Jaywing (me): MEOW.

Hollyleaf: REALLY? I DIDN'T KNOW.

Jaywing: XD Welcome to my random Hollyleaf fic of DOOM! :D

Hollyleaf: Not random! Reality!

J: Oh, so you actually DID hook up with *covers mouth* mmphmmm?

H: …wut?

J: I have to resist… giving away the… juicy secret of DOOM…

H: …Whatever. Tapix does not own Warriors.

The Reason…

Chapter 1

"You… you can't hurt me through them!" Squirrelflight exclaims frantically. "They… they're not my kits!"

"What?" Ashfur cries, as the three of us yell, "No!"

"I-it's true. T-they aren't… mine."

I cannot process what is happening. Ashfur, a fine and loyal cat, attempting murder of three helpless cats, barely even warriors, just because of his old grudge with Squirrelflight? And… Squirrelflight isn't our mother? It doesn't make any sense to me. My whiskers quiver with fear as my brothers and I stand stock still, the fire roaring around us. We are going to be burned to death if we don't get out of here soon.

"Really…" I can see Ashfur thinking hard. His ace in the hole gone, he can't decide what to do. Then, a malicious gleam comes to his eyes. "Well, isn't that sweet," he meows. "The mother is lying to protect her kits."

Squirrelflight looks shocked and scared. She had obviously hoped that Ashfur would give it up if she told him the truth. No such luck. "But—"

The fire is right at my back, and the look in Squirrelflight's eyes is horrible: a mixture of fear, pain, and most of all, undying truthfulness. Suddenly I'm angry: angry at Suqirrelflight for her constant lying, at Ashfur for putting her and us in this position, angry at everyone else (including my own brothers) for doing nothing to stop it. (Sure, they didn't know we were back here, but that's no excuse.) Before any of us even realize I have moved, I leap across the log of safety and bowl into Ashfur. We tumble over and over in the ash and dust, kicking up clouds of soot. I fight him using the element of surprise, clawing and biting and dodging using all the strength I have. Finally, I stand over him, face to face, blood dripping down my side. "Never," I snarl, "endanger my family."

Shock is the most apparent thing on his face as it starts to rain. He can't believe I beat him. I step away from Ashfur, disgusted. I clean the blood off my paws as the rain falls down, washing away the sin and the lies, along with the terrible fire. I turn around to confront my former mother, but she has disappeared, along with my brothers. I curse. "Cowards," I say loudly, then shriek, "YOU'RE ALL COWARDS!"

As I stand there in the rain, my jet-black fur sticking to my body, I hear something behind me and spin around, claws out. A gray cat has been slinking up behind me… Ashfur! I had forgotten about him…

"What do you want?" I snap at him. I want nothing more than to tear something apart at this moment.

"What… was that… back th-th-there?" he says, teeth chattering from the cold rain. His gaze does not hold fury, nor joy, but something in between… Grudging admiration, I realize.

"I'm not sure," I reply curtly. "I think I got angry."

"Wow." The older cat's gaze holds mine for so long that I start to fidget. But he has such nice eyes… Wait, no, what am I thinking? I realize that while I had been focusing on his eyes, Ashfur moved closer. I curse under my breath and claw at the dirt in irritation at my lack of judgment in the situation. Why didn't I just run away? Now I am with this psychotic male cat that could do anything to me.

Surprisingly, he doesn't jump on me, or even move. He just keeps staring. Now it is getting a bit annoying. "What?" I ask of him, my ear twitching as it is repeatedly buffeted with water by a leaf overhead. I daren't move, however; it might ruin the moment.

If cats could blush, Ashfur would, right at this very moment. "Nothing," he says sheepishly. "It's just… your personality reminds me so much of Squirrelflight."

I glare at him coldly. "Didn't you hear?" I growl. "She's not my mother."

His smile wavers. "But surely, she was just lying to get you out of trouble?"

I sigh. "You should really figure out how to read emotions better, Ashfur." I see him shiver as my voice says his name for the first time. "She was not lying."

He sits down in the wet leaves, his shoulders sagging. "So she… and Brambleclaw, they…"

"I'm afraid not," I say curtly.

His face lights up again. "So that means that I—"

"No, I don't think she'll leave him, even now," I say, a twinge of sympathy driving me to his side. "Now, the real question must be… If Squirrelflight isn't my mother, then who IS?"

Ashfur shrugs. "You don't remind me of anyone I know," he replies, then, after a slight hesitation, "except Squirrelflight." When I give him my signature death stare, he adds, "But that's surely because personalities are learned, not genetically coded. You've probably been around her too much."

I sigh. "Yes, that must be it." I turn away from him and, without looking back, meow, "We'd better get going. They'll be missing us." I bound away, leaving Ashfur in the dust, both of us wondering what exactly just went on.