Upset? I'm not upset. You have no idea how much pain i'm in. It's like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones. I can't understand how any of you failed to see the blood...
Ashfur woke in the thick untamed grass beneath a tree, his throat throbbing. Gazing around, he became aware of his surroundings. There was no breeze flowing across the land before him to wash away the stench of rotting crow-food. The trees rose from the shadowy grass to the dark starless sky. He thought occasionally he could see eyes from the shadows that filled the forest, of the flashing of a pelt from tree to tree. Sinking his claws unsteadily into the earth, he rose shakily to his paws. This is definitely not Starclan hunting grounds he thought miserably, realization flickering across his gentle blue eyes. The fur at his throat was matted with hard thickened blood, but the throbbing pain racing up to his brain was slowly beginning to fade. Licking his muzzle, he began to uncomfortably clean the blood from his neck. A dark stream ran close by but the water ran thick and warm, making him wary of just how much healing... or hurting it would do.
"The pain will fade eventually," a familiar voice said from the shadows. "Took mine a couple days, but yours was a clean cut." All Ashfur could see was a eerily familiar pair of blue eyes, staring at him from the darkness. A seductive purr rose from the location of the eyes, and they began to slide gracefully from the darkness into Ashfur's sight. The muscular tabby sitting before him laughed, a ragged scar distorting its white chest. Ashfur couldn't stop staring.
"You'll have one to match soon enough," Hawkfrost purred, amused. "We all do. Of course, yours will look nicer than mine."
"You don't say?" Ashfur growled, warily sliding backwards as Hawkfrost approached.
"Come now, I'm not going to hurt you." Hawkfrost let out a mrrow of laughter at Ashfur's attempt to evade him. "Besides, I know you were watching that night." _
Bluestar snarled angrily to the cats around her, her Starclan clanmates had gathered to watch their earthly clanmates mourn the loss of Ashfur.
"That cat does not deserve to be in the Dark Forest!" She cried.
"He almost killed Leafpool's kits!" Patchpelt snapped, "He almost let them die!"
"He's a good cat at heart," Whitestorm meowed wisely.
"He tried to get Firestar killed. He worked with the dark cats, he worked against the light." Spottedleaf's meow was small and quiet, like she was torn.
"Why does he deserve to be here?" Runningwind asked.
"He almost pushed my kin off a cliff!" Redtail snarled again.
"Why not?" Yellowfang replied, gazing at the cats around her. She didn't know that moons from now, she would be repeating these words to Jayfeather. "Maybe his only fault was he loved too much." _
Stay there! I can't believe you didn't know how much you hurt me. You are the blind one, not Jayfeather. Who do you think sent Firestar the message to go down to the lake where the fox trap was? I wanted him to die, to take your father away so you'd know the real meaning of pain...
Ashfur cringed, his words swirling around in his mind. Hot tears stung at his eyes, which he closed to prevent them from escaping. He was curled up in a small den of makeshift bramble. He could feel Hawkfrost's pelt pressed close to his. The cat had helped him to his den, where Ashfur could get sleep.
"Now now, there's no need for that." Tigerstar said from the entrance of the den. "You served us well, this is nothing you should be ashamed of."
Ashfur sighed and nervously squirmed closer to Hawkfrost. Tigerstar had found them on their way back to the den. He had volunteered to keep watch, but Ashfur didn't feel comfortable around the powerful tom. The only thing that kept him from running off was the familiar presence of Hawkfrost. Ashfur knew that Hawkfrost was Tigerstar's son, but it didn't make the amber-eyed tabby any less terrifying. Though he never really liked Hawkfrost, the white-chested tabby was the only familiar face in this strange new place. He took a gulp of the cat's scent, comforting yet unsettling, and drifted into sleep.
The sound of fighting awoke Ashfur from his troubled sleep. Hawkfrost was blocking the entrance of the den, and Tigerstar's voice rang from further out. Ashfur couldn't scent anything over the musty rotting scent of the air, but he could hear the snarls.
"Why are Starclan warriors here in the Place of No Stars? You know you are not welcome here." Ashfur heard Tigerstar snarl. He bounded to his paws and tried to wiggle his way past Hawkfrost. The larger cat pushed him back into the den, snarling for him to stay inside, that they could take care of this.
"You know full well why we're here. We're here for that cat!"Ashfur's ears perked as they picked up on voices they had not heard from in ages. Wanting to see what was going on, he desperately began to fight against Hawkfrost's bulk, pushing and shoving with all his might.
"Let me out you mouse-brained cat!" He cried in frustration, giving one last heave. Hawkfrost gave a yowl of shock as he was knocked aside. They grey warrior darted from the den, free at last to see what was actually going on. Tigerstar was on his back in the dirt, his pale scar running from the top of his throat to the base of his tail. Ashfur cringed, remembering how he had received that scar. Nine lives lost at once. Tigerstar was pinned down by a cat slightly smaller than him. Lionheart snarled, his nose less than an inch away from Tigerstar's.
"Ah, there you are, Ashfur." Bluestar said, stepping lightly towards him.
"Well well well, if it isn't Bluefur, the extra special deputy." A third dark forest cat slid from the bushes. His ears were flat against his head, hackles raised and eyes locked on Bluestar. "I heard some commotion and thought i'd come check it out. It must be my lucky day." Whitestorm snarled, hackles up and claws unsheathed, bounding in front of Bluestar, blocking her from Thistleclaw.
"I won't let you touch her."
"Oh, are you going to side with your goodie-two shoes aunt over your own father? And i thought you'd never sink that low." Thistleclaw's tone was mocking as he looked over his son with a bored expression.
"We're here for my son," Brindleface said, nodding towards Ashfur. "We don't want any trouble."
"You're in the heart of the Place of No Stars, Brindleface," Tigerstar snarled from below Lionheart, "you're asking for trouble." In a massive thrust the tabby threw off the golden warrior and flipped onto his paws. Brindleface snarled and faced him, her face distorted with cold fury. Tigerstar cackled with amusement and he stared down the enraged she-cat, his amber eyes glittering with a sick joy.
"Come now," He purred sadistically, "you remember what happened LAST time we did this. Maybe this time I should make you vanish for good." The tom lunged at Brindleface, claws outstretched. The nimble she-cat dodged beneath his outstretched paws as Tigerstar crashed into Ashfur. The grey tom had thrown himself into action the moment Tigerstar lunged. Making himself go limp, Ashfur dug his claws into his opponent's belly fur and allowed the much larger tom's weight and the momentum to flip them. Tigerstar landed on his back with Ashfur on his chest, the other tom's claws buried deep into his neck.
"I won't let you touch her again," Ashfur quietly growled, his voice like steel. A flash of claws, and the scar on Tigerstar's muzzle was ripped open once again. The tabby threw of the smaller warrior and fled into the bushes, leaving a trail of blood from his neck and muzzle.
Whitestorm gazed at Ashfur curiously. "You grew up into a strong warrior didn't you?"
"We had best be going," Bluestar said curtly, stepping out from behind the white tom. "Come along Ashfur."
"What?" Ashfur meowed in surprise. "Where are we going?"
"Home." Brindleface purred.
Ashfur smiled, his eyes alight. Purring, he took a step towards the group of Starclan cats. A shadow cut in front of him, the large blue-eyed tabby gazing at him in fury.
"Come now Ashfur," Hawkfrost hissed, "We wouldn't want to do anything... rash... would we?" Ashfur was taken aback at Hawkfrost's sudden appearance. "Why do you deserve to belong in Starclan? How do you know this isn't a trick? That they're not going to ambush you as soon as we're out of sight and make you fade completely? You helped to kill your own leader!"
"That is history, Hawkfrost!" Lionheart said.
"Yea," Thistleclaw growled, "he was a greedy an unloyal cat, why does he belong with you?"
"It's no more than what we can say for you," Whitestorm snarled in his father's face, "but at least we WANT him!"
"You insolent pest!" Thistleclaw screeched, lunging at Whitestorm. "I'll teach you to respect your father!" The two toms clashed in a screeching knot of fur and claws, blood splattering the clearing when Whitestorm raked his claws down Thistleclaw's back.
"No!" Bluestar snapped, cutting off the two. "There will be no fighting now"
Ashfur snarled and pushed Hawkfrost aside, advancing toward his clanmates as Whitestorm chased his father off and bounded to meet them.
"I trust my family," he meowed, "and i'll go where they lead."