This is a challenge for the forum PetalClan! I was supposed to write story about a cat that falls in love while going on a journey for their Clan. After two re-writes, I finally made the decision that it wouldn't be a literal journey, but... mental? Emotional? Spiritual? I don't know. Just not physical. I hope you like it!

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to if you don't want to."

I stared at the ground. "It's not like I could just stop. The Dark Forest appears in my dreams whether I want it to or not." I stared into my sister's worried green eyes. "I'll be okay. They trust me."

She nodded. "Okay. But, Ivypool?" She pressed her muzzle into my shoulder. "Please be careful. I don't want to lose you."

I hugged her back, feeling a little frightened myself, but I couldn't. Not now. ThunderClan was counting on me. That night, I returned to the Dark Forest, preparing myself.

The familiar brown tabby and white tom greeted me, his eyes icy slits. "Took you long enough, apprentice."

I stiffened, then relaxed. Even he couldn't know that I was spying.

"I'll be honest with you, Ivypool." Hawkfrost wove around me, his plumy tail skimming my legs. "I don't know about this plan Brokenstar has. The Clans might just be too strong, especially with StarClan on their side." He turned just enough so I could see his grin. "That's why we need to recruit more cats from the Clans, let them know where their loyalties should lie. What about you?" He stood before me again. "Which side will you fight on?"

I narrowed my own eyes, bristling my fur so I looked fierce. "The Dark Forest. The cats who took advantage of me will regret their choices."

A rare semblance of warmth appeared in Hawkfrost's eyes. "You don't need to be tough around me," he almost murmured. Then he brought himself up again. "We need to train the other apprentices."

"I want to become a warrior of the Dark Forest, Hawkfrost!" I announced. "How can I do that?"

"You?!" an incredulous female voice made its way through the trees and the mist. The faded ginger and dark brown pelt of Mapleshade padded forward. "While you still have the taste of live prey on your tongue, kit, you will never become one of us."

I ground my teeth, in both anger and in attempt to not wretch at the stench coming off of Mapleshade's tongue. A pang of slight fear hit my chest. She hadn't heard what we had said to one another, had she? "There must me some way," I insisted.

Hawkfrost looked thoughtful. He glanced at Mapleshade who was still growling at me. "There might be a way," he mewed. "Either way, if we don't hurry, then we'll be late for Brokenstar's meeting. We need to go."

Mapleshade pulled her head back from staring at me and nodded at the tabby tom. I followed behind Hawkfrost, feeling Mapleshade's glowing amber eyes piercing into my back. When we approached the rock that the Dark Forest leaders sat on to hold the meetings, Hawkfrost made his way up to talk to his father and Brokenstar. Both dark toms moved their amber eyes to where I stood, freezing me to the spot. Brokenstar gave Hawkfrost a nod without looking at him and beckoned at me and Antpelt.

I padded up to the leaders, Antpelt standing beside me. "Yes?" I asked.

Brokenstar narrowed his eyes at us. "Hawkfrost tells me you wish to become a full Dark Forest warrior, Ivypool." It was a statement, not a question. "To do that, you need to prove to us that you are able to fight like one of us. Kill Antpelt, and you will become a Dark Forest warrior, fail to do so," he grinned, showing his sharp and yellowed teeth, "and you won't need to worry about becoming anything, then, will you?"

I calmed my beating heart. Brokenstar couldn't know I was scared. I turned to Antpelt, slipping into an attack crouch, making sure to lean on one side as Hawkfrost had taught me. I saw Antpelt notice I was favouring one side and nearly smirked. He had fallen for it. While my insticnts told me not to kill him for something as unnecessary as position in the Dark Forest, I shut it up. They had to know they could trust me; Antpelt was already dead anyway.

He struck out first as I knew he would, and for the side I was favouring, as I knew he would. I easily dodged his attack, bringing my claws down his flank. Deep, hard. This was a fight to the death, not battle practice in ThunderClan. He snarled in pain and frustration, whirling to face me. Just inside my vision, I could see Hawkfrost stiffening as Antpelt flew at me. He was most-likely afraid for his reputation as my mentor, not wanting me to let him down.

I cried out when Antpelt twisted as he leaped, catching me on the shoulder and ripping. Blood dripped down my leg, but I kept on. I couldn't lose. ThunderClan was counting on me, Dovewing was counting on me! I had to win, for Dovewing. I fought dirty, just as Hawkfrost and Tigerstar had taught me, tripping, slashing, clawing until the tom was finally on the murky ground, his brown fur nearly turned a red-brown colour. With a quick glance at Hawkfrost, I jerked my bloodstained claws down one last time, tearing into Antpelt's throat. He gasped and coughed before his body began to fade until there was nothing there but a patch of red to show he was even there at all.

Brokenstar let out a short grunt. "Perhaps he wasn't as good a warrior as he thought he was. You're a warrior now, Ivypool."

Coming from Brokenstar, that was the closest thing I got to a compliment, but I simply nodded at him. I had done this for ThunderClan and for Dovewing, not for him, nor even myself. Hawkfrost caught my eye, jerking his head for me to follow him. I stepped away from the crowd of 'apprentices', walking after Hawkfrost and sitting down before him when he sat down.

He was frowning, and I wondered what this was all about. "Why did you really want to become a warrior?" he cut straight to the point. "I don't think it's just because you want a better position at meetings."

I searched my mind quickly for an answer. "I wanted you to be proud of me," I responded. "That your training hadn't gone to waste. Now I can train my own apprentices and be out of your fur."

Hawkfrost's eyes lost some of their coldness, and he leaned in a little. "You don't need to become a warrior of the Dark Forest for me to be proud of you," he whispered, so quietly I almost didn't hear him. He blinked, leaning back again. "Your fight lasted longer than we originally thought. You have to go back now." He inclined his head at the deep gash in my shoulder. "You had better get that seen to."

I nodded, laying down. "Thank you, Hawkfrost."

I opened my eyes in the warriors' den with Dovewing licking my shoulder. I winced. "Careful with that!" I hissed.

"Well?" she demanded. "What happened?"

I sat up, grimacing at my wound. "I'm a warrior now. They'll have to trust me for sure."

Dovewing smiled a little. "I'm glad. Now, you had better go to Jayfeather. That cut is nasty!"

I limped my way over to the medicine den, expecting, and getting, the very grumpy Jayfeather complaining about having to heal someone already. I couldn't help but smile at the blind cat and thank him for helping with a twinge of affection towards him.

It reminded me oddly of Hawkfrost. Why was he suddenly being to kind toward me? He had never acted so before. Now he was suddenly telling me to get my wounds seen to, and worrying about me when I went into battle. And what was with me for even thinking back to it in the first place? I needed my thoughts in the here and now, not a place in my dreams.

As the next week went on, I found myself thinking more and more of Hawkfrost. His now kind smile upon seeing me waking up in the Dark Forest, his helpful advice when we were training alone, the touch of his tail, his laugh when he won our mock battles. What was wrong with me? He was dead, and had tried killing Firestar before, as well as Brambleclaw. He was a villain, someone I shouldn't be thinking of all the time.

,,,

I pad around the forest, waiting until she will get here. It always takes far too long, and I find myself thinking of her to pass the time. Her blue eyes, her sharp tone when being teased, her soft laughter when I always beat her in out little attacks. If my father knew what we were doing when we were alone, he wouldn't be very happy, I know that. But training with her is the only joy I can get back.

It makes me remember my past. The fact that I nearly killed my own brother and his leader because I wanted the approval of my father. I regret it. There, now I've finally admitted it to myself. I regret it. I wish I could tell Brambleclaw and Firestar that.

,,,

I now almost looked forward to going to the Dark Forest at night because I could see him after thinking of him all night. I should have known Whitewing would track me down. If I had known, I would have avoided her eyeline.

The white she-cat with green eyes like Dovewing's strode purposely toward me. "Ivypool, we need to talk. I'm taking her hunting, Firestar!"

She didn't even wait for the Clan leader's approval as she stalked out of camp. After a glance at the ginger tom, however, I could see amusement sparkling in his eyes as he watched me and Whitewing leave. We walked to an oak tree where Whitewing plopped down, patting the spot next to her with her tail. I was just wondering what this was all about.

"Now," she began, turning to face me. "Who's the lucky tom?"

I nearly choked on my breath. "What?"

"Don't give me that," Whitewing scolded. "I know that look very well. I'm sure I used it all the time when looking at your father. Who is he? In ThunderClan, I hope."

I stared at the ground, my ears warm. "There is no tom?" I tried.

Whitewing's voice grew tender. "Is he from a different Clan?"

My ears grew even warmer. What would Whitewing say if I told her the truth? I just decided to nod, as it was half of the truth. He did belong in RiverClan before he died.

"I see…" she murmured. "You know the warrior code frowns on that, don't you?"

"Yes… I know…" I whispered. "I don't know what to do…"

"I won't ask his name to keep you both safe." I faced her, seeing a concerned smile on her face. "How long has this been going on?"

"A moon or two… Whitewing, what should I do!"

"Does he know you love him?"

I shook my head. "I don't know if he does…"

"Tell him. I'm sure you love him for a reason, and if I know you, he'll certainly return them."

A smile tugged on the sides of my mouth. "But… what about the slight problem."

"We can figure that out when we come to it," Whitewing assured me. "I'll help you."

Would you help me if you knew who it really was?

"Thanks, Whitewing." I wrapped my neck around hers in a hug.

She hugged me back. "You're welcome. Just please come to me more, Ivypool. I'm here if you need me; for anything," she added.

I nodded again, smiling at her. Now all I had to do was wait for tonight.

When night finally fell, I was probably the first warrior in the den, and asleep in no time. There he was, sitting near as he always was, smiling when I opened my eyes.

"You're here," he mewed softly.

I sat up. "Yeah. We need to talk."

"I know," he murmured. He stared at the ground for a few silent heartbeats before his icy gaze pierced into my darker eyes. "We have a problem, Ivy. I've-I've fallen in love with you…"

"Frosty…" I breathed. I touched my nose to his. "So have I."

He purred for the first time since I'd met him. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know." I turned away, staring at the ground. "But we have to figure out something."

"Maybe… maybe they'd welcome me back!" He told me about his regrets about what he did in life, telling me that he wished he could go back and change what he did.

"Maybe…" I meowed. "I hope so." I smiled at him.

As the next moon and a half went on, we had to be careful with how much time we spent together, and what was said. We were still fighting and training with the Dark Forest cats, and that took up a lot of time. The only snippets we could spend together were when I arrived, and when I leaved, and even those moments were short. I told Whitewing that we both loved each other, but still didn't know what to do about the border separating us. I asked whether Firestar might welcome him into the Clan. Whitewing proposed the idea, that his Clan leader wouldn't like him leaving, and my heart sunk.

Finally, the Great Battle came, and with it came Hawkfrost's confession of him not going to fight with his Dark Forest companions. Maybe StarClan would let him have a second life if he redeemed himself. The battle roared and cats fought and he and I were put in the WindClan division. We gave each other nods as we sped down the banks of the WindClan camp. Once we got there, we turned on the Dark Forest cats, slashing at them instead of the living cats. They were shocked, and called us traitors, but we didn't care, didn't listen, just fought. The Clans had to win. We had to win.

Off to the side, while fighting with a cat named Silverhawk, who was much bigger than me, a familiar cry made my head turn. It was Hollyleaf! She had come to check on how WindClan was faring in the fight and was being cornered by Thistleclaw and Snowtuft. As my head turned, Silverhawk took that moment to bring his paw down. The sound of tearing fur and flesh made me flinch, but it wasn't me that he was cutting into. It was Hawkfrost! He fell, the place where his neck and shoulder met bleeding terribly. But he had managed to get in a killing blow to Silverhawk, and the Dark Forest cat vanished, his spirit finally gone.

"Hawkfrost!" I gasped. "What…!"

"Help… Hollyleaf…" he grunted. "I'll be fine."

I dashed over to help my friend, most-likely saving her life in the instance. She thanked me after we sent Thistleclaw and Snowtuft running, leaping back into the fray. I turned back to the bleeding brown tabby. His breath was getting more ragged now.

"We have to get you back to the ThunderClan camp," I mewed. "Come on. I can't carry you on my own."

Hawkfrost somehow managed to limp all the way to the ThunderClan camp while leaning on my shoulder. As we came into the camp, there were a lot of gasps and growls, thinking I was on the Dark Forest's side.

"Please! Leafpool, Jayfeather, help him! He'll die otherwise!" I begged.

Squirrelflight came forward, blocking her sister from going to help Hawkfrost. "Why should we?" she demanded. "He nearly killed Firestar and Brambleclaw. He's a part of the Dark Forest!"

"Please…" My voice cracked, my eyes searching the crowd until I found my mother and sister. "I love him…"

The gasps sounded again, and Leafpool shoved past her sister. "Medicine cats are supposed to help all cats." She looked Hawkfrost over, sniffing him up and down. She blinked and shook her head. "But there's nothing I can do. He's already lost too much blood."

I looked frantically from the Clan cats, to the gathered StarClan cats, to Hawkfrost's panting body. "Please!" I tried begging again. "Please! Everyone deserves a second chance, don't they?"

"Don't, Ivy," Hawkfrost managed. "You'll only make things worse for yourself. It's against the warrior code to love a cat from a different Clan, not to mention one that already died," he joked. He coughed, spitting blood. "I love you…"

I bent down and touched my nose to his, tears spilling down my face and looked one last time at the StarClan cats around. "Please…"

Spottedleaf stepped forward. "There might be a way…"

…

"Tadpolekit! Don't go too far!" I warned him. "I don't want you to get cold!"

"I'm fine, Mama!" my black, one moon old son said proudly, puffing out his tiny chest.

"Raaaahr!" Frostykit rose up from where she was hiding in the snow, bearing her tiny teeth and showering snow onto her brother. Her white and silver tabby pelt was perfect for hiding in the snow.

I looked down at my other kit. "Don't you want to play with them?"

Spottedkit shook her mottled head, her pretty golden eyes smiling at me. "I'll stay here and keep you company!"

"Is someone lonely over here?" Hawkfrost had placed a rabbit down before me, smiling at his daughter. "I can keep your mother company if you want to go play with them," he offered.

Spottedkit brightened. "Okay! Thanks, Papa!"

Hawkfrost smiled and curled his tail around mine as we watched all three of our kits playing in the snow. "I'm still happy you named her after Spottedleaf."

"I had to thank her somehow," I reminded him. I looked at him. "I love you, Frosty."

He purred and touched his nose to my ear. "I love you too, Ivy."