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

Chapter 1

Outside the den, Hopeflame could hear the clan beginning to wake. She fluffed out her pelt against the cold and snuggled closer to Brambleclaw. He felt so warm compared to the frigid cold creeping into their den. Hopeflame locked her green eyes on his face as he slept.

She couldn't get over the fact that they were having kits together. It felt like only a few moons ago that they were kits tumbling around in the dirt dreaming about the life of a warrior. Now they were warriors on the verge of parenthood.

Brambleclaw suddenly opened his sun-filled eyes. "Good morning sleepyhead," Hopeflame purred bemusedly. She licked his cheek with fondness.

He smiled at her warmly then returned the gesture. Brambleclaw lowered his head to rest it gently on her slightly swollen abdomen. "Good morning kits, father loves you."

Together, they rose from their nests and emerged into the camp clearing. Hopeflame glanced towards the apprentice den to see that Ebonypaw was waiting for her. He hadn't forgotten that they were heading out with the dawn patrol.

Ever since Hopeflame learned she was pregnant, Brambleclaw had been pressuring her to join the other queens in the nursery. But Hopeflame wasn't ready yet. There was so much more that she wanted to teach Ebonypaw. Owlgaze had already agreed, with Tigerstar's approval, to continue Ebonypaw's training.

Brambleclaw thought that she was just being difficult when, in reality, she was just in denial about being a mother. She wanted kits, yes, but she'd only just received her first apprentice. Sandstorm spoke with her about it one day and said that it was perfectly natural for a first-time mother to be in denial. Hopeflame took that as an excuse to keep training. She didn't want to join the nursery until she was round and slow.

"Runningwind, you're taking the Wind Border with Dustpelt, Hopeflame, Ebonypaw, Thornclaw, and Dewpaw," Brambleclaw ordered. Then he moved on to set the other dawn patrols as well as the hunting patrols.

Hopeflame trotted over to Runningwind who sat at the entrance to the camp. Ebonypaw followed suit with Dewpaw at his flank. Dustpelt emerged from the warriors den and stretched before making his way over. Thornclaw even beat him over.

"Alright, you heard Brambleclaw." Runningwind stood up, waving his long tail. "Let's move out."

Runningwind led the patrol out of Fourtrees with their paws on the trail towards the moors. Hopeflame settled alongside Ebonypaw towards the center of the patrol. The black apprentice still felt uneasy whenever they went out onto the moors. Hopeflame could understand his nervousness; TigerClan cats weren't used to open skies above their heads. The moors offered no shelter from the elements or enemies.

Hopeflame kept her senses alert as they made their way through the forest. Everything looked so pristine after last night's snow. Icicles hung from the tree branches and snow formed mounds over the underbrush. Most animals were hibernating such as mice, voles, and other small rodents. Luckily, with all territories combined, there was still plenty of fresh-kill to go around. The former RiverClan cats were teaching other cats how to fish, but Hopeflame didn't need to learn that.

Graystripe already taught her.

The thought of her father caused her heart to tighten with grief. It's been a few moons since his death, but it still felt like yesterday. She couldn't think of Graystripe without remembering Stormblaze, her dear half-brother. It was her fault that they were both dead and she would never forgive herself.

A bird overhead disturbed a tree branch holding snow which caused some of it to cascade onto her. Hopeflame jumped and was snapped out of her thoughts. "You okay there, Hopeflame?" Thornclaw asked her teasingly.

Hopeflame's whiskers twitched in amusement at her former mentor. Before Graystripe trained her, Thornclaw did. He had been a patient, level-headed mentor in the face of many challenges.

"Oh, you know, just daydreaming as usual." Hopeflame teased him, trying to cover up her depressing thoughts.

Thornclaw huffed and ran ahead to walk alongside Runningwind. Hopeflame was left behind with Ebonypaw and Dewpaw. The two apprentices were speaking in low voices, occasionally giggling. Seeing them together reminded Hopeflame of being an apprentice. Back then, she had only a crush on Brambleclaw. Oh, how things have changed.

The wind picked up, signaling that they were near the moors. Hopeflame squinted her eyes against the wind. Up ahead, the trees thinned then stopped altogether. The moors stretched out before them to meet the sky. Her heart lifted and she had the sudden urge to run.

Runningwind took off, leaving them to follow. Despite her growing belly, Hopeflame easily kept up with the patrol. She loved the feeling of the wind in her long pelt. It reminded her of her days in WindClan. She suppressed her memories of WindClan and the recent Merge-it has caused more pain than any other.

They reached the crest of a hill which offered them a great view of WindClan'a former territory. To some, it might all look the same underneath the snow. But Hopeflame's limited stay here was enough for her to easily pinpoint the different places. Over there were the rabbit warrens and far over that way was Lookout Rock.

"It's so cold up here," Ebonypaw muttered, fluffing out his pelt. "I don't know why any cat would willingly live here." Hopeflame didn't reprimand him-she couldn't help agreeing.

Runningwind led the charge down the hill towards the far side of the moors. It was hard to believe that he wasn't WindClan-born. He was the perfect specimen of a WindClan cat: long legs and a small frame.

They continued running until Highstones came into view. Hopeflame cast her eyes down the hill towards the mountain of rocks that used to be a sacred place to the clans. Some cats still believed in StarClan, but Hopeflame wasn't sure. She wished for it to be real because that would make it easier to deal with the deaths of everyone she loved. It was nice to think they went to somewhere better.

"What's in Highstones?" Ebonypaw wondered. "Darkflower told me that there's something called the Moonstone."

"I wouldn't know, Ebonypaw." Hopeflame murmured sadly. She's never been within a tree-length of Highstones.

She thought it was about time that she did.