In this chapter Lionpaw starts to realize how others are starting to think about how much like Brambleclaw he is.
Chapter 3: I'm Not Brambleclaw!
"Dream again?" Ashfur asked as a tired Lionpaw padded out of the den. Lionpaw nodded tiredly. He had barely gotten any sleep after the dream for two reasons. One, Berrypaw nearly clawed his ears off, two, his mind was on the dream and he just couldn't sleep.
"Just like your father" Ashfur purred. Lionpaw tried not to glare. What if he didn't want to be like his father?
"So what was that 'Big reason' you wanted to go to the Gathering?" Ashfur asked. Lionpaw shrugged, memories of the Gathering flooding back into his mind. Being rejected by Heatherpaw…
Lionpaw couldn't believe she just… ignored him like that. He was hurt and angry at the same time. He said he was sorry, was that not enough?
"It was nothing," Lionpaw muttered. Ashfur shrugged.
"Whatever you say Lionpaw" Ashfur mewed. Lionpaw nodded.
"Hey, Ashfur, can you and Lionpaw come on a hunting patrol with me?" Cloudtail called from across the clearing.
"Sure" Ashfur replied "Come on Lionpaw, a good hunt should get your mind off things"
For some reason Lionpaw didn't believe what Ashfur said. His mind seemed so full it could burst. But he couldn't argue, so he shrugged and followed Ashfur and Cloudtail.
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"Nice catch Cloudtail" Ashfur mewed as Cloudtail emerged from the bushes with a plump vole. Cloudtail nodded his thanks before burying the vole.
"How's your paw?" Lionpaw asked Ashfur. Earlier on in the patrol Ashfur had ran through a thorn bush chasing a rabbit, in the process he got a pretty nasty thorn in his paw. They got it out, but Lionpaw thought they should go to the medicine cat's den to have Leafpool look at it.
"Just fine, thanks" Ashfur replied cheerfully. Cloudtail purred.
Lionpaw silenced the two warriors with a flick of his tail. He flicked his ear toward a mouse a few tail-lengths away. Lionpaw crouched low and stalked forward, his paws barely touching the ground. His tail was low, but it wasn't dragging on the ground. Lionpaw crept closer. About a mouse-length away he pounced, killing the mouse before it could utter a sound.
"Great catch!" Ashfur purred. Cloudtail grunted in agreement.
"When Brambleclaw was an apprentice, Firestar his mentor, he hunted just like you. So focused and…"
Lionpaw ignored Cloudtail as he continued to ramble on about how he and Brambleclaw were alike. It was starting to get on his nerves. He was Lionpaw, not Brambleclaw.
"Let's just continue hunting please," Lionpaw muttered as he buried his prey. He stopped when a scent flooded into his nostrils. Lionpaw almost immediately recognized the scent.
"ShadowClan" He hissed. Not even a moment after he said that a patrol stepped out of the bushes. Lionpaw recognized Owlpaw, Russetfur and Rowanclaw.
"ShadowClan!" Ashfur hissed, "What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?"
Russetfur snarled. Lionpaw felt his pelt bristle as Owlpaw glared at him. Owlpaw had a grudge against kittypets, and Lionpaw had a little kittypet blood. He was an enemy to Owlpaw.
"Hunting" Rowanclaw replied casually, as if it were fine to be caught on enemy territory.
"Hunting on ThunderClan territory" Lionpaw spat. Immediately he wished he hadn't. Owlpaw let out a feral snarl and lunged for Lionpaw. Lionpaw dodged, but Owlpaw's claws managed to scrape across his side. Lionpaw let out a screech of fury.
"Stop, Owlpaw!" Russetfur hissed.
"But he-" Rowanclaw shot the apprentice a warning glance.
"Fine" Owlpaw muttered walking back toward the ShadowClan cats. Lionpaw could feel blood dripping down his side.
"Get off ThunderClan territory" Cloudtail growled taking a step toward Russetfur "Or we'll be forced to drive you out"
Russetfur laughed hollowly, her eyes gleaming with malice.
"Drive us out?" She growled, "You're outnumbered" Lionpaw didn't like the sound of that. Just as he'd suspected four more ShadowClan cats stepped out of the bushes.
Ashfur stood by Lionpaw and hissed softly in his ear "Run! Go get reinforcements!"
Lionpaw nodded. Just as Russetfur yowled "Attack!" he sped away. Lionpaw looked back once to see Ashfur and Cloudtail disappear under a pile of cats.
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"Help!" Lionpaw yowled as he entered camp "ShadowClan! Attacking!"
Cats came pouring out of dens, some mewing in confusion. Hollypaw ran over to Lionpaw, Jaypaw not far behind.
"You're hurt," Hollypaw murmured seeing the scratches down his side.
"They're just scratches, I'll be fine" Lionpaw growled, "We need to help Ashfur and Cloudtail. There are at least seven ShadowClan cats."
"Where?" Firestar mewed walking over to them.
"By the border" Lionpaw replied, "We have to hurry"
"Brambleclaw" Firestar called to his deputy, "Pick four cats to come with you, the rest of us will guard the camp in case of a surprise attack"
Brambleclaw called Thornclaw and Birchfall over to him. He then turned to Hollypaw and Lionpaw.
"Would you two like to come?" He asked. Lionpaw and Hollypaw nodded eagerly.
"Come on then" Brambleclaw mewed. Thornclaw and Birchfall nodded. The patrol ran out of camp, Lionpaw leading the way.
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Arriving at the scene Lionpaw couldn't spot Cloudtail or Ashfur anywhere. Worry clenched his stomach. They had to be somewhere.
"Attack!" Brambleclaw ordered. Lionpaw lunged into the fray of ShadowClan cats, immediately coming face-to-face with Owlpaw.
"Kittypet" Owlpaw sneered lunging for him. Lionpaw dodged out of the way and raked his claws across Owlpaw's side. Owlpaw screeched in fury and whirled around, swiping at Lionpaw's face. Lionpaw cried out in pain and jumped back, shaking the blood off his face. When Lionpaw looked up Owlpaw had barreled into him, pinning him down.
"You're gonna end up just like your little friends" Owlpaw hissed sinking his claws into Lionpaw's shoulders. Lionpaw hissed and clawed blindly, never hitting Owlpaw.
"Where are they?" Lionpaw hissed, "Where are Ashfur and Cloudtail"
Owlpaw hissed and sank his teeth into Lionpaw's throat. Lionpaw struggled for breath, clawing madly until his claws made contact with Owlpaw's face. Owlpaw screeched and jumped off him, racing back across the border.
Lionpaw gasped for breath and stood up, scanning the crowd of cats for Cloudtail or Ashfur.
"Lionpaw!" Lionpaw turned around and saw Cloudtail racing toward him. His white pelt was caked with blood, and his eyes were dull.
"Where's Ashfur?" Lionpaw asked, worry in his voice. He and his mentor had gotten really close, and he prayed nothing happened to him.
Cloudtail bowed his head, and Lionpaw felt his heart stop.
"Russetfur and a few other warriors got at him. He… died from a death-blow to the throat," Cloudtail murmured. Lionpaw felt his breath catch in his throat, and his heart seemed to stop. Ashfur couldn't… he couldn't be dead.
"Y-You're lying, right?" Lionpaw mewed, his voice choked with emotion. Cloudtail shook his head sorrowfully.
"ShadowClan! Retreat!" Russetfur yowled as Brambleclaw charged after her. Brambleclaw stopped when she crossed the border, and the rest of the warriors followed.
"ThunderClan, we have won this fight," Brambleclaw panted. Lionpaw could see many cuts and gashes across Brambleclaw's pelt. Hollypaw ran over to Lionpaw, panting. Her black pelt seemed to have blood-red stripes.
"Are you ok?" He asked licking her pelt. Hollypaw nodded.
"I'm fine" She mewed "Wow, Snowbird really put up a good fight"
"You fought a warrior?" Lionpaw asked, feeling bad for fighting a puny apprentice like Owlpaw.
"Where's Ashfur?" Brambleclaw asked Cloudtail. Lionpaw felt the sorrow clench him again. It couldn't be true… Hollypaw sensed her brother's sudden sorrow and pressed close to him.
Cloudtail explained everything to Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw nodded his head, sadness clear in his eyes.
"This border fight went too far" Brambleclaw growled "Come on, we should go back to camp. Birchfall and Thornclaw will bring Ashfur's body behind us"
Lionpaw looked back and saw Birchfall and Thornclaw picking up a mangled gray body. You couldn't even tell it was gray; it looked like they had grabbed a blood-red cat. Lionpaw groaned and Hollypaw turned him away. The two supported each other back to camp.
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"Ashfur!"
"What happened?"
"Did you win?"
"Who killed him?"
Those questions flooded through the camp as the patrol entered. Brambleclaw and Cloudtail silenced them, struggling to answer all their questions. Leafpool and Jaypaw had already rushed out of the den, tending to the injured warriors and apprentices.
"You've got some nasty cuts there" Leafpool mewed to Lionpaw "Jaypaw, fetch some marigold and cobwebs"
Jaypaw looked as if he were going to make a smart remark, but instead shrugged and ran into the den. He emerged a moment later with the marigold and cobwebs.
The marigold stung Lionpaw's cuts, and he winced every time it touched the wound. Soon his wounds were covered in sticky cobwebs.
"You should be ok. You can continue trai- um, hunting and practicing. Just take it easy" Leafpool murmured moving on to Cloudtail. Lionpaw saw a group of cats crowding Brambleclaw and Ashfur.
"All cats join beneath Highledge immediately" Firestar didn't even need to call the cats over. Everyone was already crowded around Highledge, each cat bursting with questions. Firestar silenced them with a flick of his tail.
"We have lost a brave warrior today. Ashfur was murdered by Russetfur and a few other warriors. ShadowClan will be confronted for this. We will hold a vigil for Ashfur at moonhigh. Right now, however, Lionpaw needs a new mentor" Firestar paused for a moment, surveying the crowd.
"I shall mentor Lionpaw myself"
Lionpaw felt shock pierce through him. Firestar would mentor him?
Just like Brambleclaw…--------
How was it? I had to kill off Ashfur for the plot. I actually liked Ashfur in the Power of Three. The New Prophecy no, I did not like him. Well, please review!