Warriors: Ashfur's Insanity

Chapter 43

Dovepaw shoved her brother, Eaglepaw. He leaped on her and they both tumbled on the ground, swiping at each other with soft paws.

"Play with your claws unsheathed, that'll train you faster!" Crowstar growled.

"Why though?" Dovepaw asked. "That's against the warrior code."

Crowstar then lashed out at her, slicing her ear right off. 

Dovepaw was flung backwards from the force. Her right ear bled heavily now, blood trickling in her face and dipping on the ground.

"Hey!" Eaglepaw growled. 

"That'll teach ya not to disobey me," Crowstar growled, walking off.

Dovepaw lay on the ground, crying. Eaglepaw ran over to help her get to her paws. 

"Dovepaw, are you ok?" He asked. 

"I- I think so," Dovepaw whispered. "I want to leave," She whispered.

"I know," Eaglepaw meowed. "I promise I'll get us out of here," He meowed. 

"Who would we live with though?" Dovepaw asked.

"We'll find the Clans," Eaglepaw meowed.

"But they left five moons ago," Dovepaw mewed. 

"We can find them!" Eaglepaw mewed. "Come on," He meowed. He began to walk to the camp entrance.

Dovepaw walked beside him, purring.

"Where do you think you're going?" Crowstar asked.

"Hunting," Eaglepaw meowed.

"Are you sure?" Crowstar asked. "Blue! Get over here!" He called. 

Dovepaw and Eaglepaw's mother, Blue, walked over to him.

"What is it?" She asked.

Crowstar then turned towards Eaglepaw and Dovepaw. "This will teach you not to betray your Clan," He growled. He turned back to Blue and swung his claws across her throat. 

Blue yowled in pain. But then she unsheathed her claws and leaped on Crowstar, digging her claws into his shoulder.

Crowstar shook himself violently and swung her off. Blue flew through the air, the blood from her throat wound spraying Crowstar and the ground. Blue's shriek was cut off as her back hit the air, and a snapping sound echoed across the camp.

Dovepaw stared in horror at her mother's broken body. 

"Run!" Eaglepaw cried. 

Dovepaw dashed out of the camp as fast as she could, dust flying behind her.

Eaglepaw sprinted ahead of her, and they would not slow down. He took a turn in front of her, and Dovepaw followed.

"I will send out two patrols," Ashstar announced as his Clan gathered around him. "Jaywing, I'd like you to lead a patrol. Take Graystripe and Sorreltail. Head beyond the twoleg place. Bunnypelt, I'd like you to take Squirrelflight and Bramblehawk. Head beyond the hills," Ashstar meowed.

The two patrols headed off, and Ashstar padded over to Stoneheart. "Send out the hunting patrols," He meowed. 

"Ok," Stoneheart meowed. 

Ashstar started to walk away from the camp. He wanted some alone-time, some time to himself. He wanted to to a break from all the hard work he had to do. He was just starting to head out when all of a sudden, three shapes emerged on the hill. They were cats. Ashstar was confused. Was the patrol back already? 

He walked towards them more, smelling a rogue scent. He bristled. Did the rogues find them? He slid out his claws and started to walk closer to them. "Show yourselves!" He hissed.

The bigger cat lowered its head and ran towards him, the smaller cats walking behind him. 

"Ashstar! It's you!" The tom meowed excitedly.

Ashstar then realized that this was Gorsetail. It was a cat from WindClan. But how did he find his way here? "Gorsetail! But how?"

"I was out hunting when the attack on WindClan happened," He explained. "And I was being dumb and ran away until it was over. I wish I could go back and fight for my Clan," Gorsetail meowed.

"Who are those two?" Ashstar asked. They smelled like rogues.

"Apprentices that escaped from the rogue camp," Gorsetail meowed. 

Ashstar looked down at them. One was a dark gray she-cat with aqua eyes and a half right ear that had dried blood on it. The other was a golden tom with green eyes.

"That's Dovepaw and Eaglepaw. They're littermates," Gorsetail meowed.

"Crowstar did that to her ear," Eaglepaw muttered. 

"Crowstar forces cats to train with their claws unsheathed," Dovepaw meowed. "Be we didn't do that and Crowstar punished me. The medicine cat wasn't allowed to treat me," Dovepaw meowed.

Ashstar gasped.

"And when we tried to sneak out of the camp to find the other Clans for help, Crowstar saw us and killed our mother right in front of us," Eaglepaw meowed sadly. "She tried to fight back but Crowstar snapped her back in half."

Ashstar blinked at them, pain filling his eyes. "What a terrible leader," He growled. "I understand why you left."

"We want to join your Clan and learn about everything you know," Dovepaw meowed.

"And we should get your wound treated," Gorsetail told Dovepaw. He looked up at Ashstar. "You have a medicine cat, right?" 

"Yes. Alderheart, Mothpaw, and Kestrelflight and his new apprentice, Rabbitpaw," Ashstar answered.

"Wait, Kestrelflight?" Gorsetail gasped, his tail flicking.

"Some of WindClan survived that flood. Harespring and Kestrelflight along with two kits, Fernkit and Rabbitkit, but now they are Rabbitpaw and Fernpaw," Ashstar meowed proudly.

"Then I'm glad I came back," Gorsetail meowed.

"But Tawnypelt and Mossheart decided that they would join WindClan when we find the new home for us," Ashstar told him. "Harespring has already decided to make Mossheart the deputy since she decided to join his Clan first," Ashstar meowed.

"Wasn't she a kittypet?" Gorsetail asked.

"Yes. But she's really brave!" Ashstar mewed.

"That's really strange that Harespring would choose a kittypet  to be deputy," Gorsetail growled. "Maybe when he knows I'm here and sees me, he'll make me deputy," He purred.

"Do you really think he will?" Ashstar growled. "You abandoned your Clan when they were fighting for their life!" He lashed his tail and blinked at Gorsetail.

Gorsetail flinched and lowered his head. "Maybe you're right," He whimpered. "Maybe I should leave again and not go to WindClan. I know Harespring wouldn't want a traitor living in his Clan."

Ashstar gasped. "No, you can't leave when WindClan is falling apart like this!" He meowed. "You have to stay and be in WindClan. That will prove that you're still loyal," He whispered. "You will make WindClan strong again," He meowed. "You just have to do it. You have to prove to Harespring that you're still loyal," Ashstar meowed, trying to encourage him. 

Gorsetail looked up at him, the pain in his eyes now replaced by hope. "You're right! I just have to work twice as hard as I used to!" Gorsetail cried. "I can make WindClan strong!"

"There you go," Ashstar whispered.

"Thanks," Gorsetail whispered. 

They started to walk back to camp. Ashstar's spirits were lifted as he walked beside Gorsetail. He realized that WindClan was growing again, and soon there would be four Clans all over again in the new home.