Yellowfang/History

***Spoiler warning:** Plot and/or ending details follow.*Template:History

Template:Shortened

#### *Into the Wild*

"*Thank you, Bluestar. ShadowClan is not the Clan I once knew. ThunderClan is my Clan now.*"
―Yellowfang to Bluestar Into the Wild

Yellowfang fights with a young Firepaw, who finds her on ThunderClan territory. The two engage in a quick fight, with the apprentice almost killing her. She asks him to finish her off, but he instead shows her mercy and catches her some fresh-kill. From there, a ThunderClan patrol finds the two, and she is escorted back to their camp as a prisoner. Yellowfang is revealed to be ShadowClan's medicine cat and a former warrior, but she states she had decided to leave her Clan behind and decided to travel alone.
Named as their prisoner, Yellowfang is kept in camp to both heal and in the hopes, she might give up information about ShadowClan. Firepaw is assigned to care for her as his punishment, and the two slowly tolerate each other as time passes. When a kit accidentally rolls into her, she snaps at them and Firepaw is both surprised and confused by her action. At a Gathering, ShadowClan's leader, Brokenstar, tells the Clans about Yellowfang indirectly. He mentions that she is a danger to kits and as ThunderClan returns from Fourtrees, they accuse her of the crimes and question her. However, Yellowfang is allowed to stay by Bluestar's word as the ThunderClan leader prepares to protect their territory from Brokenstar's demands.
When ThunderClan's camp is attacked by Brokenstar and his warriors, Yellowfang helps defend the nursery from Blackfoot. She stands protectively over the kits he had tried to steal, much to the relief of Firepaw and the ThunderClan queens. Frostfur thanks the gray she-cat for her actions to the rest of the gathered Clan. The following night, Yellowfang is formally asked by Bluestar if she wishes to join ThunderClan. The blue leader states that her actions during the battle proved her loyalty and bravery. Yellowfang humbly accepts the offer, much to Bluestar's pleasure. Firepaw checks on her afterwards, asking how she is faring following her fight with Blackfoot. She tells him their fight had been harder and that her injured leg was also acting up. The two cats share brief words, the young apprentice asking her if she misses ShadowClan. Yellowfang tells him that she misses the old ShadowClan that had been led before Brokenstar's leadership and that his rule had changed the Clan too much.
Yellowfang is blamed for Frostfur's stolen kits and Spottedleaf's death after fleeing camp. Firepaw and Graypaw manage to track her down and learn the truth. The old she-cat tells the two that Clawface had taken them, as Brokenstar wants to use them as warriors, much to the disbelief of the two young cats. With the help of the apprentices, she manages to rally her old friends in ShadowClan and combine their forces with a ThunderClan patrol. The group leads an attack on ShadowClan in order to rescue the litter and in the process drive out Brokenstar and his elite warriors. During the fight, she learns that Brokenstar had killed the previous leader, Raggedstar, who had also been his father. Yellowfang returns to ThunderClan with the rescued kits and the patrol and is proven to not have been involved in the plot. Following the death of Spottedleaf, she becomes ThunderClan's new medicine cat following the offer from Bluestar.
#### *Fire and Ice*

"*I never intended to have kits. But then I fell in love with Raggedstar. [...] I thought losing two of my kits was punishment from StarClan for breaking the warrior code. But I was wrong. My punishment wasn't that two of my kits died. It was that* this *one survived!*"
―Yellowfang to Fireheart about Brokenstar Fire and Ice

At a Gathering, Yellowfang is introduced to the other Clans as ThunderClan's new medicine cat. She gives Fireheart and Graystripe traveling herbs when they are sent to locate the missing Clan, WindClan. The she-cat wishes them good luck on their mission, as she sees them off.
She treats Graystripe for the chills after he falls into the river. Fireheart later visits her while she is busy mixing herbs. Yellowfang tells him that there is whitecough in the camp, as Speckletail's kit and Patchpelt have it. She tells him that while isn't serious it could develop into greencough and asks if he needs anything. The orange warrior mentions his bellyache, and she tells him to come back if it becomes worse. Yellowfang also gets him to remind Graystripe to stay in camp to recover from his own cough. Fireheart later returns to her den with some fresh-kill and helps her with a kit, much to her thanks. The gray she-cat thanks him and regretfully informs him that Bluestar has whitecough and that it has hit her quickly and badly.
Yellowfang confirms later that Bluestar's sickness has developed further into greencough. She also defends Fireheart's opinion that Bluestar cannot leave camp to see Tigerclaw's claims of ShadowClan invading their territory. She snaps at the incessant Dustpaw, and tells him that with most of the Clan's warriors out of camp, they can't spare anyone in case ShadowClan does attack. She takes charge of the situation, sending Fireheart to quickly get her some catmint and then to the Thunderpath to see the evidence.
She finds Fireheart curled up with the injured Cinderpaw and tells him that while the apprentice is hurt badly, she might be able to save her. Yellowfang states that she can't promise anything, but can try her best. She sends him off to see Bluestar while she works with Cinderpaw. In the following days, Fireheart comes to see her to report that Bluestar had lost a life. As he does, Yellowfang delivers the news that while Cinderpaw is slowly healing, she would never be a warrior. She tries her best to reassure him about both cats, and offers poppy seeds to help him sleep. However, he refuses and lets her get back to her work.
Fireheart finds her more catnip, much to her thanks. Yellowfang tells him that she needs it as Patchpelt's cough had worsened and gives him a brief update on Cinderpaw's condition. The medicine cat feels unsure of the young cat's future as Fireheart attempts to comfort her doubts. However, Cinderpaw soon gets back on her paws as she continues to recover. Yellowfang develops a soft spot for the young as Fireheart continues to check in on the pair. She tells him to help Cinderpaw with her exercises, joking that if she complains about it then she's doing them right.
When prey bones are found with ShadowClan scent, Yellowfang recognizes the scent as Brokenstar's. She, Fireheart, Dustpaw, and Sandpaw remain in ThunderClan camp and defend from the invading tom and his group of rogues. Yellowfang takes one of Brokenstar's lives, but hesitates to take anymore. Fireheart sees this and questions her. The medicine cat reveals that the former ShadowClan leader is her son and that she had bore him in secret. She tends to his wounds in the medicine den, much to the shock of her Clanmates. Meanwhile, she has Cinderpaw help her with their Clanmate's injuries. Yellowfang defends him partially, reasoning to Bluestar that if they exile him in his current state, he would die, and then they would be no better than him. Bluestar sees her reasoning and allows her to treat him and for him to remain as the Clan's prisoner.
#### *Forest of Secrets*

"*I fed you deathberries. I know this is your last life, Brokentail. Medicine cats always know. Now no cat will ever be hurt again because of you.*"
―Yellowfang to Brokentail Forest of Secrets

Yellowfang teaches Cinderpaw herbs and sends her to treat One-eye's cracked paw pads with marigold when Fireheart visits. She tells the orange warrior that the young cat is doing fine and to stop worrying about her. Later on, she takes Brokentail of the gorse tunnel and snaps at Longtail and Darkstripe when they assume the former leader will escape. Yellowfang clears away some snow for her son to sit comfortably in the sun and snarks back at the two warriors' attitude. She turns her attention back to Brokentail and grooms him as a mother would a kit, much to Fireheart's dismay.
The gray she-cat spends her time teaching Cinderpaw basic poultices and is impressed by her quick learning. Yellowfang decides to officially take the young cat on as her apprentice and is proud when she accepts the offer. She tends to the battered ThunderClan cats after WindClan attacks their camp, seeking Brokentail. Yellowfang thanks Bluestar for protecting the prisoner and apologizes on his behalf for the danger he has brought by being there. Following Silverstream's death whilst kitting, Yellowfang attempts to make Cinderpaw feel less guilty about it. She tells the young cat that sometimes cats die and there was nothing to do about it. Adding on that while she has learned that the hard way, she would have to live with it. Yellowfang reassures a worried Fireheart that Cinderpaw will be fine, and will once again be back to her usual self. The gray medicine cat later takes Cinderpaw to Mouthermouth to be announced as a proper apprentice before StarClan.
Yellowfang drags Brokentail towards her den, following Tigerclaw and the rogues' attack. There, in her den she reveals the truth of his mother to him, speaking to him gently as he recovers from losing a life. There, she feeds him deathberries, killing him as he is taken by the shock of the truth and by the pain of the poison. When Fireheart enters the den, the medicine cat tells him that she had tried to save him, unknowing that he had witnessed the scene as well.
#### *A Dangerous Path*

Fireheart addresses the other Clans at a Gathering, mentioning the fire that had destroyed ThunderClan's camp. He states that they honor Yellowfang, who had gone back to rescue Halftail and had perished as a result. Both Cinderpelt and Fireheart find themselves thinking of the old gray she-cat often, missing her and wishing she was still there to guide them. Later, Fireheart dreams, and while he does he scents Spottedleaf with another cat. Though he is unable to figure out the other cat, he thinks of them as Yellowfang as he faintly hears her purr.
#### *The Darkest Hour*

Yellowfang grants Fireheart one of his nine lives at his leadership ceremony. She gives him a life of compassion, guiding him to use it well for the elders of his Clan and those sick and weaker than himself. As Fireheart receives it, he finds himself feeling closer than ever to her.
She later reappears after Firestar loses the first of his nine lives to Scourge, BloodClan's leader. Yellowfang and the other cats that had granted the ginger tom his lives, and Whitestorm, gather around him and fight by his side as he unleashes his final attack on the Twolegplace rogue.