CHAPTER 9
As her Clan1 stared at herin horror, Bluestar spun2 around and stalked away to her den3. Fireheart took a pace after her, but without turning her head she snapped, “Leave me alone!” There was so much venom4 in her voice that Fireheart stopped in his tracks.
What am I supposed to do now? he asked himself. He could see that the Clan was on the edge of panic. The shock of the hawk5’s attack, and Bluestar’s interpretation6 of it, was turning them into frightened kits7. His own legs were shaking, but he pushed his fears away and sprang onto the Highrock.
“Listen!” he called. “Gather ’round, all of you.”
Gradually the cats obeyed him, creeping into a huddle9 at the base of the rock. Several of them glanced fearfully up at the sky, as if they expected the hawk to return. Fireheart noticed Fernpaw pressing close to Dustpelt, and Longtail crouched10 on the ground as if he thought StarClan were going to start raining fire on them there and then.
And then Fireheart spotted11 Cloudpaw. The apprentice12 was gazing around in bewilderment. “What’s all the fuss about?” he meowed to Brightpaw. “Every cat knows StarClan is just a tale for kits. They can’t really do anything to us.”
Brightpaw faced him with shock in her eyes. “Cloudpaw, that’s not true!” she exclaimed.
“Come on!” Cloudpaw gave her an affectionate flick13 with his tail. “You don’t really believe that load of thistledown, do you?” He showed his indifference14 by sitting down and giving his paws a thorough wash.
Fireheart stared down at his apprentice with cold dread15 chilling the blood in his veins16. He had known for a long time that Cloudpaw had no respect for the warrior17 code, but he had not realized that his apprentice did not believe in StarClan at all.
On the other side of the clearing, Cinderpelt and Brindleface were gently guiding Speckletail in the direction of Cinderpelt’s den. Cinderpelt stopped, mewed something rapidly to Brindleface, and came limping back toward the rock.
“I think you might need me, Fireheart,” she mewed. “But make it quick. I have to take care of Speckletail.”
Fireheart nodded. “Cats of ThunderClan,” he began, raising his voice, “we’ve just seen something terrible. No cat can deny that. But we have to be careful about what meaning we give to this tragedy. Cinderpelt, is Bluestar right? Does this mean that StarClan have abandoned us?”
Cinderpelt spoke18 up clearly from where she sat at the base of the rock. “No,” she meowed. “StarClan haven’t shown me anything to suggest this. The camp is more exposed since the fire, so it’s not surprising that the hawk could see its prey19.”
“So it was just an accident that we lost Snowkit?” Fireheart prompted.
“Just an accident,” Cinderpelt repeated. “Nothing to do with StarClan.”
Fireheart saw the Clan begin to relax and realized that Cinderpelt’s certainty had reassured20 them. The cats still looked shocked and grief-stricken that Snowkit had been snatched away, but the wild stares of panic were fading.
But along with his relief came the worry that once the Clan had recovered from their shock, they would start asking themselves why Bluestar had gone so far as to declare war on their warrior ancestors in StarClan. “Thank you, Cinderpelt,” Fireheart meowed.
Fireheart took a step forward on top of the rock and gazed down at the upturned faces. “There’s something else I need to tell you,” he began. He wasn’t at all sure he should be saying this, since Bluestar insisted that WindClan was responsible for the dead rabbits, but with the safety of the Clan at stake he couldn’t keep silent. “We think there’s a loose dog on ThunderClan territory. We haven’t seen it, but we’ve scented22 it at Snakerocks and near Fourtrees.”
An anxious murmur23 rose from the cats, and Sandstorm called out, “What about the dogs at the farm beyond WindClan territory? Maybe it’s one of those.”
“Maybe,” Fireheart agreed, remembering how the savage24 creatures had chased him and Sandstorm while they were searching for Cloudpaw. “Until it goes away again,” he went on, “we all have to be especially careful. Apprentices25 mustn’t go out without a warrior. And all cats who leave camp have an extra duty. Look for traces of this dog—scent, pawmarks, scattered26 scraps27 of prey….”
“Right,” meowed Fireheart. “If you come across anything like that, report it to me right away. We need to find out where the dog has made its den.”
As he gave his orders he did his best to hide his growing sense of dread. He could not stifle30 the feeling that the forest was watching him, concealing31 a deadly enemy somewhere among the trees. At least the threat from Tigerstar was a straightforward32 fear of attack from a known enemy. This hidden dog was another matter, unseen and unpredictable.
Dismissing the Clan, Fireheart leaped down from the Highrock and made his way toward Cinderpelt’s den. On the way, he spotted Brackenfur limping back into the camp with Swiftpaw just behind him. The ginger33 warrior’s fur was torn where he had forced his way through briers and undergrowth in his pursuit of the hawk. One look at his lowered head and dejected expression told Fireheart all he needed to know, but he waited for Brackenfur to come up and make his report.
“I’m sorry, Fireheart. We tried to keep up, but we lost it.”
“You did your best,” Fireheart replied, pressing his head against the younger warrior’s shoulder. “There was never much hope.”
“A waste of time and effort right from the start,” Swiftpaw growled34, though his eyes betrayed his frustration35 at their failure to save the kit8.
“Where’s Speckletail?” asked Brackenfur.
“With Cinderpelt. I’m just going to check on her. You two help yourself to fresh-kill and then get some rest.”
He waited to see that the two cats obeyed his order before continuing to Cinderpelt’s den. Sandstorm fell into step beside him. When they reached the clearing outside the medicine cat’s den, they found Speckletail lying there with Brindleface crouched beside her, licking her gently.
Cinderpelt emerged from the cleft36 in the rock carrying a folded leaf in her mouth, which she set down on the ground in front of Speckletail. “Poppy seeds,” she mewed. “Eat them, Speckletail, and they’ll make you sleep.”
At first Fireheart thought Speckletail had not heard her; then she half sat up, turned her head, and slowly licked up the poppy seeds from the leaf.
“I’ll never have any more kits,” she mewed, her voice hoarse37. “I’ll be going to join the elders now.”
“And they’ll welcome you,” Sandstorm murmured, crouching38 beside the older cat as the poppy seeds took effect and her head gradually lowered into sleep. Fireheart glanced admiringly at Sandstorm; she was a skilled warrior, and he had reason to know the sharpness of her tongue, but she had a gentle side too.
He was roused from his thoughts when he heard Cinderpelt clearing her throat, and he saw that the medicine cat had padded over to sit beside him. From the look she was giving him he realized that she must have spoken to him and was waiting for a response.
“Sorry—what?” he mewed.
“Ifyou’re not too busy to listen,” Cinderpelt meowed dryly, “I said that I’ll keep Speckletail with me overnight.”
“Good idea, thanks.” Fireheart remembered that Cinderpelt had been with Speckletail when he had been telling the Clan about the loose dog. “There’s something else you need to know, and I’d like you to have another look at Bluestar.”
“Oh? What’s the matter with her?”
Speaking softly so that Sandstorm did not hear him, Fireheart told Cinderpelt about the evidence that a dog was loose in the forest, and how Bluestar was convinced that it must be WindClan invading ThunderClan territory to steal prey. “She’s so confused,” he finished. “She must be, to declare war on StarClan like that. And there’s a Gathering39 in a few nights. What’s going to happen if she starts accusing WindClan in front of the other cats?”
“Now wait a minute,” Cinderpelt meowed. “This is your Clan leader you’re talking about. You should respect her opinions even if you don’t agree with them.”
“This isn’t just a disagreement!” Fireheart protested. “There isn’t a scrap28 of proof for what she suggests.” His raised voice made Sandstorm prick40 up her ears as she lay beside Speckletail, and he lowered it again as he added, “Bluestar was a great leader. Every cat knows that. But now…I can’t trust her judgment41, Cinderpelt. Not when she isn’t making any sense.”
“You should still try to understand her. Show her a bit of sympathy, at least. She deserves that from every cat.”
For a few heartbeats Fireheart felt outrage42 that Cinderpelt, who had once been his apprentice, should be talking to him like this. It wasn’t Cinderpelt who had to defend Bluestar’s decisions and try to hide her confusion so that her own Clan still trusted her. Not to mention making excuses for her to all the other Clans43 so that no cat would guess the weakness at ThunderClan’s heart.
“Do you think I haven’t tried?” he snapped. “If I’m any more sympathetic, my fur will fall out!”
“Your fur looks fine to me,” Cinderpelt remarked.
“Look…” Fireheart made one last effort to suppress his annoyance44. “Bluestar missed the last Gathering. If she doesn’t go to the next one, every cat in the forest will know something’s wrong. Can’t you give her something to make her a bit more reasonable?”
“I’ll try. But there’s a limit to what my herbs can do. She’s gotten over the effects of the fire, you know. This trouble started long before that, when she first found out about Tigerstar. She’s old and tired, and she thinks she’s losing everything she believed in, even StarClan.”
“Especially StarClan,” Fireheart agreed. “And if she—”
He broke off, realizing that Sandstorm had left Speckletail and was walking toward him. “Finished talking secrets?” she mewed with an edge to her voice. Flicking45 her tail toward Speckletail, she added, “She’s asleep. I’ll leave her to you, Cinderpelt.”
“Thanks for your help, Sandstorm.”
Both she-cats were being very polite to each other, but somehow Fireheart felt it wouldn’t take much for them to unsheathe their claws. He wondered why, then decided46 he didn’t have time to worry about petty squabbles.
“We’ll go and eat, then,” he meowed.
She gave him a nudge, propelling him toward the main clearing. Before he had taken more than a couple of paces, Cinderpelt called after him, “Send some fresh-kill for me and Speckletail. If you’ve got time, that is.”
“Of course I’ve got time.” Fireheart felt completely baffled by the tension that had chilled the air. “I’ll see to it right away.”
“Good.” Cinderpelt gave him a curt48 nod, and Fireheart felt her blue gaze trained on his back all the way across the clearing.
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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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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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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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venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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kits
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| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
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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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huddle
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| vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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flick
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| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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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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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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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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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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scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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ginger
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| n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气 | |
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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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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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45
flicking
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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