Shattered Ivy

Chapter 3

   Ivy sprinted back to the tree with the large roots not caring if Mech followed or not.
   She reached the tree quickly and looked around. Turtle had vanished.
   "Turtle!!!" She whimpered then suddenly heard a splash somewhere nearby. Ivy followed the sound deeper into trees. She spotted a lake up ahead and put on a burst of speed. "Turtle!"
   The lake water was murky and who could tell what lied beneath. The full moon helped some and Ivy prayed clouds would not cover it, at least until she found Turtle.
   Turtle's paw reached from the dark water but Ivy could hardly tell if it was hers. A log drifted up beside Turtle.
As the log drew closer, Ivy squinted her eyes.
That's not a log...
Ivy realized in horror as the log with scaley skin sprang and grabbed a hold of Turtle.
"Quick-jaw!" Ivy yowled but it came too late as Turtle shrieked and was pulled under. Water closed around her head as bubbles swam to the surface.
Ivy stood terrified but leaped into the water not thinking.
Ivy reached the quick-jaw's face where Turtle's tail was clutched in its jaws.
She hissed in fury and lashed at the quick-jaws eyes willing it to let go of her sister.
The beast thrashed violently in the shallow water, Turtle dangling from its mouth.
Ivy hung on for life. As her vision blurred she realized Mech had joined in the chaos. He was scratching the quick-jaw's snout and dodging with lightning speed.
Still on the quick-jaw's neck, Ivy looked at Mech. " Mech! Try to lead it onto land!"
Before Mech could react, the quick-jaw swung its head with surprising force and Turtle went flying through the air colliding on a pile of leaves. She grunted and stood up shakily before hiding in a small hole beside a tree.
Ivy gasped and leaped away from the quick-jaw and ran up a tree close by to Turtle's hole.
Mech glanced at Ivy and followed her.
The quick-jaw closed its scratched eyes and bloodied snout and submerged into the water distracted as seeing easier prey. A lone deer was on the opposite bank taking a drink. Ripples moved in the water as the quick-jaw drew closer.
Ivy closed her eyes not wanting to see the poor deer be eaten. A bone-breaking crack filled the air as the quick-jaw pulled the deer into the water .
Ivy whimpered and put her paws over her ears but still trying to keep her balance on her branch.
   She curled her black-tipped tail around herself and waited.
   After several moments, Ivy opened her eyes and noticed the sky was getting brighter. She urgently looked for Turtle and sighed in relief seeing a familiar tan pelt through the hole.
   The tabby she-cat slowly slid down the tree like her mother had taught her. Ivy glanced around quickly and padded over to the hole.
"Turtle are you ok-" Ivy gasped in shock.
Turtle had put leaves and moss that must have been in the hole already , where her tail was. Ivy spotted blood seeping through.
Ivy whimpered in sympathy and hurried over to lick her ear. Turtle had tear steaming down her cheeks and she hesitantly glanced at her tail. "It's ....gone.."
Turtle carefully lifted the leaves a bit. Ivy clenched her teeth in horror at seeing the bloody pulp of where Turtle's tail should have been. All that was left was a short stump.
Ivy curled around her horrified sister comfortingly. The golden she-cat pricked her ears as she heard paw-steps at the mouth of the hole. A half-black , half-white face poked in. "Is everything ok?" Mech stared at Turtle's tail with his mouth open.
Turtle cried.
"Did the....quick-jaw..." Mech started.
Ivy nodded her head sadly remembering how Turtle would always wag her tail when she was excited. It was what made her sister unique and different. Now her tail would never wag again.
Ivy began to lick Turtle's fur worried that the quick-jaw might come back.
"My beautiful tail!" Turtle bawled , blood trickling from her tail stump.
   Mech looks at her. " I've never seen your tail but I'm sure it was very beautiful."
   Turtle smiled a bit. "Umm....who is this?"
   Ivy suddenly remembered her sister had seen him. "Oh...I encountered him while I was hunting."
    "You were hunting?" Mech titled his head.
Ivy flattened her ears annoyed. "I was stalking a mouse."
   "Did you catch it?"
   Ivy groaned silently. "No."She looked at her sister's bloodied stump of her tail. " She needs herbs. I think marigold cures infection. I remember because mother used it when I got a small cut from a tree branch. I didn't think I needed to  tell her but then it got infected. " Ivy smiled embarrassed.
   Mech grinned. "I can heal her tail. Or at least what is left of it."
   Turtle narrowed her eyes angrily.
   He licked his paw casually. "I'll go gather some herbs in the morning." The black and white cat laid down and wrapped his tail around his paws.
   Ivy shook her head. "No Turtle needs it now." With at the leaves stopping the blood, Turtle's injury could wait but it would probably take longer to heal. But that wasn't the real reason why they had to hurry.
The Bloodbones are after us....
   She wondered if Mech knew of them but she didn't dare ask.
   What if he is one of them? Who can I trust?
    Mech sighed and nodded. "Alright. There should be some plants nearby..." he began muttering herbs he could use.
   Ivy sighed in relief and glanced at the tan she-cat. " We have to keep moving. Can you still walk?"
   Turtle shrugged. "I'm tired." She sighed and laid her head on her paws.
   Ivy nodded. "Ok. I'll ask Mech to keep a look-out."
She closed her eyes and wrapped her tail around Turtle.
After a few moments Mech returned with herbs in his jaws and went to work on Turtle's tail.
"Mech , can you keep watch until sunrise?" Ivy asked quietly.
Mech nodded and yawned slightly. " I'll make sure Turtle is ok through the night."
Turtle was sleeping peacefully next to Ivy. The tan she-cat's flank moving up and down in rhythm to her breathing. Ivy's fur bristled as she felt cold winds blow through the hole which was now a den. Leaves rustled and some swept out of the den. Mech hurried to block the exit and dug up some dirt to keep the breeze out. "There."
Ivy smiled slightly. "Thanks. Good night Mech."
"Night Ivy. You and little Turtle there get a good sleep. Morning is almost here but you can sleep longer if you want."
Ivy shrugged. "Wake us up at sunrise."
Mech nodded and sat by the hole entrance alert.
Ivy settled down and closed her eyes exhausted.
After several moments of sleep a paw awoke her. She opened blue eyes and stared into bright red cat eyes. She gasped and realized it was the transparent scarlet cat she had seen before when she almost drowned in the river. "W-who are you?" Ivy stared in horror at her surroundings. A dark, gloomy forest was before her. There were no cats in sight except the one in front of her. They were alone.
   The scarlet cat looked calm in front of her.
   "I am Scarletrose. And this beautiful place was once the Dark Forest."