Mintfeather's Secret

Chapter 26:

It had been a couple moons since Mintfeather had last spoken to Thrushwing, and it was becoming apparent to the clan that something bad was happening. Nightstar had increasingly become more violent with others and aggressive. He ruled the clan by intimidation and sheer terror.

"Thrushwing! Come here." Mintfeather's ears perked up when he heard the leader snap.

"What did you do?!" He turned his head to listen to the quiet conversation Darkriver was having with the tom.

"I didn't do anything as far as I'm concerned." He grumbled.

"Be careful." Robinfeather mewed as the tom started padding towards his father, his green eyes glaring hard into the narrowed amethyst eyes.

"Where's your apprentice?" He growled. Thrushwing flicked his tail towards the apprentices' den.

"I told Mousepaw to rest for the remainder of the day. He's been training really hard and he deserves a break." He mewed. Pricklenose and Waspflame exchanged a worried glance with each other before the tortoiseshell tom stepped forward.

"Nightstar, maybe it would be a good idea to let Mousepaw rest?" He said quietly. When Nightstar raked his gaze over the tom, he flinched back and hung his head, not daring to look into his cold amethyst orbs.

"Stay out of this!" He hissed before turning back to his son. "Bring him out."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, bring him out. Bring your apprentice out of the den. Now!" Nightstar commanded. Thrushwing glared at him and slowly padded over to the den and disappeared inside. Mintfeather made his way over to Robinfeather and sat beside him.

"What's going on?" He whispered.

"I don't know. Nightstar is really angry for some reason." The warrior replied with worry lacing his voice.

"What's going on...?" A tired voice mumbled.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing bad." Thrushwing mewed softly, though his voice wavered. Mintfeather could tell he was just saying that to reassure himself.

He must be terrified and worried, the medicine cat thought to himself.

"Thrushwing." Nightstar's voice was cold and monotonous. "You are to train Mousepaw from dusk until dawn starting now." There were a couple whispers among the clan cats as Darkriver shot to her paws.

"That's insane!" She exclaimed.

"They'll collapse from exhaustion before the day ends!" Mintfeather protested quietly, turning his head to where he scented Robinfeather. "He can't do this!" Robinfeather shook his head.

"No." Thrushwing growled. "That's ridiculous and mouse brained. I am not going to train my apprentice from dusk till dawn. That would risk his well being. I'm not going to endanger him by training him too much!"

"You dare defy me? Your leader? Your father?!" Nightstar hissed, standing up. Thrushwing flinched and flattened his ears against his head.

"No, Nightstar. I'm just trying to appeal to you. Mousepaw can't train well under stress and exhaustion. He needs rest to do his best in training. That is what you want, correct? For him to get better at his training?" Nightstar narrowed his eyes at the brown warrior before turning to his deputy, Snakefern. The tom was glaring at Thrushwing and he spoke a few quiet words to Nightstar before the leader stared back at his son and his apprentice.

Mousepaw huddled against Thrushwing's body, eyes wide and pelt fluffed up with sheer terror. His ears were flattened against his head and he was trying to push himself further into his mentor, as if to hide himself from the scathing gaze directed at him. Thrushwing had his tail wrapped around the tom's body and he stood rigid with his muscles tensed up, eyes flaring with wariness.

"He looks like a mother protecting her kit." Robinfeather commented. "I can practically see how ferocious he'll react if anyone harms a whisker on Mousepaw."

"He doesn't look like a mother!" Darkriver argued. "He looks more like a protective brother than that!" Robinfeather rolled his eyes and leaned towards Mintfeather.

"Thrushwing totally looks like a queen protecting her kit." He whispered, chuckling at the medicine cat's reaction.

"Why do you say that?" Mintfeather asked, stifling a purr as he tried to picture what Robinfeather described.

"Well, Thrushwing acts more like a fretful mother sometimes rather than a big brother. In some cases its switched. But right now, that's exactly what he looks like. An angry queen." The warrior chuckled. "If you two had kits, I'd imagine he'd only get worse." Mintfeather felt his mood immediately drop.

"But we can't. And we won't." He muttered bitterly. Robinfeather looked back at him with confusion.

"Why not? Didn't you talk to him?"

"I tried but... I didn't get to tell him how I feel. I messed up even more." Mintfeather sighed sadly. "He's been avoiding me even more now."

"It'll be alright. I'll try to talk to him." Robinfeather sighed. "I can't stand watching him act like everything is fine when clearly it's not. He hasn't been the same since the whole fight happened." Mintfeather immediately hung his head. "I can't believe how everyone else is fooled by the facade he keeps up. You can see it in his eyes. They're dull and emotionless, although his expressions aren't."

"I was such a mouse brain for listening to Speckledfern. I should've just ignored him. Then this wouldn't have happened." The medicine cat sighed sadly.

"Alright. You shall train Mousepaw from dawn until sunhigh. That is the only compromise I will make." Nightstar hissed before flicking his tail to dismiss the two. Thrushwing heaved out a sigh and led Mousepaw back to the apprentices' den, his tail dragging in the ground behind him. Robinfeather watched after him and turned to Mintfeather to see him sigh in relief.

"I have an idea on how to get you two to talk. I just need to distract Darkriver..." He muttered. Mintfeather perked his ears up and craned his head up in the direction of the tom's voice. "Think you're up for it?" The light grey tom sat in silence for a couple of moments, wondering whether he should let Robinfeather help. With a sigh, Mintfeather nodded his head and shuffled his paws nervously.

"Yeah. I'll do it."