This is a FunClan challenge about forbidden love. I know that Ivypool/paw and Crookedstar weren't in the same time period, and Crookstar/jaw wasn't a medicine cat, but that's the pair I got!

So...enjoy!

"Crookedjaw!" The brown tabby tom looked up from sorting his herbs and saw Shimmerpelt limping towards him. Crookedjaw twitched his ears, wondering what she would need.

"Is everything alright?" Crookedjaw asked as Shimmerpelt lay down, huffing.

"Yes, but there's a stupid thorn in my paw pad. I didn't even get to catch that vole." Shimmerpelt sighed.

Crookedjaw examined her paw. "It looks okay. There's no swelling, but I'm going to have to pull it out." He grasped the end of the thorn in between his teeth and tugged. Shimmerpelt flinched in pain.

"You're going to have to stay off that paw for a while. There aren't any signs of infection, but keep it clean. I don't want to take chances." Crookedjaw meowed, spitting the thorn out and burying it.

"Okay!" Shimmerpelt meowed, getting up carefully. "Oh Great StarClan! I'll have to go to the Gathering looking like this." She shook her head and sighed. "Thanks, Crookedjaw." She left the den.

Crookedjaw mentally kicked himself. How could he have forgotten that the Gathering was tonight? He went back to his herbs and made sure that the thorns over the entrance were secure (no kits sneaking in that night), and went to go eat something.

Crookedjaw followed the rest of RiverClan to FourTrees. As they neared the place, he saw that ShadowClan and WindClan were already gathered. RiverClan took their spots and waited for the Gathering to begin.

Cedarstar was getting impatient. "What's taking those ThunderClan cats so long?" He hissed, green eyes glowing. "Relax, Cedarstar, I'm sure something's holding Pinestar up." Heatherstar meowed, flicking her tail. Crookedjaw silently agreed with Cedarstar. The faster the Gathering was over, the more time he had to get back to camp and check on his den.

A yowl silenced all of the muttering of cats in the clearing. Heads turned to see the cat.

Pinestar emerged, the rest of his clan following. He waved his tail at the gathered cats. "Sorry about the hold-up! We had a bit of trouble leaving the camp."

Cedarstar lashed his tail. "Enough chit-chat, let's get this Gathering started." Pinestar dipped his head and leapt onto the Great Rock. ThunderClan spread out, trying to find places to sit.

Someone bumped into Crookedjaw. He nearly fell onto his face. "Hey, watch it." he muttered.

"Sorry." someone mumbled form behind him. "There's nowhere to sit."

Crookedjaw turned and saw a she-cat. She only looked to be about a few moons old. But something about her made Crookedjaw's chest hurt.

"It's okay. What's your name?" he asked, trying to be friendly.

"Ivypaw." The apprentice mumbled. Her silver and white fur glinted in the moonlight.

A cat nudged Crookedjaw. "Hey, quiet down! I can't hear anything the leaders are saying."

"Sorry." Crookedjaw mumbled, and turned to face the leaders.

After Pinestar, the last leader to share, was finished, the cats listening below broke immediately into chatter. Crookedjaw looked behind himself, thinking to chat with Ivypaw some more, but she wasn't there. He sighed.

"Crookedjaw! Let's go!" Hailstar was beckoning him over. With a last glance at the direction of the ThunderClan cats, Crookedjaw left with the RiverClan cats.

"Crookedjaw, are you alright?"

Crookedjaw blinked and snapped back to reality. He'd been picturing himself...about to meet someone...

"Oh...I'm fine." he shook his head and dropped the yarrow he was holding to get some horsetail.

Shimmerpelt, whose paw had gotten infected, looked at him with concern. "Are you sure? You seem really distracted lately."

"No...I'm not distracted..." Crookedjaw mumbled, chewing up the herbs. "Why? Do I seem so?"

"Yes, yes you do." Shimmerpelt looked at him skeptically as he applied the herbs. "You know, if something's wrong, it's best to tell another cat."

Crookedjaw was glad when Shimmerpelt left. He took some time to lay down and rest - after a day of collecting, storing, and sorting herbs for leaf-bare, he was ready to crash.

At the next Gathering, Crookedjaw spotted Ivypaw right away. There was something about her to him that made him see her only, out of all the cats at FourTrees.

He purposely moved over to the edge of the ThunderClan cats (they gave him weird looks, but he was allowed to sit near them). Ivypaw was looking excited, looking up at the leaders.

"Hi, Ivypaw!" Crookedjaw meowed quietly.

Ivypaw started. But she recognized his voice. "Hi."

"I didn't get to introduce myself properly last time...I'm Crookedjaw, the medicine cat of RiverClan." Crookedjaw meowed. At least Ivypaw should know his name.

"Nice to meet you, Crookedjaw." Ivypaw turned around, and Crookedjaw caught the same look of surprise in her dark blue eyes as she turned to look at his face clearly.

"I know you're wondering what happened to my jaw," Crookedjaw licked a paw, his tongue in an awkward position because of his jaw. "I fell onto a stepping stone."

Ivypaw's eyes widened. "Wow...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," she added hastily.

Crookedjaw purred. "That's okay. I'm used to all of the staring."

Ivypaw still looked guilty, so Crookedjaw asked her some questions about herself. "What's going on in your life? Any battles?"

Ivypaw's eyes lit up at once. "Pinestar made me a warrior because I fought in the front lines of a battle with ShadowClan! I'm Ivypool now!"

"Congratulations, Ivypool!" Crookedstar purred happily for his new friend.

"...have a new warrior. Ivypaw has now become Ivypool!" Pinestar announced. All of the clans except for ShadowClan cheered for Ivypool. The new warrior looked extremely embarrassed and prideful.

Pinestar dipped his head slightly and leapt off of the Great Rock. The other leaders followed, all yowling for their clans to leave.

"So, meet here, at FourTrees, tomorrow night at moonhigh!" Crookedjaw whispered to Ivypool hurriedly, before heading off to the RiverClan patrol.

Crookedjaw sat, gazing at the moon. He was hiding in some bushes, just in case a cat decided to come to FourTrees.

There was a rustling noise behind him, and Crookedjaw tensed, unsheathing his claws in case of some kind of danger. He had been a warrior apprentice once, before
he had his jaw injury.

But it was Ivypool's silver and white head that poked through the bushes. "Hi," she squeaked.

Crookedjaw's fur flattened. "Oh, hi, Ivypool. I thought you weren't going to come."

She shuffled her paws. "Well...there was a holdup at the dirt-place tunnel."

Crookedjaw let out a mrrow of laughter. "That's alright. Come on, I'll show you something cool!"

Ivypool and Crookedjaw continued to meet for many moons. Ivypool lost her nervousness around Crookedjaw. They would have races, play their own little games, and sometimes take a nap together.

It was a night before the next Gathering, when Crookedjaw was listening to Ivypool chatter about her family.

"And there's my great, great anscetor. He was a really strong warrior. I heard that he was the best! And - and also, on my mother's side-" She was cut off as Crookedjaw nuzzled her affectionately. "You told me about her already," He purred.

As Ivypool fumbled for words to apologize, Crookedjaw looked at her and realized what the feeling in his chest was.

"Ivypool." The silver and white she-cat looked up at him.

"I love you." Crookedjaw saw the shocked expression on her face as he touched noses with her.

And then she smiled. "I guess I love you, too, Crookedjaw."

"I don't care if this goes against the warrior code. I love you too much, Ivypool. From the first time I saw you...I felt a spark light up inside me. I was so happy everyday to just see you." Crookedjaw let the words spill out about his feelings.

The she-cat leaned closer on him. "I don't care about your crooked jaw," she meowed, sounding muffled as she was speaking into his fur.

Crookedjaw laughed. "That tickles." Ivypool let out a mrrow and tackled Crookedjaw gently.

"You're no match for the super amazing Crookedjaw!" Crookedjaw joked. He easily overpowered her.

The play match ended with Ivypool as the winner. They were both huffing and puffing as they prepared to leave for their clans - the sun was rising.

"My skills are getting dull," Crookedjaw grumbled. Ivypool had laughed and meowed, "You're great for a medicine cat."

But just before they left, Crookedjaw called out, "Ivypool?"

The she-cat turned and tilted her head questioningly.

"I love you!" Crookedjaw called, since they were still padding away from each other.

"I will forever!" came Ivypool's faint reply.

Crookedjaw smiled and sprinted back to the RiverClan border in the light of the rising sun.

Short, I know, but I tried to make it a one-shot.