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

Chapter 11

Barley led the clan cats into the warm twoleg barn. The shelter had hay everywhere on the ground and it stood tall and strong despite the few cracked windows. Hopeflame noticed mice dart among the hay and her belly rumbled. Her claws unsheathed and she longed to hunt.

Then her attention returned to Barley. He led them to a corner of the barn which was secluded by a wall of hay tied together by what looked like vines. Nestled in the hay were two she-cats. The first was a golden tabby and the other a black she-cat with white paws. The black she-cat looked heavily pregnant.

"Hopeflame, this is my mate, Butterfly, and our daughter, Maisie. The rest of our family is out hunting. They should return any moment." Barley announced. "For now, settle down. We have much to discuss."

The WindClan cats laid down beside each other but Hopeflame sat somewhere in the middle. Barley sat beside Butterfly and Ravenpaw settled beside her. The black tom seemed intrigued by her.

"So, you were born in TigerClan?" Ravenpaw asked her pointedly. The WindClan cats turned to her, obviously wanting to see what she said. This was a test.

Hopeflame nodded to Ravenpaw. "Yes, my mother is Sandstorm and...my father was Graystripe."

The WindClan cats started to whisper among themselves and Hopeflame pretended to ignore them. Ravenpaw didn't bat an eye. "What do you mean Graystripe was your father?"

"Well," Hopeflame shuffled her paws and looked up at Ravenpaw. "H-he died in the battle with TigerClan." She lowered her head, feeling outright distraught. "I miss him very much."

Ravenpaw seemed choked up and struggled to find words. "Graystripe was my friend. We were both friends with Fireheart who died too soon. You said your mother is Sandstorm?"

"Yes," She answered curtly.

"Maybe you could come back sometime and I can tell you about our friendship," Ravenpaw offered. Hopeflame met his gaze and saw a secret meaning beneath the surface. He wanted to talk to her in private without so many cats listening in.

Hopeflame purred, "I would like that."

Tawnyfur quickly changed the subject and turned to Barley. "TigerClan is pressing on our borders and we are all that stands in their way. I'm not sure how long WindClan will be able to hold them back."

"These are grave times," Barley murmured. "I remember another time when WindClan was forced to abandon their home..."

"Brokenstar was evil, there's no doubt," Tawnyfur agreed, "But Tigerstar is mad. Hopeflame, tell Barley about all the changes he's made!"

Hopeflame felt slightly uncomfortable talking under the pressure. "TigerClan doesn't believe in StarClan anymore and medicine cats are called healers. We don't have elders, cats serve until they die. Also, apprentices start training at four moons old."

Ravenpaw lashed his tail angrily. "He's breaking the Warrior Code! Everything that we feared is coming true." He spun on Barley angrily. "We should leave the farm while we can!"

"But Maisie can't leave," Butterfly argued, speaking for the first time. "She's too close to kitting!"

There was a flicker of motion at the barn entrance and they all tensed. Four cats appeared and stepped into the light. One of them looked awfully familiar and Hopeflame nearly choked on the air she breathed. It was Free, the tom she met near the Treecut place!

"What's going on?" A pale gray tabby tom asked, moving to Maisie's side. He licked between her ears, obviously her mate.

"WindClan is just visiting." Barley answered the tom. "They've brought a new member. Her name is Hopeflame." Then he turned to her. "Hopeflame, the pale gray tom is Oliver, Maisie's mate. The golden tabby tom is my son, Sunny. My daughter, Rosie, is the tortoiseshell and white she-cat. And my other son, Free, the long-haired gray tom."

Free's green gaze locked with hers and for a moment, the entire world fell away. They seemed connected by some invisible force, destined to keep meeting. Why was he here and who was he, truly? It was obvious he wasn't Barley's son by birth.

Rosie moved to Ravenpaw's side and snuggled into his fur. Sunny and Free didn't move, staying side by side like brothers do. Hopeflame wanted to say something to him. More than anything, she wanted to ask him why he looked so strikingly similar to Graystripe.

If Free recognized her, he didn't show it. He greeted her as if this was their first time meeting. Hopeflame started to gravitate closer to the WindClan cats. At least she knew who they were and where she stood with them.

"TigerClan is becoming stronger," Whitetail spoke up. "Tallstar asked us to come visit and ask if, when the time comes, if you'll stand and fight beside WindClan."

This alarmed Hopeflame. WindClan was seeking help from loners? She knew it wouldn't do them any good with TigerClan's superior numbers. Why would they even bother? It was a miracle that WindClan hasn't given in yet. Perhaps they were too prideful.

Barley stood up, a little taken back by the question. "You want us to fight alongside WindClan?"

Tawnyfur nodded, confirming what Whitetail said. "Even seven of you, excluding Maisie of course, could make a difference. You may not be warriors, but you're no strangers to fighting."

Before anyone could say anything further, Hopeflame spoke up. "No, absolutely not!" She stood up and surveyed the faces of Barley's family. She didn't want to be responsible for the betrayal of them too. "TigerClan is too strong. Seven more cats will not help. WindClan is doomed."

Gorsefur narrowed his eyes at her, speaking for the first time towards her. "You have no place to make that kind of decision. WindClan needs all the help that it can get."

"TigerClan is three clans big, for StarClan's sake!" Hopeflame growled. "Nothing WindClan could do will change the odds, and they're not good."

"I'll fight," Ravenpaw spoke up suddenly. He stood on his paws and glanced at Hopeflame, then Tawnyfur. "I'm not running away this time."

"I'll fight too," Free said, surprising Hopeflame. "If TigerClan takes WindClan, what's to stop them there? Ravenpaw's right, we can't run away. This is our home." Free met her gaze and she felt a chill race down her spine. They're all going to die.

Barley nodded in agreement. "Tawnyfur, tell Tallstar that we'll fight beside WindClan."

Hopeflame wanted to scream at them, to make them see reason. TigerClan couldn't be stopped, it was just too strong! They were all trying to brave but they would all become martyrs. And the truth about martyrs is that they die. She didn't want to see these cats perish because Tigerstar would show no mercy against loners.

"Excellent, we'll bring Tallstar the good news." Tawnyfur purred. The WindClan cats rose to their paws and Hopeflame readied to follow them.

She was about to exit the barn when she felt someone brush against her. Hopeflame looked up into the green eyes of Free. "Come back soon, we need to talk."

Hopeflame studied him with calculating green eyes. "Indeed we do." Then she raced after the WindClan cats as they headed back to camp. A storm was brewing, and Hopeflame wondered if anyone would survive.