Traitor
Oneshot
Ashfur x Squirrelflight (onesided)

The newleaf sun was starting to rise in the sky and beat down against against a thick gray pelt, speckled with flecks of lighter gray. The gray tomcat padded with a sense of urgency along the lakeshore. Pausing to scent the air for a border patrol, the gray tom hesitated, and crossed over the scent markers. His ears were pricked and alert for danger as he stared over at the rippling waves of the lake, the clouds reflected in its waters.

Frustration flashed in the gray tom's dark blue eyes as he remembered a time when he had brought a dark ginger she-cat to this very lakeshore. The indigo sky had been twinkling with the stars of Silverpelt, and the beautiful night sky had been reflected in the clear waters of the lake. He flexed his claws angrily as he thought of how Squirrelflight had played with his heart, and ended up going back to Brambleclaw.

Brambleclaw. The thought of the dark brown tabby tom sent pulses of anger through the speckled tom's body, and he lashed his tail again. Brambleclaw had treated Squirrelflight poorly, as an inferior to his half-brother, Hawkfrost, and she had still chosen him over the gray warrior. And, not only had Brambleclaw taken Squirrelflight from him, but he had been named Clan deputy - without having an apprentice! Envy and anger flooded through the gray tom's veins, turning his blood to ice.

Pawsteps sounded from behind the speckled tom, and he tensed, his tail bristling as he spun around. A heartbeat later, he relaxed, and a big dark brown tabby tom emerged from a hawthorn bush, his ice-blue eyes unreadable as he dipped his head politely to the gray cat. The gray cat hesitated, and dipped his head as well, sitting down and wrapping his tail neatly around his paws.

"Why did you want to meet me here, Hawkfrost?" The gray tomcat addressed the huge dark tabby, whose scent smelled slightly of fish. The brown tabby unsheathed his claws - long, unusually sharp claws - and scraped at the dirt with a front claw, as though bored by the conversation already. Hawkfrost's blue eyes met the gray tom's, and he met his gaze evenly.

"We have matters to discuss, Ashfur," Hawkfrost replied calmly, narrowing his blue eyes as he glanced at Ashfur. Ashfur did not seem satisfied by this answer, and took a threatening step towards Hawkfrost, quite a brave move, considering that Ashfur was a much smaller cat than the RiverClan tomcat. Hawkfrost twitched his whiskers in amusement, and continued, "You and I both want the same thing."

Ashfur stared incredulously at Hawkfrost, completely bewildered. Was Hawkfrost declaring his love for Squirrelflight? Briefly, Ashfur imagined the two brothers, Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost, fighting over the dark ginger she-cat, and his tail curled up in amusement. Perhaps if Hawkfrost took Squirrelflight from Brambleclaw, the ThunderClan deputy wouldn't act so high and mighty all the time.

"You...love Squirrelflight?" Ashfur couldn't help but ask, his hackles raising in anticipation. Hawkfrost blinked, surprise filling his ice-blue eyes, and he let out a mrrowr of laughter. Although his tone was amused, his laughter was cold, and it sent shivers down Ashfur's spine.

"No, but you do," Hawkfrost mewed icily, his tone matching his eyes, which glittered with some knowledge that Ashfur couldn't quite understand. Ashfur was about to protest hotly, but he knew that Hawkfrost would know he was lying. The ThunderClan warrior simply nodded, avoiding Hawkfrost's burning blue gaze. He focused his attention instead on a large orange-and-black butterfly fluttering past, though he could still sense the RiverClan tom's eyes trained on him.

"You still haven't told me why you're here," Ashfur pointed out, watching as the butterfly swooped low before fluttering higher into the sky, ascending into the skies. He watched it with calm blue eyes as it became nothing more than a speck amongst the fluffy white clouds, and when it had gone, he turned his gaze back to Hawkfrost, who hadn't taken his eyes off him once.

"Look. You want Squirrelflight away from Brambleclaw, right?" Hawkfrost didn't wait for Ashfur to respond, and continued, "Well, so do I. She's not good for him."

Ashfur's paws tingled at the thought of Brambleclaw looking on, with jealousy, as Squirrelflight twined her tail with his. He pictured her soft green eyes glowing in the same way as they did when she saw the ThunderClan deputy, only this time, she was looking at him. He thought of little gray and ginger kits tumbling around the ThunderClan nursery.

"So what do you propose we do?" Ashfur questioned the tabby RiverClan warrior. He was struck again with how similiar Hawkfrost looked to Brambleclaw - and Tigerstar. All three cats had dark tabby coats with rippling brown stripes, powerful broad shoulders, and long, hooked claws. But while Brambleclaw and Tigerstar had amber eyes, Hawkfrost's were an eerie ice-blue.

"It's simple," Hawkfrost meowed as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and a mewling kit could see it. "I know a way to make Brambleclaw prove his loyalties. I happen to know for a fact that he's visiting Tigerstar in dreams."

"What?" Ashfur could not help but let out a cry of shock. Brambleclaw was visiting his mother's murderer in dreams? That wasn't Clan deputy behavior; that was the behavior of a traitor.

"It's true. Brambleclaw told me," Hawkfrost mewed smugly, his blue eyes glittering as he added, "Tigerstar tried to talk to me, but I told him that I wanted to be loyal to my Clan."

Admiration for Hawkfrost's bravery and loyalty filled the gray ThunderClan warrior, and he felt a pang of sympathy for the RiverClan tom. Not only did the dark brown tabby have to live with being born a rogue, but he was also being persecuted by Tigerstar in places where Clan loyalty could not protect him.

"Tell me what I have to do," Ashfur eagerly mewed, drinking each word the dark brown tabby spoke hungrily. The dark tabby RiverClan warrior wrapped his brown-striped tail around his paws neatly, his eyes burning into Ashfur's as though he were nothing more than smoke.

"Get your apprentice to tell Firestar that he scented Blackstar on our territory," Hawkfrost meowed, his light blue eyes gleaming with satisifaction. The dark tabby added, "I'll give Brambleclaw a way to prove his disloyalty. You go find Squirrelflight at your camp, and bring her to the edge of this border. Do we have a deal?"

Ashfur felt a pang of unease as the RiverClan warrior mentioned Birchpaw; he didn't want to drag his light brown apprentice into this. But as he thought of Squirrelflight's soft orange pelt and her warm green eyes, he knew he had no choice. The speckled gray warrior nodded in agreement, and Hawkfrost's eyes flashed with triumph.

"Go now," Hawkfrost urged him, flicking his dark-striped tail towards the ThunderClan border. Ashfur searched the RiverClan warrior's blue eyes, trying to read the expression in them, but he could not make out Hawkfrost's emotions. Dipping his head politely, Ashfur raced back to the camp, adrenaline rushing through him as he sprinted through the leafy trees, feeling the ice-blue gaze of the RiverClan warrior follow him to his home in the stone hollow.

Slipping silently into the warriors' den, Ashfur again felt ominous claws of dread clutch his heart as he slowly began to groom his muddy pelt, and he felt as if somehow, he was doing something very momentous. But all he wanted was to discredit Brambleclaw, all he wanted was to show that bossy furball that StarClan didn't grovel at his dark paws, all he wanted was Squirrelflight. His blue eyes narrowed with anger as he noticed the dark brown tabby tom padding towards him purposefully, his chin tilted arrogantly.

"Where's Birchpaw?" The ThunderClan deputy asked, a quiver of resentment in his voice. Ashfur felt a sick sense of satisfaction that he at least had one thing that Brambleclaw didn't; an apprentice. But then again, Brambleclaw twisted the warrior code to become deputy, anyways, so it didn't seem to matter to the dark tom that he couldn't mentor this particular cat. Brambleclaw added, with a hint of contempt, "This would be a good time for a training session."

"I can mentor my own apprentice," Ashfur retorted sharply, his dark cerulean eyes narrowing. His anger only increased as he saw Squirrelflight enter the camp, her green eyes brightening as she caught sight of Brambleclaw. "I've arranged to give him an assessment today, actually."

"Yes, that's fine," Brambleclaw briskly mewed, his amber eyes flashing once. Ashfur felt rage pulse through his paws. I wasn't asking you, you bossy furball. He thought angrily, as the deputy continued, "Remind him about the fox traps, just in case."

His throat closed with rage at Brambleclaw's smugness and false sense of superiority, and he found he could not respond to the ThunderClan deputy. He flashed Brambleclaw a look of pure loathing, and turned to stalk off towards the apprentices' den. Ashfur called for Birchpaw, his tail-tip twitching irritably. The light gray tabby emerged from the den, his green eyes bright and focused as he worked his paws impatiently against the ground.

"Birchpaw, I need you to find Firestar," Ashfur meowed, remembering Hawkfrost's instructions. He pushed away the feelings of impending doom yet again, and continued, "I've scented Blackstar on our territory. Bring Firestar close to the lakeshore, and come back for reinforcements. Do not stay with Firestar and fight, no matter what he says, understood?"

Birchpaw was lashing his tail impatiently, his green eyes eager at the prospect of such an important mission. His apprentice nodded quickly, and dashed out of the entrance. Ashfur followed his apprentice slowly, his blue eyes scanning the clearing once more before he left. He saw a dark ginger pelt mingling with Brambleclaw's, and he flashed the two cats a reproachful glare before he left, his heart aching so badly he thought it would burst

Suddenly, Ashfur saw Hawkfrost streaking down a narrow path, his brown tabby fur a blur as he raced towards the ThunderClan leader, his pawsteps quick and silent. Hawkfrost's ice-blue eyes glittered, and, bunching his hind legs, he sprang at Firestar, knocking the ginger tabby off-balance. Dazed, Firestar fell to his side, and let out a cry of pain. Horror clutched Ashfur's heart as he realized what had just transpired; Hawkfrost had pushed the ThunderClan leader into a fox-trap!

Hawkfrost swiped his tongue across his muzzle, as though tasting a particularly good piece of fresh-kill, and narrowed his icy eyes to slits as he stared down at the ThunderClan leader with contempt. The dark RiverClan warrior blinked once in satisfaction, and turned tail to pad off towards another strong ThunderClan scent now filling the air; Brambleclaw's scent. No longer caring about what Brambleclaw did, the pale gray warrior leapt out of the tree, ignoring his leader's anguished cries for help.

I'm so sorry, Firestar. Ashfur apologized to his ginger leader in his mind as he raced back towards the stone hollow. When Tigerstar, Brambleclaw's and Hawkfrost's father, had killed his mother as bait for the dog pack, the dark ginger tabby, who had been deputy at the time, had shown him great kindness. Ashfur had always worried about the strength of Brambleclaw's ambitions. Too late, he realized that perhaps Hawkfrost had tricked him. And now, if Brambleclaw chose to act on his ambitions, Firestar's blood would stain his paws. Both of their paws.

He parted his maw as he ran and caught a tantalizingly sweet scent drifting towards him. Squirrelflight. He caught sight of her, chatting animatedly with her light brown tabby sister, Leafpool as they urgently padded together towards him. Stumbling through the undergrowth, his gray fur stood on end as he burst through the fronds and bracken that led to the camp entrance, panting heavily for breath.

"Leafpool!" Ashfur gasped, his breathing shallow and rapid. "It's Firestar...he's caught in a fox trap!"

"Where?" Squirrelflight's voice was cold and accusing, her bright green eyes narrowing to slits as she gazed at him, the cat she had once loved above all else. Ashfur felt a pang of bittersweet regret for what they could have shared as she continued, "Why didn't you get him out?"

"Because he's...Brambleclaw is there, too," Ashfur lied as he again gasped for air, as if he had just dragged himself out of deep water. Sick satisfaction swept over him like an owl's wing obscuring a star as he saw Squirrelflight's green eyes widen in horror. "And Hawkfrost is with him- a RiverClan cat on our territory. I couldn't take on both of them at once. I had to come for help." Pointing with his gray speckled tail at the lake, he added, "That way. Hurry!"

Leafpool's amber eyes hungrily ate up his words, like a raven devouring a carcass, yet she did not speak, only pressed her light tabby flank to her sister's, who was swaying precariously on her paws. Squirrelflight gazed at Ashfur with all the gentleness that she used to, and for a moment, he felt sure that she did love him, and not Brambleclaw. He stepped foward to touch noses with her lovingly, but she recoiled as if he was an adder, and Ashfur felt sorrow well up deep inside him.

"Go back to camp," Squirrelflight ordered him curtly, while Leafpool shot off with the speed of StarClan towards the lake, leaving only dust where her paws had scraped the earth moments before. "Fetch more cats to help."

Dark jade eyes met pale blue for a long moment, and Ashfur found himself wishing he could freeze time at this moment forever. But Squirrelflight tore her piercing gaze away from him and raced off after her sister, her bushy ginger tail streaming out behind her. Completely ignoring Squirrelflight's orders to go get help, he followed her more slowly, his muscles taut with tension and apprehension as he trailed the cat he loved. He could smell his own fear-scent rising in the air, but as he drew closer to the lake, it was overlayed by the scent of freshly-spilled blood, so much blood that he knew whoever it belonged to was dead.

Peering out from the undergrowth, he saw a dark ginger body lying motionless on the ground, and he felt his heart sink to the tips of his claws. Blood matted the fur around the tom's throat, and Ashfur recognized his leader, Firestar. Dust covered the tom's flame-colored flanks, but Ashfur could barely supress a purr of relief as he noticed the faint rise and fall of his flanks; his leader was alive!

Where is all that blood coming from? Ashfur wondered, creeping silently amongst the bracken. He saw, with a fresh wave of jealousy crashing over him, Squirrelflight sitting beside Brambleclaw, their pelts so close together that it was almost impossible to tell where one began and the other ended. The ThunderClan deputy was staring at his blood-stained paws, his amber eyes wide and hollow with shock and...grief?

Then, Ashfur's breath caught in his throat as he saw a dark brown tabby body lying on the shore of the lake, the tendril of a foxtrap fastened firmly in its throat. The pebbles surrounding the cat were blood-soaked and red, and Ashfur knew that if he went up to the cat, its sightless eyes would be ice-blue. The lake was stained bright crimson as Hawkfrost's blood filled it. Leafpool sat beside the body of the RiverClan warrior, her amber gaze filled with piece as she stared up at the sky, where the StarClan warriors were twinkling above in the pre-morning sky.

Not wanting to intrude on this happy scene, Ashfur slunk away, his heart overflowing with guilt. His plan had failed. Brambleclaw was still deputy, Firestar trusted him more than ever, and now, Squirrelflight would never love him, not if she knew that he had almost killed her father. Guilt washed over him, like the waters lapped at Hawkfrost's blood in the lake, and he felt as if it would drown him. He swore he could hear an angry whispering on the wind, he swore he could hear all of the StarClan warriors chanting, 'traitor', as he turned tail to make his way towards the his home.

I didn't mean to do it. Ashfur protested hotly in his mind, but the chanting only grew louder. He let a long sigh escape from his nostrils, and with a single blink of his clear-blue eyes, the voices were gone.

A/N: I hope this oneshot will change the way some of you think about Ashfur. Haven't you ever done crazy things for someone you loved?