So the story continues...

Chapter 26

Ivypool

ThunderClan! ThunderClan!

Ivypool sat in her own corner of the world, her tail tucked over her nose, and tried to focus on anything else except the chanting and excitement that resounded from the Clan that she had wanted to protect. They wanted her dead, too. All except Bouncepaw and Lionblaze – and how could that be, when Ivypool had shunned both? They, the entire Clan…they were happy. She supposed that this had been what she had wanted from the beginning. She wanted her Clan to stand tall on its own four paws. She had wanted ThunderClan to be the most powerful Clan in the forest, and to come together in a way that it had never done before. So how was it that she had suddenly tried to destroy the Clan, and Lionblaze had come in with a speech and saved it?

But it didn't matter how patriotic ThunderClan became, because it was too late now. This was Tigerstar's game now, and he knew exactly which move to play at which point. The army had been gathered – perhaps they weren't even a Clan strong, but with the might of the Place of No Stars, there was no way the four Clans could protect themselves. It was all over, and here Ivypool was, shunned by both the warriors she had given herself up to protect and the warriors she had sold her soul to work for. Everything was wrong! It was all a dance, a series of hopping and stepping and floating, and Ivypool had placed one paw in the wrong place at the wrong time. In this game, the punishment for a misstep would have to be damnation. So be it.

"I would really like you to tell me that all of this is a lie." Ivypool would have given anything at one time to hear that voice. Now she couldn't even turn around to face her fears. "I know you're not asleep."

She had been brave – fearless, even. She had been driven. She had been smart. Now what was she? A desperate queen held prisoner by her own Clan who couldn't even muster up the courage to face the cat that had coaxed her out of the dance.

"Ivypool, turn around and tell me the truth. Is everything between us a lie?"

"Why do you always need the truth?" she hissed, spinning. Bumblestripe took a step back, appalled at her sudden lashing out.

"Because I am your mate," said Bumblestripe. "And like it or not, those kits in your belly are mine, too."

"Then here's your truth," said Ivypool. She took a deep breath and stared into his amber eyes, hating every word that was about to slip from her mouth. This was for his own good. "You were sweet, and you were earnest, and that made you a good cover. Maybe it made you too good of a cover, and maybe I got carried away in my act of loving you."

"Why did you need a cover?" said Bumblestripe.

"Jayfeather," said Ivypool. "It was my task to reel in Jayfeather."

"So having kits was the best way to do that?" demanded Bumblestripe. "Get him to attend to you day and night, and then you're set, huh? Evil mission complete."

Ivypool fell silent as the idea sunk in. Having kits…got her close to Jayfeather. Hawkfrost had wanted her to get Jayfeather distracted with something, and this…

Bumblestripe had saved her again.

"So," said Bumblestripe as Ivypool was off thinking of the best way to sell this argument to Hawkfrost. "I guess you never loved me, then."

"Correct," lied Ivypool. "Have you had your fill of these stupid questions?"

Bumblestripe stared her down for a moment, and Ivypool stayed strong due to sheer will. At least she had that left, that instinct not to let him die. She couldn't falter, not when she had some semblance of hope left. Maybe she could convince Hawkfrost of the Jayfeather-kits argument. Maybe she could even convince Hawkfrost that Thornclaw leaving her to the mercy of ThunderClan imprisonment had been a strategic move. Maybe she could promise Hawkfrost that as soon as she had her kits, she would take them and Hazeltail's kits hostage as a way to guarantee ThunderClan's surrender.

It was a ballsy plan, but it was a plan. Ivypool hadn't had a real plan in a very long time.

"Is that all I am to you, Ivypool?" asked Bumblestripe. "A stupid question?"

"And a very good cover," said Ivypool as diplomatically as possible. She had to drive him back, get him away. How many insults could she pack into this conversation so that he would believe them? "But you are very earnest and sweet, if that is any consolation."

"Maybe I'll be earnest and sweet for you one more time, if you'll let me," said Bumblestripe. Ivypool looked up at him, searching for the snappy and insulting comment that would get her out of this entire situation. He was so stubborn that he wouldn't let himself be hurt by anything she said. "Because I did love you, Ivypool. I still do. Despite all of this…I will never regret being your mate. I will never pretend those kits don't exist. They are the piece of you that I will always have full claim to."

"How do you know I haven't had another mate on the side, then?" said Ivypool. "Why would I ever…" She stopped and geared herself up for the insult that would sell her argument. "Why would I ever have a kittypets' kits?"

"A cover, I suppose," said Bumblestripe. He held her eyes again, and Ivypool felt a surge of emotion. He didn't believe her. He didn't believe it, and that made him stupid and stubborn, but she also loved that he was stupid in stubborn enough to believe in her. He wouldn't give up on her, no matter what she said and did to hurt him. StarClan, if her kits inherited that quality in him, she would be the proudest mother there had ever been.

"You're stupid, Bumblestripe," said Ivypool.

"Don't say it so fondly, I might actually believe you," said Bumblestripe coolly.

"Get out," said Ivypool. "And take off the brave face, Bumblestripe. It doesn't suit you to hide your pain."

"Earnest and sweet, huh?" said Bumblestripe. "Is that the only honest thing you've ever said to me?"

"No," said Ivypool curtly. "I also told you that I don't love you, and that you were just an act." She was close, she could feel it. His sass was his only source of courage, and she could beat it down. "The only thing I really regret about all of this is the fact that my kits will always remind me of you."

That hit the mark, and Ivypool could see it. She felt a little more relieved.

"Our kits," he said.

"No," said Ivypool, because this was the sad truth. "I can assure you, Bumblestripe, that you will no longer be involved."

"You can't keep me from my kits," said Bumblestripe lowly.

"I can, and I will," said Ivypool. "Do not challenge me."

"You've been abandoned by everyone," said Bumblestripe. "What power do you have?"

He took his leave before Ivypool could formulate a response, and she fumed for a few seconds before realizing what this meant. He was gone. Bumblestripe was gone, and maybe that meant he was no longer a target. Was it worth it, then? It felt empty. It felt sore. It felt as if she didn't have the energy to be happy again. But it wasn't really her happiness she was fighting for anyways, so what did it matter?

X

She stood at the edge of her clearing, reading the threat in the air. Ivypool took a deep breath and stepped into the danger zone; a flash of fur was her only warning before Redwillow spun into her, claws extended. Ivypool rolled on a dime before spinning up, but she hadn't accounted for being so slow, and she wasn't able to dodge before Redwillow sliced her flank, sending Ivypool spinning.

"What is the meaning of this?" said Ivypool, facing off to stare at Redwillow.

"It's a fight," said Redwillow. "What are you waiting for, Ivypool? I'm the only thing standing between you and becoming a general again. But I'll warn you ahead of time that I'm not interested in letting a traitor lead my army."

"The only thing?" said Ivypool. She narrowed her eyes. "So you're telling me that Mossytail isn't about to come spinning out of the trees any second?" She looked up at that moment, just as Mossytail descended. Ivypool rose to meet her, batting her easily out of the air, but the RiverClan she-cat landed with ease. Now they both faced her. "This is a challenge."

"Tigerstar's orders," said Mossytail. "Apologies, Ivypool. I should hope this doesn't kill you." She winked at the end of this statement, and then she lunged.

Ivypool feinted out of the way, but she rammed into Redwillow. Ivypool dropped, hissing in pain as Mossytail's claws sank into her back. She flipped onto her side to knock Mossytail off and let out a cry as a fresh wave of nausea hit her.

"Looks like the queen can't fight like she usually can," said Redwillow tauntingly.

Ivypool slowly made it to her paws, registering just how difficult it would be to fight when she was off-balance and sluggish. Everything hurt ten times more than it should have, and she couldn't rely on her normal battle abilities. She couldn't endanger her kits like that. And the two of them, battle-ready generals, chosen specially from their Clans for this mission? She stood no chance.

Still, she let herself go on the offensive, and she charged, pouncing at the last second at Redwillow and taking him momentarily by surprise. The two cats rolled, and Redwillow slashed out, hitting Ivypool in the chest and kicking her off. Ivypool landed roughly, realizing just how close he had coming to her stomach. One slice to her belly, and her kits…

Mossytail landed squarely on top of her, and Ivypool screamed as the mottled she-cat grinned triumphantly.

"What to do, darling?" she teased, placing a claw at Ivypool's throat. "I suppose you won't last the night. Your mate will be so disappointed."

Ivypool knew there was no way to win, so she closed her eyes and fell through the dream.

She woke screaming, and pain rocketed through her, intensified by her sudden jump out of the dream. Hazeltail was there in a moment.

"Ivypool, there's blood – "

Ivypool reached out and stopped her.

"I have one more battle," she hissed. Then she visualized herself landing on Redwillow's back, digging her claws into the soft flesh above his shoulders…

And that's precisely where she found herself. Redwillow screamed, and Ivypool fell to the ground, dizzy from the exertion of pulling in again. She had never done it like this before, never visualized it so clearly. Then she was standing in the shadow-filled clearing, charged and ready with such raw power. Her wounds had momentarily closed, although she felt them like a dull ache in the back of her mind. It told her what she needed to know – in the real world, those wounds were still there, and she couldn't gain more. She could still die.

"Impossible!" said Redwillow, but Ivypool didn't waste another moment, and she plowed into his side, sending him reeling. Mossytail spun around, and she leaped, and Ivypool skidded away from the blow. They stood on either side of her now, and she found herself reading every detail. Mossytail was hurt, and though Ivypool couldn't see the injury, she knew that it had extended to the real world. They were afraid of something – her? The dream was thick, nearly impossible to penetrate, but there was a wound in its fabric that Ivypool could make out. Far away, Hazeltail was screaming, and her screams shook the dream world in Ivypool's head, but she wasn't really paying attention.

"Get her," said Mossytail, and as they both closed in, Ivypool slipped through the fabric of the dream world and woke up with a spasm so intense she nearly blacked out and slipped into a world she couldn't control.

"Ivypool, stop!" said Jayfeather, but Ivypool was already feeling her claws in Mossytail's stomach –

And there she was, making the RiverClan she-cat scream. Mossytail scrambled back as blood seeped from her new stomach wound, staring at Ivypool in shock.

"What are you doing?" Redwillow said. There was fear in his eyes.

"Dancing," said Ivypool, and she lunged at him, although the leap was clumsy, and Redwillow reached up with her claws. Inches from her belly, and she –

Could hardly take the pain that was spinning through her. Ivypool writhed away from the paw extending towards her, and she could make out Jayfeather lunging towards her. This was something she couldn't sneak out of, but she reached desperately for the tear in the fabric that connected her to the Dark Forest. She landed in the clearing, and as Redwillow spun around, surprised, Ivypool spun into him, knocking his head around.

"Mission accomplished," said a voice, and Redwillow fell to the ground before vanishing. Ivypool spun around, and there stood Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. "Very, very impressive, Ivypool."

"What are you playing at?" said Ivypool. She felt dizzy all of a sudden, as if her wounds were compounding, as if the shadows she had been leaping through were now closing in on her.

"Having kits just to capture Jayfeather was a genius idea," said Hawkfrost. "Why didn't you let me in on it sooner?"

"I've been trying to tell you, but you've been ignoring me," said Ivypool. "And I haven't done anything yet."

"Actually, I believe you have." Ivypool whirled once more, and there was ThunderClan's medicine cat himself, sitting there as if he was entirely in control of the situation. "I suppose you didn't realize you were bringing me with you."

"What?" said Ivypool. How could Jayfeather be here? He had never been invited; you had to be called to the Dark Forest for the first time, didn't you?

"We have perhaps ten seconds until the next spasm," said Jayfeather, passing Ivypool. Ivypool reached out for the blind medicine cat, but he passed her, turning to glare with eyes unclouded – eyes that saw her. Jayfeather stood in front of Hawkfrost and Tigerstar, glaring. "I've been wanting to speak to you myself for a while. I'll warn you now. Have Ivypool. Have Thornclaw. Have whomever you want. But if you lay a paw on those kits, I swear…"

"A threat from a blind medicine cat?" said Tigerstar, amber eyes glowing. "How terrifying."

"Burn in hellfire forever," spat Jayfeather, and he turned away from Tigerstar to stare at Ivypool. "Ivypool, wake up."

His words were instantaneous, and she fell through the dream with Jayfeather in tow, and when she landed, everything magnified. Red lined the edges of her vision, but she could see Jayfeather stand calmly. Bumblestripe was there, and so was Hazeltail, and Leafpool.

"Everything will be fine," someone was saying, but everything was blurry. A spasm so strong surged through her stomach, twisting her entire composure in half, and Ivypool screamed so loudly she thought she would switch dimensions again.

"Hold steady," said Jayfeather. "Whatever you do, Ivypool, stay here. Focus on me."

Focus. Focus on Jayfeather. Stay here, here in the comfort of her nest, where the pain was unbelievable.

"What – " she choked.

"You've gone into labor," said Hazeltail in a slow voice. "And you're almost there."

Ivypool was hardened into stone, and the pain seemed like only a minor detail. She had work to do, the most important work she would ever do, and she was nearly there. All she had to do was focus on Jayfeather's face and listen to the instructions. And Bumblestripe was behind her, and Hazeltail was reaching forward to grab a bundle of grey fur. Ivypool screamed again with another rocket of pain, although it was in part due to the fact that her kit was in Hazeltail's paws and he should have been in hers…

"Ivypool," said Jayfeather, and the pain died away. "Ivypool, can you hear me?"

"I want to see them," said Ivypool. Exhaustion kicked in, but it was a dull ache at the back of her mind in comparison to what she had been through.

"Hazeltail, cobwebs. Now."

"I want to see them!"

"Ivypool, focus on me." Jayfeather had a paw on her side and was reaching for something with his teeth. Ivypool couldn't focus on him, not when her kits were somewhere. Where were they? She needed to see them.

"I need to see them!" cried Ivypool.

"Shh…" said Bumblestripe from behind her. "Ivypool, they're fine."

"They are mine!" cried Ivypool. "Give me my kits!" She moved her head, her paws, searching. Her prison blurred. She felt darkness closing in from all sides. "Give me my kits…"

"No one is trying to take your kits from you," said Hazeltail as Jayfeather took whatever she was holding. Hazeltail's voice was the one Ivypool needed. "Jayfeather is trying to save your life."

Save her life? Why should anyone like to do that?

"Will she be okay?" Bumblestripe sounded frantic, too frantic. Hadn't he heard her earlier? She didn't want him here. Redwillow and Mossytail were going to attack her again, and he couldn't be there when they did…and…she…needed them.

"She'll make it through," said Jayfeather. "She has been incredible." He stepped away and offered Ivypool a pawful of some bundle. "Eat this."

"Let me see my kits," said Ivypool. Sighing, Jayfeather stepped back and ushered Leafpool forward. Then there was a tiny mouth at her belly, and then a second. And Ivypool could only stare.

"A tom and a she-cat," said Jayfeather, but Ivypool knew that already. They were tiny, small enough that all she could see was that they would have grey pelts. They had tiny pink tongues and toes and tiny white bellies and they were hers.

"They're beautiful," said Bumblestripe. "They're perfect."

They were both of those things, but Ivypool was too tired to do anything about it. She licked up the bundle Jayfeather offered her, sure this time that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"I'll protect them," said Jayfeather, and his cloudy eyes seemed more intense than ever.

"Look, Ivypool," said Bumblestripe, although Ivypool wasn't sure why he was still here. "Look at how blue she is. Like your eyes."

"Like my eyes?" Ivypool tried to peer down, but everything was blurring. She supposed that the she-kit looked more blue than silver.

"Like your eyes," said Bumblestripe. "They're perfect. That's why I believe in you, Ivypool. Because they, and you…make me sure that this world is more grey than black-and-white, like the others think. There's more to this than black and white…"

His words trailed out as she gave in to the poppy seeds and the exhaustion, and Ivypool dreamed of a sweet world of grey.

I wonder if any of you clever readers of the main series can figure out where Ivypool got her kits' names from. Actually, it was extremely difficult figuring this chapter out, especially the scene with Ivypool's power! I also didn't originally plan for Jayfeather to curse in Tigerstar's face, but I like it a lot that way. Especially because it's Jayfeather, and because fire. Oh, I'm so happy with how this is all turning out and tying together!

Jayfeather chapter is next! If you liked this Ivypool chapter, please let me know by reviewing! I'll do what I can to answer any last-minute questions you have either at this point or in the next chapter, because after that, it's essentially all battle and will probably be posted all at once. So, ask your questions and leave your comments, and I'll answer them in Chapter 30. Thanks, everyone!

~Elsi