Chapter 1
Jayfeather’s dream dissolved into darkness as he woke and stretched his jaws1 in a massive yawn. His whole body seemed heavy, and when he sat up in his nest he felt as though ivy2 tendrils were wrapped around him, dragging him back to the ground. The air was hotter than usual for late newleaf, fil ed with the scents3 of prey5 and lush green growth. Noise filtered through the brambles that screened the medicine cat’s den6 from the rest of the stone hol ow: pawsteps and the excited murmuring of many cats as they gathered for the first patrols of the day.
But Jayfeather couldn’t share his Clanmates’
excitement. Although a moon had passed since he and his companions had returned from their visit to the Tribe, he felt cold and bleak8 inside. His head was ful of images of mountains, endless snow-covered peaks stretching into the distance, outlined crisply against an ice-blue sky. His bel y cramped9 with pain as he recal ed one particular image: a white cat with green eyes who gave him a long, sorrowful look before she turned away and padded along a cliff top above a thundering waterfal .
Jayfeather shook his head. What’s the matter with me? That was all a long, long time ago. My life has always been here with the Clans10. So why do I feel as if something has been lost?
“Hi, Jayfeather.” Briarlight’s voice had a muffled11, echoing sound, and Jayfeather realized she must have her head inside the cleft12 where he stored his herbs. “You’re awake at last.”
Jayfeather replied with a grunt13. Briarlight was another of his problems. He couldn’t forget what Lionblaze had told him when he returned to the mountains: how Briarlight was so frustrated14 by being confined to the hol ow, trapped by her damaged hindlegs, that she’d persuaded her brother Bumblestripe to carry her into the forest to look for herbs.
“There was a dog running loose,” Lionblaze had told him. “A cat with four functioning legs would have been hard-pressed to outrun it. If it hadn’t been for me and Toadstep luring15 it away, Briarlight would have been torn to pieces.”
“Mouse-brain!” Jayfeather snapped. “Why would she put herself in danger like that?”
“Because she’s convinced that she’s useless,” Lionblaze explained. “Can’t you give her more to do? Cinderheart and I promised her we’d help her find a proper part to play in the life of the Clan7.”
“You had no right to promise her anything without speaking to me first,” Jayfeather retorted. “Are you suggesting I take her as my apprentice17? Because I don’t want an apprentice!”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lionblaze meowed, his tail-tip twitching18 in annoyance19. “But you could find more interesting duties for her, couldn’t you?” Stil reluctant, Jayfeather had done as his brother asked. He had to admit that Briarlight was easy to teach. She had been stuck in the medicine cat’s den for so long that she had already picked up a lot.
She’s actually useful, he mused20. Her paws are neat and quick when she sorts the herbs, and she’s good at soaking wilted21 leaves in the pool without letting them fall to pieces.
“Jayfeather?” Briarlight’s voice roused Jayfeather from his thoughts. He heard her wriggling22 around, and then her voice came more clearly as if she was poking23 her head out of the cleft. “Are you okay? You were tossing and turning al night.”
“I’m fine,” Jayfeather muttered, unwil ing to dwel any longer on the dreams that had plagued him.
“We’re running low on marigold,” Briarlight went on. “We used up a lot on Dovewing’s scratches when you got back from the mountains. Should I ask Brightheart to col ect some more?”
“No, I’l go,” Jayfeather muttered.
“Fine.” Briarlight’s voice was determinedly24 cheerful. “I’l get on with sorting the herbs. Oh, one more thing . . .”
Jayfeather heard the young she-cat dragging herself across the floor of the den until she reached his nest and pushed something toward him. “Could you throw this out on your way past the dirtplace?” she asked. “It was stuck at the back of the herb store.”
Jayfeather stretched out his neck until his nose touched a tuft of fur with a few dried scraps25 of leaf dusted on it. He stiffened27 as he recognized the faint scent4 that clung to it.
“Who would have put an old bit of fur among the herbs?” Briarlight continued. “It must have been in there for ages. I don’t recognize the scent or color.” For a moment Jayfeather didn’t reply. He breathed in his lost sister’s scent, overwhelmed by longing28 for the time when he and Hol yleaf and Lionblaze had played and trained together, before they knew anything about the prophecy, before they learned how Squirrelflight and Leafpool had lied to them.
I don’t know how Hollyleaf’s fur got into the store, he thought, but I should have thrown it out when I first found it there, not left it for another cat to find.
“I wonder where it came from,” Briarlight meowed.
“Maybe a cat from another Clan got in here to steal herbs.” She stifled29 a mrrow of laughter. “Maybe the kits30 got in and hid it.”
“How would I know?” Jayfeather snapped, irritated at being jerked out of his memories. “You should stop letting your imagination run away with you.” Turning so that Briarlight couldn’t see what he was doing, he tucked the scrap26 of fur deep inside the moss32 of his nest, and rose to his paws. “I’m going to fetch that marigold,” he mewed, and headed out of the den.
Before he had taken half a dozen pawsteps into the clearing, Bumblestripe’s scent washed over him as the young tom bounded up. “I was coming to see you,” Bumblestripe blurted33 out. “I’m real y worried about Dovewing.”
“Why? What’s the matter? Her scratches have healed, haven’t they?”
“It’s not that. She keeps having bad dreams—she had another one last night. She woke up screeching34, and she was muttering about giant birds and snow.” Jayfeather struggled to suppress a stab of impatience35. I know how bad it must have been, watching Swoop36 carried off by the eagle. But Dovewing has to be stronger than this.
“How do you know about it?” he asked Bumblestripe.
“There’s a leak in the warriors’ den right above my nest,” the young tom replied. “And there’s no more room in there, so I thought I’d spend a few nights in the apprentices38’ den with Dovewing and Ivypool. And every night Dovewing has these awful dreams. Are there any herbs that can help her?” Jayfeather picked up waves of deep anxiety rol ing off Bumblestripe. “There are no herbs that can take away memories,” he meowed. “You just have to learn to live with them.” Don’t we all? he added silently.
“But—” Bumblestripe began.
Brambleclaw’s voice rang out across the clearing, cutting across his protest. “Hey, Bumblestripe!
You’re supposed to be on hunting patrol. Sorreltail’s waiting.”
“Okay!” Bumblestripe cal ed back. “Coming! Bye, Jayfeather!” He bounded away.
Jayfeather headed toward the apprentices’ den, where Dovewing and Ivypool were sleeping since the warriors’ den was so crowded, only to halt when he realized that Brambleclaw had gotten there ahead of him.
“Ivypool, Dovewing, wake up!” the ThunderClan deputy yowled, sticking his head into the den.
“You’ve overslept again.”
Jayfeather heard muffled mews of protest; a couple of heartbeats later the two she-cats staggered into the open.
“You look dreadful!” Brambleclaw meowed, annoyance in his tone. “I’ve never seen such messy fur! Have you been hunting at night?” Though Jayfeather couldn’t see them, his twitching nose picked up dusty, ruffled39 fur, and he could sense echoes of fear coming from both cats. He knew very wel why their sleep had been disturbed.
Bumblestripe had just told him about Dovewing’s troubled dreams, while each night Ivypool was visiting the Dark Forest, training with the cats who had been spurned40 by StarClan.
I wish she’d tell me more about what happens there, Jayfeather thought. But no—she just says that she’ll let me know when there’s anything important to report.
“Why don’t I check them out in my den?” he suggested to Brambleclaw, hoping for the chance to get some information out of the two she-cats in private. “Maybe they’re coming down with something . . .”
Jayfeather’s voice trailed off as he realized that no cat was listening to him. As he was speaking, the swift patter of paws announced the arrival of Whitewing.
“Brambleclaw, don’t get angry with them!” she meowed. “They’re working so hard, now that we don’t have any apprentices.” She paused, then added, “I’l help them with their duties today.”
“I need you to go on border patrol,” Brambleclaw told her.
“And I need to stay here with my daughters,” Whitewing retorted. “Some other cat can go on border patrol instead of me.”
“Now, tidy yourselves up,” Whitewing went on, rasping her tongue busily over Ivypool’s ears.
“You’l always be my kit,” Whitewing told her, turning to give the same brisk licks to Dovewing, who jumped back and exclaimed, “Stop! I’m a warrior37! I can do my own fur!”
“Then prove it. We need to fetch moss for the elders’ bedding,” Whitewing went on as her daughters gave themselves a quick grooming43. “And for StarClan’s sake make sure there are no thorns in Purdy’s, or we’l never hear the end of it. Come on!” She bustled44 them toward the camp entrance, but before they reached the thorn tunnel Firestar appeared at the head of the dawn patrol.
Jayfeather’s nose was flooded with the scents of his Clanmates. Brambleclaw bounded across the clearing to meet them, with Dustpelt, Cloudtail, and Brightheart hard on his paws. Foxleap raised his head from the fresh-kil pile, a mouse dangling45 from his jaws, while Berrynose strode importantly up to the patrol, fol owed more slowly by Leafpool and Squirrelflight.
Molekit and Cherrykit burst out of the nursery, scampered46 out into the clearing, and hurled47 themselves at Berrynose’s paws, tripping him.
Berrynose can be a real pain in the tail, Jayfeather pondered. How come he’s such a good father?
“Can we go and fight?”
“I’ve learned a real y good move!” Cherrykit exclaimed, pouncing50 on a leaf and shredding51 it with her tiny claws.
“Of course you can’t fight!” Poppyfrost panted as she caught up to her kits. “You’re not even apprentices yet!”
Brambleclaw skirted the kits and halted in front of his Clan leader. “Any news?” he asked.
“No, everything’s quiet,” Firestar responded as Jayfeather padded over to listen. “It looks as if al the Clans are at peace with one another.”
“Right,” Thornclaw agreed; the tabby tom had fol owed Firestar into the camp. “There was no evidence that either WindClan or ShadowClan had been anywhere near the borders, except to renew the scent markers.”
“That’s good news!” Brightheart exclaimed.
Jayfeather wasn’t so sure. He knew that the Clans were keeping to themselves because of the deep divisions within StarClan along Clan boundaries. Al the warrior ancestors were warning every cat to stay apart from the other Clans, to trust none but their Clanmates, and prepare for something dreadful that lay in the future like storm clouds on the horizon.
At least ThunderClan has the three cats mentioned in the prophecy, Jayfeather thought.
There will be three, kin16 of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. Me, Lionblaze, and Dovewing, all in the same Clan. That must make us safer, right?
He flexed52 his paws. After his sleepless53 night they didn’t feel particularly powerful, but at least they would carry him as far as the patch of marigold above the hol ow. Then he remembered the other prophecy, from the Tribe of Endless Hunting barely half a moon before. For a moment Jayfeather was plunged54 back to that dark, windswept mountaintop, surrounded by dead cats who fixed55 their luminous56 eyes on him. Once again he seemed to hear the whispers of a long, long line of Stonetel ers.
The end of the stars draws near. Three must become four to challenge the darkness that lasts forever.
Rousing from the trance, Jayfeather was once more aware of the sounds and scents of the camp around him.
How are we going to recognize the fourth cat? We had enough problems finding the first three. And this new prophecy says nothing about Firestar’s kin.
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1
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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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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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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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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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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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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muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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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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luring
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式） | |
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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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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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wilted
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| （使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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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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poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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determinedly
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| adv.决意地；坚决地，坚定地 | |
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scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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scrap
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| n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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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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kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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swoop
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| n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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spurned
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disapproving
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| adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 ) | |
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sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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grooming
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| n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发 | |
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bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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48
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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squeaked
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| 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 | |
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50
pouncing
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的现在分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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51
shredding
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的现在分词 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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52
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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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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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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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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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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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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