Warriors || Hopestar's Choice: Book 2 (2 of 3)

Chapter 4

Hopeflame woke from her short doze to find the camp tranquil. The warriors had returned a while ago with fresh-kill for everyone, leaving it in a pile at the center of the clearing. She imagined that the queens were resting in the nursery while the three warriors were in the warriors den.

Brambleclaw still slept soundly, so Hopeflame carefully slipped away so she wouldn't wake him. She stretched her legs and arched her back before stepping out of the leaders den. It still felt strange that they had napped in there. The whole time Hopeflame had imagined Tigerstar suddenly appearing and ripping their pelts.

It was sunhigh and the heat of the sun beat down on Hopeflame's thick pelt. She actually missed the river and being able to cool off whenever she wanted. RiverClan had offered her a nice home, but TigerClan has always been where she belonged.

Hopeflame remembered the days she spent in RiverClan as Tigerstar's spy. She had never imagined that she would find kin or friends among the RiverClan cats. They had welcomed her into their camp, trusted her, even given her a warrior name worth boasting about... And she had betrayed them, all of them.

From the corner of her eye, Hopeflame noticed the three apprentices emerge from their den. The last time she had seen them, they were young kits. Where had the time gone?

Ravenpaw, the black tom, looked strong and almost ready to be a warrior. His two sisters, Cloverpaw and Hollypaw, both seemed energetic and ready for whatever was thrown at them. Together, they had a strong bond that would take StarClan itself to destroy.

Hopeflame remembered when she was like that with her two littermates. As kits, she, Owlgaze, and Maplepaw would explore the camp and cause such a ruckus. It was a wonder how Sandstorm handled all three of them. They never slowed down and sometimes got into ridiculous bickers with no end.

She watched as the three apprentices mock-battled each other. Ravenpaw was stronger than his two sisters, but they both were quicker than him. Hopeflame found entertainment in watching them practice. Then she noticed three little head spoke out of the nursery.

Those must be Darkflower's kits. They were probably only a moon old. Hopeflame watched as the three kits exited the nursery and watched the apprentices wrestle. She studied each of them and saw potential for each of them to become great warriors.

"They're names are Ebonykit, Smallkit, and Pinekit," Brambleclaw meowed as he came to stand beside her. "They're Darkflower and Runningwind's kits."

Hopeflame glanced at the kits in surprise. "So they're the first real TigerClan cats? Intermixed, I mean."

Brambleclaw nodded his dark tabby head. "The clan was very excited when they were born. Cinderpelt is expecting Jaggedtooth's kits, so that'll be another mixed litter."

There was a moment of silence and Hopeflame tried to refrain from the one questions she was dying to ask. "Was it forced?" Hopeflame blurted. When she saw the confusion on Brambleclaw's face, she became embarrassed. "I mean, were Cinderpelt and Jaggedtooth in love? Are they in love?"

Brambleclaw didn't answer at first. He blinked his amber eyes and pondered her question. "Hopeflame...it's in TigerClan's Code. She wasn't going to have kits any other way."

"So she was forced?" Hopeflame's green eyes widened. "Is that all that I'm worth to you, Brambleclaw? A breeder?"

"No, of course not, Hopeflame!" Brambleclaw hissed under his breath. "It doesn't ever have to be like that. What we have is love. You'll never have to be forced."

"Because I'll be having your kits, right? Because we're in love so I should automatically have your kits." Hopeflame's green gaze filled with fire. "What happens to any other she-cat that doesn't find love? Will she be forced?"

"Come on, Hopeflame," Brambleclaw sighed. "Don't do this..."

"Answer the question, Brambleclaw." Hopeflame's tone became cold and distanced. She didn't want to believe that Brambleclaw could condone such a heartless act.

Brambleclaw hunched over and let out a long sigh. "That's for Tigerstar to decide."

"And what happens when Tigerstar is gone?" Hopeflame hissed. "Will you continue the sick, sadistic tradition of your father?"

"It's the law, Hopeflame!" Brambleclaw growled. They were very nearly shouting now.

Hopeflame stared at him in shock. How could she have feelings for such a heartless cat? Maybe he was exactly like his father but she'd been too scared to notice. She's fallen in love with the son of Tigerstar, but only now did she see the resemblance.

She couldn't even reply to him. The long-haired russet she-cat bounded away and left the camp. Hopeflame ran and ran and didn't stop. She didn't know where she was going or what she was looking for. All she knew was that she had to keep moving.

A tree root tripped her and Hopeflame fell, cutting her leg open. She yowled in pain and limped away from the root, favoring her front right leg. Crimson droplets oozed from the cut and stained her russet fur a darker red, almost black. Her body winced from the pain and she settled down in the grass.

Great, now she was injured and no one knew where she was. Which direction was camp? She's been gone for so long that all the trees looked awfully similar. Plus, she had been running blindly and hadn't laid attention to where she was going.

A buzzing sound along with the sound of running water told her that she was in between the Treecut Place and the river. That meant she was awfully far away from camp. The russet she-cat tried to stand, but her leg gave out and she crumpled in pain.

Suddenly, the undergrowth before her rustled. Her heart started racing. What if it was a fox or a badger? How was she supposed to defend herself?! Hopeflame tried to stand again but had no luck.

The undergrowth parted and Hopeflame tensed. Stepping from the undergrowth was...Graystripe? No, it couldn't be! Seeing this tom's forest green eyes, much like her own, she knew it couldn't be her father. But how was it that he looked so much like him?

This tom's long fur was gray like Graystripe's, almost the exact same shade except maybe a little paler. Starting from his forehead and all the way down to the tip of his tail was a dark dorsal stripe, just like hers. He was muscular and stocky with strong haunches like a TigerClan cat.

"Are you okay?" The tom spoke with concern. He sounded younger than Graystripe, perhaps close to her age. "I heard you scream and then I smelled the blood..." Hopeflame merely gaped at him, still mesmerized by the similarity. "Uh, are you okay? Oh! You're one of those forest cats, aren't you? And I'm on your territory... Sorry, I just...I just thought you were in trouble."

"I-I am," Hopeflame couldn't think clearly, or speak for that matter. "I cut my leg by tripping and I can't walk back to my camp."

"Do you want me to help you?" The tom offered without a second thought. "I don't mind and I won't tell anyone where your camp is. Besides, I don't have many cats to tell."

"What's your name?" Hopeflame asked suddenly.

The tom seemed confused by her question, but he answered swiftly. "My name's Free."

"Where do you live?" Hopeflame wondered. She wanted to know where this tom came from.

"I live on a farm out past the moors by the river," Free said. "I live with a few other cats out there: my mother, Butterfly, my father, Barley, and our friend, Ravenpaw."

"Ravenpaw?" Hopeflame tested the name on her tongue. Her mind flew back a few moons to when Graystripe told her about him and his friends. One of them had been named Ravenpaw. She remembered Graystripe telling her that he and Fireheart had helped Ravenpaw escape because he was in danger.

"Do you still want help to get back to your camp?" Free wondered.

Hopeflame shook her head. "No, I think I'll manage." She tried to stand up and this time managed to stay standing. The blood had clotted by now and she saw the wound wasn't very deep. "Thank you, Free. I hope that we meet again someday."

"What's your name?" Free asked quickly.

How mouse-brained of her! Hopeflame's pelt turned hot with embarrassment. "My name is Hopeflame." Then she turned and disappeared into the undergrowth. She had momentarily forgot her fight with Brambleclaw. Free was the only tom on her mind right now.