I'm Searching
This is fan fiction written by Warriorfan123. It stars Ivy, one of her first characters.
Allegiances[]
Rogues[]
Nightwing- elegant, black-and-ginger she-cat with dark blue eyes.
Red- beautiful dark ginger she-cat with startling blue eyes
Pine- dark brown, handsome tom with thick fur and a broad frame, also dark green eyes.
Ivy- golden-brown she-kit with hazel-green eyes.
Clover- pale brown she-kit with hazel-green eyes.
Apple- dark brown, broad-shouldered she-kit with hazel-green eyes.
Thorn- pale brown, sandy-coloured tabby tom with hazel-green eyes.
Snapper- white tom with skinny limbs and dark brown eyes.
Simba- ragged-furred Burmese kittypet.
Ares- blue-gray Korat kittypet.
Prologue []
The sky was dark... a stygian blanket littered with glowing stars. It was shrouded by the crowns of the thick trees which reached up in a vain attempt to reach the round moon. The moon floated in the sky like a great round disc: silver and pattered with dark spots. This moon cast its light down upon the forest, the rays traveling beneath the thick leaves, finally reaching the shape of a brown tom crouched beside a large oak. The gnarled roots jutting out from the surface served as shelter for the tom as he growled and twitched in his sleep.
He began to twitch more as the long grass to his left rustled. Dark, slitted green eyes were revealed as the tom raised his broad head. His claws unsheathed, his territorial instinct rising within. A deep, soft growl rumbled in his throat.
The rustling became louder, only to stop as a head poked through the stems. An astonished mrrow! broke from his throat as he recognized the intruder.
" Red? What are you doing here?" he hissed. His massive shoulders rippled. The cat slithered free of the grass, silver light outlining her beautiful features. A slender frame, a lush pelt, shockingly blue eyes that sparkled daringly at the tom. However, annoyance glittered in the depths as- with one swift movement- she licked the fur on her swollen belly. She raised her gaze to meet the tom's, then hissed. Her ears were pinned back against her skull.
" I smell my sister," Red snarled, fur bushing out. " Was she here?" Some emotion burned in her eyes- something that resembled jealousy.
" Yes, she was." The tom answered curtly, turning his back to her. " What's it to you?" The she-cat ignored him and took a step closer.
" Why was she here?" The tom didn't answer, until she repeated the question again. " Why was she here?"
" I offered her shelter, while she raises the kits," he replied suddenly, turning to stare at the she-cat. He winced as her eyes visibly widened. She made an attempt to crouch, which was not successful due to the kits in her belly. However, the anger in her eyes showed the tom her fury as good as any gesture.
" Shelter?!" she spat, thin tail lashing. " I'm having your kits as well. Why does she get shelter, and not me? I was excpecting first!"
"Red-" the tom tried to silence her, but she talked over him.
" Why not shelter me? Would you let me kit alone, out in the woods?" her voice rose to a whiny high pitch.
" Of course not!" the tom replied, his tone suddenly changing. It became soft. " I offered her shelter because I knew you were tough, and you could take care of yourself." He neared the she-cat and wound his tail around hers. "
"Oh?" Red drew away, not looking at all deferred by his false voice. " I demand shelter. I demand to live on your territory while my kits grow up. Don't you want to see your stronger kits become mature?" Annoyance rippled through the tom's gaze like clouds on a sunny day.
" I don't have time and ability to hunt for two she-cats, plus kits." He growled, making as if to fall asleep, closing the matter. Red was not about to give up. Anger churned in her belly as she confronted the tom.
" So you offered it to her. My sister, who knew you a moon after I was excpecting kits. Am I not good enough, and will you just leave our kits to die?" She snarled, arching her spine slightly. The tom whirled around, tail lashing as hers had done earlier.
" What's wrong with your sister? Listen, Red, I make my own decisions. I will care for our kits, but I want to see Nightwing's grow up. Now, leave back to your clearing and I will visit you after you kit."
" You really are cruel," Red hissed. " I don't know why I chose you as my mate in the first place if you are going to treat me this way. You know what?" she cried, turning her back on him. " I'll leave and find another tom to care for me, someone who will treat me better than you ever will!" the grass crackled beneath her paws as she made to leave.
The tom's breath slowed in shock. He knew that finding a mate wouldn't be hard for Red, but panic began to rise in his chest. He did care for her, and his wilder instinct didn't like the prospect of loosing his mate to another tom. Hurriedly, he rose from the ground and blocked Red's path.
" Please. Stay." He begged. " Listen. I'll let you stay for four moons, so our kits can grow up. Then, I will see which of your litters are the strongest. I will find a territory for the weaker one, but then they are on their own. The stronger one will stay with me, okay?" he announced.
Red stopped to consider this. She had no doubt that her litter would be stronger, so she gave one nod to the tom and pressed herself against his flank. " Don't worry, Pine. You'll live to see our kits for a long while." Before he could reply, she followed her sister's scent trail to her makeshift nursery.
Chapter One[]
" Faster, Ivy, faster!" the loud meow cut into her thoughts as the she-kit dropped to her side. Flanks heaving, her eyes rolled up to look at the sky. Her little limbs trembled. " Get up, get up!" the voice called again. Wearily, the she-kit dragged herself to her paws. Her green eyes were dull and blood stained her fur. She raised her head with obvious effort and glared at the she-cat opposite her.
" Again?" she gasped. " I've done it a million times!"
" Then you'll done it again, until you've done it right!" the she-cat hissed, narrowing her shocking blue eyes. A low snarl broke from the she-kit's throat. Bunching her muscles, she dashed at the bigger cat. As the cat with blue eyes raised her paw to swipe, Ivy shot down low so her belly grazed the grass.
At least, that was what she was trying to do.
She shot down to late, propelled to the ground by the other cat's paw. Her stomach hit the ground with a loud thud, sending hard pain through the kit's body. A sting was felt on her right shoulder as the other cat nipped her sharply. She yelped.
" Do it again!" the other cat snarled, nudging her up to her paws. Ivy turned her head as a loud jeering came from the other side of the forest.
Ivy and her mother were training nearby their den, which was an abandoned fox den. The fox den was shrouded by thick holly bushes, and beside the den was a small pool of fresh water. The clearing was full of long grass and mushrooms, protected by thick and damp oak trees. Ferns lay sprawled across the foot of each tree, and it was from these ferns that Ivy's half siblings emerged.
" Aww, look at the poor baby," a pair of hazel-green eyes appeared from the ferns. Ivy stiffened.
" She's not a baby, Apple," a mocking voice said, another pair of eyes joining the first.
" Remember, she's older than us." A third voice slid from the undergrowth and stood beside the first and second. Ivy whimpered. She tried to duck behind her mother, but the she-cat moved away. Feeling desperate, Ivy said in a high-pitched voice:
" Only by half a moon!" this pathetic appeal brought meows of laughter from the three voices, kits hardly older than Ivy herself.
" Oh, Red. Is your daughter that bad? I'm so sorry, sister," a rich, sadistic voice called from the ferns. Something between a growl and a snarl broke free from Ivy's mother's throat. A long, black shape slid from the dark green foliage. The shape had bright blue eyes and ginger patches over its short, black fur. " Oh, Thorn made his first catch today." She curled her tail around a sandy-coloured kit who held a white bird, smugly.
" Shut up, Night," Red growled. The cat called Night twitched her ears and began to groom the pelts of her three kits.
" It's Nightwing, though I'm surprised you remembered with that pea brain of yours." Both cats faced each other, fur rising. Thorn sat next to his mother, blinking placidly. Ivy knew it was an act. She tried to back away, but saw Apple nudging the other kit. Both of her half-sisters came to sit in front of her.
" You know, I feel bad for you," Apple, the big dark brown tabby, purred. Ivy flattened her ears.
" It must be tough, knowing you'll never win," the other kit, Clover, meowed. What does she mean- oh. Ivy felt something cold run down her spine. She knew of the competition her father had discussed with her mother. It was to be when the youngest kits turned four moons, which would be in two moons time. Then, her father would see which litter was stronger. That one would stay, the other would be turned out.
" Red," she whispered, seeing her mother turn and stalk away. Apple and Clover shook with laughter.
" Calling for mommy?" Apple hissed.
" Aww..." Clover purred softly. " Apple, why don't we send her to her mother?" As Ivy whimpered, Apple's eyes lit up with savage delight. She crouched down, tail-tip waving.
" Clover, you are too kind. How do you say we return her? One piece?"
" Now you're the kind one, Apple. One piece might be a bit large, don't you think? How about we send her back a little-less large?" On the less, she leaped. Ivy yowled as Clover's claws sank into her fur. Sharp agony immobilized her as Apple lunged at her flank. Red... please... Ivy cried out as teeth tore into her fur. Then, as if her prayer had been answered, her mother appeared. Apple and Clover went flying as she snatched Ivy up in the air. The air cut into Ivy's flank as Red turned and raced away with her.
At first, Ivy was dizzy with relief. Then, she could smell anger, and the jerky strides her mother took told her that this wasn't okay. She yelped as Red rudely dumped her down onto the forest floor. " That's the last time I save you, kit," Red hissed. Ivy ducked her head, suddenly afraid. She howled as an unfamiliar sensation rang through her ear. Red had hit her! Glaring at he mother through tears and resentment, Ivy curled into a ball. Red's enraged voice rang out through the trees. It was quiet and deadly.
" We ran away. I let them do it! You let them do it. I didn't raise a kit to be this weak!" Ivy let out a chocked sob as Red growled the words. " Look at you, a sniveling whelp! We've been made fools of by my sister and her ugly brood. You'll never be able to live here if you continue like this, snail of a kit!"
"I'm- s-sorry," Ivy trembled. Red's anger seemed to die abruptly. She took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was steely and cold.
"Listen, Ivy. From now on, you are going to train. You are going to train, train and train. You will surpass your siblings in every possible way. Ivy, you will make your father proud." Her eyes glowed with a new intensity. Somehow, her mother's words awoke a strange stirring inside of Ivy. I've always been made a fool of. Now I can prove myself! Ivy let out a loud yowl of conviction.
" Mother, you are right. I'll do it. I'll make you and Father proud."
Chapter Two[]
The next moon, Ivy trained harder than she ever had in her life.
Red woke her up at the crack of dawn, and they practiced moves till the sun was in the center of the sky. Then, Ivy would have a short break, and they would begin hunting practice. Determination of never to be made a fool again fueled her on through this tough moon. Her mother also taught her how to manipulate a cat using words. That was probably her most favourite lesson.
On the day that marked about halfway through this training moon, Ivy had her first confrontation with her half-siblings.
As usual, she was woken from her nest by a hard prod from her mother. Ivy was used to it. Stretching out for one moment to savour sleep, she leaped up and shook out her pelt. Milky dawn light fell across Nightwing's pelt, curled tightly around her three kittens. Ivy was dismayed to realize that they had grown bigger than her... despite her training and half-moon age gap.
" Stop staring at them," Red snarled, shoving Ivy out of the den. " My idiot sister and her spawn will gaze up to you one day, begging for mercy. Until then..." she finished with a warning note. " Let's do this." she bounded away to their usual place in the woods.
It was another section of no trees, but much larger. There was a section of jagged undergrowth, a small bit of marshy ground, tree saplings to climb, and good lighting. Overall, it was an ideal place. There was no moss to soften Ivy's falls, and nothing to stop her mother from attacking her after she made a mistake. But I'm becoming stronger. I'll beat my siblings one day... one day... " Stop daydreaming!" her mother growled.
" Sorry," Ivy quickly snapped back to reality. She flattened her ears and glanced at her mother. Red sighed and rolled her eyes.
" Do the move I taught you last time. The duck-swipe-twist one."
" Sure." Ivy closed her eyes, running through the training session. She swallowed her nerves and began to circle her mother. Fear rose in her chest as Red's eyes became cold. She saw the fur tremble as Red's claws unsheathed from her paws. Okay. Wait for them to attack you first. Ivy timidly took a step forwards. In a flash, Red was swiping at her.
Ivy lost precious time remembering what to do.
She lowered her head with the paw narrowly misisng her eartips. Shocked from the close encounter, her swipe was late. She had given Red too much time to recover. With a loud thump, Ivy landed on her back. She tensed, waiting for what was about to come.
" Ivy!" she let out a feeble whimper as Red's claws tore across her flank. Blood stained the grass beneath her. Red's eyes met hers, terrifying in their fury. She turned to lap at her wound, only to have Red shove her muzzle so hard her vision blurred. " How many times do you have to redo? Why can't you get it right? Nightwing's kits are already proving to be a challenge for her to take on, and she's a better fighter than me." Red panted. Ivy winced, feeling shame claw at her belly fur.
" I-I'm sorry-"
" How many times do you have to say that?" Red growled, hitting her daughter again. " Get up on your worthless feet and prove to me that you can do it. Come on, get up!" Ivy's flank burned as Red's claws scored another mark down her side. The reference of Nightwing suddenly brought back hot fury. She remembered how gently the she-cat taught her kits. Even though she had no love for the black cat, she realized that she had a kinder heart than Red.
Anger was surging through her pelt, anger that had come as abruptly as it seems. Shooting to her feet, Ivy glared at her mother.
" I'm tired of being some worthless rag. Maybe I should just give up." Ivy ground her claws into the dirt. Red's lip curled back.
" You can't give up. You have to win back your father's heart." This made it worse. Ivy reared up and snarled, trying to shoot all her resentment and frustration at her mother.
" So I have to win it back for you? I'm sick of this." Ivy made to leave, but Red grabbed her by the scruff and shook her.
" You listen to me, smart mouth. Nightwing cannot take our place in this world, you understand? Pine is mine, and her kits should be you. Now get on your paws, and let's train," Red growled. Ivy was about to berate her mother when mocking purrs came from behind her. She wriggled free of her mother's grasp to face her three half-siblings and Nightwing.
The three kits were crouched at the foot of one of the saplings. Ivy was immedatly concious of how their girth was bigger than hers. Apple was the largest, taking after their father in looks. Muscle rippled beneath her kit's pelt. Thorn liked a razor-sharp claw. Although he wasn't as large as her, his frame was wide and his body was strong. Clover crouched behind them. She was slender and lithe, but wiry and musclar. Ivy could see the fibers on her legs contracting as she eyed her. And behind them sat Nightwing. Her blue eyes were amused and pitying.
" Maybe you should give up," Nightwing purred silkily. She licked Thorn's head, and the tomkit looked at Ivy smugly. " My kits can already do it better than your swines."
Red suddenly let out a snarl. She charged at Nightwing and the two fell on the ground, screeching and yowling. Ivy wrenched her eyes away from the sight to see Apple, Clover and Thorn circling her. Chills went up her spine as she met their cold gazes.
" Maybe we save some work for ourselves at get rid of the 'competition'," Apple snarled. The cryptic meaning found its way into Ivy's skull and she froze. Her heart began to pound as she looked around desperately for a way of escape.
" I think you're right. Though I wouldn't call this competition," Thorn snapped at her experimentaly. Ivy flinched, nerves on end.
" What would you call it, Thorn?" Apple replied, narrowing her eyes.
" Dinner." With an amused howl, Apple and Thorn charged. Training sessions raced through Ivy's mind, but she couldn't carry them out as Apple flung herself at Ivy's feet. Just as she'd been told not to do, Ivy picked up her paws and gave Apple a clear path to her belly. Something hard hit it and Ivy went flying, skidding across the earth. Like wolves, the three bore down on her. Ivy writhed away from Clover as she tried to nip Ivy's paws.
" Idiot," Thorn snarled, placing his paws on her shoulders as she tried to evade him. " You'll never be like us." Panic and frustration surged through Ivy's pelt as she tried to move away from him.
" Mouseheart," Clover growled. " It's about time you accept it." I'm always bested. Self-anger and guilt blurred in her vision.
" Leave that scrap," a cool voice broke into Ivy's thoughts. The weight on her flank vanished as Nightwing's blue eyes swarmed in her mind. Scorn was filling them as Night pushed her kits away. " You're useless." her soft whisper made Ivy whimper and curl up. She didn't want to open her eyes and face the world again. Suddenly, she heard a gasp from Nightwing. " Pine!" she she-cat began to groom her kits. " Let's show your father how good you kits are."
" Pine?" a hoarse voice called. Ivy recognized her mother's scent. Something jerked her to her paws. She still didn't want to open her eyes. My father. It's because of him all this is happening. Ivy felt her mother's tongue run over her fur. It felt more like slapping.
tbc