"I want a patrol to look out for Jaykit! Bumblepaw said that he last saw her at the Sky Oak!" Firestar called. "Brackenfur! Get a patrol organized!" Firestar yowled.

Brackenfur is to weak to be deputy. I'll have to kill him. Ashfur waved his tail in anger.

"Ashfur! Oh i'm so worried about our daughter! She could have drowned! Or maybe WindClan is holding her hostage!" Cinderheart complained.

"Well! Why don't you go find her? Jaykit is six moons old now! She's as old as an apprentice!" Ashfur snapped.

"Stonekit can't be a 'paw without his sister around!" Cinderheart meowed.

"If you're so worried, go look for Jaykit yourself!" Ashfur snapped. He wasn't go to put up with his useless mate. He watched as Cinderheart padded off to Brackenfur. Ashfur rose to his paws and padded over to the deputy as well.

"Ashfur," Brackenfur meowed. "I'll have you to join my patrol with Honeyfern and Poppyfrost."

Ashfur moved through the undergrowth. He had his nose to the ground to try and sniff out Jaykit's scent. Let her die, he thought. He then smelled fox and pricked his ears.

"Fox!" He heard Honeyfern yowl.

Ashfur burst out of the ferns. Poppyfrost attacked he fox. It had Brackenfur clamped in its jaws. He was screaming in terror. "Honeyfern! Go back to camp and get more warriors in case another fox shows up!" Ashfur called.

Honeyfern stopped attacking the fox and darted through the ferns. Honeyfern was quick on her paws.

Ashfur watched as Brackenfur was thrown in the air. The deputy landed with a hard thud and blood leaked from under him.

"Brackenfur!" Poppyfrost ran over to her father. She crouched over the dead deputy. She hadn't noticed that the fox was right behind her.

"Look out!" Ashfur screamed. But it was to late. The fox grabbed her by the neck and slammed her body down into Brackenfur's limp body. Ashfur shuddered. The fox grabbed her puffy tail and ripped it clean off. Ashfur darted and slashed the fox with his long claws. The fox screamed as it saw another patrol of cats darted towards it. Honeyfern had come back. Hazeltail and Berrynose pelted after the fox. Sorreltail crouched over her mate's dead body.

"No!" She cried. Poppyfrost lay beside him. She was still alive. Now the Clan would need a new deputy.

Poppyfrost trotted back to camp. Her tail was only a stump just like Berrynose. "Now i'm not the only one!" He had been taunting her. She dropped her prey in the fresh-kill pile.

"All cats old enough to hunt join beneath the high rock for a clan meeting!" Firestar called.

Poppyfrost trotted over. It had been two days since her father's death. Firestar hadn't appointed a new deputy yet.

"As you know, we lost our deputy to a fox! I shall now appoint a new deputy before the body of Brackenfur so that his spirit may hear and approve my choice! Ashfur will be the new deputy of ThunderClan!" Firestar called.

"Ashfur! Ashfur! Ashfur!" The clan cheered.

Poppyfrost didn't join in. What about Graystripe? She thought.

"But I have one more announcement! Poppyfrost will be joining the elders!" Firestar called. "Due to her tail, she can't balance properly," Firestar explained.

"But Berrynose!" Cats hissed.

"Berrynose has more of his tail!" Firestar explained. "Poppyfrost, are you ready to leave your warrior duties to become an elder?" He asked.

"Sure," Poppyfrost called. She looked at Sorreltail. The poor she cat looked shaken. "Its ok," Sorreltail reassured her.

Poppyfrost dragged herself to the elders den. Mousefur, Longtail, and Purdy greeted her.

"Welcome!" The elders mewed.

"I want to be doing my warrior training!" Poppyfrost complained. "This is terrible!"

"You got half yer' tail missin'!" Purdy meowed.

"Yeah! And Berrynose is still a warrior!" Poppyfrost hissed.

"You'd fall off a tree if you were on it!" Mousefur grumbled.

"And hedgehogs might fly," Poppyfrost muttered.

"You'll get used to it eventually," Longtail meowed.

"Used to what?" Poppyfrost growled.

"Being an elder!" Longtail replied.

"Yeah I guess you're right," Poppyfrost meowed. No, I'll never get used to this, Poppyfrost thought.

"Here, eat this!" Mothwing meowed.

"But.... I don't like fish!" Jaykit complained.

"You'll have to eat it! Do you want to starve?" Mothwing hissed.

"Fine!" Jaykit retorted. She took a small bite of the fish and gulped it down. It wasn't that bad. But it wasn't as good as mice.

"Willowshine! I need some thyme leaves!" Mothwing meowed.

"Ok," Willowshine meowed. She came back with some green leaves that smelled yucky.

"Ewwww!" Jaykit hissed.

Willowshine sighed. "Eat them! They're thyme leaves!" She meowed.

Jaykit stuck out her tongue.

"We ight as well teach you how to swim," She meowed.

"No!" Jaykit meowed. She saw her pushing the gross leaves towards her. "Fine!" Jaykit hissed.

"You have an attitude, young one," Mothwing chuckled.

Jaykit almost gagged as she swallowed the leaves.

Mothwing's whiskers twitched with amusement.

Jaykit's pelt prickled with irritation. Her paws were itching to be in the lake again. She was going to teach herself how to swim.

"Oh! By the way, I don't think I was told your name," Mothwing meowed.

"It's Jaykit," Jaykit meowed. "I need to make my dirt."

Mothwing nodded.

Jaykit scrambled through the dirt-place tunnel. It smelled. She scrambled through the exit. Finally! She was on RiverClan land. She could finally get away. She was gonna have to collect sticks.

Dawn had passed when Jaykit had finally collected enough sticks. She weaved reeds and strong strands of grass into a circle that was as big as a badger's paw. She created two layers. She packed them together with sticky honey. Jaykit circled the sticks around it. She weaved them into the circle by tying the grass strands around the sticks. She created a float. She wasn't sure if it would hold her or float at all. Jaykit padded to the shallows. She stepped in. The cold water felt like vines wrapping around her feet. It felt like the water was trying to call her name. Jaykit jumped in the water. It was up to her belly now. She felt like she could swim. She began padding in the water. Her head went under but she forced it up. Her tail stranded behind her. Her legs and hind legs padded into the lake. She was still a kit, but she was gonna train herself how to swim. Then she realized that she had gone to far out. "Oh no," She meowed. She turned around but then her heart stopped as she heard a hawk from up above. She had to get away fast! Jaykit's heart was pounding. She swam on. Her legs were weakening. Then she felt relief wash over her as her paws touched the sandy bottom. She padded slowly to her raft. She picked it up and dragged it over to a tree. She gently placed it under the root so it wouldn't wash away. A day's work! She padded on back to camp.

Ashfur had to kill Firestar. He had to do it. And he had to do it with a fox trap. Ashfur didn't care is his daughter was alive or not. Firestar had ordered his patrols to look down by the stream. He even went over to ShadowClan and WindClan to speak. So Jaykit was gone. But, Firestar never checked RiverClan. He said that Jaykit could never make it over there. Ashfur stumbled through the undergrowth. He laid his eyes on a fox trap. Perfect! Ashfur ran back to camp.

"Firestar, I need to speak to you," Ashfur meowed.

Firestar flicked his tail. "Ok."

"I found something," Ashfur meowed. "And as your deputy, I am asking you to  only come with me to see it. No other cat can," Ashfur meowed.

"Alright. What is this 'something'?" Firestar asked.

"I'm not sure. You'll see when we get there," Ashfur meowed.

"Alright," Firestar meowed.

It had been two moons since Ashfur became deputy.

"There it is," Ashfur meowed. He pointed with his tail to the fox trap.

"Really, Ashfur? That's a fox trap! We have known these for moons now!" Firestar hissed. Fear glittered in his eyes.

"I know," Ashfur meowed. His voice grew cold. "I am killing you with it."

"Really?" Firestar hissed.

Ashfur leaped on him and put his paw on Firestar's head. He pushed his head through the fox trap and then it snapped tight around his neck. "Oops!" He hissed.

Firestar breathed hard. Blood welled from the tightness. "You....you're crazy!" Firestar spat.

"And you know what else is crazy? I killed all these cats!" Ashfur meowed.

Firestar's eyes widened. His ears flattened against his head. "Cloudtail? Hollyleaf? Lionblaze? Jayfeather? Dustpelt? Sandstorm? Brambleclaw?" Firestar asked.

"Yep! All of them!" Ashfur hissed.

"Even Brackenfur?" Firestar meowed.

"No! But I watched him die!" Ashfur purred.

"You....you are just like Tigerstar..." Firestar meowed.

"Tigerstar told me that if I kill all of your kin, he would give me something!" Ashfur meowed.

"And you'd believe him? Even a mouse with no brain wouldn't trust him!" Firestar hissed.

"You're  a fool Firestar," Ashfur meowed.

Firestar gasped.

Ashfur tightened the lace around Firestar's neck. His breathing was cut off as he went limp. Ashfur smiled. He still had more of Firestar's kin to kill. Leafpool.