Yellowfang's Secret

Yellowfang's Secret
General
Author:	Cherith Baldry
Details
Publish date:	October 9th, 2012
Identification:	ISBN 0062082140
Editions:	Hardcover
Summary
"A terrible force is on its way, with the power to pierce deep into the heart of ThunderClan. And it will be brought by a ShadowClan medicine cat." Yellowfang has dedicated her life to ShadowClan. She is a loyal medicine cat, ready and willing to do anything to protect her Clanmates and keep them safe. But a dark secret haunts her, threatening her life and the lives of every cat around her....
Resources
Chapter subpages
Chronology
Followed by:	Into the Wild

Yellowfang's Secret is the fifth book in the Super Edition arc. It features Yellowfang.

The Blurb

One secret could destroy them all....

Yellowkit is a ShadowClan cat through and through and she can't wait to become a fearless warrior. Then Yellowkit trains as an apprentice and finally receives her warrior name, Yellowfang—and much to her surprise, she realizes that her paws weren't meant to shed blood. Her true destiny lies as a healer, and she takes her place as ShadowClan's medicine cat apprentice.

But Yellowfang's dreams are haunted by a dark prophecy, and every paw step she takes seems drenched in heartache. As she struggles to separate herself from her warrior past, she realizes that the future she faces is bleak and dim—colored by a devastating secret that could destroy the warrior Clans.

The Praise

"Like other ShadowClan cats, Yellowkit has always dreamed of being a warrior, but as she begins her apprenticeship, she makes a discovery that is intensely disturbingly: Her paws are not those of a warrior, but of a healer. As she reluctantly begins her training as a medicine cat, her dreams are haunted by a prophecy she cannot completely understand and a sense of dark foreboding. What she does not yet know is that her fate conceals a secret that could destroy all the warrior Clans. Erin Hunter's fierce feline classic continues in high style."

-Barnes and Noble

Detailed Plot Summary

In the prologue, the medicine cats of the four Clans, Goosefeather, Sagewhisker, Hawkheart, and Milkfur, have gathered for an age-old ceremony of welcoming a new apprentice to their ranks. Young Featherpaw of ThunderClan has chosen to follow the path of his Clanmate, Goosefeather, and become his apprentice. As the new mentor welcomes his apprentice, Featherpaw is greeted by the medicine cats gathered around the Moonstone, including Milkfur's apprentice, Bramblepaw. Featherpaw, instructed by his new mentor, settles down next to the stone to dream. As he greets StarClan for the first time as a new medicine cat apprentice, Featherpaw sees Mallowfur, one of the warriors of StarClan, and she greets him warmly. Featherpaw exclaims that he had missed her, and Molepelt intervenes. Molepelt gives a message to Featherpaw, saying that a dark force was on it's way to ThunderClan, with a power to pierce deep in the heart of the Clan, brought by a ShadowClan medicine cat. Featherpaw is confused, because he does not think that a ShadowClan medicine cat can bring trouble to ThunderClan.

Yellowkit and her two siblings Nutkit and Rowankit are born to Brightflower and Brackenfoot. The kits are playing a game where they pretend the elders are invading WindClan cats. It is mentioned that Raggedkit's and Scorchkit's father is unknown, but possibly a kittypet as their mother would go to Twolegplace often. Nutkit calls Raggedkit a kittypet, and after some scolding from Brightflower, she calls them into the nursery. Later, in the middle of the night, Yellowkit wakes up with stomach pains, along with her brother. Her mother is distraught because she thinks the both of them are dying. When the two kits are taken to see Sagewhisker for their pains, it is revealed that Nutkit ate crowfood, but Yellowkit did not. Yellowkit is thought to be lying by her mother and is scolded.

Yellowkit becomes an apprentice, named Yellowpaw. Her grandmother, Silverflame, becomes sick, refusing to eat or drink. Yellowpaw tries to help Silverflame, but to no avail - for the elder ends up passing away. Yellowpaw becomes upset that Sagewhisker didn't stop Silverflame from dying. Littlebird, one of the elders, asks her if she wants to go on a walk together. They head for the marshes and Littlebird tells Yellowpaw that it was Silverflame's time to die and that Sagewhisker could not have done anything else to stop it and that she tried her best. She also says that Silverflame is up in StarClan watching over them. Yellowpaw says that she doesn't want her grandmother to be in StarClan - she wants her back in the Clan. However, Littlebird insists that they all have to die someday, and that, until then, they have to try their hardest to serve the Clan.

As the apprentices are in a training session, Foxpaw senses a pigeon, and runs off. Yellowpaw follows, and they scent strange cats - and find pigeon feathers, which aren't from a ShadowClan hunting patrol. They also see light and small pawprints, leading away from the Thunderpath. The apprentices go back to the training area and report back to Deerleap and Blizzardwing. They go out to investigate, bringing another ShadowClan patrol with them. They come into WindClan territory, and across a WindClan patrol, and question them about stealing prey. Reedfeather states that Stonetooth has made his point, and that they will stay on their side of the border from now on. Stonetooth replies not with words, but with actions, sending his cats into battle, despite Reedfeather's apology.

Yellowpaw is about to fight with a WindClan cat that was far too large for her, but was pushed out of the way by Raggedpaw, who attacked the WindClan cat instead. After a quick fight, the WindClan patrol flees. Yellowpaw is angry and annoyed by Raggedpaw, thinking that he thought she was too weak to fight. When Raggedpaw is made a warrior, he apologizes to her, saying that the WindClan warrior was far too powerful and big for her.

Later, Yellowpaw thinks about Raggedpelt, and that he dosen't know his father. Yellowpaw asks the elders, and they say where his mother, Featherstorm, used to go in twolegplace. In the night, Yellowpaw wakes up Raggedpelt, and they go to twolegplace to find his father. They question some kittypets, loners and rogues, and when they have no luck, a she-cat takes them toHal, a fierce kittypet who she says knew Featherstorm. Hal is almost exactly identical to Raggedpelt, proving that he is his father, even though Hal denies the claims, saying that he didn't know Featherstorm and that he had no son. Yellowpaw and Raggedpelt return to ShadowClan, and Raggedpelt is angry with Yellowpaw.

The next day, Yellowpaw goes on a ShadowClan hunting patrol to carrionplace to hunt rats. Each cat is partnered up in pairs of two, Yellowpaw being partnered up with Archeye. Along with a little bit of Archeye's help, Yellowpaw catches a very large one and is congratulated by all of the patrol, apart from Raggedpelt, much to Yellowpaw's dissapointed. Stonetooth notices, and tells Raggedpelt to congratulate Yellowpaw. Raggedpelt reluctantly and even slightly angrily, congratulates Yellowpaw. Satisfied with their catch, the patrol heads back to camp and prepare to go to the gathering at fourtrees.

Deerleap takes Yellowpaw to the moonstone. In a dream, Yellowpaw had many visions of what she thinks is her future; she has kits, and is surrounded by a strange forest with streams and a narrow ravine. The dream begins to scare her, and she wakes up. Deerleap seems concerned, and they head back.

Yellowpaw finally earns her warrior name, Yellowfang. Later, a half eaten squirrel is found with towlegplace scent on it, so Yelowfang goes on a large patrol to teach the kittypets that ate it a lesson. As they fight, Yellowfang feels pain on her ear, paw and body, even though she wasn't injured in those areas. When they return, Sagewhisker says that there is nothing wrong with her, but after that she asks Yellowfang for herbs to treat cats, much to Yellowfang's annoyance. Yellowfang begins to notice that Foxpaw dislikes her a lot, and Foxpaw seems to have a crush on Raggedpelt.

Yellowfang continues to have pains on her body parts even though she is not injured, and Sagewhisker dismisses her every time, continuing to ask her to treat cats with herbs. After a fight with a WindClan patrol, Sagewhisker talks to Yellowfang in private, asking where the pains were. She asks Yellowfang if she noticed any injuries on other cats where her own pain was coming from. Yellowfang realises that she is feeling other cats' pain, and it explains her severe belly ache as a kit when Nutwhisker ate crow-food when she did not, and the pain from the fight with the twolegplace cats. Sagewhisker tells her that it was her destiny to be a medicine cat, and Yellowfang is furious, storming out.

Yellowfang goes on patrol near twolegplace when it is snowing. The patrol encounters a snowman, and Yellowfang calls it a 'Noleg' since it has no legs. They encounter Marmalade, one of the cats Yellowfang and Raggedpelt met when they went to find Hal. Yellowfang tells Marmalade about Red (now Russetpaw) and Boulder joining the clan, whichMarmalade is very interested in.

The few days later, intruders burst into ShadowClan camp - the kittypets and rogues from twolegplace, who have come for Russetpaw and Boulder, thinking that ShadowClan had stolen them and were keeping them as prisoners. Yellowfang sees Hal, Featherstorm and Raggedpelt fighting. Hal is angry at Featherstorm and Raggedpelt, and when he tries to attack Yellowfang, Raggedpelt kills him. Russetpaw and Boulder arrive, shocked. Russetpaw is grief-stricken over Hal's death, since she was his daughter. After an explaination, the twolegplace cats leave, taking Hal's body with them.

Trivia

• Kate Cary has revealed that she did not write this book.
• There are teasers for Yellowfang's Secret in the new field guide Enter the Clans.
• Vicky revealed on her Facebook page that this book is very emotional.
• Yellowfang's Secret does not include a map of the territories like the other books.

See Also

• Allegiances
• Chapter-by-Chapter Notes
• Character List
• Book Cover Gallery
• HarperCollins Browse Inside

References and Citations

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