ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Venom

Chapter 6

The camp was now quiet as Mintpool followed Cobrastrike around. Every cat was either out on patrol or sleeping. 

"So, what do you want to know first?" Cobrastrike asked breezily as he flicked his tail. 

Mintpool paused. The ranks... that seemed to be the most important. She wanted to know and understand how to reach the top of the ranks. She wanted to be first in the line of battle, to make sure AirClan can see her, to make sure they know that it's her who's attacking them. "Can you go over the ranks again?"

"Sure," the tom meowed. "So, there are three ranks: Paw, Tail, and Fang. Paw is the lowest rank. That's where all cats start when they join. Tail is the middle one, and Fang is the highest. If you're a Paw and you want to go straight to Fang, all you need to do is fight a Fang cat and win. However, it would be suggested that you get Tail first before going to Fang.

"The ranks are very important here. Even in patrols; if a Paw cat is leading a patrol, they can only lead cats from Paw. Tail, they can lead from Tail and Paw. If it's a Fang cat, they can lead from all three."

The gray tabby nodded. "And Mamba mentioned a Council when she announced it was their turn to eat," she meowed. "What's the Council?"

"A Council is my advisors," Cobrastrike replied. "You must be a Fang in order to be part of the Council. And, if you are a Fang, and you think you should be part of the Council, you're allowed to challenge a Council cat to fight. Again, if you win, you've now secured that spot. However, if I see a cat that's challenging a Council member and I don't want them to be in Council, I can veto them." 

"Oh." Mintpool twitched her tail-tip. Looks like in order to get anywhere, I need to be a Fang cat.

"There's also Representatives in the Council," Cobrastrike continued. "A Fang, Tail, and Paw representative."

At this, the gray tabby's ears twitched with interest. "And do they have much say in the Council?"

The tom twitched his tail-tip. "Not as much as the normal Council members," he replied. "But, it's a pretty good place to start off."

Mintpool nodded, a plan forming in her mind. "To get Paw representative, I would have to challenge the now Paw representative?"

Cobrastrike swished his tail in confirmation. "Right now, that cat is Snarl," he meowed. "Snarl's a big cat, but he's clumsy, too."

The gray tabby nodded once more. "Okay..." Her mind began to whirl. If I can beat Snarl, then I'll at least get somewhere! She changed the topic, deciding to discuss this more with Holly. "So, how does the eating schedule work?"

"Each group can only eat once a day," Cobrastrike replied. "The Council gets first pick as soon as the hunting patrol gets back. Then it goes to Fang, Tail, and then Paw. Most likely, Paw will eat at the end of the day. The leaders, Mamba and I, can pick prey whenever we want." 

Just then, the bushes of the entrance of the camp rustled. Mintpool's head snapped towards it, watching Poison lead her cats back into the camp. Surprise shocked through her. She hadn't even noticed the time!

"Cobrastrike!" Poison bounded towards the tom, her eyes sparkling urgently. "We have news!"

The gray tabby twitched her whiskers with interest, remembering that Poison had led a spying patrol on AirClan. Holly trotted towards Mintpool, her eyes unreadable. 

"What is it?" Cobrastrike asked. His gaze, now that other rogues were here, turned cold, sparkling with chips of ice. 

Poison lashed her tail. "AirClan's searching for Mintpool!"