CHAPTER12
Fireheart lifted his head, about tospeak, but Cinderpaw beat him to it.
“It’s my fault, Tigerclaw.” She stared boldly up at the great tabby. “We were hunting on the frozen stream by the training hollow, on the bend by the deep pool. Even that bit was frozen. I slipped and Graystripe came to help me, but the ice wasn’t thick enough for him and it cracked and he fell into the water.” Tigerclaw looked into her clear, bright eyes as she added, “It really is deep there. Fireheart had to pull him out.”
Fireheart cringed, remembering how he had stood motionless with terror at the sight of Graystripe disappearing into the river.
Tigerclaw nodded and looked at Graystripe. “You’d better get yourself to Yellowfang before you freeze to death.” The ThunderClan deputy stood up and stalked away, and Fireheart breathed a sigh of relief.
Graystripe didn’t hesitate. The long run home hadn’t stopped his teeth from chattering2. He bounded away to Yellowfang’s den3. Brackenpaw glanced at Cinderpaw and padded off to his nest, his tail drooping4 with exhaustion5.
Fireheart looked at Cinderpaw. “Aren’t you even a bit frightened by Tigerclaw?” he asked curiously6.
Of course, why shouldn’t she?Fireheart thought. “You lie very well,” he growled8 sternly, trying his best to act like a mentor9.
“Well, I try not to,” mewed Cinderpaw. “I just thought the truth wouldn’t be very helpful here.”
Fireheart had to admit she had a point. He shook his head slowly. “Go and get warm.”
“Yes, Fireheart!” Cinderpaw dipped her head and charged after Brackenpaw.
Fireheart padded over to the warriors10’ den. He was worried at how easily the story about Graystripe’s soaking had tumbled from Cinderpaw’s mouth. But he also believed she was a well-meaning and honest cat. He thought of Ravenpaw, another good cat. Had the story he’d told about Tigerclaw killing11 Redtail simply been just that—a story that tumbled from his mouth in the heat of the moment? Fireheart shook the thought away. Ravenpaw had been terrified when he spoke12 to Fireheart. He obviously believed his own story. Why else would he have been frightened enough to leave the Clan1?
Fireheart chose a few pieces of fresh-kill and carried them over to the nettle13 clump14. He settled himself beside it and began to gnaw15 thoughtfully on a mouse. The admiration16 in Cinderpaw’s voice when she had spoken of Tigerclaw worried him. It seemed as though he alone suspected there was more to the ThunderClan deputy than met the eye. Bluestar’s attitude toward Tigerclaw certainly hadn’t changed. She had been treating him with the same trust and respect that she had always shown him. With a flash of frustration17, Fireheart ripped another mouthful from his meal.
A loud sneeze made him look up. Graystripe was heading toward him.
“How are you?” Fireheart asked as Graystripe arrived, smelling of one of Yellowfang’s herb concoctions18.
Graystripe sat down heavily and coughed.
“I’ve saved you some food,” Fireheart meowed, pushing a plump thrush and a vole toward his friend.
“Yellowfang says I have to stay in camp. She says I have a chill,” Graystripe meowed thickly.
“I’m not surprised. What did she dose you with?”
“Feverfew and lavender.” Graystripe lay down and began to nibble19 at the thrush. “This’ll be enough for me,” he mumbled20. “I’m not very hungry.”
Fireheart looked at his friend in amazement21. That wasn’t something he had ever thought he’d hear Graystripe say. “You sure?” he asked. “There’s plenty here.”
Graystripe stared down at the thrush and didn’t reply.
“Are you sure?” Fireheart repeated.
“What?” Graystripe turned his faraway gaze on Fireheart. “Uh, yeah,” he meowed.
He must have a fever, Fireheart decided22, shaking his head. Oh, well, at least he was still here, thanks to that RiverClan cat.
A few days later Fireheart woke to find the first fog of leaf-bare filling the den. When he crept outside, he could barely see the other side of the clearing. He heard pawsteps hurrying toward him, and Mousefur appeared out of the gloom.
“Tigerclaw wants to see you,” she meowed.
“Right, thanks,” answered Fireheart. Alarm shot through him. He’d slipped away to visit Princess yesterday. Had Tigerclaw noticed?
“What was that?” Graystripe’s voice wheezed23 behind him. He sat down beside Fireheart, sneezed, and yawned.
“Tigerclaw wants to see me.” Fireheart looked at his friend. “You should be asleep.” He was beginning to worry about Graystripe. He ought to have recovered by now. “Did you rest up yesterday?” he asked.
“As much as I could between coughing and sneezing,” complained Graystripe.
“Then why weren’t you in your nest when I got back from”—Fireheart hesitated, remembering he’d spent the afternoon talking with Princess—“training?”
“Do you think I get any peace and quiet in there?” Graystripe flicked24 his head back at the den. “Warriors trooping in and out all day! I found somewhere quieter, that’s all.”
Fireheart was about to ask where, but Graystripe spoke first. “I wonder what Tigerclaw wants?”
Fireheart’s paws prickled. “I’d better go and find out.”
He could just see the shapes of Tigerclaw and Whitestorm through the mist, sitting below the Highrock. As Fireheart padded over to them, they stopped talking and Tigerclaw turned to him. “It’s time Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw were assessed,” he growled.
“Already?” Fireheart meowed in surprise. The apprentices25 had not been training long.
“Bluestar wants to see how their training is progressing. Especially with Graystripe being too ill to train Brackenpaw. If Brackenpaw is falling behind, she needs to know so she can appoint another mentor for him.”
Fireheart’s tail twitched27 with annoyance28. Surely Graystripe would recover soon. It would be unfair to entrust29 his first apprentice26 to someone else. “I’ve been taking Brackenpaw out with me and Cinderpaw every day,” he meowed quickly.
Tigerclaw glanced at Whitestorm and nodded. “Yes, but this is your first time as a mentor. It’s a lot for you to take on, and ThunderClan needs well-trained warriors.”
I know, and I’m just a kittypet, not a Clanborn warrior, Fireheart thought bitterly. He looked down at his paws, stinging with resentment30. No one had asked him to take on Brackenpaw, and he’d been putting in a lot of effort with both apprentices.
Tigerclaw went on. “Send Brackenpaw and Cinderpaw on a hunting mission through Tallpines, as far as Twolegplace. Keep an eye on them, watch them hunt, and report to me. I’ll be interested to see how much fresh-kill they add to the pile.”
Whitestorm added, “If Cinderpaw’s skills match her enthusiasm, there should be plenty to eat tonight. I hear she is a keen apprentice.”
“Yes, she is,” Fireheart agreed, though he was barely listening. Tigerclaw’s words had set his heart racing31. Why was Tigerclaw sending him to Twolegplace again?His own hunting assessment32 had been held over exactly the same route, and Tigerclaw had seen him sharing words with an old kittypet friend; he’d reported it to Bluestar and she had questioned Fireheart’s loyalty33 to the Clan. Fireheart felt the fur along his spine34 begin to prickle. Was this Tigerclaw’s way of warning him that he had been spotted35 talking to Princess?
Fireheart twisted his head and gave his back a quick lick, brushing his bristling36 hairs flat with his tongue. He sat up straight again and calmly suggested, “The Sunningrocks would be an equally good place to test their skills. The sun there might have burned away some of this mist, too.”
“No,” growled Tigerclaw. “The dawn patrol reported scenting37 RiverClan at Sunningrocks. They may have started hunting there again.” Anger flared39 in his eyes, and his lip curled to reveal sharp teeth. “They will need to be warned off before we do any more training there. For now, Tallpines would be much safer for the assessment.”
Whitestorm nodded in agreement while Fireheart’s ears twitched uncomfortably at this news. RiverClan at Sunningrocks! It was lucky they hadn’t been spotted by enemy patrols when Graystripe fell into the river.
“As for the fog,” Tigerclaw continued smoothly40, “hunting in difficult conditions will make the test more interesting.”
“Yes, Tigerclaw,” meowed Fireheart, ducking his head respectfully to the two warriors. “I’ll tell Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw. We’ll get started right away.”
When Fireheart explained the assessment to the apprentices, Cinderpaw flicked up her tail and ran in an excited circle. “An assessment! Do you think we’re ready?”
“Of course,” Fireheart meowed, hiding his doubts. “You’ve been working hard and learning quickly.”
“But won’t the fog make hunting difficult?” asked Brackenpaw.
Fireheart replied, “There are advantages to the stillness of the air.”
Brackenpaw looked thoughtful, then his eyes began to shine and he mewed, “It’ll be harder to sniff41 out prey42, but it’ll also make it harder for the prey to smell us.”
“Exactly,” Fireheart agreed.
“Shall we go now?” Cinderpaw asked.
“As soon as you like,” answered Fireheart. “But take your time; it’s not a race. . . .” His words were wasted on Cinderpaw, who was already charging toward the camp entrance. “You’ve got till sunset,” he called after her. Brackenpaw glanced at Fireheart and turned to follow his sister with a small sigh.
Fireheart tracked the two apprentices through the Tallpines. The springy layer of pine needles underpaw felt strangely soft after the frozen ground in the rest of the forest. He followed Cinderpaw’s trail until he could see her stalking eagerly through the forest. Then he picked up Brackenpaw’s scent38 and followed that. The trails crossed here and there. Fireheart could smell where the apprentices had run fast, where they had sat down, even where they had lingered together at one point.
Before long Fireheart found a spot where Cinderpaw had made a kill. She had taken it with her—as he followed her trail, he could smell the scent of her catch mingling43 with her own. Then he discovered where Brackenpaw had caught a thrush. The feathers were scattered44 everywhere. The apprentices were hunting well. Fireheart knew this for sure when he detected a scent thick with fresh-kill. He dug down among the needles at the roots of a pine. There was a stash45 of prey hidden underneath46 it, left by Cinderpaw to pick up later. Fireheart felt a small glow of pride at her work. She had caught plenty, and now she was heading for the oak woods behind the Twolegplace.
Fireheart followed. Just beyond the edge of the pine forest, he picked up Brackenpaw’s scent. It was strong, which meant the apprentice was nearby. Fireheart crept forward and peered around a young oak. The apprentice was crouching47 beneath a tangle48 of brambles, well disguised among its shadows. Fireheart could just see his tail moving as it twitched from side to side.
Brackenpaw had his eyes fixed49 on a wood mouse that was scrambling50 around the roots of a tree. Brackenpaw was taking his time. Good, thought Fireheart. He watched Brackenpaw draw himself forward, one step at a time. The leaves beneath his paws hardly made a sound. He was as quiet as the mouse itself, which continued to hunt for food, suspecting nothing. Fireheart watched breathlessly, remembering his first hunting mission.
Brackenpaw closed in. The soft rustle51 of his paws on leaves melted into the background sounds of the forest. Fireheart found himself willing the apprentice on. Brackenpaw was only a rabbit-length away from the mouse now, his body pressed flat against the forest floor. The mouse scampered52 onto a root and looked around. It froze. Something was wrong.
Now!thought Fireheart. Brackenpaw sprang and landed on the mouse, grasping it in his front paws. The mouse didn’t have time to struggle. It was over in a single bite.
Brackenpaw raised his head. Fireheart saw the satisfied expression on the young cat’s face as he breathed the scent of his fresh-kill. Then Brackenpaw darted53 away between the trees. Fireheart realized he was looking forward to reporting back to Tigerclaw about his apprentices.
“How are we doing?” asked Cinderpaw, looking up at him with her head to one side.
“You’re not meant to ask that!” Fireheart spat55, and licked his ruffled56 fur. “You’re not supposed to speak to me at all. I’m assessing you, remember?”
“Oh!” mewed Cinderpaw. “Sorry.”
Fireheart sighed. He would never have dared to approach Tigerclaw during his own assessment. He didn’t want to scare Cinderpaw into obedience57, as Tigerclaw had done with Ravenpaw, but he wouldn’t mind a little respect every now and then. Sometimes he didn’t feel like Cinderpaw’s mentor at all.
Cinderpaw looked at the ground for a moment, then glanced up at him, a puzzled expression on her face. “Were you really born over there, in Twolegplace?”
The question caught Fireheart off guard. He glanced nervously58 in the direction of the Twoleg fence, praying that the strange scents59 of Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw would keep Princess inside her own garden today. “Why d’you ask?” he mewed, stalling.
“Tigerclaw mentioned it, that’s all,” answered Cinderpaw. She seemed genuinely curious, but Fireheart felt a dark quiver of menace at the mention of Tigerclaw’s name. What else had Tigerclaw been telling Cinderpaw about him?
“I was born a kittypet,” Fireheart meowed firmly. “But I’m a warrior now. My life is with the Clan. My old life wasn’t bad, but it’s over, and I’m glad.”
“Oh, okay,” mewed Cinderpaw, sounding unconcerned. “See you later!” She spun around and charged off into the trees.
Fireheart stood alone in the woods, his heart thudding as he stared at the Twoleg fence. A moon ago, his words to Cinderpaw about being glad his old life was over would have been utterly60 true. Now he was not so sure. His fur tingled61 with the knowledge that some of his happiest moments recently had been spent sharing memories with his gentle kittypet sister.
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1
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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nettle
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| n.荨麻；v.烦忧，激恼 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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gnaw
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| v.不断地啃、咬；使苦恼，折磨 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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concoctions
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| n.编造，捏造，混合物( concoction的名词复数 ) | |
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nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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wheezed
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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24
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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25
apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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entrust
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| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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assessment
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| n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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scenting
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| vt.闻到（scent的现在分词形式） | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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39
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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40
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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41
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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42
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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43
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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44
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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45
stash
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| v.藏或贮存于一秘密处所；n.隐藏处 | |
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46
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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47
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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48
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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49
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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50
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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51
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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52
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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56
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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59
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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61
tingled
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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