Ivypool was setting scent markers when she smelled damp wood and ShadowClan. "Do you smell that?" She asked Sorreltail, who was on the patrol with her. "It smells like ShadowClan."
Sorreltail opened her jaws to taste the air. "I don't smell any thing but WindClan. I hope there'll be no ShadowClan cats on the WindClan border."
Ivypool then sniffed again, but the scent was gone. "Never mind," she told Sorreltail, "I must have been imagining things."
Sorreltail nodded and kept on setting scent markers along the stream.
The patrol went on around the entire ThunderClan territory. While they were setting markers along the ShadowClan border, Ivypool saw a flash of russet fur dissappear behind a tree. She was about to mention it to Sorreltail, but then told herself off. If she said anything to her Clanmates, they would probably think she was hallucinating. She had probably just imagined it.
By the time the patrol got to the edge of ShadowClan territory, by the Halfbridge, the patrol started heading back. Just then Ivypool saw the fur again. Like the first time, it disappeared, but she was sure she saw it. It was much clearer than the first time.
"Did you see that?" She asked the rest of the patrol. "It was a flash of fur."
But the rest of the patrol, Sorreltail and Brackenfur, just looked at each other and shook their head. They must think I'm mad, Ivypool thought.
But aloud she said, "You go on ahead. I want to check someting." With mystified expressions, the two cats kept setting markers and talked to each other in low tones so Ivypool couldn't hear what she was saying. Then she turned around and stalked into the trees.
"You shouldn't have done that." Said a low, husky voice from behind her. Redwillow!
"Redwillow!" Ivypool meowed in surprise. "I thought you were dead."
Redwillow stood behind her, his lips drawn back in a snarl. "I died, yes. But I live on in the Dark Forest. I am one of them now. You may have stopped us, but we can still pick off your precious warriors."
Ivypool kept her eyes fixed on him. "You will never hurt a warrior of ThunderClan. Not while I live." She unsheathed her claws.
Redwillow pounced. Ivypool scratched her claws back at them but he batted them aside easily. He's much stronger than before, Ivypool thought, he must have done nothing but train when we defeated the DarkForest.
_ Ivypool jumped on his back, screeching, and started clawing out fur but Redwillow threw her off and swept her paws from out under her. Ivypool remembered a battle training session when she was an apprentice, and leaped right at Redwillow as if to kick him in the face. When Redwillow ducked, she twisted and kicked his back legs once she regained her balance, knocking him over.
But Redwillow recovered faster than she realized, and he got to his paws and cornered Ivypool against a tree.
Ivypool thought fast and asked, "Are there any more of you?"
Redwillow narrowed his eyes and meowed, "Dark Forest Warriors? No. I was the only one who survived. But you're trying to delay your death! It won't work!"
Ivypool saw Sorreltail and Brackenfur slowly advancing on Redwillow. Distracted from fighting Ivypool,
Redwillow didn't notice them approaching.
"Actually, I think you might have miscounted." Ivypool snarled. She reared up and forced him back, into the claws of Sorreltail and Brambleclaw.
Redwillow quickly backed up and faced the three warriors. Seeing as he was hopelessly outmatched. He hissed, "I see I've lost the advantage of surprise. But Ivypool, what I said earlier was a promise. The Clans teach apprentices like kits now. I will pick off ThunderClan, starting with you, and all the traitors that I thought were loyal to the Dark Forest. When the Clans are puzzled by the loss of ThunderClan, I will kill them with anyone I manage to recruit. Only those cats will stay alive. Tigerstar's legacy will live on!"
"Enough. Let's take him to Bramblestar." Sorreltail meowed, "He'll see what's waiting for him there."
Redwillow's eyes glinted with amusement. "Oh, I don't think you'll be doing that." Before any of the warriors could subdue him, he stepped into the shadows and disappeared.
The patrol raced after him, but were to late.
Brackenfur shook his head. "What was he talking about? He knows he's only one cat. How is he supposed to destroy four large Clans?"
His mate, Sorreltail, replied, "I think he's going to try to pick cats off one by one. But it's only a matter of time before he meets one he can't beat."
"Yes, but how many cats will he kill before he meets one that he can't beat?" Ivypool meowed gravely.
"Come on," Brackenfur interrupted, "We need to report this to Bramblestar."