Creamfluff's Hope

*/\* Chapter Twenty-seven */\*

It turned out that Creampaw didn't have to wonder about that question for long. Blizzardstar appeared from her den and climbed up the Highstone, her gray and white tail swaying back and forth to keep her balanced. With a single yowl, she had the whole Clan beneath her paws.

"To all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highstone to hear what I have to say to you." 

All the warriors got up from sharing prey and tongues with kin and friends to sit beneath the Highstone. Creampaw got up from where she sat to sit beside Rainspeck and Aloeheart while Softpaw and Butterflypaw sat next to their parents. Crimsonbird and Grayleaf sat at the back of the crowd along with Beetleflight, Cloverpetal, and Nightmoon who was currently expecting Cloverpetal's kits.

Creampaw figured that it would be good to have new kits in the Clan, for the nursery had been empty for about two moons. Windycloud sat at the foot of Highstone as Blizzardstar began to talk.

"Now I know that leaf-fall is here which signals to a coming leaf-bare, but we cannot let ShadeClan go any longer with territory that rightfully belongs to us." Blizzardstar looked confident while saying this, her eyes shining, and her fur fluffed out. Her wounds were healed although some left scars on her pretty pelt. 

Yowls of agreement came from the crowd. 

"Those mangy ShadeClan cats took it without approval!"

"They have such a poor prey supply that they steal from us!"

"We'll get them back!"

"Good decision!" 

Blizzardstar silenced the Clan by holding up her tail. "We will attack at morning's twilight. Everyone eat, rest, and prepare yourselves for the upcoming battle."

"One moment, Blizzardstar." Silverleaf stood up from where he sat next to the medicine den with Butterflypaw. "It's only been a moon since ShadeClan attacked us. Sageflame still hasn't recovered from her wounds and she's at a risk of infection. And surely ShadeClan would be waiting for us to fight them sooner or later?"

Quieter meows of agreement as well as confusion came from the crowd. Creampaw took a look at her shoulder and stared at her scar. Fur still hadn't grown back over top of it, and it probably never would. She was proud to have her scar, but now she was considering what Silverleaf had said.

"Will Blizzardstar call off the attack?" Creampaw turned to look up at Aloeheart. The brown tabby warrior shrugged.

"Silverleaf is her medicine cat, but she most likely won't listen to him." He flicked his ear as he nodded to the gray and white she-cat atop of Highstone. "Blizzardstar seems confident in her decision and probably believes it's the right thing to do." 

"Since when can you get into other cats minds?" Rainspeck purred before sounding more serious. "But I think Silverleaf is right. Sageflame isn't fit to fight, along with one or two other cats. Should we be jumping into battle so soon?"

"We have a decent number of warriors to spare," Aloeheart murmured.

"And most of those cats are at risk of being killed if we attack."

But Blizzardstar interrupted the meows of decisions and questions among the cats. "Silverleaf has a good point, but we will still attack. Everyone who is too weak to fight will stay here to guard the camp."

Creampaw's paws tingled with the excitement of another battle. But that excitment quickly faded into worry as she remembered how Darkenedfrost had almost ended her live and sent her to StarClan. That had happened once at Mist Falls, once at battle with a rival Clan. Now Creampaw was having doubts about this.