ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Venom

Chapter 25

"Mintpool wins!"

The call that the gray tabby had been listening for allowed her to sit back and release her opponent, panting. Shade scrambled to her paws, glaring at Mintpool as she huffed, retreating to the crowd, now demoted to Tail.

"Mintpool! You did it!" Holly's voice rang through the tabby's ears as the golden she-cat darted forward, eyes brimming with excitement. 

A purr rose from the gray she-cat's throat, tail high up in the air triumphantly. However, gazing around, she noticed that only Holly and Cobrastrike, who was now moving forward to greet her, looked happy about her win. The other rogues were staring at her with resentment, seeing as she'd climbed so high whereas several of them had been around for moons yet remained firmly in their ranks.

Mintpool ignored them all with a simple shake of her pelt; support wasn't something you could expect within the rogue group.

"Congratulations," Cobrastrike purred. "I know you'd win!"

Mintpool dipped her head, and her gaze travelled towards Mamba and Ivy. Both she-cats were standing stiffly, making no move forward, and the tabby remembered what Fireclaw had told her about both of them. They both wanted to be leader, yet Cobrastrike took it. And there was some big competition between them too. And now I'm rising up quickly, and I don't intend to just remain in Fang.

The tabby felt a smirk spread on her face. They viewed her as a threat to their power. And indeed she was.

"Mintpool." Ivy's silky voice sounded suddenly, making the gray tabby jump. "Congratulations."

Surprise flickered through Mintpool. After all, the brown she-cat had just been glaring at her a few moments ago. But now her expression was filled with nothing except joy, green eyes full of praise and approval.

Even Mamba had surprise speckled over her resentment at the brown she-cat's action.

Suspicion tingled through the tabby's pelt. "Thank you."

Ivy gave her a bright smile. "Of course! We should hang out sometime! You know, when you're not too busy with her." With a swift jerk of her head, she motioned towards Holly.

Mintpool forced her pelt smooth; she wasn't pleased with the Council Leader's tone, speaking the word 'her' as if Holly was some sort of creature below them. "Can't Holly hang out with us too?"

"I'm afraid not. I only associate with Fang cats. I'm sure you'll understand that soon," Ivy replied smoothly.

Mintpool had a lot of thoughts rushing through her head. Ah. So that's why she's being so nice. She wants me on her side. The more powerful cats supporting her... well, the more powerful she becomes. Glancing at Holly, the gray tabby noticed the golden she-cat, although looking hurt, didn't look surprised, as if she were used to Ivy's behavior. Same with Cobrastrike, who didn't even look the slightest bit fazed as he excused himself and padded to Mamba's side. An act. That's what Ivy's doing.

Mintpool studied the brown she-cat in front of her. She learned quickly that, although small and harmless looking, the Council Leader was far from that. She had an appearance that lured cats into a sense of associating her with the "good side". Mintpool felt pity for the creatures that thought that.

Though knowing all that, the gray tabby never really realized how good Ivy was at putting on an act. If having no background information on her, Mintpool would've fallen for it instantly. With a soft, smooth voice and kind, wide eyes - Well, Mintpool wasn't sure any cat could surpass Ivy's skill in acting.

"Maybe," the gray tabby replied simply. "I'm not sure though, as I'm quite busy nowadays, I'm sure you know."

Ivy replied with a swift nod. Without shooting so much as a glance in Holly's direction, the dappled brown cat turned around and stalked away.

"Well, she's mean," Holly commented. "But, what can you expect of her?"

Mintpool dipped her head. "Well, I'd better get back to AirClan's camp. They'll get suspicious soon, especially Robinflight!"

The golden tabby twitched her pelt. "Okay. Want to fit in another training session, though? After sunset, tomorrow? I'd like to do some battle training myself," she added. "I want to try and get a position in Fang, too! Seems like the only way I can prove myself to cats like Ivy." Her green gaze glittered with determination, no doubt from the words that had came out of Ivy's mouth.

Mintpool purred, welcoming the thought of her friend joining the Fang ranks. "Okay! I'd be happy to help!"

"Thanks, Mintpool!" Holly chirped happily. Then, tapping their noses together, Mintpool turned around and bounded away.

დ

The sun had set, leaving a night of frost and snow. Soft flurries were beginning to drift down from the sky, making Mintpool shudder with cold as she hurried through the woods.

Her paws led her easily to the training clearing that Holly had shown her all those moons ago, a path she'd memorized. The snow was falling harder now; shivering, the gray tabby pressed herself against a tree trunk, trying to get some shelter from the cold flurries. I hope Holly comes soon. Once we begin training, we'll be able to warm up quickly! The gray tabby shot a glance at the sky, squinting, trying to get a glimpse of the moon but was unsuccessful due to the white dappling over her eyes. She'll be here soon.

Hours had past, yet the gray tabby couldn't catch a glimpse of her friend's golden fur. Uncertainty and worry flooded Mintpool as she pressed herself closer into the tree trunk for more shelter. What had happened? What had kept Holly?

She shivered. Holly was normally never late, especially when she was the one who'd set the date. The gray tabby debated whether or not to head back to camp, but decided against it, worried in case Holly will eventually show up and find her gone.

Sighing, Mintpool huddled closer to the tree. She'd decided to accept Holly's friendship at first simply because the golden tabby was useful to her; a cat who'd already lived with the rogues and knew their weak spots, along with teaching her now to hunt and fight. But now, she was worried for the golden tabby, as a friend. I really do hope Holly's okay.

Mintpool didn't know when she'd drifted off to sleep, but dawn had arrived when she'd woken up. She found herself tucked away under the roots of the tree, somewhat cozy from the snowstorm. Holly still hadn't appeared.

Sighing, the gray tabby wiggled out from her sleeping spot, shaking out her pelt, worry brimming in her stomach. I'll go visit the camp, she decided, to see what's going on. But before she'd taken one step, the bushes had rustled; in a flash, a heavy weight collided in Mintpool's side, knocking her to the ground, as sharp claws pierced her gray pelt.

დ

Word Count // 1144

Not Edited

Hi guys! I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! I honestly have no idea when by last update was, but I'm assuming it was a LONG time ago! But, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter!! Thoughts on it? What do you think of Ivy? What happened to Holly? Who attacked Mintpool at the end? Let me know!

The cat at the top is Ivy; I couldn't find a cat that perfectly represented my vision of her, but oh well, close enough! Thanks for reading! Hoping to update soon! Bye!