Book: Ivyleaf's Destiny/Chapter 4

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*"You caught a squirrel?" Darkpaw asked* disbelievingly.
"She caught it up in a *tree*," Birdpaw told him. "Fernfall said so."
Ivypaw ducked her head self-consciously. All the conversations her Clanmates would bring up was about the squirrel. *It's already been eaten anyway*. Foxwhisker had shared it with his three kits, already growing big. They had demolished the entire squirrel and there was still more than enough for the rest of the Clan.
"Pity there's no elders to share it with," Larkpaw commented with a sorrowful glance at the elders' den. The empty den was covered in brambles, shielding the cold walls and leaving a gap just large enough for a plump nursery queen to fit through. "We must be the only cats without elders!"
"One less den to clean," Darkpaw mewed, tearing through his mouse with sharp teeth. "The nursery's already filthy! I don't know *what* Fallkit, Branchkit, Marshkit, Hollykit or Oatkit do to their moss, but it's horrible!"
Ivypaw purred. "You'll get to go hunting sometime," she comforted her brother.
"Yeah," Darkpaw muttered. "Sometime."
"Maybe you can ask Rushflame to teach you battle training," Larkpaw suggested. Darkpaw's eyes gleamed. "Wildfire's taking me tomorrow."
Ivypaw looked up from her vole as Owlfeather padded up to the four apprentices. They were sharing tongues just in front of their den.
"Ivypaw, how would you like to join Grassfern and I on the dawn patrol tomorrow?" Owlfeather asked.
"Really?" Ivypaw's eyes stretched wide. "Is Fernfall coming?"
Owlfeather shook his head. "No, she wants to stay back and look after the kits. Barkfern needs a rest because five kits really *are* a pawful."
Birdpaw nudged Ivypaw with her shoulder. "Come on! It'll be fun. You'll learn how to set markers and all that."
"Okay!" Ivypaw mewed excitedly. "I'll come!"
"Can I come too?" Darkpaw asked hopefully.
"No." Rushflame appeared out of nowhere. "I don't want you exhausted for your first battle training session. We're going with Wildfire and Larkpaw tomorrow morning just after my border patrol gets back."
"Great!" Larkpaw mewed. "We can practise together!"
"Can I come on the border patrol?" Darkpaw pressed. He was clearly eager.
"No," Rushflame mewed sternly, exchanging a glance with Owlfeather. "There may be badgers around."
"We can do battle training *before*, so I know what to do," Darkpaw suggested. Ivypaw suppressed a *mrrow* of laughter. Her brother really wanted to show off his skills.
"No." Owlfeather's eyes gleamed. "The patrol to Hollowstones is for *warriors*, and warriors only."
"Hollowstones?" Darkpaw's ears pricked.
"Shut up, mousebrain!" Ivypaw meowed, shoving her brother. "Unless you want to be sat on!"
Owlfeather walked off, not pausing to look back at Darkpaw.
"Aw…" the black apprentice mewed.
"Maybe I'll take you on a border patrol some other time," Rushflame mewed, padding after Owlfeather. "Once you've had some experience.
Ivypaw could tell her brother still wasn't convinced. He angrily ripped another mouthful off his mouse.
Purring, Ivypaw finished off her vole and padded into the apprentices' den. Birdpaw had complained of spending the day gathering moss for the two new apprentices. She was grateful that her father wanted them to be comfortable that night.
"Good night, Ivypaw," Larkpaw mewed sleepily as he collapsed in his own nest.
Ivypaw grunted in response. She was already drifting off to sleep.

"Ivypaw?" Birdpaw's head was in Ivypaw's face as she woke up. "Come on, wake up! Owlfeather's waiting."
Groggily, Ivypaw dragged her paws out of her nest and picked her way out of the den carefully stepping over Darkpaw's fluffy tail and Larkpaw's outstretched hindpaw.
"You can eat first and then we'll go," Owlfeather was saying to Birdpaw. He poked his head in the entrance. "You too, Ivypaw."
Hurriedly, the apprentice charged to the fresh-kill pile. *It's greenleaf. Lots of juicy prey.* She picked off a small shrew and swallowed mouthfuls. The shrew was a little cold, but the texture was bearable. Birdpaw was struggling to bite into a cold mouse.
"I thought the greenleaf sun would warm it up!" she complained.
Ivypaw purred. "The sun doesn't reach this far into the holly," she pointed out.
Birdpaw grunted as she managed to swallow a bit of her mouse. "This tastes *yuck*!" she murmured with her mouth full.
"It'll just be because of the cold," Ivypaw mewed. "Eat quickly then let's go, and maybe Owlfeather'll let you hunt."
Birdpaw swiped her tongue around her mouth. "Great idea!"
The two apprentices finished their fresh kill and bounded over to the Clan deputy. Owlfeather was patiently waiting with Grassfern at the entrance tunnel.
*My first real patrol!* Ivypaw thought as she bounced out of camp. *At last!*
Owlfeather took the lead as he headed out into the woods. Birdpaw fell into step beside him, controlling her pace so that she was always very slightly behind. Ivypaw padded after them while Grassfern brought up the rear.
"We're going to the ShrubClan border," Owlfeather announced. Ivypaw followed him as the patrol followed a trail of pawsteps formed in the soft earth, heading the opposite direction to where Fernfall had brought Ivypaw the day before.
Chapter 5 —>