I have an idea, for once! It might be crappy, though.

LAST HOPE

The night I was born, our medicine cat, Splashpool, received a prophecy about my brothers and I: Left from the fire will be three to save the shadows from overcoming the tree. My mother named my brothers Sootkit and Ashkit, and she named me Cinderkit. We went to the elders' den often and listened to Blossompetal and Briarclaw's stories about their father's best friend, Firestar. He told us how we were descendants from the great leader, and we were honored.

Soon we became apprentices, and ShadowClan began causing trouble. They stole prey and left the bones on our territory. It was as if they wanted us to know that they were stealing food. Our mentors trained us hard, for they knew there would be a huge battle soon.

Then leaf-bare came. Ashpaw caught greencough. Sootpaw and I visited him as much as we could before he died. Splashpool and Kestrelstar grieved deeply, although I'm not sure why.

A moon after Ashpaw's death, Kestrelstar decided it was time to battle ShadowClan and defeat them once and for all. "We will raid their camp in parties," he meowed. "Birdflight, Petalbreeze, Thornshadow, Applepaw, and Sootpaw will be in the first party. Sageleaf, Quailfeather…"

I zoned out as she listed the cats' names in the second party. Maybe I wasn't going to fight after all! I began to feel lighthearted and hopeful until I heard her say, "The third party will consist of Spottedtail, Mapleleaf, Thrushflight, and Cinderpaw." Despair crushed me. I didn't want to fight! I didn't want Sootpaw to fight! I couldn't loose another brother!

So we headed out into the forest until we reached the ShadowClan border. Kestrelwing turned to her deputy, Petalbreeze. "Remember, just go into the camp yowling. They're more likely to see us if we slowly go in than if we barge in. Go, and StarClan be with you all."

The first party silently slipped off. I waved goodbye to Sootpaw with my tail, and sighed. Maybe a third party wouldn't be needed…

The second party headed off quickly. Mapleleaf turned to me. "Are you okay, Cinderpaw?"

I nodded and realized that I was kneading the ground with my claws and that my fur was sticking straight up. I sat down and began to groom my back. "Yes, I'm just a little anxious."

"Oh, right, this is your first battle," Mapleleaf meowed. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I remember my first battle. It was exhilarating, actually, to use all the battle moves I'd learned against a cat from a different Clan."

I nodded again and wrapped my tail over my paws. A few heartbeats later Kestrelstar sent us off. The air immediately filled with crowfood and pine scent as we crossed over the border and into ShadowClan territory. Dead pine needles felt springy and soft underpaw, and I imagined what the camp would be like. Would it be covered in pine needles? Would it have a protective wall of gorse surrounding it? We soon reached the camp, and I could hear screeches and yowls. StarClan help me! I thought.

Spottedtail gave out a yowl and we charged into the camp. Cats were locked in battle, hissing and scratching, spitting and clawing. Fear swept over me as I spotted an apprentice dashing toward me, his face in an angry snarl. I easily dodged him as he leapt at me, and I pinned him down. I clawed at his underbelly with my hind claws, and he escaped from under me and raced out of the camp. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as I thought it'd be.

Suddenly, I was knocked over by someone. I gasped and tried to struggle free of the cat's strong grip, but he was too huge. He was a black and white tom with gleaming, furious yellow eyes. "You injured my apprentice!" he hissed. "Now you're going to pay…" He lifted up an enormous paw, bigger than my head, and swung it down. It slashed through my ear and I wailed in pain.

He smacked my head with his paw again, and I felt his claws score down my face. I managed to choke out, "S…sorry…" before my consciousness faded away…

I awoke in the medicine cat's den. Splashpool rushed over to me. "She's awake, Smokeheart!" My mother padded over to me and gave me a gentle lick on my shoulder. I wondered why she didn't lick my forehead, like she usually did, but then I figured out why. My whole face burned like it'd been scorched by fire. "What happened?"

"You were attacked by a senior warrior in the battle with ShadowClan," Smokeheart mewed soothingly.

"Where…where's Sootpaw?" I struggled to keep my vision straight; it blurred Splashpool's tortoiseshell and white fur with my mother's dark gray pelt.

"He…he was…killed. I…I'm so sorry, Cinderpaw." Splashpool's whiskers drooped.

"Sootpaw…died?" I couldn't grasp what this meant. My mind could not put these two words together and have it make sense.

"Yes," Smokeheart replied sadly. "A warrior killed him. Now try to go back to sleep. You need to regain your strength."

I nodded and closed my eyes, feeling exhaustion wash over me as I listened to my mother's soft pawsteps exit the den. Then I heard Splashpool and someone else whispering.

"She's going to die, isn't she?" a deeper voice asked. I recognized the voice of Kestrelstar. Silence.

"She's part of the prophecy, though!" Kestrelstar protested, his tone filled with misery. "StarClan is letting ThunderClan down. Now who will save us? Her brothers were part of the prophecy, but they died. Cinderpaw is our only hope."

I struggled to grasp onto my consciousness, but it slipped away and I fell asleep…and never woke up.

I was ThunderClan's last hope.

Not that bad, actually.

xx-Starfall-xx