Warriors: Ashfur's Insanity

Chapter 18

Stoneheart gasped in horror as he saw Dovepaw's broken and battered body. Her eyes were bulging and blood trickled down from her face. He bent down and bit back a yowl of grief. 

"D-dovepaw?" He mewed. "Dovepaw are you ok?" He saw that her neck was twisted in some strange way. He shoved Dovepaw with his paws and rolled her over, only for more blood to trickle down her mouth. 

"Dovepaw!" Stoneheart shouted at her. But no answer escaped from Dovepaw's mouth. 

Stoneheart then picked her up by the scruff, and carried her lifeless body back to camp.

Stoneheart entered camp, and every cat rushed towards him.

"Dovepaw!" Ivypaw shouted. "Come on!" She cried as she crouched beside her dead sister. "Please wake up Dovepaw! Come on, use your paws," Ivypaw mewed. She nuzzled her muzzle underneath her sister's chin. "Dovepaw please!"

"Stop, Ivypaw," Whitewing meowed firmly, though there was a tone of sadness and grief in her voice.  "There's nothing you can do, Dovepaw's dead."

Ivypaw tilted back her head and wailed in distress. 

"I told you some cat would lose their life!" Thornclaw growled.

"Thornclaw, calm you fur down," Ashstar meowed.  He stepped forward and padded towards Dovepaw's dead body and stared at her.

"Any cats who want to sit vigil tonight, come and gather around Dovepaw," Ashstar meowed.

Stoneheart stayed at Dovepaw's side. Ivypaw, Graystripe, Birchfall, Ferncloud, and Whitewing also joined him.

"Is that all the cats?" Ashstar meowed. "Because those are the cats who will gather around for Dovepaw at day. And then every other cat will sit vigil for Dovepaw at night," He turned and padded towards his den.

Stoneheart closed his eyes. I'm sorry Dovepaw, if only I had stopped you from going, you would never of died.  Stoneheart looked at the setting sun. Now Russetstar wants to tear my throat out! And when I found Russetstar, she looked battered just like Dovepaw. 

Stoneheart got up and padded towards Ashstar's den. "Ashstar," He meowed.

"Yes?" His father prompted. 

"When I found Russetstar, she had been hit by a monster and was covered in blood," He began. "She acted crazy and said that we were rivals. She said that she wanted to fight me. She said that seeing my blood on her claws would make her feel happy," Stoneheart meowed. Before his father could reply, he continued. "But before we were about to leap at each other, Tawnypelt stopped us. As they were leaving, Russetstar told me that once she found me again, she'd tear out my throat and bleach my blood on the  ShadowClan borders. She said that you and your Clan would be afraid then."

"She wants to kill you?" Ashstar hissed. "If she lays a claw on you, I'll rip her apart until she sees the stars!" 

Stoneheart flicked his ears. "She's acting strange!" He meowed.

"I know how to deal with crazy cats," Ashstar meowed.

Before Stoneheart could reply, cats in the camp were hissing, and a strong ShadowClan scent wreathed around him.

Stoneheart turned around and sprang from Ashstar's den. He scrabbled down the tumble of rocks and stared at the ShadowClan leader. 

Russetstar sat, her fur bristling. "Ashstar, Stoneheart, Jaywing, why don't you come here now and face me?" She hissed.

"Alright we will," Stoneheart heard Ashstar hiss.

The cats parted and made a path to Russetstar.