“We’ve got to get out!”The WindClan apprentice2 abandoned the remains3 of his mouse and bounded toward the entrance, only to skid4 to a halt a couple of fox-lengths away. Three skinny black-and-white shapes had appeared in the gap, their jaws5 hanging open and their eyes shining as they surveyed the cats.
“One each.” Lionpaw’s voice was dry with fear. “Great.”
Hollypaw looked around. There were no other entrances to the nest and no gaps in the stone walls, except for those where the light came in, too high for a cat to leap.
The dogs began to creep forward, their heads lowered and their legs bent6, ready to sprint7 after the cats. Now I know what prey8 feels like, Hollypaw thought. She and the two toms backed away nervously9.
“Try to dodge10 around them,” Lionpaw mewed quietly. “If we can get out, we can outrun them.”
The first dog leaped forward. Hollypaw spun11 around and fled, imagining she could feel its breath hot on her hind12 paws. Her muscles flexed13 as she tried to make her legs move faster, but she was tired from journeying, and her paws slipped on the dusty stone floor. Ahead of her, at the far end of the nest, was an enormous pile of dried grass. Despairingly Hollypaw wondered if they could hide in it, but she knew the dogs would be able to plunge14 into it and drag them out. Beyond it was the bare wall.
Why did we let ourselves get trapped? I can’t believe we were so stupid!“StarClan, help us!” she panted, but at the same time she hoped the starry15 warriors16 weren’t watching and didn’t know how disobedient they’d been.
“Up here!”
The yowl came from above her. Glancing up, she spotted18 a cat’s head and shoulders in one of the narrow slits20 high in the wall. Her jaws gaped21 in astonishment22. It was Purdy!
“Climb the hay!” the old cat urged. “D’you want to stay and be eaten?”
Lionpaw flung himself at the pile of dried grass and began to claw his way up it. Hollypaw plunged23 after him, just as she heard the snap of teeth a mouse-length from her hind paws. Behind her she heard a shriek24. Glancing back she saw Breezepaw trying to climb, only to be dragged back by a dog with its teeth fastened in his tail.
Hollypaw tensed. She would have to go back and help. She didn’t like Breezepaw, but he was a Clan1 cat, and she couldn’t abandon him to be torn apart. But before she could scramble26 down Breezepaw gave a panic-stricken heave, tore his tail free, and struggled upward, away from the gaping27 jaws.
The dogs tried to follow him, but they were too heavy for the piled grass to bear their weight. They floundered around in it, snuffling and slavering over the trail of Breezepaw’s blood.
Hollypaw fought her way up again, half buried in the grass. It caught in her pelt28; seeds got into her nose and made her sneeze. Just ahead of her, Lionpaw reached the slit19 where Purdy waited. The old tabby grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him through, then dropped him somewhere out of Hollypaw’s sight.
He reached for Hollypaw, grabbed her, and swung her off all four of her paws into the air. In a blur29 of fear she thought she would fall all the way to the ground. She tensed herself for the impact, only to drop, juddering, onto a sloping red roof a couple of tail-lengths below the slit in the wall. Caught off-balance, she felt herself slipping to the edge, until Lionpaw thrust himself in front of her and brought her to a halt.
“Thanks!” she gasped30.
Looking back, she saw Purdy hauling Breezepaw through the gap
“What about my tail?” the WindClan cat complained as Purdy dropped him to join the others. “It’s bleeding!”
“Shut up and follow me,” Purdy meowed, leaping down beside them with a thump31. “Or you’ll have more to worry about than your tail. This way,” he added, creeping to the edge of the roof.
He jumped down onto the edge of a container filled with water, and from there to the ground, gesturing urgently for them to follow. Lionpaw went first, leaping down easily. Hollypaw followed him with more caution, imagining the cold shock of a plunge into the water. Breezepaw landed beside her and immediately flicked32 his tail forward to examine the ragged25 and bleeding end.
“Stop that,” Purdy hissed33. “We’ve got to run!”
A flurry of yelping35 sounded from inside the nest, followed by the thunder of paws breaking out into the open. Purdy took off, running as fast as any warrior17, back the way the apprentices36 had come. The apprentices raced after him. Hollypaw’s heart pounded even harder as they approached the fence; would they be able to squeeze through before the dogs caught them?
But Purdy led them to a different part of the fence and shoved Lionpaw roughly through a hole. Hollypaw scrambled37 through after him; it was easier and faster than squeezing underneath38. Breezepaw followed, and last of all Purdy, who turned to face the dogs as they came bounding up, barking fit to wake StarClan.
“Get back to your Upwalkers,” he taunted39 them. “Ask them to feed you. You won’t get no cat today.”
Hollypaw didn’t think the dogs understood him. They flung themselves at the fence, but it didn’t give way, and the hole was too small for them to get through. A moment later a Twoleg appeared around the corner of the nearest nest and yowled at them. The dogs’ barking changed to whines40 and they slunk away, casting furious glances back at the cats.
“Right, let’s go,” Purdy meowed.
He led them back to the shelter of the hedge, where all three of them collapsed41 in the long grass. Hollypaw closed her eyes. When she opened them again Purdy had gone. Instead, Brambleclaw and Crowfeather were standing43 over her.
“Are the three of you completely mouse-brained?” Brambleclaw’s voice was icy. “You were told there were dogs at the farm. Yet you still go putting yourselves in danger. And for what? A few mice!”
“Sorry,” Hollypaw muttered, unable to meet her father’s gaze.
“We weren’t thinking,” Lionpaw confessed.
“Obviously,” Brambleclaw retorted.
“It’s not all our fault, though.” Breezepaw looked up from licking his tail. “If you hadn’t let us get so hungry—”
“None of you has ever known what it means to be really hungry,” Crowfeather spat44.
“And I hope all three of you have thanked Purdy,” Brambleclaw continued. “You’re lucky he guessed where you’d gone. If he hadn’t—”
“We could have found our own way up the hay,” Breezepaw interrupted. “We don’t owe anything to that crazy old cat.”
Hollypaw gaped at him. Okay, maybe they could have found their own way out if they hadn’t been so terrified, and if they had known which slit offered an easy way to the ground. But she was sure that if it hadn’t been for Purdy, they would all three be lying dead in the Twoleg nest, torn apart by the dogs.
Crowfeather let out an irritable45 hiss34 and turned his back. Hollypaw felt an unexpected pang46 of sympathy for Breezepaw. She would rather be scolded by Brambleclaw than face Crowfeather’s coldness. Did he even likeBreezepaw? She and her littermates couldn’t stand the WindClan apprentice, but Crowfeather was his father, for StarClan’s sake!
I’m glad he’s notmy father, she thought.
A rustling47 along the hedgerow made her jump, but it was only Jaypaw, padding up with a mouthful of herbs. “Chervil,” he announced, dropping the leaves beside Breezepaw. “I’d rather use horsetail, but I can’t find any. Chew it up and put the pulp48 on your tail,” he told Breezepaw. He turned to Hollypaw and Lionpaw. “Are you hurt?”
“No, we’re fine,” Lionpaw assured him.
“I’d better check.” Jaypaw nosed Lionpaw thoroughly49 from ears to tail tip, then went on to Hollypaw.
“We’re really okay,” she meowed, realizing that her brother was quivering with tension. “I’m sorry we couldn’t bring you back a mouse.”
“You shouldn’t be sorry for that.” Hollypaw was shocked at the fear and anger in her brother’s voice. “Be sorry you went off and did something so mouse-brained. You didn’t think about me, did you? What would I do if I lost you?”
Hollypaw swallowed hard. She hadn’tthought about Jaypaw, except to check that he didn’t know they were leaving. She’d forgotten how much Jaypaw needed her and Lionpaw, and how much harder it would be for him to lead a normal life if they weren’t there.
“We aresorry,” she mewed, touching50 her nose to her brother’s shoulder. “We—”
“‘Sorry’ catches no prey.” Jaypaw pulled away from her, gave a quick sniff51 at the pulped52 chervil on Breezepaw’s tail, and stalked off down the line of the hedge. “They’re fine, we can carry on.” He tossed the words at Brambleclaw over his shoulder as he went.
“Come on,” Brambleclaw meowed. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”
He led the way back to the other cats, who were waiting in the shadow of the hedge. Purdy was curled up, apparently53 asleep. Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt were keeping watch, while Stormfur and Brook54 shared tongues and the two Tribe cats crouched55 close together, muttering.
“About time,” Tawnypelt grunted56, rising to her paws.
“Are you all okay?” Squirrelflight asked. Her voice was stern, but Hollypaw could sense her anxiety.
“We’re fine,” Lionpaw mewed quietly. “We won’t do it again.”
Brambleclaw’s voice was grim. “You’d better not.”
Stormfur prodded57 Purdy awake, and the journeying cats set off again. Hollypaw’s pads stung from where they had scraped on the stone floor of the nest. Her fur felt hot and uncomfortable from the seeds and dried grasses still caught up in it. Soon they had to leave the shade of the hedge and trek59 across an open field. The sun beat down; thirst clawed at her throat and her belly60 was yowling with hunger. Her legs were trembling with exhaustion61 by the time they reached the forest on the other side of the valley.
Brambleclaw stopped under the trees. “We’ll stay here for the night,” he announced.
“But it’s still daylight,” Talon62 objected. “We can go farther before it’s too dark to travel.”
“I hope you’re not stopping because of these apprentices,” Crowfeather added, giving his son an unfriendly glare. “If they’re tired, it’s their own fault.”
“No, I’m not.” Brambleclaw spoke63 quietly. “Though none of us will get very far if they collapse42. But if we rest here now we can get an early start tomorrow and reach the mountains before nightfall.”
The warriors went off to hunt among the ferns and brambles at the edge of the wood. Lionpaw and Breezepaw flopped64 down side by side on the moss65 between some tree roots and fell instantly asleep.
Hollypaw would have liked to join them, but there was something else she had to do first. Tottering66 on exhausted67 legs, she forced herself farther into the wood until she spotted a mouse scuttling68 across the open space between two bushes. As she pounced69, it darted70 under a heap of dead leaves; she scrambled after it and managed to trap it between her claws.
That was a really messy kill, she thought, though she was almost too tired to care.
Picking up the limp body, she padded back to the edge of the wood where Purdy was crouching71, his paws tucked under him as he gazed with slitted eyes across the valley.
One amber72 eye opened wider as she approached. “What d’you want?” he asked. Hollypaw had expected him to be hostile, but his voice was gentle, even friendly.
“I brought you this.” She dropped the mouse in front of him. “Food, and something else.” She scraped the grass with one forepaw, suddenly embarrassed. “I…er…I couldn’t help noticing you’ve got lots of ticks,” she stumbled. “I’ll get them off, if you like.”
Purdy raised one hind leg and scratched vigorously behind his ear. “I wouldn’t say no.”
Carefully Hollypaw extracted the mouse bile, trying not to gag at the dreadful smell. Fetching a scrap58 of moss to soak it up, she explained to Purdy, “This is what medicine cats do in the Clans73. I was a medicine cat apprentice for a while, so I learned how.”
“That’s certainly some smell,” Purdy meowed, turning his face away as Hollypaw began dabbing74 the bile on the ticks that swelled75 among his rumpled76 tabby fur. But he kept still and let out a sigh of relief as the creatures started to drop off.
“Don’t your Twolegs take care of your ticks?” Hollypaw asked as she worked.
Purdy shook his head. “My Upwalker died. I’ve found a few others who feed me now an’ then, but they don’t mess with my pelt. It don’t bother me none,” he added unconvincingly.
Pity for him clawed Hollypaw’s belly. So he’s not even a kittypet anymore! Just a loner who’s getting old.“There, I’m done,” she told him.
A rumbling77 purr started up in Purdy’s chest. “Thanks, that feels a whole lot better,” he meowed. “So that’s what you learn when you’re a medicine cat, eh? At least the Clan cats get one thing right.”
“We’re all sorry about today,” Hollypaw mewed quietly. “We’re really grateful for what you did, coming to rescue us like that.”
“’T’weren’t nothin’,” the old cat responded. “Takin’ on them dogs, it made me feel young again.”
“I think there’s a lot we could learn from you,” Hollypaw told him.
The old cat just gave an amused snort and bent his head to devour78 the remains of the mouse. Hollypaw curled up beside him in the long grass, and the sound of his contented79 purr filled her ears as she slept.
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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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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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skid
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| v.打滑 n.滑向一侧；滑道 ，滑轨 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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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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sprint
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| n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过 | |
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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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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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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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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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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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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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slits
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| n.狭长的口子，裂缝( slit的名词复数 )v.切开，撕开( slit的第三人称单数 )；在…上开狭长口子 | |
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gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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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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scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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blur
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| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
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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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thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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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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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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whines
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| n.悲嗥声( whine的名词复数 )；哀鸣者v.哀号( whine的第三人称单数 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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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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44
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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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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48
pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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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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pulped
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| 水果的肉质部分( pulp的过去式和过去分词 )； 果肉； 纸浆； 低级书刊 | |
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53
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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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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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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prodded
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| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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trek
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| vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行 | |
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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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61
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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talon
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| n.爪；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物 | |
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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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flopped
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| v.（指书、戏剧等）彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 )；（因疲惫而）猛然坐下；（笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地）移动或落下；砸锅 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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66
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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67
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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68
scuttling
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| n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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69
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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70
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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71
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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72
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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73
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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74
dabbing
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| 石面凿毛，灰泥抛毛 | |
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75
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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76
rumpled
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| v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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78
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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79
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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