Warriors: the forgotten hearts: trail of pain (book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Three

FINAL 2/2

Something tickled Hawk's nose. Hawk squeezed his shut eyes, blindly batting away whatever was tickling him.

"Should we wake him?" A small voice asked.

"Smokey says we should wait until he wakes on his own." replied another.

"But we don't know when that could be!" Said yet another, that one was closer. "Sky says he should be woken up now."

Sky?

Hawk blinked open his eyes. There were three kits in front of him. "He's awake!" A ginger and cream she-kit squeaked in excitment.

"Because you woke him." A cream she-kit retorted.

A gray and calico she-kit tilted her head. "We should take him to Sky. I bet she would want to see him. It is him she's been talking about right?"

The ginger she-cat nodded happily and quickly, but it was the cream she-kit who responded. "That's him! I know it is from his eyes!"

Hawk shifted. "Um. . Where am I exactly." His eyes flicked between the kits.

"Oh, yeah. . Right." The ginger she-kit scratched behind her ears before responding. "You're in Starclan. My name is Spark, the cream she-cat is Dasiy, and the other one is Tawny."

Hawk's eyes widened. "Starclan? Am I dead?" The kits looked between eachother.

"Um. ." Spark shifted.

"What are you kits doing?" Snapped a voice. A she-cat came out from the ferns. Her eyes widened. "Hawk?"

"Rose?" Hawk rose to his paws.

"What are you doing here?" She rushed forward, brushing her cheek against his.

"I don't know. . all I remember is. ." Hawk pulled back. "I did it. I killed Glowstar."

Rose's eyes widened. "Everyone's safe now." She mewed, as though relief had been lifted. Hawk looked her up and down, taking in how much younger she looked. She didn't look as thin as she looked in the living world, and her pelt shimmered with stars.

"So. . Am I dead?" Hawk asked.

"Not yet." Hawk looked behind Rose. Sky's white fur was neatly groomed, shimmered like Rose's and the kits'.

"Sky! I saw you! In the living world." Hawk ran to meet her. Sky purred, resting her tail on his back.

"I know." Sky smiled down at him. "And no, you're not dead. Not yet, at least."

Hawk blinked at her. "Yet?"

Sky nodded. "You have a choice Hawk. The healers are trying to revive you, and if you fight hard enough, you can go back. Or, you could stay here." She meowed. Hawk blinked his eyes wide. "It's peaceful here. There's no pain, or hunger, or fighting."

Hawk shifted. would all this be worth it? Could he really stay here with his dead friends? "Oh! I want you to meet someone." Sky meowed. "Well, you've already met her, but this is Spark, my daughter." The ginger and cream she-kit puffed her chest out.

Hawk smiled. "You are happy here, aren't you?" Hawk glanced up at Sky.

"I am." She meowed. "I have my mate, my kit, and many of my friends." She meowed calmly. "But you wouldn't find the same peace here, would you?" Sky meowed.

Hawk glanced at Rose, she was smiling sadly at him. "No. . I wouldn't. I have a lot of cats who need me in the living world." Sky nodded. "But, could I see my friends before I leave?"