Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise from Warriors, but I do own that evil little cat at the end of the chapter...

Sorry this is shorter than normal, but I'm in a rush and won't be able to write for a day or two so wanted to get this up.

Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter Nine

~ StarClan Interferes ~

Normal POV

Ivypool followed Rogue's scent, careful to keep out of sight of Twolegs where possible, to a small patch of green walled off from the road. It was attached to a neat little Twoleg den and there was a small, spindly tree – she wasn't sure what type of tree it was – in the middle. Rogue was sitting staring at the closed entrance to the Twoleg nest with his tail curled round his paws. There were two raised, identical holes either side of the entrance, filled with some sort of shining ice.

Rogue's shoulders were hunched and she guessed he was staring at the ground. After a moment, Rogue lifted his head but didn't turn around. "I know you're there, Warrior."

Ivypool's eye twitched involuntarily when he said her name but she ignored it and padded forward.

"I... I wanted to know what really happened. I know the monster didn't hit me, but I can't remember anything else," she mewed, sitting down beside him.

Rogue still wasn't looking at her. "Hawkfluff appeared out of no-where and shoved you aside. Somehow he managed to avoid being hit himself. As he pushed you out of the way you hit the raised edge of the path and were knocked unconscious. Then I brought you back to my den," he told her carelessly.

Ivypool frowned. "Hawkfluff? You mean Hawkfrost? He was the one who saved me?"

"Didn't I just say that?" Rogue looked at her, his amber gaze giving nothing away.

"Sorry," Ivypool sighed. "I just... he came to me last night but didn't tell me it was him."

Rogue shook his head. "No he didn't. You slept soundly all night – there was no sign of Hawkfluff or you sneaking out to meet him."

Ivypool winced. Oops. "Well, I... Hawkfrost is... erm..." she stuttered. Oh come on, I'm better at lying than this! Think of something, fast! She mentally scolded herself. "Hang on, how do you know that I was asleep all night?" she asked quickly.

"I couldn't sleep," Rogue shrugged. "Don't change the subject." His amber eyes seemed to see into the depths of her soul as he stared into her eyes, and Ivypool shivered.

"I... can't tell you," she muttered, tearing her eyes away and staring at her paws. Way to arouse his suspicions even further, she thought sarcastically.

Rogue lifted his eyes to the sky.

Ivypool frowned. "You're not going to keep asking?"

Rogue shook his head. "Everyone has secrets. Who am I to press you for yours?" he mewed simply.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Ivypool wondered aloud.

"Something I shouldn't," Rogue replied.

Ivypool opened her jaws, confused, but then closed them again.

Rogue smiled. "Thinking about the past," he told her.

"Sorry, what?" Ivypool stared at him, not understanding.

Rogue laughed. "You wanted to ask what I was doing that I shouldn't be doing, so I answered you. I'm thinking about the past."

"Oh." Ivypool was silent for a moment. "What's wrong with thinking about the past?"

Rogue stood up and shook his fur out. "I wouldn't expect you to understand," he meowed as he walked away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ivypool yowled after him as he climbed the wall and jumped back down the other side. There was no reply. She felt her fur pricking in mixed anger and confusion. Rogue was so confusing sometimes, she wondered if she should just leave him alone and go back to the Clans. But she had always been a curious cat, and something within her just refused to let her leave things alone.

"Brambleclaw."

One of the dark tabby's ears flicked. He had heard that voice once before, but it was so long ago that he couldn't place it.

"Brambleclaw," the voice repeated itself, getting slightly louder.

Brambleclaw twitched in his sleep.

"Brambleclaw..."

The tom in question rolled over in his nest, turning away from the voice. He shivered automatically when he felt the cat's breath on his ear.

"BRAMBLECLAW!"

Brambleclaw jumped up with a startled yowl, his fur on end. "What?" he snapped, turning around with a hiss, only for his anger to melt away and be replaced with confusion when he saw the cat who had woken him. "Bluestar?"

The blue-gray she-cat dipped her head. "You weren't always this heavy a sleeper," she observed.

Brambleclaw sighed. "It's been a hectic few days, with Ivypool narrowly missing being hit by that monster and knocking herself out on the raised path instead, and then not waking up until earlier today."

Bluestar nodded. "Yes, I saw what happened."

"Is there a reason you're visiting me now? Won't the other cats see you?" Brambleclaw asked her.

Bluestar smiled slightly. "You're still dreaming, Brambleclaw. Look, none of the other cats can see us," she told him, flicking her tail around the den. Brambleclaw saw that all the other cats, Clan and rouge alike, were all still asleep. Looking closer, he realised something was missing.

"Where's Ivypool?" he asked.

Bluestar sat down, curling her tail around her paws. "That is what I came to talk to you about. Listen closely," she meowed.

Brambleclaw looked back at his old leader, surprised by the seriousness in her gaze.

"There are dark times ahead for all the Clans, and it is Ivypool's destiny to save the Clans... or let them be destroyed. The path ahead of her is not an easy one, and her choice is the most difficult of all. Not even StarClan can see what will happen," Bluestar's eyes were fixed on Brambleclaw's, and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away as she stared at him intently. "You must let her choose for herself," she hissed.

Brambleclaw blinked. "I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?"

"You need to let Ivypool decide for herself what path she walks. Enforcing her loyalty to ThunderClan will get you nowhere," Bluestar murmured as she began to fade.

"Wait – I don't understand what you want me to do... Bluestar?"

"She needs to decide for herself," Bluestar whispered, her voice taking on an echoing quality.

Brambleclaw's yes widened. "But I-"

"She needs to decide for herself," Bluestar echoed as darkness began to shroud the ThunderClan deputy.

"She needs to decide for herself."

Ivypool padded back into Rogues den as dawn approached the horizon, and found that no-one seemed to have noticed her absence. She curled up in her nest and was able to nap until the other Clan cats began to wake, the sound of their voices lifting her out of her sleep as well.

"Ivypool?" Whitewing called to her. She sat up in her nest and began to wash herself, busy thinking of what had occurred with Rogue.

"Yeah?" she replied absently, looking around the den for the ginger tabby.

"Good, you're awake. Come on, we're leaving," Whitewing told her, padding over.

"Okay. Wait – what?" Ivypool looked up, startled. "Leaving?"

Whitewing nodded. "We're going back to the Clan. It's not safe here, and this den is unnatural." The white warrior looked around at the straight edges of the nest and shivered.

Ivypool jumped to her paws. "But I'm not ready! I... Can't we stay for just a few more sunrises?" she asked.

Over by the entrance, the other Clan cats were gathering, with Brambleclaw overseeing them.

Whitewing blinked at her sympathetically. "I understand if you don't quite feel up to travelling yet, but we really need to get back to the Clan. Besides, the longer we stay in the Twolegplace, the more chances there are for other... accidents to happen," she explained, her eyes hardening as she said 'accidents', leading Ivypool to realise that her mother blamed Rogue for her injury.

Ivypool just stared at her mother, her thoughts reeling. But when she opened her mouth, the words refused to be spoken. "It wasn't Rogue's fault," she muttered at last.

Whitewing sighed. "Come on, let's get you home," she murmured, placing her tail on Ivypool's shoulder and leading her over to the other Clan cats.

"About time," Cloudtail muttered when they reached him.

"You're ready?" Brambleclaw gazed at Ivypool, a question in his amber eyes.

Ivypool hesitated.

"You're leaving already?" a rough mew cut into their conversation, and Ivypool looked up to see Rogue standing at the entrance to the den.

"No, I-" Ivypool started to speak but Rogue cut her off.

"Good," Rogue turned around and padded back outside, disappearing into the Twolegplace.

Ivypool stared after him, misery forming in her eyes.

Brambleclaw observed her closely as she gazed after the ginger rogue. She needs to decide for herself. Bluestar's words echoed in his head. "Do you want to stay here?" he asked the young warrior, who looked up at him in surprise.

She nodded without hesitation. "Yes. But I don't want to leave the Clan, either..."

Brambleclaw shook his head. "You don't have to. There will always be a place in ThunderClan, whenever you decide you're ready to come back," he reassured her. To the rest of the ThunderClan cats, he added, "Come on, it's time to go."

Gratitude flooded Ivypool's gaze, and she dipped her head to Brambleclaw respectfully.

"What? We can't leave her here!" Whitewing exclaimed, staring at Brambleclaw. "I'll stay with her."

"No. You're needed back at camp, with Birchfall and Dovewing," Brambleclaw told her.

"Well, she can't stay here by herself. Anything could happen," Foxleap interjected. "I'll stay with her. I promised Dovewing I couldn't come back without her anyway," he offered.

Brambleclaw hesitated, but then nodded. "If that's all right with Ivypool, then you can stay."

Ivypool nodded. She would have preferred to stay by herself but if she had to have one of the Clan cats stay with her, then – no offence to her mother – she would prefer it to be Foxleap rather than Whitewing who wouldn't leave her alone for a moment.

Whitewing sighed in defeat as Brambleclaw lifted his head. "Then it's settled. Foxleap and Ivypool will remain here. Now it is time to return to ThunderClan," he meowed and began leading the other cats out of the den.

"Goodbye Ivypool. Always know that I love you," Whitewing mewed, pressing her nose to her daughter's cheek.

"I love you too," Ivypool watched her mother leave, before turning to Foxleap. "I guess it's just us now."

Foxleap sat down and scratched his ear. "Yep. So what do cats do all day around here anyway?"

If anyone had bothered to look up, into the rafters of the den, they would have seen two glowing, blue-gray orbs fixed hungrily on the back of Ivypool's head. "Oh, you'll soon find out what cats do for fun around here," the owner of the eyes cackled to itself. "But I'm certain you won't enjoy it," it added menacingly, sharpening its claws on a hard wooden beam.

Author's Note: Anyone want to take a guess at who the cat at the end was? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter in a review *hint hint*!