|| The Prophecies Begin || Book 1 Of 6 || Warriors fanfic

~~Chapter 7~~

Once I got back to camp from delivering the message, Bluestar had asked me to come out on a patrol with her and some warriors.

We heard a defiant growl as we approached the clearing near the stream Firepaw was hunting around. Yet I could sense their panic.

We slipped out of the trees, and in a heartbeat we had encircled Firepaw and Yellowfang. Firepaw recognized us: Me, Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, Willowpelt, and Bluestar, all of us lean and hard-muscled. I smelled Yellowfang's fear at the sight of us.

Graypaw followed close behind. He bounded out of the bushes and stood beside the huge warrior patrol.

Firepaw mewed a hasty greeting to us. But only Graypaw returned it. "Hi, Firepaw!" he called out.

"Silence!" Tigerclaw growled.

Firepaw glanced at Yellowfang. I could still smell the fear-scent on her, but instead of cowering in submission, the scruffy creature was glaring in defiance.

"Firepaw?" Bluestar's question was cool and measured. "What have we here? An enemy warrior—and recently fed, by the smell of you both." Her eyes were burning into Firepaw, and he dropped his head.

"She was weak and hungry . . ." he began.

"And what about you? Was your hunger so bad that you had to feed yourself before you had gathered prey for your Clan?" Bluestar went on. "I assume that you have a very good reason for breaking the warrior code?"

I was not fooled by the leader's soft tone. Bluestar was furious—and rightly so. Firepaw crouched lower to the ground.

There was a loud hiss from Tigerclaw. "Once a kittypet, always a kittypet!"

Bluestar seemed to ignore Tigerclaw and looked instead at Yellowfang. Suddenly she looked surprised. "Well, well, Firepaw! It seems you have captured us a ShadowClan cat. And one I know well. You are ShadowClan's medicine cat, aren't you?" she meowed to Yellowfang. "What are you doing so far into ThunderClan territory?"

"I was the ShadowClan medicine cat. Now I choose to travel alone," hissed Yellowfang.

I listened, astonished. Had I heard right? Yellowfang was a ShadowClan warrior? Her filthy condition must have masked her territorial scent.

I zone out, thinking of what could have happened if a Shadowclan medicine cat abandoned her clan. 

I come back to, hearing Bluestar ask the Shadowclan cat if she could walk.

"I've still got three good legs," the grizzled she-cat snapped back, limping forward.

I saw that Yellowfang's eyes were glazed with pain, but she seemed determined not to show any weakness. The ThunderClan leader turned and slowly led the way through the trees. The other warriors took up positions on either side of Yellowfang, and the patrol moved off, carefully keeping pace with their lame prisoner.

Firepaw, Graypaw and I fell in step together at the back of the group.

"Have you heard of Yellowfang?" Firepaw hissed to Graypaw.

"A bit. Apparently she was a warrior before she became a medicine cat, which is unusual. I can't imagine her as a loner, though. She has lived her whole life in ShadowClan."

"What's a loner?"

Graypaw glanced at him. "A loner is a cat that isn't part of a Clan or cared for by Twolegs. Tigerclaw says they are untrustworthy and selfish. They often live around Twoleg dwellings, but belong to no one and catch their own food."