"Brambleclaw," the cat spat coolly, although his blue eyes were lit with horrid terror. The tom's pale, flecked gray fur was rising steadily, hoping the tabby wouldn't disgrace him in front of the other warriors.
Thornclaw and Sorreltail, who had been on their way to the fresh-kill pile, turned back to look at the large, dark tabby, and the small, speckled gray tom.
"Ashfur?" Mewed Thornclaw, his green eyes lit with amusement as he glanced at his brother's mate, who's own amber optics gleamed with wonder. Uncomfortably, Ashfur nodded, his tail tip flicking.
There was another pair of eyes – one of them gleaming blue, the other pair hueless and un-seeing.
Rainwhisker, a dark gray tom, and a friend of Ashfur's, and Longtail, a pale, blind tabby with a nick in his ear, sat down next to Thornclaw, their eyes glittering with simple amusement.
Ashfur's whiskers twitched as he glared openly at Brambleclaw, the tabby with a pelt dark as night and eyes bright as flame glared down at him, hostility glittering in his flicker-flame eyes.
"Brambleclaw," he swallowed, his ears twitching slightly. "Look, is there really any need for this? We're drawing... erm... unnecessary attention..."
The massive tom's tail tip gestured toward's the camp exit. "Then we'll take it out of camp," he hissed, menace filling his voice. "I hate you, Ashfur, for taking Squirrelflight away from me, after how close we were on the journey. She'd never loved anyone but me, and I'll make sure she never loves anyone but me!"
Ashfur felt his fur prickle with unease – Brambleclaw was a loyal ThunderClan warrior, even though he shared a dark bloodline with the massively shadow-hearted cat named Tigerstar. Ashfur's own father had been the heroic Runningwind, and he wondered, if not for the first time, if his father's murderer would kill Ashfur as well.
A flash of bright fur caught Ashfur's nervous eye, and he winced rawly as a beautiful ginger she-cat appeared from the tunnel, twinkling jade eyes glowing with shock as she glanced around – two toms, one of them muscular dark tabby, one of them gray-flecked and blue-eyed, were hissing at each other.
"Ashfur?" She meowed, her eyes gently glowing as she padded forward. Ashfur felt his fur prickle, and a rough purr tore from his clutched throat as she pressed her dark cinnamon pelt against his own flecked coat, and his blue eyes met her green gaze.
"I – I'm alright, Squirrelflight..."
The fiery femme's soft, electric-filled green eyes tore from Ashfur and glared into furious slits, slicing through Brambleclaw's thin dark fur, and through to his heart, which chilled him.
Squirrelflight... you can't love him... you love me... he thought silently, his ears drooping when she stalked forward, tail bristly and orange as a fox's. Her striking jade eyes were like pools of melting emerald. Her pelt was that of the setting sun, fiery and filled with flame.
"Brambleclaw," she spat, venom hurling into his face and melting his high hopes that she'd realized that he was stronger, smarter, braver – and could easily care for her – and not Ashfur.
"Squirrelflight..." The pale gray tom's sky-blue eyes, dark as the hearts of ShadowClan warriors, were troubled. He padded forward, and did the unspeakable – he pressed his flecked muzzle into that ginger fur!
Brambleclaw's rage consumed him, fury tingled his paws, and anger swept over him like a wave of the sun-drown-place water, and he choked on his own strong hatred for this cat.
Squirrelflight's mint gaze petrified him, rooted him to the spot, and her bright ginger fur glimmered like the flames of StarClan's hell. Seething rage, Brambleclaw's hiss sounded to the ears of all of the gathered cats.
Twining her ginger tail with Ashfur's flecked gray one, she whirled on Brambleclaw, and the small pair walked side by side, away. Quickly, the gathered cats scattered, and the dark tabby hung his head in shame. He could never have Squirrelflight.
Well, that's the first, short chapter. I'm sorry it's so short - but at least I got it up. Next chapter should be up tomorrow or later tonight, or something. Please review:3