Disclaimer: I do not own WARRIORS or any of the characters used in this writing content.
This one-shot also contains spoilers for Long Shadows, Sunrise, The Fourth Apprentice, and more books in the fourth series of WARRIORS.
Moment In Time
Hollyleaf watched from the fresh-kill pile as Ashfur stalked out of camp to go solo hunting.
Anger and hate coursed through her veins whenever she saw the tom that was going to ruin her life in just hours.
Slowly Hollyleaf smiled at her claws as they glistened in the bright light of midday. Doubt churned through Hollyleaf as she pondered over the evil plan she had just devised.
If I kill Ashfur . . . I would be breaking one of the ultimate rules of the code. But if I let Ashfur enter that clearing this evening, everything will be ruined. Firestar will banish us from the Clan! Sure, Lionblaze could survive on his own but what about Jayfeather or me? Hollyleaf stood up and bounded towards the entrance of ThunderClan camp.
I have to do this; for Jayfeather, for Lionblaze, for Brambleclaw, even Squirrelflight, and most of all for ThunderClan.
Hollyleaf exited camp and tasted the air and immediately the sour smell of smoke and burnt wood hit her like a firewall. Focus, Hollyleaf reminded herself.
Again she tasted the air and picked up Ashfur's scent heading towards the middle of the forest.
Taking off in to the woods Hollyleaf followed the trail, carefully disguising her scent after rolling in a patch of wild garlic.
Hollyleaf flicked her ears as she came face-to-face with Ashfur.
"Are you going to try and discourage me as well?" he snarled.
Hollyleaf glared at him, "No Ashfur. I'm telling you, you will not tell."
The gray tom hissed, "Who's to stop me? You?"
With that Ashfur lumbered away into the forest, heading for the WindClan border.
Hollyleaf dug her claws into the ground and stared in anger at the ground. Just then something changed. Something snapped. Something broke.
"I swear Ashfur, I will kill you; even if I have to die in the process," Hollyleaf snarled.
Slyly the black she-cat melted into the sunhigh shadows and took off into the woods, racing through the undergrowth.
Finally she spotted her prey, searching for prey cluelessly by the WindClan stream.
What a fool, Hollyleaf thought.
Quietly she stalked forward and bunched her muscles; never taking her eyes off of her target.
Silence filled the clearing as Hollyleaf sailed through the air and pounced on Ashfur.
The tom didn't even have time to scream before Hollyleaf tore out his throat with her teeth. With her claws she sliced his raced and fur. Ashfur fought back but it was pointless.
In seconds Hollyleaf was victorious and Ashfur was lying dead and bleeding at her paws.
Stealthily Hollyleaf rolled Ashfur's body down into the stream and let it float downstream until it disappeared from her sight.
Hollyleaf let out a huge sigh of relief that Ashfur was gone and the secret was secure.
After washing the blood from her mouth and paws Hollyleaf went hunting.
It wasn't hard before she found a squirrel that was crunching on a nut by the root of a large oak.
Hollyleaf stalked her prey the same way she killed Ashfur.
The dumb prey was clueless when Hollyleaf pounced and quickly snapped its neck. Just seconds later sickness filled the ThunderClan she-cat's stomach was she recalled tearing into Ashfur's neck just has she had the mouse moments before.
Later that evening . . .
"Where's Ashfur?" Firestar asked to the Gathering patrol. "He asked specifically to me here, it's strange that he wouldn't show up on time."
Hollyleaf smiled grimly at the ground, He'll never show up anywhere again, Firestar. Maybe you'll understand one day. Not even Ashfur can rise up from the bottom depths of the lake.
"I suppose we'll have to leave without him. Come on then," Firestar flicked his tail and bounded out of camp towards the WindClan border.
Hollyleaf followed at the back of the patrol, her blood was still boiling from earlier that day. She hadn't told anyone. Not even Lionblaze or Jayfeather. This was something she could only trust herself on.
As they dashed through the forest Hollyleaf looked over and noticed Jayfeather watching her with a strange expression on his face.
"So what do you think happened to Ashfur?" Lionblaze whispered into Hollyleaf's ear, making her jump.
"I really don't know. Why would he miss this opportunity?" She replied coolly.
Suddenly the patrol slammed to a halt and Hollyleaf accidentally bumped into Whitewing who seemed too fixated to even turn around.
Confused Hollyleaf padded forward and looked down at the stream that separated WindClan from ThunderClan.
In the stream floated her worst nightmare. Impossible, she thought.
There in the stream was Ashfur's body, bobbing faintly in the stream water.
"Get him out," Firestar ordered.
Dustpelt didn't hesitate to slide down into the stream and slowly start pulling his fallen Clanmate out.
Hollyleaf's throat constricted: they had found Ashfur.
And from this moment forward, Hollyleaf's life changed.
Hoped you liked it. In the book I felt that Hollyleaf's position in the death of Ashfur wasn't explained enough so I just . . . wrote my version of it. Yes I like the Erin's much, much better but I just got the motivation to write this.
Maybe there'll be more one-shots soon, who do you want to see next? Any suggestions?
StarClan light your paths.
~Leafstorm xxx