“Very good,” Sagewhisker commented. “When you’ve had more practice you won’t need to use quite so much cobweb, and you can be a bit more generous with the poppy seed for full-grown warriors.”
“We don’t have much left,” Yellowfang reminded her.
“True.” Sagewhisker let out a sigh. “This is one of the worst defeats I can remember. The danger now is infection; rat bites can be very poisonous. We’ll have to keep a close eye on Hollyflower and Stonetooth.”
“I’ll go out later and look for some more burdock root,” Yellowfang promised. “Or if I can’t find any I’ll get wild garlic.”
She padded over to the spot by the tiny stream at the edge of the camp, where she had piled up a heap of moss. Gripping a bundle in her jaws, she dipped it in the water and carried it over to Raggedpelt. The tabby tom was lying near the fresh-kill pile, curled up tightly on himself. He had taken a few deep scratches on his nose, which were going to leave scars. Yellowfang’s belly clenched with pity, and it was a struggle for her to block out his pain.
“Here, I’ve brought you some wet moss,” she mewed.
“I don’t want it,” Raggedpelt mumbled, not looking at her. “Other cats need it more.”
“Other cats have had some,” Yellowfang assured him, laying the moss down beside his nose. “I’m a medicine cat now. You have to listen to me, and you
Raggedpelt let out a groan, but he extended his tongue and took a couple of laps at the moss. “This is all my fault,” he groaned. “I nearly killed my Clan!”
“No.” Yellowfang crouched down beside him. “The plan was brilliant. It could have worked. There were just too many rats.”
“I should have thought of that!” Raggedpelt snapped.
While Yellowfang was trying to figure out how she could reassure him, Crowtail limped up and halted beside Raggedpelt. “Cedarstar wants to see you,” she announced.
Raggedpelt blinked despairingly up at her. “He’s probably going to order me to leave the Clan,” he muttered, hauling himself to his paws and heading toward the Clan leader’s den.
Yellowfang fought with panic.
Raggedstar hung his head as he entered, his tail drooping. “I’m sorry,” he meowed. “I have failed. Punish me as you wish.”
For a moment Cedarstar was silent. “We lost the battle,” he rasped. “But you did not fail. You saved me from the rats, and you did everything possible to help the rest of your Clanmates.”
“But—” Raggedpelt tried to interrupt.
Cedarstar silenced him with a raised paw. “Hold your head high, Raggedpelt. There is a chance of defeat in every battle. You gave your all, and I ask for nothing more.”
“I ask for more than you do, then!” Raggedpelt flashed out.
“You should be kinder to yourself,” the Clan leader responded. “We can all learn lessons from today. This method of trapping can be used with other prey, one way or another. For now, the Clan must concentrate on healing and regaining our strength.” He dipped his head toward Raggedpelt. “I am honored to call you a Clanmate. And this proves you are more than ready for an apprentice. Cloudkit will be yours, as soon as he’s ready.”
Raggedpelt stared at him. “Th-thank you, Cedarstar!” he stammered.
The Clan leader let out a purr. “Go and rest now.”
Yellowfang was delighted as she followed Raggedpelt away from Cedarstar’s den. But the tabby warrior’s tail still dragged behind him and his shoulders were hunched. Cedarstar’s praise hadn’t comforted him at all.
Catching up to him, Yellowfang whispered, “You should be proud, like Cedarstar said.”
Raggedpelt glared at her. “I will never be proud of defeat!” he hissed.
“Well, you stupid furball, I’m proud of you,” Yellowfang snapped, letting him walk away.
Days passed, but the thaw never came. Snow lay thick on the ground, driving prey deep into their holes, and gray skies threatened more to come.
On the night of the full moon Yellowfang peered out of her den, expecting to see the sky covered with clouds. To her surprise the silver circle shone down through a gap in the dense gray covering.
“There’ll be a Gathering at Fourtrees tonight,” Sagewhisker mewed, coming to join her at the entrance to the den. “Are you ready?”
Yellowfang took a deep breath. “Yes.”
This would be her first Gathering as a medicine cat apprentice. Though more than a moon had passed since she had made her decision, the previous Gathering hadn’t taken place, as clouds had obscured the moon. She followed Sagewhisker out into the clearing where the cats who had been chosen to attend the Gathering were assembling around Cedarstar. The Clan leader had recovered well from the battle against the rats, but Stonetooth was looking frail, and Yellowfang noticed that he limped badly when he walked.
