Lost Hope: Book 1: The New Star

Chapter 25

Burrowpaw peered out of the apprentice's den. A gray speckled tom was on guard tonight, but he looked ready to fall asleep on his paws. She ducked out of her den head toward the small tunnels near the entrance. Once, she stepped on a fallen twig, but the warrior didn't notice.

Confident that the guard wouldn't spot her, she snuck forward and slipped through the tunnel as quickly as possible. The forest loomed in front of her, casting long shadows across the ground. Burrowpaw shook out her fur and started to pad into the trees. She ignored the eerie feeling she had at walking through the the forest at night. Nothing was going to get her.

Finally, she spotted the river and headed downstream of it. Fogpaw had told her to meet him here at the Gathering, after Burrowpaw had tried to break things off with him. She finally realized it was a bad idea to meet up with some one from a rival Clan, and she hated being all secretive about it.

She sat down beside the river, forcing herself to keep her eyes on the river and not look behind her at the shadowy trees.

Finally, she saw a cat-like creature approach the water and dive in. He surfaced some moments later and gave her a smile. "How's my favorite EchoClan cat?" he asked.

     "Look, Fogpaw," Burrowpaw began. "I really like spending time with you, but I don't think-"

      She was interrupted by a splash behind them, and she turned around to see Purpleshade, Fogpaw's sister.

"I don't think you should be meeting either," she hissed, finishing Burrowpaw's sentence.

Fogpaw turned to his sister with a startled look. "How did you. . . ?"

"I've seen you sneaking out of camp, and coming back all wet and tired." Purplepaw sniffed. "So I got suspicious and followed you. And turns out, you're plotting against your own Clan with an enemy cat!" She glared at Burrowpaw.

"It's not like that at all!" Fogpaw protested. "I'm meeting her because I like her!" He quickly slapped his tail over his mouth at those words.

He likes me? Burrowpaw wondered, then inwardly slapped herself. Well, as a friend. Obviously.

Purpleshade swept on. "If you keep meeting her like this, I'm going to have to tell Willowstar!" she hissed at her brother. "I won't let you endanger BrookClan because you like this mouse-brain!"

"I am not a mouse-brain!" Burrowpaw retorted.

Purplepaw snorted. "If you weren't, than you wouldn't be betraying your Clan by meeting my brother."

"I was planning to break things off anyway!" Burrowpaw blurted before she could stop herself.

Fogpaw gave her a disbelieving look. "You. . . You were?"

Burrowpaw stared at him for a long moment, before nodding in defeat. Purpleshade gave her brother a triumphant look. "See? She doesn't like you back. Come on, let's go home." And with that, she turned and dove back into the water. With one last sad look at Burrowpaw, Fogpaw followed her.

Shocked, Burrowpaw gazed after them, swimming silently through the turning water and surfacing in the other side.

With a sigh, she turned and headed back to her own Clan. Fogpaw would never talk to her again, and there was nothing she could do about it.

***

The next morning, Burrowpaw plucked a mouse from the well-stocked fresh-kill pile and took a bite from it's soft body. The color of it's fur reminded her of Fogpaw, and suddenly she was hit with sadness.

"My kits!" a bloodcurdling scream erupted from the nursery. Phoenixwing burst out of the den, her amber eyes wide with panic. "They're gone!"

Scarletpetal rushed over to her sister and tried to reassure her. "I'm sure they're just exploring camp, you know how kits are. We got into all kinds of mischief when we were their age."

But it was no use, Phoenixwing would not be calmed. "Stonestar!" she yowled. The leader emerged from his den, eyes full of concern as he made his way over to the distressed queen.

"What's the problem?" he asked her gently.

"My kits are missing!" she said. "I think something must've taken them!"

"I don't think that's the case, Cloudstorm wouldn't have let anything come into camp."

"I'll check the dens," Scarletpetal suggested, and hurried off to search them.

"Stonestar." Darkmoon padded up to them. "I'll lead a search party, we'll make sure we find them if they're out in the forest."

"Thank you, Darkmoon," Stonestar said, giving his deputy a grateful nod. Turning back to Phoenixwing he said, "See? We'll find your kits in no time.

Burrowpaw quickly finished her mouse and walked up to her mentor. "Can I come?" she asked hopefully.

Darkmoon gave her a long look, before say, "Okay, but do exactly as I tell you."

"I always do!" Burrowpaw said.

The Clan deputy gathered Sparrowfeather, Griffinwing, and Glarespot, and set out. Griffinwing found their scent near the entrance and tracked it through the trees, and down toward the river.

Oh no, she thought. Has BrookClan taken them?

Darkmoon showed no emotion as he stalked up to the water. The trail ended at the sand, and the patrol desperately tried to find the scent again.

"BrookClan, attack!"

Before she could react, Burrowpaw was tackled to the ground. Teeth sank into her scruff, and she felt blood well up around her neck. She scrabbled at her attacker with her hind legs, but the cat had just jumped out of the river, and it's pelt was slick with water.

Suddenly, the weight lifted from her, and she stumbled to her paws. Sparrowfeather was now grappling with her opponent, who Burrowpaw realized was Purpleshade. She quickly joined the fray, lashing out her paws and landing lots of blows on the young warrior. That's for ruining my friendship with Fogpaw!

      "Take that, BrookClan scum!" she yowled at Purpleshade
as she fled back toward the river.

      "Hey, we fight well together," Sparrowfeather said with a smile.

      Burrowpaw grinned. "I suppose we do."

      "Burrowpaw!" Darkmoon lumbered over to her, bleeding from a gash on his shoulder. "Go get reinforcements, we're heavily outnumbered!"

      "But-" Burrowpaw tried to protest.

      "Now!"

Biting back another rebuke, Burrowpaw turned and dashed toward the trees. If Darkmoon thinks I'm to weak, I'll just have to prove him wrong! As soon as she got back, she'd fight like the whole of StarClan!