Ok, so sorry it took me a while, I was in track, school got crazy and blah blah blah a hundred other excuses. Important thing is I'm back and writing especially since its summer but, unfortuntatly that doesn't mean I'm not busy but, Ivy takes top priority on my list right now.

Oh and Thanks Kygoreperson for the idea ;)

Chapter 10: Looking for a Girl no longer a Girl

A little less than three dozen people scattered the lakeshore. It was a typical bluebird day, not a cloud in the sky and it looked the like the rest of the world was enjoying it.

"Irina!" The name continually rung out amongst the otherwise quiet lakeshore, a name impossible to forget as every time possible it was screamed into the world.

A man and a women walked side by side keeping to themselves but, they were hardly quiet. A brown haired man with a bushy mustache pushed his way through the group. He turned to speak a few words with someone before pushing forward to meet the parents of the missing girl. "Sheriff." The man stepped forward, "Any trace of her?"

"Sorry Tom…"

A strangled hiccup came from the woman. Tom looked over at her with worry but, the worry wasn't for her it was for their missing daughter Irina.

"We've searched this entire place." Seeing Tom's distrust he added a list. "We've searched Hare Hill, the marsh, the island the old abandoned Workmen's house, up the Quarry road…"

"The Quarry?"

"Of course." They hadn't really checked but, the old Sheriff didn't have the heart to tell the parents it was too brambly and hardpacked to take a look. "Tom, I know you and your wife are worried but…"

"But, what?" The mans eyes were blazing now.

"But, nothing Tom! It's been over a week, the search parties are growin' less and less, we just don't have the means…"

"We're talking about my daughter!"

"I know but, it's been over a week! Unless she's dead and buried she's not here anymore."

"How can you even…"

"I've called Missing Persons…"

"You mean the nationwide hoax that doesn't do anyting but, hang pictures."

"Tom, let me finnish. We just don't have the means, we've done everything, we've even had dogs out on the trail. Tom we need to admit we can't do this and hand it over to professionals. You can keep lookin' if you want but, I'm goin' home, I've got my children to look after and I can't just call a Nanny when I'm running late."

"How can you just give up? My daughter is out there somewhere and God only knows what happened to her! Irina can't take care of herself out there!"

The Sheriff chuckled, Irina, wasn't that the girl his daughter had convinced him to take camping, they'd lied and said it was a sleepover, Ivy wasn't the young lady her parents were saying she was. "Sue, Ivy might surprise."

The woman's went up in flames. "Don't you dare call her that! That's not her name, Irina that's her name!"

Suddenly the word, runaway didn't seem so distant and kidnapped or lost and scared seemed to fly out the window.

The marshland past uneventful, the Sheriff went home along with numerous other who'd just been waiting for someone else to do it first so they didn't look like the moralless ass-hole. That didn't work out very well for them, as soon as one of them left, Sue pelted them with insults. Bringing up everytime she'd helped them even if it was just allowing them to borrow some sugar or look for a missing pet.

The marshland past without much eventfullness but, some members took advantage of being so close to their cars they took the opportunity to sneak off.

Sue grumbled, "Ingrateful bastards."

Tom blinked back his surprise at his wife's sudden taste for curses. Tears were brimming her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her and gave a gentle reassuring squeeze, she pushed him away. "I'm going to go check the island." She shoved through the crowd without hesitation.

Tom though about going after her but, he knew she wasn't going there to check for Irina, of course she'd do that too but, she went there to be alone as far away from anyone as she could. So, he let her go alone.

Sue disappeared from sight in the crowd all the while pushing people who were actually trying to help find poor little Irina.

Sue didn't even bother pulling her dress up to cross the water onto the island. Her sandals were sucked mercilessly in the shallow water but, she just pulled her feet out step after step until she reached the small island. The soft dirt held hundreds of cat-like paw prints then in the center, sneaker prints. Irina had been here, why hadn't anyone told her? She sank to her knees, there had never been a field of flowers Irina had come out exploring, sneaking behind her back because that was the only way. Tears stung hotter this time, and she couldn't escape the thought that this had been her fault for not letting Irina be Irina.

"I'm so sorry," She couldn't stop the sobs as they exploded from her mouth. "Irin- Ivy forgive me, oh God, oh God let her come home!"

"What in the name of the Dark Forest is this thing?" The gray furred apprentice jumped out of the way as jaws snapped with earsplitting crack right where Duskpaw had been a second earlier.

"A dog mousebrain!" Flashpaw snapped, "Haven't you see one walking with the twolegs!"

"I got that far! But, I haven't seen one like this before!" Dusk paw growled and jumped out of the way again.

Ivypaw didn't see how the siblings could manage an argument while running, and dodging for their lives. "A tracker." Ivypaw mangaged to yell across her shoulders.

"What's that?" The two other apprentices said almost in unison.

"A dog the twolegs use to track down prey and stuff, like Thunderclan." She managed a quick explanation.

"Speaking of which good thing it's us those other cats wouldn't stand a chance!" Duskpaw bragged, hard to believe he could find something to be proud about at a time like this.

Flashpaw wasn't slow at her response. "They'd be better off then us! They'd have trees to climb and get away, we're stuff running for our lives." That shut Duskpaw up.

"Where are our mentors, I thought they were watching us." Ivypaw managed to yell twisting mid run to get out of the dogs way as it past her up.

This was all three apprentices' first test. Their mentors were supposed to be watching, undected as they hunted.

"Why don't we turn and fight?" Duskpaw couldn't stay quiet for very long.

"'Cause that would be mousebrained!" Flashpaw shot back still sprinting and in the lead.

Ivypaw suddenly remembered back when she was a twoleg, the cats, kittypets that stood up to the dogs weren't bothered but, that may not be the case with dogs trained to track. That's what had happened to Brightheart in Thunderclan, so was the risk worth it?

It was going to have to be. "Duskpaw is right turn around and fight but, don't let it bite you."

"You're crazy but, fine!" Flashpaw spun around and waited.

Ivypaw did the same, and Duskpaw was already attacking.

Teeth flashed white next to him and for a terrifying moment Ivypaw thought he'd been bitten but, gray fur emerged from behind the dog without any traces of red. Ivypaw raced to help Flashpaw gaining distance. She lashed out just as the dog did with his paw, it never connected or at least not that she knew of.

Her mind went blank but, she saw the whirl of land and lake as she was whisked away. A scene began to come into view from the blur. The island, a lone figure sat in the middle soft sobbing rose up from it. "Mom?"

Her mother looked up from where she stood. "Can she see me?"

"In your cat form." Ivypaw reconized the teasing voice of Yellowfang. "And no she can't hear you, we just thought you should get to say goodbye."

Ivypaw could feel the old cat leave though she couldn't see Yellowfang. She stalked up awkwardly to her Mom and sat down in front of her. Why did Starclan make everything so difficult, she was fine but, saying goodbye seemed like torture, was this Yellowfang's idea of a joke? The answer was probably.

Her mother looked up from where she sat, Ivypaw watched her as she carefully extended an arm to touch the calico she-cat. Ivypaw froze every cat instict she had screamed at her to run but, she didn't want to, not the human part of her anyway and it wasn't like this was real, in that sense.

The hand reached toward her and the cat insticts continued to scream with everything that was inside her. Ivypaw clawed the ground to keep from moving out of her mother's reach. Maybe she reconized me!

The hand suddenly lashed out grabbing Ivypaw by the scruff of the neck and pulling her off the ground. Her mother didn't recognize just saw her as the typical stray. The cat in her took over, and she let it before she'd realized what had happened her claws had raked her mother's arm and blood dripped down and Ivypaw realized the scratches were much deeper than she'd intended, if she had intended them.

Her mother tossed her to the ground but, being a cat Ivypaw easily flipped herself over and landed on her feet.

Sue watched the calico cat she'd just thrown down. Those green eyes, Irina's green eyes. As she watched those eyes became filled with hatred and betryal and they weren't cat's eyes anymore they were human and they were her daughters. The betryal was apparent along witht the hatred.

Then the weirdes thing happened. The calico cat disappeard.

_
Chapter 11 is on the way don't worry