Warriors || Hopestar's Choice: Book 3 (3 of 3)

Chapter 4

Hopeflame and Barley stood at the entrance to Highstones. She expected it to be more spectacular, but it was merely a tunnel in the rock hardly big enough for a full-grown warrior. Staring at it, she didn't understand why it was so revered. But she hoped that the inside might be more impressive.

"Follow me and stay close," Barley warned.

He disappeared into the tunnel, the last thing she saw was his tail tip. Hopeflame took a deep breath before following him inside. Immediately, the darkness swallowed her whole. Her fur stood on end at the sudden chill. She was certain that she could've seen her breath if it weren't for the darkness.

Each paw step felt like walking on ice. Every so often, water would drip from the rock overhead and fall onto her. With her eyesight dulled, every other sense seemed heightened. She even thought she could hear her own heartbeat.

Out of nowhere, Barley spoke up. "I remember coming here with Bluestar and Fireheart when he was just a 'paw." He sighed and Hopeflame pricked her ears with interest. "Now they're both gone, and Ravenpaw, too."

"I'm sorry," Hopeflame murmured softly. "For everything that's happened because of Tigerstar."

"It's not your fault," Barley mewed. "You just simply ended up a piece in his game."

Up ahead, a faint glow illuminated the tunnel. Hopeflame could faintly make out the silhouette of Barley against the light. Her whiskers twitched with eagerness to finally glimpse the Moonstone.

When they stepped from the tunnel and into Mothermouth, Hopeflame was blinded by the light. She hissed and shielded her eyes with her paw. Slowly, her eyes adjusted, but she still struggled to gaze directly at the Moonstone.

It stood tall, almost filling the entire cave. Hopeflame stared up at the top that almost grazed the cave ceiling. Her jaw dropped in awe at its size. Never before had she imagined the Moonstone would be this impressive. She thought that everyone should see it, regardless if they believed in StarClan or not.

"What do I do now?" Hopeflame wondered out loud.

"Press your nose to its surface." Barley replied as he sat down. He curled his tail over his paws then motioned towards the stone. "Then you'll fall asleep and wake up in StarClan."

A chill ran down Hopeflame's spine. This was it: she was finally going to see if StarClan was real. Maybe she would see Graystripe and Stormblaze? Oh, how she missed them!

Hopeflame took one tentative step then another towards the stone until she stood right in front of it. She closed her eyes before pressing her nose to its surface and she gasped. It was cold to the touch and filled her entire body with a chill.

Almost immediately, Hopeflame swayed on her paws with tiredness. She laid down at the base of the Moonstone then curled into a ball. Before she knew it, everything around her faded away...

~*~

When Hopeflame opened her eyes, she found herself in unfamiliar terrain. She expected the forest to mimic the season of their forest, but there wasn't a snowflake or icicle to be seen. Everything seemed to give off an unearthly light, almost like the moon or the sun. The air felt warm like it did on a nice greenleaf day. For a moment, she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth and let it soak into her russet pelt.

"Hopeflame?"

In a heartbeat, she spun around on her heels to face whoever acknowledged her. Standing before her was a blue-grey she-cat with eyes bluer than the purest stream. Her muzzle was nearly white with age, and a scar crossed over her shoulder. In spite of this, she was extremely beautiful. She had a quiet authority about herself that intimidated Hopeflame.