Hawkfrost x Ashfur Fanfic ~ As Long as I Have You

Chapter One

It was a quiet night throughout the woods. Nothing but the sound of an owl hooting in the distance could be heard. Moonlight shone through the trees. The night was peaceful.

All of a sudden, the silence was broken as the sound of heavy pawsteps thundered through the woods. A grey tom trudged through the woods, a pained expression clouding his face.

Stupid she-cat, he thought. I can't believe she would choose Brambleclaw over me. Fox-hearted heap of mouse-dung.

Ashfur felt as though a wildfire blazed within him. He had never felt such strong rage and hatred. But beneath his feelings of anger toward Squirrelflight, one feeling remained- grief.

It felt as though a tiger's claws were slicing through his heart. Every part of his body ached with sadness. Squirrelflight was his only chance to be happy, and it was all ruined.

A sob formed in Ashfur's throat as he sat down by the lake. He looked down and saw his reflection in the waves. He was a mess. He was ill-groomed and sleep deprived.

Ashfur stifled a wail. He had never felt such immense pain. Seeing Squirrelflight with the son of the cat who had killed his mother had brought back such horrible memories.

He gave his head a quick shake, feeling his eyes stinging with tears. With a hiss, Ashfur brought his paw down to the water and struck it through his reflection. Water splashed everywhere. Small droplets got on his pelt.

Ashfur growled and gave his pelt a shake, sending the droplets flying in all directions. He didn't think he'd ever understand how RiverClan cats could tolerate getting their paws wet. He leaned over and started grooming his pelt, something hardly got around to ever since the whole incident with Squirrelflight, when he suddenly heard soft pawsteps along the shore of the lake.

Ashfur perked up his ears. He rose to his paws, his hackles starting to raise slightly. His mouth gaped slightly in attempt to inhale the scent of the stranger.

Silver moonlight outlined the silhouette of a cat a few fox-lengths away from Ashfur. Ashfur craned his neck, trying to get a better view. He inhaled through his noise, and then a jolt of annoyance shot through him as he caught a whiff of the cat ahead.

RiverClan! Ashfur thought, flexing his claws and preparing himself for a fight. What is a RiverClan cat doing so close to the border?

Suddenly, the dark figure of a cat came a few pawsteps closer. He was still quite a distance from Ashfur, but close enough at this point for Ashfur to see him more clearly.

Moonlight shone down upon the strange cat, shining down on a dark brown tabby pelt. He had an underbelly that was the color of newly-fallen snow, which stood out from the rest of his dark fur. He sat down by the shore of the lake and let out a small sigh.

Ashfur started trotting toward the RiverClan cat, ready to confront him for being so close to the ThunderClan border. But when the cat looked over at him, making eye-contact, something about his ice-blue eyes made Ashfur feel relaxed and secure. The fur rising on his back began to settle.

"What are you doing so close to the border?" the brown cat asked, his voice sounding calm, but cold, like snow falling on the first day of leaf-bare.

Ashfur's tail twitched. "I could ask the same of you," he retorted, although his tone wasn't angry.

"I'm waiting for my half-brother," the cat responded. "Brambleclaw. He was supposed to meet me here."

Then it clicked. "I know who you are. You're Hawkfrost," Ashfur stated.

"Yes, I am," Hawkfrost replied, not seeming to care about Ashfur's realization. "You're a ThunderClan cat, right? Do you know where he might be? He was supposed to be here a while ago."