Эрин Хантер - Yellowfang’s Secret

She picked up one of the fronds and laid it aside. Yellowkit peered into the hole beneath; a few withered leaves lay at the bottom.

“That’s marigold,” Sagewhisker meowed. “It’s good for infected wounds, but as you can see, those scraps aren’t much good. Lift them out and pile them up by the entrance. Later on I’ll carry all the rubbish out of the camp.”

While Yellowkit obeyed, Sagewhisker uncovered the next hole; it held only two or three shriveled berries.

“Should I add those to the pile?” Yellowkit asked, dipping her paw into the hole, ready to scoop out the berries.

Sagewhisker shook her head, flicking her tail across to block Yellowkit’s paw. “No, those are juniper berries. I know they’re past their best, but they’re so useful for bellyache and shortness of breath, I won’t dare throw them away until the fresh ones are ready. It won’t be long, thank StarClan.”

Yellowkit nodded, giving the berries an interested sniff. “Silverflame wheezes sometimes,” she remarked. “Do you give her juniper berries?”

“I do.” Sagewhisker dipped her head. “You’re learning fast, Yellowkit.”

Yellowkit felt proud of herself. This is so useful! I’ll know about herbs and everything when I’m a warrior! “What’s in the next hole?” she asked.

“These are daisy leaves,” Sagewhisker replied, uncovering a pile of fresh leaves. “Good for Lizardfang’s aching joints. I only collected them yesterday, so we don’t have to throw them out.”

Yellowkit followed her along the row of holes, while Sagewhisker told her about each different herb and what they were used for, sorting out the withered ones so that Yellowkit could pile them up at the entrance.

“There, finished!” Sagewhisker mewed at last, dusting off her paws. “Well done, Yellowkit. You’ve been a big help.”

“It was fun,” Yellowkit replied, realizing with a start that it was true. I had no idea how much you have to learn to be a medicine cat!

“And your belly feels fine now?”

Yellowkit nodded. “Still empty, though,” she mewed.

Sagewhisker touched Yellowkit’s ear with her nose. “Then you’ll remember to stay away from crow-food in future.”

Yellowkit heaved a deep sigh. “Yes, okay,” she muttered.

There wasn’t any point in arguing. She knew that no cat was going to believe her. But if it wasn’t the crow-food, she asked herself as she padded back to the nursery, what did make my belly ache like Nutkit’s?

Yellowkit’s paw landed squarely on top of the quivering mouse, and it went limp. Her jaws watered as she bent her head to take the first succulent bite, when something slammed into her back. Her eyes flew open, her dream fled away, and she found herself in the nursery. Poolcloud’s kits, Foxkit and Wolfkit, were wrestling together in the moss, rolling over so they were half on top of Yellowkit.

“Get off!” she muttered, giving the nearest kit a shove. I could almost taste that mouse!

Yawning, Yellowkit sat up. Brightflower and Poolcloud were still asleep, but beside her in the mossy nest Nutkit and Rowankit were beginning to stir. There’s something odd about the nursery this morning, Yellowkit thought. The light was different, and there was a clean, cold scent in the air that she had never smelled before.

Curious, Yellowkit scrambled over the moss and stuck her head through the branches. Her jaws gaped and she let out a gasp of astonishment. The camp lay under a thick white covering, and more of the white stuff weighed down the branches of the encircling pine trees.

“Wow!” Yellowkit squeaked. “What happened?”

Nutkit and Rowankit appeared beside her, their eyes round as they gazed out.

“Did WindClan do this to us?” Nutkit growled. “I’ll shred their fur!”

“No.” Brightflower pushed her way out of the nursery, her paws sinking into the white stuff, and turned to look back at her kits. Her eyes were warm with amusement. “This is snow. We get it sometimes in leaf-bare.”

“Where did it come from?” Rowankit asked.

“It falls out of the sky,” Brightflower explained. “Like rain, but snow looks like falling feathers.”

Extending one paw, Yellowkit dabbed at the white stuff. “It’s cold !”

Nutkit let out a yowl of excitement and launched himself into the snow, his weight hardly denting the surface.

“Wait for me!” Yellowkit charged after him, with Rowankit a tail-length behind. She could hear more squealing from the nursery, telling her that Foxkit and Wolfkit were following. “This is fun!”

But as Yellowkit raced across the camp after her littermate, she felt as if something was holding her back. Rowankit overtook her with an excited squeak. Trying to force her legs to run faster, Yellowkit realized that the snow was clogging up her thick fur, dragging at her and slowing her down. That’s not fair! she thought indignantly.

A moment later her paws skidded out from under her as Foxkit crashed into her. “Got you!” the younger kit squealed. “You’re as slow as a hedgehog, Yellowkit!”

Struggling out from underneath her denmate, Yellowkit looked at the other kit’s smooth ginger pelt. No wonder it was easier for her to run fast in the snow. Taking a breath as she tried to shake the clots of snow from her pelt, she felt her mouth burning in the crisp, dry air. “I’m thirsty,” she announced. “I’m going to get a drink.”

“You just want an excuse to stop running,” Foxkit taunted.

Yellowkit opened her jaws to respond, then decided that arguing with Foxkit wasn’t worth it. Four moons old, and she thinks she knows everything . Glancing around the camp, she spotted the early morning light gleaming on a pool of melted snow just outside the warriors’ den. Silverflame was crouched beside it, lapping steadily. Yellowkit went to join her, but Silverflame didn’t look up. The old cat must have been superthirsty. She always seemed to be drinking these days.

A sharp pain stabbed at Yellowkit’s belly as she started to drink the icy water, and her fur prickled as though a storm was brewing. Yellowkit tilted her head on one side. There had been storms in the heavy days of greenleaf, when gray clouds would cover the sky and the air felt hot and damp, but today the sky was clear and pale, and the rising sun cast blue shadows across the snow-covered camp. A cold, dry breeze ruffled the white surface. No storms today, Yellowkit told herself.

“Hi, Yellowkit.” Silverflame paused in her lapping at last. “Enjoying your first snow?”

Yellowkit turned to reply, and winced at the look of exhaustion and pain in the old she-cat’s eyes. “It’s okay, I guess,” she replied. “Silverflame, are you all right?”

Silverflame shrugged. “It’s just the moons catching up with me,” she mewed. “Don’t worry, Yellowkit.”

“This cold weather does nothing for old bones,” Littlebird agreed as she emerged from the elders’ den and headed for the fresh-kill pile. Glancing back, she added, “Are you coming, Silverflame?”

The she-cat shook her head. “I’m not hungry. The young ones need to eat more than I do.”

Yellowkit frowned. What does Silverflame mean? All cats need to eat! “Come on,” she urged, giving Silverflame a gentle push. “Let’s go together and find something tasty.”

“Okay.” With a huge sigh Silverflame rose to her paws.

Yellowkit thought that the elder’s paw steps looked a bit shaky as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Littlebird was already clawing the snow away from it, revealing the heap of frozen prey.