Warriors #5: Heart of Fire

Chapter 17

Swiftpaw's POV

If there's anything Ashfur hasn't made me do... I thought as I paced back and forth around the shadowy clearing. It would be to wait.

Tonight, I had woken up in the Dark Forest as I usually did. But to my surprise, my Dark Forest mentor hadn't been sitting before me, anticipating my arrival as he did before every one of our sessions.

The only other time I had ever not come face-to-face with Ashfur when I opened my eyes was the night I had discovered that the gray-speckled tom's intentions for me went far beyond taking me on as an apprentice.

So, the fact that I am alone once again can't be good at all, I thought nervously. Do I wait for him this time, or try and look for the mangy furball?

I easily answered my own question. Stay put, you mouse-brain.

So, I continued to sit in complete silence for many, many... many heartbeats. Ashfur still wasn't showing even a whisker. That'd be nice, I couldn't help but think. Maybe tonight Ashfur won't show up at all, and I'll wake up scratch-free for once.

"Surprise."

I nearly jumped at the voice that meowed from behind me. Out of instinct, I hissed and practically leaped around to face the cat approaching me, my fur bristling and claws unsheathed. But I almost immediately relaxed as I met Ashfur's humored blue gaze.

Not that Ashfur is necessarily a calming sight... I thought as I rose to my paws. But he's a familiar one.

I heard Ashfur grunt as I scratched at my ear, his blue gaze burning into me. "You were ready to face a cat that was sneaking up on you. Very nice," the tom murmured, licking a paw and running it over one of his ears. "And lucky, too. If you had waited for even just a heartbeat more, I could have easily taken you to the ground and given you a killing bite."

I suppressed a gasp, pausing the quick grooming I had been doing. Had that been a threat? I straightened up, trying to keep my tail from twitching anxiously as stared back at Ashfur's unreadable gaze. Ah, those blue eyes that are indecipherable in the worst of moments...

Even if what Ashfur said had been a joke, I knew very well by now that I couldn't take any sort of teasing remark like that lightly. Not when I had overheard the fox-heart saying that possibly killing me was part of his plan.

But Ashfur couldn't know that this was my thought process, obviously. There was no way that he could see my fear without him either thinking that I was a frightened little kit, or growing suspicious of something.

So, I simply laughed off Ashfur's words, flashing my mentor an amused but determined look. "That's not luck. It was skill," I murmured, trying to lighten the mood. "Anyway, why was I here waiting here by myself in the first place?"

To my surprise, Ashfur chuckled, lashing his tail as his eyes seemed to gleam with satisfaction. "Oh, I just had some business to take care of," he purred. "No need to worry."

Are you kidding? You telling me not to worry is probably a cause for worry.

I narrowed my eyes, growing increasingly anxious as I observed how happy Ashfur suddenly seemed. "May I ask what kind of business?"

I then had to keep my fur from bristling up in alarm as Ashfur's gaze darkened, his happiness fading as if a cat had physically wiped it off of his face, and a growl was rising in his throat as he padded up closer to me. "Maybe I'll tell you after I've given you a few scratches to think about."

I unsheathed my claws, digging them into the ground so that I would stay in place. Show no fear, show no fear... "No need, Ashfur," I tried to meow evenly as I let my fur lie flat. "Forget what I said."