Chapter Text
sighing softly Ashpaw left the thunderclan camp and headed into the forest. the grey tom was sick of dealing with all of his clan-mates and just wanted a break. Ashpaw had no friends in the clan. well, besides his sister, Fernpaw. but Fernpaw was busy spending time with her new mate and Ashpaw's mentor, Dustpelt.
the grey tom wished that he could have a mate as well. and for some reason, he was kind of jealous of his sister. but he forced those thoughts away. he shouldn't be jealous of his sister. he should be glad that she managed to find a mate.
sharing away his thoughts Ashpaw smelled the air for any scents of prey. he was a much better hunter than a fighter. in fact, Ashpaw was sure that he wouldn't even be able to scare off a kitty-pet.
scenting a mouse nearby Ashpaw swiftly followed its scent rail. once the mouse was in view for him Ashpaw then leaped at the mouse and sank his teeth into the creature's scruff, killing it instantly. once the mouse was dead Ashpaw proudly lifted his catch up and took it over to a tree.
Ashpaw wondered if he should eat his catch or not. the warrior code said that elders, queens, and its were to be fed before apprentices and all other clan-cats. but it was the middle of Greenleaf and Ashpaw did now that all the cats back in the thunderclan camp were all dead and it wasn't like Ashpaw's mentor was here to stop him.
leaning down Ashpaw swiftly ate his mouse before getting up and stretching. he didn't want to go back to the camp yet. but Ashpaw had no idea what to do. suddenly getting an idea Ashpaw began to approach the two-leg place. Ashpaw wasn't going to become a kitty-pet of course. but Ashpaw heard stories of the two-leg place from another thunderclan apprentice, Cloudpaw. who had gotten kidnapped by two-legs. Ashpaw found that interesting. he might even be able to find a kitty-pet to talk to.
heading into the two-leg place Ashpaw sniffed the strange air. the two-leg place smelled different from the forest in many ways. for one Ashpaw smelled something that smelled like food. but it wasn't like any prey he scented before. was the smell two-leg, or kitty-pet food that the older warriors told him about?
Ashpaw knew that eating kitty-pet food was against the warrior code. then again being here was against the warrior code. but Ashpaw didn't care. the smell was better than anything he had smelled before and Ashpaw wanted to have a bit or two if it was actual food.
following the scent trail Ashpaw soon leaped over a white fence and then landed in the yard of a two-leg nest. the smell was coming from that nest. stopping in his tracks Ashpaw wondered if he should just give up and head back to his camp. since going into a two-leg place wasn't that smart. but at the same time, Ashpaw's wasn't going to pass this tasty meal up that easily.
Dustpelt is going to kill me for this...
Ashpaw approached the two-leg nest and gave it a sniff. he soon realized there was a hole in the door. sneaking inside of the nest the grey tom blinked at how strange the nest looked.
"wow..." Ashpaw couldn't help but mutter.
"You shocked, aren't you?" A large black and white tom asked. "I'm guessing you never been inside a housefolk's home?"
"what's a housefolk home," Ashpaw asked.
"oh, you must not be a house-cat or kitty-pet as you clan-cats and strays call it. I meant two -leg nest." the black and white tom corrected himself.
Ashpaw nodded. "is that smell food or something? if it's food do you mind if I have a bit or two?" Ashpaw asked, shuffling his paws. he hoped that he hadn't upset this cat walking into his house and asking if he could eat his food.
the black and white tom let out a laugh. luckily, he didn't look or sound mad. "sure. there's always enough food to go around. but aren't you a wild cat? don't you know how to hunt?"
"well, yes. but I never smelled anything this tasty..." Ashpaw admitted.
"that's fine." letting out a yawn the tom took Ashpaw over to a dish filled with pink paste stuff. Ashfur had to admit it looked like shit despite smelling rather good. "also what's your name? I'm socks."
"my name is Ashpaw," Ashpaw informed Socks before leaning down and starting to eat. although Ashpaw had already eaten a mouse he was still fairly hungry. once he was done eating Ashpaw then leaned back. "wow! that was the tastiest thing I ever ate!"
"I'm glad. you have a weird name Ashpaw. could I just call you Ash instead?" Socks asked.
"sure. but your name is even weirder!" Ashpaw pointed out. "what even is socks supposed to mean?"
"well, a sock is h- two-leg item that is great for chewing and hiding." Socks informed the apprentice. "anyway what is it like in a clan. I'm assuming you live in a clan because of your weird name."
Ashpaw nodded. "clan-life is good I suppose." Ashpaw muttered. "although it does suck at times." grief flooded Ashpaw's voice as he spoke.
Socks tilted his head. "how?"
"M-my mother, Brindleface was killed by a pack of dogs," Ashpaw informed Socks sadly.
wrapping his tail around Ashpaw's back Socks sighed. "that sucks. how did a pack of dogs even kill your mother? if you don't mind me asking."
opening his mouth Ashpaw began to first explain how clan-life was to socks. Ashpaw told him how there were four clans which were windclan, riverclan, thunderclan, and shadowclan. the grey tom then explained the warrior code, the ranks, and then he told Socks how Tigerclaw, now named Tigertar went evil and brought dogs onto thunderclan's territory. Socks listened intently as Ashpaw spoke. once the grey tom finished Socks eyes were wide.
"that's a lot of drama." Socks commented. "You guys would be much happier in a two-leg nest than the forest it seems."
most of my clan-mates would rather die than become kitty-pets. sure, Kitty-pet food is food. But I would never live in a two-leg nest full time."
"fair point. I only heard of one clan and it wasn't one of those four." Socks informed Ashpaw.
Ashpaw tilted his head. was there another clan that he didn't know about? no, this cat had to be mistaken!
"What is this clan called?" Ashpaw asked.
Socks shivered. "it's called bloodclan."
Ashpaw snorted. bloodclan was a stupid name. there was no way a clan like that really existed. it had to be some sort of kitty-pet rumor.
"yeah right." Ashpaw snorted.
"I'm not joking!" Socks sounded scared so Ashpaw was starting to believe him.
"who leads this clan?" Ashpaw questioned. he could maybe ask Dustpelt about this when he returned back to thunderclan.
"My si- I mean brother." Socks corrected himself once more. "it's name is Scourge."
"where even is bloodclan?"
"bloodclan is located in the city not far from here." the black and white tom then added quickly. "that doesn't mean you should go find them! Scourge is a cruel leader and he won't hesitate to kill you... but then again it is my fault that it is like this."
"how is your fault that Scourge made bloodclan?" Ashpaw asked. he hoped that he wasn't upsetting Socks by asking him all these questions. the grey tom was just very interested in the story.
"I can tell you that story another time. maybe tomorrow. I could do with some company. my two-legs are most likely coming home soon though." Socks warned him.
nodding Ashpaw said his goodbyes before he left the two-leg den. Ashpaw knew what he had to do. he had to go to the city and meet Scourge and bloodclan.