Ashfur Quotes

May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter when you sleep. (Leafpool to Ashfur, page 1)

Pleasure bubbled in Ashfur’s chest. I’m not cruel, he told himself. This was all Squirrelflight’s fault. She drove me to this. I only wanted the Clans to see what hypocrites they are.

Hollyleaf sprang on him, twisted his head to one side, sank her teeth into his fur and skin, telling herself over and over: This is the only way! Ashfur dropped to his belly and Hollyleaf jumped back as he rolled into the stream. She washed the blood from her paws, letting the cold water chill her legs, her flanks, all the way to her heart.

impostor Ashfur

want to know who killed Ashfur as much as you do.

Ashfur broke his neck,” she mewed bleakly. “I’m sorry to say that he’s dead.

Upset? I'm not upset. You have no idea how much pain I'm in. It's like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones. I can't understand how any of you failed to see the blood....

THUNDERCLAN LEADER FIRESTAR—ginger tom with a flame-coloured pelt DEPUTY GREYSTRIPE—long-haired grey tom MEDICINE CAT CINDERPELT—dark grey she-cat APPRENTICE, LEAFPAW WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits)   MOUSEFUR—small dusky brown she-cat APPRENTICE, SPIDERPAW   DUSTPELT—dark brown tabby tom APPRENTICE, SQUIRRELPAW   SANDSTORM—pale ginger she-cat APPRENTICE, SORRELPAW   CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tom   BRACKENFUR—golden brown tabby tom APPRENTICE, WHITEPAW   THORNCLAW—golden brown tabby tom APPRENTICE, SHREWPAW   BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patches   BRAMBLECLAW—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes   ASHFUR—pale grey (with darker flecks) tom, dark blue eyes   RAINWHISKER—dark grey tom with blue eyes   SOOTFUR—lighter grey tom with amber eyes APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)   SORRELPAW—tortoiseshell and white shecat with amber eyes   SQUIRRELPAW—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes   LEAFPAW—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and white paws   SPIDERPAW—long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes   SHREWPAW—small dark brown tom with amber eyes   WHITEPAW—white she-cat with green eyes QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)   GOLDENFLOWER—pale ginger coat, the oldest nursery queen

His ears strained to pick up the least sound of tiny paws; instead, all he could hear was a furious yowling and scuffling that broke out somewhere ahead, near the Twoleg fence. Was something—maybe a Twoleg dog—attacking his warriors? He raced through the trees until he came to the edge of the wood. Ashfur and Brambleclaw were scuffling with an unfamiliar black-and-white cat. Brambleclaw had climbed onto the cat’s back, clawing at its neck fur, while Ashfur bit down hard on the end of its tail. The black-and-white cat was writhing on the ground, his flailing paws barely touching his attackers. “Get off me!” he yowled. “I need to see Rusty—I mean Firestar!” Firestar suddenly recognized the disheveled bundle of black-and-white fur. It was Smudge, the kittypet who had been his friend before Firestar left his Twolegs to live in the forest. “Stop!” He ran over to the wrestling cats, lowering his head to butt Brambleclaw hard in his flank. Brambleclaw slid off Smudge’s back, glaring up with a furious hiss that broke off when he realized who had interrupted the fight. “Leave him alone,” Firestar ordered. “But he’s an intruder,” Brambleclaw protested, scrambling to his paws and shaking dust from his pelt. “A kittypet intruder,” added Ashfur, reluctantly letting go of Smudge’s tail. “No, he’s not,” Firestar corrected them. “He’s a friend. What are you two doing here, anyway?” “We’re the border patrol,” Brambleclaw told him. “With Dustpelt and Mousefur. Look, here they come.” Following the direction of his pointing tail, Firestar spotted the two older warriors bounding rapidly through the trees. “In StarClan’s name, what’s going on?” Dustpelt demanded. “I thought a fox must have gotten you from all that noise.” “No, just a kittypet,” Firestar mewed, faintly amused at Brambleclaw’s and Ashfur’s outraged expressions. “Okay, carry on with your patrol,” he added. “But what about the kittypet?” Ashfur asked. “I think I can handle him,” Firestar mewed. “You’re doing fine, but just remember that not everything you haven’t seen before is a threat.” Brambleclaw and Ashfur fell in behind Dustpelt and Mousefur as they continued their patrol; Brambleclaw cast a threatening glance back at Smudge and hissed, “Stay off our territory in the future!” Smudge heaved himself to his paws, glaring at his attackers. His fur was covered in dust and stuck out in all directions, but he didn’t seem to be hurt. “You’re lucky I was here to save your pelt,” Firestar remarked as the patrol vanished among the trees. His old friend let out a furious snort. “I’ll never understand you, Firestar. You actually want to live with these violent ruffians?” Firestar hid his amusement.

Ashfur lashed his tail. “Now will you do something?” he challenged Graystripe.

You’re lumbering around like a badger today,” Ashfur scolded. Spiderleg and Mousepaw padded out of the ferns with Honeypaw and Sandstorm. “More like a hibernating hedgehog!” Mousepaw teased.

Lionblaze waved his tail and bounded across the clearing toward Ashfur. Yes, he loved his father, even if he was a bossy old furball!

Awake at last!” Ashfur greeted him. “The prey’s probably grown old and died while we’ve been waiting for you.

Even Ashfur, who was turning out to be a real pain in the tail, would be a brave and fierce fighter in defense of ThunderClan.

Hollyleaf has her own conscience to answer to. Ashfur paid a high price for what he did wrong-and so did she. Perhaps justice has been served.

Hollyleaf has her own conscience to answer to. Ashfur paid a high price for what he did wrong-and so did she. Perhaps justice has been served.

It wasn’t love,” Squirrelflight growled. “It was obsession. To love another cat is to put their needs first. But Ashfur only ever put himself first.

I suppose you’re right,” Brambleclaw sighed. “But for StarClan’s sake, be a bit more careful next time.” “She will be.” Ashfur sprang to Squirrelflight’s defense again, unaware of the furious look she gave him this time. She was even angrier when she noticed a surprised glance from Sandstorm, as if her mother couldn’t believe she was depending on Ashfur for protection. “Anyway, Brambleclaw,” the gray tomcat went on, “it’s not your place to tell her what to do.” “It’s any cat’s place,” Brambleclaw retorted, his neck fur starting to bristle. “Do you want trouble with ShadowClan?” Ashfur unsheathed his claws. “That’s not the point!

But I’m sure I’m right.” Squirrelflight’s mew grew more certain. “It has to be. It can’t be anyone else.” She lifted her chin. “I think Ashfur has returned.

Ashfur is going to supervise Whitepaw and Birchpaw while they do their duties for the elders,” he explained. “They keep asking to work together.” Squirrelflight could understand why. Whitepaw

Why couldn’t Ashfur give him advice instead of pointing out his mistakes?

Squirrelflight wanted to wail out loud. Leafpool had lost so much too. She must have loved Crowfeather very much to give up everything for him. Would I do that for Ashfur? Squirrelflight wondered. Somehow, she didn’t think she would. For Brambleclaw? She blinked, realizing that that was a question she couldn’t answer.

Crowfeather crouched beside her, his amber eyes burning as he gazed across the clearing. “You wouldn’t think he’d be so upset about the death of another Clan’s medicine cat,” Ashfur muttered into Squirrelflight’s ear. Squirrelflight didn’t say anything. She knew the gray-black warrior wasn’t just grieving for Cinderpelt.

Ashfur;

Are you saying that one of us killed Ashfur?

It is me. It’s Ashfur.” This stranger spoke with a voice harsher than Bramblestar’s.

But I’m sure I’m right.” Squirrelflight’s mew grew more certain. “It has to be. It can’t be anyone else.” She lifted her chin. “I think Ashfur has returned.” Bristlefrost frowned, puzzled. Ashfur?

Ashfur was alive, and he’d taken Squirrelflight to a place where only the dead could reach her.

ASHFUR TRULY LOVED SQUIRRELFLIGHT and was bitterly hurt when she passed him over in favor of Brambleclaw.

Now Ashfur had an even more powerful weapon to use against Squirrelflight:

Ashfur

Ashfur’s. “Let’s

Hollyleaf was Clanless, codeless. She could be a rogue, even a kittypet. There was no way Hollyleaf could let Ashfur tell the four Clans about Squirrelflight’s confession. She and her littermates would be driven out! Everything they had done up till now, all their loyalty to the warrior code, would count for nothing.

Ashfur?” Ferncloud had left the nursery and was padding toward her brother. Lionpaw knew that their mother, Brindleface, had been killed by Tigerstar to give a different dog pack a taste for cats’ blood.

Bending over his body again, Leafpool began to clean earth and grit out of the dead warrior’s pads. Something soft and light fluttered against her muzzle; she drew back to see a tuft of fur snagged in Ashfur’s claws. No! This can’t be true! Leaning closer, Leafpool sniffed the fur. I know that scent!

Ashfur had no enemies!

So much fury from Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw so quick to make amends, Ashfur clearly not forgiving him . . . Had Jayfeather missed something really obvious between these three cats?