Warriors || Hopestar's Choice: Book 1 (1 of 3)

Chapter 5

The days that followed impacted the clan in new ways. Tigerstar made sure that no cat stepped out of line and anyone who whispered even one wrong word was punished. It led much of the clan to stay quiet and ignored the wrongdoings that happened.

Hopepaw woke early and stepped out of the apprentice den. Most of the warriors were still sleeping, but she noticed Tigerstar speaking with Darkstripe in hushed voices beneath Highrock. She watched them for a moment with intense green eyes. Seeing them made her ponder what was happening to the clan.

Sandstorm seemed awfully wistful these last few days and Hopepaw wondered what was bothering her mother. Smallear's death was a shock, but he had spoken treasonous words. She could understand Tigerstar's viewpoint in needing only loyal warriors, but killing couldn't be the answer-could it?

Suddenly, Thornclaw emerged from the warriors den and noticed Hopepaw right away. "Hopepaw, we are going hunting."

"I want to fight!" Hopepaw complained. "I don't want to spend my morning catching pitiful little animals for clanmates that can't catch their own!"

Thornclaw scowled at Hopepaw. "Oh? And who would you have feed them? Would you let them starve?"

"No..." Hopepaw studied her paws, realizing how horrible that sounded. "But can't someone else do that?"

Thornclaw stood up and started to walk away. "No, no apprentice of mine is going to turn into an entitled kittypet."

Hopepaw sighed and followed the golden-brown warrior out of camp. She knew that Owlpaw would be learning to fight today. Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw would probably be practicing battle. Why couldn't she? Of all the mentors she could've had, she just had to receive the one that would hold her back.

She followed her mentor out into the forest and she kept her head down as she sulked. "Alright, Hopepaw," Thornclaw mewed. "I'm going to teach you how to hunt mice. A mouse will feel your pawsteps, so you need to carry yourself very light on your paws. Got it?"

Hopepaw nodded and mimicked Thornclaw's stance. She kept her paws light and looked forward eagerly. "There you go," Thornclaw nodded. "Keep your hind end down, you look like a duck."

She fixed her position and then stood up to look at Thornclaw. "Can I hunt now? Please?"

Thornclaw sighed and shook out his golden-brown coat. "Very well. Let's go to Sunningrocks, there's bound to be a couple of mice there."

The pair traveled through the forest towards Sunningrocks. Hopepaw kept her eyes and ears open for any trace of prey. She sniffed the air and noticed something in the undergrowth. Thornclaw kept moving, but Hopepaw stopped. Was it a squirrel? Or maybe it was a rabbit?

She dropped down into her hunting crouch and stalked forward on silent paws. Her body was a quick learner and she adjusted herself as she moved forward. The creature twitched and she caught a glance of brown fur. Hopepaw's heart was racing but she tried to keep it quiet.

Once she was close enough, Hopepaw gathered her hind legs beneath her. Her ears swiveled towards her prey. Its scent told her that it was a squirrel, and she could see its bushy tail. Without warning, Hopepaw launched herself over the grass and landed squarely on top of the squirrel. It squirmed underneath her paws and she quickly killed it with a bite to its neck.

Hopepaw held up her prize and her green eyes were bright with pride. Thornclaw had returned once he realized she wasn't following him. He came just in time to watch her make the kill. "That was great, Hopepaw. You're a natural hunter!"

She couldn't stop the pride that filled her chest. It felt like she would explode. "Can I learn how to fight now?"

Thornclaw shook his head. "Not yet. Bury the squirrel and follow me. We are going to pay a visit to the RiverClan border."

Hopepaw's ears pricked at the mention of RiverClan. She hasn't seen all the borders yet, that included the RiverClan border. After a while of walking, Hopepaw could see the river through the trees. Her tail waved in excitement and she raced out of the shadows and relished in the open sun on her red fur. Thornclaw followed her a little bit more cautiously.

She noticed the Sunningrocks just past the trees and only a few fox-lengths from the river. Hopepaw dashed towards the Sunningrocks and leaped onto them. She felt giddy as a kit. The river was magnificent! From on top of the rocks she could see it stretch both directions for what felt like forever. Then it curved around the bend and disappeared.

Hopepaw saw what must've been the Stepping Stones. She'd heard the warriors speak of them and that they allowed a cat to cross the river without getting a paw wet. Her ears pricked and she jumped down from the Sunningrocks. She wanted to get a closer look at the Stepping Stones.

When she reached the bank, her eyes widened. How could any cat leap that far without slipping or falling in? Hopepaw heard Thornclaw calling her from the forest, but her curiosity won her over. She tucked her hind legs underneath her and sprang from the bank to the first stone.

"Hopepaw!" Thornclaw growled as he appeared out of no where. He stopped at the bank and she could see in his golden eyes that he was furious. "Get back here!"

"It's fine, Thornclaw." Hopepaw mewed after she steadied herself. "I'm only going halfway and then I'll come back." She promised him.

Adrenaline surged through her blood as she leaped to the next stone, and then the next. Pride filled her chest and she couldn't believe she was actually doing this! Then, as she prepared to leap to the next rock, her hind legs slipped. Her take off was short and Hopepaw flailed into the next stone. She hit her head and her body went limp.

She blacked out for only a few seconds, but she was aware of her body sinking. The water dragged her down and she could feel the strong current pushing her under. Hopepaw tried to swim, tried to claw her way to the surface, but she lacked experience and strength. Her lungs ached as they screamed for air.

Blackness started to cloud her vision and she felt her body growing heavy. Images swirled at the edge of her vision. Were they StarClan cats that had come to rescue her? Did StarClan really exist despite what Tigerstar said? She found herself crying out to StarClan as fear clouded her mind and heart. Hopepaw felt reality slipping away.

Then suddenly, she felt someone grab her scruff. She was being pulled to the surface. Was it Thornclaw? She didn't know that he could swim. As her head broke the surface, she gulped in air. Whoever rescued her still held her tightly as they carried her to the TigerClan bank.

When her paws finally reached the bank, she dug in her claws and pulled herself out of the water. She collapsed on the bank and coughed out water. Thornclaw was soon at her side and his eyes were filled with worry. Wasn't he the one who rescued her?!

"Hopepaw, are you alright?!" Thornclaw meowed worriedly.

Slowly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. That's the first time she looked upon her rescuer. The tom reeked of RiverClan scent and she watched him shake water droplets from his thick, gray pelt. Down his spine was a dark dorsal stripe much like her own. His eyes were yellow and they were surprisingly filled with worry for her.

"Is this Sandstorm's daughter?" The tom asked Thornclaw.

Thornclaw nodded. "Yes, her name is Hopepaw. She was named an apprentice only a few days ago." While Hopepaw was still coughing up water, she heard Thornclaw thank the tom. "Thank you, Graystripe. I don't know what I'd done if you hadn't rescued her."

This was Graystripe? The infamous traitor that she was warned about since kithood? The one that left the clan to be with his half-clan kits in RiverClan?! Why would he rescue her if the clan hated him so much? How could Thornclaw talk to him with such respect, such reverence?!

Thornclaw padded back over to her. "Come on, Hopepaw. Let's get you to Cinderpelt." He nosed her to her paws and allowed her to lean on him.

As they walked back into the woods, she glanced over her shoulder at Graystripe. The tom met her gaze and then turned away. She watched him slip back into the river and swim back to RiverClan territory. How could a former TigerClan cat learn to swim? She knew that she would spend the rest of her life avoiding water where she couldn't see the bottom.

How could a cat that had been described to her as a selfish traitor have saved her and proved everything she's been told wrong? It didn't make any sense, and honestly, she was too tired to ponder it.