Yellowfang’s Secret

For a heartbeat Featherstorm did not move, her eyes puzzled as she gazed at Brokenstar. Yellowfang wondered if she expected the Clan leader to acknowledge that they were kin, that she was his father’s mother. Then she nodded without saying a word. Yellowfang stared after her in dismay as she stumbled across the clearing and vanished into the brambles.

“There’s another cat gone,” Rowanberry murmured worriedly to Clawface. “What is Brokenstar thinking?”

“StarClan knows,” her mate responded with a twitch of his whiskers. “If he’s not careful, there’ll be more of us out there than in camp.”

“Just watch what you say!” Tangleburr hissed beside him. “Don’t go asking for trouble. Brokenstar hears everything!”

The crowd of cats began to break up, and the new mentors led their apprentices out for the tour of the borders. The little cats weren’t as excited as new apprentices usually were because they had already left the camp to practice their battle moves, but they might be more impressed when they realized how far ShadowClan stretched.

As Yellowfang watched them go, she realized that Brightflower had padded up to her side. The she-cat looked excited but apprehensive, her whiskers quivering. “Brackenfoot and I are expecting kits!” she announced.

Yellowfang wished she could be as thrilled as usual at the prospect of new kits for the Clan, but this time all she could do was stare at her mother as a wave of despair washed over her.

“May StarClan help you all,” she whispered.

Chapter 38

Brokenstar stood on top of the Great Rock with the bare branches of the oaks at Fourtrees creaking over his head. A cold wind drove shreds of cloud across the sky where the full moon shone fitfully. Blackfoot sat at the foot of the rock, with Russetfur, Stumpytail, Brownpaw, and Brackenfoot huddled together close by. Brightflower hadn’t come to the Gathering this time because her kits were almost ready to be born.

Yellowfang sat with the other medicine cats, though she no longer felt at ease among them. Had StarClan told them in their dreams what was going on in ShadowClan? Her own dreams of StarClan were limited to visions of blood and death, of battles between cats too young to open their eyes. If these were omens, ShadowClan was doomed—and it seemed that she could do nothing to help. Yellowfang listened apprehensively as her Clan leader began his report.

“ShadowClan is stronger than ever,” Brokenstar announced with triumph in his eyes. “We have been challenged on each border, but have won in every battle!” His gaze raked across the cats in the clearing below. “Let all Clans know that we will tolerate no trespassing, no prey-stealing, no dishonor.” He narrowed his eyes, as if he was defying any of the cats to comment. “And we have a new apprentice: Badgerpaw,” he finished.

Yellowfang watched Badgerpaw rise to his paws beside his mentor, Flintfang. The black-and-white tom held his head high, but he still looked tiny.

He’s barely three moons old!

“Badgerpaw! Badgerpaw!”

The other ShadowClan apprentices cheered loudly beside their Clanmate, though Yellowfang couldn’t help thinking about how small they looked beside the apprentices from the other Clans. Her belly clenched with the memory of grief. One ShadowClan apprentice was missing since the last Gathering: Volepaw had died of an infected wound from a fight with rats.

Brokenstar makes a rat fight part of every apprentice’s training now. Is he mad?

As the cheers for Badgerpaw died away, Barkface leaned over and whispered into Yellowfang’s ear. “Tell me that apprentice is old enough to start training!” His voice was taut, and there was disapproval in his gaze.

Spottedleaf, the new ThunderClan medicine cat, opened her eyes wide with anxiety. “No cat would train kits younger than six moons, would they?”

“StarClan wouldn’t allow that, surely?” Barkface added.

“It would be completely against the warrior code,” Mudfur declared.

There was weight in the tone of all the medicine cats, suggesting that Yellowfang should do something to stop the training of kits.

How can I admit that I’m powerless when it comes to influencing Brokenstar? she thought with an irritable flick of her ears. “Brokenstar knows what he’s doing,” she mewed aloud, turning her back on the other medicine cats. “It’s none of your business.”

She could hear them muttering about what a dreadful temper she had, but she ignored them. There’s no way I can defend Brokenstar, so it’s better that I don’t speak to them at all.