ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Venom

Chapter 22

The night sky was speckled with stars, the half moon glimmering dimly. Mintpool raised her muzzle to look at the sky, wondering if she should even be visiting the Starpool; StarClan certainly wouldn't be pleased if she did. She scoffed, tail-tip twitching. It wasn't that she wanted to please StarClan, it was more so that she didn't want to have any sort of interaction with StarClan at all. They'd completely failed her, guiding her paws down a dark path that led to her claws sinking into her brother's neck.

"We should hurry." Spotpaw's voice startled the tabby out of her thoughts. "We don't want to keep the other medicine cats waiting."

The black-and-white she-cat had significantly become quieter after her parents' deaths. Whilst her brothers grieved, they'd moved on, the grief slowly melting away. As did the rest of the Clan. AirClan had held vigil for Adderclaw and Flowershine, but the next day, life functioned on like normal. Every cat had a heavy heart and a craving of vengeance towards the rogues, but they still went on patrols and hunted prey. Stormkit and Fernkit became apprentices, Lilypaw was assigned to Cherrypelt as her new mentor, and Violetpaw and Duskpaw had received the names of Violetfrost and Duskstorm. Life had moved on.

Spotpaw, on the other paw, had curled up inside her nest, refusing to speak to anyone. And Mintpool gave her that time, as she knew every cat grieved differently - when Snowfrost died, she didn't want to speak to any cat, either - and she honestly didn't care how well Spotpaw's training went.

But, Spotpaw was still her kin. And, Mintpool couldn't help but feel a tug of sympathy for the young she-cat, as she knew what it felt like to loose a parent.

Catching up to her apprentice, Mintpool's pelt brushed against Spotpaw's gently. "You okay?"

The black-and-white she-cat huffed. "No! Flowershine and Adderclaw are gone! How can anything be okay?"

"They're with StarClan," Mintpool meowed softly. "They're happy. They've got endless prey and warm weather all year round."

"Yeah, but-" Spotpaw's tail lashed. "Every cat seems to be moving on from their deaths so quickly! Bumblepaw, Sunpaw, and Flamepaw act as if our parents never died! Lilypaw was assigned a new mentor just like that, as if Adderclaw's death was something that could be looked over quickly! If I stop grieving, too, it'll really be like my parents' deaths didn't matter."

Mintpool's tail-tip twitched. "They'll never be forgotten," she mewed. "Flowershine and Adderclaw will be remembered as great AirClan warriors." The words tasted bitter on her tongue, but she forced them out.

"Right." Spotpaw pressed her pelt softly against the tabby's. "Thanks, Mintpool."

To this gesture, the gray tabby responded with giving her apprentice's ear a lick. "Of course. Come on, we'd better go now!" The two were halfway to the Starpool; they still had some way to go.

Spotpaw nodded, her eyes regaining some of her bright personality. The rest of the journey was louder, filled with chatter and jokes. When they reached the hollow of the Starpool, Mintpool could clearly see that all the other medicine cats had already arrived.

"Mintpool!" Cloverleaf waved her tail cheerfully in greeting as the AirClan cats descended towards the glimmering pool. "You two are finally here!"

Spotpaw stuck closer to the tabby's side instead of bounding off and talking with Mistypaw like she normally would.

The gray tabby dipped her head. "Sorry. We got a little caught up. Shall we begin, now?"

"Before we do," Ravenleaf meowed, "I'd like to give Mistypaw her medicine cat name. She'd earned it, and, with the rogue battle approaching, I think the more medicine cats we have the better."