Mintfeather's Secret

Chapter 27:

"Hey Thrushwing, can you go retrieve the last of my prey? I promised Redfang to help him with something when we get back to camp." Robinfeather mewed, looking over at the light brown warrior, who blinked in confusion before nodding his head.

"Sure thing." He mewed, turning to go back the way they had come.

"I'll go with you!" Darkriver mewed eagerly, trotting over to him. Robinfeather blocked her path and gave her a smile.

"Redfang asked me if you could help him too. He needs a she-cat's input." He lied.

"That's alright. I can go alone. I'll catch up with you later." Thrushwing looked at his mate and she frowned with disappointment.

"I guess." She muttered sadly. As she turned to follow after Robinfeather, Darkriver glanced back to be met with a muzzle rubbing against her's affectionately. Her emerald eyes snapped wide open as she processed what had just happened while Thrushwing purred and padded away towards the stream, where Robinfeather had buried his prey. "Hey!" She called after him, making the light brown warrior turn around and flick his ear curiously. Darkriver sprinted over to him and gave him a fast lick on the cheek before turning around and running back to catch up with Robinfeather.

"Where did he bury his prey...?" Thrushwing muttered as he searched around the stream. He remembered that was where Robinfeather had buried his fresh-kill, but he didn't know the exact location. He was so engrossed in searching for the prey that he didn't hear the bushes behind him rustling or the light pawsteps that approached him. Thrushwing didn't even realize there was another cat behind him until they spoke.

"Thrushwing...?" The light brown warrior jumped and whirled around, his heart pounding in his chest with shock. His emerald eyes widened even more when he recognized the cat that stood in front of him. "Can I speak with you?"

"Mintfeather?" Thrushwing bit back a sigh and averted his eyes from the blind mint-green oculars of the light grey medicine cat. "Why? Do you enjoy tormenting me? Do you hate me that much?" He muttered to himself. Unfortunately Mintfeather heard.

"What? No!" He exclaimed in a panic. "No, no! I just, I want to explain. I want... I want to fix things."

"I don't think that can happen." Thrushwing mewed. "Even if we go back to being friends, it's still not going to stop me from feeling hurt." He let out a sigh. Mintfeather flattened his ears against his head.

"I... I understand. I just want you to understand why I did what I did. And I want you to know that there has not been a day that goes by that I don't regret it." He whispered. Thrushwing stared at him with confusion.

"Why do you regret pushing me away? I thought you hated me." He growled.

"I don't hate you Thrushwing. I pushed you away because Speckledfern thought we were getting too close. He told me that if we kept growing closer, I would be breaking the medicine cat code and... he said that I would only get hurt." The light grey tom hung his head with shame. "And I... I listened to him. After he died, I realized what I had done. I tried to fix things. But I can't. I know I've hurt you. And I know I have no right to come looking for you and asking you to be my friend again. But the last thing I want you to know is that I lo-"

"Thrushwing!" An angry voice cut Mintfeather off. The light grey tom jumped in shock and his mouth hung open. He had been about to tell Thrushwing his feelings. No, he needed to finish! He needed to let him know!

"Antpelt? Who put thorns in your nest this time?" Thrushwing growled as the ginger and black tom padded over to the two toms. He didn't spare Mintfeather a glance and snarled at Thrushwing furiously.

"Stay away from Darkriver. She's mine, got that? She would never choose someone like you over a clan born cat like me!" He sneered, smirking victoriously as Thrushwing narrowed his eyes.

"Is that so?" Mintfeather started to grow uncomfortable at the tone of the tom's voice. What was he thinking? What was he going to respond to Antpelt with?

"Yeah. This is a warning. Stay away from her or I'll make you regret it." Antpelt growled.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm sick and tired of hearing you treat Darkriver like she's an object that doesn't have feelings. Why can't you get it through your thick skull that SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU?!" Thrushwing snapped, fur bristling. "And no, I'm not going to stay away from her. You know why?" Antpelt glared at him angrily and Mintfeather silently prayed Thrushwing wasn't about to say what he thought he was. "Because Darkriver is my mate and I love her!" The light grey tom felt his heart break again and tears welled up in his eyes. He was too late. Thrushwing was in love with Darkriver now.

"Why you-" Antpelt took a threatening step towards Thrushwing and the tom stood tall, glaring at the ginger warrior with unflinching emerald orbs.

"You don't scare me, Antpelt. You never will." The light brown warrior growled before he flicked his tail. The ginger tom prepared to lunge at the tom, but an angry caterwaul sounded near them, making all three turn their heads towards the source. Darkriver made her way out of the trees and placed herself in front of her mate protectively, glaring angrily at Antpelt.

"Darkriver? What're you doing here? I thought Robinfeather and Redfang wanted you to help them?" Thrushwing mewed with confusion.

"When I got to camp, Robinfeather disappeared and when I went up to Redfang he acted as if he had no idea what I was talking about." Darkriver mewed before turning back to Antpelt. "I found you just in time to hear a small bit of what was being said between you and Antpelt." She growled, lashing her tail and narrowing her green eyes.

"W-wait, Darkriver, it's not what it looks like!" Antpelt mewed in a panic, flattening his ears against his head.

"It is exactly what it looks like. Antpelt, leave my mate alone. I love him, not you. I will never, ever love you." She hissed. "I chose Thrushwing because he's kind to me and he cares about me. You've never once been kind to me. Not even when we were kits!" Darkriver turned her gaze towards Thushwing and she purred. "The first day Thrushwing came here, he was kind to everyone. That's what I love about him. And I'm not going to leave him for you!" She glared angrily at the ginger warrior. "So back off!"

"But, I-"

"Let's go Thrushwing." Darkriver ignored the ginger tom and started to pad away. Thrushwing glanced at Antpelt before glancing at Mintfeather and sighing, his eyes softening.

"Okay." He padded after  her, not risking a glance back at either tom as they both stood there, Antpelt staring after them while Mintfeather's head hung low. He was too late. He could never confess to Thrushwing now.

"I can't believe I lost." He whimpered.