ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Promise

Chapter 34

Mintpool's pelt was spiked with anxiety as she padded quietly through the darkened forest. The moon beamed brightly in the sky, a great contrast from how the tabby was feeling. It was a Gathering night. The patrol was chattering excitedly, but Mintpool had a lot of problems on her mind.

Firstly, of course, was the Leafwhisker thing. She wondered if he was going to be at the Gathering. Half of her hoped that he wouldn't, and she could just ask Cloverleaf to bring an apology to him. However, then, her friend would get curious and ask questions... she shook out her pelt. Perhaps it would be better to just speak to him.

Secondly, she was still worried about Cobrastrike. She hadn't visited him since the entire Leafwhisker thing. She was still shocked over the fact and was wondering what to do. She didn't want Leafwhisker to be upset, but they couldn't like each other. Not including the fact that she didn't really have feelings for him anymore. She wondered if her friend was still doing alright. He was living with rogues, after all. Her tail curled with anxiousness. She hoped the rogues hadn't hurt him.

Thirdly was the Adderclaw situation. Mintpool hadn't been able to complete Snowfrost's request yet. She just had too many things to worry over, she didn't have time to convince her brother not to dislike Leafstorm. In fact, the idea made her tail-tip twitch with frustration. Why's he acting like a kit? Just accept that Snowfrost's having other things in her life and be happy! However, deep down, she was feeling nervous over it, too. What if she likes her new family better than us? Mintpool shook her head, pushing the thought away. It was just another thing to worry over.

Finally, she was fretting over StarClan. Her warrior ancestors hadn't contacted her at all. Not even at the Moonpool. She'd try to get sucked into a dream, but it just wouldn't work. It was as though StarClan had broken communication from her! She hadn't told Echoleaf about any of this. She was too worried over everything, and, with the way Echoleaf was acting around her these days, she was certain her mentor wouldn't handle it well.

The sudden heavy scent of Clan cats made Mintpool's pelt prick with surprise. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized they'd reached the Gathering! Anxious murmurs filled the air, leaving a nervous strike to Mintpool's belly. Her hopes for the Gathering was that Leafwhisker would forgive her and the cheerful aura would ease her worry. However, it seemed that neither was going to happen tonight.

"Mintpool!" Cloverleaf's voice brought the gray tabby out of her thoughts. The brown-and-white she-cat trotted up to her, her green eyes unreadable. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Mintpool blinked at her, confused. "I think I'm meant to ask you that question. Why's everyone so upset?"

Cloverleaf shook her head. "You'll find out during the Gathering," she mewed quickly. "It should start soon. But I want to know what happened between you and Leafwhisker!"

Nervousness pummeled through Mintpool. Does she know? How would she know? Did Leafwhisker tell her? As much as she didn't like the thought of every other cat knowing something she didn't, she pushed that out of her mind, focusing on Cloverleaf's words. "What do you mean?" 

Cloverleaf twitched her tail-tip. "I'm not a mouse-brain. I saw Leafwhisker follow you outside. Then I saw him come back into the camp, looking hurt. He's been down all moon. What happened out there?"

Guilt surged through Mintpool. "I can't tell you," she mewed at last.

Cloverleaf's eyes narrowed. "You know I'm your friend, right? You can tell me whatever."

"I know." Mintpool avoided the brown-and-white she-cat's gaze. "I just- I can't tell you this. But I need to go apologize to Leafwhisker. Is he here?"

Cloverleaf eyed her cautiously. "Yes... he's right there." She nodded to a brown pelt within the crowd. 

"Thanks. I'll be right back," Mintpool mewed quickly before darting towards the direction Cloverleaf had nodded at. Anxiety churned her belly as she padded forward, each step making her paws tingle with nerves. 

Leafwhisker was staring at the tree where the leaders sat, not taking any acknowledgement of Mintpool's approach. 

The gray tabby cleared her throat awkwardly. "Hi, Leafwhisker."

The brown tom grunted in response, not even bothering to look at her.

Mintpool got straight to the point. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened," she meowed quickly. "I wasn't thinking clearly! I worded things wrong. I'm really, really sorry if I hurt you. But we seriously can't-"

"It's okay, Mintpool." Leafwhisker's voice was cold as he cut her off. He turned to face her. His green eyes glittered with ice, no emotion showing. There was no laughter or joking in them anymore. "I understand. You just don't feel the same way about me." He pushed himself to his paws.

"No, wait!" Mintpool squeaked, hurrying up as well. Sure, he was correct, but... well, she wasn't sure what she was trying to do. "I wasn't trying to hurt you. I was just surprised."

"I know." Leafwhisker's voice was hard as he turned away to the crowd.

"Leafwhisker, wait!" The brown tom stopped in his tracks. "Look, I'm very, very sorry. But I promise, if I can do something to make it up to you, I will."

Leafwhisker turned around, cocking his head, still unreadable. "Okay." was his only response before he turned around and disappeared in the crowd.

Despair wretched the gray tabby as she watched him pad away. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but she'd certainly hoped that he would forgive her. It was just a wistful wish. There was no way he'd do that. She plopped herself down, her tail curling around her paws miserably. She was certain that she'd just lost a friend. And there was no way to make that up.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Tigerstar's voice rang throughout the clearing. Mintpool just wanted to go back to camp. She didn't want to listen to the stupid reports. Nevertheless, she raised her head, watching the FireClan leader. As sad as she was, she was still going to show him some respect. It was just the right thing to do.

Much to her surprise, Tigerstar skipped the entire report part. "The rogues are getting more and more dangerous." His voice rang out through the clearing. "Now, they're beginning to adopt more cats: cats that could know our weaknesses." His amber gaze swept the cats below him. "FireClan was just attacked by the rogues. They managed to get inside our camp." His claws dug into the branch below him, his voice hard. "And they were led by no other than Cobrastrike."

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Word Count // 1105

Not Edited

Hi! Here's another chapter. Sorry for not posting in a couple days. So, what do you think of this one? Whose side are you on, Leafwhisker's or Mintpool's? I see logic for both sides, but I feel like Mintpool shouldn't feel guilty. I'd love to hear what you think! And, how do you think Mintpool's going to react hearing Cobrastrike led the rogues to attack FireClan? Please tell me! The picture above is just another one of Mintpool! Okay, that's all. Bye!