ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Promise

Chapter 19

The AirClan Gathering patrol seemed to be chattering with more excitement as they padded through the woods. Flowershine and Iceclaw's pelts were fluffed with joy as they trotted at the front of the patrol. The two new warriors seemed to be glowing with happiness. Adderpaw padded among them. Mintpaw pricked her ears. It seemed as though they were talking about Adderpaw's Warrior Assessment, as to when it was going to happen. Mintpaw, on the other hand, was gloomier than normal, trailing at the back of the patrol. Her mind was whirling on Fireclaw's story. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She felt guilty that she'd even thought about Cobrapaw differently since she had heard the story. She was acting like his mean Clanmates!

"Mintpaw?" Echoleaf's gentle voice made the tabby glance up at her mentor. "Are you okay?"

The gray tabby fluffed her fur. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that Windstrike just told me Fireclaw's story."

Echoleaf's face was grim as she turned away. "Gruesome, isn't it? I can't believe it had lasted for so long..." Her voice trailed off, and she shook her pelt. "We used to tell that story to kits, can you believe that? I remember my mother telling me that story! Then, thankfully, we realized that that story was perhaps too terrible for kits to listen to. Maybe it would be best to let the story fade away. But then, we wouldn't want to repeat the past, would we?"

"No," Mintpaw agreed. "Windstrike said I should never allow a cat to have that much power over me, to be able to change my life so easily."

Echoleaf bowed her head. "She's right. Fireclaw turned the lives of cats upside down! He was only able to do so because of the dedication and trust they put in him. With that, they gave him power. Too much power." She shuddered. "Never give that much dedication to any cat. Only to your Clan as a whole," she warned, repeating Windstrike's words. Mintpaw bowed her head. 

"Echoleaf!" Spottedstar's voice travelled towards them, and the golden she-cat beckoned to the medicine cat. Echoleaf shot Mintpaw an apologetic glance, then bounded away, towards the leader and deputy. 

Mintpaw remained at the back of the patrol, not bothering to quicken her pace. In fact, she only seemed to go slower. She knew that Echoleaf and Windstrike hadn't meant for her mind to whirl as such - they were probably only trying to teach her a moral - but she couldn't help it. She couldn't help but think of Cobrapaw, and all the horrible things that his ancestor had done. 

Suddenly, she felt as though she was being watched. The tabby stopped in her tracks, pricking her ears, gazing around the dark forest. Her Clanmate's happy chatter seemed to get further and further away as they padded on, not noticing that she'd stopped. Mintpaw ruffled her fur. There was definitely someone here. They were at the edges of the border, after all. "Who's there?"

A pair of striking green eyes suddenly blinked at her from the depths of the woods. Mintpaw let out a yelp of fear. A rogue! Her paws felt frozen in its place. She couldn't move. It was the rogue that Riverheart had described! Her pelt was as black as the night, blending in perfectly with the shadowy woods. Her eyes were an ice cold green, flashing with warning to back off. 

The rogue blinked at Mintpaw's position, before a smile curved on her face, as though she found it funny that she'd scared an apprentice so badly. She was amused at the sight of Mintpaw's fear. Cruelty glimmered in her eyes. Finally, she eyed the gray tabby, before deciding that she would be no threat, and turned around, disappearing into the woods once more. 

Mintpaw finally exhaled a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. Her body started to unfreeze. Without another glance at the trees, she bolted away, bounding towards the patrol as fast as her paws could carry her. 

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AirClan had already arrived at the Gathering by the time Mintpaw burst in. The clearing was crowded with cats. She earned many confused glances as she weaved through them. She must look weird. Her gray pelt was bristled with unease, her green eyes dancing around as though something was going to attack her at any moment. And, she was sure that there were leaves and burrs in her fur as well - she'd charged through many bushes in her hurry.