Эрин Хантер - Yellowfang’s Secret

Wincing from the pain in her belly, Yellowkit flopped down beside her brother and waited for her mother to reemerge from the den with Sagewhisker.

“You’d better tell Brightflower the truth about eating that sparrow,” Nutkit murmured. “You’re only making it worse for yourself.”

“For the last time, I did not eat any dodgy sparrow,” Yellowkit snapped. “I’ve got more sense!”

Nutkit gave her a disbelieving look, but said nothing more. A moment later Sagewhisker emerged from her den and trotted across to the nursery, followed closely by Brightflower.

“Kits!” the medicine cat exclaimed, dropping a bundle of leaves as she halted in front of Yellowkit and Nutkit. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Have you no sense?”

“What are you going to give us?” Yellowkit whimpered, sniffing at the leaves as another spasm cramped her belly. “Are you going to make us sick to get the bad stuff out of us?”

Sagewhisker gazed at her intently. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” the medicine cat meowed. “And this is the herb we need for it: yarrow.” Bending her head, she gave Nutkit and then Yellowkit a long sniff. “Brightflower tells me you’ve been eating crow-food,” she continued.

Nutkit let out a moan of pain. “It was only a mouthful… two, maybe.”

Sagewhisker sighed. “Or three, or four. Now you know why we teach kits not to do that.”

“Will they be okay?” Brightflower fretted, giving Nutkit’s ears a comforting lick.

“They’ll be fine,” Sagewhisker assured her. “Right, kits, I want you to eat this yarrow. It will make you sick and then your belly will feel a whole lot better.”

Nutkit gave the herbs a suspicious glare. “Are they yucky?”

The medicine cat nodded. “They are pretty yucky,” she admitted. “But would you rather have a yucky taste, or the bellyache?”

“I’ll eat them… I guess,” Nutkit responded.

“Not here, please,” Brightflower mewed. “We don’t want a mess right outside the nursery.”

In spite of Nutkit’s feeble protests, she picked him up by the scruff and carried him toward the edge of the camp. Sagewhisker padded alongside, carrying the yarrow, while Yellowkit followed, staggering a little as pain roiled through her insides.

By now, the dawn light had strengthened; several warriors had emerged from their den, and Stonetooth, the Clan deputy, was organizing the dawn patrols. Yellowkit felt a pang of envy as she spotted Raggedpaw and Scorchpaw with their mentors. She quickened her pace, stumbling a little, hoping the apprentices wouldn’t spot her and ask what was happening.

In the shelter of the thorns at the edge of the clearing, Sagewhisker laid a few yarrow leaves in front of Nutkit, and the rest of the bundle in front of Yellowkit. While Nutkit was still hesitating, Yellowkit lapped up the leaves, wincing as the bitter juices filled her mouth.

“Yuck!” she gasped, gagging as she tried to swallow.

After a few heartbeats she managed to force the vile stuff down. Almost at once she felt her belly give an enormous heave, and she vomited up several mouthfuls of slime. She passed her tongue over her lips, trying to get rid of the taste.

“That’s good,” Sagewhisker murmured approvingly, as Nutkit too brought up the contents of his belly. “Brightflower, take them back to the nursery. They should sleep now. When they wake they can have some milk, but no food today. I’ll check on them later.”

“Thank you, Sagewhisker.” Brightflower dipped her head to the medicine cat. “And let that be a lesson to you,” she added to her kits. “No more crow-food.”

“But I didn’t eat crow-food!” Yellowkit’s indignation surged up again now that her belly didn’t hurt anymore. It’s not fair! Why won’t any cat believe me?

Brightflower let out a hiss. “No more!” she mewed. “I won’t punish you for lying this time, because you’ve suffered enough, but don’t let it happen again.”

Without waiting for Yellowkit to respond, she grabbed Nutkit by the scruff and headed for the nursery. Yellowkit padded after them, her head down and her tail drooping. Her belly was sore from vomiting, and she could still taste the bitter yarrow, but what made her really miserable was the thought that her mother believed she was a liar.

Yellowkit pushed her way into the open, yawning and arching her back in a long stretch. She was bored. Behind her in the nursery, Nutkit was still asleep, half-buried in the moss as if he was exhausted from his disturbed night and his upset belly.

But I feel fine, Yellowkit thought. Except my belly’s growling . Brightflower had just reminded her that Sagewhisker had said she and Nutkit couldn’t have anything to eat until tomorrow. I’ll never last that long! Yellowkit wailed inwardly. I’ll be as weak as a mouse .

Blinking, she gazed around the camp. Hollyflower and Crowtail were sharing tongues outside the warriors’ den, while the elders were gossiping in a patch of warm sun beside the tree stump. Yellowkit caught a scrap of their conversation.

“…sent that WindClan warrior squealing all the way back to his camp,” Lizardfang meowed. “We didn’t put up with any nonsense from WindClan in my day, let me tell you.”

“No, and not from ThunderClan either,” Silverflame purred.

Yellowkit’s heart swelled with love for the old she-cat. Maybe if I go over there she’d tell me a story . Then she shook her head. No, more likely I’d have to listen to Lizardfang yakking on about all the WindClan warriors he chased off .

In the middle of the clearing, Rowankit was playing by herself, tossing a ball of moss into the air and catching it on her tiny extended claws. Yellowkit didn’t feel like joining in.

I wish I could go out and explore the territory like Raggedpaw and Scorchpaw .

Flicking her tail and trying not to look as if she was going anywhere special, Yellowkit padded across the camp toward the fresh-kill pile. The sun was shining, and the patches of sky visible through the trees were a clear blue. But there was a chill in the air, and the leaves on the huge oak tree where Cedarstar made his den were beginning to turn yellow. Greenleaf was coming to an end.

Yellowkit felt hungrier than ever when she approached the fresh-kill pile and the enticing scents of vole and squirrel flooded her jaws. She absolutely had to have something to eat if she was going to sneak out of the camp.

One little mouse couldn’t hurt…

“Hey, Yellowkit!”

Yellowkit jumped guiltily. Turning to see who was calling her, she spotted Sagewhisker sunning herself at the entrance to her den.

Uh-oh!

“Nothing until tomorrow,” the medicine cat warned her. “I’m surprised you can even think about eating yet.”

“I’m starving !”

Sagewhisker stifled a purr of amusement. “Would you rather have a bellyache, little kit?”

Yellowkit scuffled her forepaws in the earth of the camp floor. “I guess not.”

“Why don’t you come and help me with a few things?” the medicine cat suggested. “All the apprentices are out, and I need someone to give me a paw sorting my herbs. It might take your mind off your empty belly.”

“Okay.” Yellowkit perked up. She liked the sharp scents of herbs in the medicine cat’s den, and she needed something to stop herself from thinking about food. She followed Sagewhisker back into the den. Beyond the narrow entrance that lay between two boulders, a tiny clearing opened out, edged by thick clumps of fern. At the far side a pool of clear water reflected the pine trees above.

“The herbs are over here.” Sagewhisker padded to one side of the clearing. “I dig holes in the ground to keep them fresh, and cover them up with fern fronds.”