Warriors New Rivals
Chapter 14
"What's this Swiftleap?" Chestfall heard Redfeather question his brother as he padded into camp with a black she-cat at his side.
"Ashclaw!" A voice yelped across the clearing to the she-cat.
"Shredflame!" The she-cat replied splitting from Swiftleap's side and touching noses with Shredflame.
"Shredflame, you know this cat?" Redfeather asked the tom.
"Yes I do, we met a while ago and we have been seeing each other ever since!" Shredflame retaliated.
"Is Pipkit here?" Ashclaw ventured.
"How did you know about him?" Brindlestar had come out of the nursery to see what was going on; Ashclaw looked over at Shredflame who was staring at his paws in embarrassment.
"I'm his mother's sister," Ashclaw admitted.
"Ashclaw!" Pipkit had squeezed himself out of the nursery and sprinted towards Ashclaw.
"Pipkit!" Brindlestar growled stopping the kit immediately.
"But I haven't seen her in moons…" Pipkit whined.
"Get back in the nursery and wait for me to come get you," she soothed.
Brindlestar's gaze stopped on Ashclaw and she slowly padded toward her, her jaws spread apart and eyes wide as she looked Ashclaw up and down.
"So, you believe you are worthy of joining Roarclan do you?" Brindlestar challenged Ashclaw.
"Yes, yes I do and I can prove it," she replied confidently.
"Chestfall, come here" Brindlestar signalled Chestfall forward with a slight motion of her head.
"Perfect…" Ashclaw purred turning her around to face Swiftleap, who looked rather worried.
Does he really think I am that bad at fighting? Chestfall reassured himself.
"Ashclaw, you are going to prove yourself worthy of Roarclan by fighting one of our more senior warriors," Brindlestar prompted.
"That's fine by me," Ashclaw padded forward and nodded at Brindlestar showing her she was ready.
Chestfall instantly leaped at Ashclaw trying to take her by surprise but Ashclaw was more prepared than he thought, she leaped to the side and hooked one of her forepaws underneath Chestfall's legs causing him to trip a muzzle-first in dirt.
"Come one Chestfall, I expected better from a senior warrior," she joked.
Chestfall used her sappy comment as a distraction and leaped on her back pushing her to the ground, winding her. Ashclaw lay still for a bit before sliding out from underneath Chestfall and turning around to face him. Chestfall charged at Ashclaw, full speed but Ashclaw jumped up and ran down Chestfall's back landing gracefully on the ground behind him, Chestfall rapidly stopped and turned around to charge at her again, this time he actually made it close enough to her to pounce and hold her down.
"No! Please get off me, please!" Ashclaw was screaming like a frantic kit.
"Ok, ok sorry," Chestfall lifted his paws off her back and she instantly sprinted to Shredflame who looked just as surprised as Chestfall.
"Ashclaw?" Brindlestar carefully approached the she-cat.
"I'm sorry, just something happened when I was younger and…" Ashclaw's meow drifted away and her eyes filled with deep fear.
"You can stay here tonight and I will decide what happens in the morning, for now you may come and see Pipkit with me," Brindlestar started to walk toward the nursery and Ashclaw followed her slowly hesitant to be following the leader of Roarclan but she became a little more confident when most cats gave a curt nod to reassure her.
"Hey Chestfall!" Splashheart called to Chestfall from the entrance to the medicine den.
"I'm fine," Chestfall replied. Splashheart didn't reply at all just simply signalled Chestfall over.
"What's wrong?" He meowed when he arrived at her side.
"Remember when I fell in the stream near the border between Streamclan and Roarclan and I told you about that cat I saw in the medicine den beside Lilysnow?" Splashheart looked genuinely worried so Chestfall tried to remember.
"Oh yeah, you said it was black with one white paw and green eyes right?" Chestfall remembered Splashheart fretting over a cat that only she had seen.
"Well, then you would know that the cat that is in the nursery right now is that cat," she replied.
"How do you know?" Chestfall wasn't convinced.
"I just do!" Splashheart growled leaving the medicine den.
Is Ashclaw the cat she saw?