More Screechpaw! Base by Louixie.

Hopepaw pretended to sleep, as Adderstar and the deputy, Lynxfury, talked in hushed, urgent voices. She knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but she needed any drama she could get. After being confined to her nest and the camp for three days, boredom seemed like it would kill her, rather than the wounds to her shoulder. They were almost healed, and she could leave for the first time later in the day. But for now, listening in on conversations would have to do.

"If we have one more incident with EmberClan, we'll have a full-on war on our paws. We can't have any more cats stealing or arguing across the borders!" 

"I know, but how do we stop it? I've talked to the Clan. They said they'd disengage with the borders, but every day, or every few days, there's a new report."

"We've got to catch the cats doing the stealing. That, or stop patrolling the border, but that might be worse."

"Right. We'll figure it out." Adderstar finished halfheartedly, touching his nose to his deputy's. "I love you, Lynxfury. We'll prevent this war, alright? You don't need to worry." Lynxfury pressed against him affectionately. "I know we will. Love you too, Adderstar." Hopepaw lay silently in her nest. I didn't know they were that close. They never even said they were mates. 

The two cats padded away, and Hopepaw waited a moment to stand up, so as not to raise suspicions. When she deemed it safe, she padded out of the shallow cave in the wall that held the Apprentice's den and headed for the fresh-kill hole. The hunting patrols were evidently still out, and nothing but feathers, and part of a shrivelled-up starling. She wrinkled her nose at it and turned away. Who leaves half of a bird in the hole? Either eat it or don't. 

Just when she was about to accept her fate of terrible boredom, Tumblesoar slipped into the cave. His ears pricked when he saw her, and he padded over to his apprentice. "Do you think you're ready to go outside? How do you feel?"

"Good! I'm ready to go out. Please, I'm sick of being down here."

"Alright, but nothing too strenuous. We didn't want those claw marks opening up again." Hopepaw groaned inwardly at his words. That probably means we'll be hunting... Well, it's better than being down in this cursed pit. As she looked closer at her mentor, waiting for him to move, she saw that his eyes were slightly red-tinged, and his nose was running. "You okay...?"

"Yeah, I just might be coming down with a cold. It's fine." He meowed dismissively. "Let's go."

                                                                             ~❆~

The sun shone warm on Hopepaw's long fur as she padded down into the forest. As she grew and got older, her fur had gone from kit-fluffy to more long, and silky. It still held some of its cloud-like qualities but wasn't entirely the same. Tumblesoar walked in front of her, not saying anything for once. A muted sniffle could be heard occasionally, but that was all. 

She knew they were heading in the direction of a cove of beech trees, probably to hunt squirrels. But as they drew nearer to the desired hunting grounds, she smelled the acrid, smoky scent of EmberClan. She stiffened, and a low growl rumbled from her mentor's throat. Hackles raised, and she stalked quickly up beside Tumblesaoar. "Trespassers," He rasped angrily. "Look." She squinted and saw a flash of ginger, almost pink-tinged-and-black fur, and the glint of a pair of fiery eyes. They widened as they met Hopepaw's, and the strange cat froze. "Hey! This is BleakClan land!" She yowled, stepping forward a bit. "Scram, EmberClan scum-" 

But before she could say or do anything rash, Tumblesoar placed a paw on her shoulder. "Stop, let me handle it. This cat has been scented multiple times across the border, and she's only a young apprentice. Likely a scout or bait." Tumblesoar explained hurriedly, heading toward the cat. But before he could get close, she darted into the trees in the direction of the border, only stopping to yank something out of a low-growing shrub. A magpie. Stolen off of BleakClan's territory. Its wings dragged as she fled, and Tumblesoar began to sprint after the intruder. "Prey stealer! Get back here!" 

Although most cats in BleakClan weren't made for speed, Tumblesoar was. He gained on the cat, quickly approaching the border. Hopepaw ran at his tail, chest heaving at the sudden exertion. But just as the tall tabby tom was close to catching her, she crossed the last few leaps between the two borders and disappeared into the shrubby, half-burnt-out land that was EmberClan's territory. "Hawk-dung," He cursed. "Another piece of prey stolen, and another thief we haven't been able to catch or confront." Hopepaw nodded, out of breath. 

Tumblesoar let out a sneeze, tail twitching. "Okay. No use crossing the border. Try to catch something, and we'll go back to camp." 

                                                                             ~❆~

With a jackdaw swinging from her jaws, Hopepaw re-entered the camp. It was still just after sunhigh, so most of the Clan was out hunting, patrolling or spending time outside. She dropped the bird in the fresh-kill hole and turned to Tumblesoar. He obviously wasn't feeling well, his nose running freely. "I'm going to go to Frostedmoss," He sniffed. "See if you can help Screechpaw with gathering herbs." Hopepaw's eyes lit up. 

She, of course, had been spending quite a bit of time with him, since the attack at the Gathering. He hadn't had terrible wounds, and his injury had been mostly psychological. He, for obvious reasons, was shaken up by what had happened, and swore he would never interact with EmberClan again. And certainly not the apprentice who'd hurt him. 

She headed for the Medicine den and peered into the dimly lit cave. The luminous lichen had grown longer than ever in the warmth of the Snowgone season, and she could clearly see her little brother's shape outlined against the stone. She called out to him and he turned, eyes bright. The bruises around his neck, slender as that of a baby bird, weren't visible under his soft, tabby fur, and he looked healthy. "Hi, Hopepaw!" He chirruped, padding over to her. "What can I help you with?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Tumblesoar told me to help you gather herbs! Are you okay with going out?" She asked, quirking a fluffy brow. "Okay! Yeah, I'd be glad to go out. The sweet pine will be going out of season soon. It only grows well in Snowmelt and early Snowgone."  His pelt was sprinkled with herb scraps, and Hopepaw gently flicked a small leaf off of his ear. "You've got a lil' something there." She purred. "Whoops. Thanks, Hopepaw, I've been sorting herbs all morning! Hold on, I've just got to tell Frostedmoss where we're going. He gets worried if I don't let him know." 

He bounded off to his mentor, and Hopepaw waited, shifting her paws in impatience. She was finding it hard to sit still. As she looked around absentmindedly, she saw Emeraldpaw leaving the camp with her mentor, Wailingwind. Emeraldpaw caught her glance and curled a lip threateningly.  Hopepaw's hackles went up, and she exposed her fangs in a silent snarl. As soon as Screechpaw reappeared with Frostedmoss' approval, she wiped the grimace off of her face and chatted beside him as they emerged into the bright, hot sunlight. 

                                                                            ~❆~

"Whew, it's warmer than it usually is up here!" Hopepaw commented, and Screechpaw nodded in agreement. Usually, it was chillier up in the mountains, but warmth settled around the two siblings as they searched for herbs. It is Snowgone, after all. 

Silence filled the air, not exactly an awkward silence, but more comfortable. But Hopepaw still felt like she had to fill the gap with conversation.  "How do you feel... Mentally after all that mess at the gathering?" 

"Oh... Well, it was really awful. I thought the cats of The Land of Shining Stars were there beside me, ready to take me away. But you saved me! I don't think I ever thanked you properly, Hopepaw, but you really did. I'm sure I would have died if you hadn't stepped in."

"I'm sure someone would have jumped in to be the hero if I hadn't made a move first."

"Maybe, but that's not what happened. You got hurt to keep me from getting killed." He eyed the scabbed-over scratches on her shoulder with sympathy. "Thank you. You're the best sister any cat could ask for." Warmth spread through Hopepaw's chest at his words. "You're welcome. You'll always be safe with me." 

"You promise?"

"Of course. I promise." She purred, stopping as Screechpaw's golden gaze fixed on a small tree. "There's some sweet pine! Come on!" He leaped happily over some rocks, making a beeline for the herb. She looked past the little tabby tom, and further up the mountain. Snowcapped like the rest, it was a typical, somewhat smaller mountain. She dimly recalled from an elders' story, that it was once apparently an avalanche site, but it had been so many moons ago that she wasn't at all worried. 

She crouched on a flat rock, soaking up some sun as Screechpaw pulled and tugged at the needles, roots and branches of the small pine tree. It was a small breed of Evergreen tree, and its needles and roots were good for smoke inhalation and calming kits when chewed and eaten. She let her mind wander, and her eyes half-close, calm and happy.

"Hey, Hopepaw? Can you help me tug this root out?" Hopepaw opened her eyes and nodded. "Sure, one minute!" She stood up and padded over to him. "This one?" She queried, pointing her ginger-tipped paw at a root half-protruding from the dark soil. "Yep." Hopepaw bent down and sank her teeth into it, giving it a sharp tug. Suddenly, she felt a tremble below her paws. A rumble that grew into a roar. Screechpaw's shrill wail split the air, and her head snapped up as fast as a branch, suddenly free of snow. She saw a wall of dirty snow and stone barrelling toward the two apprentices, deadly, titanous, inescapable.  "AVALANCHE!"

Hopepaw turned, frantically staring at Screechpaw. "We have to run-" 

"There's no time!" His voice broke, turning into a sob of fear as he turned to face his sister. "Get under that rock." His paws met her wounded shoulder, pushing her under the same flat rock she had been resting on a minute ago, the adrenaline keeping her from feeling the pain of the shove. Tears of hysteria ran down her face in rivulets, and she reached out to pull him with her. "SCREECHPAW!" He was still out in the open, just out of reach. Screechpaw turned, eyes shining with tears and love he would never be able to express out loud. Their golden light was all she could see through the blur of panic that filled her head, her heart, her eyes, her very soul. She saw his silhouetted form run, making a break for the sanctuary of another rock. 

He didn't make it to the rock before the avalanche reached him. 

A ghastly scream shattered the air, and a wave of blackness washed everything away.

Fun Fact: If Screechpaw hadn't become a Medicine cat apprentice, he would have been given a warrior named Flurryflank as his mentor.

Whew, tension. I'll try not to leave you guys on a cliffhanger for too long! What do you think will happen to these two?