ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Venom

Chapter 7

(In case of confusion, Poison did tell them the story of what happened, but you guys read it from Holly's POV)

Mintpool's ears flattened with surprise. What? AirClan's searching for me? They want me to return to the Clan? She felt her paws flex with anger. They seriously just expect me to return, easily forgiving them? After what they've done, they think I'll happily come back and resume my duties?

It seemed that the cats' gazes were all on Mintpool. The gray tabby remembered Cobrastrike's words, of not showing any emotion, and raised her muzzle, trying to look confident and cold. However, she must've failed, because Holly brushed her pelt against the tabby's comfortingly, gentle sympathy in her movements.

Poison's voice, which was loud enough to catch Mamba's attention, made the black she-cat drift over, her green gaze sparkling coldly. "Well, would you look at that? The Clan cat's Clan wants her back." Her lips pulled into a snarl. "Clans can't even keep their own decisions, it seems. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you do go back." Her eyes pierced into Mintpool's. "You'll probably go running back to your precious Clan as soon as you get the chance."

The gray tabby's pelt bristled. "No I wouldn't!" she hissed. She hated how Mamba's tone made it sound like AirClan was her owner of some sort, as though they controlled her. It was like the black she-cat thought Mintpool was so weak that she'd run back to AirClan no matter what they've done to her. Well, she's wrong! AirClan will pay! 

"Let's all calm down," Cobrastrike meowed firmly. "I believe that Mintpool is now a loyal member of the rogues." He glanced up at the sky. "There's still some time before dusk. I'll lead a raiding patrol to EarthClan. The more trouble we can cause, the better."

No cat argued with Cobrastrike; however, Mintpool could tell some cats, like Mamba, were displeased with his decision, as though they'd wanted him to kick her out. However, no cat protested, only showing how much power the tom had.

"Very well." Mamba's voice was colder than normal when she spoke. "I'll come along, too. I think I'd like to sink my claws into a Clan cat just about now."

Mintpool twitched her tail-tip angrily when she felt the black she-cat's gaze jump towards her. I'm not a Clan cat anymore!

If Cobrastrike saw the glance, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply nodded. "I'll go get a couple of cats." As he padded off, the "meeting" seemed to end as well. The rogues began moving away, going to do what they needed. Soon, only Mamba, Holly, and Mintpool remained. 

"What do you want, Mamba?" Holly hissed at the black she-cat, seeing her still unmoving. 

Mamba lifted her muzzle, holding the golden tabby's gaze for a moment, before turning to Mintpool, threatening. "If you're the reason our plan fails, because your Clan comes looking for you and finds our base... you're going to be dead before you know it." With a lash of her tail, she spun around, bounding away to join Cobrastrike.

Mintpool felt as though she'd been drenched in freezing water. She managed to lift her muzzle through the shock of the threat, shooting what she hoped to be a lethal glare towards Mamba. 

Holly's pelt brushed against her gently. "Mamba's nothing but a bully," she meowed, repeating her words from before. "Don't take it seriously." However, the last bit didn't sound very confident, and Mintpool knew why. Mamba's threat was serious. The black she-cat has killed before, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. 

"Let's focus on something else," the golden tabby meowed as more patrols began to make their way into the camp. "So... AirClan was your former Clan, huh?"

Mintpool heaved a sigh. "Yes."

"Clans are so mouse-brained," Holly meowed. "They have too much rules. That was one of the reasons I decided to join the rogues instead of the Clans." Before Mintpool could reply, she added, "I want to help you get revenge on AirClan."

The gray tabby's ears pricked up curiously. "Why?"

"Because you're my friend," the golden tabby purred. "And I want to help you." 

Mintpool tilted her head. It would be nice to have Holly to help... she can give me all sorts of tips, information when she comes back from spying patrols, stuff like that. And, besides, she's really nice to offer to help. "Okay! Thank you."

"It's no problem!" Holly blinked kindly. "But, you should probably learn to hunt and fight soon. After all, fighting is everything to the rogues."

The gray tabby nodded eagerly. "Sure! Can you teach me now?"

Holly purred. "Of course! Our group won't be called to eat for a while, anyway. Come on, follow me!" With a flick of her tail, she bounded off into the forest, Mintpool heavy on her paws. 

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 The sound of their paws crunching on snow echoed through the air as Mintpool followed Holly. They'd been walking for a while now, and were quite far away from camp. "Where are we going?"

The golden tabby turned around to glance at her. "Just this spot I found," she replied. "It's far away from camp, so none of the rogues will stumble on us while we're training."

Soon, they appeared at a clearing. It somewhat reminded Mintpool of the Training Hollow in AirClan's territory. Tall branches swooped above, connecting to make what seemed like a roof. At the moment, the branches were bare, but the gray tabby knew in newleaf they'd be full of leaves. The land dipped down slightly to make a small valley, with bushes clustered around it.

"Wow!" Mintpool purred. "It looks great!"

The golden tabby nodded cheerfully. "I stumbled on it while I was out learning the land!" she meowed. "I didn't realize I'd crossed from the rogues territory long before." She shook out her pelt. "Anyway, let's begin with fighting. Do you know any fighting moves?"

Mintpool swished her tail. "Just one." She wondered if she could still do it; she hadn't tried it for moons! Demonstrating, she lifted up onto her hind legs, her muscles moving in memory from all the times she'd practiced. However, due to lack of practice, they wobbled slightly as she struck out her paws at the air. She was still happy with the attempt, though; at least she didn't fall over.

Holly's green eyes were wide as she blinked at Mintpool. "Wow! That was great!" Her tail-tip twitched thoughtfully. "A very complicated move, too!"

The gray tabby purred shyly. "Thanks!"

"You'll have no trouble picking up the basic moves," Holly declared. "You'll be a great fighter in no time!"

Another purr rose in Mintpool's throat at the compliment. "Thank you!"

The golden tabby nodded. "Okay, let's begin. So, the first move I'm going to teach you is the duck and roll. Watch me." 

Mintpool's gaze was stuck onto Holly as she demonstrated the move. Determination swelled inside her as she flicked her tail, happy to have the golden tabby as her friend.

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Word Count // 1160

Not Edited

Hi! Sorry for not posting in a couple of days. I'm not sure if these chapters count as filler chapters, but they're certainly not the most fun to write, and I'm guessing they're not too interesting to read about, either. Okay, so for the past few days, I had another talk with my friend (cookiesandcream4evea) and she helped me come up with some more great ideas! So, definitely to follow and check out her book! Anyway, hopefully everything will become more interesting from now on, but there might be some filler chapters of Mintpool training. I'll try to avoid those if I can. Anyway, that's all. Have a great day. Bye!