It took them a while to clamber down the rocks and escape past the river, but Runningmouse's calm head and knowledge of the caves made it possible. Once they were out of danger, their nerves and anxiety turned into giddy excitement.
"Ivy, we did it!" Runningmouse's flank pressed against hers in the dark.
She grinned back at him, her heart thumping at his closeness. "I can't believe it."
They broke into the moonlight together, and Ivyshadow was finally able to see his face. He was soaking wet, slime, blood and moss sticking to his fur, and he smelled of rotting fish. He was the most handsome cat Ivyshadow had ever laid eyes on.
"You were amazing down there, Ivy. You saved my life." his eyes reflected the stars, staring at her with wonder.
Ivyshadow felt her ears turn pink, but didn't look away. "We better go back. Acornstar will be angry."
Runningmouse smiled, "Yeah, we better." He took a step closer to her, causing her heart to do gymnastics in her chest.
"Or we could stay out here, for a while," she whispered.
"We could." He whispered back, pressing his cheek to hers.
"Ivyshadow!"
The two cats jerked apart, Ivyshadow whirling to face the call.
Birtchtail and Snowfall ran out of the trees, panting. Snowfall reached her first, covering her in worried licks. "Ivyshadow, are you okay?"
Birchtail slid to a halt a couple taillengths away, narrowing his eyes at Runningmouse. "Where were you? Why are you soaking wet?"
"We brought back the river!" Ivysjadow said breathlessly, "Snowfall, I'm fine!"
Snowfall backed off reluctantly, looking worried, "what river?"
"Why would Ivyshadow risk her life to help a clan she had no connection to?" Birchtail asked, his eyes still on Runningmouse.
"We went together, to save cats from dying." Runningmouse replied evenly.
"Or you convinced her to go, to save your own clan." Birchtail hissed.
Runningmouse blinked in surprise, then his eyes narrowed. "Tall Trees is my clan."
"And yet you left your post at Tall Trees to try to save Falling Rock." Birchtail pointed out.
"We didn't try to save them, we did!" Ivyshadow said, stepping in between the two toms, "I made my own decision to go."
It was as if she was invisible. "You left an apprentice and a bumbling idiot in charge of the camp," Birchtail hissed.
"I did it to protect us and to end any more bloodshed." Runningmouse hissed back, stepping around Ivyshadow.
"Am I the only one that has no idea what's going on?" Snowfall asked, glancing from Ivyshadow to Runningmouse to Birchtail in confusion.
"You did it to save your Clan, using our warriors as expendable props," Birchtail snarled, "look at Ivyshadow! Her shoulder is wounded, and Daypaw was forced to stay up all night waiting for you."
"My clan is Tall Trees," Runningmouse's usually calm voice began to rise, "how many times do I have to prove my loyalty?"
Birchtail's claws slid out, and he took a step closer. "Prove your loyalty? When have you ever done that?"
Ivyshadow stepped in front of them again, wincing at the pain on her shoulder. She'd almost forgotten about the cut, Birchtail's words reminding her. "Stop being idiots! Runningmouse and I are both wounded, we need to go back to camp."
Birtchtail hissed in annoyance, but finally backed down. "Fine." He gave Runningmouse one last glare before turning to Ivyshadow, "I told Acornstar you were on a walk. She doesn't know anything about this."
Ivyshadow gave a surprised nod of gratitude, but Runningmouse ignored the sediment.
The four cats managed to sneak back into camp, where Ivyshadow collapsed into her nest. Snowfall, who normally shared a nest with Winterthorn, joined her, curling around Ivyshadow like a mother with her wounded kit. "Toms are dumb. Don't worry about it," the pretty white she-cat whispered, "I don't know what you did, but I'm sure it was really brave."
Ivyshadow couldn't help but smile. She was lucky to have at least one friendly she-cat in her life, "Thanks, Snowfall. I love you."
"I love you too. Go to sleep." her sister meowed.
○○○
The results from what Ivyshadow and Runningmouse had done were subtle, but immediate. The Falling Rock border was suddenly scented again, and their Medicine Cat once again accompanied Birchtail to the moon pool. It would be a slow recovery from the deaths and starvation, but a recovery it would be.
Over that week, to Ivyshadow's dismay, her and Birchatil grew further and further apart. The only cat Birchtail seemed to talk to these days was Winterthorn; he spent the rest of the days holed up in his den. Although she felt guilty about it for Birchtail's sake, Ivyshadow began to hang out with Runningmouse more than any other cat. They went hunting together, patrolled together, and shared prey. He would smile at her when she told him the most mundane of stories, and their pelts would brush on their long walks, causing her heart to skip a beat.
"Ivyshadow!" Snowfall's familiar meow jerked Ivyshadow from her thoughts.
"Oh, hey Snowfall! What's up?"
Snowfall was brimming with excitement, her tail tip shaking, "guess what??"
"What?" Ivyshadow asked, curious now.
"Well, I'm not completely sure... Riverflower and Larktail said... but still..." Snowfall trailed off, her excitement being replaced by nerves.
"Rising Star Snow, just tell me!" Ivyshadow leaned closer to her sister.
"Ivyshadow, I'm... i'm pregnant!" Snowfall's big blue eyes waited for Ivyshadow's reaction, nerves, excitement and fear swimming in her gaze.
"Pregnant? Snowfall, that's great!" Ivyshadow leaned forward, a glint in her eye, "finally seduced Reedstar, did you?"
Snowfall rolled her eyes, "keep your voice down, Winterthorn still doesn't know... I'm going to tell him tonight." the she-cat's eyes landed on her mate.
He was talking to Birchtail on the other side, for once he seemed to be cheering up Birchtail instead of the other way around.
"That's amazing! Congratulations!"
Snowfall allowed the joy to seep back in her eyes, and she grinned, "I know, right. I just hope they take after me - we don't need another Winterthorn."
Ivyshadow laughed, "True that."
Despite her sister's words, Snowfall turned to stare at her mate again, nothing but affection in her eyes. Then Snowfall's ears perked, glaring back at Ivyshadow, "Now that we're on the subject... when will we have little Runningmouse's wandering the camp?"
Ivyshadow's ears turned scarlet, "Snowfall! We aren't- I-"
"You aren't what?" Runningmouse's meow was suddenly behind her.
Ivyshadow whirled around, promptly tripping over her own paws. Runningmouse ducked down, catching her with his flank. He grinned, his nose inches from hers, "careful."
Ivyshadow scrambled to her paws, blushing furiously while Snowfall burst into laughter.
"I call every cat of Tall Trees to gather for a clan meeting!"
Ivyshadow turned towards her leader's meow, thankful for the distraction. She and Runningmouse padded over to the now crowd of cats, Runningmouse sitting just close enough to her that their pelts brushed.
"Forestkit, step forward."
Ah, Larktail's kits. Ivyshadow watched the small tom step up confidently to the stump, his mother watching him proudly. I wonder who his mentor will be. Ivyshadow scanned the cats around her. Winterthorn would be a good choice. Oakwhisker hadn't had an apprentice in a while, nor had Blackstripe.
"Forestkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Forestpaw. Your mentor will be Ivyshadow. I hope Ivyshadow will pass down all she knows on to you."
Ivyshadow blinked. Had she heard Acornstar right? But she was barely a warrior! Runningmouse nudged her shoulder, and Ivyshadow jolted forward.
"Ivyshadow, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Blackstripe, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and determined. You will be the mentor of Forestpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Forestpaw."
Ivyshadow leaned down automatically to touch Forestpaw's nose with her own, still unable to process it. She was a mentor? Forestpaw stared up at her, respect and awe in his pale blue eyes. She stepped back, her apprentice standing beside her.
"Goldkit, step forward."
The little golden furred she-cat stepped up, looking far less confident than her brother. The one Nightkit had died to save.
"Goldkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Goldpaw. Your mentor will be Violetfang. I hope Violetfang will pass down all she knows on to you."
Ivyshadow felt her blood run cold. Just like that, Violetfang was a step closer to reaching her goal. Violetfang didn't even try to fake humility. She stalked up to the stump with confidence.
"Violetfang, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received training from myself, and you have shown yourself to be ambitious and strong on the battlefield. You will be the mentor of Goldpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Goldpaw."
Ivyshadow felt a shiver of foreboding as the two she-cats touched noses. What did Violetfang have in store for this young, beautiful cat?
"Forestpaw, Goldpaw! Forestpaw, Goldpaw! Forestpaw, Goldpaw!"
Ivyshadow turned to look down at her apprentice. He was puffed up with pride and wonder, his eyes scanning his clan. Ivyshadow couldn't help but smile. Then Forestpaw turned to her, looking excited and expectant. Right. I have to train him. Ivyshadow's mind spun. What has Blackstripe done on her first day? "Do you want to go explore the territory?"
Forestpaw nodded, grinned, "Yeah! Can we go see the Falling Rock border?"
Ivyshadow wasn't sure why he would want to go see such a desolate, sad place, but nodded. "That sounds perfect, we can head there first."
As they left the camp, Ivyshadow sent a pleading, anxious look to Runningmouse. Runningmouse grinned, his eyes seeming to assure her that she would do great. Ivyshadow took a second to study Forestpaw. He was the spitting image of his father, Branchfall; both toms had pale blue eyes and dappled brown fur.
"So," Ivyshadow began, feeling deja vu from when Blackstripe had said the same thing to her, "Do you know the Warrior Code?"
This is Forestpaw, Ivyshadow's apprentice. He is the son to Larktail and Branchfall, and is the brother to Goldpaw.
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