Ivypool's Lament

|Chapter X|

|Oh my gosh, thank you sooo much for 101 reads! I didn't think my story would get noticed, but to my suprise, it has! Thank you all so much, especially for those who are supporting me. I love you all, read on!|

Ivypool felt the tension in the air. She had recognized the new arrival as Bluestar. The old ThunderClan leader's fur was bristling, the tip of her tail twitching. Thistleclaw bared his teeth and unsheathed his claws. Snowfur was looking at her sister with pleading eyes.

"I banished him to the Dark Forest! He shouldn't be here!" Bluestar hissed.

"You think he shouldn't be here!" Snowfur shot back. "I never wanted him gone!"

Ivypool stepped in between the two sisters.

"Why fight? Thistleclaw just wanted to be with Snowfur again," she reasoned.

"He shouldn't be here!" Bluestar argued.

"Well, if you want him gone then you'll have to argue with him," Ivypool pointed at MS with her tail.

Bluestar turned to MS, her tail held high. She sheathed her claws, and regained her composure.

"Why did you bring Thistleclaw here?" The She-Cat asked.

"He wanted to come back for a good reason, so I brought him here," MS told her, his gaze steady. They had turned back to their normal, soulless selves.

Bluestar looked like she was going to snap again, but caught herself. Ivypool figured that she didn't want to fight with someone of MS' power.

"I suppose I can't argue with you," Bluestar replied some-what calmly. "Very well, welcome to StarClan, Thistleclaw."

Thistleclaw and Snowfur looked at each other, their eyes full of joy. They ran off into the forest. Bluestar slowly followed, casting one final glance at MS.

"I think it's about time we get back," MS meowed.

They teleported back to the Dark Forest, where every cat was making slow progress with their Dark Forest Warrior. A thought struck Ivypool.

"Who am I supposed to be paired with now?" Ivypool asked.

MS looked at her for a second, before his eyes turned electric purple again. A white tom with blue eyes appeared next to him. He looked around, confused. Ivypool looked at him, and noticed the scar running from his ear all the way down his belly. Snowtuft.

Snowtuft looked at Ivypool briefly before turning to MS. He shrunk down, fear in his eyes.

"Since Thistleclaw is in StarClan now, you will be working with Snowtuft," MS told Ivypool. "Snowtuft, Ivypool is going to be doing some trust exercises with you."

Snowtuft shakily dipped his head, then MS disapeared into a nearby tree. Ivypool looked at the nervous tom, and dipped her head.

"We'll start whenever you're ready," she meowed softly.

Snowtuft just looked at her. Everything he'd been through must've shaken him up, especially the arrival of MS. She looked around at the other cats. Beetlewhisker was having trouble with Mapleshade, and Breezepelt was in an argument with Darkstripe. Tigerheart and Clawface seemed to be doing fine, though. She looked back at Snowtuft, who seemed to have calmed down.

"So... Why are we doing this anyway?" Snowtuft asked.

"We're doing trust exercises with Dark Forest Warriors so that we can build enough trust to let them live with the Clans again," Ivypool explained.

Snowtuft's eyes lit up. "Let's start!"

Ivypool quietly laughed at Snowtuft's enthusiasm. She closed her eyes.

"I'm going to walk, and you have to tell me when to turn or stop so I don't run into anything," Ivypool meowed.

Snowtuft answered with a grunt, and Ivypool started walking.

"Left," Snowtuft's mew sounded in her ears. "Another left, then a right."

They took turns guiding each other, but eventually were stopped by MS. Their leader jumped down from the tree he was in.

"Everyone report to me how much you trust your Dark Forest friends."

Beetlewhisker went first, saying how uncoorperative Mapleshade was. Breezepelt went second, saying how Darkstripe disagreed with everything he said. Tigerheart went third, saying how Clawface was doing just fine, but needed one more night. Ivypool went last.

"Snowtuft is doing well, and he seems to have a lot of determination to get to the Clans," Ivypool praised the Dark Forest cat. "He'll probably be ready to leave by the next night."

MS nodded and flicked his tail, dismissing them. Ivypool closed her eyes and woke up, the sun beaming through the woven den. She opened her eyes only to see the sun high in the sky. How much had she slept? She got to her paws, but was stopped from leaving by a tom cat. She was about to brush him off, but quickly stopped herself.

"Ivypool," MS dipped his head.

"What are you doing here?" Ivypool asked, confused.

"You need rest, come with me."

Ivypool opened her mouth to protest, but was stopped by a sudden flash. She looked around, seeing leaves around her. It was like a dome made of leaves, and the floor was soft, also made of leaves.

"Welcome to my nest at the Gathering Island."