Lost Hope: Book 1: The New Star

Chapter 1

Burrowkit yawned and stretched in her nest, which she shared with her mother Honeyflower, and her brother Dandelionkit. Dapples of sunlight lay across the ground and Burrowkit joyfully rolled onto them, letting the heat warm her pelt.

She gazed out of the den and saw the morning patrols being sent out. The Clan was just waking up, but soon it would be buzzing with activity. This was her chance!

Burrowkit glanced back and saw her brother beginning to stir. She leapt over to him and prodded his shoulder with a paw. "Wake up!" she whispered into his twitching ear.

"Wha. . . ?" Dandelionkit's bright amber eyes slowly opened. "Burrowkit? Why are you up so early?"

Burrowkit shrugged. "Let's go outside!" she said, urging him up.

"But we shouldn't go without Mom's permission!" he motioned towards their Honeyflower's sleeping form.

      "We'll be back before she wakes," Burrowkit said, trying not to show her impatience. "She'll never know we were gone. Come on!"

      Dandelionkit sighed. "Fine, I guess we should stick together." he said as he followed Burrowkit out of the den.

      Burrowkit quickly ducked behind a stray bramble and tugged Dandelionkit down beside her. She peeked over the bramble and saw her father with a golden she-cat. "Oh! Dad's going to go get his nine lives!" she murmured excitedly. "Let's go over to him!"

      "Are you sure?" Dandelionkit asked. "Then he'll know we snuck out of the nursery!"

      Burrowkit thought for a moment. "It'll be fine," she said. "We'll just say we wanted to see him off." She ducked out of the hiding place, making a dash toward her father. Dandelionkit was hard on her paws. But before they got very far, she ran straight into huge lump. She looked up and saw it was a dark-colored paw.

"Watch it!" the warrior, who the paw belonged to, snarled.

Burrowkit let out a squeak of alarm and ran past him. "Sorry!" Burrowkit heard Dandelionkit tell the warrior.

      Burrowkit continued to bound forward toward her father. When she reached him, she stumbled to a stop and looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you going to the Star Hollow?" she blurted excitedly. She'd heard that the Star Hollow was the place were new leaders got their nine lives.

      Stonestream gave her and Dandelionkit and amused look. "Yes," he answered. "But it would be a lot easier if you were back in the nursery like you're supposed be. Don't worry," he said quickly, looking at their downcast expressions. "I'm not mad at you. And I won't tell your mother as long as you go back, and don't do it again."

      "Ok, thanks, Dad!" Burrowkit said, nuzzling his leg. "And we won't!" she promised, turning around, intending to go back to the den.

      "Bye," Dandelionkit said as their father and Starfur left the camp. He followed Burrowkit back to the nursery.

      They didn't have any trouble getting back, although they were fixed with a fierce glare from the dark warrior whom they stumbled into earlier. When they arrived, Honeyflower was still asleep, and they quickly curled up beside her.

"What do you think it's like? Going to the Star Hollow?" Dandelionkit asked quietly.

"Dunno," Burrowkit shrugged. "Maybe you see StarClan there?"

"Probably," Dandelionkit agreed. "What do you think it looks like?"

Burrowkit thought for a moment. "Well," she said finally. "It's probably really nice looking, since StarClan lives there. There's probably trees and rivers since both EchoClan and BrookClan ancestors would be there."

"I think you're right," Dandelionkit mururmured in agreement. "Maybe it has lots of different trees."

"Maybe." Burrowkit spread her jaws wide in a yawn. "Wow, we woke up really early," she said wearily, just realizing how tired she was. She felt her eyelids droop and she was soon asleep.