Ivypool's Lament

|Chapter XV|

Ivypool poked her head into the waking ThunderClan camp. Breezepelt and Darkstripe had been the first to go home, leaving her and Snowtuft left. Rainkit still clung to her back, determined to stay by her side. She took a few pawsteps into the camp, then stopped to look around. She saw Brambleclaw getting the dawn patrol ready. The brown tabby noticed her and Rainkit, walking over.

"Ivypool?" Brambleclaw questioned, confused. "What were you doing out there with Rainkit?"

Ivypool opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she noticed Snowtuft stick his head into the camp. Brambleclaw noticed him, too, because his fur started to bristle.

"Brambleclaw, he's fine! His name is Snowtuft," Ivypool meowed. "MS had us in the Dark Forest training some Dark Forest cats to fit in with the Clans again."

The former ThunderClan deputy's fur lied flat again, and he waved his tail to invite Snowtuft in. The white warrior nervously walked over to them, his pawsteps unsure. MS walked in after him, his empty gaze on Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw dipped his head at MS.

"Brambleclaw," MS started, "May I ask why you have a dawn patrol?"

"Well, I was going to take them out into the forest, just to make sure there weren't any badgers or foxes," Brambleclaw explained.

MS waved his tail in acknowledgment to Brambleclaw's statement, then turned to Ivypool and Snowtuft.

"Snowtuft, I give you my best wishes for Clan life, and Ivypool, tell your sister thank you for the kit," MS meowed, dipping his head before disappearing.

Ivypool looked at the spot where MS used to be standing, then looked at Snowtuft. She motioned for the new ThunderClan cat to explore the camp. Snowtuft dipped his head to her, then ran off to go talk to someone. Ivypool padded towards the nursery, where Dovewing was waiting in the entrance. The tip of her tail was twitching, and her eyes weren't very inviting. Ivypool cautiously walked up to her sister. Once she was close enough, Rainkit fell off of her back and ran into the nursery.

"Dovewing?" Ivypool meowed.

"MS is making it very hard for me to trust him!" Dovewing snapped at her.

Ivypool stumbled a couple steps backwards, trying to regain her balance.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"He came in here last night, told me he was borrowing Rainkit, then left with him!"

Ivypool's ear twitched, and she reverted her gaze to a stray twig next to her sister. Dovewing huffed, trying to get her attention. She looked at her again, then pawed at the ground.

"Just trust him, okay? He means no harm," Ivypool meowed, unsure of what else she could say.

Dovewing huffed, and walked back inside the nursery. Ivypool's tail drooped. MS, why would you lower Dovewing's trust level like that? We need her to trust you...

"Ivypool!"

Ivypool turned around at the sound of her name, and saw Tigerheart.

"Do you think Dovewing would let me see the kits?" He asked, his amber eyes a little uncertain.

"I... Don't know..." Ivypool meowed, looking at her paws. "She's a little mad at me right now..."

"For what?" Tigerheart asked, confused.

"For trusting MS," she mewed quietly.

Tigerheart blinked in suprised, "What? Why would she be mad at you for that?"

"She said that MS took Rainkit last night without telling her and-"

Ivypool's sentence was cut off by a yowl of protest.

"No! Give it back!" She heard Rainkit mewl.

She stepped a couple of feet into the nursery, and saw Dovewing with Rainkit's Twoleg pelt in her mouth. Rainkit looked close to tears, and Featherkit was just watching from the edge of their nest. Rainkit swiped a desperate paw at his Twoleg pelt, missing. Dovewing held her head up higher to prevent the tom kit from getting to it.

"You can't have it, Rainkit," Dovewing mumbled.

"Why not!" Rainkit wailed.

The gray tabby broke down, sadness pooring off of him in waves. There were tears staining his fur, and his pelt was ruffled. That Twoleg pelt must mean a lot to him... Just like my necklace.

"Dovewing, enough," Ivypool growled, snatching Rainkit's Twoleg pelt away from her sister.

Dovewing looked shocked, her eyes wide. Her fur had ruffled up, and she shook out her pelt, trying to get it to lie flat. Rainkit looked at Ivypool, his desperate wails quieting down. She handed Rainkit his stolen item, helping him get it on. She heard a low growl in Dovewing's throat.

"He's my kit! If I say he can't have it, then he can't have it!" Dovewing snapped.

Rainkit ran over to Ivypool, fear in his eyes. She pulled him closer with her paw.

"Mothers don't treat their kits like this," Ivypool countered.

Dovewing looked like she was gonna say something, but instead grabbed Featherkit and walked out of the nursery. Ivypool heard a confused meow come from Tigerheart, and Dovewing snapping at him. She sighed, and walked out of the nursery with Rainkit.

"What happened?" Tigerheart asked. "I heard lots of yowling..."

"Dovewing tried to take Rainkit's Twoleg pelt away from him," she explained.

Tigerheart nodded in understanding, then looked at Rainkit. The poor kit still looked afraid. Ivypool licked his head, trying to calm him down. A thought struck her.

What am I going to do now? It's obvious that Rainkit isn't going to go back to Dovewing anytime soon...

She looked down at Rainkit, then thought of MS. He'll know what to do.

Ivypool picked Rainkit up by the scruff, and headed off towards the Gathering Island.

|Hello readers! Tbh, I really hate Dovewing rn. Like, a lot. But other than that, yay! xD Anyways, thank you soooo much for 300 views! It means a lot to me, and I'm thankful for all the readers that vote for my story, or just stick around to read it all. I can't express how happy I am to know that people actually read my stories! I just thought that I'd never really get this far. Anyways, that's all I have to say. Read on!|