Black roses signefy dispair, rebirth, and vengeance among other things. I thought this peice would fit with Hopepaw's lore and story, considering the title of the book is literally 'Poisonberry's Vengeance'

Without a second thought, Hopepaw turned and ran. She heard jeers and cries rise in her wake, Obsidianpaw leaping up to give chase. She could practically feel the shaggy charcoal-coloured tom's rancid breath on the pads of her paws as she sprinted blindly, following the tip of Tumblesoar's bobbing tail as it weaved through the brush. 

Her lungs burned, her throat ached, and panic sent the world to blur around her, colours and shapes melting into a sickening swirl of motion. "Let her go, Obsidiansmoke!" Came a shout from far behind them. "Pathetic kit doesn't even have a tail! She's not worth it." The sound of heavy paws beating the forest floor quieted until Hopepaw could only hear the roaring of blood in her own ears. 

Tumblesoar skidded to a halt in front of his apprentice, after a moment more of racing. His breath came in gasps, and his fur was wild. Hopepaw could imagine she looked a whole lot worse. 

"Are you okay? Oh, Hopepaw, I shouldn't have taken you so close to the border." His face was wrought with anxiety, which quickly hardened into an expression of pure outrage. "Those EmberClan cats have taken it too far." He spat. "First they jeer at us over the borders, then they steal prey, and then they try to attack an innocent apprentice!" Sighing, he turned away and signalled Hopepaw to follow him. "We must report this to Adderstar." 

Hopepaw, overwhelmed and still trying to catch her breath, followed him numbly. As the adrenaline wore off, she could feel her tail stump aching where the strain of the run had nearly split the weak scar tissue. Her head spun, as she closed her eyes tight. Why did I even go outside?

                                                                             ~❆~

Murmurs echoed around the camp, worried and hushed as Tumblesoar spoke to Adderstar. Adderstar's ice-blue eyes were sharp with worry, and he paced in front of the smaller grayish-blue tom. "So, they stole prey, and chased you and Hopepaw away from the border?" He questioned, tail flicking. "Yes. We didn't even get to confront them before they initiated the attack"

"I see," He muttered. "The next gathering is too far away. I need to confront Flickerstar tomorrow." He paused for a moment, searching the crowd of gathered cats. "Beartooth, Thawedsnow, Lynxfury, and Tumblesoar. Tomorrow, at dawn, we'll travel to EmberClan's camp and... Talk to them." Cats began to disperse again, retreating into dens or back up the tunnel.

 That left Hopepaw curled in her nest. Frostedmoss had already provided her with some herbs for the shock, but she found that sleep wouldn't come. Neither would peace of mind. Before her accident, she would have pleaded and begged and complained and bargained until she could come on an exciting mission into the heart of an enemy Clan's territory. But now, there seemed no point; it all appeared so senseless and dull. She closed her eyes, and let sleep finally claim her. 

Hopepaw dreamed...

Terror shot through Hopepaw as she awoke in the weightless, muffled surroundings of another nightmare. But this didn't seem like another horrible fantasy. This place had somewhat of a peaceful atmosphere; it was as still as the mountains just before dawn, and the scent of something sweet- lilacs, or flower nectar- hung in the air. Nonetheless, she was on edge, her fur raised along her spine and her eyes darting nervously. Suddenly, a cat materialized out of seemingly thin air, his blue-gray pelt speckled with innumerable stars, and his eyes filled with serene tranquillity. Instantly, the young she-cat recognized him. "Father?" The huge tom nodded and touched his nose to hers. 

"Hopepaw, my beautiful daughter. Look at you..." Ashenwater's voice trailed off, blue eyes alight with sorrow. But Hopepaw cared little about simple greetings and pity. "Is Screechpaw here? Can I see him? Is he okay?" 

"Screechpaw is in a different part of The Land of Shining Stars. Only Omenbringers and Dreamwalkers can be here." Hopepaw was puzzled, and disappointed. "Omenbringers? Dreamwalkers? What are they?" Ashenwater smiled faintly. "That's what I am. I'm an Omenbringer. I deliver news, good and bad, or messages to cats while they dream. Usually, these omens only go to leaders, deputies and Medicine cats, but this is a special occasion. I don't really have permission to be here, but here I am." 

"Okay... But why do you have to speak to me?" She asked, almost scared of what he would say. "I'm actually bringing a message from Screechpaw himself. The little Guardian Angel has been looking out for you from up here, and he's worried about you." Hopepaw's heart started to beat faster. 

"I'll try to quote as best I can to what he said. 'Hopepaw, you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened. It was nobody's fault, and I knew what was going  to happen to me when I pushed you out of the way." Hopepaw's eyes welled up with tears. "I love you, and even though I only lived a bit of my life, you made it better than I could have ever hoped for. Get your warrior name for me, okay?" Tears now trickled freely down Hopepaw's soft cream-coloured cheeks, and she wiped them away. Ashenwater's luminous eyes were damp too, and he blinked. 

"You'll be waking up soon, Hopepaw. Take what he said to heart, alright?" She nodded in response, watching as her father faded before her very eyes.

 Soon, she opened her eyes to the familiar stone walls of the Apprentice den. She felt more rested than she had in nearly a moon, and she sat for a moment letting her eyes adjust to the dark. Unknowingly, she'd slept until the middle of the night and doubted she could fall asleep again. The soft snoring and murmuring of sleeping cats broke the silence as Hopepaw slipped from her nest, fur turned snow-white by the glowing lichen, as she made her way up through the tunnel and into the moonlight. It was almost a full moon, and silvery light cast a ghostly, pale shine over the whole valley, turning the mountains to crystal and the lake to liquid star. 

With a heavy heart, Hopepaw lay down on a large, flat stone near the edge of the cliff, a soft Snowgone breeze whispering through her long fur. She allowed her eyes to close, and her head to rest on her paws. The message from Screechpaw had been nice and brought a bit of comfort, but it had also made her heart ache with lonely grief. Alone, with only the stars and sky to keep her company, Hopepaw felt like she was the only cat in the world, left to helm a sea of anguish alone. She curled tighter around herself, a bitter lump swelling in her throat until she could barely breathe. 

As the sky darkened in preparation for the spectacular lightshow of dawn, Hopepaw crept back to her nest. Bluepaw was tucked into his nest, snoring gently, his flanks rising and falling gently. With a pang, she realized how much she and Bluepaw had drifted apart; they barely spoke past a few words, and any attempt at conversation would end with awkward silence or an excuse to leave the discussion. Warriors were beginning to stir for the first patrols, but Hopepaw was determined to stay in her nest. She simply didn't have the energy or reason to rise. 

Fun Fact: Tumblesoar does, in fact, have some MeadowClan blood! This means that Hopepaw too has a very small concentration of MeadowClan in her, but it is extremely diluted. Tumblesoar just happened to get a larger share of their genes, and he was more closely related to the HalfClan warrior, Hopepaw's step-Grandfather.