Thank you (An IvyxHawk Fanfic)

Part 4

Hawkfrost woke up with blood running down his mouth and shoulder. All his Dark Forest training is killing me in the inside. The dark tabby stood up and padded to the medicine cat den where Mothwing, his littermate, was grooming herself.

"Oh Hawkfrost, when are you going to stop training with Tigerstar? It is going to kill you eventually. If you do die, don't say I didn't warn you." Mothwing growled as she stuffed Hawkfrost's wounds with herbs.

"I am not going to die, sis. I am perfectly aware of what I'm doing." Hawkfrost rolled his eyes at Mothwing's comment.

"Perfectly aware? Hawkfrost, are you some kind of fish-brained idiot who doesn't care about himself?" Mothwing hissed with disbelief.

Hawkfrost unsheathed his claws, "First of all, I am not a fish-brained idiot! And second, I do care about myself! You are just assuming! You always have!" He spat with anger. Mothwing didn't say anything else, but she sighed and continued to treat his wounds. Why can't we ever get along? We are always fighting about the smallest thing possible. It's not fair my apprentice gets to have an excellent bond with her littermate. Hawkfrost flattened sliced ear, sighing at the same time.

"I know what you are thinking. You're thinking of the good bond we could have. I would love that more than anything in the world." Mothwing meowed with sadness. Hawkfrost looked at his littermate, "I would like that too. I just wish I knew how to behave." Mothwing nuzzled his head.

"You may be a fish-brained tom, but I would never stop loving you." Mothwing murmured. Hawkfrost purred, knowing that their argument was kind of pushed away. After the golden tabby dismissed him, the tabby trotted up to Ivypaw, who was talking with Ripplepaw.

"Those sentences were fire! I never thought a cat could hold so much in their mouth!" Ripplepaw exclaimed. They must be talking about the Gathering that happened two quarter moons ago. Hawkfrost recalled his 'roasting' challenge with Mistyfoot, the RiverClan deputy. Ivypaw noticed the tom standing there, so she trotted up to him. Without any words, Hawkfrost led Ivypaw to the stream that separates ThunderClan and RiverClan.

"So, when are we going to practice those moves that we learned a quarter moon ago?" Ivypaw asked. "Why not now? Now, I want to practice that backflip since it wa-" Hawkfrost was interrupted by a low growl to ThunderClan's side of the stream. The two cats turned and saw a black and brown tom, with a brown she-cat at his heels.

"Spiderpaw." Ivypaw hissed under her breath, "Ivypaw." The ThunderClan apprentice snarled.

"Spiderpaw! You better not start a fight!" The brown she-cat warned, but the tom ignored her. Bunching his muscles, the apprentice charged at Ivypaw. The small silver and white tabby she-cat hissed and raked her claws on the tom's shoulder. I'm going to enjoy this. I hope Ivypaw remembers her training. Hawkfrost sat and curled his tail on his white paws. The two apprentices were clawing at each other, then Spiderpaw pinned his apprentice. Her signature move. Hawkfrost watched in excitement when Ivypaw stopped struggling.

Without warning, the little she-cat flung Spiderpaw off her. The tom was obviously surprised at the she-cat's attack, then he got pinned down. Ivypaw raked her claws on his back, then Spiderpaw got her off easily. Ivypaw hadn't given up yet, so she sprang at the tom and placed her teeth on his scruff. This gave Spiderpaw the advantage to yank her tail, but it also made Ivypaw bite harder on his scruff. Ivypaw then started to shake his scruff, causing Spiderpaw to let go of her tail.

"Stop this now!" The brown she-cat grabbed Ivypaw by her scruff and dropped her beside Hawkfrost. "RiverClan needs to learn how to control their warriors!" The she-cat spat.

"Us? Shouldn't I be telling you that? Your pathetic apprentice started it anyways!" Ivypaw raked her claws across Mousefur's muzzle. The ThunderClan warrior screeched in pain, only to be slapped in the mouth with Hawkfrost's tail.

"Get back to your own territory and no more blood will be spilled." He threatened the she-cat. Mousefur growled before turning and leaving. Hawkfrost looked at Ivypaw. The small sand wiry she-cat has lost some part of her ears and fur. Spiderpaw had left her with a wound above her right eye. She also had long but thin wounds on her side.

"Aren't you going to yell at me?" The wiry she-cat asked. Hawkfrost shrugged, "You defended yourself. Besides, I'm different from other mentors. There are the rude and stupid ones, then the nice and patient ones. Then there is me. A mentor of both sides. So consider yourself lucky to have me teach you."

Ivypaw blinked for some time, "Oh great StarClan does this hurt! Can we go back to camp?" Hawkfrost nodded and led his apprentice back to RiverClan camp. Mistyfoot looked at Ivypaw with horror.

"What in the name of StarClan happened do my daughter?" She snarled at Hawkfrost.

"Spiderpaw of ThunderClan attacked her. Luckily, they didn't kill each other. Mousefur and I were there to stop them." Hawkfrost simply meowed. Mistyfoot glared at him before leaving. Ivypaw's quiet hiss caught the tom's attention.

"You just lied to the deputy!" She hissed. Hawkfrost glared at his apprentice.

"If I told her the truth, Leopardstar will appoint you a new mentor. They don't know skill like me." Hawkfrost put his paw on his fluffy chest.

"You do have a point. Fine, I'll let it pass, for now. Lie to my mother again and it's your pelt on the fresh-kill pile." Ivypaw growled.

"Alright. Now, go get Mothwing to see you." Hawkfrost offered. Ivypaw looked at him, questions were flowing in her aqua eyes.

"Can I tell you something first though?" She asked.

"Err, sure?"

"What is the Dark Forest? I heard you and Mothwing talking about it earlier in the medicine cat den."

Hawkfrost's pelt bristled in anger, "Why were you spying on us?!"

"I was just going to get Blackclaw since he overslept. But I heard Mothwing complain about something, so I decided to stop and listen."

"What happens to her or me doesn't matter to you! Next time, ignore it." Hawkfrost snarled.

"Ignore it? Are you stupid or what? The name alone sounds bad! Hawkfrost, please tell me! I'm your apprentice and I deserve to know what happens in your life!" Ivypaw's whiskers brushed Hawkfrost's face.

"Fine! You win! Alright, this is going to be pretty long, so just go get your wounds treated and we'll start." He gave in.

***

"So that is what the Dark Forest is." Hawkfrost ended that talk while he and Ivypaw went for a walk.

"Why would you train there if you know that is were evil cats go when they die?" She demanded.

"Just to prove to one of my parents that I am more than a Half-Clan cat." Hawkfrost remembered his mother ditching he and Mothwing moons and moons and moons ago.

"You don't have to make Tigerstar or your mother proud. You've already made your clan mates proud." Ivypaw ran her tail against his side, confronting him. Hawkfrost looked at her, "You've made me proud since day one of my apprenticeship, Hawkfrost. I couldn't ask for a better mentor." Her aqua eyes gleamed with pride.

The sun beamed down on the two RiverClan cats.  "And no one could ask for a better apprentice." Hawkfrost whispered.