashing irritably. A few others nodded, and a murmur of agreement rippled through the group surrounding cats. Eaglefire, Fade noticed with displeasure, was included.

"We have enough trouble feeding the Clan as it is!" another meow sounded. In response, the murmur rose to a yowl. A black, brown, and white she-cat, seated just behind her leader, spoke above the rising clamour.

"But Ashstar, you know of our shortage of cats. Surely you can't turn away a potential warrior!"

A small white she-cat stepped forward, visibly shaking beneath her soft fur. "What if SwampClan attacks again?" she mewed, seemingly terrified at the prospect.

"Enough!" Ashstar finally commanded, his tone sharp with annoyance. The argument subsided, and only a few hushed whispers here and there remained. "I never said we were taking her in." he continued, his tone having softened somewhat now that he could be heard. "It is true that we cannot afford to lose any prey at the moment - especially with leaf-bare near at hand - but that also means that an extra hunter could be more than useful. Furthermore, no one can deny that we lack a sufficient number of cats to defend our Clan." He turned to Fade. "The odds, in this case, are in your favour. However," he added, cutting off Eaglefire before he could protest. "We have no way of knowing where your loyalties lie. How can we tell whether you plan to steal from us, especially when you refuse to give your reason for wanting to stay?" Eaglefire gave a small nod, seeming satisfied.

Fade sighed, wondering how to continue. He had a point, and she couldn't imagine the cats allowing her to stay unless she explained her motive. Still, she hesitated. She hated to reveal the fact that she might not be able to survive alone, and not only because of it being a weakness. What kind of impression would it make? They would think she wanted to stay there only to feed off of their resources. Though it was partially true, she didn't want to take from these cats any more than she had to. In fact, she'd intended to earn their help in every way she could - if they would help her at all.

That brought her back to the issue at hand. This was most likely the only chance she was going to get, and she knew that there was only one way forward. It may not work, but it was worth a try. She took a deep breath.

"Last cold season I fell ill." she mewed softly. She wanted to avoid telling the whole Clan if she could. "Luckily it was almost the warm season, so I managed to survive. Still, alone I barely managed to feed myself, as it made it very difficult to hunt for myself. Had the sickness come any earlier, than I may have very well starved or perished in the worst of the cold." she finished, hanging her head shamefully. So many other cats before her had managed to survive on their own - and were still doing so - but she, Fade, the runt of the litter, couldn't. Despite her efforts to be just as strong as everyone else, it seemed that she were destined to remain the weakest. It was one of her biggest fears.

Ashstar nodded slowly, apparently pondering his decision. Eventually, he focused on her again. "You may spend the night, and I will decide in the morning." he mewed, breaking the intense silence. Fade dipped her head, forcing herself to look him in the eye. Ashstar glanced at the small white cat. "Rushpaw, fetch our guest some fresh-kill." he ordered.

"Really, there's no need..." Fade tried, but he ignored her and the small cat - an apprentice, Fade guessed - sped off.

Ashstar turned to the multi-coloured cat behind him. "Poppyheart, arrange the evening patrols. I want extra scent markers set along the SwampClan border," he murmured, though Fade was just close enough to hear. "And make sure that if someone encounters another patrol that they do not pick a fight. We can't afford any additional injuries right now." He turned back to the rest of the Clan. "Enough gawking," he meowed. "Go make yourselves useful. Poppyheart will tell you who's on border patrol and who's on hunting patrol." With that, he waved his tail to dismiss them. They crowded around the she-cat Poppyheart, chatting among themselves. Fade heard the patter of small paw-steps coming towards her and turned to see the apprentice returning.

"Here, Fade. I picked a juicy one for you." the small white she-cat - Rushpaw, if she recalled correctly - mewed, looking proud of herself as she dropped a plump rabbit at Fade's paws.

"Thank you." Fade responded, though she wasn't particularly hungry. Before she could bend to pick it up, something struck her. "How did you know my name?" she asked.

"My mentor Brambletooth told me." she explained. "He said that he heard it from Eaglefire." Wow, news must travel fast. "I'll make you a nest, if you like." Rushpaw added, her bright green eyes shining. She looked so eager to please.

"No, it's fine." Fade insisted. "I don't want to push it. After all, most cats don't want me here in the first place." Rushpaw looked a little disappointed that she couldn't do more, but Fade sensed that she wasn't the kind of cat to feel that way for long. With that in mind, she picked up the rabbit, brushed past the apprentice, and padded swiftly over to the edge of the clearing to eat. It was probably best to avoid other cats for the time being. There was no way of knowing how many of the Clan cats were like Eaglefire, and she wasn't keen on finding out.

~*~*~*~

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