Hawkfrost x Ashfur Fanfic ~ As Long as I Have You

Chapter Three

A/N: Mild trigger warning for suicidal thoughts

Ashfur quietly crept through the woods. Only the sound of the twigs and leaves cracking underneath his paws could be heard throughout the quiet night.

This is dumb, Ashfur thought. Hawkfrost is a stranger. Why would he want to help me anyways?

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of skittering and scratching in the distance. Ashfur perked up his ears and froze. His jaws parted slightly as he tasted the air. Mouse?

Ashfur's eyes fell to the ground where, sure enough, he saw the familiar shape of a dusky-brown shape of the mouse. Immediately, he dropped into a crouch and kept his eyes fixated on the mouse. I'm sure Hawkfrost would appreciate it if I brought fresh-kill. Do RiverClan cats even eat mice..? Agh, focus, or else...

Ashfur flinched as his paw came down on a twig, snapping underneath him. The mouse pricked up its ears and spotted Ashfur.

"Fox-dung!" Ashfur cursed aloud as the mouse scurried away. He leapt to his paws and bounded after it. The wind whipped through his fur as he chased after the mouse.

Through the trees, the lake came into view. The moon was reflecting off of the clear water, and normally Ashfur would savor the beautiful sight, but right now he was set on catching the mouse. He was getting closer, the mouse becoming only a few whisker-lengths away from him. All it took was one pounce and soon he could have the mouse in his claws.

They were closer to the lakeshore now. Ashfur was so close to catching it. He just needed to leap. With a small huff, Ashfur bent his legs beneath him for a brief moment, preparing to pounce, then took the leap.

But his pounce didn't go according to plan. As he leapt off the ground, his paw hit a large rock sticking out of the ground, causing him to go stumbling in the opposite direction.

Ashfur ungracefully tumbled down the steep hill and, before he was able to stop himself, he plunged into the lake.

The cold water seeped into every inch of his fur, making him feel heavy, until it eventually filled his eyes and nose as he sunk deeper into the cold depths of the lake. Ashfur helplessly battered his paws through the water, but to no avail. I can't swim!

Soon, Ashfur gave into exhaustion and let himself sink into the waters of the lake. All was silent. Peaceful, even.

I guess I die here. No cat will care. No one will bother trying to find me. Just let me drown...

All of a sudden, a loud splash cut through the dead silence. Ashfur's eyes snapped open, and he saw the silhouette of a cat swimming toward him. The cat grasped Ashfur by the scruff of the neck and soon he was being pulled to the surface.

The sweet relief of being brought to the surface of the water and taking a breath of air. Ashfur gasped desperately as he was dropped to the ground. He shakily rose to his paws, digging his claws into the ground, and he turned to see who his miraculous savior was.

"Hawkfrost?" Ashfur croaked. "Y-you saved me..."

"What in StarClan's name were you thinking?" Hawkfrost snapped, pausing for a moment to shake the water from his pelt. "Here I was, waiting for you to meet me here, when all of a sudden I saw you barreling into the lake. Did you decide you wanted to take a swim instead?"

Ashfur coughed before saying, "It was an accident. I was trying to catch a mouse but I kind of... fell?"

Hawkfrost narrowed his eyes. "How do you manage to fall in a lake while hunting on land?"