“You are bound by the medicine code now. This is how it is for all of us—and how it must be for you,” Sagewhisker prompted, her voice firm.
“Always,” Yellowfang whispered. Without waiting to hear more, she darted out. The first cat she saw was Nutwhisker, ambling over to the fresh-kill pile. “Have you seen Raggedpelt?” she called to him.
“He took a hunting patrol out into the marshes,” Nutwhisker replied. “They haven’t been gone long. You’ll catch up to them if you hurry.”
“Thanks!” Yellowfang raced out through the tunnel and into the trees. Soon she reached the edge of the marshes and spotted Raggedpelt several fox-lengths away. Foxheart was stalking something among a clump of scrubby bushes, while Frogtail and Mudclaw were just visible farther away.
“Raggedpelt!” Yellowfang bounded from one grassy hump to the next, heading for the tabby tom. As she approached she spotted something flickering in the grass and Raggedpelt turned toward her, spitting with frustration.
“Now look what you’ve done! I nearly had that lizard.”
“Sorry,” Yellowfang panted. “But I have something to tell you.”
Raggedpelt’s ears flicked forward. “What? Not Cloudpaw? Is he—”
“Cloudpaw is fine.” Yellowfang paused; it was harder than she had expected to deliver her news. “Sagewhisker is going to make me a full medicine cat at the half-moon Gathering tonight.”
Raggedpelt stared at her. “Are you sure that’s what you want? Haven’t you enjoyed the last few moons with me?”
“You know I have.” Yellowfang sighed. “But healing Cloudpaw has shown me where my heart lies. I must be a medicine cat.”
Raggedpelt took a pace toward her, his tail lashing and his neck fur fluffing up. “You’re throwing your life away!” he snarled. “I thought you’d have gotten over your fixation with herbs and cobwebs by now.”
“You never take me seriously,” Yellowfang retorted, her pain curdling into anger. “You have no idea what it means to be a medicine cat.” Glancing across to where Foxheart had just made her catch, she added savagely, “Why don’t you go and have kits with
“Foxheart means nothing to me,” Raggedpelt growled. “My whole world is you, Yellowfang, and the future we could have together.”
For a heartbeat Yellowfang could see that future too, and she was drawn to it in spite of herself. But she knew how impossible it was for her to turn her paws aside from the path she had chosen.
“This is my destiny,” she mewed. “You cannot change it.”
“No,” Raggedpelt responded. “But
Yellowfang could tell by the spring in her step that Sagewhisker was excited as they prepared to leave for the half-moon Gathering at the Moonstone. In contrast, as she checked on Cloudpaw’s wound and made sure he had water and a piece of fresh-kill, Yellowfang felt hollow inside.
“This is so cool!” Cloudpaw meowed, his eyes shining. “We’ll finish our apprenticeships at the same time, Yellowfang!”
Yellowfang nodded. “You’ll be a good warrior, Cloudpaw.”
“And you’re already a
Sagewhisker prepared traveling herbs for both of them, and the two cats set out from the camp just after sunhigh. With every paw step Yellowfang felt as if she was leaving part of herself behind. Several of her Clanmates waited beside the tunnel to wish her good luck, but Raggedpelt was not one of them. He stood watching her from the far end of the clearing, and didn’t say a word.
Yellowfang was always slightly nervous at the thought of crossing WindClan territory, even though medicine cats had the right to do so on their way to the Moonstone. To her relief, they saw only one patrol in the distance. Reedfeather, the Clan deputy, was leading it, and he simply acknowledged the two medicine cats with a wave of his tail.
Twilight was gathering by the time Yellowfang and Sagewhisker reached Highstones. The other medicine cats were already there.
“Yellowfang is here today to be made a full medicine cat,” Sagewhisker mewed when greetings had been exchanged.
Hawkheart, the WindClan medicine cat, stepped forward and rested his tail-tip on Yellowfang’s shoulder for a moment. “Congratulations,” he murmured. “As you know, I was a warrior before I became a medicine cat, just like you. I’ve always found it a great help.”
Goosefeather of ThunderClan ignored her, his gleaming, unfocused eyes suggesting that he was away somewhere inside his own head as usual, but Brambleberry of RiverClan pushed up beside the others, her eyes shining and her white pelt gleaming in the dusk. “I’m so excited for you!” she exclaimed.
