Yellowfang’s Secret полностью

“I’m so thirsty!” he mewed. “And my belly hurts!”

“It will hurt for a while yet,” Yellowfang told him, while Sagewhisker brought him more wet moss. “But it means you’re getting better. Now keep still and I’ll put a fresh dressing on your wound.”

Once Yellowfang had fastened a new poultice in place, she left Sagewhisker to look after Cloudpaw while she went in search of Raggedpelt. She found him in the clearing, organizing the day’s patrols. He turned away from the other cats and bounded up to her with a desperate question in his eyes.

“Cloudpaw has woken up,” Yellowfang meowed before he could say anything. “He’s not out of trouble yet, but the worst of the infection has cleared.”

Raggedpelt closed his eyes and let out a vast sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“A short walk, mind you,” Sagewhisker instructed. “Just as far as the fresh-kill pile and back. You don’t want to tire yourself out on your first time out of the den.”

Two more days had passed. Cloudpaw was recovering fast, and was well enough to be allowed into the clearing for a little while. He scraped the earth of the den floor impatiently, though Yellowfang guessed he would be glad to get back to his nest before he had walked many paw steps.

“I’ll go with him,” she offered.

Outside in the camp lots of his Clanmates were waiting to greet the apprentice. “Cloudpaw! Cloudpaw!” they yowled as he appeared.

Cloudpaw gave Yellowfang a bewildered look. “Why are they calling my name?”

“Because you fought bravely,” Cedarstar told him, padding up. “We’ll make you a warrior as soon as you’re better.”

Cloudpaw stumbled as he tried to give an excited bounce. “Thank you,” he mewed, dipping his head to his Clan leader.

Nettlespot dashed up, brushing past Cedarstar in her haste to get to her son. “My precious kit!” she purred. “Oh, Yellowfang, thank you, thank you!”

“I only did my duty,” Yellowfang murmured.

Cloudpaw looked almost overwhelmed as Rowanberry and the other cats in the patrol clustered around him.

“Cloudpaw, it’s great to see you again,” Rowanberry meowed.

Before Cloudpaw could respond, Yellowfang pressed closer to his side, fixing Rowanberry and the others with a stern glance. “Give him space,” she ordered. “He’s barely back on his paws.”

She spotted Raggedpelt on the edge of the crowd and steered Cloudpaw over to him, away from the others. Raggedpelt looked down at him, then bowed his head. “I’m sorry I let you get hurt,” he meowed.

Cloudpaw looked baffled. “It wasn’t your fault!” he protested. “I should have scented those rogues before they ambushed us. I let you down!”

“Not at all,” Raggedpelt murmured, turning away.

Soon Yellowfang spotted pain in the apprentice’s eyes and saw his head beginning to droop. She steered him back to the medicine cat’s den.

“You’re so good at caring for every cat,” Cloudpaw mewed as she settled him in his nest. “You’d make a great mother. Do you ever regret you won’t have kits of your own?”

Yellowfang blinked. “The whole Clan are my kits,” she replied. “I don’t have time to single any out.”

Cloudpaw nodded. “I guess that’s what it means to be a medicine cat. It must be tough, though,” he added. “I’m really looking forward to having a mate and kits of my own.”

“You’re very young to be thinking about that!” Yellowfang teased him. “There’s plenty of time for you to father kits with some poor queen and keep me busy!”

Cloudpaw let out a mrrow of laughter, then followed it with a huge yawn. He closed his eyes and immediately drifted into sleep.

Sagewhisker was tidying the herb stores. “Yellowfang, you have done a great thing by healing this cat,” she meowed, her eyes glowing as she gazed at Yellowfang. “A lot of other medicine cats—and I’m one of them—would have given up on him and let StarClan decide.” The medicine cat stretched out her tail and touched Yellowfang on the shoulder. “It is time you ended your apprenticeship and became a full medicine cat.”

“Wow!” Yellowfang exclaimed. “Oh, Sagewhisker, thank you!”

I’m ready for this, she thought. Saving Cloudpaw meant everything to me. I know that this is my destiny… so I will give up Raggedpelt and never look back.

For the first time since Cloudpaw was hurt, Yellowfang got a good night’s sleep. At sunrise she enjoyed a good stretch and gave herself a thorough grooming from ears to tail.

Sagewhisker emerged from her nest and shook scraps of moss from her pelt. “I need to see Cedarstar,” she meowed, “and tell him that you’re ready to become a full medicine cat.”

Yellowfang turned to her, a spasm of fear tingling through her paws. “Please, Sagewhisker, give me the chance to tell another cat first.”

The medicine cat’s eyes narrowed. “You mean Raggedpelt, don’t you?”

Words failed Yellowfang; she just looked down at her paws. How does she know?