CHAPTER26
By the time the three littermatesstumbled back into the hollow, Jayfeather was so exhausted1 he could hardly feel his paws, and the rain had plastered his pelt2 to his sides. He felt as if he were struggling in a vast cobweb woven of lies and shadows, with an unseen spider waiting to pounce3.
Back in the old Twoleg nest, he had been certain that they were right to abandon Sol, but now he wasn’t so sure. What if the loner really was the only way to the truth?
And what are we going to say when Firestar asks us where we’ve been? He’ll claw us to pieces and toss us on the fresh-kill pile!
But as he staggered into the clearing, he heard a buzz of excitement rising from his Clanmates, who were clustered together near the nursery. No cat was paying any attention to Jayfeather or his littermates.
“What’s going on?” Lionblaze asked.
A sudden rush of paw steps answered him as Foxpaw raced up to them. “It’s Whitewing!” he burst out. “She’s having her kits6.”
At the same moment, Jayfeather heard Brightheart calling from the nursery. “Jayfeather! Come quick—Leafpool needs you!”
Jayfeather stifled8 a sigh. He would far rather have crept into his nest to dry off his pelt and sleep. Instead he headed for the nursery, brushing past Birchfall, who was tearing up grass in his anxiety.
Inside, Daisy and Millie had drawn9 their own kits into their nests to give Whitewing and Leafpool space. The young white she-cat was lying on one side, her breath coming fast and shallow.
“You’re doing fine,” Leafpool reassured10 her. “And so are your kits. They’ll be born before you know it.”
“I hope so,” Whitewing panted.
Even though Leafpool sounded calm, Jayfeather could sense her fear. Leaning over, she whispered in his ear, “She’s exhausted. I’m afraid she won’t have enough strength left to deliver the kits.”
Jayfeather rested one paw lightly on Whitewing’s distended11 belly12 and concentrated. He could feel a double heartbeat inside her, frail13 but steady. “She’s having two kits,” he announced. “Come on, Whitewing! You can do it.”
It’s okay, little kits,he thought as he crouched14 over the laboring15 she-cat, murmuring encouragement. You’re nearly safe. Just a little farther
Suddenly his mind slid into Whitewing’s. He heard a vicious snarling16 and saw a vision of gaping17 fangs18 and lolling tongues, as if the young white queen was imagining her kits savaged19 by dogs, just as her mother Brightheart had been. He heard the screech20 of battle with other Clans21 and saw blood welling in deep claw marks, scarlet22 against pale fur. He felt the grip of hunger in his belly as he looked out across a forest deep under the snow.
Jayfeather started back, his mind reeling. Does a mother really imagine her kits’ whole lives before they’re born?He sensed Whitewing’s terror as she lay silently begging him for help.
Recovering, he bent23 close to the young she-cat. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “Your daughters will be fine. They will be loved and protected by their Clanmates.” He stroked one paw gently across Whitewing’s belly. “It’s time now.”
Jayfeather felt a strong ripple26 pass through her belly. She let out a screech, and a tiny wet bundle slithered out onto the moss27.
“Is she all right?” Whitewing panted.
“She’s fine,” Jayfeather assured her. “Now the next one.”
Whitewing lay still for a moment; then her back arched as another ripple passed across her belly, and a second tiny bundle slid into the nest.
“Well done!” Leafpool exclaimed. “Greetings, little kits. Welcome to ThunderClan.”
The first kit7 squeaked28 loudly, and Leafpool uttered a soft mrrowof laughter. “This one’s tiny, but she’s strong. There, little ones, go to your mother.”
“They’re beautiful!” Whitewing purred. “Thank you, Jayfeather. And you, Leafpool.” With one paw, she drew the tiny kits toward her and started to lick them vigorously.
A wave of triumph swept through Jayfeather as he headed for the entrance to the nursery. “Birchfall!” he called. “Come and meet your daughters.”
Birchfall brushed past Jayfeather as he stumbled inside. Jayfeather almost staggered under the wave of his relief and joy. “Whitewing, are you okay?” he choked out. “Oh, thank StarClan! What beautiful kits!”
Crouching29 beside Leafpool as she tended to Whitewing, Jayfeather wondered whether she had felt the same when he and her other kits were born. Did our father share that joy?
More than anything, he wanted to talk to Leafpool, to hear her side of the story and learn the truth. In the closeness of working together, he felt for a few heartbeats that it might be possible. “Leafpool…,” he began.
Leafpool turned to him. “She’ll be fine now,” the medicine cat meowed, cutting off what Jayfeather meant to say. “Go and fetch me some strengthening herbs, and a few leaves of borage to help her milk come.”
The moment was gone. “Sure,” Jayfeather replied, and slipped out of the nursery.
By the time he had delivered the herbs, the rain was easing off. Jayfeather padded over to the fresh-kill pile for a bite to eat before he went back to his den5. Several cats were clustered around it, sharing prey30; their delight washed over Jayfeather as he crouched to gulp31 down his vole.
“It’s hard to give birth to kits in leaf-bare,” Ferncloud mewed. “Whitewing has done really well.”
“She’ll raise them well, too.” That was Mousefur, sounding less crotchety than usual. “Whitewing is one of the best cats in this Clan4. When she was an apprentice32 she always made sure we had fresh moss, and it was dry, too.”
“We’ll all have to watch our tails when these kits are old enough to leave the nursery.” Dustpelt’s voice held a hint of amusement. “They have your blood, Cloudtail, and we all know what a hard time you gave Firestar when you were a kit.”
Cloudtail snorted. “They’ll be fine warriors33, Dustpelt, and I’ll claw any cat who says different.”
Jayfeather, who was eating his prey, paused for a heartbeat as Hollyleaf and Lionblaze padded up and sat down beside him, listening to the cheerful talk in silence. None of them wanted to join in, but Jayfeather sensed that all of them felt cut off from one another, too.
“I remember when you three were kits,” Brackenfur meowed; paw steps approached and the golden brown tabby flicked35 Jayfeather on the ear with his tail. “Chasing foxes! It’s a wonder any of you survived to be apprentices36.”
“Yeah, right,” Jayfeather muttered. Suddenly the happiness of his Clanmates was more than he could bear. Without another word, even to his littermates, he swallowed the last mouthful of vole and headed for his den.
Curled up in his nest, Jayfeather woke to the sound of paw steps, and opened his eyes to see a skinny gray she-cat bending over him.
“Yellowfang!” he exclaimed, sitting up. He was still in the medicine cats’ den, bathed in the pale glow of moonlight. Leafpool was curled up asleep a couple of tail-lengths away.
The former medicine cat dropped a long dark feather onto the moss of Jayfeather’s nest. “The time for lies and secrets is over,” she meowed. “The truth must come out. StarClan was wrong not to tell you who you were a long time ago.”
“Then what—?” Jayfeather began, but already Yellowfang’s shape was beginning to fade, melting into the moonlight until she was gone. The moonlight abruptly37 vanished, leaving Jayfeather in darkness as he woke from his dream.
“Mouse dung! Why can’t any cat speak straight out?” he hissed38. But an icy weight in his belly made him realize that Yellowfang had told him all he needed to know.
Feeling around his nest, he found the feather she had dropped, and drew his paw down the long, smooth length. He could picture how it had gleamed black in the silver moonlight.
“She brought me a crow’s feather…,” he whispered.
Scrambling39 out of his nest, he padded softly out of the den, taking care not to wake Leafpool. Once he was in the clearing, he bounded over to the warriors’ den. He crept around the outside of it, tasting the air until he located Lionblaze sleeping close to the outer branches.
Jayfeather scrabbled around to find a loose bit of branch and poked40 it through the thorns until he felt the other end prod41 Lionblaze.
“Uh? Get off!” Lionblaze swatted at the branch.
“Lionblaze!” Jayfeather hissed, pressing as close as he could to his brother inside the den. “I have to talk to you. Fetch Hollyleaf.”
“It’s the middle of the night!” Lionblaze protested.
“Keep your voice down! Do you want to wake every cat in the camp? This is important! We have to go somewhere.”
“Okay, okay, keep your fur on.”
Jayfeather waited impatiently until his littermates pushed their way out through the branches.
“What do you mean, ‘go somewhere’?” Lionblaze whispered. “Where?”
“Into the forest. Somewhere we can talk.”
Hollyleaf yawned. “This had better be worth it.”
“It will be,” Jayfeather promised.
All three cats slid out of the camp through the dirtplace tunnel, clinging to the shadows so as not to alert Poppyfrost, who was on watch. Then Jayfeather led them through the trees in the direction of the WindClan border.
“It’s freezing out here,” Hollyleaf complained. “I’m not going another paw step until you explain.”
“Okay.” Jayfeather turned to face his littermates. “I know who our father is.” He hesitated, almost knocked over by the sudden surge of feelings that came from his brother and sister. He took a deep breath and went on. “It’s Crowfeather.”
For a few heartbeats there was silence. The emotions that churned out of his littermates now were so complex that Jayfeather knew he could never unravel42 them.
“We’re half-Clan?” Hollyleaf choked out at last.
“How do you know about this?” Lionblaze sounded baffled.
“Yellowfang came to me in a dream,” Jayfeather explained. “She told me it was time we knew the truth, and she brought me a crow’s feather.”
“But that still might not mean…” Hollyleaf’s protest died away. All three cats knew the meaning of the sign. There was no point trying to pretend it wasn’t true.
“Does Crowfeather know about this?” Lionblaze demanded.
“Is that why Leafpool had to keep us a secret?” Hollyleaf put in.
Their questions battered43 at Jayfeather. “I don’t know,” he told them. “We have to talk to Crowfeather. Come on.”
The three cats headed silently through the forest. Drops from the recent heavy rain spattered their pelts44 as they brushed through the undergrowth. A chill breeze sprang up, ruffling45 their fur. Above his head, Jayfeather could hear the first chirps46 of waking birds.
His mind was spinning. How could this have happened?Their mother was a medicine cat, their father a WindClan warrior34. Both of them should have known they could never be together.
How can we be part of the prophecy when we should never have been born?
Padding along by Jayfeather’s side, Lionblaze was sending out steady surges of rage, a burning fury toward those cats who had abandoned the warrior code and piled up a heap of lies for the kits who were born as a result. On his other side, Hollyleaf was dazed, her whirling thoughts still too difficult to read.
At last Jayfeather could hear the gurgling of the border stream and taste the scent47 of fresh water. “It’s still early,” he remarked, “but we might spot their dawn patrol.”
They drew to a halt on the bank of the stream. Jayfeather’s legs were trembling with weariness; he would have liked to sink down into the long grass at the water’s edge, but he knew he had to confront his father standing48 on his paws.
Birdsong grew louder around them, and the bitter cold of night gradually eased. At last Jayfeather caught a whiff of WindClan scent; at the same moment Hollyleaf exclaimed, “There they are!”
“Owlwhisker, Gorsetail, and Weaselfur,” Lionblaze meowed. “Wait here. I’m going to talk to them.”
“Wait—” Jayfeather protested as he heard Lionblaze leap across the stream, but his brother was gone, too angry to worry about crossing the border.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Owlwhisker demanded.
All Lionblaze’s suppressed rage came out in his voice. “Fetch Crowfeather. Now.”
“What?” Weaselfur exclaimed indignantly. “Who do you think you are, telling us what to do?”
“Yeah,” Gorsetail added. “Get back into your own territory, or we’ll tear your fur off.”
A low growl49 came from Lionblaze; Jayfeather pictured him looming50 over the three WindClan cats, his golden fur fluffed out until he was twice his size. “Just do it!” he ordered.
“Okay,” Owlwhisker mewed, his voice shrill51 as he tried to conceal52 his fear. “But you can wait on your own side of the border.”
Jayfeather heard the WindClan warriors bounding away, then a thud as Lionblaze jumped back across the stream and landed beside him. His claws tore up the grass as they waited, as if his fury had to find some kind of outlet53.
Jayfeather’s belly churned when he caught the scent of an approaching WindClan cat on the breeze. Just one: Crowfeather had come alone. He could feel Hollyleaf quivering beside him; her tail kept twitching54, brushing against his pelt.
At last Crowfeather’s voice came from the other side of the border. “What do you want?”
Words choked in Jayfeather’s throat as the three littermates faced the WindClan warrior across the stream. He heard a sharp intake55 of breath from Hollyleaf.
But Lionblaze didn’t hesitate. “Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight are not our parents,” he declared. “Leafpool is our mother and you are our father.”
There was a pause. Then, “Don’t be mouse-brained,” Crowfeather snapped. “That’s impossible.”
He sounded so certain that for a heartbeat Jayfeather wondered if they could possibly be mistaken. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into Crowfeather’s mind. A tangle56 of undergrowth faced him, and he realized that he was standing at the top of the cliff above the stone hollow. Leafpool was clinging to the edge, her face upturned pleadingly as Crowfeather grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her back to safety.
Then he glimpsed them crouched together under a bush, and heard Crowfeather meow, “Come away with me, Leafpool. I’ll take good care of you, I promise.” Now the two of them were trekking57 side by side up a long slope of moorland, then in a hollow, talking to Midnight the badger58. “I have to go back,” Leafpool mewed.
Caterwauling ripped through Jayfeather’s vision and he glimpsed the stone hollow full of warring badgers59, while his Clanmates attacked them fiercely. Last of all, Leafpool faced Crowfeather in the clearing, among the debris60 of the battle. “Your heart lies here,” Crowfeather murmured; Jayfeather could hardly believe the warrior could sound so gentle. “Not with me. It was never truly with me.”
The vision had taken no more than a moment, but when Jayfeather let go of the WindClan warrior’s mind, he was sure that Yellowfang’s sign had not deceived him. Just as he was sure that Crowfeather had no idea he had fathered Leafpool’s kits.
“It’s true,” he meowed. “You didn’t know, did you?”
“No….” For a heartbeat, Crowfeather sounded dazed. Then Jayfeather felt anger growing within him. “I have one mate,” he snarled61. “Her name is Nightcloud. We have one son, Breezepelt. I don’t know why you’ve come to me with these lies. Go home, and don’t come back. Why should I care about ThunderClan cats? You mean nothing to me. Nothing!”
Jayfeather heard a gasp25 from Hollyleaf, and the sound of Lionblaze’s claws scraping against stone.
Calmly he faced his father. “The truth is out now,” he warned. “None of us can hide from it again.”
收听单词发音 |
1
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
pelt
|
|
| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
pounce
|
|
| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
clan
|
|
| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
den
|
|
| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
kits
|
|
| 衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
kit
|
|
| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
stifled
|
|
| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
reassured
|
|
| 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) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
distended
|
|
| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
frail
|
|
| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
laboring
|
|
| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
snarling
|
|
| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
gaping
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
fangs
|
|
| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
savaged
|
|
| （动物）凶狠地攻击（或伤害）( savage的过去式和过去分词 )； 残害； 猛烈批评； 激烈抨击 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
screech
|
|
| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
clans
|
|
| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
gasp
|
|
| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
ripple
|
|
| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
moss
|
|
| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
squeaked
|
|
| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
crouching
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
gulp
|
|
| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
apprentice
|
|
| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
warrior
|
|
| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
flicked
|
|
| （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） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
apprentices
|
|
| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
hissed
|
|
| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
scrambling
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
poked
|
|
| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
prod
|
|
| vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
unravel
|
|
| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
battered
|
|
| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
pelts
|
|
| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
ruffling
|
|
| 弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
chirps
|
|
| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的第三人称单数 )； 啾； 啾啾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
growl
|
|
| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
looming
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
outlet
|
|
| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
twitching
|
|
| n.颤搐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
intake
|
|
| n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
tangle
|
|
| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
trekking
|
|
| v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的现在分词 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
badger
|
|
| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
badgers
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
debris
|
|
| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
snarled
|
|
| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |