Yellowfang’s Secret

“We fought with some WindClan cats,” Boulder mewed hoarsely. “But we didn’t know that Raggedstar was hurt.”

“How can he be dead?” Scorchwind whispered, taking a pace forward to look down at the body of his brother. “He still had nine lives!”

“A leader can lose all his lives at once if the wounds are severe enough,” Yellowfang told him quietly. “Now you must carry his body back to camp.”

As the patrol gathered around, Brokentail rushed up, the wild look still in his eyes. “Stay away from my father!” he ordered. “I will carry him, no one else!”

A rush of pity engulfed Yellowfang. My poor son…

As Boulder and Scorchwind heaved Raggedstar’s body onto Brokentail’s back, she rested her tail across his shoulders, and in a rare moment of gentleness Brokentail let it stay there while they walked slowly back to camp.

Chapter 36

Yellowfang stood beside Raggedstar’s body in the center of the camp while the cats of ShadowClan filed out of their dens to sit vigil for their dead leader. Every cat’s eyes held the same stunned expression, as if they couldn’t believe that their leader was dead.

The older warriors and elders in particular were struggling with grief. “Raggedstar was leader for such a short time,” Archeye mewed. “He should have cared for his Clan for many seasons yet.”

“How terrible, to lose nine lives at once!” Hollyflower murmured.

Brokentail was crouching beside his father’s head with one paw resting on Raggedstar’s cold fur. “Those WindClan maggots must have been determined to send him to StarClan,” he rasped.

Struggling to focus through her aching sadness, Yellowfang padded to stand at Brokentail’s shoulder. “You must go to Moonstone to receive your lives,” she reminded him. “You are leader of ShadowClan now!”

Brokentail looked up at her with fury in his eyes. “I will not leave my father’s body in the cold!” he hissed. “We will go tomorrow.”

Startled—I thought becoming leader was all he ever wanted—Yellowfang didn’t try to argue. She bowed her head. “Of course. StarClan will understand,” she murmured.

As dawn crept into the sky, the elders gathered around to carry Raggedstar’s body outside the camp for burial.

“May StarClan light your path, Raggedstar,” Yellowfang announced. “May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter when you sleep.”

She watched the elders bear their former leader’s body away, and felt a tremor of fear in her belly. If WindClan did this to us, we must prepare for war. Hearing angry voices, she noticed Scorchwind and Blackfoot huddled beside Tangleburr and Cinderfur.

“WindClan might attack us at any moment,” Cinderfur meowed. “They’ll think we’re weak without a leader. What are we going to do?”

“That’s for Brokentail to decide,” Tangleburr reminded him. Her tail-tip was twitching, but she was clearly trying to control her fury. “But he can’t do anything until he gets his nine lives.”

“Then he needs to get a move on,” Blackfoot hissed.

“We have to attack!” Scorchwind declared. “We can’t let WindClan get away with this.”

Brokentail, who had been watching his father’s body vanish into the brambles, looked over his shoulder. “Vengeance can wait until we have grieved, Scorchwind,” he murmured wretchedly.

He seems further from launching an attack on WindClan than ever before, Yellowfang thought, not sure whether that was a good thing or not. Surely he wants to avenge Raggedstar’s death?

Returning to her den, she found Runningnose halfheartedly rolling more balls of moss for the store. “Do you think Brokentail even wants to be leader?” he asked, echoing Yellowfang’s own thoughts. “He’s only just become deputy.” He sighed. “It’s a big responsibility for him.”

“It will be difficult,” Yellowfang admitted, “but he is strong enough.” She added, “And he is not alone. We will be with him. He needs us to get him through this dark time.” Most of all, he needs his mother

.

She left her den and went to find Brokentail. He wasn’t in the camp; guessing where he might be, Yellowfang padded through the brambles and discovered him beside the mound of earth where Raggedstar was buried. He was staring at the soil, one huge paw resting on the disturbed leaves.

“Brokentail, it’s time for you to come to the Moonstone with me,” Yellowfang mewed.

Brokentail started and looked up. “It’s too soon…” he protested.

Yellowfang shook her head. “You cannot leave your Clan without a leader.”

Brokentail hesitated, then took a deep breath. “Very well. I will do this for the Clan. For my Clan.”

He seemed sad and quiet as he padded at Yellowfang’s shoulder across the marshes. But when the WindClan tunnel came into sight he halted with a flash of fury in his eyes. “I will not set paw on the territory of that evil Clan,” he declared.