Return- Hawkfrost x Ivypool

Chapter Seventeen

Ivystar smacked a shrub with her paw. "What in the name of StarClan am I supposed to do?" She snarled to herself, lashing her tail. "My own deputy is training in the Dark Forest!" The only thing Ivystar knew for sure was that she had to ask Hawkfrost and Oaksong for help. At this point, they were some of the only cats she trusted.

She unsheathed her claws and slashed through a few leaves, finding it somewhat therapeutic to see the little green bits drift to the forest floor. 

"I feel bad for that leaf," a cat commented from behind her, rustling the grass as they padded towards her. 

"I don't," Ivystar grumbled to Oaksong. "It'll probably die once the Dark Forest kills us all anyway."

Oaksong sighed loudly and sat down next to her. "You really can't think that way all the time."

The leader of ThunderClan whirled to face her friend. "I can, because the Clan's in chaos and I have absolutely no clue as to when the Dark Forest is going to attack? What if one of their cats are watching us right now? What if they know all about our training and have been practicing killing us? What if half of the Clan is on their side?"

"That's probable, that's definitely true, and then that means the other half of the Clan will deal with them." Ivystar spun around to see Hawkfrost padding towards her. And next to him...

"Who are you?" Ivystar asked the tortoiseshell cat who was padding alongside Hawkfrost, feeling a twinge of an unidentifiable emotion. "Are you in ThunderClan?"

"I was," replied the she-cat easily, her amber eyes darting to Hawkfrost to watch his reaction. Warm amusement decorated her face as she studied Hawkfrost, who glanced back and forth between the two she-cats.

Hawkfrost finally spluttered, "You can see her?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Ivystar asked as Oaksong meowed, "Who?"

"The cat!" Ivystar waved her paw in the tortoiseshell's direction, confusion rushing through her. What did Oaksong mean, who? 

Oaksong squinted. "What in StarClan are you talking about? There's no one there."

The she-cat smiled gently and flicked her tail. A heartbeat later, Oaksong stiffened. "Where did you come from?" 

"I've always been here," replied the she-cat, licking her paw and moving it up to her ears. "My name is Spottedleaf."

"Spottedleaf!" Ivystar gasped. "That other tom told me to look for you!"

"Other tom?" Hawkfrost and Oaksong asked at the same time.

"I met a tom while I was dreaming, and he said he was a... god? He told me that dark times were coming and that I needed to find his friend, Spottedleaf."

"Well, that's good," Spottedleaf mewed. "That saves some explaining." She took a deep breath, and then began to explain the gods to Ivystar.

When she was done, Ivystar's head was spinning. "You're telling me that once cats fade from StarClan, they go to the gods, where only the greatest can reach them? What about-"

"Firestar? He was aided by us, but he never needed to actually discover our existence. Instead, we helped him in the way of dreams. Perhaps one day he will become one of us."

Ivystar nodded. "So, what did I need to know besides that?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was sunhigh by the time Ivystar left the area, her mind still full of new information. She had asked Oaksong and Hawkfrost what to do about Frostfire, and both had given different answers. Oaksong's was mostly confusion, due to her being unaware of the deputy's treachery. Hawkfrost, on the other hand, had given a curt, "Get rid of him," before retiring from the conversation. Ivystar still wasn't sure if he meant it in a non-lethal way.

Come to think of it, she was surprised that she had even considered that he meant to remove Frostfire peacefully. For as long as they had known each other in the Dark Forest, Ivystar had had no doubt that that was what he meant. But now... he wasn't nearly as bloodthirsty. He didn't scare her. He was happier and snarkier and-

"Ivystar!" Jayfeather ran for his leader, cats jolting out of his way with startled snarls. "I need to tell you something!"

"... Go on?" 

"Not here," snapped Jayfeather. "This is secret business. Very secret."

Leafpool reached her son and gave Ivystar an apologetic glance. "Sorry, he's just a little stressed. The Dark Forest and all. The Clan keeps bothering him over every little concern- has he seen anything recently, will they fight, will they die, does he know anything..."

"I know the feeling," Ivystar sighed. "The Clan's going crazy with worry, asking for more battle training and patrolling and practice. Even the apprentices are terrified! We all understand, Jayfeather."

"I'm not a kit," Jayfeather replied. "In fact, I'm older than you." He stomped over to the medicine den, flicking his tail. "Are you coming?"

Leafpool and Ivystar hurried after him, squishing together into the space. Sorrelfern was waiting for them inside the cave.

"WindClan's only medicine cat, Poppyfoot, has been found dead, surrounded by only WindClan scents. The Clan has no idea what happened, and without their medicine cat, they can't ask StarClan. Meadowleaf said RiverClan would train them a new medicine cat."

"It was the Dark Forest, wasn't it?" Ivystar whispered. Jayfeather nodded gravely.

Ivystar stood suddenly. "I'm telling the other leaders," she meowed, determined. "They need to know this now. We can't keep it from the other Clans much longer."

"They might not be so happy that you held the information from this long," Leafpool cautioned, her eyes flashing. "You know how Flintstar is- young and hostile."

"It's not about Flintstar being pleased at this point," Ivystar replied, her tailing hitting the wall of the cave. She rose to her paws. "They all have to know so they can start training their warriors."

Her three medicine cats nodded in agreement. "We can go to WindClan soon and ask them if they're willing to meet." Leafpool responded. "I'm sure they want answers."

As the four cats split up, a white she-cat darted away from the medicine den, her eyes wide. She bolted towards the deputy, who stopped what he was doing the minute he saw her.

"Frostfire," she panted as they touched noses, "There's something you need to know about."

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! And I unpublished the other story because... well, it's horrible.