CHAPTER 27
By late afternoon the lingering smellof smoke had been replaced by the stench of wet ash, but Fireheart relished2 its bitter odor.
“The fire must be out by now,” he meowed to Graystripe, who was sheltering beside him beneath a clump3 of reeds. “We could go back and see if it’s safe for the Clan4 to return.”
“And look for Yellowfang and Halftail,” Graystripe murmured
Fireheart had known that his old friend would guess why he really wanted to go back to the camp. He blinked at the gray warrior5, grateful for his understanding.
“I’ll have to ask Crookedstar if I can come,” Graystripe added. The words came as a shock to Fireheart. He had almost forgotten that Graystripe belonged to another Clan now.
“I’ll be back soon,” called the gray warrior, already bounding away.
Fireheart gazed across the clearing to where Bluestar was huddled6 next to Whitestorm, as if the white warrior were the only barrier between her troubled mind and the horrific fate that had befallen her Clan. Fireheart wondered if he should tell her where he was going. He decided7 not to. For the moment he would act alone and rely on his Clan to shield their leader’s weakened state from the curious RiverClan cats.
“Fireheart.” Cloudpaw was heading toward him. “Do you think the fire is out?”
“Graystripe and I are going to check,” Fireheart told him.
“Can I come?”
Fireheart shook his head. He didn’t know what they would find at the ThunderClan camp. Uncomfortably he also realized that he was afraid Cloudpaw would take one look at his ruined forest home and be tempted8 back into the cozy9 life of a kittypet.
“I’d do everything you told me,” Cloudpaw promised earnestly.
“Then stay and help take care of your Clan,” Fireheart meowed. “Whitestorm needs you here.”
Cloudpaw hid his disappointment by lowering his head. “Yes, Fireheart,” he mewed.
“Tell Whitestorm where I’m going,” Fireheart added. “I’ll be back by moonrise.”
“Okay.”
Fireheart watched the white apprentice11 pad back toward the other cats, praying that Cloudpaw would follow his orders for once and stay in the RiverClan camp.
Graystripe returned with Crookedstar at his side. The pale tabby’s amber12 eyes were narrowed inquiringly. “Graystripe tells me that he wants to travel with you to your camp,” he meowed. “Can’t you take one of your own warriors13?”
“We lost two Clanmates in the fire,” Fireheart explained, getting to his paws. “I don’t want to find them by myself.”
The RiverClan leader seemed to understand. “If they have not survived, you’ll need the comfort of an old friend,” he meowed gently. “Graystripe may go with you.”
“Thank you, Crookedstar,” replied Fireheart, dipping his head.
Graystripe led the way to the river. On the other side of the swiftly flowing water, the forest was blackened and charred14. The tallest trees had managed to retain a few of their leaves, which fluttered bravely at the tips of their highest branches. But it was a small victory when the rest of their branches were black and stripped bare. StarClan may have sent the storm to put out the fire, but it had come too late to save the forest.
Graystripe slipped into the river without speaking and swam across. Fireheart followed him, struggling to keep up with his strongly paddling friend. As they climbed onto the bank at the other side, the two cats could only stare in horror at the remains15 of their beloved woodland.
“Seeing this place from across the river was the only comfort I had,” murmured Graystripe.
Fireheart glanced at his friend with a pang16 of sympathy. It sounded as if Graystripe were even more homesick than he had thought. But he didn’t have a chance to ask any questions before Graystripe charged up the shore toward the ThunderClan border. The gray warrior crossed it eagerly, pausing to add his own scent17 mark. Fireheart couldn’t help wondering if his old friend was thinking of RiverClan boundaries—or ThunderClan.
Despite the devastation18 Graystripe seemed to relish1 being back in his old territory. As Fireheart pushed on to the camp, Graystripe wove back and forth19 behind him, sniffing20 intently before catching21 up with his friend. Fireheart was amazed that he could recognize anything. The forest was changed beyond belief, the undergrowth burned away, the air empty of the scent or sound of prey22. The ground felt sticky underpaw where rain and ash had mingled23 to make black, acrid-smelling mud that clung to their fur. Fireheart shivered as raindrops splashed onto his wet pelt24. The sound of a single, brave bird singing in the distance made his heart ache for everything that had been lost.
At last they reached the top of the ravine. The camp was clearly visible, stripped of its protective canopy25, the hard earth gleaming like black stone in the rain. Only the Highrock was unchanged by the fire, apart from a slick of sticky black ash.
Fireheart rushed down the slope, sending grit26 and ash crumbling27 ahead of him. The tree where he had saved Goldenflower’s kit10 was nothing but a heap of charred sticks now, and he leaped over them easily. He searched for the gorse tunnel that had once led to the clearing, but only a tangle29 of blackened stems remained. He picked his way through and hurried into the smoke-stained clearing.
As he stared around, his heart pounding, he felt Graystripe nudge him. He followed the gray warrior’s gaze to where Halftail’s scorched30 body lay at what used to be the entrance to Yellowfang’s fern tunnel. The medicine cat must have tried to get the unconscious elder back into the safety of the camp, hoping perhaps that the cracked rock where she had made her den28 would protect them from the flames.
Fireheart started toward the burned shape, but Graystripe meowed, “I’ll bury Halftail. You look for Yellowfang.” He picked up the limp brown body and started to drag it out of the camp toward the burial place.
Fireheart watched him go, his heart frozen with dread31. He knew this was why he had come back to the camp, but his legs suddenly felt too weak to move. He forced himself to walk over to the burned stumps32 that lined the path to Yellowfang’s clearing. There was no sheltering green tunnel now. The medicine cat’s home was open to the sky, and the only sound was the relentless33 patter of raindrops on the slimy ground.
The rock where the medicine cat had made her den was black with soot35, but, mingled with the smell of ash, Fireheart detected the familiar scent of the old medicine cat. “Yellowfang?” he called again.
A low, rasping mew answered him from inside the rock. She was alive! Shaking with relief, Fireheart squeezed into the shadowy cave.
There was barely light enough to see. Fireheart had never been in here before, and he paused for a moment, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. At the foot of one wall was a row of herbs and berries, stained by smoke but unburned. Then he glimpsed a pair of eyes shining at him from the far end of the narrow cavern36.
“Yellowfang!” Fireheart rushed to the medicine cat’s side. She lay with her legs crumpled37 beneath her, soot-covered and wheezing38, too weak to move. She could barely hold his gaze, and when she spoke39 her voice was breathless and feeble.
“I shouldn’t have left you here.” Fireheart pressed his muzzle41 against her matted fur. “I’m so sorry.”
“Did you save Patchpelt?”
Fireheart shook his head hopelessly. “He had breathed in too much smoke.”
“Halftail too,” rasped Yellowfang.
Fireheart saw her eyelids42 quiver and begin to close, and he meowed desperately43, “But we saved Goldenflower’s kit!”
“Which one was it?” Yellowfang murmured.
“Bramblekit.” He watched as Yellowfang closed her eyes briefly44, and his blood ran cold. Now Yellowfang knew that he had risked her life to save Tigerclaw’s. Had StarClan shared something with her, something she feared enough to wish the kit had not survived?
“You’re a brave warrior, Fireheart.” Yellowfang suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared fiercely at him. “I could not be prouder of you if you were my own son. And StarClan knows how many times I have wished that you were, instead of”—she drew a shallow, grating breath, and Fireheart knew every word stuck thorn-sharp in her throat—“Brokentail.”
Fireheart flinched45 as the old medicine cat revealed her terrible secret: that ShadowClan’s brutal46 leader had been her son, given up at birth because medicine cats were not allowed to have children. Who knew what agonies Yellowfang had endured as she watched her son kill his own father to become leader, and then destroy her Clan with his bloodthirsty ambitions?
And how could Fireheart tell her that he already knew this? That he had understood that the reason she had wanted to give Brokentail sanctuary47 in her adopted Clan was because she wanted one last chance to take care of the son she had given up? He leaned forward and licked her ears, hoping to soothe48 her, but she went on.
“I killed him. I poisoned him. I wanted him to die.” Her rasping admission collapsed49 into painful coughing.
“Hush. Save your strength,” Fireheart urged. He knew this, too. He had watched, hidden, as she fed Brokentail the poisonous berries after the traitorous50 cat helped Tigerclaw’s rogues51 attack ThunderClan. He had witnessed the cruel warrior die at his mother’s paws, and he had heard Yellowfang give away her real relationship with the heartless tom. “Let me fetch you some water,” he offered.
But Yellowfang shook her head slowly. “Water’s no use to me now,” she croaked. “I want to tell you everything before I—”
“You’re not going to die!” Fireheart gasped52, feeling a shard53 of ice pierce his heart. “Tell me what I can do to help you.”
“Don’t waste your time.” Yellowfang coughed angrily. “I’m going to die whatever you do, but I’m not afraid. Just listen to me.”
Fireheart wanted to beg her to be silent, to save her breath so that she could live a few moments longer, but he respected her enough to obey her even now.
“I wish you’d been my son, but I could not have borne a cat like you. StarClan gave me Brokentail to teach me a lesson.”
“What did you need to learn?” Fireheart protested. “You are as wise as Bluestar herself.”
“I killed my own son.”
“He deserved it!”
“But I was his mother,” whispered Yellowfang. “StarClan may judge me how they will. I am ready.”
Unable to answer, Fireheart dipped his head and began frantically54 licking her fur, as if his love for this old she-cat were enough to hold her in the forest for a while longer.
“Fireheart,” Yellowfang murmured.
Fireheart paused. “Yes?”
“Thank you for bringing me to ThunderClan. Tell Bluestar I have always been grateful for the home she gave me. This is a good place to die. I only regret that I will miss watching you become what StarClan has destined55 you to be.” The old medicine cat’s voice trailed away, and her flanks heaved with the effort of sucking air into her smoke-scorched lungs.
“Yellowfang,” Fireheart pleaded. “Don’t die!”
Her painful breathing clawed at his heart, and he realized there was nothing he could do. “Don’t be afraid of StarClan.
They will understand about Brokentail,” he promised wretchedly. “You will be honored by our warrior ancestors for your loyalty56 to your Clanmates and for your endless courage. So many cats owe their lives to you. Cinderpelt would have died after her accident if you had not tended to her. And when there was greencough, you fought day and night….”
Fireheart could not stop the words from tumbling out even though he knew the old medicine cat’s breathing had faded into everlasting57 silence. Yellowfang was dead.
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1
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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relished
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| v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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3
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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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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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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cozy
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| adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的 | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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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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14
charred
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| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
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15
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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16
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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17
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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18
devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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19
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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20
sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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21
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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22
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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23
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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24
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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25
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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26
grit
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| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
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27
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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28
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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29
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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30
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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31
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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32
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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33
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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35
soot
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| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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36
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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37
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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38
wheezing
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 )；哮鸣 | |
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39
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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40
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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41
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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42
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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43
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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44
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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45
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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47
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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48
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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49
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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50
traitorous
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| adj. 叛国的, 不忠的, 背信弃义的 | |
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51
rogues
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| n.流氓( rogue的名词复数 )；无赖；调皮捣蛋的人；离群的野兽 | |
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52
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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53
shard
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| n.（陶瓷器、瓦等的）破片，碎片 | |
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54
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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55
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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56
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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57
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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