Jaypaw could feel dappled sunlight andshade on his pelt1 as he padded beneath the trees. Lionpaw flanked him on one side, while Hollypaw bounded ahead for a few paw steps, then returned to join her littermates. The air was full of birdsong and the rustling2 of leaves, and the scents4 of prey5 were sharp in the undergrowth.
The three apprentices7 brought up the rear of the group of traveling cats. Brambleclaw had taken the lead, with Stormfur and Brook8, closely followed by Talon9 and Night. Just ahead of Jaypaw he could scent3 Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt.
“…and Tigerkit has already learned the hunter’s crouch,” Tawnypelt was meowing. “But I think Dawnkit will be the best fighter, if only she listens to what her mentor10 tells her once she’s apprenticed11. Right now she doesn’t listen to anycat.”
“All kits12 can be deaf when they choose,” Squirrelflight told her. “They’ll grow into fine warriors13, you’ll see.”
Kits!Jaypaw thought. Boring!
He angled his ears, trying to pick up more interesting snippets of conversation, but all he could hear was Crowfeather telling Breezepaw about the best way to catch prey in the mountains. The two WindClan cats were padding side by side a few tail-lengths from the rest; Jaypaw could feel Breezepaw’s resentment15 at being forced to come on the journey. I don’t think he and his father evenlike each other, Jaypaw decided16.
“Hey, look!” Lionpaw exclaimed. “Bet you I can catch that butterfly!”
“Bet you can’t,” Hollypaw returned.
“Just watch!” Lionpaw took off in an enormous leap, then crashed back to the forest floor.
“Missed it!” Hollypaw let out a mrrowof laughter. “Told you!”
Jaypaw heard heavier paw steps in the bracken and his mother’s scent drifted over him.
“Just whatdo you three think you’re doing?” she scolded them. “Are you kits, let out of camp for the first time? This is a serious journey, and you need to save your strength. You’ll need it later.”
“Sorry,” Lionpaw muttered.
Jaypaw drew his lips back in the beginning of a snarl17 as he imagined Breezepaw’s smug expression; he knew the WindClan apprentice6 was listening.
If he says one word, I’ll claw his ear off!
But Breezepaw had the sense to keep his jaws18 shut.
Soon Jaypaw began to pick up the clean scent of water. Stronger sunlight on his pelt told him they had left the shelter of the trees. He realized they had emerged beside the lake, and for a moment his paws itched19 to search for the stick with the marks Rock had made. But he couldn’t carry the stick all the way to the mountains.
I’ll have to leave it behind. But I’m not leavingyou behind, Rock. When
I get to the mountains, I know I’ll find you there
“We’re near the WindClan border,” Hollypaw whispered into his ear. “We have to cross the stream.”
For a couple of heartbeats Jaypaw froze, remembering the smothering20 water in the tunnels. He hatedgetting his paws wet!
Lionpaw butted21 him gently in the shoulder. “It’ll be okay. The water’s really shallow.”
Jaypaw bit back an indignant retort, though it was really himself he was angry with. Would he always have to fight this terror of drowning?
He could hear splashing as the other cats crossed the stream. Hollypaw guided him to the bank with her tail across his shoulders. Jaypaw tensed when he felt the current swirling22 around his paws. The stream bed shelved down until the water brushed his belly23 fur. He could feel Hollypaw and Lionpaw close on either side; Lionpaw murmured, “This way a bit; there’s a deeper place just there.” Then the stream grew shallower again, and Jaypaw could scramble25 up the bank on the other side. He halted a tail-length away and shook himself to hide his tremors26 of relief.
“Hey, do you mind?” Breezepaw’s unfriendly voice came from just behind him. “You’re making my fur wet!”
“Sor-ree,” Jaypaw muttered.
The cats continued along the lakeshore, across WindClan territory and past the horseplace. Jaypaw could just pick up the scent of the horseplace cats beneath the overwhelming scent of horse, but neither Smoky nor Floss appeared to greet them. He pricked27 his ears at distant barking and decided that the dog who lived near the horseplace was too far away to be a nuisance.
Once past the horseplace, Brambleclaw led the way uphill. Jaypaw’s paws tingled28 as he realized he was setting them down on unfamiliar29 ground. This was the real beginning of the adventure! The scents of home were fading behind him, and a stiff breeze brought new scents to him, wild and strange. His paws faltered30 briefly31. Stupid cat!he berated32 himself. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?He felt his littermates’ pelts33 touching34 his on either side, and sensed that they too were daunted35 by the unknown path where they had set their paws.
The ground underfoot was growing wetter and more uneven36. Jaypaw brushed past a clump37 of reeds and heard a splash accompanied by a strong scent of frog. A moment later, one of his paws slipped on a tussock of wet grass and water surged over his hindquarters.
“Fox dung!” he spat38, clawing with his forepaws to heave himself out again.
“Are you okay?” Lionpaw asked.
“Fine.” Jaypaw spoke39 through gritted40 teeth.
Just beyond his brother, he heard Talon murmur24 to Night, “This is crazy. Taking a blind to-be all the way to the mountains!”
“I know,” Night replied. “He’ll never keep up.”
A sharp retort bubbled up inside Jaypaw, but before he could speak he felt his mother’s tail laid firmly over his mouth. “Jaypaw will manage just fine,” she meowed. “He’s as good at tackling new territory as any cat. Have younever put a paw in the wrong place, Talon?” she added.
When the big Tribe tabby didn’t reply, she moved her tail from Jaypaw’s mouth to his shoulder. “Come this way. It’s drier over here.”
Jaypaw followed her, thankful to feel more solid ground beneath his paws. He was surprised that Breezepaw hadn’t made some sarcastic41 comment about his misstep. But Breezepaw was a Clan14 cat; maybe he felt a kind of loyalty42 to support any Clan cat against the Tribe.
Not that he stood up for me, Jaypaw thought sourly. That would be too much to expect
Wind buffeted43 Jaypaw in the face, telling him they had reached the top of the ridge44. There were so many new scents that he couldn’t begin to sort them all out.
“This is awesome45!” Hollypaw gasped46. “I can see the whole of the lake and all the territories from here.” She bounced up to Jaypaw and gave him a nudge with her head. “Down there is a stream with trees growing around it, where RiverClan has its camp. And beyond that is dark pine forest—that’s ShadowClan’s territory. I can even see the Gathering47 island, and the tree-bridge…It looks so tiny from up here!”
“Over this way are the woods where we live.” Lionpaw joined Jaypaw on his other side. “I bet we could see the hollow if we were here in leaf-bare. And then there’s open moorland where WindClan live. We can see everything!”
“WindClan look at this all the time.” Breezepaw had padded up behind them. “Our territory has loads of great views.”
Annoying furball, Jaypaw thought.
“Do you remember the first time we stood here?” Jaypaw scented48 Brambleclaw a little way away, with Squirrelflight, Crowfeather, and Tawnypelt.
“I’ll never forget it,” Squirrelflight replied. “It was night, and all the cats of StarClan were reflected in the lake.”
“I can’t believe how brave you were,” Night put in. “You traveled so far to find a new home, without even knowing where you were going.”
“StarClan helped us,” Squirrelflight murmured.
“And the Tribe of Endless Hunting would do the same for you,” Tawnypelt pointed49 out, “if the Tribe of Rushing Water ever had to leave the mountains.”
“Leave?” Night sounded alarmed. “We could never leave and nor could the spirits of our ancestors. We belong too much to the mountains.”
Jaypaw wasn’t sure she was right. If the Clan cats failed to drive out the intruders, the Tribe, and the spirits of its ancestors, might have to face a journey of their own.
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1
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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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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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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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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talon
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| n.爪；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物 | |
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mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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apprenticed
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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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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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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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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itched
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| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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smothering
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的现在分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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butted
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| 对接的 | |
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swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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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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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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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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tremors
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| 震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动 | |
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27
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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tingled
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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30
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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32
berated
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| v.严厉责备，痛斥( berate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
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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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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35
daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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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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38
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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39
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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40
gritted
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| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
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41
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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42
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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43
buffeted
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| 反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去 | |
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44
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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45
awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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46
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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47
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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48
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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49
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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