Leafpaw shifted uneasily in a poolof moonlight and listened to the soft sighing of the wind in the oaks at Fourtrees. She and Cinderpelt were on their way to meet with the other medicine cats at Mothermouth, and already the half-moon was high in the sky.
“They’re late,” Cinderpelt meowed. “We’re wasting moonlight.”
Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, settled himself more comfortably in a hollow in the grass. “They’ll be along soon.”
Cinderpelt’s tail-tip twitched3. “We need all the time we have at the Moonstone, especially tonight. We have to find out what we should do about the Twolegs.”
Leafpaw tried to curb4 her own impatience5 with the RiverClan medicine cats, who should have met them long before now. Perhaps sharing tongues with StarClan wasn’t so important to them, when their own territory hadn’t been invaded by the Twoleg monsters. Everything was quiet now; the Twoleg monsters slept at night, but Leafpaw knew they were still there, squatting6 on the scarred ground among the trees they hadn’t destroyed yet. The silence in the forest was unnatural7, without the small sounds of prey8 that always seemed louder at night.
Her belly9 rumbled10 at the thought of prey. Cinderpelt had given her traveling herbs to quell11 her appetite before they set out, but they didn’t help her hunger when she couldn’t remember the last time she had been full-fed. All the Clan2 cats were suffering; lack of food had begun to weaken them so that they couldn’t run as fast and catch what prey there was. With leaf-bare looming12 ever closer, crisping the leaves and sending them spiraling to the ground in the chill breeze, Leafpaw couldn’t see what help StarClan might give.
To her embarrassment13, her belly rumbled again, loud enough for the others to hear. Littlecloud shot her a sympathetic glance.
“Blackstar has sent warriors15 to fetch rats and crow-food from Carrionplace,” he told Cinderpelt. His eyes darkened. “We haven’t had any sickness yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“I hope you remember the herbs and berries I gave you when you were ill,” Cinderpelt meowed.
“I’ve been collecting them. I know I’ll need them soon.”
“And tell your Clan not to touch any crow-food,” Cinderpelt advised. “Fresh rats might be okay, but not carrion16.”
Littlecloud sighed. “I’ve tried, but what can I do when Blackstar gives the orders? Most of our cats are too hungry to care what they’re eating.”
Just then Leafpaw caught sight of Mudfur, the RiverClan medicine cat, and his apprentice17, Mothwing, climbing the slope from the river. She leaped to her paws, delighted to see her friend again, though she could not suppress a pang18 of envy that Mothwing looked so well fed, her long golden fur sleek20 with good health.
“At last!” Cinderpelt growled21 as the two cats came up. “I was beginning to think a fish must have jumped out of the river and swallowed you.”
“Well, we’re here now.” Mudfur hardly paused for greetings, but led the way around the top of the hollow toward the WindClan border.
Cinderpelt and Littlecloud followed, while Leafpaw and Mothwing brought up the rear, side by side.
“I got into trouble about that fishing lesson,” Leafpaw whispered. “I knew I should not have eaten your prey.”
“Your leader’s got no right!” Mothwing meowed indignantly. “We’re medicine cats.”
“Still, we shouldn’t have done it,” Leafpaw replied. “Medicine cats have to stick to the warrior14 code as much as any cat.”
Mothwing just snorted. “I think I’m getting on really well,” she mewed after a moment. “Mudfur taught me the herbs to use for greencough and blackcough, and the best way to get thorns out of pads. He said he’d never seen a cat do it so neatly22.”
“That’s great!” Leafpaw purred. She didn’t mind her friend boasting because she knew how insecure Mothwing felt. Because she was the daughter of a rogue23, many of her own Clan thought that she should never have been allowed to train as a medicine cat. Mothwing was desperate to prove them wrong.
As they approached the WindClan border, Leafpaw felt a twinge of nervousness. It was not long since the confrontation24 with WindClan, and she knew that their warriors would still be hostile. They seemed determined25 to keep their starvation a secret, even though it was horribly obvious from their scrawny frames and dull eyes. Would they be desperate enough to attack medicine cats if they found them on their territory? She said nothing; Firestar would be furious if she gossiped with Mothwing about that fateful encounter.
None of the medicine cats paused as they crossed the border. They hurried on, their pace set by Cinderpelt’s limping gait. Coming to the top of a gentle rise, Leafpaw found herself looking down on the worst scene yet of Twoleg devastation26. The scar on WindClan’s territory was much longer and wider now than when she and Sorreltail had first seen it. A couple of Twoleg monsters squatted27 there, moonlight glinting off their shiny pelts28. If a hill got in their way they just gorged29 a path through it, leaving earth piled high on either side. Were they going to devour30 the whole moor31?
Shuddering32, Leafpaw bounded on behind her mentor33. Not far from the WindClan camp, Barkface, the WindClan medicine cat, emerged from behind a gorse bush. Even though Leafpaw had been prepared for him to look hungry, it was a shock to see how thin he was—barely more than a walking skeleton covered by his ragged34 pelt1.
Cinderpelt went up and touched noses with him sympathetically. “StarClan be with you, Barkface,” she mewed.
“And with all my Clan.” Barkface heaved a great sigh. “Sometimes I think StarClan wants every one of us to join them, and not even a kit35 left to keep the warrior code alive.”
“Perhaps they will show us what to do when we share dreams at the Moonstone,” Cinderpelt tried to encourage him.
“It’s getting worse for WindClan.” Mothwing’s amber36 eyes were wide as she murmured the words to Leafpaw. “They’ve been stealing fish from the river again, you know. Hawkfrost caught a couple of them, and chased them off.”
“They have to find prey somewhere.” Leafpaw knew that what the WindClan warriors were doing was wrong, but she couldn’t blame them. Not when the river was full of fish, enough to feed all the Clans37. Fleetingly38, she realized that Firestar was right—the Twolegs were destroying the forest, but in doing so they were also destroying the invisible boundaries between the Clans as well. Maybe the cats would survive only by joining together after all.
Mothwing paused to scent39 the air. “Hang on, I can smell rabbit—at least, I think it’s rabbit; it smells funny somehow. Yes, look, over there!”
She gestured with her tail at a dip in the moorland where a small stream chattered40 over stones. Lying beside it was a small, brown-furred body.
“It’s dead,” Leafpaw pointed41 out.
Mothwing shrugged42. “So it’s crow-food. I imagine WindClan can’t afford to be too fussy43. Hey, Barkface!” she called. “Look what I found.” She bounded down the slope toward the rabbit.
“Stop!” Barkface commanded. “Don’t touch it!”
Mothwing skidded44 to a halt beside the limp bundle of fur and looked back up the slope. “What’s the matter?”
Barkface padded down to join her, followed by Leafpaw and the other medicine cats. Warily45 he approached the rabbit and sniffed46 it. Leafpaw sniffed too, and recognized the harsh tang she had picked up when she and Sorreltail had visited WindClan territory. Her stomach churned and she swallowed to stop herself from gagging. Whatever had happened to this rabbit, it wasn’t fit for food.
“Yes, I thought so,” Barkface murmured, his eyes clouding. “There’s that scent again. . . .” Facing the other cats, he explained quietly, “Twolegs have done something bad to the rabbits in the territory. They all die. And if cats eat them, they die too. We have lost half our elders and nearly all of our apprentices47.”
There was a horrified48 silence. Compassion49 lanced through Leafpaw. Tallstar had said nothing of this when he confronted Firestar; the proud WindClan leader would rather let other Clans think his cats could not catch prey in their territory, than that their own fresh-kill was killing50 them, one by one.
“And you couldn’t help them?” Mudfur asked.
“Do you think I didn’t try?” Barkface sounded desperate. “I gave them yarrow to make them sick, just as we do for deathberries. Two of the strongest pulled through, but most of them died.” His claws tore up the grass in front of him; his eyes burned with grief and frustration51. “What hope is there for us when even our prey can kill us?”
Cinderpelt limped up to him and pressed her muzzle52 against his side. “Let’s go on,” she murmured. “We’ll ask StarClan for guidance about this as well as everything else.”
“Shouldn’t we bury the rabbit?” Leafpaw suggested as the cats began to climb the slope again. “In case some other cat finds it?”
Barkface shook his head. “There’s no point. No WindClan cat would touch it now.” His lips stretched in a wry53 snarl54. “We know better than to trust fresh-kill from inside our own borders.” Head bowed, tail drooping55, he plodded56 on across the moor toward Highstones.
Leafpaw blinked in the silver light from the Moonstone, letting it soothe57 her until she felt like a fish sinking into deep water. Here in the cavern58, far below Highstones, it was easy to believe that StarClan ruled everything, and the troubles of the world above were too far away to matter. But medicine cats came to the Moonstone only so that they could learn the wisdom of StarClan and take it back to help their Clans. In these dark days, they needed that wisdom more than ever.
The other medicine cats were lying with her around the stone. Mothwing was next to her; the RiverClan cat’s eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed at the shimmering59 crystal surface. Trying to focus her thoughts, Leafpaw pushed away the questions that nagged60 her about Mothwing and her aggressive brother, Hawkfrost. Mothwing had a right to be here; StarClan itself had approved her with a moth’s wing left at the entrance to Mudfur’s den19 before she had finally been accepted as a medicine cat apprentice.
With a quick plea to StarClan for guidance, Leafpaw closed her eyes and pressed her nose against the stone. Cold instantly seized her like a claw, the hard surface of the cave floor vanished from beneath her, and she felt as though she were floating in darkness.
Squirrelpaw! Squirrelpaw, can you hear me?she called silently. She was desperate to make sure that her sister was still alive and safe, and more than that: If the chosen cats had discovered the answer to the trouble that had come upon the forest, then seeking out Squirrelpaw might give her some hope that she could share with the others.
But tonight something seemed to be blocking her thoughts. The silence was broken by the sound of rushing water, loud as thunder, and then the darkness shifted to show her a waterfall, crashing endlessly down into a pool below. Before Leafpaw could properly understand what she was seeing, clouds swirled61 over it. Out of them came a terrible snarling62, and she caught a glimpse of sharp fangs63. She sensed the presence of warrior ancestors and reached out for the comforting presence of StarClan. But she caught only a flickering64 vision of lean, prowling cats, their fur streaked65 with mud and blood. Their eyes glared with desperation, as if they stared at some terrible sight that was hidden from Leafpaw. She thought she cried out to them, but they did not answer, and she was not even sure that they were aware of her.
A wind howled around her, sweeping66 all the visions away, and Leafpaw woke up with a jolt67. She blinked in confusion, staring around the cavern that was dark now except for the faint glitter of Silverpelt. In the dim light she could just make out a cat crouched68 beside her, a beautiful tortoiseshell with a white chest and white paws. The sweet scent of herbs clung about her fur.
For a heartbeat Leafpaw mistook the cat for Sorreltail, until she remembered that her friend was back in the ThunderClan camp. And where were Mothwing and the medicine cats? Leafpaw realized that except for herself and the strange tortoiseshell, the cavern was empty.
The tortoiseshell cat opened her eyes and turned to blink at Leafpaw. “Greetings,” she mewed softly. “Do not be anxious for your sister or your Clan. A time of great trouble has come, but the Clans are strong and have the courage to meet it.”
Leafpaw froze. She had woken up in another dream. Her eyes widened as she realized who the tortoiseshell cat must be. She had heard many stories of the medicine cat who had befriended her father when he first came to ThunderClan, and guided him in dreams on his path to becoming leader.
“Are you . . . are you Spottedleaf?” she meowed.
The tortoiseshell cat bowed her head. “I am. I see that Firestar has told you about me.”
“Yes.” Leafpaw stared curiously69 at the she-cat. “He told me how much you helped him.”
“I loved him as well as any cat,” Spottedleaf purred. “Maybe even more than I should have done, as a medicine cat. If StarClan had not chosen me to walk their path, things might have been different.” Her eyes narrowed with affection. “I never had kits70 of my own, Leafpaw, but I cannot say how happy it makes me that Firestar’s daughter will be following the path of a medicine cat. I know that StarClan has great things in store for you.”
Leafpaw swallowed. “May I ask you something?” she meowed hesitantly.
“Of course.”
“Can you see Squirrelpaw? Is she all right?”
There was a long pause. “I cannot see her,” Spottedleaf replied at last, “but I know where she is. She is safe, and on her way home to you.”
“Why can’t you see her, if you know where she is?” Leafpaw challenged.
Spottedleaf’s gaze shone with gentleness and compassion. “Squirrelpaw is in the paws of different warrior ancestors now.”
“What do you mean?” Leafpaw remembered the fearsome, blood-streaked cats she had sensed when she tried to make contact with Squirrelpaw. In her dream, her eyes flew wide and she sprang to her paws. “Whose warrior ancestors are these? There can’t be more than one StarClan!”
Spottedleaf laughed softly. “The world is wide, dear young one. There are other cats who are guided by other spirits. There is always more to learn.”
Leafpaw’s head whirled. She stammered71, “I thought—”
“StarClan does not control the wind or the rain, do they?” Spottedleaf prompted gently. “They do not command the sun to rise or the moon to wax and wane72. Do not fear, little one,” she went on. “From now on, wherever you walk, I will walk with you. . . .”
Her voice began to fade; her fur paled and her shape seemed to melt into the darkness. For a heartbeat longer, Leafpaw could see her white front shining like a star and her glowing eyes. Then she was blinking awake, emerging from her dream into the cavern where Mothwing and the medicine cats were stirring around her.
Is it true? she wondered, too dazed to speak out loud. Are Squirrelpaw and the others in the paws of another Clan? And are there really powers other than StarClan’s—and does that mean that StarClan won’t be able to save the forest after all?
As she staggered to her paws, she could still catch a trace of Spottedleaf’s sweet scent.
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收听单词发音
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1
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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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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curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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squatting
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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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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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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quell
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| v.压制，平息，减轻 | |
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looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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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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carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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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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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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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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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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confrontation
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| n.对抗，对峙，冲突 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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pelts
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| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
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gorged
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| v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 )；作呕 | |
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devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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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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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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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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fleetingly
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| adv.飞快地，疾驰地 | |
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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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40
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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41
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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fussy
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| adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的 | |
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skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；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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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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48
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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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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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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52
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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53
wry
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| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
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snarl
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| v.吼叫，怒骂，纠缠，混乱；n.混乱，缠结，咆哮 | |
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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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plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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nagged
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| adj.经常遭责怪的；被压制的；感到厌烦的；被激怒的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的过去式和过去分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责 | |
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61
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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64
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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65
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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66
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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67
jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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68
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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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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71
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wane
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| n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦 | |
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