Post by MissMisty on Dec 16, 2017 22:52:27 GMT -5
An entry for ѕωιƒтƒαℓcση 's new one-shot contest! Hope you all enjoy!
Word count: 705
Hope
"Haha! Feel my teeth, Flowerstar!" Pebblekit yelped as she bit into Flowerkit's scruff. Flowerkit jumped up, growling, as Pebblekit's teeth sunk into her soft fur around her neck. Sunflower watched her two kits with pride as they flipped around the nursery, smashing into nests and sending moss flying everywhere. They were both feisty and full of energy.
A sudden rush of heat and energy alerted her of him. She turned her head expectantly, and... there he was. His fur rippled, muscle clearly showing under his chestnut brown coat. Fawnstar nuzzled her in greeting, and turned to his beautiful she-kits. "How are they going?" He asked. "They'll flip until well after moonhigh." Sunflower sighed. Fawnstar smiled wistfully. "They'll be great-" Before he could finish, a high yowl alerted all the cats in the clearing.
Rockpaw, a gray tom apprentice, skidded into GrassClan camp, spitting wildly. "WaterClan are attacking!" He yowled. "They want the Prey Fields back!" "Warriors, to me!" Fawnstar cried. Before he could leave the nursery, Sunflower caught his tail. "Please, be safe!" She pleaded. Fawnstar looked into her warm honey-brown eyes. "I promise." He nodded his head. Then he turned and ran out to the warriors and apprentices gathered in the clearing. "GrassClan, move out!" He yowled, and they all trooped through the exit.
Sunflower felt her two kits by her side before she smelled them. "Will Daddy be okay?" Pebblekit mewed. Sunflower smiled sadly at her. "I hope so..."
/
Fawnstar growled and sunk his teeth into the WaterClan warrior's back leg. She yowled in pain and shot off for the bushes. He shook his head and surveyed the carnage.
The Prey Fields were covered in blood and fur. Apprentices screeched as they flipped around the clearing, chased by angry warriors that meant to kill. WaterClan were fierce and mighty, with huge muscles bunched up underneath their pelts to fight the great currents that they swam in. They were a proud clan, with proud skills and a proud bloodline. Fawnstar knew that GrassClan had no chance at winning this battle, but a single feeling sparked inside him, one that may change the odds. Hope.
/
Sunflower raised her head eagerly as the huge GrassClan patrol trooped back into camp. Her smile vanished as she failed to locate Fawnstar's light brown fur. Where is he? A sorrowful yowl split the air, and the last of the cats padded in, carrying a brown lump of something In between them... "NO!" Sunflower screeched. She ran to her mate, shoving the other cats away so she could see him properly. His handsome face was scarred and criss-crossed with blood, and a trickle of it ran out of his ear. Sunflower yowled her pain, her sorrow, to the sky in a single, ear piercing screech.
/
Pebblespot stared at all the cats of StarClan that crowded around her. She had been given 8 lives so far, the last, from Sunflower, had filled her with bright light that she couldn't see, but feel. Her face anxiously scanned the crowd. Where is he? Suddenly, the cats parted, and there he was. He smiled at her warmly, filling her with it from her muzzle to the tip of her tail. "D-Dad?" She managed to choke out. He quieted her. "I'm here." Then he stepped towards her and touched his scarred muzzle to her forehead.
"With this life I give you hope. Use it well, for it will hide itself in your heart, but when you need it, it will show itself to you." He then stepped back, and Nettlestar, the old leader, stepped forward.
“I hail you by your new name, Pebblestar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of GrassClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity.”
The cats of StarClan crowded around her, murmering congratulations, and suddenly he was there again. "Never be afraid." He told her. "Other cats have been afraid of many things. Death, loss...." He stopped. "You are different, daughter. I am proud of you, because you have one thing that others don't. You have hope."
