Ashfur's Plan

Chapter One

Jayfeather could tell something was wrong with Ashfur. The scent of the Dark Forest clung to his pelt-how could that NOT be suspicious-and he had moved with a strange exhaustion for the past few days.

  "Ashfur, what is wrong with you?" he grumbled, going up to him after he returned from a hunting trip.

  Ashfur stopped and turned to him. "Nothing. Why, do I seem sick?" His voice was friendly, but Jayfeather sensed fear and disgust in him.

  "I don't think you're sick. But you are showing signs of training too hard and sleep deprivation." He narrowed his eyes and Ashfur's fear increased.

  "Okay, I'll rest more. I guess I really want to learn how to defend my Clan!"

  "You won't be much use to your Clan if that dog bite gets infected."

  A jolt of surprise. "A dog didn't bite me!"

  Jayfeather brushed his whiskers against the wound. "I agree, the dog didn't BITE you." It appeared to have scraped its teeth against his shoulder in a very odd way. It was much more like the wound a cat's claws would leave. He sighed, grabbed herbs from his den and chewed.

  "Oh, I remember. Earlier I tripped and landed on a dog skull. Will it really get infected?" In the last sentence Ashfur let a little of his fear into his voice.

  Jayfeather spat the herbs onto his shoulder and rubbed it in with a paw. "It won't now. Don't be a mouse brain around dog skulls and start sleeping through the night. Then you'll be fine."

  "Thanks, Jayfeather!" Ashfur trotted away.

Two days ago:

  Ashfur was not prepared for what he saw upon entering the camp. Brambleclaw was licking Squirrelflight's head! He could hear her purring and see her leaf-green eyes blinking happily. That's the fox-hearted creature who dared to choose Brambleclaw over me! He thought, digging his claws into the ground. He wished they dug into Squirrelflight instead. But no. Just a claw wound was not what she deserved.

  "Are you all right, Ashfur?" some cat meowed behind him.

  "Yes, I'm fine! I'm just upset that mouse escaped from me earlier," he replied. He didn't notice who he spoke to because it didn't matter to him. Every ThunderClan cat was a mouse brain who just let Squirrelflight choose Brambleclaw, even suggesting that she'd made a good choice!, he thought.

  "It's getting dark. You should get some sleep," the cat meowed.

  "Okay, I will," Ashfur replied, padding to his nest and curling into a ball on the soft leaves. Even if the other cats weren't traitors, he couldn't tell them his ideas. They would get upset about them being against the Warrior Code. Firestar might exile him for it. Firestar...Squirrelflight's father. He purred as the idea hit him. Seeing her father dead was exactly what that foxheart deserved, he thought. But how could he kill a clan leader? The answer came to him as he drifted into sleep.

  He woke to the smell of mud and fungus. He looked around and saw huge leafless trees, thick fog, and a black starless sky. There was no sound besides tree branches scraping against each other. The Dark Forest. This must be where Scourge went after he died. He did his best to remember Scourge's scent and padded forward, searching.

  He was just an apprentice when Scourge died, but he still remembered him clearly. Especially he way he had killed Tigerstar! Ashfur would sometimes try out that killing blow on prey, but of course it wasn't the same. They only had one life.

  Then he spotted something moving towards him that was darker than the trees. A sleek black cat, smaller than he remembered, with ice-colored eyes and a piece of tree bark impaled with cat teeth around his neck.

  "You're Scourge!" He recognized his scent.

  "Yes, I am Scourge," the cat trilled in a high-pitched voice, sitting down across from him. "Why did you summon me?"

  Ashfur trilled happily in response. "I want help killing Firestar!"

  Scourge leaned forward and sniffed him. "You are a Clan cat. Why would you kill Firestar?"

  "To punish his fox-hearted daughter. And I am sick of the Warrior Code and the mouse-brains who follow it!"

  "I see." Scourge smiled.

  "Don't you want revenge on Firestar for killing you? Teach me how to do that killing blow, the one you did on Tigerstar!"

  "In return, you will help me restart BloodClan."

  "Deal!" Ashfur liked Scourge's steady confidence so much he felt giddy.

                 • • •

This night:

  "Yes!" Ashfur ran his paw across Scourge's stomach before he could react. "If I had my claws out you'd be dead!"

  "Indeed." Scourge smiled proudly as he climbed to his feet. "That...fox heart won't stand a chance."

  "Why do I even need my claws sheathed?"

  "Cats can die again once they've come here. I first found out after I saw Amber drown in a pool of whatever the liquid is that flows through this forest. After that..." Scourge brushed his dog tooth covered claws against the teeth on his neck. He killed Dark Forest cats... Ashfur realized with admiration.

  "Okay!" Ashfur laid down. The ground squelched underneath him. "I might need to sleep now." Otherwise Jayfeather could become suspicious...

  "Alright." Scourge seemed almost disapointed.

  Ashfur allowed himself to drift into deeper, dreamless sleep.

  "Ashfur!" A paw poked him.

  "What..."

  "Firestar wants you to go to the Clan meeting!"

  "Okay." Ashfur climbed to his feet, stretched, and padded out of the den, squinting in the bright sunlight.

  "Ashfur!" Firestar spoke with his ears pointed backwards. "Last night Jayfeather led me into your dream and showed me that you were plotting to kill me with Scourge."

  Ashfur's stomach seemed to sink. Cats murmured in shock and confusion around him.

  "For that, you will be exiled. After today you will be treated as a rouge."

  Ashfur started to walk out of the camp, confused by how calm he felt. He met the other cat's eyes and saw shock, confusion, and anger.

  "You will regret this when BloodClan takes over," he declared, and was delighted by the scent of fear.

  "BloodClan will never take over." Firestar replied.

  "Foxheart," Jayfeather grumbled. Ashfur pounced on him and sliced his stomach open.

  A snarl rung through his ears as he thudded into the ground. Amber eyes glared into his.

  "You will not lay a single claw on my brother!" Ashfur swiped his claws from Lionblaze's neck to his stomach, but his blow didn't even break the skin.

  "Lionblaze, drive him off our territory!" Firestar commanded. Lionblaze shoved Ashfur to his feet and bit his tail. Ashfur flinched away and ran toward the woods. He kept running, occansionally feeling the sting of claws in his tail. Trees seemed to blur past him. Finally he smelled ThunderClan's border and darted over it.

  "Come back and you'll be crowfood!"

  Ashfur slowed down and gasped for breath. His pelt stung and ached all over.

  The shadow of a tree darkened and took the form of a black cat. It padded closer and entertwined his tail with Ashfur's. "We will destroy ThunderClan," Scourge murmured.

  "Yes, we will." Ashfur felt a surge of joy at Scourge's touch.