Yellowfang’s Secret

Deerleap’s voice broke into a dream where Yellowpaw was searching through the forest, though she couldn’t remember what she was hunting for. It was a huge effort to open her eyes. When she tried to sit up, every muscle in her body shrieked with fatigue, and her paws were aching.

What’s the matter with me? Then the events of the night before came flooding back into her mind. She and Raggedpelt had visited the Twolegplace, and dawn wasn’t far off by the time they returned to their nests.

And it was a disaster!

“Yellowpaw!” Deerleap called again, sounding more impatient this time.

Yellowpaw heaved herself out of her bedding. The other apprentices were stirring around her, looking bright-eyed and energetic.

“Where did you go last night?” Rowanpaw hissed. “I woke up and you weren’t in your nest.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yellowpaw muttered as she struggled out of the den.

Outside Stonetooth was surrounded by a larger group of cats than usual. Even though she was so tired, Yellowpaw felt a tingle of excitement.

“What’s happening?” she asked Deerleap.

“We’re going to raid the rats in the Carrionplace,” Deerleap replied. “Prey is scarce, so Cedarstar decided to send two patrols to hunt there. With any luck, we’ll catch enough to feed the whole Clan.”

Mingled fear and anticipation crept through Yellowpaw. She was proud, too, that she had been chosen to go on this special raid. She could sense hopeful tension in the camp, as if every cat was looking forward to being full-fed when the raid was over.

When she and Deerleap padded up to the crowd of cats, Stonetooth was organizing the patrols. “I’ll lead one, and Cedarstar the other,” he meowed. “Hollyflower, Archeye, Poolcloud, Ashheart, you come with me. And Deerleap and Amberleaf, with your apprentices. Raggedpelt, you too.”

As Stonetooth named the cats they stepped out of the crowd and bunched together at one side. Raggedpelt brushed past Yellowpaw as he joined the patrol, not even acknowledging that she was there.

“Did you guys have a fight?” Rowanpaw whispered to Yellowpaw. “Great StarClan, were you with him last night?”

“Can we have a bit of quiet at the back?” Finchflight hissed, before Yellowpaw could reply. “Yellowpaw, join your patrol if you’re coming on this raid.”

Yellowpaw shot a glare at her sister before padding off to stand with her mentor and the others. Meanwhile, Stonetooth named the cats for Cedarstar’s patrol, including Rowanpaw, Scorchpaw, and their mentors. Brightflower and Brackenfoot joined that patrol as well.

“What about us?” Foxpaw demanded, pattering up with her brother a mouse-length behind.

“You’re too young,” Stonetooth responded. “Rats are big enough to eat you.”

“So we get left behind again,” Wolfpaw growled, standing beside his sister and glaring as the patrols left.

As she followed Stonetooth through the forest, Yellowpaw hung back until she could walk beside Raggedpelt, who was walking near the rear of the patrol. “Are you okay?” she meowed. “I’m sorry if I did the wrong thing last night.”

Raggedpelt gave her a brief, cold glance. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he mewed. “As far as I’m concerned, I have no father.” Not giving Yellowpaw the chance to reply, he bounded ahead until he was walking just behind Stonetooth.

Yellowpaw looked sadly after him, her pelt pricking with feelings of guilt. I was only trying to help! Giving her fur a shake, she padded on, trying to put the encounter with the Twolegplace cats out of her mind. I’m a ShadowClan apprentice, and right now my job is to catch prey!

The breeze carried the scents of rat and crow-food to the patrols long before the Carrionplace came into sight. Yellowpaw hadn’t been this close since her first day as an apprentice, when Deerleap had shown her the territory. The heaps of Twoleg rubbish looked even more disgusting in daylight. Bulging black pelts were piled up, some of them with gaping holes that let the foul stuff inside spill out onto the ground. Mixed in with them were unfamiliar things made of wood, soft pelts in strange Twoleg colors, and more sharp-edged objects made of the shiny fence-stuff, all held together by the rotting crow-food. Beyond the fence the mounds stretched into the distance, more and more of them, as far as Yellowpaw could see.

Stonetooth reached the fence and turned to pad alongside it. A few fox-lengths farther on he halted, and Yellowpaw saw that the ground had been scraped away so that there was room for a cat to wriggle underneath.

“I’ll go first,” Cedarstar meowed. “Once inside, we’ll split up. Stonetooth, take your patrol that way”—he flicked his tail—“and we’ll go this way. Let’s see who can catch the most!”