A/N
Here's another short chapter for y'all!... Sorry for the shortness.
Thornsnag was talking with Smokestar before dawn. "I'm joining RiverClan, with Hawkpool." Thornsnag declared. He was heartbroken from last night, but he knew that she felt something too. Smokestar was too exhausted to argue. "Go, out of my sight, you're a betrayer!" The dusky tom hissed, and Thornsnag headed to RiverClan, he knew he made the right choice.
...
Creeksplash nudged Hawkpool. "Hawkpaw, have long have you been here? You're soaking, and you smell like moldy moss! The silver tabby exclaimed, screwing up her grey nose. Hawkpool didn't say a word. Dawn isn't here yet, I cannot speak. Creeksplash seemed to understand. "You're sitting vigil? Oh, you're a warrior now! Il leave, sorry!" Creeksplash bounded off. Beechtail was organizing a dawn patrol, Hawkpool saw the pale colors of dawn at last. Juniperpaw came up to Hawkpool.
"Creeksplash told me why you're here. I came to say you're free to talk." Hawkpool gave her a curt nod, blinking slowly. "I'm a warrior now. Juniperfur." The tabby she cat meowed gleefully. Hawkpaw managed a smile. "Great!"
"I bet you're tired, why don't you go rest? A cat that got here earlier made you a nest, then passed out himself." Juniperfur replied, joining the dawn patrol.
Hawkpool was baffled. A another cat?... Hawkpool had a feeling she knew who it was. Hawkpool creeped in the den, a drenched chocolate tom with hazel stripes and a white chest lay on the bare ground, fast asleep and snoring. Thornsnag... Hawkpool shook herself. It doesn't matter now, ThunderClan won't take him back, that I'm sure of.
Hawkpool reluctantly curled up in her nest, and she dreamed of something, the very reason she was reluctant to dream, was this...
"Go." Smokestar's eyes gleamed cruelly. "If your service is with RiverClan, go be with them." Hawkpool locked eyes with Jaytalon for half a heartbeat, his blue eyes telling her something words could never begin to explain. Hawkpool's heather eyes narrowed sadly. This is my choice, Jaytalon. Please, don't make me regret this... Jaytalon seemed to read her thoughts, as he flattened his ears and lashed his tail. Hawkpool dipped her head, "yes, of course, I'll leave." Hawkpool stalked away, her heart thumping, as a crack of thunder sounded above and rain began showering down.
Hawkpool woke suddenly, and noticed Thornsnag was gone. She traced his scent to her father's den, able to catch a few words. "...-eft?" Hawkpool heard her father ask, not hearing the first bit. "Yes...Hawkpool...Smokestar...ceremony...chased...vigil.." Hawkpool heard Thornsnag say, but she couldn't catch it all; they sounded all muffled. "I see," Hawkpool heard Oakstar murmur, then she heard Beechtail meow, "He...honest...let...join." Hawkpool figured out most of the gaps, and when she heard Oakstar pad out of his den, she raced back to the warriors' den.
"All cats old enough the catch their own prey, gather beneath the GreatLedge for a clan meeting!" Oakstar commanded, and cats sleepily swarmed under the GreatLedge .
"Good." Oakstar began, "you all remember my daughter, Hawkpaw. She had her warrior ceremony last night, and is now Hawkpool." Oakstar paused, letting his cats cheer his daughter's name.
"Hawkpool! Hawkpool!" A portion of the clan shouted, sounding like the whole clan, but Hawkpool could see some cats weren't. Like Dovepaw, Ferretpaw, Doepaw, and two other cats Hawkpool didn't recognize, a tortoiseshell she cat and blue-grey mottled tom.
Oakstar seemed to be satisfied with their chants, as he raised his tail for silence. "However, she chose to leave ThunderClan, and I now welcome her as a full warrior of RiverClan." Hawkpool scrambled on the GreatLedge and licked Oakstar's shoulder as he rested his head on her muzzle. "StarClan honors your forethought and loyalty. You sat vigil throughout all night, may StarClan grant you this day of rest." Oakstar meowed, then waved his tail dismissively, his cats breaking off into smaller groups.
Briarpaw approached Hawkpool. "Congratulations!" Briarpaw beamed, "my assessment was delayed, from that Gathering..." Briarpaw trailed off. "But my assessment is sometime this quarter moon!" She meowed, looking excited. "I wonder what my name'll be..."
"Stop lolly gagging and hurry it up! The prey won't be waiting for us!" A voice hollered, making Briarpaw jump. Hawkpool craned her neck to see a pale brown mottled tom with short legs, looking straight at Briarpaw. "Sorry, gotta go. Mothleg waits for no one. Except maybe Duskflower." Briarpaw muttered the last part, trotting over to her mentor. A silver she with white ears and a blue-grey tail tip was sunning herself with a dark grey she cat and an off white tom.
Curious, Hawkpool approached them. "Um, hello. I'm Hawkpool." She introduced herself. The dark grey she cat opened a single blue eye. "Yes, we know who you are. I'm Duskflower, that's Cloudypool-" Duskflower meowed, pointing her tail to the silver she cat- "and that old-y over there is Whitefog." Duskflower stuck her tongue out playfully at the whitish elder. "Now, now," Whitefog rasped, "there's not need to be harsh."
Whitefog then turned to Hawkpool and he blinked a couple times in disbelief. "H-Hollowstar?" There was shock and strong emotion in his voice as he stood up. "Is it really you?" Whitefog circled Hawkpool, then his blue eyes widened. "It sure does look like you, Hollowstar!" Whitefog was just about to hold Hawkpool in an embrace when Cloudypool and Duskflower grabbed his scruff firmly.
"No, Whitefog. It's not Hollowstar, this is Hawkpool. Oakstar's daughter, see?" Duskflower soothed him, and with a blink, Whitefog seemed to realize it wasn't who he thought. "I-I'm sorry!" He dipped his head curtly and lay back down. "I thought you were an old friend..." Whitefog turned his back on Hawkpool, and she soon heard his snores.
Curious, Hawkpool entered her father's den. "Oakstar, I need you to call a clan meeting. It's not important, I just need to clarify something for a friend." Hawkpool raised her chin bravely. Oakstar perked his ears in surprise, but he laughed. "Alright." Oakstar leaped on the GreatLedge. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the GreatLedge for a clan meeting!"
"Another meeting so soon?" A voice muttered.
"Who knows, must be important." Another voice replied.
When the cats gathered, all of them were surprised to see Hawkpool gazing down on RiverClan. "I know I want who you were expecting, but I need to ask you all a question." Hawkpool paused. The cats seemed to be waiting for her.
Hawkpool flicked her tail. "Who remembers Hollowstar?" Whitefog shoved his wary forward. "I grew up with her! She was a good leader, and a better friend." He declared. Bramblewhisker, another elder, stepped next to Whitefog. "She was the oldest apprentice when I was born, but yes. I do remember her." Hawkpool waited for other cats to step forward, and to Hawkpool's surprise, Spidertail and Badgerfoot had a furious glint in their eyes. "Remember her?" Spidertail sounded appalled. Badgerfoot looked taken aback. "Of course we do!" Badgerfoot growled.
"Hollowstar was our sister!" The brothers yowled in unison. Interested murmurs flew the camp like wildfire, and Hawkpool let them continue. Badgerfoot shyly stepped back, so Spidertail spoke. "She was already a leader when we were born, along with our sister, Specklepaw. Hollowstar spent as much time with us as she could, and when our mother died, she protected us, and gave us to another queen." Spidertail looked at Badgerfoot, who nodded to keep going.
"Hollowstar and I shared the same mother, but she cared for us like her own littermates. We were only four moons old when she died from a badger, but Badgerfoot and I will never, ever forget her." Spidertail boomed. The clan was silent.
Hawkpool dipped her head. "It's hard to believe not many of you remember her..." Hawkpool jumped off the GreatLedge, and Whitefog came up to her.
"How do you know of Hollowstar?" Whitefog rasped. Hawkpool hadn't thought of that. "I was visited by her. She thought no one remembered her. I wanted to prove her wrong." Hawkpool reluctantly replied to Whitefog. The elder seemed stunned that she was visited by StarClan, but he led her to the sunning place. "Come, and I'll tell you Hollowstar's story. She was my best friend, and she told me everything, eventually." Whitefog meowed, laying down and he began his story.
(See my story called 'Backstories; Hollowstar's Haze)
Whitefog let out an exhausted yawn. Hawkpool giggled. "I'll come back later, ok? You rest." Whitefog was about to reply, when another yawn seized him, so he just nodded. Hawkpool stood up, arching her back and stretching her legs. She'd been sitting for quite a while. Hawkpool scanned the camp. Duskflower was talking with a kit, a pale grey with golden spots. The kit wailed at something Duskflower meowed. "But mom, I wanna be an apprentice now!" She cried. Duskflower gave the she cat a brisk lick on her forehead. "You will be, on the half moon, dear Petalkit."
Hawkpool turned her attention to the noon patrol returning. Creeksplash and Pebbletail both had a blazing look in their eyes, same as Thornsnag and Dovepaw.
Hawkpool padded over to Thornsnag. "What happened?" She asked, casting a glance at Creeksplash, who basically shredded her food to eat. Thornsnag groaned. "We found WindClan scent within our border, not to mention a rotting fish." He growled.
Thornsnag seemed committed to RiverClan now, but RiverClan didn't seem as welcoming as Hawkpool thought they'd be. The two same cats that scowled at Hawkpool's ceremony, a tortoiseshell she cat and a blue-grey mottled tom, were throwing insults at Thornsnag. "Infiltrator! You're snooping, I bet. Pretending to join, for your stuck up ThunderClan!" The tortoiseshell snarled, holding her chin high.
Thornsnag kept his tail high up pridefully, but he flattened his ears. "Tree-climbers! I bet all your fur is turning ginger and your tails are bushy, you fat squirrels!" The mottled tom mocked. Thornsnag's nose twitched, holding back a snarl, and his claws unsheathed in the soft ground. Hawkpool bristled beside him, not afraid to show her sharp teeth.
"Watch it. Don't forget who I am." With that, Hawkpool lead Thornsnag away. "Come on," Hawkpool cast a fierce glance at the two, before stalking off.
Black clouds still hovered in the sky, threatening to rain any moment. Briarpaw returned from training and hunting, two fish clamped tightly in her jaws.
Leaf-bare must be leaving, if Briarpaw got fish, the river must be thawed!
Suddenly, a wail rose from the nursery. Duskflower came speeding out, a frantic look in her eyes. "Petalkit is gone!"
Mothleg hared over to Duskflower. "What?" He growled, eyeing Thornsnag suspiciously.
The former ThunderClan tom shook his head frantically. "No, no, it wasn't me!" Thornsnag protested, but Beechtail heard it all. "You're the only one we don't trust. Honeysnow will watch you in her den." The deputy meowed gruffly. Eyes ablaze, Thornsnag dipped his head. "Very well. But, know what it was not me." Beechtail led Thornsnag in the medicine den, and left him there.
"I want Badgerfoot, Juniperfur, and Weaselclaw to look for Petalkit. You know how we found that fox a few sun rises ago." Beechtail ordered.
The three cats dipped their heads and raced off. "Hawkpool!" Came a whisper. The new warrior turned around, seeing Thornsnag peeking his head out of the medicine den. Hawkpool warily trotted over to him. "What?" She snapped, looking around to see if anyone was looking. "Honeysnow isn't in here, and Alderleaf is sleeping. Help me look for Petalkit!" Thornsnag begged. Hawkpool felt her mind twist.
"What, no! I can't, you heard Beechtail!" Hawkpool glanced around. "Fine. Let's go." She finally meowed.
Hawkpool led Thornsnag through the dirt place, and towards the river, where it seemed bigger than normal. As they neared it, Hawkpool noticed, it was bigger than normal. Thaw came! Hawkpool turned tail and began to run. Thaw is hard to swim through, even I couldn't out-swim it! Hawkpool stopped when Thornsnag was running to the river and not away from it. "I heard a squeak! Petalkit is in there!" And that was the last Hawkpool saw of him before a sloshing wave swallowed him.
"No!" Hawkpool screeched, but he was gone. Mustering all the courage she could, Hawkpool leaped in the overflowed river. Thornsnag was no where to be seen. Hawkpool forced the waves behind her as she paddled forward, and she caught sight of Thornsnag, Petalkit in his jaws clamped firmly. His head broke above water, his sides heaving for air through his mouthful of scruff.
Hawkpool was tugged out of the thaw by Thornsnag's strong hold and pulled her ashore. "Help me get her to camp. She's heavier than you'd think!" Thornsnag gave Hawkpool the escaped kit.
...
"Please, help her." Thornsnag begged Alderleaf. The elderly tom had just woken up. Alderleaf let out a pained groan as he stood up. "Massage her chest with a paw, and gently!" Alderleaf rasped. Hawkpool did as so while Thornsnag waited to see if they needed herbs. Petalkit choked and cough up water, spitting it out. "Yuck! Tastes salty!" She glared at her tongue like it was its fault. "That's what you get for falling in the river!" Hawkpool snapped at Petalkit.
"Rest, you'll go back to the nursery tomorrow." Alderleaf ordered, his teeth gritted.
Thornsnag picked Petalkit up by the scruff and carried her outside. Beechtail narrowed his eyes at the drenched and shivering former ThunderClan cat.
"I found her!" He called, cats turning their attention to Thornsnag. "She nearly drowned, but thanks a little help of Hawkpool, I managed to save Petalkit!" Mothleg stumbled over to Thornsnag.
"Thank you! You have no idea what it's like to lose your kit!" Mothleg explained, and Thornsnag's gaze darkened.
"You don't even know..." Thornsnag muttered, no one heard him. "You have no idea what it was like..."
A/N
Whoa! Looks like Thornsnag is hiding his past deep down, ain't he? Remember to check out Backstories to see what's going on with Hollowstar, and remember, when it's done, a new one will go up, at the request of the first reviewer to this chapter! Just review who's past you wanna know about! See ya later, my little kittens!