Ashfur woke up and stretched. Many scents of mice and other pieces of prey flooded over him. 

"Hi," A voice meowed. "You're up early."

Ashfur turned to see Berrynose. "Hello kittypet warrior," Ashfur hissed.

"You know cats don't call me that anymore," Berrynose pointed out. 

"They will once i'm their leader," Ashfur hissed.

"Ha ha ha good one!" Berrynose chuckled. He purred loudly.

"Save it for later kittypet," Ashfur snapped.

"Kittypet? Can't you respect that word? That's what Firestar is. Keep saying kittypet and he'll pluck out your whiskers!" Berrynose was more serious.

"Firestar may be a leader but whatever he is, he's still a kittypet," Ashfur growled. 

"I can hear you making remarks about my mate," That was Sandstorm. 

"I can hear you defending your mate," Ashfur hissed. He turned and stalked out of the den.

"He must of woke up on the wrong side of the nest," Sandstorm purred.

Ashfur hissed in annoyance. "Useless kittypet warriors!" He muttered. 

"Hello Ashfur!" Dustpelt meowed. "I was wanting to know if you wanted to hunt with me."

"Sure," Ashfur meowed. 

Ashfur stalked a mouse. It was nibbling on a seed. Ashfur leaped and killed it with a swift bite to the neck. The mouse dangled limply from his jaws. Then Ashfur saw Dustpelt stalking a squirrel. Ashfur dropped into a crouch and stalked his prey. As Ashfur got close, he leaped on Dustpelt. 

"Hey! Watch out!" Dustpelt hissed. "This is kit-play!" 

Ashfur sank his teeth into Dustpelt's neck. The dark brown warrior wiggled fiercely under his paws. Then, the brown warrior fell limp. Ashfur spat out blood. His licked his paw and swiped it across his face. He purred with satisfaction as he stared down at the limp Dustpelt. "Mouse-brain," Ashfur muttered.  He kicked the dead warrior's body into a clump of ferns. 

Ashfur hurried into the camp. He put his mouse and sparrow in the fresh-kill pile.

"Hello Ashfur," Brambleclaw meowed.

Ashfur turned and his eyes glared with hatred. "Hello," He growled.

"I want you to lead a patrol," He meowed. "Take Dustpelt with you. Oh, and take Mousewhisker and Graystripe. It's a border patrol."

"Dustpelt told me he went hunting today. I- I haven't seen him come back though," Ashfur meowed.

"Since when?" Brambleclaw demanded.

"At sunrise," Ashfur meowed.

"Hasn't....hasn't come back since now?" Brambleclaw echoed.

"I bet you StarClan that he hasn't. He went hunting by himself," Ashfur replied.

"I'll warn Firestar. And stay in camp for now until we find his body," Brambleclaw turned and ran to the leader's den. 

"Has anyone seen Dustpelt?" Ferncloud meowed. 

"He told me that he was going to hunt by himself," Ashfur meowed.

"Oh dear StarClan! He shouldn't do that!" Ferncloud cried. 

"Cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the highrock!" Firestar called. 

Ashfur bounded over to the highrock. Excitement was shooting through him. 

"Dustpelt went missing. Ashfur told Brambleclaw that he went hunting by himself. I will send out a patrol to look for him," Firestar meowed. 

"He has to be alive!" Ferncloud wailed. 

Ashfur rolled his eyes. He didn't  feel sympathy for his sister.

"Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, and Ashfur will find him," Firestar announced.

"Come on!" Brambleclaw called.

"Dustpelt!" Brambleclaw yowled. He dug his muzzle into the dead warrior's body. "Who would do such a thing?"

Squirrelflight pushed past Ashfur, gave him a glare, and leaned on Brambleclaw's side. "Only StarClan knows," She meowed.

"We have to report it to Firestar," He meowed. Brambleclaw picked up Dustpelt by the scruff. "He may have been older than me, but he was a great warrior," He meowed.

"Yeah. He should've been deputy," Ashfur meowed. 

Brambleclaw took the lead, but slowed his patrol down as he dragged Dustpelt's body.

"Ashfur," Squirrelflight meowed as she flicked her tail.

"What?" Ashfur hissed. 

"I know you killed Dustpelt," She whispered.

"I...I didn't mean to. My... my claws just slipped and I accidentally clawed his throat," Ashfur meowed.

"Excuses excuses," Squirrelflight hissed.

"Go on and bug me," Ashfur retorted.

"Go on and die," Squirrelflight meowed as she gave him a cold stare.

Ashfur's heart dropped and he felt like he couldn't breath.

Days had passed since the clan found out about Dustpelt's death. They had respected the old warrior. Ashfur was planning to kill his next victim when...

"Ashfur!" An angry voice called. Ashfur turned to see Brindleface padding towards him, claws unsheathed. 

"Brindleface? B-but Tigerstar killed you!" Ashfur yowled. He then realized that he was dreaming.

"You have to stop killing cats. Dustpelt was your fourth," She meowed.

"Shut up you piece of fox-dung! I'll kill as many cats as I want to," Ashfur hissed.

"Ok. Fair choice. I see that StarClan won't accept you," Brindleface hissed.

Ashfur leaped on his mother. 

"Ugh!" Ashfur yowled.

"Ashfur! You'll scare off all the prey!" An angry voice called.

"Sorry," Ashfur hissed. He turned to see Millie. "Sorry, kittypet," He corrected himself. 

Graystripe hissed. "No cat can call my mate a kittypet!"

"Sorry, old warrior," Ashfur meowed.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," Graystripe's tail lashed with anger. 

"Ashfur, do you want to hunt with me?" Sandstorm asked.

"Sure," Ashfur growled. He unsheathed his claws and his voice was cold. "Only to get away from these kittypets."

"Ok...." Sandstorm sighed.

"Ok!" Ashfur echoed.

Ashfur climbed up a tree. He purred happily when he saw a nest of fat thrushes. A female, male, and two baby chicks were sleeping. Ashfur tapped his paws lightly on the bark. He stalked forward. This is how I will tear apart Squirrelflight's kin. He leaped on the male thrush. It cried in alarm. Ashfur clawed its neck and blood gushed out. The male thrush fell limp. Ashfur turned to see the female thrush behind him. It wailed with terror. Ashfur bit its neck. The female thrush fell limp. Ashfur turned to see the two chicks crying out for help. Ashfur slapped his paw on the nest and purred as it fell off the tree branch. The two bird chicks' cries of terror were cut off as their necks broke as they hit the ground, hard. Ashfur purred. 

Sandstorm was stalking a plump squirrel.

Great. My prey has come to me once again. Ashfur leaped from the tree and landed lightly on the ground. He stalked Sandstorm. She was a mouse-length from her prey. Ashfur leaped on her back and slammed his paws hard on her back. He heard a nasty crunch noise and Sandstorm fell limp beneath him. He slashed her throat and blood spilled out. He grabbed her scruff and dragged her towards camp.

Ashfur reached the camp and crept behind the warrior's den. He clawed a hole in the back and gently placed Sandstorm's  limp body on a mossy nest. He crept back around the stone hollow and walked into the camp, the two thrushes hanging from his jaws. 

"Sandstorm is dead!" A cat yowled.