Yellowfang’s Secret полностью

“You’d better go, then,” Deerleap meowed after a moment’s pause. “But be as quick as you can, and come right back.”

Yellowfang nodded and bounded off in the direction of the camp. Hope soared inside her. Herbs are beginning to grow again. Newleaf can’t be far off!

As she approached the camp, she spotted Raggedpelt and Foxheart standing with jaws parted as if they were trying to pick up a scent.

Are they hunting after all? Yellowfang wondered, annoyed after Raggedpelt had made such a fuss about battle training.

“I can scent Lizardstripe,” Raggedpelt mewed as Yellowfang approached. “I think she’s hiding in that hazel thicket.”

“You’re such a great tracker, Raggedpelt,” Foxheart gushed. “Let’s see if we can creep up on her without her hearing us.”

Side by side the two warriors crept through the grass, only to halt as Yellowfang padded up.

“Herbs?” Raggedpelt asked, staring at Yellowfang’s mouthful. “Weren’t you supposed to be hunting?”

Yellowfang rested her bundle carefully on one of her paws. “Sagewhisker needs these,” she mewed.

Raggedpelt rolled his eyes. “Then Sagewhisker should ask the apprentices to gather them for her, not warriors!”

“It’s not like it’s hard,” Foxheart put in.

“It’s a warrior’s duty to care for the Clan,” Yellowfang snapped. “That means collecting herbs as well as hunting for food and fighting.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Raggedpelt’s tail-tip twitched. “You’re not a medicine cat, so sick Clanmates are not your responsibility. Any cat would think you didn’t want to be a warrior.”

“Of course I want to be a warrior,” Yellowfang retorted.

“Then let me know when you want to start battle training again,” Raggedpelt meowed, brushing past her. “Hey, Lizardstripe, come on out! We know you’re in there!”

Yellowfang headed into the camp, wincing at the wall of pain and hunger that hit her as soon as she emerged from the tunnel. I wish I could tell Raggedpelt how I feel when my Clanmates are in pain. But I know he would never understand. She sighed. I didn’t ask for this! I just want to be a warrior!

Yellowfang woke with a jerk and realized she couldn’t breathe. StarClan, help me! She scrabbled with her paws, trying to push away the moss that she thought was suffocating her. But her feet closed on empty air. There was no moss on top of her. She opened her eyes and looked around the den. All the other warriors were sleeping, their flanks rising and falling gently as they breathed.

By now, each wheezing gasp of air took a massive effort. Yellowfang stumbled to her paws and staggered out of the den, barely managing to avoid Nutwhisker, who was curled up in his nest. Cold gripped her as she emerged into the clearing, as if claws of ice were sinking deep into her pelt. The stars glittered in a clear, black sky. Nothing stirred in the camp, but Yellowfang could hear the murmuring of voices coming from the elders’ den.

Still struggling to breathe, Yellowfang limped across the clearing. As she approached the den, she could hear the same rasping breaths, and Lizardfang’s voice meowing, “You can’t go on like this, Littlebird. You need Sagewhisker.”

Yellowfang glanced into the den and saw Littlebird lying in the moss, her chest heaving as she fought to breathe. Lizardfang was looking on helplessly while he stroked Littlebird’s shoulder with one paw.

“I’ll fetch Sagewhisker,” Yellowfang meowed.

When Yellowfang reached the medicine cat’s den, Sagewhisker was curled up in her nest, so deeply asleep that it took several heartbeats to wake her. Yellowfang guessed that she was exhausted from caring for all the cats who had fallen ill from cold and hunger. Once she roused, she blinked up at Yellowfang in confusion. “Wha’?”

Growing impatient, Yellowfang crossed the den to the holes where the herbs were stored and pushed back the ferns that covered them. The coltsfoot she had gathered two sunrises ago had already been used, but she found a few withered juniper berries at the bottom of one hole.

Snagging a single berry on her claw, Yellowfang took it to Sagewhisker and thrust it under her nose. “Littlebird can’t breathe,” she told the medicine cat. “This will help, right?”

Sagewhisker nodded wearily. “Call me if there’s a problem,” she murmured.

Yellowfang blinked, surprised by the medicine cat’s confidence in her. Hey, I’m not your apprentice! she thought, then shrugged and padded out with the berry.

Lizardfang looked up in alarm when Yellowfang pushed her way back into the elders’ den. “Why didn’t Sagewhisker come?” he meowed. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” Yellowfang told him. “I’m just helping out. Come on, Littlebird, Sagewhisker sent you this juniper berry. It’ll help you breathe.”