Book: Ivyleaf's Destiny/Chapter 5

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*"ShrubClan tastes yucky!" Ivypaw screwed up* her face as she sniffed the Clan's scent markers.
Birdpaw purred with amusement. "Every cat knows that!" she meowed. "But not all cats know that *before* they go to the ShrubClan border! I did."
Ivypaw snorted. Who cared if Birdpaw knew all about the Clans? Apprentices were meant to *learn*, not show off all their knowledge.
"No trouble here," Grassfern mewed softly. "Not now, anyway."
As she spoke, three cats padded out from behind a gorse bush. "Stay on your side of the border."
"We are," Ivypaw couldn't resist pointing out.
"No, you're not," one of the cats growled. "The border is *there*." The cat pointed with its tail to a tree behind the ThornClan patrol.
"Who told you to move the border?" Owlfeather challenged, fur fluffing up.
"Patchstar," another cat mewed matter-of-factly. The cat looked undersized compared to its companions. *Must be an apprentice.*
"Keep your mouth shut, Pebblepaw," Birdpaw hissed. "Patchstar wouldn't send three scrawny cats to defend a newly-made border. He'd send a large patrol."
"He did." A mew sounded from behind the three cats and a large black-and-white shape padded out followed by many more cats. *Great StarClan, it looks like the whole ShrubClan!* "Thank you, Flamefur."
The ginger tom dipped his head. "My pleasure, Patchstar."
This *is the ShrubClan leader?*
"Run to camp and tell Rainstar to send reinforcements," Owlfeather whispered in Ivypaw's ear, backing away slowly. "Hurry!"
Ivypaw nodded and hastily ran back into the trees. *StarClan, please help me remember where the camp is!*
"Rainstar! Rainstar!" she yowled as loud as she could, hoping another patrol had come and would hear her.
As if StarClan had answered her prayers immediately, Shadefur, Foxwhisker, Wildfire and Rushflame burst from the bushes, presumably coming back from the Hollowstones patrol.
"What's wrong Ivypaw?" Shadefur questioned, tipping his head to one side.
"ShrubClan have moved the border," Ivypaw explained breathlessly. "It looks like they're going to invade. Owlfeather, Grassfern and Birdpaw are there."
Foxwhisker narrowed his eyes. "We'll go right there," he replied, taking authority. "You can go back to the camp."
Ivypaw nodded and continued racing along her path.
"Rainstar!" she yowled as she burst through the entrance tunnel. "ShrubClan has crossed the border!"
Warriors emerged from their den and Darkpaw padded out of his, rubbing his eyes with a forepaw. Rainstar padded out into the clearing.
"Have you got proof?" she demanded.
"They're surrounding Owlfeather, Grassfern and Birdpaw right now," Ivypaw continued. "A cat called Flamefur said Patchstar told them to move the border. Owlfeather sent me back. Shadefur, Foxwhisker, Wildfire and Rushflame are there right now."
Rainstar narrowed her eyes. "Crowfur, Larkpaw, Dawnwing, Fernfall!" she listed. "Come with me. The rest of you, guard the camp!"
"Can I come?" Ivypaw stepped forward.
"No," Rainstar mewed. "You've had no battle training. It's best for you to stay here."
Nodding, Ivypaw stepped away and padded over to Darkpaw. Her brother glanced sympathetically at her.
"I know what it's like to be left out of things," Darkpaw whispered in her ear.
Ivypaw sighed. "I wish Fernfall taught me how to fight instead of hunt yesterday," she grunted, digging her claws into the soft sand in front of the apprentices' den. "Then I could go in the attach patrol."
Darkpaw pressed even closer to his sister. "We'll be warriors soon," he murmured. "Then Rainstar can't leave us out of battles."
He padded back to the nursery where he was greeted with squeals of delight.
"Darkpaw!" Ivypaw recognised Branchkit's mew.
"Have you come to play with us?" Fallkit added.
"Or tell us a story?" Marshkit asked.
*Looks like Darkpaw had fun yesterday after all,* Ivypaw thought, amused. *Despite his complaints.*

"We won!" Dawnwing's triumphant mew sounded in camp. The attack patrol had returned to camp victorious. In fact, they had even managed to extend ThornClan's territory a few fox-lengths according to Larkpaw. Rainstar, however, looked… defeated. Ivypaw was confused. ThornClan didn't lose any warriors, and no cat was badly wounded. ShrubClan lost an apprentice, Needlepaw, and Patchstar was badly wounded. *Did Rainstar also lose a life?*
But aside from Rainstar, the Clan was rejoicing in their victory. Owlfeather had sent Fernfall, Crowfur and Foxwhisker out to make sure ShrubClan didn't try to cross the border. Again.
Rushflame and Wildfire had already taken their apprentices to the training clearing, and Ivypaw was patiently waiting for her mentor to return.
After a while, though, Ivypaw became restless. She was the only apprentice left in camp! What could she do to help?
Ivypaw padded over to Honeycloud. The medicine cat was tending to all the cats' wounds on her own. Marshkit, Cloudsplash's daughter, was trying to help her pressing her own tiny forepaws down on gashes to stop the bleeding.
"Hi, Honeycloud," Ivypaw mewed cheerfully. "Can I help you?"
The ThornClan medicine cat shook her head. "No, thank you, Ivypaw," Honeycloud replied. "I can manage."
"Marshkit, do you want to come and play with your littermates?" Ivypaw offered.
The young tortoiseshell kit looked up. "Honeycloud, do you need me anymore?"
"Go and play." Honeycloud didn't look up from Shadefur's wound. "You can help another time."
Ivypaw couldn't help thinking that Marshkit looked a bit disappointed. *Does she* like *helping Honeycloud? Is she destined to be a medicine cat?*
Her littermates, on the other hand, were born to be warriors. Fallkit and Branchkit were continually wrestling each other. Hollykit watched, her head tipped over to one side, thoughtfully analysing every move. Oatkit joined in.
"I'm a ShrubClan warrior!" Oatkit declared. "Patchstar told me to move the border!"
Fallkit flattened his ears. "Never!"
"ShrubClan will never claim a *whisker* of ThornClan territory!" Branchkit added.
The two toms hurled themselves at the bigger kit. Oatkit promptly fell on his back and churned the air with his paws. "Warrior down!" he mewed.
"You're not a warrior yet," Branchkit protested. "You're a *kit*."
"Kit down!" Fallkit mewed, batting his brother with a forepaw.
"Do you want to join them?" Ivypaw asked Marshkit.
The little cat shook her head. "No. They're too reckless."
Ivypaw narrowed her eyes. When she was a kit, she spent every spare moment play-fighting with Darkpaw, and then Hollykit and Oatkit when they were born. But Marshkit spent every spare moment watching Honeycloud prepare poultices for scratches, and stock up the herb store for leaf-bare.
"I'm *not* a kit!" Oatkit's mew rang in Ivypaw's ear, bringing her back to the present.
"Yes, you are!" Fallkit teased.
Oatkit desperately turned to her sister for help, but Hollykit wisely pretended to be washing herself, clearly wishing not to take part in this conversation.
"Barkfern!" Oatkit began wailing. For the first time, Ivypaw noticed the cream she-cat. She was asleep up until that point.
"Barkfern!" Oatkit mewed, poking his mother. "They're calling me a kit."
"But you are." Barkfern sat up straight, licking her son.
"I'm five moons old!" Oatkit declared. "I'm almost an apprentice."
"You'll always be *my* kit," Barkfern mewed.
"You'll always be *a* kit until you stop wailing!" Fallkit added, neatly dodging a lousy blow by Oatkit.
Hollykit stood up and stretched. "I want to go get something to eat."
"The hunting patrols will be back by now," Ivypaw informed her. *And maybe Fernfall too.*
Ivypaw followed the black-furred kit out into the clearing. Sure enough, the fresh-kill pile was stocked and Fernfall had returned.
"Come on, Ivypaw!" Fernfall called. "Let's practise battle training!"
Eagerly, the young apprentice dashed after her mentor and raced her way to the training clearing. *You wait Darkpaw! I'll be a better hunter* and *fighter than you!*
Chapter 6 —>