The Cats of Sunclan Speak:A New Hope

A New Hope

Note:This story takes place after the war with Darkclan

==Dark Skies==

Told in Pureheart's point of view

The sky was filled with thick, black clouds. Though leaf-bare was nearly over, frost still clung to the ground. My heart was beating out of control. I ran into Leader's Oak. Whitestar was lying on the ground, gasping for air. Frostbreeze, Whitestar's mate, was sitting nearby with a horrified expression on her face. Stonespot, the medicine cat, was also sitting nearby. She looked tired, weak, and defeated. "I'm sorry." she murmured."There's nothing more I can do for him.” “Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!” Frostbreeze wailed. Stonespot turned towards me and said “Pureheart, get Rainpool now!” I ran out of the leader’s oak and into the warrior’s den. I spotted Rainpool right away. “Rainpool, come to Whitestar’s den now!” I said urgently. We both ran into Whitestar’s den, the Leader’s Oak. Whitestar was still gasping on the floor. When he noticed Rainpool, he summoned all his strength, and with his dying breaths said “Rainpool, do you promise to use all your wisdom and strength to lead this clan, from now until you die?” “I do.” Rainpool replied solemnly. “I now name you Rainstar, leader of Sunclan!” Whitestar’s pure white eyes were blazing with determination and hope. Then the light in his eyes faded, his gasps ceased, and his eyes closed. My vision blurred, until I could see nothing but darkness.

Rain
Told in Flowerfur's point of view

“Flowerfur, wake up!” I felt a paw gently nudge me awake. I opened my eyes to see Jawbreak. “Rainpool, er, I mean Rainstar is calling a clan meeting.” Suddenly memories flooded into my mind. How half the clan had gotten greencough. How most of the cats had gotten better pretty quickly. How Whitestar’s greencough only got worse and worse. And the darkest memory of all: how I had come back from a hunting patrol yesterday to find Whitestar lying lifeless in his den, and that Pureheart had fainted from shock. I slowly got up and walked outside. It was a bit foggy, I couldn’t see beyond the edge of the camp. I noticed Heartsky slowly walking out of the queens den. She had grown extremely big, even for a queen, and was expecting kits any day now. My heart ached as I remembered that when Whitestar first noticed how big Heartsky had gotten, his eyes got really wide and he said, “Well, there must be a lot of new warriors for Sunclan on the way! I hope the queens den doesn’t get too crowded.” As I looked at Rainstar, my heart skipped a beat. “No!” I screamed to myself, “I love Blackstar! Not Rainstar! He wasn’t perfect but I still loved him!” But I could drown out my intense love for Rainstar. I had loved him ever since I had joined Sunclan. I was so proud that he was leader. I watched him jump onto the gold stump, then yowl “all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather near the gold stump!” Everyone gathered, including Spotkit, Goldkit, and Patchkit, who could not catch their own prey yet. As soon as everyone gathered, Rainstar began, “I have decided on who my deputy will be.” He announced. “My deputy will be Snowfire.” Snowfire looked shocked but extremely pleased at the same time. Her mate, Jawbreak, purred and nodded encouragingly to her. Everyone cheered “Snowfire, Snowfire!” I could tell they were pleased. Snowfire was brave but smart, and very loyal, a good choice for a deputy. The rest of the day passed quickly, and I curled up in my nest to get some sleep.

I opened my eyes to find myself near a small pool of water. “What am I doing here?” I thought, confused. After a moment I saw my old mate, Blackstar, who had died, come out of the bushes. “Blackst..star” I stammered, “how…..” Blackstar smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you are dreaming, and yes, I did die. I have been allowed to talk to you one last time.” I stared at him. “Are you here because you are angry at me for…..for loving Rainstar?” Blackstar looked at me, love filling his eyes and said “Don’t worry, I have come to tell you that you are not being disloyal to me by falling in love with him. You need someone to comfort you, and Rainstar is the right cat for that. I want to apologize for how cruel I was in life. I didn’t care much about anyone but myself. But I love you, Flowerfur….” He began to fade. “No, don’t leave me, Blackstar!” But he continued fading.

I jerked awake. Rain was falling and my pelt was soaked. I looked around me. I was near the exact pool of water I had been near in my dream! I tried to stand up, but I was so dazed that I fell into the water. “Help!” I screamed. The water was much deeper than it had appeared. I was going to drown! I could hear someone yelling, “Flowerfur, where are you?” Rainstar exploded from the bushes, and gasped when he saw me. He quickly jumped in, grabbed me, and swam out of the pool. “What happened? When I noticed you weren’t in camp, I was terrified you had gotten hurt!” The passion in his voice surprised me. “I…I had a strange dream about this pool, and when I woke up I was here.” His eyes got wide. Then I summoned up all my courage and said “Rainstar…I…I love you! I’ve loved you ever since I joined Sunclan!” He looked at me and said, “I love you, too, but I was too scared to tell you, scared that you didn’t feel the same. But you do. I am so glad….” I knew everything would be alright. I would always miss Blackstar and love him, but I would also love Rainstar too. We started to walk towards camp together.

Thunderstorm
Told in Limesplash's point of view

I walked into camp with a juicy squirrel in my jaws. I had just finished hunting. I really wanted to eat the squirrel right then and there, but I knew it would be impolite to eat it without checking if anyone else was hungry. As I looked around camp, I noticed that Rainstar was missing. I put down my squirrel and asked, “Where’s Rainstar?” Snowfire had a worried look on her face. “He noticed that Flowerfur was missing and went to look for her. I hope they are okay.” She replied. I could understand her fear. It would really hurt our clan if another leader died. I noticed Frostbreeze sitting alone near the warrior’s den. My heart ached for her. She loved Whitestar so much. She must be devastated. I had noticed she had hardly eaten for the past two days. I picked up my squirrel, gathered every scrap of courage I had, and approached Frostbreeze. “Frostbreeze….I….I want you to have this squirrel” Frostbreeze froze for a few seconds, then hissed and said, “I know what your trying to do, you sneak! You figure since Whitestar’s dead, I can get a new mate. You just want me to moon over you and admire you!” I stammered “but….” “Be quiet, you traitor! You’re from Darkclan! You can’t be trusted! You’ve got bees in your brain if you think I would ever be your mate! I hate you!” She screamed. I staggered backward. I felt like my heart had been clawed into a million pieces. I walked into the warriors den, dazed. Lemontang, my brother, walked in a few seconds later. “You’re such a stupid furball. Did you really think she would like you? I mean, you’re so boring” he said as he walked away. I felt like the remains of my heart had just been crushed. Well, now I know what my clanmates really think of me. I know what I have to do to make their lives better. I gulped. It would be hard, but I had to do it.

The Aftermath
Told in Snowfire's point of view

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. For a few minutes I just stood staring at Frostbreeze. Then I stormed over to her and said “Why did you say such awful things to Limesplash? He was only trying to be helpful!” “Yeah, right” Frostbreeze hissed. “How can she be so mouse brained?” I thought angrily. I went into the warrior’s den to find Limesplash. He wasn’t there. I looked all over camp. Limesplash was gone! “Oh no!” I thought. Did he think we all hated him? Just then Rainstar and Flowerfur walked into camp side by side. They were purring. Whoa. I had no idea that they liked each other so much. Any other time I would have gone and teased her, but now was not the time for teasing. I quickly walked over and told him what had happened. He looked surprised that Frostbreeze had been so rude. He said, “I know she is upset about Whitestar, but she shouldn’t have exploded at Limesplash. I will send out a patrol to look for him in a second. First I have something to announce.” He jumped onto the gold stump and yowled, “all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather near the gold stump!” Everyone came, and Rainstar began. “I have both good and bad news for you all. I will begin with the good news. I am naming two new warriors today!” Fogpaw and Mistpaw eagerly walked forward for their ceremony.“I, Rainstar, leader of SunClan, call upon the cats of this clan to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of a warrior, and I commend them as warriors in their turn. Fogpaw and Mistpaw, do you promise to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your lives?” Fogpaw and Mistpaw both replied, “I do”, quietly but determinedly. “Then I now give you your warrior names. Fogpaw, from this moment you will be known as Fogfur. We honor your loyalty and courage. Mistpaw, from this moment you will be known as Mistfield. We honor your generosity and kindness.” “Fogfur! Mistfield! Fogfur! Mistfield!” everyone shouted joyously. As the cheering died down, Rainstar said, “There is another ceremony to be performed, also.” He nodded to Stonespot and jumped off the gold stump. Stonespot took his place and said, “It is also time for Icepaw to receive her medicine cat name.” Icepaw looked excited as she walked up to the stump. “I, Stonespot, medicine cat of Sunclan, call upon the cats of this clan to look upon this apprentice. I hope she will be able to serve our clan for many moons. Icepaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between clan and clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?” Icepaw shook as she said, “I...I do!” “Then I now give you your true name as a medicine cat. Icepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Icestorm. We honor your compassion for others.” “Icestorm, Icestorm!” everyone cheered. Stonespot jumped off the stump, and Rainstar jumped back on. “I am afraid it is now time for the bad news. Stonespot told me this morning that she has had greencough this whole time.” I gasped. How could Stonespot have hidden that she had greencough so well that I hadn’t noticed? I was her mother! I felt horrible. As mewls of surprise died down, Rainstar said, “She has hidden this quite well, but has become terribly weak. She will need Icestorm’s assistance more than ever. She no longer has greencough, however, she just needs rest to regain her strength. She will be allowed to take breaks from her duties for now. I have one last thing to tell you all. Limesplash is missing, and I want to send a patrol to find him. Who would like to volunteer?” I felt torn. I wanted to be in the patrol, but I was worried about Stonespot. I looked and Jawbreak nodded to me, to tell me that he would look after our kit. So I volunteered to lead the patrol. Lemontang, Fogfur, and Mistfield also volunteered. So Rainstar said, “Alright, you should look in all of our territory, but don’t go outside the border. I don’t want more cats to be lost. The clan meeting is over.” He leapt off the stump and walked towards his den. As the other cats in my patrol gathered, I noticed that Lemontang looked really worried. He suddenly said, “Oh, it’s mostly my fault that Limesplash is gone! I was mean to him. I am so scared. What if I’ve sent him to his death!??!!” I was surprised. Lemontang was usually such a show off, he didn’t usually care much about other cats. And it was really rare that he admitted doing anything wrong. Before, I didn’t think he even cared about his own brother. But now I could see that there was some love in his heart. I wanted to reassure him, so I said, “Don’t worry, it’s not all your fault. Frostbreeze was pretty mean to him too. I’m sure he is fine.” But my words did not reassure me. I was very scared for Limesplash’s life. We left camp.

Shining Lights
Told in Frostbreeze's Point of view

Murderer!I screamed silently to myself. ''Murderer! ''What had I done? The patrol that had left to find Limsplash had found nothing. He had left our territory. I was in my nest. Everyone was asleep, but I could never sleep. Not while Limesplash was gone. I felt so hollow and empty and……alone. Completely alone. Limesplash was gone, and it was all my fault. I wished Whitestar was with me. He would know what I should do. Then I made up my mind. I was not going to let Limesplash live alone like an exile for the rest of his life. I had to find him. But where is he? Then I got an idea. He used to live with Darkclan, in the tunnels near Rabbitclan(at least that’s what we called them.) Maybe he was in Rabbitclan territory! I got up and quietly left the warriors den. I noticed that the squirrel Limesplash had offered to me was still lying on the ground. I would need strength to look for him. I quickly ate the squirrel, then left the camp. I ran and ran through the forest, until I got to the border. I took a big breath, then I ran across the moors. The sky looked huge, with no trees to cover it. As I ran, noticed the shape of a cat on one of the hills, looking up at the stars. I ran towards him, then slowed my steps as I neared. It was Limesplash!!!! I had found him. “Limesplash!” I whispered loudly. He turned, and when he saw me, a scared expression crossed his face. “I am so sorry! I was such a stupid furball!” There was so much I wanted to say, but all the words in the world could not express how horrible I felt. But when I looked at Limesplash, I realized I didn’t need to say anything. I could tell that he understood what I meant. He said “I forgive you.” I was shocked. How could he be so quick to forgive? I had been so terrible to him. “You have a good heart.” I whispered to him. We sat next to each other, and looked up at the stars. They were such beautiful, white, shining lights. As I sat there, next to Limesplash, I realized that I no longer felt hollow and alone. I felt cared for, and I also felt something else…..love. I knew Limesplash could feel how much I loved him. And I could feel his love for me, in his eyes. And, for the first time in moons, I felt hope lift my heart.

Daylight Arrives
Told in Heartsky's point of view

The soft pink light of dawn poured into the queen’s den. The sweet scent of milk drifted to my nose. I sighed, content for the first time in moons. I looked over at my five new kits, suckling. Pureheart stood nearby, pride lighting his eyes, and a purr in his throat. Stonespot and Icestorm were also watching. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Icestorm whispered. I began to think of names for the kits. “How about Skykit for the dark blue one with white eyes and a white paw? Her fur is like the night sky, and her eyes and paw are like stars.” Pureheart purred. “That’s perfect.” As I looked around at the other kits, I noticed that Pureheart was looking at the she-kit who had my ginger fur, gold eyes, a yellow chest, and a gray ear. He said, “How about lionkit for that one, she looks like what I’ve heard a lion would.” “Oh, that is also a wonderful name!” I replied. Then, as I looked at the she-cat with Pureheart’s black eyes, gray fur, light gray paws, and a blue tail, I thought of the perfect name for her. “How about Riverkit?” Pureheart nodded, agreeing that her fur looked like the stone bottom of a river. Then Pureheart said, “The one with my light brown fur, a yellow belly, a medium brown muzzle, and green eyes looks like a leaf in leaf-fall. What about Leafkit?” I purred in agreement. Then, the only tom cat of the litter, who had golden fur, a sandy colored ear and foot, and a brown tail and brown eyes cuddled into my fur and purred. “How about Warmkit for that one? He seems to like warm places and the colors of his fur just look….Warm.” I suggested. Pureheart nodded, and I relaxed. Frostbreeze and Limesplash had arrived in camp this morning. Stonespot was still weak, but improving. Rainstar was getting better at his duties as leader. And now there were five new kits to help strengthen this clan. Yes, there was hope for this clan.