ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Venom

Chapter 27

"Mamba was born in a rogue group. The group was in a Twolegplace near here." Cobrastrike sighed. "The Twolegplace was... awful. It was abandoned, pretty much, but full of trash. A landfill, basically. Cats had to fight fiercely amongst each other to stay alive. And the leader... Well, all Mamba said was: 'Terrifying. Not a cat to mess with.'"

Mintpool's ears flicked up. Maybe for some reason, the leader of that rogue group attacked Cobrastrike!

"Thank Spirits he's dead now."

And, with that, the tabby's hope sank.

"Anyways, Mamba grew up in a very rough place," the tom meowed. "Her personality, as you can probably tell, is to just care for herself and her own wellbeing, other than parents to their kits, of course. That was the attitude of every cat within the rogue group. Her attitude has gotten a lot better, actually," Cobrastrike added with a flick of his tail.

Better? Mintpool's face twisted. Oh, for Spirit's sake, I wouldn't want to have met the past Mamba.

"A lot of our cats actually come from that rogue group," Cobrastrike continued. "Like Ivy, Poison, Frost, Python, Rage, Shade, and Talon. They all came when the former leader died, but that's besides the point. Poison and Mamba used to be very close, actually. Poison's parents had died, and Mamba's mother had been close with Poison's. Well, as close as they can get. I suppose they saw Poison more as something that can make them powerful. Another ally that they can control. So, they took her in.

But, very quickly, Mamba's parents realized that the rogue group wasn't somewhere they wanted to stay. So, they took Mamba and Poison - and they all left. They ended up besides the lake one leaf-bare. Every cat was freezing, but their attitudes had improved a lot, Mamba told me. Every cat was much kinder then. She said her mother had become exceptionally nice." A flicker of emotion passed through Cobrastrike's gaze. "Well, anyway, they tried hunting on the Clans' territory, but, obviously, they were stopped and attacked. The Clans had much more cats, and one day, when Mamba's father tried to hunt, once again, on their land, they attacked him. He was driven out with many wounds. With no food and warmth, he died that day."

"Oh, no..." Mintpool knew of this. Cobrastrike had told her before. Back then, though, she felt nothing for the black she-cat. Now, a stab of pity flooded her pelt.

"Her mother went soon after from starvation. She'd worked herself tirelessly that leaf-bare, trying to make sure every cat had enough to eat, whilst eating little herself. By the time she'd gone, greenleaf was arriving, and Mamba and Poison could take care of themselves. They spent many seasons together, building up hate for the Clans. So, eventually, Mamba started the rogue group."

"How did the two grow apart?" Mintpool leaned forward curiously.

Cobrastrike tapped his tail-tip to her head. "I'm getting there. The two grew further and further apart when Mamba started the rogue group. She had more responsibility, a group to run. Poison just... slunk to the side, I suppose. The two do still talk every now and then, though."

Another blaze of curiosity rose from Mintpool. She'd spoken to both Mamba and Ivy, disliking them instantly. And they were both from the same rogue group... So what's Poison like? "Is Poison closed-off, too?"

"Actually," Holly's voice filled the den, "she's quite nice. I shared prey with her yesterday before I was about to go meet you. Then, just as I was about to leave, Cobrastrike came back, all hurt, and he called for a lockdown. Poison helped organize every cat."

Cobrastrike nodded. "I do suppose she's not as intimidating as Mamba and Ivy, but still not a cat to mess with. Although, to be fair, who in here is a cat to mess with?"

Mintpool twitched her whiskers in agreement. "Well, thanks for telling me about Mamba. Your wounds are all done, I'll come by again tomorrow to check on them. I should go now, AirClan must be worried-"

"Every cat! Come out!" A yowl interrupted Mintpool's words. Instantly, the gray tabby recognized the voice: Ivy. "Group meeting!"

"Meeting?" A frown tugged its way onto Holly's face. "Can Ivy do that? I thought only Mamba and you could, Cobrastrike."

A look of alarm passed Cobrastrike's face. "It's supposed to be like that, yes. She's seizing more power..."

And in that moment, Mintpool realized with a start that Cobrastrike was much more scared of Ivy than he was Mamba. Much more worried that she'd seize his power. Her acting skills of a fake-nice, whereas every cat knew perfectly what she was capable of, was frightening. They knew she could kill them in a second, but would have no proof for it.

In a second, Cobrastrike was on his paws, lumbering out of the den; Mintpool and Holly followed closely.

"What's going on?" Mamba was at their side in a second split, shouldering Mintpool right back into Holly, attention turned to Cobrastrike.

"I'm not sure. I thought you'd know," Cobrastrike replied.

Mamba's tail lashed. "Ivy can't do this!"

"Let her," the tom ordered. "We'll see what she wants."

For a moment, Mamba glanced quickly in Mintpool's direction. Although it was only for a split-second, Mintpool caught the emotion of fear. She, clearly, was worried by Ivy as well.

"Cats!" Ivy yowled, once everyone had settled. "I know who the attacker of Cobrastrike is!"

Murmurs of surprise and worry tainted the air. Cats' pelts were spiked, eager to catch the cat that had attacked their leader.

Gazing at Mamba, Mintpool noticed that the fear was much more evident. Of course; if Ivy truly did know the culprit, then almost every cat of the group would surely view her as the deputy, even the leader, perhaps. Mamba's power would be snatched away.

But is power really so important? Mintpool thought bitterly. Don't get her wrong, she liked power. But wasn't it more important to find the culprit? Surely, Mamba could take the lead in finding the attacker, and all the attention and glory would be back on her.

"Silence!" Ivy called, and the murmurs fell quiet. "As I was saying, I know who the culprit is! The one who attacked Cobrastrike!"

"Ivy!" Mamba interrupted, her pelt bristled. "Shouldn't we discuss this in private first?"

Yowls of protest rose into the air.

"Why do you guys need to discuss this in private? Why can't we discuss this all together, as a group?"

"There is no need to talk about this by yourselves! Tell all of us!"

"Ignore Mamba, Ivy!"

The black she-cat's pelt bristled at those words, but as she glared at the crowd, it was clear she couldn't tell who'd spoken.

Cobrastrike cleared his throat. "Go on, Ivy."

A look of pure terror had echoed in Mamba's eyes, sitting completely still, frozen. Mintpool's pelt ruffled uneasily, wondering who Ivy would accuse.

"The cat that had attacked Cobrastrike is..."

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Word Count // 1165

Not Edited

Whhatttt? Is this a new chapter without being reminded? *Gasp*
(btw thank you dreamcloudofstarclan for always reminding me)

Anyways! I posted this chapter like, pretty late at night, so I forgot to put the author's note & stuff. I don't think the cliffhanger is too bad, I'm sure you guys have some culprits in mind, but thank you to rachelp18 & IshitaM11 for your reactions to it, they made me laugh XD

So... Who do you think is the culprit? Who do you think Ivy's going to accuse? And why did Mamba seem so scared? Was it just Ivy threatening her power or something else? Let me know!!

Picture of Ivy at the top! Expect another chapter soon! Bye!