Warriors: Ashfur's Insanity

Chapter 12

Jaypaw woke to the sound of rain. It was faint.

"Come on! We've got to strengthen our barrier. You don't want a fox to get in!" Jaypaw could hear Squirrelflight ordering cats around.

"Jaypaw!" Stonepaw mewed. "You're coming with me and Ferncloud to collect brambles!"

Jaypaw's head thudded on the roof of the tree branch. Yes, the apprentices den was a thick branch with overhanging brambles. It was crowded, but you'd always be warm.

Jaypaw ducked her head out of the den. The morning sun was just rising, making the clouds look pink. The sky looked like an ocean of gold.

Stonepaw was waiting beside the newly-made fresh-kill pile. There wasn't much in the pile, but there were mice and sparrows mainly. Now Jaypaw wondered how great Leaf-bare would go. Her mentor Millie was nursing her kits and Jaypaw had to wait until they became apprentices.

"Jaypaw," Ferncloud mewed.

"Yeah?" Jaypaw prompted.

"Please hurry," Ferncloud meowed.

Jaypaw felt sorry for Ferncloud. She lost her mate. Even her brother had gone insane.

They started walking through the forest, ignoring the way to ThunderClan and WindClan territory. Jaypaw could see the lake, the sun's rays clawing it into gold and gray.

The ferns rustled and a mouse scurried out. Ferncloud slammed down her paws on the small creature, and it fell limp beneath her paws. "We'll come back for it later," She meowed as she buried it.

Jaypaw parted a huge clump of long grass and saw brambles clinging to a tree. "Look!" She called. She sprang herself forward and landed a whisker-length from the brambles. She carefully put her paws on the tree and unsheathed her claws. Raking them under the brambles, she was able to pull them free. A thorn had caught the fur around her pads, but didn't draw any blood.

She picked up the brambles in her jaws, making sure the stem part she'd have in mouth didn't have any thorns. The leaves brushed her muzzle and chest fur as she walked back towards her Clanmates.

Ferncloud was sitting beside the stump of a tree, which was growing with moss. A small ant mound was a fox-length away from the tree stump.

"Oh, now we've got to wait for Stonepaw," Ferncloud's meow was muffled by the brambles.

"I've found a little!" Stonepaw meowed with delight. He exploded from the bushes and landed on his paws, tripping over the bramble stem that hung from his mouth.

Ferncloud's whiskers twitched with amusement. Jaypaw and Stonepaw were part of Ferncloud's kin. And Cinderheart had named Jaypaw after Jayfeather because he was Lionblaze's brother.

"Let's get home," Ferncloud meowed.

Spiderleg shifted in his mossy bed. He couldn't sleep. He missed his mother. She'd left the Clan. Along with Daisy. An idea popped up in his head. He would go with Birchfall and leave the Clan. Perfect. Birchfall stirred in his nest. And Spiderleg would get Rosekit and Toadkit from the nursery. 

Spiderleg walked over to Birchfall. The brown tabby was asleep in his nest. Spiderleg prodded him in the side.

"What?" Birchfall moaned. He slumped over.

"Come on. We're leaving this stupid excuse of  a Clan," Spiderleg hissed. "I don't want my kits getting hurt!" He flicked his tail towards the den entrance. "I'm getting Rosekit and Toadkit."

Birchfall blinked up at him. "B-but..." He began. "Whitewing has to come. Even Dovekit and Ivykit!" He rose to his paws, looking around the den. 

Spiderleg followed his gaze and landed his eyes on a white she-cat. Whitewing. She stumbled awake as Birchfall prodded her.

Birchfall and Spiderleg explained what they were going to do. Whitewing strongly agreed.

Spiderleg carried Rosekit, while Birchfall and Whitewing carried Dovekit and Ivykit. Spiderleg planned to go back for Toadkit. But the sound of  paw steps made him freeze.

"Spiderleg?" He turned to see Ashstar. The gray ThunderClan leader looked fearful and sad for some reason. 

"Yes?" Spiderleg tired not to sound afraid.

"Thornclaw!" Ashstar yowled. His deputy padded up to him. "Why don't you chase off these traitors for me?" 

Thornclaw unsheathed his claws. "Oh, this will be fun!" He meowed.

Spiderleg ran towards the camp entrance, Rosekit mewling in his jaws.

"Where are we going, father?" She meowed.  

"Escaping from these bad cats!" Spiderleg meowed. "Come on!" He screamed at his paws. 

All of a sudden, a snarl erupted from the bushes. A fox darted out and grabbed Ashstar by the throat. Spiderleg ignored Ashstar's shrieks of pain and kept running. 

"W-where is the group???" Spiderleg growled. 

Birchfall bumped into him. "I don't know!" He meowed. 

"Cinderheart? Ferncloud?" Spiderleg called. 

"We can track them by scent. And I know my mother's scent," Whitewing put her nose to the ground. 

Spiderleg waited for Whitewing to find a scent. His paws itched to get moving. He then wondered what Toadkit was doing. 

"Found Brightheart's scent!" Whitewing meowed. She darted through the trees, Dovekit in her mouth.

"Wait up!" Spiderleg called. 

Cinderheart, Jaypaw, Stonepaw, and Graystripe were on patrol. They were just returning when they heard a voice. 

"Ferncloud?" A voice called.

Graystripe halted. "Wait a second. That sounds like  Spiderleg. What does he want?" Graystripe padded towards a thick clump of ferns that was growing near a tree.

"Spiderleg? Is that you?" Graystripe called.

A black tom burst through the bushes, a creamy colored she-kit in his jaws. 

Birchfall appeared beside Spiderleg, a silver-and-gray she-kit in his jaws. And Whitewing appeared with a gray she-kit in her jaws.

"Birchfall? Spiderleg? Whitewing? Why are you here?" Graystripe meowed.

"We escaped from our Clan. We couldn't be back with Ashstar anymore. But I have to go back and find Toadkit!" He raced off.