Falling from hope:
"Firestar, what are we going to do?"
The question is simple, precise. There is no whine in her voice, just worry that can't be measured, and a grimace that seeks comfort.
He can't give her comfort. At least, not in terms of its going to be alright and the forest will not be torn down by twolegs and both our precious daughters did not just go missing and Fourtrees was never cut down.
"I don't know," Firestar reveals his insecurity. His brows knit as he begins to pad towards his mate, seeking the comfort and shelter of her warm ginger fur. "We can only stand tall and hope, Sandstorm, that as long as we have our clan and StarClan stands behind us, things will not completely crumble to dust."
Their dull, rib-showing pelts brush.
"But its so hard to have hope, its so hard to imagine our daughters being alright," a sob shakes her body and this time he is the one grimacing. "What if they destroy ThunderClan like how their monsters uprooted Fourtrees? What if I never get my kits back?"
"What will we do, if it comes to that?" Sandstorm continues. She's never shown her fear so openly before to him, and Firestar wishes, oh he wishes it didn't have to be now, because her words have swept out some of the hope he had thought before was firmly lodged in his heart, and what if... what if what she said was actually...
Please, StarClan, show me the way.
He doesn't have to answer the barrage of what if's—not now at least—because suddenly there are footsteps and they both turn to face the entrance, shoving back on their masks no matter how tight the string is.
"Firestar!" Thornclaw's panicked, relying voice seems to bring back some of Firestar's old spirit. Not that he's much anticipating what will come next.
"What is it?" Sandstorm replies immediately, pressing against him one more time before the panting, dark brown tabby reaches them at the center of the Leader's Den.
"The twolegs and their strange, wood-devouring monsters are getting closer to camp!"
Sandstorm gasps in horror and Firestar stares calmly at Thornclaw. He expected something like this to happen sooner or later, after all.
"Go on. How far inside ThunderClan territory are they?"
"They've already reached Snakerocks, and are nearing the Great Sycamore," Thornclaw continues, taking in a deep breath.
The Great Sycamore is practically next to ThunderClan camp. The Thunderpath where the twolegs' monsters are coming from, he realizes, is also practically next to ThunderClan camp. The destruction of Fourtrees and the twoleg monsters that are working their way from there blocks the third way out.
He definitely didn't expect this... ThunderClan is in serious trouble.
Firestar's head explodes with pure unrepressed fear for a moment, sending shivers rippling through his body even as Sandstorm presses hers against his. Then, suddenly, the dreaded fear goes away a bit.
Sunningrocks... is not in the way destruction, it is as far away from ThunderClan camp as you can get. It is next to a river of freshwater, and where most of the remaining prey in the forest has fled to.
It is also next to RiverClan territory, but that is not important because unlike Thornclaw, Firestar cannot calm himself now with a single take in of breath; he has to act now, use the fourth way out before the twolegs have taken that from him also.
"Follow me."
They trust his judgement. They follow him silently.
With his loyal clanmates behind him, Firestar pads onto the Highrock, and can't help but be reminded that this is one more thing he'll miss when they leave.
He calls a meeting, tries to act strong for the well-being of his clan. The words taste dull, unimportant in his mouth.
"The twolegs have moved too far into ThunderClan territory; we will move camp into Sunningrocks before they reach and destroy the camp."
That's the only important thing. He gives them orders all right, tells the warriors to help the apprentices to help the elders and mothers and kits, but in the end, it's the individuals, the cats themselves that count. Especially in the crisis that everyone could die by the twolegs' monsters.
He realizes this now as he walks back toward Sandstorm, ignoring the shouts of confusion and fear and rage in his wake. In her eyes he sees shock, bewilderment, and worry for Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw not being able to find ThunderClan when they return back home in her gaze. Then he sees that she understands, however painful it may be.
The Clan must be protected... and his daughters need to find their own way home.
Firestar narrows his wary, exhausted eyes and squares his shoulders, bracing them for impact. He's prepared. He's ready for StarClan's next challenge. He will hope and help all he can for his kits and other cats' safety. He has to be prepared and ready, because he doesn't want to be crushed.
There's only so far that you can fall from hope.
AN: This approx 850 chunk of words is a challenge for the Warriors Fan Fiction Magazine (yup you guessed it, you should go check it out XD). I tried to get Firestar's character, but I honestly just dunno how anything came out.
So, after writing this I in all my glory suddenly realized the challenge said that a clan looses hope of surviving sickness or rival clan. uh, wow. Like didn't see that there. Well I think this is still going up, though I'm making another version with the correct rules anyway... it'll have SkyClan