Mintfeather's Secret

Chapter 12:

"Mintpaw, you need to eat something." He heard Larkpool mew from the entrance of the medicine den.

"I already ate." He lied, curling his tail over his paws. Larkpool sighed and padded away, leaving the small grey tom to himself with the two unconcious apprentices. The medicine cat apprentice flicked his ears at the sound of chattering teeth, and immediately lay beside Thrushpaw, pressing his muzzle against the light brown tom's shoulder. He was quaking. Mintpaw immediately curled his body around Thrushpaw's, intertwining his tail with the sleeping tom's. The apprentice's shuddering slowed to a halt, and he let out a sigh as his muscles relaxed.

"Hey. Is Thrushpaw doing any better?" A soft voice called from the entrance, and Mintpaw immediately recognized Darkpaw's voice. The black and white she-cat padded over to them and stared down at the sleeping apprentice, her emerald eyes shining with concern.

"They're doing fine. Give Thrushpaw a couple of days and he'll be better. I don't know about Robinpaw though." Mintpaw mewed. Darkpaw sighed with relief.

"Good. I've grown really attached to Thrushpaw. I don't want to lose him so soon." The she-cat mewed.

"So... You like him?" Mintpaw asked hesitantly. There was a long silence before the dark apprentice spoke again.

"I'm developing feelings for him, yes. He's really nice to me and he stands up for what he thinks is right." She mewed with embarrassment. Mintpaw felt his heart sink. If Darkpaw liked Thrushpaw, would the light brown tom take her as a mate when they were warriors?

"I would've thought Antpaw and you would like each other." He commented a tad bitterly.

"What? I would never be with Antpaw." Darkpaw's face contorted into one of disgust. "He's cruel." Mintpaw snorted with agreement.

"What about Redpaw or Robinpaw?" He asked.

"Redpaw is too serious and Robinpaw is the exact opposite of serious." She replied. "Thrushpaw is nice and knows when to be serious and when not to be." Darkpaw mewed.

"Darkpaw, where are you?!" They heard Antpaw's call from outside the den and the she-cat sighed.

"I have to go. I'll check on him again tomorrow." She mewed before padding out of the den. Mintpaw felt tears prick his eyes as he nuzzled his nose into Thrushpaw's fur, inhaling his scent. He didn't know why, but he didn't want Thrushpaw to take Darkpaw as a mate. Or anyone else, for that matter. Sighing, he pressed closer to the other apprentice and closed his eyes before drifting off to sleep.

------------

"Mintpaw...?" The groggy mew jolted him awake, and he raised his head.

"Thrushpaw?" He mewed uncertainly.

"Yeah..." Came the tired reply. He felt his heart leap out of his chest with joy.

"You're awake!" He mewed. "What happened to you guys out there?" Mintpaw asked immediately. The light brown tom blinked his emerald eyes and tried to clear the fatigue from his vision.

"We were attacked... by a dog..." He replied. Suddenly remembering what happened to Robinpaw, he snapped wide awake and his eyes widened. "Where's Robinpaw?! Is he ok?!" He started panicking. Mintpaw started to shush the tom and groomed his tussled light brown fur soothingly.

"Robinpaw is just fine." Mintpaw mewed softly as Thrushpaw relaxed and looked around the den, his eyes landing on the sleeping tom at the other side of the den.

"He lost his eye to save me..." He muttered. "How could he do that... that mouse-brain." Thrushpaw shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. Mintpaw could hear the anger and the guilt in his friend's voice and rubbed his head against the apprentice's shoulder.

"Hey, it was Robinpaw's choice. Don't wallow in grief and guilt." He murmured. There was a rustling and a yawn from Robinpaw's nest, and the other apprentice rolled over and stared at the two toms at the other side of the den with a tired amber eye.

"Hey... why are you guys cuddled up together...?" He asked. Mintpaw jumped slightly and immediately got to his paws, padding over to an herb pile to start sorting through them, distancing himself from Thrushpaw. Thrushpaw gave his chest a couple embarrassed licks before looking over at Robinpaw.

"How're you feeling?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Ugh... my face hurts, but other than that, I'm fine. What about you?" Robinpaw asked. "You were tossed into the air and slammed into the ground and shaken around by that dog." He mewed.

"Yeah... I'm a bit sore, but nothing too serious." Thrushpaw responded.

"How did we get into camp again?" Robinpaw asked, yawning again.

"Thrushpaw carried you all the way here." Pricklenose mewed as she padded into the den. She gave her kit a gentle lick on the forehead before turning to Thrushpaw with grateful eyes. "Both of you looked out for each other. I'm proud of you two." She mewed. Thrushpaw's eyes lit up and he purred as Robinpaw looked away with embarrassment.

"Thank you. No one's ever told me that before. Well... Not many cats have..." Thrushpaw mewed, suddenly frowning. Pricklenose's eyes flashed with sympathy before she padded over and licked the apprentice's cheek.

"Well, I'm proud of you. And so is Waspflame." She mewed, flicking her tail. Thrushpaw purred and watched as Pricklenose padded out of the den, leaving the three apprentices alone again.

"You know, when you guys collapsed and they brought you into the den, Pricklenose was really worried and scared. She even called Thrushpaw her kit. I guess that just shows you how much you've grown on her, huh?" Mintpaw mewed to Thrushpaw, who turned to him. The light brown tom purred and looked at Robinpaw.

"Of course he grew on her. We act like brothers." Robinpaw rolled his eye. Thrushpaw chuckled and shook his head.

"I'd imagine another reason she feels like I'm her kit is because my mother isn't here." He mewed, the joy in his expression slightly dying. "And my father..." He trailed off before shaking his head. "Whatever. Honestly, I'm honored to be seen as her son. I've never felt like part of a functioning family until now." Thrushpaw purred. Mintpaw turned towards his friend's voice with a frown on his face. Robinpaw smiled slightly and flicked his tail.

"You know, I used to have a brother. He drowned in the lake with Mintpaw's littermate. You remind me of him." He mewed. Thrushpaw smiled slightly.

"Do I?" He asked.

"I don't think he's quite like Speckledkit. Speckledkit was a little bit more... introverted." Mintpaw commented. Robinpaw nodded his head.

"Thrushpaw is a bit different than Speckledkit was, yes, but he's still sort of like him." He argued. Thrushpaw chuckled and opened his muzzle to say something, but was cut off when Speckledfern padded into the den, a frown etched on his face. Mintpaw scented his mentor and turned to his mentor, smiling. "Greetings, Speckledfern." When the tom didn't reply, he frowned and tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

"... I need to speak with Mintpaw." He glanced at the two apprentices before adding, "Alone." Thrushpaw frowned and opened his muzzle to say something, but Robinpaw beat him to it.

"Ok. Is it alright for us to get up and walk around?" He asked, and the medicine cat nodded his head at the tom. "Then let's go see what the other apprentices are up to, Thrushpaw." Robinpaw grunted, having difficulty getting out of his nest. Thrushpaw's frown deepened and he gave Mintpaw a wistful glance before slowly limping after the brown and ginger speckled tom. Mintpaw tilted his head curiously at his mentor.

"What do you need to speak with me about?" The blind tom asked.

"What do you feel towards Thrushpaw?"