Shattered Ivy

Prologue

"Treestar?"
The brown speckled cat looked up from his next where he was grooming himself. " Yes? What is it Rainbowwish?"
The bluish she-cat walked into the den that was made inside a large tree. Tropical plants decorated the outsides of the den.
Rainbowwish sat down a few pawsteps from Treestar and had a distant look in her eyes. Her fur bristled with anxiety.
The speckled tom stretched and sat up. " Is something bothering you Rainbowwish? I could ask an apprentice to help you gather herbs for leaf-bare."
Rainbowwish shook her head slightly. "No. but that would be nice Treestar...." she stopped suddenly unsure how to state her troubles.
Maybe I should wait for another sign from StarClan....maybe I misunderstood...
Before she had more time to think, Treestar meowed, "I'll ask Eaglepaw right away. So...what is bothering you so much?"
   Rainbowwish shuffled her paws nervously. "I-I think I had a message from StarClan..."
   Treestar sat up suddenly alert. "A-a message? What did it tell you?"
   Rainbowwish looked at him with wisdom in her eyes." It wasn't a prophecy...more like a vision. But I kept hearing the words ' Ivy' and 'shatter' and 'Nightmares desendents'..."
   Treestar gasped and shook his head as if to clear his head. "N-nightmare..." he muttered quietly.
Rainbowwish pricked her ears barley catching his words. "Do you know what it means?"
Treestar looked up startled. "N-no. Best to keep this from the Clan. They still need to recover from the rogue attacks and are still shocked from Cobraeye's betrayal.."
He shuddered remembering his brother.
Rainbowwish laid her tail on his shoulder to comfort him. Treestar looked up aware of his surroundings.
"Oh umm....you should go. Tell me if StarClan sends anything. " Treestar stood up and padded out of the den leaving Rainbowwish staring after him.
She sighed and decided to gather herbs. Rainbowwish walked over to the apprentice den and spotted Eaglepaw. She then remembered that Treestar had forgotten his promise but she shook it off.
He already has enough to deal with. His own brother killed his son...
Rainbowwish winced remembering that tragic day.
She looked at Eaglepaw to find him staring at her. "Oh uh Treestar wants you to help me gather herbs." She flicked her tail beckoning him and walked towards the entrance.
Rainbowwish heard a sigh behind her and knew he was following.
She smiled and walked through the rainforest enjoying the crunch of leaves beneath her paws and the musty rain smell.
Eaglepaw suddenly bounded forward into the bushes catching Rainbowwish off guard. "What are you doing?" She asked trying not to show how much it ruffled her fur.
Eaglepaw popped his head out of the bushes with a thrush in his jaws. He tilted his head amused. "Did I startle you?"
Rainbowwish sighed and smiled. "I was thinking. Nice catch by the way."
Eaglepaw walked out of the bushes and began digging a hole to store his prey in.
   Rainbowwish waited a little impatiently as Eaglepaw buried his prey. " We need to hurry before the sun sets. I don't want the cold winds to damage any of the catmint."
   Eaglepaw looked up and padded over. "Ok ok I'm done. Did someone put worms in your prey?" He joked.
   Rainbowwish flicked her ear and purred slightly. " Lets just get going."
   The two clanmates padded through the rainforest following the semi-steep trail downwards towards a river.
   Rainbowwish stopped and looked at her plants. She and her clanmates had dug from the river around the plants. With water surrounding the plants but not touching them, ants and other things that didn't like getting there paws wet couldn't get to the catmint. She sighed in relief that birds hadn't gotten to it.
   She quickly jumped across the water and began picking a few stalks. Eaglepaw followed and began trying to copy her.
   Rainbowwish smiled. "Try to make the break clean so the juice is still there. And so it doesn't get on your face." She laughed seeing him lick around his muzzle. "Tasty." Eaglepaw purred.
   Rainbowwish broke off more stems that happened to be less juicy.
  She bundled the stems together that had the catmint leaves they needed.
   "I don't want to take to much. I think I can cart this small bundle. You can go collect your thrush." Rainbowwish meowed as she stood up and bounded to the other side of the river.
   Eaglepaw smiled happily. " ok."
   Rainbowwish began to pad off but stopped. She quickly dropped the bundle gently to speak. "Oh and thanks for your help-" she looked around for Eaglepaw.
She heard a voice though the trees. "No problem!"
  Rainbowwish shook her head amused."Always  energetic these apprentices....wonder when I'll get my own.." she muttered to herself.
  She picked up the bundle and padded on towards camp. The rainforest trees swirled in the wind.
   It was almost night-fall as she walked through the camp entrance. Treestar and Hurricanewind were talking quietly by the freshkill pile. Rainbowwish flicked her tail in greeting as she caught Treestar's eye.
  Treestar returned the greeting and went back to the serious conversation.
   Rainbowwish padded to the medicine den through a tunnel of rainforest flowers of different colors.
   As she came to the end she put the herbs on the camp earth and began sorting. Bright green leaves caught her eye and she strained her eyes to see in the coming night.
   Rainbowwish blinked a few times. "It can't be..."
   "What can't be?" A voice sounded in the shadows of the den.
   Rainbowwish nearly jumped. "Oh.....Kestrelwing what are you doing in here?"
   Kestrelwing looked up. " I was just getting a poppy seed because my stomach was hurting again."
   Rainbowwish sighed. "It's normal for cats to feel cramps when expecting. Go back to sleep"
   The tortoiseshell nodded and took a poppy seed in her pad.
   "Leave the poppy seed."
  She sighed and dropped it. Rainbowwish purred amused. "Good night Kestrelwing."
   The golden tortoiseshell stretched and licked her pregnant belly. "Night Rainbowwish." She slowly padded out of the den.
   Rainbowwish was alone in the den and glanced at the green leaf. Her head swam with questions.
I never picked up an ivy leaf....
A harsh blue light filled her gaze and she saw an ivy leaf spattered with blood. Rainbowwish gasped and saw cats dying. She looked around but she couldn't see anything that killed them.
   "Beware the invisible enemy..."
A voice said in her head.
   "The poisonous ivy..."
Rainbowwish pricked her ears as she heard hidden whispers.
   Rainbowwish's eyes widened.
   The Ivy is born....