Soft pawsteps were getting closer and closer, the crunch putting him on edge. He didn't know who was following him, but he wasn't about to find out. Sparklez mistrust had cut him deep, and he wasn't going to let them accuse him anymore. He honestly hadn't known anything about his Lord being there, but they obviously didn't care to listen. Before he knew it he was at the stream dividing Thunderclan from Windclan, the tang of scent marks making his nose twitch. His pawsteps slowed to a stop as he considered his options. Go ahead and run the risk of being found be a Windclan patrol, or go back and face whoever was pursuing him.

Before he could move paws hit his shoulders, forcing him to the ground with a yowl a surprise.

"You still haven't learned how to avoid an ambush?" A voice teased.

Syndicate rolled away from his assaillant and tensed, still on edge despite the soft voice.

"And you can't even tell who's on you?"

Bright blue eyes suddenly stared into his, causing him to back up. Ivypool definitely wasn't who he was expecting to see, but he wasn't going to complain. He shook his fur out to try and hide his earlier fright. The she-cat didn't buy his bluff and the amusement soon faded from her eyes.

"Why'd you run off?" Her voice was casual, but her eyes were searching.

"You didn't hear...?" His eyes were narrowed and distrustful.

"They didn't want the rest of the Clan to know what it was about. It seems pretty suspicious, if you ask me." She mewed, shooting him a sideways glance.

Syndicate didn't answer for a long time, considering her words. It seemed like the important members of the Clan wanted to keep the arrival of Dianite a secret, but Ivypool was clearly interested in what was going on. Part of Syndicate thought that he shouldn't say anything...but another part of him wanted to rebel as revenge for his unfair treatment. And so he did.

"Sparklez is being a dick because my homie Dianite has shown up here." He said matter of factly

Ivypool just stared at him dryly, "Making sense is just too difficult for you, isn't it?"

Syndicate let out a huge sigh, throwing his head back excentrically, like it was a big hassle to explain it in terms that the warrior could actually understand. She cuffed him over the ear and he flinched away in surprise. He expected to see annoyance in her eyes, but instead them seemed to spark good-naturedly, which was surprising considering her sharp tongue.

"Okay...so you know how each of us worships a God?"

"What is a God?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Uh...they're kind of like Starclan for you guys. Except they can affect our world more...and there's only one of them."

Ivypool nodded thoughtfully and motioned for him to continue with her tail.

"Well, my God, Dianite, is known as the Lord of Chaos. To put it simply, he's the bad guy and he plans on doing something bad here. I might be his follower and I like causing chaos, but I'm not cruel. I wouldn't do anything malicious to your clan after all they did for Jericho...but Sparklez doesn't belive me."

"Why not? I thought you were all friends."

"We are! But I might have been a little rude to him back home...by trying to burn down his home...and insulting his God. A lot."

Ivypool shot him a scathing glance and he just shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. The more he thought about it, it really was his own fault that Sparklez was acting so bitter over this. Still, it hurt him to think that Sparklez and Firefoxx were willing to chase him out. What if he was killed because he didn't have them to back him up? He'd never make it back home alone.

"I know how you feel, though." The grey and white tabby mewed suddenly.

Syndicate glanced at her with wide eyes, curiousity sparking from him. The she-cat hesitated for a second and then shook out her fur, as if clearing dark thoughts.

"You remember Lionblaze's stories about the Great Battle?" She continued when her companion nodded, "well...I wasn't always on the right side of that battle."

"When I was still an apprentice, one of their warriors tricked me into visiting them every night. I trained and fought, I thought they were making me a better warrior. I was wrong. And when I realized that I became a spy for Thunderclan...but some of my clanmates will never be able to overlook the fact that for a while...I was a true Dark Forest warrior."

The tortoiseshell tom looked at her in disbelief, suddenly aware of the power she seemed to posses. She knew the powerful moves that had killed his best friend. Her eyes were searching as she gazed at him, questioning him. She wondered if he was scared of her now...or if he would hate her for knowing how dangerous Breezepelt could be but not doing anything for Jericho.

"But don't they realize that you helped them win, with your inside information?" Was his first question.

Ivypool seemed relieved that he didn't immediately judge her and she responded, "Clan cats are always on edge. Just knowing that I was one of them is enough to make them distrust me."

"They seemed okay with you to me."

"Yes, when I've done something good or things are peaceful. But when something bad happens? Me and the other former Dark Forest members are thr first ones they single out."

"Don't they see how loyal you are now?"

"Yes and no. There's no point in trying to fight them on this, because then they'll accuse me of being too confrontational, like a traitor. It's something I'll have to live with forever...a mistake I'll never be able to escape."

The sadness in her voice on lasted a few seconds, and then she shook her head vigiorously.

"I can't afford to think like that, though. Because that bitterness and jealousy is what got me there in the first place."

Syndicate couldn't help but admure this tough she-cat. It looked like she was willing to spend the rest of her days proving her worth, even though she was being wrongfully judged. These cats often talked about signs and other superstitous things...but something in him wanted to see this talk as something more than ordinary. Like their ancestors were telling him to be strong and prove to his friends that he wasn't betraying them. That they needed him to help stop Dianite.

"Thank you." His tone was unusually soft and he reached out in a gesture that he had seen often among the clan, touching his nose to hers, "I know what I need to do now."

She blinked in surprise, but didn't move away. "You have my support, always."

AN: Eheh, I thought I would get all the chapters of this typed out early, but I've been lazy. I think I have one more finished one after this...and then I'm going to have to get my butt in gear. But for now; Muffins! :D (Chocolate chip muffins are super good btw) Also, I thoroughly enjoyed working on this chapter. For some reason I really liked trying to get in Ivypool's head for her little pick-me-up speech to Syndicate.