The Adventures Of Mint & Coco

16: Guilt Requires a Positive Attitude (Mint)

I sigh, "Shadow... Do you think that it is really the best solution to your problem to kill other people?" I ask, feeling the guilt surge through my veins.
Shadow turns to me, "Yes... its justice right? They hurt my family... I hate to hurt theirs, but all my life... I've regretted ever leaving the camp with Niko when our father told us otherwise.
If we would've been there to protect them... then..." He clams up and turns the other way.
I walk slowly over to him. "You can't fight fire with fire, Shadow," I say softly. He fixes his gaze on me, a faint smile forming. "I know..." he mumbles, "but I have to do something." He sinks to the floor by the wall, covering his face. I sit down next to him on my knees. "You gonna be okay..?" I ask. He lifts his head, bleak faced. "Once I get revenge. Until then, all I have is hatred and regret." I shake my head and sigh, "You have to have a positive attitude... You won't anywhere like this. And I know there is more to you than just grim memories and thoughts of revenge." I set my elbow on my thigh and lean forward. His not-so absent eyes stare into mine. "Thanks Mint... I'll... I'll try," he says bluntly. I nod as he stands up and gives me his hand to help me up. I clear my throat, "Did you have any other family... besides your mother and your father?" I question. Shadow's eyes turn to slits, letting the cold reflection burn through my soul. He finally answers, "Yes. My sister... Elsa." My heart sinks, "Elsa? What happened to her?" Suddenly I regret the question, remembering that he said his entire pack was swiped away by the bird mutants. But he does answer, "I don't know. She was younger than me, about eight. I wanted to protect her. I loved her... her name meant truth. And she always wanted to be leader one day. But on the day of the attack, she was acting strange... Warning us of incoming tragedy... And..." Shadow's face seems paler than it is. He continues, "She told us repeatedly that she was sorry. And our father kept asking, 'For what?' and she never told us. Then, a black fog filled the sky, and the bird mutants came. I rushed back to camp to find everything had been destroyed. Bodies and twisted up pack members were scattered throughout the camp. I never found Elsa's body though." Once again, Shadow turns away and pads to his spot on the window sill.
"I'm sorry Shadow," I murmur. I think about last night and what happened with Coco again and I feel like my blood is being drained. She called me her enemy.
I shiver.
I am brought out of my thoughts by Shadow's voice, "You cold?" When I think about I am actually. All I had on was a t-shirt and pants. I didn't even bring a jacket. "Yeah," I reply.
Shadow grins. "I got you covered! Come check out my awesome wardrobe," he says jokingly.
I laugh, "Okay..."
He opens up a cabinet that looks like it was meant to be an entertainment center.
I rethink that, realizing that there's probably pretty terrible signal out here.
Inside the cabinet there are rows of jackets, hoodies and coats. I raise my eyebrows at Shadow. He scratches his head. "Uh they were here when I found this place." I acknowledge it, not really minding either way.
I shove each one aside until I find a black leather jacket that looks about my size. Putting it on, I can tell it's a little oversized but that doesn't bother me all that much. Once I have it on, Shadow closes the cabinet door and looks at me. Something flickers in his eyes, but he looks away, clearing his throat. "Okay Mint... If we are going to fight, we need a pack. And I've located some cat mutants. They are outcasts from different packs that have been around for more than a hundred years. They are in our area."
"How many are there?" I ask. Shadow pauses, "There are six older ones in total, and one kit."
I nod.
Deep inside I feel pained; like when you lose someone. That's how I feel.
And I pretty much did. But I have Shadow around now. And I can tell he cares about me... I think. He's gloomy and troubled but I think I can fix him.
Coco probably doesn't care. I bet she doesn't even miss me. For her to barely even try to make me stay, it seems that way. Her last statement still echoes through my mind: "I guess we were just meant to be enemies." I feel myself tremble, and then a fuzzy feeling on the back of my neck.

Shadow lays his tail above my shoulder and whispers, "It'll be okay. I'm going to protect you." His blue eyes pass comfort through mine.
"Oh," I squeak. I don't blush, though. I am too mixed up. He twists around to pick up something and passes me it; a spear, and I quickly realize who it really belongs to.
Coco...
I run my hand over the engraved letters Luke had done. Her scent still lingers among it and I try not to tear up, holding them back and clearing my throat. "Okay Shadow, where can we find the other cat mutants at?" I question.
It is cold, and I can tell winter is nearing. I can see my breath. It comes in quick clouds of fog. I toss my hood over my head as I wait for Shadow to answer.
He points in the direction of the pine forest, which is the opposite direction of the cave. "Follow me," he says. I silently sigh of relief. Shadow reaches out a hand, and I see it, but I pretend not to. It would be wrong of me to turn on Raven like that... There will not be any romance between me and Shadow. And if there is, shame on me.