Hope

Summary: All I want to do it make it out. Alive. The less scratches and scars plague me, the better. I just want reassurance that Crowpaw is okay.

Hi, Skies here~ Anyway, this is a one-shot for the RainbowClan writing challenge. If you would like to join, the link to it is on my profile. Please read and review!

This one-shot is half Nightfang's point of view, and half Crowpaw's point of view. Nightfang's point of view is here to set up the story of why Crowpaw is hopeful. The battle scene is not meant to be long. Crowpaw's point of view is more focused around the prompt, 'Hope'.

Characters in the story:

Nightfang: ShadowClan cat. Sleek small black she-cat with pale amber eyes. She is a stealthy warrior who uses surprise as her greatest advantage.

Crowpaw: Nightfang's daughter. A black she-cat with a white tail tip, soft white underbelly, and white paws. She is sick with the illness.

Brackenpelt: A cat that Nightfang battles in the ThunderClan camp.

Robinleaf –The ThunderClan medicine cat, which has herbs stolen by Nightfang.


A stealthy swift small back she-cat by the name of Nightfang scurried through the unknown territory of ThunderClan. She was a ShadowClan cat, and was sent to find the best way to lead an invasion. She had a patrol of cats a few paces behind her. They had opted Nightfang to be the scout, her being the quickest, the quietist, and the best fighter in her Clan.

Nightfang started off steadily, glancing behind her every once and a while. This was not a game. Not to be trifled with. If any ThunderClan cat so much as sniffed her scent, she would be caught, and in the attack all would be lost. The sleek black she-cat brushed up against a clump of ferns, dewdrops linking to her fur. She pawed the next fern out of the way, hoping to avoid the next encounter with water.

As she mazed through the forest more and more she finally found something that she could report back. It was not the official entrance to the ThunderClan camp, but it would work well enough. There was a thick of brambles that she would be able to move to one side, and by doing that a passage would form. It would go straight into a second opening in the warriors' den. That would make it so they could finish the warriors off before they went to the medicine cat den and retrieved the herbs they needed for the leader, deputy, four warriors, one apprentice (Crowpaw, Nightfang's daughter), and two queens that would die without it. But, the warriors, once awakened, would call an alarm, alerting every other warrior in the camp. No, there had to be a better way. Nightfang continued on her search.

She soon found a more discrete way into the camp, which consisted of climbing in between two large trees and wandering over a small hill of rocks. That would be the way to go, Nightfang said to herself as she retreated, I shouldn't keep the others waiting. And she went to go report to the rest of the patrol.

As she showed the battle patrol the later entrance, they thanked her. A couple of the cats were nervous, and they wanted the best possible chance that they would make it out alive.

At first Nightfang had been eager to lead this battle, knowing that if they succeeded their mission, Crowpaw would have the herbs and be healed. But soon, a part of that knowing and confidence faded away. Would they succeed? Actually succeed? The ShadowClan warriors were stealthy, strong, and loyal. ThunderClan was strong and brave, and would hold up a good defense. A tough fight was about to occur. Would they acquire the herbs they needed to save a couple of cat's lives? Would there be enough for Crowpaw and the others? And the most dreadful question of all –what if it was already too late?


In the midst of battle, Nightfang pounced on her opponent. She recognized him as Brackenpelt, a cat who she had once bumped into at a gathering. He had been absent at the last gathering, and Nightfang, a slightly violent and determined she-cat, hoped that he would not show up at the following one due to injury.

Despite Nightfang's sudden attacks, Brackenpelt was not one to go down easy. He intercepted Nightfang's leap and attacked her by swiping a claw at her leg. Brackenpelt was only beaten when a ShadowClan cat heard Nightfang's yelp of pain, and immediately alerted, came rushing to her aid.

During the battle Nightfang desperately hoped that they would earn the herbs they needed. She desperately hoped that young Crowpaw would survive through the malady while her mother was gone. Please, she prayed to StarClan, after all the time spent with the energetic, kind, and cheerful cat, she didn't want to have to say goodbye.


Crowpaw coughed, one of the loudest yaks of the night. Nearby, the ShadowClan medicine cat rustled through the herbs that were stacked on stones, "I hope the patrols come back soon."

The young apprentice nodded. Her mother was leading the patrol since the leader and the deputy were sick. She was a respected warrior, and Crowpaw believed that she would lead to victory.

Nearby she saw a queen that had been raising kits while Crowpaw herself was in the nursery. She had always been kind to the young kit, and it tore Crowpaw to pieces to see her slumped on her side, her eyes blazed with fever.

At that moment, Crowpaw's best friend Thornpaw came in. Thornpaw was clutching a frog in her jaw, which she placed in between the queen and Crowpaw. Her best's friend stomach rumbled, and Crowpaw felt instantly guilty. Crowpaw had eaten earlier in the day while Thornpaw had not. Crowpaw had been resting all day in a dry den while Thornpaw had been out battling the elements. The day before Crowpaw had tried to muster up enough strength to go hunting on her own, but she couldn't make it past the entrance of the medicine cat den. Exhaustion has overwhelmed her to quickly, and the Clan deputy had swept her inside quickly.

The Clan needed herbs and the Clan needed prey. If the patrol succeeded their mission, the Clan would have herbs. What about prey? That wasn't something you could ignore! Crowpaw lie on the ground, hope bursting inside her.