Sun Stripe gazed back at Mintleaf, his gaze brimmed with frustration, fear, and sadness, all at the same time. "Mintleaf, if you think this is a good choice for you, and Snowclan accepts you...it will be worth it. We can tell our clan about Shadowwhisper, being our kits. That was in the past, and nothing could be done now." He mewed.
Mintleaf gazed at him, shocked but dazed. "We can't!" She whispered, her eyes sparkling sadly. She felt so much pain, at that moment, that she nearly dropped the kitten. Sun Stripe dipped his head, his expression pained. "Fine, Mintleaf." He muttered.
Mintleaf padded up to his side and leaned against him, her eyes half-closed. "We don't need to hide anymore." She murmured. "We cannot tell any cats about our kits, but we can always have another litter." She mewed.
For the first time since Mintleaf had left Sun Stripe, she felt at peace. In Snowclan she'd be safe, warm, and well-protected while she had Sun Stripe's kits. Then the thought shook her: would she even be a warrior? She shook her head, clearing the strange thought. Can we even have two litters? The thought shook her again.
Suddenly Mintleaf smelled the strong reeking scent of Snowclan, and leaned away from Sun Stripe, her eyes wide. "This is the entrance." He mewed calmly. "No cat is guarding the entrance. Are you ready?"
Mintleaf stared at the bushes leading to the camp, her breath rattling in her chest. "Lets go."
Both of them plunged into the bushes, but quickly came out on the other side. The first cat to smell her yowled a warning, and Snowclan cats rushed out of their dens, claws unsheathed, ready to fight.
They calmed down when they realized the Featherclan medicine cat. Reed Whisker, Snowclan's medicine cat, came bounding out of her den. "Mintleaf, is every- is that a kit?" Her eyes twinkled with interest, and Mintleaf felt a pang of anger towards her.
"I must talk to Flintstar!" She announced. Suddenly many cats in the clearing stared at her, either blankly or with pained eyes. "Flintstar died. Larkstar is our leader now." She mewed.
Larkstar was trotting towards them, his expression revealing nothing. "Indeed." He murmured. Mintleaf felt a surge of respect course through her. Lark Shadow was a wise and fair cat, and he was finally made leader.
Mintleaf took a deep breath, then realizing her trembling paws. Sun Stripe leaned against her, and she was thankful for his supporting weight. Her breath caught in her throat, and she gave a deep breath again, thinking about Sun Stripe's fur against hers, his sweet scent... She shook her head then opened her mouth to speak.
"I'd like to join Snowclan."
Angry and Accusing mews surrounded the hollow, which made Mintleaf feel like she did everything wrong. Larkstar's fur was bristling, his eyes narrowed with hostility. "Never!" He snarled. "A Featherclan cat does not belong here!"
Mintleaf stared at the clan cats, horror turning her blood to ice.
Closing her eyes, she ran from the hollow, ignoring Sun Stripe's panicked cry as he tried to follow her.
She ran through the forest blindly, almost forgetting the precious bundle in her jaws. She clamped her jaws down hard as she swerved sideways, and her whiskers brushed tree bark. The kit let out a wail of pain.
Only when a angry yowl burst from the trees did she stop. She stared, wide-eyed, into the darkness, the pitch darkness.
"H-hello?" Mintleaf murmured, feeling pain rise up her throat. She strained her ears, and heard a tiny little wail, from somewhere in the shadows.
The wail slowly got louder, and she stopped straining her ears. But it just got louder, until her ears hurt. "Stop!" She wailed. "Stop crying!" She screeched.
The wail was enough to make her ears bleed, and she screeched for the kit to stop as she saw the blood puddling at her paws. She suddenly felt a pain everywhere, from her ears to her tail-tip. She looked down at her paws, and saw nothing but blood. Looking at her fur, it was matted with scratches and felt terrible.
Screaming, Mintleaf opened her eyes.
She looked down at her paws, quickly, which were dotted with blood. "What... what happened to me?" She gasped. "It... it's hard to breathe. I need to find herbs for it. Herbs... Herbs... what herb helps breathing.." She gasped for air now, searching desperately for herbs.
Then she felt a strong wave of nausea course through her. She breathed as hard as she could, her eyes unfocused.
A flash of colors; blue, green, black... it was hard to tell.
Then she collapsed, her eyes glazed with pain before she slipped into a coma.
