CHAPTER 19
Like cloud shadows drifting over theground, the Clans1 trekked3 in silence across a meadow. Squirrelpaw was grateful that Brambleclaw walked close beside her, shielding her from the icy wind. The rain was easing now, but the clouds had been raked into tatters by a thorn-sharp breeze that promised colder weather. Shivering, she looked up and saw a Twoleg nest looming4 ahead, even bigger than the Great Rock.
Her paws were sore from the prickly stubble that seemed to cover all the fields they had passed through, and she longed for the softness of leaves underpaw. The air was filled with unfamiliar5 scents7—Twolegs, the monsters that prowled the crisscrossing Thunderpaths, the fresh scent6 of dog drifting from a Twoleg nest, and the recent scent of rogues8. Squirrelpaw felt the instinctive9 tension of any cat that strayed from its territory, even though she was surrounded by more Clan2 cats than she had seen before in her life. She scanned the hedgerow, and her heart seemed to stop beating altogether when she saw the brown beech10 leaves rustle11 madly, shaken by more than just the wind.
Ravenpaw stepped out from his hiding place like a shadow coming to life, and stared at the Clans in surprise. A second cat slipped out of the hedge behind him. Squirrelpaw recognized the black-and-white pelt12 of Barley13, the cat who had allowed Ravenpaw to share his home in a Twoleg barn for many moons.
“Firestar! Is that you?” Ravenpaw’s ears twitched14 as he called out for his old friend. The Clan cats halted and stared at him. Every cat knew about the black-pelted ThunderClan apprentice15 who had been driven out by his mentor16, Tigerstar. Even if they hadn’t known him during his short time in the forest, many had met him on the journey to Highstones
“Hello, Ravenpaw.” Tallstar dipped his head in greeting.
“Ravenpaw!” Firestar pushed through the other cats to greet his old friend.
“Firestar!” Ravenpaw touched noses with the ThunderClan leader. He looked around. “Where’s Graystripe?”
Firestar blinked. “Graystripe’s not with us.”
Firestar shook his head. “Twolegs captured him.”
“Twolegs?” Ravenpaw echoed. “Why?”
“They started trapping us.” Firestar’s mew was raw with grief. “We’ve been forced to leave the forest.”
“What?” Ravenpaw lifted his nose to scent the air. “Is that WindClan and RiverClan with you? And ShadowClan?”
“The Twolegs are destroying all our homes,” Firestar explained. “We would have been crushed by their monsters if we’d stayed, if we didn’t starve first.”
“You look half-starved already,” Barley remarked, coming forward.
“Hello, Barley,” Firestar greeted him. “How’s the hunting?”
“Better for me than for you, by the looks of it,” came the blunt reply.
“Where are you heading?” Ravenpaw asked.
“Highstones first, and then…” Firestar turned to look questioningly at Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw just gazed back in silence.
“You’ll stay with us tonight, won’t you?” Ravenpaw asked. “The hunting is good this moon. The barn is full of rats sheltering from the cold.”
“Wait, Ravenpaw,” warned Barley. “This many cats will never fit into the barn. The Twolegs would have a fit when they came to get straw for the cows.”
“That’s true,” Ravenpaw said. “But there must be a way to help.”
“I suppose they could stay at the broken nest,” Barley suggested.
“Of course!” Ravenpaw turned to Firestar. “You know the place—where you sheltered with Bluestar after the rat attack?”
Firestar glanced up at the reddening clouds. “I was hoping we’d make it to Highstones by tonight.”
“We can’t turn down the offer of food,” Blackstar argued.
Firestar dipped his head. “You’re right.” He turned back to Ravenpaw. “Thank you.”
“Let’s get you settled; then we can show the warriors18 the best places to hunt,” Ravenpaw mewed. “There’ll be plenty for every cat.”
Squirrelpaw heard murmurs20 of excitement ripple21 through the Clans, and the kits22 began to mewl their hunger out loud now that it seemed there was a chance they would be fed.
“We need a rest and a meal more than you can imagine,” Firestar meowed.
Ravenpaw gazed at his friend’s mud-stained pelt. “Oh, Firestar,” he murmured, “I think I can imagine.”
The broken Twoleg place had no roof, but now the rain had stopped, its stone walls were enough to shelter the cats from the wind.
“I recognize this,” whispered Ashfoot, a WindClan queen. “We slept here when Firestar led us back home, after Brokenstar drove us out.”
The kits and elders streamed gratefully into the nest, glad of the chance to lie down. Ravenpaw and Barley led the warriors away to hunt, while the apprentices24, Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw among them, stayed to guard the others. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw padded among the cats to check that none had been hurt in the desperate scramble25 across the moor26.
“Squirrelpaw?” Leafpaw called. “Can you fetch some of that rain-soaked moss27 from outside? Some of the queens and elders are too tired to walk that far.”
Squirrelpaw nodded and hurried away to pull pawfuls of sodden28 moss from the ancient stones that formed the walls of the shelter.
The cats took it from her eagerly, lapping at the water that they squeezed out with their forepaws. When the last WindClan elder had drunk her fill, Squirrelpaw decided29 she could settle down and rest her aching paws. As she made herself comfortable in a corner, the warriors returned, carrying fresh-kill. Warm, delicious scents filled the shelter, and Squirrelpaw felt a quiver of joy as Brambleclaw dropped a plump rat in front of her.
“Do you want to share?” she offered.
“No,” Brambleclaw mewed. “It’s all yours.”
Squirrelpaw’s belly30 ached by the time she had finished because she was unused to such a huge meal, but this sort of discomfort31 was far less frightening than hunger, and for the first time since returning to the forest, she felt warm and well fed.
“This is a good place to rest,” Tallpoppy purred. “I don’t think my kits could take another night in the open. They nearly froze in last night’s rain.”
“They’ll be warm enough tonight,” Ferncloud agreed.
It was dark when Brambleclaw returned. He settled down beside Squirrelpaw with a piece of fresh-kill as big as the one he’d given her.
Firestar was lying next to Sandstorm, their tails, pale ginger32 and dark red, curled together. “Will you rest with us tonight?” he mewed to Ravenpaw, who was watching the cats eat from the entrance to the nest.
“Yes, I’d like that.” He padded over to the corner where ThunderClan had gathered. ShadowClan huddled33 opposite, while RiverClan and WindClan settled in separate corners.
“I never thought I’d sleep among the Clan again,” Ravenpaw murmured.
“I just wish it weren’t under these circumstances.” Firestar sighed.
Ravenpaw’s eyes darkened. “How will you find a new home?”
“StarClan will tell us,” Squirrelpaw mewed. She glanced at Brambleclaw, but he didn’t look up. “Won’t they?” She looked at Leafpaw, uncertainty34 pricking35 at her paws. Leafpaw dipped her head, but said nothing.
When Squirrelpaw woke, cold sunlight streamed into the nest. She flexed36 her claws, wondering how late it was. She had slept soundly. Looking up, she saw her father standing37 on a fallen stone that made a natural platform in the center of the broken nest. All around him, cats were drowsily38 lifting their heads and blinking in the daylight.
“We’ve slept too long,” Firestar mewed. “It’s sunhigh. We must push on to Highstones. Wherever we’re going, we have a long journey ahead of us.”
Mudclaw got to his paws, a stubborn expression on his face. “Why must we leave a place that has such good hunting?”
“My kits have fed well for the first time in moons!” Tallpoppy put in.
“This is a prey-rich place,” Tallstar agreed. The WindClan leader looked tired and drawn39 despite their long sleep.
“Ravenpaw only invited us to stay the night,” Firestar argued.
“So? What could he do if we decided to stay longer?” Blackstar stared defiantly40 at Ravenpaw. “My Clan needs food and shelter, and they will take it by force if necessary.”
Brambleclaw stood up. “This is not the place for us,” he meowed. “I don’t know exactly where we’re going, but I know it’s not here.”
Squirrelpaw nodded. “Why would StarClan have made us journey all the way to the sun-drown-place if they only meant for us to make our homes here? We wouldn’t need a sign for that.”
Crowpaw twitched his ears. “We must finish the journey we’ve started,” he growled.
“I agree,” meowed Stormfur from the RiverClan corner.
“Me too.” Tawnypelt stretched, arching her back. “We must carry on.”
“I think they’re right,” Leopardstar meowed unexpectedly. “There are too many Twolegs around here. What if one of their dogs got loose? We’d be trapped in a place like this.”
Blackstar narrowed his eyes. “Very well,” he muttered.
Tallpoppy reluctantly got to her paws, nudging her kits awake. “Come on, my dears,” she whispered. “We’re leaving.”
“But it’s warm here,” mewled one.
“We must go anyway,” Tallpoppy told them. Her voice was dull with tiredness, and Squirrelpaw felt a jolt42 of sympathy for the brave ShadowClan queen. She padded toward the entrance, and her kits followed, their fur sticking up in clumps43 where they had slept on it.
“I’ll come with you to Highstones,” Ravenpaw offered, brushing his tail against Firestar’s flank.
The cats filed silently away from the shelter, heading for the crags of Highstones that towered in the distance, dark against the clearing sky. Squirrelpaw shivered as the wind ruffled44 her fur. Sunhigh was already past. If they slowed their pace to match the elders and kits, they would not reach Highstones until the sun had dipped below the horizon
“So who is ThunderClan’s deputy now?” she heard Ravenpaw ask Firestar.
“Graystripe is,” Firestar growled.
Ravenpaw stared at his friend in surprise. “But he’s gone.”
Firestar rounded on him, his eyes glittering with pain. “Isn’t it enough that we’ve had to leave our home? Don’t ask me to give up on my friend as well. I know he would never give up on me.” He started to trudge46 on again. “ThunderClan has a deputy, and there is no need to choose a new one.”
Highstones was cast in blue-black shade as the sun sank low in the sky. The cats had seemed to take forever struggling up the steep, stony47 slope on paws already raw from the day’s traveling. Now they lay exhausted48 outside Mothermouth. Squirrelpaw stared into the great black tunnel that led to the Moonstone. The Clan leaders and their medicine cats had disappeared into it as soon as they had arrived.
“I wish you’d gone with them,” Squirrelpaw muttered to her sister. “You could have told me what StarClan said.”
“Leopardstar said this wasn’t a time for apprentices, and Firestar agreed with her,” Leafpaw mewed.
“Do you think StarClan will tell them anything?”
“Who knows?” murmured Leafpaw.
There was the sound of loose stones crunching49 beneath paws, and Firestar padded out of the tunnel, followed by Tallstar, Leopardstar, and Blackstar. Their faces gave nothing away as they separated to join their Clans.
“They can’t tell us anything about the ceremony,” Leafpaw reminded her.
Squirrelpaw felt a prickle of frustration51. It was all right for Leafpaw; she had her own special connection with StarClan. Couldn’t she help out the cats who didn’t?
“Squirrelpaw!’ Brambleclaw called. The tabby warrior19 was weaving his way toward her. “We’re meeting up there!” he whispered. He nodded to the crest52 of the ridge53. “We have to decide where we’re going next.”
Squirrelpaw put her head on one side. “I thought we were going to the sun-drown-place to find Midnight.”
“This is our last chance to be sure it’s the right thing to do,” Brambleclaw replied. “After this, we’ll be taking our Clanmates into territory where they’ve never been before. Come on.”
Squirrelpaw followed him up the steep slope, away from the rest of the Clans. She could see Stormfur hurrying to the top of the ridge from the RiverClan cats, his gray pelt glowing in the moonlight. Tawnypelt and Crowpaw already sat on top of the jagged spine54 of rocks, silhouetted55 against the star-clad indigo56 sky.
The shadowy world stretched away on the other side of Highstones, a huge black expanse that made Squirrelpaw’s breath catch in her throat. Out there were snowcapped mountains, strange cats, dangerous creatures, and the sun-drown-place, that endless stretch of water where Midnight lived. Squirrelpaw shivered. Oh, StarClan, what are we doing?
“Does everyone agree we should head for the sun-drown-place and find Midnight?” Brambleclaw asked.
Tawnypelt’s eyes were round with worry. “I can’t think of what else we should do, but what if she’s not there any more?”
“It’s a long and dangerous journey,” Stormfur agreed.
“I was so sure we were going to lead them to a safe new home,” Squirrelpaw meowed, remembering her excitement as she carried Midnight’s message back from sun-drown-place. “We were going to save them.”
“And instead we might be leading them into unnecessary danger,” Brambleclaw murmured.
“Why couldn’t StarClan have chosen different cats to carry this message?” Stormfur sighed.
Squirrelpaw’s heart ached for him. He had lost so much. His sister had died on the first journey, and now Twolegs had taken his father. She moved closer to him, pressing her flank against his.
“Do you think our ancestors have abandoned us?” Tawnypelt mewed, voicing the fear that nagged57 at them all.
“Well, they haven’t sent the sign Midnight promised,” Brambleclaw admitted. “Have any of you seen a dying warrior?”
“Perhaps it was Mudfur?” Stormfur suggested.
“Would Midnight know the difference?” murmured Tawnypelt.
The cats looked at one another in silence.
“But Mudfur died on RiverClan territory!” A sickening pang59 of doubt suddenly twisted Squirrelpaw’s belly. “If Mudfur’s death was the sign, then we’ve come the wrong way!”
The five cats stared at one another, their eyes filled with dread60 as they imagined telling their leaders that they had to take the Clans all the way back into the heart of the forest to face the monsters once more.
Oh, StarClan, have we gotten it all wrong?Squirrelpaw lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a flash of movement caught her attention. She gasped61, and the other cats followed her gaze. Above them, a falling star blazed a silvery trail before disappearing in a flash of light.
“The dying warrior!’ Squirrelpaw breathed. It was the sign they had been waiting for, one of StarClan’s own warriors scorching62 into nothingness to show them the way to go. Faint as cobweb, the star’s fiery63 trail hung in the sky, stretching toward the horizon where the jagged peaks of the mountains jutted64 into the sky.
“Now we know which way to go,” Brambleclaw murmured.
“Over the mountains,” meowed Squirrelpaw.
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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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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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trekked
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| v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水 | |
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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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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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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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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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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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instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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beech
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| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
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rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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barley
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| n.大麦，大麦粒 | |
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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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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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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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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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murmurs
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| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
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ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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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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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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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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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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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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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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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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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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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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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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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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flexed
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| adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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drowsily
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| adv.睡地，懒洋洋地，昏昏欲睡地 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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squeaked
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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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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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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trudge
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| v.步履艰难地走；n.跋涉，费力艰难的步行 | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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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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silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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indigo
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| n.靛青，靛蓝 | |
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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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58
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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59
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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60
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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61
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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62
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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63
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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64
jutted
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| v.（使）突出( jut的过去式和过去分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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