YELLOWFANG

Yellowfang instantly ran out to see who was wounded most. It looked like Wetfoot, Stumpypaw and Dawncloud. They all needed cobwebs to stop the bleeding, marigold to stop infection and poppy seeds to ease the pain. Yellowfang went back into her den to fetch the supplies and raced back out to heal the wounded.

"This one's the worst," Dawncloud pointed to a deep bite in her hind leg. Yellowfang chewed the marigold leaves and placed them on her wound. Dawncloud winced at the stinging sensation. Yellowfang then placed a swath of cobwebs to cover the wound and gave her some poppy seeds.

Moving over to Wetfoot, she did the same routine as with Dawncloud.

"Who attacked?" Yellowfang asked. She had a feeling it was WindClan but she wanted to ask, just to be sure.

"WindClan, they attacked on our border patrol. They claim we stole some of their stupid windblown rabbits!"

"And did you?" Yellowfang asked with guarded curiosity.

"Of course not! They wouldn't know the difference between a mouse and a rabbit if it was right in front of their nose! Anyway it must have been those rogue cats upland. They only accuse us because our territory and theirs are the only ones at that area of the forest."

Once Yellowfang finished with all of the wounded cats, she went back into her den. That night she had a prophecy. It was of herself giving birth to her unborn's.

"Be careful of the one that lies in your nest…." Her former mentor, Burrpelt, meowed. Yellowfang woke with a start. She knew she had a prophecy. What had Burrpelt meant? Was he talking about Raggedstar? Or was he talking about their kits they were to have together?

Yellowfang padded out of her den and headed towards Raggedstar's. She would confide in him and they would sort this out together. Yellowfang gave a look of disappointment as Raggedstar and Crookedstar were talking together, and not in raised voices. Raggedstar has been speaking to Crookedstar quite often lately and she couldn't help but think that they were planning some trickery about WindClan. Yellowfang shook her head to clear it. That was stupid! Raggedstar would never join another Clan to drive out another. He was proud.

"Crookedstar, I know what you are proposing but it just doesn't make sense." Yellowfang overheard Raggedstar whisper to Crookedstar.

"Well then, you obviously don't understand because I have explained it to you several times already." Crookedstar calmly answered. Yellowfang could see that her mate was starting to get frustrated as he twitched his ear and flicked his tail.

"This meeting is over. I will never join one Clan to drive out another." Raggedstar meowed in equal calmness, though Yellowfang could tell that he was finding it difficult. Crookedstar seemed like he got the point of the ShadowClan deputy because he dipped his head and walked out of the gorse tunnel, heading for his own territory.

Yellowfang padded toward Raggedstar and greeted him like any other medicine cat would to his or her leader. None of the Clan knew that they were to have kits together.

"Raggedstar, I must talk to you," Yellowfang meowed, flicking her tail, as a sign that she wanted to speak to him alone. He seemed to get the message because he turned and retreated to his den. Yellowfang followed.

"Yellowfang, are you alright?" Raggedstar's question was open and unguarded.

"Yes, it's just that I had a prophecy last night. About our kits." At the mention of the kits, Raggedstar sat bolt upright and his eyes more focused on what she is going to say. Her introduction was followed by silence so she carried on. "I had a prophecy last night," she repeated, "I was giving birth to them, and Burrpelt appeared. He said 'be careful of the one that lies in your nest'. Instantly, I thought about the kits." Yellowfang decided to skip the part where at first she thought Burrpelt was speaking of Raggedstar. She knew it was something about the kits.

"OK, as soon as you give birth, I will have my most senior warriors to guard you. They do not need to know that these are my kits too."

"Thank you, Raggedstar." Yellowfang dipped her head and backed out of his den. She headed towards the gorse tunnel to stock up on her supplies when her apprentice, Runningpaw started to follow her.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Runningpaw has only been an apprentice since three sunhighs ago. He was started to take herbs a bit more seriously lately.

"I'm going to go restock. We will need quite a lot after today. You can come if you want. It's always good to have extra helping paws."

"OK," Runningpaw's eyes brightened up at that. Yellowfang lead the way out of the gorse tunnel and towards the Thunderpath.

…

"That's it, Yellowfang. You're doing fine," Yellowfang heard her apprentice's voice over her kits mewling at the cool air. Finally, the last kit came out and Yellowfang could rest.

"Well done! You have three healthy kits!" Runningpaw's voice echoed in the nursery.

"Thank StarClan that's over!" Yellowfang rasped. Then came Runningpaw's reply.

"What's happening?" Yellowfang could no longer hear the kits mewling. She instantly stood up and looked around frantically for her new-borns. One of them was already starting to suckle. The other two were lying motionless in front of her, Runningpaw licking furiously to get their blood flowing but Yellowfang knew it was too late. Runningpaw looked devastated. Yellowfang was too, upset as well although, she didn't let it overwhelm her. She knew this was StarClan's punishment for being a medicine cat and having kits.

"It's OK, Runningpaw, this is StarClan's punishment on me," Yellowfang meowed softly, "There was nothing you could do," Yellowfang persisted. Runningpaw simply nodded and turned to walk away, his tail and head drooping.

Yellowfang recalled what her former mentor spoke to her in her dreams about.

"Be careful of the one that lies in your nest…"

Was it that StarClan's punishment on her wasn't that two of her kits died? Was it in fact that the one that survived that would be a danger to her Clan and possibly even to the whole forest? Yellowfang went to sleep that night with a heavy heart, wandering what would be so bad that this innocent kit could do wrong?

Only time could tell….