Warriors: Ashfur's Insanity

Chapter 34

Ashstar woke up in the warm fox den. Bunnypaw and Sootpaw were crowded around him. Ferncloud and Birchfall were curled up together, while Mossberry was out looking for more cats. Stoneheart never showed up though. Maybe he had tried to look for Ashstar and had found Jaywing and Mothpaw.

The blizzard had calmed. A light snow was falling. Weak sunlight pooled in the fox den. Ashstar got to his paws and stretched.

Bunnypaw woke up, his ears twitching. "Morning, Ashstar!" He mewed.

Ashstar looked down at his son. His whiskers twitched. "I was gonna go and find Jaywing and Mothpaw, but now-" He looked down at his growling stomach. "I'm going to go hunt."

"I wanna come!" Bunnypaw mewed.

Ashstar was unsure about this. He looked outside. Then he looked back at Bunnypaw. "Ok. You can come."

"Thanks!" Bunnypaw dashed from the den. 

Ashstar raced after him. They raced over the hill, their paws kicking up snow behind them. Then, Bunnypaw stopped to a dead halt. 

Ashstar tripped over his paws and landed face-first in the snow. He stood up, shaking snow from his pelt. He looked crossly at his son. 

Bunnypaw was staring over at the forest. 

"Why did you have to stop?" Ashstar asked. He traced his son's gaze. "What are  you looking at?" 

"I hear shrieking," Bunnypaw mewed.  "I can see cats fighting."

"How can you see and hear anything at all?" Ashstar asked. All he could see was the green of the trees and the blur of the brown trunks. It made him dizzy as he strained his ears to listen.

"I think the rogues and ShadowClan are fighting RiverClan!" Bunnypaw mewed. He looked at Ashstar with desperation. "Ashstar we have to go and help!" He meowed. "We have to!" 

"What are you seeing?" Ashstar asked. 

Bunnypaw was already racing down the slope. His paws kicked snow into Ashstar's face. 

Ashstar pushed his paws harder. Then, he leaped, landing on Bunnypaw. 

Bunnypaw wiggled under his grip. "Ashstar!" He cried.

"Bunnypaw, stop!" Ashstar growled. 

"But..," Bunnypaw sighed.

"I can't see RiverClan from here. And plus, they're on the other side of the lake. It would be impossible to see or hear them," Ashstar meowed. "You're probably just imagining them."

A look of hurt flashed across his son's eyes. "You don't believe me?"

"Of course I don't," Ashstar meowed. He swept his tail along Bunnypaw's spine. "Now can we please enjoy this hunt? I'm starving!" He added. He left Bunnypaw sitting there like a startled rabbit. 

Ashstar trudged up the snowy slope. He walked up and up until he reached the top. He turned around and looked down at Bunnypaw, who was still standing there, his back facing Ashstar. 

"Bunnypaw! Come on!" Ashstar called. 

His son turned to him, his eyes reflecting white snow, his gaze looking distant. "They're killing them."

Ashstar felt sick. Why was his son acting like this? Did he just want to get his father's attention? Who was killing who? What was he talking about?

"Bunnypaw, this isn't funny," Ashstar growled.

"I know it's not," Bunnypaw meowed firmly. "They're dying. StarClan won't like it if we stand here and do nothing to save them," He meowed. "We have to help." 

Bunnypaw sounded so distant. He sounded so serious.

"Bunnypaw,"  Ashstar breathed. He padded down the slope. "What's going on?" He asked.

"We have to help them!" Bunnypaw screeched. He flattened his ears and looked at Ashstar, his eyes looking hollow, filled with pain and fear. "I'm going without you, then!"

Bunnypaw ran down the slope, his tail flicking behind him.

Ashstar followed, fur bristled, ears flat. The snow finally cut off. The trees stretched tall and loomed over Ashstar. The weak sunlight was cutting through the trees, destroying the shadows. 

Ashstar panted, slowing down. He was surprised at how much energy Bunnypaw had. Ashstar forced his paws to keep running. His muscles screamed at him to stop running,  but if slowed down now....

"Bunnypaw, slow down!" He called, his paws slipping on leaf mulch. 

"I can't! They're in trouble!" Bunnypaw cried. He ran faster ahead. 

"Bunnypaw, stop!" Ashstar called. His lungs screamed for air. Then, he slowed down, panting hard. 

Bunnypaw was no more than a fast brown spot heading deeper into the trees.

Ashstar caught his breath. Then he started to run again. He had more energy now. He was almost about to catch up to Bunnypaw. 

Bunnypaw ran faster, though.

That cat is going to pass out if he doesn't stop, Ashstar thought. He's pushing himself on.

"Keep up!" Bunnypaw screeched.

"Slow down, the lake is ahead!" Ashstar screamed. They were heading for a small hill that then sloped down steeply. It was right at the lake's edge. And if Bunnypaw didn't slow down, he was going to plunge into the lake. And since he was tired, he wouldn't have any energy left to climb to the water's surface. And if that happened, he would drown. No, I won't let my son die! Not like this!

Ashstar clenched his teeth as he forced his paws to push on. He unsheathed his claws, gripping the small stones beneath his paws to push him forward. He couldn't shout a warning now. He couldn't waste his breath. He felt like he was drowning; he couldn't breathe. Ashstar pushed his paws harder. He got a boost of energy that sent him flying across the grass. He leaped over Bunnypaw and landed in front of him, sliding on the wet grass. His back paws felt nothing but air as he dangled helplessly at the water's edge. His claws tried to grip the wet earth, but the dirt was weak and crumbled under his weight.

He fell through the air, his fur waving in the cold wind. Then, his pelt hit icy cold water, and soon enough, he was already surrounded by darkness. The sun's golden rays melted away as he sank deeper into the water. He tried to swim upward, but his paws churned helplessly in the water. Ashstar tried to scream, but bubbles only escaped his jaws. He was tired with no energy left in his body. But the good thing was that he had saved Bunnypaw. But he was drowning in the process.

Ashstar let the water pull him deeper into its depths. His eyes closed as he felt the air draining from his lungs. Finally, darkness swept his vision as his cold body hit the bottom of the lake.