Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've had an extremely bad case of writer's block and school started! I've been stuck with homework like EVERYDAY!

A/N (SUPER IMPORTANT!): Please vote on my poll on my profile. Please! It's really important! It's about my last chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Warriors.

Chapter 24

WindClan

Mintfur's POV

Mintfur staggered in ThunderClan's woods. He felt trapped here. The trees were everywhere, their leaves covering up the sky. Mintfur badly wished he could be under the clear sky and open space again! Mintfur shook the thoughts out of his head. He had to keep his mind open to his surroundings.

He woke up a while ago under the shelter of a bush. It took him a while to get up from the makshift nest his friends had made, but he ended up walking away from the bush in no time. He was looking for his friends, even when he was half-asleep.

Mintfur gasped in surprise as he tripped over a tree's large roots. He yelped as he landed on his injured side. He growled in pain while he got to his paws again.

His ears pricked up as he heard something in the bushes. Mintfur's fur bristled along his spine and his claws slowly slid out. He backed away towards a tree the oppostie direction from the noise. Mintfur bared his teeth.

"Who's there?" he snarled.

A cat with light gray fur stepped out from the bushes. He leaned his head towards one side. Mintfur kept his claws out and stepped closer to the tree.

"Who are you?" Mintfur growled. The tom examined Mintfur before replying.

"I'm Leafstem. Are you Mintfur?"

He sounded so calm while responding. Mintfur's annoyance grew. Why was he looking for him anyway?

"Yes, I'm Mintfur." he said, tail flicking with annoyance.

Leafstem's eyes grew and lighted up. Mintfur stared at him as if he just ate a rotten crow. This tom was acting very strangely.

"Mosseye was looking for you! Come with me!" Leafstem turned and darted into the bushes. Mintfur tried to follow as fast as he could, but the pain in his side was keeping him from following quickly.

"Leafstem! Wait!" he called out. Leafstem turned around rapidly with a scared look in his eyes that shushed Mintfur.

"Don't yell so loud! There are rogues in the forest! One of them attacked Mosseye earlier." he hissed.

"Where are you going to take me?" questioned Mintfur. Leafstem looked at him seriously.

"Back to the clearing where Mosseye and the others left you." he turned back ahead, "She won't tell me what she has been doing lately."

Mintfur glared at Leafstem. At first he was excited to have found him and now Leafstem sounded slightly bitter just because Mosseye would not tell him everything. Mintfur wondered what relation Leafstem had to Mosseye. He was obviously in ShadowClan. Mintfur looked a little closer. Leafstem's pelt did look similar to Mosseye's. Even his eyes were green, but they were not as large or as green as Mosseye's. Mintfur knew at once that they were siblings.

Leafstem and Mintfur began to enter slightly familiar territory. Mintfur noticed that it was the route he and his friends took while walking to the Twolegplace. Leafstem slowed down a bit, not as used to ThunderClan's territory as Mintfur was. Mintfur started to walk confidently with Leafstem half-following, half-leading.

Just a few moments later, Leafstem and Mintfur arrived in the clearing where Mosseye was waiting. She was sitting and staring at the ground. When Mintfur came out from the bushes, her head shot up and filled with relief.

"You're all right!" she exclaimed. Then her expression became serious, "Where in StarClan were you? I looked to see if you were still hidden in that bush and you weren't! I thought the rogues got to you!"

Leafstem saved Mintfur from explaining. "What's all this about, Mosseye? Do you know about the prey stealing? Why don't you tell me?"

Mosseye shot a quick glance at Mintfur. He was silently begging her not to tell. This was their secret, not Leafstem's.

Mosseye looked back at Leafstem. Mintfur could tell that Mosseye really wanted to tell him.

"Leafstem, we-"

Leafstem cut her off. "You're my littermate! How could you not tell me?"

When Mosseye looked at Mintfur again, he slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Leafstem but I can't." Mosseye looked at the ground.

Leafstem glared at her. Before he could say anything, Mintfur stepped to his side. "Listen, Leafstem, this isn't your problem. It's ours. Soon, we'll tell all the Clans." Leafstem turned to look at Mintfur. He stared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Leafstem, don't blame Mintfur. I wouldn't have told you anyway." Mosseye said.

Leafstem looked back at his sister, astonished. Then he hung his head. "Fine. I'll find out when everyone else does."

Mintfur really thought Leafstem was really wierd. First, he was happy that he found Mintfur, then he was bitter that he didn't know what was going on, then he just accepted that his littermate will not tell him what was happening.

Mintfur decided to change the subject. "Where is everyone else?" Mosseye's ears pricked up, suddenly alert. Mintfur followed suit. He didn't hear anything except the faint yowls in the distance. His eyes widened and he looked at Mosseye.

"They're the rogues aren't they?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

Mosseye slowly nodded. Mintfur's tail lashed side to side. "We have to help!" he exclaimed.

Mosseye shook her head. "No. The rogues aren't trained. The fight is most likely half-way over by now."

"But we can end the fight faster!"

"No! You're not fighting! Not while you're still healing!" she scolded.

Mintfur's claws slid out and he lashed his tail more. He started to tear the ground in front of him. The walk there let Mintfur get used to the pain on his side. Tearing up the ground made his side burn.

Standing in the clearing with Mosseye made Mintfur think of the prophecy. Moss and mint were used to heal, they were not fierce. Mintfur and Mosseye weren't the best fighters. Mintfur even knew many herbs from watching the medicine cats so much. The prophecy said "the healing mint" and "the peaceful moss". Mintfur did have a habit of healing his friends and Mosseye liked things to be peaceful.

Mintfur glared at Mosseye. "I'm going there, even if StarClan tries to hold me back!" Mosseye returned the glare. Leafstem looked at his littermate then at Mintfur. He bowed his head. "I'll follow Mintfur there." Mosseye's head shot in Leafstem's direction. Mintfur looked at Leafstem in surprise.

"I'll only take Mintfur halfway." Leafstem explained, "I promise."

Mosseye's tail twitched. "Fine." she said.

Mintfur rolled his eyes. He actually needed Mosseye's permission like he was a kit. Mintfur turned away from Leafstem and began to walk towards Fourtrees. Leafstem followed and Mosseye raced ahead. Mintfur guessed she was going ahead to check for rogues. I'm not a kit! He almost yowled it out at her, but he remembered the time he was angry at his parents when he was an apprentice.

"You were too young to take on a full grown badger."

"So that's all you've got? 'I'm too young'!"

Those words raced through Mintfur's head. His father and mother wanted to protect him from the badger all those moons ago. He didn't understand why they were so protective over him until the vision where the WindClan camp was in ruins, with both of his parents dead. Mintfur would never be able to forget the two small figures standing above Hareheart and Robinsong's bodies...

A deep shudder passed down Mintfur's spine. Those two figures... Mintfur knew them. His two sisters. Hareheart and Robinsong were protective because they just didn't want their one remaining kit to die.

Mosseye was acting like Hareheart and Robinsong, and Mintfur was responding the same way he did with them. He was angry at all three of them for holding him back from proving himself in a fight. He wanted to prove that he was a strong fighter. Mosseye, Hareheart, and Robinsong couldn't be lamed though. They were just trying to protect Mintfur.

Soon, Mintfur, Mosseye, and Leafstem were close enough to hear the yowls from the battle. Leafstem kept walking, and Mosseye almost followed. She turned to Mintfur. "Stay here." she said in a commanding voice. She turned and followed her littermate into the bushes. Mintfur waited until he couldn't see them anymore before following them. He turned and followed a different path towards Fourtrees. He knew staying was for his safety, but he had enough of safety. He was going to the battle.