Graypaw and Ravenpaw were among the last to reach the camp that evening, their jaws filled with prey. They set the prey down on the fresh-kill pile, and the surrounding cats purred appreciatively. Ravenpaw picked up a finch from the pile, while Graypaw chose a small vole. They carried their prey to the tree stump by the apprentices den, where they met Dustpaw and Sandpaw. Most of the Clan were already eating their evening meal, and the camp was buzzing with activity.
"So, Dustpaw was telling me how he saved you from a rogue today," Sandpaw meowed, her pale green eyes glowing with amusement.
"What?!" Graypaw leapt to Ravenpaw's defense. "He was doing fine by himself before Dustpaw showed up. You tell them, Ravenpaw!"
"Well…" Ravenpaw hesitated.
"Oh please," Dustpaw meowed. "Another moment and you would have been crow-food."
"I was actually doing alright," Ravenpaw responded. "You didn't even see most of it." His gaze flicked past his brother while he spoke, trying to find Yellowfang among his Clanmates.
"She had you pinned down! You were terrified!" Dustpaw narrowed his eyes. "And you still are. You keep looking around like she's going to leap up and attack from out of nowhere!"
"No I'm not! I just don't like the idea of having an intruder in the camp!" Ravenpaw's tail twitched anxiously.
"He's already afraid of leaves when they suddenly fall past him," Sandpaw mewed to Dustpaw, only half teasing. "I can't imagine having a rogue in the camp could make him any more jumpy."
"I am not jumpy!" Ravenpaw protested.
Dustpaw abruptly shot forward in a flash of brown fur. Startled, Ravenpaw leaped nearly a fox-length straight into the air. The other apprentices purred in amusement. Ravenpaw calmed himself by licking the ruffled fur on his chest.
They settled back into eating their meal. "Look at her, the old fleabag." Sandpaw meowed disgustedly. "When is the last time that cat groomed itself? You can smell the stink from here!"
Ravenpaw finally spotted her, by the Highrock licking her injured leg. It was clear that the few cats that had not been out on patrol already knew of Yellowfang's arrival. They were pacing, angrily eyeing the outsider. A few of the ThunderClan cats jeered at her occasionally, although Ravenpaw noticed from where he sat that Yellowfang wasn't paying any attention to them.
As the apprentices finished their meal, Bluestar's summons echoed across the camp. "Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting." The few cats not already in the clearing slipped out of their dens, and the ThunderClan cats began to crowd around the Highrock. Ravenpaw and the rest of the apprentices made their way into the group. As the cats settled into their spots below her, leaving an empty space around Yellowfang, Bluestar began to speak. "I'm sure you have all heard about the prisoner we brought back with us today. But there is something else important that you need to know." She paused and spoke directly to Yellowfang. "Can you hear me down there?"
"I may be old, but I'm not deaf yet!" Yellowfang spat back.
Bluestar ignored Yellowfang's hostility and continued. "I'm afraid I have some very grave news. As many of you had noticed, the scent of WindClan across Fourtrees has diminished greatly in the last few days. I had my suspicions as to the reason for this, so today I traveled with a patrol deep into WindClan territory to investigate. We found no WindClan cats. We did, however, detect the scent of ShadowClan." Ravenpaw's heart dropped. "The scent was everywhere. Nearly every tree had been sprayed by ShadowClan warriors. Clearly, something terrible has happened to WindClan."
A hushed silence fell over the camp. It was broken by Smallear, sitting near the back of the gathered cats with the elders. "Do you mean ShadowClan has chased them out?"
"We can't be sure. Certainly the scent of ShadowClan was everywhere. We travelled to their camp, and found blood, too, and fur. There must have been a battle, though we found no bodies from either Clan." The gathered cats let out shocked yowls. Ravenpaw shared a horrified glance with Graypaw. No Clan had ever been driven out of its territory before now.
"How can WindClan have been driven out?" rasped the elderly One-eye from beside Smallear. "ShadowClan is fierce, but WindClan is many. They have lived in the uplands since the dawn of the Clans. Why have they been chased out now?" The elder's whiskers trembled as she spoke.
"I don't know the answers to any of your questions," Bluestar meowed. "Brokenstar has been difficult to read ever since he was appointed leader of ShadowClan, but he gave no hint of any threat when we met him at the last Gathering."
"Perhaps Yellowfang has answers?" Darkstripe's voice rose from the gathered cats. "After all, she is of ShadowClan!"
Yellowfang's eyes blazed. "I am no traitor!" she snarled. "Nothing would make me share the secrets of ShadowClan with a brute like you!" The two cats glared aggressively at each other. Darkstripe moved to face her, ears flat and tail lashing.
"Stop!" Bluestar yowled. The dark gray and black striped warrior immediately stopped moving forward, although he still glared angrily at Yellowfang. The old she-cat hissed at him, and he appeared to be using all of his self-control to stop from flinging himself at her.
"That's enough!" growled Bluestar. "This situation is too serious for us to be fighting among ourselves." Her gaze swept over the cats below her. "ThunderClan must prepare itself. From this moonrise onward, warriors will travel in larger groups. Other Clan members will remain close to the camp. Patrols will travel the boundary edges more frequently, and all kits must stay near the nursery." Murmurs of approval spread through the Clan. "Our need for warriors is our greatest obstacle. We shall get around this by speeding up the training of our apprentices. They need to be ready even sooner to fight for our Clan."
Dustpaw and Sandpaw exchanged an excited glance. Ravenpaw anxiously shuffled his paws.
"What about the prisoner? What will we do with her?" Ravenpaw recognized Longtail's voice.
"Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. We are warriors, not savages. She is to be treated with respect and courtesy."
"But the Clan cannot support Yellowfang," Darkstripe yowled. "We already have too many mouths to feed already."
Ravenpaw heard Yellowfang yowl something back, but from his spot at the edge of the crowd he couldn't make out her words over the murmurs of his Clanmates. Bluestar waited for the Clan to fall silent.
"More warriors than ever are need for our increased patrols," Bluestar mewed. "Therefore, I have decided that the responsibility of caring for Yellowfang will be given to our apprentices. They will hunt for her and tend her wounds. They will fetch fresh bedding and clear away her dirt." She paused, eyeing the incredulous looks on the four apprentices faces. "They will do this in addition to their training and other duties."
Graypaw's face fell with disappointment. Ravenpaw glanced worriedly at him. He didn't want to even approach this intimidating she-cat, let alone care for her!
Sandpaw raised her voice in protest. "What?! We have to clear away this mange ridden cat's dirt?!"
"I thought our training was going to be sped up!" yowled Dustpaw. "How can we train to be warriors if we're stuck hunting for this flea-pelt?!"
"Enough!" Bluestar's yowl interrupted their protests. "Yellowfang is a healer, and she is your elder. For those reasons alone you should respect her!" She looked sharply at Sandpaw and Dustpaw, her blue eyes blazing with anger. Ravenpaw could hardly believe Sandpaw and Dustpaw had directly questioned their Clan leader's orders in front of the whole Clan. "Dustpaw, you should be honored to hunt for Yellowfang, and I should think you shall be able to improve your hunting skills with the extra prey you will be bringing her. And Sandpaw, there is no humiliation in caring for a cat that is unable to care for itself." The two apprentices ducked their heads at the reprimand. Bluestar paused, and Ravenpaw wondered if she would formally punish them for their objections. "This meeting is over. I would like to speak to my senior warriors now." As Bluestar leaped down from the Highrock, Lionheart, Whitestorm, and Tigerclaw padded after her into her den. Dustpaw and Sandpaw seemed unusually subdued as they made their way back to the apprentices' den.
"Can you believe them?" Graypaw meowed as the Clan started to disperse. "Challenging Bluestar like that?"
Ravenpaw shrugged. He supposed it made sense that the apprentices would be responsible for Yellowfang. The warriors would be too busy, and caring for Clan elders was already one of the duties of an apprentice. But a part of him agreed with Dustpaw and Sandpaw, and he also worried about how Yellowfang would react to him. He had just gotten into a vicious battle with this cat, and now he had to care for her?
Back at the apprentices den a little while later, Ravenpaw heard an irate yowl echo across the camp.
"It looks like she wants something," Graypaw meowed. "Maybe one of us should go over there." An uncertain look passed between them. Ravenpaw looked nervously at the ground, waiting for one of the other apprentices to volunteer. When he looked up, all three of his denmates were looking at him.
"You first, Ravenpaw," Dustpaw mewed.
Ravenpaw felt the fur on his shoulders spike. "What?! No, you can go."
"No, it's alright." Dustpaw meowed, his eyes gleaming. "You can go."
"It's only fair," Sandpaw mewed. "You found her, after all. We'll just watch from here." She and Dustpaw mrrowed in amusement.
"Why don't we all go?" Ravenpaw pleaded. He looked quickly between Sandpaw's face, then to Dustpaw's, and then to Graypaw's.
"Are you afraid of her?" Dustpaw asked.
"What, are you?" Ravenpaw challenged his brother.
"No, but you clearly are." Dustpaw's whiskers twitched; he was clearly entertained by Ravenpaw's discomfort.
"I am not," Ravenpaw lied. Sandpaw, Graypaw, and Dustpaw looked unconvinced. Ravenpaw gave up on any semblance of appearing undaunted and fixed them with his most imploring gaze. "Come on! I just got into a fight with her today. I can't go alone; she'll claw my ears off!" Ravenpaw stood silently, staring at his denmates with anxious, wide eyes.
Dustpaw broke the silence. "Fine, I'll come with you, you little scaredy-mouse." He flicked his tail across Ravenpaw's flank, and Ravenpaw fell into step behind him.
Dustpaw walked confidently across the camp, his tail held high. Ravenpaw trailed further behind him as they approached the prisoner. When they were a fox-length away, Yellowfang's let out an enraged snarl. "Stop right there!" Ravenpaw froze where he was standing, half hidden behind his brother. "If you think you're going to just walk right up and start grooming my fur you're mistaken!"
Dustpaw sighed. "We're just doing what we've been told," he meowed. "Bluestar ordered us to tend to you and that's what we're doing." He added harshly: "So, what do you want us to do then?"
"I want you to leave me alone, in peace!" Yellowfang bared her blackened teeth at them, and Ravenpaw dug his claws into the ground to prevent himself from running away.
"We don't like this any more than you do," Ravenpaw quietly pointed out. Dustpaw moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother in a rare show of support.
"Now just let us bring you food, or tend your wounds or something, and we'll leave you alone!" growled Dustpaw.
"I don't need you bunch of kits looking after me!"
Dustpaw lashed his tail impatiently. "Well you don't really have a choice in the matter."
Yellowfang's voice lowered to a threatening hiss. "Let's get one thing clear, kitty. I don't want your help. I don't need it. And if you even try, I'll finish what I started earlier!" Yellowfang crouched as though she was readying herself to pounce.
"I'd like to see you try!" Dustpaw's eyes blazed as he faced the injured prisoner. Ravenpaw braced himself to run if the two cats sprang at each other. "We would have flattened you if our Clanmates hadn't arrived-"
"Right, like you could have attacked lying on the ground!" Yellowfang responded.
"Yeah, when you were running forward I knew you were aiming for my shoulders even though you were looking in the opposite direction. Like I would actually fall for that trick-"
Yellowfang cut in. "Oh, please, apprentice! If you ever earn your warrior name it should be Voleleg, since you fought like a three-legged vole!"
"Oh, really?! So we were evenly matched then!" Dustpaw shot back.
Yellowfang suddenly began trembling all over, wheezing. Ravenpaw shared a startled glance with Dustpaw. Was she having some kind of fit? After a few moments of confusion, the realization hit Ravenpaw. She wasn't wheezing, she was purring with laughter.
She coughed away her amused purrs and looked at Dustpaw with new eyes. "I like your spirit, apprentice. Now, I'm tired and my leg hurts. I need some sleep and something to put on this wound. Go and find that pretty little medicine cat of yours and ask her for some herbs. I think you'll find a goldenrod poultice would help. And while you're at it, I wouldn't mind a few poppy seeds to chew on. This pain in my leg is killing me! And you," she turned to a stunned Ravenpaw. "Go fetch me some prey, I'm famished." She seemed to enjoy ordering them around. "And find out where my den is, I'm tired and I want some sleep."
Ravenpaw and Dustpaw shared one last glance before they turned and trotted quickly away, Dustpaw to the medicine den, Ravenpaw to the fresh-kill pile. Still shocked at her sudden mood change, Ravenpaw returned with a mouse. Yellowfang accepted it without comment and picked it clean, while Ravenpaw lingered awkwardly.
Dustpaw emerged from the medicine den with a large bundle of herbs in his jaws, but instead of returning to Yellowfang, he indicated the fallen oak with his tail and began to pad over to it. Ravenpaw guessed that this was where Yellowfang would sleep. Yellowfang seemed to realize this too, and she slowly began to heave herself to her paws. She looked to be in pain, but Ravenpaw knew he would only receive a clawed ear if he attempted to help.
He led the way to the fallen oak, Yellowfang limping slowly behind. Ravenpaw looked back every so often to check where she was. He was still worried that she might suddenly pounce at him, so he stayed slightly farther away from her than he would have normally until he reached Dustpaw's side.
"Here." Dustpaw pushed the bundle of herbs toward Yellowfang. She sniffed carefully at them and began to expertly separate several stalks of golden flowers from the rest.
Ravenpaw shared a tentative glance with Dustpaw. "Did you want one of us to make the poultice?" Ravenpaw asked.
"Do you think I'm so helpless that I can't chew a few flowers?" the old she-cat hissed. Yellowfang quickly chewed the goldenrod stems into a poultice, and Dustpaw and Ravenpaw lingered uncertainly as she applied it to her injured leg. At least we don't have to do it ourselves, thought Ravenpaw.
Finally she dismissed them. "Well, what are you standing around for? Leave me in peace," she growled as she bent down to lick up the poppy seeds. As she curled up in her nest, Yellowfang turned her orange eyes to Dustpaw. "And just so we're clear, I would have beaten you, Voleleg."