CHAPTER26
“What’s happening?” Berrynose poked1 his headinto the entrance of the nursery. “Why aren’t the kits3 born yet?”
Jayfeather paused with his paw resting gently on Poppyfrost’s belly4 and let out an exasperated5 sigh. “Because it’s not quite time, Berrynose,” he meowed, forcing his voice to remain calm. “You don’t need to worry.”
He could feel powerful ripples6 passing through Poppyfrost’s body as her kits prepared themselves to be born. The young she-cat lay on her side on the soft moss8 of the nursery; Daisy was crouched9 beside her head, licking her ears, while Ferncloud stroked her pelt11 with a calming paw.
“Yes, Berrynose, why don’t you go catch a shrew or something?” Daisy suggested. “We’re getting on just fine.”
“Then why is it taking so long?” Berrynose demanded.
Jayfeather rolled his eyes. When Daisy had first roused him to come to the nursery, Berrynose had insisted on staying with his mate. But he had been such a nuisance, getting in the way and questioning everything the medicine cat did, that Jayfeather had sent him outside. But it annoyed Jayfeather almost as much to hear him pacing up and down, and sticking his head in every few heartbeats to ask stupid questions.
Any cat would think no queen had ever kitted before!
Berrynose withdrew, and Jayfeather could hear his nervous pacing start up again. Outside the nursery, night lay over the stone hollow, with a gentle breeze stirring the trees and the scent12 of leaf-fall in the air. Two nights before, Jayfeather had traveled to the Moonpool to meet with the other medicine cats. He had hoped to learn more about Yellowfang’s warning, but none of the other medicine cats spoke13 about messages from StarClan, or dreams of the Dark Forest. When Jayfeather settled down to sleep by the lake, he had found himself padding through the sunlit territory of the Clans15’ ancestors, but no starry16 warriors17 had answered his calls.
A grunt19 of pain from Poppyfrost distracted Jayfeather, and another powerful ripple7 passed through her belly.
“It won’t be long now,” he promised.
Daisy stopped licking to give Poppyfrost a drink from a clump20 of soaked moss, and the she-cat relaxed with a long sigh. “No cat told me it would be such hard work,” she murmured.
“What happened? I heard something! Are they here yet?” It was Berrynose again, thrusting his head and shoulders into the nursery.
“Berrynose, you’re blocking all the light,” Ferncloud pointed22 out gently. “It really isn’t helping23.”
“These are mykits, you know,” Berrynose protested.
“Yes, and I’m the one having them!” Poppyfrost meowed sharply. “Honestly, Berrynose, I’m fine.”
At that moment, Jayfeather heard his brother’s voice calling from outside the nursery. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes,” Jayfeather called back. “Keep Berrynose out of my fur!”
Berrynose drew back with an offended snort, and Jayfeather heard Lionblaze talking quietly to him. The paw steps started up again, but this time there were two sets, drawing a little farther away from the nursery.
“Right,” Jayfeather mewed. “Now we can get on with it.”
Poppyfrost grunted24 as she strained to bring her kits into the world. “I don’t think they’re ever coming,” she panted as the spasm25 passed.
“They will,” Jayfeather told her calmly. “This first kit2 is a big one; that’s why it’s taking longer. But it’ll be here soon.”
The she-cat gasped26 for breath; Jayfeather felt her belly convulse, and a kit slithered out onto the moss.
“Oh, look!” Ferncloud exclaimed in a delighted purr. “A tom—and he’s beautiful, Poppyfrost.”
Poppyfrost gave a grunt of acknowledgment as another spasm passed through her. Jayfeather carefully felt her belly. “Just one more to come,” he told her.
She’s getting tired, he thought. Come on, kit, get a move on. Your mother needs to rest.
Daisy gave Poppyfrost another drink, while Ferncloud bent27 over her, murmuring encouragingly. But Poppyfrost was barely conscious by the time the second kit, a little she-cat, slipped out to join her brother.
“Oh, they’re just beautiful!” Daisy whispered; she and Ferncloud bent their heads to lick the kits into wakefulness. “Look, Poppyfrost. Aren’t they lovely?”
Poppyfrost let out an exhausted28 murmur21 and gathered the two kits toward her belly. Jayfeather could hear their tiny squeaks29 that faded into silence as they began to suckle.
“All done,” he stated with satisfaction. “Here, Poppyfrost, eat these borage leaves. They’ll help your milk to come.”
Listening to the new mother licking up the herbs, Jayfeather suddenly had the sensation that the nursery had grown more crowded. “Okay, Berrynose, you can come and meet your kits,” he meowed.
He turned, expecting to pick up Berrynose’s scent. Instead he realized that he could see the branches of the nursery, intertwined with bramble tendrils to keep out the drafts.
Am I dreaming?
There was no sign of Berrynose, but three other cats were sitting beside the nursery wall. Horror stiffened31 every hair on Jayfeather’s pelt when he saw the muscular tabby shapes of Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, one with gleaming amber32 eyes, the other with ice blue. The third cat was a big brown tom with a crooked33 tail. Jayfeather had never seen him before, but he recognized the scent of the cat who had attacked him at the Moonpool during his fight with Breezepelt.
There was hunger in the eyes of the three spirit cats as they stared at the newborn kits.
Jayfeather was still frozen with shock when Lionblaze pushed his head into the den30. “Can Berrynose come in yet?” he asked.
Then his eyes narrowed and he turned his head toward the three cats from the Dark Forest. “You will not have these kits!” he hissed34.
Jayfeather’s heart began to pound. “You can see them?”
“Lionblaze, what in the name of StarClan are you doing?” Daisy asked. “Go get Berrynose.”
At the sound of the she-cat’s voice the three cats vanished, and Jayfeather’s sight went dark once more. He crouched down, trembling, as Lionblaze withdrew, and forced himself to turn back to the kits. The sound of healthy suckling calmed him, and he managed to pull himself together as Berrynose came into the nursery.
The young warrior18 was quivering with excitement. “Oh, wow! A son and a daughter!” he exclaimed. He pressed himself close to Poppyfrost, covering her face with licks. “You’re so clever, so beautiful,” he kept repeating. “Our kits are going to be the best in the Clan14!”
As Jayfeather listened, he became aware of Honeyfern’s scent wreathing around him, and a faint murmur reached his ears.
Thank you.
His head still spinning, Jayfeather slipped into the clearing. Lionblaze was waiting for him. “Do you know who that third cat is?” he demanded.
Jayfeather shook his head. “I don’t know his name, but I’ve met him before. He attacked me at the Moonpool when I was fighting against Breezepelt.”
Quickly Jayfeather told him what had happened when he had followed Poppyfrost to the Moonpool. “Breezepelt seems to want vengeance37 on every cat in ThunderClan,” he finished, “because of what Leafpool and Crowfeather did.”
“I can understand that…in a way,” Lionblaze meowed. “But where did the other cat come from?”
“Yellowfang spoke to me in a dream,” Jayfeather told his brother. “She seems to know this cat—he comes from the Dark Forest, like Tigerstar and Hawkfrost—but she didn’t tell me his name.” He let out a frustrated38 sigh. “I don’t understand why cats from the Dark Forest are suddenly appearing among the Clans. Do they really want to get involved in new quarrels?”
But that’s what Rock told me, he suddenly remembered. He spoke about ancient grievances39 that will be answered. Is this what he meant?
“Jayfeather, there’s something I need to tell you.” Lionblaze led his brother out through the thorn barrier and into the forest, halting to face him on the mossy ground beneath an oak tree. The branches creaked peacefully above them in the breeze.
“I have a confession40 to make,” Lionblaze began.
Jayfeather listened, his mouth dropping open with horror, as Lionblaze told him how Tigerstar used to visit him at night, and how the vengeful cat had trained him to fight better and more strongly than his Clanmates. Not for the sake of his Clan—but to satisfy Tigerstar’s own hunger for power.
“Because I thought it was my destiny,” Lionblaze replied. “Tigerstar told me he was my kin10, but he knew all along that he wasn’t. So he lied, he lied to get me on his side, as one of his warriors for a battle among the Clans.”
“It’s coming,” Jayfeather whispered. “A battle between StarClan and the Dark Forest, and every warrior will be called upon to fight.” Ice-cold fear raised every hair on his pelt. “Did the three cats come tonight in case one of Poppyfrost’s kits died, so they could take it to the Dark Forest?”
“They don’t need dead kits,” Lionblaze meowed. “They can visit the living, just like they visited me.” He hesitated. “I—I think they’re training Tigerheart already. In the battle against the beavers42, I saw him use a battle move that Tigerstar taught me.”
Jayfeather’s thoughts flew back to the Moonpool, and how Breezepelt hadn’t seemed at all surprised to be fighting alongside the shadowy warrior. “They’ve recruited Breezepelt, too,” he realized. “Feeding off his hatred43 of us, and his hunger for revenge. But how? Warrior ancestors have never been able to touch the living world before now.”
“They have.” Lionblaze’s tone was grave. “When I trained in my dreams with Tigerstar, toward the end, I woke up with real injuries.” Jayfeather felt his brother’s tail-tip rest on his shoulder.
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1
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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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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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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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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7
ripple
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| 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 | |
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8
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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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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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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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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13
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
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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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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16
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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19
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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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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21
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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22
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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23
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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24
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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25
spasm
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| n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作 | |
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26
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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27
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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28
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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29
squeaks
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| n.短促的尖叫声，吱吱声( squeak的名词复数 )v.短促地尖叫( squeak的第三人称单数 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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30
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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31
stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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32
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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33
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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34
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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35
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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36
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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37
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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38
frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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39
grievances
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| n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚 | |
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40
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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41
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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42
beavers
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| 海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人 | |
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43
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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44
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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