Ok I’m gonna get right to it and ask what your thoughts are on Ashfur- personally I loved him in the original arc and then everything else happened smh. However much you wanna say about him is fine by me lol
oh my heck this is so long i am sorry nxksbfkd
Once upon a time, three cats fell in love; Whitestorm, Brindleface, and Redtail. They bonded and grew together as friends, then lovers. Redtail, being a male tortoiseshell, was mostly infertile, so it came as a shock when Brindleface gave birth to a single daughter who clearly carried his blood. Sandkit.
But then Redtail died. And the remaining partnership fell apart. Whitestorm and Brindleface were close friends, but were only lovers through their love for Redtail. Whitestorm was rapidly falling for Redtail’s sister, Willowpelt, and Brindleface wanted to pursue her own life.
But she was pregnant. The Clan rejoiced; Redtail’s legacy would continue through them as well as Sandstorm! But Brindleface and Whitestorm exchanged nervous glances. And when she gave birth, their fears were confirmed; these were not Redtail’s kits, but Whitestorm’s.
“They should be his.” He says, angry and spiteful at himself. “It’s not fair.”
Brindleface brushes her tail across his flank and rests a paw on his. “We all knew they wouldn’t be. But we shall tell the Clan they are.”
“What about the kits? Should they know?”
“…his legacy would give them something to aspire to.”
Moons pass. Sandstorm raises her siblings on stories of Redtail, how he died to protect the Clan. Cloudkit is added to the litter. Ashkit and Fernkit fight to avenge their mother’s name. All the while, cats praise them; “You have your father’s courage.” They say with a smile. “Redtail would be proud of you.”
But the truth comes out, one way or another. Ashpaw confronts one very tired Whitestorm, spitting in his face. “I thought my father was a hero. But it was you all along. Some washed up old cat with barely a will to fight!”
Whitestorm doesn’t argue. The battle with BloodClan is coming. He’s so very tired. He misses Redtail with all his broken heart. He let Brindleface die, he couldn’t protect his aunt Bluestar, and now he’s betrayed his kits. He accepts his brutal death with relief. He can be with Redtail and Brindleface again.
But at the end of the day, Ashpaw stands in the bloody aftermath of war, all of his guardians gone. He thought he hated Whitestorm, but now that he stands before his father’s broken body, he wonders. Would he be proud of him for having delivered the killing blow to Bone? Would Redtail?
As time passes, he watched how everyone recovers, and seems to pretend that the war never happened. That Tigerstar never destroyed their lives. How can they trust anyone ever again? He could be betrayed at any moment, by any of his clanmates. Ferncloud has moved on, building a family with Dustpelt. How can she trust him? He was one of Tigerstar’s old supporters! What if he left her, as their true father left their mother? Everyone seems so happy… how? How do they do that?
Squirrelkit and Leafkit are born. Squirrelkit chases him around sometimes, and he finds himself brightened by her presence. She becomes Squirrelpaw, a bright, strong, spunky cat who takes no dirt. He admires her so much, especially after the move to the lake. How could she have been so strong? What if she died? She was his only real friend, he couldn’t bear to lose that light again.
He grows to love Squirrelflight, clinging to her through all the darkness of their lives. He sees the old hero he never met in her. She has a loving family and trust in her clanmates. She has and is everything he wants. They must be perfect for each other, right?
But then Brambleclaw is there. He steals Squirrelflight away, and his smell is always on her now. Brambleclaw, the son of the one who took everything away from Ashfur, was now following in his father’s pawprints. He was stealing the last spark in his life.
And then their kits are born, and everything is going well. They have a happy little family. Without him. He had no place among them anymore. He had no place with anyone anymore. But he is still forced to apprentice their son. His anger and pain festers into a gaping infection in his broken heart. Seeing others happy makes him want to scream. He could have had that! Why did StarClan do everything to keep happiness from him!
The fire comes. He gets an idea. This has to end. If the world was intent on taking from him, he would take back. He would take everything. He corners Squirrelflight and threatens her children. But his eyes are not on them, they are on her. Everything is her fault.
“They are not my kits.” She claims. The family, now as broken as Ashfur is, retreats. He stares after them. He has to get away. From everything, his own thoughts even. What does this mean?
He stares into the lake, hopeless and lost as to what he should do. Who was he, why was he like this? No cat was ever happy around him. What was he doing wrong?
A black cat approaches. Squirrelflight's… no, Leafpool’s daughter. Hollyleaf is cold, and before Ashfur blinks, he’s dead, blood staining the ground and Hollyleaf’s paws. That was it.
But it wasn’t. Ashfur awoke in a gully, a strange feeling all about him. He found cats nearby, and his heart raced upon seeing the face of his mother on one side of the gully. On the other side stood Hawkfrost.
“Where am I?” He asks, glancing between them. “…is this StarClan?”
“You are trapped in limbo.” Hawkfrost spoke, calm and steady. “Between them or us. You must choose where you belong.”
Ashfur narrows his eyes, confused.
“You are a wretched, blackened soul, Ashfur.” Brindleface spoke, voice broken as she watches him, shaking her head in pity. “The others in StarClan… they won’t accept you.”
“So you come with us, to the Dark Forest.” Hawkfrost purrs arrogantly.
The Dark Forest… Ashfur stares at the ground. “…you said I had a choice.”
“You do.” Brindleface takes a step forward. “Ashfur… you have led such a toxic life, poisoning those around you, all for your own sake. Have you any regrets?”
Another figure steps to her side, a ginger tortoiseshell with bright green eyes and tufted ears. He breathes a sigh. “We are aware of how our actions affected your life. We accept we did not help you near enough, and made you feel abandoned and alone. For that, we are sorry.” He bowed his head, eyes still on Ashfur. “…but are you?”
“Come on!” Hawkfrost spat. “You don’t regret a thing, don’t lie to us now. You belong with us. Tigerstar will lead you to greatness. You will have your chance to sink your claws into the flesh of those who betrayed you.” He cast a meaningful glance at Brindleface and her companion. “And those who abandoned you.”
Ashfur stands between them, processing his emotions and his heart. Did he regret this? Would he continue his hatred and use it to kill his clanmates?
Could he kill Squirrelflight? Hollyleaf? Brambleclaw?
He takes a deep breath, shaking his head. “No… I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore. I don’t want to be like this. Please, help me deal with this, help me be better! I know I caused all of this, maybe if I’d been better… but what could I do, I hated everyone!” He sobbed, growling at his paws. “…help me. Please.”
Brindleface glances at her companion with a smile. “Come up this way, Ashfur. We will help you any way we can. You belong with us.”
