ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Venom

Chapter 8

Orange was streaked in the sky by the time Mintpool and Holly headed back to camp. The gray tabby ruffled her pelt happily, feeling somewhat proud of the work she did. They had enough time for her to learn the duck and roll move, along with improving her hunting skills. Her skills in hunting and fighting weren't nearly as good as any of the other rogues, but it should be enough for basic things. 

"Paw, it's your turn to eat!" Mamba's voice rang through the clearing as the tabbies padded into camp. Right on time. 

The prey pile was pretty reduced, leaving three small mice, a skinny shrew, and two shriveled voles. The other members of the rank bounded over instantly, taking most of the prey, leaving Mintpool and Holly the shriveled voles.

Making a noise of disgust, the golden tabby padded over, picking up the voles. "Come on, let's go eat somewhere else."

Mintpool nodded, following Holly to a snow-topped bush. She crouched down, taking one of the voles, and took a bite.

"So," Holly meowed, "do you have a plan for the revenge?"

The gray tabby twitched her tail-tip. "Well, I want to get a high rank here, first," she replied. "I was thinking that maybe I could use the rogue group to help me get revenge on AirClan, like leading them to attack."

Holly nodded slowly. "That could work, but it would take you a long time to achieve that." Her eyes glimmered, as though her mind was drifting off. "AirClan's looking for you, right? Maybe..." 

"Maybe what?" Mintpool's ears flattened with excitement, waiting to hear her friend's plan. 

Holly shook her head. "Never mind. It's just a stupid idea. It won't work now. It might in the future, though."

"What is it?" the gray tabby pressed. "Tell me!" Excitement brimmed inside of her. Holly was a very intelligent cat, smarter than she looked. Mintpool was sure the idea would be good.

"Well, AirClan's looking for you. They want you back. Maybe you could pretend to rejoin them, spy, and get information for the rogues," Holly whispered. "That would make you very important to the rogues. It would make you indispensable!" 

"That's a great idea!" Mintpool meowed, her voice full of excitement. But she could see why it wouldn't work at the moment. She was new. The rogues wouldn't trust her enough for her to spy for them without their supervision. They might think she'd betray them and give the Clans their camp location. And, Mamba might see it as a lie for her to rejoin AirClan.

"Maybe it'll work in the future," Holly meowed. "We'll just have to see." 

Mintpool flicked her tail. "Well, other than that, I was thinking I'd try for Paw Representative. I think it's a somewhat easy way to get into a higher rank. I'd be in the Council, at least."

"Yes, but you'd still be viewed as a Paw," Holly pointed out. "It's unlikely that they'd listen to any ideas you have, and you'd be the lowest rank there. You also wouldn't have any of the Council benefits, such as eating first. But... you would know what was happening, and you'd basically be the Paw leader."

Mintpool nodded eagerly. "Right! So, I need to defeat the now Paw Representative, right?"

The golden tabby nodded. "Yes, you'd have to defeat Snarl." 

"Where is he?" Mintpool's gaze scanned the clearing, trying to spot the cat. Cobrastrike said he's big, but also clumsy. 

"That's him." Holly's tail flicked in the direction of a huge black tom. 

Catching sight of him, Mintpool felt dread drop in her belly. She whipped back towards Holly. "That's Snarl? There's no way I can defeat him!" Snarl was huge, about twice as Mintpool's size. She was certain he could crush her.

"You'll be fine," the golden tabby assured. "He's very clumsy. That's his weak spot."

The gray tabby gulped, trying to shake the thought of fighting the tom from her mind. She decided to change the topic. "So, how would I challenge him?"

"Simple, you just walk up to Cobrastrike or Mamba and tell them you want to challenge Snarl," Holly meowed. "Then they'll announce the challenge and usually wait until sundown before the fighting actually begins. A lot of the rogues like to watch it as entertainment." 

Mintpool nodded slowly. "And how would I win?"

"You need to hold Snarl down for three seconds," Holly replied. "That's the hard part, since he's so big. He could probably throw you off." 

The gray tabby twitched her tail-tip, thinking. "Okay... and he's very clumsy, right?"

"Extremely," Holly confirmed. "You could trip him easily." 

A plan started forming in Mintpool's mind as she flicked her tail. She might be able to defeat Snarl, but she'd need Holly's help with the training. Just as she was about to open her jaws and ask, Mamba's yowl rang through the clearing.

"Night patrols! I want a border patrol. Sharp, you lead that, take cats from Fang. Rage, lead a hunting patrol with cats from Paw. And spying patrols-" The black she-cat cut off, shooting a glance at the sky. At her movement, Mintpool copied it, seeing a bright full moon beaming against the dark sky, stars glittering in it. She felt her belly twist. Tonight, there would be a Gathering, and Thistlestar would probably announce her exile. "The Clans are having a Gathering tonight. Just spy on that instead. Frost, you lead that. Take cats from Tail and Paw... I don't care who you pick, except bring Mintpool." Her green gaze fixed with the gray tabby's. "After training all day, I assume you have enough skills to join the patrol?" Her voice was taunting, as though she expected Mintpool not to. 

The gray tabby shuffled her paws. Mamba was somewhat correct. She didn't have nearly enough skills if a fight was to break out. But, she had enough to hide under a bush and spy. She lifted her muzzle, her gaze catching Cobrastrike's. Her friend twitched his tail-tip, his eyes thoughtful as he watched her, awaiting her answer, ready to leap in and veto Mamba's choice if needed. 

"Sure," Mintpool meowed, trying to make her voice sweet. "I'll join."

The black she-cat's lips pulled into a snarl as Cobrastrike's eyes glimmered proudly. "Very well. Patrol leaders, gather your cats." She leaped off of the boulder, stalking away.

"Good luck." Holly's voice was nervous, touching her tail-tip to Mintpool's shoulder. "You'll be in a patrol with Tail cats, and Frost's a Fang one."

Confusion tingled through the gray tabby. "But Mamba told Frost to take both Tail and Paw cats."

Holly scoffed. "You really think Frost would take Paw cats when she could bring Tail ones, not to mention she's probably already annoyed considering she's a Fang cat?" The golden tabby pushed herself to her paws. "Rank and reputation mean a lot in here."

Mintpool nodded as a white she-cat with splotches of black, brown, and cream, who she assumed was Frost, called over to her. "Come on, let's go!"

"Coming!" With a wave of her tail in farewell towards Holly, the gray tabby bounded over, joining her first rogue patrol. She was greeted with hostile looks from the other rogues.

Frost flicked her tail, leading them out of the camp. A chilly breeze blew over Mintpool as the ice in it nipped at her pelt, making her shiver. The moonlight lit her path as she followed the rogues, having a feeling that it was going to be a long night.

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Word Count // 1249

Not Edited

Hi! I got this chapter written pretty fast. I finished it one day after I published the last! Anyway, a filler chapter, sorry. Just shows Mintpool's plans for the future. Anyway, the next chapter should be more exciting, and it should have some information about the huge battle and attack! Frost is at the top! Okay, that's all, bye!