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

Chapter 14

By the time the sun started to set, Hopeflame was anxious to leave for Barley's farm. She watched much of the clan turn in for the night with Whitetail on guard at the entrance. The white she-cat walked away for a moment to say something to Webfoot and Hopeflame took her chance.

She slipped out of the entrance without anyone noticing and she flew over the moors. By now, she knew her way around and followed her instincts. The sun was setting behind the forest, setting the sky ablaze with every shade of orange, pink, and violet. Hopeflame paused for a moment to watch and wished she could capture the sight before her.

Then she kept moving. She passed the small stream and charged over the hills. Her long-haired pelt blew in the wind and she shivered. As soon as the sun set, the world became noticeably colder. It was the first sign that leaf-bare was on the way.

She reached the top of the horizon and saw the faint smudge in the distance that was the tree line. Beyond that was the barn. Hopeflame let her legs carry her down the slope towards the trees. She felt free out here with nothing to block her path. It felt like she was flying.

Hopeflame slowed to a brisk trot as she approached the trees. She slipped amongst the shadows and found the clearing on the other side. The barn stood solitary against the now inky black sky. Taking a deep breath, Hopeflame walked up to he barn entrance.

Peeking inside, she was greeted by darkness. Only a hole in the ceiling allowed for some moonlight to filter in. She heard something move behind her right before something crashed into her and pinned her down. Snarling, the cat moved closer to study her face. They recognized each other at the same time.

"Hopeflame?"

"Free?"

The long-haired gray tom let her up and she shook out her straw-covered pelt. He watched her with inquisitive green eyes that matched hers almost perfectly. From behind the shield of hay, Rosie emerged, claws sheathed. She obviously expected to walk into a fight, but calmed when she saw Hopeflame.

"What are you doing here?" Fee asked her pointedly. He tipped his head to the side as he studied her. She could see in his eyes that he pondered their similarities just as much as she did.

"Actually, I came to talk with you and Ravenpaw," Hopeflame told him.

Rosie stepped closer and sniffed at Hopeflame. "Come visit in the hay. Whatever you need to say in front of them can be said in front of all of us."

Free nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, come rest." The dark gray tom ushered her to the corner of the barn where the rest of their little family waited.

Barley stood up in surprise and greeted her. "Hopeflame? What are you doing here this time of the night?"

"I came to speak with Ravenpaw and...well, Free." Hopeflame glanced at the dark gray tom, studied the dark dorsal stripe along his spine, their same forest green eyes... The similarities between him, her, and Graystripe couldn't be a coincidence.

Barley glanced at Ravenpaw who sat beside Rosie. "You asked her to come?"

The black tom stood up and dipped his head to Barley. "Yes, she seemed to be looking for answers and so was I." Ravenpaw shot her a look. "I thought we could help each other."

Hopeflame studied their faces and then she looked at Ravenpaw. "I want to know what happened with Tigerstar. Everything."

Ravenpaw let out a long sigh. "Well, you'd better get comfortable because it's a long story." Then he began:

"I was a moon older than Graystripe and Fireheart. My mentor was Tigerstar, Tigerclaw at the time. The day that Fireheart arrived in ThunderClan, he was a kittypet by the name of Rusty. Bluestar gave him the name Firepaw. Anyways, that same day, I was on patrol with Tigerclaw and Redtail, who was deputy at the time. We got into a border fight with RiverClan, the leader of it was the deputy, a tom named Oakheart."

"Tigerclaw was hungry for power, and he thought that if he killed Redtail that Bluestar would make him the deputy. So he killed Redtail and Oakheart was only collateral damage. I watched the entire thing happen from the bushes and I raced back to camp. I was so afraid..."

"I came back to camp and told the clan that Redtail was dead, but I was never able to tell them who killed Redtail. Tigerclaw told them that Oakheart killed him. Bluestar made Lionheart, Graypaw's mentor, deputy instead of Tigerclaw. I lived in fear of Tigerclaw because he knew that I knew the truth. After much persuasion, I finally told Firepaw and Graypaw what I saw. They helped me escape here and told the clan that I died at the claws of a ShadowClan warrior."

"Fireheart and Graystripe tried to tell Bluestar, but every time they tried Tigerclaw got in the way. Lionheart died in battle and Bluestar made Tigerclaw deputy. Meanwhile, Graystripe left ThunderClan to live in RiverClan with his kits. One day, Tigerclaw sent out all the warriors and Fireheart guessed at his plan. He returned to the camp to find it overrun with Tigerclaw and a band of rogues."

"Graystripe and a patrol of RiverClan cats were on their way to discuss something with Bluestar and they jumped in to help. Fireheart found Bluestar cornered by Tigerstar in her den and that's when Tigerstar killed them both." Ravenpaw dipped his head, overwhelmed by his emotions. "Fireheart was my friend. He saved my life, him and Graystripe. I owed them everything and I never got to pay them back."

"That's when Sandstorm and Graystripe grew close. She was soon expecting kits..." Ravenpaw glanced at Hopeflame, "You and-" His gaze found Free sitting beside her, "You."

The world around Hopeflame started spinning. This couldn't be true... How could she have a littermate that she never knew about?! How could Sandstorm keep this from her?! Her green eyes locked with Free's and he looked equally as shocked.

"But how?!" Free demanded Barley and Butterfly, the cats who raised him. "I knew I wasn't yours by birth, it was obvious. I looked nothing like any of you, but how could you keep this from me?! Didn't you think that I deserved to know where I came from?"

Hopeflame shook her head in disbelief. "Why would Sandstorm not tell us? Why would she give him up?" But one look at Free and it was obvious. He was an exact copy of Graystripe. The entire clan would've been able to know who their father was.

"Actually, it was Sandstorm's wish to keep you in the dark," Butterfly whispered. Her real kits, Sunny, Rosie, and Maisie, moved closer to comfort her. "She knew that you would be safer here, away from Tigerstar's grip. That why we never told you that you were a clan cat."

"I can't believe she never told me. I wonder if Graystripe ever knew he had another son..." Hopeflame murmured. She raised her eyes to Free. From the first time she met him, she knew that they were connected somehow. "You're my brother..."

Free stood up and started pacing. "I'm not some random kit that showed up at the barn...I'm a clan cat." He met her gaze and she saw pain and sorrow. "I wish I would've known..."

Hopeflame moved closer of him, wanting to touch him, feel him, to see if he was real. Their fur brushed and they both jumped. "Our mother's name is Sandstorm. She's a pale ginger tabby with green eyes like us. Graystripe was our father, but he was killed in the Merge. He looked, well, exactly like you. We have two littermates: Owlgaze and Maplepaw. Oh, and two half-siblings: Stormblaze and Featherstream."

"I have a whole family that I didn't even know about..." Free murmured sadly.

"Maybe you could meet them someday?" Hopeflame wondered.

She soon left with the truth a burden on her shoulders. Hopeflame would revisit him soon. After all, he was her long-lost brother.