CHAPTER 4
A cold breeze ruffling1 his furwoke Brambleclaw. Stretching his jaws2 in an enormous yawn, he looked up. A patch of pale sky was visible through a ragged3 hole where once thorn branches had sheltered the warriors5’ den6. Dawn was breaking; it was time to get to work. Brambleclaw felt more hopeful after a good night’s sleep, undisturbed by dreams.
Around him the other cats were beginning to wake. Cloudtail got up, wincing8 as he put weight on the paw that had lost a claw. “Badgers9!” he snorted. “If I never see another, it’ll be too soon.” He brushed between two branches, out into the clearing.
Brambleclaw had gone to sleep with Squirrelflight curled up by his side, her sweet scent10 in his nostrils11. But now she was gone, leaving only a flattened12 patch of moss13. His pelt14 prickled when he saw that Ashfur was gone too. He sprang up, making his wounded shoulder protest with a shriek15 of pain, but before he could follow them into the clearing he heard Squirrelflight and Ashfur just outside; he stood without moving, screened by a branch, to listen.
“Look, Ashfur.” Squirrelflight’s voice told Brambleclaw that she was trying hard to hold her temper. “I really care about you as a friend, but I don’t want any more than that.”
“But I love you!” Ashfur protested. More hesitantly, he added, “We’d be great together, Squirrelflight, I know we would.”
Brambleclaw felt a stab of sympathy for the gray warrior4. He remembered how he had felt when he thought he had lost Squirrelflight’s affection.
“I’m sorry,” Squirrelflight went on. “I never meant to hurt you, but Brambleclaw—well, I think StarClan has destined17 us to be together.”
“I don’t know how you can say that!” There was the hint of a snarl18 in Ashfur’s voice. “You said yourself that it’s impossible to trust a cat with Brambleclaw’s heritage. He’s a great cat, I know, but he is still Tigerstar’s son.”
Brambleclaw’s feelings of sympathy vanished instantly. He unsheathed his long, curved claws and sank them into the ground. Would he never be judged for what hewas, instead of who his father had been? Worse, would Squirrelflight be unable to trust him because Tigerstar was his father?
“I’ll judge Brambleclaw by his own actions,” she retorted hotly, “not by something that other cats did long before I was born.”
“I’m only thinking of you, Squirrelflight,” Ashfur meowed. “Ican remember Tigerstar. His paws were red with the blood of innocent cats. You know that he murdered my mother to lure19 a pack of dogs to our camp?”
Squirrelflight murmured something Brambleclaw couldn’t catch, then went on more clearly, “But that doesn’t mean Brambleclaw will turn out like his father.”
Movement behind Brambleclaw distracted him, and he realized that more of the warriors were stirring. Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping20, he slid quickly between the branches and into the clearing.
Squirrelflight turned to him as he appeared. “Hi, Brambleclaw!”
The light was strengthening and the sky was clear, promising21 sunlight later to drive off the dawn chill. But for Brambleclaw the warmth in Squirrelflight’s eyes was even better. He padded over and touched noses with her, trying to ignore the frosty look Ashfur gave him.
As he stretched to ease the stiffness in his shoulder, Brambleclaw saw Firestar emerge from his den onto the Highledge and taste the morning air.
“Firestar!” he called. “Has the dawn patrol left yet?”
“No, would you like to lead one?”
Brambleclaw dipped his head. “Of course. Coming with me?” he asked Squirrelflight.
She nodded. Ashfur mewed abruptly22, “I’m going to check on Birchpaw,” and stalked off toward Leafpool’s den without waiting for a reply.
Squirrelflight watched him walk away, her green gaze troubled. “I’m sorry he’s been hurt,” she meowed. “I thought he was the right mate for me, but he’s not. I don’t know how I can make him understand.”
Brambleclaw knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better, so he just pressed his muzzle23 briefly24 to hers. But would the Clan16 side with him or with Ashfur? The gray warrior was popular with all their Clanmates, while Brambleclaw had forged his strongest friendships with the cats who had traveled to the sun-drown-place, and all but Squirrelflight were in different Clans25.
A rustle26 sounded behind him as Brightheart pushed her way into the open. She glanced around as if she was looking for Cloudtail, then pricked27 her ears when she spotted28 him outside the nursery. He was talking to Daisy while her three kits29 tried to scramble30 over him. Brambleclaw saw sadness shadow Brightheart’s gaze, and felt a stab of anger. Cloudtail had bees in his brain if he couldn’t see how he was hurting Brightheart with the attention he was giving to the horseplace cat!
“Hey, Brightheart,” he meowed, pretending he hadn’t noticed anything. “Do you want to come with the dawn patrol?”
Brightheart shook her head. “Thanks, but I’ve promised to help Leafpool this morning. Can we have Whitepaw again?”
“Sure. It’s a good idea to keep her busy while Brackenfur’s in the nursery with Sorreltail.”
“Thanks. I’ll go and call her.” Brightheart took a pace toward the apprentices’ den, then paused to look back. “It’s really great to see you and Squirrelflight back together again,” she added softly. Surprise kept Brambleclaw silent, while Brightheart bounded away, calling for Whitepaw.
Impatient to be off, Brambleclaw stuck his head back through the branches into the den. Dustpelt was just getting up, shaking scraps32 of moss from his brown tabby fur.
“Dawn patrol?” Brambleclaw meowed.
Dustpelt twitched33 his whiskers. “I’ll be right with you. If ShadowClan has heard about the badgers, they might be getting ideas about helping35 themselves to our territory while we’re still recovering.”
Brambleclaw had been thinking exactly the same thing. The border with WindClan should be secure. Onestar had brought his warriors to help drive out the badgers; he wouldn’t be so two-faced as to take advantage of ThunderClan’s weakness. But Blackstar, the ShadowClan leader, was a different cat altogether. He would take any chance he could to extend his territory
Calling Spiderleg to complete the patrol, Brambleclaw retreated into the clearing again. Once the other warriors joined him, he led the way out through the tangle36 of thorns at the entrance and down toward the lake.
By the time the trees thinned around them, the sun was rising over the hills. The lake glittered so brightly that it dazzled Brambleclaw’s eyes. A breeze blew across the water, ruffling his fur. As he padded along the lakeshore toward the stream that marked the boundary with ShadowClan, he realized how good it felt to have Squirrelflight at his side again. Quarreling with her always made him feel as if his fur were being brushed the wrong way.
“You go ahead,” he ordered Spiderleg. “Check the ShadowClan scent markers as far as the dead tree. Make sure they’re all where they should be and wait for us there.” As Spiderlegraced off, he added to Dustpelt and Squirrelflight, “We’ll renew our own scent markers and check for ShadowClan scent on our territory.”
He led his patrol upstream until they reached the point where the stream veered37 away, deeper into ShadowClan.
Dustpelt let out a hiss38. “I still can’t believe we let ShadowClan set their markers here,” he meowed with an irritable39 twitch34 of his tail. “The stream should be the boundary. Any cat can see it.”
Squirrelflight’s tail curled up with amusement. “Try telling that to Blackstar. You mightget away with both your ears.”
Her former mentor40 snorted and stalked on, following the line of the border. Before they had gone many pawsteps farther, Brambleclaw heard the sound of a cat hurtling through the trees ahead of them. He raised his tail for the others to stop, then tasted the air, but the only scent he could detect was ThunderClan’s.
“What are you doing?” Brambleclaw scolded. “I told you to wait by the dead tree. You haven’t had enough time to—”
“I know,” Spiderleg interrupted, his chest heaving. “But I found something really weird42. You have to come and look.”
“What now?” Dustpelt sighed, rolling his eyes. “Not more badgers, I hope?”
“Trouble from ShadowClan?” Brambleclaw asked sharply.
“No, some Twoleg thing,” Spiderleg panted. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
He waved his tail for them to follow. Brambleclaw exchanged a glance with Squirrelflight and padded after Spiderleg, still checking carefully for any ShadowClan scent on the ThunderClan side of the border. He scented43 nothing but the usual markers, until Spiderleg brought them to a small clearing. The ground was almost covered with a thick growth of ferns, the fresh green fronds44 unfurling in the pale sun.
Brambleclaw felt the fur on his shoulders bristle45 as he picked up a new scent. “Fox,” he growled46.
“Stale, though,” Squirrelflight added. “There hasn’t been a fox here for the last couple of days, at least.”
Brambleclaw wasn’t reassured47. He had spotted a track through the ferns, a narrow path dimpled with many paw marks. The scent of fox was strongest there; the vile48 creatures must use it regularly. He reminded himself to check the area later to see if there was a den nearby.
Spiderleg had stopped a little farther up the fox track, a few tail-lengths from the ShadowClan border. “Here’s the Twoleg thing,” he meowed, pointing with his tail.
Brambleclaw pushed his way through the ferns to avoid setting a paw where the foxes had been. There was something gleaming near the young warrior’s paws. It was a length of thin, shiny stuff, curved into a loop and fastened to a stick that was stuck in the ground.
“You’re right, it must be a Twoleg thing,” he mewed. “They use that shiny stuff to make fences for their sheep.”
“And there’s Twoleg scent all over it,” Dustpelt added, catching49 up to them. “What’s it doing here? What’s it for?”
Spiderleg bent50 his head to sniff51 it more closely, but Dustpelt shouldered him aside before he could touch it. “Mouse-brain!” he snapped. “Didn’t your mentor ever tell you not to stick your nose in before you know what you’re dealing52 with?”
“Sure, Mousefur taught me everything,” Spiderleg retorted, glaring at the older warrior.
“Remember it, then.”
Squirrelflight stood beside Brambleclaw while they both studied the loop and stick closely.
“What happens if we touch it?” Squirrelflight asked, cautiously advancing a paw.
Brambleclaw’s tail struck her paw aside. “We don’t want to find out the hard way,” he warned her.
“But we have to do something,” Squirrelflight protested. “Hang on, let’s try this.” She grabbed a long stick in her jaws.
“Careful,” Brambleclaw warned.
Squirrelflight flicked53 her ears at him, then crept cautiously up to the Twoleg thing and poked54 the stick into the shining loop. At once, the loop snapped tight, gripping the end of the stick. Spiderleg let out a squeak55 of alarm and leaped backward, his pelt bristling56 and his ears flattened.
Brambleclaw stood his ground, but a shudder57 went through him from ears to tail-tip. He closed his eyes, imagining a cat loping along the track, unaware58 of any danger, until it thrust its head into the loop and . . . “That could snap a cat’s neck,” he meowed.
“Or choke it to death,” Dustpelt agreed grimly.
Squirrelflight dropped the stick. “This isn’t meant for us,” she pointed59 out. “The Twolegs put it on a fox track. They must mean to trap foxes with it.”
“But why?” meowed Spiderleg.
Brambleclaw looked again at the length of shiny stuff, thinner than an ivy61 tendril, wrapped so tightly around the stick that it had crushed the pale green bark. “It’s harmless now,” he mewed, “but there might be more of them. We’ll have to report it, and make sure every cat knows what to watch out for.”
“At least we know what to do with them.” Dustpelt dipped his head to his former apprentice31. “Good thinking, Squirrelflight.”
Squirrelflight’s green eyes gleamed; Dustpelt didn’t give praise lightly.
“Spiderleg, too. That was well spotted,” Brambleclaw added. But his belly62 clenched63 at the thought of how easily the young warrior could have run straight into the trap. “We’d better finish the patrol,” he ordered. “And let’s all be careful where we put our paws. The forest could be full of these things.”
As they made their way along the ShadowClan border, Brambleclaw let Dustpelt take the lead. He and Squirrelflight padded along, side by side, at the rear of the patrol. Brambleclaw tried not to let her closeness distract him from tasting the air and keeping his eyes open for any more of the sinister64 shining loops.
“Do you think we ought to warn the other Clans about these fox traps?” he asked her.
“No, not just RiverClan,” Brambleclaw meowed, trying not to let his neck fur bristle. “WindClan probably hasn’t much to worry about, except for that patch of woodland on the other side of the stream. But there must be traps on ShadowClan territory; the one we found was right on the border.”
“Firestar will have to decide whether we tell them or not,” Squirrelflight pointed out. “He’ll probably announce it at the next Gathering66.”
Brambleclaw halted and faced her. “Squirrelflight, can we talk this through without clawing at each other? Did you really think I just wanted to warn RiverClan because of Hawkfrost?” Hawkfrost—his half brother, Tigerstar’s son, the cat Squirrelflight refused to trust. If he and Squirrelflight were to be together now, they had to sort this problem out once and for all.
“Yes, I did think that.” To his relief Squirrelflight was direct, but didn’t sound angry. “You know how I feel about Hawkfrost.”
“But he’s my brother,” Brambleclaw reminded her. “I can’t ignore that, any more than I can ignore that Tawnypelt’s my sister, even though she is a ShadowClan warrior.”
He wondered if he was being entirely67 honest. He had never walked in dreams with Tawnypelt, as he did with Hawkfrost, following twisting paths to their meetings with their father, Tigerstar. Tawnypelt had never joined in these meetings, where he and Hawkfrost were taught to lead their Clans. He knew he could never tell Squirrelflight, or any other cat in ThunderClan, about that dark forest and the dark warrior who waited for him.
But there’s no need, he argued with himself. They’d never understand. There might be things Tigerstar can teach me, but that doesn’t mean I’d do what he did to gain power
“Tawnypelt’s different,” Squirrelflight persisted. “She journeyed with us, for one thing. And she’s half ThunderClan.”
Brambleclaw bit back a protest. He wanted to settle the quarrel, not start it up again. “Think of it like this,” he began. “If Leafpool had gone to WindClan with Crowfeather, would you care for her any less?”
“Of course not!” Squirrelflight’s eyes stretched wide. “She could go off with the whole of WindClan, and she’d still be my sister.”
“And Hawkfrost is still my brother. Like Tawnypelt’s still my sister. We’ll always be kin7, even though we are in different Clans. You’re lucky that you have your sister in the same Clan. I’d give anything to have my kin with me.”
Squirrelflight searched his face with a penetrating68 green gaze. “Okay,” she mewed. “I guess I can understand that. I just don’t like to feel that Hawkfrost is as important to you as your Clanmates.”
“Brambleclaw!” Dustpelt’s voice interrupted them. Brambleclaw whipped around to see the brown tabby warrior shouldering his way through a clump of bracken; Spiderleg peered out of the ferns just behind him. “Are we on a patrol, or aren’t we? Do you plan to stand there all day gossiping?”
“Sorry,” Brambleclaw meowed, bounding toward Dustpelt and taking the lead to head farther along the border.
As Dustpelt, Spiderleg, and Squirrelflight padded hard on his paws, he hoped that his arguments about Hawkfrost had convinced Squirrelflight more thoroughly70 than they had convinced him. He hoped that if he ever had to choose, he really would put his Clan before his brother.
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1
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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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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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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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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wincing
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的现在分词 ) | |
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badgers
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| n.獾( badger的名词复数 )；獾皮；（大写）獾州人（美国威斯康星州人的别称）；毛鼻袋熊 | |
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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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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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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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lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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eavesdropping
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| n. 偷听 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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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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rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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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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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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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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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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twitch
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| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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38
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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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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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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43
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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44
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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bristle
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| v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发 | |
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46
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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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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48
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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49
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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51
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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52
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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53
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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54
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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55
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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56
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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60
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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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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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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67
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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68
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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