Characters Appearing in this side story are...

Ivy(Ivypool) Age 16

Hayden(Hawkfrost) Age 18

Brian(Breezepelt) Age 17

Talon(Tigerstar)

Madame(Mapleshade)

Ivy Meets The Dark Forest

Ivy's POV

Ivy was walking down her neighborhood street fiddling with a pocket knife in her hoodie's pouch. It was pitch black except for the faint glow of a street light. She kicked a can and sent it flying, it crashed into a dark wood. Her fists clenched. She felt anger and betrayal at the same time and she could barely contain it.

How DARE she think she's better than me!

Her mind flew back to 15 minutes earlier. She and her sister were in their shared room, in a house they shared with several of their friends. They had been screaming at each other for hours.

She thinks I don't know what she's doing! Traitor.

She punched a brick wall but yelped at the pain, holding her hand for dear life. She felt herself shrink against the wall and curl up into a ball, on the brink of crying.

I don't think I ever want to go back..

Ivy ran away from the wall and into the woods, not really paying to where she was going, just wanting to get as far away from her sister as possible. She needed to be alone for a while.

All the sudden she came to a halt at the edge of a deadly steep hill. Wind was blowing her platinum blonde hair in every direction, and the moon shown bright white above her. She sat down, starring up at the stars. She didn't know what to do at this point. Will I ever know what to do? She thought helplessly.

She heard loud rustling in a tree nearby. She whipped her head around to see who it was but in that moment her hair had covered her eyes from the wind, blocking her view. She brushed the hair out of her face but not in time to dodge the dark figure jumping out at her. She screamed, but before she knew it the figure was holding a knife to her throat. She froze like ice, eyes as big as dinner plates.

"You don't belong here." A voice hissed. Another figure began creeping out of the shadows. It was too dark to identify him, but just his shadow alone was intimidating. Ivy held her breath. The shadow grabbed her chin and lifted her head, Amber eyes peered back at her. "Hmm... you know what to do." Ivy, without hearing another word, panicked. She closed her eyes, yanked out her pocket knife and shoved upwards it into the nearest person. She felt the pressure of the knife on her neck cease and she opened her eyes. She turned around to see an impaled man lying behind her, grasping his throat, with her pink pocket knife buried so far that you couldn't see the blade at all. Ivy stood frozen to her spot watching the poor man suffer, then he was still.

She heard pleasant chuckling as she slowly turned to meet the eyes of the mysterious shadow behind her...

"Good work, Scout. I'll leave you be for now." He vanished into the woods.

Ivy's body plummeted into the grass, as she grasped her chest and heaved and gasped for air. Oh my gosh... She struggled to recover her composure from the shock. She heard another rustle come from a bush. As soon as she heard it she tore the pocket knife from the neck of the corpse, accidentally getting blood all over her jacket, and readied herself. She could feel herself shaking.

"Hey! If you don't leave me alone I'm coming for your kneecaps!" She tried to sound confident but her voice kept shaking. Crap.

She yelped as the scary shadow that she thought was the same one jumped out from the bushes again, but as she looked up she realized the eyes weren't the same color. They were a frosty blue. Ivy swung her arm back, pocket knife in hand, ready to have to impale this one aswell. But before she could, the shadow caught her hand with a strong grip. Crap crap crap! Ivy opened her mouth to let out the scream of her life, but the shadow covered her mouth aswell.

"Hey! Chill out ok?"

Ivy paused from trying to escape and looked at this guy like he was an idiot. How are you gonna ask me to chill out? I'm the one getting kidnapped! She continued with attempts to free herself. Ivy clawed at the strangers hand with her only free arm.

"Clam down! I'm not going to hurt you" Pfft that's hard to believe. Before Ivy could struggle free the shadow carried them both into the light of the moon. As the light reached their faces she met the face that belong to those frosty eyes. He had sandy brown skin and Dark brown hair, and eyes that seemed to peer into your soul. Ivy shivered. He seemed to be a bit older than her according to his height, he was way taller than her. But then again, Ivy wasn't very tall.

"Umm... who are you?" Ivy stuttered, the mysterious guy tore her pocket knife from her grip. "That's not really important right now.." he said dismissively. "I saw what happened between you, Theo, and my father" he said tucking the knife in his pocket and folding his arms. Looking over to the cold corpse on the ground a few feet away she covered her mouth. "I killed your father!?"

"No you doofus." The boy scowled. "That's Theo you killed. Good shot by the way."

"Errrr... thanks?" Isnt that a bad thing?

"Anyways, the Dark Forest could really use someone like you ya'know?"

"What's that?" Ivypool asked

The boy turned his head towards the moon then back at her again. "Do you wanna see?"

Ivy took a step back, and paused for several heart beats. As far as she knew this guy was strange, scary, and most likely supported murder. Who's to say he won't support murdering me?! She had just opened her mouth to decline, when she felt the mysterious guy grab her wrist. "C'mon, you take too long to answer." He said abruptly and began to drag her through the trees.

Ivy could barely stay upright, tripping over rocks, brambles, and twigs. "Hey! Slow down!" She tried to say but a low tree branch slapped her in the face, muffling her words. She tugged and struggled against his grip. She finally tore free and stumbled backward. "You could slow down you know!" The boy turned his eyes to glare at her. "You're just slow." He grunted. Excuse me!? "It doesn't matter. We're here anyways."

"Really?" Ivy squeaked. The boy vanished through the underbrush, Ivy hesitated. She could run away right now and forget about all of this. Go home, make up with her sister, hang with friends, but curiosity tugged at her feet.

After a few heart beats she followed.

"Hey, creep! Dude, where you at?" Ivy called. To admit, if she was going to follow this guy, she shouldn't have waited so long, she was pretty sure she was lost now. "Murder boy, this would be a great time to help a sister out.." she mumbled. As soon as she spoke, the same guy jumped out of a nearby tree, landing behind her. The thump he made caused her to squeal in surprise.

"Excuse me?" He grumbled. Ivy turned around as quick as lighting. "Great, you finally show up! I was just about lost."

"Wouldn't be so lost if you weren't such a slug. Cmon." He parted some tree beaches with his hands, revealing what looked like an old wearhouse. Ivy slowly walked closer looking around cautiously as if someone where to jump out at any second. Shady.. very shady.

"Hurry up, slow poke."

Ivy turned around to look at the guy.

"Shut up, that's not my name, and I'm not slow." Ivy growled.

"It would be a lot easier if I actually knew it." The boy placed his hand on a screen on the outer wall of the warehouse. The doors began to slide open.

"It's Ivy, thank you." She grumbled. "And yours?"

The boy turned around and side eyed her. "Hayden."

They began to walk into the warehouse, their shadows cast out into the darkness. The silence was eerie, and foreboding, Ivy could hear creaking from the old building.

Hayden walked over to a leaver protruding from a wall and slammed it down, instantly shutting the door. Crap! What's happening? Ivy held in a squeal, covering her mouth. A bright light flashed on, Hayden had turned on a flashlight, and began walking into the darkness.

As they began their journey through the old musty place, Ivy had encountered several rats, and hoards of cobwebs. While they were walking, Ivy heard a loud crunch come from beneath her boot. She didn't want to know what it was at this point...

Finally, they came across what looked like an escape hatch. Hayden turned the wheel on the top and it opened with a hiss, and he just jumped in like it was the most normal thing ever. I can't believe I'm actually following this guy... She jumped down to where she hoped there was solid ground, to find none. She screamed, plummeting into darkness. She landed on what felt like an old mattress, and it knocked the wind out of her. Ivy looked up to see Hayden putting in a combination at a door down the hall.

"Do you really need this many combinations." She glowered. He'd finished putting in the combination and turned to face her "This is it." He walked casually through the entrance. Ivy's eyes traveled the room. It had white walls and concrete floors, and several tables against each wall. There was a big pool table in the middle of the room, with all kinds of people surrounding it.

In the center of the large crowd there was a woman, very tall, with long, Reddish-orange hair up in a neat ponytail. She was wearing a black tank top and army style pants, but in black camouflage, the pockets filled with all sort of knives, and she had large, black boots. Beside her was a man of equal height, with dark hair and amber eyes piercing, and familiar. He wore the same outfit as the former, most of the people around the table did, actually.

It seemed like they were all betting for something, she couldn't tell what.

"Madame." Hayden spoke. "Father.."

Wow THATS his dad? Ivy, suppressed a shiver. He seemed way too familiar.

"Who's this?" Hayden's father asked with knowing eyes.

"This is Ivy." Hayden gestured to the girl next to him, he gave his father a look as if he was supposed to know something. Ivy didn't know how she should reply so she did a very awkward wave, not knowing what to do with her hands afterwards.

"Hmm." The ginger haired woman smirked and bent down to peer at Ivy. "And why are you here, little Missy?""I think she'll be an important asset to the Dark Forest." Hayden spoke for her.

Hayden's father folded his arms for a few moments before speaking. "Ivy, Would you like to train with the Dark Forest for a while?" Ivy couldn't help but look over to Hayden, who was smirking. He shrugged to her as if to say well? Do you?

I don't know! But the more she thought about it, the more she considered it. This could be the perfect time to have some time away from her sister, and she would finally have something that she didn't. Plus, whats the worst that could happen? (you think that now lol) She began to slowly nod the more she contemplated it. She then looked up to meet the piercing, amber eyes in front of her.

"Yes."