CHAPTER11
Jaypaw let out a sneeze asdust from the dried herbs got up his nose. Squeezing himself even farther into the storage cleft1 in the medicine cats’ den2, he stretched out a paw and scrabbled at a few brittle3 stems that lay right at the back. The faint scent4 that lingered told him they were coltsfoot, collected the previous newleaf.
“Jaypaw!”
The apprentice5 started at the sound of Leafpool’s voice and bumped his head on the roof of the cleft. “Mouse dung!” he muttered, wriggling6 out backward with the dried coltsfoot leaves in his claws.
“What have you managed to find?” Leafpool asked.
“Coltsfoot, and a few juniper berries,” Jaypaw reported, dropping the stems at Leafpool’s paws.
“So little…” Leafpool murmured.
Jaypaw could hear her sorting through the pitiful collection. “Better than nothing,” he mewed, trying to sound optimistic.
“But it’s not enough. Jaypaw, we’re losing the battle.”
Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt7 prickled and he dug his claws into the packed earthen floor. “We can’t be!”
“We are.” Leafpool let out a despairing sigh. “There isn’t enough room to separate the sick cats from the rest of the Clan8, and we can’t treat greencough without catmint.”
“I’ve been looking after the catmint plants at the old Twoleg nest,” Jaypaw meowed. “Shall I go and see if there are any new shoots?”
“No, there can’t possibly be enough.” Jaypaw felt his mentor’s hopelessness as if it were his own. “Besides, we need to let that supply grow for next season.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. Things will only get worse as the weather gets colder. Cats will get weaker as prey9 runs short. And if more cats get sick, there won’t be enough warriors11 left to hunt for the Clan.”
Jaypaw lifted his chin. “Then we need to find more catmint.”
“There is no more,” Leafpool insisted. “I know of one patch, just outside the RiverClan border, by a Twoleg nest, but I can’t leave the Clan long enough to fetch it, and—”
She broke off, but Jaypaw knew well enough what she had meant to say. You can’t go because you’re blind. He sensed Leafpool watching him in despair, and felt the strength of her desire that he could see. Briefly12 he struggled with a surge of bitterness. Because then I’d be more useful, right?
“No, Jaypaw.” Leafpool answered his unspoken resentment14. “It’s not because you’re blind that you can’t go. If that was the problem, I could send you with a warrior10.”
“Then why don’t you?”
Leafpool sighed. “Because you would need to cross ShadowClan territory, and go along the RiverClan border to get to the place. There has been too much fighting recently. We can’t risk you and a warrior when so many cats are sick. What if another Clan attacked us? We need all the paws we’ve got, here in our own territory.”
“Then what about asking the other medicine cats?” Jaypaw suggested. “If they’ve got catmint, they’d give us some.”
“Yes, they would.” Leafpool’s voice grew sharper, as if she was annoyed by his insistence15. “But I can’t ask without the other Clans16 finding out how weak we are. Firestar would have my pelt if he found out I’d done that.”
Reluctantly Jaypaw had to admit she was right. “So what can I do to help?” he asked.
“I’ve sent Millie and Briarkit out for some fresh air and sun.” Leafpool sounded relieved to turn to something more practical. “They’re in that space between here and the warriors’ den. It’s sheltered there, and they should be far enough away from the other cats to stop the cough from spreading. Could you take out their old bedding, and bring in some fresh?”
“Sure.” Jaypaw padded to the side of the den and started scraping up the used moss17 and bracken, collecting it into a ball.
“Make sure you take it a long way from camp,” Leafpool reminded him. “And when you’ve finished, you can fetch Millie and Briarkit back in, before they get too tired and cold.”
Jaypaw rolled the ball of soiled bedding out through the thorn barrier, and dumped it several fox-lengths away from the hollow. Nearby he found more moss growing thickly around the roots of a tree. To his relief, it had dried out since the heavy rain of a few days before. Tearing off some fronds18 of bracken, he bundled the whole lot together and staggered with it back into camp.
When he went to fetch the sick cats, he found Millie lying stretched out in a sunny spot beside the wall of the stone hollow. Her breath rasped in her throat and when he rested a paw on her chest, Jaypaw could feel it heaving rapidly up and down. Briarkit pushed up beside him, nudging at her mother. “I want to play,” she whimpered. She had to catch her breath as she spoke13, and Jaypaw could feel her legs wobbling. “Be a mouse, and I’ll catch you!”
Millie let out a weary sigh, and Briarkit’s pleading ended in a cough.
“Come on,” Jaypaw meowed, trying to sound cheerful. “I’ve put down some fresh bedding for you. You’ll be able to have a really good sleep.”
“Don’t want to sleep!” Briarkit protested.
“Yes, you do,” Jaypaw informed her. “Sleeping will make you feel better.”
He slipped his shoulder under Millie’s as she struggled to her paws; her chest wheezed19 with the effort and her coughs were weak, as if her strength was ebbing20 fast. Jaypaw’s belly21 twisted with frustration22. The prophecy said he had the power of the stars in his paws, but what good was that if he had to witness the cats in his care die?
He helped Millie back into her nest, with Briarkit getting under his paws until he shooed her into the moss beside her mother. He straightened up and headed back to the cleft, wondering if he could have possibly missed any stores of herbs.
Suddenly his eyes filled with dazzling sunlight, so bright that he flinched23 and bent24 his head, trying to shut out the rays. When his vision cleared, he looked up again, blinking. He was standing25 in a glade26, thick with rustling27 leaves. The warm air was heavy with the scent of growing herbs.
Is there catmint here?That was the first thought that jumped into his head.
As he tasted the air, the smell of cats flooded over him, drowning the scents28 of the herbs. Starlight glimmered29 in the undergrowth under the trees, and warriors of StarClan began to emerge into the clearing. Jaypaw recognized Bluestar, her tail twitching30 with anxiety; she glanced back at the muscular figure of Whitestorm, who followed her into the open.
“They are coming,” the old ThunderClan leader whispered. “So many of them…”
“Maybe not,” Whitestorm meowed reassuringly31. “ThunderClan couldn’t have better medicine cats.”
Jaypaw heard a disgusted snort as yet another starry32 cat pushed her way through the ferns: Yellowfang with her ragged33 gray pelt and burning amber34 eyes. “Are you mouse-brained, Whitestorm? What can medicine cats do if there aren’t any healing herbs?”
“Is there no way we can guide them?” A soft mew announced the arrival of Spottedleaf, her tail waving gracefully35 as she padded out into the open. “No way to help?”
“You tell me,” Yellowfang snapped. “There’s no more catmint on ThunderClan territory, and that’s that. I’d give them my pelt if I could, but what use would that be?”
“Will sickness destroy my Clan?” Bluestar wailed36, her claws working furiously, tearing up clumps37 of grass.
One last cat slipped into the clearing: the silver tabby whom Jaypaw had seen in Graystripe’s memory, her lifeblood gushing38 out onto stones as she gave birth to a pair of tiny kits39.
“Millie is close to joining us,” she murmured. “What can we do? Graystripe doesn’t deserve to have his heart broken again.”
None of the other StarClan cats could answer her. They began to circle distractedly, their pelts40 quivering with distress41. None of them seemed to have noticed Jaypaw.
Why am I here?he wondered. If there’s nothing useful in this vision, I’ve got sick cats to look after
A cool breeze swept over the clearing, ruffling42 the moon-colored fur of the restless cats. Starlight gleamed again in the shadows under the trees, and three more cats padded into the open. The first was a young she-cat—barely old enough to be a warrior—her silver tabby pelt glimmering43 with a pale light
The second cat was older, a silver tabby so like the first that Jaypaw guessed she was her mother, while the third was a broad-shouldered tabby tom.
“Brightspirit.” Bluestar dipped her head respectfully to the young she-cat. “It has been a long time.”
“Shiningheart. Braveheart,” Whitestorm greeted the two older cats. “Your presence honors us.”
Jaypaw stared at the three newcomers. Where had these cats come from? He had never seen them before, or heard their names in any of the Clans. Their scent was different too—faintly of StarClan, and of something else carried on wind and in starlight. He sensed that they had traveled a long distance. Is this why I’m here? To meet these cats?
The two older cats remained at the edge of the trees, their tails twined together, but Brightspirit bounded across the clearing and halted in front of Jaypaw. Her green eyes glowed with love and sympathy and her sweet scent wreathed around him.
“Greetings, Jaypaw,” she mewed. “You are troubled.”
Jaypaw crouched44 to the ground. This was no ordinary StarClan cat; he couldn’t imagine telling this cat she was merely a Clan cat in a different place. Something about her, the way she tipped her head to one side and studied him as if they were the only cats in the clearing, made him spill out the truth. “ThunderClan cats are dying. I don’t know what to do.”
Brightspirit stretched out her neck and rested her muzzle45 against her ear, warming him with her breath.
“Seek for the wind,” she whispered. “The wind holds what you seek.”
Jaypaw took a step back and stared at her. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
With a hiss46, darkness slammed down over his eyes as if night had suddenly fallen, and he found himself surrounded by the scents of stale herbs and sick cats once more. He bit back a yowl of frustration.
She was going to tell me something!
For a few heartbeats he could still make out Brightspirit’s scent, and a distant echo of her voice. “Seek for the wind. And may StarClan light your path.” Then she was gone.
“Come on, Millie.” Leafpool’s voice sounded close by him. “Lie down here. Jaypaw fetched fresh bedding for you.”
“Thanks, Jaypaw,” Millie rasped.
Jaypaw tensed. Had the whole of his vision taken only a couple of heartbeats? He helped Leafpool settle Millie and Briarkit, longing47 all the while for a bit of peace so that he could think about Brightspirit and her mysterious words.
As the sick cats curled up in their nest, Jaypaw heard the sound of racing48 footsteps drawing closer. What now?He picked up Sandstorm’s scent as she halted by the bramble screen.
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1
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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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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brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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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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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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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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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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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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12
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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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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14
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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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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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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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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19
wheezed
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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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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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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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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26
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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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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28
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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29
glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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31
reassuringly
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| ad.安心，可靠 | |
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starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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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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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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38
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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39
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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40
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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41
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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42
ruffling
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| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
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43
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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44
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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46
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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47
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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48
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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49
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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