Oh hey there guys. I'm bacccckkkk! XD Full of imagination and... all that. Thanks to Fading Echoes.(: But yeahh, and also because my friend sooybie begs me for a new chapter of this. So here you go! A chapter of Holly gagging about Ash. I'm sorry. That's all I can provide for now. It's kind of a lame filler chapter but... guess what?! HOLLYLEAF USES HER BRAIN A BIT! And Ashfur's cool-ish in this one. But I still dislike him. Oh wells. Hereeee you go! Oh and last warning: Holly screams a lot today.

Chapter Twelve

DARK FOREST

Yuck! Yuck! YUCK!

Hollyleaf's POV

Okay, Ashfur is gross. Like, yuck. I know I'm trying to survive in the Dark Forest here, but Ashfur is crazy. Absolutely crazy. Every brush of his pelt against mine, every press of his muzzle, everything disgusts me ultimately. HE IS CRAZY. Every moment I'm with him (which is most of the time), I'm gagging in irritation and wishing I can just go to sleep soon. Sometimes I even forget about my own fear for Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, and Darkstripe, or even Brokenstar, because I'm too disgusted by Ashfur to care. Oh, seriously, he desperately needs to get a life.

While Ashfur instructed me in a training session to defending ourselves in case evil cats approached us again as if I were a helpless kit (which I was instantaneously intimidated by) he suddenly pressed against me and purred. "Good job. You're a good fighter."

Okay… When did he ever say that to Lionblaze when he mentored my brother? I quivered, sending a wave of spikes cutting through the inside of my spine. Yuck! I thought. To conceal my attempt of grooming my fur so his scent would wear off, I first delicately licked my paws and my chest, then worked on my pelt, in which stinky Ashfur-stench was smeared all over. If only Ashfur would stop being a corny, moony tomcat and work on surviving or supporting me into going to StarClan, where I belonged! And in StarClan, may my ancestors bless me not to end up with him as well. But I guess I'd still be stuck with him, because apparently, StarClan was known for their "kindness". Excluding me, of course. If StarClan was kind, I'd be a part of them instead of being stuck in this old dump with Ashfur. And I still don't know what Jayfeather was thinking. If only I had his mind-reading abilities. Why did Jayfeather ask about Ashfur?

The holly leaves will push away the darkness of the ash. Well, first off, I'm pretty sure holly leaves stands for me. How about the ash? I glanced at Ashfur.

Oh, mouse-dung. Yuck! YUCK. YUCK! I screeched inside my head. I wanted to scream out loud like a mentally distressed kit. So StarClan wanted me to like, push away the darkness of Ashfur? What the fox-dung? StarClan would be absolutely mouse-brained if they thought I would… fall in love with Ashfur! Definitely not Ashfur, just not Ashfur. No way. I rather fall in love with Berrynose! (Sorry Honeyfern.)

Great StarClan, are you serious?! I groaned. Finally, I couldn't hold it anymore, and I bawled angrily. "YUCK! GROSS. STARCLAN IS INSANE. NO WAY!" Ashfur's ears pricked and he stared at me with his dark eyes. His eyes were amused. And StarClan, THAT DID NOT MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER ABOUT MYSELF, OR THE MOUSE-BRAINED, ABSURD PROPHECY. So I stomped next to him as if he were a ShadowClan intruder, stuck my nose right in front of his, and yelped.

"YUCK! YUCK! YUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKK!" I screeched again and again. Then I turned around. Ashfur still seemed amused; I could feel his curious gaze prickling across my fur. I sighed in agony, suddenly feeling insane. Like one of those elders Mousefur told stories about. I was not one of those elders, who screamed and yelled for food and didn't exactly respect the warrior code, but I guess elders pass for that. Ashfur approached me, blinking, and I turned around to have my back facing him. My haunches were taut from embarrassment.

I actually appreciated Ashfur for shrugging after I turned away self-consciously. I didn't appreciate him asking "Why did you scream" though. I just huffed and replied, "Nothing. I just kind of… thought of something weird?" And then, I did not appreciate Ashfur again.

"And what would that be… that made you scream in my face?"

Groaning inwardly, I nipped his ear cheerfully, trying to be friendly. "I don't know. Something just kind of disgusted me, I guess. Hey, let's keep training." Thankfully, that seemingly distracted Ashfur (he obviously had a simple mind.) So we began to fight. I tried to recall the moves Brackenfur taught me, and I attempted to identify my own strengths to benefit that in battling, although I wasn't very confident that I'd be able to beat Tigerstar. But maybe I'd be able to knock down some of the dumber cats, like Darkstripe.

I slipped under Ashfur's soot-colored belly, and locked his hind legs with my paws, kicked at his belly, turned over, and pinned him down, my teeth at his throat. He was such an easy opponent; of course he was taking it easy on me. I didn't exactly like that. Scowling, I pounced off his twisting, struggling back and snarled at him. "Don't take it easy on me. Tigerstar wouldn't go easy on me!" My fur bristled as I said that. He didn't have to treat me like a helpless kit!

Suddenly a memory flashed through my head. Stalking Ashfur like prey, creeping up on him, his feeble attempts of fighting back, effortless blows aimed at him, the killing bite. Blood on my paws, I trembled, dipped my paws into water quickly, grooming my fur and licking off the blood, quivered, and pushed his lifeless body into the lake. I felt the urge to challenge him with that memory. "Remember," I smirked (feeling slightly guilty). "That I killed you. So I'm not some deaf newborn kit who you can only fake-wrestle with." Okay, I guess I went too far.

Rage flickered in Ashfur's eyes. Never in the Dark Forest had he been so furious with me before. Except for when we first encountered each other. But then he got all cheesy and stuff, which was icky. But I took my chance because I wanted to survive… and now I think I just blew it. Oh, thinking of those things just sent another shiver across my spine. Yuck.

However, I regained consciousness in my current situation. Ashfur's fur bristled like the waves rippling in the lake, but fiercer. I sniffed in apology. "Uh… Sorry." Fox dung. I rolled my eyes as I felt Ashfur's sharp blue gaze rake upon my face. I guess he didn't really enjoy remembering being killed. Right. Who would? Guilt stabbed me and I could've sworn that my ears turn red.

"S-sorry!" I stuttered, my jade-colored gaze darting from the dead grass to him. He sighed.

"Whatever. I won't take it easy on you then!" he tried to sound playful. He failed, but I was glad he sought for melting off the awkward moment. We continued to train and before I knew it he was at my throat. Then he unpinned me from the ground and smiled.

Brushing his pelt against mine, he smirked smugly, his eyes gleaming playfully. "Just got killed." And padded away briskly, leaving me confused and disgusted. Yuck. I groomed my pelt quietly as Ashfur slipped past a few dead oak, flicking his tail swiftly.