The Adventures Of Mint & Coco

20: The Pack of Sharp Claws (Mint)

I hear Shadow's voice and he appears out of the bushes. "Mint... I came as soon as I heard you were awake. I thought you had caught a disease or something!" he exclaims. I sigh, "I don't know why that happened..." He sighs too, and says, "So, now that you're okay, we can keep going." He walks away, glancing back at me with his blue eyes and motioning for us to follow.
I begin walking, ignoring the look of concern and hint of jealously in Kona's eyes. "Mint, I want to know what happened last night. Did you have a nightmare?" I stop and close my eyes. Flashing behind my eyelids, I see the pendants and the fog... I press my hands to my temples. "I... I don't know what happened... I had a dream, but it was realistic, I could see you sitting on the branch... and I could see the woods... and I felt myself fall. But before that, there was this black fog, it covered the area... Then I saw my pendant... and Coco's pendant... and... Niko's pendant." I pause, "Just as the fog is taking over, it seemed as if Coco's pendant and mine had combined and they destroyed the shadowy fog." I finish, beginning to walk again. Kona looks shocked, like he's just seen a ghost. "Mint, maybe someone is trying to tell you something." I freeze, stopping in my tracks. "Stop! You're all wrong! Darkness is coming. Combine and destroy... Your destiny awaits..." I shake my head. "Maybe, but I don't want to talk about it..." I feel my eyes watering and I turn my head to wipe them away.
I hope Coco is okay.

I feel my breath deepening, and stop for a rest. "Shadow, are we almost there? I don't think I, or any of us can walk anymore." I state. "I can," Kali says, bragging. I roll my eyes. "We are there," Shadow points to a chimney sticking above a wall of rocks. "Come on, let's go." Buttercup and Hazel shoulder past, and Buttercup sneezes. I feel sorry for her. She has the flu.
We make our way through the gates that are opened up, welcoming us. Several cat mutants spot us, and dart away into a huge den, covered in vines. Leader's den maybe?

They appear back out, this time, followed by a white cat mutant. Her crystal grey eyes pierce my gaze, and I can tell that she is obviously the leader. She wears a white dress. The pink inside her ears stands out over all, and I shiver. "Who are you?" she questions, her eyes darting from me to Shadow. He steps up, "I am Shadow, the one who arranged coming here. We've come to question you for help," he explains. The pack leader's fluffy white tail whips the ground. "I am Stella, leader of this pack. And whatever your need for help is, I will listen," she greets, smiling with sharp white teeth, "Come with me into my den." I flick my ear. Shadow nods and glances at me, before following her to the den. Leaving the rest of us here with nothing to do, eyes flicker from me to everyone else, and the feeling of doubt pours into mind. This is all wrong. I'm not supposed to be here... It's my fault that this is happening. If I would've gone with Coco when she came to get me, Shadow would still be planning his revenge, and no lives would be at stake ...I need to do something. Kona moves through everyone, and stands shoulder to shoulder with me. "Mint, you okay? You look as if you've just murdered someone..." he shrugs. I face him. "Kona, we can't do this. We have to go. This is wrong... It's all wrong! We may be about to kill many innocent people!" I whisper-hiss. He bites his lower lip. "I know. But I don't know what we can do now. Quitting won't help anything. Once Stella thinks this is a good idea, losing us won't affect a thing. She'll have all these supporters that-"
I nod, "I... I know." I interrupt.

Stella and Shadow emerge from the den, and by the look on her face, I can tell she's agreed to this plan. Yep, it's too late now. We need a miracle... Stella steps up to me and instructs, "Okay sweetie, follow me." I shrug my shoulders at Kona as he silently questions why I'd follow. "Um, where are you taking me?" I ask. She turns her head, and her voice is soft, like quiet wind howling. "I'm taking you to your room. Unless... you don't want to stay here..." she wonders. I flick my ears. "No it's okay," I consent.
I follow her down a narrow hallway inside the shelter. Mud trails behind me, staining the red carpet under my feet. "Oops..." I falter, stopping. Stella's reaction is a chuckle of amusement. "That's alright, just take off your shoes please." I reach down; the last time I took off my shoes was at least a week ago. My feet feel numb with them gone, and I pull off my socks. My toenails are tore, and my feet are pale. I leave my shoes by the door, and continue down the hall. She stops by a wooden door, and on the wall, there is a sign that says reserved. "Reserved for... me?" I ask. Stella turns the door knob. "No. You have a roommate."

The door opens to reveal a she-cat mutant. She has orangey-brown eyes, and long blond wavy hair down to her thighs. Her ears are brown, and her tail is too. "This is Amber. All of the other rooms are full, sorry. So you'll be staying in here. I suggest you take a shower. I nod, "Yeah... that sounds good." The door shuts behind me, and I am left with Amber, who is just staring at me. She is sitting on her bed, a book clenched in her hands. "Hi." I greet, "I'm Mint." She opens up her book and pulls a pencil out from hair. She writes, and I can tell it's no ordinary book. It's a journal. "So... You are a writer?" I guess, nervously. Amber closes the book and looks at me, "Yeah... I write about my life... Um, if we are having this battle, I might as well document what happens right? In case I die?" I raise my eyebrows. They already told everyone? Wow this is insane... "Uh... yeah." I stammer.
I head to a little room in the corner, suspecting it's a bathroom. I first open a drawer in the corner and pull out some clean clothes. "Is... is it okay if I wear these?" I ask Amber. "They're not mine." The girl explains. I shrug, taking them with me. I turn the water knob, and sigh in relief as hot water pours from the faucet. I haven't had a warm clean shower in so long. I reach over and grab a bar of soap, and begin scrubbing all the dirt from my body. Once done with it, I set it down, and circle around. Lined one-by-one, are shampoos and conditioners. I pick out the ones that match my hair type, and use them. I turn off the water and open the shower curtain, searching for a towel. I bend over to dry my hair, seeing all the twigs and scum that had been in my hair. I turn away in disgust, hoping to never be that dirty again. When I am dry, I slip on the clothes. A plain black t-shirt, and grey jeans. I pull a brush from a drawer by the sink, and comb my hair. Reaching up, I open a cabinet, and grab a hand towel. Washing my face, I finally realize my face is layered with thin black dust, and I wipe it away with relief.
When I step out of the room, Amber is still sitting in the same spot she was earlier, and I can't help but wonder what she's been through. "Hey, Amber..." I say, trying to make conversation, "Know any fighting moves?" I ask. She stands up, turning to me. "Yeah... I do... I was hoping I would be useful in the battle, since Stella needs as many people as possible," she says. I observe her; she looks to be maybe a year younger than me. Not feeling in much of a talking mood anymore, I sit on the bed, looking out the window at all of the other cat mutants. "Yeah, that's true." I finish, feeling awkward, "Well... goodnight." I slide open a curtain in the corner to reveal another section of the room, privately for me. I spot a medium bed.
I walk in, and close the curtain behind me. As I crawl in bed, I can't help but wonder what Coco is doing. "Is she okay?" I quietly whisper aloud. Looking through the window, I can see stars; the sky is black and red.
Which reminds me...
"Stop! You're all wrong! Darkness is coming. Combine and destroy..." I shiver.
"Your destiny awaits..."