Ashwings legacy

Chapter 7

Owlnose sat silently near the camp entrance, alone with his thoughts. He was sitting vigil, as was tradition for new warriors. This meant that he had to stand guard all night without saying a word. He had almost fallen asleep multiple times now, but everytime he did, he would almost fall over, jerking awake to catch himself.
   He let his gaze linger over every den, lazily checking for anything out of the ordinary, when he spotted his mentor Mousewhisker emerge from the warriors den and walk towards him. He greeted the gray and white tom with a nod and he nodded back. "How's it going? Having trouble staying awake I bet..." He said.
   Owlnose only stared at him, as he wasn't allowed to speak as per the rules of his vigil. "Right... anyway I couldn't sleep so I decided to come and check on you." 
   Owlnose was thankful for his mentors concern for him, that's one of the things he like the most about him, his kindness. He smiled thankfully at the older tom, and he smiled back. "I remember my vigil, I fell asleep and was told to do it again the next night." He said with a small chuckle. "Seriously though, I'm proud of you Owlnose."
   Owlnose looked at him in surprise at his sudden change in tone, but listened intently as he continued. "I was really nervous about having an apprentice for the first time, so thanks for being patient with me, and putting up with my mistakes. I think that, in a way, we taught eachother valuable things."
   Owlnose stared at him, dumbfounded by his sudden heartfelt words. Mousewhisker licked his chest fur a few times, probably out of self consciousness. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know that. by the way, tomorrow I'll be greeting Ashwing, so I'd love for you to join me, if you have the energy of course." He stopped as if waiting for a reply, then laughed as he realized he wasn't getting one. "Oh right, I keep forgetting... well, if you do want to join me just meet me here at sunhigh."
   Owlnose gave him a nod in agreement and waved his tail goodbye as Mousewhisker turned and padded back to the warriors den. He thought about Mousewhiskers offer. He'd heard about Ashwing, the supposed warrior from Starclan, and how he was traveling to each clan and spending some time there to choose worthy candidates to join him on his quest. Thunderclan was his last stop, but Owlnose had no intention of trying to earn his favor. He didn't want to leave his clan, even if temporarily. But it would be awesome to go on a special mission... He thought to himself.
   He let out a sigh as he contemplated his thoughts, allowing each one to flow freely, never stopping to focus on one. He hoped morning would come faster that way. It didn't.
    By the time morning came, Owlnose felt like he was ready to sleep for an entire moon. After his mentor dismissed him from his vigil, he dragged himself to his nest and slumped down into it. He closed his eyes and almost immediately fell into the most relaxing rest of his life.

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   Owlnose slowly opened his eyes as he awoke, getting up and shaking out his fur. He felt surprisingly refreshed having only slept until just past sunhigh. He emerged from the warriors den and saw a bunch of cats gathered around something. He decided to join the group and padded over to them, taking a seat beside his former mentor. Mousewhisker greeted him with a friendly smile and motioned toward a Gray and silver tom speaking in the center of the group. That must be him... Ashwing...
   Owlnose recognized the description of the mysterious cat, supposedly from Starclan. He was telling some story and when he finished, everyone laughed, except Owlnose. Suddenly he heard Mousewhisker speaking. "Oh, Ashwing, this is- was, my apprentice, Owlnose. He received his warrior name just yesterday."
   Owlnose felt a little embarrassed to be singled out to the newcomer but Ashwing looked at him with a surprised expression. "Really? I would have never guessed" He stated with a soft chuckle. "You seem very mature."
   Owlnose was caught off guard by the compliment. It's true he'd always been more thoughtful about things than the other apprentices but he wouldn't have considered himself mature. "Trust me, he really is! He's made me very proud to be his mentor."
   Mousewhisker seemed to beam with pride, and Owlnose couldn't help but smile at him. He turned as he heard Squirrelflights voice beside him. "It's true, a young cat with the competence of a senior warrior is a rare occurrence."
   The clan deputy smiled proudly at him and gave a small nod of approval. He turned once more to find Ashwing giving him a strange look, still friendly but it was as if he was considering something. It was quickly replaced by a beaming grin. "Well then, it's nice to meet you Owlnose." He dipped his head in respect and Owlnose did the same.
   "It's good to meet you too." He said.
Conversations started up again and soon Ashwing was captivating everyone once again with another story of his life in Starclan. Owlnose wasn't so much focused on the story as he was to one telling it. This cat sure is charismatic... He thought. Can we really trust him?
   Owlnose didn't know what to think about the mysterious gray and silver tom, and that scared him. He felt a pang of unease as he heard Ashwings words flow from his mouth. He'd heard stories of cats from outside the clans manipulating their way into power, like Sol, the cat who once convinced a clan leader that Starclan didn't exist. While Owlnose didn't think Ashwing was a bad cat, he also didn't fully trust him like everyone else seemed too. He glanced to his left and saw Squirrelflights flat expression. She didn't seem as enthralled in the story as everyone else. Was she skeptical as well? I'll try and talk with her later. He decided, hoping he wasn't the only one with mixed feelings about Ashwing.
Suddenly he felt Squirrelflights tail brush against him. As she turned to walk away, she flicked her tail, gesturing for him to follow. He glanced back at Ashwing and saw him still telling the story to the rest of the cats in the group. Nobody seemed to notice him leave, proving how focused everyone was on Ashwing.
He followed Squirrelflight to the opposite side of the camp and she sat down, neatly curling her tail around her forepaws. "I assume you already know why I pulled you aside?" She said, her face unreadable.
"It's about Ashwing right?"
"Yes." She started, glancing past him back to the group gathered around the gray and silver tom. "Normally, I have no issue with newcomers or outsiders unless they cause problems, but him..." she pauses, now glaring incredulously at Ashwing. "He's too charming... he's only been here a few hours and already has half the clan wanting to be his best friend." She said.
Owlnose nodded in agreement, relieved that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. "I was thinking the same thing! I couldn't help but feel like everyone was trusting him a little too quickly."
Her expression softens and she smiles subtly. "What I said earlier wasn't an exaggeration, you really are very competent for your age. The fact the you noticed the same thing I did proves that."
Owlnose straitened up, bursting with pride at the deputies words. Her face is suddenly serious again as she continues. "I want you to keep an eye on him, follow him if he goes anywhere, and report anything suspicious to me."
Owlnoses eyes widen in suprise but he quickly nods with a determined expression. "Yes squirrelflight, I'll do my best."
"Thank you, Owlnose. I'll put you on guard duty tomorrow night so you can see if he goes anywhere."
She turned and walked off without another word, leaving Owlnose by himself. He decided to rejoin the group listening to Ashwings stories, and again, nobody seems to notice. He felt unease rise in his stomach once again as he stared at Ashwing. There's something off about you... but I just can't figure out what...