Warriors: Ashfur's Insanity

Chapter 29

Ashstar woke. He felt cold all over. Snow was piled all over the ground like a think piece of smooth moss. Ashstar lifted his head. Blood stained the snow strangely. Jaywing was beside him. 

"Ashstar," She gasped. She blinked at her father.

The whole camp was destroyed. The warriors' den was torn apart, the brambles of it lying everywhere like a thorny trap.

Hazeltail's body was positioned weirdly. She was curled around Mothpaw. 

Ashstar ran towards them, Jaywing at his side.

Hazeltail was dead. 

"Hazeltail," Jaywing gasped.

Mothpaw moved. She lifted her head. She shot up and ran under Jaywing's legs, shaking wildly. 

The bramble wall of camp was torn. Ashstar turned everywhere to view his surroundings. He saw Graystripe helping Millie get to her paws. Cinderheart and Stoneheart walked around, helping Briarlight. Mossberry and Toadstep went around camp, checking the other dens.

Ashstar looked at Jaywing. "I'm going to go check the apprentices' den," He meowed.

Jaywing shot up. "I'll go," She meowed. She looked at her daughter, Mothpaw. "Mothpaw will come too," She meowed.

A day had passed since the blizzard. The Clan was weak and was having no hope at all of surviving this leaf-bare. 

Ashstar still had hope though. A spark of hope was still staying alight in his mind. Maybe we'll survive, but I don't know how much more of this I  can take. He sat down. I hope it's all over soon.

Paw steps sounded outside of his den. 

Ashstar turned to see Jaywing and Stoneheart. Their eyes were gleaming with expectance.

"What?" Ashstar mumbled. 

"Ashstar, we can't give up hope. We need you to lead us through what ever the condition is," Jaywing meowed. 

"I know I need to be strong," He meowed. "But....," His voice tailed off. He couldn't think of anything to say. "Stoneheart, go and bring Brightheart and Alderheart to me."

Stoneheart raced out of the den. 

Jaywing shifted her paws. "Anything you want me to do?" She asked him. 

"Go to the warriors den and take a hunting patrol out. I know you aren't deputy, but this Clan needs to be fed," Ashstar meowed.

Jaywing hurried away from the den.

All of a sudden, a cold rush of air blew in Ashstar's den. His fur ruffled. His whiskers twitched.

All of a sudden, he blinked, and a faint figure shown in the shadows of the den. 

Ashstar's eyes widened. Who was that? 

Eyes gleamed in the shadows. They were amber colored. 

"Hello?" Ashstar called out.

Nothing moved. Nothing responded. 

The amber eyes disappeared, leaving Ashstar confused. His fur spiked as he felt something sharp touch his spine. He turned, claws unsheathed, but nothing was there. "Stop!" He growled.

Stoneheart, Alderheart, and Brightheart padded into the den. His son looked confused. "Who are you talking to, Ashstar? A ghost?" Stoneheart asked.

Brightheart swished her tail. "Why did you call us here?" She asked.

Alderheart shifted his paws. 

"I need you to go to the Moonpool," Ashstar meowed.

All of a sudden, paw steps thundered outside.

With a flash of golden fur, Mothpaw tumbled into the den.

"Ashstar! Ashstar!" The apprentice screamed. "I slept and I had a dream for StarClan! I'm supposed to be a medicine cat, not a warrior!" She mewled. She stopped talking and sat down, panting.

"What?" Ashstar questioned. 

"I'm destined to become a medicine cat!" Mothpaw mewed. "I had a dream."

"Good. Then you can come to the Moonpool with us, and then we'll see what StarClan says," Brightheart mewed to Mothpaw.

Ashstar woke up. He wasn't in his den though. His paws felt wet and it felt like a cold vine was wrapping around his paws. He opened his eyes, seeing darkness around him. He was standing in cold, dark water. It was strange here. It didn't feel right. Ashstar felt like he was being watched. But by who?

All of a sudden, he was knocked under the dirty water. Ashstar felt his paws get caught under a root in the water that swirled around him.

Ashstar struggled to his paws. Now, he could see. There was a steep slope in front of him. Ashstar walked out of the black water and headed up the slope. When he reached the top, he gasped.

Below was ThunderClan camp. The ThunderClan cats below were huddled together as if they were cold. A chilly wind swirled around. Ashstar kept looking down. 

All of a sudden, the rogue cats burst through camp. The charged into the cats, hissing. Claws flashed everywhere down in camp. 

Ashstar gasped as a rogue cat headed for the nursery. No! He raced down the hill, claws unsheathed. He swung his claws at the rogue cat, but nothing happened. No blood splashed the ground.

The rogue cat tore into the nursery and swung its claws at Daisy's face. The claws caught her eye.

Ashstar heard her scream. More shrieks echoed around camp. He then saw Jaywing. His daughter let out a horrible scream that made his blood turn to Ice. Ashstar raced forward. "Jaywing, no!!!" He screamed. But it was too late. Jaywing dropped to the ground, dead, blood pooling around her and quickly drizzling from her throat. 

"No...," Ashstar choked out.

Cinderheart appeared beside him. She couldn't see him there, since this was just a dream. She pushed her nose into Jaywing's fur. Then, a rogue leaped on her back, sinking its claws into her pelt. 

Ashstar could only watch this terrible scene. He could only be forced to hear the screams of cats get cut off as they died. He felt like he couldn't move; like his body was made of stone.

After a few moments, the screams stopped. Every other noise faded into silence. The camp was covered in blood and the dead bodies of his Clanmates. Ashstar felt pain inside of him. He closed his eyes.

Ashstar woke up, breathing hard. He sat up, his heart quickening. It was just a dream. But it didn't feel right. Is StarClan trying to tell me something?