CHAPTER16
Scent1 tickled2 Jaypaw’s nose. Mouse!His belly3 growled4, and his eyes flew open to see that dusk had fallen. Dove’s Wing’s pale gray shape stood on the edge of the den5, peering down at him. A mouse dangled6 from her jaws7
“You’re awake!” she exclaimed, dropping the mouse at her paws. “Are you feeling better?”
“I’m fine,” Jaypaw meowed, hauling himself out from underneath8 the tree roots.
“Hey, Jay’s Wing!” A young brown tabby tom was standing9 just behind Dove’s Wing, his amber10 eyes alight with curiosity. “What was it like, down in the tunnels?”
“Quiet, Fish Leap!” A white she-cat padded up on Dove’s Wing’s other side. “Don’t pester11 Jay’s Wing. He must be worn out already, without you asking questions.”
“And don’t tell me what to do, Half Moon,” Fish Leap retorted. “You want to know everything as much as I do.”
The white cat brushed her pelt12 against Jaypaw’s. Her green eyes shone up at him. “Of course I do,” she purred. “But I can wait while he eats.”
The scent of the mouse was making Jaypaw’s mouth water. “Thanks,” he meowed to Dove’s Wing, and took a bite. He was aware of Fish Leap tearing impatiently at the grass beside him.
“I don’t know why Furled Bracken is making us wait to go into the tunnels,” he grumbled13. “We’re all ready to become sharpclaws. I want to get on with my challenge.”
“Furled Bracken will let us go when hethinks we’re ready,” Dove’s Wing meowed.
So they’re all apprentices15, Jaypaw figured as he gulped16 down the mouse. If they call them apprentices here. It sounds as if Furled Bracken is their leader. But how can he have nine lives if they don’t know about StarClan?
“Well, come on.” Fish Leap sounded irritated. “Tell us.”
“I can’t,” Jaypaw mumbled18 around a mouthful of mouse, glad that he had an excuse for being mysterious. “You know sharpclaws can’t talk about what happens in the tunnels.”
“He does not!” Half Moon exclaimed indignantly.
Jaypaw wasn’t sure how to defend himself. He didn’t know enough about what a sharpclaw was supposed to do. He guessed they were like warriors20, but if he was wrong he might be in trouble again.
To his relief, Dove’s Wing nudged Fish Leap away. “Leave him alone,” she meowed. “He’s still tired; he needs to rest some more. We’ll all find out about the tunnels soon enough. I’m just glad Jay’s Wing got out safely.”
Half Moon’s green eyes clouded. “Not like Fallen Leaves,” she murmured.
Fish Leap and Dove’s Wing exchanged a sorrowful glance. Jaypaw felt hollow in his heart when he thought about how long Fallen Leaves was destined21 to wander through the tunnels, trying to find the way out. He wished there was a way to let these cats know that their friend was dead, drowned in a flood, and they would never see him again. It was clear that the waiting had already driven Broken Shadows mad.
Finishing the mouse, Jaypaw wriggled22 back into his den. He was falling back to sleep when he heard Fish Leap’s voice, raised in protest.
“One lost cat doesn’t mean that all the rest of us have to leave!”
“It’s not just one, as you well know,” Half Moon retorted. “How many cats have to die before we look for somewhere else to live? There must be other places with prey23 and shelter for all of us.”
Jaypaw pricked24 his ears, keeping his eyes shut so it would look as if he was asleep. These cats were debating whether to stay here by the lake, or to find a new home. Is that why we didn’t find any cats here when the Clans25 came to the lake?Fish Leap padded away, still muttering, with Half Moon arguing more and more heatedly. When he could no longer hear what they were saying, Jaypaw let the blackness of exhaustion26 fill his mind.
During the night he woke briefly27 to find Dove’s Wing curled up close beside him. He hadn’t slept so near another cat since he became Leafpool’s apprentice14; her warmth was comforting, and her scent was already becoming familiar. He let out a faint purr as sleep washed over him again.
Gray light was filtering through the ivy28 tendrils when Jaypaw next opened his eyes. Dove’s Wing had disappeared, but two other cats were gazing down at him. One of them was Fish Leap; the other was an older tortoiseshell she-cat that Jaypaw remembered seeing when he came out of the tunnel the day before. Her amber eyes were the exact same shade as Fish Leap’s; Jaypaw guessed that she was his mother.
“Hey, Jay’s Wing! Come hunting!” Fish Leap exclaimed when he saw that Jaypaw was awake.
That seemed like a good chance to explore their—ThunderClan’s—territory. Jaypaw scrambled29 out of his nest and stretched. “Are we going on a patrol?” he asked.
To his dismay, Fish Leap and the tortoiseshell exchanged a baffled glance. “What’s a patrol?” the tortoiseshell meowed.
Mouse-dung! They don’t have patrols, either.
“Dawn River, I think Jay’s Wing banged his head when he was down in the tunnels.” Fish Leap shrugged30. “He keeps talking nonsense.”
Jaypaw hid his awkwardness by licking a tufty piece of fur on his chest. “Never mind,” he mumbled.
She took the lead as the three cats set off into the woods. Jaypaw shivered from ears to tail-tip when he saw how different the forest was from the territory he knew in the time of the Clans. It wasn’t just that the trees were smaller and there was so little undergrowth. The biggest difference was that now he could see.
“Watch it!” Fish Leap warned him.
The exclamation33 came just too late. Jaypaw was so busy gazing around at the trees, their leaves taking on colors of scarlet34 and gold at the beginning of leaf-fall, that he hadn’t noticed the rabbit hole right in front of his paws. He stumbled into it, paws flailing35.
He heard Fish Leap let out a mrrowof laughter, and felt the tabby tom’s teeth sink into his scruff as he hauled him out.
“Are you okay?” Dawn River checked.
Jaypaw shook loose earth out of his pelt. “I’m fine.”
As they padded on he made a determined37 effort to watch where he was putting his paws, but it was difficult. Light dazzled him, and he was distracted by the flickering38 of leaves and trees looming39 up in front of him. The senses of smell and hearing, and his awareness40 of nearby objects, that were usually so acute had grown dull, so that he felt as if he was blundering through a fog.
I’m never as clumsy as this, he thought crossly as he tripped over a branch.
“You’ll scare all the prey away if you go on like that,” Fish Leap pointed41 out. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he added. “Do you want to go back to your den?”
“I’m fine,” Jaypaw repeated through gritted42 teeth. But Fish Leap was right: Stumbling around like a blind badger32 would scare off all the prey. Jaypaw closed his eyes, and instantly felt more comfortable. His other senses grew sharp again, telling him which way to go. Scents43 and sounds swirled44 around him, calling up a far clearer picture of his surroundings than he could gain from his eyes.
“Jay’s Wing?” Dawn River sounded puzzled and concerned. “Have you gone to sleep on your paws?”
Startled, Jaypaw veered45 away from the sound of her voice. His eyes flicked46 open just in time to see the rough bark of a tree in front of his nose. There was no chance to stop before he crashed right into it.
“Wow!” Fish Leap exclaimed, his voice trembling with amusement. “You caught a tree!”
Jaypaw was relieved when Dawn River and Fish Leap set off alone, each of them sniffing47 for prey, and left him to recover. Grooming48 bits of bark out of his coat, he wondered what he was going to do. If he was a sharpclaw, these cats would expect him to know how to hunt. But back in his own Clan17, he had never been trained for that. He had never caught his own prey.
I’ll just have to try. How hard can it be?
He began prowling through the trees with his eyes closed so that he could pick out the scents more clearly, and soon detected a trace of mouse. Pausing to listen, he heard the scuffling of tiny paws, and leaped in the direction of the sound. His paws thumped49 down on grass; there was no sign of his mouse.
“Bad luck!” Fish Leap meowed cheerfully behind him. Jaypaw opened his eyes and turned to see that the other cat was dragging a squirrel between his front paws. Dawn River stood behind him, a mouse clamped in her jaws.
“Haven’t you caught anything yet?” Fish Leap teased. “I thought sharpclaws were better than that.”
“I…er…I was looking for the horsetail that Running Horse mentioned,” Jaypaw mewed, improvising50 wildly. “He says it’s good for sore pads.”
Dawn River nodded. “It must be hard for you to hunt when your pads aren’t healed yet.”
“All the same, you’d better catch something,” Fish Leap told him. “Unless you want to go hungry.”
Jaypaw wasn’t surprised. He had already guessed that these cats had to hunt for themselves, even before they were sharpclaws; they didn’t have patrols, and he hadn’t seen any sign of a fresh-kill pile. “Should we catch something for the elders?” he suggested.
Fish Leap shrugged. “If we find something extra.”
Jaypaw felt a pang51 of homesickness for ThunderClan, where every cat was fed, even those who didn’t have the time or skill to hunt for themselves.
“I’m going to try down by the stream,” Dawn River declared. “I could just eat a yummy vole.”
So could I,Jaypaw thought,watching the tortoiseshell she-cat out of sight, but I don’t think I’m going to get one. What am I going to eat if I can’t tell them that I don’t hunt?
“I’ll see you later,” Fish Leap meowed. “Good hunting!”
He bounded off in the direction of the ShadowClan border. No,Jaypaw reminded himself. Where the ShadowClan border will be.
Keeping his eyes open in an attempt to get used to seeing, he headed toward the stone hollow. Fear drew icy claws down his spine52. What if the hollow isn’t there?
Before many heartbeats had passed, the harsh tang of a Thunderpath crept into Jaypaw’s nostrils53. He paused, bewildered. There’s no Thunderpath across our territory!
He pressed himself closer to the ground, creeping forward and taking advantage of what little cover there was. Eventually he came out beside the Thunderpath, its hard black surface snaking through the trees. Pricking54 his ears, he listened for the sound of monsters, but nothing disturbed the gentle rustling55 of the breeze among the branches.
Glancing up and down, Jaypaw spotted56 the walls of a Twoleg nest among the trees; more cautiously than ever he crept toward it, alert for the scent and sound of Twolegs or dogs. But everything was silent. The door of the nest was tight shut, and the shiny stuff in the windows was broken and scattered57.
Jaypaw blinked in sudden understanding. This is the Twoleg nest where the sick cats are staying!There weren’t any holes in the walls, and the roof was still in one piece, but the size and shape were the same.
So the Thunderpath is the old Twoleg path.Jaypaw bounded back to it. He hadn’t recognized it with its black surface intact instead of broken up and covered with tiny creeping plants. Now I know where I am!
He trotted58 along beside the Thunderpath, still wary59 of monsters, though none of the smelly, roaring creatures appeared. Just as he knew it would, it led him to the entrance to the hollow.
Jaypaw stopped and looked around. Walls of stone stretched up around him, low near the entrance and rising to a height of many fox-lengths opposite him. There was a trace of Twoleg scent, but it was faint and stale. His gaze traveled around the hollow as he tried to imagine where the dens60 would be. It was hard to picture them because there was no undergrowth yet, no brambles, bracken, or hazel to soften61 the harsh lines of the walls. Only a few stems of willowherb had pushed their way through the earth, their feathery tops stirred by the breeze. Jaypaw thought he recognized the Highledge with the cave behind it where Firestar had his den, but there was no sign of the tumbled rocks that made a path up to it.
“Jay’s Wing!”
Jaypaw jumped, startled, and whirled around to see the white she-cat, Half Moon, staring at him with scared green eyes.
She bounded away through the trees and up the side of the hollow, heading for the entrance to the underground tunnels. Jaypaw followed her, closing his eyes so that he could match her speed. So this is where the badgers lived,he thought, noticing strong badger scent for the first time; his mind had been so distracted by the changes to the Twoleg path and the stone hollow that he had missed it on the way there. The hollow must be out-of-bounds to the cats because it belonged to their enemies—not rival cats, but badgers. Maybe these were the ancestors of the badgers that came back to the forest, moons and moons later, and attacked ThunderClan, killing63 Cinder-pelt. Did those badgers know that this had been their home once?
Jaypaw was relieved when the badger scents faded and Half Moon finally slowed and flopped64 down on the cool grass. He wondered how she knew that they were safe here, when there were no border markings to separate their territory from the badgers’.
“I never thought so before,” he began carefully, “but isn’t it weird65 how the badgers never chase us here, when there’s nothing to stop them?”
Half Moon shrugged. “I guess there’s enough prey in the thicker part of the forest, so they don’t need to come out this far.” She glanced sideways at Jaypaw, clearly wanting to say something but not sure if she should. “I followed your scent,” she admitted. “I thought you might be in trouble. And I’ve got this for you.” She vanished under a bush and reappeared a heartbeat later with a blackbird in her jaws, which she dropped in front of Jaypaw. “I thought you might find it hard to hunt when your paws are sore.”
Jaypaw nodded, glad of the excuse but still feeling a bit guilty as he crouched66 in front of the blackbird. “Thanks. Do you want to share it with me?”
“I already ate, but I’ll have a mouthful, thanks.” Half Moon settled down on the opposite side of the prey.
While he ate, Jaypaw realized that he would need to learn how to hunt if he was going to stay here for any length of time. But that could be tricky67, when he was supposed to be a sharpclaw already.
“Will Furled Bracken give me any duties?” he asked Half Moon.
The white she-cat had taken one bite of the blackbird, then began to clean her face and whiskers with her paws. “You might have to hunt for the elders if no cat has any spare,” she mewed. “Don’t you remember how hard it rained last moon? How Whispering Breeze had to catch prey for all of us because she’s the only cat who doesn’t mind getting her fur wet?”
“Oh, sure,” Jaypaw mumbled.
“I couldn’t believe it when she caught fish!” Half Moon purred. “I’d never tasted fish before.”
“Prey isn’t running well, is it?” Jaypaw thought that was a safe comment to make.
Half Moon shook her head. “Maybe Stone Song isn’t wrong when he says we should think about leaving.” Sadness clouded her eyes. “I remember you said the same.”
“Right,” Jaypaw meowed, relieved to know which side of the argument Jay’s Wing had taken. “There must be somewhere with more prey, and no Twolegs and badgers to bother us.”
“You really think there’s a place like that for us?”
Jaypaw nodded slowly. After all, the Clans found a new home for themselves when the Twolegs destroyed the old forest.
Except that the Clans camehere.
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1
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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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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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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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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6
dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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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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amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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pester
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| v.纠缠，强求 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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13
grumbled
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| 抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声 | |
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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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gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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17
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
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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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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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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wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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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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24
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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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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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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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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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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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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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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badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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35
flailing
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| v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
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36
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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38
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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39
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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40
awareness
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| n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智 | |
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41
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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42
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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43
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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44
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
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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46
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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47
sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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48
grooming
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| n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发 | |
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49
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
improvising
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| 即兴创作（improvise的现在分词形式） | |
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51
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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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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nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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55
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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56
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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57
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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58
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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59
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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60
dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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62
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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63
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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64
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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65
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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66
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tricky
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| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
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