[a realistic full-body design of Ashfur walking in profile]

Why Ashfur Should Have Gone to the Dark Forest by Cheetahpaw

Cheetahpaw gives their opinion on the series old debate.

Artwork by Lithestep

Hi! This is Cheetahpaw, giving you an article for why Ashfur should have gone to the Dark Forest *SPOILER ALERT FOR POWER OF THREE, OMEN OF THE STARS, AND MAPLESHADE’S VENGEANCE*. This is my second article, so I’m kind of new at this. Hope you like it!
So if you’ve read Omen of the Stars, you probably noticed that Jayfeather saw Ashfur in StarClan. Jayfeather was very confused by this considering that ASHFUR TRIED TO KILL HIM! Anyway, Yellowfang tells Jayfeather that all Ashfur did wrong was love too much…. I have some problems with this.
So the basics on his rampage was this: he always loved Squirrelflight, but Brambleclaw became her mate instead. He loved her so much that he decides to let her kits die in a fire by blocking their path out. Squirrelflight stops him by telling him she doesn’t care because they aren’t her kits. Ashfur decides to attempt to ruin her life further by telling her secret in front of every cat at the Gathering. Luckily, he is stopped when Hollyleaf kills him.
Now usually, when a cat attempts murder on multiple cats, they go to the Dark Forest. I get that Ashfur was blinded by love, but wasn’t that also true for Mapleshade? Mapleshade fell in love with a RiverClan warrior, had his kits, and was banished from ThunderClan. Mapleshade tried to go to RiverClan with her kits, but they died in the river and, to top it all off, RiverClan wouldn’t let her live there.
Mapleshade was driven by revenge, of course, when she killed the cats that she killed. But didn’t it all start because of love? If it hadn’t been for love, Mapleshade might have been a good cat. So why didn’t Mapleshade go to StarClan?
Simple: Mapleshade actually killed cats, but Ashfur didn’t. When Jayfeather asks why Ashfur isn’t in the Dark Forest, Yellowfang replies that he didn’t kill anyone. Jayfeather says that he would have, with Yellowfang snapping back that he didn’t.
I have a few problems with this. Ashfur would have definetly killed Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather if Squirrelflight hadn’t stopped him by giving him other life-ruining information. Ashfur, instead, decides to ruin Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather’s lives all at once instead. He thought that ruining five cats’ lives during their life-time is better than only ruining Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw’s and ending the other three’s. This definitely is Dark Forest worthy to me.
Another thing: if Ashfur had killed Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather, the Power of Three prophecy never would have happened. He could have doomed the whole forest without even realizing it. The Dark Forest cats could have taken over all because of Ashfur. Yes, I know he wouldn’t have known, but the damage he could have caused would have been catastrophic.
Feel free to comment down below your opinions on this! If there are any flaws in my article, please point them out, because I like constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!

https://img00.deviantart.net/3883/i/2013/103/d/1/ashfur_fire_scene_by_kataya_wolf-d61m3og.png

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68 comments

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  • NOOOOO you’re WROOONNNGGGG!! Ashfur is BAE and he was A GOOD CAT! SQUIRRELFLIGHT is the EVIL one, she MADE him evil!! I will go to StarClan and drive out ALL CATS who don’t like ASHFUR! That even includes cats who never KNEW Ashfur! AND SQUIRRELFLIGHT AND HOLLYLEAF OH SQUIRRELFLIGHT AND HOLLYLEAF THEY WILL SUFFER THE MOST! I respect others’ opinions, but ASHFUR IS BAE!!!!1111!!!!1!!!!1!!!!! He DESERVED Squirrelflight! WHY WOULD sHE NOT LOVE HIM??????

    (lol this comment is a joke, so’s the fake name -HollyleafTheGreat [who sometimes puts “Who killed ashfur on the end]/Mothtail)

  • i agree because ashfur even tried to kill firestar. he helped hawkfrost lure him into the fox trap. he wanted squirrelflight to suffer and kill her fatehr

  • Ok. Ashfur I think should have either been reincarnated like Cinderpelt or survived Hollyleaf’s wrath for a second chance. Why? Let’s start with the basics.

    Ashfur fell in love with Squirrelflight, they were mates for a teeny amount of time, Brambleclaw came in and stole Squilf’s heart and then they were mates. Ashfur was aNgRy.

    This is where I feel bad for Ashfur, since he was alone without a mate for MOONS and then Squilf just shows up in camp with three kits, it must be really painful to see someone you love have children wihtout you. But Ashfur took the wrong route…

    So here comes the scene the whole “Power Of Three” arc has been leading up to. Lightning makes a forest fire and every cat flees from the camp. Squilf brings Lion, Holly, and Jay out into the forest to escape the fire. A branch falls and all four of them are trapped in a flaming circle. Ash comes to save the day… not. He blocks the exit and tells Squilf all his life troubles while she and Bramble were mates, and then when they had kits. He wanted Squilf to suffer as he did, and tells her his participation in Firestar getting caught in a fox trap.

    Ok, Ash was a jerk to Firestar.

    Squilf reveals that Leafpool is the real mother of Jay, Lion, and Holly. So Ash let’s them leave, but he is going to reveal the secret at the Gathering!

    Holly thinks of murder.

    On the way to the Gathering, the cats find Ash’s dead body near the water.

    If Ash had gotten a reincarnation, it could have messed with all those reincarnations already there, including Jay’sWing, Lion’sRoar, Dove’sWing, and Cinderpelt. But if Ash had not died, I think that would have made the story way more interesting. If Ash had been hiding but came back before Holly did, then she realizes he’s still alive? Like, tension bro. And it wouldn’t contradict “You kill, you go to the Dank Faucet.”

    Thanks for reading :))

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