Yellowfang’s Secret полностью

As she returned to the camp, she tried to calm herself. She took deep breaths and forced her paws into a dignified walk.

“Yellowfang!” Fernshade came rushing across to her from the warriors’ den. “You’ll never guess—I’m going to have Wolfstep’s kits!”

Yellowfang just looked at her.

“I know I’m a bit old to be having my first litter,” Fernshade chattered on happily, “and with leaf-bare approaching, it isn’t the best time, but after all, the Clan needs young blood!”

At the mention of young blood, Yellowfang froze, seeing again the scarlet tide that had risen around her from the battling kits. No! she wanted to screech aloud. Don’t have these kits! They can’t be born! Terrible things lie ahead!

Instead she forced herself to mew, “That’s great. Come with me and I’ll give you some herbs to help with your strength.”

Yellowfang was relieved to see Runningnose in their den, and she passed Fernshade’s care over to him.

“Kits!” Runningnose exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with delight. “Fernshade, that’s wonderful. Lie down here and let me check how they’re doing.”

Yellowfang watched as Runningnose ran his paws over Fernshade’s barely swollen belly, then leaned close to press his ear against the smooth curve. “Hi, little kits,” he purred. “Can you hear me in there? Make sure you grow big and strong so you’ll be good warriors for your Clan.”

Fernshade let out a little mrrow of happiness. “I’m sure they’ll be fine, with both of you to look after them.”

Yellowfang fetched burnet leaves, which were good for all expectant queens, and Fernshade swallowed them obediently.

“Come back every day for more,” Runningnose instructed, “and make sure you get enough to eat. Don’t be afraid of taking as much fresh-kill as you need. It’s important for your kits that you feed well.”

Yellowfang was distracted by voices chattering outside the den.

“I couldn’t believe what Raggedstar did!” That was Deerfoot, sounding shocked, though Yellowfang had a feeling that he was enjoying passing on gossip.

“What happened?” Tangleburr prompted.

“He interrupted our battle training and tried to tell Brokentail how to run the session! He thought Brokentail was being too hard on us.”

“Well, Raggedstar is Clan leader,” Tangleburr pointed out. “He has the right to tell any cat what to do, even his deputy.”

“He’s got no right to mess up Brokentail’s battle training!” Deerleap retorted hotly. “Brokentail is tough, sure, but he’s made me a better warrior already!”

“So what did Brokentail say?”

“He did what Raggedstar told him. He’s a loyal deputy. But I could tell he wasn’t happy…”

The young cats began to move off, and Yellowfang couldn’t hear any more of their conversation, but she felt a stir of concern in her belly. Will Brokentail start to defy his Clan leader when he knows that he has the support of the warriors?

After Fernshade had left the den, Yellowfang tracked down Raggedstar near the fresh-kill pile. “Is everything okay?” she asked, bounding over to join him.

“Fine,” Raggedstar replied. “I spoke to Brokentail and asked him to be a bit less fierce in training.”

And you trust him to do that? Yellowfang didn’t voice her doubts out loud.

“In three moons, Featherstorm’s and then Newtspeck’s kits will be ready to be apprenticed,” Raggedstar went on, “but until then Brokentail needs to focus on keeping the Clan fed and fit through the cold season.”

Yellowfang murmured agreement. “Fernshade is expecting kits,” she informed the Clan leader.

Raggedstar’s eyes widened in delight. “That’s excellent news!”

“But what about the dream we had?” Yellowfang whispered. “It must mean something terrible for the Clan.”

“Kits are always a good thing,” Raggedstar meowed; there was a hint of warning in his voice, as if he didn’t want to be contradicted.

Yellowfang knew there was no point in persisting. Instead she dipped her head and slipped past him to the fresh-kill pile.

What a miserable little heap!

With hunting so badly neglected, there was hardly any prey worth eating. The best pieces were a vole and a starling, but Yellowfang spotted Archeye and Poolcloud padding up with gloomy expressions as they surveyed the scanty pile. The elders need to be fed, Yellowfang thought. I’ll choose something else.

She took a scrawny shrew, while Archeye and Poolcloud settled down with the vole and the starling. But before they could start to eat, Frogtail bounded up to the fresh-kill pile and shouldered the elders away.

“I need this prey!” he announced. “I’m a warrior. I have to keep my strength up.”

“What?” Poolcloud bristled. “Kits and elders eat first! That’s the warrior code.”

“Let him have them,” Archeye mewed wearily, patting the vole and starling across to Frogtail. “It’s not worth arguing.”

Poolcloud still looked indignant.