Melting Ice

Ivypaw's/ Hawkfrost's P.O.V. (3rd person):

The sun was setting in ThunderClan once again as Ivypaw spotted her sister near the fresh-kill pile. She purred when she realized that Dovepaw was alone. For once they could spend time together! Ivypaw took an excited step towards her when Bumblepaw and Briarpaw suddenly appeared at Dovepaw's side.

"Will you please tell us about the beavers again?" Bumblepaw wondered, eager as a kit.

Briarpaw nodded. "It's such a wonderful story!" she agreed.

Ivypaw saw her sister's eyes flash with discomfort, but she instead of coming to her rescue, anger surged within her. Ivypaw whirled around and stalked back to the apprentices' den without so much as saying 'hello' to Dovepaw. She wouldn't have time to greet me anyways, Ivypaw spat mentally. She's too busy being perfect!

Ever since Dovepaw had returned from her trip to fight the beavers, she had been constantly begged to retell the story. She had gained the respect of the entire Clan, and even the senior warriors wanted to be around her. She's forgotten all about me, Ivypaw huffed, collapsing in her nest. She doesn't care anymore now that she's so popular. Rage shaking her, Ivypaw slammed her eyes shut. There was at least one place she knew of that she could outshine her sister. Letting the day's hard work lull her aching body to sleep, Ivypaw drifted towards her one sanctuary.

"Welcome," hissed a voice as she opened her eyes to the familiar shadows. "You're just in time," it commented. Ivypaw looked towards the sound and didn't so much as flinch as Hawkfrost leapt from the darkness.

The dark trees that covered the sky and the mist that draped over her paws weren't frightening at that moment. In fact, it was almost comforting. They, like the blue fire blazing in her mentor's eyes, were small indicators of her distance from Dovepaw. Dovepaw. Just thinking of her name was enough to make Ivypaw want to yowl…

"I'm ready to train," she growled, unsheathing her claws, her mind still on her littermate.

"Good," Hawkfrost meowed coldly. "Let's begin." Without another word, Hawkfrost leapt at the silver-white she-cat.

Ivypaw yowled in surprise as the tom bowled her over, but she quickly recovered. She kicked forcibly at the tom's underbelly, successfully shoving him off before scrambling onto all four paws. While Hawkfrost was regaining his footing, she took her chance and dove at the dark tabby. It was a clumsy bound, however, and Hawkfrost was able to easily roll out of the way, leaving the apprentice to face-plant the cold earth.

Ivypaw shakily picked herself off the ground, prepared for another attack when she spotted Hawkfrost on the other side of the clearing. His eyes were chips of ice as he glared at her. What was wrong with the she-cat? She could fight better than that! The thought infuriated him. She wasn't living up to her potential. She wasn't using the skills he had taught her. She was unfocused tonight, almost as if something were off about her. "What's your problem?" he snarled.

Ivypaw kept held his gaze evenly, which, admittedly, impressed him. Very few Clan cats could do such a thing for long before caving into their fear. He pushed away his pride for his apprentice of sorts and let the anger take over once more. "Nothing," she answered coolly. "I simply made a mistake."

"A mistake?" Hawkfrost echoed. "You mean to tell me that thing you called fighting was based on just one mistake?"

Ivypaw shivered, suddenly frightened by her aggravated mentor. She knew, though, that one could never show their fear in the Dark Forest. It was weakness. "Perhaps I made more than one," she replied. "What was wrong with my technique?"

Hawkfrost couldn't believe his ears. "Everything!" he growled. "It was clumsy, ill-organized, and you appeared unprepared! Even when taken by surprise, you never let your enemy think they have the upper paw!"

Ivypaw nodded. "I understand now," she meowed.

Hawkfrost padded forward and paced around the young she-cat slowly and deliberately. "You already know these things, Ivypaw," he hissed. "You have already mastered these simple skills. Why are you messing up now?"

Ivypaw shrugged uncomfortably. "I suppose I'm just a little distracted," she confessed.

"You must always focus!" the ferocious tom snarled. "Always!"

Ivypaw felt a twinge of guilt. She was disappointing the one cat who saw potential in her. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Really, I am."

Hawkfrost froze for a moment when he saw the sorrow flashing in her eyes. Was that…sympathy he was feeling? No, he told himself firmly. That's mouse-brained. Yet, he found himself saying, "What's wrong, Ivypaw?" He was her mentor, he reminded himself. He needed to know these things so he could channel her emotions to fuel training.

Ivypaw was taken aback. He hadn't asked such questions since they began their training in the warm meadow. That was before she had taken the meetings seriously. She looked at her mentor in surprise, seeing the same emotions playing in his eyes, as if he were feeling the same way towards the question. "Nothing," she answered. "It's just Dovepaw. We're always quarreling now. And when we're not arguing, she's off with the senior warriors. I'm obviously not important to her."

"You cannot let her overpower your thoughts, especially during battle," Hawkfrost reminded her sternly.

"Yes," Ivypaw agreed. "I'm terribly sorry."

Hawkfrost sighed. "Show me you're sorry by training extra hard from now on," he commanded in a tone that was not as viscous or forcible as he would have liked.

Ivypaw nodded. "I will," she promised.

"That's enough for tonight," Hawkfrost announced after a long, vigorous training session. "That was much better, Ivypaw," he added stiffly, wincing as a cold gust clawed past his new scratches.

"Thank you," she replied, licking her wounds quickly. "I think it's nearly dawn," she hedged hesitantly.

"You may leave," Hawkfrost meowed frostily.

Ivypaw nodded, jumping to her paws. Before she could completely disappear behind the bushes, however, Hawkfrost's voice pulled her back. "You really are a great fighter," he meowed in an awkward tone, much different than his usual confident manner. "I just thought you should know."

Ivypaw examined him carefully. There was something… different…in his eyes. They weren't blue frost, as was typical. They were uncharacteristically uncomfortable, but somehow warmer. Ivypaw hadn't seen such a look cross the fierce warrior's eyes before. "You are too," she murmured before turning around.

Her heart beating faster than ever, Ivypaw raced back toward the conscious world.

A/N: I was sent a request by Cherrynose around New Year's to write a HawkxIvy. I apologize once again for the wait. The reason it took so long to write this is that it had me completely stumped. I didn't have any idea how to do a HawkxIvy without having both of them way out of character. So I decided that the only way a HawkxIvy was possible was if it had begun when Ivypool was an apprentice, before she became a spy-back in the days when she actually LIKED her visits to the Dark Forest. So here it is: the beginning of a romance! For now, this story is a one-shot. FOR NOW. I might be turning it into a story in the next few weeks... So keep your eyes peeled! (:

Reviews, please?(: