Okay, so about a week ago, a crazy idea popped into my head. What if I paired Ivypool and Tigerheart together? I got the idea after I finished The Last Hope. If you have not read it, and you don't want me to spoil for you, please read no further! But if you do want me to spoil it for you, read on...

ThunderClan

Leader: Bramblestar – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Squirrelflight – dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Medicine Cats:

Jayfeather – gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Leafpool – pale brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes and white muzzle, chest, underbelly and paws

Warriors:

Graystripe – long-haired gray tom with single dark gray stripe down back

Dustpelt – dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Brackenfur – golden tabby tom

Cloudtail – long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Millie – gray tabby she-cat with black stripes

Thornclaw – golden tabby tom

Spiderleg – long-legged black tom with brown underbelly and graying muzzle

Birchfall – light brown tom

Whitewing – white she-cat

Berrynose – cream-furred tom with a stumpy tail

Hazeltail – gray and white she-cat

Mousewhisker – gray and white tom

Cinderheart – dark gray she-cat with blue eyes

Poppyfrost – tortoiseshell she-cat

Lionblaze – golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Icecloud – white she-cat

Foxleap – reddish tabby tom
Apprentice: Cherrypaw

Toadstep – black and white tom

Rosepetal – dark cream she-cat
Apprentice: Molepaw

Blossomfall – tortoiseshell she-cat with blossom-shaped white markings

Bumblestripe – gray tabby tom with black stripes

Briarlight – dark brown she-cat

Dovewing – gray she-cat with green eyes

Ivypool – gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices:

Molepaw – brown and cream tom

Cherrypaw – ginger she-cat

Queens:

Sorreltail- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes; mother of Brackenfur's kits: Lilykit – dark tabby she-cat with white patches, and Seedkit – pale ginger she-cat

Daisy – long-haired cream-furred she-cat

Brightheart – ginger and white she-cat with green eyes; mother of Cloudtail's kits: Amberkit - gray and white she-cat with amber eyes, Snowkit - white tom with amber eyes, and Dewkit - gray tom with amber eyes

Elders:

Purdy – plump tabby tom with gray muzzle

ShadowClan

Leader: Blackstar – bulky white tom with black paws

Deputy: Rowanclaw – ginger tabby tom

Medicine Cat: Littlecloud – very small tabby tom
Apprentice: Starlingwing

Warriors:

Oakfur – small brown tom

Smokefoot – black tom

Toadfoot – dark brown tom

Applefur – mottled brown tom

Crowfrost – black and white tom

Ratscar – brown tom with long scar across his back

Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Olivenose – tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw – light brown tabby tom

Shrewfoot – gray she-cat with black feet

Tigerheart – dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Ferretclaw - cream and black tom

Apprentices:

Starlingwing – ginger tom

Queens:

Kinkfur – tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ivytail – black and white she-cat

Pinenose - black she-cat; mother of Ferretclaw kits: Swankit - cream she-cat; Dark-kit - cream and black tom

Dawnpelt – cream-furred she-cat; carrying Toadfoot's kits

Elders:

Cedarheart – dark gray tom

Tallpoppy – long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

Snaketail – dark brown tom with tabby stripes tail

Whitewater – long-haired white she-cat, blind in one eye

WindClan

Leader: Onestar - brown tabby tom

Deputy: Ashfoot - gray she-cat

Medicine Cat: Kestrelflight - mottled gray tom

Warriors:

Crowfeather - dark gray tom

Owlwhisker - light brown tom

Whitetail - small white she-cat

Nightcloud - black she-cat

Gorsetail - very pale gray tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur - ginger tom with white paws

Harespring - brown and white tom

Leaftail - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Larkpaw

Emberfoot - gray tom with two dark paws

Heathertail - pale brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Breezepelt - black tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Boulderpaw

Sedgewhisker - light brown tabby she-cat

Swallowtail - dark gray she-cat
Apprentice: Crouchpaw

Sunstrike - tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

Whiskernose - light brown tom

Furzepelt - gray and white she-cat

Apprentices:

Boulderpaw - large pale gray tom

Larkpaw - gray she-cat

Crouchpaw - black tom

Elders:

Webfoot - dark gray tabby tom

Tornear - tabby tom

RiverClan

Leader: Mistystar - blue-gray she-cat

Deputy: Reedwhisker - black tom

Medicine Cat: Mothwing - golden tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Apprentice: Willowshine

Warriors:

Graymist - light gray tabby she-cat
Apprentice: Troutpaw

Mintfur - light gray tabby tom

Icewing - white she-cat with blue eyes

Minnowtail - dark gray she-cat
Apprentice: Mossypaw

Pebblefoot - mottled gray tom
Apprentice: Rushpaw

Mallownose - light brown tabby tom

Robinwing - tortoiseshell and white tom

Petalfur - gray and white she-cat

Grasspelt - light brown tom

Hollowflight - dark brown tabby tom

Queens:

Duskfur - brown tabby tom

Mosspelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentices:

Willowshine - gray tabby she-cat

Troutpaw - pale gray tabby she-cat

Mossypaw - brown and white she-cat

Rushpaw - light brown tabby tom

Ivypool POV

The dark brown tabby tom glanced at her briefly before his amber eyes flickered from her sight, melting into the deep shadows of the oak forest with his body.

Tigerheart...

The name felt warm in her mind, like a body pressed against her on a green-leaf night. The name carried a scent, describing his personality, his clan, his purpose.

"Tigerheart..."

The name felt strange and mystical on her tongue, intriguing a part of her that hadn't been awakened until that moment. It made her insides writhe with delight.

Tigerheart... "Tigerheart..."

She repeated it slowly, drinking in its meaning, the meaning of her voice speaking it, the meaning of him looking at her, talking to her, and being with her.

Which was what he could not do.

Be with me, she thought, letting out an exhausted breath. I can't even believe I've let myself think about that! Dovewing padded over to her, a smile plastered onto her face, creating a down-turned arc of sparkling white fangs.

"It's over, Ivypool!" she said in her breathy, high-pitched voice. "The Dark Forest is gone! Brokenstar and Tigerstar are gone! Can you believe it? We've won!" she cried, closing her green eyes as if to savor the words. Ivypool grinned back at her.

"Yeah, after all we've been through, it doesn't seem real." she mewed, looking around at her clanmates. Sandstorm sat hunched over the flame-colored body of Firestar, their great leader who had fallen at the claws of his most dangerous enemy, the Dark Forest cat Tigerstar. Firestar has sunk his teeth into the brown tabby's throat, crushing and puncturing his wind pipe, but not before Tigerstar got a wound on his throat. The greatest warriors in the history of the clans at both fallen in a single moment.

"Oh, but the clan is still torn apart. Firestar's death has made the idea of ThunderClan without him seem impossible!" Dovewing said, batting her eyes as she gazed sadly at the mourning clan.

"But Bramblestar will make a great leader, too!" Ivypool said, defending the cat who'd been prejudiced with his heritage since birth.

Dovewing blinked again, swallowing. "Yes, of course." she mewed in curt agreement, staring into space. Ivypool cocked her head.

What's on her mind...? she wondered, biting her lip as she thought. "What's the matter, Dovewing?" she inquired curiously. Dovewing shook her head, and smiled again.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about all... this." she said, gesturing around the ThunderClan camp. Ivypool nodded casually, though she still pondered whether her sister was thinking about something more specific. Dovewing gave her sister on last friendly lick, and turned away. Ivypool watched as her littermate padded to Bumblestripe, who greeted her with pleasant mew.

I wish I had something special with someone... she thought, looking around at the toms of the clan.

Graystripe had Millie, Brackenfur had Sorreltail, Cloudtail had Brightheart, Bramblestar had Squirrelflight, Berrynose had Poppyfrost, Birchfall had Whitewing, and Lionblaze had Cinderheart.

The toms without a mate were Dustpelt, Spiderleg, Foxleap, Bumblestripe, Mousewhisker, Purdy, and Toadstep. Ivypool crossed out Purdy and Spiderleg. Purdy was an elder and Spiderleg would soon be joining the elders, because of his weak hips. Dustpelt wouldn't do either. He had just lost Ferncloud and probably wasn't ready to have another mate, and plus he was the oldest tom with the clan other than Purdy.

That left Bumblestripe, Mousewhisker, Foxleap, and Toadstep.

Bumblestripe was an immediate no. He and Dovewing were made for each other, as Ivypool has just seen, and Dovewing was her sister, and having a crush on her sister's future mate definitely had no good outcome. There had been a time when, perhaps she had got a hint that he and she had a relationship of some sort, but whatever the spark was, it had died long ago.

Mousewhisker was just not her type. He was nice, a good hunter and fighter, but not very clever, handsome, or daring. He wasn't a tom that stood out, and made her feel special. Mousewhisker could never be her mate.

Foxleap was an option. He was a brave, responsible, handsome young tom with a dashing spirit. He was a good mentor, and possibly could be a good father. But he was flirty and didn't really have an eye on her, and wasn't really the type of tom that would make a devoted, favoring mate that committed all his time to their love.

Now it narrowed down to Toadstep. Toadstep and Ivypool had had something at one time, but it never really grew into anything more that a good friendship. Perhaps, if she wanted it to, and Toadstep wanted it to as well, they could become more than friends. He was her best option, by far. But there was a shadowy though lurking in the back caverns of her mind, its flashing amber eyes catching her eyes at times.

Tigerheart. When had Ivypool ever liked Tigerheart? She hadn't distinguished him as someone she got along with when Dovewing and Tigerheart had been breaking the warrior code. And he had always hated her for attempting Flametail's second murder to help gain Brokenstar's trust. And now, she was falling for him! Just finding out that he wasn't a traitor, and fighting with him, defending all she had ever believed in at his side, had bonded them in an unexplainable way. But really? One of her worst enemies? He was a ShadowClan cat, for StarClan's sake! And she was ThunderClan. That could not be changed, ever.

But still... she thought. The look in his eyes when he told me he would fight for the clans, forever and always! she thought, and let out a gleeful giggle. She was in love! She was falling for a tom, a ShadowClan tom! The thought made her stomach flop and skin feel hot. She was falling, and falling fast. And she loved the thought.

Bramblestar mounted on Highledge, and though he did not use the traditional summoning, all cats gathered underneath the red ledge of stone.

"Cats of ThunderClan! Though we have won victory over the Dark Forest, we have many hungry kits and wounded cats. Squirrelflight, send out two patrols to hunt, and one patrol to gather cobwebs and any needed herbs for Jayfeather and Leafpool's treatment. We shall mourn our dead tonight!" he bellowed, and Squirrelflight acknowledged her assignment with a quick nod.

She whisked quickly to the front of the crowd, at Bramblestar's foot. "For the first hunting patrol, I'd like Icecloud, Blossomfall, and Graystripe. For the second, Spiderleg, Whitewing, and Berrynose. And for the last patrol... Toadstep, Mousewhisker, and Ivypool." she called, and the nine cats stepped forward, the last being Ivypool.

Toadstep shouldered his way through the gathered cats to perch beside Ivypool and Mousewhisker. "Alright, you two, let's ask Jayfeather what he might need other than cobwebs, and then we can set off. Sound good?" he asked.

Ivypool nodded, trying not to compare Toadstep and Tigerheart. Toadstep was skinnier, with a more lythe build, better for hunting that fighting. His muscles were not as dense, and his step was much lighter, but more careful. He had a careful, smooth stride, a casual, constant smile, and an eager, loyal personality, though the way he spoke betrayed that he thought through every syllable before it came out of his mouth.

Tigerheart and Toadstep were very different, but she felt similar feelings for both. She and Toadstep had much in common, whereas Ivypool and Tigerheart had as much in common as their clans did. Did the reasons she liked them maker one better than the other? Toadstep would be a much better match for her, but her feelings for him were faint. Tigerheart might not even like her in return, but when she thought of him, her heart glowed like an ember.

As she followed the black and white tom and the gray and white tom to the medicine cat den, she thought, I'm falling for Tigerheart, but is this just going to end up breaking my heart? The thorns that walled the den from the outside curled around her like a cage, and she felt a sudden pang of loneliness. I wish I could tell someone about my dilemma, but it's against the warrior code!

Leafpool listed half a dozen types of herbs, where to find them, and how to remove the herb from the place it was hidden in. But Ivypool did not listen to most of it, too consumed in her own thoughts. Sandstorm suddenly brushed past her, and a tear that had recently rolled down her pale ginger cheek moistened Ivypool's flank, turning the white hairs a pale gray as they darkened with liquid. Grief rose afresh in her heart.

Firestar was dead, Hollyleaf was dead, even Ferncloud was dead, the ruler of the nursery! All this happened outside of Ivypool's small troubled world, and all she could think of was herself. She pushed all thoughts not relating to helping her clan to the very back of her mind, and focused on the patrol.

But her mind was clouded with unwanted wonderings and wishes, and she had to fight constantly to keep control of her busy mind.

But your falling for a ShadowClan tom! A part of her cried out. She shook her head, but the fact only overwhelmed more of her mind as she ignored it. Finally, she gave in to it, and accepted the fact. Fine, I am! But I'm still a ThunderClan cat, no matter who captures my heart!

If you liked it, please review and tell me! If you didn't like it, but you know where my problems are and could help me improve, please review and tell me also! Thank you again. ~Sparrowclaw of ThunderClan