The rising sun woke Mintbreeze from her sleep. We slept late! She thought, panicking. "We need to get up!" Then she realized she was all alone. And she was somewhere completely different. Mintbreeze stood in a clearing, when suddenly incredible winds picked up…
Mintbreeze's eyes snapped open. She sat up, only to see it beginning to dawn. The other cats sat, still waking up, staring at her. Some looked worried, others looked confused. "What is it?" Jayfeather asked.
I can't tell them, Mintbreeze thought, I don't want to panic them. "Oh, it was nothing." Mintbreeze said simply. Jayfeather didn't ask her again, but didn't appear satisfied with her answer.
The cats ate, and then were immediately back to walking, wanting to start before the heat of the day. Mintbreeze was distracted. What if my dream was an omen? What if we're in danger, and I've told no one? She shook her head in an attempt to clear the thought. She instead focused on the crystal clear river they ran besides.
"Be careful, Reedwhisker!" Tigerheart called. Mintbreeze couldn't help but share his worry at the sight of the RiverClan tom swimming in the quick river. She knew she had no right to worry; the RiverClan part made Reedwhisker a very able swimmer. It was only when Leopardstar's warning echo in her ears did she begin to fear again. If any cats die on this journey, I will personally take it upon myself to send you to Starclan… Mintbreeze could only imagine what would happen if one of Leopardstar's own clanmates was lost. Leopardstar would have her pelt.
She ran to the edge of the water with Icecloud, where the two bent over the torrent to call Reedwhisker back.
"Reedwhisker!" Mintbreeze called, signaling the soaking tom closer. "I think it's best if you come out!"
"I'm perfectly fine!" he argued, paddling in circles contently. Then he faced the two Thunderclan cats again. "It's you two im-"
Suddenly he was cut off with a loud splash. Mintbreeze jumped back from the water's edge, wet and confused. She opened her eyes and hurried to the water's edge again. Icecloud was gone. Mintbreeze scanned the water doggedly, until a flailing white blot appeared under the water's surface.
She looked over to Reedwhisker, who searched for her as well. "Reedwhisker!" Mintbreeze yowled, "Save Icecloud! She's here!" she signaled with a tail-flick.
The other cats huddled around her, training there gazes on the cats in the water. Like Mintbreeze, they were dumbstruck. What if he can't reach her in time? Mintbreeze fretted. She'll drown!
Reedwhisker moved briskly through the rough water, watching as Mintbreeze navigated him. When he eventually found her, he had to dive to pick her up. Mintbreeze breathed a sigh of relief when they resurfaced. A pit in her stomach formed when she saw Icecloud, unconscious and limp.
"Icecloud?" Mintbreeze urged when her friend was finally safe on shore.
Jayfeather pushed his was past Mintbreeze. "Give her room to breathe," he mewed, looking over her. "Icecloud, stay with me." He urged as he put his paws against her rips and began to knead them.
Mintbreeze's heart stopped. This isn't working! She thought miserably. A wave of relief crashed over her when Icecloud began to sputter, and her bright blue eyes opened. "What happened?" She asked hoarsely.
"You fell in the water; Reedwhisker saved you." Icecloud got to her paws, and bowed her head to the exhausted, wet tom. He nodded back at her.
"I think we better wait to move on," Mintbreeze decided.
Breezepelt interjected. "It's barely sun-high! We'll waste the light if we wait!"
"It's Greenleaf, mousebrain. We'll have plenty of light, even if we actually let the injured rest." Jayfeather added in sarcastically. Breezepelt growled, but argued no further.
When the cats eventually dispersed, Tawnypelt approached Mintbreeze. "I of course want to wait for Icecloud to recover, but we will be set back. We may not reach the mountains until tomorrow evening."
"I don't care," Mintbreeze said forcefully. She wasn't going to let Icecloud continue in the state she was in. She glanced over at the white she cat, who shared tongues with Reedwhisker. "I want her to at least be dry by the time sundown hits. Besides, they both have swam so much they'll barely have the energy to continue."
Tawnypelt simply nodded at her decision, then left to join her son at the water's edge. Alone, Mintbreeze padded to join Swallowtail in a patch of sun.
Mintbreeze acknowledged her presence with a bob of her head before curling up next to her.
"Hey, Mintbreeze, I was wondering…" Swallowtail began, picking up her head and facing the Calico. "What happens when this is all over?"
"What do you mean?" Mintbreeze asked, not fully understanding the question.
"Well," Swallowtail began, "We all just return to the lake and go back to our clans?"
Mintbreeze then understood. She honestly knew she would miss the others, but she knew what usually happened when cats returned. "Yes, most likely. That's what's always happened at the end of a journey. We can still meet at gatherings, though." When she saw Swallowtail's disappointment, she added with humor, "Who knows what happens? Maybe on this journey we all get turned into turtles and have to live together in a lake!" Swallowtail let out an amused mew, and the two she-cats curled up in the bright sunlight, enjoying as the heat soaked into their fur.
"We should stop here." Tawnypelt suggested. Mintbreeze nodded. The group of cats had been walking for what seemed like forever before the sun finally began to set.
The other cats curled up under a tree, not bothering to build a shelter due to the calm summer weather. Mintbreeze trotted over to Icecloud, who curled up next to Tigerheart.
"Icecloud," She whispered, rousting her friend with her paw. "How are you?"
Icecloud sat up and yawned, then licked her chest fur. "I'm fine. I'm dry, thank StarClan." She whispered. Mintbreeze felt relief wash over her. "I want to learn to swim," Icecloud said randomly. "So that never has to happen again."
Mintbreeze nodded. "I'm sure Reedwhisker will be willing to teach you. Will you be okay tonight?"
Icecloud nodded and turned over to sleep. Mintbreeze tucked her paws under her, deciding that she would be first to take watch. She yawned as she watched the moon begin to climb into the sky.
Suddenly a loud yowl suddenly pierced through the air. Mintbreeze was jerked from her half-asleep state and leapt to her paws, with Icecloud right besides her. "What was that?" Tawnypelt asked when she ran up besides them, Tigerheart and Swallowtail at heels.
"I don't know!" Mintbreeze said, panic edging her voice. "Breezepelt, Reedwhisker!" She called to the toms as they ran by. "Do you know what that was?"
Breezepelt stared at her wildly. "Reedwhisker and I smelled fox earlier, so we went to follow the scent trail to see if it led to anything and…"
"And then we heard the yowling." Reedwhisker finished.
Mintbreeze's heart stopped. "Where's Jayfeather?" Wordlessly she tore after the source of the yowl, hearing the other's paws fall behind hers. "Jayfeather!" She called, "Where are you?"
Another yowl pierced the air.
Tigerheart took the lead. "I can scent the mangepelt fox from here! Follow me." The cats bounded over to the source of the yowling, dodging trees and overgrown vines until Tigerheart signaled them to stop with his tail.
They all lowered themselves to the ground and steadily crept forward. Mintbreeze lifted her nose to the air and opened her mouth slightly. The air stunk heavily with the scent of fox, but another distinct scent, too.
She tried to identify what it was when they came to a halt right outside a fox den. Tigerheart signaled them to stop. Another yowl pierced the air, but this time it was easy to identify. It was the other scent, too. Jayfeather.