eternal: primrose || warrior cats

chapter 9

mintberry

~~~

A FEW DAYS had passed since Snakestrike became deputy and, to his credit, ShadowClan hadn't been destroyed yet. Though, granted, with RiverClan laying low after Splashfoot's death, all Snakestrike needed to do was organize patrols, which didn't seem particularly difficult.

Plus, Mintberry was more worried about Clearfrost than ShadowClan. The ragdoll had been visiting Ivorystar's den more than ever recently, spending long hours there, and re-emerging angrily. She'd stopped eating altogether yesterday, and had put her body to work, collecting herbs like crazy. When Mintberry went to bed last night, Clearfrost was organizing the newly picked leaves, and was still working when the gray tabby woke up.

This left her to wonder if Clearfrost had gotten a wink of sleep.

The way she's acting, Mintberry thought with only the slightest hint of amusement, working all the time, making sure everything's done, it's like she's going to die. Suddenly, a frown tugged onto her face in realization.

Clearfrost was going to die.

Well, yes, of course, every cat eventually dies. Kill is perhaps a better word to describe the situation.

It was a horrifying thought, one Mintberry prayed would never come true, but it might be the reality. She remembered what the ragdoll once told her, that Ivorystar would kill them if they tried speaking out. And with the arguments Clearfrost and Ivorystar have had in the leaders den, it was obvious that the medicine cat was doing her fair share of "speaking out". 

That's why Clearfrost had made Mintberry a medicine cat so early, just to make sure the gray tabby would rise to full ranks before her inevitable death. And that's why she bustling around the den like crazy, assuring that there were plenty of herbs and everything would run smoothly after her death.

You're thinking too much into it, Mintberry told herself with a tingle of fear. Ivorystar wouldn't kill her sister. She just wouldn't.

But the dreadful night came to them with a small drizzle of rain, a classic sign of leaf-fall's arrival. The air was chillier, and the leaves were starting to crinkle with the colors of red, orange, and brown.

Ivorystar entered the medicine den a little past dark, shaking water from her fur. "Clearfrost, could I speak to you for a moment, please?"

"Busy," Clearfrost mumbled from her pile of marigold.

"Clearfrost." Ivorystar's voice held a warning tone, and it was to that that the ragdoll stood up. Satisfied, the ShadowClan leader turned and ducked out of the den, Clearfrost facing Mintberry before making a move to follow her.

"Mintberry, listen to me," she hissed, voice low. "I'm going out into that rain, and I'm never coming back. I'll have gotten killed by another monster, or RiverClan, or whatever tale Ivorystar spins up."

Mintberry jumped to her paws, alarmed, heart pounding like crazy in her chest. Sure, she knew the day would come, but she hadn't prepared for it. Her entire body was trembling; she didn't know what life was like without Clearfrost, and she didn't want to find out. "I-"

"No, just listen to me speak," the ragdoll meowed steadily. "Ivorystar can never find out that you know about the prophecy. Try to forget its existence. Just stay out of Ivorystar's way and do your job of healing cats, and I'll do my best to help you from StarClan."

StarClan. Mintberry's eyes sharpened with realization. "But we've lost connection to StarClan, how do you know that you'll-"

"I'll find my way," Clearfrost promised, "don't worry about me. Do your best to stay in the shadows, don't riot against Ivorystar. Don't worry too much, nobody expects you to be a hero, okay?"

"But the prophecy-"

"I know, I know," the ragdoll meowed, "but there's nothing we can do about that. If I'm being honest, it's probably best that the prophecy's never able to be fulfilled, and hopefully forgotten about." Her blue eyes were dark. "But that's never going to happen."

"Clearfrost!" Ivorystar's voice snapped from the outside. 

Clearfrost took a deep breath and turned to the exit, slowly making her way out of the cave. 

Mintberry spoke again, her tone laced with desperation this time. "Don't go!" There must be something they can do. Wake a warrior or something. But what proof did they have? They didn't have evidence Ivorystar was going to murder Clearfrost. It was useless.

Clearfrost didn't bother to face the gray tabby but halted in her steps, staring out into the rain. "I don't want to die either." Her voice wavered for the first time in Mintberry's memory and she finally made her way out of the cave.

Mintberry felt like a coward watching her mentor pad out into her doom. But it's what she's been ordered to do. To stay low. She tried forcing herself to go back to her nest, to pretend like nothing's wrong, but her paws wouldn't move.

Finally, Mintberry tentatively stuck her head out. The rain was falling much harder now, and it wasn't long before the entirety of her head was soaked. Glancing toward the entrance, the gray tabby recognized that no guards had been posted tonight. Using the excuse of rain, she supposed, but truthfully it was to allow Ivorystar to exit and re-enter without suspicion.

Was Ivorystar going to wait by the death scene all night, like she'd done with Waspstrike?

Mintberry supposed so. 

At last, she got the strength to push herself to her nest and curl up, trying to soothe the pulses of ice running through her veins and the quickening thumps of her heart. Sleep was out of the question. All she could do was wait until the sun came up.

A crash of thunder. The rain fell harder, pattering wildly against the cave's roof. Was it her imagination, or did she hear a yowl somewhere in the distance? A strike of lightning, another boom of thunder, the relentless rain, but this time, she did hear a yowl. It was growing closer, in fact, and she identified it as none other than Ivorystar.

"Clearfrost! It's Clearfrost!"

Mintberry was on her paws within seconds, shooting out of the medicine den. Through the darkness and the rain, she could make out the fuzzy shape of Ivorystar at the camp's entrance. Warriors were beginning to climb out of the den, looking confused and sleepy as they neared their leader.

"It's Clearfrost, she's been killed!"

Somewhere in the crowd, Mintberry could hear Featherflight let out a horrified gasp. She felt numb.

"Was it RiverClan?"

"Oh, those mangepelts!"

"We'll get them back for this!"

"No," Ivorystar meowed, shaking her head, "no, it's not RiverClan. It was rogues."

This sent ripples of confusion through the Clan.

"Rogues?" Dawnfoot finally spoke. "I haven't heard of any rogue sightings."

"They've only come now," Ivorystar replied. "Oh, they were horrible. Killed Clearfrost mercilessly before I could do anything. Kept saying, 'The wind is coming'."

Mintberry barely managed to stifle her gasp and took a step back. The wind is coming. That's the message Berryfern had sent her last half-moon meeting. It was a real thing? Not just some phrase the crazy StarClan cat made up?

But Mintberry hardly had time to consider this. For as lightning crackled through the sky once more, lighting up the clearing, she got a good look at Ivorystar. The ShadowClan leader was covered completely in wounds, dripping with blood. Clearfrost had put up a good fight.

But the most horrifying part of it all was Ivorystar's face. One of her eyes now had a deep gash running across it, shut tight, never to be used again.