Yellowfang’s Secret

Chapter 12

Yellowfang sank down on the bare earth floor of the medicine cat’s den, curling herself into a tight ball against the soreness in her pelt. She was dimly aware of Sagewhisker returning, collecting something from her herb store, and leaving again. Gradually the agony in Yellowfang’s muscles began to ease, and she let herself relax.

I want to go back to my den and sleep for a moon!

She was struggling to stay awake when Sagewhisker reappeared, and she sat up, trying to look alert.

“Raggedpelt is resting,” the medicine cat meowed. “I gave him some poppy seed.”

Yellowfang nodded. “Good.”

For a moment Sagewhisker said nothing, just padded over to her herb store and began tidying up. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Yellowfang. “What are you going to do now?” she prompted.

Yellowfang didn’t understand the question. “You mean, right now? Sleep.”

Sagewhisker gave a tiny shake of her head. “In the future.”

“Be a warrior, of course.”

“What about this pain that you feel for others?” the medicine cat asked.

“Is there some sort of herb you can give me to take it away?” Yellowfang mewed hopefully.

Sagewhisker shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Yellowfang. Nothing that needs healing.” She finished patting down the fern fronds that covered the herb store before she came to sit beside Yellowfang. Meeting her gaze, she continued, “You have a great ability, one that can be used to help your Clanmates.”

Yellowfang shook her head. “I don’t see how.”

“You can tell as soon as they are injured,” Sagewhisker replied. “Or where their pain is when they are sick.”

“So can you—because cats tell you!” Yellowfang pointed out. Struggling to stay calm, she added, “I don’t want to feel like this. It’s getting in the way of being a warrior.”

Sagewhisker said nothing for so long that Yellowfang grew worried. Finally she spoke. “Maybe being a warrior isn’t the best use of you in ShadowClan,” she mewed quietly. “Maybe you should be a medicine cat.”

Yellowfang sprang to her paws. “Don’t be ridiculous! I’m a warrior!” When Sagewhisker met her gaze with wide, serious eyes, she went on. “I can’t help that I feel when other cats are hurt. I don’t want to, and if I could get rid of it I would. You’re supposed to be helping me!”

Sagewhisker sighed. “Yellowfang, that’s all I ever want to do.”

Suddenly Yellowfang didn’t want to talk to Sagewhisker anymore. She doesn’t understand! Spinning around, she stormed into the clearing.

Outside, Brightflower was just emerging from the warriors’ den. Spotting Yellowfang, she bounded over to her. “Raggedpelt—” Brightflower began, and broke off. “Are you okay?” she asked anxiously.

“I’m fine,” Yellowfang snapped.

Brightflower blinked. “Raggedpelt is asking for you,” she meowed.

Yellowfang wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to any cat right now, but after a moment’s hesitation she turned her paw steps in the direction of the warriors’ den. Raggedpelt was curled up in his nest. It was lined with extra feathers; with a purr of amusement Yellowfang thought that the tabby warrior looked like a baby crow with a black frill around his head. As she picked her way among the other nests to his side, Raggedpelt raised his head.

“Yellowfang…” he murmured. “I wanted to thank you. You saved my life.”

Yellowfang’s pelt grew hot with embarrassment. “It was nothing,” she mumbled. “Any cat would have done the same.”

The secret that lay between her and Raggedpelt made her feel uncomfortable, as if ants were crawling through her fur. She took a pace back, but before she could leave, Raggedpelt reached out a paw to stop her.

“Promise me you’ll never do something so mouse-brained again,” he grunted. “You could have been killed.”

“Well, you were nearly killed yourself,” Yellowfang shot back at him. “So I’d be in good company!”

Raggedpelt didn’t reply, just let out another grunt of pain.

“Lie down,” Yellowfang meowed, helping him to settle in his nest. “I’ll bring you something to eat later.” Glancing back before she left the den, she saw that Raggedpelt’s eyes were closed. A spark of warmth woke inside her. Maybe we can go back to being friends.

Outside the den, Yellowfang arched her back in a long stretch. Her weariness was ebbing, and she longed to work off her energy in a run through the forest. As she relaxed from her stretch she became aware of some cat watching her, and she turned to see Foxpaw fixing her with a burning glare. What’s her problem? But Yellowfang couldn’t be bothered to confront the apprentice. She put Foxpaw out of her mind as she padded across the camp to where Stonetooth and a few of the other warriors were gathered around the fresh-kill pile. The Clan deputy was sitting with his paws tucked under him, dozing in the sunlight; he blinked awake as Yellowfang halted in front of him. As he struggled to his paws she thought he looked suddenly old, but a heartbeat later he was as crisp and efficient as ever.

“Yellowfang, I want you to lead a patrol back to where you saw the badger. We need to drive that creature out of the woods once and for all.”

“Of course,” Yellowfang replied, with a thrill of pride that she had been asked to take on such an important job.

“Good.” Stonetooth glanced around at the other warriors near the fresh-kill pile. “Archeye, Mousewing, you can go,” he mewed.

“Great!” Archeye swallowed the last of the vole he was sharing with Mousewing, and swiped his tongue around his jaws. “Now?”

Stonetooth nodded. “Right away. Scorchwind and Newtspeck, you can join them.”

“And us!” Wolfpaw panted, bounding up with Foxpaw at his shoulder.

The Clan deputy shook his head. “This patrol is just for warriors.”

Wolfpaw’s tail dropped in disappointment, while his sister glared at Yellowfang. Don’t look at me like that, Yellowfang thought, longing to give the annoying apprentice a cuff around the ear. It’s not my fault. And if you’d seen what that badger can do, maybe you wouldn’t be so keen to go.

“Hang on a moment,” Archeye meowed. “Maybe we should let the apprentices come with us. They need the experience.”

Oh, Archeye, why can’t you keep your jaws shut? Yellowfang would have liked to speak the words aloud, but she had to keep quiet and not show her annoyance while the deputy considered.

Eventually Stonetooth nodded. “Very well.” As Wolfpaw and Foxpaw began to bristle with excitement, he fixed them with a stern gaze. “But do exactly as Yellowfang and the senior warriors tell you,” he continued. “Stay well back until they work out how to proceed.”

The two apprentices nodded impatiently; Yellowfang suspected the deputy’s words had gone right over their heads. Waving her tail to gather her patrol, she led the way through the brambles and into the forest. As soon as they were heading through the trees, Scorchwind put on a burst of speed to walk alongside her.

“I’ll flay that badger,” he snarled. “I’ll spread her guts from here to the Twolegplace. No creature hurts my brother and gets away with it.”

Yellowfang pictured the two tiny badger cubs who had peeped out from the brambles while their mother was attacking the Clan cats. Is it fair to drive the badger and her babies out of their home? Couldn’t we just stay away from that part of the forest until she has raised her cubs?

Yellowfang knew she wasn’t thinking like a warrior, but she was also certain that if it had been the other way around, she would do anything to protect her kits, including attacking any animals who strayed too close to her den.

Maybe I could say that I don’t remember the way back.

Before she could decide, she heard a triumphant yowl from Mousewing, who was sniffing among the undergrowth on one side of the path. “Over here! Raggedpelt’s scent, and blood on the bracken!”

Now Yellowfang had no choice but to lead the patrol straight to the clearing. She couldn’t work out whether she felt relieved or disappointed. When the thorns that circled the clearing came into sight, Yellowfang raised her tail to signal her patrol to halt. “It’s through there,” she meowed. “Wolfpaw, Foxpaw, don’t you dare move a paw until I tell you.”

Remembering how Deerleap had taught her to look, listen, and scent, she tried to detect what the badger might be doing, and what they could expect to find when they entered the clearing. But although there was a strong stink of the creature, there was nothing to be seen, and no sound came from behind the brambles.

“Yellowfang,” Archeye murmured, “we ought to have a plan before we go in there.”

Yellowfang nodded. “What do you suggest?”

Beckoning the patrol closer, Archeye went on in a low voice. “When we go through the gap, we should split up. Newtspeck, Scorchwind, and Foxpaw that way”—he drew scratches on the ground with his claws—“Mousewing, you, me, and Wolfpaw this way. We’ll try to surround her.”

“Good,” Yellowfang agreed. “I’ll follow you in and help where I’m needed. Scorchwind—” She fixed the ginger tabby with a stern gaze. “You will not take unnecessary risks. Got that?”

Scorchwind paused, then nodded reluctantly. “Got it.”

“Okay,” Archeye went on. “Then, when we’ve pulled down the badger, we’ll move on to her cubs. They shouldn’t give us much trouble.”

Yellowfang found herself wincing at the thought of sinking her claws into the tiny, helpless cubs. I’m a warrior! she told herself. I have to do this! “Right,” she mewed. “Let’s go.”

Mousewing was the first of the cats to burst into the clearing. But instead of veering to the side as Archeye had planned, he halted, letting out a yowl of surprise. “The badger is gone!”

Yellowfang ran in behind him and gazed around the clearing. The thorns were trampled and the bramble tendrils torn and scattered. Fresh earth showed where the badger had frantically dragged her cubs out of the den.

Thank StarClan, thought Yellowfang. I don’t have to kill them after all!

But then Wolfpaw called out. “Here’s their trail! We can still catch them.” Without waiting for any cat to respond he charged away along the badger’s trail.

“Wait!” Yellowfang yowled. “You can’t attack a badger by yourself!” And I’m leading this patrol! she added silently.

Wolfpaw slackened his pace enough for the rest of the cats to catch up. Yellowfang took the lead as they followed the badgers’ path through trampled undergrowth that seemed soaked through with the reek of the creatures. At first the trail led toward the Twolegplace, then veered away toward the border with the unknown woods where no cat went. Soon Yellowfang began to pick up the scent of ShadowClan markers, and halted as they reached the edge of their territory.

“We should keep going until we find them and kill them,” Scorchwind urged. “They might come back.”

“That’s mouse-brained,” Yellowfang retorted. “We should be thankful that they’ve left without more cats getting hurt.”

“You’re right, Yellowfang,” Archeye meowed. “And it’s thanks to you that the badger took her cubs away. You showed her how fierce ShadowClan warriors can be.”

“Yeah, she couldn’t get out fast enough,” Newtspeck agreed.

Yellowfang ducked her head, embarrassed by their praise. How could she tell them that she felt nothing but relief that they didn’t need to harm the mother badger and her cubs?