Warriors: Hollystripe's Heartbreak

Chapter 8

The next morning came and Hollypaw practically charged out of the apprentices' den, her fur ruffled, and her eyes rather bleary. She'd hardly slept that night and her pelt was abnormally messy from all her tossing and turning. But she didn't care right now. All she wanted to do was find Duskflight.

"Hollypaw!"

The white and black apprentice halted and turned her head, spotting Hawkflight crossing the clearing towards her.

Thornheart was watching her from below the giant pine tree with a rather confused look on his face.

"Thornheart said we're meant to join the dawn patrol," her mentor meowed.

Hollypaw lashed her tail in annoyance. "I—can I skip? I promise I'll make it up later with extra hunting. There's just...something I need to do."

"What could be so important that an apprentice has to skip her duties?" Thornheart came up behind Hawkflight and narrowed his forest-green gaze at her. The PineClan deputy was looking very suspicious now. "I ordered you to join the dawn patrol and that's what you'll do."

Stormstar slunk from his den, blinking the sleep from his eyes, before turning his broad head in the direction of Hawkflight, Thornheart, and Hollypaw.

Hollypaw felt panic rising in her chest. "P-please! I n-need to go see my mother! Something I need to t-talk about!" She gazed pleadingly up at Thornheart.

"If she doesn't want to do it, I can!"

Hollypaw glanced around Thornheart and saw Larkpaw standing there with a fake sweet expression. At least, Hollypaw was the only cat who saw it as fake.

Sunflower and Sharpfang watched their daughter with an approving gaze from where they stood at the side of the clearing together.

"Yes, let her go, Thornheart," Sharpfang encouraged, shooting a hostile glare towards Hollypaw but quickly turning away so he wasn't caught.

Hollypaw felt shame and humiliation heating her ears. She just wanted to disappear into the ground.

Stormstar was glancing from cat to cat, clearly unsure of what he should say as input to the situation. Finally, the long-furred tom sighed. "Okay, take Larkpaw instead. Raindapple, are you ready to go?" He glanced at his daughter with an inquiring look.

The white-splashed she-cat nodded to her father and flicked her tail for Hawkflight and Larkpaw to follow her.

As Larkpaw passed Hollypaw, she knocked into her slightly, causing her to stumble backwards but she regained her balance before she could fall.

"You will make up for this later, Hollypaw," Stormstar told her in a stern voice, his pale green eyes narrowed.

"Yes, sir," she muttered before turning and heading towards the warriors' den.

Before she could take many more steps, the familiar brown tabby pelt of Duskflight flashed across her vision and she halted abruptly. Her mother was just exiting the den and stared at Hollypaw with a rather shocked expression.

"H-Hollypaw—?"

"Why didn't you show me my father at the Gathering? I thought we had a deal!" Hollypaw cut her off.

Duskflight shook her head. "I never agreed. You never gave me a chance to speak. But I—"

"Ugh!" she scoffed in disgust. "I would think I have a right to know! All my life I've been seeing other cats getting on with both of their parents. Both, Duskflight! Not just one!" The fur along her spine was beginning to bristle.

"You didn't let me finish," Duskflight snarled. "I spoke to your father last night, Hollypaw. At the Gathering. I told him I had something important to discuss with him and he agreed to meet me at the border later today. You will see him then. Do you really think I was planning on keeping this a secret your whole life? Of course not. I just needed to wait until you were ready." The sleek tabby feline shook herself and padded off, leaving Hollypaw speechless and confused.

She stared after her mother with her jaws gaping slightly and her bright amber eyes wide. So I'm finally going to see my father after all?