Shattered Ivy

Chapter 8

Ivy grunted as a paw shook her awake. "Mrrrww.."
"Wake up!" Her sister's voice echoed.
Ivy sighed and opened her eyes noticing all the cats had left the den except Bloom, who was snoring softly.
The golden she-cat looked up at her somehow energetic sister. "What?"
Turtle shook her butt at her. "Look at me taaaail!"
Ivy laughed. "It looks much better. And more clean."
Also Stormspeaker called everyone together. I think we go too." She meowed.
Ivy nodded. "Ok. Let me wake Bloom." She nudges the orange cat gently. "Bloom."
Turtle rolled her eyes. "I dare you to pounce on her." She padded out of the den spotting Mech.
Ivy smiled mischievously and pounced on Bloom's back. She meowed loudly and rolled over, squashing Ivy.
"Eeeeee!" Ivy squealed. Bloom looked around wildly and smiled as she saw Ivy beneath her. "You mouse-brain!"
Ivy giggled playfully and batted her ears. Bloom hissed and bit her scruff, careful not to draw blood. Ivy shrieked like a dying squirrel causing Bloom to let go laughing. "What was that??!"
Ivy smiled. "You don't like my dying squirrel sounds?"
Bloom purred. "You silly furball."
Ivy frowned. "I thought I was a mouse."
Bloom tackled her again and dragged her by the scruff. "Eeeeee!" Ivy squealed. "We should go." The orange she-cat suddenly meowed letting go of Ivy. "Awww that was fun." She meowed, as the two friends walked towards the tree trunk, where Stormspeaker was sitting a little impatiently in the tree.
Ivy saw Turtle talking to Mech and smiled.
They seem to be getting along well. Gee Turtle, falling for someone already.
She purred at the thought. Ivy recognized Cobbler and Lindi, Frisco and that was about it.
I don't know any of these cats. At least I have a friend. Or two.
She thought of Fang.
Maybe we could be friends...
Bloom bumped her with her paw. "Where do you want to sit?"
Ivy shrugged. "I'd like to be by my sister if that's ok."
"Sure." She exclaimed and headed towards Turtle, Ivy close beside her.
As they sat down, Ivy couldn't help looking for Fang. She sighed as she saw him next to that brown tabby again.
A loud yowl drew her from her thoughts. Stormspeaker was about to speak.
   "Rebels! The Bloodbones have captured Allo and Reed. I will send out a patrol to ask the Bloodbones to give them back. But of course that probably won't happen but it will give us a chance to look for places to hide and attack. I will list the cats and they will head out at once. Frisco will be in charge. Hazel, Fang, and Teegra will go as well." She nodded to each of the cats as they stood.
Ivy looked at he brown tabby and realized she was Hazel. The other she-cat she hadn't seen before had to be Teegra. She was a slender silver she-cat with large fangs with tufts of snow white fur on her ear-tips.
The golden tabby glanced at Bloom, who had a disappointing look on her face. " You could still go if you wanted too." Ivy meowed sympatheticly.
"No. Stormspeaker named the cats who are going. I'm not one of them." Bloom answered.
"Why not?" Ivy asked.
Bloom sighed. "We obey her. But you're still new to this way of life so you wouldn't understand." She padded off towards a pile of bramble where two other cats were busy sticking them into the tree branches, creating a thick barrier. "I'll see you later!" Bloom called.
Ivy smiled slightly. "Ok!" She hung her head wondering if she had upset her new friend. Turtle was chattering with Mech nearby about how lovely her tail was looking now that the healers had done some work.
Ivy purred and walked over. "Hey Turtle, want to explore with me?"
Turtle smiled. "Yeeee!"
Mech smirked. "I would go with you so you wouldn't get lost but the healers want me to take it easy."
Turtle shrugged. "We won't get lost. We'll be right back and we'll tell you all about our adventure!"
"Oh so it's an adventure now?" The black and white tom purred.
Turtle wagged her little stub and scampered over to the entrance where the rescue patrol had exited. Ivy followed hopefully not to catch too much attention.
After they were several fox-lengths from the large tree camp, Ivy spoke. "Want to follow the rescue patrol? That would be an awesome adventure."
"It woooouuuld!" Turtle meowed and looked at Ivy.
   She purred and crept low. "We'll keep well out of the way but I just want to see if the Bloodbones mention anything of our mother. "
   Turtle nodded, her face serious for a moment but quickly smiled excited.
   The two sisters began to follow the patrol, only ever stopping if one of the cats look back.
   The sun had long risen when the patrol finally stopped at a large pile of bones. There was a bone trail in sort of a wavy line that ran through the forest, as if showing a border.
   Ivy stiffened as she spotted blood spattered on some of the bones.
Some way to mark their borders...
   She shivered and steered Turtle away into a clump of ferns.
After a few moments she heard cats moving on the other side, heading slowly yet scarily towards the patrol.
She spotted Fang's black  fur bristle and Hazel back away slightly. Frisco stood defiantly and Teegra looked as if she was fighting the urge to run.
   "Jaw." Frisco growled. "Please give us back our friends."
   There were five Bloodbones, two stood in the shadows of the bone pile. The one called ' Jaw' a black and brown tom, padded forward, claws already extended.
   "What?" He spat menacingly.
   Ivy flinched and hoped it would end well. With the rebels alive.
   Frisco glared. "Give us Allo and Reed. You have no need with them."
   "Oh I think I do. They are Bloodbones now." Jaw smirked.
   "You have enough cats Jaw. If you don't give them back the Rebellion isn't afraid of a fight." Frisco threatened.
  Jaw hissed, slight fear crossing his eyes but  quickly disappeared so Ivy couldn't be sure.
   "You can keep those scrawny things. There no use anyway..."  Jaw bared his blood stained teeth. "I'll deliver them to you tomorrow morning."
   Frisco frowned. " Alright. But if you don't, you know what's coming."
   Ivy shook her head in disbelief.
Why are the Bloodbones giving in so easily? I guess that's good though.
   Fang looked uneasy also but they began to head back to camp. Ivy nudged Turtle and quickly scampered back to camp before the patrol could spot them.
As they entered the tree camp Ivy and Turtle spotted Mech and the healers by the den.
Ivy walked over to them and smiled, trying not to act as if she had been out. "How's Mech?"
"Oh I'm fine." He shrugged and licked his healing stomach wound.
Cobbler turned to Turtle. "His belly wound is doing fine, it's the leg bite I'm kinda worried about. It seems the cat that bit him had some type of disease." Lindi shook her head. "The skin looks disgusting and really infected. I don't want him leaving camp so he doesn't get anything in the bite."
Ivy blinked surprised and nervous for her friend. Turtle looked at Mech with sorrow.
While they were discussing Mech's condition, Ivy noticed the patrol had returned. She padded over to Fang. "Hi Fang."
   Fang smiled. "Hi." He waved his tail. "The Bloodbones said they would give back Allo and Reed. "
   Ivy pricked her ears, pretending to be surprised. "Wow really? They gave in easily?"
   "Yeah. It's a little...suspicious. I feel weird for thinking that."
   Ivy laid her tail gently on his shoulder. "I thought there was something wrong too. I guess we'll have to wait and see."
   Fang smiled at her. "Thanks."
   "Wanna be friends?" She asked, struggling to socialize.
   "Sure. You're a quiet friend." He meowed as they began walking to the den where the other young cats slept.
   Ivy smiled meaningfully at first thinking he had said good friend, then the smiled wavered.
   "Not really though, when I'm around my close friends and family." She grinned trying not to show how much his comment unsettled her.
   Fang purred. "I'll see you around Ivy. Say hi to Mech for me if you see him."
   Ivy nodded as Fang entered the den. Ivy lifted a paw to follow then hesitated.
Well that conversation went well... he sees me as a quiet cat.
   Ivy shrugged off the sarcastic thought.  She looked seeing the sun high in the sky.
   She padded over to her sister, who was resting beside Mech outside the medicine den. "Fang said hi." Ivy meowed. "And he wanted to know if you were ok."
   Mech stretched his paws out and sighed. "Yeah I'm fine. I hope my leg can get better. Tell Fang I said hi too."
   Ivy purred. "What do I look like, a messenger?"
   Turtle burst out laughing. "You have legs Mech. Or at least three of them. You can walk to the den and tell Fang yourself."
   Mech rolled his eyes and smirked. "Alright smarty paws I'll go." He stood up shakily and limped over to the den across the camp.
   Feeling a sharp pang of hunger, Ivy went to the prey pile and chose a squirrel for herself and her friends.
   She walked back and waited patiently for Mech to return. Together the three friends shared the squirrel and went on a hunting patrol until dark.
   Once Ivy was sleeping, no dreams came once again, except for a short dream of  echo of cats battling and the sound of thunder.
   An ear  piercing wail broke Ivy from her dreams. She glanced around desperately, her fur on end. The wail came again, softer and whimpering followed.
   Ivy walked out of the den careful not to wake any cat but they were already stirring from the noise.
   Ivy gulped, scared of what she might find when she looked outside the camp.
   She spotted Cobbler and Turtle crossing the clearing to the entrance and she quickly went to join them.
  Outside the camp, laying splayed out a few paw steps from the camp entrance, was a torn up, bloodied body of a cat.

(😹 the cliffhanger again tho. You'll know who it is in the next chapter. XD teehee)