Mintpaw has always been a solitary, quiet cat, a bit different from others of her own age. She spent her kittenhood in the shallow waters of Riverclan camp, collecting pebbles and shells and playing alone in the water.

She doesn't remember anything about Doveskip, for she disappeared soon after she was born. Lilyleaf remained by her side, even though as a mother she’d always had some trouble understanding her daughter.

Before she became an apprentice she met Slatestripe, a black tom who taught her to swim at 4-5 moons old. The black tom instantly caught the particular personality and skills of the she-cat and began to take care of her by visiting her in the nursery and meeting her mother every now and then, always worrying about her.

Mintpaw was initially assigned as an apprentice to Fawnleap, who soon gave up her position before even starting the training. Slatestripe soon offered himself to take up the place and started immediately by bringing out Mintpaw often and teaching her his original way of doing. The two got along pretty well and the apprentice took part in several patrols with success. One day Slatestripe confesses to her that he is expecting kits from Marigoldleap, and that he’ll help her raise them until they are old enough. On this occasion, he also admits his view of her as a daughter, and that will strengthen their bond even more. Mintpaw promised to help him and Marigoldleap, with a secret hope that one day she might be able to mentor one of Slatestripe’s kits.

In the meanwhile, her training is almost to an end but she is too young to have her assessment yet, until one day she leaves camp with Mistycloud to hunt, and they are attacked by a family of hungry minks that not only wanted to steal their catch, but to the two she-cats as well. Mintpaw and Mistycloud manage to fend the enemies off and return to camp injured, while Pikestar sends out a patrol to chase the minks out of the territory. This will leave permanent marks on Mintpaw's body, but will also earn her her warrior name.

Finally, Mintpaw is ready for her assessment. She does egregiously until, due to unfortunate events, Slatestripe is forced to return to camp and the apprentice test is finished up by another warrior.

Just little time has passed since she became a warrior, that a group of dogs follows Tinystorm into camp and the whole clan is engaged in a vicious battle with them. Mintpool fights side by side with Slatestripe and together they manage to chase off the last of the hounds. This will leave the white siamese with a few other scars, and the leg that had been injured by minks got even weaker due to bites and blows.

The failure of Pikestar to chase off the dogs in time before they reached camp was not ignored; Riverclan held many victims, and at the end of the battle a meeting is called where Pikestar gives up his leadership. Arguments and quarrels start; cats who don't want Pikestar to renounce, cats who want Gingerfrost as new leader, and cats who want Stonepaw, Riverclan's only medicine cat, to decide who the new leader shall be. The deputy Gingerfrost doesn't accept her rightful place as leader and wished to remain deputy under the leadership of a new cat. Riverclan remained without leader for some time after that.

An unfortunate day, twolegs manage to grab Slatestripe and take him away from the clan territories. Mintpool receives the news too late; no one could do anything for him, and no searching parties are sent to the Twolegplace. The young warrior suffers the biggest loss of her life and lives it as a trauma; becoming depressed shortly after that and losing interest in the clan life that had always been her home.