Warriors: Ashfur's Insanity

Chapter 48

The blasting sound of the waterfall was right beside Ashstar's ears. Mist swirled around his paws, and the air felt humid. Ashstar remembered that when they had woken up, they already started moving down the mountain trail. Hawks flew up above. 

He heard a sigh behind him. Jaywing slowly walked, her eyes half closed. "I didn't get any sleep last night," She meowed. She flicked her ear as a droplet of water sprayed from the roaring waterfall.

"Its ok, I didn't get much sleep either," Ashstar admitted, feeling her embarrassment. 

"Well I couldn't get sleep anyway so I watched the moon in the night sky," Jaywing yawned. "I guess I could've at least tried to sleep. I had this weird dream of this gray cat," She meowed, but her voice was soon drowned out by the roaring waterfall. Water sprayed Ashstar's face.

"The water won't hurt you," Stoneteller called. 

Ashstar turned to look at the waterfall. Now he could see that a path broke off from the ledge he was standing on, and led right to the waterfall and beyond it. Maybe there was a cave in there.

"Why have you stopped?" Jaywing asked her farther. 

"Hold on," Ashstar meowed. He padded forward on that small path, small pieces of stone digging into his paws. He lashed his tail, and his whiskers twitched. The moist smell of cave bathed on his tongue. He crept forward, getting closer to the waterfall, the water spraying his fur, soaking him. He wouldn't mind getting a bit wet. Ashstar went under the waterfall and appeared on the other side. He gasped in shock as he stared around the cave. Moss was covering the walls along with a few scattered puddles of water here and there. He turned around and looked at the waterfall, seeing the sun's bright glare through the foaming water.

Jaywing's face appeared right in the water, and she stared around, clearly interested in this cave. She padded up to him. "Ashstar," She whispered. Her voice bounced off the cave walls. 

Ashstar flicked his tail. "This place has a weird feeling to it," He meowed, sinking into a crouch. "It seems as though it'd be a place for StarClan, though," He pointed out.

"We'd have to come back to this at night," Jaywing meowed. "This cave could have a connection to StarClan."

Ashstar nodded and rose to his paws, padding past Jaywing and going back under the waterfall. He appeared into the sunlight and saw Stoneteller farther along down the trail.

"We'd better catch up,"  Ashstar meowed to Jaywing as she appeared beside him.

It was already Sundown and the cats were now at the bottom of the trail.  They all looked out over their new home, their eyes wide and their hopes high.

"Thank you Stoneteller," Ashstar meowed to the old tom, dipping his head. "We couldn't of made it without you," He purred.

"You're welcome," Stoneteller meowed to Ashstar. He dipped his head as well, his whiskers twitching. He looked up at the pink-blue sky, closing his eyes. "I'd better go," He meowed. 

Ashstar's whiskers twitched. "I don't think you should go back up that long trail again," He pointed out. "You should take someone with you," He meowed, flicking his tail to Squirrelflight and Bramblehawk. 

"No, I'll be fine, I promise," Stoneteller meowed. "But thanks for your help." The old cat turned and started to head up the mountain trail. 

Ashstar watched him go, his thoughts whirling. It would be a great help if that tribe would join us. Then we could be strong again. But he already knew that the Tribe of Rushing Water didn't want anything to do with the Clans really. They never liked to live like Clan cats, they liked doing things their own way. It was fascinating.

"Hey Ashstar," Stoneheart padded up to him. "We should go find shelter before the moon comes up."

"You're right, but we should hunt first," Ashstar meowed. "Tell you what, Stoneheart, take a patrol to go and find a camping spot and I'll take a patrol to go and hunt," Ashstar meowed. 

The moon was high in the sky as Ashstar returned to the bottom part of the mountain trail with his hunting patrol. They had caught a lot of prey. Ashstar dropped his mouse and robin on the ground, looking around at his cats. "We've hunted well today," He meowed. 

"I wonder where Stoneheart and his patrol are," Jaywing meowed, looking over at the dark woods. Shadows were beginning to creep up towards the patrol, threatening to pull the cats into the darkness. 

Harespring glanced up the mountain. "I just wonder what it's like to live up there, in those cold and harsh mountains," He meowed.

Kestrelflight nodded. "Those cats must get colds every day, living in those blizzards like that," He puffed. 

Rabbitpaw and Fernpaw chased each other around. Mossheart glanced around, along with Gorsetail, who looked at her, a worried expression on his face. Tawnypelt groomed her fur.

Finally, after what seemed like waiting or ages, the sound of bushes echoed around Ashstar, and Stoneheart's patrol pushed through the dark forest to greet them.

"Have you found a good spot?" Ashstar asked. 

Stoneheart nodded. "Yes. We actually think that this could be a good place for ShadowClan's camp," His son panted. "We should eat here and then go to the spot to rest," Stoneheart meowed. 

All of a sudden, a hawk cried above in the night sky. It then swooped down, its gigantic wings spread open and its talons open, ready to clamp them around the cats' bodies. 

Ashstar gasped in shock as he saw the hawk heading towards Fernpaw. He unsheathed his claws and leaped into the air, his claws hooking into the large bird's wings. Sharp talons raked his ears, and his blood leaped into the air. Ashstar sunk his fangs into the bird's neck, but then its sharp beak ripped at Ashstar's ear, tearing it off. Ashstar cried in pain and fell from the bird, hitting the ground hard and spraining his shoulder. He hissed and clenched his teeth as the hawk then wrapped its talons around Fernpaw's shoulders, ripping the small cat's fur and causing blood to spill from the fresh wound like water pouring out of a crack. 

"Fernpaw, no!" Harespring screeched. He leaped on the hawk, sinking his teeth into its head and ripping its throat with his claws. The hawk fell limp in his jaws and the tom spat out a mouthful of feathers onto the ground. 

Ashstar painfully rose to his paws, wincing at how much pain he was in. Kestrelflight raced over to Fernpaw, Rabbitpaw at his side. 

Jaywing ran over to Ashstar, an expression of horror fixed on her face. She put her body against Ashstar's shoulder, trying to help him stand up. 

Mothpaw and Alderheart quickly ran over to them. 

"This is bad," The medicine cats wailed. "We have no herbs and no idea where to find them!"