ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Venom

Chapter 35

"What?" The gray tabby spoke, her voice full of disbelief and shock. However, it was drowned out by the excited chatters of the rest of the rogues.

Mintpool desperately tried protesting, but every cat ignored her.

"Silence!" Cobrastrike yowled.

The gray tabby felt relief flood her system. Cobrastrike was going to defend her! But, all the tom did was nod at Mamba, inclining her to speak. Mintpool's jaws fell open in shock, disbelief, and anger.

The black she-cat flicked her tail. "I believe that the culprit behind the attacks are Mintpool. Now, every cat knows Mintpool, right? She joined our group a couple of moons ago, as a medicine cat with no experiences in fighting nor hunting. But now, she's a Fang, a cat known by everyone."

Mintpool felt her pelt twitch. What was Mamba's point?

"In order to have achieved this, I will say, she must've worked hard," Mamba meowed. "But is she really telling the truth? I don't believe that any cat could have learned fighting and hunting skills - and defeat our cats - that swiftly. She must have had some experience before this."

"That's not true!" Mintpool yowled, but Mamba barreled over her.

"So if this is the case, then how much has she been hiding from us? Don't you think that AirClan's decision was idiotic - to kick out their medicine cat as a war was approaching? It just doesn't make sense. There must be some other motive."

Frustration surged through the gray tabby, but before she could say anything, Mamba continued.

"I believe that Mintpool's been sent by the Clans to spy on us," the black she-cat declared. "She returns, claiming that she's spying for us, to check on and give them our information. And," Mamba added as Mintpool's jaws parted in protest once more, "even if that's not true, she certainly has to be ambitious to achieve all this, no? She's climbing our ranks extremely quick. Well, the question is how truly ambitious is she? Ambitious enough to attack our leader and our groupmates?"

Mintpool hissed, leaping on top of the boulder, shouldering Mamba aside roughly, not caring. Yowls sounded from the cats below her, but she silenced them all with a lash of her tail.

"Mamba's words make no sense!" the gray tabby growled. "If I were the one who attacked Cobrastrike, Rage, Python, and Frost, why would I heal them? To cause chaos? What twisted cat would do that?" Her green gaze sparked with fury as she scanned the crowd, daring any cat to disagree.

"Actually," Mamba meowed calmly, "none of those three cats are yet healed. Cobrastrike has only because his wounds were the lightest."

"I'm doing what I can!" Mintpool retorted. "Would you like to take over my job and give it a try?" Satisfaction flooded her as the black she-cat snapped her jaws shut. "And," the gray tabby added, "I want revenge on the Clans. Why would I hurt those that share my goal? The Clans are stupid, I'm sure every cat knows that. That's why they exiled me, not for some stupid spying."

Yowls tainted the air after those words left her jaws. Cobrastrike finally stepped forward, silencing everyone. "I think that's enough for today," he meowed evenly. "I've heard from every cat. My firm decision on this is that you all stop accusing one another until after the war. We need to unite and focus on our common goal: destroying the Clans. Every cat, return to your duties."

As soon as the cats began to fan out, Mintpool jumped towards Cobrastrike, pelt bristled. "Do you think I'm the culprit?"

"What?" Confusion clouded the tom's gaze.

"Do you think I'm the culprit?" Mintpool repeated, firmer.

Cobrastrike flicked his tail. "No, of course not."