ALLEGIANCES
ALLEGIANCES
THUNDERCLAN
LEADER
FIRESTAR—ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt
DEPUTY
GRAYSTRIPE—long-haired gray tom
MEDICINE CAT
CINDERPELT—dark gray she-cat APPRENTICE, LEAFPAW
WARRIORS
(toms, and she-cats without kits)
MOUSEFUR—small, dusky brown she-cat APPRENTICE, SPIDERPAW
DUSTPELT—dark brown tabby tom APPRENTICE, SQUIRRELPAW
SANDSTORM—pale ginger she-cat APPRENTICE, SQUIRRELPAW
CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tom
BRACKENFUR—golden brown tabby tom APPRENTICE, WHITEPAW
THORNCLAW—golden brown tabby tom APPRENTICE, SHREWPAW
BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patches
BRAMBLECLAW—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
ASHFUR—pale gray (with darker flecks) tom, dark blue eyes
RAINWHISKER—dark gray tom with blue eyes
SOOTFUR—lighter gray tom with amber eyes
APPRENTICES
(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)
SQUIRRELPAW—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes
LEAFPAW—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes
SPIDERPAW—long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes
SHREWPAW—small, dark brown tom with amber eyes
WHITEPAW—white she-cat with green eyes
QUEENS
(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
GOLDENFLOWER—pale ginger coat, the oldest nursery queen
FERNCLOUD—pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes
ELDERS
(former warriors and queens, now retired)
FROSTFUR—beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes
SPECKLETAIL—pale tabby she-cat
LONGTAIL—pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight
SHADOWCLAN
LEADER
BLACKSTAR—large white tom with huge jet-black paws
DEPUTY
RUSSETFUR—dark ginger she-cat
MEDICINE CAT
LITTLECLOUD—very small tabby tom
WARRIORS
OAKFUR—small brown tom APPRENTICE, SMOKEPAW
CEDARHEART—dark gray tom
ROWANCLAW—ginger she-cat APPRENTICE, TALONPAW
NIGHTWING—black she-cat
TAWNYPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
QUEENS
TALLPOPPY—long-legged light brown tabby she-cat
ELDERS
RUNNINGNOSE—small gray and white tom, formerly the medicine cat
BOULDER—skinny gray tom
WINDCLAN
LEADER
TALLSTAR—elderly black and white tom with a very long tail
DEPUTY
MUDCLAW—mottled dark brown tom
APPRENTICE, CROWPAW—dark smoky gray, almost black tom with blue eyes
MEDICINE CAT
BARKFACE—short-tailed brown tom
WARRIORS
TORNEAR—tabby tom
WEBFOOT—dark gray tabby tom APPRENTICE, WEASELPAW
ONEWHISKER—brown tabby tom
ROBINWING—light brown she-cat with blue eyes
APPRENTICE, THISTLEPAW
QUEENS
ASHFOOT—gray queen
WHITETAIL—small white she-cat
ELDERS
MORNINGFLOWER—tortoiseshell she-cat
OATWHISKER—creamy brown tabby tom
RIVERCLAN
LEADER
LEOPARDSTAR—unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat
DEPUTY
MISTYFOOT—gray she-cat with blue eyes
MEDICINE CAT
MUDFUR—long-haired light brown tom
APPRENTICE, MOTHWING—dappled golden she-cat
WARRIORS
BLACKCLAW—smoky black tom APPRENTICE, VOLEPAW
HEAVYSTEP—thickset tabby tom APPRENTICE, STONEPAW
STORMFUR—dark gray tom with amber eyes
HAWKFROST—dark brown tom with a white underbelly and ice blue eyes
SWALLOWTAIL—dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes APPRENTICE, SPLASHPAW
QUEENS
MOSSPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat
DAWNFLOWER—pale gray she-cat
ELDERS
SHADEPELT—very dark gray she-cat
LOUDBELLY—dark brown tom
THE TRIBE OF RUSHING WATER
TRIBE-HEALER
TELLER OF THE POINTED STONES (STONETELLER)—brown tabby tom with amber eyes
PREY-HUNTERS
(toms and she-cats responsible for providing food)
GRAY SKY BEFORE DAWN (GRAY)—pale gray tabby tom
BROOK WHERE SMALL FISH SWIM (BROOK)—brown tabby she-cat
CAVE-GUARDS
(toms and she-cats responsible for guarding the cave)
TALON OF SWOOPING EAGLE (TALON)—dark brown tabby tom (formerly leader of the outcasts)
JAGGED ROCK WHERE HERON SITS (JAG)—dark gray tom (former outcast)
ROCK BENEATH STILL WATER (ROCK)—brown tom (former outcast)
BIRD THAT SINGS AT DUSK (BIRD)—gray tabby she-cat (former outcast)
CRAG WHERE EAGLES NEST (CRAG)—dark gray tom
SHEER PATH BESIDE WATERFALL (SHEER)—dark brown tabby tom
NIGHT OF NO STARS (NIGHT)—black she-cat
KIT-MOTHERS
(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
WING SHADOW OVER WATER (WING)—gray and white she-cat
FLIGHT OF STARTLED HERON (FLIGHT)—brown tabby she-cat
CATS OUTSIDE CLANSBARLEY—black and white tom that lives on a farm close to the forest
RAVENPAW—sleek black cat that lives on the farm with Barley
CODY—a tabby kittypet with blue eyes
SASHA—a tawny-colored rogue she-cat
OTHER ANIMALS
MIDNIGHT—a star-gazing badger who lives by the sea
猫族成员
猫族成员
雷族
族长
火星——姜黄色公猫，身上的毛是火焰色的，绿色眼睛
副族长
灰条——灰色长毛公猫，琥珀色眼睛
巫医
炭毛——暗灰色母猫
（所指导的学徒是叶爪）
武士（公猫和不在育婴期的母猫）
鼠毛——小个头深棕色母猫
（所指导的学徒是蛛爪）
尘毛——暗棕色虎斑公猫
（所指导的学徒是松鼠爪）
沙风——姜黄色母猫，浅绿色眼睛
云尾——白色长毛公猫，蓝色眼睛
蕨毛——金棕色虎斑公猫
（所指导的学徒是白爪）
刺掌——金棕色虎斑公猫
（所指导的学徒是鼩鼱爪）
亮心——白色带姜黄色斑块的母猫
黑莓掌——暗棕色虎斑公猫，琥珀色眼睛
蜡毛——淡灰色带深色斑点的公猫，深蓝色眼睛
雨须——深灰色公猫，蓝色眼睛
烟毛——浅灰色公猫，琥珀色眼睛
栗尾——玳瑁色母猫，琥珀色眼睛
学徒（六个月以上的猫，正在接受武士训练）
松鼠爪——暗姜黄色母猫，绿色眼睛
叶爪——小个头的浅褐色虎斑母猫，白色脚掌，琥珀色眼睛
蛛爪——四肢修长的黑色公猫，肚子是棕色的，琥珀色眼睛
鼩鼱爪——娇小的深棕色公猫，琥珀色眼睛
白爪——白色母猫，绿色眼睛
猫后（正在怀孕或照顾幼崽的母猫）
金花——淡姜黄色母猫，也是最年长的猫后
香薇云——浅灰色母猫，身上有深色的斑点，绿色眼睛
长老（从武士岗位上退休的老年猫）
霜毛——漂亮的白色母猫，蓝色眼睛
纹尾——淡色虎斑母猫
长尾——淡色黑纹虎斑公猫，因视力减退提前退休的武士
影族
族长
黑星——个头很大的白色公猫，脚爪巨大黑亮
副族长
黄毛——暗姜黄色母猫，曾为泼皮猫
巫医
小云——个头非常小的虎斑公猫
武士
橡毛——小个头棕色公猫
（所指导的学徒是烟爪）
杉心——深灰色公猫
褐皮——玳瑁色母猫，绿色眼睛，是雷族黑莓掌的妹妹
花楸掌——姜黄色公猫
（所指导的学徒是鹰钩爪）
猫后
高罂——淡褐色的虎斑母猫，四肢修长
夜翅——黑色母猫
长老
奔鼻——小个头灰白花色公猫，是前任巫医
石头——灰色公猫，蓝色眼睛
风族
族长
高星——岁数很大的黑白花色公猫，尾巴很长
副族长
泥掌——毛色斑驳的暗棕色公猫
（所指导的学徒是鸦爪。鸦爪是一只接近黑色的深烟灰色公猫，蓝色眼睛）
巫医
青面——棕色公猫，尾巴很短
武士
一根须——棕色虎斑公猫
网脚——暗灰色虎斑公猫
（所指导的学徒是鼬爪）
裂耳——虎斑公猫
（所指导的学徒是枭爪）
知更翅——浅棕色母猫，蓝色眼睛
（所指导的学徒是蓟爪）
猫后
白尾——小个头白色母猫
灰脚——灰色母猫
长老
晨花——玳瑁色母猫
河族
族长
豹星——身上长有别致斑点的金黄色虎斑母猫
副族长
雾脚——灰色母猫，蓝色眼睛
巫医
泥毛——浅棕色长毛公猫
（所指导的学徒是蛾翅。蛾翅是一只漂亮的金色虎斑母猫，琥珀色眼睛）
武士
黑掌——烟黑色虎斑公猫
巨步——强壮的虎斑公猫
暴毛——深灰色公猫，琥珀色眼睛。是羽尾的哥哥
鹰霜——深棕色虎斑公猫，肩膀很宽，冰蓝色眼睛。是蛾翅的哥哥
燕尾——暗棕色母猫，绿色眼睛
（所指导的学徒是斑爪）
猫后
曙花——淡灰色母猫
藓毛——玳瑁色母猫
长老
影毛——深灰色母猫
响肚——暗棕色公猫
急水部落
尖石巫师——体形修长、四肢精瘦结实的公猫，琥珀色眼睛
鹰崖——身体强壮，肌肉发达的山洞卫士，黄色眼睛
锯齿——深灰色公猫
鹰爪——深棕色虎斑公猫
溪儿——皮毛光滑、柔软厚实的棕色虎斑母猫，灰色眼睛
族群以外的猫
巴利——黑白花色的公猫，住在距离森林不远的一处农场里
乌爪——瘦长的黑色公猫，尾巴尖儿是白色的，和巴利一起住在农场里
柯蒂——虎斑宠物母猫，蓝色眼睛
莎夏——棕色泼皮母猫，蓝色眼睛
PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
Stars glittered coldly on a foreststripped bare by a bitter leaf-fall. Shadows moved through the undergrowth—thin shapes, fur flattened by the chilly evening dew, slipping between the stems like water through reeds. The cats’ pelts did not ripple with muscle as they once had; instead, their fur clung to the bones beneath their thin frames.
The flame-colored tom leading the silent procession lifted his head and tasted the air. Even though nightfall had silenced the Twoleg monsters, their stench clung to every dying leaf and branch.
The cat took comfort from the scent of his mate beside him; her familiar scent mingled with the hateful Twoleg odor and softened its cruel tang. She matched his pace stubbornly, even though her faltering stride betrayed her long-empty belly and wakeful nights.
“Firestar,” she panted as they padded onward. “Do you think our daughters will find us when they come home?”
The flame-colored cat flinched as though he had trodden on a thorn. “We can only pray that they will, Sandstorm,” he said softly.
“But how will they know where to look?” Sandstorm glanced back at a broad-shouldered gray tom. “Graystripe, do you think they’ll know where we’ve gone?”
“Oh, they’ll find us,” Graystripe promised.
“How can you be so sure?” growled Firestar. “We should have sent another patrol to search for Leafpaw.”
“And risk losing more cats?” Graystripe meowed.
Firestar’s eyes clouded with pain and he hurried ahead along the shadowy path.
Sandstorm twitched her tail. “This was the hardest decision he’s ever had to make,” she whispered to Graystripe.
“He hadto put the Clan first,” Graystripe hissed back.
Sandstorm closed her eyes for a moment. “We have lost so many cats this past moon,” she mewed.
The wind must have carried her voice, because Firestar turned his head, his gaze hardening. “Then perhaps, at this Gathering, the other Clans will finally agree that we must join together to face this threat,” he growled.
“Join together?” A defiant mew sounded from a tabby tom. “Have you forgotten how the Clans reacted last time you said that? WindClan was half-starved, but you might as well have suggested they eat their kits. They are too proud to admit they need help from any cat.”
“Things are even worse now, Dustpelt,” Sandstorm argued. “How can any Clan stay strong when its kits are dying?” Her voice trailed away as she realized what she had said. “Dustpelt, I’m sorry,” she murmured.
“Larchkit may be dead,” snarled Dustpelt. “But that doesn’t mean I will let ThunderClan be ordered around by another Clan!”
“No Clan is going to give us orders,” Firestar insisted. “But I still believe we can help each other. Leaf-bare is almost here. The Twolegs and their monsters have driven most of our prey farther and farther away, and they have poisoned what remains so that it’s not safe to eat. We cannot fight alone.”
Suddenly the whispering of the wind through the branches grew to a roar, and Firestar slowed his step, pricking his ears.
“What is it?” Sandstorm whispered, her eyes stretched wide.
“Something’s happening at Fourtrees!” Graystripe yowled.
He broke into a run, and Firestar rushed after him, closely followed by their Clanmates. All the cats skidded to a halt at the top of a slope, looking down into a steep-sided hollow.
Bright, unnatural lights, sharper than moonshine, blazed against the trunks of the four giant oaks that had guarded this sacred place since the time of the Great Clans. More lights shone from the eyes of huge monsters squatting at the edge of the clearing. The Great Rock—the vast, smooth gray stone where Clan leaders stood to address the Gathering each full moon—looked small and exposed, like a kit crouched on a Thunderpath.
Twolegs scurried around the hollow, shouting at one another. A new sound sliced through the air, a screeching, high-pitched whine, and one Twoleg raised a massive shiny forepaw that flashed in the brilliant lights. The Twoleg pressed it against the trunk of the nearest oak, and dust flew out from the tree like blood spraying from a wound. The shiny forepaw howled as it bit viciously into the ancient bark, pushing deeper into the tree’s heart until the Twoleg cried out a warning and the hollow rang with a crack so loud that it drowned the rumbling monsters. The great oak began to lean over, slowly at first, then faster, faster, until it fell crashing to the ground. Its leafless branches clattered as they struck the cold earth, then stilled into deathly silence.
“StarClan, stop them!” mewed Sandstorm.
There was no sign that their warrior ancestors had seen what was happening at Fourtrees. The stars glittered coldly in the indigo sky as the Twoleg moved on to the next oak, his forepaw screaming for another kill.
The cats watched in horror as the Twoleg worked its way around the clearing until the last oak had been felled. Fourtrees, the place where the four Clans had met for many, many generations, was no more. The four giant oaks lay sprawled on the ground, their branches quivering into stillness. Twoleg monsters snarled at the edge of the clearing, ready to move in to carve up the fresh-kill, but the cats stayed frozen at the top of the slope, unable to move.
“The forest is dead,” murmured Sandstorm. “There is no hope left for any of us.”
“Have courage.” Firestar’s eyes glittered as he turned to face his Clan. “We still have our Clan. There is always hope.”
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
It was Crowpaw who scented themoorland first as the morning sun spread creamy light over the dew-soaked grass. Although he made no sound, Squirrelpaw saw his ears prick up and sensed him shake off a little of the weariness he had struggled against since Feathertail’s death. The dark gray WindClan cat quickened his pace, hurrying up the slope, where mist still clung to the long grass. Squirrelpaw opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath until she too could taste the familiar scent of gorse and heather on the cold morning air. Then she dashed after him with Brambleclaw, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt following fast behind. They could all smell the moorland scents now; they all knew they were close to the end of their long, exhausting journey.
Without saying anything, the five cats stopped in a line at the edge of WindClan territory. Squirrelpaw glanced at her Clanmate, Brambleclaw, and then at Tawnypelt, the ShadowClan she-cat. Beside her, Stormfur, the gray RiverClan warrior, narrowed his eyes against the cold wind; but it was Crowpaw who stared most intensely at the rough grassland where he had been born.
“We would not have come this far without Feathertail,” he murmured.
“She died to save us all,” Stormfur agreed.
Squirrelpaw winced at the raw sorrow in the RiverClan warrior’s voice. Feathertail was Stormfur’s sister. She had died saving them from a ferocious predator after they had met an unfamiliar group of cats in the mountains. The Tribe of Rushing Water lived behind a waterfall and listened to their own set of ancestors—not StarClan, but the Tribe of Endless Hunting. A mountain cat had been preying on the Tribe for many moons, picking them off one by one. When it had invaded the Tribe’s cavern yet again, Feathertail had managed to dislodge a pointed spur of stone from the roof and send it crashing down to kill the beast. But she had been fatally wounded in the fall, and now she lay beneath rocks in the Tribe’s territory, close by the waterfall with the sound of rushing water to guide her to StarClan.
“It was her destiny,” Tawnypelt commented gently.
“Her destiny was to complete the quest with us,” Crowpaw growled. “StarClan chose her to travel to sun-drown-place and hear what Midnight had to tell us. She shouldn’t have died for another Clan’s prophecy.”
Stormfur padded to Crowpaw’s side and nudged the WindClan apprentice with his muzzle. “Bravery and sacrifice are part of the warrior code,” he reminded him. “Would you have wanted her to make any other choice?”
Crowpaw stared across the wind-ruffled gorse without replying. His ears twitched as if he were straining to hear Feathertail’s voice on the breeze.
“Come on!” Squirrelpaw bounded forward over the stunted grass, suddenly eager to finish the journey. She had argued with her father, Firestar, before she left, and her paws pricked with nervousness as she wondered how he would react to her return. When she and Brambleclaw had left the forest, they had not told any of the Clan where they were going, nor why. Only Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw’s sister, knew that StarClan had spoken to one cat from each Clan, telling them in dreams to go to the sun-drown-place to hear Midnight’s prophecy. None of them had guessed that Midnight would turn out to be a wise old badger; nor could they have imagined what momentous news she had to share with them.
Crowpaw raced past her to take the lead, knowing the territory better than any of them. He headed toward a swath of gorse and disappeared along a rabbit track with Tawnypelt close behind. Squirrelpaw ducked her head to avoid catching her ears on the prickers as she followed them along the narrow tunnel. Brambleclaw and Stormfur were hot on her heels; she could feel the thud of their paws through the soil.
As the gorse closed around her, memories beat dark wings inside her head, reminding her of the dreams that had been disturbing her sleep—dreams of darkness and of a small space filled with panic and fear-scent. Squirrelpaw was sure these terrifying dreams were somehow connected to her sister. She told herself that now that she was home, she would be able to find out exactly where Leafpaw was—but feeling a fresh wave of alarm, she raced toward the light.
She slowed down when she emerged into an open grassy space. Brambleclaw and Stormfur burst out after her, their fur raked by the sharp gorse spines.
“I didn’t know you were scared of the dark,” teased Brambleclaw, falling in beside her.
“I’m not,” Squirrelpaw objected.
“I’ve never seen you run so fast,” he purred, his whiskers twitching.
“I just want to get home,” Squirrelpaw replied stubbornly. She ignored the glance Brambleclaw and Stormfur exchanged as they padded along beside her. The three cats were trailing behind Tawnypelt and Crowpaw, who had disappeared into a bank of heather.
“What do you think Firestar will say when we tell him about Midnight?” Squirrelpaw wondered out loud.
Brambleclaw’s ears twitched. “Who knows?”
“We’re only the messengers,” meowed Stormfur. “All we can do is tell our Clans what StarClan wanted us to know.”
“Do you think they’ll believe us?” Squirrelpaw asked.
“If Midnight was right, I don’t think we’ll have much trouble convincing them,” Stormfur pointed out grimly.
Squirrelpaw realized that she had thought of nothing except returning home to her Clan. She had pushed from her mind all thoughts of the threat that faced the forest. But her heart twisted with fear at Stormfur’s words, and Midnight’s terrifying warning echoed in her mind: Twolegs build new
Thunderpath. Soon they come with monsters. Trees will they uproot, rocks
break, the earth itself tear apart. No place left for cats. You stay, monsters tear you too, or you starve with no prey.
Her stomach tightened with dread. What if they were too late? Would there even be a home to return to?
She tried to calm herself by recalling the rest of Midnight’s prophecy: But you will not be without a guide. When return, stand on
Great Rock when Silverpelt shines above. A dying warrior the way will
show.Squirrelpaw breathed deeply. There was still hope. But they had to get home.
“I smell WindClan warriors!”
Brambleclaw’s yowl jerked Squirrelpaw back to the moorland. “We must catch up with Crowpaw and Tawnypelt!” she gasped. The impulse to face danger side by side with her traveling companions had become so instinctive that she had forgotten Crowpaw was actually WindClan and would not be in any danger from his Clanmates.
She burst out of the heather into a clearing and nearly collided with a scrawny WindClan apprentice. She stopped dead and stared at him in surprise.
The apprentice was a very young tabby, barely old enough to leave the nursery, from the look of him. He was crouching in the center of the clearing with his back arched and his pelt bristling even though he was outnumbered and outsized by Crowpaw and Tawnypelt. He flinched as Squirrelpaw hurtled out of the heather, but bravely stayed where he was.
“I knew I smelled intruders!” he hissed.
Squirrelpaw narrowed her eyes. Did a pathetic scrap like this really expect to take on three full-grown cats? Crowpaw and Tawnypelt looked calmly at the WindClan apprentice.
“Owlkit!” Crowpaw meowed. “Don’t you recognize me?”
The apprentice tipped his head to one side and opened his mouth to scent the air.
“I’m Crowpaw! What are you doing out here, Owlkit? Shouldn’t you be in the nursery?”
The young apprentice flicked his ears. “I’m Owlpawnow,” he snapped.
“But you can’t be an apprentice!” Crowpaw exclaimed. “You’re not six moons old yet.”
“And you can’t be Crowpaw,” growled the tabby. “Crowpaw ran away.” But he loosened his battle-ready muscles and padded over to the WindClan cat, who stood calmly while the apprentice sniffed his flank.
“You smell strange,” Owlpaw declared.
“We’ve traveled a long way,” explained Crowpaw. “But we’re back now, and I need to speak with Tallstar.”
“Who must speak with Tallstar?” A belligerent meow made Squirrelpaw jump, and she turned to see a WindClan warrior pick his way out from the heather, lifting his paws high to avoid the thorns. Two more warriors followed him. Squirrelpaw stared at them in alarm. They were so thin she could see the ribs beneath their fur. Hadn’t these cats been catching any fresh-kill recently?
“It’s me! Crowpaw!” meowed the WindClan apprentice, the tip of his tail twitching. “Webfoot, don’t yourecognize me?”
“Of course I do,” meowed the warrior in a flat tone. He sounded so indifferent that Squirrelpaw felt a jab of pity for her friend. This was no sort of homecoming—and Crowpaw hadn’t even given his Clanmates the bad news yet.
“We thought you were dead,” Webfoot meowed.
“Well, I’m not.” Crowpaw blinked. “Is the Clan okay?”
Webfoot’s eyes narrowed. “What are these cats doing here?” he demanded.
“They traveled with me,” Crowpaw replied. “I can’t explain now, but I will tell Tallstar everything,” he added.
Webfoot seemed uninterested in Crowpaw’s words, and Squirrelpaw felt the scrawny warrior’s gaze rake over her as he hissed, “Get them off our territory! They should not be here!”
Squirrelpaw couldn’t help thinking Webfoot was in no state to drive them out if they refused to go, but Brambleclaw stepped forward and dipped his head to the WindClan warrior. “Of course we’ll leave,” he meowed.
“We have to return to our own Clans anyway,” Squirrelpaw added pointedly. Brambleclaw shot her a warning glance.
“Then hurry up,” snapped Webfoot. He looked at Crowpaw. “Come on,” he growled. “I’ll take you to Tallstar.” He turned and began to head for the far side of the clearing.
Crowpaw twitched his tail. “Surely the camp is that way?” he meowed, signaling toward the other direction.
“We live in the old rabbit warrens now,” Webfoot told him.
Squirrelpaw saw confusion and anxiety flash in Crowpaw’s eyes. “The Clan has moved?”
“For now,” Webfoot answered.
Crowpaw nodded, though his gaze was still filled with questions. “Can I say good-bye to my friends?”
“Friends?” One of the other warriors spoke, a pale brown tom. “Do your loyalties lie with cats from other Clans now?”
“Of course not!” Crowpaw insisted. “But we have traveled together for more than a moon.”
The WindClan warriors glanced uncertainly at each other but said nothing as Crowpaw walked over to Tawnypelt and touched her mottled flank with his nose. He brushed affectionately past Brambleclaw and Stormfur; as he stretched his head to touch his muzzle against hers, Squirrelpaw was surprised by the warmth of his farewell. Crowpaw had found it hardest out of all of them to fit into the group, but after all they had been through together, even he felt the bond of friendship that connected all five cats.
“We must meet again soon,” Brambleclaw murmured, his voice low. “At the Great Rock, just as Midnight told us. We need to see the dying warrior so that we know what to do next.” He flicked his tail. “It might not be easy to convince our Clans that Midnight is telling the truth. The leaders aren’t going to want to hear that they must leave the forest. But if we’ve seen the dying warrior…”
“Why don’t we just bring our leaders with us?” Squirrelpaw mewed. “If they see the dying warrior too, they’ll have to believe Midnight is right.”
“I can’t imagine Leopardstar agreeing to come,” Stormfur warned.
“Nor Blackstar,” Tawnypelt agreed. “It’s not full moon, so there’s no truce among the four Clans.”
“But it’s so important,” Squirrelpaw persisted. “They mustcome!”
“We can try,” Brambleclaw decided. “Squirrelpaw’s right. This might be the best way to share the news.”
“Okay,” Crowpaw meowed. “We’ll meet at Fourtrees tomorrow night, with or without our leaders.”
“Fourtrees!” Webfoot’s growl made Squirrelpaw jump. The WindClan warrior had obviously overheard their conversation. She felt a stab of guilt, although she knew there was no disloyalty to their Clans in what they were planning—quite the opposite, in fact. But Webfoot seemed to have other fears on his mind.
“You can’t meet at Fourtrees. There’s nothing left of it!” he spat.
Squirrelpaw felt her blood chill.
“What do you mean?” Tawnypelt demanded.
“All the Clans watched the Twolegs destroy it two moonrises ago, when we arrived for the Gathering. The Twolegs and their monsters cut down every one of the oaks.”
“They cut down the oaks?” Squirrelpaw echoed.
“That’s what I said,” growled Webfoot. “If you’re mouse-brained enough to go there, you’ll see for yourself.”
Squirrelpaw’s fierce desire to return home, to see her Clan and father and mother and sister, washed over her again like a wave, and her paws twitched with the urge to run back to the forest. The others seemed to share her feeling; Brambleclaw’s gaze hardened, and Stormfur kneaded the ground impatiently with his paws.
Crowpaw glanced at his Clanmates and then back at his friends. “Good luck,” he meowed quietly. “I still think we should meet there tomorrow night, even if the oaks have gone.” When Brambleclaw and Stormfur nodded, he turned and followed Webfoot into the heather.
As the WindClan cats disappeared from sight, Brambleclaw scented the air. “Let’s go,” he ordered. “We’re heading over the old badger set toward the river, Tawnypelt, but I think you should stay with us till we reach the WindClan border.”
“But it would be quicker if I head straight toward the Thunderpath,” Tawnypelt argued.
“It will be safer if we keep together till we’re off the moorland,” Stormfur meowed. “You don’t want to be caught alone on WindClan territory.”
“I’m not scared of WindClan,” Tawnypelt hissed. “Judging by those warriors, they’re hardly battle-fit.”
“We mustn’t do anything to provoke them,” Brambleclaw warned. “No cat knows yet where we’ve been, or what we have to tell them.”
“And we don’t know what the Twolegs have done here,” Stormfur added. “If we run into any of their monsters, we’ll be better off together.”
Tawnypelt gazed intently at her companions for a moment, then nodded.
Squirrelpaw blinked with relief. She did not want to say good-bye to another friend just yet.
Brambleclaw charged away over the moor, and the three other cats followed close behind. As they raced across the grass, the weak leaf-fall sunshine scarcely warmed the fur on Squirrelpaw’s back. They ran in silence, and she felt their mood darken as though a cloud had covered the sky. Ever since leaving the mountains, they had concentrated on nothing but reaching the forest, all equally desperate to return home. Squirrelpaw was beginning to think it might have been easier to keep traveling, to journey forever through unfamiliar territory, rather than face the responsibility of having to tell the Clans that they would have to leave their homes or else face a terrible death. But there was still the sign of the dying warrior to come—they had to see this through.
The reek of Twoleg monsters stung her nostrils as they approached the border. There was no sign of any prey: no birds in the sky and no scent of rabbits among the gorse. WindClan had never been an easy territory to hunt in, but there had always been traces of prey on the breeze or in the sandy soil. Even the buzzards, which often hovered over the wide stretch of moorland, were gone.
The four cats reached the crest of a rise, and Squirrelpaw swallowed hard, fighting the urge to retch as the tang of monsters grew stronger. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look down the slope. A whole slice of land had been carved out of the moorland, brown and gray and broken instead of the smooth green expanse that had been there when the cats began their journey. In the distance, Twoleg monsters growled across the ground, chewing the earth with their heavy paws to leave a trail of useless mud.
Trembling, Squirrelpaw whispered, “No wonder WindClan moved to the rabbit warrens! The Twolegs must have destroyed their camp.”
“They’ve destroyed everything,” Brambleclaw breathed.
“Let’s get out of here,” Tawnypelt hissed. Squirrelpaw heard anger in her voice, and saw her long, hooked claws sink into the grass.
Brambleclaw continued to stare at the ravaged landscape. “I can’t believe how much they’ve destroyed.”
Squirrelpaw’s throat tightened. Seeing Brambleclaw’s misery was almost as bad as looking at the ruined moor. “Come on,” she urged. “We have to get home and find out what has happened to our Clans.”
He nodded. Squirrelpaw saw him brace his shoulders as if he were literally carrying the weight of the message they had to take to their Clan. Without saying anything else, he headed down the slope, keeping well away from the Twoleg monsters, and together the cats picked their way across the swath of churned-up ground. Squirrelpaw was grateful for the cold night that had set the mud hard; if it rained, this would turn into a clogging brown river, enough to swallow kits and suck at the bellies of the longest-legged warriors.
When they reached the WindClan border where the land swept down to the forest, Tawnypelt paused. “I’ll leave you here,” she meowed. Her voice was calm but her eyes betrayed her sadness. “We’ll meet at Fourtrees tomorrow, whatever the Twolegs have done,” she promised.
“Good luck with Blackstar,” Brambleclaw meowed, rubbing his muzzle along his sister’s cheek.
“I don’t need luck,” she replied grimly. “I will do whatever it takes to persuade Blackstar to come with me. Our quest isn’t over yet. We have to keep going for the sake of our Clans.”
Squirrelpaw felt a renewed burst of energy as the tortoiseshell warrior pelted away toward the ShadowClan border. “And we’ll persuade Firestar!” she called after her.
The grass grew softer under their paws as Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, and Stormfur approached the RiverClan border; soon Squirrelpaw could scent the markers and hear the distant thundering of water in the gorge. RiverClan territory lay on the other side, and just beyond the gorge there was a Twoleg bridge that would take Stormfur across the river to his camp.
Brambleclaw paused as if he expected Stormfur to leave them there, but Stormfur just looked into his eyes. “I’m coming with you to the ThunderClan camp,” he meowed quietly.
“Coming with us? Why?” Squirrelpaw exclaimed.
“I want to tell my father about Feathertail,” he replied.
“But we can tell him,” she offered, wanting to spare Stormfur the pain of telling Graystripe, the ThunderClan deputy, about his daughter’s death. Graystripe had fallen in love with a RiverClan she-cat, Silverstream, many moons ago. She had died bearing his kits, and though Stormfur and Feathertail had grown up in RiverClan, they had always known their ThunderClan father.
Stormfur shook his head. “He has already lost our mother,” he reminded her. “I want to be the one to tell him about Feathertail.”
Brambleclaw nodded. “Then come with us,” he mewed gently.
In single file the three cats followed the path away from the gorge and down into the trees. Squirrelpaw’s fur prickled with anticipation as she breathed the musty smell of fallen leaves. They were nearly home. She quickened her pace until her paws were flying across the soft forest floor. She felt Brambleclaw’s pelt brush against hers as he sped up to join her.
But Squirrelpaw wasn’t running from excitement or joy at being back in the forest. Something was calling her home—something even more desperate than the threat of the Twolegs and their monsters. The sinister dreams that had disturbed her sleep flooded her mind again and echoed in her heart like the warning cry of a hawk. Something was terribly wrong.
引子
引子
冰冷的星光照耀着落叶季敞亮而萧瑟的森林。几个身影正在灌木丛下移动，他们身形瘦削，被打湿的皮毛紧紧地贴在身上。水珠滑落下来，就像水滴顺着芦苇的茎秆往下流。这些猫的皮毛，不再像过去那样随着肌肉的运动泛出涟漪；与此相反，他们的皮毛紧紧地贴在身形瘦弱的骨头上。
一只有着火焰色皮毛的公猫，带领着这支悄无声息的队伍。他抬起头，嗅着空中的气息。尽管夜幕降临之后，两脚兽的怪物已经沉默下来，但每片落叶和每根树枝仍然散发着它们的臭气。
他也嗅到走在身边的伴侣那令他感到舒服的气息。她那熟悉的气息混杂在讨厌的两脚兽的气味当中，使得周围的空气不再那么难闻。她竭力跟他保持着同样的步伐，但她蹒跚的步履，早就暴露了她的状态——她已经很久没有吃饱过，也没有睡好过了。
“火星，”她边走边喘息着，“你觉得我们的两个女儿回家后，还能找到我们吗？”
火焰色的猫身子一震，就像是爪子踩到了一根刺。“沙风，我们祈祷她们能找到我们。”他轻声说。
“但是她们怎么知道该往哪儿找啊？”沙风回头瞅着一只有着灰色皮毛的宽肩公猫，“灰条，你认为她们能知道我们去哪儿了吗？”
“哦，她们会找到我们的。”灰条向她保证。
“你凭什么这么肯定？”火星低声咆哮着，“我们应该再派一支巡逻队，去寻找叶爪。”
“冒着再损失更多猫的风险？”灰条反问道。
火星的眼睛被痛苦的云雾覆盖，他沿着一条布满阴影的小路匆匆往前走去。
沙风抽动一下尾巴。“他从未做过如此艰难的决定。”她对灰条耳语道。
“他必须把族群的利益摆在首位。”灰条嘶嘶地回应道。
沙风将眼睛闭了片刻。“过去的这个月，我们丢失了太多的猫。”她说道。
一定是风把她的声音传了过去，火星扭过头，眼神冰冷地说道：“这样一来，这次的森林大会上，说不定另外几个族群最终会同意和我们团结起来，共同应对两脚兽的威胁。”
“团结起来？”一只虎斑公猫轻蔑地说道，“难道你忘了上次你这么说的时候，那几个族群的反应了？风族猫虽然已经饿得半死了，但你最好还是建议他们去吃自己的幼崽。他们太骄傲了，不会承认自己需要接受任何猫的帮助。”
“现在的情形已经恶化了，尘毛。”沙风态度坚决地说，“连幼崽都饿得奄奄一息的族群，如何能保持强壮？”当她意识到自己说错了话，声音低了下去。“尘毛，对不起！”她喃喃地说。
“也许小叶松是死了！”尘毛愤怒地说，“但那并不意味着，我会任凭其他族群把雷族指挥得团团转！”
“没有哪个族群会指挥我们。”火星坚持己见，“但我仍然相信四大族群可以互相帮助。秃叶季差不多就要来了，两脚兽和它们的怪物把我们的大部分猎物赶得越来越远，剩下的那些也被污染了，吃起来不安全。我们不能单打独斗。”
突然，从树枝间吹过的风的耳语变成了一声咆哮。火星放慢了脚步，竖起了耳朵。
“什么声音？”沙风小声说着，眼睛瞪得大大的。
“四棵树那里有情况！”灰条吼道。 ；
他撒腿就跑，火星也追了上去，另两只族猫也紧随其后。所有的猫都在山坡最顶端停了下来，向着陡峭的山谷下望去。
明亮的、非同寻常的、比月光都要锋利的光线直射到四棵大橡树的树干上。这四棵大树自有四大族群以来，就一直守卫着这块神圣的地方。更多的光线从空地四周停着的庞大怪物的眼睛里发射出来。每到月圆之夜，各族群召开森林大会的时候，族群领袖站在上面致辞的那块宽大、平坦的灰色石头——巨岩——此刻看起来是那么微小，在光线的照耀下，跟一只趴在雷鬼路上的幼崽一样。
很多两脚兽在山谷里跑来跑去，彼此不停地大喊大叫着。一个陌生的声音划破夜空，随着一阵高亢刺耳的嗡嗡声，一只两脚兽举起一只巨大的发光的前爪，那爪子在耀眼的光下闪闪发亮。两脚兽把爪子按在它旁边的一棵橡树的树干上，尘土从树上纷纷坠下，好像血从伤口里飞溅出来。反光的前爪伴随着怒吼声，狠狠地咬进了树皮，然后向着树心用力。这时两脚兽大叫着示警，山谷里发出了巨大的轰鸣声，就连怪物的轰鸣声都被淹没了。那棵巨大的橡树开始倾斜，开始时是慢慢的，接着倾斜得越来越快，直到轰然倒地。掉光了树叶的秃树枝撞到冰冷的地面上，发出哗哗的声音，然后山谷里陷入了死一般的寂静。
“星族啊，赶快制止它们！”沙风祈求道。
但是很显然，他们的武士祖先并没有发出任何征兆，显示它们看到了四棵树发生的横祸。只有星星在湛蓝的夜空下散发着清冷的光。那只两脚兽又走向另一棵橡树，呼啸着挥动前爪，要进行另一场屠杀。
几只猫震惊地看着两脚兽在空地四周走动，直到最后一棵橡树被放倒在地。四棵树，四大族群一代又一代猫集会的地方，从此不复存在了。四棵巨大的橡树东倒西歪地横在地上，颤抖着的枝杈终于静止下来。两脚兽的怪物在空地边缘轰鸣着，准备向新的目标进攻。在山坡顶上，那几只猫呆呆地立在那儿，几乎无力动弹。
“森林死了。”沙风喃喃道，“我们任何指望都没有了。”
“我们还有勇气。”火星转向族猫，用坚毅的眼神看着他们说，“我们仍然拥有我们的族群。希望永远都会伴随我们！”
第一章
第一章
当清晨的太阳将乳白色的光洒满挂着露水的草地时，鸦爪第一个嗅出了荒原的味道。尽管他没有声张，松鼠爪还是看到他支棱起了耳朵，感觉到他一扫疲惫，从羽尾死后就一直消沉的状态中稍稍挣脱出来一点。这只深烟灰色的风族猫加快脚步，急匆匆地向斜坡爬去，坡上的深草上仍然笼罩着薄雾。松鼠爪张嘴深深地吸了一口气。她在早晨冰冷的空气中，嗅到了熟悉的金雀花和石楠的气味。于是，她猛冲了上去，黑莓掌、暴毛和褐皮快速跟在她的身后。现在他们都闻到了荒原的味道，也都知道他们这场筋疲力尽的漫长旅程终于到达了终点。
尽管谁都没有说话，五只猫却都不约而同地在风族领地的边界上站成一排，停下了爪子。松鼠爪瞟了一眼身边的同伴黑莓掌，又看了一眼影族母猫褐皮。站在褐皮旁边的是河族的灰毛武士暴毛，只见他被冷风吹得眯起了眼睛；最紧张的是鸦爪，他一直盯着眼前粗砺的草地——这里是他出生的地方。
“没有羽尾，我们不可能走这么远。”鸦爪喃喃道。
“她牺牲自己救了我们大家。”暴毛也说道。
这位河族武士的声音里流露出掩饰不住的悲伤。松鼠爪不禁眉头一皱。羽尾是暴毛的妹妹，他们在翻越大山的途中，遇见了一群陌生的山地猫。羽尾为了大家免遭凶猛的掠食者的毒手，牺牲了自己。生活在瀑布后面的山洞里的急水部落，他们信仰的是自己的祖灵杀无尽部落，而不是族群猫所信仰的星族。几个月以来，一只巨猫一直以猎食这个部落的猫为生，将部落猫一只接一只地掳走。当这只巨猫再次袭扰部落猫居住的山洞时，羽尾设法掰断了洞顶凸出的一根尖石，将那只野兽砸死了。但羽尾也因此跌落在地，重伤而死，现在她被安葬在急水部落的岩石下面，与瀑布为邻，日夜不息的流水声会指引她走向星族。
“这就是她的命运！”褐皮轻声评论道。
“她的命运是跟我们一起完成这项使命，然后回家。”鸦爪大声说道，“是星族选中了她，让她长途跋涉，去寻找太阳沉没之地，接受午夜传递的信息。她不该为了实现另一个族群的预言而死。”
暴毛走到鸦爪身边，用鼻子推了推这位风族学徒。“勇敢和牺牲也是武士守则的一部分，”他提醒道，“难道你还想让羽尾做出其他选择吗？”
鸦爪盯着前方在风中摇曳的金雀花，没有回答。他的耳朵抽动了一下，仿佛在倾听随风飘来的羽尾的低吟。
“走吧！”松鼠爪大步向前走去。她踏过低矮的小草，突然迫切地想要结束这场跋涉。她是跟父亲火星吵架之后出走的，不知道回去后父亲会做何反应。她的爪子不安地移动着。当她和黑莓掌离开森林的时候，他们没跟任何猫说要去哪儿，为什么离开。只有她姐姐叶爪知道，星族给每个族群里的一只猫托过梦，要他们去太阳沉没之地聆听午夜的预言。他们谁都没想到，午夜竟然是一只充满智慧的老獾；更没想到，老獾要跟他们分享的消息竟然如此重大。
鸦爪跑过她的身边，走到队伍最前头，因为谁都没有他了解这片土地。他走进一片金雀花丛，循着一串兔子的踪迹消失了，褐皮紧跟在他的身后。松鼠爪跟着他们走进一条窄窄的通道时，低下了头，以免耳朵被刺扎伤。黑莓掌和暴毛紧跟在她的身后，她能感觉到他们的爪子插进泥土时的沉重的声音。
当她身陷一片金雀花丛时，记忆开始在她的脑海里扇动黑色的双翼，她想起让她从沉睡中惊醒的那个梦——梦中一片漆黑，狭小的空间里充斥着恐惧与慌张的气息。松鼠爪确信，这些可怕的梦境多多少少都与她的姐姐有关。她想，现在她已经回家了，一定要找到叶爪在哪儿。但是一股新的恐惧涌来，她立刻向着亮光冲去。
她走进开旷的草地，才慢了下来。黑莓掌和暴毛跟在她身后冲出来，身上的皮毛被尖锐的金雀花刺剐得向后倒去。
“我不知道你还怕黑啊！”黑莓掌冲到她身旁后，打趣她。
“我才不会害怕。”松鼠爪反驳道。
“我从没见过你跑得这么快。”黑莓掌抽了一下胡须说道。
“我只是想早点回家。”松鼠爪坚持说道。黑莓掌和暴毛走到她身边时，互相交换一下眼神。她没有理会他们。褐皮和鸦爪已经消失在一簇石楠丛里了，把这三只猫落在了后面。
“我们把午夜的话告诉火星，你们认为他会说什么？”松鼠爪大声说出了心中的疑虑。
黑莓掌的耳朵抽动着说道：“谁知道？”
“我们只不过是信使，”暴毛说，“我们所能做的，不过是告诉我们的族群，星族想要我们知道的事情。”
“你们觉得他们会相信我们吗？”松鼠爪问。
“如果午夜说得对，我认为要说服他们不会太难。”暴毛冷静地指出。
松鼠爪意识到，她只想回到营地，回到自己的族群之中。她想将森林面临威胁的事抛到一边。但她的心里一直在纠结暴毛说的话，午夜那恐怖的警告也总在她的耳边回响：“两脚兽要修一条新的雷鬼路，它们很快就会带着怪物来到森林，将树木连根拔起，把岩石击碎，把土地翻开，不会给猫留下任何立足之地。你们留下来，要么被怪物碾压，要么因为没有猎物而饿死。”
她恐惧得胃一直不断地收紧。如果他们回来得太迟了，会发生什么情况？森林里还有家可回吗？
她又回想起午夜的其他预言，竭力让自己镇定下来：“但你们不会没有向导。回去后，银毛星带高挂空中时，站在巨岩上。武士垂死，指引前路。”松鼠爪深深吸了一口气。希望还是有的，但他们必须先回到营地。
“我闻到了风族武士的气息！”
黑莓掌的大喊将松鼠爪拉回到荒原上。“我们必须追上鸦爪和褐皮！”她倒吸一口冷气。跟伙伴们共同面对危险，已经成了她的本能，她都忘了鸦爪本身就是风族猫，他遇到自己的族猫，是不会有任何危险的。
她冲出石楠丛，跑到了空地里，差点撞上一个骨瘦如柴的风族学徒。她猛地停下爪子，惊奇地盯着他。
这位学徒是一只非常年轻的虎斑猫，从外表看，分明刚刚走出育婴室。他趴在空地中央，弓着背，全身皮毛竖了起来，根本不在乎鸦爪和褐皮在数量和体格上都超过了他。松鼠爪从石楠丛中冲出来的时候，他吓得退缩了一下，但仍勇敢地待在原地。
“我知道你们是入侵者，我闻得出来！”他嘶嘶地叫道。
松鼠爪眯起眼睛。一只瘦弱的幼崽也想对抗他们三只成年猫？但鸦爪和褐皮只是镇定地看着这位风族学徒。
“小夜鹰！”鸦爪说道，“你还认得我吗？”
学徒将脑袋偏向一边，张嘴吸着空气，嗅闻他的气息。
“我是鸦爪！你到这儿干什么？小夜鹰，你不是应该待在育婴室里吗？”
学徒抽动着耳朵。“我现在已经叫枭爪了。”他厉声说道。
“但你不可能是学徒啊！”鸦爪大声说道，“你还没满六个月呢。”
“你也不可能是鸦爪。”虎斑猫大喊，“鸦爪走丢了！”但他仍然放松肌肉，走向面前这只风族猫。鸦爪静静地站在那儿，由着学徒在他的身上嗅来嗅去。
“你的气味儿很奇怪啊！”枭爪下了结论。
“我们走了漫长的旅途。”鸦爪解释道，“但现在我们回来了，我需要跟高星谈一谈。”
“谁要跟高星对话？”一个挑衅的声音响了起来，吓了松鼠爪一跳。她扭头看见一位风族武士正从石楠丛里小心地钻出来，爪子抬得高高的，跨过石楠枝上的尖刺，后面还跟着两三位武士。松鼠爪惶恐地看着他们。他们都太瘦了，皮毛下的肋骨一根根清晰可见。难道最近他们一直没有捕到猎物吗？
“是我，鸦爪！”风族学徒卷了卷尾巴尖说，“网脚，你不认得我了吗？”
“当然认得。”这位武士语气平淡地说着，听起来漠不关心。松鼠爪很为自己的朋友感到遗憾——这不是欢迎回家的语气，鸦爪还没有给他们带来坏消息呢。
“我们还以为你死了。”网脚说道。
“没有，我还活着。”鸦爪眨眨眼睛，“族猫们还好吗？”
网脚眯起了眼睛。“这些猫在这儿干吗？”他质问道。
“他们跟我一起走过了很远的旅程。”鸦爪回答。“我现在不能解释，但我会跟高星说明一切的。”他补充说。
网脚对鸦爪的话似乎一点也不感兴趣。松鼠爪看到这位瘦骨嶙峋的武士一边嘶嘶地叫着，一边用眼光掠过自己。“把他们赶出我们的领地！他们不应该出现在这里！”
松鼠爪不由心想，如果他们拒不离开，就凭网脚的状态，也根本赶不走他们。但黑莓掌走向前去，对风族武士点点头说：“当然，我们这就走。”
“反正我们要回自己的族群。”松鼠爪尖刻地补充道。黑莓掌向她投去一个警告的眼神。
“那么快点走！”网脚呵斥道。他看着鸦爪。“走，”他低声吼道，“我带你去见高星。”说完，他转身朝空地远处走去。
鸦爪的尾巴甩了一下。“你确定营地在那边吗？”他说着向另外一个方向指了指。
“我们现在住在老养兔场。”网脚告诉他。
松鼠爪看见鸦爪的眼睛里闪过一丝困惑和焦虑。“族群搬家了吗？”鸦爪问道。
“只是暂时寄居。”网脚回答道。
尽管鸦爪的眼神里充满疑问，但还是点点头，然后说：“我能跟我的朋友道别吗？”
“朋友？”另一位浅棕色的公猫武士反问道，“你现在忠诚于其他族群的猫？”
“当然不是！”鸦爪反驳道，“但我们一起长途跋涉了一个多月。”
几位风族武士犹豫地互相对视着，但没说什么。鸦爪走向褐皮，伸出鼻子触了触她毛色斑驳的侧身，又充满感情地走过去，跟黑莓掌和暴毛互相摩擦着皮毛。然后他伸过脸，跟松鼠爪互相碰了碰鼻子。他的告别如此充满温情，令松鼠爪觉得非常惊奇。鸦爪曾是他们中最不合群的，但终究他们还是融合在了一起，他甚至觉得，自己跟五只猫都结下了深厚的友谊。
“我们一定会很快再见面的，”黑莓掌压低嗓门，轻声地说，“正如午夜告诉我们的，在巨岩碰面。我们只有见到那位死去的武士，才能知道下一步怎么做。”他摇摇尾巴，继续说道：“要说服我们各自的族群相信午夜说的话，可能不太容易——必须全体撤离森林，族长们肯定不爱听。但只要我们见到了那位死去的武士……”
“为什么不带着族长一起去呢？”松鼠爪说，“如果他们也看到了那位死去的武士，就不得不相信午夜说的是对的。”
“我很难想象，我们的族长豹星会同意跟我一起去。”暴毛提醒道。
“黑星也不会和我一起去的，”褐皮同意暴毛的话，“还没到月圆之夜，四大族群间没有休战协定。”
“但这件事很重要。”松鼠爪坚持己见，“他们必须去！”
“我们要尽力试一试。”黑莓掌果断地说，“松鼠爪说得对。这可能是给他们传达这个消息的最好办法。”
“好吧！”鸦爪说道，“那明晚我们在四棵树见，不管族长们来不来，我们一定要来。”
“四棵树！”网脚大叫一声，吓了松鼠爪一跳。那位风族武士显然听到了他们的对话。她感到有一点犯罪感，尽管她知道，不管他们计划做什么，都跟不忠于族群无关——事实上正好相反。但网脚似乎有别的顾虑。
“你们不能在四棵树碰面，那儿什么都没有了！”他呼噜呼噜地说。
松鼠爪感到自己的血一下子变冷了。
“你这话是什么意思？”褐皮追问道。
“前天晚上，我们赶到四棵树去开森林大会。所有族群都看到了，两脚兽已经将那儿毁得一塌糊涂——两脚兽带着怪物，将四棵大橡树全都砍了。”
“它们把橡树全都砍了？”松鼠爪重复道。
“是的，我说的就是这个意思。”网脚吼道，“你们非要去那儿，简直就是鼠脑子。到了那儿，你们只看得到你们自己。”
松鼠爪想回家的愿望越发强烈，她要见到她的族群，见到她的父亲、母亲和姐姐。这愿望像一股热潮袭过她的全身，她攥紧爪子，恨不得立刻跑回森林。另几位同伴看起来，跟她也差不多。黑莓掌的眼神变得坚毅起来，暴毛的爪子急躁地抓挠着地面。
鸦爪瞟了一眼他的风族同伴，又看向他的朋友。“祝大家好运！”他安静地说，“我仍然认为我们明晚应该见一面，哪怕橡树已经没有了。”黑莓掌和暴毛点点头。他转身跟着网脚走进石楠丛。
风族猫从视线中消失了。黑莓掌嗅了嗅空气。“我们走，”他下令道，“我们要向獾的旧洞穴进发，然后向河边走。褐皮，你和我们一起走吧，我们可以一直走到风族边界。”
“如果我向雷鬼路直走，就会更快回到营地。”褐皮说。
“我们一起离开这片荒原，这样会安全些，”暴毛说，“你独自走在风族的领地上，被抓住了可不好说。”
“我才不怕风族猫呢，”褐皮不屑地说道，“看看他们那些武士，他们已经毫无战斗力。”
“我们没必要去激怒他们，”黑莓掌提醒她，“现在所有的猫还不知道我们去了哪儿，也不知道我们带来的坏消息是什么。”
“而且我们也不知道两脚兽在这儿干了什么，”暴毛补充道，“如果我们碰到了它们的怪物怎么办，所以我们最好一起行动。”
褐皮盯着同伴想了片刻，然后点头同意了。
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛，松了一口气——她可不想这么快又跟一个朋友说再见。
黑莓掌带路走向荒原，另三只猫紧随其后。他们飞奔着穿过草地，落叶季的阳光弱弱地照在松鼠爪后背的皮毛上，她几乎感觉不到暖意。他们一言不发地跑着，她感觉大家情绪低落，仿佛有一片乌云压在头顶。自从走出了大山，他们都一门心思想赶回森林，不顾一切地想要回到营地。松鼠爪想，还是在旅途上好过一点，只要一直走，就会永远走在陌生的土地上，这比一回来就告诉族猫要离开家园好多了。但他们必须面对这一切，还要等那位死去的武士发出信号。
当他们走到边界的时候，松鼠爪感到两脚兽的怪物散发出刺鼻的臭味。周围没有任何猎物的迹象：空中没有鸟儿飞过，金雀花丛里也没有兔子的气息。这个地方，捕猎从来都不容易，但不管怎样，微风中或者沙地上总会留下猎物的痕迹。即使是经常盘旋在这片广阔荒原上空的秃鹰，现在也全无踪迹。
四只猫走到一个山包上，怪物的臭气越发浓烈。松鼠爪艰难地咽了一下唾沫，努力压抑着反胃的感觉。她深深地吸了一口气，勉强自己向山坡下看去。荒原仿佛被切掉了一整块，他们出发前的平整宽广的绿色田野，现在已经变成了褐色和灰色。在远处，两脚兽的怪物轰鸣着在地上穿行，用它们沉重的爪子碾压着土地，留下一道泥土被翻开的压痕。
松鼠爪浑身颤抖。她轻声说道：“难怪风族搬到养兔场去了！他们的营地肯定被两脚兽破坏了。”
“它们破坏了一切。”黑莓掌深吸一口气说。
“赶快离开这儿！”褐皮嘶声道。松鼠爪听出她的声音里带着愤怒，她长长的爪子握成钩状，深深地插入草地。
黑莓掌一直盯着前方被蹂躏的土地。“我简直不敢相信，它们破坏了这么多东西。”
松鼠爪感觉喉咙发紧，她看到黑莓掌痛心的表情，就跟他面前的荒原一样惨烈。“走吧，”她催促道，“我们还要返回营地，弄清楚我们的族群有没有出事！”
黑莓掌点了点头。松鼠爪看到他挺起肩膀，仿佛正将不得不带给族群的信息扛在肩膀上。他没说任何别的话，带着几只猫直接向山坡上进发，从远离两脚兽怪物的地方，穿过被挖得凌乱不堪的狭长地带。松鼠爪觉得幸运的是，寒冷的夜晚将土地冻得很硬实；如果下雨了，这里肯定变成寸步难行的黄泥河，水深完全可以淹没幼崽，即使腿最长的武士也会泥足深陷。
他们到达了风族边界，从这里直到森林，地势一直向下倾斜着。这时褐皮停下脚步。“我们就在这里告别吧！”她说话的声音很镇定，但眼里流露的悲伤却暴露了她此刻的心情。“明天四棵树见。无论两脚兽干了什么，我们都不见不散。”她承诺道。
“祝你在黑星面前好运！”黑莓掌说着，伸出鼻子蹭蹭妹妹的脸。
“我不需要运气。”她冷冷地说，“我要用尽一切办法，让黑星跟我一起来。我们的任务还没完成，为了族群的利益，我们必须竭尽全力。”
看到这位有着玳瑁色皮毛的武士向影族边界飞奔而去，松鼠爪顿时觉得一股力量重新爆发出来。“我们也会尽力说服火星的！”她冲着她的背影喊道。
黑莓掌、松鼠爪和暴毛就要走到河族边界了，爪子下的草地逐渐变得松软。很快，松鼠爪就闻到了气味标记的气息，也听到了远处峡谷传来的流水声。河族领地就在峡谷的另一边，两脚兽在峡谷上方建了一座桥，暴毛要从那座桥上过河，然后回到他的营地。
黑莓掌停下爪子，以为暴毛会在这儿与他们分开，但暴毛直视着他的眼睛。“我和你一起去雷族营地。”他静静地说道。
“跟我们一起？为什么？”松鼠爪惊呼道。
“我要把妹妹的死讯告诉我父亲。”他回答道。
“但我们可以跟他说啊！”她提议道。她想替暴毛分担痛苦，代他向副族长灰条传达他女儿的死讯。几年前，灰条与河族母猫银溪相恋，她怀着他的孩子死于难产。后来暴毛和羽尾在河族长大，但他俩都知道自己的父亲在雷族。
暴毛摇摇头。“他已经失去了我们的母亲，”他想起了自己的母亲，“我必须亲口告诉他羽尾的事情。”
黑莓掌点点头。“那你就跟我们一起走吧。”他温和地说。
三只猫成一列纵队，沿着峡谷边的小道继续前进，一路向下进入树林。松鼠爪闻到意料之中的落叶发霉的味道，皮毛都竖了起来。离营地越来越近了！她加快速度，飞一般地掠过森林里松软的土地。黑莓掌赶上她，一起小跑起来。她感觉到，他的皮毛摩擦着她的身体。
但是松鼠爪刚进入森林，激动和高兴的心情还没散去，就感到一种莫名的气氛——某种比两脚兽和它们的怪物的威胁还要绝望的感觉——在召唤她回家。把她从夜里的噩梦中惊醒的感觉再次袭来，她的心底有个声音不断地回响，就像一只鹰预感到危险时发出的哀鸣。一定出什么事了！
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
“Spottedleaf!” Leafpaw called desperately into theforest. There was no reply. The wise medicine cat had guided her many times before in dreams; if ever Leafpaw had needed Spottedleaf’s help, it was now.
“Spottedleaf, where are you?” she called again.
The trees did not even tremble in the breeze. No prey-sound whispered in the shadows. The silence tore at Leafpaw’s heart like a claw.
Suddenly an unfamiliar yowl echoed in her ears, forcing its way into her dream. Leafpaw opened her eyes with a jolt. For a moment she couldn’t think where she was. Her fur was ruffled by a cold draft, and instead of a soft, mossy nest there was a strange, cold, shiny web beneath her paws. She stood up in panic, and more shiny web grazed her ears. Wherever she was, it was a very small space, hardly taller than she was. Taking a deep breath, Leafpaw forced herself to look around, and everything came rushing back to her.
She was trapped in a tiny den, with walls, floor, and roof made entirely from cold, hard web. There was just enough space to stand and stretch, but no more. It was packed among other dens lining every wall of a small wooden Twoleg nest.
Leafpaw longed to see the stars, to breathe in the comforting presence of StarClan and know they were watching her, but when she looked up she saw nothing but the nest’s steeply pitched roof. The only light came from a shaft of moonlight that streamed through a small hole in the wall at one end of the nest. Her den was on top of others; the one directly below was empty, but beneath that she could just make out a bundle of dark fur. Another cat? Not a forest cat, since its scent was unfamiliar. The shape was so still, it must have been sleeping. If it was alive at all, Leafpaw thought grimly.
She listened again for the yowl, but the cat that had cried out was silent now, and Leafpaw could hear only the soft mewling and shuffling of cats trapped in the other dens. She sniffed the air but recognized no scents. An acrid Twoleg stench filled the nest, tinged with fear. Leafpaw unsheathed her claws, feeling them catch on the shiny web.
StarClan, where are you?The thought fleetingly crossed her mind that she was already dead, but she thrust it away with a shudder that made her claws scrape against the floor of the den.
“You’re awake at last,” whispered a voice.
Leafpaw jumped and craned her neck to look over her shoulder. A heap of tabby fur stirred in the den beside hers, and she smelled the unmistakable Twoleg-tainted scent of a kittypet. There had been kindness in the she-cat’s voice, but Leafpaw felt too wretched to reply. Her mind flooded with bitter memories of how the Twolegs had trapped her while she was hunting with Sorreltail and brought her to this awful place. She had been separated from her Clan and locked in darkness. Overwhelmed by despair, she buried her nose in her paws and closed her eyes.
Another voice sounded from a den farther along. It was too quiet to make out the words, but there was something familiar about it. Leafpaw lifted her muzzle to taste the air, but all she could smell was a sour tang that reminded her of the herbs Cinderpelt used for cleaning wounds. The voice spoke again, and Leafpaw strained her ears to listen.
“We must get out of here,” the cat was mewing.
Another cat answered from the far side of the nest. “How? There’s no way out.”
“We can’t just sit here waiting to die!” the first voice insisted. “There have been other cats here—I can smell them, and their fear-scent. I don’t know what happened to them, but whatever it was must have scared their fur off. We’ve got to get out before webecome nothing but stale fear-scent!”
“There’s no way out, you mouse-brain,” came a rough mew. “Shut up and let us sleep.”
The words made Leafpaw feel sick with fear and sadness. She didn’t want to die here! She flattened her ears and closed her eyes, clawing for the safety of sleep.
“Wake up!” A voice hissed in Leafpaw’s ear, jolting her out of troubled dreams.
She lifted her head and looked around. Watery sunlight filtered in through the hole in the wall, though it did nothing to lift the chill from her fur. In the weak dawn light she could see the tabby she-cat in the den next to her more clearly. The stranger was soft and well groomed, and Leafpaw was conscious of her own matted pelt as she stared at her. She was definitely a kittypet, plump and soft-muscled beneath her tabby pelt.
“Are you all right?” asked the kittypet, her eyes wide with worry. “You sounded as if you were in pain.”
“I was dreaming,” Leafpaw replied hoarsely. Her voice felt strange, as if she hadn’t spoken for several days, and as she spoke memories of her nightmare came flooding back: images of water-swollen rivers scarlet with blood—and great birds swooping out of the sky with thorn-sharp claws. For a heartbeat, Leafpaw saw Feathertail hidden in darkness and then swathed in starlight, and without understanding why, her paws trembled.
Outside a Twoleg monster roared into wakefulness, bringing her back to the wooden nest and the den that pressed around her
“You don’t look well,” the kittypet commented. “Try eating some breakfast. There’s some in the corner of your cage.”
Cage?Leafpaw wondered at the strange word. “Is that what this den is called?” The kittypet was nodding through the web that separated the two “cages” toward a half-empty holder of stinking pellets.
Leafpaw looked at the Twoleg food in disgust. “I’m not eating that!”
“Then at least sit up and give yourself a wash,” the kittypet urged. “You’ve been hunched up like a wounded mouse since the workfolk brought you here.”
Leafpaw twitched her shoulders but didn’t move.
“They didn’t hurt you when they caught you, did they?” the kittypet asked. There was concern in her voice.
“No,” Leafpaw mumbled.
“Then get up and wash yourself,” she went on more briskly. “You’re no use to yourself or any cat moping around like that.”
Leafpaw did not want to get up and wash herself. The web floor scratched against her paws, and blood oozed from beneath one of her claws. Her eyes stung with the filthy air that filtered into the nest, fouled by the monsters outside. And StarClan had sent no comfort to ease the desperate fear that gripped her heart.
“Get up!” repeated the kittypet, more firmly this time.
Leafpaw twisted her head around to glare at her, but the kittypet held her gaze.
“We’re going to find some way to escape,” she mewed. “Unless you get up, stretch your muscles, and have something to eat and drink, you’re going to be left behind. And I’m not leaving any cat here if I can help it!”
Leafpaw blinked. “Do you know a way out of here?”
“Not yet,” admitted the kittypet. “But you might be able to help me find one if only you’d stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
Leafpaw knew she was right. She wouldn’t solve anything by curling up and waiting to die. Besides, she wasn’t ready to join StarClan. She was an apprentice medicine cat—her Clan needed her here, in the forest. Whatever was left of it.
Pushing away the misery that had sapped her strength, she pulled herself up onto her paws. Her cramped muscles screamed in protest as she uncurled her tail and flexed her legs.
“That’s better,” purred the kittypet. “Now turn around. There’s more room to stretch if you face the other way.”
Leafpaw obediently wriggled around and reached her paws to the corner of the cage, gripping the web to brace herself. As she stretched, pressing her chest down and flexing her shoulders, she felt her stiff muscles soften. Feeling a little better, she began to wash herself, swiping her tongue over her flank.
The kittypet huddled closer to the mesh and watched her with bright blue eyes. “I’m Cody,” she meowed. “What are you called?”
“Leafpaw.”
“Leafpaw?” echoed Cody. “What an odd name.” She shrugged and carried on. “Well, bad luck on getting caught, Leafpaw. Did you lose your collar too? I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t pulled mine off—the wretched thing! I thought I was so clever managing to wriggle out of it, but if I’d still been wearing it, the workfolk would have taken me home instead of bringing me here.” She tucked in her chin and licked an unkempt clump of fur on her chest. “My housefolk are going to be mad with worry. If I’m not in by midnight they start rushing around the garden shaking the pellet pot and calling for me. It’s nice that they care, but I can look after myself.”
Leafpaw couldn’t help letting out a purr of amusement. “A kittypet, look after itself? If it weren’t for the food the Twolegs give you, you’d starve!”
“Twolegs?”
“Sorry.” Leafpaw corrected herself for the kittypet’s benefit. “Housefolk.”
“Well, where do you get your food from?” asked Cody.
“I hunt for it.”
“I caught a mouse once…” Cody meowed defensively.
“I catch all my food,” Leafpaw retorted. For a moment, she forgot she was trapped in a stifling cage, and saw only the green forest rustling with the tiny sounds of prey. “And I catch enough for the elders, too.”
Cody narrowed her blue eyes. “Are you one of those woodland cats that Smudge talks about?”
“I’m a Clan cat,” Leafpaw told her.
Cody’s gaze clouded with confusion. “A Clancat?”
“There are four Clans in the forest,” Leafpaw explained. “We each have our own territory and customs, but we all live together under StarClan.” She saw Cody’s eyes stretch wide, and she went on. “StarClan are our warrior ancestors. They live in Silverpelt.” She flicked her tail toward the roof, indicating the sky. “All Clan cats will join StarClan one day.”
“Smudge never mentioned any Clans,” murmured Cody.
“Who’s Smudge?”
“A cat from another garden. He had a friend a long time ago, a kittypet who went off to join the woodland cats…I mean Clans.”
“My father was born a kittypet,” meowed Leafpaw. “He left his Twolegs to join ThunderClan.”
Cody pressed herself against the shiny web that separated them. “What’s your father called?”
Leafpaw stared back at her. “Do you think he might be that cat your friend used to know?”
Cody nodded. “Maybe! What is his name?”
“Firestar.”
Cody shook her head. “Smudge’s friend was called Rusty.” She sighed. “Not Firestar.”
“But he wasn’t always Firestar,” Leafpaw mewed. “That’s his Clan name. It’s a leader’s name. He had to earn it, just as he had to earn his warrior name.”
Cody glanced at her thoughtfully. “Names are important to the Clans, then?”
“Very. I mean, each kit is given a name that means something, that recognizes the way it is different from all its Clanmates.” She paused. “I guess you could say that we are given the name we deserve.”
“What did your father do to deserve the name Firestar?”
“His pelt is as orange as flame,” Leafpaw told her. “So when he came to ThunderClan, the leader named him Fire—” She broke off. Cody was staring at her in astonishment.
“It mustbe Smudge’s friend!” she gasped. “Smudge always said Rusty had the brightest orange pelt he’d ever seen. And now he’s the leader of your Clan! Wow, I can’t wait to tell Smudge!”
A pang of sorrow gripped Leafpaw’s heart as she wondered if Cody would have another chance to speak to Smudge, or if she herself would ever see her father again. Oh, StarClan,
help us!
Cody glanced down at the floor as if she had followed Leafpaw’s terrified thoughts. “Your ears look like another wash wouldn’t do any harm,” she mewed, changing the subject.
Leafpaw licked her paw and drew it over one ear as Cody continued. “Your father must be wondering where you’ve gone. I bet he’s as worried about you as my housefolk are about me.”
“Yes,” Leafpaw agreed, though privately she doubted that Twolegs had the same connection with their cats as she did with her kin. She reminded herself that Cody seemed devoted to her housefolk—she sounded as concerned about them as Leafpaw was about her Clanmates. “We must find a way out of here.” Her voice hardened with determination. Firestar was already worried enough about Squirrelpaw without another daughter going missing.
She stared at the hole high up in the nest wall where the sunshine filtered in, and wondered if it was big enough for a cat to squeeze through. She might just manage it, even if she left some fur behind. But how could she escape from her cage? She studied the catch that held the door shut.
“It’s no use,” Cody mewed, following her gaze. “I’ve tried reaching my paw through, but I can’t get a grip on the catch.”
“Do you know why the Twolegs are trapping us like this?” Leafpaw asked, dragging her eyes away from the door.
Cody shrugged. “I suppose they think we get in the way of what they’re doing in the forest,” she mewed. “They caught me after I chased a squirrel into the woods, farther than I usually go. One of the monsters came roaring through the trees, and I panicked. I was so startled I didn’t see the workfolk all around. One of them scooped me up and shoved me in here. Even without my collar, he must have been as stupid as a pup to mistake me for a forest cat!” She bristled indignantly, then let her fur lie flat as she caught Leafpaw’s eye. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I mean, you’re much nicer than I thought you’d be,” she finished awkwardly.
Leafpaw shrugged. Forest cat or kittypet, they were equally trapped. “I don’t usually come to this part of the woods either,” she meowed. “I was looking for Cloudtail and Brightheart, two of my Clanmates.”
Cody tipped her head to one side.
“They went missing not long ago,” Leafpaw explained. “Some of the Clan thought they’d just run away, but I know they’d never leave their kit.”
“So you decided the Twolegs must have caught them and came looking for them,” Cody guessed.
“I didn’t even know the Twolegs were trapping cats,” Leafpaw mewed. “I just followed a clue, and I came across the scent of a RiverClan cat who’d gone missing too.”
She paused, her fur prickling. If Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Mistyfoot had been trapped by the Twolegs, they could be here now! She stared frantically around the nest, brighter now as the morning light strengthened. Finally she saw a shape she had hoped to find, the tortoiseshell-splashed fur familiar even in the gloom.
“Brightheart!” Leafpaw tried to call her Clanmate’s name, but a new noise silenced her cry. The nest door opened and light streamed in. Leafpaw quickly scanned the cages for more familiar shapes as a Twoleg marched into the nest.
The Twoleg began opening each cage and tossing something inside. When it reached hers, Leafpaw jumped back. She watched, trembling in fear, as the Twoleg dropped fresh pellets into the pot near the front and slopped stinking water into the holder beside it. But when the Twoleg opened Cody’s cage, the kittypet brushed against its giant paw, purring as the Twoleg stroked her soft fur.
The Twoleg shut Cody’s door and left the nest. The cages were plunged once more into shadow.
“How could you let it touch you?” Leafpaw hissed.
“The workfolk might be our best way out of here,” Cody pointed out. “If I can persuade it that I’m nothing but a poor lost kittypet, it might let me go. You should try it too.”
Leafpaw shuddered at the idea of any Twoleg touching her, and she knew her Clanmates would feel the same. She tried to find the cage where she had recognized Brightheart’s soft pelt.
“Brightheart!” she called, her tail twitching anxiously.
“Yes,” came the wary reply. “Who’s that?”
Leafpaw pressed herself against the front of her cage, feeling the web hard and cold through her fur. “It’s Leafpaw!”
“Leafpaw!” The voice came from somewhere else in the nest, and Leafpaw let out a muffled purr as she recognized Cloudtail’s familiar mew. She searched the cages until she saw his thick white pelt.
“You’re both still alive!” Leafpaw exclaimed.
“Are those the cats you were looking for?” Cody asked.
Leafpaw nodded.
“Leafpaw?” Another voice came from the gloom. “It’s me, Mistyfoot.”
“Mistyfoot!” Leafpaw echoed. “I thought I found your scent before I was trapped! What were you doing so far from the RiverClan border?”
“I wouldn’t have been caught in that fox-hearted Twoleg trap if I hadn’t been chasing a thieving WindClan warrior off my territory,” growled the she-cat.
A trembling meow sounded from below. “I didn’t know it was a trap when I hid in it.”
“Who’s that?” Leafpaw asked, peering down.
“Gorsetail of WindClan,” came the reply.
“Are there any other Clan cats here?” Leafpaw called, only half hoping for a reply. However relieved she was to find that her Clanmates and friends were still alive, she’d far rather no forest cats had been caught at all—herself included. But she heard only the steady crunching of pellets as the other trapped cats ate their food.
“There’s about the same amount of rogues here as Clan cats,” Mistyfoot hissed.
“What are rogues?” Cody whispered in alarm.
“They’re cats who choose not to belong to a Clan,” Leafpawexplained. “Or to Twolegs, either.”
“They care only about themselves,” Mistyfoot added.
“Yeah, well, look where caring about your Clanmates got you,” muttered a reproachful voice near the floor of the nest.
Leafpaw strained her eyes and saw a scraggly old tom with ripped ears crouching in a cage on the floor.
“Ignore him,” spat Cody. “He’ll be no help.”
“Do you know him?” Leafpaw asked in surprise.
“He used to steal from my housefolks’ garbage,” Cody explained. “He may call himself a rogue, or whatever, but he’s no better than a rat, if you ask me.”
“Do you live in Twolegplace?” Cloudtail called to Cody. “Do you know a cat called Princess?”
“A tabby with white paws?”
“Yes.” Cloudtail’s eyes shone in the gloom. “She’s my mother! How is she?”
“She’s great,” Cody answered. “A dog came to live in the next house—a yappy thing—but Princess soon let him know it was her territory. She sat on the fence and hissed at him till he went running for cover!”
“Look,” Mistyfoot snapped. “This is all very heartwarming, but can we figure out a way to escape?”
“Does any cat know what the Twolegs are planning to do with us?” Brightheart’s voice was hoarse with terror.
“What do you thinkthey’re going to do with us?” muttered the rogue tom. “They didn’t catch us and lock us up in this stinking hut because they’re fond of cats.”
“At least they’re feeding us,” Cody mewed quickly. “Even if it’s not quite as tasty as I’m used to.”
Leafpaw glanced at her. “Let’s concentrate on finding a way out of here, like Mistyfoot suggested,” she mewed.
“Why don’t you all just shut up?” hissed the rogue. “You’ll bring the Twoleg back with all your mewling.”
As he spoke the noise of heavy footsteps sounded outside, and Leafpaw froze. She pressed herself to the back of her cage as the Twoleg came in with another cage. Leafpaw could tell by the fear-scent that a she-cat crouched inside, but she didn’t recognize its smell. With a guilty pang of relief, she knew that the latest victim of the Twoleg traps was definitely not a Clan cat.
Another rogue, she decided as the Twoleg placed the cage on top of Cloudtail’s. And judging by the other rogues in here, she won’t be
much help with planning a way to get out.
But as soon as the Twoleg left the nest she heard Mistyfoot exclaim in astonishment, “Sasha!”
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
Squirrelpaw raced ahead of Brambleclaw andStormfur toward the ravine where the ThunderClan camp lay. The stench of Twoleg monsters hung in the air, and her heart grew as heavy as a stone when she heard a rumbling roar up ahead.
“They’re here already!” she whispered. There was an unfamiliar slash of brightness where a gap had appeared in the trees that bordered the ravine. Before, the forest had crowded right up to the edge of the steep slope that led down into the camp.
Squirrelpaw felt Brambleclaw’s pelt brush hers as he crept alongside and peered out from the trees. “Go carefully,” he murmured without looking at her.
A broad trail had been gouged through the forest. The ground, once hidden by ferns and smoothed by many moons’ pawsteps, was lumpy and muddy, churned up like the moorland. Their way to the ravine was blocked by monsters, roaring and growling as they chewed through more trees. Squirrelpaw shrank back under the bracken, flattening her ears.
“Midnight warned us it would be bad,” Brambleclaw reminded her. His voice was oddly calm, and Squirrelpaw pressed herself close to him, seeking comfort from the warmth of his fur. “We can’t cross here,” he went on. “It’s too dangerous. We’ll have to go around and approach the camp from the other side.”
“You lead the way,” Stormfur suggested. “You know the forest here better than I do.” He glanced at Squirrelpaw. “Are you okay?”
Squirrelpaw lifted her chin. “I’m fine. All I want to do is get back to the Clan.”
“Come on then,” mewed Brambleclaw, and he set off at a fast trot, away from the Twoleg devastation.
They turned away from the monsters and sped through the trees. As she raced toward the sandy clearing where she had trained with the other apprentices, Squirrelpaw wondered grimly how the Clan could have survived with the Twolegs and monsters so close. The sun was high in the sky, and the training hollow was crisscrossed with shafts of cold sunlight. She dug her paws into the soft ground and pushed on ahead of Brambleclaw and Stormfur, her chest tightening with fear as she tore along the trail that led to the gorse tunnel. Without hesitating, she ducked her head and raced into the thorns.
“Firestar!” she yowled as she exploded into the clearing.
It was completely empty. The whole camp was silent. No cat stirred, and the scent of the Clan was stale.
On trembling legs, Squirrelpaw padded to her father’s den underneath the tall gray rock where he normally stood to address the Clan. For one wild moment, she thought Firestar might still be there in spite of the danger that roared at the brink of the ravine. But his mossy bedding was damp and musty, unused for several days. Squirrelpaw slipped out of the cleft in the rock and found her way into the nursery. Kits and elders were always the last to leave the camp, and there was nowhere safer than in the heart of the bramble thicket that had protected many generations of ThunderClan cats.
There was nothing inside except the stench of a fox, almost hiding the faint scent of helpless kits and their mothers. Blind panic rose in her chest. There was a rustle of branches, and Brambleclaw appeared at her side.
“F-fox!” she stammered.
“It’s okay,” Brambleclaw reassured her. “The scent is stale. The fox must have been trying his luck, hoping the Clan had left unguarded kits behind. There’s no sign of bl—of a fight,” he amended hastily.
“But where has the Clan gone?” Squirrelpaw wailed. She knew Brambleclaw had been about to say blood. It seemed impossible that the whole Clan could have vanished without some blood being spilled. Oh, StarClan, what happened here?
Brambleclaw’s eyes glittered with fear. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we’ll find them.”
Stormfur joined them. “Are we too late?” he whispered hoarsely.
“We should have come home quicker,” Squirrelpaw protested.
Stormfur shook his broad gray head as he looked around the abandoned nursery. “We should never have left in the first place,” he growled. “We should have stayed and helped our Clans!”
“We hadto go!” Brambleclaw hissed, unsheathing his claws and sinking them into the moss. “It was StarClan’s will.”
“But where have our Clanmates gone?” Squirrelpaw cried. She pushed past the other cats back into the clearing. She heard them follow more slowly, Stormfur cursing under his breath as a bramble scraped against his flank.
The RiverClan warrior padded over to stand beside Squirrelpaw. He looked around the camp for a long moment, ignoring the scratch on his hind leg. “There’s no blood anywhere, no trace of a struggle,” he murmured.
Squirrelpaw followed his gaze and realized Stormfur was right. Even out here, the camp showed no signs that the Clan had been attacked. Surely that meant the Clan had been unharmed when they left? “They must have moved somewhere safer,” she meowed hopefully.
Brambleclaw nodded.
“We should keep looking for scents,” Stormfur suggested. “They might give us a clue to where the Clan has gone.”
“I’ll check Cinderpelt’s den,” Squirrelpaw offered. She charged down the fern tunnel that led to the medicine cat’s clearing, but the hollow amid the sheltering ferns was as empty and silent as the rest of the camp.
She skirted the edge, poking her nose into the bracken. Cinderpelt sometimes flattened out small nests here for sick cats, but there were no fresh scents now. She turned away and padded toward the split rock that formed one end of the clearing. This was where Cinderpelt made her own nest and kept her supplies of herbs safe and dry.
In the shadows, the pungent smell of roots and herbs was as strong as ever, but there was only the faintest trace of Cinderpelt’s scent, as stale as Firestar’s had been in his den.
Disappointed, Squirrelpaw backed out of the cleft and stared desperately around the clearing. A sudden, terrible realization clutched at her belly: Cinderpelt’s scent was faint, but her sister’s scent was even fainter. Wherever ThunderClan had gone, Leafpaw had left before them.
A screeching warrior’s cry sounded from above, jerking her out of her thoughts. Squirrelpaw glimpsed a flurry of dark fur; then her legs buckled as a cat landed heavily on her back. Fury made her hair stand on end, and her paws scrabbled as she thrashed wildly. The journey to sun-drown-place had made her strong and lean, and she heard the cat gasp with the effort of clinging onto her pelt. Instinctively, Squirrelpaw rolled onto her side. She felt claws rake her flank as her assailant thudded to the ground.
Hissing with anger, Squirrelpaw spun to face her attacker, her hackles raised and her lips drawn back.
The other cat had scrambled up as well and was glaring at her with her tail fluffed up. “Trying to steal my supplies, were you?” she spat.
“Cinderpelt!” Squirrelpaw gasped.
The medicine cat’s eyes stretched wide with surprise. “Squirrelpaw! Y-you’ve come home!” she stammered. She rushed forward, pushing her muzzle along Squirrelpaw’s cheek. “Where have you been? Is Brambleclaw with you?”
“Where is everyone?” Squirrelpaw demanded, too worried about her Clanmates to answer Cinderpelt’s flurry of questions.
The sound of paws pounding along the fern tunnel interrupted her, and Brambleclaw and Stormfur burst into the clearing.
“We heard fighting,” panted Brambleclaw. He blinked in surprise as he spotted Cinderpelt. “Are you both okay?”
“Brambleclaw! I’m so pleased to see you!” Cinderpelt looked at Stormfur and confusion clouded her gaze for a moment. “What are you doing here?”
“He’s with us,” Brambleclaw explained shortly. “Who attacked you?” He stared around, his hackles raised. “Did you chase them off?”
“Actually, it was me,” Cinderpelt confessed. “I didn’t recognize Squirrelpaw from the top of the rock. I thought she was trying to steal my herbs. I’d come back to fetch some supplies—”
“Come back?” Brambleclaw echoed. “Where is everyone?”
“We had to leave,” Cinderpelt explained, her eyes glistening with distress. “The monsters were getting nearer and nearer. Firestar ordered us to abandon the camp.”
“When?” Brambleclaw’s eyes were round with astonishment.
“Two moonrises ago.”
“Where did you go?” demanded Squirrelpaw.
“Sunningrocks.” Cinderpelt looked distractedly around the clearing. “I only came back to get some supplies. Now that I don’t have Leafpaw to help me collect fresh herbs, I’m always running low….”
Squirrelpaw’s heart lurched. “What happened to her?”
Cinderpelt glanced at her, and the pity in her eyes made Squirrelpaw want to turn tail and flee from what she was about to hear. “The Twolegs have been setting traps for us,” she said. “Leafpaw was caught in one the day before we abandoned the camp. Sorreltail saw everything but was powerless to help.”
Squirrelpaw’s legs seemed to lose their strength altogether, and she swayed. With a sickening flash of horror, she understood all her dreams of fear and darkness and being trapped in a small space.
“Where did the Twolegs take her?” Brambleclaw’s voice sounded as if he were a long way away. Squirrelpaw shuddered, trying to fight the shock that dragged at her body like rushing water.
“We don’t know.”
“Has Firestar sent out a search patrol?”
“He sent a rescue patrol as soon as Sorreltail returned. But the place where the Twolegs had trapped her was overrun with monsters tearing up the trees, and there was no sign of Leafpaw.” Cinderpelt stepped forward and pressed her cheek against Squirrelpaw’s. “It wasn’t safe to look for her after that,” she murmured. Squirrelpaw pulled away, but Cinderpelt stared intently into her eyes, and she felt as if the medicinecat were willing her to understand.
“Your father had to think of the whole Clan,” she meowed. “He couldn’t risk putting more cats in danger to search for Leafpaw.” She looked away, and Squirrelpaw heard bitter regret in her voice as she went on. “I wanted to go out looking myself, but I knew I’d be no use.” She glanced furiously at her hind leg, weakened by an old injury on the Thunderpath. Cinderpelt knew only too well the damage that Twoleg monsters could do to cats’ fragile bodies.
For the first time Squirrelpaw noticed how the medicine cat’s pelt seem to hang from her, showing the sharpness of bone beneath.
Brambleclaw must have noticed too. “How is the Clan managing?” he asked.
“Not well,” Cinderpelt admitted. “Larchkit died—Ferncloud couldn’t make enough milk to feed her. Prey has been so scarce, we’ve all gone hungry.” Grief made her voice tremble. “Dappletail’s dead too. She ate a rabbit that Twolegs had poisoned to get rid of WindClan.” A look of alarm flashed in her eyes. “You haven’t eaten any rabbits, have you?”
“We haven’t seen any rabbits,” Stormfur replied. “Not even in WindClan territory.”
Cinderpelt lashed her tail. “The Twolegs have ruined everything! Brightheart and Cloudtail are missing as well—we think they were captured by Twoleg traps, like Leafpaw was.”
Brambleclaw dropped his gaze to the cold, muddy ground. “I didn’t think it could be this bad!” he murmured. “Midnight warned us, but…” Squirrelpaw wished she could comfort him. But there was nothing she could do or say to make him feel better.
Cinderpelt was staring at Brambleclaw in confusion. “Midnight warned you?” she echoed. “What do you mean?”
“Midnight is a badger,” Squirrelpaw explained. “That’s who we went to see.”
“You went to see a badger?” Cinderpelt glanced around as if she expected to see a ferocious black-and-white-striped face appear through the undergrowth behind them.
Squirrelpaw could understand her reaction. Badgers had never been trusted by cats; they were notoriously bad-tempered, unpredictable creatures. Squirrelpaw and her traveling companions had taken a while to get over the shock when they discovered exactly who they had been sent to meet.
“At sun-drown-place,” Squirrelpaw went on.
“I don’t understand,” murmured Cinderpelt.
“StarClan sent us there,” put in Stormfur. “One cat from each Clan.”
“They told us to go to the place where the sun falls into the sea at night,” Brambleclaw added.
“StarClansent you there?” Cinderpelt gasped. “I…we thought they had deserted us.” She stared at Brambleclaw. “StarClan spoke to you?”
“In a dream,” Brambleclaw admitted quietly.
Stormfur was kneading the ground, his fur ruffled. “Feathertail had the same dream.”
“And Crowpaw and Tawnypelt,” Squirrelpaw added.
Cinderpelt stared at the three cats, her eyes wide. “You must come and tell Firestar everything. We have heard nothing from StarClan since they sent the message about fire and tiger.”
“Fire and tiger?” Squirrelpaw echoed, mystified.
“You’ll learn about it soon enough.” Cinderpelt didn’t meet her gaze. “Come back with me now. The Clan needs to hear your story.”
第二章
第二章
“斑叶！”叶爪在森林里绝望地呼喊着，但是没有得到任何回应。这位智慧的巫医多次出现在她的梦里，给她指点迷津；但现在才是她最需要的时候。
“斑叶，你在哪儿？”她又喊了一次。
在微风中，那些树竟然连一丝颤动都没有，树荫下也听不到半点猎物的动静。叶爪感觉周围的寂静就像一只利爪，紧紧揪住了她的心。
突然，她的耳边响起一声陌生的吼叫，把她从梦中惊醒。叶爪猛然一抖，睁开了眼睛，一时间想不起来自己是在哪儿。一股冰冷的风将她的毛吹得翻卷起来，她这才发觉，自己并不是躺在铺着柔软苔藓的窝里，而是躺在奇怪、冰冷，还发着光的网上。她慌乱地站起来，耳朵被更多的网状物剐伤。不管此时她身处何处，这都是一个逼仄的空间，比她的身高高不了多少。叶爪深深吸了一口气，强打精神看看四周，这时全都想起来了。
她被困在了一个狭小的洞穴里，洞壁、地面和洞顶全都是冰冷、坚硬的网，里面的空间只够她站起来，伸个懒腰。这个洞穴被固定在两脚兽的木头巢穴旁，与其他洞穴挨着。
叶爪真希望能看到星星，感受到星族的存在。如果她知道星族还在关注她，心里多少有些安慰。但她抬起头的时候，什么都看不见。放眼望去，视野里只有木头巢穴斜斜的顶部。仅有的光线是从木头巢穴墙上的一个小孔里透进来的月光。她正下方的洞穴是空的，但这个巢穴下面能看见一堆黑色的皮毛。那是另一只猫吗？她闻到他身上散发出来的陌生的气息，确定他不是森林猫。那个身影一动也不动，如果他还活着，就一定是睡着了。叶爪冷冷地想。
她竖起耳朵仔细倾听，想听听刚才的叫声是从哪儿传来的，但那个声音再也没有出现。叶爪只听见温柔的猫叫声，以及困在其他洞穴里的猫，发出的无力的爪子落地声。她嗅了嗅空气，但没识别出任何气息。两脚兽的臭味扑面而来，里面混合着一些恐惧的气息。叶爪撑起四肢，感觉着困住她的网状物。
“星族，你们在哪儿呀？”她心里闪过一个念头，自己是不是已经死了？但随即浑身一震，将这个念头抛到一边，爪子在洞穴的地面上发出刺耳的声音。
“你终于醒了！”一个声音轻轻地说。
叶爪吓了一跳，伸长脖子向身后看去。她旁边的洞穴里有一团虎斑皮毛，她闻出了混杂着两脚兽气息的宠物猫的气味。听声音，那是一只友善的母猫，但叶爪心情抑郁，不想说话。她满脑子都是痛苦的回忆：她跟栗尾一起外出狩猎，两脚兽设置诱饵把她抓住，然后带到这个可怕的地方。现在她远离了自己的族群，身陷黑暗的牢笼。她彻底绝望了，闭上眼睛，把头放在爪子上。
更远的地方传来说话的声音。四周太安静了，虽然听不清说的是什么话，但却有某种似曾相识的感觉。叶爪抬起头嗅了嗅，只闻见一股刺鼻的气味，很像炭毛用来清理伤口的药草。那个声音又说话了，叶爪伸长耳朵仔细倾听。
“我们一定要离开这儿。”一只猫说。
远处的另一只猫回应道：“怎么离开？根本出不去。”
“我们不能坐以待毙！”第一个声音坚持道，“这里还有别的猫——我闻得到他们，也闻得到他们发出的恐惧气息。我不知道他们是什么情况，但不管发生了什么事，他们都害怕被剥皮。我们必须离开这儿，不然会就此消失，只留下一股陈腐的恐惧气息！”
“根本无路可逃，你这个鼠脑子，”一个声音粗暴地说道，“闭嘴，别打扰我们睡觉！”
听到这里，叶爪顿时感觉恐惧和悲伤得想吐。她不想死在这儿！她放平耳朵，闭上眼睛，试着让自己睡着。
“醒醒！”一个声音在叶爪的耳边嘶叫着，把她从充满苦难的梦中惊醒。她抬头看看四周。淡淡的阳光从墙上的小孔照进来，但她的皮毛仍然寒冷无比。在微弱的曙光下，她能清楚地看到她隔壁的虎斑母猫。这个陌生的同伴体态柔软，皮毛打理得很好，正定定地瞅着叶爪，叶爪顿时意识到自己皮毛一片凌乱。她显然是一只宠物猫，虎斑皮毛下的身体浑圆松软。
“你还好吗？”宠物猫问道，一双大眼睛充满了担心，“听起来，你的声音里似乎充满了痛苦。”
“我做梦了。”叶爪声音嘶哑地回答，说话声就连她自己听着都觉得奇怪，仿佛好几天没说话了。这时，噩梦中的场景一下子全想起来了：暴涨的河水里流着猩红的血，一只大鸟张着利爪，从天空中猛扑下来。稍过片刻，叶爪又看到羽尾藏在黑暗里，周身一片星光。她不明白这些梦预示着什么，吓得四只爪子都在哆嗦。
一只两脚兽的怪物在外面开始怒吼，将她的思绪又带回木巢穴上这个逼仄的洞穴里。
“你看起来很不好。”宠物猫评头论足道，“多吃点早餐，就在你笼子的角落里。”
笼子？叶爪琢磨着这个奇怪的词语。“你说的是这个洞穴吗？”宠物猫从“笼子”的另一边，冲着一个容器里散发着臭味的小圆球点点头，示意叶爪去吃。
叶爪嫌弃地看着两脚兽的食物，说道：“我不吃这种东西！”
“那你至少要坐起来，舔梳一下皮毛。”宠物猫坚持说道，“自从那些干活的两脚兽把你带到这儿，你就一直弓着背，就像一只受伤的老鼠。”
叶爪使劲耸了一下肩膀，但是并没有行动。
“它们抓住你的时候，伤到你了吗？”宠物猫的声音里充满了关切。
“没有。”叶爪咕哝着。
“坐起来梳洗一下！”她飞快地说道，“你这个样子，对自己或任何其他猫都没有好处。”
叶爪不想起来，也无心打理自己。她的爪子在脚下的网上擦了一下，一只爪子渗出了血。空气被外面的怪物污染了，弥漫过来，刺痛了她的眼睛。星族仍然没有发来任何信号，来抚平她内心的绝望和恐惧。
“起来！”宠物猫重复道。这次她的态度更坚决了。叶爪转头看着她，宠物猫迎向她的目光，直视着她。
“我们会找到办法逃走的。”她说道，“如果你不站起来伸展一下肌肉，吃点东西，喝点水，你就会被丢下。可是我不想丢下任何一只我帮得了的猫！”
叶爪眨眨眼睛，问道：“你知道怎么逃走吗？”
“现在还不知道。”宠物猫承认道，“但如果你停止自艾自怜，也许就能帮我找到一条路。”
叶爪知道她说得对。蜷在这儿等死，解决不了任何问题，而且她还不准备加入星族的行列。她是一名巫医学徒，族群需要她，她要坚守在森林里，哪怕森林里最后什么也没剩下。
她放下悲伤，用尽全身的力气，撑起爪子站起来，然后放松尾巴，伸展四肢——蜷缩已久的身体发出嘎嘎的响声。
“太好了！”宠物猫赞扬道，“现在转过身，面对另一边，你就会觉得空间更大点儿。”
叶爪顺从地转过身子，用爪子够着笼子的角落。她抓住网子，用力伸展身体，胸部下压，拉伸着肩膀，感到僵硬的肌肉开始变得柔软。她感觉好了一些，就开始清洗自己，用舌头舔着腹部的皮毛。
宠物猫向她的方向靠了过来，用闪闪发光的蓝眼睛瞅着她说：“我叫柯蒂，你叫什么？”
“叶爪。”
“叶爪？”柯蒂重复着，“好奇怪的名字。”她耸耸肩继续说，“好吧，叶爪，你的运气不好，被它们抓住了。你也弄丢了项圈吗？如果我没丢项圈儿，就不会到这儿来了——真倒霉！我以为自己很聪明，能够想办法逃脱。但是如果我仍然戴着项圈，农场的工人就会把我送回家，而不是带到这儿来。”她缩着下巴，舔着胸前蓬乱的皮毛，“我家主人会急疯的。如果我半夜还没回家，它们就会冲到花园里，晃着猫粮盆到处呼唤我。很高兴它们这么关心我，不过我能照顾好自己。”
叶爪忍不住取笑她：“宠物猫还能照顾自己？如果两脚兽不给你食物，你就得饿死！”
“两脚兽？”
“对不起。”叶爪为了让宠物猫听得懂，改口道，“就是你说的主人。”
“我明白了。你们从哪儿获得食物？”柯蒂问。
“我靠狩猎活着。”
“我有一次也抓住了一只老鼠……”柯蒂为自己辩解。
“我吃的一切都是自己抓的，”叶爪反驳道。有那么一会儿工夫，她都忘了自己身处压抑的牢笼，眼前只有绿色森林里小动物窸窣的声音，“而且我还为长老们捕获足够的猎物。”
柯蒂眯起蓝眼睛说：“斯玛说过森林猫，你是一只森林猫吗？”
“我是族群猫。”叶爪告诉她。
柯蒂困惑地看着她，说道：“族群猫？”
“森林里有四大族群。”叶爪解释道，“每个族群都有自己的领地和习惯，但我们都在星族的指引下生活。”她看到柯蒂的眼睛睁得大大的，接着说道：“星族是我们的武士祖先，它们住在银毛星带里。”她冲着笼顶弹了下尾巴，指着天空：“每只族群猫最后都会加入星族。”
“斯玛从没提到过任何族群。”柯蒂嘀咕道。
“斯玛是谁？”
“他住在另一个花园里。很久以前，他有个朋友，也是一只宠物猫，后来离开主人去了森林……我是说族群。”
“我父亲出生的时候就是一只宠物猫，”叶爪说道，“他离开了两脚兽，加入了雷族。”
柯蒂将身体靠在将她俩隔开的闪亮的网子上问道：“你父亲怎么称呼？”
叶爪定定地瞅着她，说道：“难道你认为我父亲就是你的朋友认识的那只猫？”
柯蒂点点头说：“有可能！他叫什么名字？”
“火星。”
柯蒂摇摇头。“斯玛的朋友叫拉斯特。”她叹息道，“不是火星。”
“但他并不是一直叫火星。”叶爪说道，“‘火星’是他在族群里的名字，带‘星’字的都是族长，他是后来靠能力得到这个称号的。当武士时，也有武士名字，也是靠自己努力赢得的。”
柯蒂若有所思地瞥了她一眼，问道：“那么，对族群猫来说，名字很重要是吗？”
“我的意思是说，每只幼崽出生后，都会起个有意义的名字，代表他的与众不同。”她顿了顿又说，“我猜你要说的是，我们的能力配得上某个称呼，才会被授予一个名字。”
“你父亲做出了什么成绩，才担得起‘火星’这个名字？”
“他有一身火焰般的皮毛。”叶爪告诉她，“因此他来到雷族的时候，当时的族长给他起名叫火……”她看到柯蒂大为惊讶地看着自己，就住了嘴。
“那他一定是斯玛的朋友！”她惊叹道，“斯玛总说，拉斯特橙色的皮毛是他见过的最鲜亮的颜色。现在他竟然是你们的族长啊！哇，我简直迫不及待地想要告诉斯玛了！”
叶爪的心头掠过一阵忧伤。她想，柯蒂不见得还有机会跟斯玛说话，自己也不一定还能再见到父亲。“噢，星族啊，救救我们吧！”
柯蒂低头瞅了一眼爪子下的地面，好像也想到了叶爪的担心。“你的耳朵看起来也要舔梳一下。”她转换了话题。
叶爪舔了舔爪子，然后用爪子摸了摸耳朵。柯蒂接着说：“你父亲一定很着急你去了哪儿。我敢打赌，他对你的焦虑，不亚于我家主人对我的担心。”
“是的。”叶爪附和着说，尽管她心里很怀疑，两脚兽与宠物猫的关系，根本不可能有她和她的族猫们那么亲密。她提醒自己，柯蒂看样子对主人一片忠心——听她说话，就可以看出她对两脚兽的感情，跟叶爪与族猫的感情没有两样。“我们必须找到办法逃出去。”她果断地说，声音很坚定。火星为松鼠爪已经够操心的，另一个女儿也失踪了，这叫他情何以堪。
她盯着洞穴上的那个洞，阳光已经从那里照进来，不知道一只猫能否从那个洞里挤过去。她或许应该试试，即使挤掉一点皮毛也值得。但她如何从她的笼子里逃出去呢？她研究了一会儿锁着门的钩子。
“没有用的，”柯蒂随着她的视线看过去，“我已经试过了，爪子根本无法拨动钩子。”
“你知道两脚兽为什么要把我们关起来吗？”叶爪问道，将视线从那道门上移开。
柯蒂耸耸肩。“我猜，它们可能觉得我们碍事，比如它们在森林里工作的时候，我们挡住了它们的道。”她说道，“我为了追逐一只松鼠跑进了树林，跑得远远超过了我平时的活动范围。它们趁机抓住了我。一只怪物呼啸着跑进树林，我吓坏了，所以没看到周围全是干活的两脚兽。一个两脚兽把我抱起来，塞进了这里。就算我没戴项圈，那只两脚兽也蠢得跟一只小狗差不多，竟把我误认为森林猫！”她愤慨不已，身上的皮毛都立起来了。然后她直视着叶爪的眼睛，身上的毛又平顺下去。“对不起，我不是有意的。我的意思是说，你们比我想象中要好多了。”她尴尬地结束了话题。
叶爪耸耸肩。森林猫也好，宠物猫也好，现在都同样困在这里。“我一般也不往这边的树林里走，”她说，“我来这儿，是为了寻找我们两只族猫——云尾和亮心。”
柯蒂侧着脑袋听着。
“他们不久前失踪了。”叶爪解释道，“有些族猫说他们离开了，但我知道，他们绝不会丢下自己的孩子，独自离开。”
“你认为，他们可能是被两脚兽抓住了，就到这儿来找他们。”柯蒂猜测道。
“我根本不知道两脚兽正在设诱饵抓猫。”叶爪说道，“我只是跟着一个线索走——河族也有一只猫失踪了，我无意中嗅到了她的气息，就跟着走到这儿了。”
她忽然停下话题，皮毛直竖起来。如果云尾、亮心和雾脚都被两脚兽诱捕到这儿，他们现在也一定在这儿。她火烧火燎地到处瞅着这片牢笼，天已经亮了，光线正逐渐转亮。最后她看到了她希望找到的身影，那团杂色的皮毛是如此熟悉，即使在昏暗的光线中也不会认错。
“亮心！”叶爪大声喊着族猫的名字，但一声新的嘈杂声打断了她。木头巢穴的门打开了，光线照了进来。一只两脚兽大步走过来，叶爪很快瞄到，笼子里塞着更多熟悉的身影。
两脚兽开始打开每个笼子，往里面抖着什么东西。当它走到她这里时，叶爪往后一跳，吓得瑟瑟发抖。两脚兽往笼子前的盆子里倒了些新鲜的小圆球，并在旁边的容器里倒了些散发着臭味的脏水。
两脚兽打开柯蒂的笼子，宠物猫蹭了蹭它的巨掌。它摸了摸她柔软的皮毛，宠物猫发出舒服的咕噜声。
两脚兽关上柯蒂笼子的门离开了，笼子里再次陷入阴影之中。
“你怎么能让它碰你？”叶爪嘶声说道。
“这个两脚兽可能是我们逃脱的唯一途径。”柯蒂指出，“如果我能使它相信，我只是一只可怜的走失的宠物猫，它可能会放了我。你也应该试一试。”
叶爪想到两脚兽触摸自己，就感到不寒而栗，她知道她的族猫都会有同感。她努力寻找刚才发现了亮心柔软皮毛的那个笼子。
“亮心！”她大声喊道，焦急得尾巴抽动着。
“是我！”一个声音小心翼翼地问，“谁在那里？”
叶爪紧贴笼子，感觉到网子又冷又硬。“我是叶爪！”她说道。
“叶爪！”有个声音从巢穴的某个地方响起。叶爪听出是云尾熟悉的声音，强忍着，才没有发出开心的呼噜声。她一个笼子一个笼子地瞅过去，终于看到了云尾那浓密的白色皮毛。
“你们还活着！”叶爪惊呼。
“他们就是你要寻找的猫？”柯蒂问。
叶爪点点头。
“叶爪？”从朦胧的光线里传来另一个声音，“我是雾脚。”
“雾脚！”叶爪回应道，“我觉得我闻到了你的气息，然后就被困在了这里。这儿离河族的边界那么远，你来这儿干什么？”
“要不是为了将一只偷猎的风族武士驱逐出境，我根本不会落入黑心的两脚兽设计的陷阱里。”这只母猫愤愤地说。
下面传来一个颤抖的声音：“我不知道那是个陷阱，所以才躲进去的。”
“你又是谁？”叶爪向下看去。
“我是风族的金雀尾。”对方回答道。
“还有没有其他族群的猫在这儿？”叶爪大声喊道，既希望有猫回应，又希望没有回应——尽管发现族猫和朋友都还活着，已经很让她宽慰了，但她还是宁愿一只森林猫都没被捉住，当然也包括她自己——但她只听见其他笼子里的猫咀嚼小圆球的声音。
“这里的泼皮猫和族群猫大概一样多。”雾脚小声说道。
“什么是泼皮猫？”柯蒂担心地轻声问。
“他们独来独往，不跟任何一个群体共同生活。”叶爪解释道，“也不跟两脚兽生活在一起。”
“他们只关心自己。”雾脚补充道。
“是的。看看你在哪儿吧！你倒是关心你的族猫，但这却害了你。”接近木头巢穴一层的一只猫发出指责的声音。
叶爪睁大眼睛，发现一层的笼子里有一只皮毛凌乱的老公猫趴在那儿，耳朵裂开了口子。
“别理他！”柯蒂啐道，“谁都不会帮他这样的猫。”
“你认识他？”叶爪惊讶地问道。
“他偷我家主人的垃圾。”柯蒂解释，“他也许会自称泼皮猫或是别的什么，但在我看来，他比一只老鼠好不了多少。”
“你住在两脚兽的生活区？”云尾对柯蒂说，“你认不认识一只叫公主的猫？”
“一只白色爪子的虎斑猫？”
“是的！”云尾的眼睛一亮，“她是我妈妈！她还好吗？”
“她太了不起了！”柯蒂答道，“有条狗住到了她家隔壁——汪汪叫得烦——但公主很快就让那只狗知道那里是她的地盘。她坐在栅栏上轰它，结果那只狗落荒而逃！”
“喂！”雾脚断然说，“我知道那故事听起来很舒服，但我们能不能先找到一条逃生的路啊？”
“有没有谁知道，这些两脚兽打算抓我们干吗？”亮心嘶哑的声音里充满恐惧。
“你认为它们会拿我们怎么办？”那只泼皮公猫喃喃说道，“反正不会是因为它们喜欢猫，才抓住我们，把我们关进这个臭烘烘的猫舍里。”
“至少它们给我们投食吃，”柯蒂快速回应道，“只是没有我平时吃得那么好吃。”
叶爪瞟了她一眼。“我们还是把注意力放在找到出去的路上吧，像雾脚建议的那样。”她说道。
“你们为什么不都闭上嘴？”泼皮猫指责他们，“你们不停地说话，会把两脚兽招来的。”
他这么一说，外面果然传来了沉重的爪子的落地声。叶爪顿时呆住了，她退到笼子后面。两脚兽又拿了个笼子走进来，叶爪闻得到缩在里面的那只母猫发出的恐惧气息，但她识别不出这是谁的味道。她又有点内疚地想，这个最新落入两脚兽陷阱的受害者，绝对不是族群猫。
当两脚兽把那个笼子搁在云尾的笼子上面时，叶爪判断，这又是一只泼皮猫。根据这里的其他泼皮猫判断，这只新来的泼皮猫对找到出路也不会有太大帮助。
但是两脚兽刚一走开，她就听见雾脚震惊地大喊了一声：“莎夏！”
第三章
第三章
松鼠爪跑到黑莓掌和暴毛的前头，向雷族营地所在的山谷跑去。空气中飘荡着两脚兽的怪物发出的臭气。她听见前方传来轰鸣声，心里如坠着巨石般沉重。
“它们都已经入侵到这里了！”她轻声说。山谷两边的树林间，已经被砍出了一道奇怪的明晃晃的沟，之前森林里的树木一直密密地长到通往营地的陡坡边。
黑莓掌从松鼠爪的背后来到她的旁边。她感觉他的皮毛摩过她的皮毛，从树林里向外张望。“走路小心点！”他看着前方，小声嘱咐道。
两脚兽挖出的宽阔的道路穿林而过。林间的地面上原本被蕨类植物覆盖，而且经年累月被各种动物爪子踩来踩去，地面是平坦而松软的，也是暗淡的。现在，跟荒原那边一样，泥土全都被翻了起来。怪物当道，他们前进不得。那些怪物咆哮着粉碎了更多树木。松鼠爪退缩到蕨丛下，恐惧地贴平了双耳。
“午夜警告过我们，情况会很糟。”黑莓掌提醒她。他的声音异常镇定，松鼠爪将身体靠向他，从他温暖的皮毛中寻求着安慰。“我们不能从这儿过去，”他接着说，“这里太危险了。我们得绕着走，从森林的另一边向营地走。”
“你带路！”暴毛说，“你对森林比我熟。”他又瞟了一眼松鼠爪，问道：“你还好吗？”
松鼠爪仰起下巴，回道：“我没事儿。我只想快点回到营地。”
“那么，我们快走吧！”黑莓掌说着小跑起来，离开了被两脚兽破坏的区域。
他们转身离开怪物横行的地方，加快速度，从森林里穿过去。松鼠爪跑向她曾经跟其他学徒一起训练的沙坑时，心灰意冷地想，离两脚兽和它们的怪物这么近，不知道族群怎么活下去。太阳已经升得很高了，冰冷的阳光从训练场所在的山谷上方投下斑驳的光影。她拔脚走在松软的沙地上，突然跑到黑莓掌和暴毛前头，沿着通往金雀花通道的小路狂奔起来。她害怕得心都抽紧了，然后，毫不犹豫地低下头钻进荆棘丛里。
“火星！”她冲进空地，大声呼喊父亲的名字。
里面是空的，整个营地静悄悄的，一只猫都没有，族猫留下的气息也是很早以前的。
松鼠爪全身哆嗦着走向高岩，父亲经常站在高岩上面向族群发表讲话，那块高高的灰色岩石下就是他的巢穴。她的大脑有片刻的混乱，心想无论峡谷边上咆哮的怪物有多危险，火星都应该坚守在这儿才是。但他窝里铺的苔藓已经潮湿、发霉了，看样子有些日子没用了。松鼠爪从岩石缝隙里走向育婴室，一般幼崽和长老们总是最后撤离营地的。这里地处黑莓丛的深处，是营地最安全的地方，庇护了一代又一代的雷族幼崽。
里面空无一物，只有狐狸的臭气几乎掩盖了最无助的幼崽和猫后们的微弱气息。无边的恐慌在她的胸膛里弥漫开来。树枝攒动，黑莓掌出现在她的身边。
“狐……狐狸！”她说话都不利索了。
“不会有事儿的！”黑莓掌安慰她，“它的气味已经很不新鲜了。这只狐狸一定是来碰运气，看有没有落在后面没猫看管的幼崽。这里没有血……打斗的迹象。”他犹豫着改口说道。
“但是族群去哪儿了？”松鼠爪伤心地问。她知道黑莓掌刚才要说“血迹”。没有洒下任何血迹就将整个族群消灭，这是不可能的。“哦，星族啊，这里到底发生了什么事？”她又问了一句。
黑莓掌的眼里透着恐惧：“我不知道发生了什么事，但我们会弄清楚的。”
暴毛也走了过来。“我们是不是回来得太迟了？”他的声音很小，但听起来却很刺耳。
“我们本应该早点回家的。”松鼠爪不满地说道。
暴毛在这个被遗弃的育婴室里四处查看，边看边摇着他灰色的大脑袋。“我们一开始就不该离开森林，”他咆哮着说，“我们应该留在这儿，保护我们的族群！”
“我们必须出发！”黑莓掌的爪子紧紧地抠着地上的苔藓，呵斥道，“那是星族的意志。”
“但我们族群到哪儿去了？”松鼠爪带着哭腔喊道。她从两个同伴身边冲过，冲向外面的空地。她听见他们慢吞吞地跟在后面，一根刺剐到了暴毛的侧身，他低声诅咒着。
河族武士走过来，站到松鼠爪身边，久久地打量着营地四周。“四处都没有血迹，没有挣扎的迹象！”他喃喃道。
松鼠爪顺着他的目光看过去，意识到暴毛说的是对的。即使到了这里，也没有发现营地有任何受到攻击的迹象。这是不是可以确认，族群离开时没有受到伤害？“他们一定是转移到了更安全的地方。”她抱着一线希望说。
黑莓掌点点头。
“我们循着他们的气息去找吧，”暴毛提出建议，“不管他们去了哪儿，一定会给我们留下线索。”
“我去炭毛的巢穴里看看。”松鼠爪提议道。她冲向蕨丛通道，向巫医的巢穴奔去。但蕨丛掩映下的巫医巢穴同样空荡荡、静悄悄的，跟营地其他的地方没什么两样。
她沿着巢穴边走了一圈，将鼻子伸到蕨丛里到处嗅着。炭毛把这里平整出来，有时候弄成几个小窝给生病的猫用，但现在，这里没有一点新鲜的气息。她转身走开，来到岩石断裂处，那里是空地最边缘的地方。炭毛在这里做窝，也在这里晾晒和存放药草。
在树荫下，药草的气味仍跟从前一样浓烈，但炭毛的气息很淡，跟火星巢穴里的味道一样久远。
松鼠爪失望地回到岩石断裂处，绝望地扫视着巢穴周围。她突然想起更可怕的事情，她的胃一下子抽紧了：炭毛的气息很弱，但她姐姐的气息更淡。不管雷族是何时离开的，叶爪一定是先于他们离开的。
头顶似乎传来一声武士的大喊，将她从胡思乱想中惊醒。松鼠爪瞥到一团黑色的皮毛掠过，然后一只猫从她身后撞过来。她四肢一弯，摔倒在地。她顿时大怒，全身的皮毛奓起，爪子狂乱地在地上抓着。去往太阳沉没之地的旅程，让她更加强壮精干了，也更加无所畏惧。她听见一只猫喘息着扑到她的身上，紧紧抓住她的皮毛。松鼠爪本能地往旁边一滚。她感觉到爪子挠着自己的侧腹，随着她滚在地上，攻击者被重重地摔了出去。
松鼠爪愤怒地发出嘶嘶声，转身面对着袭击者，脖颈上的毛腾地竖了起来。她龇牙怒视着对方。
这只猫从地上爬起来，也同样怒视着她，尾巴上的毛都蓬松开来。“你想偷我的东西，是不是？”她呸道。
“炭毛！”松鼠爪大喊一声！
巫医吃惊地瞪大了眼睛。“松鼠爪！你……你回来了！”她磕磕巴巴地说着，冲过去，将鼻子紧贴在松鼠爪的脸上，“你去哪儿了？黑莓掌跟你在一起吗？”
“族猫都去哪儿了？”松鼠爪问道。她急着想知道族猫的去向，顾不上回答炭毛一连串的问题。
荆棘通道传来的爪子落地声打断了她，黑莓掌和暴毛冲到了巫医巢穴前。
“我们听到了打斗声，”黑莓掌急切地说，他看到炭毛，惊奇地眨了眨眼睛，“你俩都没事儿吧？”
“黑莓掌，见到你真高兴！”炭毛看着暴毛，不由一愣，“你来这儿干吗？”
“他和我们一起来的。”黑莓掌简短地解释道。“是谁袭击了你？”他四处看着，脖子上的毛竖了起来，“你把他们赶跑了吗？”
“实际上是我攻击了松鼠爪。”炭毛坦言道，“我在悬崖上没认出松鼠爪，还以为她要偷我的草药。我回来是要取些东西的——”
“回来？”黑莓掌反问，“大家都去哪儿了？”
“我们只能离开这儿。”炭毛解释着，她的眼睛里溢满愁苦，“怪物逼得越来越近，火星下令放弃了营地。”
“什么时候的事情？”黑莓掌惊愕得双眼瞪得溜圆。
“两次月亮升起之前。”
“你们去哪儿了？”松鼠爪问道。
“太阳石。”炭毛心烦意乱地看看空地四周，“我只是回来拿些草药。现在叶爪不在，没有猫帮我采摘新鲜草药，我储存的越来越少……”
松鼠爪的心一颤，急忙问道：“叶爪怎么了？”
炭毛瞥了她一眼，松鼠爪看着她充满心痛的眼神，一瞬间很想掉头就跑，害怕听到她说出噩耗。“两脚兽给我们设置了陷阱，”炭毛说道，“叶爪在我们撤离营地前的某一天被抓住了。栗尾眼睁睁地看着，却无力搭救。”
松鼠爪顿时四肢瘫软，几乎要倒在地上。恐惧感掠过全身，使她感到一阵恶心。她一下子明白了她做的那些梦，她的梦中全是恐惧和黑暗，被困在一个狭小的空间里。
“两脚兽把她弄到哪儿去了？”黑莓掌问。他的声音在松鼠爪的耳朵里是那么遥远，她浑身颤抖，努力打起精神。叶爪的噩耗太令她震惊，就像奔腾的水打在身上，让她无法站立。
“我们不知道。”
“火星有没有派巡逻队去寻找？”
“栗尾回来一说，火星就派了救援队去找她。但两脚兽抓住她的地方，到处都是怪物在砍伐树木，完全没有叶爪的踪迹。”炭毛走上前去，跟松鼠爪脸贴脸，“我们不能确保派出去的猫的安全，从那之后就没再找她了。”
松鼠爪猛地跳开了，但炭毛一直盯着她的眼睛，松鼠爪知道巫医希望自己能原谅他们。
“你的父亲不得不为整个族群考虑，”炭毛说道，“他不能让更多的猫，冒着生命危险去寻找叶爪。”说着她把目光移开了。松鼠爪听出她声音里的痛楚和后悔，她接着说：“我很想自己出去找她，但我知道那没有用。”她恨恨地瞅着那条后腿，在雷鬼路上受的旧伤拖累了她。炭毛深知两脚兽的怪物有多可怕，它们可以轻而易举地压碎猫们脆弱的身体。
松鼠爪第一次注意到巫医瘦得皮毛耷拉在身上，显出了充满棱角的骨头。
黑莓掌也注意到了这一点。“族群的情况怎么样？”他问道。
“不好。”炭毛坦言，“小叶松死了——香薇云的奶水不足，喂不饱她。猎物严重匮乏，我们全都处于饥饿状态。”她悲痛得声音都在打战。“斑尾也死了，她吃了两脚兽毒死的兔子肉。”她的眼里闪过一丝慌乱，“你们没吃兔子肉吧？”
“我们一只兔子都没看到，”暴毛答道，“即使在风族境内也没看到。”
炭毛一甩尾巴：“两脚兽摧毁了一切！亮心和云尾也失踪了——我们认为，他俩也跟叶爪一样，被两脚兽设下的陷阱逮住了。”
黑莓掌低头凝视着脚下冰冷、凌乱的地面。“我没想到情况会如此糟糕！”他喃喃地说，“午夜警告过我们，但……”松鼠爪但愿自己能给他一些安慰，但她能做什么、能说什么来让他心里好受点呢？
炭毛困惑不解地盯着黑莓掌。“午夜警告过你？”她反问道，“什么意思？”
“午夜是一只獾。”松鼠爪解释说，“我们这次长途旅行，就是去见它。”
“你们出去见了一只獾？”炭毛四处看着，好像害怕从他们身后的荆棘丛里出现一张黑一道白一道的凶恶嘴脸。
松鼠爪能理解她为何如此反应。猫从来不信任獾。众所周知，它们性情残暴，喜怒无常。当初松鼠爪和她的旅伴们发现，他们被派来竟是与这样一只动物相见，也是花了一点时间才从震惊中缓过神来。
“我们去了太阳沉没之地。”松鼠爪接着说。
“我不懂你在说什么！”炭毛喃喃道。
“是星族派我们去那儿的，”暴毛插嘴道，“每个族群各派了一只猫。”
“星族要我们去一个地方，就是晚上太阳沉没的地方。”黑莓掌补充道。
“是星族派你们去的？”炭毛屏住了呼吸，“我……我们还以为它们已经抛弃了我们。”她盯着黑莓掌，“星族跟你对话了？”
“在我的梦中，星族跟我讲话了。”黑莓掌轻声承认道。
暴毛抓挠着地上的泥土，皮毛凌乱地说：“羽尾也做了相同的梦。”
“鸦爪和褐皮也一样。”松鼠爪补充说道。
炭毛盯着三只猫，眼睛睁得大大的。“你们一定要去见火星，把这一切说出来。自打星族给我们发送了一个关于火和虎的预兆之后，我们就再也没有收到任何消息。”炭毛说道。
“火和虎？”松鼠爪困惑地重复了一遍。
“很快你们就能知悉一切。”炭毛避开她的眼神，“现在就跟我回去。我们得让族猫听听你们的经历。”
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 5
“Sasha!” Mistyfoot called again. “Is thatyou?”
There was no reply.
Leafpaw pressed her muzzle against the web and peered out. She had heard of Sasha many times, and was curious to see the rogue she-cat who had taken Tigerstar as her mate and given birth to Mothwing and Hawkfrost while staying with RiverClan. But in the half-light of the wooden nest, she could only just make out Sasha’s tawny pelt huddled at the back of the cage the Twoleg had just brought in.
“Sasha, are you okay?” Mistyfoot called more urgently.
“Give her time to recover,” Cody advised. “The new ones are always quiet.”
“I don’t need time to recover,” came a furious hiss. “How dare they put me in here? If I could get out, I’d rip that Twoleg to shreds!”
“What were you doing in the forest?” Mistyfoot asked.
“I wanted to see my kits,” Sasha replied. “I had heard about the Twolegs destroying the forest, and I wanted to make sure they were safe.”
“I saw Mothwing not long ago!” Leafpaw mewed. “She was fine. She’s going to be a medicine cat.”
“Who’s that speaking?” Sasha called.
“I’m Leafpaw, ThunderClan’s apprentice medicine cat,” Leafpaw told her. “I’m friends with Mothwing.”
“Do you know Hawkfrost too?” Sasha demanded. “Is he safe?”
Leafpaw did not answer. Her paws prickled as she pictured Sasha’s other kit. He had an icy-blue gaze like the sky in leaf-bare, and his shoulders were as broad and powerful as those of a warrior of twice his age and experience. Last time Leafpaw had met him, he had threatened to drag Sorreltail back to the RiverClan camp because she had strayed across the border by mistake. Luckily, Mothwing had persuaded him to let Sorreltail go.
Mistyfoot called from her cage, “Hawkfrost was fine when I saw him last.”
“Thank goodness,” Sasha breathed.
The relief in her voice surprised Leafpaw. “She sounds as worried as a Clan queen would be!” she whispered to Cody through the web that separated them.
“Of course.” Cody had been listening quietly to the exchange. “She’s talking about her kits—she’s a she-cat just like any other, after all.”
“But she gave them away to be raised in RiverClan!” Leafpaw exclaimed, almost forgetting to keep her voice low.
“Why didn’t she let her own Clan raise them?” Cody sounded puzzled.
“Sasha’s not a Clan cat,” Leafpaw explained. “She’s a rogue.”
“That’s right, call me names just because I choose not to live among the rest of you,” Sasha growled, overhearing. “Not that I care, as long as my kits are safe.”
“I’m sorry,” Cody apologized. “This is such a small nest it’s hard not to get involved.” She glanced sideways at the cage next to hers where a tattered black rogue crouched without giving any sign that he had heard their conversation. “With some cats, at least,” she added pointedly. Leafpaw knew that Cody had been trying to befriend the black tom but had not managed to get any answer from him except his name—Coal.
“You’re a kittypet, aren’t you?” Sasha asked Cody bluntly. “You sound too polite for a rogue, and you look too fat to be a Clan cat.”
Leafpaw saw Cody bristle. “Cody’s a friend!” she mewed, leaping to her defense.
“I didn’t say she wasn’t,” Sasha meowed. “I’m just trying to work out who’s who in this place.”
Mistyfoot explained: “They’re mostly rogues, but there are a few other forest cats here.” Gorsetail, Brightheart, and Cloudtail meowed greetings as Mistyfoot went on, “Cody’s the only kittypet, as far as we know.”
“Have any of you worked out a way to escape from this foxhole?” Sasha asked.
“Not yet,” Mistyfoot admitted.
“Even StarClan hasn’t given us a clue,” Leafpaw added.
“StarClan!” In the shadows, she saw Sasha curl her lip. “Do you Clan cats still believe in that nonsense after what’s happened to the forest?”
“Of course we do!” Leafpaw hissed.
“Well, say a prayer for me, little one,” Sasha sighed unexpectedly. “I think we’re all going to need as much help as we can get.”
Sunhigh passed, and the tepid warmth of the afternoon sun began to fade.
“Here comes the Twoleg again,” Cody called to the other cats.
Over the distant grumbling of the Twoleg monsters, Leafpaw heard footsteps outside and instinctively crouched at the back of her cage. The nest door opened and the Twoleg came in carrying the food pellets.
“There’s no way you’ll persuade that Twoleg to let us out of here by purring at it,” Leafpaw whispered to Cody as the Twoleg began opening the cages and putting in more food.
“I guess not,” Cody shrugged. “But it won’t hurt to make him trust me.”
As she spoke a hiss exploded from the cage next to her. The Twoleg leaped backward from Coal’s open door. Blood trickled down its forepaw as it stamped around the nest, spitting in rage. Leafpaw strained to see Coal through Cody’s cage. She could just make out his shadowy outline as he flattened himself against the floor. The blood pulsed in her ears as she glanced over her shoulder at the Twoleg. It had stopped screeching and was staring menacingly at Coal. Suddenly, with a vicious cry, it thrust its paw back into the cage, and Leafpaw heard the tom screech in pain. Muttering, the Twoleg slammed the door shut.
Leafpaw shuddered. What had the Twoleg done?
When the Twoleg opened Cody’s door and tipped pellets into her pot, the kittypet shied away. She was not purring at it now.
As soon as the Twoleg had gone, Leafpaw yowled, “Are you okay, Coal?”
A muffled groan came from the cage beyond Cody’s. “That stinking Twoleg!”
Leafpaw sniffed the air and smelled the warm tang of blood.
“It looks bad,” Cody whispered to Leafpaw. “There’s blood on the floor of his cage.”
“Where are you hurt?” Leafpaw asked Coal.
“I’ve cut my leg,” replied the rogue. “That badger-pawed Twoleg shoved me against something sharp.”
Leafpaw thought quickly. What did Cinderpelt use to stop bleeding? “Can any cat reach a cobweb?” she called. “Come on; we have to help him!”
“There’s one near me,” answered Gorsetail. “I think I can reach it. Hang on.”
Peering down, Leafpaw saw Gorsetail’s tawny paw reach out from a cage below her. A large cobweb stretched from the floor of the nest to the top of his cage. He reached toward it, squeezing his foreleg through the hole in the side of his cage. Finally he managed to plunge his paw into the thick tangle and drag it down. Twisting his foreleg around, Gorsetail held the cobweb as far up toward Leafpaw as he could.
Leafpaw flattened herself against the cage and pushed her paw through the shiny floor. It scraped against her fur but she clenched her teeth and forced her leg through a little more until she could take the wad of sticky cobweb from Gorsetail. She pulled it quickly into her cage and then began passing it to Cody. “Give him this!” she urged, squeezing the last pieces of cobweb through with her paws.
Cody nodded, unable to talk because she was holding a wad of cobweb in her mouth. As she dragged it into her cage, some of it stuck to the sides of the hole, wasting a few of the precious threads.
“Be careful!” Leafpaw gasped.
The voice of a rogue beneath them called anxiously up. “There’s blood dripping through the top of my cage! That cat’s badly hurt.”
Leafpaw’s heart beat faster. “Coal! Are you okay?”
“It won’t stop bleeding,” Coal replied, his voice trembling.
“Take the cobweb from Cody!” Leafpaw ordered. “Press it against the wound for as long as you can.”
She heard Cody breathing hard as the kittypet passed the cobweb through to the next cage, followed by the sound of Coal’s paws scrabbling on the blood-soaked floor.
“Don’t panic, Coal!” she mewed. “Just press the cobweb onto the wound.”
“It’s already soaked with blood!” Coal panted.
“That’s okay,” Leafpaw reassured him. “It’ll still stop any more blood coming. Just hold it in place!”
She waited. Silence gripped the nest. Leafpaw’s head began to spin, and she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths.
“Is he okay?” Brightheart called after a while.
“The blood’s stopped dripping on me!” reported the rogue from underneath Coal’s cage.
“Coal?” Leafpaw called. “How is it?”
A ragged sigh came from Coal’s cage. “That’s better,” he murmured. “It didn’t even sting.”
Leafpaw felt a rush of relief. “Keep the cobweb there for a bit longer,” she told him. “Then you can give the cut a gentle lick to clean it. Not too fierce—you don’t want it to start bleeding again.”
“Well done, Leafpaw,” Cody whispered from her cage.
Leafpaw blinked. For the first time since she had been captured, she didn’t feel entirely helpless. Closing her eyes, she sent a prayer of thanks to StarClan. She had never helped a rogue before, but she knew her warrior ancestors would approve. Loyalty to one Clan alone was no longer the way to survive
She realized her belly was growling with hunger. She might as well follow Cody’s advice and keep her strength up. Trying not to breathe in the horrible stench, she nibbled at a few of the foul pellets the Twoleg had left. I suppose I should be
grateful for the easy meal, she thought as she forced herself to crunch the dry morsels
“These are disgusting,” she muttered.
“Not the best I’ve tasted,” agreed Cody. “My housefolk tried to give me something similar once, but I soon let them know what I thought, and they never gave them to me again.”
Leafpaw nearly choked with surprise. “You can make your Twolegs do what you want?”
“They’re not so hard to train,” Cody mewed. She sat up and began washing her paws.
Sasha called across the nest, “Can you train the mongrel that hurt Coal to be gentler?”
“I doubt it,” Cody answered. “These workfolk are nothing like my housefolk.”
Leafpaw saw Brightheart’s face appear behind the mesh of her cage. The ginger patches on her white fur looked almost black in the dim light, and it was impossible to see that one side of her face had been terribly scarred by a dog attack many moons ago. “What do you think they’re going to do with us?” she whispered.
“Perhaps they’re going to turn us into kittypets?” Leafpaw suggested. Much as she disliked the idea, at least that might give them a chance to escape and return to the Clan.
There was a snort from Sasha’s cage. “I don’t think so,” she rasped. “We’re hardly the sort of fluffy, pampered cats that Twolegs go for.”
Leafpaw glanced at Cody, hoping she wouldn’t take offense, but to her surprise the kittypet was nodding.
“Sasha’s right,” she agreed. “These folk don’t care about cats—Clan, rogue, or kittypet. Trust me, I know the sort of—what do you call them? Twolegs?—that make good housefolk. These just want to get rid of us.”
Leafpaw tried to swallow, but her mouth had suddenly become too dry, and the pellets she had eaten seemed to be lodged halfway down her throat. Trying not to bring them up again, she lapped a few mouthfuls of slimy water. She fought the urge to curl up in the back of her cage and lose herself in dreams. She could not rely on StarClan to get her out of this place. She had faith that her warrior ancestors were watching the destruction of the forest, but her instincts told her they were powerless against Twoleg cruelty; it was her own wits she would have to rely on now. She had to find a way to escape. She couldn’t let Cody or her Clanmates down.
She remembered Gorsetail stretching his paw out of his cage to reach the cobweb. “Cody,” she mewed. “You told me you tried reaching the catch that keeps the cage locked.”
“Yes, but I couldn’t get a grip on it,” Cody confirmed.
“What about the rest of you?” Leafpaw called out to the other cats. “Can anyone undo his catch?”
“Mine’s too stiff,” replied Gorsetail.
“My web is ripped,” Cloudtail reported. “I can almost get two paws out, but I can’t reach the catch.”
“You’re all wasting your time,” Sasha growled. “Face it, there’s no way out of here.”
Outside, the noise of the Twoleg monsters rumbled on, making the nest shudder. Leafpaw couldn’t believe there was no way out of the nest, whatever Sasha thought. If she gave up, there would be no hope left at all. As she listened to the Twolegs calling gruffly to one another in the growing dusk outside, she reached through the web at the front of her cage and began to claw at the catch that held it closed.
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 4
“Sunningrocks was the safest place tohide,” Cinderpelt told them as she weaved through the bracken.
Squirrelpaw was surprised. “But there’s so little shelter there!” Sunningrocks was a wide stone slope near the RiverClan border, bare of trees or bushes except for a few scrubby tufts of grass. Aware that Stormfur was only a few pawsteps behind, Squirrelpaw lowered her voice. “And what about RiverClan? They’ve tried to claim it as their territory before—wasn’t Firestar afraid they might attack the Clan?”
“RiverClan has made no threats lately,” Cinderpelt replied. “Sunningrocks is as far from the Twolegs and their tree-destroying monsters as we could get within our territory, and close to what little prey is left in the forest.”
Despite her limp, she led them quickly through the forest, but Squirrelpaw noticed that the medicine cat’s scrawny flanks heaved with the effort. She glanced at Brambleclaw. He was watching Cinderpelt too, his eyes narrowed with concern.
“We’re in much better shape than she is,” Squirrelpaw whispered to him.
“Our journey has made us stronger,” Brambleclaw commented.
Squirrelpaw felt an uncomfortable pang of guilt that their long and difficult journey had kept them safer and better fed than the cats they left behind. The sun was sinking in a clear blue sky, and a chill wind swayed the branches above them, tugging at the last stubborn leaves. She paused, listening. A few birds chirped a muted chorus, but in the distance she heard monsters all the time, humming like angry bees. Their sticky stench hung in the air and clung to her fur, and Squirrelpaw realized that she had returned to a forest that no longer smelled or sounded like home. It had become another place, one where cats could not survive. No place left for cats. You
stay, monsters tear you too, or you starve with no prey.Midnight’s prophecy was already coming true.
The pale gray bulk of Sunningrocks loomed beyond the trees, and Squirrelpaw made out the shapes of cats moving over the stone.
A yowl startled her, and she saw white and ginger fur flashing through the undergrowth. A heartbeat later, Sorreltail and Brackenfur burst out of the bushes in front of them.
“I thought I could smell a familiar scent,” Sorreltail meowed breathlessly.
Squirrelpaw stared at the two warriors. They were as disheveled as Cinderpelt, and beside her, Brambleclaw’s eyes were wide with shock as his gaze flicked over their gaunt bodies.
“We didn’t think you were coming back,” Brackenfur meowed.
“Of course we were coming back!” Squirrelpaw protested.
“Where have you been?” Sorreltail demanded.
“A long way away,” Stormfur murmured. “Farther than any forest cat has ever been.”
Brackenfur glared suspiciously at the RiverClan warrior. “Are you on your way home?”
“I need to talk to Graystripe first.”
Brackenfur narrowed his eyes.
“Let him come,” Cinderpelt advised. “These cats have a lot to tell us.”
Brackenfur’s whiskers twitched, but he dipped his head and turned to lead the way through the trees toward the rocks.
“Come on,” Sorreltail mewed, padding after Brackenfur. “The others will want to see you.”
Squirrelpaw fell into step beside her, trying to ignore the anxiety that gnawed her stomach like hunger pangs. It was starting to look as if their journey had been in vain, and hearing what Midnight had to tell them had come too late to help the Clans. She prayed that the dying warrior’s sign would be enough to save them. Glancing sideways at Sorreltail, she saw that the tortoiseshell warrior’s tail was drooping and her gaze rested wearily on the ground.
“Cinderpelt told me about Leafpaw,” Squirrelpaw murmured.
“I couldn’t do anything to save her,” Sorreltail answered dully. “I don’t know where they’ve taken her. I wanted to look, but we moved camp the next day, and there hasn’t been a chance.” She paused and looked at Squirrelpaw, her eyes flashing with desperate hope. “Did you see her while you were traveling? Do you know where she is?”
Squirrelpaw’s heart twisted. “No, we haven’t seen her.”
The strong, familiar scent of ThunderClan filled the air. Squirrelpaw longed to rush forward to greet her Clanmates, but instinct warned her to approach them warily. She stood still for a moment, hoping that her thudding heart couldn’t be heard by every cat on Sunningrocks.
The smooth stone slope, lined with gullies and small hollows, rose ahead of her. Trees bordered one side, and at the far edge, where the slope fell steeply away, Squirrelpaw could see the tips of more trees, following the river as far as Fourtrees—or the place where Fourtrees had been. The cold stone, blasted by the leaf-bare winds, was a chilly resting place for the Clan. Squirrelpaw looked at Sorreltail’s paws and saw dried blood staining the white fur around her claws. She remembered how the rocks in the mountains had grazed her own paws while they were staying with the Tribe of Rushing Water.
There was no central clearing here for cats to gather, as there had been in the ravine. Instead, the cats were huddled in small groups; Squirrelpaw spotted the dark pelt of her mentor, Dustpelt, sheltering beneath an overhang, with Mousefur next to him. He seemed much smaller than when she had left, his bony shoulders jutting out from beneath his ungroomed fur. Frostfur and Speckletail, two of the Clan elders, were crouched in the deepest gully. Even in the shadows, Squirrelpaw could see that their pelts were matted and dull, speckled with scraps of moss and dried mud. Farther down, where the gully widened, the pale gray shape of Dustpelt’s mate, Ferncloud, was hunched over her two remaining kits.
“It’s more sheltered down there,” Cinderpelt explained, following Squirrelpaw’s gaze. “But the queens still feel very exposed after being used to a nursery made of brambles. The apprentices make their nests in that hollow over there,” she went on, lifting her muzzle to point at a dip in the rocks. Squirrelpaw recognized the brown fur of Shrewpaw, one of Ferncloud’s first litter, fluffed up against the cold.
Squirrelpaw glanced at Brambleclaw, who gave her a tiny nod, but there was anxiety behind his eyes, and his shoulders were tense as he began to pad up the slope. Nervously she followed him. As she passed Ferncloud, the queen looked up at her, and her green eyes darkened with anger.
Squirrelpaw flinched. Did the Clan blame themfor what had happened?
Some of the other cats had spotted them too. Thornclaw heaved himself out of a gully near the top of the slope, flattening his ears; with a menacing hiss, Rainwhisker padded from a crevice at the edge of the rocks. The dark gray warrior’s eyes gleamed, but not with any warmth or welcome for the returning cats.
Stormfur was scanning the rocks for Graystripe. Squirrelpaw followed his gaze, but there was no sign of the gray ThunderClan deputy, or of her own father. She fought down the urge to turn tail and flee back to the forest, back to the mountains even. She miserably met Brambleclaw’s gaze. “They don’t want us here,” she whispered.
“They’ll understand once we’ve explained,” he promised. Squirrelpaw hoped he was right.
The sound of rapid pawsteps behind them made her spin around, startled. A pale gray warrior, Ashfur, skidded to a halt in front of her. She searched his eyes, afraid to find rage, but there was only surprise.
“You came back!” He held his tail high and reached out his muzzle to touch hers in greeting.
Squirrelpaw felt a rush of relief. At least one cat seemed glad they had returned.
Shrewpaw scrambled out of his hollow and raced across the rock toward them, with Whitepaw close behind.
“Shrewpaw!” Squirrelpaw cried, trying to sound as if she’d been no farther than Highstones, and for no more than a couple of sunrises. “How’s the training going?”
“We’ve been working hard,” Shrewpaw answered breathlessly as he reached her.
Whitepaw halted beside him. “We would have seen our first Gathering if the Twolegs hadn’t destroyed Four—”
Ashfur shot the white she-cat a warning glance. “They won’t have heard about that yet,” he hissed.
“It’s okay,” Brambleclaw put in. “We know about Fourtrees. Webfoot told us.”
“Webfoot?” Ashfur narrowed his eyes. “Have you been on WindClan territory?”
“We had to travel back that way,” Squirrelpaw explained.
“Back from where?” meowed Shrewpaw, but Squirrelpaw didn’t answer. She had seen Dustpelt and Mousefur emerging from their makeshift den. Sootfur crept out from a hollow beside them. All the warriors were moving closer now, like ghosts slipping through the shadows. Squirrelpaw stifled a shiver as they padded down the rock. She backed away, brushing against Brambleclaw’s pelt and feeling Stormfur edge closer, equally wary. It reminded her of their first meeting with the cats from the Tribe of Rushing Water. Fear stabbed Squirrelpaw’s heart as she realized that it was not just the forest that had changed. Her own Clan was different, too.
“So? Where did you go?” growled a distinctive voice. Frostfur had climbed out of the elders’ gully above them. The old she-cat had lost much of the sleekness from her snow-white pelt, but Squirrelpaw still flinched under her icy stare.
“We’ve been on a long journey,” Brambleclaw began.
“You don’t look like it!” Ferncloud had left her kits and pushed her way to the front. “You look better fed than us.”
Squirrelpaw tried not to feel guilty about the amount of fresh-kill she had caught on the journey. “Ferncloud, I heard about Larchkit, and I’m sorry….”
Ferncloud was in no mood to listen. “How do we know you didn’t just desert the Clan because you couldn’t face a hungry leaf-bare with the rest of us?” she hissed.
Squirrelpaw heard Mousefur and Thornclaw mew in agreement, but this time anger overcame her fear. “How could you think such a thing?” she spat, her fur bristling.
“Well, your loyalty clearly lies outside the Clan!” growledMousefur, staring at Stormfur.
“Our loyalty has always been to the Clan,” Brambleclaw replied evenly. “That’s why we left.”
“Then what’s a RiverClan warrior doing with you?” Dustpelt demanded.
“He has some news for Graystripe,” Brambleclaw meowed. “He’ll leave as soon as he’s spoken to him.”
“He’ll leave now,” Mousefur hissed, taking one pace forward.
Cinderpelt stepped between Mousefur and Brambleclaw. “Tell them about StarClan’s prophecy,” she urged.
“A prophecy? StarClan has spoken?” Squirrelpaw’s Clanmates stared at her and Brambleclaw like hungry foxes.
“We must tell Firestar first,” Squirrelpaw mewed quietly.
“Where’s Firestar?” Brambleclaw called out.
“He’s away hunting.” It was Sandstorm’s voice.
Squirrelpaw waited breathlessly, half-joyful and half-anxious, as the ginger she-cat padded toward her daughter and stopped a tail-length away to stare at her.
“We’re back.” Squirrelpaw searched her mother’s expression for some sign of welcome.
“You’re back,” Sandstorm echoed wonderingly.
“We had to leave. StarClan gave us no choice.” Brambleclaw defended Squirrelpaw, and she was grateful for the warmth of his flank as he pressed closer. She wanted to confess to her mother that StarClan had not sent the dreams to her, and that she had insisted on going along with Brambleclaw even though he had been reluctant to take her away from the Clan, but fear made the words stick in her throat.
Then Sandstorm’s whiskers quivered and she bounded forward. “One of my kits has returned!” she mewed, rubbing her cheek against Squirrelpaw’s with fierce love.
She felt a rush of relief. “I’m sorry I left without telling you, but—”
“You’re back,” Sandstorm meowed. “That’s all I care about.” Her warm breath grazed Squirrelpaw’s muzzle. “I wondered if I’d ever see you again.”
Squirrelpaw heard a soft purr trembling in her mother’s throat. It reminded her of when she was a kit, curled in the nursery, her sister at her side. Oh, Leafpaw! Where are you?
A deep meow interrupted them. “It seems that I have my apprentice back,” Dustpelt commented. He was as gaunt and hunted-looking as the other warriors, but his eyes were filled with warmth as he came over to greet her.
“Wherever you have been, you ate well,” he remarked, his eyes widening as he looked at Squirrelpaw’s sturdy muscles and glossy coat.
The tip of Brambleclaw’s tail twitched. “We were lucky. There was plenty of fresh-kill where we traveled.”
“Fresh-kill is what we need more than anything,” mewed Dustpelt. “If you have found good hunting, the Clan should know where.”
“It’s a long way away,” Brambleclaw warned.
Dustpelt flicked his ears. “Then it is not for us,” he meowed. “We have made our home here. We will not let the Twolegsand their monsters drive us out again.” A faint, defiant ripple of agreement sounded from the other cats.
Squirrelpaw stared at them in horror. But they had to leave! Midnight had told them that the Clans would have to find a new home—the dying warrior was going to show them the way—and Squirrelpaw had assumed that the fact that ThunderClan had been driven out of their camp would make the task of persuading them to leave a little easier.
Then she saw a figure on top of the rock, silhouetted against the rosy evening sky. Even though the shadows made it impossible to tell what color the cat’s pelt was, there was no mistaking the powerful shoulders and the long tail held aloft in greeting.
“Firestar!” Squirrelpaw called.
“Squirrelpaw!” Firestar bounded down the rock, then halted. His whiskers twitched for a heartbeat before he thrust his head forward and licked Squirrelpaw’s ear. She closed her eyes and purred, briefly forgetting the horror that was engulfing the forest. She was home, and that was all that mattered.
Firestar stepped back. “Where have you been?” he demanded.
“We’ve got so much to tell you,” she answered quickly.
“We?” Firestar echoed. “Is Brambleclaw with you?”
“Yes, I’m here.” Brambleclaw pushed his way through the cats and stood beside Squirrelpaw, dipping his head in respect. The rest of the Clan waited, their eyes glinting in the half-light, and even the wind dropped, as if the forest were holding its breath.
“Welcome home, Brambleclaw.” Squirrelpaw thought she saw a guarded look in her father’s eyes, and she felt a chill run through her.
A flurry of gray fur caught her eye, no more than a shadow flitting down the darkening slope. It was Graystripe. He skidded to a halt beside Firestar. “So, fire and tiger have returned!” he purred.
“Fire and tiger?” Squirrelpaw echoed. What did Graystripe mean?
“There’s time to tell them about that later,” Firestar murmured, his gaze flicking around the watching Clan.
“Oh, of course,” Graystripe meowed, dipping his head. Then his eyes brightened once more. “Have you seen my two kits?” He glanced hopefully from Squirrelpaw to Brambleclaw.
Squirrelpaw nodded. “They went with us,” she explained. “Stormfur—”
“I’m here.” Stormfur pushed his way through the cats.
Graystripe’s ears twitched in surprise and pleasure. “Stormfur!” He hurried forward and greeted his son with delighted purrs. “You’re safe!” He glanced back at Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw. “You’re all safe. I can’t believe it.”
Squirrelpaw’s heart tightened.
“Where’s Feathertail?” Graystripe’s gaze flicked past Stormfur as if he expected to see the pale-gray she-cat waiting at the foot of the rocks.
Squirrelpaw stared at her paws. Poor, poor Stormfur. He brought the worst news of all, to RiverClan as well as ThunderClan
“Where is she?” Graystripe asked, sounding puzzled.
“She’s not with us,” Stormfur replied. He looked directly into his father’s eyes. “She died on the journey.”
Graystripe stared at him in disbelief.
Firestar lifted his chin. “Graystripe and Stormfur should be left to grieve in peace,” he called to the Clan.
Squirrelpaw felt a ripple of gratitude toward her father. At least they could explain everyhing to Graystripe away from the scrutiny of the others. As Firestar guided their Clanmates away up the slope, she pressed closer to Brambleclaw.
Graystripe was gazing at the rock beneath his paws as though he held an adder there and dared not release it in case it bit him.
“We couldn’t have saved her,” Stormfur told him. He gently nudged his father’s shoulder with his nose.
Graystripe swung his head toward Brambleclaw. “You should never have taken her away!” His eyes gleamed with anger.
Squirrelpaw flicked her tail. “It’s not his fault! It was StarClan who chose Feathertail to go on the journey, not Brambleclaw!”
Graystripe closed his eyes. His shoulders sagged until he looked half his usual size. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “It’s just so unfair. She was so much like Silverstream….”
As his voice trailed away, Stormfur laid his muzzle against Graystripe’s flank. “Feathertail died a brave and noble death, worthy of the greatest warrior,” he told him. “StarClan chose her to go on the journey, and then the Tribe of Endless Hunting chose her to fulfill a prophecy of their own. You would have been proud of her. She saved us all, not just the Tribe.”
“The Tribe?” Graystripe echoed.
Squirrelpaw could hear the other cats milling about farther up the slope. Their murmuring grew louder and more impatient until Firestar silenced them, his voice ringing across the rock. “I know you all want to hear where Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw have been,” he meowed. “Let them tell me first; then I promise I will share everything with you.”
“I want to hear why my apprentice left,” Dustpelt growled.
“And what about the prophecy they mentioned?” Mousefur demanded. “We have to know what it is!”
Brambleclaw put his muzzle against Squirrelpaw’s ear. “It sounds like we’d better join them.” He looked at Stormfur. “Are you coming?”
“Thank you, Brambleclaw,” Stormfur answered, “but I’d like to go home.” He gazed at Graystripe. “They will tell you the whole story, but I wanted you to know you would have been very proud of Feathertail,” he said. “She died to save us.”
Graystripe blinked and did not reply.
Stormfur turned to Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw. “I know it’s going to be difficult,” he murmured, “but we have to keep going with what we know to be right. Remember what Midnight told us. We’re doing this for all our Clans.”
Brambleclaw solemnly dipped his head. Squirrelpaw leaned forward to press her muzzle against Stormfur’s cheek. “See you tomorrow at Fourtrees,” she whispered. Her paws trembled with the pain of saying good-bye to one of her closest friends. For more than a moon she hadn’t thought of him as RiverClan and herself as ThunderClan—they were merely Clan together, struggling to finish their journey and save all the cats in the forest.
As Stormfur padded down the slope, Squirrelpaw saw Mousefur and Thornclaw staring reproachfully at her from up on the slope. She knew how disloyal her affection for the RiverClan warrior must appear, but she was too sad and too tired to bother explaining what their journey meant for the six cats who had traveled to the sun-drown-place—and the five who had made it home.
“All right,” Firestar meowed. “The senior warriors will join us to hear what Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw have to say. And you, Cinderpelt.” He gestured with his nose to the overhang where Squirrelpaw had seen Dustpelt and Mousefur sheltering. “We’ll meet up there.”
Snorting, Mousefur turned and began to climb the slope toward the overhang. Graystripe and Dustpelt followed her. As Firestar, Cinderpelt, and Sandstorm padded after them, Squirrelpaw stood still for a moment, letting the breeze ripple her fur. She didn’t care how cold she got—in a way, the colder she was, the closer she came to sharing her Clanmates’ suffering. There wouldn’t need to be any strength in the wind for it to slice through their unkempt fur.
Suddenly she heard Thornclaw let out a low growl. She turned, alarmed, and saw Stormfur standing at the foot of the rocky slope with a plump fish in his mouth.
“What’s the matter?” snarled Thornclaw. “Don’t your own Clan want you back?”
The RiverClan warrior dropped the fish by his forepaws. “I have brought a gift from RiverClan.”
“We don’t need your gifts!” Frostfur spat.
There was a quiet padding of paws behind Squirrelpaw, and Firestar spoke. “It was kindly meant, Frostfur.” There was a note of warning in his voice. “Thank you, Stormfur.”
Stormfur didn’t reply; he just looked up at the ThunderClan leader with his eyes full of sadness. His gaze rested briefly on Squirrelpaw; then he dipped his head and disappeared into the reeds that led down to the water, leaving the fish behind.
Squirrelpaw’s belly growled with hunger. She had not eaten since they left the Twoleg territory on the far side of the moorland.
“You’ll have to wait till later and see if you can track down a mouse or two,” Firestar meowed, hearing her belly complain. “We must feed Ferncloud and the elders first. You’re going to have to get used to hunger now that you are back with the Clan.”
Squirrelpaw nodded, trying to readjust. She had grown used to hunting when she felt hungry, sharing only with her friends.
Firestar called down to Thornclaw, “Divide the fish between Ferncloud and the elders,” before turning back toward the overhang.
As Squirrelpaw slipped beneath the jutting rock, she saw that it reached back farther than she had expected. Smooth rock shielded the sides of the cave, but a chill wind swirled through the opening, stirring the jumbled scents of many cats. Her heart ached for the order and comfort of the old camp, and she closed her eyes, wishing that when she opened them again, she would see the thickly laced branches of the apprentices’ den around her instead of cold, hard stone.
“All the warriors share this den,” Dustpelt murmured in her ear, as if he had guessed what she was thinking. “There are not as many suitable sleeping places here.”
Squirrelpaw opened her eyes and looked around the hollow with rage pulsing through her paws. Twolegs had driven her Clan to this! The least she could do was lead them to a place of safety, where there would be proper sleeping places and enough fresh-kill for all the cats.
“At least there’s a little shelter,” muttered Sandstorm, although her fluffed-up fur suggested she was chilled to the bone.
Firestar sat near the back of the hollow. Sandstorm and Graystripe settled on either side of him. The ThunderClan deputy was hunched over in his private misery; Cinderpelt sat beside him, concern clouding her eyes.
“Now,” Firestar began, curling his tail over his paws. “Tell me everything from the beginning.”
Squirrelpaw felt the questioning eyes of her Clanmates burn into her pelt. Brambleclaw swept his tail along her flank before facing Firestar.
“StarClan visited me in a dream and told me to go to the sun-drown-place,” he explained. “I-I didn’t know if I should believe it at first, but StarClan sent the same dream to a cat from each of the other Clans: Crowpaw of WindClan, Feathertail of RiverClan, and Tawnypelt of ShadowClan.”
Firestar tipped his head to one side as Brambleclaw went on. “We were all told to make the journey to hear what Midnight told us.”
“What midnighttold you?” Dustpelt echoed, bemused.
Firestar’s green gaze rested on Squirrelpaw, and she forced herself not to duck away. “Did you have this dream too?” he asked.
“No,” she confessed. “But I had to…I wanted to go….” She searched for the words to explain why she left, but she did not want to tell Firestar that she had been trying to escape their quarrel. She fell silent, hanging her head.
“I’m glad she came with us!” Brambleclaw burst out. “She was equal to any of the warriors!”
After what seemed like nine lifetimes, Firestar nodded. “Carry on, Brambleclaw.”
“We headed toward the sun-drown-place, thanks to Ravenpaw’s help. He’d heard about the place of endless water from other rogue cats.”
“It was such a long way,” Squirrelpaw put in. “We thought we were lost so many times.”
“Ravenpaw told us which direction to go, but we didn’t know exactly how to get there,” Brambleclaw explained. “But StarClan had sent us, so we had to keep going.”
“Even though we didn’t know whythey had sent us,” Squirrelpaw added.
Brambleclaw flexed his claws, making a tiny scraping sound on the hard floor. “We were only trying to do our duty to the Clan,” he murmured.
“A loner helped us through Twolegplace,” Squirrelpaw went on, remembering Purdy’s rather erratic sense of direction.
“And eventually we came to the sun-drown-place. It was like nothing we’d seen before,” Brambleclaw mewed. “High sandy cliffs with caves underneath, and dark blue water for as far as any cat could see, endlessly washing up and down the shore. The crashing water frightened us at first, it was so loud.”
“Then Brambleclaw fell in. I rescued him, but we were in a cave, and then we found Midnight.” Squirrelpaw’s words tumbled out incoherently.
“What do you mean, you ‘found midnight’?” Dustpelt demanded.
Brambleclaw shuffled his paws. “Midnight is a badger,” he meowed at last. “StarClan wanted us to find her because she could tell us what StarClan wanted us to know.”
“And what did she tell you?” Firestar’s ears twitched as he spoke.
“That the Twolegs would destroy the whole forest and leave us to starve,” Squirrelpaw mewed, her heart suddenly hammering as hard as the first time she had heard Midnight’s warning.
“She told us to lead you away from the forest and find a new home,” Brambleclaw added.
“New home?” Sandstorm stared at him in disbelief.
“So we should leave the forest just because a badger we’ve never heard of thinks it would be a good idea?” Dustpelt meowed.
Squirrelpaw closed her eyes. Was ThunderClan going to ignore Midnight’s warning? Had their journey and Feathertail’s death been for nothing?
“And did she say how we should find this place?” Graystripe sat up and leaned closer, the tip of his tail twitching.
Midnight’s words echoed in Squirrelpaw’s mind once more and she found herself repeating them out loud. “‘You will not be without a guide’—that’s what she said. ‘When return, stand on Great Rock when Silverpelt shines above. A dying warrior the way will show.’”
“Have you been to the Great Rock yet to look for this sign?” Firestar asked.
Brambleclaw shook his head. “We were going to meet there tomorrow with Tawnypelt, Stormfur, and Crowpaw. We were going to bring our leaders, if we could persuade them to come….”
“Are you going to go?” Mousefur flattened her ears.
“Nothing would keep me away,” Firestar replied.
Dustpelt stared wide-eyed at his leader. “You’re not actually thinking of taking the Clan out of the forest, are you?”
“Right now, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Firestar admitted. “But I’m not sure the Clan can survive leaf-bare.” He met Dustpelt’s stare, and for a moment Squirrelpaw saw his eyes flash. “I cannot let my Clan suffer if there’s anything I can do to prevent it. We cannot ignore this message, however it came to us. It may be our only hope of survival. If there is a sign, I want to see it for myself.”
He straightened and looked at Brambleclaw. “Tomorrow, I will go with you to Fourtrees.”
第四章
第四章
“太阳石是最安全的地方，我们就藏在那里。”炭毛在蕨丛里穿行时，告诉他们。
松鼠爪很惊讶地说道：“但那里几乎没有可以遮风挡雨的地方啊！”
太阳石是靠近河族边界的一片开阔的岩石坡，没有树，也没有灌木丛，只有东一簇西一簇地生长着的矮小的野草。松鼠爪知道暴毛就在身后几步远的地方，她压低声音问炭毛：“河族的情况怎么样？他们之前声称，那块地是他们要收回的失地——火星不担心他们攻击我们族群吗？”
“河族近来没有挑衅我们。”炭毛回答，“在我们的领地内，太阳石是离两脚兽和砍伐树木的怪物最远的地方，而且靠近仅剩一些小猎物的森林。”
炭毛虽然一瘸一拐的，但是很快就领着他们穿过了森林。松鼠爪注意到，巫医用力跑动的时候，两侧干瘪的腹部随着呼吸一起一伏。她扫了一眼黑莓掌，发现他也正在盯着炭毛，眯缝着的眼睛里满是关切的神情。
“我们的身体比她强健多了。”松鼠爪悄悄地对他说。
“我们的长途旅行锻炼了我们。”黑莓掌回应道。
松鼠爪感到有点不安，漫长而艰苦的远行反而保障了他们的安全，食物也很充足，比留在营地的族猫强多了。阳光从湛蓝的天空照下来，风依然凛冽，吹得他们头顶的树枝来回晃动，仅存的几片叶子在风中挣扎着。她停下脚步，侧耳聆听。空中有鸟儿啁啾的声音，远处始终听得到怪物轰鸣的声音，就像发怒的蜜蜂嗡嗡个不停。怪物们散发的黏糊糊的臭气在空气中飘荡，也附着在她的皮毛上。松鼠爪意识到，她已经回到森林，但再也闻不到以前那种熟悉的气息。这里已经变成了另外一个地方，一个猫无法生存的地方。“没有留给猫的地方。你们留下来，怪物就杀死你们，或者你们因为没有猎物而饿死。”午夜的预言已经成为现实。
越过树梢，隐约可以看到太阳石浅灰色的山体，松鼠爪看到有猫在石头上走动的身影。
一声号叫吓了她一跳。她看到丛林下有一团玳瑁色皮毛和一团金棕色的皮毛一闪而过。片刻之后，栗尾和蕨毛冲出灌木丛，跑到他们面前。
“我闻到了熟悉的气息。”栗尾屏住呼吸说。
松鼠爪盯着两位武士，他们跟炭毛一样蓬头垢面。不只她有这样的感觉，黑莓掌也瞪大了双眼，用震惊的眼神打量着他们枯瘦的身形。
“我们还以为你们不会回来了呢。”蕨毛说。
“我们当然要回来！”松鼠爪抗议道。
“你们去哪儿了？”栗尾询问道。
“去了很远很远的地方。”暴毛咕哝道，“比任何森林猫去过的地方都远。”
蕨毛狐疑地盯着这名河族武士，问道：“你是要回自己的营地了吗？”
“我先要跟灰条说几句话。”
蕨毛眯起了眼睛。
“让他去吧！”炭毛对蕨毛说道，“这几只猫有很多事情要跟我们讲。”
蕨毛抽了抽胡须，低下头，转身穿过树林，向太阳石走去。
“走吧！”栗尾说着，跟在蕨毛身后走了，“其他猫一定很想见到你们。”
松鼠爪走上去，跟栗尾并排走着，尽量不去想那种焦虑的感觉，这种感觉如同饥饿一样，啮噬着她的胃。她开始觉得，他们这趟远行是在白费力气，即使听到了午夜讲述给他们的预言也没用：他们回来得太迟了，没给族群帮上忙。她默默地祈祷，那位死去的武士能够发出挽救族群的信号。她用眼角的余光扫视一眼栗尾，看到这位玳瑁色武士耷拉着尾巴，目光无神地瞅着地面。
“炭毛跟我说起了叶爪。”松鼠爪轻轻地说。
“我什么都做不了，救不了她。”栗尾木然地回答道，“不知道两脚兽把她带到哪里去了。我想去看看，但第二天营地就搬家了，我没找到机会。”她停下爪子，看着松鼠爪，眼睛里含着一线希望，“你们在外面的时候看见她没有？知道她在哪儿吗？”
松鼠爪的心揪了起来，说道：“没有，我们没看见她。”
松鼠爪闻到空气中弥漫着浓烈而熟悉的雷族猫的气息。她迫切地想冲上去，跟族猫们打招呼，但本能提醒她，要小心慢慢地靠近他们。她定定地站了一会儿，希望太阳石的猫们不会听到她的心跳得怦怦响。
前方是一片光滑的岩石坡，随着地势一直延伸向高处，坡上有几条沟壑和一些小小的凹坑。坡的一侧边缘生长着树木，而较远的地势下降的另一边，松鼠爪能够看到许多树梢沿河而下，一直延伸到四棵树——或者那个曾经叫四棵树的地方。冷冰的石头，被秃叶季的风吹得了无生气，这里冷飕飕的，根本不适合族群居住。松鼠爪看着栗尾的爪子，栗尾爪子的白毛上有干了的血迹。她不由想起，他们待在急水部落的时候，山上的岩石划破自己爪垫的感觉。
这里不像山谷那里，有块空地供大家集会。族猫们只能三五成群待在一起。松鼠爪瞄见了一个黑色身影，她的老师尘毛正待在一块突出的岩石下方，鼠毛就在他的旁边。老师看起来比她离开时瘦了一圈，皮毛凌乱，肩膀下的骨头显露无遗。霜毛和纹尾两位长老，蜷缩在最深的一条沟里。即使她们身处阴影里，松鼠爪也看得出来，她们的皮毛黯淡无光，还粘着零星的苔藓和土屑。更远处的石沟稍微宽些，她看到一个浅灰色的身影，那是尘毛的伴侣香薇云，她跟自己剩下的两个孩子待在一起。
“那里有更多的遮蔽物。”炭毛顺着松鼠爪的目光看去，解释说，“但几只猫后仍然觉着太暴露了，她们已经习惯了荆棘丛下的窝。学徒们只好在那边的凹坑里做巢穴。”她仰起鼻子，指着坡上的一处低洼地带。松鼠爪认出深棕色皮毛的是鼩鼱爪，香薇云的第一窝孩子中的一个，他蓬起全身的皮毛抵御寒冷。
松鼠爪瞥了一眼黑莓掌。他微微点了一下头，眼睛里充满焦虑。他绷紧肩膀，开始往上爬坡。她紧张地跟在黑莓掌的身后。路过香薇云身边的时候，这只猫后抬头看着她，绿眼睛因为恼怒更阴沉了。
松鼠爪不由得往后一缩：难道族猫把这一切都怪罪在他们头上？
其他猫也看到了他们。刺掌跃出靠近坡顶上的一道沟，耳朵都支棱起来了。雨须气势汹汹地嘶叫着，从岩石边的裂缝里走出来。这位有着深灰色皮毛的武士眼睛一亮，但眼神里没有一丝暖意，也没对归来的猫表示欢迎。
暴毛来回扫视着山岩，想找到灰条。松鼠爪也随着他的视线到处看着，但没有看到雷族副族长那灰色的身影，也没有看到自己的父亲。她有一种转身冲回森林，甚至回到大山里去的冲动，但她尽力克制住了自己。她悲哀地迎着黑莓掌的目光。“他们不想我们回来。”她低声说道。
“一旦我们解释清楚了，他们会理解的。”黑莓掌向她保证。松鼠爪想，但愿他是对的。
一阵急促的爪子落地声从他们身后传来。松鼠爪转过身，顿时吃了一惊。只见淡灰色的武士蜡毛在她面前急忙停住爪子。她盯着他的眼睛，担心从中看到愤怒，但幸好看到的只是惊奇。
“你们回来啦！”他高高地扬起尾巴，探过头，跟她碰了碰鼻子，表示问候。
松鼠爪顿时觉得有一股暖流流遍全身——至少还有一只猫对他们的回来表示了欢迎。
鼩鼱爪爬出凹坑，飞快地掠过山岩，跑到他们的面前，白爪紧跟其后。
“鼩鼱爪！”松鼠爪喊道，尽力让自己的声音听起来亲近些，仿佛不曾离高岩这么远，她也没离开过几天，“近来训练得如何？”
“我们正在努力练习！”鼩鼱爪跑到她面前，喘着气回答。
白爪在鼩鼱爪的身边停下爪子。“我们原本可以第一次去参加森林大会的，可惜两脚兽毁掉了四棵……”蜡毛向白色母猫投去警告的一瞥。“他们可能还没听说此事。”他嘶声说道。
“没关系。”黑莓掌插话，“我们已经知道四棵树的事情了，网脚告诉了我们。”
“网脚？”蜡毛眯起眼睛，“你们已经到过风族领地了？”
“我们回来时必须经过那里。”松鼠爪解释。
“从哪里回来？”鼩鼱爪问道。但松鼠爪没有回答他，因为她看见尘毛和鼠毛正从他们的临时巢穴里出来。烟毛也从洼地里爬出来，走到他们旁边。所有的武士都围拢过来，就像幽灵从黑暗里溜出来一样。松鼠爪看见他们都顺着山坡走过来，打了个冷战，紧张得都要窒息了。她后退一步，皮毛蹭到了黑莓掌的皮毛，感到暴毛也同样小心地向黑莓掌靠拢。这令她想起跟急水部落的猫第一次见面时的情景。油然而生的恐惧，让松鼠爪的心中一阵刺痛。她意识到不仅森林发生了变化，自己的族猫也与以前不同。
“是吗？你们去哪儿了？”一个很独特的声音低吼道。霜毛已经从他们上方长老待着的沟里爬了出来。老母猫雪白的皮毛完全失去了光泽，但她冰冷的眼神仍然令松鼠爪恐惧。
“我们走过了漫长的旅程。”黑莓掌开口说道。
“但是你们看起来并不像说的那样！”香薇云放下她的孩子，挤到了前面，“你们看起来比我们吃得好多了。”
松鼠爪尽量不让自己为旅途上捕获的猎物数量感到愧疚。“香薇云，我听说了小叶松的事。我很难过……”松鼠爪轻声说道。
香薇云却根本没有听她的话。“我们怎么知道你们不是抛弃了族群？你们害怕和我们一起在秃叶季挨饿？”她嘶声道。
松鼠爪听到鼠毛和刺掌随声附和，愤怒代替了恐惧。“你们怎么能这样想？”她呸道，全身的皮毛都奓了起来。
“很显然，你们把忠心献给了其他族群！”鼠毛盯着暴毛，咆哮道。
“我们始终对族群忠心耿耿。”黑莓掌异常平静地回应道，“这正是我们出走的原因。”
“照这么说，河族武士跟着你们干什么？”尘毛质问道。
“他有些事情要告诉灰条，”黑莓掌说，“他说完话就走。”
“让他现在就走！”鼠毛嘶叫着，向前迈了一步。
炭毛走上前去，插到鼠毛和黑莓掌之间。“告诉他们星族预言的事情。”她催促道。
“预言？星族发话了？”松鼠爪看到，族猫们像饥饿的狐狸一样，死死盯着她和黑莓掌。
“我们一定要先告诉火星。”松鼠爪平静地说道。
“火星去哪儿了？”黑莓掌大喊。
“他出去狩猎了。”是沙风的声音。
松鼠爪不由得屏住了呼吸，等着母亲走过来，心里既高兴又害怕。姜黄色的母猫走向她的女儿，在离她一尾远的地方，停下爪子打量着她。
“我们回来了。”松鼠爪看着母亲的脸，渴望看到欢迎的神色。
“你们回来了。”沙风惊奇地重复道。
“我们必须离开族群，星族没有给我们选择的余地。”黑莓掌为松鼠爪辩护，他向她靠得更近一些。松鼠爪感到了来自黑莓掌侧腹部的温暖，心里充满了感激。她想向母亲坦白，星族并没有托梦给她，派她前往，是她坚持要跟黑莓掌一起同行的，而且黑莓掌并不愿意带她离开族群。可是松鼠爪怕受到责备，这些话堵在喉咙里，怎么也说不出口。
沙风的胡须急剧颤抖着，冲到了女儿的面前。“我的一个孩子终于回来了！”她说着，贴上女儿的脸，爱意汹涌。
松鼠爪顿时感到如释重负：“对不起，我没和你告别就走了。但……”
“回来就好！”沙风说道，“我关心的只是你能回来。”她温暖的呼吸喷到松鼠爪的鼻子上，“我都不知道我还能不能看到你。”
松鼠爪听到母亲的喉咙颤抖着，发出温柔的呜咽声。这令她想起小时候和姐姐一起待在育婴室里的情景。“哦，叶爪，你在哪儿啊？”她心里问道。
一声低沉的喵呜打断了她们。“看样子，是我的学徒回来了。”尘毛说道。他看起来瘦削而疲惫，跟其他武士没什么两样，但他走过来问候她的时候，眼睛里充满暖意。
“不管你去了哪里，应该没缺吃的。”尘毛评论道。看着松鼠爪强健的肌肉和顺滑的皮毛，他的眼睛都瞪圆了。
黑莓掌甩了甩尾巴尖，说：“我们很幸运，一路上猎物充裕。”
“我们现在猎物非常匮乏，”尘毛说，“如果你们发现了好的狩猎的地方，应该让我们的族猫知道。”
“那得走很远很远的路。”黑莓掌提醒道。
尘毛竖起了耳朵。“如此说来，我们就吃不到了。”他说道，“我们把家搬到这儿，就不能再让两脚兽和它们的怪物把我们撵走。”一些猫随声附和着，发出轻微的、轻蔑的声音。
松鼠爪担心地看着他们。族群必须离开！午夜告诉他们，所有的族群都要找到一个新的地方——死去的武士会给他们指路。松鼠爪感到宽慰的是，雷族已经迁出了过去的营地，劝说他们撤离应该能容易一些。
这时她看到坡顶上出现了一只猫，傍晚绯红的天空映衬着他的身影。天色已暗，看不清他的皮毛颜色，但他那强有力的肩膀和在空中高高扬起的长尾巴，让松鼠爪一眼就认出了他！
“火星！”松鼠爪大喊一声。
“松鼠爪！”火星大步流星地走下石坡，然后突然停住爪子，他胡须抽动，稍停片刻，开始伸头去舔松鼠爪的耳朵。她闭上眼睛，发出咕噜咕噜的呓语，忘了恐惧，也忘了沦陷的森林。她回家了，这才是最重要的。
火星退后一步。“你去哪儿了？”他问道。
“我们有很多事情要告诉你。”她飞快地答道。
“我们？”火星反问，“黑莓掌跟你在一起吗？”
“是的，我在这儿。”黑莓掌从猫群里挤上前来，站在松鼠爪身边，低头向族长致敬。其他猫都站在一边观望着，在苍茫的暮色中，一双双眼睛如寒光点点。此时风势也渐渐转弱，仿佛整座森林都屏住了呼吸。
“欢迎回家，黑莓掌！”松鼠爪觉得自己从父亲的眼睛里看到了一丝防范，一丝凉意顿时掠过全身。
一个灰色的身影如旋风一般冲出黑暗中的山坡，出现在她的眼前，是灰条。他走到火星身边，猛然止住爪子。“如此一来，火和虎都回来了！”他随口说道。
“火和虎？”松鼠爪重复着。灰条这话是什么意思？
“这件事稍后有时间再说。”火星扫了一眼四周围观的众猫，小声说道。
“噢，当然！”灰条点点头，然后他眼睛一闪，“你们看到我的那对儿女了吗？”他充满希望地看看松鼠爪，又看向黑莓掌。
松鼠爪点点头：“他俩跟我们在一起，”她解释说，“暴毛……”
“我在这儿！”暴毛从猫群中挤出来。
灰条竖起耳朵，顿时又惊又喜。“暴毛！”他赶快迎上前去，嘴里欢快地咕哝着，表达着他的喜悦之情。“你安然无恙！”他回头扫了一眼松鼠爪和黑莓掌，“我简直难以置信，你们都安全到家了。”
松鼠爪的心跳加快了。
“羽尾在哪儿？”灰条的目光掠过暴毛，期待能在岩石下看到女儿那浅灰色的身影。
松鼠爪低头看着爪子。可怜的暴毛，他得把最坏的消息带给河族和雷族。
“她在哪儿？”灰条问道，声音里带着疑惑。
“她没跟我们一起回来，”暴毛直视着父亲的眼睛说，“她死在了路上。”
灰条难以置信地盯着他。
火星仰起下巴。“灰条和暴毛需要独处，好抚平哀伤，大家都散了吧！”他冲族猫命令道。
一股感激之情在松鼠爪的心里油然而生。至少他们不需要在众目睽睽中跟灰条细说过往。火星引导族猫沿着山坡散去，她紧紧地依偎着黑莓掌。
灰条盯着脚下的岩石，仿佛按着一条毒蛇不敢放开，时刻要小心咬到自己。
“我们没能救下她。”暴毛对灰条说。他用鼻子轻轻地碰了碰父亲的肩膀。
灰条冲着黑莓掌摇摇头。“你本不该带她走的！”他的眼睛里充满了怒意。
松鼠爪弹了下尾巴。“那不是他的错！是星族选中了羽尾，让她去参加这次远行，不是黑莓掌！”
灰条闭上眼睛，双肩塌陷下去，看上去仿佛比平时小了一半。“对不起！”他喃喃地说，“命运真是太不公平了，她那么像银溪……”
他的声音越来越小。暴毛将鼻子贴在灰条侧腹。“羽尾虽死犹荣，她死得勇敢而高贵，配得上最伟大的武士称号。”他告诉他，“星族选择她踏上这趟旅程，杀无尽部落选中她，来履行他们的预言。你会为她感到骄傲的。她不仅救了那个部落，还救了我们所有猫。”
“部落？”灰条反问道。
松鼠爪听到族猫们在山坡远处来回转悠，议论的声音越来越大，也越来越喧嚣。火星忍不住去喝止他们，他的声音响彻山坡。“我知道你们都想听听黑莓掌和松鼠爪去了哪儿，”他说道，“让他们先和我聊聊，我保证，稍后会把所有的情况向大家公开。”
“我想听听我的学徒为什么要离开族群。”尘毛喊道。
“还有，他们提到的预言是怎么回事？”鼠毛问道，“我们得知道预言究竟说了什么！”
黑莓掌将口鼻对着松鼠爪的耳朵。“看这架势，我们最好到族猫那里，把情况说清楚。”他看着暴毛，“你来吗？”
“谢谢你，黑莓掌！”暴毛回答，“我得回家了。”他看向灰条，“他们会把整个经过都讲给你们听，但我想让你知道，你应该为羽尾感到骄傲，”他说，“她为了救我们而死。”
灰条眨了眨眼睛，没有回话。
暴毛转向松鼠爪和黑莓掌。“我知道接下来的任务会更加艰巨，”他小声说道，“但我们必须将我们知道的事情做下去。记住午夜对我们说的话，我们要为所有族群完成这项任务。”
黑莓掌严肃地点了一下头。松鼠爪侧着身子，将鼻子在暴毛的脸颊上贴了贴。“明天四棵树见。”她耳语道。跟最亲近的朋友道别，让她很难过，感觉自己的四条腿都在打战。一个多月来，她从没想过他们谁是河族、谁是雷族——他们只是唇齿相依的族群猫，他们只想奋力走完那段旅程，挽救全体森林猫的命运。
暴毛下山了。松鼠爪看见鼠毛和刺掌站在山坡上方，用责备的眼神盯着她。她知道自己对河族武士流露出的情感，在他们眼里似乎意味着背叛。但她太难过，也太累了，实在不想解释，这趟旅程对他们意味着什么。他们六只猫历经千辛万苦，一路跋涉到太阳沉没之地，最后却只有五只猫走到终点，回到家乡。这其间结下的情谊，他们能懂吗？
“好吧！”火星说道，“资深武士可以过来一起听听松鼠爪和黑莓掌的汇报，还有炭毛。”他努努鼻子，向松鼠爪刚才看见尘毛和鼠毛栖身的悬空岩石下示意道，“我们在那里碰头。”
鼠毛鼻子里哼了一声，转身向山坡上悬空的岩石爬去。灰条和尘毛紧跟在她的身后。火星、炭毛和沙风随后也跟了上去。松鼠爪静静地站立了片刻，任微风吹皱她的皮毛。她根本不在乎冷不冷——从某种程度上来讲，越到了需要讲出真相，告诉族猫即将面临的苦难，她越感觉寒冷彻骨。风不需要任何力量，就能吹透他们凌乱的皮毛。
突然，她听见刺掌发出一声低吼。她慌忙转过身，看到暴毛站在山坡下，嘴里叼着一条肥大的鱼。
“还有什么事儿？”刺掌喝道，“你自己的族群不想收留你吗？”
河族武士将鱼放到他的爪子前面，说道：“我从河族带来一份礼物。”
“我们不需要你的礼物！”霜毛呸道。
松鼠爪身后传来镇定的脚步声，火星发话了。“不要这样对待善意，霜毛。”他声音里透着威严，“谢谢你，暴毛。”
暴毛没有回话，抬头看着雷族族长，眼睛里充满悲伤。最后，他的眼神在松鼠爪身上停留片刻，点了一下头，留下那条鱼，转身消失在芦苇荡里——那片芦苇一直延伸到水边。
松鼠爪的肚子饿得咕咕叫，从离开两脚兽出没的荒原直到现在，她就没吃过任何东西。
“你们得晚点看能不能捕捉到一两只老鼠，”火星听到了她肚子抗议的声音，说道，“我们必须确保香薇云和长老们先填饱肚子。现在你们已经回家，跟族猫们住在一起，要做好忍饥挨饿的准备了。”
松鼠爪点点头，努力适应着新环境。她以前习惯饿了就去狩猎，跟朋友们一起分享猎物。
火星将刺掌叫下来，说道：“把这条鱼拿给香薇云和长老们。”然后，他转身朝那块悬空岩石走去。
松鼠爪很快爬到那块悬空的岩石下面，石头延伸出来的部分，比她想象中的要宽得多，平滑的石头遮住周围，形成一个洞穴，但仍有冷风吹进来，还裹携着很多猫混杂在一起的气息。她非常怀念井然有序而舒适安静的老营地。她闭上眼睛，回想了片刻，又睁开眼睛，仿佛看到周遭都是密密的武士巢穴，而不是这里坚硬、冰冷的岩石。
“所有的武士都挤在这个洞穴里，”尘毛在她的耳边小声说，好像猜到她心里在想什么，“这里没有更适合睡觉的地方了。”
松鼠爪睁开双眼，扫视这个石头山洼，感觉血从爪尖冲向全身，脉搏在拼命地跳着。族群竟被两脚兽驱赶到了这种地方！她一定要带领他们去一个更安全的地方，有合适的地方睡觉，有足够的猎物吃饱肚子。
“至少这里还有一小块儿地方能够避风挡雨。”沙风喃喃道，但她那翻动的皮毛显示，寒冷已经钻到了她的骨头里。
火星坐在洞的后方，沙风和灰条分坐在他的两旁。雷族的副族长沉浸在悲痛中，缩成一团；炭毛坐在他的身边，双眼充满了关切。
“现在，”火星将尾巴盘在身前的爪子上，开始说道，“从头开始，把一切都讲给我们听。”
松鼠爪感觉到族里同伴们质疑的目光简直要将她的皮毛引燃。黑莓掌用尾巴蹭了蹭她的侧腹，然后转脸面向火星。
“星族来到我的梦里，叫我去寻找太阳沉没之地。”他从头开始讲起，“我……起初我不知道该不该相信这件事。但是每个族群都有一只猫做了这个梦：风族的鸦爪、河族的羽尾、影族的褐皮。”
火星歪着脑袋听着。黑莓掌继续说道：“我们都得到命令，要去完成这次旅行，聆听午夜告诉我们的话。”
“午夜对你们说了什么？”尘毛一脸困惑，反问道。
火星的绿眼睛盯着松鼠爪，松鼠爪强作镇定。“你也做了这个梦吗？”火星问。
“没有。”她坦白地说，“但是我不得不……我想去……”她试图找到合适的词来解释离开的原因，但她并不想对火星说，她是为了避免和他继续争吵。她不知道该说什么，只好低下了头。
“我很高兴她能跟我们一起踏上旅程！”黑莓掌脱口而出，“她的表现并不比任何一个武士差！”
似乎过了足有一生的时间，火星才点点头，说道：“继续，黑莓掌！”
“我们朝太阳沉没之地进发。多亏乌爪的帮助，他从泼皮猫那儿听说过那个有着无边水面的地方。”
“那段旅程实在是太漫长了！”松鼠爪插嘴道，“好几次，我们都以为迷了路。”
“乌爪告诉我们应该向哪个方向走，但是我们并不知道究竟怎么才能走到那儿。”黑莓掌解释道，“但既然是星族派我们去的，我们就必须去。”
“而且，我们也不知道它们为什么派我们几个去。”松鼠爪补充道。
黑莓掌伸缩着爪子，在坚硬的石头地上发出轻微的刮擦声。“我们只想完成星族交给我们的任务。”他轻声说。
“一只独行猫帮助我们穿过了两脚兽的领地。”松鼠爪说着，再次想起了波弟不太靠谱的方向感。
“最后，我们终于到达太阳沉没之地，那是一个我们从未见过的地方。”黑莓掌说道，“高高的砂质悬崖上有很多孔洞，深蓝色的海水一望无际，波浪永无休止地拍打着海岸。我们被那波涛汹涌的阵势吓呆了，那声音实在是太响了。”
“然后黑莓掌就掉进去了，我去救他，结果我们一起进了一个岩洞，在那里发现了午夜。”松鼠爪语无伦次地说着。
“什么意思？你们‘发现了午夜’？”尘毛盘问道。
黑莓掌不安地动了动爪子。“午夜是一只獾，”他终于说道，“星族叫我们找到它，是因为它能告诉我们，星族想要我们知道的事情。”
“那它跟你们说了什么？”火星抽动着耳朵问道。
“它说两脚兽即将破坏整个森林，让我们无处狩猎。”松鼠爪说，她的心又开始跳得怦怦响，就像第一次听到午夜的警告时一样。
“它告诉我们，我们应该领着大家离开这片森林，找个新家园。”黑莓掌补充道。
“新家园？”沙风难以置信地盯着他。
“照你说的，我们应该离开森林，就因为我们从未听说过的一头獾觉得这是个好主意？”尘毛反问道。
松鼠爪无奈地闭上了眼睛。难道雷族打算无视午夜的警告？他们的旅程和羽尾的死会变得毫无意义吗？
“那它说了我们怎么找到新家园吗？”灰条站起来，斜过身体，尾巴尖儿紧张地抽动着。
午夜的话再次回荡在松鼠爪的脑海，她发现自己正不由自主地大声念道：“你们不会没有向导。回去后，银毛星带高挂空中时，站在巨岩上。武士垂死，指引前路。”
“你们已经去过巨岩，寻找它发来的信息了吗？”火星问。
黑莓掌摇摇头。“我们已经和褐皮、暴毛、鸦爪约好，明天在那里会合。我们还打算说服各自的族长一起去，假如我们能够说服他们……”
“你准备去吗？”鼠毛放平了耳朵。
“谁也别想让我缺席！”火星回答道。
尘毛用大大的眼睛盯着族长，问道：“你并不想真的带着族群撤出森林，是吧？”
“此时此刻，我还不知道我会怎么做。”火星坦诚地说，“但是我也不敢确定，族猫都能活过这个秃叶季。”他迎上尘毛的目光，与他对视了片刻。松鼠爪发现他目光明亮。“如果我有任何办法，我绝不会看着我的族群受苦。不管是谁带给我们的，我都不能忽视这个信息，这可能是我们能够幸存的唯一希望。只要有一线希望，我都要亲眼去看看。”
他转过身，直视着黑莓掌，“明天，我要和你们一起去四棵树。”
第五章
第五章
“莎夏！”雾脚又喊了一声，“是你吗？”
还是没有回答。
叶爪将鼻子贴在笼子上向外望去。她久闻莎夏的大名，好奇这只泼皮母猫是如何跟虎星结为伴侣，又是如何在河族生下蛾翅和鹰霜的？但现在天刚蒙蒙亮，笼子里的光线只够她认出莎夏棕色的皮毛。她蜷成一团，缩在笼子的最后方，一直待在两脚兽将她塞进笼子里的地方。
“莎夏，你还好吗？”雾脚更加焦急地叫她。
“她需要时间恢复，”柯蒂建议道，“新来者都是这么安静的。”
“我不需要时间恢复，”一个声音愤愤不平地嘶叫道，“它们怎么敢把我关到这儿来？一旦我出去了，一定把那个两脚兽撕成碎片！”
“你在森林里干什么？”雾脚问。
“我想看看我的孩子，”莎夏回答道，“我听说两脚兽在森林里搞破坏，我要来看看他们有没有事。”
“我不久前才看到蛾翅！”叶爪说，“她好好的，很快就要成为一名巫医了。”
“你是谁？”莎夏问道。
“我是叶爪，雷族的巫医学徒，”叶爪告诉她，“我跟蛾翅是好朋友。”
“你也认识鹰霜吗？”莎夏问道，“他没什么事吧？”
叶爪没有回答。当莎夏另一个孩子的身影浮现在她的脑海时，叶爪感觉爪子一阵刺痛。鹰霜的眼睛仿佛秃叶季的天空，蓝得耀眼，却冷酷无比。他的肩膀宽阔有力，简直有其他武士的两倍大。叶爪最后一次看到他时，他威胁栗尾，要把栗尾拖到河族营地，因为栗尾误入了河族的领地，所幸蛾翅说服了他。
雾脚从她的笼子里喊道：“鹰霜没事儿，我昨天还看到他了。”
“谢天谢地！”莎夏长出了一口气。
她流露出大松一口气的感觉，令叶爪很惊奇。“她说话的样子，跟族群猫后没什么两样啊！”她隔着笼子悄声对柯蒂说。
“当然了。”柯蒂一直在静静地听着她们的对话，“她在说自己的孩子，别忘了，她是一只母猫，在这一点上，她和其他任何一只母猫没有区别。”
“但是她离开了他们，让他们在河族长大。”叶爪惊呼道。她几乎忘了应该小声点。
“为什么她不待在河族，自己抚养孩子？”柯蒂同样感到不解。
“莎夏不是族群猫，”叶爪跟她解释道，“她是一只泼皮猫。”
“说得对。只因为我没有与你们的同类在一起生活，你们就那样称呼我。”莎夏偶然听见了她们的对话，咆哮道，“我不在乎你们叫我什么，只要我的孩子安然无恙就好。”
“对不起！”柯蒂道歉，“这地方太小了，一不小心就说错了话。”她用余光扫了一眼旁边的笼子，那只乱蓬蓬的黑色泼皮猫缩在里面，仿佛没听到她们说话，“至少，有些猫就是泼皮猫。”她补充着。叶爪知道，柯蒂一直在向那只黑色公猫示好，但除了知道他叫煤炭外，他没有做出任何回应。
“你是一只宠物猫，是吗？”莎夏直接问柯蒂，“听起来，你对泼皮猫很有礼貌，而且你很肥，不像是族群猫。”
叶爪看到柯蒂的皮毛竖了起来。“柯蒂是我们的朋友！”叶爪立即向她说道。
“我没说她不是朋友，”莎夏说道，“我只是想弄清楚，这里都有些什么猫。”
雾脚解释道：“这里大多数是泼皮猫，只有少数是森林猫。”金雀尾、亮心、云尾同时叫了几声，呼应着雾脚。雾脚接着说：“就目前所知，柯蒂是唯一一只宠物猫。”
“谁想出逃离这里的办法了？”莎夏问。
“我还没想出。”雾脚坦言。
“星族也没有给我们任何线索。”叶爪补充道。
“星族！”她几乎看见黑暗中的莎夏撇了撇嘴，“森林里发生那么大的事，你们的族猫还在相信这些毫无意义的东西？”
“当然了！”叶爪不服地嘶叫道。
“好吧，那请代我祈祷一句吧，幼崽，”莎夏出乎意料地说，“我觉得，我们要尽可能多地寻求帮助。”
已经过了正午，阳光余温开始减弱。
“两脚兽要来了。”柯蒂对其他猫说。
远处传来两脚兽的怪物的轰鸣声。叶爪听到外面传来爪子声，本能地往笼子后方一缩。笼子门打开了，两脚兽放了些猫食。
“你想通过叫声让两脚兽心生恻隐放了我们，这是行不通的。”叶爪冲柯蒂耳语。两脚兽正一个个打开笼子，放进食物。
“我也觉得不行，”柯蒂耸耸肩，“但取得它的信任总没坏处。”
突然，她隔壁的笼子里发出一声尖叫，两脚兽从煤炭敞开的笼子旁跳开，血从两脚兽的前爪流下来。它跺着脚在笼子周围团团转，愤怒地吐了一口痰。叶爪透过柯蒂的笼子，紧张地看向煤炭。她只能看清煤炭正趴在笼子里的身影。她余光瞟了一眼两脚兽，血液在耳朵边轰鸣。两脚兽停止了喊叫，威胁地盯着煤炭。随着一声恶毒的尖叫，两脚兽突然将爪子伸进笼子。叶爪听到公猫发出痛苦的号叫，嘴里咕哝着什么。两脚兽砰的一声把笼子门关上了。
叶爪吓得直哆嗦。两脚兽干了什么？
两脚兽打开柯蒂的门，往她的盆里倒了点颗粒状的食物。宠物猫往后一躲，没再向它发出友好的呼噜声。
等两脚兽一走，叶爪喊道：“煤炭，你怎么样？”
柯蒂旁边的笼子里发出含糊的呻吟声：“可恶的两脚兽！”
叶爪嗅了嗅空气的味道，闻到一股热乎乎的血腥气息。
“好像伤得有点重。”柯蒂悄声对叶爪说，“血都流到他的笼子地面了。”
“你哪里受伤了？”叶爪问煤炭。
“我的腿被割伤了，”泼皮猫答道，“那长着獾爪子的两脚兽把我推得撞到了一个尖利的东西上。”
叶爪快速转动脑袋，想炭毛通常用什么来止血。“谁能弄到一张蜘蛛网？”她喊道，“都起来，我们要帮帮他！”
“我这块儿有一张蜘蛛网。”金雀尾回答，“我能够到它，坚持住啊！”
叶爪向下张望，看到金雀尾黄褐色的爪子从身下的笼子伸出去。一张巨大的蜘蛛网从巢穴的地上一直延伸到他的笼子顶。他从笼子的小洞中挤出前腿，用力向前够着，最后总算将爪子伸进密实的蛛网里，把它揭了下来。金雀尾前腿一弯，将蛛网缠在腿上，尽最大可能向叶爪递过来。
叶爪平躺在笼子里，从身下反光的地面伸出爪子，网状的地板剐着她的皮毛。她咬紧牙关，一点一点将腿塞出去，从金雀尾那儿接过那团有黏性的蜘蛛网。她迅速地收回腿，再传递给柯蒂。“把蜘蛛网递给他！”叶爪催促着，将爪子上的蜘蛛网塞了过去。
柯蒂用嘴衔着蜘蛛网，点点头，不能说话。她将蜘蛛网拖进笼子，蛛丝粘在了网状孔的边缘，浪费了一些宝贵的蛛丝。
“当心！”叶爪屏住气说道。
她们下方的泼皮猫焦急地叫起来：“血正从我的笼子上滴下来！那只猫一定伤得很严重。”
叶爪顿时心跳加速，急忙问道：“煤炭，你还好吗？”
“伤口一直在流血。”煤炭颤抖着回答。
“从柯蒂那儿把蜘蛛网接过去！”叶爪吩咐，“然后将它敷在伤口上，尽量多敷些时间。”
叶爪听见柯蒂呼吸困难地将蜘蛛网递向隔壁笼子，那里传来煤炭的爪子在浸血的地板上的剐擦声。
“别慌，煤炭！”叶爪说道，“只要把蜘蛛网敷在伤口上，就没事了。”
“蜘蛛网已经被血浸透了！”煤炭喘息着说。
“没关系！”叶爪安慰他，“无论怎么流血，蜘蛛网都能止住，只要按住别移动就行了！”
她静静地等着。巢穴里一片寂静。叶爪开始感觉想吐，她强迫自己放松，开始深呼吸。
“他好些了吗？”过了一会儿，亮心叫道。
“我上面不再往下滴血了！”煤炭笼子下方的泼皮猫报告道。
“煤炭？”叶爪喊他，“你怎么样了？”
煤炭从他的笼子里艰难地发出一声叹息。“好一些了，”他喃喃道，“不再那么刺痛了。”
叶爪松了一口气。“将蜘蛛网多敷一会儿。”她嘱咐道，“然后你轻轻舔舔伤口，保持伤口清洁。动作一定不要太猛，否则就会让它再次流血。”
“叶爪，干得漂亮！”柯蒂对她耳语道。
叶爪眨了眨眼睛，自从被抓住以来，她第一次感觉自己还有一些用。她合上眼睛，默默祈祷，感谢星族。她以前从没帮助过泼皮猫，但她知道，她的武士祖灵会赞成这种做法的。只狭隘地效忠某个族群，是无法存活下去的。
她意识到自己的肚子正饿得咕咕叫。也许她应该听从柯蒂的劝告，吃点东西，保持体力。她试着不去嗅食物恐怖的气味，一口一口地吞咽着两脚兽肮脏的食物颗粒。我也许应该对这不劳而获的食物表示感谢吧！她一边想着，一边勉强自己咀嚼着嘴里的颗粒。
“这种食物好恶心！”她抱怨道。
“在我吃过的猫粮中，这种的确不算最好吃。”柯蒂同意道，“我家主人有一次给我喂过类似口味的，我很快就让它们知道，我不喜欢，然后它们就再也没给我喂过了。”
叶爪惊讶得几乎语塞：“你竟然能让两脚兽按你的心意行事？”
“它们并不难训练。”柯蒂说着坐直身子，开始舔舐自己的爪子。
莎夏的声音穿过猫笼问道：“你能把伤害煤炭的混蛋训练得绅士一点吗？”
“我可不敢保证，”柯蒂回答道，“这些工人可不像我家主人。”
叶爪看到亮心的脸出现在她的笼子后面。在昏暗的光线下，她白色上点缀着姜黄色斑块的皮毛看起来接近黑色，看不清她的脸。多年前她被恶狗攻击，有半边脸疤痕密布。“你认为它们会怎么处置我们？”亮心小声问道。
“也许它们想把我们驯化成宠物猫？”叶爪说出了她的想法。不管她有多厌恶这个想法，但这至少给他们提供了逃回族群的机会。
莎夏从她的笼子里哼了一声。“我可不这么看，”她恼怒地说，“我们不是两脚兽想要的那种毛茸茸的、养尊处优的猫。”
叶爪瞥了一眼柯蒂，希望她没觉得自己受到了冒犯。但令她惊奇的是，这只宠物猫居然点了点头。
“莎夏说得对。”她同意道，“这些家伙根本不关心猫——无论是族群猫、泼皮猫，还是宠物猫。相信我，我了解那种——你们怎么称呼它们的？两脚兽——它们能成为好主人。但这些家伙根本只是想除掉我们。”
叶爪使劲咽了一下唾沫，突然觉得口干舌燥，咽下去的那些食物颗粒好像卡在了嗓子眼。她尽力不让那些小粒涌上来，又舔了几口笼子里放着的黏糊糊的水。她克制着想要躺在笼子里，进入梦乡的冲动。她不能依赖星族逃离这个地方。她坚信，武士祖灵正注视着满目疮痍的森林，但她本能地觉得，武士祖灵们也对两脚兽的暴行无能为力。现在她只能依靠自己的智慧，想办法逃出去，她不能让柯蒂和她的族猫失望。
她想起金雀尾伸长爪子，去够笼子外蜘蛛网的情形。“柯蒂，”她说道，“你跟我说过，你曾试着够锁住笼子的钩子。”
“是啊，但我够不到关键的部位。”柯蒂确定地说。
“你们其余的猫怎么样？”叶爪对另外几只猫喊道，“有谁能解开钩子吗？”
“我的钩子插得很牢。”金雀尾回答道。
“我的网子有个裂口。”云尾报告道，“我几乎能把两只爪子伸出去，但够不着钩子。”
“你们是在浪费时间。”莎夏咆哮道，“面对现实吧，这里无路可逃。”
两脚兽的怪物仍在外面隆隆作响，整个巢穴都在跟着颤抖。不管莎夏怎么想，叶爪不信找不到路逃出去。她侧耳倾听，两脚兽粗着嗓门互相说话，天色越来越暗。她将爪子伸出笼子前面的网子，开始拨弄紧扣入口的钩子。
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 7
Squirrelpaw curled up beside Shrewpaw andtried not to think about the warm, moss-lined den where the apprentices had slept before. At least the small gully they were lying in gave some shelter from the chilly night breeze. It felt strange to be sleeping apart from Brambleclaw after their long journey together, but at least Shrewpaw seemed happy to have her back. Her paws ached with tiredness, and she closed her eyes, folding her tail over her muzzle for comfort. At first she couldn’t stop thinking about the disastrous meeting at Fourtrees, but gradually dreams wove into her waking thoughts and drew her into sleep.
She was alone among the trees, and she could smell prey-scent. A cold wind breathed through the forest. Squirrelpaw lifted her nose and tasted the air. A fat mouse was snuffling among the leaves. It was the plumpest piece of prey she had found since returning to the forest, and she swiped her tongue hungrily over her lips. Brambleclaw would be pleased to have a share of this fresh-kill.
Crouching, Squirrelpaw crept silently toward the unsuspecting creature. It had its head half-buried under an oak leaf and hadn’t noticed her. This was going to be an easy catch. Suddenly, rapid pawsteps sounded behind her. Terrified, the mouse darted out from under the oak leaf and scuttled away beneath the roots of a tree. Squirrelpaw spun around, bristling with fury.
A tortoiseshell cat with gentle amber eyes was standing behind her. “Hello, Squirrelpaw,” she mewed. “I have something to show you.”
“You’ve just ruined the best catch I’m likely to get all day!” Squirrelpaw snapped back. She had never seen this cat before, though she carried the scent of ThunderClan. She stopped and put her head to one side. “Who are you, anyway?”
“I’m Spottedleaf.”
Squirrelpaw blinked. She had heard all about the long-dead ThunderClan medicine cat. Why would Spottedleaf come to her?
She stepped forward to touch the she-cat’s nose in greeting, but as she went closer, the image faded.
Bewildered, Squirrelpaw stared into the trees. She pricked her ears, listening for movement, but heard nothing and turned to resume her hunt. The scent of prey that hung in the air was too tempting. Perhaps Spottedleaf had wanted only to greet her, nothing more.
Squirrelpaw prowled deeper into the woods, following a path that led toward Snakerocks. But as she crept through the undergrowth, the forest seemed to change, and she didn’t recognize the trees around her. Surely she should have reached Snakerocks by now. Had she taken the wrong path? She quickened her pace until she was racing through trees she had never seen before.
A tiny voice in her mind reminded her that it was just a dream, and she wasn’t really lost. She blinked, trying to wake up. But when she opened her eyes, she was still trapped in the strange woods, and her alarm grew until her heart pounded like a woodpecker’s beak on bark. She ran on, hoping to find a landmark she recognized, but the forest grew darker and more silent, as if the trees themselves were watching her. There didn’t seem to be anything else alive in these woods—no sound of prey, no scent of her Clanmates or any other Clan.
“Spottedleaf!” she called. “Help me!”
There was no reply.
The trees grew more thickly here, and the shadows between the trunks swallowed her until she could hardly see where she was putting her paws.
“Don’t be frightened.”
The soft voice seemed to echo from every direction at once, and Squirrelpaw spun around, trying to find where it came from. There was a faint scent of ThunderClan, and then she saw Spottedleaf’s pale pelt glowing among the trees like the distant moon in a mottled sky.
“I’m lost, Spottedleaf!” she called.
“No, you’re not,” Spottedleaf reassured her gently. “Follow me.”
Panting with relief, Squirrelpaw wound her way through the tree trunks. As she approached, the shadows seemed to draw away and the forest grew lighter, although there wasn’t any moon that she could see.
“Follow me,” Spottedleaf murmured. She turned and headed into the trees, running as confidently as if she were following an invisible path. Squirrelpaw pelted after her.
Spottedleaf ran like the wind, but Squirrelpaw raced over the ground until she felt as though she were swooping through the trees like a bird. Exhilaration flooded her so that she hardly noticed the forest become familiar once more. Then she recognized the Great Sycamore, reaching high into the sky. And here were the Snakerocks, a tumbled heap of round, sandy boulders where snakes basked in greenleaf, but which offered good prey in colder weather. Spottedleaf leaped up to the top of the rocks, then down the other side and on through the forest. Squirrelpaw scrambled after her quickly.
On they went until Squirrelpaw detected the tang of the Thunderpath. Suddenly, without warning, Spottedleaf stopped. Squirrelpaw skidded to a halt, nearly bumping into her, and followed the medicine cat’s gaze. Ahead of them, every single tree had been stripped away, and the forest floor was churned into mud right to the edge of the Thunderpath. Wooden Twoleg nests ringed the clearing, and monsters sat hunched and silent nearby.
“This way,” Spottedleaf mewed. She led Squirrelpaw across the slippery, rutted earth toward the nests.
“It’s so quiet,” Squirrelpaw whispered. Oddly, she felt soothed by the eerie quiet, and she followed Spottedleaf over the open ground without fear.
Spottedleaf stopped beside one of the wooden nests, and Squirrelpaw looked up at it in surprise. “What is this place?” she mewed. “Why have you brought me here?”
Spottedleaf twitched her gold-and-brown-striped tail. “Look through the hole,” she urged. “Look at the cages.”
Cages?The word sounded strange to Squirrelpaw’s ears. She noticed a small gap in the wall, about a fox-length up. She stretched her forepaws up the side of the nest, her belly brushing the scratchy wood, and peered in.
Rows of dens made of cold-looking shiny web were stacked along the walls. Those must be the “cages.” Squirrelpaw could see a dark, soft-edged shape huddled in each cage. Cats! Her heart raced as scents flooded her nose—RiverClan, WindClan, rogue. She stared breathlessly through the hole, and then she smelled the warm scent of ThunderClan. With a jolt of recognition she saw her sister curled up in one of the cages near the roof of the wooden nest.
“Leafpaw!” She gasped. She clawed herself upward, thrusting with her hind legs, trying to clamber through the hole.
“You can’t get in, Squirrelpaw.” Spottedleaf stood on her hind legs to reach up beside her. “This is only a dream,” she murmured. “But when you wake, Leafpaw will still be here.”
“Will I be able to rescue her?”
“I hope so,” Spottedleaf answered softly.
“But how?” Squirrelpaw yowled, jumping down to the ground.
“Stop fidgeting, for StarClan’s sake!” Shrewpaw muttered.
Squirrelpaw’s eyes shot open. She was lying in the narrow cleft in Sunningrocks. The hollow was dark, and she could only just make out the soft shapes of sleeping cats around her. She sat up and stared over the lip of the gully. Outside, frost glittered on the smooth stone, and beyond that she saw the outlines of leafless trees, black and spiky against the sky.
“What’s the matter?” Shrewpaw asked sleepily.
“I know where Leafpaw is!” Squirrelpaw whispered. “I have to go and rescue her.”
Shrewpaw’s eyes blinked open. “How do you know?”
“Spottedleaf told me in a dream!”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure!” Squirrelpaw snapped.
Shrewpaw twitched his ears. “You can’t just disappear without telling any cat where you’re going,” he warned. He didn’t add, Again, but Squirrelpaw guessed that was what he was thinking.
“I could wake Firestar up,” she mewed. “Now I know where Leafpaw is, he could send out a rescue party.”
“Not in the middle of the night,” Shrewpaw pointed out. “It’s too cold. Besides, it was just a dream.”
“It was more than a dream,” Squirrelpaw insisted.
“But you’re not a medicine cat,” Shrewpaw argued. “No cat’s going to go on a rescue mission in the middle of the night because you had a dream.” His amber eyes were gentle. “They might listen to you in the morning, though. Settle down and go back to sleep.”
Squirrelpaw sighed, but she knew he was right. She slumped back down again, still seeing the wooden nest filled with cages
Shrewpaw lay down beside her and rested his tail comfortingly on her flank. “We’ll find her in the morning,” he promised, closing his eyes.
His breathing slowed as he drifted into sleep, but Squirrelpaw stayed awake, gazing up at the narrow strip of Silverpelt she could see through the mouth of the gully. A cat from StarClan had visited her to tell her where Leafpaw was! She knew Spottedleaf had had a special bond with her father when he first came to the forest. Could it be that she wanted to help Firestar’s daughters because she still loved him?
Squirrelpaw opened her eyes and sat up with a start. Bright light streamed into the gully, though the air was cold, colder still because all the other apprentices had left. Quickly, she stretched and scrambled out of the crevice. Her dream was still clear in her mind. She had to tell her father so he could organize a rescue party.
Shrewpaw was washing on the stone slope in front of the den.
“Where’s Firestar?” Squirrelpaw demanded.
“He’s out patrolling with Graystripe,” Shrewpaw replied, rubbing at his cheek with his paw.
She twitched her tail in frustration. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You didn’t sleep well, remember?” meowed Shrewpaw. “I thought you could get some extra rest and join me on a later patrol. Firestar agreed.”
“Didn’t you tell him about my dream?” Squirrelpaw pricked her ears. “What did he say? When is he sending out a patrol?”
“I-I didn’t mention the dream,” Shrewpaw stammered. “I thought you would have forgotten it. It was only a dream, after all.”
Squirrelpaw glared at Shrewpaw. “It was a message from StarClan!”
“I’m really sorry.” He shuffled his paws and stared at the ground.
Squirrelpaw let her fur lie flat again. “No, I’msorry.” she sighed. “It’s not your fault I overslept.”
“It’s okay.” Shrewpaw shrugged. “Did you really see Leafpaw in your dream?”
Squirrelpaw nodded. “And the other cats that are missing from the forest. Or at least, I definitely smelled WindClan and RiverClan scents.”
“That’s amazing!” He glanced past her and twitched his whiskers. “Looks like there’s been some successful hunting already today. That should put Firestar in a good mood, at least.”
Squirrelpaw turned to see Brambleclaw padding up the slope with a vole in his jaws. He carried it over to where Ferncloud lay in the sunshine watching her kits play. She accepted Brambleclaw’s offering with only a blink of her leaf-colored eyes, as if she didn’t have the strength to thank him. Squirrelpaw noticed with a prick of unease how small Ferncloud’s kits were. They looked hardly old enough to leave the nursery, let alone journey all the way to the sun-drown-place. By leaf-bare, kits were usually strong and healthy, ready to face the cruelest season. If Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw succeeded in persuading the Clan to leave the forest, how many cats would never see their new home?
She shook her head. Right now, she didn’t want to go anywhere without rescuing Leafpaw.
“Brambleclaw!” She bounded down the slope toward him. “I know where Leafpaw is! StarClan came to me in a dream! The Twolegs have trapped her in a little nest, past Snakerocks. We have to go and rescue her.”
Brambleclaw pricked his ears. “Really?” He scanned Sunningrocks. “Have you told Firestar? Is he organizing a rescue party?”
Squirrelpaw shook her head. “He’s on patrol. But if you came with me, we could rescue her together.”
Brambleclaw blinked. “Are you mad? Rescue her from a Twoleg nest? We wouldn’t stand a chance on our own.”
Squirrelpaw’s paws pricked with frustration. “But StarClan must want us to rescue her now!” she argued. “Why else hasn’t Spottedleaf come before? Leafpaw must be in more danger than ever.”
“Let’s wait till Firestar gets back. He’ll know what to do.”
Squirrelpaw couldn’t believe her ears. “Does that mean you won’t help me?”
“It means I won’t let you go on such a dangerous mission!” Brambleclaw snapped.
Squirrelpaw wanted to rake his ears in frustration. “You’re afraid!”
Brambleclaw bristled. “What if we tried to rescue Leafpaw and got caught ourselves?” he pointed out. “Who else knows the way through the mountains? Who would lead ThunderClan to their new home?”
“You weren’t like this when we were traveling! You agreed to go back and rescue Stormfur!”
Frustration flashed in his eyes. “Yes, and look what happened to Feathertail when we did!”
“But this is my sister!” Squirrelpaw thrashed her tail. “Why won’t you understand?”
Brambleclaw blinked. “I’m only asking you to wait till Firestar gets back—”
“But you won’t help me now!” Squirrelpaw couldn’t keep the desperation out of her voice.
Brambleclaw’s gaze softened. “Let’s wait till Firestar returns. He’ll send out a patrol. We’d need more warriors….”
Squirrelpaw couldn’t bear to listen anymore. “I didn’t think that you of all cats would let me down,” she spat, stalking away into the trees.
As she reached the undergrowth, the sound of rushing pawsteps made her stop and look around. She hoped it was Brambleclaw coming after her to tell her he had changed his mind, but it was Sorreltail.
“I heard what you were saying!” she panted. “If StarClan has told you where Leafpaw is, they must want us to rescue her as soon as possible!”
“That’s what I thought,” Squirrelpaw growled. “But Brambleclaw won’t help me.”
“I will,” Sorreltail offered. Grief shadowed her face. “I couldn’t stop the Twolegs from taking Leafpaw, but I’d do anything to help her now.”
“Do you mean it?” Squirrelpaw tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy that pricked her belly—why shouldn’t Leafpaw have made friends with another cat while she was away?
“Of course!”
“Come on, then!” she yowled. “Let’s go!”
She pelted into the forest, wanting to get away before any of the senior warriors spotted her and ordered her to join a hunting patrol, or even worse, overheard them and told Firestar what she was planning. She heard Sorreltail pounding after her. The two cats raced past the ravine without even looking down into the abandoned camp, and headed for the Great Sycamore. The monsters were still there, chewing up more and more of the forest. If they weren’t careful, they’d tumble right into the ravine and smash themselves to bits on Highstones, Squirrelpaw thought hopefully.
“Keep low,” she warned as the roaring grew louder, but Sorreltail was already ducking down to follow her through the dying bracken.
“Thank Silverpelt they’ve left us some trees to hide in!” she hissed.
They scrambled over Snakerocks. Squirrelpaw was determined to follow the exact trail Spottedleaf had shown her in her dream, but she hoped that the weak sun hadn’t tempted any snakes out to bask. Safely over the rocks, they headed back into the trees toward the Thunderpath.
The hateful stench of the Twoleg monsters stung her nose a heartbeat before she heard them roaring up ahead. By the time she reached the edge of the muddy clearing she was breathing hard, her paws trembling. Fear gripped her from ear-tips to tail.
Sorreltail skidded to a halt beside her and peered out from under a thick bramble bush. “What are we going to do now?”
“I’m not sure,” Squirrelpaw admitted. The clearing was busy with Twolegs shouting and monsters churning up the ground as they prowled back and forth. It looked nothing like her dream, even though she was sure they had come to the right place. There was no trace of the stillness and the silence she had padded confidently through with Spottedleaf. But the noise and activity made her paws prick with determination. StarClan had brought her here knowing full well how dangerous it would be. They must have faith in her.
“Leafpaw’s over there.” She gestured with her tail to the wooden nest Spottedleaf had led her to. There was a monster crouched outside the door, grumbling quietly to itself. It was much smaller than the tree-munching monsters, and its round black paws seemed half-sunk in the mud.
“Look,” Squirrelpaw hissed suddenly. “They’ve left the door open!”
She froze as a Twoleg emerged from the nest, carrying a cage. Inside crouched a mangy tabby, its eyes wide with terror. The Twoleg pushed it into the belly of the waiting monster, then went back inside the wooden nest and came out with another cage.
Squirrelpaw stared in horror at the bundle of fur hunched inside the cage. “Leafpaw!” Without stopping to think, she dashed out of the trees.
Leafpaw must have spotted her, because as the Twoleg pushed her cage into the monster’s belly, she yowled, “Squirrelpaw, get away from here!”
Her shriek startled the Twoleg, and it turned around sharply, spotting Squirrelpaw at once. With eyes sparkling in triumph, it put down Leafpaw’s cage and ran toward her. Squirrelpaw scrabbled to a halt, her paws slipping as she tried to bolt back to the safety of the trees. The Twoleg chased her with its forepaws outstretched, its long legs gaining on her as she fought to get a clawhold on the slimy mud. StarClan! Help me!
Just when her heart was about to burst with fear, Sorreltail exploded from the bushes with a vicious snarl. She rushed at the Twoleg, raking her claws across its grasping paw until it howled in pain. Then she grasped Squirrelpaw’s scruff in her teeth and hauled her toward the trees. Squirrelpaw found her footing with a gasp, and Sorreltail released her. Together the two cats sped into the woods. When they reached the safety of the brambles, Squirrelpaw skidded to a standstill.
“Keep running!” Sorreltail hissed. “They won’t give up that easily.” She nudged Squirrelpaw hard, pushing her further into the clump of brambles.
Squirrelpaw stumbled as the thorns scraped her fur. “What about Leafpaw?”
“Do you want to join her?” Sorreltail spat. “Keep running!”
Too terrified to think straight, Squirrelpaw obeyed and raced after the warrior into the trees.
Only when they had run all the way to Snakerocks did Sorreltail slow down, her flanks heaving. Squirrelpaw stood beside her, too shocked to speak.
“What in StarClan’s name is going on?” Graystripe’s deep meow echoed off the rocks as he emerged from the bracken with Thornclaw and Rainwhisker close behind him. The ThunderClan deputy stared at the two trembling cats. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve just seen Tigerstar’s ghost!”
“It’s Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw cried. “We found her, but the Twolegs are putting her inside a monster’s belly. They’re going to take her away; I know they are!”
Graystripe narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, then stopped and glanced at the bushes behind him. “Brambleclaw?” he called. “Is that you?”
“Yes.” The branches quivered and Brambleclaw stepped out. “I’m looking for Squirrelpaw.” He blinked when he spotted her standing beside Sorreltail. “Are you okay?”
“I found Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw hissed. “The Twolegs are going to take her away! We have to rescue her now, or I’ll never find her again.”
Graystripe glanced at Brambleclaw, then at Rainwhisker and Thornclaw. The ThunderClan warriors stood with their chins raised high and flexed their powerful shoulders.
“We can’t let the Twolegs take our cats if there is anything we can do to stop them,” growled Rainwhisker.
“We should not give up without a fight,” Thornclaw agreed. Their meaning was clear. This was still their forest. They may not have been able to protect it against all the Twolegs and their monsters, but this was one battle they could take on.
Graystripe narrowed his amber eyes at Squirrelpaw. “Very well,” he meowed. “Show us where she is.”
“This way,” she panted. She leaped back over Snakerocks, Sorreltail close behind. Graystripe, Thornclaw, Rainwhisker, and Brambleclaw followed. Hearing their pawsteps, Squirrelpaw felt a surge of confidence. With five ThunderClan warriors at her side, she must be able to rescue her sister!
When they reached the bramble thicket at the edge of the trees, Graystripe hissed for the cats to stop. “Stay low!” he commanded.
To Squirrelpaw’s relief, the small monster was still waiting outside the wooden nest, and the Twoleg was carrying out more cages to stow in its belly. “Leafpaw’s already inside,” she whispered.
“Right,” muttered Graystripe. “Thornclaw, you and I will attack the Twoleg. We’ve got to keep him distracted while Sorreltail, Brambleclaw, and Rainwhisker let the other cats out.”
“What about me?” Squirrelpaw asked.
“You stay here as lookout,” Graystripe ordered curtly. “Tell us if more Twolegs come.”
Squirrelpaw stared at him in shock. “But—” she began, but Graystripe ignored her.
“Most of them must be in the monster by now,” he went on. “Brambleclaw and Sorreltail, I want you to climb inside and start getting the cats out. Rainwhisker, you go into the nest and help any that are left.”
Squirrelpaw glared at Graystripe. “I’m getting my sister out of that monster!”
The gray deputy stared back at her for a long moment, and Squirrelpaw felt as if she’d forgotten how to breathe. “Very well,” Graystripe agreed at last. “But if anything goes wrong, get back to the trees as fast as you can.”
Squirrelpaw nodded. When she glanced at Brambleclaw, his eyes were shadowed with worry. I faced greater danger than this
on the journey to the sun-drown-place!she wanted to tell him. Stop
treating me like a kit!
“Right,” Graystripe meowed, turning back to watch the monster. “The Twoleg is going to fetch another. We’ll be ready to take it by surprise when it comes out.”
He dashed from the trees, keeping low as he raced over the mud. Thornclaw, Sorreltail, Rainwhisker, and Brambleclaw ducked out from under the brambles and ran across the churned earth behind him. Squirrelpaw scrambled after them, feeling the mud suck at her paws and cling to the fur on her belly.
A few tail-lengths from the open door, Graystripe hissed, “Wait!” and the cats halted in the sticky mud.
The Twoleg stepped out of the wooden nest. It was carrying another cage and did not see the six cats waiting in ambush.
“Now!” Graystripe screeched, and he leaped at the Twoleg.
When he sank his claws into its hind leg, the Twoleg dropped the cage. The cage cracked open with a sound like a splintering branch. Squirrelpaw stared in astonishment as she recognized the gray pelt inside. It was Mistyfoot! The RiverClan warrior leaped out and hurled herself at the Twoleg’s other leg, hissing in rage. Thornclaw joined the attack, gripping the Twoleg as though he were clawing his way up a tree. The Twoleg bellowed in agony and hopped around with a cat clinging to each leg.
“Come on, Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw yowled. He jumped into the open belly of the monster, Sorreltail close behind him. Squirrelpaw heard the blood roaring in her ears as she watched Rainwhisker slip into the nest. She hoped there wasn’t another Twoleg waiting inside. Taking a deep breath, she hauled herself up into the monster with Brambleclaw and Sorreltail.
Rows of cages were lined up in the gloom. The fear-scent was overpowering, and for a moment Squirrelpaw froze. How in StarClan’s name were they going to rescue all these cats? Then she saw Leafpaw, pressed against the mesh of her cage.
“Squirrelpaw! Over here!” she wailed.
“I’m coming!” Squirrelpaw streaked over to her and used her teeth to tug at the catch on the front of the cage. “It’s loosening!” she hissed as the catch began to tear away like the wing of a pigeon. She pulled as hard as she could until the cage sprang open and sent Squirrelpaw toppling onto the floor of the monster’s belly.
Leafpaw leaped down and quickly rubbed her muzzle against her sister’s. “It’s really you!” she breathed.
“Spottedleaf told me where you were!” Squirrelpaw gasped, scrambling to her paws.
Leafpaw blinked, then shook herself. “Tell me everything later. Come on; we’ve got to get all these cats out!” She raced to the nearest cage and began pulling at the catch.
Squirrelpaw turned to another and struggled until she thought she’d be spitting out broken teeth, but the catch eventually came free, and a matted rogue tom leaped out. Without a word he fled from the monster and sprinted toward the woods.
“You’re welcome,” Squirrelpaw muttered before starting on the next cage.
Unfamiliar cats leaped around her as Brambleclaw, Sorreltail, and Leafpaw worked on the cages one after another. The cages mostly contained rogues who were gone as soon as their doors were open. Then Squirrelpaw felt a cat push her aside, heading deeper into the monster’s belly, and saw Mistyfoot barging past. The RiverClan warrior made straight for the cage at the end.
“Sasha!” Mistyfoot yowled, and she began scraping at the catch with her claws.
“This way works better,” Squirrelpaw told her, nudging her out of the way to use her teeth. Instantly the catch opened and Sasha sprang out.
“Get out of here!” Mistyfoot urged.
Sasha hesitated, looking at the cages that were still closed.
“We’ll deal with these!” Mistyfoot promised.
Sasha’s fur was standing on end, and her blue eyes were huge with fear. She was shaking so much that she wouldn’t be able to open the cages even if she tried. At last she nodded and leaped from the monster.
Only a few cages still held cats. Leafpaw scanned the inside of the monster and called to Squirrelpaw, “Cloudtail and Brightheart are still in the hut! Go and help free them; I’ve got to let Cody out.”
“Who’s Cody?” Squirrelpaw asked.
“I’ll tell you later! Quick! Get Brightheart and Cloudtail!”
Squirrelpaw leaped out of the monster’s belly and raced toward the wooden nest. Her heart lurched when she saw that another Twoleg had arrived to help. Thornclaw finally lost his grip on the first Twoleg. The ThunderClan warrior landed heavily in the mud, but he scrambled to his paws and raced back to rejoin Graystripe in the attack.
As Squirrelpaw dashed into the nest, she was almost knocked flying by a brown tabby rogue running out. She swerved quickly out of the way as the scraggy tom hurtled past her; then she scanned the nest, searching for Cloudtail and Brightheart.
Cloudtail was already free. He was helping Rainwhisker scrape at Brightheart’s catch. “We can’t open it!” Cloudtail yowled, his voice rising in panic.
“Try your teeth,” called Squirrelpaw.
Cloudtail bit down hard, and Squirrelpaw saw him tremble with effort as he pulled, but still it would not open. More Twoleg voices sounded outside, and Graystripe raced into the nest.
“There are too many Twolegs!” he yowled. “We have to get out of here!” He pushed Squirrelpaw toward the doorway. “Get back to the trees!”
“But Brightheart is still trapped!”
“I’ll take care of her!” Graystripe promised, pushing Squirrelpaw with his nose. “Just get out of here!”
He leaped over to where Rainwhisker and Cloudtail were still tugging at Brightheart’s catch and shoved them out of the way. “Get to the trees!” he spat. “Now!”
Cloudtail didn’t move, but stood stiff-legged, staring in horror at Brightheart’s cage. Her panic-stricken face was pressed against the mesh.
“Come on!” Rainwhisker hissed at him and bundled the white warrior toward the door. Squirrelpaw glanced over her shoulder at Graystripe as he grabbed the stiff catch in his powerful jaws, then followed the others out of the nest.
As she emerged a Twoleg lunged for her, but she spun around and bolted along the side of the nest. There were Twolegs everywhere, howling in rage. She spotted Cloudtail and Rainwhisker making for the trees and pelted after them, thrusting her way into the tangle of brambles. Rainwhisker kept running into the forest, but Cloudtail skidded to a halt and turned back to watch what was happening outside the nest. Squirrelpaw crouched beside him and peered across the clearing. Leafpaw and a tabby she didn’t recognize were running toward them.
“Hurry!” she screeched. A Twoleg was gaining on them, his huge paws taking giant strides across the mud. As Squirrelpaw watched, willing the cats to outrun the Twoleg, the white-and-ginger pelt of Brightheart caught her eye in the doorway of the nest. Graystripe had opened her cage!
The ThunderClan she-cat hurtled toward the trees, the scars on her face half-hidden by splatters of mud. She brushed past the Twoleg that was chasing Leafpaw, unbalancing him in the slippery mud so that he fell over with a roar.
Leafpaw and the tabby reached the safety of the bushes and scrambled in among the thorns.
“I can’t believe you saved us!” panted the tabby.
Squirrelpaw was already rubbing her nose along Leafpaw’s cheek, breathing in her familiar scent. “I’m sorry we were nearly too late,” she whispered.
“I thought I’d never see you again!” Leafpaw was panting hard. “Where’s Brambleclaw?”
Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of alarm and scented the air. She smelled the fresh fear scent of Thornclaw and Sorreltail. Then she recognized a clump of dark tabby fur snagged on a bramble thorn, the blood still wet where it had been torn from his pelt. She trembled with relief. If Brambleclaw had gotten this far, he must have escaped.
“He’s okay,” she mewed. “Did Mistyfoot get out?”
“Once the last cat was free she started heading for the trees,” Leafpaw told her.
“Then everyone escaped!” Squirrelpaw breathed in relief.
As she spoke, Brightheart crashed into the brambles, her eyes huge with terror. “Graystripe!” she gasped.
“Where is he?” Squirrelpaw demanded.
Cloudtail nearly bowled Brightheart over as he leaped toward her. “I shouldn’t have left you!” he cried, licking her all over her ravaged face.
“Where’s Graystripe?” Squirrelpaw repeated.
“Twolegs!” panted Brightheart, pulling away from Cloudtail.
Squirrelpaw’s heart jumped into her throat. “What do you mean?”
“One of them grabbed him!”
Squirrelpaw peered out from the undergrowth. A Twoleg was closing the belly of the monster. Hissing and spitting at the other Twolegs, who were staring wildly around the clearing, it climbed into the front. The monster roared into life and, spraying mud from beneath each of its fat black paws, began to pull away. Then Squirrelpaw saw something that made her stomach flip over. A lone face peered from inside the monster, a face she had known since she was a kit. It gazed desperately at the trees as the monster picked up speed and raced away.
“Graystripe!” Squirrelpaw gasped.
CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6
The waning moon cast just enoughlight through the leafless branches to make the forest glow with eerie silver. Frost traced the outline of the dying ferns as Squirrelpaw padded through the trees beside Brambleclaw.
“It’ll be cold at Fourtrees,” she fretted, hoping that her sister was warm, wherever she was.
“But at least it’s clear,” Brambleclaw answered in a low voice. “Silverpelt will be shining.”
They were following Firestar and Cinderpelt through the forest. The pace was slower than the two younger cats had been used to on their long journey, but Cinderpelt was still struggling to keep up. Cold and hunger had made her limp worse than usual.
“If there is a sign,” Squirrelpaw wondered out loud, “how long do you think it’ll be before we go?” She wanted a chance to find her sister before the Clans left the forest.
“I don’t know,” Brambleclaw replied. “You saw what happened last night. Firestar can’t force the Clan to leave. He’s bound by the warrior code as much as any cat, and even though he’s our leader, he has to obey the will of the Clan.”
Squirrelpaw’s belly tightened as she remembered the Clan’s reaction. Beneath the stars, huddled against the icy wind that whipped the rock, Firestar had told them the message she and Brambleclaw had brought back from StarClan. A shocked cry had rippled around the gathered cats.
“We can’t leave the forest!” Frostfur had wailed. “We’ll all die.”
“We’ll die if we stay!” Sorreltail had pointed out.
“But this is our home.” Speckletail’s rasping mew had cracked as she’d raised her voice.
At least Shrewpaw had sounded eager. “When are we going?” he’d asked.
But the memory of Hollykit’s piteous mew made Squirrelpaw’s pelt prickle even now. “We don’t have to go, do we?” the kit had cried.
“What if Dustpelt is right?” Squirrelpaw hissed to Brambleclaw as they leaped over an abandoned foxhole, a yawning black mouth amid the shadows. “What he said in the den made sense—why should any cat follow the advice of a badger they’d never met?”
“But StarClansent us to see Midnight,” Brambleclaw argued. “What Midnight told us must be true.”
Squirrelpaw guessed he was trying to convince himself as much as her.
“We just have to hope that we see the sign at Fourtrees tonight,” she said. “If StarClan has something to say to the Clan—to anyof the Clans—it’s not up to us to prove it.” She trembled to think what Midnight had meant by ‘a dying warrior,’ but if the sign told them what to do next, they might still be able to save the Clans.
Their journey to Fourtrees took longer than usual, not just because of the slow pace but because they had to skirt the parts of the forest that the Twolegs had ruined, keeping low as they passed swath after swath of mud and felled trees. After a while, Squirrelpaw stopped looking at the empty, ravaged spaces.
“How can any cat think this is still our home?” she murmured.
Brambleclaw just shook his head and padded after Firestar toward the top of the slope that led down into Fourtrees.
For a moment, it felt like the start of every other Gathering Squirrelpaw had attended, and when she closed her eyes she could almost hear the murmur of cats below, sharing tongues as the four Clans met in peace under the full moon. But there was no full moon, and this was not a Gathering. Her eyes snapped open, and she peered over the crest of the rise. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, her breath caught in her throat. Even though Cinderpelt had warned them that the Twolegs had cut down the four great oak trees, Squirrelpaw hadn’t let herself imagine what it would look like. Not in nine lifetimes could she have imagined anything as terrible as what she saw now.
The four giant oaks that had once guarded the Great Rock had completely disappeared; even their stumps had been torn from the ground. Their trunks lay in pieces, neatly sliced by giant claws. Squirrelpaw could smell the bitter sap that seeped like blood from each mutilated piece of wood.
The heart of the forest—and the roots of life for the four Clans—had been ripped out. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Squirrelpaw wondered how their warrior ancestors could bear to look down from Silverpelt at the ruined clearing. “Webfoot told us they had destroyed Fourtrees, but I didn’t think…” Her voice trailed away as her father looked at her, sympathy in his eyes.
“Come on,” he hissed, leading them down the slope.
As she picked her way over the sliced trees, sticky sap clung to Squirrelpaw’s fur, and tree dust wafted up to sting her eyes and tickle her throat. Blinking, she scanned the clearing, then stared in disbelief. “The Great Rock is gone!”
Brambleclaw stopped dead and followed her gaze. “How could that happen?” he gasped. He bounded over to peer into the huge hole that gaped where the rock had once stood.
“I-I thought it had roots like a tree,” Squirrelpaw murmured dazedly, looking down into the hole. “I thought they reached down so far that nothing could ever move it.”
“Over here!” Firestar called from the side of the clearing.
He and Cinderpelt were standing almost belly-deep in the mud beside a vast gray stone. It looked clumsy and awkward, and the shape was unfamiliar—after a few moments, Squirrelpaw realized it was upside down—but it was definitely the Great Rock.
Brambleclaw thrashed his tail. “Twolegs did this!” he spat. “They must have used their monsters to move it.”
In the cold, unfeeling moonlight, Squirrelpaw could see gouge marks scarring the rock where the monster’s talons had scratched it. This was worse than losing every single tree in the forest; every cat knew that trees were living things that grew old and died just like they did, but the Great Rock had been there for moons upon moons before the cats came, and should have lasted for uncountable moons more.
A harsh voice rang out across the clearing. “There will be no more Gatherings now.” Squirrelpaw recognized Blackstar’s meow, and shadowy movements on the logs around them told her what the scent of the sap had disguised—that the other cats were here already. Remembering Mousefur’s dire warnings of an ambush, she looked closely in the half-light and spotted, with a twinge of relief, Tawnypelt, Crowpaw, and Stormfur among them.
“Tawnypelt!” Brambleclaw ran over to welcome his sister. Squirrelpaw heard a disapproving growl rumble in Firestar’s throat, and her paws pricked with frustration. How could he question their loyalty when he knew they were only working together to save the Clans?
Each cat had brought their leader and medicine cat. But Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of surprise when she saw that two other cats had joined them: Mudfur, the elderly RiverClan medicine cat, had brought his apprentice, Mothwing, and Mothwing’s brother, Hawkfrost, had come too. Squirrelpaw recognized them from Leafpaw’s descriptions. The dark brown tom wasn’t looking at the Great Rock but was watching the other cats, his ice-blue eyes expressionless in the moonlight.
“It cannot be true!” Mudfur hissed, staring at the Great Rock. Every hair on his pelt stood on end, and his tail quivered like a near-dead mouse. Mothwing tried to calm him with rapid licks on his shoulder, but he did not stop shaking. Cinderpelt picked her way awkwardly across the logs, her injured leg barely touching the ground, and pressed her body against his.
Squirrelpaw followed her father as he joined the other cats at the bottom of the Great Rock. She glanced at Crowpaw, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt, desperate to know how their Clans had received them, but they stood silently beside their leaders.
“How will we climb it now?” Tallstar asked, his voice trembling as he stared up the sheer rock face towering above them. Even half-hidden in shadow, the black-and-white WindClan leader looked so frail that Squirrelpaw was surprised he had managed the journey here at all.
“These marks will give us a grip,” Leopardstar said, stretching her forepaws up the smooth rock to where the monsters’ talons had scraped long wounds into the hard stone.
She pushed her hind paws into the mud and scrabbled upward. Blackstar clawed his way after her to the top of the rock. He looked strong and determined, but his dull black pelt hung from his bony frame as he climbed. Tallstar watched them, his thin frame seeming smaller than ever.
“I’ll follow you,” Firestar offered.
Tallstar nodded and scrambled up toward the lowest gouge mark, clinging to the slippery rock with his claws. Firestar sprang after him, propping the WindClan leader with his shoulder to stop him sliding back down again.
“Shouldn’t we climb the Great Rock too, to see Midnight’s dying warrior?” Squirrelpaw whispered as the leaders disappeared over the top and the medicine cats went around to the other side.
“I don’t think it matters who sees it,” Brambleclaw answered, but his eyes were clouded with worry.
“She didn’t say it had to be us,” Stormfur chipped in. “She just said ‘stand on the Great Rock.’”
“At least we have a chance to talk now,” Tawnypelt murmured. “Blackstar says he is ready to leave the forest.”
Squirrelpaw blinked. “Really? That’s great!” She wished her own homecoming had been so straightforward. “Firestar hasn’t decided yet.”
Tawnypelt flicked her ears. “To be honest, I think Blackstar had already decided to go, even before I came back with Midnight’s warning.”
“But what did he say when you told him? Did he believe you?” Squirrelpaw demanded.
The tortoiseshell warrior didn’t reply.
Brambleclaw pressed closer to his sister. “Did they give you a hard time?”
Tawnypelt shook her head. “They acted like I was a stranger.” Sadness glimmered in her eyes. “Tallpoppy’s kits were frightened of me.”
“It wasn’t easy for us either,” Squirrelpaw mewed. “It’s as if we’re not part of the Clan any more.”
“Of course we’re part of the Clan,” Brambleclaw reassured her. “It’ll just take a while for things to get back to normal.”
Stormfur snorted. “Nothing’s ever going to get back to normal!” he spat. “I’ve seen what the Twolegs have done to WindClan and ThunderClan territory, and I can imagine it’s the same in ShadowClan.” He glanced at Tawnypelt, and she nodded grimly. “Even though they haven’t reached RiverClan territory yet, everything’s changed,” Stormfur went on, lashing his tail. “Mistyfoot’s gone missing, and Hawkfrost is deputy now.”
“Mistyfoot’s missing?” Squirrelpaw gasped.
“Was she taken by Twolegs?” asked Brambleclaw.
Stormfur looked puzzled. “Why would Twolegs take her?”
“They took Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw told him. “We know what happened because Sorreltail was there, although she got away.”
“Gorsetail’s missing too,” Crowpaw mewed, his gaze flicking from one cat to another.
“No ShadowClan cats have been taken, but I’d guess it’s only a matter of time,” Tawnypelt mewed. “And meanwhile the Twolegs have invaded so much of our territory that we’re starving. There’s hardly any prey left, and leaf-bare’s only just begun.”
Brambleclaw sat down carefully on the muddy ground. “Whether it’s Midnight’s message or starvation that drives the Clans out, I don’t see any way we can stay in the forest.”
“But the Twolegs haven’t touched RiverClan territory,” Stormfur reminded him. “And Hawkfrost thinks they never will. He pretty much called me a traitor for being concerned about the other Clans, and he said I should never have gone on the journey.” His amber eyes glistened with sadness. “He said Feathertail would still be alive if I hadn’t let her get caught up in other Clans’ problems.”
“It wasn’t the journey that killed Feathertail. It was staying with the Tribe so long,” hissed Crowpaw.
Stormfur flinched and looked down at his paws.
“We had to help them!” Squirrelpaw stared at Crowpaw, puzzled. She had found him arrogant and impatient at the start of the journey, but he had become much easier to be around as they traveled, and by the end of their adventure she would have considered him one of her closest friends. Now he was as prickly as ever. Did their journey, the importance of the message they all had to take to their Clans, mean nothing to him?
“Crowpaw?” Brambleclaw meowed. “What did WindClan say when you told them?”
“They accepted Midnight’s words without question,” he muttered. “It’s our last hope of survival.” His voice was flat and dull, like stone. “I didn’t think the Clan could be suffering any more than when I left, but it is. There’s nothing left to eat on the moors at all. A bird if we’re lucky. Sometimes a mouse, just one to feed the whole Clan. WindClan kits have nevergone hungry like this before.”
“So Tallstar wants to leave?”
Crowpaw lifted his eyes and met Brambleclaw’s gaze. “Oh, yes,” he agreed. “He wants the Clan to go as soon as we can. His greatest fear”—he broke off and swallowed—“his greatest fear is that we’re not strong enough to make it.”
“Oh, Crowpaw!” Squirrelpaw exclaimed, immediately forgiving his harsh words to Stormfur. “I’m so sorry.”
“We don’t need your pity,” growled the WindClan apprentice. “I will fight with all the strength I have to make sure my Clan survives.” He glared at her, his eyes cold.
Squirrelpaw felt a surge of anger rise in her belly. “What are you talking about? You’re acting as if you’re the only one who can save your Clan! Don’t you remember that we’re in this together? Or have you forgotten there were six of us on that journey?”
“Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw stopped her with a flick of his tail. “We mustn’t fight now.”
Squirrelpaw grumpily fell silent. Crowpaw looked away, but he flexed his claws, tearing at the cold earth.
Tawnypelt gazed up at the rock. There was no sign of their leaders. They were hidden behind the brow of the rock’s towering summit. “Everything would be easier if we knew where we were meant to be going,” she mewed. “Do you think the sign will come?”
“Perhaps we’re too late,” murmured Stormfur. “We were a long time in the mountains.” He glanced at Crowpaw. “Believe me, I wish we hadn’t stayed.”
“We allagreed at the time,” Brambleclaw reminded him.
Crowpaw stared at his paws without saying anything.
There was a yowl from above them, and Firestar’s call rang around the hollow. “We should wait awhile longer!”
“Why? What’s the point?” growled Blackstar. His bony frame appeared, silhouetted against the stars, on the edge of the rock. “We have wasted our time coming here. There will be no sign tonight. And do we really need one to tell us that the forest is being destroyed? Just look around you!”
Squirrelpaw and the others backed away as the ShadowClan leader bounded down the rock and landed in the mud beside them. Leopardstar followed him.
“But it’s not even moonhigh!” Firestar protested, peering down from the top of the rock.
Leopardstar looked up at him. “Even if StarClan does send a sign about leaving the forest, it’s no concern of RiverClan’s,” she meowed.
However frustrated she was by Leopardstar’s selfishness, Squirrelpaw could understand why she wasn’t as troubled as the other leaders. Her glossy coat proved that she and her Clanmates were as well fed as ever, and their sleep wasn’t disturbed by fear of monsters snarling and munching their way into the camp.
“Hunger will soon make her change her mind,” Crowpaw hissed
“But surely you want to see what StarClan thinks we should do?” Firestar argued.
“It’s too cold to wait any longer,” meowed Blackstar. “My fur is thinner than I’d like these days—and that’s not a sign from StarClan. It’s the fault of those fox-hearted Twolegs stealing my Clan’s prey.”
“You can’t leave yet!” Firestar yowled as the ShadowClan leader clambered away over the logs.
“There’ll be no sign here tonight,” Blackstar called over his shoulder. “Look at this place! It’s ruined.”
“StarClan will not desert us!” Firestar leaped down from the rock and scrambled awkwardly over the logs to the ShadowClan leader.
Blackstar faced him, his pelt bristling. “I did not say StarClan had deserted us! But my Clan would rather rely on their leader’s judgment than on the muddled rumors of some inexperienced warriors and a badger.”
“But StarClan is going to show us the way!” Tallstar slithered over the edge of the Great Rock, half scrambling, half falling down its side. Crowpaw leaped forward, reaching up with his forepaws to soften his landing. Tallstar hit the mud clumsily but staggered to his paws, shaking Crowpaw off. “They will know where we can find new territories, far away from these dangers,” he insisted.
“We are perfectly capable of finding a new home for ourselves.” There was a chilling certainty in Blackstar’s words.
“You have somewhere in mind already, don’t you?” Cinderpelt looked up from where she crouched beside Mudfur.
“We are going to live in Twolegplace where BloodClan used to rule,” he announced. “I still have one of their former warriors among my elders. He will show us the best places to find food and shelter. Now Scourge is dead, we’ll be the strongest cats there.”
“You can’t do that!” Firestar protested. “That will leave only three Clans in the forest!”
“Soon there won’t bea forest,” Blackstar pointed out grimly. “Only the bodies of dead cats. This is one battle in which I cannot see how it would help us to join with other Clans. It’s not a matter of fighting an enemy, but of finding enough prey to feed the mouths we already have. I’m sorry, but we go alone.”
He turned to leave, but Firestar stood in his way. Blackstar curled his lip to reveal sharp teeth.
“We can’t let them fight!” Squirrelpaw hissed to Brambleclaw.
“I know,” he agreed. He leaped over the logs to Firestar’s side. “Firestar, you have to persuade ShadowClan to come with us! That’s what StarClan wants. If there isn’t a sign, like Midnight said, then we should go back to the sun-drown-place and ask her if she knows where we should go.”
“You want us to go to a strange place just because you think StarClan sent youthere?” Leopardstar snarled. “Since when do you make decisions for all the Clans?” Her gaze swept over Squirrelpaw, Tawnypelt, and Stormfur. “In fact, why should we trust any of you? You are all part ThunderClan!”
Tawnypelt unsheathed her claws. “Are you questioning my loyalty to my Clan?”
“My sister died on the journey to fetch this message!” Stormfur hissed.
Squirrelpaw wondered if StarClan was watching them and thinking that these quarrelsome Clans didn’t deserveto be saved.
“Stop!” rasped a feeble voice, and Tallstar padded unevenly over. “If we fight, the sign will never come!”
“How many times do I have to tell you? We don’t need a sign,” growled Blackstar. “ShadowClan is going to leave the forest, and we already know where to go.”
Firestar didn’t argue with him. Instead, he turned to Leopardstar. “What do you plan to do?”
“RiverClan has no need to travel to some distant place on the word of a few dreaming warriors,” Leopardstar replied. “The river is still full of fish. It would be stupid for us to leave. The other Clans’ troubles are not ours to worry about.”
“But if our troubles are not yours as well, why was Feathertail sent by StarClan with the other cats?” Cinderpelt challenged quietly.
“Only Feathertail can answer that, and she is dead,” Leopardstar retorted.
Hawkfrost climbed up beside his leader. “If you can’t survive in the forest anymore, then I agree that you should leave,” he meowed, his gaze flicking around the cats to include Tallstar. “After all, what sort of leader would let his Clan starve?”
Squirrelpaw was rather taken aback by the bold way he addressed the other Clan leaders. After all, he wasn’t much older than her.
Brambleclaw glared at Hawkfrost. “You just want us to leave so you can steal our territory!”
“If you aren’t here, then you won’t need it anymore.”
Brambleclaw bristled. “You might feel differently if you were truly Clanborn.”
“Show some respect, Brambleclaw!” Firestar snapped. “Hawkfrost is not responsible for his birth.”
Brambleclaw opened his mouth, ready to argue, then seemed to think better of it and looked down at his paws. Squirrelpaw thought she saw Hawkfrost’s whiskers twitch with satisfaction and felt a surge of anger on Brambleclaw’s behalf. How dared he gloat?
“This is getting us nowhere,” Tallstar meowed fretfully.
“The four Clans must remain together,” Firestar insisted. “We have lived beneath Silverpelt for as long as any cat remembers. We share the same ancestors. How could StarClan watch over us if we are separated?” But Blackstar had jumped down from the tree trunk and was padding away, signaling to Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, to join him.
Tawnypelt looked uneasily at her friends. “I have to go,” she whispered to Squirrelpaw.
“What about the sign?” Squirrelpaw reminded her. She shivered, and not just from the cold. Where was the sign that was supposed to save them?
Doubt flickered in the ShadowClan warrior’s gaze. “I’m sorry; I can’t wait.” She hurried after Blackstar and Littlecloud. The hollow felt even emptier and more exposed without the three ShadowClan cats.
“Good luck, Firestar,” Leopardstar meowed. She looked over to where Mothwing was crouched beside Mudfur. “Is he well enough to travel?”
“Of course I am!” Mudfur rasped, struggling to his paws. “I made it here, didn’t I?”
“Then come,” Leopardstar ordered, and, turning away, she led her cats from the clearing.
Stormfur brushed against Squirrelpaw’s pelt as he passed. “I’ll try to speak to you and Brambleclaw soon,” he whispered.
“What can we do without the sign?” Squirrelpaw hissed frantically.
Stormfur flashed her a look of despair. “I don’t know,” he said. He gazed back at the Great Rock, dragged from its ancient seat. “Perhaps StarClan has no power here anymore.”
Squirrelpaw stared at him in horror. Could that be true?
Firestar watched the RiverClan cats leave. “I cannot persuade them.” He sighed.
“Then we two must go alone,” Tallstar wheezed. He sat down to catch his breath. “Firestar,” he croaked, “I must find new territory for my Clan before the next full moon. We are starving.” Squirrelpaw felt her heart twist with pity as he went on. “But we are too weak to make the journey alone. Travel with us, Firestar. Help us like you did when you brought WindClan back from exile, after Brokenstar drove us out.”
Firestar miserably twitched his ears. “We can’t leave without the other two Clans. There have always been four Clans in the forest, and wherever we end up, four Clans must be there as well. How else can we be sure the fifth Clan will come with us?”
The fifth Clan?Squirrelpaw wondered what her father meant. She glanced at Brambleclaw, but he looked as puzzled as she felt.
“StarClan will be with us always,” Tallstar argued, and Squirrelpaw understood: StarClan were the fifth Clan.
She saw a glimmer of anger enter the WindClan leader’s tired eyes. “You are too proud, Firestar,” he warned. “I can tell ThunderClan is on the brink of starvation just like WindClan. If you insist on staying in the forest while you wait for the other two to make up their minds, your Clanmates will die.”
Firestar looked away. “I’m sorry, Tallstar,” he meowed. “I want to help you, but my heart tells me that ThunderClan cannot leave until all the other Clans agree to leave as well. We will have to keep trying to persuade them.”
Tallstar thrashed his tail. “Very well,” he hissed. “We cannot travel without you, and so we will wait. I don’t blame you for the hunger we suffer, but I’m disappointed you will not help us now.” He padded away with Barkface close beside him, ready to support him if the WindClan leader stumbled on paws that hardly seemed strong enough to carry him to the edge of the clearing, let alone all the way back to the moor.
Squirrelpaw turned to Brambleclaw. “Why wasn’t there a sign?” she protested.
Brambleclaw gazed at her. “Do you think Midnight was wrong?” His wide eyes reflected the moon. “After all, did she really tell us anything we can’t see from what is happening around us?” He gestured with his tail to the ravaged clearing, to the swaths of fallen trees around them. “Every cat knowsthe forest is being destroyed by Twolegs. Perhaps Blackstar is right, and each Clan should just try to save itself, without waiting for any more signs.”
Squirrelpaw fought to control the panic that fluttered in her chest. “You can’t mean that! We have to believe that Midnight was right!” she argued. “StarClan sent us to speak with her, and that must mean StarClan wants us to save the Clans.”
“But what if we can’t?” Brambleclaw murmured.
Squirrelpaw stared at him in dismay, her mind suddenly filled with an image of falling trees, roaring monsters, and blood spilling down Sunningrocks into the river. “Don’t give up, Brambleclaw!” she whispered. “We didn’t make that journey and lose Feathertail for nothing. We haveto save the Clans!”
第六章
第六章
残月照耀着森林，月光倾泻在光秃秃的树枝间，整个森林呈现出一副诡异的银色。松鼠爪和黑莓掌在树林间穿行，枯死的蕨类植物的叶子上覆盖着霜花。
“四棵树那里一定很冷。”松鼠爪焦躁地说。不管姐姐身在何处，但愿她没冻着。
“至少天空是晴朗的，”黑莓掌低声回答，“银毛星带会在天上闪耀。”
两只年轻猫跟着火星和炭毛一起穿过森林，走得要比他们在旅途中习惯的速度慢，但炭毛仍然有些跟不上。饥寒交迫这么多天，她比平时跛得更厉害了。
“如果我们收到了星族发来的信息，”松鼠爪大声说出心里的想法，“你认为还需要多久才能动身离开？”她想在族群离开森林之前，找个机会去寻找姐姐。
“我不知道。”黑莓掌回答，“看昨天晚上的情形，火星也不能强迫族群离开。他跟任何猫一样，受到了武士守则的约束。即使他是我们的族长，也得遵从族群的意愿。”
松鼠爪想起族猫们的反应，顿时觉得胃都抽紧了。在星光的照耀下，族猫们在凛冽的寒风中挤作一团，火星将她和黑莓掌从星族那里带回的消息给他们讲了一遍。一声震惊的哭喊声迅速在猫群中传开。
“我们不能离开森林！”霜毛哭喊道，“离开了森林，我们全都活不下去。”
“留在这儿就是等死！”松鼠爪指出现状。
“但这里是我们的家！”纹尾焦躁地说。她的声音嘶哑了，不得不提高嗓门。
不过鼩鼱爪的声音里却带着渴望。“我们什么时候出发？”他问道。
但是小冬青楚楚可怜的声音仍然让松鼠爪身上的毛竖了起来。“我们不是非走不可，是吗？”幼崽哭号道。
“如果尘毛的看法是对的呢？”松鼠爪向黑莓掌嘶声说道。他俩跃过一个废弃的狐狸洞穴，那洞穴就像阴影里露出的一个打着哈欠的黑乎乎的嘴巴。“他在山坳里说的话也有一定的道理，为什么这些猫要听从他们从没见过的一只獾的劝告呢？”
“不过是星族派我们去见午夜的！”黑莓掌争辩道，“午夜告诉我们的必定是实情。”
松鼠爪猜测，他也在努力地说服自己，就像要说服她一样。
“我们只能希望，今晚在四棵树能看到一些征兆！”她说，“如果星族对族群说了什么——无论是哪个族群——我们就不用来证实这一点了。”她想起午夜说的“一个垂死的武士”，就不由得全身发抖。但如果这个征兆能告诉他们下一步该怎么办，他们或许还能拯救族群。
这次去四棵树用的时间比平时要长，不只是因为爪子放慢了，还因为他们不得不避开两脚兽毁掉的地面，越过一段又一段被翻起来的泥地，跨过一棵又一棵倒在地上的树木，同时还得保持谨慎，放低身体。过了一会儿，松鼠爪停下爪子，看着眼前空荡荡的、破坏得不成样的森林。
“谁还看得出，这里是我们过去的家园？”她喃喃地说。
黑莓掌只是摇摇头，跟着火星，向着通往四棵树的山坡走去。
有那么一瞬间，松鼠爪感到这很像她每次参加森林大会的情形，闭上眼睛，她仿佛能听到坡下猫群说话的声音。月圆之夜，四大族群总会在和平的氛围中相聚，众猫相互随意交流。但今晚的天空中少了一轮满月，而且这也不是森林大会。她突然睁开眼睛，凝视着缓缓上升的山坡。她调整视线，慢慢适应了黑暗，感觉嗓子眼儿里就要喘不过气来。尽管炭毛提醒过他们，四棵大橡树已被两脚兽砍了，松鼠爪还是无法想象那会是什么样子。即使穷尽有生之年，她也想象不出有什么能比她现在看到的情形更惨。
四棵守卫在巨岩四周的巨大的橡树，现在已经完全消失了，地面上甚至连一截树桩都没留下。树干已经被怪物的巨爪切割成整齐的原木。松鼠爪能闻到树干被肢解时，渗出的汁液的苦涩味道。
森林的心脏——同时也是四大族群的生命根基——被连根拔掉了，一切都无法再恢复原样了。
松鼠爪不知道银毛星带上的武士祖灵俯视族群的时候，怎么能忍受眼睁睁看着这片森林被肆意蹂躏。“网脚说四棵树被它们毁了，但我没想到……”她的声音越来越小。父亲看着她，眼神里充满怜惜。
“走吧！”火星轻声说着，领着他们走向山坡。
松鼠爪在那些已经切成段的树木间择路而行，黏糊糊的汁液粘在她的皮毛上，随风飞扬的木屑迷了她的眼睛，刺激得她喉咙发痒。她眨着眼睛，扫视着眼前的空地，然后难以置信地瞪着眼睛，问道：“巨岩也没了？”
黑莓掌停住脚步，顺着她的目光看过去。“到底发生了什么事？”黑莓掌倒抽一口气。他走过去，盯着面前巨大的坑，那里就是巨岩曾经屹立的地方。
“我……我还以为它像树一样，是有根的。”松鼠爪向坑里看着，茫然地喃喃道，“我还以为它的根扎在土地的深处，没有什么能把它搬走。”
“在这儿！”火星从空地边缘大喊。他和炭毛站在齐腰深的泥土里，旁边是一块巨大的灰色石头，看起来笨拙而不合时宜，形状也显得很陌生。过了一会儿，松鼠爪才明白过来，它被上下倒置了——但它肯定就是那块巨岩。
黑莓掌甩了甩尾巴。“两脚兽干的！”他呸道，“它们一定是用怪物搬的。”
在冰冷、无情的月光下，松鼠爪看得见石头上的凿痕，那是怪物的爪子夹起它的地方。这比失去森林里的任何一棵树还要糟糕。每只猫都知道，树木是有生命的物种，就跟猫一样，会变老、死去。但巨岩在族群到来之前，就已经在这里存在很多年了，并且还会留存数不清的岁月。
突然空地上传来一个刺耳的声音：“从现在开始，再也不会有森林大会了。”松鼠爪听出是黑星的声音。她看到周遭的原木上有模糊的影子移动，意识到是树木渗出的苦涩的汁液掩盖了其他猫的气息。她想起鼠毛说的可能遭遇埋伏的可怕警告，在微弱的光线下仔细察看，认出褐皮、鸦爪和暴毛就在其中，心下这才觉得有些宽慰。
“褐皮！”黑莓掌跑向妹妹。松鼠爪听到火星喉咙里发出反对的低吼，心里充满挫折感，爪子都感到一阵刺痛。他知道他们在一起，只是为了拯救所有族群，怎么能怀疑他们的忠心？
每只猫都带来了自己的族长和巫医。但松鼠爪也惊讶地看到了另外两只猫——河族的老巫医泥毛和他的徒弟蛾翅，另外蛾翅的哥哥鹰霜也一起来了。松鼠爪根据叶爪的描述，认出了他们。那只深棕色的公猫没有盯着巨岩，而是观望着其他猫，冷冷的蓝眼睛在月光下毫无表情。
“简直不敢相信这是真的！”泥毛盯着巨岩愤慨地说着，身上的每根毛都竖了起来，尾巴颤抖着，就像濒临死亡的老鼠。蛾翅急急地舔着他的肩膀，安抚着他，但他还是止不住地颤抖着。炭毛笨拙地穿过原木走过来，受伤的腿勉强撑在地上，然后将身体靠在泥毛身上。
松鼠爪跟着父亲走到巨岩脚下，站到其他猫身边。看着鸦爪、暴毛和褐皮，她很想知道，他们各自的族群是怎么接纳他们的。但他们只沉默地站在自己族长身旁。
“现在我们怎么爬上去？”高星瞪着巨岩，声音颤抖地问道——巨大的岩石比他们的身高高多了，而且侧面陡峭，确实难以攀爬。这位黑白花色的风族领袖半隐在黑影里，但是松鼠爪还是看出他很虚弱。她非常吃惊，不知道他是怎么走这么远的路，到达这里的。
“那些夹痕可以为我们提供踏脚的地方。”豹星说着伸长前爪，够着怪物的巨爪在坚硬的岩石上留下的长长的夹痕。
她的后腿蹬在泥地上，使劲往上攀爬。黑星随后踩着她的脚印，也爬到了岩石顶上。他看起来强壮而果断，但攀爬的时候，一身漆黑的皮毛裹在骨架上，显得瘦骨嶙峋。高星站在下面看着他们，他骨瘦如柴，看起来比过去小了一圈儿。
“我跟在你后面。”火星提议。
高星点点头，爪子紧紧地抓着光滑的岩石，向最矮的夹痕爬去。火星一跃而起，跟在他的身后，用肩膀抵住风族族长，防止他滑下来。
“我们也该爬上巨岩，看看午夜所说的那位垂死的武士吗？”等几个族长消失在岩石顶上，松鼠爪轻声问道。几名巫医则绕到了石头的另一边。
“我觉得谁看到那位武士并不重要。”黑莓掌回答，但他的眼神里满是担心。
“午夜没说必须是我们看到。”暴毛插嘴道，“它只说‘爬上巨岩’。”
“至少现在我们有机会一起说说话，”褐皮小声说，“黑星说，他已做好了离开森林的准备。”
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛。“真的吗？那太好了！”她希望雷族猫也能这么简单地做出决定，“火星还没做出决定。”
褐皮的耳朵抽动着：“说实话，我认为黑星在我带回午夜的警告之前，就决定要离开了。”
“但是你跟他讲了以后，他怎么说？他信任你吗？”松鼠爪询问道。
玳瑁色武士没有回答。
黑莓掌向妹妹又靠近一点，问道：“他们有没有为难你？”
褐皮摇摇头。“他们就像不认识我。”她眼睛闪过一丝忧郁，“高罂的孩子看见我都害怕。”
“我们回来后也不容易，”松鼠爪说，“他们看我们的样子，就像我们不再是族猫了。”
“我们当然是他们的族猫，”黑莓掌宽慰她，“只不过恢复正常需要一点时间。”
暴毛从鼻子里哼了一声。“所有的事情都不可能再恢复正常了！”他呸道，“我看到了两脚兽对风族和雷族领地干的那些事，就猜到影族也遭受了同样的事情。”他瞥了一眼褐皮，褐皮冷冷地点了点头。“尽管两脚兽还没到达河族境内，但一切都变了，”暴毛猛地甩了一下尾巴，接着说道，“雾脚失踪了，现在鹰霜当上了副族长。”
“雾脚失踪了？”松鼠爪不由得屏住气问。
“她被两脚兽捉走了吗？”黑莓掌问。
暴毛看起来也很困惑，问道：“两脚兽为什么要抓她？”
“叶爪也是被它们抓走的！”松鼠爪告诉他，“我们知道这件事，是因为栗尾当时在场，只不过她逃脱了。”
“金雀尾也失踪了。”鸦爪说，他的目光从一只猫看向另一只猫。
“影族还没有被抓走的猫，但我猜这是迟早的事。”褐皮说，“两脚兽入侵了我们那么多土地，让我们全都处于饥饿状态，领地上的猎物所剩无几。而且秃叶季才刚刚开始。”
黑莓掌小心地在泥泞的地上坐下来，说道：“不管是午夜带来的信息，还是饥饿的驱使，我都看不到留在森林里的任何可能。”
“但两脚兽并没有进去河族领地。”暴毛提醒他，“鹰霜认为，两脚兽永远不会危及河族。他把我当作关心其他族群的叛徒，说我根本不该出走那么长时间。”暴毛琥珀色的眼睛里闪过一丝悲伤，“他还说，如果我不让羽尾卷入其他族群的问题，她现在就会好好地活着。”
“根本不是这次旅行害死羽尾的，我们不该在急水部落待那么久。”鸦爪愤愤地说。
暴毛畏缩地低头看着自己的爪子。
“我们不能不帮助他们！”松鼠爪困惑地盯着鸦爪。在旅途刚开始的时候，她发现他既傲慢嚣张，又急躁冒进。但随着一路前行，他逐渐变得随和、通融，到旅程结束的时候，她已经把他视为最亲密的朋友。现在他又变得跟过去一样易怒。难道他们千辛万苦走完旅程，给几个族群带回了如此重要的消息，对他而言就毫无意义？
“鸦爪？”黑莓掌说道，“你把消息告诉族群以后，他们都怎么说？”
“他们完全接受了午夜说的话，”他小声说道，“这是我们生存下去的最后一线希望。”鸦爪说话的语气就跟石头一样平淡而沉闷。“我认为，自我走后，族群生存非常艰难，他们已经无法再承受更多的苦难。事实已然如此，荒原上根本找不到猎物。幸运的话，我们能抓到一只鸟。有时也能抓住一只老鼠，但整个族群只有这么一只。风族的幼崽从没像现在这样饥饿过。”
“所以高星想离开这里？”
鸦爪抬头迎上黑莓掌的目光。“嗯，是的，”他承认道，“他想让我们族猫都尽快离开这儿。他最大的恐惧……”他顿了顿，咽了一下唾沫，“他最大的恐惧，是我们没有足够的体力转移到新的地方。”
“噢，鸦爪，真对不起！”松鼠爪惊呼着，她立刻原谅了他对暴毛的粗暴态度。
“我们不需要你们的同情。”风族学徒愤愤地说，“我会拼尽全力，让我们的族群生存下去。”他冷冷地盯着她。
松鼠爪感到一股怒气正在肚子里翻腾：“你想什么呢？你看起来就像是唯一一个拯救族群的勇士！难道你忘了我们是一体的吗？难道你忘了我们六只猫是同甘共苦地走完旅程的吗？”
“松鼠爪！”黑莓掌轻轻用尾巴弹了她一下，阻止道，“现在不是我们吵架的时候。”
松鼠爪烦躁地闭上嘴。鸦爪移开目光，但爪子仍在抓挠着地上冰冷的泥土。
褐皮抬头凝视着巨岩，上面根本看不见几个族长的身影——他们一定是隐身在巨岩顶端的褶皱里。“如果我们清楚地知道要去哪里安家，一切就会迎刃而解，”她说，“你们觉着那个引导信息会来吗？”
“也许我们来晚了。”暴毛轻轻地说，“我们在大山里浪费了太长的时间，”他盯着鸦爪，“相信我，我宁愿我们没有在那儿停留。”
“当时回去救他们，是我们大家共同做出的决定。”黑莓掌提醒他不要过于自责。
鸦爪低头盯着自己爪子，没有说话。一个怒斥的声音从上面传出来，是火星在巨岩上呼喊：“我们应该在这儿多等一会儿！”
“为什么？这有什么意义？”黑星嚷嚷道，高岩边上现出他映衬在星空下的身影，“到这儿来已经是浪费时间了。今晚根本没有什么引导信号。难道我们真的需要某个祖灵来告诉我们，森林即将惨遭毁灭？你看看自己周围就行了！”
松鼠爪和同伴退到一边。影族族长从巨岩上跳下来，落到他们旁边的泥地上。豹星也跟在他后面落到地上。
“但是月亮还没升到最高处！”火星从岩石顶上望着他们，不满地说道。
豹星抬头看着他说：“哪怕是星族亲自发来信息，说要族群离开森林，那也不关河族的事。”
虽然豹星的自私自利令松鼠爪很有挫败感，她还是能理解，为什么豹星没有像其他三位族长那样不安。她油光水滑的皮毛表明，她和她的族猫们跟过去一样，根本不缺猎物，也不会因为担心两脚兽的怪物咆哮着开进他们的营地，而夜不能寐。
“饥饿会让她很快改变想法的。”鸦爪低声咆哮道。
“但你肯定想看看星族希望我们怎么做。”火星坚持道。
“太冷了，我不能再等了。”黑星说，“这些日子，我的皮毛都少了好多——这可不是星族发来的信息，而是那些黑心两脚兽的错，它们偷走了我们族群的猎物。”
“你不能走！”火星朝影族族长吼道，黑星跨过地上砍倒的木头，已经走远了。
“今晚不会有什么信息了，”黑星回过头喊道，“看这个地方！废墟！”
“星族不会抛下我们不管的！”火星从巨岩上跳下来，费力地攀过地上的木头，去追影族的族长。
黑星正对着火星，身上的皮毛全竖了起来。“我没说星族抛弃了我们！但我的族群宁可依赖自己族长的判断，也不愿盲目地听从几位武士和一只獾的流言。”
“但是星族会给我们指明方向！”高星从巨岩的边缘爬下来，半爬半摔地落到地上。鸦爪箭步向前，用前爪接住他。高星笨拙地撞到了泥地上，但他很快蹒跚着站起来，甩开鸦爪。“星族会知道我们能在哪儿找到新家园，远离这些危险。”他坚持道。
“我们完全有能力靠自己找到一个新家园。”黑星的语气里带着一种冷冷的执拗。
“你的脑子里已经有想法了，是不是？”炭毛趴在泥毛旁边，抬头向上看。
“我们打算住在两脚兽的地盘，就是血族过去管辖的地方。”他宣布，“我的长老中有一位是他们的前任武士，他会带我们去一个猎物充足、可以居住的好地方。既然长鞭死了，我们就应该成为那里最强壮的猫群。”
“你们不能那么做！”火星抗议道，“那样一来，森林里就剩下三大族群了！”
“那里很快就不是森林了。”黑星冷冷地指出现状，“只会留下遍地猫的尸体。这是一场战斗，我看不出跟其他族群联合起来有什么好处。这不是跟一个敌人战斗，而是找到足够的猎物养活族猫。我很抱歉，但我们要独自行动。”
他转身准备离开，但火星挡住了他的去路。黑星张开嘴巴，露出尖利的牙齿。
“我们不能让他们打起来！”松鼠爪冲黑莓掌低声说。
“我知道。”他同意她的意见。他跳过地上的木头，走到火星身边，说道：“火星，你必须劝说影族跟我们一起走，那是星族的旨意。如果今晚未能像午夜说的收到信息，我们就再次回到太阳沉没之地，问它知不知道我们该去哪里。”
“你们想让我们去一个陌生的地方，只因为是星族派你们去的？”豹星咆哮道，“从什么时候开始，轮到你们替所有族群做决定了？”她的视线扫过松鼠爪、褐皮以及暴毛，“事实上，我们为什么要信任你们？你们都是雷族的一部分！”
褐皮伸出爪子，站起身说道：“你是在质疑我对自己族群的忠心吗？”
“为了得到这个消息，我妹妹死在了旅途上！”暴毛怒吼道。
松鼠爪不知道星族是否还在天上注视着他们，是否会认为这些争吵不休的族群，实在不值得拯救。
“别吵了！”高星晃晃悠悠地走过来，虚弱地怒喝道，“如果我们打起来，就永远收不到信息了！”
“我得跟你们说多少次，我们不需要什么信息！”黑星咆哮道，“影族已打定主意要离开森林，我们知道自己要去哪里。”
火星不想跟他争论，因此转向豹星问：“你计划怎么办？”
“河族没必要仅凭几个鼠脑子的梦，就迁移到远处去。”豹星回答道，“河里还有充足的鱼，我们离开就真是鼠脑子了。别的族群陷入麻烦，不是我们需要操心的问题。”
“但是，如果我们的麻烦和你们完全无关，星族为什么要派羽尾跟着其他几只猫一起出去？”炭毛静静地质问她。
“只有羽尾能回答这个问题，但是她已经死了。”豹星反驳道。
鹰霜爬上来，站到他的族长身边。“如果你们在森林里无法活下去，我也认为你们应该离开，”他说着扫视了众猫一眼，包括高星在内，“毕竟，什么样的族长才会让自己的族猫饿死呢？”
松鼠爪大吃一惊，他竟如此冒失地将矛头指向其他族长，毕竟鹰霜比自己大不了多少。
黑莓掌盯着鹰霜，说道：“你想让我们离开，只不过是想占有我们的领地！”
“如果你们不再待在这里，你们还要那些领地做什么？”
黑莓掌的毛直竖起来：“如果你真的是在族群里出生，你就会有不同的感受。”
“放尊重点，黑莓掌！”火星呵斥道，“鹰霜不应对他在哪里出生承担责任。”
黑莓掌张嘴刚想争辩，又改变了主意，低下头看着自己的爪子。松鼠爪觉得她看到鹰霜满意地抽了抽胡须，不禁怒从心起，为黑莓掌感到不值。他怎么敢如此幸灾乐祸？
“这会让我们无处可去。”高星焦躁地说。
“四大族群必须共同进退。”火星坚持道，“自打我们有记忆以来，我们全都生活在银毛星带的照耀下，我们有着共同的祖灵。如果我们四分五裂，星族怎么照看得过来？”但黑星跳下树干，走掉了，他边跑边向影族巫医小云发出信号，叫他一起走。
褐皮不安地看着族猫，跟松鼠爪悄声说：“我得走了。”
“那信息怎么办？”松鼠爪提醒她。她浑身打了个寒战，不仅仅是因为寒冷——期待能拯救他们的信息到底在哪儿呢？
影族武士的眼睛中闪过一丝犹疑。“很抱歉，我不能再等了。”她匆忙追赶黑星和小云去了。山谷里一下子走掉影族的三只猫，显得更加空旷和寂寞了。
“祝你好运，火星！”豹星说完，目光转向趴在泥毛身边的蛾翅，问道：“他可以走路吗？”
“我当然没问题！”泥毛果断地说着，努力撑着爪子站起来，“我都坚持走到这儿来了，不是吗？”
“那么走吧！”豹星下令，带着她的部下，转身离开了。
暴毛从松鼠爪的旁边走过，身上的皮毛摩擦着她的身体。“我会尽快找机会跟你和黑莓掌联系的。”他小声说。
“如果信息一直不出现该怎么办？”松鼠爪烦躁地说。
暴毛绝望地看了她一眼。“我也不知道。”他说着，回头看了看巨岩，又将目光转向松鼠爪，“也许星族已经失去力量了。”
松鼠爪惊恐地盯着他：这是真的吗？
火星看着河族猫离去的身影，叹息道：“我说服不了他们。”
“那么我们两个族群就单独行动吧！”高星气呼呼地说着，坐下来喘了一口气。“火星，”他声音沙哑地说，“在下个满月到来之前，我必须为我们的族群找到新领地。我们已经饿得受不了了。”松鼠爪听着他的话，同情得心都揪起来了。“但我们的族群体力不支，没办法独自迁徙。跟我们一起上路吧，火星。帮我们一把，就像过去你帮我们一样。当年断星把我们驱逐出领地，是你帮助了风族，把我们从流放地带回了森林。”
火星愁苦地抽动着耳朵，说道：“另两个族群不走，我们就不能走。森林里永远有四大族群，哪怕我们要灭绝，也要死在一块儿。不然我们又怎么能确信，第五族群一直与我们同在呢？”
第五族群？松鼠爪不知道父亲说这话是什么意思。她瞥了一眼黑莓掌，他看起来跟她一样迷惑不解。
“星族会永远跟我们在一起！”高星争辩道。松鼠爪这才明白，星族就是第五族群。
她看到风族族长疲惫的眼睛里流露出一丝恼怒。“你太自负了，火星！”他提醒道，“我需要告诉雷族的是，你们也跟我们一样，处于挨饿的边缘。如果你坚持留在森林里等另两个族群觉醒，你的族群将不复存在。”
火星移开视线。“对不起，高星！”他说，“我很想帮你，但我心底的声音告诉我，除非另两个族群也同意一起撤离，不然雷族不能走。我们要一起努力说服他们。”
高星使劲地摇着尾巴。“好吧，”他恼怒地说，“没有你们的帮助，我们也不能上路，我们会等的。为此忍饥挨饿，我也不会责怪你，但你不肯现在就帮我们，真的很让我失望。”说完，他就走了，青面紧紧伴随在他的身边，随时准备在风族族长要摔倒时撑住他。风族族长腿脚孱弱得几乎无法走到空地边缘，更不用说独立走回荒原了。
松鼠爪转向黑莓掌。“为什么信息还没有出现？”她质疑道。
黑莓掌盯着她。“你觉着午夜说错了吗？”月亮映照在他瞪得大大的眼睛里，“毕竟，午夜还告诉过我们当时正在发生却没法看到的一些事情。”黑莓掌用尾巴示意着惨遭蹂躏的空地以及路边横七竖八的树木，继续说道：“每只猫都知道，森林被两脚兽毁了。也许黑星是对的，每个族群都应该努力自救，而无须再等什么指示。”
松鼠爪拼命压抑着内心的恐慌。“你不能那么说！我们必须相信午夜说得对！”她争辩道，“星族派我们去见它，跟它对话，星族一定是想要我们拯救族群。”
“但是，如果我们办不到呢？”黑莓掌喃喃地说。
松鼠爪沮丧地凝视着他，脑海里突然出现了一幅混乱的画面：放倒的树、轰鸣的怪物、血顺着太阳石流进河里。“别放弃，黑莓掌！”她低声说道，“我们不能让这趟旅程以及羽尾的死变得毫无意义。我们必须拯救所有的族群！”
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 8
Leafpaw watched the monster pull awayand opened her mouth to howl, but no sound came out. The forest spun around her and she blinked, fighting the urge to lie down and never get up again.
Twolegs began to run toward the trees, shouting and waving their paws.
They were not safe yet.
Brambleclaw exploded from the undergrowth behind them. “Quick! Run!” He raced to Squirrelpaw’s side and gave her a shove.
Squirrelpaw dragged her horrified gaze from the clearing and stared at Brambleclaw. “What about Graystripe?”
“There’s nothing we can do for him right now,” he hissed. “Hurry! We have to get out of here!”
“Which way?” Cody yowled, staring into the trees.
“Follow me,” Brambleclaw ordered.
Leafpaw hadn’t seen Brambleclaw since he left the forest with Squirrelpaw. This was a very different cat that had returned—an experienced, confident warrior, calmly issuing commands in spite of the huge danger they were all in. This wasn’t the time to find out exactly where they had been for the last moon. Pulling her paws free from the mud, she scrabbled through the undergrowth behind Squirrelpaw and Cody. Cloudtail passed her, with Brightheart so close to him that their fur touched.
Relief flooded through Leafpaw when she saw the familiar pelts of Sorreltail and Rainwhisker flash through the trees up ahead. Mistyfoot was with them. All the trapped cats had been freed—but they had lost Graystripe.
She heard the Twolegs crashing through the forest behind them. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched them blunder through the bushes, swerving clumsily around the trees and stumbling over trailing brambles. Leafpaw knew they would not catch her now. This was her domain; she could race through it as fast as any creature, her lithe body perfectly suited to slipping through the undergrowth like the wind.
The cats scrambled down Snakerocks. The Twolegs were far behind now, and Leafpaw slowed her pace. Cody fell in beside her as they padded breathlessly into the leaf-strewn glade beside the Great Sycamore. The other cats were sprawled on the ground, exhausted. Cloudtail was licking Brightheart’s ears as if he would never get them clean. Mistyfoot watched them, her pale gray flanks heaving.
Cody looked nervously around the clearing. “Is it safe here?”
“The Twolegs won’t catch us now,” Leafpaw assured her.
“But what about foxes and badgers?” Cody’s eyes were huge. “Aren’t the woods full of all kinds of dreadful things?”
“Like wildcats?” Leafpaw joked weakly. She collapsed onto the soft leaves next to the other ThunderClan cats.
Rainwhisker struggled to sit up. His dark gray fur stood on end, and there was blood oozing between the claws on one of his front paws. “Are you sure they got Graystripe?”
Squirrelpaw flattened her ears. “The monster carried him away. I saw him!”
“But he was fighting like a TigerClan cat!” Thornclaw protested. “They couldn’t have caught him!”
“There were too many Twolegs,” Squirrelpaw explained.
Mistyfoot dipped her head toward Squirrelpaw. “I owe him my life,” she murmured. “I thought we would never escape.” She stared intently at her. “You saved us.”
Squirrelpaw sat up. “It wasn’t just me,” she insisted. “We all risked our lives. Graystripe led the way.”
Leafpaw narrowed her eyes and studied her sister. That was the reply of a warrior, not an apprentice. She noticed how much leaner and stronger Squirrelpaw had become—much fitter than the scrawny ThunderClan warriors. Leafpaw bent her head to lick her own patchy, unkempt fur. For the first time, she felt awkward around her sister, unsure what to say when so much had happened since they had last seen each other.
“What will the Twolegs do to him?” Sorreltail wailed, grief-stricken.
Leafpaw wished she could offer comfort, but she didn’t know what to say. If it hadn’t been for her brave Clanmates, she would be making that journey instead of Graystripe.
“May StarClan help him,” murmured Thornclaw.
“StarClan is helpless against the Twolegs,” Squirrelpaw spat.
“StarClan was with us today,” Leafpaw reminded her. “They gave you the strength to face the Twolegs. They will look after Graystripe.”
Sorreltail hauled herself to her paws and touched Leafpaw’s muzzle with hers. “Thank StarClan the Twolegs didn’t take you as well,” she murmured. “Squirrelpaw saw you in a dream, trapped in that place. She insisted we rescue you.”
“It wasn’t just me you saved,” Leafpaw meowed, looking gratefully at her Clanmates.
“You saved all of us,” Cody agreed, padding over to Leafpaw’s side.
Sorreltail pulled away from Leafpaw and looked sharply at the kittypet. “Who are you?” she demanded. “You’re not a forest cat, but you don’t look like a rogue, either.”
“This is Cody,” Leafpaw meowed. “She stopped me from feeling sorry for myself, and made me believe we might be able to escape.”
Sorreltail sniffed. “You’re a kittypet?”
Rainwhisker sat up and stared at the tabby she-cat. Thornclaw flattened his ears.
“Yes, I’m a kittypet,” Cody confirmed.
Brambleclaw got to his paws and padded over to Cody. Leafpaw saw her friend try not to flinch away from the broad-shouldered warrior, whose coat was streaked with mud and blood. “Do you want us to show you the way back to Twolegplace?” he offered.
“It’s not safe enough to go that way yet,” Leafpaw warned. “The Twolegs might be searching the woods.”
Brightheart sat up and stared nervously around the glade.
“It’s okay,” Cloudtail reassured her. “We can outrun them from here.”
“We’ll be even safer back at the camp,” mewed Squirrelpaw. “Why doesn’t Cody come with us for now?”
The kittypet stared uncertainly at the cats. For all her courage when they were trapped, she was obviously feeling daunted by being around so many of the wildcats she had heard about in bloodthirsty stories.
“You’ll be made welcome,” Leafpaw meowed. She looked at Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker, hoping she was right.
“Firestar won’t turn away a cat who’s in trouble,” Brambleclaw agreed.
“Won’t your Twolegs be missing you?” Sorreltail asked pointedly, and Leafpaw glanced at her in surprise.
“Yes, of course.” Cody kneaded the ground with her paws. Some of the fire returned to her blue eyes. “But it sounds as if it wouldn’t be safe for me to travel through that part of the forest alone, and I don’t want to put any more of you in danger.”
“We’ll get you home as soon as it’s safe,” Leafpaw promised.
“I suppose we should be going then.” Sorreltail sighed. Shelooked at Brambleclaw. “What are we going to tell Firestar about Graystripe?”
Leafpaw swallowed. Graystripe was the ThunderClan deputy, one of the bravest and most experienced warriors, and Firestar’s best friend. How would the Clan cope without him?
The cats fell into a miserable silence as they trekked though the forest. Leafpaw noticed that Thornclaw seemed to be leading them toward Sunningrocks rather than the ravine. Why weren’t they going to the camp? She glanced at Squirrelpaw, puzzled.
“The Clan had to abandon the old camp,” her sister explained. “The Twolegs were getting too close.”
Leafpaw gulped. “Has it gotten that bad?”
“I’m afraid so,” Thornclaw answered grimly.
“Surely there’s not enough shelter for all of us at Sunningrocks?” Cloudtail meowed.
“How are the kits?” Brightheart asked anxiously.
“Not as well fed as they should be,” Squirrelpaw admitted.
“We should leave before they get any weaker,” Brambleclaw muttered.
Leafpaw wondered what he meant, and felt even more confused when Thornclaw flashed him a sharp glance. Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw had only just returned to the forest—why were they talking about leaving already?
“Are we nearly there?” Cody called from behind.
Leafpaw could hear the murmuring of the river through the leafless trees. They were nearing the RiverClan border, and Sunningrocks was not far ahead. “Yes, it’s not far now,” she called back.
Thornclaw padded onward, and Leafpaw followed with the others through a swath of bracken. They emerged at the top of the slope that led down to the RiverClan border. Leafpaw could see water rippling at the bottom. It was unexpectedly comforting to find that the river was still there in spite of everything the Twolegs had done to the rest of the forest.
Mistyfoot padded down to the river. At the water’s edge she stopped and called back to the ThunderClan cats, “I honor the warriors of ThunderClan for rescuing me. And I mourn the loss of Graystripe with you.” Her blue eyes clouded for a moment; then she turned and pushed through the swirling water with powerfully churning paws till she reached the other side.
The ThunderClan cats headed for Sunningrocks. Leafpaw quickened her pace, impatient to be back with her Clan and anxious to know what had happened to their old home in the ravine. Cody matched her step for step, sticking close to her side; Leafpaw could tell by the flicking of her ears that the kittypet was both excited and nervous about meeting the Clan.
“Are you sure they won’t mind my coming back with you?” she whispered.
Leafpaw hardly heard her. She had just spotted Firestar sitting near the top of the broad gray slope. The sun lit up his fiery pelt, picking out his bony frame. He looked thin and tired, and his eyes were half-closed. How could she tell him that Graystripe had been lost in rescuing her? The thought pieced Leafpaw’s heart like a thorn.
The breeze must have carried her scent, for Firestar suddenly turned and stared down the rock. He jumped to his paws and raced down to them with his tail held high. “Leafpaw,” he panted, sliding to a halt. “You’re safe!” He licked her ears, and a purr throbbed in his throat.
“I missed you so much,” Leafpaw mewed, pushing her face into the familiar warmth of his pelt.
“Thank StarClan I have both of you back.” Firestar’s mew was thick with emotion.
Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw waited at the bottom of the slope with the other ThunderClan warriors, while Cody hung back among the trees.
Cloudtail and Brightheart shot past them onto Sunningrocks, calling for their kit. “Whitepaw!” Cloudtail called. “We’re back!”
The snowy-pelted apprentice was dozing in a sheltered dip in the rock. At the sound of voices, she raised her head and leaped to her paws. “You escaped!” she cried, hurtling down the slope to greet her mother and father. She skidded into them, purring with delight. Cloudtail wrapped his tail around her, while Brightheart licked her so fiercely that Whitepaw ducked out of the way with a muffled squeak.
Sandstorm came racing out from an overhang at the side of Sunningrocks. She bounded down the slope and nudged Firestar out of the way. “Leafpaw! Did they hurt you?”
“No,” Leafpaw answered as Sandstorm enthusiastically began to lick away the stench of the Twoleg nest from her daughter’s pelt. “I’m fine, honestly.”
“How did you escape?” Firestar demanded.
“Squirrelpaw rescued us.” Leafpaw delightedly fought to keep her balance against her mother’s eager grooming.
“I had a dream last night.” Squirrelpaw stepped forward. “Spottedleaf told me where Leafpaw was trapped.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Firestar stared in amazement at his daughter.
“You were away on patrol,” Squirrelpaw explained. “It couldn’t wait. So Sorreltail and I found Leafpaw by ourselves—”
“And there wasn’t time to come all the way back to camp for help,” Sorreltail broke in. “The Twolegs were already starting to take all the cats they’d caught away from the forest.”
“We couldn’t rescue them by ourselves,” Squirrelpaw chipped in. “But we found Graystripe and Brambleclaw near Snakerocks.”
“And Thornclaw and Rainwhisker,” added Brambleclaw. “But it was Graystripe who led the rescue. He assessed the danger and decided it was worth trying to save all the cats the Twolegs had trapped.”
“Graystripe,” Firestar murmured. “I might have known he’d try something foolish.” He looked around for his old friend. “Where is he?”
Leafpaw felt the rock sway under her paws. Sandstorm stopped washing her, as though she sensed something was wrong.
Firestar looked at her with his head to one side. “Why didn’t he come back with you?”
Leafpaw saw him read her expression. His face suddenly seemed to be cast in shadow. “The Twolegs caught him,” she forced herself to say, the words dropping like stones in the cold air.
“They trapped him inside a monster and took him away,” Squirrelpaw explained hoarsely.
“Graystripe’s gone?” Firestar whispered. He sat down, drawing his tail around him. Leafpaw’s legs trembled. Her father had never seemed so far away, so far beyond her reach to comfort him.
“W-we should have gotten a bigger patrol together before we attacked,” Brambleclaw stammered, staring grief-stricken at his leader. “I should have stopped him. I’m sorry.”
Firestar stared at the dark brown tom in front of him. A fire seemed to burn in his eyes, and, for a moment, Leafpaw was afraid that her father was going to take out his pain on the young warrior. Beside her, Squirrelpaw unsheathed her claws—would she really defend Brambleclaw against their father?Leafpaw wondered—but Brambleclaw met his leader’s gaze without flinching.
“You have brought back my daughter, and Cloudtail and Brightheart.” Firestar almost seemed to be persuading himself that he could not blame Brambleclaw for what had happened. “Graystripe will find his way back to us.”
“But they trapped him in a monster,” Rainwhisker murmured.
Firestar stared at the gray warrior, hollow-eyed. “He will return,” he repeated. “I have to believe that or everything will be lost.”
Sandstorm moved closer to Firestar and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. But Firestar just turned away and walked slowly toward the shadowy overhang. Suddenly he looked old beyond his years.
Sandstorm padded after him. “We have both our daughters back.” Her voice drifted over the rock. “That is a miracle we never thought would happen.”
Firestar gazed at her. “Graystripe would have sacrificed himself for them in an instant,” he admitted.
“That is why he will always be a good friend,” Sandstorm murmured. She sat beside Firestar and curled her tail around him.
“Leafpaw!” Cody hissed from the shadow of the trees. “Is everything okay?”
Leafpaw could not answer. She was still staring at her father with a pang of sorrow so great she could hardly breathe. She felt her sister’s tail sweep gently down her flank.
“Don’t worry,” Squirrelpaw murmured. “Firestar will be all right, so long as he believes Graystripe will return.”
“But they trapped him in a monster,” Rainwhisker repeated, as if he would never get the image out of his head.
Mousefur looked grim. “Firestar will have to choose another deputy before moonhigh,” she meowed.
Squirrelpaw’s eyes flashed with rage, and she rounded on Mousefur, making Leafpaw jump. “You’re acting like Graystripe is dead!” she cried. “He’s not dead! You heard what Firestar said. He willcome back. We must not give up hope.”
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 9
A mournful yowl echoed around therocky cleft, jolting Leafpaw awake. For a moment she thought she was back in the cage, and that her terrifying escape had been nothing but a dream. Then she smelled the scent of the forest and the river on the icy breeze, and remembered she was at Sunningrocks, in the new ThunderClan camp. She blinked open her eyes and looked over the edge of the hollow, her breath billowing like smoke in the freezing air.
“What is it?” Cody whispered. The kittypet had slept beside her in the apprentices’ gully last night. Leafpaw felt her soft fur bristling against her flank.
“It sounded like Ferncloud,” she mewed. “But I can only see Dustpelt from here.”
The striped warrior stood on the frost-covered slope, silhouetted by the early morning light. A kit dangled limply from his jaws.
As Dustpelt carried the kit away, Ferncloud cried out again from the hollow that formed the camp’s makeshift nursery.
Leafpaw scrambled out, struggling to get a grip on the icy stone, and raced to Ferncloud’s side. “What’s happened?”
“Hollykit is dead!” Ferncloud whispered. “Dustpelt’s gone to bury her.” She tucked her remaining kit close to her belly. “I woke and she was cold. So cold!” Her voice cracked with grief. “I licked her and licked her but she would not wake up.”
Leafpaw felt sorrow grip her heart. What kind of medicine cat was she if she hadn’t even noticed Hollykit was so close to death?
“Oh, Ferncloud,” she breathed. “I’m so sorry.”
One by one, the Clan gathered above the nursery in grim silence. Cody stood among them, her eyes round with sympathy. To Leafpaw’s relief, her Clanmates took no notice of the kittypet. They shared a common enemy now—the Twolegs who were trapping cats and tearing up the forest.
Cinderpelt scrambled down into the hollow. “Fetch some poppy seeds,” she ordered. “Ferncloud must not waste what little energy she has left on grieving.”
Leafpaw hurried to the crack in the rock where Cinderpelt stored her tiny heap of remedies and reached in to pull out a leaf-wrapped hoard of poppy seeds. She wished with all her heart they were still in the ravine, where the medicine cats had kept their den in the rock well stocked. Looking at the shriveled leaf beneath her paw, she guessed there were only two or three doses of poppy seeds left, and there was no hope of finding more with leaf-bare nearly upon them.
Firestar’s call startled her. “Leafpaw!” She turned to see her father bounding up the slope with Brambleclaw and Mousefur. “How is Ferncloud?” he asked.
“Cinderpelt told me to get some poppy seeds to calm her,” Leafpaw told him.
“I didn’t think it would get this bad so soon!” Firestar growled. “Oh, StarClan! What can I do to help these cats?” He raised his eyes to Silverpelt, fading quickly in the dawn light.
“Last night was so cold,” Mousefur remarked. “The poor little mite didn’t have enough flesh on her bones to make it through.”
“Birchkit survived,” Leafpaw reminded them. “We must do everything we can to make sure Ferncloud can feed him properly.”
“But the nights are only going to get colder, and once the snow comes…” Firestar trailed off and stared into the treetops beyond Sunningrocks.
Brambleclaw glanced uneasily at Leafpaw. “If we are to leave the forest we should go soon,” he meowed. “Before snowfall makes the mountains too difficult to cross.”
Leafpaw narrowed her eyes. She had been torn by doubts since her sister had told her about Midnight’s warning. She could tell that many of her Clanmates couldn’t believe that StarClan really intended them to go, but she trusted that her sister and Brambleclaw had a role to play in their Clan’s destiny. She did not want to leave her forest home, and she feared the Clan were not strong enough for such a journey, but how could she ignore the will of StarClan?
“You already know how I feel. We cannot go without the other Clans,” Firestar pointed out. Leafpaw silently agreed with him. However much hardship one Clan was in, they had to remain together for StarClan’s sake.
“I must take these to Ferncloud,” she murmured, picking up the bundle of seeds.
As she reached the crevice, Sorreltail was padding away, her eyes dull with sorrow. She didn’t even look up as she went past. Leafpaw noticed that she trod carefully on the freezing stone as if it hurt her paws. She scrambled into the hollow and dropped the poppy seeds at Cinderpelt’s paws. Ferncloud was lying with her eyes wide, staring at nothing. Birchkit was huddled beside her, too shocked and hungry to mew. To Leafpaw’s surprise, Cody was there too.
“Thank you,” Cinderpelt whispered, taking the leaf bundle and carefully unwrapping it with her teeth.
“Shouldn’t you be outside?” Leafpaw gently prompted Cody.
“I thought I might be able to help,” came the reply. “I lost a litter once.”
“A whole litter? That’s so sad!”
“They didn’t die,” Cody explained quickly. “My housefolk sent them away to new homes. But I felt the loss as badly.”
“And these are the Twolegs you want to go back to?” Leafpaw mewed in disbelief. “How could you possibly forgive them?”
“It is normal for kittypets not to raise their kits. We don’t expect anything else.” Cody blinked. “My housefolk are gentle and kind. They chose good homes for each kit. They wouldn’t have known that I miss them.”
Cinderpelt silenced them with a warning stare. Ferncloud had grown fretful again, writhing on the cold stone and letting out tiny moaning sounds. “Hollykit is with StarClan now,” Cinderpelt whispered to her. “She will never know cold or hunger again.”
“I tried my best,” Ferncloud wailed. “Why couldn’t I have died instead of her?”
Firestar’s deep mew sounded from the rim of the hollow. “Because then there would be no cat left to look after Birchkit. You must have courage, Ferncloud.”
Leafpaw looked up. Cody flattened her ears. She had not met the ThunderClan leader yet.
“Ferncloud, I’m so sorry about Hollykit,” Firestar went on. “We will make sure Birchkit survives.”
Ferncloud stared up at him. “Birchkit mustsurvive,” she hissed.
Cinderpelt placed a poppy seed on the ground beside her. “Here,” she mewed. “Eat this; it will help soothe your pain.”
Ferncloud looked uncertainly at the seed.
Cody stretched forward and sniffed the black speck. “Eat it,” she advised, pushing it nearer to Ferncloud with her paw. “You need to save all your strength for the kit you have left.”
Firestar watched her curiously. “Sandstorm told me Leafpaw had brought a kittypet back with her. Is that you?”
“Yes. I’m Cody. Come, Ferncloud, eat the poppy seed.”
“You can see that the Clan cannot offer you much as a place of safety,” Firestar apologized. “But it’s even more dangerous for you to travel alone. When I have a free warrior, you’ll be escorted home. Until then, you can stay with us.”
“Thank you,” Cody murmured.
Firestar’s gazed flicked back to Ferncloud. “Will she be all right?”
“She just needs rest,” Cinderpelt told him.
“And Birchkit?”
“He always was the strongest of the three.” Cinderpelt bent down to lick the small scrap of fur that had begun to knead his mother’s belly in search of milk.
“Do your best.” Firestar turned and padded away.
Cody’s shoulders drooped. “It’s hard to believe your father was ever a kittypet,” she muttered to Leafpaw.
“I never really think about it,” she admitted. “It’s not as if I knew him back then. I was born after he became leader.” She looked at Cody. “Will you be all right, staying here?”
“Of course.” Cody sounded surprised that Leafpaw should have any doubts. Sweeping her tail gently along Leafpaw’s flank, she turned and crouched down beside Ferncloud. “You two go,” she meowed to Leafpaw and Cinderpelt. “You have many cats to look after. There is little I can do for the rest of the Clan, but at least I can take care of Ferncloud.”
Cinderpelt looked uncertainly at the kittypet, but Cody reassured her. “I’ll make sure she eats the seed,” she promised. “And while she sleeps I can look after Birchkit. He’ll be missing his sister.”
“Very well,” Cinderpelt agreed. “But call me if Ferncloud becomes more distressed.”
Cody nodded, and Leafpaw followed Cinderpelt out of the den, glancing back just once to blink appreciatively at her friend
The Clan was huddled in small groups on the exposed flank of the rock, their faces grave. Leafpaw suddenly longed to run through the woods on her own. The Clan she had returned to seemed filled with more suffering than she could ease, and she wanted to be away from it, if only for a short while.
She padded down the slope toward the trees. Pushing through the undergrowth she inhaled the earthy odors of the forest, drinking them in gratefully. She detected the familiar smells of Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw, and when she put her head to one side to listen she heard their voices mewing urgently up ahead. Weaving through the bracken, she found them in a small clearing near the RiverClan border.
“I told Firestar we’d have to leave soon,” Brambleclaw was meowing. “We shouldn’t try to cross the mountains after the snow comes, and we’ll never make it to newleaf if we stay here.”
“But how do we know we should go through the mountains?” Squirrelpaw argued. “The sign never appeared when we were at the Great Rock. A warrior was meant to show us the way, but no warrior came!”
“With no sign, how do we know we’re meant to go at all?” Brambleclaw muttered. “Perhaps Midnight was wrong.”
“How could she be wrong?” Squirrelpaw mewed. “StarClan sent us to her!”
Leafpaw froze, her tail quivering. She closed her eyes, wishing for some sign that StarClan was listening, and then opened them again impatiently. Why was she being so feeble? If StarClan had a sign they would send it. Until then, they would have to figure this out by themselves.
“Squirrelpaw?” she called. “Brambleclaw, it’s me.” She pushed through the bracken to join her Clanmates. The pair sprang away from each other and faced her warily.
Brambleclaw shifted his paws. “Did you hear what we were talking about?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think?” He stared at her. “Could Midnight have been wrong?”
Part of Leafpaw wantedMidnight to be wrong. She wanted to stay in the forest where she had been born. This was StarClan’s home, too. But why else would they have ordered Brambleclaw and the others to make such a dangerous journey? They would not have risked the cats’ lives for nothing. “Is it StarClan you doubt or yourselves?” she murmured.
Brambleclaw wearily shook his head. “The journey was difficult enough. We didn’t think things would be even harder once we returned. We were so sure StarClan would show us the way, but they haven’t, and we can’t afford to wait. Taking the Clan away from their home is such a big responsibility….”
“And we don’t know when we should leave or where we should go,” Squirrelpaw put in.
“In the end, it has to be Firestar’s decision,” Leafpaw reminded them. “You can only tell him what you have seen and heard.”
Brambleclaw nodded.
“How did you get to be so wise?” Squirrelpaw asked her sister fondly.
“How did you become so brave and noble?” Leafpaw teased, flicking Squirrelpaw’s flank with her tail. She felt a surge of happiness at being with her sister again. Then she remembered Ferncloud and Graystripe, and her heart sank.
“If Firestar does decide to leave,” she breathed, “what about Graystripe?”
Squirrelpaw looked sad. “Graystripe will find us, wherever we are.”
“I hope so,” Leafpaw mewed. “But until he does, who’ll be deputy?”
“Graystripe is still our deputy,” Brambleclaw meowed.
“But he’s not here, and the Clan needs strong leadership more now than ever,” Leafpaw argued.
“Firestar can’t appoint a new deputy as long as he believes Graystripe is still alive,” Brambleclaw insisted.
Leafpaw shook her head. She couldn’t agree with him, but she admired his loyalty.
“Let’s not argue about it,” Squirrelpaw pleaded. “There’s already too much to worry about.” She glanced at Leafpaw. “There’s something I wish I’d asked Graystripe to explain before we lost him.”
Leafpaw tipped her head on one side. “What?”
“It just seemed strange at the time, and Firestar silenced him before he could explain….”
Brambleclaw pricked his ears as she went on.
“When we first returned, Graystripe welcomed us by saying, ‘Fire and tiger have returned.’” Squirrelpaw blinked. “It just seemed like an odd thing to say.”
Leafpaw looked at her paws, unsure what to say. Should she tell Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw about Cinderpelt’s ominous warning? Or would they be better off without that hanging over their heads? After all, they had enough to worry about already.
“You know something, don’t you?” Squirrelpaw prompted.
Leafpaw shuffled her paws, feeling a flash of frustration that she could never hide anything from her sister. “Cinderpelt had a message from StarClan.”
Brambleclaw leaned forward. “I thought StarClan had been silent?”
“It was just before you left,” Leafpaw explained. “StarClan warned her that fire and tiger would destroy the Clan.”
“Fire and tiger?” Squirrelpaw echoed. “What’s that got to do with us?”
Leafpaw twitched an ear. “You are Firestar’s kit.” She turned to Brambleclaw. “And you are Tigerstar’s.”
Squirrelpaw’s eyes widened. “So we’re fire and tiger?”
Leafpaw nodded.
“But how could anyone believe we would destroy the Clan?” Squirrelpaw protested. “We’ve risked our lives to help save them!”
“I know.” Leafpaw dipped her head. “And no cat really thinks you would—in fact, only Firestar, Cinderpelt, Graystripe, and I even know about it….” She was desperate to reassure her sister. “We believe you would never do anything to harm us.” Leafpaw realized that Brambleclaw had said nothing. But he was staring at her, his eyes dark with worry, and she felt a flash of inexplicable fear. “Brambleclaw?”
“Are you sure we wouldn’t destroy the Clan?” he growled.
“W-what do you mean?”
“Of course we wouldn’t!” Squirrelpaw rounded on Brambleclaw in anger and confusion.
“Not on purpose,” Brambleclaw meowed. “But it’s us, isn’t it—fire and tiger—who want to lead the Clan away from its home and on a long, dangerous journey when we don’t even know where we’re meant to be going?”
A cold shiver rippled down Leafpaw’s spine. Cinderpelt’s prophecy suddenly seemed more frightening than it ever had before. If the Clan left the forest, following Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw, what terrible fate awaited them?
When the three cats returned to Sunningrocks, the leaf-bare sun was already low in the sky. Each cat carried a piece of fresh-kill: Leafpaw had caught a mouse; Brambleclaw held a starling in his jaws; while Squirrelpaw carried a plump thrush.
Leafpaw longed to go to sleep and forget Brambleclaw’s worrying warning. But she was a medicine cat, and she could not rest until she knew the Clan was all right. As she followed her sister up the slope, she wondered if Cody had managed to persuade Ferncloud to eat the poppy seed.
Brackenfur met them. “The fresh-kill pile is over there.” He gestured with his tail to a meager heap farther up the rock. Ashfur sat guard beside it, scanning the sky for birds of prey. The days were gone when the fresh-kill pile lay at the edge of the camp, well stocked and unguarded.
As Leafpaw dropped her offering onto the pile she was shocked by how small it was. There would not be enough for a whole piece of prey each. Tonight she would go without, she decided. She felt too tired to eat anyway.
She padded toward Cinderpelt and Mousefur, who were lying underneath a shallow overhang. The medicine cat looked exhausted, as much in need of her healing herbs as any of her Clanmates.
“How’s Ferncloud?” Leafpaw asked.
Cinderpelt looked up. “She’s resting now. Cody’s taking good care of her.”
“Not bad for a kittypet, that one,” Mousefur added with a twitch of her tail. “She looked so nervous when she arrived I didn’t think she’d settle in. But it looks like she’ll be okay here—for a while, anyway.”
Leafpaw blinked gratefully at the dusky brown cat, then turned to Cinderpelt again. There was something she had to ask, even though she dreaded hearing the answer. “Will Ferncloud lose her other kit?”
“Birchkit is strong enough for now,” Cinderpelt reassured her. “And with only one mouth to feed, Ferncloud should be able to give him more milk.”
“He won’t last the winter if we stay here, though,” Mousefur commented. Her eyes betrayed alarm as she saw Dustpelt padding toward her. “I hope he didn’t hear that,” she whispered. “He’s mourned enough today.”
“I did hear, Mousefur,” Dustpelt meowed wearily. “And I agree. We must leave the forest.”
Leafpaw stared at him in shock. Hollykit’s death seemed to have crushed the last morsel of strength in him.
Duspelt raised his voice so that his deep meow rang around the rock. All the other cats stared at him in astonishment.
“We must leave the forest as soon as we can!” he insisted, his eyes blazing. He swung his head around to look at Brambleclaw. “Your message from StarClan is the only sign of hope we’ve had,” he meowed.
Mousefur stood up. “Before we can leave, we’ll need a new deputy.”
As she spoke, Firestar appeared from the edge of the forest, carrying a scrawny blackbird. He had clearly heard her words. His eyes glittered as he dropped the blackbird onto the fresh-kill pile and strode up the slope. “ThunderClan has a deputy. When Graystripe returns, he won’t find another cat in his place.” He turned to face Dustpelt. “I’m glad you agree we must leave,” he meowed. “But we cannot leave yet, not without the other Clans.”
“I have only one kit left,” Dustpelt meowed. “He will die if we stay. We will probably all die.”
“Then we must try harder to persuade the other Clans to leave,” Firestar growled.
“The other Clans can come when they are ready,” Dustpelt retorted. “We are ready now.”
Firestar returned the warrior’s gaze. “We cannot leave yet,” he repeated.
“Ferncloud still needs to rest,” Cinderpelt put in quietly.
Firestar acknowledged her support with a brief nod.
Brambleclaw faced Dustpelt. “I know you are mourning two kits,” he mewed. “And that you fear for the other. But Firestar is right. StarClan would not want us to leave without the other Clans.” He turned to the other cats. “StarClan chose a cat from each Clan to carry Midnight’s message back. We had to work together to survive, without ever thinking of the differences between our Clans. StarClan wanted us to share the journey, to learn how to help one another. They must want us to travel together now.”
Firestar padded across the rock to stand beside the young warrior. “We need to send out more hunting patrols,” he meowed. “We are under no threat from the other Clans now. RiverClan have more food than we do. They have no need to attack.” He stared around at the gaunt, hungry cats. “We can devote all our patrols to hunting from now on. We will find enough food in the forest until it is time to leave. Yes, Dustpelt, we willleave. I will visit RiverClan and ShadowClan and try to persuade them once more.”
Relief washed over Leafpaw as the cats began to nod their acceptance. Then her heart lurched again as Mousefur stepped forward.
“But what about Graystripe?” When Firestar flinched, she went on: “Whether he’s coming back or not, we need to find another deputy for as long as he’s not here, someone to carry out his duties.”
“Yes,” Dustpelt agreed. “You haven’t named anyone yet.” He glanced at Brambleclaw. “You should choose someone young. Some cat StarClan clearly approves of.”
Leafpaw looked around. Ashfur, Whitepaw, Frostfur, and Cloudtail were staring at Brambleclaw. Even Thornclaw seemed to be watching the young cat, as though he might be the one to fill Graystripe’s pawprints. Only Mousefur and Rainwhisker were looking elsewhere.
“Brackenfur has enough experience,” Mousefur suggested. “He is young and strong and has earned his warrior name many times over.”
Rainwhisker nodded. “Brackenfur would be a good deputy.”
“Why are you talking like this? Graystripe is not dead!” Firestar spat. “He is still our deputy.” The bristling fur along his spine warned the other cats not to argue. He shook himself and blinked, calming down. “But you are right. Someone must carry out Graystripe’s duties. So until he returns, the senior warriors shall share them.” He glanced at Brackenfur. “You shall organize the new hunting patrols. Sandstorm can organize work within the camp. Brambleclaw, you can help me try to convince ShadowClan and RiverClan that we must leave the forest together.” He stalked toward the overhang, and as he passed Leafpaw he called to her, “I want to speak to you,” he meowed. “Alone.”
Leafpaw followed him uneasily to the hollow. She glanced down at Cody, who was still in the makeshift nursery. The kittypet was busy washing Birchkit, ignoring the tiny kit’s mews of complaint. Ferncloud lay sleeping beside them. Feeling relieved that the cat who needed it most was resting, Leafpaw ducked beneath the overhang into the shadowy cavern.
Firestar looked urgently into her eyes. “Leafpaw,” he meowed. “You must tell me if you have had any sign from StarClan.”
“No, nothing,” she answered, surprised by his intensity. “What about Cinderpelt?”
“She has heard nothing either.” Firestar blinked. “I was hoping they might have spoken to you.”
Leafpaw shifted her paws awkwardly. Though she was pleased her father had such faith in her, she felt uncomfortable that he thought StarClan might share with her rather than the Clan’s medicine cat.
“Why are they so quiet?” Firestar continued angrily, unsheathing his claws against the cold stone floor. “Are they trying to tell us each Clan must look after itself rather than leave the forest together?”
“I felt the same when the Twolegs captured me,” Leafpaw admitted. “StarClan did not visit me once in my dreams while I lay in that stinking cage. I felt as if I was utterly alone. But I wasn’t.” She returned her father’s solemn gaze. “My Clanmates came to rescue me.”
Firestar opened his eyes wide as she went on. “StarClan won’t do anything to keep the Clans together. They don’t have to. Being one of four Clans—not two, not three, but four—lies within our hearts, just like the ability to track prey andhide in the forest shadows. No matter what the other Clans say, they cannot turn away from the divisions, the differences, the rivalries that bind us. The line that separates us from WindClan or RiverClan is also the line that connects us. StarClan know this, and it is up to us to have faith in that connection.”
Firestar stared at his daughter as though he were seeing her for the first time. “I wish you could have known Spottedleaf,” he murmured. “You remind me of her.”
Touched beyond words, Leafpaw lowered her gaze. She sensed that this was not the time to tell her father that Spottedleaf had spoken to her in dreams several times. It was enough that Firestar thought her a worthy companion of the former ThunderClan medicine cat, who padded tirelessly through the stars, watching over her Clanmates.
She just hoped with all her heart that Spottedleaf, and their other warrior ancestors, would come with them when the Clans finally abandoned the forest.
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 10
Firestar led the patrol upriver, keepingclose to the border where tempting prey-scent drifted across the water from RiverClan’s territory. Squirrelpaw padded behind him in step with Brambleclaw, while Ashfur brought up the rear. It was the first time in days that she and Brambleclaw had left the camp together. Firestar had taken the tabby warrior with him to RiverClan and ShadowClan, to plead with them once more to leave the forest. He’d done his best, but Leopardstar and Blackstar both still refused to believe that their future lay with the other Clans, far from their forest home
Clouds had rolled in overnight, and freezing drizzle hung under the trees, refusing to fall as proper rain but still soaking everything it touched. Squirrelpaw’s fur clung uncomfortably to her body as the dampness soaked into her pelt. The trees shone wetly in the bleak leaf-bare light and dripped water onto the fallen leaves below, turning the loose, crisp piles into slippery clumps.
Suddenly Firestar stopped and lifted his nose to scent the air. Squirrelpaw took a deep breath, hoping to catch the welcome aroma of mouse or thrush or vole. But there was no prey-scent coming from this side of the river, only something that seemed strange and familiar all at the same time.
“I think I recognize that smell,” she whispered to Brambleclaw.
“It smells like a rogue,” Brambleclaw growled.
“Hush!” Firestar commanded. He paused, then dashed forward with his hackles raised. The bushes ahead shivered and a tawny cat burst out. As it streaked away Brambleclaw yowled a battle cry, joining the chase.
“Come on!” he called, but Squirrelpaw was already charging after him.
The tawny cat swerved toward the scent-markers at the RiverClan border. Firestar headed after it without slackening the pace. Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of alarm as she neared the warning scents. The ThunderClan cats were gaining on the rogue as she pelted over the border. The moment Firestar’s paws crossed the line in pursuit, a furious yowl sounded close by, and a dark brown RiverClan warrior leaped from a swath of bracken, snarling viciously.
Firestar turned, skidding on the wet leaves, and stopped barely over the border. Brambleclaw and Ashfur almost crashed into him, but managed to stop in time.
“Hawkfrost!” Brambleclaw gasped.
Firestar took a step backward over the border. But he continued to stare at Hawkfrost, his eyes stretched wide as though he were staring into the face of a StarClan warrior. Squirrelpaw was surprised that Hawkfrost’s ambush had shocked her father so much. It was hardly strange to encounter a warrior patrolling this close to the border, when every cat in RiverClan knew how close their neighbors were to starvation.
“What are you doing on RiverClan territory?” Hawkfrost demanded.
Firestar did not answer at first. Then he seemed to recover himself, letting his fur lie flat and relaxing his shoulders. “I was chasing that rogue out of ThunderClan territory,” he replied. He glanced at the tawny she-cat who had halted behind Hawkfrost. “Why challenge me when you have allowed a rogue to cross your borders?”
Hawkfrost exchanged a long look with the rogue before he answered. “My mother will always be welcome in RiverClan,” he meowed.
Sasha! Suddenly Squirrelpaw recognized the rogue she had helped escape from the Twoleg nest. She felt the mild triumph of curiosity satisfied. It was common knowledge that Hawkfrost and his sister, Mothwing, had been left in RiverClan by their rogue mother, though she hadn’t stayed in the forest long enough to be known by other Clans.
But Firestar seemed to have more unanswered questions, because he stood rigid, staring at mother and son with his ears pricked.
With a small dip of her head, Sasha meowed a greeting. “I have heard much about you, Firestar,” she murmured. “It is…interesting to meet you at last.” Her voice was icy and dignified, and Squirrelpaw felt self-consciously young and awkward by comparison.
“So you are Sasha?” Firestar meowed softly, his eyes glittering.
“You look as if you expected something else,” Sasha suggested.
Firestar’s gaze swept along her well-groomed pelt. “You don’t look like a rogue.”
“And you don’t look like a kittypet,” Sasha countered. Squirrelpaw winced, but her father showed no anger. Instead he met Sasha’s proud gaze evenly.
“I have often wondered why a rogue would choose to leave her kits with a Clan.”
“Why would a Clan make a kittypet their leader?” Sasha responded. She did not wait for an answer. “Not all cats are true to their birthright, Firestar. Some choose their own path.”
Firestar narrowed his eyes. “Are you such a cat?”
“Maybe,” Sasha meowed. “Maybe not. But I hope my kits are.” She glanced at Hawkfrost, and Squirrelpaw saw a flash of pride in her eyes.
“Will you stay with RiverClan awhile?” Hawkfrost invited her. “We have plenty of prey.” He cast a mocking glance at Firestar, but Firestar didn’t react. He simply watched, his eyes still narrowed in thought as Sasha gave her answer.
“I won’t stay long,” she told him. “But I would like to see Mothwing before I leave.”
Hawkfrost curled his lip at Firestar. “I shall send a patrol as soon as I get back to the camp to make sure you have not been stealing RiverClan prey,” he warned.
“We have no need to steal,” Firestar retorted. He looked at his patrol. “Come on.”
Though the air still crackled with tension, Squirrelpaw knew that the danger had passed. Hawkfrost and Firestar turned from each other and padded away from the border. She prepared to follow her father, but before they had reached the safety of the trees, Firestar halted and called out to Sasha. His voice was strangely calm.
“Tigerstar was their father, wasn’t he?”
Sasha didn’t seem surprised by the question. She nodded. “Yes, he was.”
The ground lurched beneath Squirrelpaw. No wonder Firestar had looked so surprised when Hawkfrost had leaped out in front of him. He must have thought it was Tigerstar himself, granted a tenth life. He’d seen Hawkfrost before at moonlit gatherings, and at the disastrous meeting at Fourtrees the other night, but perhaps this was the first time they had come face-to-face in daylight.
Then she heard a gasp beside her and saw Brambleclaw standing with his eyes wide. “But Tigerstar was my father too!” he croaked. “Does this mean I have kin in twoother Clans?”
Hawkfrost flicked his gaze to his half kin. “I’m surprised you hadn’t guessed,” he meowed. Squirrelpaw looked from one cat to the other, finally noticing the similarities in their tabby pelts and powerful shoulders.
“I thought Tawnypelt and I were the only ones…” Brambleclaw murmured.
“At least you had a chance to know our father.” Hawkfrost twitched his tail. “I envy you that.”
“I learned more from Firestar than I ever did from Tigerstar,” Brambleclaw retorted.
“But still, Tigerstar knew you. He never even set eyes on me.”
Squirrelpaw felt a twinge of sympathy for him, knowing how much she cherished her relationship with her own father, but she pushed it away. There was something about the RiverClan warrior that she didn’t trust.
Hawkfrost’s gaze hardened. “Get away from this border,” he warned, kneading the ground with his long, hooked claws—claws like those of the black-and-gold tigers that elders described in their stories; claws that had given his father his warrior name. “I will defend my Clan against any cat if I have to.”
He turned and led his mother down to the river, and together they waded through the water and disappeared into the bushes on the other side. Squirrelpaw watched them go in silence, knowing he meant his threat.
第七章
第七章
松鼠爪在鼩鼱爪的身边缩成一团，她尽量不去想以前学徒们睡觉的温暖的、铺着苔藓的巢穴。至少他们躺着的这个小山沟，能避一避夜晚的寒风。在漫长的旅程中，她睡觉的时候都挨着黑莓掌，现在跟他分开了，倒感觉有些不习惯，但鼩鼱爪似乎很高兴能抵着她的背取暖。松鼠爪太累了，爪垫酸痛难忍。她闭上眼睛，将尾巴弯到身前，搁在鼻子上，这才感觉舒服一点。她不由自主地想起在四棵树的会面，但渐渐地，梦境卷走她清醒的思维，终于沉沉睡着了。
她发现自己正独自待在一片树林，能闻得到猎物的气息。一阵冷风穿林而过，松鼠爪仰起鼻子，嗅着风吹来的气息。一只肥大的老鼠在树叶间闻来闻去。返回森林以来，她第一次看到这么好的猎物，饥渴地伸出舌头舔了舔嘴唇，黑莓掌一定很乐于和她一起分享这顿美餐。
松鼠爪伏下身子，大气也不敢出，蹑手蹑脚地向这个毫无防备的小动物匍匐过去。它的半个脑袋扎在橡树叶下，根本没有注意到她，要抓住它很容易。突然，一阵爪子落地声从她的身后传来。老鼠慌慌张张地从橡树叶子下冲出去，跳进旁边的树根下逃走了。松鼠爪愤怒地转过身。
一只玳瑁色皮毛的猫正站在她的身后，眨着温柔的琥珀色眼睛。“你好，松鼠爪！”她说道，“我有些东西要给你看看。”
“你把我今天能抓到的最好的猎物给吓跑了！”松鼠爪怒气冲冲地说。她以前从没见过这只猫，尽管她身上也带着雷族的气息。她顿了顿，偏着头问道：“你到底是谁啊？”
“我是斑叶。”
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛，她听说过这只死去已久的雷族巫医的所有事情。为什么斑叶会来找她？
松鼠爪走上前去，想跟这只母猫碰碰鼻子表示问候。但她刚一靠近，斑叶就消失了。
松鼠爪一头雾水，愣愣地盯着前方的树林。她支棱起耳朵，听着周围的动静，但什么声音也没听到。她转身重新开始搜索猎物。空气中飘来诱人的猎物气息。也许斑叶只是想跟她打个招呼，没别的意思。
松鼠爪沿着通往蛇岩的小道，向森林深处搜寻。她匍匐穿过低矮的灌木丛，森林似乎变了样子，她认不出身边的那些树。但可以确定的是，现在她已经接近蛇岩。难道是走错路了？她爪子落地的速度越走越快，最后开始一路飞奔，身边的树林一掠而过——这个地方她之前从未来过。
耳边有个声音轻轻地提醒她，你只是在做梦，并不是真的迷路了。她眨了眨眼睛，竭力让自己清醒过来。但她一睁开眼睛，发现自己仍被困在一片陌生的树林里。她更加惊慌，心跳得就像啄木鸟啄树的声音一样响。她接着跑起来，希望看到一个熟识的标志物。但森林里的光线正越来越暗，周围也越来越静，好像所有的树都在注视着她。但这片树林好像再无别的活物——没有猎物的声音，也没有族猫或哪怕是其他族群的猫的气息。
“斑叶！”她大喊道，“救救我！”
没有回应。
树木变得更加茂密，树干与树干间的阴影简直要将她吞没，她甚至看不到自己的爪子放在何处。
“别怕！”
那个柔和的声音在她的周围回荡。松鼠爪在原地转了一圈，努力想弄明白声音来自哪里。她闻到了一股轻微的雷族猫的气息，然后看见面前的树林间闪现出斑叶浅色的皮毛，就像遥远的月亮，挂在云雾缭绕的天空。
“我迷路了，斑叶！”她大叫道。
“不，你没迷路。”斑叶温柔地安慰着她，“跟我来！”
松鼠爪如释重负地出了一口气，在树木间找到了一条路。她走到斑叶身边时，浓重的阴影仿佛退开了，森林里变亮了，尽管她并没看到月光。
“跟我来！”斑叶低声说。她转身向树林里进发，然后充满信心地小跑着，就像正跑在一条看不见的大道上。松鼠爪紧跟在她的身后。
斑叶跑得如风一般地快，松鼠爪也一路飞奔，她感觉自己快得就像一只鸟在飞。她跑得那么快，根本没有注意周围的森林再次变得熟悉，等她意识到的时候，眼前正是耸入云霄的巨悬铃树。蛇岩由圆的沙质石头堆成，绿叶丛里经常有很多毒蛇出没，但阴凉的环境也为猎物的生长提供了良好的环境。斑叶跳到岩石顶，又从另一面跳下去，再次进了森林。松鼠爪也在她的身后快速地攀爬着。
她们继续往前走，直到松鼠爪闻到雷鬼路的浓烈气息。斑叶突然停下了爪子，松鼠爪猝不及防，差点撞到她的身上。松鼠爪顺着巫医的视线看去，她俩正前方的雷鬼路边上，每棵行道树都被挖走了，森林边上的草地也被翻开，赤裸裸地露着泥土。两脚兽在空地四周盖了很多木头巢穴，它们的怪物静静地蹲在附近。
“向这边走！”斑叶带领松鼠爪穿过打滑的沟槽遍布的泥地，朝木头巢穴走去。
“这里好安静啊！”松鼠爪小声说。奇怪的是，这异乎寻常的安静竟然让松鼠爪感到心安，她无所畏惧地跟着斑叶，走在裸露的土地上。
斑叶在一个木头巢穴边停下。松鼠爪惊讶地抬头打量着巢穴。“这个地方是干吗用的？”她问道，“你为什么把我带到这儿来？”
斑叶摇了一下黄褐色的尾巴。“往这个洞里看，”她提醒松鼠爪，“看那些笼子。”
笼子？松鼠爪觉得这个词听来很陌生。她注意到离巢穴壁大约一个狐狸身长的地方，有个小缺口。她伸出前爪，抻长身体，贴着巢穴壁向缺口那里张望，腹部的皮毛剐在粗糙的木板上，感觉有点刺痒。
巢穴的四壁放着一排排冷冰冰的用闪亮的网子做的巢穴。那一定就是“笼子”了。松鼠爪看见每个笼子里都缩着一团黑乎乎、软绵绵的身影。是猫！河族猫、风族猫、泼皮猫的气息全都扑面而来。她的心开始狂跳。她屏住呼吸，从那个洞望过去，然后就闻到了一股雷族猫的温暖气息。她震惊地发现，姐姐趴在靠近巢穴顶端的一个笼子里。
“叶爪！”她倒抽一口冷气，拼命蹬着后腿往上爬，想从那个缺口爬进去。
“进不去的，松鼠爪！”斑叶立着两条后腿站在她身边说，“这只是一个梦。”她喃喃道，“但是你醒过来的时候，叶爪还在这儿。”
“我能去救她吗？”
“这正是我希望的。”斑叶温柔地回答道。
“但是怎样才能救她？”松鼠爪大叫着，跳回到地面上。
“别乱扑腾了，看在星族的分上！”鼩鼱爪嘟囔着。松鼠爪猛地睁开了眼睛，发现自己正躺在太阳石的狭窄的小沟里，沟里很暗，她依稀能分辨出身边熟睡着的猫的柔软身影。她坐起来，望着沟的边缘。霜花在外面光滑的岩石表面微微反光，再往上看，光秃秃的树木直指黑色的天空。“你怎么了？”鼩鼱爪睡意蒙眬地问。
“我知道叶爪在哪儿了！”松鼠爪轻声说，“我要去救她。”
鼩鼱爪眼睛一眨，睁开了，问道：“你怎么知道的？”
“我梦见斑叶了，她告诉我的！”
“你确信？”
“当然，我绝对确信！”松鼠爪干脆地说道。
鼩鼱爪的耳朵抽动着。“你不能不告诉其他猫就消失不见了。”他提醒她。本来他还想加个“再次”，但却没说出口。但松鼠爪猜得出来他在想什么。
“我会把火星叫起来！”她说道，“我知道叶爪在哪儿了，他会派一支救援队的。”
“别在半夜叫醒他！”鼩鼱爪建议道，“天太冷了。何况你只不过是做了一场梦。”
“那不只是一场梦。”松鼠爪坚持道。
“但是你不是巫医。”鼩鼱爪争辩道，“任何一只猫都不会因为做了个梦，就三更半夜让大家组织救援。”他琥珀色的眼睛里，神色温柔，“你可以明天早上再跟他们说，躺下来接着睡吧！”
松鼠爪叹了口气，知道他说得对。她又躺下去，眼前却总浮现着摆满笼子的木头巢穴。
鼩鼱爪在她的身边躺下，将尾巴放在她的身上，安抚着她。“我们明天一早就去找她！”他向她保证，然后就闭上了眼睛。
鼩鼱爪的呼吸渐渐放缓，沉沉地进入了梦乡。但松鼠爪却怎么也睡不着，躺在小沟里仰视着苍穹，她看得到银毛星带闪耀着，就像一条窄窄的星河。群星中的一只猫走到她的梦里，告诉她叶爪在哪儿。她知道父亲初来森林的时候，跟斑叶关系很好，是不是就因为她还爱着他，所以才想帮助他的女儿？
松鼠爪睁开眼睛，突然一下子坐了起来。明亮的光线倾泻在小沟里，空气仍然很冷，甚至比昨天更冷，因为所有的学徒都不见了。她赶紧伸展四肢，爬起来走出小沟，脑子里还清晰地记得昨夜的梦。她要去找父亲，让他派一支救援队去救叶爪。
鼩鼱爪正在巢穴前面的岩石上梳理皮毛。
“火星在哪儿？”松鼠爪问道。
“他跟灰条一起出去巡逻了。”鼩鼱爪用一只爪子揉搓面颊回答。
松鼠爪懊恼地甩下尾巴，怒问道：“你为什么不叫醒我？”
“你夜里没睡好，还记得吗？”鼩鼱爪说，“我觉得你应该多睡会儿，稍后可以跟我出去巡逻。火星已经同意了。”
“你没跟他说我做的梦？”松鼠爪支棱着耳朵问，“他怎么说的？什么时候派救援队？”
“我……我没跟他提那个梦。”鼩鼱爪的声音有些吞吞吐吐，“我以为你醒来就会忘了这件事儿呢，毕竟那只是一场梦。”
松鼠爪直视着鼩鼱爪：“那是星族发来的信息！”
“我真的很抱歉。”他不安地移动着爪子，低头盯着地面。
松鼠爪尽力让身上的皮毛放松下来。“不，抱歉的应该是我。”她叹息道，“不是你的错，只怪我睡过头了。”
“没关系。”鼩鼱爪耸耸肩，“你真的在梦里看到叶爪了？”
松鼠爪点点头说：“还有森林里失踪的其他猫。或者说，至少我清楚地闻到了风族猫跟河族猫的气息。”
“太神奇了！”他扫了一眼她的身后，抽动着胡须，“看来今天狩猎的成果不错，至少可以让火星有个好心情。”
松鼠爪转过身，看到黑莓掌爬上山坡，嘴里叼着一只田鼠，走向正躺在阳光下看着孩子玩耍的香薇云。黑莓掌将猎物送给她，她眨着绿眼睛，仿佛无力表达感谢之情。松鼠爪不安地意识到，她的孩子都那么瘦小，心里感到一丝刺痛。两个孩子看起来刚够离开育婴室，更不必说去太阳沉没之地那么远的路程了。到了秃叶季，幼崽都会长得强壮而健康，以便迎接最冷酷的季节。就算松鼠爪和黑莓掌能成功劝说族猫离开森林，但一定有不少猫永远也看不到新家了。
她摇摇头。此时不把叶爪救出来，她哪儿也不想去。
“黑莓掌！”她冲下山坡，向他跑去，“我知道叶爪在哪儿了！星族昨晚到我的梦里来了！两脚兽把她抓去，关在一个小笼子里，就在蛇岩的另一边。我们一定要去救她。”
黑莓掌竖起了耳朵。“真的？”他扫了一眼太阳石，“你跟火星说了吗？他正在组织队伍去救援吗？”
松鼠爪摇摇头说：“他去巡逻了。但如果你跟我一起去，我们俩就能救出她来。”
黑莓掌眨了眨眼睛，“你疯了？从两脚兽的巢穴里救她？我们自己都没机会脱身。”松鼠爪失望得爪子刺痛。“但是星族一定是想我们现在去救她！”她争辩道，“不然为什么斑叶以前没出现过？叶爪现在一定处在很危险的境地。”
“我们等到火星回来再说。他知道怎么做。”
松鼠爪简直不相信自己的耳朵，说道：“你这么说，就是不打算帮我了？”
“我的意思是，我不会让你冒险完成这么危险的任务！”
松鼠爪失望得想挠他的耳朵：“你怕了！”
黑莓掌的皮毛竖了起来。“为了救叶爪，要把我们也搭进去吗？”他指出问题所在，“那样一来，还有谁知道穿越大山的路？还有谁带领雷族前往新的家园？”
“我们在路上的时候，你不是这样的！你都同意回去救暴毛了！”
黑莓掌的眼睛里闪过一丝悲伤：“是的，我们确实回去救暴毛了，但是看看最后发生了什么事？羽尾死了！”
“但她是我的姐姐！”松鼠爪甩了甩尾巴，“你为什么不理解我的心情？”
黑莓掌眨了眨眼睛，说：“我只是要你等火星回来——”
“但你现在却不帮我！”松鼠爪的声音里有压抑不住的绝望。
黑莓掌看着她，眼神渐渐变得温柔起来：“我们等火星回来，他会派出一支救援队的。我们还需要几位武士……”
松鼠爪再也听不下去了。“我以为，在所有的猫中，你是最不会令我失望的！”她呸了一口，然后独自向森林里走去。
当她走到一片灌木丛的时候，一阵急促的爪子落地声使她停了下来，四处张望。她以为是黑莓掌追上来，要跟她说他改变主意了。但不是他，是栗尾。
“我听见了你们的对话！”栗尾气喘吁吁地说，“如果星族告诉你叶爪在哪儿，它们一定是想要我们尽可能地去救她！”
“我也是这么想的，”松鼠爪愤愤地说，“但是黑莓掌不帮我。”
“我帮你。”栗尾的脸上闪过一丝悲伤，提议道，“两脚兽抓走叶爪的时候，我阻止不了，但现在我要尽我所能去帮助她。”
“你真的这么想？”松鼠爪的心里不禁感到一阵嫉妒般的刺痛——为什么叶爪能交到如此贴心的朋友，她却不能？她尽力不去理会自己的这种感觉。
“当然！”
“那么走吧！”松鼠爪喊道，“我们走！”
她一头冲进森林，想赶在其他资深武士看到她之前跑远，他们会强令她加入某支巡逻队去狩猎，甚至跑去跟火星汇报她的计划。她听见栗尾在她身后奔跑的声音。两只猫飞快地掠过峡谷，看都没看一眼下方被遗弃的旧营地，向着巨悬铃木所在的森林进发。那里仍有怪物在不断地吞噬着森林。那些怪物若不小心，一样会跌落峡谷，撞到高岩上破成碎片。松鼠爪充满希望地想着。
怪物轰鸣的声音越来越大。她提醒栗尾：“趴低点儿！”但栗尾早已经伏低身子，跟着她匍匐着穿过枯萎的灌木丛。
“感谢银毛星带，给我们留下了藏身的树！”她低声说。
她俩爬过了蛇岩。松鼠爪决意按照梦中斑叶的指引走下去，她只愿微弱的阳光，不要把这里的蛇引出洞来。所幸她们安全地通过了这片岩石区，然后掉头走进森林，向雷鬼路走去。
松鼠爪闻到两脚兽的怪物讨厌的刺鼻气息，然后才听到前方传来的怪物的轰鸣声。她走到泥土裸露的空地边缘，大口地喘着气，全身止不住地颤抖着，恐惧感从耳朵尖一直传到了尾巴尖。
栗尾在她身边猛地停住爪子，从浓密的黑莓丛下向外张望。“现在我们怎么办？”她问道。
“我不知道。”松鼠爪承认道。空地上一片繁忙景象，两脚兽在吆喝着，怪物来来回回翻着地。这跟她梦中的情形很不一样，但她确定没有走错路。在梦中的时候，她和斑叶一起经过这儿，这里分明是一派平和与静寂，所以她才安安心心地走了过去。现在的嘈杂与忙碌使她颇为踌躇。星族带她到这儿来，肯定充分了解路上的危险，它们一定是对她有信心，才会带她来的。
“叶爪就在那里。”她用尾巴朝斑叶曾带她去过的木头巢穴指了指。木头巢穴外趴着一只怪物，一动不动，发出隆隆的响声。它比那些食树怪物小了很多，黑色的圆形爪子半陷在泥土里。
“看，”松鼠爪突然嘶声道，“它们没关门！”
一只两脚兽从巢穴里走出来，手里提着一个笼子，笼子里蜷缩着一只脏兮兮的虎斑猫，眼睛里充满恐惧。松鼠爪全身僵住了。两脚兽将笼子放进等候在那里的怪物的肚子里，然后又回去提了个笼子出来。
松鼠爪惊恐地盯着笼子里缩成一团的毛茸茸的动物。“叶爪！”她想都不想，就从树丛中跳出，飞一般地冲了过去。
叶爪一定是看见了她，因为当两脚兽将装着她的笼子丢进怪物肚子里的时候，她大吼道：“松鼠爪，快走开！”
她的尖叫声将两脚兽吓了一跳，它转身锐利地瞅了一眼，看到了松鼠爪。它得意地将装着叶爪的笼子放下，朝着她跑来。松鼠爪慌乱地停下来。她拼命想冲回树木下方的安全地带，但爪子不住地打着滑。两脚兽伸长前爪去追她，两条长腿渐渐逼近了她。她在泥泞的土里拼命地挣扎。星族啊，救我！
就在她吓得心都要蹦出来的时候，栗尾从灌木丛下发出一声怒吼，冲向两脚兽。她躲过两脚兽贪婪的爪子，伸出自己的爪子向它挠去。两脚兽疼得大叫一声。然后栗尾咬住松鼠爪的后颈，把她拽回树下。松鼠爪喘着粗气，站稳了。栗尾松开了她。两只猫一起飞快地跑进树林。当她们到达安全的黑莓丛下时，松鼠爪突然停住了爪子。
“接着跑！”栗尾嘶声叫道，“它们不会轻易放弃的！”她使劲推着松鼠爪，把她推向黑莓丛深处。
荆棘划着松鼠爪的皮毛，她踉跄地走着：“叶爪怎么办？”
“你想跟她一起被抓起来吗？”栗尾呵斥道，“继续跑！”松鼠爪束手无策，只好跟在武士的身后奔进树林。
她俩一路狂奔，跑到蛇岩。栗尾放慢脚步，腹部随着喘息剧烈地起伏着。松鼠爪在她身边站住，一脸震惊，说不出话来。
“看在星族的分上，到底发生了什么事儿？”一个低沉的声音说道。随着声音在岩石上产生回响，灰条从蕨丛里现出身形，后面紧跟着刺掌和雨须。雷族副族长盯着两只颤抖的猫问道：“你们怎么啦？怎么看起来就像见到了虎星的鬼魂似的！”
“是叶爪！”松鼠爪大声说道，“我们看到她了，两脚兽正要把她塞进怪物的肚子里。它们要把她带走，我真的没骗你！”
灰条眯起眼睛，欲言又止地瞟了一眼身后的灌木丛。“黑莓掌？”他喊道，“是你吗？”
“是的。”树枝颤动，黑莓掌走了出来，“我是来找松鼠爪的。”他看到她站在栗尾身边，眨着眼睛问道：“你没事儿吧？”
“我找到叶爪了！”松鼠爪嘶声对他说，“两脚兽正要把她带走！我们必须救她，现在就去，不然我就再也无法找到她了。”
灰条看了一眼黑莓掌，又看了看雨须和刺掌。几位雷族武士高高地仰起下巴，挺起了肩膀。
“如果我们不采取行动阻止它们，两脚兽就会把我们的族猫带走！”雨须怒吼道。
“我们不该一仗不打就放弃。”刺掌附和着说。他们的态度很明了，这是他们的森林，他们可能没能力对抗所有的两脚兽和它们的怪物，保卫森林，但他们必须一战。
灰条眯着琥珀色的眼睛，看着松鼠爪说道：“很好。她在哪儿？带我们去找她。”
“这边走！”她喘着气说着，大步走回蛇岩，栗尾紧跟在她的身后。灰条、刺掌、雨须和黑莓掌，都跟在她俩后面。松鼠爪听着他们的爪子落地声，顿时感到信心百倍——有五位雷族武士在身边，她一定能救回姐姐！
当他们到达树林边缘的黑莓丛时，灰条嘘了一声，叫大家止步。“趴低点！”他命令道。
松鼠爪看到那只小怪物仍然趴在木头巢穴的外边，不禁松了一口气。两脚兽仍在进进出出，提来更多的笼子，往怪物肚子里塞。“叶爪已经被它放在里面了。”她小声说道。
“好了。”灰条嘀咕着说，“刺掌，你和我去袭击那只两脚兽。我们必须分散它的注意力，然后栗尾、黑莓掌和雨须把其他猫放出来。”
“我做什么？”松鼠爪问。
“你待在这儿瞭望，”灰条简短地命令道，“如果更多的两脚兽来了，就给我们报信。”
松鼠爪吃惊地盯着他。“但……”她开口说道，但灰条根本没理会她。
“到目前为止，大部分猫一定还在怪物肚子里面。”他接着说，“黑莓掌和栗尾，我要你俩爬进去，把猫放出来。雨须，你去木头巢穴里，帮助剩下的猫。”
松鼠爪怒视着灰条，说道：“我要去怪物那儿，把我姐姐救出来！”
有着灰色皮毛的副族长瞪了她半晌，松鼠爪感觉都忘记怎么呼吸了。“好吧，”灰条最后同意道，“万一势头不对，就用最快的速度跑回森林。”
松鼠爪点点头。她瞥了一眼黑莓掌，看到他的眼睛里满是担心。我们去太阳沉没之地的途中，经历过比这严重得多的危险！她想对他说，别像对幼崽似的吓唬我！
“好了！”灰条说着，转身盯着那只怪物，“两脚兽现在进去拿另外的笼子了，我们准备好，等它一出来，冲上去吓它一跳。”
说完，灰条就从树底下冲了出去，在泥地上趴低身子。刺掌、栗尾、雨须和黑莓掌也低着头，从黑莓丛下冲出去，跟在他后面穿过了泥土被翻开的地方。松鼠爪不甘落后地追出去，她感觉爪子陷进泥土里，皮毛也被打湿了，粘在肚皮上。
距离打开的门约几尾远的时候，灰条喝道：“等等！”几只猫在泥泞的泥土里止住了爪子。
两脚兽从木头巢穴里走出来，爪子上提着另一只笼子，根本没看到埋伏在边上的六只猫。
“上！”灰条尖叫一声，跃向两脚兽。
他用爪子向两脚兽的后腿挠去，两脚兽丢下了笼子。笼子发出一声树枝断裂的声音，一下子打开了。松鼠爪惊愕地认出，里面灰色皮毛的猫竟然是雾脚。这位河族武士跳出来，扑向两脚兽的另一条腿，愤怒地发出嘶嘶的声音。刺掌也加入了战斗，紧紧地抓住两脚兽，像抓着一棵树似的往上爬。两脚兽吓得大喊大叫，每条腿上带着一只猫，使劲地蹦跶。
“快，松鼠爪！”黑莓掌大喊着。他跳进怪物敞开的肚子，松鼠爪紧随其后。她看见雨须一溜烟跑进木头巢穴里，耳朵里热血在哗哗流动。但愿里面没有两脚兽。她大吸一口气，跟黑莓掌和栗尾一道爬进那只怪物里。
怪物的肚子里光线幽暗，码着一排排笼子，弥漫着恐惧的气息。松鼠爪一时间竟僵在那里。星族呀，我怎么才能将这些猫全救出去？然后她看见叶爪靠在笼子的网眼上。
“松鼠爪，在这儿！”叶爪哀号道。
“我来了！”松鼠爪飞快地向她跑过去，用牙齿咬着笼子的前部往外拖。“它快松开了！”她嘶嘶地叫着，笼子上的钩子开始脱开了，就像鸽子张开翅膀一样。她使出最大力气扯着它，笼子终于一弹，然后打开了，把松鼠爪推倒在怪物肚子里的地板上。
叶爪跳下来，伸出鼻子摩擦着妹妹的鼻子。“真的是你来救我了！”她喘息着说。
“斑叶告诉的我你在这儿！”松鼠爪翻身爬起来说道。
叶爪眨了眨眼睛，抖抖身体。“稍后把一切都告诉我。来，我们先把这些猫放出来！”她跑到最近的笼子前，拽掉钩子。
松鼠爪转向另一个笼子，奋力咬着它的钩子，感觉自己的牙齿都要断了。最终钩子被咬开了，一只皮毛凌乱的泼皮公猫跳出来，他一句话没说，就逃出怪物的肚子，全速跑向森林。
“不客气。”松鼠爪嘟哝着，转向另一个笼子。
黑莓掌、栗尾和叶爪一起将笼子打开，一群不熟悉的猫从她的身边跳了出来。这些笼子里大部分都是泼皮猫，钩子一开，他们就跑了。松鼠爪感觉有只猫将她推到一边，朝着怪物肚子深处冲去，原来是雾脚。这位河族武士一直冲到最里面的笼子。
“莎夏！”雾脚大喊着，她开始用爪子拨那个钩子。
“这样更快点！”松鼠爪推开她，用牙咬起来。钩子很快被拔掉了，莎夏冲了出来。
“快离开这儿！”雾脚催促道。
莎夏犹豫地看着那些还没打开的笼子。
“这些笼子由我们来解决！”雾脚向她保证道。
莎夏的毛全竖了起来，蓝色的大眼睛里充满恐惧。她太害怕了，就算有心帮忙，也打不开笼子。最后她点点头，从怪物肚子里跳了出去。
只有少数笼子里还关着猫。叶爪扫了一眼怪物里面，向松鼠爪喊道：“云尾和亮心还在巢穴里，你去帮他们。我得把柯蒂放出来。”
“柯蒂是谁？”松鼠爪问道。
“晚点再跟你说！赶快！把亮心和云尾救出来！”
松鼠爪从怪物肚子里跳出去，向木头巢穴飞奔而去。这时她看到另一只两脚兽赶来帮忙，心顿时悬了起来。刺掌松开先前的那只两脚兽，重重地跳到泥地上，甩了甩爪子，跑回去再次加入到灰条的战斗中。
松鼠爪冲进木屋，差点被一个飞奔出来的棕色泼皮猫撞飞。她一个急转身，与这只瘦得皮包骨的公猫擦肩而过。她扫视了一眼木头巢穴，搜寻着云尾和亮心。
云尾已经出来了。他正在帮雨须拨亮心所在的那个笼子的钩子。“我们打不开！”云尾喊道，他惊慌地抬高了声调。
“用牙咬着试试。”松鼠爪大声喊道。
云尾咬紧牙关，撕扯着钩子。松鼠爪看见他因为用力过猛，全身都在打战。外面传来更多两脚兽的声音，灰条冲进了木头巢穴。
“外面有很多两脚兽！”他大喊道，“我们必须走了！”他推着松鼠爪向门口走去，“快回到森林里去！”
“亮心还关在这儿！”
“我会救她的！”灰条用鼻子推着松鼠爪，“快走！”
他跳到雨须和云尾身边。他俩还在用力地扯着关着亮心的那个笼子上的钩子，他推着他俩往外走。“赶快回森林里去！”他大吼道，“现在就走！”
云尾没动，他四肢僵硬地站在那儿，惊恐地盯着笼子里的亮心。亮心惊慌失措的脸，紧紧地抵在网子上。
“快走！”雨须吼着，将他撵往门口。松鼠爪扭头看到灰条用他有力的下颌骨扯开笼子的钩子，然后跟在他们身后冲出了木屋。她刚将头伸出门口，一只两脚兽就向她扑过来，她掉转方向，沿着木头巢穴的墙边冲了出去。两脚兽从四面八方赶过来，大呼小叫着，挥舞着爪子冲上来。她看到云尾和雨须跑向森林，便飞快地跟在他们身后，一头扎进黑莓丛里。雨须头也不回，一直跑到森林里，但云尾却突然停下，回过头去看木头巢穴。松鼠爪趴在他的身旁，窥视着空地的另一边。叶爪和一只她不认识的虎斑猫正向他们跑来。
“快！”她尖叫道。一只两脚兽正在逼近，它巨大的爪子大踏步地跨过泥地。松鼠爪看着她们，希望这两只猫能逃过两脚兽的魔爪。这时，亮心那白色和姜黄色相间的身影出现在木头巢穴门口，灰条已经成功打开了关她的笼子！
雷族母猫飞奔着跑向森林，溅起的泥点几乎遮住了她脸上的疤痕。一只两脚兽正在追逐叶爪，叶爪从两脚兽的身边飞快地擦过去。两脚兽在泥巴地里失去了平衡，大叫一声摔倒了。
叶爪和那只虎斑猫抵达了灌木丛里的安全地带，手忙脚乱地钻进荆棘丛。
“我简直不敢相信，你们竟救了我们！”那只虎斑猫说。
松鼠爪已经将鼻子贴在叶爪的脸上，嗅着她熟悉的气味。“对不起，我们来得太晚了！”她小声说。
“我还以为再也见不到你了呢！”叶爪上气不接下气地说，“黑莓掌在哪儿？”
松鼠爪顿时感到一阵惊慌，她嗅了嗅空中的气息，闻到刺掌和栗尾发出的新鲜的恐惧气息。然后她认出黑莓丛上挂的一缕深色虎斑皮毛，从皮肉上撕扯下来的地方有血，还是湿的。她颤抖着松了一口气。如果黑莓掌已经跑到了这儿，那他一定是逃脱了。
“他没事。”松鼠爪说道，“雾脚出来了吗？”
“最后一只猫从笼子里一出来，她就朝森林的方向跑了。”叶爪告诉她。
“这么说，每只猫都逃出来了！”松鼠爪长长地吁了一口气。
这时亮心冲进黑莓丛，大眼睛里充满了恐惧。“灰条！”她气喘吁吁地叫道。
云尾跃向亮心，两只猫几乎缠在了一起，“我不该丢下你的。”他大叫着，不断舔舐亮心那毁掉的脸。
“他在哪儿？”松鼠爪关切地问。
“两脚兽！”亮心大口喘着气，离开了云尾。
松鼠爪的心一下子跳到了嗓子眼里：“什么意思？”
“他被一只两脚兽抓住了！”
松鼠爪从灌木丛下向外张望，发现一只两脚兽走近怪物，跟另外几只两脚兽气急败坏地说着什么，那几只两脚兽正激动地扫视着空地四周。第一只两脚兽爬到了怪物的前面，那怪物隆隆作响，宽大的黑色爪子下泥点四溅，然后绝尘而去。然后松鼠爪看到了她最不想看到的画面，她的胃里翻江倒海起来。那是一张正从怪物里面向外张望的孤独的脸，那张脸她从小就非常熟悉。当怪物加速离开的时候，他凝视着森林，一脸绝望。
“灰条！”松鼠爪急切地大喊。
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12
Leafpaw raked through the fur atthe base of her tail, scraping out the troublesome flea. She cracked its fat body between her teeth, tasting with some satisfaction the blood it had stolen from her. “Got it!”
“Don’t tell the others you had an extra piece of fresh-kill,” Squirrelpaw joked. “They’ll all want one.”
Leafpaw’s belly growled. The vole she had just shared with her sister had barely touched her hunger. They were lying side by side in a shallow dip in the stone, watching the sun sink behind Sunningrocks. The clouds had cleared, and a perfect half-moon hung in the blue evening sky.
“Has Cinderpelt decided whether you’re going to make the journey to the Moonstone tonight?” Squirrelpaw meowed.
“She’s speaking with Firestar about it now,” Leafpaw replied. The medicine cats of every Clan met each half-moon at Mothermouth to share tongues with StarClan. They didn’t need the half-moon to secure a truce—medicine cats lived outside the differences between Clans that sometimes led to quarrels—but it was an important time for sharing concerns and advice about treating their Clanmates.
Leafpaw saw Cinderpelt emerge, and she clambered to her paws, keen to find out if they would be going to Highstones in spite of the dangers that lurked in the forest.
But Cinderpelt shook her head as she came over and stood at the edge of the hollow. “Firestar agrees with me,” she reported. “We can’t risk the journey with so many Twolegs and monsters about.”
“But we need to share with StarClan now more than ever!” Leafpaw protested.
“Firestar says he cannot risk losing us, and he’s right. Where would the Clan be without a medicine cat?”
Leafpaw sighed and scraped at the rock with her claw.
“StarClan will share with us if they wish to,” Cinderpelt mewed.
Leafpaw shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re not going,” Squirrelpaw meowed as Cinderpelt padded away. “I nearly lost you to the Twolegs once. I don’t think I could bear it again.”
Leafpaw gave her sister a quick, fond lick on her head and settled down again. “Do you think the RiverClan cats will go to Highstones?” she wondered out loud. It was strange to think that the other medicine cats might be making the journey without them. Would StarClan think Cinderpelt and Leafpaw were being cowardly?
“I doubt they’ll risk it,” Squirrelpaw told her. “Last time Brambleclaw and I saw Stormfur, he said Mudfur was pretty sick.”
“I was just hoping that, if the medicine cats from all the Clans traveled to the Moonstone together, it might bring us closer,” Leafpaw admitted.
Squirrelpaw nodded. “I know. You’d think trouble like this would unite us, like it did when BloodClan attacked, but instead we seem forests apart.”
“Each Clan seems to have its own idea about what to do.” Leafpaw sighed. “If only StarClan would give us a sign!”
“Were you hoping that StarClan might share something with you tonight?”
Leafpaw gave a small nod, avoiding her sister’s gaze. She didn’t want to betray the fear that had made her heart pound all day: the cold dread that they would go all the way to the Moonstone and find StarClan silent even there.
“It’s stupid that the Clans should find it so hard to come together.” Squirrelpaw’s mew interrupted her thoughts. “They have far more in common than they think.”
Leafpaw looked thoughtfully at her sister, suddenly wondering what Squirrelpaw was hinting at.
“After all, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan even share kin,” Squirrelpaw went on.
“You mean Tawnypelt and Stormfur?”
“Not just them.” Squirrelpaw’s tail twitched as she spoke. “There are other cats linked to ThunderClan by blood.”
With a jolt Leafpaw wondered if her sister had discovered a secret she had known for a moon and kept to herself. “Are you talking about Tigerstar being Hawkfrost and Mothwing’s father?”
Squirrelpaw stared at her in astonishment. “Have you been sharing my dreams again?”
Leafpaw shook her head. “I’ve known for some time,” she admitted.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Squirrelpaw demanded.
“I didn’t think it mattered. Not right now, when all the Clans are in danger. Why should it make a difference if Tigerstar is Hawkfrost and Mothwing’s father?” Leafpaw knew she was trying to convince herself. The last thing the Clans needed was another cat with Tigerstar’s hunger for power.
“A warrior like Hawkfrost can’t be trusted,” Squirrelpaw insisted.
Leafpaw felt an uneasy knot twist in her belly. “But Tigerstar is Brambleclaw’s father too,” she pointed out. “And Brambleclaw is a loyal warrior.”
“Brambleclaw has nothing to do with this,” Squirrelpaw snapped.
“Of course not,” Leafpaw agreed quickly. “I only meant that having Tigerstar as a father doesn’t mean a warrior has to follow in his pawsteps.” She prayed this was true.
“Good.” Squirrelpaw nodded. “Because Brambleclaw is completely different from Hawkfrost. They have nothing in common. Nothing.”
Leafpaw curled into a ball beside her sister and buried her nose under her paws for warmth. Squirrelpaw’s words had sounded like an echo—were they Brambleclaw’s, perhaps?
“Good night, Squirrelpaw,” she whispered, curling up close to Squirrelpaw, their sharp words forgotten. Leafpaw did not need a visit from StarClan to tell her that her sister was falling in love with Brambleclaw. Amid everything else that was going on, and however much Leafpaw missed the connection that once only the two of them shared, this felt right and good for the whole Clan.
She closed her eyes. I wonder if StarClan will share my dreams, she thought as sleep tugged at her like a gentle river. It was a half-moon, after all; that had to count for something, even if they weren’t at the Moonstone.
Leafpaw felt the insistent nudge of a nose prodding her awake. “Who is it?” she whispered sleepily.
“It’s me, Mothwing.” The young cat’s voice trembled with fear.
Leafpaw blinked open her eyes and saw the RiverClan apprentice outlined in the pale moonlight.
“Come quick; I need you,” Mothwing mewed under her breath.
Leafpaw felt her sister stirring beside her. “What’s going on?” Squirrelpaw yawned.
“It’s Mothwing,” Leafpaw told her.
Squirrelpaw was on her paws in an instant. “What are you doing in our camp?” she hissed.
“I need Leafpaw’s help,” Mothwing explained. “Mudfur is very ill.”
“And you thought you’d just creep in here in the middle of the night?”
“Be quiet, Squirrelpaw, before you wake the whole Clan,” Leafpaw growled. She wanted to tell her sister to stop seeing Tigerstar’s daughter standing in front of them, and see her instead as a medicine cat in trouble, but she didn’t want to make Mothwing feel uncomfortable. “Wait here, both of you,” she meowed. “I’ll go and tell Firestar and Cinderpelt.”
“But—” Mothwing began.
Leafpaw silenced her with a glance. “I’ll come with you, but I have to tell them where I’m going.” Leaving the two cats in uneasy silence, she hurried up the slope to the overhang. She crept into the shadowy cavern and followed her father’s scent.
Firestar lifted his head drowsily. “Is that you, Leafpaw?” Beside him, Sandstorm shifted but did not wake.
“Mothwing’s come to ask if I can go and help Mudfur. He’s really ill.”
She saw a shadow moving toward her from the back of the den, and scented Cinderpelt.
“What’s she treating him with?” the medicine cat called under her breath.
“I don’t know,” Leafpaw replied.
“Do you think it’s safe to go?” Firestar’s eyes gleamed anxiously in the gloom.
“Mothwing wouldn’t lie to me,” she assured him, guessing he feared an ambush from strong RiverClan cats.
“Then you must go,” Firestar murmured. “But if you are not back by dawn, I’ll send a patrol to fetch you.”
“We’ll be back,” Cinderpelt promised. She met Leafpaw’s surprised gaze. “I’m coming too. We must do everything we can to help Mudfur.” She led Leafpaw out of the den to the crevice where she kept her supplies and pulled out several bundles of leaves.
Leafpaw picked up half the bundles, and they hurried down the rock to where Mothwing waited with her sister.
“I’m coming with you,” Squirrelpaw announced.
Leafpaw shook her head. “No need,” she muttered through the bundles dangling from her teeth.
“I’ll make sure they both return safely,” Mothwing meowed.
Squirrelpaw stared distrustfully at the RiverClan cat, and Leafpaw knew her sister was seeing a different cat, broad-shouldered and with gleaming amber eyes. Though they had been born many moons after Tigerstar’s death, both sisters had heard him described enough times to be able to picture him as well as any of their Clanmates.
“Remember Brambleclaw,” she whispered to her sister. Sharing Tigerstar’s blood did not mean a cat shared his dark heart
“Lead the way, Mothwing.” Cinderpelt’s order was muffled by the bundles she carried, but Mothwing nodded and bounded silently down the slope.
They waded easily across the river, keeping the herbs above the water. Leafpaw thought back to barely a moon ago, when she had crossed the stepping stones to help a RiverClan apprentice; she had nearly been swept away by the force of the water, and only the spirit of Spottedleaf had stopped her from plunging into the rain-swollen flood. Now the stream trickled quietly around the rocks, hardly covering the pebbles on the riverbed.
Mothwing led the ThunderClan cats into the reed beds; they were no longer marshy, but felt dry underpaw. Leafpaw’s heart quickened at the thought of entering another Clan’s camp, but Mothwing seemed unconcerned and took them straight into the clearing among the reeds. Unfamiliar eyes gleamed in the shadows, but there was nothing but worry and curiosity in their faces.
“Good, you have come,” Leopardstar greeted them. Even in the moonlight Leafpaw could see that the RiverClan leader was not as well fed as she had been lately. Her pelt hung from her body, and her eyes had the dullness of hunger that Leafpaw had begun to accept as normal.
But why should RiverClan cats be starving when the Twolegs were still a long way from their territory?
“Mudfur is in his den,” Leopardstar meowed. “Mothwing will take you.” She stared into Cinderpelt’s eyes. “Do everything you can, but don’t let him suffer. He has served this Clan well, and if StarClan needs him more than we do, then we should let him go in peace.”
Leafpaw followed Cinderpelt and Mothwing through a narrow reed-lined passage that opened into a smaller clearing. It was so similar to the medicine clearing in the ravine that she felt a pang of longing for her old home.
A low moan came from a shadowy corner.
“It’s all right, Mudfur,” Mothwing whispered. “I’ve brought Cinderpelt.”
Cinderpelt hurried over to examine the medicine cat, sniffing him and pressing gently along his flanks with her paws. Whatever it was, the sickness had taken hold far inside his frail body. Mudfur was clearly in agony, his words indistinct and filled with pain.
“Cinder…pelt…let…me…go…peacefully,” he begged in a voice that rasped like claws scraping on bark.
“Lie still, my friend.” Cinderpelt looked up at Mothwing. “What have you given him so far?”
“Stinging nettle for the swelling, honey and marigold to soothe the infections, feverfew to cool him, and poppy seeds for the pain.” Mothwing listed her remedies so quickly that Leafpaw blinked. Last time she had seen Mothwing face a crisis—when the RiverClan apprentice nearly drowned—she had been frozen with panic, and Leafpaw had stepped in to treat the young cat instead.
“Good, that’s exactly what I would have given him,” Cinderpelt agreed. “Have you tried yarrow yet?”
Mothwing nodded. “But it made him sick.”
“It can do that sometimes.” Cinderpelt looked down at Mudfur, and her blue eyes clouded with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I don’t think there’s much more we can do.”
“But he’s suffering!” Mothwing protested.
“I’ll give him more poppy seeds,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Do you have any marigold left?”
“Plenty.” Mothwing hurried to a gap in the reed wall and drew out a pawful of crushed petals. Taking some dried berries from one of the bundles, Cinderpelt began to knead the petals into them. The berries still had enough softness in them to make a pulp. Cinderpelt sprinkled in more poppy seeds than Leafpaw had seen her use before, then she pushed the mashed herbs to Mudfur.
“This will soothe your pain,” she whispered. “Eat as much as you can.”
The old medicine cat began to lap at it, his eyes growing soft with gratitude as he recognized what was in the mixture. For a wild moment, Leafpaw wondered if Cinderpelt had given him enough poppy seeds to make him sleep all the way to StarClan, but she knew from the gentleness in her mentor’s eyes that she was only trying to ease Mudfur’s pain. However silent their warrior ancestors had been lately, Cinderpelt still trusted them to come for Mudfur when they chose to.
“Leave us now,” Cinderpelt murmured to Leafpaw and Mothwing. “I’ll sit with him till he sleeps.”
“Will he die?” Mothwing asked, her voice quavering.
“Not yet,” Cinderpelt told her. “But this will ease his suffering until StarClan calls him.”
Leafpaw backed away and followed Mothwing through the tunnel to the main clearing.
“How is he?” Leopardstar demanded as soon as they emerged into the silvery pool of moonlight.
“Cinderpelt’s doing all she can,” Mothwing reported.
Leopardstar nodded, then turned and padded away.
“I’ve never been here before,” Leafpaw mewed, hoping to distract Mothwing. “It’s well-sheltered.”
The young cat shrugged. “It’s a good camp.”
“I’m not surprised Leopardstar doesn’t want to leave it,” Leafpaw went on, being careful to keep her voice nonthreatening. She was curious about Leopardstar’s sudden thin-ness—and by the look of the other cats moving around the edge of the clearing, the RiverClan leader was not the only cat going hungry here.
“You’re running out of fish now that the river’s so low, aren’t you?” Leafpaw guessed bravely.
Mothwing looked at her for a long moment. “Yes. We haven’t eaten well for a while.”
“Does that mean Leopardstar might consider leaving now?”
To her dismay, Mothwing shook her head. “Leopardstar says we will stay as long as there are no Twolegs in our territory. She says that if the river cannot feed us, we will have to learn to hunt new prey.”
Leafpaw felt a searing pang of frustration with the stubborn RiverClan leader—there wasno new prey, she longed to screech—but she did not want to show disrespect for Mothwing’s Clan. “You’ve become a great medicine cat,” she mewed, clumsily changing the subject. “Cinderpelt wouldn’t have done anything different to help Mudfur.”
Leafpaw almost leaped out of her fur when Hawkfrost’s voice sounded beside her ear.
“You’re right,” he agreed. “The Clan will be lucky to have such a good medicine cat when Mudfur goes to hunt with StarClan.”
“I think Hawkfrost has more faith in me than I do myself,” Mothwing murmured.
“You have no reason to doubt yourself,” Hawkfrost insisted. “Our father was a great warrior. Our mother is proud and strong. They shared only one flaw: that their only loyalty was—and still is, in Sasha’s case—to themselves above all other cats.” He paused and glanced around the clearing. “We’re not like that. We understand what it means to be loyal to our Clan. We have the courage to live by the warrior code. And because of that we’ll be the most powerful cats in RiverClan one day, and our Clanmates will haveto respect us then.”
Leafpaw felt as if she’d been flung headfirst into the icy river. However much Hawkfrost pledged to live by the warrior code, that sort of ambition could make him dangerous—like his father before him.
Mothwing gave a purr of amusement. “You mustn’t take anything my brother says too seriously,” she told Leafpaw. “He’s the bravest and most loyal cat in RiverClan, but he gets carried away sometimes.”
Leafpaw blinked. She hoped with all her heart that Mothwing was right. But the arrogance that glinted in Hawkfrost’s eyes filled her heart with unease. Something told her—some instinct that made her fur crawl—that this was only the beginning.
Hawkfrost could not be trusted.
第十章
第十章
火星带着巡逻队逆流而上，他们紧靠边界行进着。充满诱惑的猎物气息，穿过水面，从河族领地上飘过来。松鼠爪跟黑莓掌步调一致地跟在火星后面，蜡毛紧跟在他们身后。这是好多天来，她和黑莓掌第一次一起离开营地。火星带着虎斑武士去河族和影族，再次劝他们一起离开森林。他已经尽了最大努力，但豹星和黑星仍拒绝相信，他们的未来和其他族群紧密相连，也不相信他们需要远离森林。
乌云翻滚了整整一夜，树下笼罩着冰冷的雨雾，但却没有下雨，只将一切接触到的东西都浸得湿乎乎的。松鼠爪的皮毛被打湿了，全都很不舒服地紧贴在身上。在秃叶季微弱的阳光下，树林反射着亮光，水珠滴下来，树下松散易碎的落叶变得异常湿滑。
火星突然停下爪子，仰起鼻子嗅着空中的气息。松鼠爪深深吸了一口气，希望能捕捉到她喜欢的老鼠、画眉鸟或是田鼠的气息。但河这边没有猎物的气息，只有些奇怪而似曾相识的气息。
“我好像认识这种气息。”她对黑莓掌耳语道。
“好像是泼皮猫的气息。”黑莓掌喊道。
“嘘——！”火星制止道。火星停了片刻，然后冲上前去，后颈上的毛都竖了起来。前方的灌木丛一直在抖动，一只有着棕色皮毛的猫冲了出来。她闪电一般跑远了。黑莓掌大吼一声追了上去。
“追！”他喊道，跟在他后面的松鼠爪早已冲了过去。
棕色猫突然一个转弯，向着河族边界的气味标记跑去。火星爪子未停，带头追了上去。松鼠爪靠近气味标记，顿时感到一阵惊慌。雷族猫已经逼近泼皮猫，但是泼皮猫全速冲过了边界。火星的爪子刚要跨越边界去追，附近响起了大声的吼叫。一只有着深棕色皮毛的武士从一片蕨丛中跳出来，恶狠狠地咆哮着。
火星转过身，在湿滑的落叶上滑行了几步才停下来，差一点就越过了边界。黑莓掌和松鼠爪差点撞上他，所幸都及时止住了爪子。
“鹰霜！”黑莓掌喘着气叫道。
火星从边界线旁退后一步，但他继续盯着鹰霜，眼睛瞪得大大的，就像他正盯着星族武士的脸。松鼠爪很惊讶，不知道为什么父亲对埋伏在此处的鹰霜如此震惊。其实这并没什么好奇怪的，每只河族猫都知道他们的邻居饥肠辘辘，因此在边界处加强巡逻也很正常。
“你们来我们河族领地这儿干什么？”鹰霜质问道。
火星起初没有回答。但他随即似乎恢复了常态，让皮毛平顺，肩膀放松。“我正在追一只刚从雷族境内跑出去的泼皮猫。”他答道。他看着停在鹰霜身后的那只棕色母猫，问道：“为什么你在放任一只泼皮猫进入你们的领地，反而来质问我？”
鹰霜跟那只泼皮猫相互长长地对视一眼，然后答道：“我母亲在河族会永远受到欢迎的。”
莎夏！松鼠爪突然认出了这只泼皮猫，那天正是自己帮她从两脚兽的洞穴里逃出来。自己的疑惑得到解答，她不由感到些许得意。谁都知道鹰霜和蛾翅的母亲是一只泼皮猫，她生下他们不久，就把孩子留在河族。莎夏在森林里没待多长时间就走了，所以其他族群的猫都不太认识她。
但火星似乎有很多困惑，他呆呆地站在那儿，竖着耳朵，盯着那母子俩。
莎夏轻轻点了下头，算是打过招呼。“火星，我听过很多关于你的事！”她喃喃道，“终于见到你，真有意思。”她的语气客气而冷淡，相形之下，松鼠爪就显得稚嫩和笨拙了。
“这么说，你就是莎夏？”火星温和地说着，眼神缓和下来。
“看来你似乎以为是别的什么猫？”莎夏提示道。
火星凝视着她打理得干净整齐的皮毛：“你看起来不像泼皮猫。”
“你看起来也不像宠物猫。”莎夏回击道。松鼠爪皱了皱眉，但父亲并没有生气，只是平和地直视着莎夏骄傲的目光。
“我一直很奇怪，为什么泼皮猫会选择将自己的孩子丢在族群里。”
“为什么一只宠物猫会成为一个族群的族长？”莎夏回应道。她没等火星回答，又说道：“并不是所有的猫都出生在合适的地方，火星，总有些猫会选择他自己的道路。”
火星眯起眼睛问道：“你就是这样一只猫？”
“或许是，”莎夏说道，“或许不是。但我希望我的孩子走自己的路。”她瞥了一眼鹰霜，松鼠爪看到她的眼神里有一丝骄傲。
“你愿意在河族待一段时间吗？”鹰霜向母亲发出邀请，“我们有充足的猎物。”他向火星投去嘲弄的一瞥，但火星没做反应。他只是那么简单地看着，眯着眼睛想着莎夏刚才说的话。
“我不会久留的，”她对鹰霜说道，“我只想见见蛾翅。”
鹰霜冲火星努着嘴。“我一回营地就派一支巡逻队，来看你们偷没偷河族的猎物。”他警告道。
“我们根本没必要偷猎。”火星反驳道。他看着自己的队伍说道：“我们走！”
尽管气氛依然紧张，但松鼠爪知道危险已经过去。鹰霜和火星各自转身离开了边界。她正随父亲往回走，但还没走到树下的安全地带，火星又停住爪子，喊住莎夏——他的声音显得格外镇定。
“他们的父亲是虎星，对吗？”
莎夏对这个问题一点也不惊讶。她点点头说：“是的，虎星是他们的父亲。”
松鼠爪感觉地面摇晃了一下，怪不得火星看到鹰霜跳到他面前时会如此吃惊，他必定以为见到了虎星，以为他还有第十条命。在以前月圆时分的森林大会上，火星就见过鹰霜，那天晚上在四棵树的灾难现场聚会时也看到过他，但也许这是火星第一次在阳光下遇上他。
接着松鼠爪听到身边传来喘气的声音，看到黑莓掌瞪大眼睛正站在那里。“但是我的父亲也是虎星！”他粗声粗气地说，“这是否意味着，我在其他两个族群都有至亲？”
鹰霜的眼睛转向他的同父异母哥哥。“真奇怪，你竟没有想到。”鹰霜说道。松鼠爪扫视着他俩，这才发现他俩长得真像，都有着一身相似的皮毛和强壮的肩膀。
“我还以为褐皮才是我唯一的手足……”黑莓掌喃喃地说。
“至少你有机会了解父亲。”鹰霜的尾巴一颤，“我很羡慕你。”
“我对虎星的了解更多的是来自火星，而不是他。”黑莓掌反驳道。
“但至少虎星知道你。我，他甚至连见都没见到过。”
一丝同情在松鼠爪的心底悄然而生。她知道自己跟父亲之间的亲密关系，是多么值得珍惜。但她随即抛开了这个念头，河族武士有些事情令她觉得，他不值得信任。
鹰霜的眼神重新变得坚定起来。“离开边界！”他警告着，用他那长长的钩子一样的利爪抓挠着地面——那爪子极像长老们的故事里所描述的黑黄相间皮毛的老虎的爪子，他父亲的武士名号正源于此。“在必要的时候，我会捍卫族群领地，无论面对的是谁。”
鹰霜转身带着母亲顺着河流，向下游走去，然后一起涉水过河，消失在对岸的丛林里。松鼠爪默默地看着他们走远，知道他的威胁是真的。
第八章
第八章
叶爪眼瞅着怪物远去，张口想大声疾呼，却没发出半点声音。眼前的森林开始天旋地转，她闭上眼睛，又睁开来，拼命克制着想要永远倒地不起的冲动。
两脚兽大声喧哗着，张牙舞爪地向森林跑来。
他们现在还没有完全脱离危险。
黑莓掌从他们身后的灌木丛下突然冒出来，催促道：“快跑！”他冲到松鼠爪身边，推了她一下。
松鼠爪正恐惧地盯着前方的空地，这时她移开眼神，看向黑莓掌：“灰条怎么办？”
“现在我们什么也做不了，”他嘶嘶地叫道，“快，我们必须离开这儿！”
“往哪边走？”柯蒂盯着森林喊道。
“跟我走！”黑莓掌吩咐道。
自从黑莓掌跟松鼠爪一起离开森林，叶爪还没见过他。现在一见，感觉他已经大变样了——现在的他老练、自信，尽管处于巨大的危险之中，他仍然镇定自若地发出指令。过去的一个月，他们去了哪里？但现在不是问话的时候。叶爪从泥地里拔起爪子，跟在松鼠爪和柯蒂后面，钻出灌木丛。云尾紧挨着亮心，从她的身边一掠而过。
叶爪看到栗尾和雨须熟悉的身影，闪电一般带头穿过树林，心下稍微安定下来。雾脚也和他们在一起。所有陷入两脚兽牢笼的猫都逃出来了——但他们却失去了灰条。
她听见两脚兽跟在他们后面闯进了森林。她用余光扫了一眼身后，看到它们冒失地冲进灌木丛，笨拙地在树木间绕来绕去，被黑莓树枝绊得踉踉跄跄。叶爪知道现在它们根本抓不住她了，这里是她的领地，她可以跟任何小动物一样来去自如，她的娇小的身体非常适合这里低矮的灌木丛，跑起来如风一般自由。
几只猫爬向蛇岩，两脚兽被他们远远地甩在后面。叶爪放慢脚步，柯蒂跟她一起走着。两只猫气喘吁吁地走到了巨悬铃木附近。几只猫累得就地躺倒。云尾舔着亮心的耳朵，就好像从来没给她打理过似的。雾脚看着他俩，她那灰色的腹部随着喘息一起一伏。
待在毫无遮蔽的空地上，柯蒂似乎有点紧张。“这里安全吗？”她问道。
“现在两脚兽抓不住我们了。”叶爪安慰她。
“但是，这里有没有狐狸或獾出没？”柯蒂忽闪着大眼睛说，“难道森林里不是充满各种危险的东西吗？”
“比如野猫？”叶爪无力地开了个玩笑。她倒向雷族猫旁边的柔软的落叶堆上。
雨须挣扎着坐起来，深灰色的皮毛全竖了起来，他的一只前爪正在出血。“你确认它们抓住了灰条吗？”他问道。
松鼠爪耷拉着耳朵，说道：“我看见两脚兽把他带走了！”
“但他战斗起来，像个虎族猫！”刺掌反驳道，“它们本来抓不住他的！”
“两脚兽来得太多了。”松鼠爪解释道。
雾脚向松鼠爪点了下头。“我欠你一条命，”她喃喃地说道，“我还以为我们绝对逃不掉了呢。”她定定地看着她，“你救了我们大家。”
松鼠爪坐起来。“不只是我，”她坚持道，“是所有猫一起冒着生命危险救的，灰条是带队的。”
叶爪眯着眼睛，仔细端详着妹妹，这句回答像是一位武士、而不是学徒说的话。她注意到松鼠爪瘦多了，也强壮多了——比骨瘦如柴的雷族武士更适合做一位武士。叶爪低下头舔着自己斑驳、凌乱的皮毛。这是她第一次在妹妹面前感觉羞愧，自从她俩上次见面以来，又发生了那么多事情，一时间她不知说什么好。
“两脚兽会怎么对待他？”栗尾悲凄地哀叹道。
叶爪但愿自己能提供一点安慰，但她不知道说什么。如果不是这些勇敢的族猫，现在被带走的应该是她，而不是灰条。
“但愿星族会帮助他。”刺掌低声说道。
“星族对两脚兽无能为力。”松鼠爪呸道。
“星族今天就与我们同在。”叶爪提醒她，“它们赐予你力量，去面对两脚兽。它们也会照顾灰条的。”
栗尾撑起爪子站起来，跟叶爪碰了碰鼻子。“感谢星族，没让两脚兽把你带走。”她轻声说，“松鼠爪做梦的时候，梦到你困在这里，她坚持要我们一起来救你。”
“你们救的可不只我一个。”叶爪感激地看着自己的族猫说。
“你们救了我们大家！”柯蒂附和着，走到了叶爪身边。
栗尾从叶爪的身边挪开，严厉地看着这只宠物猫。“你是谁？”她质问道，“你不是森林猫，看起来也不像是泼皮猫。”
“这是柯蒂。”叶爪说道，“当我悲伤的时候，是她让我停止自怜，鼓励我，让我相信我们有机会逃脱。”
栗尾嗅了嗅，说道：“你是一只宠物猫？”
雨须坐起来，盯着这只虎斑母猫。刺掌也竖起了耳朵。
“是的，我是一只宠物猫。”柯蒂承认道。
黑莓掌撑起爪子，向柯蒂走过来。叶爪看见她的朋友强自镇定，不在身上沾着泥巴和血迹的宽肩武士面前露怯。“你想让我们把你送回两脚兽的地方吗？”他问道。
“现在走那条路还不够安全，”叶爪提醒道，“两脚兽可能还在森林里搜索我们。”
亮心坐起来，紧张地看向林间空地的四周。
“没事儿，”云尾安慰她，“在森林里，我们能轻松地甩掉它们。”
“营地里更安全一些。”松鼠爪说，“为什么柯蒂现在不跟我们一起回去呢？”
宠物猫看着众猫，有点拿不定主意。她所有的勇气都在被关在笼子里时用尽了，现在置身于一堆野猫中间，她明显有点胆怯——她听说过很多关于野猫的残忍的故事。
“我们会欢迎你的！”叶爪说道。她看看黑莓掌和雨须，希望他们认可她说的话。
“火星不会把一只处于困境的猫赶出去的。”黑莓掌附和着说。
“你的两脚兽主人会想念你吗？”栗尾尖锐地问。叶爪惊奇地瞟了她一眼。
“是的，当然会。”柯蒂用爪子抓挠着地面，一双蓝眼睛里闪闪发亮，“但听起来，好像独自穿过森林对我很不安全，我不想让你们置身危险之中。”
“一旦外面消停了，我们就送你回家。”叶爪保证道。
“那么我觉着，我们现在就该走了。”栗尾长叹一口气，看向黑莓掌，“我们怎么跟火星说灰条的事呢？”
叶爪咽了一下唾沫。灰条是雷族的副族长，是族群里最勇猛、最有经验的武士，也是火星最好的朋友。没有他，族群事务谁来打理？
几只猫都陷入了悲伤，沉默地走在森林里。叶爪注意到刺掌正在带路，他似乎想往太阳石方向、而不是峡谷的方向走。为什么不回营地？她不解地瞟了一眼松鼠爪。
“族群不得已放弃了旧营地，”她妹妹解释说，“两脚兽已经越来越逼近营地。”
叶爪深吸一口气：“情况竟然已经这么严重了？”
“恐怕正是如此。”刺掌冷冷地搭腔。
“太阳石那儿，肯定没有足够的地方供我们所有族猫栖身吧？”云尾说。
“幼崽们都怎么样？”亮心焦急地问。
“根本吃不饱。”松鼠爪坦言道。
“我们必须要走了，再拖下去，他们会越长越虚弱。”黑莓掌嘀咕着。
叶爪不明所以。刺掌严厉地瞟了他一眼，叶爪更觉困惑不解了。黑莓掌和松鼠爪刚刚回来，为什么又说要走了？
“我们快到了吗？”柯蒂在后面问道。
叶爪听见河水潺潺流动的声音从光秃秃的树林里传过来。他们已经快到河族边界了，太阳石就在前方。“是的，现在已经离那儿不远了。”她回答道。
刺掌向前走着，叶爪和其他猫跟在他后面，穿过一片细长的蕨丛。不一会儿，他们就出现在通往河族边界的坡顶。叶爪看着水波荡漾的河底，一种久违的欣慰感涌上心头。不管两脚兽把森林破坏成什么样子，至少这条河还好好在那儿。
雾脚顺坡而下，往河边走去。她走到河边，停下来，回头对雷族猫说：“非常感谢雷族武士救我。我跟你们一样，为灰条感到痛心。”她的蓝眼睛里流露出一丝愁云，片刻后转身下河，强有力的爪子划动着打着旋涡的水流，一直游到对岸。
雷族猫开始往太阳石进发。叶爪加快步伐，迫不及待地要回到自己的族群，好弄清山谷里的老家发生了什么情况。柯蒂亦步亦趋地跟着她。叶爪从她轻轻抽动的耳朵看出，这只宠物猫既兴奋又紧张。
“你确定他们不会介意我跟你一起回来吗？”她小声问道。
叶爪几乎没听到她在说什么。她只看到火星坐在宽阔的灰色的坡顶，太阳照在他火红的皮毛上，映出他的轮廓。他看起来消瘦而疲惫，眼睛半闭着。她怎么告诉他，灰条为了救她而被抓呢？这个想法像一根刺，扎得叶爪心都碎了。
一定是风把她的气息吹过去了，火星突然一转身，定定地瞅向岩石下方。他撑起爪子，跳起来，尾巴扬得高高的，向他们跑下来。“叶爪！”他滑行着停下爪子，喘息着说，“你终于平安无事了！”他连连舔着她的耳朵，喉咙里发出满意的咕噜声。
“我真的好想你！”叶爪说着，将脸伸进火星那熟悉而温暖的皮毛。
“感谢星族，你们都回来了！”火星激动地说。
黑莓掌、松鼠爪以及其他雷族武士都在坡下等着，柯蒂则站在树下，不敢上前。
云尾和亮心从他们的身边飞快地跑过去。“白爪！”云尾呼唤道，“我们回来了！”
皮毛雪白的学徒正躲在一个隐蔽的岩缝里打瞌睡，听到声音，她抬起头，跳了起来。“你们逃出来了！”她大喊着，从坡上冲下来迎接她的爸爸妈妈。她冲到他们面前，猛然止住爪子，喜极而泣。云尾用尾巴揽住她，亮心则对着女儿一阵猛舔。白爪小声尖叫着躲闪到一边。
沙风从太阳石边上悬空的石洞下飞奔出来，跳下坡，将火星推到一边。“叶爪，它们伤着你没有？”沙风忙问道。
“没有。”叶爪回答。沙风热切地舔着女儿的皮毛，要将她从两脚兽洞穴里带来的臭味除掉。“我很好，我说的是实话。”
“你怎么逃出来的？”火星问。
“松鼠爪解救了我们。”叶爪欣喜地承受着妈妈热情的洗礼，努力不让自己被她推倒。
“我昨晚做了一个梦，”松鼠爪走上前说，“斑叶告诉我叶爪被困在那里。”
“你为什么不告诉我？”火星惊讶地盯着自己的女儿。
“你出去巡逻了。”松鼠爪解释说，“我等不及了，我就带着栗尾去找寻叶爪。”
“而且没有时间大老远地跑回营地求助，”栗尾插话说，“两脚兽已经准备将抓住的猫全部带出森林。”
“仅靠我俩是救不了他们的，”松鼠爪插话道，“我们在蛇岩附近碰上了灰条和黑莓掌。”
“还有刺掌和雨须，”黑莓掌补充道，“是灰条带领我们实施了这次救援。他权衡了危险性，认为值得出手救援所有被两脚兽关起来的猫。”
“灰条？”火星小声说，“我还以为他做了什么蠢事呢。”他瞅了一圈，问道：“他在哪儿？”
叶爪感觉脚下的岩石开始摇晃。沙风停下梳洗，好像感觉到有什么事不对劲儿。
火星看着她，将脑袋偏向一边：“为什么他没跟你们一起回来？”
叶爪看得出他在研读她的表情，他的脸上突然笼上了一层阴影。“他被两脚兽抓住了。”她强迫自己说出来，每个说出来的字都像是大冷天里的石头。
“它们把他塞进一只怪物里带走了。”松鼠爪嘶哑地解释道。
“灰条被带走了？”火星轻声说道。他坐下来，尾巴绕着身体盘成一圈。叶爪的腿直打哆嗦。她从没觉得过父亲有这么遥远，远到她根本无法安慰他。
“我……我们本应该在发起攻击之前，集结一支更大的队伍，”黑莓掌看着极度悲伤的族长，结结巴巴地说，“我本该阻止这次行动的，我很抱歉。”
火星注视着面前这位暗棕色皮毛的武士，眼睛里燃起一团火。叶爪有一瞬间，害怕父亲要将自己的痛苦撒在这位年轻的武士身上。除了她，松鼠爪也起身露出爪子——她会真的为了保护黑莓掌而反抗父亲吗？叶爪不知道——但黑莓掌迎着族长的目光毫不退缩。
“你已经带回了我的女儿，还有云尾和亮心。”火星几乎像是在劝说自己，不要为了这件事责怪黑莓掌，“灰条会找到办法回来的。”
“但他被怪物带走了。”雨须轻声说。
火星目光空洞地注视着这位深灰色皮毛的武士。“他会回来的，”火星重复道，“我必须坚信这一点，不然就会失去一切。”
沙风顺着他的思路想着。“我们的两个女儿都回来了，”她的声音飘荡在太阳石的上空，“我们从没想过会发生这种奇迹。”
火星凝视着她。“灰条瞬间就已经决定，要不惜牺牲自己，去营救他们。”他承认。
“这就是他为什么永远都是我们的好朋友。”沙风轻声说，她在火星的身边坐下，用尾巴圈住他。
“叶爪！”柯蒂从树荫下向她小声问道，“你还好吗？”
叶爪无法回答。她仍然凝视着自己的父亲，一股巨大的悲伤涌上来，让她几乎无法呼吸。她感觉到妹妹的尾巴在她身上轻轻地拂过。
“别担心！”松鼠爪轻声说道，“火星从来都没看错过，只要他相信灰条会回来，他就肯定能回来。”
“但它们把他关进了怪物里。”雨须又说了一遍，好像那副情景已经在他的脑子里永远定格。
鼠毛面容冷峻。“月亮升起之前，火星必须指定一名副族长。”她说道。
松鼠爪的眼睛里闪烁着愤怒的火花，她怒斥鼠毛的声音吓了叶爪一跳。“你这么说，好像认定灰条已经死了！”她大声说道，“他没有死！你应该听到了火星说的话，他会回来的！我们不能放弃希望。”
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 13
Squirrelpaw dropped the mouse onto thefresh-kill pile. It did little to bulk up the meager offerings of a sparrow and a vole already brought in by the dawn patrol. Sorreltail had hunted with her, but had caught nothing.
“Take that straight to the elders,” Firestar mewed, padding over to them.
“Not Ferncloud?” Squirrelpaw queried.
“Cinderpelt says she won’t eat anything yet.” Firestar sighed. “But Cody has been sharing food with Birchkit.”
“That kittypet should go back to her Twolegs and stop eating our fresh-kill,” Sorreltail commented irritably. “She’s no good for hunting.”
“Cody takes hardly anything for herself,” Firestar pointed out. “And while she cares for Birchkit, the other cats have more time for hunting.”
Squirrelpaw glanced sympathetically at Sorreltail. She probably resented Cody more for taking up Leafpaw’s time than for being a kittypet. She picked up the mouse and carried it to where the elders were making the most of the frail warmth of sunhigh at the top of Sunningrocks.
Frostfur and Speckletail had their eyes closed, dozing. Longtail, the blind tom who was no older than some of the warriors, sat up. “I smell mouse,” he mewed.
“It’s not very big, I’m afraid,” Squirrelpaw apologized.
“It’s fine,” Longtail assured her. He prodded the mouse with his paw, and the tip of his tail twitched excitedly when the little body shifted, as if the desire to hunt for himself had not dimmed.
Suddenly he lifted his head and opened his mouth to scent the air. “WindClan!” he exclaimed, more in surprise than alarm
“What, here?” mewed Squirrelpaw, looking around. She didn’t think her father was expecting visitors.
At the foot of the rock, Tallstar was leading a small, bedraggled patrol out of the woods. The ThunderClan cats watched them climb slowly up to where Firestar waited. No cat challenged them. Tallstar’s step was so faltering, his frame so emaciated, that Squirrelpaw was amazed he had made it all the way here. The two warriors that accompanied him were in no better condition; Onewhisker and Tornear were so thin they looked like they were made of twigs and leaves, and Squirrelpaw half feared the breeze might blow them away.
Crowpaw was at the rear of the patrol, looking thinner than he had on the journey to the sun-drown-place, though he was not quite as scrawny as his companions. Squirrelpaw bounded down the slope to touch noses with him in greeting. When she got closer, she saw that his eyes were as dull as his Clanmates’, and his fur was ungroomed.
“Crowpaw!” she exclaimed. “Are you okay?”
“I’m as fit as any of my Clan,” Crowpaw growled.
Tornear blinked at her. “Crowpaw has been hunting like a whole patrol on his own, finding prey to feed nearly all the Clan,” he reported.
Squirrelpaw pricked her ears.
“He even caught a hawk two sunrises ago,” Tornear went on. Even though starvation seemed to have robbed the WindClan warrior of all emotion, Squirrelpaw thought she detected a hint of pride in Tornear’s voice.
Crowpaw shrugged. “I used a trick the Tribe taught us.”
“Crowpaw!” Brambleclaw came bounding up the rock. Squirrelpaw saw his eyes darken, and she guessed he was as shocked as she had been to find their friend so gaunt and lifeless.
Tallstar’s voice distracted her. “Firestar, we have come to plead for ThunderClan’s help,” he rasped. As if the effort of speaking were too much, his legs buckled and he collapsed onto his side. Squirrelpaw started to go over to help him, but Brambleclaw held her back with a touch of his tail.
“The Twolegs have started to destroy the warrens where we have been sheltering,” Tallstar panted. “We cannot stay a moment longer on the moor, but we are too weak to travel alone. I don’t care that we haven’t had another sign. I just know we have to leave. Take us to this sun-drown-place, I beg you.”
Firestar looked down at Tallstar, and Squirrelpaw saw sorrow flash in his eyes. “We have been allies many times,” he murmured. “And to watch you starve is more than I can bear.” He lifted his gaze and stared into the forest, and, as he did so, the brambles under the trees rustled and a pale bracken-colored shape exploded from the bushes.
Tawnypelt! The ShadowClan cat’s pelt bristled, and her eyes were wild with fear.
“The Twolegs are attacking our camp!” she yowled, her voice echoing over the rock. “They have surrounded us with their monsters! Please come!”
Firestar bounded down the slope ahead of the others. Even Tallstar hauled himself to his paws and hurried toward the ShadowClan warrior.
“Please help us,” Tawnypelt cried to Firestar. “Help us for the sake of the ThunderClan blood that runs in my veins, if nothing else.”
Firestar brushed the tip of his tail across her mouth. “We will come for the sake of ShadowClan,” he told her gently. “And for the sake of all the Clans in the forest.” He looked at his warriors. “Thornclaw, Mousefur, Sandstorm, you will each lead a patrol. We will take all those strong enough to fight.” Instantly the three warriors began weaving among the cats, issuing orders.
“What about defending the camp?” Dustpelt called.
“Defend it from what?” Firestar replied. “The only creatures that threaten us now are already attacking ShadowClan.”
“What about RiverClan?” Leafpaw’s quiet mew sounded from higher up the slope. She fell silent as the ThunderClan warriors turned to stare at her.
Squirrelpaw’s heart lurched. Her sister was right. With the camp undefended, Hawkfrost might persuade RiverClan to claim Sunningrocks for themselves.
But the warriors clearly misunderstood Leafpaw’s warning. “RiverClan won’t help us!” Mousefur spat.
“They might,” Cinderpelt argued. “The river’s drying up. RiverClan are not as well-fed as they used to be.”
Squirrelpaw glanced at Brambleclaw. They weren’t the only ones to have noticed the river. If RiverClan were suffering, they were more likely to help ThunderClan than attack them. But her nagging suspicion of Hawkfrost remained.
Firestar’s eyes lit up with hope. “Brambleclaw!” he called. “Go to RiverClan and ask Leopardstar for help!”
“Yes, Firestar!”
“Find Mistyfoot first,” Squirrelpaw whispered. “And make sure Hawkfrost comes too. He shouldn’t be left behind at the camp.”
Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. “You think he would attack here?”
“It’s better to be safe.”
Brambleclaw snorted. “You’re too suspicious,” he growled, and pelted away.
Squirrelpaw felt a prickle of guilt. She hoped Brambleclaw didn’t think her suspicions included him.
“Squirrelpaw, you’ll join my patrol,” Sandstorm ordered. “Stay near me or Dustpelt.”
Squirrelpaw nodded. Her paws tingled with excitement. It was time to fight back—or time to accept that the forest had been lost, and leave. Even the WindClan warriors seemed to have brightened at the prospect of a battle. Onewhisker thrashed his tail in agitation, while Tornear paced back and forth in front of him.
“We will come with you,” Tallstar announced, his croaking voice finding new strength.
Firestar shook his head. “You are not strong enough.”
Tallstar fixed Firestar with a stern gaze. “My warriors and I are coming.”
Firestar dipped his head. “Very well,” he mewed respectfully. He surveyed his Clan. “Mousefur, Sandstorm, Thornclaw, are your patrols ready?”
The three warriors nodded.
“This may be our last battle in the forest,” Firestar went on, his voice barely louder than a growl. “We won’t be able to stop the Twolegs completely, but we can try to save ShadowClan.” He looked at Leafpaw. “We’ll need you with us to look after any wounded cats. Cinderpelt will stay behind and take care of the cats here.”
Squirrelpaw knew that the medicine cat’s old injury meant she would be more valuable to the Clan here at Sunningrocks, ready to tend to any cat who returned from the battle injured. She felt a flash of protectiveness toward her sister, then reminded herself that medicine cats learned fighting skills as well as any warrior.
As Firestar led his Clan down the slope, Squirrelpaw heard Onewhisker whispering to his leader.
“Tallstar, you are on your last life,” he was mewing urgently. “Please stay here.”
“Whether I’m on my first life or my ninth, my duty is to the forest,” Tallstar replied calmly. “I will not miss this battle.”
Squirrelpaw saw icy determination in the old cat’s eyes, and felt glad for the sake of his dignity when Onewhisker just nodded and walked beside him down the slope to the other cats.
Firestar paused for a moment at the edge of the trees to check that all the patrols were ready before charging into the forest. Squirrelpaw pelted after him with Tawnypelt beside her, their paws thrumming on the hard ground. She glanced back. No cat had fallen behind; even Tallstar was keeping pace. They followed the river until they were safely past the Twoleg clearing nearest the ravine, then swerved around to reach the crest of the slope that led down to Fourtrees. Firestar didn’t hesitate, but led them straight over the top of the rise. In the hollow, the slaughtered trees had been neatly stacked in piles. With a sickening jolt Squirrelpaw saw that the Great Rock been utterly crushed, reduced to nothing more than a massive pile of cracked stone.
Crowpaw weaved through the running cats and fell in step beside her. “Don’t look at it,” he warned. “Even if the Great Rock were still here, it wouldn’t help ShadowClan.”
Suddenly a yowl rang out from behind them, and Firestar swerved to a halt. The cats behind him stopped and spun around.
Mistyfoot, the RiverClan deputy, stood at the top of the slope. She had her Clan’s finest warriors beside her: Stormfur, Blackclaw, and Mothwing, and beside them the imposing shape of Hawkfrost. Next to him stood Brambleclaw, the outline of his head and shoulders matched with Hawkfrost’s against the pale sky.
“Wait!” Mistyfoot called down. “RiverClan will join you!”
Brambleclaw raced over to Squirrelpaw.
“How did you persuade Leopardstar to let them come?” she gasped.
“It wasn’t hard,” Brambleclaw told her. “They’re hungry and growing desperate.”
Stormfur pushed his way through the restless cats to join them. “We’ll be fighting together.”
“It’s as it should be,” Crowpaw growled from behind.
Looking around, Squirrelpaw realized that all the cats that had returned from the sun-drown-place were beside her—Brambleclaw, Stormfur, Crowpaw, and Tawnypaw. She glanced up at the sky. Feathertail, are you watching us?She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that they hadn’t left their friend behind forever with the Tribe of Rushing Water.
“Come on!” Firestar called. With a fierce battle cry, he led them toward ShadowClan territory.
The Thunderpath that had divided ThunderClan from ShadowClan for many moons lay eerily silent.
“They stopped the other monsters from coming here just before they started destroying our part of the forest,” Tawnypaw whispered to Squirrelpaw. “At least it makes it easier to cross,” she added dryly.
The hard surface felt icy underpaw as Squirrelpaw raced over it and into the trees. She heard the distant roaring of monsters and smelled their acrid scent. Her paws trembled, but fury urged her on. Crowpaw raced alongside her, his eyes grimly focused on the path. Squirrelpaw was amazed that his bony, ragged body possessed such strength.
She glimpsed a Twoleg monster through the trees. Its great yellow forepaws were lowered, its claws unsheathed as it tore through the undergrowth. Suddenly a violent and unnatural sound filled the forest, and Squirrelpaw scrambled to a standstill. All around, the forest rang with a dreadful creaking and groaning that seemed to split the air.
Flattening her body against the trembling forest floor, she saw a Twoleg monster only tail-lengths away. With massive paws it ripped an oak from the ground, dragging its roots from the earth as if it were a blade of grass. The tree’s branches crashed like hail as the monster tipped it over and began to strip the trunk, showering the cats with chips of bark. Something growled behind them, and Squirrelpaw whirled around to find their escape blocked as another monster rolled steadily toward them.
“They’re nearly at the camp!” Tawnypelt yowled.
With a sickening feeling of dread, Squirrelpaw saw more monsters ahead, churning their way toward the tangle of brambles that hid the ShadowClan camp.
“We’ll have to go that way,” Firestar called, gesturing with his tail toward a gap in the trees the monsters had not yet reached.
“No!” spat Crowpaw. “It’ll be quicker this way!” He darted forward, heading straight for the camp.
“Stop! You’ll be killed!” Squirrelpaw leaped onto Crowpaw’s back and dragged him to the ground, digging in her claws.
He collapsed beneath her, hissing with fury. “Get off me!”
Brambleclaw raced over to them. “Don’t be such a fool, Crowpaw!”
“He’s gone mad!” Squirrelpaw shrieked. “I’m not going to let him kill himself!”
“I’m not frightened of joining StarClan,” Crowpaw spat back. “The forest is dying anyway. At least in StarClan, Feathertail will be waiting for me!”
第九章
第九章
岩缝里传来一声悲痛的哀号，把叶爪一下子惊醒了。有一会儿，她以为自己仍被关在笼子里，那场惊心动魄的逃跑，给她留下的只是一场噩梦。然后她闻到寒风吹来的森林和河流的气息，这才明白过来，她已经置身雷族的新营地太阳石了。她眨了眨眼睛，睁眼看看岩缝边缘，呼出的气，像是寒冷空气里冒出了一股烟。
“怎么回事？”柯蒂在她的耳边问道。这只宠物猫昨夜跟她一起睡在学徒岩缝里。叶爪能感觉到，她腹部柔软的皮毛都竖起来了。
“听声音像是香薇云。”她说着，“但从这儿我只看得见尘毛。”
那位有着虎斑皮毛的武士站在落霜的山坡上，身影映衬在晨光中，一只幼崽吊在他下巴下。
尘毛带着幼崽走开了，临时育婴室里再次传来香薇云的哭声。
叶爪爬起来，使劲在冰冷的岩石上站住爪子，跑到香薇云身边问道：“怎么啦？”
“小冬青死了！”香薇云轻声说，“尘毛去埋她了。”她将剩下的孩子紧紧搂在怀里。“我醒来的时候，她身体都凉了。天太冷了！”她悲伤地说，听起来都要崩溃了，“我拼命地舔着她，但她再也没醒过来。”叶爪悲伤得心都揪起来了。她算什么巫医啊？居然没发现小冬青已经挣扎在死亡边缘了！
“噢，香薇云，”她同情地说道，“我真的非常抱歉。”
族猫一只接一只地聚到育婴室旁边，陷入一片恐怖的沉默。柯蒂站在他们中间，眼神里满是同情。令叶爪稍微松一口气的是，族猫都没注意到这只宠物猫。现在他们同仇敌忾，只有诱捕猫、破坏森林的两脚兽是他们的公敌。
炭毛连滚带爬地来到这个洼地里。“去拿点罂粟籽来，”她吩咐道，“香薇云悲痛过度，已经体力不支了。”
叶爪匆匆跑到炭毛存放小包草药的岩石缝，将爪子伸进去，摸树叶裹着的罂粟籽。她一心希望巫医在岩石缝里有充足的储备。看着爪子下干枯的树叶，她猜测里面只有两三份罂粟籽。秃叶季已经来临，根本不可能再找到这些果实了。
火星的呼唤让她惊醒过来。“叶爪！”她回头看到，父亲带着黑莓掌和鼠毛一起跃上山坡。“香薇云怎么样了？”他问。
“炭毛叫我来拿点罂粟籽，给香薇云稳定情绪。”叶爪告诉他。
“我还以为形势不会恶化得这么快！”火星怒吼道，“哦，星族啊，我该怎样才能帮这些猫？”他抬眼看向银毛星带，那道星河正迅速消失在黎明的曙光中。
“昨天晚上太冷了！”鼠毛解释道，“可怜的小家伙瘦得皮包骨，御寒能力严重不足。”
“小白桦命大，活下来了！”叶爪提醒他们，“我们必须确保香薇云能喂饱他。”
“但是夜里会一天比一天冷，一旦下了雪……”火星凝视着太阳石上空的树尖，说不下去了。
黑莓掌瞟了一眼不安的叶爪。“如果我们打算离开这座森林，就该尽快动身，”他说道，“赶在下雪之前走，不然山上有了积雪，路就更不好走了。”
叶爪眯着眼睛，内心因为妹妹跟她讲的午夜的警告而心烦意乱。她看得出来，很多族猫都不相信，星族会真的想让他们离开世代生活的家园，但她相信妹妹和黑莓掌对族群命运肩负着使命。她也不想离开森林里的家园，也担心族猫们的体力经不起长途跋涉，但她又如何能无视星族的指示？
“你们都知道我的想法，其他族群不走，我们便不能走。”火星坚持说道。叶爪默默地同意他的说法。无论一个族群陷入何等的艰难，为了星族，四大族群也必须共同进退。
“我得把这些东西拿给香薇云。”她小声说着，叼起那包罂粟籽。
当叶爪到达岩缝的时候，恰好看见栗尾走开了，她因为悲伤而眼神呆滞，甚至叶爪从她身边走过，她都没有抬头看一眼。叶爪注意到，栗尾小心翼翼地踩在冰冷的岩石上，仿佛生怕伤着自己的爪子。叶爪爬进洞，将罂粟籽放到炭毛的爪子边。香薇云躺在那儿，眼神空洞。小白桦蜷缩在妈妈的身边，显然受惊不小，再加饥饿，一点声也没发出来。令叶爪感到意外的是，柯蒂也在那儿。
“谢谢！”炭毛小声说着，接过药包，小心地用牙齿打开了。
“你难道不该待在外面吗？”叶爪轻轻地提示柯蒂。
“我想我可以提供点帮助，”柯蒂答道，“我也失去过一窝孩子。”
“一窝都没了？那可真是太可怜了！”
“不是死了！”柯蒂赶快解释道，“我家主人找到了新的收养家庭，把我的孩子一只只送出去了。但失去孩子的感觉是一样的。”
“这样的主人，你还想回去？”叶爪难以置信地说道，“你怎么能原谅它们？”
“对宠物猫来说，主人不收养他们的孩子很正常，我们不能奢求太多。”柯蒂眨眨眼睛说，“我的主人很温柔、善良，它们会为每只幼崽选择最好的收养家庭。它们也不知道我会想念孩子。”
炭毛看了她们一眼，她俩赶紧噤声。香薇云似乎又焦躁起来，在冷冰的岩石上翻来覆去，发出轻微的呻吟。“小冬青现在上天了，跟星族在一起，”炭毛对她低声耳语道，“再也冻不着，也饿不着了。”
“我尽力了！”香薇云痛哭道，“为什么死的不是我啊？”
洞边传来火星低沉的声音：“因为你死了，就没有猫照顾小白桦了，你必须勇敢地活下来，香薇云。”
叶爪抬起头，发现柯蒂平贴着耳朵，根本没看雷族族长。
“香薇云，小冬青的事儿我很难过，”火星继续说道，“我们会确保小白桦活下来。”
香薇云仰脸看向火星。“小白桦一定得活下来。”她低声嘶吼道。
炭毛将罂粟籽放到香薇云身边的地上。“给你，”炭毛说，“把它吃了，这能缓解你的痛苦。”香薇云看着那罂粟籽，露出犹豫的神色。
柯蒂探过身子，嗅了嗅那包黑色的小颗粒。“吃吧，”她劝说道，将药包向香薇云推得更近一点，“还有一个孩子需要你照顾，你得积蓄力量。”
火星好奇地看着她，说道：“沙风说，叶爪带回来一只宠物猫，就是你吗？”
“是的，我叫柯蒂。来，香薇云，吃了这些罂粟籽。”
“你应该看得出来，我们的族群现在没办法为你提供安全的地方。”火星抱歉地说，“但你独自外出很危险。一旦我们的武士有空，我就会派他们护送你回家。不过在那之前，你就得一直在我们这儿待着。”
“谢谢你！”柯蒂小声说道。
火星将目光转向香薇云，问道：“她会好起来吗？”
“休养些时日，她就会好起来的。”炭毛对他说。
“那小白桦呢？”
“在三只幼崽中，他一直都是最强壮的那只。”炭毛弓下身子，舔了舔那团小毛球，他正在妈妈怀里拱来拱去找奶吃。
“照顾好他们。”火星说完转身走了。
柯蒂的肩膀放松下来。“真难以相信，你父亲曾经是一只宠物猫！”她小声跟叶爪嘀咕。
“我从没想过这个问题。”她坦承道，“我似乎觉得，既然他已经回归大自然，那就不再是个问题。他当上族长以后，我才出生。”她看着柯蒂，继续说道：“待在这里还习惯吗？”
“当然！”柯蒂听来有些惊讶，叶爪居然会担心她住不惯。她扬起尾巴，轻轻扫了扫叶爪的侧腹，然后转身在香薇云的身边趴下。“你们走吧！”她对叶爪和炭毛说，“你们还有很多猫需要照料。我不能为族群做什么事，但至少我可以照顾香薇云。”
炭毛看着宠物猫，拿不定主意，但柯蒂一再让她放心。“我会劝她吃下那包罂粟籽，”她保证道，“等她睡着了，我会照顾小白桦的。他肯定会想念自己妹妹的。”
“那就太好了！”炭毛赞同地说道，“但如果香薇云病情加重，一定要来叫我。”
柯蒂点点头。叶爪跟着炭毛走出巢穴时，回头望了一眼，向她的朋友感激地眨了一下眼睛。
族猫们在光秃秃的岩石上挤作一团，一只只神色黯然。叶爪突然很想躲进树林里，独自跑一会儿。整个族群都在受苦，这让她的内心沉重得难以释怀，她想逃离哪怕一小会儿。
她沿山坡朝森林走去。她钻进灌木丛里，吸了一口森林里带着泥土气息的空气，大口呼吸着。接着，她发现了松鼠爪和黑莓掌的熟悉气味，侧耳倾听，前方传来他们热切交谈的声音。她在蕨丛里迂回前行，发现他俩正待在河族边界旁的小块空地上。
“我跟火星说过，我们必须尽快离开。”只听黑莓掌说道，“天一旦下雪，我们很难爬过那片大山。要是我们仍待在这儿，肯定熬不到绿叶季来临。”
“但是我们怎么知道应不应该穿越那片大山？”松鼠爪争辩道，“我们在巨岩那儿没等到任何指示。午夜说过，会有一位武士给我们指路，但武士没来！”
“没有信号，我们怎么知道要往哪里去？”黑莓掌轻声说道，“也许午夜说的话不一定对。”
“它怎么会错？”松鼠爪说道，“是星族把我们派到它身边的！”
叶爪呆住了，她的尾巴颤抖着。她闭上眼睛，但愿自己能听见星族的指示，然后焦躁地睁开了眼睛。为什么她会如此无力？如果星族有什么指示，它们会传递过来的，那时他们自会识别出来。
“松鼠爪！”她喊道，“黑莓掌，我来了！”她在蕨丛里挤出一条路，走到族猫身边。两只猫迅速跳开对方，警惕地看着她。
黑莓掌不安地移动着爪子，说道：“你听到我们在说什么了？”
“听到了。”
“你认为呢？”黑莓掌盯着她问，“有没有可能是午夜错了？”
叶爪内心有点想说，午夜说的不一定对。她想留在出生的森林里，这里也是星族的家园。但星族为什么又指示黑莓掌和其他几只猫，踏上那场危险的旅程呢？星族不会让这几只猫白白冒着生命危险吧？“你在怀疑星族，还是在怀疑自己？”最后，她小声说道。
黑莓掌无力地摇摇头，说道：“这个旅程太难走了，我们返回的路上，曾一度以为世上没有比这更艰难的事情。我们非常确定，星族会给我们指出一条路。但是它们没有，我们也等不起。将族群带离家园，责任太大了……”
“我们不知道应该什么时候走，也不知道应该去哪里。”松鼠爪插嘴道。
“最后，这一切还得火星来做决定。”叶爪提醒他们，“你们所能做的，只是把你们的所见所闻全都报告给他。”
黑莓掌点点头。
“你什么时候变得如此聪慧了？”松鼠爪深情地问姐姐。
“你什么时候变得如此勇敢高尚了？”叶爪打趣着，用尾巴拂了拂松鼠爪的侧腹。她体会到跟妹妹在一起的久违的快乐。然后她想起了香薇云和灰条，心不由得又沉了下去。
“如果火星决定离开，”叶爪呼了一口气，“灰条怎么办？”
松鼠爪神情忧伤地说：“不管我们在哪儿，灰条都会找到我们的。”
“但愿如此。”叶爪说，“但在他找到我们之前，谁来担起副族长之责呢？”
“灰条仍是我们的副族长。”黑莓掌说道。
“但他现在不在了，族群比以往更需要强有力的领导。”叶爪争辩道。
“只要火星相信灰条仍然活着，他就不会选出新的副族长来代替他。”黑莓掌坚持说道。
叶爪摇摇头。她不同意黑莓掌的说法，但他这么有情有义，令她很是赞赏。
“我们不要争论这个了。”松鼠爪恳切地说，“值得操心的事情太多了。”她瞥了一眼叶爪，“我真想在没失去他之前，把有些事情问个明白。”
叶爪脑袋一歪，问：“什么事？”
“当时很奇怪，他还没来得及解释，火星就让他噤声……”
黑莓掌竖起耳朵，静听她说下去。
“我们刚回来，灰条欢迎我们说，‘火和虎都回来了’。”松鼠爪眨着眼睛，“好像是在说一件很奇怪的事情。”
叶爪看着自己的爪子，不确定当讲不当讲。她能告诉松鼠爪和黑莓掌，炭毛看到的那个不祥之兆吗？或者不知道那个预兆，对他们俩更好？毕竟他们要担心的事情已经太多了。
“你知道这件事，是不是？”松鼠爪提示她。
叶爪的爪子在地上拖来拖去，一时间感到很有挫折感，她从来就别想在妹妹面前隐藏任何事。“炭毛曾经收到星族的一个信息。”她开口说道。
黑莓掌往前一凑，说道：“我还以为星族一直一言未发呢！”
“那是在你们出走之前，”叶爪解释道，“星族发出警告，火和虎会毁掉整个族群。”
“火和虎？”松鼠爪重复了一遍，“这跟我们有什么关系？”
叶爪的耳朵抽动着。“你是火星的孩子，”又转向黑莓掌说，“而你是虎星的孩子。”
松鼠爪的眼睛瞪得大大的，说道：“所以我们就是火和虎？”
叶爪点点头。
“但是谁会相信我俩会摧毁族群？”松鼠爪抗议道，“为了拯救族群，我们会不惜付出生命！”
“我知道。”叶爪点点头，“没有一只猫会这么看你们——事实上，只有火星、炭毛、灰条和我知道这件事……”她拼命地想消除妹妹的疑虑，“我们都相信你们绝不会做出任何伤害我们的事情。”叶爪注意到黑莓掌什么都没说。但是黑莓掌一直盯着她，阴暗的眼睛里充满焦虑。她不由感到一阵莫名的担心：“黑莓掌？”
“你们确信我们不会毁掉族群吗？”黑莓掌低声咆哮道。
“什……什么意思？”叶爪小声问道。
“我们当然不会！”松鼠爪生气地反驳他，一时间感到既愤怒，又困惑。
“你们不愿这么想。”黑莓掌说道，“但这的确说的是我们，不是吗？——火和虎——是谁想让族群离开家园，踏上漫长而危险的旅程，却不知道究竟要去哪儿？”
叶爪不禁感到后脊升起一股寒意，似乎炭毛的预言一下子就变得非常恐怖。如果族猫跟着松鼠爪和黑莓掌离开森林，会有什么可怕的命运等着他们？
三只猫回到太阳石的时候，秃叶季的太阳已经快要落山了。每只猫都带回了猎物：叶爪抓了一只老鼠；黑莓掌的嘴里叼着一只八哥；松鼠爪则带着一只肥美的画眉。
叶爪很想忘掉黑莓掌的担心，好好地睡上一觉。但她是一位巫医，必须确认所有族猫都平安无事才能去休息。她跟着妹妹爬上斜坡，想知道柯蒂是否已经让香薇云吃了那些罂粟籽。
蕨毛看到她俩说：“猎物堆在那边。”他用尾巴指向不远处的岩石，猎物堆小得可怜。蜡毛坐在那儿守着，扫视着天空，以防大鸟叼走猎物。营地边上的猎物堆，猎物丰盛、无须守卫的日子已经一去不返了。
叶爪将她的猎物丢到猎物堆上时，看到猎物这么少，心里充满了震惊。这根本就不够每只猫分一块猎物。她下定决心今夜不吃了——反正她太累了，什么都吃不下。
她朝着炭毛和鼠毛走去，她俩正躺在一个小小的凸岩下面。巫医看起来筋疲力尽，似乎跟她的族猫一样需要草药治疗。
“香薇云怎么样了？”叶爪问道。
炭毛抬头看着她说：“她已经睡着了，柯蒂把她照顾得很好。”
“那只宠物猫很不错。”鼠毛说着甩了甩尾巴，“她刚来的时候很紧张，我还以为她不会留在我们这儿呢。但是看样子，她在这儿待得挺好——无论如何都应该会待一阵子。”
叶爪感激地对这只有着深棕色皮毛的猫轻轻地眨了眨眼睛，然后又转向炭毛。她还有话要问，哪怕她很怕听到答案。“香薇云的另一个孩子还活着吗？”
“小白桦现在已经足够壮实，”炭毛的话令她放心多了，“而且香薇云现在只需要喂一只猫，可以给他更多的奶水。”
“如果我们待在这儿，他肯定活不过这个冬天。”鼠毛评论道。她看到尘毛向她走来，顿时显得很不安。“但愿他没听到那句话，”她低声说，“他今天已经够伤心的了。”
“我听见了，鼠毛。”尘毛有气无力地说道，“我跟你的看法一样，我们必须离开这座森林。”
叶爪震惊地盯着他，小冬青的死，似乎击碎了他身体里的最后一丝希望。
尘毛提高声音，让山坡上的猫都能够听到他低沉的声音。其他猫都惊讶地看着他。
“我们必须尽快离开森林！”他执着地说着，眼睛闪闪发光。他转头看着黑莓掌。“你带回的星族的信息，是我们唯一的希望。”他说道。
鼠毛站起身来：“我们踏上旅程之前，需要一位新的副族长。”
就在她说话的时候，火星出现在森林边缘，嘴里叼着一只干瘦的乌鸦。他清楚地听见了她说的话。他将那只乌鸦丢到猎物堆上，目光炯炯地爬上斜坡。“雷族有副族长！等灰条回来的时候，他不会看到另一只猫接替了他的位置。”他转身面向尘毛。“你能同意我们离开这儿，我很高兴。”他说道，“但是其他族群不愿离开，所以我们暂时还不能出发。”
“我只有一个孩子了。”尘毛说道，“如果我们待在这里，他也会死，我们全都会死在这儿。”
“因此我们必须更努力地说服其他族群，跟我们一起离开。”火星吼道。
“别的族群准备好了，会跟着走的，”尘毛反驳道，“我们已经准备好了。”
火星迎着武士的目光。“我们还不能走。”他重复了一遍。
“香薇云还需要休息。”炭毛平静地插话。
火星点了一下头，对炭毛的支持表示谢意。
黑莓掌面对尘毛。“我知道你正为失去两个孩子伤心，现在很怕再失去一个。”他说道，“但火星说得对，星族是不会想让我们抛下其他族群，单独离开的。”他转身面对着其他猫，说道：“星族从每个族群中选出一只猫，带回了午夜的信息。我们必须共同努力求生存，甚至要放下族群间的分歧。星族想要我们大家一起踏上征途，学会互相帮助。它们一定是想让我们现在就一起出发。”
火星走过岩石，站到这位年轻武士的身边。“我们要派出更多的巡逻队，”他说道，“现在我们没有其他族群的威胁。河族的食物比我们多得多，他们没必要攻击我们。”他凝视着周围憔悴饥饿的群猫，继续说道：“从现在开始，我们派出所有的巡逻队去狩猎，我们会在森林里找到足够的猎物，一直坚持到离开的时候。是的，尘毛，我们要离开这儿。我会再次去拜访河族及影族，劝说他们一起走。”
看到众猫点头同意，叶爪感到一阵轻松，但看到鼠毛走向前来，她的心又沉了下去。
“但是灰条怎么办？”火星不由得缩了一下身子，但她却继续接着说，“不管他还回不回来，只要他不在这儿，我们就需要一个新的副族长来履行他的职责。”
“是的。”尘毛赞同道，“你还没有指定任何猫。”他瞟了一眼黑莓掌，“你应该从年轻猫中挑选一位——其实星族已经认可了某只猫。”
叶爪朝四周看了一圈，蜡毛、白爪、霜毛和云尾都盯着黑莓掌，甚至刺掌似乎也在注视着这只年轻猫。只有鼠毛和雨须看着别处。
“蕨毛有足够丰富的经验，”鼠毛建议道，“他年轻力壮，早就通过考验，赢得了武士称号。”
雨须点点头说道：“蕨毛会是一个称职的副族长。”
“你们为什么要讨论这个话题？灰条还没有死！”火星的喉咙呼噜着，“他还是我们的副族长。”他脊背上的毛全都竖了起来，在其他猫看来，这是在警告他们，不要再争论这件事了。他摇摇头，眨了一下眼睛，努力让自己镇定下来。“但你们说得对，必须有猫代替灰条承担责任。在他回来之前，资深武士应该分担他的职责。”他瞅了一眼蕨毛，“你来组织新的狩猎队，沙风负责营地事务。黑莓掌，你来协助我说服影族和河族，让大家一起撤离森林。”说完他向那块悬空岩石走去。他经过叶爪身边的时候，呼唤道：“我有话跟你说。单独跟你说！”
叶爪不安地跟随他走进岩洞。她瞅着下方的柯蒂。宠物猫还待在临时育婴室里，正忙着给小白桦梳洗，完全不顾这只幼崽抗议的喵呜声。香薇云在他们身边睡着了。叶爪松了一口气，那只猫最需要的就是好好休息。她低下头，走进悬空的岩石下的岩洞里。
火星热切盯着她的眼睛。“叶爪，”他说，“如果你收到星族的信号，请务必要告诉我！”
“没有，我什么都没收到。”她答道，对他如此紧张颇为诧异，“炭毛有没有收到什么信号？”
“她也是一无所获。”火星眨着眼睛说，“我真希望它们能跟你们交流。”
叶爪不安地挪动着爪子。她为父亲如此信任自己感到高兴，但他竟认为星族给她传递信息的可能性比她老师要大，这令她感到很不安。
“它们为何如此安静？”火星余怒未消，站在冰冷的石头地上，弹出了利爪，“难道它们想告诉我们，每个族群必须自救，而不是一起离开森林？”
“当我被两脚兽捕获时，我也有相同的感受。”叶爪坦承道，“当我待在那讨厌的笼子里的时候，星族从没在我的梦中出现，我感觉非常孤单。但其实不是这样的，”她直视着父亲严肃的目光说，“族猫后来去救了我。”
火星睁大眼睛，听她继续说道：“星族不会做任何事情，让族群团结起来。它们不需要这么做。作为四大族群之一——不是两大族群或者三大族群，而是四大族群——这个观念已经深深扎在我们心底，就像追踪猎物时，我们本能地要躲在森林的阴影里一样。无论别的族群怎么说，他们都无法摆脱将我们联系在一起的界限、差异和对抗。边界线可以将我们与风族或是河族分割开，但同时也将我们紧密地联系在一起。星族了解这一点，所以我们联系到何等程度，完全取决于我们是否对此怀有信心。”
火星凝视着自己的女儿，好像是第一次认识她。“我真希望你认识斑叶。”他喃喃地说，“你让我想起了她。”
叶爪感动得无以言表，她只好低下头。她知道，她现在还不适合告诉父亲，斑叶已经好几次在梦中跟她说话了。火星能把她跟他的朋友，也就是前任雷族巫医相提并论，已经足矣——前任巫医正不辞辛劳地穿越群星，看护着她的族猫。
她唯一希望的是，当族群最终放弃这座森林的时候，斑叶以及其他武士祖灵能够与他们一路同行。
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 14
Brambleclaw leaned down and snarled intoCrowpaw’s face. “You would rather join a dead warrior than fight to save live ones?” Squirrelpaw felt the fight drain from Crowpaw’s body, but Brambleclaw went on. “Your Clan needs you more now than ever! Use your head and follow Firestar’s orders! Squirrelpaw, you can take your claws off him now.”
Gingerly she let go, half expecting Crowpaw to dart off into the trees again, but the WindClan apprentice only stood up and shook himself.
Behind them, the elm-killing monster attacked its victim. Thorn-sharp splinters of wood shot through the air, and Squirrelpaw felt searing pain as a tiny sliver of bark stabbed into her flank.
“Now!” yowled Firestar. The cats leaped forward just as the monster tore a branch from the elm, sending it crashing onto the forest floor where the cats had stood a heartbeat before
Firestar stopped when they reached the bramble thicket. “Sandstorm, take Leafpaw and the rest of your patrol and get the kits and queens out,” he ordered. “Mousefur, take Tornear and Crowpaw with your patrol and find the elders.”
Squirrelpaw turned to follow her mother, but Firestar called her back. “Squirrelpaw, I need you here!” he commanded. “Thornclaw, you help the apprentices to get out. RiverClan warriors, go with him, please.” Mistyfoot nodded and darted off with the ThunderClan cat. “Dustpelt, wait at the entrance and make sure everyone escapes. Don’t let any cat block the way.”
“What about me?” Onewhisker demanded as the others charged away.
“I’ll get to you soon,” Firestar promised. He turned to Tawnypelt who was tearing at the ground with her long, hooked claws. “You know this part of the forest better than us. We can’t go back the way we came. Which way’s the quickest out of here?”
“That way!” Tawnypelt answered at once, nodding to a break in the trees. “If we’re quick, we’ll get to it before the monsters and pick up a trail that will take us to the tunnel under the Thunderpath.”
Firestar turned back to Onewhisker and Tallstar. “You two must defend our escape route,” he meowed. It was the least dangerous of all the tasks, and Squirrelpaw guessed that her father was trying to preserve the WindClan leader’s last life.
Firestar looked at Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw. “You two, let Tawnypelt take you into the camp. She’ll know which den is which. Make sure that no cat remains inside the camp. If you hear me yowl, get out at once. It’ll mean the monsters have reached the brambles.”
Brambleclaw pressed his muzzle to Squirrelpaw’s ear. “Are you okay with this?”
“Of course I am! What do you take me for—a kit who’s never left the nursery?” Squirrelpaw jerked indignantly away. He blinked at her, his eyes glittering with concern, and she realized with a jolt that he was just worried about her. “I’m fine,” she promised. “It feels like a battle, and I need to fight for the forest—even if we can’t win. We can’t let Tawnypelt down.”
She whirled around and raced for the camp entrance. Tawnypelt was already scrambling through the prickly tunnel that led into the camp. As Squirrelpaw pounded after her into the clearing, the stench of terror nearly stopped her dead in her tracks. Pelts flashed everywhere as the ShadowClan cats bolted in blind panic. Terrified yowls tore through the air as queens called for their kits, and warriors shrieked orders.
Amid the chaos, the newly arrived warriors were somehow managing to stay calm: Squirrelpaw spotted Sorreltail and Tornear flanking a group of confused ShadowClan elders to herd them across the clearing; on the far side, Leafpaw urged Runningnose, the old ShadowClan medicine cat, toward the camp entrance.
Blackstar’s white coat stood out among the shadows. A gray apprentice crouched beside him, his fur standing on end. “Don’t be afraid!” the ShadowClan leader growled, nudging the apprentice to his paws. “I won’t let you die.”
He began to push the petrified apprentice toward the tunnel. Suddenly a kit squealed from the far end of the clearing. Blackstar turned to look, and Squirrelpaw followed his gaze. The tiny scrap of dark brown fur had flattened itself on the ground and screwed its eyes tightly shut.
Blackstar glared at Squirrelpaw. “Don’t just stand there! Get Smokepaw out while I get that kit!” He shoved the apprentice toward her and headed for the kit.
Smokepaw stared at her, too stunned to speak or move. There was no time for formal introductions. Squirrelpaw grasped the scruff of his neck in her teeth and started to haul him across the ground. She pushed him into the tunnel and scanned the clearing. Blackstar had grabbed the kit and was pelting toward her. Squirrelpaw darted out of the way just in time to let the ShadowClan leader hurtle past.
She rushed over to the nursery thicket and thrust her head into the nest. Peering into the shadows, she scented the air and listened for mewling above the roaring of the monsters. The nest was empty.
“Is everyone out?” Mothwing stood beside her, pelt bristling.
As Squirrelpaw nodded, she heard Hawkfrost call to one of his Clanmates, “We’ve done enough. Get out now, before the camp is destroyed!”
“We’ll stay until every cat is out!” Mistyfoot countermanded instantly, her sharp yowl making Hawkfrost freeze in surprise.
“Stop acting like you’re in charge!” Mothwing hissed angrily to her brother.
“Maybe not now,” Hawkfrost spat back. “But one day!”
Squirrelpaw felt a shiver chill her fur, but there was no time to think about it. A tortoiseshell ShadowClan queen was struggling to carry her two kits across the clearing. She kept dropping one and dashing back to fetch the other. Squirrelpaw raced over.
“I’ll take this one!” she breathed, picking up the tiny bundle in her teeth.
The queen flashed her a grateful look, and together they made for the entrance. Dustpelt was waiting outside. Squirrelpaw thrust the kit at him and ran back down the tunnel.
The camp was emptying quickly, and the roar of the monsters was deafeningly close. Make sure that no cat remains inside the
camp. Firestar’s order rang in her ears. She scoured the shadows of the camp wall for cats, terrified that any moment a monster would crash through, but only Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, and Mothwing were left in the clearing.
“Mothwing, get outside and help Leafpaw check for injuries,” Brambleclaw hissed. “We’ll search the camp for stragglers.”
Mothwing headed for the tunnel. “Hurry!” she called over her shoulder.
Trees were tipping and falling all around the camp, their leafless branches rattling together like dried bones. But Squirrelpaw had not heard her father’s signal yet, so she had to assume it was safe to stay.
“Is everyone out?” Brambleclaw demanded.
“We need to check the dens again to make sure,” Tawnypelt panted.
“I’ve checked the nursery,” Squirrelpaw meowed. “It’s empty.”
“Did Tallpoppy and her kits get out?”
“I helped a queen and her kits to the tunnel,” Squirrelpaw told her.
Brambleclaw flicked his tail. “I’ll check the warriors’ den.” He glanced at Tawnypelt. “You check the apprentices’.”
“What about the medicine clearing?” Squirrelpaw called to Tawnypelt.
“Littlecloud’s gone already.”
“But are any sick cats there?” Squirrelpaw demanded.
Tawnypelt blinked. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
“I’ll check,” Squirrelpaw promised. “Where’s the entrance?”
“Over there!” Tawnypelt pointed with a flick of her tail to a tangle of thorns beside the warriors’ den.
Squirrelpaw squeezed her way through the narrow tunnel. It opened into a large den, sheltered from the camp and the forest by a thick covering of hawthorn branches. The den was empty, and she was about to push her way back out when she heard her father’s yowl.
“Get out! The monsters have reached the camp!”
She began to struggle through the tunnel, but the brambles clung to her pelt. She thrashed wildly and felt the thorns dig deeper. A tree groaned overhead, its timber cracking as it began to fall. With a deafening crash it smashed into the ground so close to the camp wall that Squirrelpaw felt the ground shudder.
Wild with fear, she writhed harder, trying to pull herself free. “Brambleclaw!” she shrieked. “Help!” She expected a tree to crash down on top of her at any moment. Would she be killed trying to help ShadowClan, with no chance to see their new home?
Suddenly Squirrelpaw felt strong teeth sink into the scruff of her neck and haul her forward. The thorns raked her flanks like claws, but she did not care. She leaped to her paws. Brambleclaw was staring at her, his sides heaving.
“Thank you!” she breathed. She pressed her muzzle against his, but they weren’t safe yet. Another tree groaned overhead, and Squirrelpaw looked up to see a shadow loom slowly over the camp. A huge sycamore was tipping toward them, its branches spreading across the sky as it began to topple.
“Where’s Tawnypelt?” she cried.
“I told her to go,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Everyone has left but us. Let’s get out of here!”
The two cats pelted toward the camp entrance and shot through, almost crashing into Dustpelt, who was waiting outside.
“You’re the last,” he yowled. “Come on!”
Looking over her shoulder, Squirrelpaw saw the sycamore crash down onto the camp, crushing everything beneath its heavy branches. Another of the Clans’ camps had been destroyed. The home that ShadowClan had lived in for uncountable moons was gone.
Dustpelt led them away through the forest. Tallstar and Onewhisker were waiting on the path, staring with wide, horrified eyes as the forest fell about them. Firestar, Leafpaw, and Tawnypelt were with them.
“Hurry!” Onewhisker urged. “The others are already heading for the Thunderpath!”
“I thought you hadn’t heard my warning!” Firestar gasped.
“I got stuck,” Squirrelpaw explained breathlessly.
“Where’s Crowpaw?” Brambleclaw asked, looking around.
“Heading for the tunnel.” Firestar flinched as another oak smashed into the ground nearby.
“Did all the queens and kits get out?” Tawnypelt demanded.
“Blackstar had a kit,” Onewhisker answered. “And there was a tortoiseshell with two kits….”
“What about Tallpoppy?”
“I thought Tallpoppy was the tortoiseshell!” Squirrelpaw gasped.
“Tallpoppy’s a tabby!” Tawnypelt’s voice rose in panic. “She’s got three kits, not two!”
The cats gazed at one another in dismay.
“I thought everyone was out,” spat Dustpelt.
“The camp was definitely empty,” Squirrelpaw panted. “They must have run off into the forest!”
Squirrelpaw pricked her ears, listening for the mewling of kits.
“Over there!” Onewhisker cried. He pointed with his nose to a clearing surrounded by fragile, pale-barked saplings. Theyraced over, Squirrelpaw scrabbling to get a grip on the slippery leaves.
“Hurry!” Tallstar hissed behind her. She felt Brambleclaw nudging her flank. As she struggled to find her footing, a crack sounded above them and a tree smashed down onto the forest floor only tail-lengths ahead, separating them from the others. Squirrelpaw gasped and shut her eyes.
“Are you okay?” Brambleclaw demanded.
Blinking, she opened her eyes and saw the tree lying in front of them. Had Leafpaw and the others escaped? She darted forward away from Tallstar and scrambled onto the newly fallen trunk with Brambleclaw beside her.
“They’re okay!” she yowled in relief. Tawnypelt and Leafpaw were standing in the clearing with Tallpoppy. Onewhisker was trying to round up her three kits, who were darting about in terror, their little tails stuck straight out behind them. Firestar was at the edge of the clearing, scanning the forest for the best escape route. Looking down, Squirrelpaw saw Tallstar squeezing through the branches of the fallen tree and limping quickly over to join the ThunderClan leader.
Through the trees, Squirrelpaw could see monsters on all sides, munching steadily closer. Suddenly she heard a terrifyingly familiar creaking sound. “Look out!” she shrieked.
An ancient birch tree was toppling toward the clearing.
“Save the kits!” Squirrelpaw yowled to Firestar as the tree cast a shadow across his orange pelt. Tallpoppy heard her and grabbed a kit; Tawnypelt picked up another, and, with Leafpaw and Tallstar fast behind, they pelted out of the way. But Onewhisker was still diving for the final kit, and Squirrelpaw stared in horror as the tree hurtled toward him.
Her heart seemed to stop as the moment stretched into a lifetime. Firestar leaped forward and hurled himself against Onewhisker’s flank. Squirrelpaw just had time to see the WindClan warrior flung clear, the kit grasped safely between his jaws, before the tree hit the ground with a deafening crash.
“Firestar! No!” Squirrelpaw bounded down from the trunk and pelted over to the fallen tree. Brambleclaw kept pace with her, swerving away toward a brown tabby shape staggering at the edge of the branches.
“Got you!” he cried as he dragged the WindClan warrior and the kit out from where they were tangled in the branch tips.
Leafpaw was stumbling, dazed, from underneath a buckled sapling that had protected her when the tree fell. But there was no sign of Firestar. A Twoleg howled, and another splintering groan made the air tremble.
“Get out of here!” Brambleclaw screeched.
“I’m not leaving without Firestar,” Squirrelpaw cried.
“We’ll find him!” Brambleclaw promised. He looked at Onewhisker. “Get the others to the Thunderpath!”
The earth shuddered as another tree crashed down behind them.
“We’ll wait for you at the tunnel,” Onewhisker promised.
As the WindClan and ShadowClan cats fled, Squirrelpaw ran over to where Leafpaw was scrabbling beneath the branches.
“I can see him!” she cried, clawing desperately at the earth.
Brambleclaw pushed past her, using his head to thrust aside the tangled splinters of wood. Squirrelpaw could see her father’s orange pelt, slumped beneath a heavy branch. Brambleclaw stretched forward and grasped Firestar in his jaws. Trembling with effort, he dragged him out and laid him on the leaf-strewn earth.
A shaft of pale sunlight sliced into the clearing and lit up the ThunderClan’s golden pelt. He lay very still with his eyes closed.
“He’s losing a life,” Leafpaw whispered.
“Firestar…” Squirrelpaw’s tail began to tremble. “Father!” she yowled. Around them, monsters shook the ground, their yellow eyes blazing between the trees.
“We’ve got to get him out of here!” Brambleclaw hissed.
“We can’t risk moving him,” Leafpaw warned.
Squirrelpaw pressed her belly against the earth. “I’m not leaving without him.”
An earsplitting crack exploded above them, and she screwed up her eyes as the forest suddenly went dark. Images flashed through her mind—Sandstorm, the old camp, the Tribe of Rushing Water, Feathertail…. StarClan! Don’t let me die yet. After
everything we’ve been through, I need to know that the Clan survives!
“Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw’s call sounded muffled under the fallen branches that covered them. “Where are you?”
Squirrelpaw opened her eyes and took a long, shaky breath. The fallen tree was lodged on the trunk of the other, forming a tiny cavern. Brambleclaw’s dark brown pelt was just visiblethrough the twigs. She twitched her tail and flexed her paws one after the other. “I’m okay,” she called. Nothing was broken, but her pelt stung where branches had scraped against it. “Brambleclaw, are you hurt?” With a grunt, she hauled herself toward him and stretched out her head to lick his flank.
“It’s all right; I’m fine,” Brambleclaw muttered, struggling to sit up. “Can you see your sister anywhere?”
Squirrelpaw strained her eyes in the gloom. “Leafpaw?”
“I’m over here,” came a voice. Squirrelpaw could make out her shape now. She was crouching over Firestar, protecting his body with her own.
“The kit…is it safe?”
When Squirrelpaw heard her father’s rasping mew, she wriggled upright, ducking her head under the branches until she could straighten her legs. She felt the blood pulsing though her paws, cold as ice. She forced her way through the twigs until her father’s breath wafted against her cheek. His eyes were glazed, but open.
“Did you speak with StarClan?” Leafpaw whispered to him.
“I could hardly see them,” Firestar croaked. “But I know they were there.” He lifted his head. “Did Onewhisker rescue the kit?”
“Yes, they’re both safe.” Brambleclaw squeezed through the branches to Squirrelpaw’s side.
Squirrelpaw searched Leafpaw’s gaze. “Will Firestar be okay?”
“He’ll be fine,” Leafpaw replied. She pressed her nose against Squirrelpaw’s cheek. “Don’t be scared. This was meant to happen.”
Squirrelpaw felt her heart beating in her throat. “How can we get him out of here?”
“I can walk,” Firestar mewed, hauling himself unsteadily to his paws.
Suddenly a Twoleg howled above them. It sounded so close that Squirrelpaw spun around with a snarl. She looked up. A shadow loomed over the branches that covered them.
“We must go now!” Brambleclaw hissed.
The Twoleg was peering down through the tangle of twigs. Leafpaw flattened her belly against the ground, her eyes stretched wide in terror.
“I won’t let them catch you again!” Squirrelpaw promised. She glanced at Brambleclaw. “Can you get them out if I distract the Twoleg?”
Brambleclaw blinked. “I’m not sure that’s safe…” he began.
“I’ll be okay,” Squirrelpaw insisted. “Come on; we don’t have much time.”
Without waiting, she struggled out from the branches. She could see the Twoleg’s hind legs in front of her. Giving a loud screech of fury she shot between them, raking the Twoleg’s pelt with her claws as she rushed past. She heard it howl and glanced back to see it lumbering after her, away from her Clanmates.
Squirrelpaw pelted over the splinter-strewn forest floor. Ahead a monster lifted its claws into the air to bring down another tree. Squirrelpaw dodged into a swath of brambles and looked back for her Clanmates. StarClan, help them!Then she glimpsed her father’s orange pelt weaving through the branches of the fallen tree, heading for the far side of the clearing. Brambleclaw ran beside him, and Leafpaw’s brown tabby fur flashed behind. As they reached the open ground, where they could be seen more easily, Squirrelpaw tipped back her head and yowled. She heard the Twoleg run over and start kicking at the brambles, trying to flush her out. Squirrelpaw crawled backward, ducking her head, and yowled again. She had to keep the Twoleg focused on her while the others escaped.
Peering out through the thorns, she saw Brambleclaw glance in her direction, but he kept going until they reached the safety of the standing trees. Squirrelpaw straightened up with relief. Wriggling around, she forced her way through the brambles and skirted the edge of the clearing until she reached the path that led to the tunnel. Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Leafpaw were hurrying toward her.
“You made it!” Leafpaw gasped.
“Keep going!” Brambleclaw hissed.
Squirrelpaw fell in beside them. Firestar staggered, his paws stumbling on the packed earth.
“Don’t stop now!” she urged, pressing against him. Brambleclaw flanked his other side, and between them they kept their leader on his paws as they hurried to the safety of the tunnel that led to ThunderClan territory. They had escaped the Twolegs this time—but how much longer would it be before the whole forest was lost to them forever?
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 15
Leafpaw burst out of the tunnelthat led under the Thunderpath. Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw followed, with Firestar stumbling between them. For a moment, the light was blinding, and Leafpaw screwed up her eyes. Then they adjusted to the cold daylight after the shadows in the tunnel, and she looked around at the ShadowClan cats lying exhausted on the narrow strip of grass beside the deserted Thunderpath.
Tallpoppy’s kits mewled as they huddled close to their mother. Littlecloud hurried from one cat to another, helpless without any of his supplies, and Blackstar stood staring at his Clan as if he couldn’t believe what was happening to them. His white pelt was stained with blood, and his black paws were pricked with bark and splinters.
Firestar’s voice croaked behind her. “Is everyone okay?”
“You should lie down,” Leafpaw urged him. “There are no monsters here.”
“We can’t stay in the open!” Brambleclaw objected.
“We have to rest before we go on,” Leafpaw insisted.
Tallstar limped toward her. “Is Firestar all right?” he asked hoarsely.
“Yes, but he lost a life when the tree fell,” Leafpaw explained.
Tallstar closed his eyes and shuddered all the way to the tip of his long tail.
“I’m taking my warriors home,” Mistyfoot called from where the RiverClan cats had gathered at the edge of the grassy space.
“Will you help us get ShadowClan to Sunningrocks first?” Firestar asked.
“Sunningrocks?” Blackstar narrowed his eyes. “Why do you want to take us there?”
“It’s where ThunderClan lives now, and you’ll be safe from Twolegs there,” Firestar meowed. “Cinderpelt has herbs for your injured cats, and there’s room for you all to rest.”
And where else can ShadowClan go?Leafpaw thought grimly. There was hardly a place left in the forest that hadn’t been taken over by Twolegs.
“Okay,” Mistyfoot nodded. “We’ll go with you as far as Sunningrocks. But just because you’ve welcomed ShadowClan onto ThunderClan territory doesn’t mean they’re welcome in ours.”
“We’ll be patrolling the border!” Hawkfrost warned, his eyes cold as ice.
Squirrelpaw glared at him. “How can you worry about borders at a time like this? When will you realize what our journey meant, for allthe Clans?”
Brambleclaw silenced her with a glance. “ShadowClan will not cross the border,” he promised.
“Of course we won’t,” snapped Blackstar.
Brambleclaw turned to Leafpaw. “How long before we can leave?”
When Leafpaw hesitated, Firestar lifted his head. “I’m growing stronger,” he insisted. “We can go soon.”
“Littlecloud?” she called to the ShadowClan medicine cat. “Can everyone make it to Sunningrocks?”
“I think so, if we travel slowly,” the small tabby tom replied.
Leafpaw looked up at the sky. The sun was a fiery ball, sinking toward the treetops. “We should try to get back before it’s dark,” she told Brambleclaw. “Before it’s too cold.”
“Okay,” Brambleclaw mewed. “We’ll rest long enough for everyone to catch their breath, then we’ll move on.”
Thin clouds drifted in front of the sinking sun as the cats trekked through the woods.
“Tallpoppy?” Leafpaw matched her pace to the limping ShadowClan queen’s. “Are your kits all right?”
Tallpoppy gazed at her three kits, carried now by warriors, and nodded. “Just scratches,” she murmured.
“We can clean them and treat them with marigold when we get to Sunningrocks,” Leafpaw promised.
Mistyfoot padded close beside Tallstar, pressing against the WindClan leader’s flank whenever he stumbled. Brackenfur carried one of Tallpoppy’s kits, and Tornear followed the ShadowClan apprentices, nudging them gently forward whenever they slowed their step.
“It’s as if we don’t belong to different Clans anymore,” Leafpaw whispered, catching up with Squirrelpaw.
Her sister nodded. “This is what it was like on the journey to the sun-drown-place.”
But as the cats limped onto the sloping surface of Sunningrocks, the old rifts returned. ShadowClan climbed to the top of the rock, while RiverClan halted beside the trees. Brackenfur placed the kit beside Tallpoppy and rejoined the ThunderClan cats as they padded slowly up the slope. He pressed his golden-brown flank against Sorreltail’s, supporting her as her exhausted paws swayed beneath her. Tallstar lay down close to the base of the rock, too tired to climb any farther. Onewhisker, Tornear, and Crowpaw gathered around him.
“How did it go?” Whitepaw rushed over to Brightheart and pressed her nose into her flank. She drew back quickly. “You’re bleeding!”
“Just some scratches,” Brightheart reassured her.
“You’re alive!” Cody hurried down from the overhang, with Birchkit stumbling after her. She pressed her muzzle against Leafpaw’s.
Ferncloud appeared at the lip of the nursery and stared in bewilderment at the cats crowding onto the rock. “What happened?”
“Everyone’s safe.” Brambleclaw shouldered his way to the front of the patrol. “That’s the main thing.”
“Thank StarClan.” The ThunderClan queen sighed.
Cinderpelt clambered out of her hollow. “Where’s Firestar?”
“I’m here,” Firestar croaked, weaving his way to the front. Leafpaw followed him closely, aware that he was still shaking.
“Firestar lost a life,” she murmured before Cinderpelt could say anything.
“What about the ShadowClan camp?” Frostfur demanded. “Did you save it?”
“We cannot fight the monsters,” Firestar meowed bleakly. “We could do nothing except help ShadowClan escape before their camp was destroyed.”
“They destroyed the camp?” Frostfur gasped.
“There’s nothing left but fallen trees,” Blackstar growled. “We have no home.”
“You’ll be safe here for now,” Firestar told the ShadowClan leader.
Blackstar’s eyes glimmered with relief for a moment. Then he turned to his medicine cat. “Littlecloud,” he meowed. “Do what you can to help your Clanmates.”
The small tabby tom began to pace quickly around the ShadowClan cats. He leaned down and sniffed Tallpoppy, then began to lick her flank. “There are many splinters here,” he mewed, lifting his head.
“Tallstar has a gash on his hind leg,” Onewhisker added.
Cinderpelt looked at the bloodstained pelts around her. “Fetch everything we have,” she told Leafpaw. “We just have to hope it will be enough.”
Leafpaw heard pawsteps following her as she hurried to the crevice where they stored their medicine supplies. It was Cody.
“There are so many injuries!” The kittypet’s eyes were wide and frightened.
“But we’re all still alive,” Leafpaw pointed out, reaching down into the gully with her paw. She pulled out the first bundle of herbs she touched. “Can you take out splinters?”
“I can do more than that,” Cody answered. “Come on, Birchkit!” she called, and they padded toward a group of ShadowClan kits trembling with fear and cold.
“Is this kittypet a medicine cat?” Blackstar growled.
“It’s okay,” Leafpaw called out. “She knows what she’s doing.”
Cody soothed each kit with a reassuring lick, then encouraged Birchkit to distract them while she searched their fur for cuts and splinters.
Leafpaw pushed her paw back into the crevice. She hoped there were enough berries to make poultices for all the cats who needed one. To her surprise she found the hiding place was better stocked than she had expected. She pulled out as much marigold as she could find and reached back in for the berries.
Cinderpelt appeared behind her and nodded when she saw the pile of herbs growing on the rock. “I went back to the ravine while you were away and brought as much as I could carry,” she explained. She paused and looked at the mass of ShadowClan cats milling fretfully at the top of the slope, their faces bewildered and frightened. “Help ShadowClan first,” she ordered. “There are too many for Littlecloud to manage alone, and I can cope with Tallstar and our own wounded.”
“Will Blackstar mind if I help?” Leafpaw asked. The ShadowClan leader sat with his elders, his eyes fixed on Cody as she tackled another kit.
“You persuaded him to let Cody help,” Cinderpelt reminded her.
“But she’s not a ThunderClancat…” Leafpaw mewed.
Cinderpelt gazed at her through narrowed eyes. “Blackstar’s no fool. He knows his cats need our help.”
Leafpaw nodded. Summoning up her courage, she padded toward the ShadowClan cats and called to Littlecloud, “Can I help?”
The look in Littlecloud’s eyes gave away his relief and gratitude. But before he could reply, Blackstar rounded on Leafpaw, his eyes as hard as the Moonstone. “We can take care of our own cats, thank you.”
“But you’ve already allowed Cody to help, and I have herbs,” she offered, forcing herself to sound calm.
“Littlecloud will manage,” Blackstar insisted.
Leafpaw shuffled her paws, torn between her duties as a medicine cat and nervous respect for Blackstar’s wishes. Then Littlecloud mewed loudly, “Blackstar, we need those herbs.”
Blackstar flattened his ears, but Littlecloud held his gaze. “With Leafpaw I can help our Clanmates twice as fast.”
Blackstar twitched his ears. “Very well,” he growled.
“Can I help too?” Mothwing padded across the rock to join them. “Mistyfoot said it would be okay.”
“You may as well,” Blackstar grunted, turning away.
“Thanks, Mothwing,” Leafpaw whispered. She left the bundle of herbs at Mothwing’s paws and hurried back to the crevice to fetch more. Cinderpelt was still there and had begun mixing a salve on a dried oak leaf.
“This is ready to use,” she muttered through a mouthful of half-crushed berries. “Come back when you need more.”
Leafpaw went back and dropped the salve beside Littlecloud, who was examining Runningnose’s pelt. “Rub this in after you’ve pulled out the splinters,” she told him. “It’ll stop any infection.” She gazed around at the ShadowClan cats. “Where would you like me to start?”
“The elders heal slowly, so they should be treated as soon as possible,” Littlecloud advised without looking up.
Leafpaw went over to Boulder, who was lying beside Runningnose, his eyes glazed with shock. She nodded politely at him, and when he did not respond, she leaned down and began to lick his flank. The old cat sighed quietly as she pulled out a splinter with her teeth and rubbed in a tiny drop of salve.
Leafpaw worked on one cat after another till her paws ached with tiredness. As the moon began to brighten in the sky, she glanced up the slope toward her father. “Cody, can you take over here?” she asked. “There are only one or two apprentices left, and I want to see how Firestar is.”
“Of course. You go right ahead.”
Firestar was lying beside Sandstorm, washing dried blood from between his claws. “How are you?” Leafpaw whispered, touching her muzzle to his.
“I’m fine,” he purred, his eyes soft and clear.
“Are you sure?” She searched his face. For all her connection with StarClan, she would never know what it felt like to lose a life. “D-did StarClan tell you we should leave the forest now?”
“They told me only to go back and do what I must to protect my Clan,” Firestar told her. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”
Leafpaw heard the RiverClan cats gathering on the slope behind her. “We’re returning to our camp,” Mistyfoot announced to Firestar. “But we know that the time has come to make a decision about leaving the forest.”
Leafpaw held her breath. The fate of all four Clans hung like a cobweb, fragile to the gentlest breath of wind.
“I’m sure many of you have noticed that the river is drying up,” Mistyfoot went on.
Onewhisker padded forward. “The Twolegs have changed the course of the water,” he meowed. “Our warriors have seen them digging great holes around the gorge to channel the river away.”
Mistyfoot just blinked at him as if the reason for the disappearance of the river no longer mattered. “Leopardstar told me that if the ShadowClan camp was destroyed, then we must accept that the Twolegs are coming.” She held Firestar’s gaze steadily. “RiverClan will leave the forest with the other Clans.”
Leafpaw felt her shoulders sag with relief. At last Firestar would have his wish, and all four Clans would leave together.
Firestar hauled himself to his paws, his eyes brightening. “Onewhisker, tell your Clanmates that ThunderClan and RiverClan will travel with them.” He turned his face toward Blackstar. “Will ShadowClan join us?”
Blackstar hesitated, but Firestar was in no mood to wait for an answer.
“You can’t still plan to live among the Twolegs after you have seen what they are capable of?” he hissed.
Blackstar nodded slowly. “ShadowClan will travel with you,” he meowed. “After all, we have no home and no territory now.”
Firestar lifted his head to address all the cats on the rock. “We will leave at dawn!”
Mews of approval echoed through the air, and Leafpaw felt a tingle of excitement. Whatever the journey held—wherever they were going—nothing could be worse than to stay in this place with Twolegs and their monsters closing in on all sides. She glanced at Cody, still busy among the ShadowClan cats. Would there be time to escort her home first? Or had she become such a part of the Clan that she’d go with them?
“Where will we go?” Tornear was the first to ask, but his question echoed around the gathering.
Firestar looked expectantly at Brambleclaw. The tabby warrior looked down at his paws. Squirrelpaw, standing beside him, pressed her flank against his. Leafpaw tipped her head to one side, puzzled. They looked like a pair of unprepared apprentices who had just been asked the best way to catch water voles
“As you know, Midnight’s sign never came,” Brambleclaw began, dragging the words out as if they stuck in his throat like thorns. “So we don’t know exactly where we should go. But we could head toward the sun-drown-place.”
“If there’s been no sign before we get there, we could find Midnight again and ask her,” Squirrelpaw put in.
“How do we get to this sun-drown-place?” Blackstar called.
“We traveled two different routes—” Brambleclaw broke off and looked uncertainly at Squirrelpaw.
“And you don’t know which one to take?” Firestar suggested
“We…” Brambleclaw faltered. “We should head for Highstones first,” he meowed at last. “Away from the Twolegs.”
“Very well,” Firestar agreed. “We shall meet at the edge of WindClan’s territory at dawn.”
Mistyfoot and Tallstar nodded.
“Then it’s decided.” Firestar turned to Blackstar. “It would be easier for us all if ShadowClan would sleep at Sunningrocks tonight,” he meowed, choosing his words carefully. “We could make an earlier start if you were to rest here.”
Blackstar seemed to appreciate Firestar’s diplomacy. “Then we will stay,” he meowed.
“As if they’ve got any other place to go!” Sorreltail muttered in Leafpaw’s ear.
“But we will sleep apart from ThunderClan, and a guard will be posted,” Blackstar warned.
“These cats have just saved your Clan!” Mistyfoot exclaimed. “Do you think ThunderClan brought you here only to attack you?”
“Let’s hear whether Leopardstar agrees with your plan to leave the forest before you start making judgments on my decisions,” Blackstar retorted.
Leafpaw winced. She glanced at her sister, but Squirrelpaw was no longer listening. She was staring into the forest, her face filled with anxiety.
Leafpaw padded quietly to her side. “Are you okay?”
“I just hope StarClan sends us a sign soon,” Squirrelpaw mewed.
“I’m sure they will do what they can.”
Squirrelpaw stared earnestly into her eyes. “You’re right. Even without a sign, I know StarClan will be protecting us and guiding us wherever we go.”
Leafpaw blinked. She wished she were that certain. There had been no sign of StarClan when ShadowClan had needed them most. It was only luck—and the other Clans’ courage—that had gotten those cats out alive. More and more, it looked as if StarClan was powerless to help, and the cats would have to rely on one another, nothing else, to survive.
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 11
The rain grew heavier as Firestarled the patrol back to camp. Squirrelpaw was disappointed with how little prey they had caught. Brambleclaw had managed to scramble up an oak and catch a squirrel dozing in the crook of a branch, but the effort had left him breathless, and Squirrelpaw realized that the hungry days since they had returned to the Clan were beginning to have an effect on them both.
“I think it’s best if we don’t tell the others what we learned about Hawkfrost,” Firestar decided as they trekked through the dripping trees.
“But shouldn’t the Clan be prepared in case”—Squirrelpaw faltered—“in case anything happens?” she finished lamely.
Brambleclaw dropped the squirrel he held in his jaws. Rain-water streamed from his whiskers. “I think Firestar’s right,” he agreed. “It would be better for the Clan if they didn’t know.”
Squirrelpaw narrowed her eyes. Was it the Clan Brambleclaw was interested in protecting, or himself? Was he afraid of what the other cats would say? He had struggled long enough already to prove his loyalty, and yet no cat could forget his father’s efforts to destroy ThunderClan.
“There’s no point stirring up unnecessary hostility,” Firestar went on.
Ashfur gave a low growl. “But what if Hawkfrost shares his father’s ambition to take over the whole forest?” He clearly shared Squirrelpaw’s secret fear.
“We mustn’t jump to conclusions,” Firestar warned. “It’s clear that Hawkfrost’s first loyalty is to his Clan. He said he would fight to defend them. Does that sound like Tigerstar to you?”
Reluctantly, Ashfur shook his head, and Firestar went on. “Hawkfrost is no threat to us.”
“Yet,” Ashfur mewed pointedly.
“Until he proves he is, there’s no need to worry the rest of the Clan,” Firestar continued. “We might need RiverClan’s help before this is over.”
Ashfur swished his tail in frustration, but did not argue.
“Don’t worry, Ashfur,” Squirrelpaw reassured him. She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. “Hawkfrost is just Hawkfrost. Tigerstar has left nothing bad in the forest except memories.”
Brambleclaw picked up the squirrel without commenting and padded away toward Sunningrocks. Squirrelpaw cast an anxious glance at her father.
“He’ll be okay,” he meowed quietly as he brushed past her.
By the time the cats reached Sunningrocks, rain was battering the exposed rock, and water ran down in rivulets, turning the earth around the rocks to mud. But instead of finding shelter, the cats were gathered halfway up the slope, huddled in a circle. Moans of sorrow mingled with the rattling of the rain on the stone.
With a startled mew, Firestar bounded up the rock, and Squirrelpaw followed, pushing through the cats with her heart beating in her throat. A small dark brown shape lay in the center, pelted by rain which turned pale red as it streamed away down the stone. Squirrelpaw stared down at the limp, sodden body, too shocked to speak as she recognized the narrow muzzle. It was Shrewpaw.
Cinderpelt and Leafpaw crouched beside the apprentice.
“His neck is broken,” Cinderpelt murmured. “He must have died as soon as the Twoleg monster hit him. He would have felt no pain.”
Squirrelpaw closed her eyes. StarClan, what are you doing? she yowled silently.
A desolate cry sounded from the nursery hollow, and Ferncloud hurtled down the slope. Shrewpaw had been one of her first litter. The cats parted to let her see her dead kit.
“What have I done to StarClan that they would steal so much from me?” she wailed.
“Don’t blame StarClan,” Leafpaw mewed gently. “It is the Twolegs that have done this.”
“Why didn’t StarClan stop them?” Ferncloud sobbed.
“They are powerless against the Twolegs, just like we are,” Leafpaw whispered. She gave herself a shake, then straightened up and called, “Cody?”
Squirrelpaw watched the kittypet weave her way through the gathered cats. Her ribs were beginning to show through her flanks, but she hadn’t tried to insist that any warriors be spared from hunting patrols to take her home.
“I think Ferncloud should go back to the nursery,” Leafpaw meowed.
“It’s flooded with rain,” Cody told her. “I’ve put Birchkit in the warriors’ den beneath the overhang. I’ll take Ferncloud to join him.”
“Good idea,” Leafpaw mewed. “Do you still have the poppy seeds?”
Cody nodded. She looked at Ferncloud, who was distraught with grief. “Birchkit is hungry and crying for food,” she murmured. “But I think he can manage solid food if I chew it up first. Ferncloud isn’t going to be able to feed him herself for a while, poor thing.”
“Brambleclaw caught a squirrel. He could have that,” Squirrelpaw suggested.
“I’ll bring it to the den,” Ashfur offered.
Cody nudged Ferncloud with her nose, and with Leafpaw’s help they managed to lead her away from her dead kit and back to the shelter of the warriors’ den.
“How did this happen?” Firestar demanded when they had gone
“He was with me,” began Thornclaw, Shrewpaw’s mentor. His fur stood on end, and his eyes were huge with despair. “He was chasing a pheasant.”
“Why didn’t he see the Twoleg monster?”
“He was chasing a pheasant,” Thornclaw repeated. “It would have fed half the Clan. He forgot to be careful.”
“Didn’t you hear or smell the monster and warn him?” Firestar’s question was filled more with sorrow than accusation.
Thornclaw miserably shook his head. “With prey so scarce, the hunting is better if we split up. I wasn’t close enough to see what was going on.”
Firestar dipped his head, understanding.
“I’ll sit with him.” Whitepaw’s young voice sounded over the beating of the rain. Shrewpaw had been her denmate since kithood, and the sorrow of losing him glistened in her green eyes. “I don’t care if we’ve been driven out of our camp. We can still hold a vigil.”
“I’ll join you,” Thornclaw croaked. He leaned down and pressed his nose against Shrewpaw’s bloody flank.
The other cats began filing past to bid farewell to their young Clanmate. When it came to her turn, Squirrelpaw stooped low over Shrewpaw’s body, her heart aching. “You were an apprentice in ThunderClan, but you’ll be a warrior with StarClan,” she whispered.
She turned away and padded down the slope toward the shelter of the trees, her sadness feeling like part of the rain and tiredness that seemed to seep right through to her bones. She spotted Brambleclaw sitting beneath a larch tree, watching her.
“I can’t believe Shrewpaw is dead.” She sighed.
“I know,” Brambleclaw murmured, entwining his tail with hers.
Squirrelpaw leaned closer to him. “Ferncloud is heart-broken.”
“She will find comfort in having the rest of her Clan around her.” Brambleclaw sighed.
Squirrelpaw couldn’t help feeling that he was talking about more than Ferncloud’s grief.
“After all, the Clan means more to a cat than real kin,” he went on.
“Even Tawnypelt?”
“She is with ShadowClan now. My loyalty to her comes second to ThunderClan, and she understands that.”
“And what about Hawkfrost and Mothwing? Do you feel anything for them, now that you know you share the same father?”
“Knowing we share the same father doesn’t change anything,” Brambleclaw went on. “I am nothing like Hawkfrost.” The tip of his tail twitched anxiously. “Am I?”
“Of course not,” Squirrelpaw replied hotly. “No cat would think you are.”
“Even when they find out what we have in common?”
“ThunderClan will always think of you as a brave warrior, loyal to his Clan,” Squirrelpaw reassured him.
“Thank you.” He gave her a quick lick on the cheek before getting to his paws and moving away toward the river.
Squirrelpaw followed, keeping pace with him until he sat down and stared across the border into RiverClan territory.
Squirrelpaw followed his gaze. The river carved its way though the small glade, its surface shattered by the pouring rain. She peered closer and blinked. “Look, Brambleclaw!” she mewed in surprise. “Look at the river!”
“What about it?”
“Do you remember when Hawkfrost and Sasha waded across it earlier?”
“Yes.” Brambleclaw twitched his ear. “So?”
“Well, they wadedacross it,” Squirrelpaw repeated. “They didn’t swim; they waded.”
Brambleclaw looked baffled.
“Look at the stepping-stones!” Squirrelpaw jumped up and pointed with her tail. “They’re sticking right out of the water. After rain like this, in the middle of leaf-bare, they should be nearly covered.”
“You’re right.” Brambleclaw sat up.
“Surely the river shouldn’t be this shallow?”
“Well, it’s been quite dry lately,” Brambleclaw commented.
“Not that dry,” she argued. “It’s been pouring all day today, but the river’s not swollen at all. Something must be wrong.”
“Like what?”
Just then a familiar voice called from the bank opposite, “What are you two up to?”
Stormfur appeared and waded across the stream. “Are you finding it as hard as I am, being cooped up in camp after our journey?”
“Yes. Everything is harder. Shrewpaw died,” Squirrelpaw told him sadly. “Whitepaw’s sitting vigil.” Suddenly she wondered if they should be back at camp, mourning their lost Clanmate. She glanced at Brambleclaw, who seemed to understand her anxiety.
“We’ll join them soon,” he promised.
“Do you want me to catch you a fish to take back?” Stormfur offered.
“The Clan needs all the fresh-kill they can get,” Brambleclaw meowed. “But I don’t think they’d accept it.”
“Are you sure?” Stormfur asked. “They’re easy to catch now that the water’s dropped.”
“So I was right. The level islower than usual,” Squirrelpaw mewed, gazing again at the shallow stream. “Is something wrong?”
Stormfur shrugged. “Just a dry spell. This rain will get it flowing again.”
Squirrelpaw picked up a trace of Sasha’s stale scent on the breeze. She glanced at Stormfur; the mystery of the river seemed suddenly less important than how the rest of RiverClan felt about the rogue she-cat who seemed to come and go as she wished—and whose kits had so much influence in their adopted Clan. “We saw Sasha this morning,” she began.
“You know Sasha?” Stormfur looked surprised. “Oh, I forgot. You met her when you rescued Mistyfoot, didn’t you? When…when my father was taken.”
His voice trailed away, and Squirrelpaw pressed her flank against his. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured helplessly.
Stormfur nudged her with his nose. “So am I. I wish I could have been there to help,” he meowed. “But my father made his own decision to help the trapped cats.” He took a deep breath before he went on. “Thanks to him we got Mistyfoot back. The whole of RiverClan were amazed when she showed up.”
“Hawkfrost especially, I’m sure,” Brambleclaw commented. Squirrelpaw shot him a warning glance. Hawkfrost had been made deputy when Mistyfoot disappeared, which meant he might not have welcomed Mistyfoot back with the same enthusiasm as every other cat, but was Brambleclaw giving away too much interest in Sasha’s kit? They couldn’t be sure how much Stormfur knew about Hawkfrost’s parentage.
“Well, I doubt he wanted to stop being deputy quite so soon,” Stormfur agreed. “But he welcomed her return as much as any cat. He’s a good warrior. He knows he’ll be deputy one day, and he doesn’t mind waiting.”
“He sounds very confident,” Squirrelpaw remarked carefully.
“He’s always been like that,” Stormfur replied. “What’s more important is that he’s totally loyal to the Clan, and sticks to the warrior code like a caterpillar to a leaf.”
Squirrelpaw blinked. Somehow she didn’t think Stormfur had the faintest idea of who Hawkfrost’s father was. She looked at Brambleclaw, trying to read his reaction, but Brambleclaw had something else on his mind.
“Do you think there’s any chance Leopardstar will change her mind about leaving the forest?”
“Leopardstar says she’s not going anywhere as long as there’s fish in the river,” Stormfur told him.
“Doesn’t she care about the Clans staying together?” Squirrelpaw demanded.
“She did ask Mudfur if he’d had any sign from StarClan, just to be sure,” Stormfur told her defensively. “But Mudfur hasn’t left his nest much recently.”
“So he’s had no sign either?” Squirrelpaw asked, disappointed.
“Nothing.” Stormfur sighed. “It looks like the sign Midnight promised us isn’t going to come, now that the Twolegs have destroyed Fourtrees.”
“Perhaps we’ve seen the sign but just not realized what it was,” Squirrelpaw wondered out loud.
“Well, we’ve seen plenty of dying since we got back,” Brambleclaw muttered darkly. “Not just warriors, but kits and apprentices, too. But you know what? I’m beginning to think that no cat’s going to show us the way. Wherever we’re going, we’ll have to find our own way there.”
第十一章
第十一章
火星带领巡逻队回到临时营地的时候，雨下得大起来。松鼠爪很失望，今天他们捕获的猎物太少了。黑莓掌设法爬上一棵橡树，想捉住一只正在树杈上打盹的松鼠，结果把他累得气喘吁吁。松鼠爪意识到，自从回到族群，饥饿已经开始在他俩身上显露出来。
“我认为还是不要告诉大伙儿鹰霜的事情比较好。”当他们艰难地穿过滴着水的树下时，火星果断地说道。
“但是族群难道不应该有所准备……”松鼠爪支吾着说道。“……万一发生什么事？”她没有再说下去。
黑莓掌将嘴里叼着的松鼠放下，雨水顺着他的胡须往下流。“我认为火星说得对，”他赞同道，“族猫不知道反而更好一些。”
松鼠爪眯起双眼。黑莓掌这么说是为了保护族群，还是他自己？他是在担心别的猫会怎么说吗？他努力了这么久，已足以证实他的忠心，可是仍然有族猫忘不了他父亲试图毁掉雷族的事情。
“搅起没必要的纷争毫无意义。”火星接着说。
蜡毛低声咆哮道：“如果鹰霜继承了他父亲的野心，想统领整座森林，那该怎么办？”他清楚地说出了松鼠爪的担心。
“我们不要急着下结论，”火星提醒道，“很显然，鹰霜对他自己的族群很忠诚，他说他会为了捍卫族群而战。你们听着这话觉得很像虎星吗？”
蜡毛不甘心地摇摇头。火星接着说：“鹰霜对我们不会构成威胁。”
“只是说现在还构不成威胁。”蜡毛尖刻地说道。
“除非他用行动证实他是这样的猫，否则其他族群无须担心。”火星接着说，“这一切结束之前，我们可能还需要河族的帮助。”
蜡毛失望地甩了甩尾巴，但没有再争论。
“别担心，蜡毛！”松鼠爪劝慰道，她希望自己的声音听起来比她的内心更有信心，“鹰霜只是鹰霜。虎星的恶行，都已成过往，只剩下了回忆。”
黑莓掌未加评论，捡起松鼠向太阳石走去。松鼠爪向父亲投去焦急的一瞥。
“他会没事的。”火星跟她擦身而过时，平静地说。
几只猫到达太阳石的时候，雨滴敲打着裸露的岩石，雨水顺势而下，汇成涓涓细流，将岩石周边的泥土浸成了泥浆。但雷族猫没有去找避雨的地方，他们在半坡上围成了一个圈。悲痛的哀号声，跟雨水滴滴答答打在岩石上的声音混在一起。
随着一声惊呼，火星跃上岩石，后面跟着松鼠爪。从群猫中挤过去的时候，松鼠爪的心都要跳到嗓子眼了。一个小小的深棕色身影出现在猫群中央，雨点打在他身上，变成浅红色，顺着石坡流了下去。松鼠爪俯视着那个柔软的被雨淋湿了的身体，认出这只长窄鼻子的猫正是鼩鼱爪，一时间震惊得说不出话来。
炭毛和叶爪蹲伏在这位学徒身边。
“他的脖子断了。”炭毛小声说道，“他被两脚兽的怪物撞了，当时就死了，应该没有感觉到疼痛。”
松鼠爪闭上眼睛。星族啊，你们在做什么？她无声地呼喊着。
育婴室里传来一声凄惨的哭声，香薇云冲下斜坡。鼩鼱爪是她第一窝孩子中的一个。众猫自觉地让开一条路，让她看一眼自己死去的孩子。
“我到底做了什么孽，星族为什么要这么残酷地对待我？”她痛苦地喊道。
“不要谴责星族，”叶爪柔声劝道，“都是两脚兽干的。”
“为什么星族不阻止它们？”香薇云啜泣道。
“它们跟我们一样，也对两脚兽无能为力，”叶爪低声说着，浑身一震，然后直起身喊道，“柯蒂？”
松鼠爪看到宠物猫在围观的众猫间绕来绕去。她的腹部已经显露出肋骨了，但她从没有试图让哪位武士在捕猎、巡逻之外的空闲，送她回家。
“我觉着香薇云应该回到育婴室去。”叶爪说道。
“那里被水淹了，”柯蒂告诉她，“我把小白桦送到武士巢穴去了，那里有悬空的岩石挡雨。我把香薇云送到他身边吧。”
“好主意，”叶爪说，“你那儿还有罂粟籽吗？”
柯蒂点点头，看看悲痛欲绝的香薇云。“小白桦饿了，哭着要吃的。”柯蒂轻声说道，“但我认为，只要我给他嚼碎，他就能吃一点固体食物。香薇云短时间内不能给他哺乳，可怜的小东西。”
“黑莓掌抓了一只松鼠，可以给他吃。”松鼠爪提议道。
“我把它拿到巢穴里去。”蜡毛建议道。
柯蒂用鼻子推了推香薇云，在叶爪的帮助下，把她从死去的孩子身边，带回到武士巢穴的避雨处。
“这是怎么回事？”她们走了以后，火星问道。
“他和我在一起。”鼩鼱爪的老师刺掌开口说道，他的皮毛全都竖了起来，眼睛里充满深深的绝望，“他当时在追一只野鸡。”
“他为什么没看见两脚兽的怪物？”
“他在追野鸡！”刺掌重复道，“那只野鸡很大，能喂饱半个族群的猫。他一不留神……”
“你没听到怪物的声音，或闻到怪物的气味吗？为什么不提醒他？”火星的语气中，悲伤多过指责。
刺掌悲伤地摇摇头说：“猎物太匮乏了，我们只好分开捕猎。我离得有点远，根本没看到要发生的事情。”
火星点点头，表示理解当时的情景。
“我要在他身边守着。”白爪年轻的声音盖过了雨点滴答的响声。从还是幼崽时起，鼩鼱爪就同她睡在一个巢穴里。失去了同伴，白爪的绿眼睛里充满了悲伤。“我不管我们是否已经被逐出了营地，我们仍然可以为他守夜。”她说道。
“我和你一起吧。”刺掌声音低沉地说道。他俯下身子，将鼻子搁在鼩鼱爪流血的身体上。
其他猫开始列队走过来，跟这位年轻的族猫告别。轮到松鼠爪的时候，她伏在鼩鼱爪的身体上，心里十分难受。“你过去是雷族的学徒，愿你现在成为星族的武士。”她低声说道。
她转身走下石坡，来到树林里躲雨。她感觉悲伤如同雨水漫天洒落，疲惫似乎正从骨头缝里渗出来。她看到黑莓掌坐在一棵落叶松下看着她。
“真不敢相信，鼩鼱爪死了！”松鼠爪发出一声叹息。
“我理解。”黑莓掌喃喃地说着，伸出尾巴，跟她的尾巴绕在一起。
松鼠爪斜过身子靠近了他：“香薇云的心都要碎了。”
“她会从身边的族猫身上得到安慰的。”黑莓掌叹息道。
松鼠爪感觉，黑莓掌要说的不只是香薇云的不幸。
“毕竟对一只猫来说，族群比至亲要重要得多。”他接着说道。
“甚至比褐皮还重要？”
“她现在在影族。我首先要忠于雷族，其次才是她——她也很理解这一点。”
“那鹰霜和蛾翅呢？既然你已经知道，你和他们是同父异母的兄妹，你会对他们有感情吗？”
“虽然我们是同父异母的兄妹，但也不能改变任何事情。”黑莓掌接着说，“我跟鹰霜没有一点相似之处。”他的尾巴尖焦急地抽搐着，“有吗？”
“当然没有。”松鼠爪热心地回答着，“没有一只猫会觉得你们有相似之处。”
“即使在发现我跟他有血缘关系后，他们也会这样想吗？”
“雷族猫会永远视你为勇敢、忠诚的武士。”松鼠爪让他放心。
“谢谢你！”黑莓掌迅速舔了一下她的脸颊，然后站起来，朝河边走去。
松鼠爪跟了上去，与他保持着同样的步伐向前走去。他找了个地方坐下来，目光越过边界，凝视着河族的领地。
松鼠爪顺着他的视线看过去，那条河穿过小小的林间空地向前流去，瓢泼大雨洒在河面上，水面泛起一片涟漪。她凝视着水面，眨了眨眼睛。“看，黑莓掌！”她惊讶地说道，“快看河水！”
“河水怎么了？”
“你还记得早前鹰霜和莎夏涉水过河的地方吗？”
“记得。”黑莓掌的耳朵抽动着，“那又怎么样？”
“哦，他们是蹚过河水的，”松鼠爪重复道，“他们不是游过去的，他们是蹚过河的。”
黑莓掌更加困惑了。
“你看那些踏脚石！”松鼠爪跳起来，用尾巴一指，“那些石头露出水面了。下雨的时候都是这样，要是到了秃叶季中期，肯定会完全露出水面。”
“言之有理。”黑莓掌坐了起来。
“河水确实不该这么浅啊？”
“嗯，可能是最近天太干了。”黑莓掌猜测道。
“没这么干！”她争论道，“今天一整天都在下雨，但河里一点都没涨水。这不对头。”
“比方说？”
紧接着，河对岸响起一个熟悉的声音：“你俩在琢磨什么呢？”
暴毛出现在对岸，然后蹚过河来。“从远方回来以后，整天困在营地里，你们有没有跟我一样，发现情况很艰难？”他说道。
“是的，一切都越来越糟。鼩鼱爪也死了。”松鼠爪悲伤地告诉他，“白爪正在那儿为他守夜。”她突然想起，他们是不是该返回营地，去悼念失去生命的同伴。她瞥了一眼黑莓掌，他似乎理解她的心思。
“我们马上就回去。”黑莓掌向她保证。
“你们要不要我捉一条鱼，给你们带回去？”暴毛提议道。
“族群急需一切能得到的猎物，”黑莓掌说道，“但我认为他们不会接受这个。”
“你确定吗？”暴毛问道，“河水下降了，鱼很容易抓。”
“所以我是对的，水面确实比平时低了。”松鼠爪将目光再次转向浅浅的河流，“是哪里出了问题？”
暴毛耸耸肩，说道：“只不过是因为到了干旱期。这场雨会让它涨起来的。”
松鼠爪闻到微风中传来一缕莎夏的气息。她瞅了一眼暴毛，神秘下降的河水立刻没那么重要了，重要的是，这只泼皮母猫似乎想来就来，想走就走——她留下的孩子对收养他们的族群有了深远的影响，其他的河族猫怎么看这件事呢？“我们今天早上看到莎夏了。”她提起话头。
“你们知道莎夏？”暴毛似乎很惊奇，“哦，我忘了！你在搭救雾脚的时候遇见过她，是吗？最后我父亲被抓走了。”
暴毛的声音越来越小。松鼠爪上前，将身体靠在他的身上。“我很难过！”松鼠爪无助地说。
暴毛用鼻子触了触她。“我也是。我真希望自己当时能帮上忙，”他说，“是我父亲决定救援那些关在那里的猫的。”他深吸了一口气，“多亏了他，雾脚才能回来。当雾脚出现在营地的时候，整个河族都惊讶不已。”
“我敢肯定，鹰霜最为吃惊！”黑莓掌评论道。松鼠爪瞪了他一眼，示意他小心自己的言词。雾脚消失的时候，鹰霜接任了副族长，这意味着他可能不会像别的猫那样，热忱地欢迎她回来。但黑莓掌对莎夏的孩子也显得太过关心了吧？他们不确定暴毛对鹰霜的身世了解多少。
“嗯，我怀疑他根本就想阻止副族长那么快回来。”暴毛很是同意，“但他跟其他猫一样，对雾脚的回归表示了欢迎。鹰霜是一位优秀的武士，他知道自己总有一天会当上副族长，再等等也无妨。”
“他说话的时候，听起来非常自信。”松鼠爪小心地评论道。
“他向来如此。”暴毛说道，“但更重要的是，他对族群忠心耿耿，就像毛毛虫坚守树叶一样，坚定地守护着武士守则。”
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛，觉得暴毛对鹰霜的父亲是谁毫不知情。她看着黑莓掌，想看看他有什么反应，但黑莓掌脑子里却想着别的事情。
“你认为豹星会不会改变想法，离开森林？”
“豹星说只要河里还有鱼，她就哪儿也不去。”暴毛对他说。
“她对几个族群必须共同进退，就没有什么想法吗？”松鼠爪问道。
“她确实问过泥毛，是否接收到星族的信息——只是为了证实我们的话，”暴毛戒备地说道，“但泥毛最近从未出过巢穴一步。”
“如此说来，泥毛也没收到任何信号？”松鼠爪失望地问道。
“一无所获。”暴毛叹息道，“看来，四棵树被两脚兽毁了，午夜向我们保证的信号也不会出现了。”
“也许我们已经看到了信号，只是我们没搞清楚罢了。”松鼠爪疑惑地大声说道。
“嗯，我们回来以后，已经看到了太多的死亡。”黑莓掌阴郁地说，“死的不仅是武士，还有幼崽和学徒。但你能从中领悟到什么？我现在也开始在想，根本就不会有猫来给我们指引方向。我们要往哪儿去，必须自己弄明白。”
第十二章
第十二章
叶爪仔细翻找着尾巴根部的皮毛，试图找到骚扰她的跳蚤。她终于找到了跳蚤那圆滚滚的身体，两排牙齿一咬，满意地品尝着跳蚤从她身体上偷吸的血。“终于捉到你了！”她自言自语道。
“别让大家知道你搞到了额外的猎物，”松鼠爪开着玩笑，“没准他们都想来一份呢。”
叶爪的肚子咕噜咕噜地叫着。她刚跟妹妹分享了一只田鼠，这反而激起了她的饥饿感。她们并排躺在岩石上一个浅浅的洼坑里，看着太阳慢慢沉到太阳石的下方。云淡风轻的晚上，一弯半月完美地挂在蓝色的夜空里。
“炭毛有没有定下来你今晚跟她一起去月亮石？”松鼠爪问道。
“她现在正跟火星说这事呢。”叶爪答道。每逢月半之夜，四大族群的巫医都要赶往母亲嘴，跟星族对话。月半之夜他们无须休战协议保护——族群间有时会因为分歧导致战争，但巫医不受族群限制——这是个重要的时刻，他们会共同商讨族群关注的事务，提出族猫治疗建议。
叶爪看到炭毛一瘸一拐地走了出来，迫切地想看出，不管森林里潜伏着多少危险，她们也要去一趟月亮石。
炭毛摇摇头走过来，站在洼坑边上。“火星跟我的看法一致，”她说，“周围有太多两脚兽和怪物，我们不能冒险往那边去。”
“但我们现在比以往任何时候，都更需要跟星族对话！”叶爪大声说道。
“火星说不能冒着失去我们的危险。他是对的，如果没有巫医，族群该如何是好？”
叶爪叹了口气，爪子不住在岩石上抓挠着。
“星族如果想跟我们对话，任何时候都可以。”炭毛说道。
叶爪耸耸肩说：“也许吧。”
“喂，你不用去了，我真的很高兴。”等炭毛走开以后，松鼠爪说，“你差点就被两脚兽带走了。我已经失去过你一次，可不想再失去一次了。”
叶爪飞快地在妹妹头上宠溺地舔了一下，然后又躺下了。“你觉得河族猫会去月亮石吗？”她大声地说出了心里的怀疑。如果她们没去，而别的巫医去了，这想想都奇怪。星族会不会觉着炭毛和叶爪很懦弱？
“我怀疑他们可能不会冒这个风险，”松鼠爪对她说道，“上次我和黑莓掌看见了暴毛，他说泥毛病得很重。”
“我只是希望，几个族群的巫医都去了那儿，也许能让族群间更亲近一些。”叶爪坦言道。
松鼠爪点点头说：“我明白。你以为困境会让我们团结起来，就像我们遭到血族攻击的时候，大家都联起手来。但恰恰相反，我们看到的只是森林族群的分裂。”
“每个族群对下一步各有打算。”叶爪叹息道，“除非星族给我们传来信号！”
“你觉得星族可能在今夜跟你对话？”
叶爪轻轻地点点头，避开了妹妹凝视着她的目光。她不想露出害怕的迹象，因为担心，她的心怦怦跳了一整天，害怕他们全都去了月亮石，却发现即使到了那儿，星族也一样沉默无语。
“四大族群觉得团结在一起很难的想法，是非常愚蠢的。”松鼠爪的话打断了她的思路，“其实，四大族群的共同点比他们以为的要多得多。”
叶爪若有所思地看着妹妹，忽然间不知道松鼠爪在暗示什么。
“毕竟，影族、河族和雷族之间有着血缘关系。”松鼠爪又说道。
“你是指褐皮和暴毛？”
“不仅仅是他们。”松鼠爪的尾巴一甩，说道，“还有其他猫跟雷族有血缘关系。”
叶爪一惊，不知道妹妹是否发现了她一个月前就知道的秘密：“你是说虎星是鹰霜和蛾翅的父亲吗？”
松鼠爪惊愕地盯着她，问道：“你又感应到我的梦了？”
叶爪摇摇头。“我已经知道很久了。”她坦白说道。
“你为什么不告诉我？”松鼠爪问。
“我觉着这没有什么大不了的。特别是现在，所有的族群都岌岌可危，就算虎星是鹰霜和蛾翅的父亲，又有什么分别？”叶爪知道，她其实是在说服自己。族群间最不需要的，就是又有一只权力欲过重的“虎星”。
“像鹰霜那样的武士不能信任！”松鼠爪坚持说道。
叶爪感觉心里有句话堵着，不说不快。“但虎星也是黑莓掌的父亲，”她说道，“黑莓掌绝对是一个忠心耿耿的武士。”
“黑莓掌跟鹰霜不一样。”松鼠爪断然说道。
“当然不一样。”叶爪迅速表示同意，“我只是说，虽然有虎星这样的父亲，但不见得他的儿子就会走他的老路。”她但愿这句话是对的。
“那倒是。”松鼠爪点点头，“因为黑莓掌跟鹰霜完全不同，他们毫无共同之处，一点也没有。”
叶爪在妹妹的身边缩作一团，将鼻子藏在爪子下取暖。松鼠爪的话仍在她耳边回响——也许黑莓掌也说过这样的话？
“晚安，松鼠爪！”她小声说着，紧紧地蜷在松鼠爪身边，忘记了她们刚才激烈的对话。叶爪无须去拜访星族，也知道自己的妹妹跟黑莓掌相爱了。一些事情正在悄然发生！叶爪多么想念她们曾经共同分享的情谊——这令她感觉良好，也对整个族群有益。
她闭上了眼睛。“不知道星族会不会进入我的梦里。”她这样想着，困意像一条和缓的河流，带着她进入了梦乡。毕竟今晚是月半之夜，一定有重要的事情出现——即使他们没在月亮石旁边。
叶爪感觉有个鼻子不断地推着她，她一下子醒了。“谁呀？”她睡意蒙眬地说道。
“是我，蛾翅。”这只年轻猫害怕得声音都在打战。
叶爪眨了眨眼睛，使劲睁开眼，看到河族学徒的轮廓出现在苍白的月光下。
“快来，我需要你的帮助！”蛾翅低声说道。
叶爪感到身边的妹妹也醒了。“发生了什么事？”松鼠爪打着哈欠问。
“是蛾翅。”叶爪对她说。
松鼠爪马上站了起来。“你来我们营地做什么？”她嘶声叫道。
“我需要叶爪的帮助，”蛾翅解释道，“泥毛病得很厉害。”
“所以你就觉得，半夜三更溜到我们这儿来很合适？”
“闭嘴！松鼠爪，别把整个族群都吵醒了！”叶爪低声嘶吼道。她想告诉妹妹，不要把站在她们面前的这只猫看成虎星的女儿，而是把她当作一个遇上了困难的巫医。但她不想让蛾翅感到不安。“你俩都在这儿等着，”她说道，“我去告诉火星和炭毛。”
“但是……”蛾翅说。
叶爪看了她一眼，她就闭嘴了。“我会跟你一起去的，但我必须告诉他们我要去哪儿。”她留下两只猫，不安地沉默着，自己匆匆爬到斜坡上悬空的岩石下。她悄悄走进阴影下的洞穴，嗅着父亲的气息。
火星睡意蒙眬地抬起头，问道：“是你吗，叶爪？”沙风在他的身边翻了个身，但没有醒来。
“蛾翅来找我，要我跟她一起去看看泥毛，他的病情加重了。”
她看到一个身影从巢穴后面向她走来，闻出是老师炭毛。
“她给他做过哪些治疗？”巫医压低嗓门问。
“我不知道。”叶爪答道。
“你觉得现在过去安全吗？”黑暗中，火星的眼睛里闪烁着焦急的光。
“蛾翅不会跟我撒谎的。”叶爪让火星放心，猜测火星是担心遇上埋伏在那儿的强壮河族猫。
“那你去吧！”火星小声说，“但如果你天亮时还没有回来，我就派巡逻队去接你。”
“我们会回来的。”炭毛保证道，她迎着叶爪惊讶的眼神继续说，“我也去。我们必须尽一切努力帮助泥毛。”她领着叶爪走出洞穴，走到储存草药的岩缝前，拿了几包草药。
叶爪叼起一半草药，跟老师匆匆下坡，走向蛾翅跟妹妹等着的地方。
“我要和你一起去。”松鼠爪明确地说道。
叶爪摇摇头。“没必要。”她用牙齿叼着药包含混地说道。
“我会确保她们安全地回来。”蛾翅说。
松鼠爪怀疑地盯着这只河族猫。叶爪知道，妹妹眼里看到的是另外一只猫：宽宽的肩膀，明亮的琥珀色的眼睛。尽管她们是在虎星死后好几个月才出生的，但姐妹俩都听说过虎星很多次，跟族群里的任何一只猫一样，都能描绘出虎星的模样。
“别忘了黑莓掌！”她小声跟妹妹说，继承了虎星的血脉，不见得就继承了他阴暗的心。
“蛾翅，你来带路！”炭毛嘴里叼着药包，含糊不清地下令。蛾翅点点头，静静地跳下斜坡。
她们轻松地涉水过河，小心不让草药被打湿。叶爪想到，仅仅一个月前，她还踩着踏脚石过河去帮忙救治河族学徒。那次她差一点被河水冲走，是斑叶挡住了她，没有让她坠入下雨暴涨后的河里。现在河里只有涓涓细流，绕着几块石头流过，都快盖不住河床上的卵石了。
蛾翅领着雷族猫进入芦苇荡，脚下原来潮湿的沼泽地，现在感觉已经干了。叶爪想到就要进入外族的营地，不由得心跳加快，但蛾翅似乎没有多想，带她们直接走进芦苇荡中间的空地里。在黑影里，有不熟悉的眼睛在闪烁，但她们一脸焦急和好奇，已经无暇他顾。
“很好，你们终于来了！”豹星跟她们打着招呼。即使在月光下，叶爪也看出河族族长没有过去吃得好了，已经是一副皮包骨，眼神里带着因饥饿带来的迟钝感。这种情形，叶爪早已经司空见惯了。
但是两脚兽离河族领地还远着呢，为什么他们也开始闹饥荒了？
“泥毛在他的巢穴里，”豹星说，“蛾翅会带你们去的。”她直视着炭毛的眼睛，又补充了一句：“请尽你所能为他治疗，但别让他受苦。他一直为这个族群尽心尽力，如果星族比我们更需要他，那我们就让他安静地走吧。”
叶爪跟着炭毛和蛾翅，穿过一条芦苇中间的窄窄通道，来到一片小小的空地。这里跟她们在山谷里的巫医巢穴很像——叶爪忽然非常想念她的旧营地。
角落的阴影里传来一阵低低的呻吟。
“没事儿的，泥毛！”蛾翅小声说道，“我请来了炭毛。”
炭毛快步上前，给河族巫医做检查。她嗅了嗅他的气息，又用爪子轻轻地按了按他的侧腹。无论他得的是什么病，病已经深深侵入了他那脆弱的身体。泥毛痛苦不堪，疼痛使得他说话都说不清楚。
“炭……毛……让我痛快地走吧！”他祈求道，声音像爪子挠树皮一样刺耳。
“安心躺着吧，泥毛！”炭毛抬头看着蛾翅，“你给他用过什么草药？”
“用大荨麻消肿，用蜂蜜和金盏花抑制感染，小白菊退烧，罂粟籽止痛。”蛾翅这么快就说出了她的治疗方案，叶爪顿时对她刮目相看。上次她看到蛾翅面对危急时刻——那位河族学徒就要淹死的时候——她还惊慌得手足无措，是叶爪代她救治的。
“很好。这恰好也是我要给他吃的药，”炭毛赞同地说道，“你有没有试过蓍草？”
蛾翅点点头说：“但那让他感到恶心。”
“有时候蓍草确实能产生那种反应。”炭毛俯视着泥毛，一双蓝眼睛里充满了同情，“我很难过，我们做什么都没用了。”
“但是他现在正饱受折磨啊！”蛾翅抗议。
“我会多给他喂些罂粟籽。”炭毛说，“你还有金盏花吗？”
“多的是。”蛾翅匆匆跑向芦苇围篱下的一个缺口，摸出一爪碎花瓣。炭毛从一个小包里拿出些干浆果，将碎花瓣揉进去。浆果内还很柔软，能捏成药丸。炭毛往里面洒了一些罂粟籽，用量比叶爪此前看到的都要大，然后她把捣碎的草药递给泥毛。
“这能缓解你的痛苦，”她轻声说，“能吃多少吃多少。”
老巫医开始舔着吃药，他认出了药丸里混合的草药成分，眼睛里流露出温柔而感激的神情。叶爪不知道炭毛给他的罂粟籽，是否能让他一睡不醒，一路走向星族。但她从老师温柔的眼神里知道，她只想缓解泥毛的疼痛。虽然沉默的武士祖灵姗姗来迟，但炭毛仍然相信，时间到了，它们一定会来接走泥毛。
“现在你们走吧，”炭毛轻声对叶爪和蛾翅说，“我坐这儿陪着他，直到他睡着。”
“他会死吗？”蛾翅问道。她的声音在打战。
“暂时还不会，”炭毛告诉她，“但这会缓解他的痛苦，直到星族来召唤他。”
叶爪退后几步，跟着蛾翅穿过通道，来到最大的空地里。
“他怎么样了？”豹星看到她们出现在银色的月光下，立刻问道。
“炭毛做了她能做的一切。”蛾翅报告道。
豹星点点头，然后转身离开了。
“我以前从没来过这里。”叶爪说着，她想转移蛾翅的注意力，“这里真是一个极好的庇护所。”
年轻母猫耸耸肩说：“的确是很好的营地。”
“怪不得豹星不想离开这儿。”叶爪继续说着。她小心地不让自己的声音露出威胁之意。她很好奇豹星为何会突然消瘦——从空地四周走动的其他猫看来，河族族长不是这里唯一消瘦的猫。
“河水已经变得很浅了，你们的鱼也吃光了，是不是？”叶爪大胆猜测。
蛾翅盯着她瞅了好一会儿，才说道：“是的，我们已经有一段时间填不饱肚子了。”
“这是否意味着豹星现在会考虑离开森林了？”
令她失望的是，蛾翅摇了摇头说：“豹星说，只要两脚兽一天没入侵我们的领地，我们就在这儿坚守一天。她说如果那条河不能提供足够的食物，我们就得学会捕捉新的猎物。”
叶爪对顽固的河族族长感到一阵失望——她真想大叫一声，森林里已经没有新的猎物了。但她不想对蛾翅的族群显示出不敬。“你现在已经成了一位了不起的巫医，”她生硬地改变了话题，“炭毛对泥毛采取的医治措施，跟你的没什么两样。”
鹰霜的声音突然在她的耳边响起，吓得叶爪差点全身皮毛都飞了出去。
“你说得对。”鹰霜开口说道，“等泥毛追随星族而去以后，有这样一位好巫医，是我们河族的幸运。”
“我觉得鹰霜对我的信心，比我对自己的大多了。”蛾翅小声说。
“你无须妄自菲薄。”鹰霜坚持说道，“我们的父亲是一位伟大的武士，我们的母亲骄傲而坚强。他们只有一个共同且唯一的缺点：他们曾经——现在仍是这样，以莎夏为例——忠实于自己，胜过其他任何猫。”他顿了顿，扫了一眼空地四周，“我们不会那样的。我们知道忠于族群意味着什么。我们有勇气遵照武士守则生活。正因如此，总有一天，我们会成为河族最强大的猫，那时我们的族猫一定会尊重我们。”
叶爪感觉就像一头冲进了冰冷的河里。无论鹰霜如何发誓要遵照武士守则，他那种野心勃勃的劲都很危险——就像他以前的那个父亲。
蛾翅取笑地发出一声呼噜。“我哥哥说的话，你不必太当真。”她对叶爪说道，“他是河族里最勇敢、最忠诚的猫，但有时候也太得意忘形了。”
叶爪眨了眨眼睛，她从心底里希望蛾翅是对的。但鹰霜眼睛里流露的傲慢气焰，让她内心很不舒服。她总觉得——直觉令她浑身的皮毛都抖动起来——这还只是个开始。
鹰霜不可信。
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 17
“How will I manage without him?”gasped Mothwing, her eyes huge and scared.
“You’ll be fine,” Cinderpelt assured her. “And there will be time to grieve, but not now.”
Mothwing looked at her for a moment, then nodded and left the medicine clearing to tell her Clan that Mudfur was dead. Leafpaw waited until the RiverClan cats began to pad through the tunnel to pay their final respects, then hurried out into the main clearing.
Mothwing was sitting in the rain with her head bowed, water streaming from her whiskers. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” she mewed.
“He hasn’t gone far,” Leafpaw comforted her. “He’s with StarClan.”
“I hope so,” Mothwing murmured.
Leopardstar emerged from the medicine clearing and padded over to Firestar. “Shadepelt and Loudbelly will remain here with your elders,” she meowed. “They are too old to travel and wish to sit in vigil for Mudfur.”
Firestar nodded. “We will wait until RiverClan is ready to travel,” he murmured.
Hawkfrost and Stormfur padded toward Leafpaw and Mothwing. For once, Hawkfrost’s gaze was gentle as he rested his muzzle against his sister’s cheek.
“I never thought we’d be leaving anyone behind.” Stormfur sighed.
“Neither did I,” Leafpaw agreed, gazing at Frostfur and Speckletail. The image of Graystripe staring out from the monster’s belly flashed through her mind.
Leopardstar padded to the center of the clearing and looked around. “Is everyone ready?”
“We haven’t hunted today,” a RiverClan queen protested, wrapping her tail protectively around her kit.
“We can hunt on the way,” Leopardstar told her.
The moment had arrived. Silently, the cats began to head for the camp entrance. Frostfur and Speckletail sat in the clearing watching their Clanmates leave.
“Good-bye, Frostfur,” Leafpaw whispered. “Good-bye, Speckletail. Good hunting.”
“Good hunting,” Frostfur replied.
Leafpaw looked up at the gray sky crisscrossed by leaf-bare branches. The rain spattered on her face, and she blinked away the drops that clung to her eyelashes. It was as if StarClan wept to see their Clans leave the forest. Bleakly, Leafpaw wondered if their ancestors would travel with them, or whether this was a final farewell.
“Come on.” Firestar’s voice sounded softly in her ear. “The Clan will be waiting for us.”
The trek through the forest was hard going, the rain making the leaves slippery underpaw. The RiverClan cats stayed together, keeping up with ThunderClan but traveling separately. Sorreltail fell into step beside Leafpaw and nudged her up each time she stumbled. As they neared the edge of the forest, where there was a narrow strip of RiverClan territory before the moorland began, Leafpaw scented ShadowClan cats. She lifted her head and saw them huddled under the trees, wet and shivering.
“We thought you’d never get here,” Blackstar complained, shaking the water from his coat.
The ShadowClan cats paced impatiently around him. They were not comfortable under the trees that had once belonged to ThunderClan; even Tawnypelt looked eager to leave. But Leafpaw longed to linger here, suddenly unable to bear the thought of saying good-bye to the forest for the last time.
Firestar gazed at his Clan. “We must say good-bye to all we have known,” he meowed.
Leafpaw felt Sorreltail’s pelt pressing against hers, and she noticed Squirrelpaw draw closer to Brambleclaw.
“I want to go home!” one of Tallpoppy’s kits mewled up at her mother with her eyes stretched wide.
“We are going home,” Tallpoppy promised, her ears twitching. “Our new home.”
As she spoke, a tawny-colored cat emerged from the trees a little way off. Even though the rain masked her scent, Leafpaw recognized the stranger at once. It was Sasha.
Mothwing recognized her too, because she bounded over and rolled on her belly like a kit. Hawkfrost padded after his sister more slowly, the tip of his tail flicking from side to side. The RiverClan cats watched them go with patient acceptance, but Leafpaw saw bewilderment in the eyes of the ThunderClan cats who did not know who Sasha was, and open hostility from the ShadowClan cats.
“What’s she doing here?” Squirrelpaw whispered.
“Perhaps she knows we’re leaving,” Leafpaw guessed.
“But why did she come?”
Sasha finished greeting her kits and padded toward the watching cats. Ashfur hissed threateningly, but Firestar silenced him with a look.
“I didn’t think we’d see you again,” Leopardstar meowed, dipping her head to Sasha.
“Nor I you,” Sasha admitted. “I have come to ask Hawkfrost and Mothwing to leave RiverClan and come with me. I’ve seen what the Twolegs are doing to your homes. It is no longer safe for them to stay with you.”
Mothwing looked down at her paws and Leafpaw’s heart skipped a beat. Could she really be thinking about leaving?She brushed past Sasha and faced the RiverClan medicine cat. “I know things have been tough lately, but you wouldn’t really go, would you?”
Mothwing blinked. “I-I don’t know….”
“Your Clan needs you,” Leafpaw protested. She rounded on Hawkfrost. “You wouldn’t abandon your Clanmates, would you?”
“The decision is theirs.” Firestar’s voice rose above the sound of the falling rain. “But I agree they should remain with their Clan.”
Sasha narrowed her eyes. “You want them to stay?” Suddenly the wind dropped, and every cat seemed to hold their breath as she went on, “In spite of the fact that Tigerstar was their father?”
Leafpaw scanned the shocked faces of the RiverClan cats. They obviously didn’t know that Tigerstar was Hawkfrost and Mothwing’s father, even though his kits had been raised in their Clan.
There was a long pause while Firestar held Sasha’s gaze. “I want them to stay becauseTigerstar was their father,” he meowed. Brambleclaw sank his claws into the mud, and Squirrelpaw’s eyes stretched even wider. “Tigerstar was a great warrior, and these cats have proved they have inherited his courage,” Firestar went on. “Their Clan needs them now more than ever.” He turned his gaze on Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt. “Tigerstar’s children have earned their place in their Clans many times over.”
There were no secrets now. Every cat knew that Tigerstar lived on in four cats, and that three Clans nurtured part of his legacy. Mothwing lifted her gaze, searching the faces of her Clanmates. Hawkfrost raised his chin as if he didn’t care what they thought.
Leopardstar nodded. “Firestar is right. RiverClan needs all our warriors, and we certainly need our medicine cat.”
“But they’re Tigerstar’s kits!” Dawnflower’s hiss startled Leafpaw. The RiverClan queen was staring at Leopardstar as if she’d just invited a fox to join them.
Squirrelpaw’s eyes blazed. “So what? That doesn’t mean they can’t be loyal!”
“Hawkfrost is one of our best warriors,” Stormfur added. He looked around at his Clanmates. “Have any of you ever doubted his loyalty?”
“Never,” Mistyfoot murmured.
Leopardstar looked at Hawkfrost and Mothwing. “Will you stay?”
“Of course,” Hawkfrost answered at once. “I would never desert my Clan.” He was staring at his Clanmates, his eyes glittering defiantly.
Leafpaw felt her tail quiver. Was it ambition or loyalty that fueled his decision? She glanced at Brambleclaw. How could two
warriors with the same father be so different?
Mothwing glanced at her mother, her ears twitching. “I have to stay with my Clan too,” she mewed. “I’m their medicine cat now. They need me.”
Sasha nodded. “Very well.” She swept her gaze over them. “Firestar is right,” she murmured. “I see your father in both of you.”
Leafpaw heard a low growl come from Dawnflower.
Sasha turned to the RiverClan queen. “Tigerstar never knew about these kits, but he would have been proud of them.” She glanced around the RiverClan cats. “You’re lucky to have them.”
She padded back to Hawkfrost and Mothwing, brushing her pelt against theirs. “I wish you well on your journey,” she meowed. Then she turned and padded into the forest. The ferns quivered where she had disappeared, and the Clan cats stared after her in silence.
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 16
Clouds obscured the night sky asLeafpaw padded down the hard stone slope. A mild breeze promised that there would be no frost tonight, and she could smell rain. Most of the Clan was sleeping; ShadowClan was huddled near the edge of Sunningrocks, as far from the ThunderClan cats as they could be.
Exhaustion dragged at Leafpaw’s limbs, but her mind teemed with thoughts, memories of the day’s horrors mingled with uncertainties about the journey to come. Knowing she would not be able to sleep, she headed for the forest. Even in leaf-bare, its musty odor and the feeling of the earth beneath her paws soothed her.
As she neared the trees she heard Cody’s voice calling to her. “Leafpaw!” The kittypet was sheltering among some brittle fronds of bracken.
“Cody? What are you doing out here?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Cody scraped at the ground with her paw.
Leafpaw stared at her. “What?”
“I’m leaving,” Cody mewed simply. “I’m going home.”
Leafpaw fought back the urge to cry, No! Please stay!She stepped forward and touched her nose to Cody’s ear-tip.
“This is no life for me, all this death and blood and uncertainty,” Cody went on. “I am happy with my housefolk, and they’ll be missing me. I never meant to stay this long, but Birchkit needed me and I began to—”
“You began to enjoy the freedom,” Leafpaw interrupted, suddenly desperate to remind her new friend what she would be giving up if she went back to her Twolegs.
“I guess I did,” Cody admitted. “But today I saw just how fragile your freedom is. You have to fight for everything—for your food, even somewhere to shelter.” She shook her head apologetically. “I like to know where I will be sleeping every night, and that there will always be food when my belly grows empty. And I like my housefolk. Not all Twolegs are as bad as the ones destroying your home.”
“Would you like me to show you the way through the forest?” Leafpaw offered. “Firestar promised you an escort.”
Cody shook her head. “The woods seem quiet enough,” she mewed. “There won’t be any monsters about at night. Anyway, you’ll need to rest for your journey.” She glanced back toward Sunningrocks. “Thank Firestar for me.”
Leafpaw pressed her nose sadly against her new friend’s cheek. Cody closed her eyes and sighed. Then she straightened up. “I’ve said good-bye to Birchkit. Ferncloud is eating properly again, and he’ll be fine with her now.”
“Thanks for taking care of me when we were in the Twoleg nest,” Leafpaw whispered. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too. And I’ll keep an eye out for Graystripe,” Cody promised. “If I see him, I’ll tell him where you’ve gone and that his Clan is waiting for him.”
Leafpaw felt a warm tongue rasp her ear. “Bye, Leafpaw,” Cody murmured. “Good luck.”
“Good-bye, Cody.” With an aching heart, and half wishing she could have convinced Cody to stay, Leafpaw watched her friend vanish into the shadows of the forest.
A rustle in the bracken made her jump, and Sorreltail slipped out from the trees. “Has Cody gone home?”
“She said her Twolegs would be missing her,” Leafpaw explained.
“I heard.” Sorreltail nodded. “Are you okay?”
“Of course.” She braced herself for Sorreltail to make a sharp comment about how kittypets didn’t belong in the wild, but instead Sorreltail just blinked sympathetically.
“Let’s sleep out here tonight,” she suggested. “It is our last night in the forest, after all.”
The thought of never spending another night under these trees took Leafpaw’s breath away, and for a moment she wanted to lie down and bury her face in the leaf-mold and forget that all this was happening. How could they leave if they didn’t know where they were going? But she followed Sorreltail into the bracken, and together they flattened a patch into a nest big enough for the two of them. As she settled down, Leafpaw felt Sorreltail’s soft tail brush her nose.
“Your Clan is still here,” Sorreltail murmured.
“I know.” Leafpaw tried not to think of Cody hurrying home through the forest alone.
Before she closed her eyes, she looked up at the branches and gave thanks to StarClan for the shelter they had given ThunderClan in past moons. If only she could be sure there was a home as safe as this had once been waiting for them at the end of their journey.
Cold rain woke Leafpaw, spattering on her fur, and she opened her eyes to a watery, gray dawn. She stretched and shook the raindrops from her pelt. Her movement awoke Sorreltail.
“Brrr,” the tortoiseshell complained, hauling herself to her paws. “What a day for a journey!” She didn’t suggest that Firestar might delay leaving until the rain stopped. Leafpaw realized bleakly that all of the cats knew they could not stay in the forest a moment longer.
They left their sodden nest and padded to the bottom of Sunningrocks, where the two Clans were beginning to gather. Tawnypelt was sharing tongues with a ShadowClan apprentice, stopping now and then to shake the rain from her ears.
“I wonder what it’s like for Tawnypelt, being back with ThunderClan?” Sorreltail whispered, following Leafpaw’s gaze.
“Strange, I guess,” she murmured.
“It’s going to be very wet underpaw.” Ashfur’s worried mew rose from the ThunderClan warriors and apprentices. The other cats looked anxiously at Brambleclaw, and Leafpaw knew it was not just the rain that was making their pelts bristle. The whole Clan was nervous about the journey ahead.
“Mud or no mud, we will leave as soon as RiverClan comes,” Firestar insisted. “Can’t you hear the Twoleg monsters?”
Leafpaw listened, and sure enough, through the drumming of the rain, she heard monsters rumbling behind the trees. She had never heard them this close to Sunningrocks before, and the thought of them bearing down on their final refuge filled her with alarm.
“I want all warriors and apprentices to catch whatever they can before the journey,” Firestar meowed. “We’ll share whatever we find with ShadowClan.”
“ShadowClan will organize its own hunting patrols!” Blackstar called across the rock.
Leafpaw saw her father’s face darken for a moment. “Very well. Our warriors will show you the best places to hunt.”
“We can find our own prey,” Blackstar growled.
Firestar curled his lip but said nothing. Instead he turned to Brambleclaw. The young warrior’s tail was twitching, and he kneaded the ground impatiently. “I want you to organize two hunting patrols, Brambleclaw, but don’t let any cat go near the Twolegs.”
“It sounds as if he’s talking to Graystripe!” Mousefur hissed in Leafpaw’s ear. “Why doesn’t he just name Brambleclaw deputy and be done with it?”
“Because that would be like admitting Graystripe is dead,” Dustpelt growled back, overhearing.
Firestar flicked the rain from his whiskers and turned to Cinderpelt. “Prepare traveling herbs for everyone,” he ordered. “Will you have enough?”
“Oh, yes,” Cinderpelt answered. “I just hope that wherever we’re going has the plants I need to replenish my stocks.”
Leafpaw blinked. She hadn’t thought about that before. Would their new home have marigold, yarrow, comfrey, and all the other precious plants she had learned to cure with? Her paws trembled at the thought of having to look after the Clan without them, and she took a steadying breath before hurrying over to help mix the herbs they would need for the journey.
Brambleclaw led a hunting patrol into the dripping woods, and Mousefur followed with another. Blackstar watched them disappear into the forest before muttering something to his deputy, Russetfur; a moment later the dark ginger she-cat, her pelt plastered against her thin body, headed down the slope with several ShadowClan warriors.
Cinderpelt shook her head. “ShadowClan should have joined the ThunderClan patrols,” she murmured. “They’ll have no idea of the best places to hunt, and with prey so scarce they’ll need all the help they can get.”
“Why is Blackstar being so stubborn?” Leafpaw mewed.
“ShadowClan has always been proud.” Cinderpelt started to take supplies out of the cleft in the rock. “Now that they’ve been driven out of their home, pride is all they have left.”
“But surely it would be wiser to combine our strengths?” Leafpaw protested. “We have a long, difficult journey ahead.”
“The boundaries between the Clans run deep,” Cinderpelt reminded her. “Traditions are all we have to cling to.”
“Then you agree with Blackstar?” Leafpaw asked in disbelief
“Of course not, but I understand him,” Cinderpelt replied. “Although it is frustrating,” she added. “I offered to check on their injured cats when I awoke, but Blackstar sent me away. He told me that ThunderClan had done enough for ShadowClan yesterday, and he didn’t intend to make his Clan’s debt any greater than it was.”
“How can he talk about debts?” Leafpaw exclaimed. “Yesterday the four Clans faced the Twolegs together, and we were all as powerless as StarClan to stop them.”
“I know,” the medicine cat mewed. “But we’re not powerless to find a new future for ourselves, so let’s get on with mixing the traveling herbs. Every journey begins with a single pawstep, and this one is up to us.”
As the rain fell steadily, they began to combine the bitter herbs that would give the cats strength for the journey. Half-starved for so long, they needed this ancient mixture, handed down from medicine cat to apprentice for countless moons, more than ever before.
When the pile of herbs was complete, Leafpaw remembered she had not told her father about Cody. “Can you spare me for a while?” she asked.
“There’s nothing more we can do here,” Cinderpelt assured her. “I’ll check on Ferncloud.” She glanced at the nursery hollow.
Ferncloud was sitting on the edge of the hollow, washing Birchkit. The kit struggled resentfully—looking as normal as any kit ever had—as his mother rasped his ears with her rough tongue. The sight gave Leafpaw a rush of hope. She imagined Birchkit growing up and training to become a warrior in their new home, and a profound belief that ThunderClan would survive washed over her like sunshine. She quickly covered the traveling herbs with leaves to protect them from the rain and hurried up the slope toward her father.
He was staring across the treetops that stretched beyond Sunningrocks. He sat up straight, despite the pounding rain, with his tail curled over his paws and his ears pricked, scenting the air almost as though he welcomed the prospect of the journey ahead. It was hard to believe he had lost a life only yesterday.
When he heard Leafpaw calling him he turned his head. “Yes?”
“I thought I should let you know Cody went back to her Twolegs last night.”
Firestar nodded.
“I had begun to hope she’d stay,” Leafpaw confessed.
“Now is no time for a stranger to join the Clan,” Firestar pointed out gently.
“But she was great with Birchkit!”
“That doesn’t make her a Clan cat,” he argued. “All the time she was with us, the scents of the forest never drew her from the safety of the camp. She fled here from the wooden nest because that danger was greater than the thought of living with us. I know what kittypets think of the cats who live in the forest. She’ll be happier with her housefolk.”
Leafpaw was surprised to hear her father use a kittypet word, and wondered if he was thinking of his early days with the Twolegs. Cody had not had time to talk with him about Smudge. Was he thinking of that kittypet friend now?
“You’ll miss her, won’t you?” he meowed unexpectedly.
“Yes, I will,” Leafpaw admitted. “She was a good friend. But she knows we have to go away.” She stared down into the forest. “We’re leaving so many familiar things behind,” she murmured.
Her father’s eyes clouded with sorrow. “Yes. Like Graystripe.”
Leafpaw couldn’t think of anything to say that would comfort him. However much he wanted to believe that his deputy was still alive, it was still almost impossible that Graystripe could find his way back to them.
“I know we must go,” Firestar went on. “I want to leave as much as any cat, but I can’t bear the thought that I might never see him again.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Leafpaw mewed hopefully. “Cody told me she’d look out for him and tell him where we’ve gone.”
A glimmer of hope sparked in Firestar’s eye, then disappeared. “How will he escape the Twolegs?” he asked bleakly. “And then find our new home…?”
“Are you going to name a new deputy?” she ventured.
“No!” Her father leaped up, and Leafpaw shrank back. “There’s no need,” he went on quietly. “If there is even the smallest chance he’s alive, then Graystripe is still ThunderClan’s deputy.”
Before Leafpaw could say anything, mews sounded from behind them. The ThunderClan hunting patrols had returned and were carrying fresh-kill up the rock—birds and mice, not many, but enough to allow each cat a small meal. ShadowClan’s hunting patrol returned shortly after. They had found only one thrush between them.
“Will you share our catch with them?” Leafpaw mewed to her father.
“Blackstar would be insulted by the offer,” Firestar replied.
“I suppose they can hunt while we travel,” Leafpaw suggested.
“Hopefully we all can. There must be more prey out there than here.” Firestar shook himself. “Go and get something to eat,” he ordered. “RiverClan will be here soon.”
“Okay.” Leafpaw hurried down to where Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw were sharing a chaffinch. They looked drenched, their pelts dark and sodden.
“Want some?” Squirrelpaw offered.
“Yes, please.” Leafpaw’s belly felt hollow, and the scent of fresh-kill made her mouth water. Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw sat back and let her take a bite.
“Do you want to give some to your sister?” Leafpaw asked Brambleclaw. The ShadowClan cats were laboriously passing their meager catch around; each cat took only a small mouthful before pushing it on to the next.
Brambleclaw shook his head. “I wouldn’t waste my time.”
Leafpaw was startled by the bitterness in his voice.
“We met Tawnypelt while we were out hunting, and Brambleclaw asked if she wanted to hunt with us,” Squirrelpaw explained. “She told us she was a ShadowClan warrior and would never hunt for another Clan.”
“I don’t know why she was so superior about it,” Brambleclaw growled. “It’s as if she’s forgotten that she was born a ThunderClan cat, or that we journeyed to the sun-drown-place together.”
“It must be difficult for her, being among ThunderClan again,” Leafpaw ventured. “She probably feels she has to prove her loyalty to ShadowClan more than ever.”
“Leafpaw’s right,” Squirrelpaw meowed. “Don’t take it personally, Brambleclaw. It wasn’t long ago that you were telling me that your first loyalty is to ThunderClan, not your kin. Allow Tawnypelt to have the same feelings for ShadowClan.”
“I suppose so,” Brambleclaw agreed grudgingly. “I just wanted to hunt with my sister again.” Leafpaw heard the sadness in his voice and thought how hard it must be having a littermate in another Clan. She glanced at Squirrelpaw, grateful that she and her sister shared the same home wherever it was.
“Leafpaw!” Cinderpelt was calling from the den. “Come and help me!”
Leafpaw bounded up the slope.
“Will you take these herbs to the queen and the elders?”
“What about Birchkit?”
“Just give him half a dose.”
Leafpaw glanced warily at Blackstar. “Are we sharing with ShadowClan?”
“We’ll have some left over,” Cinderpelt mewed, her eyes glittering. “I’ll offer them to Littlecloud and tell him we have no need for them. Blackstar can take them or leave them as he wants.”
Leafpaw admired her mentor’s kindheartedness as well as her craftiness; this was an offer Blackstar could accept without losing face. She picked up a bundle of herbs and carried it to Ferncloud. The she-cat accepted the bitter herbs gratefully, though Birchkit was not so thankful.
“It tastes like crow-food!” he complained.
“You’ve never eaten crow-food,” Ferncloud pointed out. “Now just swallow it.”
Leafpaw purred with amusement and carried her bundle to where Frostfur, Longtail, and Speckletail lay, sheltered by the overhang.
As she put the herbs down, Frostfur shook her head. “Don’t waste those on us,” she murmured. “We’re not going with the Clan.”
Leafpaw blinked. “Not going! Why?”
Firestar trotted over. “What’s the matter?”
“Frostfur says they aren’t coming with us!”
“We’re too old to make such a journey,” Speckletail rasped. “We’d only hold you back.”
Longtail flicked his tail. “And what use would I be? I can’t even see where I’m putting my paws!”
“The Clan would help you,” Firestar assured him gently. He looked up at the elderly she-cats. “Just as they would help all of you.”
“We know they would,” Frostfur mewed. “But Speckletail and I are too old for so much change. We’d rather die here beneath Silverpelt, knowing StarClan waits for us.”
Leafpaw flinched. Surely StarClan would go wherever they did?
Firestar nodded gravely. “I cannot force you to come with us, Frostfur,” he murmured. “I know your paws are weary, Speckletail’s too, and you already hear StarClan whispering to you. But Longtail, I won’t leave you behind.” When the tabby warrior opened his mouth to argue, Firestar went on, “Yesterday you heard the WindClan cats coming before any other cat. You may have lost your eyes, but your ears and your sense of smell are as good as any warrior’s. Please come with us.”
Longtail closed his sightless eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. Then he opened them again, and turned his face toward Firestar as if he were looking straight at him. “Thank you,” he meowed. “I will come.”
Stormfur bounded up the rocks. “Firestar! There is a problem. RiverClan cannot leave today.”
Firestar’s ears twitched with alarm. “Why not?”
“Mudfur is dying. We can’t leave him alone.”
Frostfur stepped forward. “We’ll stay with him.”
“We can look after him until StarClan is ready to take him,” Speckletail agreed.
Stormfur looked them in surprise. “But he is not one of your Clan.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Frostfur told him. “We are staying behind anyway. We might as well do what we can for Mudfur.”
“The RiverClan camp is a lot more sheltered than this place,” Leafpaw mewed. “You will be safe from Twolegs if you keep within the reeds.”
“That’s true,” meowed Firestar. “We’ll bring Frostfur and Speckletail to the RiverClan camp, and if Leopardstar agrees, we’ll leave them with Mudfur while RiverClan joins us on our journey.”
“What’s happening?” Blackstar had approached the group.
“Mudfur is dying,” Firestar explained. “We must go to the RiverClan camp before we travel to WindClan’s territory.”
Blackstar curled his lip. “We’ll go ahead and wait for you at the edge of the forest.”
A croaking voice sounded behind him, and Leafpaw recognized Runningnose’s gray pelt. “I would like to say good-bye to Mudfur,” mewed the elderly cat. “I’ve known him since I was an apprentice.”
Blackstar looked at the old tom, and for the first time Leafpaw saw respect in his eyes. “Of course, Runningnose,” he meowed. “You go with ThunderClan. We’ll see you again at the edge of the forest.”
Firestar scanned the rock. “Has everyone had traveling herbs?”
“Yes,” Cinderpelt replied. “In fact, there are some left. ShadowClan may as well have them. It’s not worth carrying them with us.” Her casual tone gave nothing away.
Leafpaw glanced at Littlecloud, whose tail twitched with excitement. “May we use them, Blackstar?” pleaded the young medicine cat.
“No point letting them go to waste,” Blackstar growled, and Littlecloud began handing out the bundles at once. The ShadowClan leader looked at Longtail, narrowing his eyes. Leafpaw braced herself, expecting him to say that they couldn’t take a blind cat on such a long and dangerous journey.
But Blackstar only meowed, “The blind warrior can travel with us while you go to RiverClan. There’s no point taking him across the river and back again. I have warriors who can lead him through the forest.”
Firestar blinked gratefully at the ShadowClan leader. “Thank you.” He touched Longtail with the tip of his tail. “Is that all right with you?”
Longtail nodded, and followed Blackstar down the slope to the waiting ShadowClan cats.
“Is every cat ready?” Firestar called to his own Clan.
Mews of assent sounded from across the rock, and the cats fell in behind Firestar as he led them down to the shore. The river was hardly more than a trickle, in spite of the ceaseless rain.
“Cinderpelt, Leafpaw, come with me,” Firestar ordered, halting beside the river. Runningnose, Frostfur, and Speckletail were already clambering after Stormfur, over the stepping-stones. “The rest of the Clan should wait here until we return.” He nodded at Brambleclaw, putting him in charge, and followed the elders across the river.
The reeds around the RiverClan camp were brown and brittle, their roots exposed. Leafpaw followed her father into the clearing and flinched as several cats spun around to look at the visitors with hostile surprise.
Leopardstar stood in the entrance to the medicine cats’ den, her eyes blazing. “What are you doing here? Didn’t Stormfur give you my message?”
“I did,” Stormfur meowed, hurrying to the center of the clearing. “But Firestar has come to suggest something.”
“Frostfur and Speckletail are staying behind,” Firestar explained. “They have offered to care for Mudfur.”
Leopardstar dipped her head. “That’s kind of them,” she meowed. “But it won’t be necessary. Mudfur is nearly with StarClan.”
Leafpaw jumped out of the way as Runningnose wheezed in shock and staggered toward the medicine clearing. Cinderpelt followed, and Leafpaw padded quickly after them, glancing at the RiverClan leader as she went past. But Leopardstar let them go without a word.
Mothwing looked up as they entered the clearing. Her eyes were clouded with grief. “There’s nothing more any cat can do,” she told Cinderpelt. “He’s not in pain. I’ve made sure of that.”
Mudfur lay in the middle of the clearing. Rain dripped through the branches onto his matted flank, but he made no attempt to move into a more sheltered spot. Shadepelt, an elderly RiverClan she-cat, sat beside Mothwing, sadly watching the dying cat.
Runningnose padded forward and touched his nose to Mudfur’s shoulder. “Go swiftly to StarClan, my friend. We will look after your Clanmates.”
Cinderpelt leaned down and rested her muzzle on Mudfur’s pelt. As Leafpaw crouched to bury her nose in his fur, her throat filled with the unmistakeable scent of death. Forcing herself not to draw away, she closed her eyes. At least
you can be sure StarClan is waiting for you, she thought.
With a shuddering gasp, Mudfur drew his last desperate breath; his flank heaved once, then fell still forever as his spirit joined his warrior ancestors.
“He is with StarClan now,” Mothwing murmured.
Leafpaw blinked sadly at the unmoving heap of fur. This was one cat who would never see their new home, wherever it lay. How many more cats would not make it to the end of their journey?
第十三章
第十三章
松鼠爪将老鼠丢在猎物堆上，这并不能使那个很小的猎物堆增大多少。黎明巡逻队也只在猎物堆上面放了一只麻雀和一只田鼠。栗尾本来是跟她一起去捕猎的，但最终一无所获地回来了。
“把老鼠直接送到长老那儿去。”火星说着，向她们走过来。
“不给香薇云吗？”松鼠爪疑惑地问道。
“炭毛说，香薇云什么都吃不下。”火星叹气说道，“柯蒂已经跟小白桦一起吃过了。”
“那只宠物猫应该回到她的主人那里，不能再吃我们的猎物了。”栗尾烦躁地说，“她也不适合去狩猎。”
“柯蒂几乎没吃什么东西，”火星提醒道，“有她照顾小白桦，其他猫才有更多时间狩猎。”
松鼠爪同情地看着栗尾。跟讨厌宠物猫相比，栗尾可能更讨厌柯蒂占用了太多叶爪的时间。松鼠爪拾起那只老鼠，叼着它去找长老们。他们都在太阳石的坡顶，晒着仅有的一点冬日阳光。
霜毛和纹尾正闭着眼睛打瞌睡。并不比武士年长多少的盲眼公猫长尾坐了起来。“我闻到了老鼠的气息。”他说道。
“这只老鼠恐怕不够大。”松鼠爪抱歉地说。
“已经很不错了！”长尾安慰着她。他用爪子拨了拨老鼠，小老鼠的尸体动了动。他兴奋得尾巴尖儿抽动着，看起来他恨不得马上亲自去抓一只。
突然，他抬起头，张开嘴嗅了嗅空气。“风族猫！”他大喊道，语气里的惊讶多过报警。
“什么？在这儿吗？”松鼠爪向四周张望着。她觉得父亲并不期待有客来访。
在岩石下方的斜坡上，高星带着一支很小的巡逻队缓缓走出树林。雷族猫看着他们慢慢爬上斜坡，来到等候他们的火星身旁。没有一只猫上前盘问他们。高星步履蹒跚，瘦得形销骨立，松鼠爪对他能走到这儿感到非常惊讶。陪伴他的两位武士也好不到哪儿去，一根须和裂耳都很消瘦，脆弱得就像树枝和树叶拼成的似的。松鼠爪担心一阵风就能把他们给吹走。
走在队伍最后面的居然是鸦爪。他看起来比去太阳沉没之地的时候瘦多了，但比他骨瘦如柴的同伴稍好一点。松鼠爪三步并作两步跑下斜坡，去跟鸦爪打招呼。她走近一看，发现鸦爪跟同伴一样，眼神呆滞，皮毛也疏于打理。
“鸦爪！”松鼠爪惊呼，“你还好吗？”
“跟我们的族猫差不多吧！”鸦爪低声咆哮道。
裂耳向她眨了眨眼。“鸦爪狩猎的能力抵得过一支巡逻队，全族的猎物差不多都是他抓的。”他告诉松鼠爪。
松鼠爪耳朵竖了起来。
“两天前，他甚至还抓到了一只鹰。”裂耳补充着。尽管这位风族武士已被饥饿折磨得失去了热情，但松鼠爪仍从裂耳的声音里听出了一丝自豪。
鸦爪耸了耸肩，说道：“我用的是急水部落猫教给我们的技巧。”
“鸦爪！”黑莓掌从岩石上跳过来。松鼠爪看到黑莓掌眼神一沉，很显然他也发现朋友是如此憔悴，因此吃惊不小。
高星的声音转移了她的注意力。“火星，我们是来向你们求援的。”他嘶声说道。仿佛说这两句话已经耗尽了他的力气，他腿一弯，侧身倒在地上。松鼠爪走过去，想扶他，但黑莓掌用尾巴弹了一下她的后背，阻止了她。
“两脚兽已经开始入侵我们栖身的旧养兔场。”高星喘息着说，“荒原上一刻也待不下去了，但我们全族都已经虚弱不堪，不能独自远行。我不在乎星族有没有什么指示。我只知道我们必须离开这儿。带我们去太阳沉没之地吧，求你了！”
火星低头看着高星，松鼠爪发现他满眼悲伤。“我们曾合作过不少回，”火星小声说道，“看着你们忍饥挨饿，我心里也很难过。”他抬眼凝视着眼前的森林。这时，树下的黑莓丛沙沙作响，一只玳瑁色的身影跳了出来。
褐皮！影族猫皮毛竖立，眼睛里充满了恐惧。
“两脚兽正在攻击我们的营地！”她控诉着，声音在岩石上方回荡，“它们用怪物包围了我们！请你们快去帮帮我们！”
火星带头奔下斜坡，甚至高星也拖着沉重的爪子，快步走向这位影族武士。
“请帮帮我们！”褐皮对火星叫道，“哪怕看在我身上也流淌着雷族血的分上。”
火星用尾巴尖触了一下她的嘴巴。“为了影族，我们也会去的。”他温和地对她说道，“这也是为了森林里所有的族群。”他看向他的武士，“刺掌、鼠毛、沙风，你们各带一支巡逻队，把所有的年轻猫都投入战斗。”三位武士立刻开始组织巡逻队，并将命令传递下去。
“那谁来保卫营地？”尘毛喊道。
“为什么要保卫营地？”火星说道，“唯一能威胁到我们的生物，都在攻击影族。”
“那河族呢？”叶爪平静的声音从斜坡上方传来。她感觉四周顿时沉默下来，所有的雷族武士都转头看着她。
松鼠爪的心里一紧。她姐姐说得对，营地没有防卫，鹰霜很可能会说服河族为了自己的利益占领太阳石。
但武士们显然误解了叶爪的警告。“河族不会帮我们的！”鼠毛怒斥道。
“他们也许会的。”炭毛争辩道，“他们的河都快干涸了，河族现在也没有充足的食物了。”
松鼠爪瞟了一眼黑莓掌，他俩并不是唯一注意到那条河发生变化的猫。如果河族也在受难，他们或许会帮助雷族，而不是进攻雷族。但她始终对鹰霜有着一丝难以消除的怀疑。
火星的眼睛燃起了希望的光芒。“黑莓掌！”他喊道，“去河族向豹星求援！”
“是，火星！”
“先去找雾脚。”松鼠爪小声说道，“要确保鹰霜也一起来，不能把他留在营地里。”
黑莓掌眯起了眼睛：“你担心他会袭击我们？”
“为安全起见，最好防着他点。”
黑莓掌从鼻子里哼了一声。“你太多疑了。”他低声说着，狂奔而去。
松鼠爪感到皮毛上有愧疚的刺痛感，她希望黑莓掌别以为自己也怀疑他。
“松鼠爪，你跟我们一起，”沙风命令道，“跟着我或尘毛。”
松鼠爪点点头。她激动得爪子一阵发麻。是到了勇敢反击的时候了，或者说，是接受森林沦陷的现实，离开这里的时候了。甚至连风族武士也期待着一场战斗，眼神都变得非同一般的清亮。一根须激动地甩着尾巴，他面前的裂耳则来回踱着步子。
“我们要和你们一起参加战斗！”高星宣布道，他嘶哑的声音里重新充满了力量。
火星摇摇头说：“你的身体太虚弱了！”
高星目光坚定地注视着火星：“我和我们的武士一定要参战！”
火星低头致敬。“非常好！”他尊敬地说道，然后看着自己的族猫，“鼠毛、沙风、刺掌，你们的巡逻队都准备好了吗？”
三位武士都点点头。
“这可能是我们在森林里的最后一战。”火星接着说，声音只比低吼大一点儿，“我们不可能完全打败两脚兽，但我们要努力拯救影族。”他看着叶爪说，“我们需要你去照料受伤的猫。炭毛要留下，照顾守在营地的猫。”
松鼠爪知道巫医炭毛有旧伤，这意味着她不能打仗，她留在太阳石救治从战场上因伤被送回来的猫，会比走上战场更有价值。她涌起一股对姐姐的保护欲，随即想起巫医跟武士一样，都学过格斗技能。
当火星领着族猫冲下斜坡的时候，松鼠爪听见一根须正在对他的族长耳语。
“高星，你只有最后一条命了，”他急切地说道，“请留在这儿吧。”
“无论我现在有一条命还是九条命，我都对森林负有责任。”高星镇定地回答道，“我是不会错过这场战斗的。”
松鼠爪从这只老猫的眼睛里看到冷酷而坚毅，他正为自己能够捍卫自尊感到高兴。一根须点点头，跟着他走进猫群里。
火星来到树林边缘，停顿了片刻，在冲进森林之前，最后一次检查族猫是否都做好了准备。松鼠爪跟在火星后面冲出去，褐皮跑在她的身边，爪子一起敲打着坚硬的地面。高星也跟了上来。他们沿着河水前行，平安地穿过峡谷，一直走到离峡谷最近的两脚兽活动区，然后转个弯，来到通向四棵树的山顶。火星毫不犹豫，带他们直接翻过了眼前山坡。在山谷里，那些被砍倒的树整齐地放成一堆。松鼠爪无比震惊地看到被压成一大堆碎石块的巨岩，不禁心痛万分。
鸦爪在奔跑的猫群中间穿梭，紧跟在她身旁。“别看了！”他提醒道，“即使巨岩仍安然无恙地立在原地，对影族也没有什么用了。”
突然，他们身后响起一声号叫。火星转过身，立即停了下来。跟在他身后的猫全都停了下来，然后转过了身。
河族副族长雾脚带着一群猫站在山顶，那都是河族最优秀的武士：暴毛、黑掌、蛾翅，以及站在他们旁边的仪表堂堂的鹰霜。站在鹰霜旁的是黑莓掌，在苍白的天空映衬下，他和鹰霜有着非常相似的头部和肩轮。
“等一等！”雾脚向下叫道，“河族要与你们并肩战斗！”
黑莓掌飞快地跑向松鼠爪。
“你是怎么说服豹星的？”她称赞道。
“根本没费什么事，”黑莓掌告诉她，“他们也饿得一天比一天绝望。”
暴毛从躁动不安的猫群中挤出一条路，走到他俩的身边。“我们要并肩战斗。”他说道。
“本来就该如此。”鸦爪在后面低声吼道。松鼠爪瞅了一圈，发现从太阳沉没之地回来的几只猫已经在她身边聚齐了——黑莓掌、暴毛、鸦爪以及褐皮，一只不少。她看了一眼天空。“羽尾，你正在天上注视着我们吗？”她闭上眼睛，冥想片刻，祈愿他们没有把自己的朋友永远留在急水部落。
“出发！”火星叫道。随着一声狂热的战斗召唤，他带领大家向影族领地进发。
将雷族和影族一分为二的雷鬼路，这几个月来一直都安静得不太正常。
“两脚兽的怪物不往这条路上走了，却开始破坏我们居住的那片森林。”褐皮低声对松鼠爪说。“这么清静，至少我过雷鬼路方便些！”她自我安慰道。
松鼠爪飞快地穿过雷鬼路，只觉得脚下的路面坚硬而冰冷。她听到了远处怪物的轰鸣声，也闻到了它们刺鼻的气息。她的爪子开始发抖，但愤怒催促她继续前进。鸦爪在她的身边跑着，他眼神冷冷地盯着路面。松鼠爪很惊奇，鸦爪那瘦小凌乱的身体居然拥有如此强大的力量。
她透过树木看到了一只两脚兽的怪物，它巨大的黄色前爪放得低低的，尖尖的爪子撕碎了低矮的灌木丛。突然一阵剧烈而奇异的声音充斥了整片森林，松鼠爪赶紧趴在地上。一时间，森林里回荡着一种恐怖的嘎吱嘎吱的声音。
松鼠爪紧贴着森林下的地面，感觉大地都在颤抖。她看到两脚兽的怪物出现在只有一尾长的地方。怪物用巨大的爪子撕扯着一棵橡树，将它从地上连根拔起，就像拔一棵野草，树枝像冰雹一样纷纷落下来。然后它将这棵树翻转过来，开始给树干剥皮。树皮的碎屑四处飞溅，落在众猫的身上。这时他们身后又传来轰隆隆的响声，松鼠爪转过身，发现他们的后路被堵住了，一只怪物转动着身体，向他们直直地冲了过来。
“它们快要到影族营地了！”褐皮低吼道。
恐惧让松鼠爪差点吐出来。她看到前方出现了更多的两脚兽，正向隐藏在黑莓丛里的影族营地开去，尘土遮蔽了天空。
“我们只能走这条路了！”火星喊着，用尾巴指着林子里没有被怪物踩过的一个缺口。
“不！”鸦爪反驳道，“走这条路更快一点！”说着，他头也不回地直接向营地冲了过去。
“站住！你不要命啦！”松鼠爪一个飞跃，跳到鸦爪背上，伸出爪子，拽着他停了下来。
鸦爪被她压得跑不动，怒吼道：“放开我！”
黑莓掌跑到他俩面前，说道：“你别傻了，鸦爪！”
“他已经疯了！”松鼠爪尖叫道，“我不会让他去送死的！”
“我不怕死，死了可以加入星族，”鸦爪怼了回去，“反正这座森林就要被完全毁灭了，但是在星族，至少还有羽尾等着我！”
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 18
“Look!” Rainwhisker yowled, making the catsjump. At the top of the rise that marked the beginning of WindClan territory, silhouetted against the gray sky, stood WindClan. They lined the crest of the hill like stones, waiting.
“Let’s go,” Blackstar ordered.
He plunged out of the shelter of the trees and hurried up the muddy slope, followed by his Clanmates. Squirrelpaw stared sadly at the forest, sinking her claws into the familiar rain-softened earth. All the RiverClan and ThunderClan cats lingered at the edge of the trees, as though leaving was harder than they had ever imagined.
“This is no longer our home,” Firestar reminded them gently. “Home is waiting for us at the end of our journey.” He began to pad away, lowering his head against the driving rain.
Squirrelpaw joined the other cats as they poured slowly out of the forest after him. Beside her, Brackenfur arched his back against the bracken fronds, brushing his scent on their dripping tips one last time.
“We thought you’d changed your mind,” Mudclaw growled as the three Clans neared the top of the slope.
“Mudfur was dying,” Leopardstar explained. “We waited until he had gone to join StarClan.”
Tallstar sat shivering beside his warriors. His ribs stuck out like gnarled twigs. As the Clans reached the top of the rise, he stood up, wincing at the stiffness in his limbs. “I’m sorry to hear about Mudfur,” he meowed.
“At least he died beneath Silverpelt, which is more than we will,” muttered Blackstar.
His words sent a shiver of unease down Squirrelpaw’s spine. “We saw Silverpelt at the sun-drown-place,” she objected. “StarClan will be waiting for us when we arrive.”
Mudclaw’s tail twitched. “You saw stars, but were they our warrior ancestors or someone else’s?”
Squirrelpaw blinked, thinking of the Tribe of Endless Hunting who watched over the mountains. What if Mudclaw was right, and they were leaving StarClan behind as well as their homes?
Blackstar clawed the muddy ground. “Are we going or not?”
“We’re ready,” Tallstar replied.
The moorland that stretched ahead of them was unrecognizable, all the grass swept away to reveal bare, rutted earth.
Leopardstar stared across the broken ground. “Are there many monsters?”
“Too many,” Tallstar growled.
As the cats scrambled over the first stretch of exposed ground, Squirrelpaw soon began to struggle. The mud sucked at her paws, and her legs felt stone-heavy with exhaustion.
Brambleclaw clawed his way back to join her. “Come on; you can make it.”
“It’s okay,” she snapped. “I can manage.”
He blinked. “I know you can,” he meowed, and Squirrelpaw wished she hadn’t been so harsh.
Dustpelt was behind them, carrying Birchkit in his jaws. Cloudtail struggled to his side. His pelt was streaked with mud, only his back kept white by the relentless rain. “I’ll take the kit,” he offered. He took Birchkit from Dustpelt’s jaws, trying not to let the swaying bundle drag in the mud. Dustpelt nodded his thanks and plunged down a muddy ridge to help Ferncloud, who was fighting to stay on her paws.
Crowpaw was carrying a kit too. He looked on the verge of collapse, but his paws kept moving, his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him.
Squirrelpaw heard the rumble of Twoleg monsters ahead, and their stench reached her even through the rain. She lifted her face, raindrops stinging her eyes, and saw Twolegs cluttering the horizon. “How will we get past?” she gasped.
“Can we go around?” Firestar yowled to Mudclaw.
“They’re everywhere on the moor,” Onewhisker called back. “This is the quietest place to cross, I promise.”
A monster with huge round paws and gleaming teeth roared across the landscape, while another churned up earth in its wake. Just beyond them, a small rocky outcrop rose from the mud.
“If we can make it that far, we’ll be safe for a while,” Mudclaw advised. “The Twoleg monsters can’t climb those.”
But they can crush them if they want, Squirrelpaw thought, remembering the Great Rock.
“You’re right; it could be our only chance. Let’s wait for these two monsters to pass and make a run for it.” Firestar glanced at the other leaders who each nodded their approval.
Squirrelpaw pressed her belly deeper into the mud, feeling the cold earth seep through her fur and drench her skin. Cinderpelt crouched beside Tallstar, pushing a pawful of herbs toward him. The last of the traveling herbs, to give him strength, Squirrelpaw guessed.
As soon as the monsters rumbled past, Firestar gave the command to run.
The ThunderClan cats rushed forward. Squirrelpaw staggered blindly through the mud, keeping her eyes fixed on Brambleclaw’s tabby pelt. As long as he was in sight, she felt she would be safe. By the time she reached the rocks, she was panting with fear and exhaustion. Brambleclaw reached down and hauled her onto the ledge, where the others had already gathered. Firestar weaved among them, his orange fur turned brown by the mud. His eyes were fixed on the cats still struggling toward the outcrop.
Crowpaw reached the rock and held up the kit for Onewhisker to take before scrambling after it. Squirrelpaw heard a Twoleg shouting and turned to see it running unsteadily across the mud, waving its arms. It had seen the cats still heading for the rocks. Tawnypelt was among them, trying to drag a RiverClan apprentice out of the mud.
“Blackstar and Leopardstar must have hesitated before givingthe order to run!” Squirrelpaw hissed.
The monsters were turning now, steering their paws toward the straggling cats.
“They’ll never make it to the rocks in time!” Brambleclaw gasped.
“We must go back and help them!” Firestar yowled.
Desperation drove every scrap of tiredness from Squirrelpaw’s body, and she leaped back down into the mud. Firestar flashed ahead of her. She felt Brambleclaw’s pelt brush hers and then she spotted Crowpaw, pelting toward the RiverClan cats.
The monster’s roar made Squirrelpaw’s ears ring. She hurled herself among the RiverClan cats, reaching for an apprentice who was desperately trying to free himself from the mud. She plunged her teeth into his scruff to haul him out, and he raced away toward the rock.
“Thanks!”
Squirrelpaw looked up to see Stormfur watching her. He blinked gratefully and turned to yank another apprentice to its paws.
“My kit!” Dawnflower’s screech made Squirrelpaw spin around. One kit lay at the RiverClan queen’s paws. Another was racing panic-stricken straight toward a monster, too scared to see where he was going.
“I’ll get him!” Crowpaw lunged forward and grasped the kit in his jaws. Mud sprayed from his paws as he skidded back toward the outcrop.
Squirrelpaw scooped up the other kit and gave Dawnflower a fierce nudge. “Quick!” she hissed.
She reached the rock and bounded up, finding a shadowy crevice out of sight of the Twolegs. She fled along the gully with the kit swinging in her jaws until she emerged on the other side. Dawnflower shot out behind her, followed by Firestar and a stream of RiverClan cats, and finally Crowpaw emerged with the other kit. Dawnflower raced over and gratefully took the kit from him.
Squirrelpaw placed the other kit at her paws and looked around for her sister. “Leafpaw!” she called.
She was crouching beside Tallstar. The WindClan leader’s flanks heaved and his eyes looked wild with fear. “Hunted in my own territory!” he wheezed.
Leafpaw looked up when she heard Squirrelpaw’s call.
“Can you look at these kits?” Squirrelpaw asked. Leafpaw glanced uncertainly at Tallstar, but Cinderpelt appeared beside her.
“I’ll look after him,” she murmured.
Leafpaw hurried over and sniffed each kit. She pressed her ear against the chest of one and then the other. “They’re just scared and tired,” she concluded. “They’ll be fine.”
“Of course I’m fine,” squeaked one of the kits, a dark gray female. “That monster was never going to catch us.”
“Hush, Willowkit,” soothed Dawnflower. As she bent to wash the mud from her kits’ faces, the ShadowClan cats emerged from the gully.
“Is every cat with you?” Firestar called to Blackstar.
Blackstar nodded, too breathless to speak.
The Clans rested on the rocks for a moment, but another swath of churned-up moorland still lay between them and the grassy slope that led down to the meadows, and the Twolegs would be looking out for them by now. It wasn’t safe to linger too long near the monsters.
“We should stay closer together,” Firestar suggested. “Travel like a single Clan.”
“And who will give the orders?” Leopardstar demanded. “You?”
Firestar shook his head. “That’s not important. I only meant it would be less dangerous if we were to stick together.”
“You have no idea where we’re going,” Blackstar argued. “We have to trust the cats who’ve made this journey already, and each Clan has one of those. We can travel separately.”
“But you fell behind just now,” Firestar pointed out. “RiverClan, too. We must stick closer together, at least while we’re near the Twolegs.”
Blackstar narrowed his eyes. “Closer together, yes,” he conceded. “But each Clan should follow its own leader’s orders.”
Squirrelpaw’s paws pricked with frustration. Fighting a bone-weariness that made her head spin, she gazed across the stretch of land between the rocky outcrop and the edge of the moor. There were yet more monsters in the distance, lumbering up and down like terrifying border patrols.
Brambleclaw padded up to her. “I’ve spoken to the others.”His voice was low, and Squirrelpaw understood that by “others,” he meant Tawnypelt, Crowpaw, and Stormfur. “We’ve agreed to keep to the outside,” he explained. “That way we can look out for trouble and help any cat who falls behind. Crowpaw and I will stay at the back. Stormfur will lead. You take one side, and Tawnypelt will take the other.” Squirrelpaw nodded. “We’ve brought them this far—we have a responsibility to protect them,” he added, his eyes darkening with worry.
Squirrelpaw twined her tail with his. “We’ve done the right thing,” she whispered. “I’m still sure of that.”
“Are we ready?” Firestar yowled.
Slowly the cats gathered on the brink of the rocks, huddling close to their Clanmates. Only Brambleclaw, Crowpaw, Squirrelpaw, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt slipped away from their Clans to take up positions at the edge of the group. Blackstar gave the order to move first, but Leopardstar, Firestar, and Mudclaw quickly followed, and the cats began to leap down from the reassuringly hard surface of the outcrop and back into the slippery mud.
They crept toward the monsters that guarded the edge of WindClan’s territory, keeping low and quiet. Squirrelpaw skirted one edge of the group, keeping her ears pricked for any unexpected Twoleg activity, as well as looking out for any cats falling behind.
Leafpaw fell in beside her. “Is everything okay?”
“I think so,” Squirrelpaw murmured.
“I meant are youokay?” Leafpaw persisted. “You don’t have to protect all of us, you know. We made our own decisions to come on this journey.”
Squirrelpaw blinked gratefully at her. “I know.”
As the Clans neared the monsters they slowed down, crouching so low that Squirrelpaw felt she had almost turned into a lump of mud. At least with the cats this filthy, they blended into the earth around them. The monsters were far away to one side and showed no sign of straying back here yet.
“There’s mud in my eye!” Birchkit squealed.
“Hush!” snapped Ferncloud, and Birchkit fell silent.
Squirrelpaw’s heart pounded. Only a few more fox-lengths and they would reach the crest of the slope that would take them away from this mud and the monsters. Suddenly she heard a sound that turned her blood to ice. A dog howled from somewhere near the monsters, and when she lifted her head to look, she saw it pelting toward them, its ears flapping and its giant paws leaping over the mud.
“Dog!” yowled Leopardstar.
“Run!” Blackstar commanded.
Squirrelpaw stared around in panic. There was no way the kits and elders could outrun a dog! As the other cats pelted forward, Firestar and the other leaders raced among their Clans yowling orders.
“Pick up the kits!” Firestar commanded.
“Help the elders!” hissed Leopardstar.
Squirrelpaw looked for Birchkit, but Rainwhisker had already scooped him up and was racing for the top of the slope. Ferncloud hurtled after him, but Squirrelpaw could hear the terrifying howls of the dog getting closer. The huge creature bounded easily over the rutted ground, bearing down on the cats even faster than the monsters had done. Already the elders were falling behind, even though the other cats urged them forward with desperate yowls and nudges.
Squirrelpaw glanced back to find out where Brambleclaw was, and with a jolt of horror she watched him spin around and head straight toward the dog. Crowpaw and Tawnypelt raced beside him, hardly recognizable under the slick of mud that clung to their pelts. What were they doing?
Stunned, Squirrelpaw watched them charge toward the vicious snarling dog, and only when they got near did she understand what they were doing. Spreading out on Brambleclaw’s hissed command, they surrounded the great black hound; at once the creature slowed down, swinging its massive head from side to side as it figured out which cat to chase. Then it fixed its eyes on Crowpaw and headed straight for the scrawny black warrior. Instantly Crowpaw swerved toward Tawnypelt, his paws sliding in the mud. Tawnypelt shot past him in the other direction, yowling abuse at the dog as she dodged its snapping jaws. The dog hesitated, snarling, then set off after the ShadowClan warrior. Squirrelpaw’s heart pounded with terror as she saw it gaining on her, but Brambleclaw was already racing up behind the dog. He raked its hind legs and swerved nimbly away as the dog spun around and gave chase.
The Twolegs had heard the commotion and one ran toward the dog, howling as Brambleclaw fled a fox-length ahead of the creature’s glistening fangs. Crowpaw had turned and was running for the dog again, hurtling past its nose and bringing it to a bewildered halt. The dog gazed around, its eyes gleaming with fury. Crowpaw spun on his hind legs and raced back again. The dog lashed out, its jaws snapping close to Crowpaw’s flank. The Twoleg howled again and leaned forward, reaching out with its paw.
Squirrelpaw’s breath stopped in her throat. Don’t let the
Twoleg catch you!she silently begged Crowpaw. They couldn’t lose another cat this way! Then the Twoleg’s paw closed around the dog’s collar and dragged it away. Squirrelpaw felt dizzy with relief.
Crowpaw tore away from the Twoleg with Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw on his tail. “Run!” he screeched as he streaked toward Squirrelpaw. She spun around and raced after her Clanmates. Most of them had reached the top of the rise and were pelting down the other side. Squirrelpaw checked to see if any cat needed help, but the last elders, two ShadowClan cats weak with fear, were being half dragged, half pushed to safety by Russetfur and Stormfur. Squirrelpaw followed them as they stumbled over the crest of the hill and fled down the slope.
Not until she was halfway down did she realize that she had crossed the WindClan border and left Clan territory for the very last time. The scent markers had been washed away by the mud and the rain and the stench of the monsters.
Squirrelpaw forced herself not to look back. They had left their homes. The journey had truly begun.
第十四章
第十四章
黑莓掌俯下身子，对鸦爪咆哮道：“难道你宁愿去追随一位逝去的武士，也不愿为了拯救族群而战？”松鼠爪感觉鸦爪好斗的劲儿已经消失了，但黑莓掌继续说道：“你的族群现在比以往更加需要你！用脑子好好想想，听从火星的指挥！松鼠爪，你现在可以把爪子拿开了。”
她小心地放开爪子，担心鸦爪再次冲进树林。但风族学徒只是站起身，抖了抖身体。
在他们身后，屠杀榆树的怪物正在对它们的目标下手。带着尖刺的木头碎片四散开来，一个微小的碎屑刺中了松鼠爪腹部，她感到一阵火辣辣的刺痛。
“快跑！”火星大吼一声。就在怪物劈掉榆树枝杈的当口，众猫飞奔出去。片刻之后，怪物就将那棵榆树扔到了群猫刚才站立的地方。
他们跑进黑莓丛里，火星停下爪子。“沙风，你带着叶爪和巡逻队，去把幼崽和猫后接出来。”他命令道，“鼠毛，你跟裂耳和鸦爪带着你的巡逻队找到长老们。”
松鼠爪转身跟上了母亲，但火星叫住了她。“松鼠爪，我需要你留在这儿！”他命令道，“刺掌，你去指挥学徒们往外走。河族武士，请都跟着他。”雾脚点点头，跟着雷族猫冲了出去。“尘毛，你在入口处等着，确保每只猫都逃出来。不要让猫挡了道！”
“我干什么？”一根须看到其他猫都离开了，问道。
“马上就轮到你了！”火星承诺道。他转向正用鹰钩状的长爪划着地面的褐皮，“褐皮，你对这一带比较熟，我们不能沿着来时的道路返回了，要从这里出去，走哪条路最快？”
“那条路！”褐皮立刻冲着树林的一个缺口点点头，“如果我们的动作够快，就能赶在怪物之前走到那儿。那里有条小路，可以直达雷鬼路下方的通道。”
火星转向一根须和高星。“你俩必须保住我们的撤离路线。”他说道。这是危险最小的一项任务，松鼠爪猜父亲是想保护风族族长的最后一条命。
火星看向黑莓掌和松鼠爪，说道：“让褐皮带你们进入营地，她知道哪个巢穴住着哪些猫，要确保没有一只猫被遗忘在营地里。如果你们听见我的叫声，要立刻出来，因为那意味着怪物已经到达黑莓丛了。”
黑莓掌对着松鼠爪耳朵说道：“这项任务，你没问题吧？”
“当然没问题！你把我当成……从没离开育婴室的幼崽？”松鼠爪生气地扭过头。火星关切地冲她眨眨眼睛，她突然意识到他只是关心她。“我能行！”她保证道，“这就像一场战斗，我需要为森林而战，哪怕我们赢不了。我们不能令褐皮失望。”
她转身向营地入口飞奔而去。褐皮已经从荆棘丛下多刺的通道爬了过去。松鼠爪勇敢地跟在她的身后，钻进里面的空地，两脚兽恐怖的臭气令她几乎走不动。影族猫盲目恐慌地四处逃着。猫后呼唤孩子的声音、武士们尖叫着下达命令的声音，划破了天空。
在一片混乱之中，新进来的武士正在设法让众猫保持镇静。松鼠爪看到栗尾和裂耳站在一群慌乱的影族长老身边，带领他们穿过空地；在较远处，叶爪正催促影族的老巫医奔鼻向营地入口疾走。
黑星的白色皮毛在影族猫中间极为显眼。一位灰色皮毛的学徒缩在他身边，吓得皮毛竖立起来。“别害怕！”影族族长用爪子推着他，大声说道，“我不会让你没命的。”
他开始推着那个吓呆了的学徒朝通道走。突然远处的空地上传来幼崽的哭声。松鼠爪顺着黑星的目光望过去，发现一只深棕色的幼崽正瘫在地上，眼睛闭得紧紧的。
黑星瞅了一眼松鼠爪。“别傻站着！把烟爪带出去，我去接那只幼崽！”他把学徒推给松鼠爪，便冲向那只幼崽。
烟爪瞪着她，因为惊吓过度，既说不出话，也动弹不得。松鼠爪没时间正式介绍自己，她用牙咬住他的脖颈，拖着他向外走。她把他推到通道里，又扫了一眼空地。黑星已经揪住那只幼崽，向她飞奔过来。松鼠爪往旁边一闪，刚好让影族族长从她的身边冲过去。
松鼠爪冲到育婴室所在的灌木丛，探头向巢穴里张望。她嗅着空气的气息，听到怪物轰鸣的声音，但没有幼崽的叫声。巢穴里空无一猫。
“所有猫都出来了吗？”蛾翅皮毛尽竖，站在她身边问道。
松鼠爪点了点头。她听见鹰霜正喊着他的一个族猫。“我们已经做得够多了，趁营地没被摧毁，赶紧离开！”
“我们必须等所有的影族猫都撤走了才能走！”雾脚立即撤销了他的命令，她尖厉的斥责令鹰霜惊讶得呆住了。
“你别在那儿瞎指挥，搞得好像你是族长一样！”蛾翅气呼呼地向哥哥嘶吼道。
“现在也许不是。”鹰霜呼噜着反驳道，“但总有一天，会由我来发号施令的！”
松鼠爪觉着全身不寒而栗，但没有时间多想。一只玳瑁色的影族猫后正费劲地催促着两只幼崽穿过空地，她放下一只，又冲回去叼另一只。松鼠爪见状，马上飞奔过去。
“我来带这只！”她喘着气说着，叼起一个小家伙。
猫后感激地看了她一眼，跟她一起拖着两只幼崽磕磕绊绊地走向入口。尘毛正在外面等着。松鼠爪将幼崽推给他，又沿着通道返回空地。
营地里很快就空了，怪物离得越来越近，轰鸣声震耳欲聋。确保没有一只猫被留在营地里！火星的命令在她耳边回响。她检查着营地荆棘围墙下的每处阴影，查看是否有猫。她一直提心吊胆，生怕怪物突然撞过来。最后空地上只剩下黑莓掌、褐皮和蛾翅。
“蛾翅，出去帮助叶爪检查伤员！”黑莓掌嘶声说道，“我们再检查一遍营地，看有没有掉队的。”
蛾翅走向通道，转过头说道：“你们也快点！”
营地周围的树倾斜着，然后倒了下去，光秃秃的枝条就像干骨在摩擦，发出嚓嚓的声音。松鼠爪没听到父亲的警报，她认为周围暂时还是安全的，还可以再看看。
“所有的猫都出去了吗？”黑莓掌问道。
“我们需要再检查一遍巢穴才能确定。”褐皮喘着气说。
“育婴室我已经检查过了，”松鼠爪说，“里面是空的。”
“高罂和她的孩子出去了吗？”
“我帮一个猫后带着她的孩子，走到通道里了。”松鼠爪对她说。
黑莓掌摇摇尾巴。“我去检查武士巢穴。”他瞅了一眼褐皮说，“你去检查学徒巢穴。”
“巫医那里呢？”松鼠爪大声问褐皮。
“小云已经出去了。”
“里面有没有病猫？”松鼠爪问道。
褐皮眨了一下眼睛，坦承道：“不知道。”
“我去检查。”松鼠爪答应下来，“入口在哪儿？”
“在那边！”褐皮用尾巴指指武士巢穴旁边的一片荆棘丛。
松鼠爪从狭小的通道挤过去，另一边露出一个巨大的巢穴，上面覆盖着浓密的山楂树枝条，把营地和森林完全隔开了。巢穴里面全空了。她正要挤出去，突然听见了父亲的呼喊。
“快出来！怪物已经靠近营地了！”
松鼠爪开始拼命地从通道往外钻，但黑莓丛上的荆棘挂住了她的皮毛。她使劲挣扎着，却感到那些刺扎得更深了。这时，头顶的一棵树开始嘎吱作响，树干发出断裂的噼啪声，好像马上就要倒下来了。随着一声震耳欲聋的撞击声，这棵树倒在离营地围墙不远的地面上，松鼠爪觉得地面都在震动。
松鼠爪害怕得发疯，使劲扭动身体，想挣脱出来。“黑莓掌！”她尖叫道，“救命！”她担心随时会有一棵树砸在她的头上。难道她会死在帮助影族的过程中，再也没有机会看一眼自己的新家？
突然，松鼠爪感到有牙齿有力地咬住她的脖子，把她向前拖去。荆棘上的刺如利爪一样剐擦着她的侧腹，但她什么也顾不上了。她撑着爪子跳起来，发现黑莓掌看着她，累得腹部剧烈地起伏着。
“谢谢你！”她喘息着，跟他碰了碰鼻子。但她仍然没有逃到安全区。又一棵树吱嘎作响地倒下来。松鼠爪抬头一看，一个模糊的影子缓缓倒向营地。一棵巨大的悬铃木向他们身边倾斜过来，树枝伸向半空，看起来已经摇摇欲坠。
“褐皮在哪儿？”她大叫道。
“我说了让她先走。”黑莓掌说道，“他们都走了，只剩我俩了。我们也赶快离开这儿！”
两只猫一起向营地入口跑去，差点儿撞上正等在外边的尘毛。
“你俩是最后一批了，”尘毛喊道，“快点！”
松鼠爪眼睛的余光看到悬铃木向营地倒去，沉重的枝干压垮了一切——又一个族群的营地被毁掉了。影族猫居住了无数个日夜的家园，从此不复存在了。
尘毛领着他们穿过森林。高星和一根须正在路边等着，他们都睁大恐惧的眼睛，看着周围的森林被一点一点毁掉了。火星、叶爪和褐皮也默默地看着。
“快跑！”一根须催促道，“其他猫已经跑向雷鬼路了！”
“我还以为你没听见我发出的告警！”火星喘着气说。
“我被困在荆棘丛里了。”松鼠爪上气不接下气地说。
“鸦爪在哪儿？”黑莓掌环顾四周。
“已经跑往通道那里了！”火星说着往旁边一躲，另一棵橡树砸在他附近的地面上。
“猫后和幼崽全都撤出来了吗？”褐皮问道。
“黑星带着一只幼崽。”一根须回答，“一只有着玳瑁色皮毛的猫带了两个幼崽……”
“高罂呢？”
“我还以为那只玳瑁色猫就是高罂！”松鼠爪喘着粗气说道。
“高罂是一只虎斑猫！”褐皮的声音带着慌乱，“她有三个孩子，不是两个！”
几只猫都惊慌失措地互相看着。
“我还以为所有的猫都撤出来了。”尘毛恼怒地说道。
“营地绝对空了。”松鼠爪气喘吁吁地说，“他们一定是逃进森林里了！”
松鼠爪竖起耳朵，仔细倾听着幼崽的叫声。
“在那边！”一根须大叫一声，鼻子指向一块被浅褐色小树包围着的空地。他们一起向那里跑去。落叶很滑，松鼠爪怎么也站不稳。
“快点！”高星在她身后催促着。她感到黑莓掌抵住她的侧腹，把她往前推。就在她努力放稳爪子的时候，头上开始噼啪作响，一棵树倒在几尾远的林地上，把他们和其他猫隔开了。松鼠爪闭上眼睛，大口地喘着气。
“你还好吗？”黑莓掌问道。
她的眼睛眨了眨，睁开了，看着倒在他们面前的大树。叶爪和另外几只猫逃走了吗？她从高星身边冲出去，攀上那棵树的树干。黑莓掌紧跟在她的身边。
“他们没事儿！”她大叫一声，松了一口气。褐皮、叶爪和高罂正一起站在那块空地上。一根须正在努力将三个小不点往一起赶，他们吓得仓皇乱跑，小尾巴在身后直直地竖着。火星站在空地边缘，扫视着森林，寻找最佳的撤离路线。
松鼠爪低下头，看见高星从倒树的枝杈间钻过去，一瘸一拐地快步走到雷族族长身旁。
松鼠爪穿过树木空隙，看到两边的怪物正在不住地向前推进，所到之处扫平一切，离他们越来越近。突然，她又听到了令她胆寒的耳熟的嘎吱声。“小心！”她尖叫道。
一棵古老的白桦树正倒向空地。
“快救幼崽！”松鼠爪冲火星喊道。那棵树投下的巨大阴影挡住了火星火红的身影。高罂听见她的声音，叼起了一只幼崽，褐皮叼起另一只。叶爪和高星也跟着，一起冲了出去。但一根须仍在追赶最后那只幼崽，松鼠爪恐惧地看着那棵树向他倒下去。
时间仿佛有她的一生那么长，她吓得心都停止了跳动。火星冲过去，撞在一根须的侧腹。松鼠爪看见这位风族武士在那棵树轰然倒地之前，将幼崽安全地叼在嘴里，冲了出去。
“火星，不要！”松鼠爪从树干上跳下去，冲向刚倒在地上的那棵树。黑莓掌紧跟在她身后，绕过树枝跑到棕色虎斑猫身边，惊愕地发现他正躺在树枝旁边。
“够到你们了！”他大喊一声，将这位风族武士和那只幼崽从树枝间拖走。
松鼠爪跌跌撞撞地从一棵弯曲的小树下爬出来，大树砸下来的时候，这棵小树保护了她。但到处都没有看到火星。一只两脚兽大声呼喊着，又一棵树开始嘎吱作响，空气都跟着颤动起来。
“快离开这里！”黑莓掌尖叫道。
“找不到火星，我是不会离开的。”松鼠爪哭喊着。
“我们会找到他的！”黑莓掌向她保证，又看着一根须说，“把他们几个带到雷鬼路上去！”
脚下的大地震动着，又一棵大树从他们身后倒了下来。
“我们在通道下面等你们。”一根须答应道。
风族和影族猫都走光了，松鼠爪跑到叶爪躲着的树枝下。
“我看到他了！”她大喊着，用爪子绝望地刨着地面。
黑莓掌跑过去，越过她的身边，用脑袋推开纠结在一起的木头碎片。松鼠爪看见父亲姜黄色的皮毛，就压在一根沉重的树枝下。黑莓掌尽量伸长身体，用嘴去够火星。他颤抖着试着够他，终于把他拖了出来，放在铺满落叶的地上。
一道苍白的阳光从树枝间照进空地，落在雷族族长金色的皮毛上。他闭着眼睛，静静地躺在那儿。
“他失去了一条命。”叶爪轻轻说。
“火星！”松鼠爪的尾巴颤抖着。“父亲！”她大声喊道。怪物从四面八方开过来，大地震动着，黄色的眼睛从树林里照过来，亮得刺眼。
“我们得把他拖走！”黑莓掌嘶声叫道。
“我们不能冒险搬他。”叶爪提醒他。
松鼠爪趴在了地上。“他要是留在这儿，我也不走。”她说道。
一个爆裂声在他们的头顶响起。她紧紧地闭上眼睛，顿时眼前一片漆黑。她的脑子里闪过无数的场景——沙风、旧营地、急水部落、羽尾——“星族啊！先别让我死。我们已经渡过了这么多难关，我想看到我的族群熬过去！”
“松鼠爪！”倒下的大树的树枝盖在他们身上，黑莓掌的喊声听起来有些不清楚，“你在哪儿？”
松鼠爪睁开眼睛，长长地呼了一口气，仿佛虚脱了一般。这棵树倒下来，摞在了另一棵树干上，形成一个小小的掩体。通过凌乱的树枝，她勉强可见黑莓掌那暗棕色的皮毛。她抖了抖尾巴，试着将爪子一只接一只地伸缩着。“我没事儿！”她大声说。哪儿都没受伤，只是树枝擦过的皮肤有点刺痛。“黑莓掌，你受伤了没有？”她哼了一声，拖着身体向他爬过去，伸长脖子舔着他的肚子。
“还好，我没事儿。”黑莓掌低声说着，挣扎着坐起来，“看见你的姐姐没有？”
松鼠爪忽然听见父亲焦躁的叫声。她上下扭动着，将头埋在树枝下面，这才将腿伸直了，感到血液开始流过冰冷的爪子。她奋力推开小树枝，往前撞过去，终于感到父亲的呼吸吹拂在她的脸颊上。火星眼睛已经睁开了，但眼神呆滞。
“你跟星族说话了吗？”叶爪小声问他。
“我似乎没有看到它们。”火星声音低沉地说，“但是我知道它们就在那里。”他抬起头，问道：“一根须救了那只幼崽没有？”
“救下了，他俩都平安无事。”黑莓掌从树枝里硬挤过来，站到松鼠爪身边。
松鼠爪试图读懂叶爪的目光：“火星的身体现在没事了吧？”
“他会好起来的。”叶爪说着，伸出鼻子碰了碰松鼠爪的脸颊，“别害怕，这一切都是注定要发生的。”
松鼠爪觉得心都要跳到嗓子眼了，问道：“我们怎么把他弄走？”
“我能走。”火星说着，拖着身体踉跄着站了起来。
突然，一只两脚兽在他们上方大叫起来，听声音离他们很近。松鼠爪怒吼着转过身，仰起头，看到覆盖在他们身上的树枝上有一个朦胧的影子。
“我们现在必须离开这儿！”
两脚兽从凌乱的树枝缝里向下窥视。叶爪放平身体，肚子紧紧地贴在地面上，害怕得眼睛瞪得大大的。
“我决不会让它们再抓住你！”松鼠爪瞟了一眼叶爪，保证道，“我去吸引两脚兽的注意力，你能把他们带出去吗？”
黑莓掌眨了眨眼睛。“我不确定这样是否安全……”他开口说道。
“我会没事儿的。”松鼠爪坚定地说，“来吧，我们没有太多时间。”
她毫不犹豫地从树枝下钻了出去，看见两脚兽的两条腿就立在她面前。她狂怒地发出一声尖叫，从它的两条腿中间穿过去。两脚兽发出一声号叫。她回头看到，两脚兽离开了她的族猫，笨拙地追了过来。
松鼠爪从落满碎屑的树林里跳了出去。有一只怪物在前方抬起爪子，伸向空中去砍另一棵树。松鼠爪闪身躲进一长溜黑莓丛里，回头望向她的族猫们。“星族啊，救救他们！”接着她看到父亲火红色的皮毛在树干旁的树枝间穿梭，跑向空地的另一边。黑莓掌与他并排跑着，叶爪的浅褐色虎斑皮毛在他们身后闪过。他们跑到开阔地带，这时候很容易被发现。松鼠爪向后仰着脑袋，大吼一声。她听到两脚兽跑过来，踢打着黑莓丛，想把她逼出来。松鼠爪向后缩了缩，又低头吼叫起来。她要一直吸引两脚兽的注意力，给其他猫留出逃跑时间。
她从荆棘丛里向外看去，发现黑莓掌正往她这边张望，然后一直跑到森林深处的安全地带。松鼠爪直起身，松了一口气。她扭动着身体，在黑莓丛里钻来挤去，然后沿着空地边缘走着，一直走到那条通往通道的小路上。火星、黑莓掌和叶爪都向她跑过来。
“你成功地甩掉了它！”叶爪赞叹道。
“我们继续走吧！”黑莓掌嘶声叫道。
松鼠爪走到了他们的队伍里。火星摇摇晃晃地走着，爪子踩在坚硬的路面上，显得非常吃力。
“别停下，继续走！”她推着火星催促道。黑莓掌也从另一边支撑着他，向通往雷族领地的安全通道匆忙前行。他们总算逃脱了两脚兽的魔爪——但是森林就要完全沦陷，他们也要彻底失去家园了。
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 19
Like cloud shadows drifting over theground, the Clans trekked in silence across a meadow. Squirrelpaw was grateful that Brambleclaw walked close beside her, shielding her from the icy wind. The rain was easing now, but the clouds had been raked into tatters by a thorn-sharp breeze that promised colder weather. Shivering, she looked up and saw a Twoleg nest looming ahead, even bigger than the Great Rock.
Her paws were sore from the prickly stubble that seemed to cover all the fields they had passed through, and she longed for the softness of leaves underpaw. The air was filled with unfamiliar scents—Twolegs, the monsters that prowled the crisscrossing Thunderpaths, the fresh scent of dog drifting from a Twoleg nest, and the recent scent of rogues. Squirrelpaw felt the instinctive tension of any cat that strayed from its territory, even though she was surrounded by more Clan cats than she had seen before in her life. She scanned the hedgerow, and her heart seemed to stop beating altogether when she saw the brown beech leaves rustle madly, shaken by more than just the wind.
Ravenpaw stepped out from his hiding place like a shadow coming to life, and stared at the Clans in surprise. A second cat slipped out of the hedge behind him. Squirrelpaw recognized the black-and-white pelt of Barley, the cat who had allowed Ravenpaw to share his home in a Twoleg barn for many moons.
“Firestar! Is that you?” Ravenpaw’s ears twitched as he called out for his old friend. The Clan cats halted and stared at him. Every cat knew about the black-pelted ThunderClan apprentice who had been driven out by his mentor, Tigerstar. Even if they hadn’t known him during his short time in the forest, many had met him on the journey to Highstones
“Hello, Ravenpaw.” Tallstar dipped his head in greeting.
“Ravenpaw!” Firestar pushed through the other cats to greet his old friend.
“Firestar!” Ravenpaw touched noses with the ThunderClan leader. He looked around. “Where’s Graystripe?”
Firestar blinked. “Graystripe’s not with us.”
“Is he dead?” Ravenpaw’s pelt bristled in shock.
Firestar shook his head. “Twolegs captured him.”
“Twolegs?” Ravenpaw echoed. “Why?”
“They started trapping us.” Firestar’s mew was raw with grief. “We’ve been forced to leave the forest.”
“What?” Ravenpaw lifted his nose to scent the air. “Is that WindClan and RiverClan with you? And ShadowClan?”
“The Twolegs are destroying all our homes,” Firestar explained. “We would have been crushed by their monsters if we’d stayed, if we didn’t starve first.”
“You look half-starved already,” Barley remarked, coming forward.
“Hello, Barley,” Firestar greeted him. “How’s the hunting?”
“Better for me than for you, by the looks of it,” came the blunt reply.
“Where are you heading?” Ravenpaw asked.
“Highstones first, and then…” Firestar turned to look questioningly at Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw just gazed back in silence.
“You’ll stay with us tonight, won’t you?” Ravenpaw asked. “The hunting is good this moon. The barn is full of rats sheltering from the cold.”
“Wait, Ravenpaw,” warned Barley. “This many cats will never fit into the barn. The Twolegs would have a fit when they came to get straw for the cows.”
“That’s true,” Ravenpaw said. “But there must be a way to help.”
“I suppose they could stay at the broken nest,” Barley suggested.
“Of course!” Ravenpaw turned to Firestar. “You know the place—where you sheltered with Bluestar after the rat attack?”
Firestar glanced up at the reddening clouds. “I was hoping we’d make it to Highstones by tonight.”
“We can’t turn down the offer of food,” Blackstar argued.
Firestar dipped his head. “You’re right.” He turned back to Ravenpaw. “Thank you.”
“Let’s get you settled; then we can show the warriors the best places to hunt,” Ravenpaw mewed. “There’ll be plenty for every cat.”
Squirrelpaw heard murmurs of excitement ripple through the Clans, and the kits began to mewl their hunger out loud now that it seemed there was a chance they would be fed.
“We need a rest and a meal more than you can imagine,” Firestar meowed.
Ravenpaw gazed at his friend’s mud-stained pelt. “Oh, Firestar,” he murmured, “I think I can imagine.”
The broken Twoleg place had no roof, but now the rain had stopped, its stone walls were enough to shelter the cats from the wind.
“I recognize this,” whispered Ashfoot, a WindClan queen. “We slept here when Firestar led us back home, after Brokenstar drove us out.”
“I didn’t think we’d ever see this place again,” Webfoot growled.
The kits and elders streamed gratefully into the nest, glad of the chance to lie down. Ravenpaw and Barley led the warriors away to hunt, while the apprentices, Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw among them, stayed to guard the others. Cinderpelt and Leafpaw padded among the cats to check that none had been hurt in the desperate scramble across the moor.
“Squirrelpaw?” Leafpaw called. “Can you fetch some of that rain-soaked moss from outside? Some of the queens and elders are too tired to walk that far.”
Squirrelpaw nodded and hurried away to pull pawfuls of sodden moss from the ancient stones that formed the walls of the shelter.
The cats took it from her eagerly, lapping at the water that they squeezed out with their forepaws. When the last WindClan elder had drunk her fill, Squirrelpaw decided she could settle down and rest her aching paws. As she made herself comfortable in a corner, the warriors returned, carrying fresh-kill. Warm, delicious scents filled the shelter, and Squirrelpaw felt a quiver of joy as Brambleclaw dropped a plump rat in front of her.
“Do you want to share?” she offered.
“No,” Brambleclaw mewed. “It’s all yours.”
Squirrelpaw’s belly ached by the time she had finished because she was unused to such a huge meal, but this sort of discomfort was far less frightening than hunger, and for the first time since returning to the forest, she felt warm and well fed.
“This is a good place to rest,” Tallpoppy purred. “I don’t think my kits could take another night in the open. They nearly froze in last night’s rain.”
“They’ll be warm enough tonight,” Ferncloud agreed.
It was dark when Brambleclaw returned. He settled down beside Squirrelpaw with a piece of fresh-kill as big as the one he’d given her.
Firestar was lying next to Sandstorm, their tails, pale ginger and dark red, curled together. “Will you rest with us tonight?” he mewed to Ravenpaw, who was watching the cats eat from the entrance to the nest.
“Yes, I’d like that.” He padded over to the corner where ThunderClan had gathered. ShadowClan huddled opposite, while RiverClan and WindClan settled in separate corners.
“I never thought I’d sleep among the Clan again,” Ravenpaw murmured.
“I just wish it weren’t under these circumstances.” Firestar sighed.
Ravenpaw’s eyes darkened. “How will you find a new home?”
“StarClan will tell us,” Squirrelpaw mewed. She glanced at Brambleclaw, but he didn’t look up. “Won’t they?” She looked at Leafpaw, uncertainty pricking at her paws. Leafpaw dipped her head, but said nothing.
When Squirrelpaw woke, cold sunlight streamed into the nest. She flexed her claws, wondering how late it was. She had slept soundly. Looking up, she saw her father standing on a fallen stone that made a natural platform in the center of the broken nest. All around him, cats were drowsily lifting their heads and blinking in the daylight.
“We’ve slept too long,” Firestar mewed. “It’s sunhigh. We must push on to Highstones. Wherever we’re going, we have a long journey ahead of us.”
Mudclaw got to his paws, a stubborn expression on his face. “Why must we leave a place that has such good hunting?”
“My kits have fed well for the first time in moons!” Tallpoppy put in.
“This is a prey-rich place,” Tallstar agreed. The WindClan leader looked tired and drawn despite their long sleep.
“Ravenpaw only invited us to stay the night,” Firestar argued.
“So? What could he do if we decided to stay longer?” Blackstar stared defiantly at Ravenpaw. “My Clan needs food and shelter, and they will take it by force if necessary.”
Brambleclaw stood up. “This is not the place for us,” he meowed. “I don’t know exactly where we’re going, but I know it’s not here.”
Squirrelpaw nodded. “Why would StarClan have made us journey all the way to the sun-drown-place if they only meant for us to make our homes here? We wouldn’t need a sign for that.”
Crowpaw twitched his ears. “We must finish the journey we’ve started,” he growled.
“I agree,” meowed Stormfur from the RiverClan corner.
“Me too.” Tawnypelt stretched, arching her back. “We must carry on.”
“I think they’re right,” Leopardstar meowed unexpectedly. “There are too many Twolegs around here. What if one of their dogs got loose? We’d be trapped in a place like this.”
Blackstar narrowed his eyes. “Very well,” he muttered.
Tallpoppy reluctantly got to her paws, nudging her kits awake. “Come on, my dears,” she whispered. “We’re leaving.”
“But it’s warm here,” mewled one.
“And there’s fresh-kill,” squeaked another.
“We must go anyway,” Tallpoppy told them. Her voice was dull with tiredness, and Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of sympathy for the brave ShadowClan queen. She padded toward the entrance, and her kits followed, their fur sticking up in clumps where they had slept on it.
“I’ll come with you to Highstones,” Ravenpaw offered, brushing his tail against Firestar’s flank.
The cats filed silently away from the shelter, heading for the crags of Highstones that towered in the distance, dark against the clearing sky. Squirrelpaw shivered as the wind ruffled her fur. Sunhigh was already past. If they slowed their pace to match the elders and kits, they would not reach Highstones until the sun had dipped below the horizon
“So who is ThunderClan’s deputy now?” she heard Ravenpaw ask Firestar.
Squirrelpaw glanced at Brambleclaw, but he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead.
“Graystripe is,” Firestar growled.
Ravenpaw stared at his friend in surprise. “But he’s gone.”
Firestar rounded on him, his eyes glittering with pain. “Isn’t it enough that we’ve had to leave our home? Don’t ask me to give up on my friend as well. I know he would never give up on me.” He started to trudge on again. “ThunderClan has a deputy, and there is no need to choose a new one.”
Highstones was cast in blue-black shade as the sun sank low in the sky. The cats had seemed to take forever struggling up the steep, stony slope on paws already raw from the day’s traveling. Now they lay exhausted outside Mothermouth. Squirrelpaw stared into the great black tunnel that led to the Moonstone. The Clan leaders and their medicine cats had disappeared into it as soon as they had arrived.
“I wish you’d gone with them,” Squirrelpaw muttered to her sister. “You could have told me what StarClan said.”
“Leopardstar said this wasn’t a time for apprentices, and Firestar agreed with her,” Leafpaw mewed.
“Do you think StarClan will tell them anything?”
“Who knows?” murmured Leafpaw.
There was the sound of loose stones crunching beneath paws, and Firestar padded out of the tunnel, followed by Tallstar, Leopardstar, and Blackstar. Their faces gave nothing away as they separated to join their Clans.
“I want to know what happened!” Squirrelpaw fretted.
“They can’t tell us anything about the ceremony,” Leafpaw reminded her.
Squirrelpaw felt a prickle of frustration. It was all right for Leafpaw; she had her own special connection with StarClan. Couldn’t she help out the cats who didn’t?
“Squirrelpaw!’ Brambleclaw called. The tabby warrior was weaving his way toward her. “We’re meeting up there!” he whispered. He nodded to the crest of the ridge. “We have to decide where we’re going next.”
Squirrelpaw put her head on one side. “I thought we were going to the sun-drown-place to find Midnight.”
“This is our last chance to be sure it’s the right thing to do,” Brambleclaw replied. “After this, we’ll be taking our Clanmates into territory where they’ve never been before. Come on.”
Squirrelpaw followed him up the steep slope, away from the rest of the Clans. She could see Stormfur hurrying to the top of the ridge from the RiverClan cats, his gray pelt glowing in the moonlight. Tawnypelt and Crowpaw already sat on top of the jagged spine of rocks, silhouetted against the star-clad indigo sky.
The shadowy world stretched away on the other side of Highstones, a huge black expanse that made Squirrelpaw’s breath catch in her throat. Out there were snowcapped mountains, strange cats, dangerous creatures, and the sun-drown-place, that endless stretch of water where Midnight lived. Squirrelpaw shivered. Oh, StarClan, what are we doing?
“Does everyone agree we should head for the sun-drown-place and find Midnight?” Brambleclaw asked.
Tawnypelt’s eyes were round with worry. “I can’t think of what else we should do, but what if she’s not there any more?”
“It’s a long and dangerous journey,” Stormfur agreed.
“I was so sure we were going to lead them to a safe new home,” Squirrelpaw meowed, remembering her excitement as she carried Midnight’s message back from sun-drown-place. “We were going to save them.”
“And instead we might be leading them into unnecessary danger,” Brambleclaw murmured.
“Why couldn’t StarClan have chosen different cats to carry this message?” Stormfur sighed.
Squirrelpaw’s heart ached for him. He had lost so much. His sister had died on the first journey, and now Twolegs had taken his father. She moved closer to him, pressing her flank against his.
“Do you think our ancestors have abandoned us?” Tawnypelt mewed, voicing the fear that nagged at them all.
“Well, they haven’t sent the sign Midnight promised,” Brambleclaw admitted. “Have any of you seen a dying warrior?”
“Perhaps it was Mudfur?” Stormfur suggested.
“He was a medicine cat,” Squirrelpaw pointed out.
“Would Midnight know the difference?” murmured Tawnypelt.
The cats looked at one another in silence.
“But Mudfur died on RiverClan territory!” A sickening pang of doubt suddenly twisted Squirrelpaw’s belly. “If Mudfur’s death was the sign, then we’ve come the wrong way!”
The five cats stared at one another, their eyes filled with dread as they imagined telling their leaders that they had to take the Clans all the way back into the heart of the forest to face the monsters once more.
Oh, StarClan, have we gotten it all wrong?Squirrelpaw lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a flash of movement caught her attention. She gasped, and the other cats followed her gaze. Above them, a falling star blazed a silvery trail before disappearing in a flash of light.
“The dying warrior!’ Squirrelpaw breathed. It was the sign they had been waiting for, one of StarClan’s own warriors scorching into nothingness to show them the way to go. Faint as cobweb, the star’s fiery trail hung in the sky, stretching toward the horizon where the jagged peaks of the mountains jutted into the sky.
“Now we know which way to go,” Brambleclaw murmured.
“Over the mountains,” meowed Squirrelpaw.
第十五章
第十五章
叶爪冲出雷鬼路下方的通道，黑莓掌和松鼠爪支撑着踉踉跄跄的火星跟在她的身后。有一瞬间，眼前什么都看不见。叶爪只好闭上了双眼。走过黑暗通道之后，他们调整着视线，来适应冷冷的白天。她环顾四周，看到废弃的雷鬼路旁的狭长草地上，躺满了筋疲力尽的影族猫。
高罂的三个孩子围在妈妈身边啜泣着。小云匆忙在众猫之间穿梭着，没有草药，他什么也做不了。黑星站在一边看着他的族猫，好像不敢相信发生在他们身上的事。他白色的皮毛上沾满血迹，黑色的爪子被树木的碎屑扎伤了。
火星沙哑的声音在她的身后响起：“所有的猫都没事吧？”
“你应该赶快躺下休息，”叶爪催促他，“这里没有怪物。”
“我们不能待在毫无遮蔽的地方！”黑莓掌反对道。
“我们必须休息一下，才能继续上路。”叶爪坚持说道。
高星跛着脚向她走来。“火星没事吧？”他声音嘶哑地问道。
“还好。只是大树倒地的时候，他丧失了一条命。”叶爪解释道。
高星闭上眼睛，长长的尾巴尖不停地抖动着。
“我要带我的武士回家。”雾脚让河族猫在草地边汇聚起来。
“你们能先帮助我们，把影族猫带到太阳石去吗？”火星问。
“太阳石？”黑星眯起了眼睛，“你们为什么要把我们带到那里？”
“那里是雷族现在的营地，远离两脚兽，待在那儿你们都比较安全。”火星说道，“炭毛会给你们受伤的猫敷上草药。那里的空间也比较大，够你们所有猫歇息。”
影族还能去别的什么地方吗？叶爪冷冷地想，森林里几乎只有那里还没被两脚兽占领。
“好吧！”雾脚点点头，“我们会陪你们一起到太阳石。但你们欢迎影族进入雷族领地，并不代表我们河族也欢迎他们进入我们的领地。”
“我们会在边界巡逻的！”鹰霜眼神冰冷地警告道。
松鼠爪盯着他，说道：“在这种时候，你怎么好意思担心你们的边界？什么时候你才能意识到，我们的远征对所有族群都有好处？”
黑莓掌用眼神示意她不要再说话了。“影族不会越界的。”黑莓掌保证道。
“我们当然不会越过你们的边界。”黑星坚决地说。
黑莓掌转向叶爪，问道：“我们要多久才能继续走？”
叶爪正在沉吟，火星却仰起头。“我正在恢复体力，”他坚持道，“很快就可以出发。”
“小云？”叶爪问影族巫医，“影族猫都能坚持走到太阳石吗？”
“如果走得慢点，我觉着差不多。”这只瘦小的虎斑公猫回答道。
叶爪抬头看看天色，太阳如一团火球，正慢慢没入树梢。“我们必须在天黑前赶回去，”她对黑莓掌说，“赶在天冷之前回去。”
“好的。”黑莓掌说道，“我们休息到每只猫都喘气均匀了，然后就走。”
一片薄云挡住了即将落山的太阳，众猫仍然在森林里跋涉。
“高罂？”叶爪跟一瘸一拐的猫后保持着同样的速度，“你的孩子们还行吗？”
高罂瞅着她的三个孩子，点点头。三只幼崽都被武士们推着往前走。“只是有点擦伤罢了。”她轻声说。
“等到了太阳石，我们可以给他们清洗一下，抹点金盏花叶汁。”叶爪向她保证道。
雾脚紧走两步，来到高星身边，每当风族族长脚下不稳时，就上前扶住他。蕨毛叼着高罂的一个孩子，裂耳跟着影族的学徒，一旦他们慢下脚步，就轻轻地上前推着他们快走。
“现在看起来，就像我们不再有族群之分。”叶爪赶上松鼠爪，对她耳语道。
妹妹点了点头。“确实有点像我们去太阳沉没之地的情形。”松鼠爪回答道。
但是当众猫慢腾腾地走到太阳石的斜坡上时，族群间的差别又显现了出来。影族猫爬到岩坡顶，河族猫却在树林旁边停住了。蕨毛将幼崽放到高罂身边，重新回到缓慢爬坡的雷族猫中间。他看到栗尾已经疲惫不堪，爪子无力，身体摇摇欲坠，赶紧用他金棕色的身子靠上去支撑着她。高星躺在岩石的底部，他太累了，爬不动了。一根须、裂耳、鸦爪簇拥在他的身边。
“那里发生了什么事？”白爪跑向亮心，将鼻子贴在她的腹部，随即吃惊地退后一步，“你在流血！”
“只不过是点擦伤。”亮心安慰她。
“你还活着！”柯蒂飞快地从凸出的岩石下的巢穴里跑下来，小白桦磕磕绊绊地跟在她的身后。她伸出鼻子跟叶爪碰了碰。
香薇云出现在育婴室旁边，看着斜坡上忽然来了这么多猫，疑惑地问道：“发生了什么事？”
“每只猫都平安无事！”黑莓掌挤过猫群，来到巡逻队的前面，“这才是最主要的。”
“感谢星族！”雷族猫后长出了一口气。
炭毛爬出自己的洞穴，问道：“火星在哪儿？”
“我在这儿。”火星声音低沉地说着，绕过群猫走到了前面。叶爪紧紧地跟着他，知道他现在浑身都在打战。
“火星失去了一条命。”炭毛还未开口，叶爪就悄声对她说。
“影族的营地怎么样了？”霜毛问道，“你们保住影族营地了吗？”
“我们没办法跟怪物战斗。”火星脸色阴沉地说，“我们无能为力。唯一能做的就是在影族营地被摧毁之前，帮助影族猫逃出来。”
“它们摧毁了影族营地？”霜毛惊叹道。
“那里什么都没有了，只有遍地的树木，”黑星愤怒地说道，“我们的家园没有了。”
“你们就待在这儿，这里暂时还是安全的。”火星对影族族长说。
黑星的眼睛里流露出稍微宽慰的神情，然后他走向族群的巫医，说道：“小云，尽力做点什么，帮帮你的族猫。”
瘦小的虎斑公猫迅速在影族猫的面前走了一圈，然后弯下身子嗅了嗅高罂，舔着她的腹部。“你身上有很多木屑。”他抬起头说。
“高星的后腿上有一道口子。”一根须补充道。
炭毛看了看自己周围皮毛上粘着血污的猫，对叶爪说：“快去把我们储备的草药都拿来，但愿够用。”
叶爪匆忙跑向存放草药的岩缝，她听见身后有爪子落地的声音。一回头，看到了柯蒂。
“好多猫都受伤了！”柯蒂很害怕，眼睛睁得大大的。
“但我们都还活着。”叶爪说着，将爪子伸进岩缝里。她拿出最先摸到的一包草药，问柯蒂：“你会拔刺吗？”
“我很熟练的了！”柯蒂回答道，“过来，小白桦！”她吆喝了一声，然后他俩一起向影族幼崽走去——这帮小家伙又怕又冷，都在发抖。
“这只宠物猫也是巫医？”黑星低声吼道。
“没关系！”叶爪大声说，“她知道怎么做。”柯蒂舔了舔每只幼崽，安抚着他们。然后她让小白桦分散他们的注意力，趁机拔出他们皮毛里的木屑和刺。
叶爪又将爪子伸进岩缝里，希望里面有足够多的干浆果，做成药糊，给所有受伤的猫涂上。令她惊喜的是，里面的储备比想象的要多。她取出能找到的所有金盏花，再伸进去摸浆果。
炭毛来到她的身后，看到搁在岩石上的那堆草药，点了点头。“你离开的时候，我又回了一趟峡谷，拿了很多药回来。”她解释道。然后她顿了顿，看着斜坡顶上焦躁得乱转的影族猫。“你先去帮助影族猫。”她吩咐道，“小云照顾不了那么多猫，我来照顾高星和我们族群的伤员。”
“黑星不介意我去帮忙吧？”叶爪问道。影族族长正坐在他的长老身边，眼睛盯着柯蒂，看她为另一只幼崽处理伤口。
“你不是已经说服他同意柯蒂帮忙了。”炭毛提醒她。
“但她不是雷族猫……”叶爪说。
炭毛用她眯起来的眼睛瞪着她，说道：“黑星不是傻子，他知道他的猫需要我们的帮助。”
叶爪点点头，鼓起勇气走到影族猫跟前，大声对小云说：“需要我帮忙吗？”
小云的眼睛里顿时露出宽慰和感激的神色。但还没等小云回答，黑星就走到了叶爪跟前，他眼神就像月亮石一样冷酷：“我们能照顾好自己的猫，谢谢你！”
“但你都让柯蒂帮忙了，而且我还有草药。”她努力保持着镇定。
“小云会处理好的。”黑星坚持说道。
叶爪不安地挪动着爪子，感觉左右为难。她想尽巫医的职责，又不得不遵从黑星族长的命令。这时小云大声说道：“黑星，我们需要那些草药。”
黑星平贴双耳，但小云勇敢地迎着他的目光说道：“有叶爪的帮助，救助族猫的速度可以快一倍。”
黑星抽动着耳朵，低吼道：“非常好！”
“我也可以帮忙吗？”蛾翅穿过岩石，走到他们跟前，“雾脚说我最好来帮忙。”
“你也一起来吧！”黑星咕噜了一声，转身走开了。
“谢谢你，蛾翅！”叶爪小声说道。她把草药包放在蛾翅的爪子旁，又飞快地赶回岩缝拿更多草药。炭毛还在那里，正在一棵枯死的橡树上搅拌着药糊。
“这个可以用了！”炭毛声音含混地说着，从嘴里吐出嚼得半碎的浆果，“如果还需要，就过来拿。”
叶爪赶回去把药糊拿给正在检查奔鼻皮毛的小云。“拔出木屑后，再把这药给他抹上。”她告诉他，“这药能防止感染。”她环视着影族猫，问道：“你希望我先治疗哪些猫？”
“长老的伤口愈合得慢，所以应该尽快给他们治疗。”小云头也没抬地建议道。
叶爪向躺在奔鼻旁边的石头走过去。石头现在仍然神色惊恐。她礼貌地向石头点点头，但他没做任何反应。她弯下腰，舔了舔石头腹部的皮毛，然后用牙拔出一根木屑，再给他涂上一小坨药糊。这只老猫静静地长出了一口气。
叶爪一只接一只地给猫拔刺、抹药，一直忙到爪子酸痛。月亮升起来了，照亮了天空。她瞅了一眼坡顶的父亲。“柯蒂，你能照看一下这儿吗？”她问道，“这里只剩下一两位学徒了，我想去看看火星怎么样了。”
“当然了。你尽管去吧。”
火星正躺在沙风的身边，舔着爪子上干涸的血迹。“你感觉怎么样？”叶爪小声问着，伸出鼻子，碰了碰火星的鼻子。
“我很好。”火星发出轻轻的呼噜声，眼神柔和、清澈。
“你确认？”她端详着火星的脸。即使用上所有与星族沟通的经验，她也没办法知道损失一条命是什么感觉。“星……星族有没有告诉你，我们应该在什么时候离开？”
“它们只是要我回来，竭尽全力保护我的族群。”火星告诉她，“这也正是我要做的。”
叶爪听到河族猫在她身后的斜坡上聚集的声音。“我们要返回营地了。”雾脚对火星大声说道，“但是我们知道，时机已经到了，我们必须对是否离开森林做出决定。”
叶爪屏住了呼吸，四大族群的命运就像一张蜘蛛网悬在半空，脆弱得一阵微风就能吹断。
“我敢肯定，你们可能都已经注意到，那条河就快干了。”雾脚接着说道。
一根须走向前来。“两脚兽改变了河水的流向，”他说，“我们的武士看到，它们在峡谷的另一边挖了一个巨大的洞，要把河水引到别处去。”
雾脚对他眨了一下眼睛，仿佛河水消失的原因并不是重点。“豹星对我说，如果影族营地都保不住了，我们就必须接受事实——两脚兽来了。”她坚定地直视着火星，“河族会跟其他族群一起离开森林。”
叶爪终于松了一口气，肩膀也放松下来。火星终于达成夙愿，四大族群可以共同撤离。
火星撑起身子，向前走了几步，双目闪闪发亮。“一根须，告诉你的族猫，雷族和河族会同风族一起上路。”他又转向黑星，“影族要不要跟我们一起走？”
黑星还在犹豫，但火星已经没耐心再等他的回答。
“两脚兽的所作所为你已亲眼看见，难道你还打算住在它们那里吗！”火星低嘶道。
黑星缓缓地点了点头。“影族会跟你们一起上路，”他说道，“毕竟我们已经失去了家园，也失去了领地。”
火星抬起头，对斜坡上所有的猫说道：“天一亮我们就出发！”
四周响起一片赞同的声音。叶爪感到热血沸腾。这一去无论怎么艰辛，也无论最终去向何方，都绝对不会比待在这里，坐等两脚兽和它的怪物入侵更坏。她看到柯蒂仍在影族猫中间忙碌，不由心想：还有时间护送她回家吗？或者她已经成为族群猫中的一员，和他们一路同行？
“我们要去哪儿？”裂耳第一个发问，他的问题立即在群猫中产生共鸣。
火星满怀期待地看着黑莓掌。不料这位虎斑武士低头看着自己的爪子。松鼠爪站在他的旁边，身体紧贴着他的身体。叶爪困惑地歪头看着，他们看上去就像是一对学徒，在没准备好的情况下，却被问到有什么好办法捕捉到水鼠。
“你也知道，我们一直未收到午夜的信号。”黑莓掌将这些如鲠在喉的话说了出来，“因此我们也不知道准确的方位，但我们可以朝着太阳沉没之地前进。”
“如果到了那儿，还是没收到任何信号，我们可以再找午夜问个清楚。”松鼠爪插话道。
“那我们怎样才能到达太阳沉没之地？”黑星大叫道。
“我们走过两条不同的路线……”黑莓掌欲言又止，不太确定地看了一眼松鼠爪。
“你们不知道走哪条路线更好？”火星追问道。
“我们……”黑莓掌支吾道，“我们要先往高石山走，”他终于说道，“那儿离两脚兽比较远。”
“很好。”火星赞同道，“天一亮，我们就在风族的领地边缘会合。”
雾脚和高星点点头。
“那就这么定了。”火星转向黑星，“影族今晚就睡在太阳石吧，这样我们大家都很方便，”他小心地选择着措辞，“你们在这儿睡觉，明天早上我们就可以早点儿动身了。”
黑星似乎很欣赏火星的良苦用心。“那我们就待这儿了。”他说。
“说得好像他们还有别的地方可去似的！”松鼠爪对着叶爪耳语道。
“但我们要跟雷族保持一段距离，还要派守卫值夜。”黑星提醒道。
“这些猫救了你的族群！”雾脚大声说，“难道你以为雷族把你们带到这儿，只是想袭击你们？”
“你在评判我的决定之前，最好先听听豹星的意见，看她是否同意离开森林的计划。”黑星驳斥道。
叶爪不由心中一震，瞟了一眼自己的妹妹。但松鼠爪根本没听他们说话，她正一脸焦虑地凝视着森林。
叶爪静静地走到她的身边说：“你还好吗？”
“我只是希望星族能很快给我们发个信号。”松鼠爪说。
“我确信星族会尽力而为的。”
松鼠爪认真地凝视着叶爪的眼睛，说道：“你说得对。即使收不到信号，我也知道，不管我们走到哪儿，星族都会保护我们，指引我们。”
叶爪眨了眨眼睛。她多希望自己也这样有信心。在影族最需要星族的时候，它们却没有发来任何信号。影族猫能活着逃出来，靠的全是幸运以及其他族群的勇敢相助。看样子，星族越来越指望不上了，族群要生存下去，除了彼此依靠，再无他法。
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 20
Leafpaw pushed closer against Cinderpelt asthe chill of dawn dragged her awake. The stone beneath her seemed to have soaked all the warmth from her body, and the air was so cold that when she opened her eyes she could see her breath billowing in small clouds. She stood up and stretched. The rocks glittered with frost in the pale dawn light, and a scent drifted up toward her so delicious it made her mouth water. Ravenpaw was padding up the slope with a freshly killed rabbit dangling from his jaws.
The other ThunderClan cats were still sleeping, clustered in a dip in the rock several fox-lengths away from where each of the other Clans had settled for the night. But the scent of the rabbit woke them, and they began to raise their heads as Ravenpaw weaved among them. Firestar was already stretching, Sandstorm at his side, when Ravenpaw dropped the fresh-kill at the ThunderClan leader’s paws.
“A parting gift,” he mewed.
Firestar stared at him. “I wish you’d come with us,” he meowed. “I’ve lost Graystripe; I don’t want to leave another friend behind.”
Ravenpaw shook his head. “My home is here, but I’ll never forget you, I promise. I’ll be waiting for you always.”
Leafpaw wondered with a pang if they would ever come back. She knew they were going to be traveling a long way, but she had no idea how far.
“We have been through so much together,” Firestar murmured, his eyes gleaming as he remembered. “We’ve seen the death of Bluestar, the defeat of Tigerstar….” He sighed. “So much has happened, like water flowing past in a river.”
“More water will flow before we join StarClan,” Ravenpaw assured him. “This is not an end. It is a beginning. You will need the courage of a lion to face this journey.”
“It’s hard to find courage when so much is lost.” Firestar’s eyes clouded. “I never thought I’d leave the forest! Even when BloodClan came, I would have died to save my home.”
Ravenpaw drew his tail gently along Firestar’s flank. “If I see Graystripe, I’ll tell him which way you’ve gone,” he promised. He dipped his head formally. “Good-bye, Firestar, and good luck.”
“Good-bye, Ravenpaw.”
As the black loner bounded away down the slope, Leafpaw’s heart ached for her father. He was leaving behind his two oldest and closest friends—without even knowing if one of them was still alive. She watched Sandstorm press her cheek against his as if to remind him he was not alone.
Cinderpelt stretched her forelegs one after the other. “We should check the cats and make sure they are all ready for the journey ahead,” she meowed to Leafpaw.
Leafpaw nodded. She thought back to the night before, when Squirrelpaw had returned with the others from the top of the ridge. Their eyes had been shining.
“We’ve seen the dying warrior!” Brambleclaw’s mew had been breathless with excitement.
“You’ve had the sign?” Firestar leaped to his paws from where he had been dozing beside Sandstorm.
“How can you be sure?” Cinderpelt asked.
“A star blazed through the sky, then vanished,” Squirrelpaw explained. “It fell behind the mountains.”
Blackstar ran over from where ShadowClan huddled on the rock. He looked puzzled. “Is this the sign we waited for at the Great Rock?”
Tawnypelt stared at him as if something had only just dawned on her. “Of course! This must be the great rock Midnight meant! Highstones, not the rock at Fourtrees!”
Stormfur nodded. “She’s never been to the forest. What she saw obviously looked like a great rock, even though to us it meant something completely different.”
Leopardstar shouldered her way to the front. “So what lies behind the mountains?”
“Mountains?” Ferncloud drew Birchkit closer to her.
“Last time we crossed them we found the sun-drown-place,” Brambleclaw explained. “But this time the star seemed to fall farther along.”
Hawkfrost narrowed his eyes. “So we’ll have to find a new route?”
“Not exactly,” Brambleclaw told him.
“It’ll be safer if we cross the mountains the same way as we did last time,” Tawnypelt mewed. “Otherwise we risk getting lost—and the snows might come at any time.”
“We can head toward where the star fell once we’re over them,” Squirrelpaw put in.
Leafpaw saw her sister’s whiskers twitch, and Brambleclaw flexed his claws on the rock as if he were bracing himself for the journey. But there was a hunted look in their eyes as well. They were frightened of what lay ahead, because they knew what the journey might hold. With a twinge of alarm, Leafpaw wondered why StarClan had chosen a dyingwarrior to show them the way. It seemed a dark omen on which to fix the hopes of the Clans.
“Come on, Leafpaw!” Cinderpelt’s voice jolted her back to the frosty morning.
“Cinderpelt,” Leafpaw meowed hesitantly. “Do you think the sign from StarClan means they’re coming with us?”
The gray medicine cat gave her a long, thoughtful look. “I hope so.”
“But you’re not sure?” Leafpaw guessed.
Cinderpelt glanced around. No cat was near. “When we went to the Moonstone yesterday, I could hardly hear StarClan,” she admitted.
“But did they say anything?” Leafpaw asked, alarmed.
Cinderpelt narrowed her eyes. “I know that they spoke to me, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. It was as if their voices were drowned by the roaring of a great wind.”
“You couldn’t make out anything?”
“Nothing.” Cinderpelt closed her eyes for a moment. “But they were there.”
“They must be suffering as much as we are,” Leafpaw murmured. “It must be terrible to watch the forest being destroyed, and to be powerless to stop it. After all, it was once their home too.”
Cinderpelt nodded. “You’re right. But like us, they will recover, as long as all five Clans remain.”
“But will they find us in our new home?” Leafpaw fretted. “Will they know where to look for us?”
“These are questions we cannot answer.” Cinderpelt straightened up, and her voice became brisk. “Come on. Our Clanmates need us.”
Leafpaw padded to where Ravenpaw had left the rabbit. It lay untouched beside her father. A patrol of warriors had already left to find more.
“May I take this to Ferncloud and Birchkit?” she asked, but Firestar seemed lost in thought.
“Of course,” meowed Sandstorm.
Leafpaw glanced anxiously up at her mother. “Will he be okay?”
Firestar turned to face her. “Of course I will,” he meowed. “Go ahead and take that to Ferncloud.”
Leafpaw picked up the rabbit and hurried to where Ferncloud was curled around Birchkit. The tabby kit was shivering with cold, and Ferncloud was licking him fiercely to warm him up.
“It’s too cold to be sleeping outside!” Ferncloud complained when Leafpaw appeared. “I hardly got a moment’s rest.” She gazed at Birchkit, her eyes glittering with fear, and Leafpaw guessed she had dreaded closing her eyes in case she woke to find the last of her kits dead.
“Here.” She dropped the rabbit on the ground. “This should help.”
Ferncloud’s eyes lit up. Flashing a grateful glance at Leafpaw, she tore off a hind leg and placed it in front of Birchkit. “Try this,” she urged him. “We used to eat rabbit all the time, but we haven’t tasted it in moons.”
“Make sure you have some too,” Leafpaw advised Ferncloud.
“I will,” Ferncloud promised.
Leafpaw’s belly growled, and she hoped the hunting patrol would return soon. She looked around to see if any of the other cats looked as though they needed help, but most of them were moving about quite cheerfully, shaking the stiffness from their limbs and padding to the rocks to lap water from the tiny hollows. Several cats, Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw among them, were sitting near the top of the ridge, the gray stone turned rosy by the sunrise.
Leafpaw heard Whitepaw pestering Brambleclaw. “Tell us what it was like. Please!”
Brambleclaw glanced over his shoulder at the far side of the ridge. “You’ll find out for yourself soon enough.”
“But if you told us, we’d be ready for anything!” Spiderpaw pointed out.
“He’s right,” Whitepaw mewed. “You’ve got to prepare us.”
Brambleclaw drew his tail over his paws with a resigned sigh. “Well, there are lots of sheep, which are fluffy white woolly things that look a bit like clouds on legs. They’re harmless, but you’ll need to watch out for dogs when you see them, because the Twolegs use them to control the sheep. And Thunderpaths, of course—they’re mostly small, but there are many to cross. And then there are the mountains….”
His voice trailed away, and Leafpaw felt the cold wind pierce her fur. What was it about the mountains that frightened these cats so much? How would they get kits and elders through such a place? Oh, StarClan, where are you?If only she could believe StarClan was traveling with them, perhaps she wouldn’t feel so afraid.
Leafpaw had never guessed such a vast world existed beyond Highstones. Field after field stretched before them, dotted with sheep, looking exactly like clouds, as Brambleclaw had described. Squirrelpaw padded beside her, her breath billowing into the frosty air.
“Do you remember this?” Leafpaw asked.
“A bit,” Squirrelpaw mewed.
“So we’re going the right way?”
“Yes.”
Leafpaw wondered why her sister seemed so reluctant to talk. She watched her exchange an anxious glance with Brambleclaw. He had been weaving among the cats all morning, flanking first one side, then the other, as if he was afraid of losing one
Leafpaw felt the air tremble, and a rumbling in the distance made her pause. It sounded as if a storm was coming, but the clear sky told her there couldn’t be. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air. A Thunderpath.
“It’s a big one,” Squirrelpaw warned.
As they drew nearer, the rumbling grew to a roar, and the stench began to burn Leafpaw’s throat. The cats in front slowed down, jostling together but still keeping closer to their Clanmates than the other cats. Squirrelpaw pushed forward, and Leafpaw followed until they reached a ditch with steeply sloping sides. Beyond it lay the Thunderpath.
“We should get the kits across first.” Firestar led the way into the narrow gully. Leafpaw jumped down beside Sorreltail, her paws slipping on the greasy grass. Monsters roared past in both directions, and she flinched as the earth shook beneath her paws.
“Each Clan should take its own chances,” Mudclaw insisted.
“RiverClan will cross first,” Hawkfrost declared.
“Not all the warriors are as strong as RiverClan’s,” Leopardstar pointed out. “Firestar is right; we should help the weaker Clans.”
“My Clan doesn’t need your help!” hissed Mudclaw. “Besides, it would be chaos! No cat would know whose orders to follow!”
“Then why don’t you command us all?” Firestar spat.
“No cat commands ShadowClan warriors except me!” Blackstar growled.
Brambleclaw pushed through the crowd to stand beside Firestar. Leafpaw was close enough to scent the fear in him. “Cats will get killed while you’re all bickering! Surely it doesn’t matter who is in charge until every cat is safely on the other side?”
Blackstar flattened his ears and Hawkfrost lashed his tail.
“Let him continue,” Firestar warned.
“I’ll lead ThunderClan,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Crowpaw can lead WindClan. Tawnypelt can take ShadowClan, and Stormfur, you guide RiverClan.”
“Crowpaw can’t lead WindClan,” Mudclaw argued. “He’s only an apprentice.”
“Have you crossed this path before?” Brambleclaw demanded.
“No,” Mudclaw spat. “But I have commanded my Clan before!”
“Crowpaw will lead!” Brambleclaw hissed.
Ignoring them both, Stormfur flicked his tail and led his Clanmates to the edge of the Thunderpath, where he crouched, waiting to give the signal. A monster roared past, its pelt glinting in the sunlight. As soon as it had gone, Stormfur yowled and the RiverClan cats surged up and over the Thunderpath. Leafpaw searched for Dawnflower, quickly spotting her pale gray coat and feeling a rush of relief when she saw that two RiverClan warriors were helping to carry her kits.
As the cats bundled onto the verge on the other side, Leafpaw heard the menacing rumble of another monster. Thanking StarClan that RiverClan had all made it safely, she looked up to see how far away it was. Her heart flipped over. Mudclaw had told his Clan to start crossing without waiting for Crowpaw to give the command!
Crowpaw stared panic-stricken as the monster screamed toward them. “Hurry!” He bolted forward, scooped up a kit, and raced for the other side. Hurling the kit onto the verge, he raced back to grab another. “Carry the kits!” he ordered. Scrabbling to get a grip on the slippery surface, he grasped another kit by its scruff and raced for the far side once more. The warriors and apprentices seized the last of the kits and raced after him, with the queens at their heels. But Morningflower, a WindClan elder, fell behind.
“Run!” Leafpaw yowled.
Above her, Firestar crouched at the edge of the Thunderpath. His gaze flicked at the oncoming monster, judging whether he could reach Morningflower in time.
“Stay where you are!” Brambleclaw screeched at him.
Firestar crouched lower and flattened his ears. “Keep going! You’ll make it!” he called to the WindClan she-cat. The monster bore down like a whirlwind and suddenly veered across the Thunderpath, straight toward Firestar. Leafpaw felt a wave of terror and shut her eyes, waiting for the sickening crunch of fur and bone.
It never came. She opened her eyes a tiny slit to see the monster sweep past Firestar so close that the wind tugged his fur. It roared away without slowing down. Leafpaw opened her eyes fully. Morningflower was limping determinedly across the Thunderpath, watched by her Clanmates from the other side. Firestar backed away from the edge, his flanks heaving.
“It’s okay, he’s safe.” Sorreltail touched her nose to Leafpaw’s shoulder.
“I thought he was going to be killed,” she whispered.
“Your father’s brave,” Sorreltail murmured, “but he’s no fool.”
Leafpaw turned back to watch ShadowClan waiting to cross. She hoped that Blackstar had learned caution from Mudclaw’s recklessness. The ShadowClan leader was watching Tawnypelt.
An apprentice darted forward.
“Get back!” Tawnypelt hissed. Her tone stopped the apprentice in his tracks, and he darted back to join the other cats.
“We go together!” she insisted, glancing at Blackstar. He nodded.
There were no monsters in sight. Cautiously Blackstar padded forward, lifting his nose to scent the air. “Now!” he called, and the ShadowClan cats leaped up the side of the ditch and spilled onto the Thunderpath. Tallpoppy’s kits were carried safely by warriors, and Tallpoppy herself was swept along by her Clan like a fish swimming downstream. Leafpaw sighed with relief as all the cats reached the other side just before a monster set the earth trembling once more.
“We’ll go after this one,” Brambleclaw called.
Suddenly a tiny cry came from the far side. Leafpaw stiffenedOne of Tallpoppy’s kits had wandered back onto the Thunderpath! Dazed, it wandered in a circle on the hard path, mewling for its mother.
Dustpelt and Mousefur flattened their bellies to the ground, ready to make a dash for the kit.
“Wait!” Brambleclaw ordered. “It’s too dangerous.”
The Clan held its position.
Tallpoppy began to struggle through the mass of ShadowClan cats to reach her kit, but one of the RiverClan queens was closer. Dawnflower leaped onto the Thunderpath and scooped the kit out of the way of the monster. She carried it back to the verge, dropped it on the grass, and began licking it roughly.
Suddenly she stopped and swiped her tongue around her lips in confusion as she realized the kit was not her own. She glanced self-consciously at her Clanmates as Tallpoppy bounded over and snatched up her kit. Leafpaw tensed, hoping Tallpoppy wasn’t offended by the RiverClan queen’s intervention. But her eyes were brimming with gratitude, and she dipped her head to Dawnflower before carrying her kit away.
“That’s where Feathertail rescued me from the fence stuff.” Squirrelpaw pointed with her nose to the shiny prickly thread that hung between the wooden posts. The Thunderpath was behind them now, and Leafpaw’s paws had finally stopped shaking. She was grateful to her sister for distracting her with stories of her first journey here. “While the others were busy arguing about what to do,” Squirrelpaw went on, “Feathertail rubbed my fur with some chewed-up dock leaves and I slipped out like a fish.”
“You left half your pelt behind, though,” Stormfur reminded her, and Squirrelpaw swatted him playfully with her forepaw in reply.
There seemed to be no danger here, no fresh scents of Twolegs or dogs; just lots of sheep that grazed noisily, paying little attention to the cats. The cats spread out across the meadow, each Clan keeping to itself. Only Crowpaw, Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, and Stormfur broke away from their Clanmates, taking turns hurrying up and down the line, watching for stragglers.
Tallstar trekked wearily along. Onewhisker had not left his side all day. The other leaders glanced at the elderly WindClan cat from time to time, clearly worried.
“We should find a place to rest,” Barkface advised as the sky darkened and a chill breeze ruffled the cats’ fur.
“There’s a copse up ahead,” Firestar meowed. “We could find shelter there.”
The other leaders nodded, and the cats climbed to the top of the sloping field and padded into the wood. Leafpaw sank gratefully onto a pile of moss.
“I smell fox,” Blackstar warned.
“The scent is stale,” Leopardstar observed, scenting the air.
“But it might come back while we’re sleeping,” Mudclaw meowed.
“The Clans should all sleep together,” called Dawnflower, reaching out with her tail to stop her tom kit, a plump, round-faced tabby, from wandering after a woodlouse. “Lie down, Tumblekit,” she scolded.
“The kits and queen, should sleep in the center,” Onewhisker suggested. “They’ll be safest there.” He glanced at Tallstar. “The oldest cats should join them.”
“Very well,” Blackstar agreed. “Each Clan will post two guards to keep watch.”
Leafpaw padded over to Sorreltail, grateful for the shelter of the bracken. Ferncloud should sleep soundly tonight, she decided, with four Clans and thick undergrowth to keep Birchkit warm. The woods were very quiet, the frosty silence broken only by the hooting of an owl. It wasn’t home, and the jumbled scents of four different Clans made Leafpaw’s nose twitch, but she felt safe enough to curl up next to Cinderpelt and go to sleep.
Leafpaw slowly grew used to dealing with Thunderpaths as they trekked toward the setting sun. The Clans still crossed separately, but the queens watched out for each other’s kits now, having seen how easily the youngest cats were confused by the noise and the stench of the monsters. Like cobwebs in the rain, the Clan boundaries were beginning to dissolve.
“We should reach the mountains this evening,” Brambleclaw announced as Leafpaw did her morning rounds of the Clan, checking for injuries or signs of infection.
“Are we that close?” She stared up at the peaks, which had grown from a tiny line on the horizon into a forbidding mass of stone. She shivered at the sight of the snow that capped the highest crags. Some of the cats had already begun coughing, awakening Leafpaw’s fear of greencough, the illness that could wipe out an entire Clan in leaf-bare.
“Leafpaw!” Firestar called. “Are you up for a little hunting?”
“Yes, please,” she replied eagerly. She had been so busy tending to the Clan, padding cuts with cobweb, soothing scratches with dock, trying to make the best of what herbs she and Cinderpelt had found along the way, that she had not hunted in days.
“Go with Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw, then,” Firestar ordered. “See if you can bring back a mouse or two.”
Squirrelpaw bounded to her side. “Which way shall we go?”
“There should be plenty of mice in that field over there.” Brambleclaw pointed with his tail to an open meadow beyond the hedgerow.
“Come on then,” Squirrelpaw urged.
Brambleclaw charged after her, and Leafpaw followed, wriggling through the hedge to find herself in a broad, grassy space.
While Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw ranged around the edge of the field, she headed into the long grass battered down by the leaf-bare winds and rain. Almost at once she smelled mouse. After the long, hungry moons in the prey-scarce forest they had left behind, Leafpaw could not believe her luck. Crouching down, she prowled through the grass until she found the freshest trail. A moment later she spotted a twitch of brown scrabbling deep in the grass, and pounced.
The mouse darted away before her paws hit the ground, and she only flattened the tussock where it had been sitting a heartbeat before.
“I see you’re more accustomed to forest hunting.” Hawkfrost’s condescending mew made Leafpaw jump. She spun around to find the RiverClan warrior calmly watching her, his tail curled over his paws.
“Haven’t you got anything better to do?” she challenged him. “Like hunt for your own Clan?”
“I’ve already caught three mice and a thrush,” he meowed. “I think I have earned a rest.”
As Leafpaw searched for a sharp reply, Hawkfrost lifted his nose and scented the air. “Dog!” he hissed. “Heading this way.”
Leafpaw could hear the heavy pawsteps now, pounding through the grass. She stared around in terror, wondering which way to run.
“Get back to the hedge!” Hawkfrost commanded.
Leafpaw began to run, but an angry snarl made her freeze. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Hawkfrost arching his back at a snarling black-and-white dog. The RiverClan warrior let out a hiss and leaped back, lashing out to rake his claws across the dog’s snout.
“Brambleclaw! Squirrelpaw! Help!” Leafpaw yowled.
The dog lunged again; Hawkfrost sprang out of the way, but the dog turned in an instant and snapped at the air where Hawkfrost had been.
“Look out!” Brambleclaw burst out of the grass beside Leafpaw and leaped onto the back of the dog. He clung on with piercing claws as it bucked and howled and struggled to shake him off. Brambleclaw hung on, but the dog twisted its head back and clamped its jaws shut only a mouse-length from Brambleclaw’s face. Hissing in terror, Brambleclaw let go and was hurled to the ground. In the heartbeat it took him to recover, the dog had rounded on him, slavering with rage.
Just in time, Hawkfrost threw himself in front of Brambleclaw, aiming a flurry of thorn-sharp swipes at the dog’s muzzle. Brambleclaw scrambled to his paws and joined the attack. Leafpaw stood stiff-legged with horror, watching the two warriors turn and move and hunch their massive shoulders as though one were a reflection of the other.
The dog began to back away with its tail clamped between its legs. Hawkfrost reared up on his hind legs and hissed so menacingly that the dog yelped and ran for the hedge.
“Brambleclaw, are you all right?” Leafpaw gasped.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Good job I was here to save you,” Hawkfrost sneered.
“I saved you, in case you’ve forgotten,” Brambleclaw retorted.
Hawkfrost shrugged. “I suppose you did,” he admitted ungraciously.
“Well, I guess you scared that mutt off pretty well,” Brambleclaw conceded.
“What’s going on?” Squirrelpaw hurried out of the long grass. “I smell dog.”
“It attacked us. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost scared it away,” Leafpaw reported.
“You’re kidding!” gasped Squirrelpaw.
“I’m going back now,” Hawkfrost announced abruptly. Their narrow escape didn’t seem to have made him any friendlier, and Leafpaw was quite happy to see the RiverClan warrior stalk away.
“Come on; let’s keep hunting,” meowed Brambleclaw. He bounded off through the grass.
“Come on, Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw called over her shoulder. “You’ll need to eat well before we head into the mountains.”
Leafpaw looked up at the snow-dappled peaks. She wished she shared her sister’s courage. The Clans had struggled enough getting this far—how would the kits and elders cope with rocks and ice, and sheer, dizzying cliffs? How would the warriors and apprentices cope, for that matter? She shut her eyes and uttered a silent prayer to StarClan, but she felt hollow with dread as her words came echoing emptily back, as if there were no one there to listen.
第十六章
第十六章
叶爪走下岩石嶙峋的山坡时，乌云已经遮住了夜空。微风温和，预示着晚上不会有霜，但却让她嗅到了雨的气息。族群里的大部分猫都睡着了，影族猫在离太阳石不远的地方挤成一团，尽量跟雷族猫保持距离。
叶爪累得四肢都快抬不起来了，但她的脑海中仍思绪万千，白天看到的恐怖情形和对未卜的旅途的担心，纷乱地交织在一起。她知道自己已经睡不着了，就起身走向森林。即使是在秃叶季，林子里仍然充斥着叶子腐烂后发霉的味道，爪子下的泥土踩上去也很舒服。这种熟悉的感觉令她心情逐渐平静下来。
她刚走到森林边缘，就听到柯蒂呼唤她的声音。“叶爪！”宠物猫正卧在一堆干枯易碎的蕨叶上。
“柯蒂？你在这儿干吗？”
“我有话要跟你说。”柯蒂用爪子蹭着地面。
叶爪盯着她问：“什么事？”
“我要走了，”柯蒂直截了当地说，“我要回家了。”
叶爪竭力忍住想哭的冲动。别走，请留下来！她这样想着，走上前去，伸出鼻子碰了碰柯蒂的耳朵尖。
“这不是我想要的生活，这里充满了死亡、流血和未卜的未来。”柯蒂继续说道，“我还是跟主人在一起更开心些，它们肯定很想念我。我从没打算在此久留，只是小白桦需要我，我开始感受……”
“你开始感受到了自由的乐趣。”叶爪打断了她，忽然拼命想提醒新朋友，如果她回到两脚兽家里，将要放弃的是什么。
“我觉得我确实感受到了。”柯蒂承认道，“但今天，我看到你们的自由是那么脆弱。你们的一切都得靠自己，甚至食物、居所也是这样。”她抱歉地摇摇头，继续说道：“与此相比，我更喜欢这种生活，知道自己每天晚上睡在哪儿，肚子饿的时候永远有吃的。我喜欢我的主人，而且并不是所有的两脚兽都跟破坏你们家园的两脚兽一样坏。”
“我送你走出森林好吗？”叶爪提议道，“火星说过，要派武士护送你回去。”
柯蒂摇摇头。“森林里很安静，”她说，“夜间也没有怪物出没。你们明天就要上路了，你也需要好好休息。”她回望了一眼太阳石，又补充了一句，“感谢火星收留了我。”
叶爪悲伤地将鼻子贴在这位新朋友的脸上。柯蒂闭上眼睛，发出一声叹息，然后她直起身说：“我已经跟小白桦道过别了。香薇云在大家的帮助下，也能填饱肚子，幼崽跟着她没问题。”
“谢谢你，在我们被关在两脚兽的笼子里时，你对我很关心。”叶爪轻声说道，“我会想念你的。”
“我也会想念你。我出去后会留意灰条的，”柯蒂保证道，“如果我看到他，我会告诉他你们去哪儿了，还有，他的族猫永远在等着他回来。”
叶爪感到柯蒂粗糙的舌头，在自己耳朵上温暖地舔了一下。“再见，叶爪！”柯蒂小声说道，“祝你好运！”
“再见，柯蒂！”叶爪的心里一阵刺痛，有点希望能说服柯蒂留下。她目送着自己的朋友消失在森林中的阴影里。
蕨丛沙沙作响，吓了她一跳。栗尾从树林里悄悄地走出来，说道：“柯蒂回家了？”
“她说她的两脚兽主人会想念她。”叶爪解释道。
“我听见了。”栗尾点点头，“你还好吗？”
“当然。”她的身体绷紧了，以为栗尾会做出尖刻的评论，说什么宠物猫不属于荒野。但恰好相反，栗尾只是充满同情地眨了眨眼睛。
“我们今晚就睡在外面吧！”她提议道，“毕竟这是我们在森林里的最后一夜。”
一想到再也不能在这些树下过夜，叶爪就悲伤得无法呼吸。有那么一瞬间，她很想躺下来，将脸埋在满是腐叶的泥土里，让自己忘记这里发生的一切。他们还不知道要去哪里，怎么就能说离开呢？但她还是跟着栗尾走进蕨丛，一起铺了个足以容下她俩的窝。在躺下去的时候，她感到栗尾柔软的尾巴刷过她的鼻子。
“你的族群还在这儿。”栗尾喃喃说道。
“我知道。”叶爪努力不去想柯蒂是如何独自穿过森林，匆匆回家的。
她看着头顶的树枝，心里感谢星族这么多个岁月以来给雷族提供的栖身之地。要是她能确信旅途的终点有这样安适的家园在等着他们，那该多好啊！想着想着，她合上了眼睛。
冰冷的雨打在叶爪的皮毛上，她被惊醒了。她睁开眼睛，看着眼前这个灰蒙蒙的黎明。她伸了个懒腰，抖掉皮毛上的雨滴。她的动作吵醒了栗尾。
“哈——！”这只有着玳瑁色皮毛的猫踉跄着站起来，抱怨道，“这种天怎么上路啊！”但是叶爪并不打算建议火星推迟到雨停再出发。她阴郁地意识到，所有猫都知道，他们不能在森林里多待一段时间了。
她们从湿漉漉的窝里走出来，向太阳石底下走去，两个族群已经开始在那里集合了。褐皮正跟一位影族学徒说话，时不时停下来抖抖从耳朵上流下来的雨水。
“我想知道，褐皮回来跟雷族猫住在一起，是什么感觉。”栗尾顺着叶爪的目光看过去，在她耳边轻轻地说道。
“很陌生吧，我猜。”叶爪小声说道。
“地面会很湿滑的。”蜡毛站在雷族武士和学徒中间担心地说。另一只猫则焦虑地看着黑莓掌。叶爪知道，使他们皮毛竖起的，不仅仅是因为天正下雨，整个族群对旅途都很紧张。
“不管道路是否泥泞，河族一到，我们就出发。”火星坚持道，“你们没听见两脚兽的怪物在叫吗？”
叶爪凝神一听，透过滴滴答答的雨声，确实听得见树林后面隆隆作响的怪物的叫声。此前她从没听到它们离太阳石这么近，一想到它们可能冲向这个最后的避难所，她的心里就充满了惊慌。
“在上路之前，我要提醒所有的武士和学徒，不管抓到什么猎物，”火星说道，“我们都要与影族共享。”
“影族会组织自己的捕猎队！”黑星的声音飘过岩石。
叶爪看到父亲的脸色阴沉了片刻。“很好，我们的武士会把适合狩猎的地方指给你们。”
“我们能自己找到猎物。”黑星咆哮道。
火星张了张嘴，但是没再说什么。他转向黑莓掌。这位年轻的武士正甩着尾巴，爪子焦躁地抓挠着地面。“黑莓掌，我要你组织两支狩猎队，但不许任何猫靠近两脚兽。”
“听起来就好像是在跟灰条说话似的！”鼠毛在叶爪耳边嘶嘶地说道，“为什么他不任命黑莓掌为副族长，把事情都交给他负责？”
“因为那样一来，就好像承认灰条已经死了。”尘毛无意间听到了，吼了回来。
火星弹了弹胡须边上的雨水，转向炭毛。“给每只猫都准备好旅行草药。”他吩咐道，“你储备的草药够不够？”
“噢，够了。”炭毛回答道，“我只希望不管我们到了哪里，都能采到我需要的草药，来补充储备。”叶爪眨了眨眼，她之前还没想过这个问题。新家园会有金盏花、蓍草、紫草，以及她认识的其他的各种珍贵植物吗？一想到要照料整个族群，却没有这些草药，她的爪子就不由得开始颤抖起来。她深吸了一口气，稳住情绪，赶紧跑过去，将旅途中要吃的草药归拢到一起。
黑莓掌带着一支狩猎队走进湿漉漉的树林，鼠毛带着另一支。黑星瞅着他们消失在森林里，然后跟他的副族长黄毛嘀咕了几句。片刻过后，这只暗姜黄色皮毛紧贴着身子的母猫，也带着几位影族武士冲下山坡。
炭毛摇了摇头。“影族应该加入雷族的狩猎队，”她喃喃道，“他们根本不知道哪里适合狩猎。猎物如此稀少，我们帮助他，他就应该虚心接受。”
“为什么黑星如此顽固啊？”叶爪问道。
“影族猫永远都这样自负。”炭毛从岩缝里往外掏她储存的草药，“现在他们被逐出了家园，唯一剩下的，也只有心底的骄傲了。”
“但是很显然，影族只有跟我们联合起来，才是明智的做法吧？”叶爪驳斥道，“我们还有艰辛的漫漫长路要一起走呢。”
“族群之间的戒备太深了，”炭毛提醒她，“我们都有不得不遵循的传统。”
“如此说来，你赞同黑星的行为？”叶爪难以置信地问道。
“当然不。但是我能理解他。”炭毛回答道，“尽管这种做法令我们都很沮丧。”她又补充一句：“我失望的是，我早上醒了以后，给他们的伤员检查病情，黑星却把我赶走了。他说雷族昨天已经为影族做得够多了，他不想让他的族群欠雷族更多。”
“这怎么能说是欠雷族呢？”叶爪惊呼道，“昨天四大族群共同面对两脚兽的时候，我们全都跟星族一样束手无策，无力阻止两脚兽。”
“我知道。”巫医说，“但我们也得找到我们自己的新未来。所以，让我们继续把旅途中要用的草药集合起来。每趟旅程都从伸出第一个爪子开始，这才是我们能决定的事情。”
雨一直下个不停，他们开始将这些苦涩的草药包好，即将远行，这些草药能给他们带来力量。长时间以来，众猫一直处于半饥饿状态，他们比以往任何时候都更需要这种世代相传的古老秘方。
叶爪收拾完草药，想起还没把柯蒂的事情告诉父亲，于是问老师：“我能离开一会儿吗？”
“这里已经没有什么要做的了。”炭毛放心地说，“我去看看香薇云。”说着她瞄了一眼育婴室的洞穴。
香薇云坐在洞口，给小白桦梳理皮毛。幼崽极不情愿地挣扎着，跟任何一个正常的幼崽没有两样，他妈妈正用粗糙的舌头舔着他的耳朵。这幅情景让叶爪心生希望。她想象着小白桦在新家园里长大，成为武士，深信雷族会存续下去。这个信念像阳光一样洒遍她的全身。她飞快地用树叶盖住为远行准备的草药，不让它们被雨淋湿，然后飞快地跑上斜坡，奔向父亲。
火星正双眼越过太阳石上方的树梢，看着远方。他直直地坐着，任凭雨水打在身上。他的尾巴盖在爪子上，竖着耳朵，嗅着空气的味道，仿佛正向往着前方的旅程。很难相信，昨天火星刚刚失去一条命。
他听见叶爪的叫声，转过头问道：“什么事？”
“我觉得应该让你知道，柯蒂昨晚回去找她的两脚兽主人去了。”
火星点点头。
“我开始还希望她能留下。”叶爪坦承道。
“现在不是让陌生猫加入族群的时候。”火星温和地说道。
“但她对小白桦很重要！”
“那也不能使她成为一只族群猫。”他争辩道，“她跟我们在一起的这段时间，森林根本没有给她安全感，让她愿意留下来。她从木头巢穴逃到这儿，只是觉得那里比跟我们一起生活更危险。我知道宠物猫如何看待森林猫，她跟自己的主人在一起会更幸福。”
叶爪惊奇地听见父亲用了“宠物猫”这个称谓，很想知道他是否想起了早年跟两脚兽在一起的时光。柯蒂没机会跟他说起斯玛，现在他是否想起了那只宠物猫朋友？
“你会想念她的，是吗？”火星出乎意料地说。
“是的，我会想她的。”叶爪承认道，“她是个很好的朋友，但她知道我们不得不离开。”叶爪俯视着森林。“那么多熟悉的东西，我们都得割舍掉。”她喃喃地说道。
父亲的眼睛里充满忧伤：“是的，比如灰条。”
叶爪找不到合适的语言来安慰他。无论他多相信自己的副族长还活着，但是对灰条来说，再想回到雷族几乎是不可能的事了。
“我知道我们必须得走。”火星接着说，“我跟所有的猫一样想离开这儿，但一想到我可能永远见不到他了，心里就受不了。”
“你肯定还不知道，”叶爪充满希望地说道，“柯蒂告诉我，她会留意找灰条的，也会告诉灰条我们去哪儿了。”
火星的眼睛里燃起希望的火花，但旋即又消失了。“他怎么能从两脚兽那儿逃脱呢？”他阴郁地问道，“又怎么找到我们的新家？”
“你打算任命新的副族长吗？”她贸然地问道。
“不！”她的父亲一下子跳了起来，叶爪不由得往后一缩。“没有必要。”他继续平静地说道，“哪怕他活下来的希望非常小，他仍然是雷族的副族长。”
叶爪还没来得及说什么，从他们的身后传来猫的叫声。雷族的狩猎队回来了，他们带着猎物爬上岩石坡——有鸟儿，也有老鼠，虽然不是很多，但已经足够每只猫填饱肚子。没过多久，影族的狩猎队也回来了，他们只带回了一只画眉。
“你会让影族猫跟我们一起分享猎物吗？”叶爪对父亲说道。
“黑星会觉得，我们这时候邀请他们是一种侮辱。”火星答道。
“我觉得影族猫可以在旅途过程中狩些猎物。”叶爪说道。
“希望我们都能抓些猎物。别处肯定比这里猎物多些。”火星抖了抖皮毛。“去拿点东西吃吧，”他吩咐道，“河族很快就要到了。”
“好的。”叶爪忙跑下斜坡来到黑莓掌和松鼠爪身边。他俩正在分吃一只花鸡，他俩看起来都湿透了，皮毛变得暗淡无光。
“想一起吃点吗？”松鼠爪提议道。
“好的，谢谢。”叶爪的肚子早就空了，闻到猎物的气味，立刻口舌生津。松鼠爪和黑莓掌后退一步，让她咬了一口。
“你想不想给你妹妹带点过去？”叶爪问黑莓掌。影族猫正费劲儿地传递着那点可怜的猎物，每只猫都只咬了一小口，然后就传给了下一只猫。
黑莓掌摇摇头，说道：“我不想浪费时间。”
叶爪被他语气里的气愤吓了一跳。
“我们在林子里狩猎时遇到了褐皮，黑莓掌问她想不想跟我们一起去。”松鼠爪解释道，“结果褐皮说，影族武士永远不会为另一个族群狩猎。”
“我不知道她为何如此骄傲。”黑莓掌愤愤地说，“她好像忘了自己是在雷族出生的，也忘了我们去太阳沉没之地时，一起走过的漫长旅程。”
“再次回到雷族，对她来说肯定挺不好受。”叶爪大着胆子说，“她可能觉得，这时候更应该表明自己对影族的忠心吧。”
“叶爪说得对。”松鼠爪说，“别把她的态度看作是针对你的，黑莓掌。不久前你还跟我说，你首先需要忠于雷族，而不是手足，难道你就不许褐皮对影族有相同的想法啊？”
“我想是这样的。”黑莓掌勉强同意，“我只是想再跟妹妹一起去狩猎。”叶爪听出他声音里的悲伤，心想有个同胞妹妹在另一个族群，真的好艰难啊！她瞟了一眼松鼠爪，心怀感恩地想，多亏她俩拥有同一个家，不管那个家在哪儿。
“叶爪！”炭毛在巢穴里喊道，“过来给我帮忙！”
叶爪赶紧跃上斜坡。
“能把这些草药给猫后和长老们拿去吗？”
“小白桦呢？”
“只给他半份。”
叶爪小心地看了一眼黑星，问道：“要给影族也分一点吗？”
“我们还有一点，”炭毛眼睛闪闪发亮，“我会拿给小云，告诉他，我们不需要这么多。黑星愿意留下还是扔掉，就随他的便。”
叶爪很钦佩老师的热心肠，以及她老到的处事方式。这样给他们，黑星也许会接受，也不觉得丢了面子。她把一包草药送给香薇云，母猫感激地接受了它，但小白桦就没那么感激了。
“吃起来简直就像鸦食！”他抱怨道。
“你吃过鸦食吗？”香薇云责备道，“现在就吞下去。”
叶爪发出一阵快乐的呼噜。她叼着草药走向霜毛、长尾、纹尾待着的凸出的岩石下方。
她放下草药。霜毛摇摇头。“不要在我们身上浪费草药了！”她小声说道，“我们不跟族群一起走。”
叶爪不敢相信地眨着眼睛，问道：“不走？为什么？”
火星急忙跑过来，问道：“怎么啦？”
“霜毛说，他们不跟我们一起走！”
“我们年纪大了，经不起折腾。”纹尾坚定地说道，“我们会坚持到你们回来的。”
长尾摇摇尾巴，说道：“我还有什么用？我甚至都看不见自己的爪子在哪儿！”
“所有的族猫都会帮助你的。”火星轻声劝他放心。然后他抬头看着年老的母猫，说道：“族群也会像以往那样帮助你们。”
“我们知道他们会那样做。”霜毛说道，“但我和纹尾都老得不中用了，适应不了那么大的变化。我们宁愿死在这里，至少这里是在银毛星带之下，我们知道，星族正在等着我们。”
叶爪不由心里一惊：星族真的会跟着他们，到任何地方吗？
火星沉重地点点头。“我不能勉强你们跟着我们走，霜毛。”他小声说道，“我知道你的爪子已经非常酸痛，纹尾也是，你们已经听到了星族对你们的召唤。但是长尾，我不会丢下你的。”看到虎斑武士要张嘴争辩，火星又说道，“你昨天比任何一只猫，都先听到风族猫来了。你可能失去了视力，但你的听觉和嗅觉不输任何一位武士。请跟我们一起走吧！”
长尾闭上他那双看不见东西的眼睛，颤抖着深深吸了一口气。然后他又睁开双眼，转头面对火星，好像直视着他一样。“谢谢你，”长尾说道，“我会和你们一起走的。”
就在这时，暴毛顺着斜坡冲了上来：“火星，出问题了！河族今天不能走了。”
火星一惊，耳朵猛地抽动了一下，问道：“为什么不能走？”
“泥毛就要死了，我们不能把他一个丢下。”
霜毛上前一步，说道：“我们会陪着他。”
“我们来照顾他，一直到星族前来把他接走。”纹尾赞同道。
暴毛惊奇地看着她们，说道：“但他不是你们族群的猫。”
“这有什么关系呢！”霜毛对他说，“毕竟我们都是要留下来的。我们可以尽我们所能，来照料泥毛。”
“河族营地比这个地方隐蔽多了，”叶爪说，“你们待在芦苇丛里会更安全一些，那里可以隔开两脚兽。”
“确实如此。”火星说，“我们把霜毛和纹尾带到河族营地；如果豹星同意，我们就让她们留在泥毛身边，这样河族就可以跟我们一起上路。”
“发生什么事了？”黑星走近群猫问道。
“泥毛快要死了！”火星跟他解释道，“我们必须去一趟河族营地，然后再去风族领地。”
黑星卷起嘴唇，说道：“那我们先出发，然后在森林边上等你们。”
一个嘶哑的声音在黑星身后响起，叶爪认出说话的是有着灰白色皮毛的奔鼻。“我要去跟泥毛说声再见。”这只老猫说，“我还是个学徒的时候，就认识他了。”
黑星看着这只老公猫，叶爪第一次在黑星的眼里看到了尊敬。“当然可以，奔鼻，”他说道，“你跟雷族猫一起去吧，我们在森林边上等你。”
火星扫视着斜坡，问道：“每只猫都吃过草药了吧？”
“是的。”炭毛回答，“实际上还有一些富余，影族猫可以吃了它们，不值得带着它们上路。”她语气漫不经心，似乎是很随意地一说。
叶爪瞅了一眼小云，看到他正激动得甩着尾巴。“我们可以接受吗，黑星？”年轻的巫医恳求道。
“白白浪费了那些草药太可惜了。”黑星声音低沉地说。小云立即把草药分发下去。影族族长看着长尾，眯起了眼睛。叶爪挺起胸膛，以为黑星会说，不能带着这只盲眼猫一起走，因为前方的路太漫长了，又充满危险。
但黑星却说道：“你们去河族的时候，这只盲眼武士可以跟我们一起走。你们没必要带着他，来回穿越那条河。我的武士可以带他穿过森林。”
火星眨了眨眼睛，对影族族长充满感激。“谢谢你，”他用尾巴尖碰了碰长尾，“这么安排，你看行吗？”
长尾点了点头，跟着黑星走下斜坡，加入等候在一旁的影族猫。
“大家都准备好了吗？”火星大声对自己的族群说道。
斜坡四处传来了响应声。众猫依次跟在火星后面，往河边走去。虽然天一直在下雨，但河里的水仍然很少。
“炭毛，叶爪，你们跟着我！”火星吩咐道。他在河边停下。奔鼻、霜毛和纹尾已经跟在暴毛后面，跳上了踏脚石。“族里的其他猫在这里等着我们回来。”他冲黑莓掌点点头，示意他全权负责，然后跟在几位长老身后过了河。
环绕河族营地的芦苇已经变得枯黄易碎，芦苇的根都露在了外面。叶爪跟着父亲走进空地，看到对面几只猫转过身，带着充满敌意的惊讶瞪着几位来客时，她不禁往回缩了缩身子。
豹星站在巫医巢穴的入口，目光灼灼地问道：“你们来这儿干什么？难道暴毛没给你们说吗？”
“我说了。”暴毛说着，赶紧走到空地中央，“但火星过来想和你商量一些事情。”
“霜毛和纹尾要留下，不跟族猫一起走，”火星解释道，“她们要来照顾泥毛。”
豹星点了一下头。“她们真是心地善良。”她说，“但真的没有必要，泥毛几乎马上就要追随星族去了。”
叶爪赶紧跳到一边，给气喘吁吁、一脸震惊的奔鼻让开了路。奔鼻跌跌撞撞走向巫医巢穴，炭毛也跟了进去，叶爪赶紧跟在他们身后。从河族族长身边走过时，叶爪看了她一眼。但豹星没说一句话，就让他们过去了。
他们进入巫医巢穴时，蛾翅抬起了头，眼睛里充满了悲伤。“谁都没办法！”她对炭毛说，“我已经竭尽所能，不让他感到疼痛。”
泥毛躺在巢穴中间的地上。雨水从树枝上滴下来，打在他皮毛黯淡的侧腹，但他仍然一动不动，根本就没有避开雨的意思。坐在蛾翅身边的是年迈的河族母猫影毛，她悲伤地凝视着这只奄奄一息的猫。
奔鼻走上前去，伸出鼻子，碰了碰泥毛的肩膀。“快去见星族吧，老伙计，我们会照顾好你的族猫的。”
炭毛俯下身子，将鼻子靠在泥毛身上。叶爪趴下来，将鼻子埋在他的皮毛里，她喉咙里顿时溢满明显的死亡气息。她闭上眼睛，强迫自己不要躲开。至少你可以确信，星族正在等着你。她想。
泥毛浑身颤抖，气息急促，挣扎着咽下了最后一口气。他的腹部鼓了起来，然后又塌陷下去，永远安息了，他的灵魂已经加入武士祖灵的行列。
“他现在已经跟星族了。”蛾翅喃喃地说。
叶爪眨了眨眼睛，悲伤地看着这堆一动不动的皮毛。这只猫永远见不到他们的新家园了，也不知道他们的新家园在哪儿。在前往新家园的旅途上，不知道还会有多少只猫走不到终点？
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 21
A bitter wind blew down fromthe mountains as the Clans joined the trail that led into the towering peaks. Heavy clouds blanketed the sky, and Leafpaw could tell by their yellow tinge that it would soon start snowing.
Brambleclaw and Stormfur were leading them along the side of a steep valley. It was as different from the forest as Leafpaw could possibly imagine. There were only a few trees, gnarled and stunted, clinging to the smooth gray stone, with nowhere that prey might live. Moons of desperate hunger had left the WindClan cats’ fur thin and useless against the chill, but they plodded grimly on with their heads down. Tallstar looked as brittle as a leaf, often leaning on Onewhisker, who rarely strayed from his side. ShadowClan looked little better, their eyes weary and their pace slow, and RiverClan appeared shabby, their gleaming coats nothing but a memory, half-forgotten, like the days when every cat had enough to eat.
One of Tallpoppy’s kits gazed up at the crags with eyes as wide as an owl’s. “Are we really going up there?”
“Yes,” Tallpoppy answered bleakly.
Morningflower paused, then stiffly lifted one paw and grazed her tongue across its pad.
“Are you all right?” Leafpaw asked the elderly she-cat. Blood welled between Morningflower’s claws. Leafpaw looked farther up the line, where Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw padded side by side. “Squirrelpaw!”
Squirrelpaw turned at once.
“Can we stop? I need to dress Morningflower’s paw.”
“I’ll tell Firestar,” came the reply.
“Is there anything you need?” Brambleclaw meowed.
“Cobweb and comfrey, if possible.” Leafpaw gazed at the barren landscape with little hope of finding anything that would help.
Brackenfur, in the middle of the stream of cats, lifted his head. “We’ll find some,” he promised. He murmured to the cats around him. Mews rippled through the throng, and warriors of all Clans began to range out and search among the rocks.
Leafpaw examined Morningflower’s paw. “You’ve kept it clean,” she mewed. “But if you go on softening it with your tongue, it’ll never toughen.”
Barkface pushed his way forward to join them. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just raw from walking,” Morningflower muttered.
“Will this do?” Russetfur came over and spat a mouthful of leaves onto the ground.
Leafpaw sniffed them cautiously. They didn’t smell like anything she was used to. She lapped up a leaf, letting its flavor seep into her tongue before she dared bite it. The taste was bitter, but it had an astringent flavor that reminded her of marigold. “It might do.” She glanced at Barkface. “Should we try it?”
Barkface sniffed a leaf. “It looks a little like something we used on the moors.”
“You may as well try,” Morningflower offered. “If it works, you can use it on others. I’ll let you know soon enough if it hurts too much.”
Leafpaw chewed the leaf and washed its green juice into Morningflower’s paw.
The old cat winced and Leafpaw drew back. “It’s okay,” Morningflower grunted. “Just a sting. Carry on.”
Mothwing bounded up, one forepaw swathed in sticky, white web
“Great, thanks!” Carefully, Leafpaw teased the web from her outstretched paw and wrapped as much as she could around Morningflower’s swollen pad. “Let me know if it starts to throb.”
“I will.” Morningflower pressed her paw gingerly to the ground. “Not bad,” she mewed.
Brambleclaw hurried back to the head of the line, and the cats set off again. Squirrelpaw walked quietly beside Leafpaw, her head down.
“Is this the way you came home?” Leafpaw mewed after a while.
“I…I think so,” Squirrelpaw mumbled.
Leafpaw glanced at her in surprise. They had come this way because Tawnypelt said it would be easier to follow the route they’d used before. She had assumed Squirrelpaw knew the way. She peered ahead to where the valley narrowed until it was little more than a cleft between the rocks. “Doesn’t anything look familiar?”
Squirrelpaw blinked. “It looks different coming in this direction. The Tribe led us most of the way last time.”
Leafpaw gulped. She wondered if they would meet any of the Tribe cats on their journey, these mud-streaked cats who worshiped strange ancestors and survived in a world of rock and ice
As the Clans trekked on, higher and higher, only Stormfur looked comfortable. He leaped from rock to rock so easily he seemed quite unlike a RiverClan cat, and even his fur blended smoothly into the bare gray world.
There seemed to be no end to the climbing, neither that day nor the next. The terrain grew steeper and rockier, but still the peaks towered above them. Morningflower’s paw had improved, and Leafpaw kept an eye out for more stocks of the herb she’d used to heal it.
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Sorreltail whispered. “This path is getting really narrow.”
She was right. The trail was leading them onto a ledge that spiraled around a dizzying gorge. The mountain fell away at one side of the path and rose up vertically on the other. The wind funneled through the gap like water through a ditch, tugging at Leafpaw’s fur. She narrowed her eyes against the icy blast and kept her gaze fixed firmly ahead.
The cats fell into single file to pick their way along the ledge.
“Carry the kits!” Blackstar called down the line, and his yowl echoed eerily off the walls of the gorge.
The ledge followed the curve of the mountain, sloping up toward a narrow pass between two peaks. The mountainside echoed with the rattle of stones as the edge of the path crumbled beneath the cats’ paws and sent grit showering down into the shadows below. Leafpaw walked as close as she could to the rock face, her heart hammering. She could feel Sorreltail’s warm breath behind her.
Suddenly a wail rang out from up ahead, and a large chunk of rock clattered endlessly down into the abyss. A hole yawned in the narrow path, sending Smokepaw, a ShadowClan apprentice, plummeting into nothingness. For a moment he clutched desperately at the ledge, his claws scratching against the stone. Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy, lunged to grab him, but her extra weight only dislodged more stones, and the edge where Smokepaw clung suddenly dropped away. Russetfur leaped backward, only just managing to save herself. The apprentice fell, twisting violently in the air, and disappeared into the darkness.
A ShadowClan queen leaned over the precipice. “Smokepaw!”
“Get back!” Stormfur yowled. He weaved like a fish back along the ledge and dragged her back.
As the cats stared in frozen horror, Leafpaw willed StarClan to take the apprentice quickly. Blackstar peered over the edge. “There’s nothing we can do,” he meowed, straightening up. “We have to keep going.”
“You’re going to leave him?” wailed the queen.
“He won’t have survived that fall,” Blackstar told. “And we can’t reach his body.” He touched the queen’s flank with his muzzle. “I’m sorry, Nightwing. ShadowClan won’t forget Smokepaw; I promise.”
Hollow-eyed with shock and grief, the cats set off once more, pressing so close to the cliff face that it scraped their fur. But Smokepaw’s fall had left a gap in the ledge. Fortunately Longtail was among the cats that had been ahead of the RiverClan apprentice—Leafpaw gulped at the thought of helping the sightless tom across a gap he had no way of measuring—but there were still several cats on the wrong side of the terrifying hole.
Stormfur crouched on the far side, bracing his claws against the rock. “Come on,” he called to Weaselpaw, a WindClan apprentice. “It’s safe on this side. You can jump it easily.”
Weaselpaw stared down at the shadows, his eyes stretched wide
“The others will freeze waiting for you,” Stormfur growled, losing his patience. “Just jump!”
Weaselpaw looked up and blinked. He crouched, keeping his weight well back on his haunches, then leaped across with his front legs outstretched. Stormfur caught him by the scruff as he landed, grunting with the effort. He gave him a nudge up the path and turned to the next cat.
“My kits can’t jump that!” Tallpoppy shrank back.
“Can you pass them over?” Stormfur meowed.
Tallpoppy flattened her ears. “It’s too far!”
“I’ll take them.” Crowpaw squeezed carefully past Stormfur and jumped the gap to land in front of Tallpoppy. She stared at him, her eyes filled with fear. “I won’t drop them,” he promised. He picked up the smallest and padded to the edge of the hole. The kit struggled beneath his chin, its terrified mewls echoing around the chasm. Tallpoppy watched, huge-eyed, as Crowpaw jumped. Pebbles showered from the ledge as he landed beside Stormfur, but he kept his footing. Leafpaw was amazed by his agility.
“Make sure he stays put,” he meowed, placing the kit gently on the ledge. Then he turned and leaped back for the next.
When all three were safely over, Tallpoppy followed, clearing the gap easily with her long legs. “Thank you,” she breathed. She pressed her muzzle against each of her kits before nudging them gently onward, up the slope.
“Let’s get the others across,” Crowpaw mewed to Stormfur. “You stay on this side; “I’ll go to the other.”
When it was Leafpaw’s turn, her paws trembled so hard that she was afraid they would shake her right over the edge.
“It’s okay,” Crowpaw murmured. “It’s not as hard as it looks.”
Leafpaw felt his warm breath on her fur and tried to concentrate on that instead of the gaping hole before her. She knew that back home, with nothing but the soft forest floor beneath her, she would leap this far without thinking. But here, the gap seemed to drag at her like a black river, pulling her down, down, down….
“Don’t think about it!” Stormfur called.
Leafpaw screwed up her eyes, feeling the lip of stone under her paws. StarClan, help me!She crouched down and sprang, landing in a skid that made her paws sting.
“Well done!” Stormfur yowled.
Leafpaw shuffled around and saw Sorreltail waiting to jump. She shrank back as Sorreltail hurtled toward her and skittered dangerously near the edge. Leafpaw lunged and grabbed her scruff.
“Thanks,” Sorreltail breathed shakily.
“That’s okay,” Leafpaw muttered through a mouthful of tortoiseshell fur.
“Hurry and catch up with the others,” Stormfur mewed. “We’ll make sure the rest get over in one piece.”
They padded gingerly up the slope. Tallpoppy had already disappeared through a narrow ravine, and Leafpaw followed her, eager to be away from the ledge. The ravine opened into a sloping valley that fell away toward another ridge. On one side, a great rock cliff soared toward the sky. On the other, a slope swept more gently upward to where heather and grass fought for space among the jutting stones. The other cats hovered like shadows among the rocks. Cinderpelt was already weaving among them, checking that everyone was all right.
Leafpaw’s stomach growled. She hoped the hollows and crevices would conceal some small prey. The cats had hardly eaten since they had entered the mountains. The prey-rich fields of Twolegplace seemed a distant memory, and there didn’t seem to be enough food here to feed one Clan, let alone four.
“It looks like some of the cats are already hunting,” Sorreltail meowed. Tawnypelt was leading a small patrol up one side of the valley. Blackstar was heading for a rocky outcrop a little farther down, flanked by a pair of ShadowClan warriors
“Leafpaw! Sorreltail!”
Leafpaw heard her father calling and bounded down to him.
“Brambleclaw’s organizing hunting patrols,” he meowed. “You two can join him.”
“Shouldn’t I help Cinderpelt?” Leafpaw asked.
Firestar glanced over to the gray medicine cat. “No cat is hurt, though a few are in shock. Cinderpelt told me she could manage.”
“Okay,” Leafpaw mewed. She hurried to join Brambleclaw, with Sorreltail beside her.
“Is Birchkit okay?” Leafpaw paused as they passed Ferncloud
“He’s fine,” Ferncloud assured her. She looked at the clouds. “But once the snow starts…”
Birchkit narrowed his eyes when he saw Leafpaw. “Why couldn’t Cody come with us?” he whined. “Did you tell her to go away?”
Leafpaw shook her head. “She has a home of her own,” she told him gently.
“But she was fun!”
“There’ll be plenty of time for fun when we get to our new home,” Ferncloud promised.
“If we ever get there,” Sorreltail muttered as they padded away.
“Of course we’ll get there,” Leafpaw told her, hoping she sounded as if she believed it.
Squirrelpaw looked up as they approached. “Brambleclaw’s explaining how the Tribe hunts,” she whispered. “We thought it might help.”
“Up here, you need to rely on stillness rather than stealth when you’re hunting,” Brambleclaw was meowing.
“But we’re not Tribe cats; we’re Clan cats!” argued Rainwhisker. “Why should we be expected to hunt like them?”
“This isn’t the forest,” Brambleclaw snapped. “Without the cover of undergrowth, prey will spot you in an instant. Here, you have to wait, and keep so still that you blend into the mountain. Then the prey will come to you.”
“What prey is going to be that stupid?” snorted Weaselpaw.
“That’s what the Tribe taught me!” Brambleclaw’s eyes flashed. “If you don’t want to starve, you’re going to have to learn to hunt like them!” He flicked his tail. “Spiderpaw, come with me. Squirrelpaw, you go with Rainwhisker, and you two”—he looked at Leafpaw and Sorreltail—“you two stick together.”
“Where shall we hunt?” Leafpaw looked around the valley, at its perilous ledges and shadowy crevices, and thought with a shudder of the giant cat that had killed Feathertail. “Will we be safe?”
“If you’re sensible, yes.” Brambleclaw pointed with his tail to a ledge jutting out above them. “Try up there first,” he suggested.
Sorreltail nodded and scrambled up the slope, sending a shower of dust and stones down onto the cats below. Leafpaw shook the grit from her fur and followed. Her tired legs ached, but she kept going till she reached the ledge. Sorreltail flicked her tail, signaling to her to be quiet, and Leafpaw smelled at once the familiar scent of mouse. She crouched beside Sorreltail to stare at a patch of coarse grass that sprang from a crack in the ledge. Stay still. She recalled Brambleclaw’s advice, but it was hard to wait patiently when she was this hungry.
When the grass began to tremble, Sorreltail pulled herself slowly forward. Suddenly the grass shivered and the mouse darted out, heading for a crack in the rock. With a jolt of horror, Leafpaw watched Sorreltail leap after it and tumble straight over the edge.
Leafpaw’s mind filled with the memory of Smokepaw vanishing into the gorge, and she had to force herself to look down the side of the valley. To her relief, Sorreltail was very much alive, wailing in terror as she half fell, half skidded down the steep slope. She came to a bone-jarring halt against a stunted hawthorn bush that buckled and quivered under her weight, but stopped her from sliding any farther.
“Sorreltail,” she called. “Are you okay?”
The ThunderClan warrior looked up at her, eyes huge with shock. “I’m okay,” she mewed. “Just grazed my paws.” She began to claw her way back up the slope.
Brambleclaw came dashing across the slope, alarmed by the shower of stones Sorreltail had dislodged. “What happened?”
“I slipped, that’s all,” Sorreltail told him, though her eyes still glittered with fear.
“You have to be careful!” Brambleclaw hissed. He stopped abruptly and stared past them.
“What is it?” Leafpaw spun around, her heart thudding. With a flood of relief she realized he had just spotted the mouse creeping out of the crack in the rock.
“Stay still,” Brambleclaw ordered in a whisper.
“But I could get it in one pounce,” Sorreltail breathed back.
“Wait,” Brambleclaw growled.
Leafpaw heard the faint beat of wings above her head. Looking up, she saw a huge bracken-colored bird circling overhead. She gulped, wondering exactly what it had spotted as prey—the mouse, or them?
“If we’re lucky,” Brambleclaw murmured as the eagle folded its wings and swooped down toward them as swift and silent as a StarClan warrior, “it’ll go for that mouse and we’ll be able to take the Clan something big enough to share.”
“And if we’re not lucky?” muttered Sorreltail. Brambleclaw didn’t answer.
Above them, the eagle’s wings seemed to stretch wider than the river that had separated ThunderClan from RiverClan. Leafpaw fought against the urge to turn tail and run. Closer and closer the bird came, until she could see each feather on its massive wings, and its eyes gleaming like tiny black pebbles.
“Wait, wait,” Brambleclaw breathed through clenched teeth.
Just when Leafpaw could see the sinews on the bird’s yellow talons, it plummeted past them, ignoring the mouse and the three cats on the ledge. It was heading straight for the Clans in the valley below!
Brambleclaw sprang to the edge and peered over. “Look out!” he yowled.
The mass of golden-brown feathers seemed to explode among the cats, who screeched in terror as they raced in all directions. Only the warriors held their ground, leaping up on their hind legs and thrashing the air with unsheathed claws as the eagle climbed up once more, beating its powerful wings. As it began to rise into the sky, Leafpaw saw a small, struggling creature grasped in its long talons, and heard the pitiful mewls of a terrified kit. No!
“Marshkit!” Tallpoppy shrieked.
Suddenly Brackenfur sprang into the air as though lifted by the wind. With his outstretched claws he grasped the eagle’s talons a heartbeat before they rose out of reach. Yowling with rage, he clung on. The eagle screeched and shook the golden brown warrior off. Brackenfur collapsed onto the ground, but his attack had been enough to loosen the eagle’s grasp, and the kit plummeted down beside him.
Leafpaw hurled herself off the ledge, landed clumsily, and skidded down the valley. Stones tore at her claws as she slithered down. Brambleclaw and Sorreltail were scrambling behind her, zigzagging across the steep slope to stop themselves from falling headlong. But Leafpaw kept tumbling over and over. A bush broke her fall before she reached the bottom, its thin branches whipping her fur. It was enough to slow her down, and she managed to scrabble to her paws and dash across the valley floor.
“Check that Brackenfur’s okay!” Leafpaw ordered Sorreltail. “I’ll see to Marshkit.”
Tallpoppy was crouching over the scrap of fur that lay on the stony ground. Ferncloud pressed her flank against the ShadowClan queen, trying to soothe her but understanding her terror
Leafpaw leaned over the kit and licked his chest. She could feel his flanks heaving and his tiny heart hammering in his chest. Blood welled on his shoulder, but the cut was not deep.
“He’ll be all right,” Leafpaw promised. “As long as we keep him warm, he’ll survive the shock.” She looked up and was relieved to see Cinderpelt limping toward her.
“Lick the wound as clean as you can,” Cinderpelt ordered. “We have precious few herbs to cure him if it gets infected.”
Leafpaw obeyed immediately, tasting the salty tang of the kit’s blood on her tongue.
Tallpoppy pulled her remaining kits close to her, shaking with fear. “Where have you brought us?” she yowled, looking around to find the cats who had led them into the mountain.
“I didn’t think an eagle would attack so many!” Squirrelpaw gasped as she bounded across the valley floor.
“Did you know this might happen?” Blackstar demanded furiously.
“We knew eagles preyed upon the Tribe, but they always fought them off,” Squirrelpaw mewed wretchedly.
“We are not the Tribe,” Blackstar hissed. “You should have warned us so that we could have found shelter.”
“What shelter?” Tallpoppy cried. “There’s nowhere to hide. There’s nowhere to hunt. We’rethe prey here!”
“It’s true,” Dawnflower mewed, her voice rising in panic. “We’ll be picked off one by one.”
“Not if we stick together,” Dustpelt argued.
“Yes,” Russetfur agreed. “Next time, we’ll be more prepared.”
“If another bird attacks, we’ll drive it off before if gets close to the kits,” Hawkfrost promised.
“Ten Clans couldn’t drive off a bird like that!” Tallpoppy yowled.
“Maybe not,” Leopardstar meowed. “But any cat here would die trying, for the sake of our kits.” Her gaze flicked around the Clans, and mews of agreement rose from every warrior and apprentice.
Leafpaw blinked. There were no longer four Clans making this perilous journey. There was just one Clan, bound by fear and helplessness. She left Marshkit with Tallpoppy. Littlecloud was with them now.
“Is Brackenfur okay?” she called, padding to where Sorreltail was sitting beside the golden warrior.
“I’m fine,” Brackenfur meowed, pushing himself to his paws
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Sorreltail promised.
Leafpaw padded over and touched her sister’s flank with her nose. “Surely it can’t get any worse?” she murmured.
Squirrelpaw stared back wordlessly, her eyes clouded with doubt. In desperation Leafpaw turned her gaze toward the sky, praying for the protection of StarClan, wondering if her prayer would reach their ancestors through the snow-laden clouds.
As if in reply, the first freezing flakes began to fall.
第十七章

第十七章
“没有他，我可怎么办啊？”蛾翅喘着粗气问道，大眼睛里充满了恐惧。
“你会没事的。”炭毛劝慰她，“以后有的是时间悲伤，但不是现在。”
蛾翅盯着她瞅了片刻，然后点点头，离开了巫医巢穴，告诉族群泥毛死了。叶爪守在那儿，看着河族猫走进通道，向泥毛致敬，然后匆匆离开巢穴，走进空地。
蛾翅低着头坐在雨中，水顺着她的胡子流下来。“我真不敢相信他已经走了！”她说。
“他并没有走远，”叶爪安慰她，“他正和星族在一起。”
“但愿如此。”蛾翅喃喃道。
豹星从巫医巢穴里出来，直接走向火星。“影毛和响肚会跟你们的长老一起留下来，”她说道，“他们年事已高，经不起长途跋涉，愿意留下来为泥毛守夜。”
火星点点头。“我们会在这儿等着。等河族准备好了，我们再出发。”他轻声说。
鹰霜和暴毛向叶爪和蛾翅走来。鹰霜将他的鼻子贴在妹妹的脸上，眼睛里头一回流露出些许温情。
“我从没想过会留下任何一只猫。”暴毛发出一声叹息。
“我也没想过。”叶爪说。她盯着暴毛和纹尾，脑子里闪现出灰条从怪物肚子里往外看的凄惨画面。
豹星走到空地中央，环视四周，问道：“大家都准备好了吗？”
“我们今天还没有狩猎。”一只河族猫后提醒道，她用尾巴护着她的孩子。
“我们可以在路上狩猎。”豹星对她说道。
出发的时刻终于到了，众猫开始往营地入口走去。霜毛和纹尾坐在空地中央，目送着族猫们离开。
“再见，霜毛！”叶爪轻声说道，“再见，纹尾！祝你们狩猎顺利！”
“狩猎顺利！”霜毛回答道。
叶爪抬头，透过交错的秃树枝看着灰色的天空。雨点打在她的脸上，她眨了眨眼，将眼睫毛上的水弄掉。此情此景，仿佛是星族正为族群离开森林老家而哭泣。叶爪一脸阴郁，她不知道他们的武士祖灵是一路跟随他们远行呢，还是就此做最后的告别？
“走吧。”火星在她的耳边温和地说道，“族群还在等着我们。”
穿过森林的跋涉非常艰难，天在下雨，爪子下的树叶非常湿滑。河族猫都聚在一起，紧跟着雷族猫，但绝不和他们走在一起。栗尾跟叶爪并肩走着，叶爪每次摔倒时，她都会扶她一把。靠近森林边缘处有一长溜河族领地，过去就是风族的荒原了。叶爪闻到了影族猫的气息。她抬起头，看到他们正挤在树下，皮毛湿透了，冷得瑟瑟发抖。
“我们还以为你们永远来不了呢。”黑星抱怨着，抖了抖身上的雨水。
影族猫在黑星身边不耐烦地走着。他们待在曾经属于雷族领地的树下，看起来都感觉很不自在，就连褐皮也急于离开。但叶爪很想在这儿逗留一会儿，想到已经到了跟森林做最后告别的时候，她的心里充满了离愁别绪。
火星凝视着他的族群，说道：“我们必须跟我们所熟悉的一切说再见了。”
叶爪感到栗尾的皮毛紧贴在她的身上，也注意到松鼠爪跟黑莓掌紧紧靠在一起。
“我想回家！”高罂的一只幼崽大声说着，她瞪大眼睛，看着妈妈。
“我们正在回家。”高罂竖起耳朵答应道，“回我们的新家。”
她正说着，一只棕色猫从不远处的林子里现出身来。尽管雨水掩盖住了她的气息，叶爪还是一下子就认出了这只陌生猫——她是莎夏。
蛾翅也认出了她，因为她马上跳了过去，像幼崽一样，在她的怀里打滚。鹰霜慢慢地跟在妹妹身后走了过去，尾巴尖左右摇摆着。河族猫很有耐心地等着。但叶爪看到雷族猫的眼睛里充满了疑惑，因为他们不知道莎夏是谁。影族猫则露出了敌意。
“她来这儿干吗？”松鼠爪耳语道。
“可能她知道我们要走了吧。”叶爪猜测道。
“可是她来干什么？”
莎夏跟她的孩子道完别，然后走向围观的猫群。蜡毛发出威胁的嘶嘶声，但火星看他一眼，示意他安静。
“我想，我们可能再也见不着面了。”豹星说着，向莎夏点了一下头。
“我也这么想。”莎夏坦然地说，“我来是让鹰霜和蛾翅离开河族，跟我一起走。我看到两脚兽对你们的家园做了什么。他们跟你们待在一起，已经不再安全了。”
蛾翅低头看着自己的爪子。叶爪的心中不由一惊：她不会真的想要离开河族吧？叶爪急忙从莎夏的身边走过，来到河族巫医的面前，说道：“我知道你最近很辛苦，但你不会真的想离开吧？你会离开吗？”
蛾翅眨着眼睛说：“我……我也不知道……”
“你的族群需要你。”叶爪反对道。然后她绕到鹰霜身边问道：“你不会抛下你的族猫吧？”
“决定权在他们自己。”火星的声音盖过了雨声，“但我赞成他们留在自己的族群里。”
莎夏眯缝起了眼睛。“你想叫他们留下？”突然间风停了，每只猫都屏气等着她的下文，“哪怕虎星是他们的父亲？”
叶爪扫视了一圈，发现河族猫全都一脸惊愕——显然他们都不知道虎星是鹰霜和蛾翅的父亲，尽管他们河族养大了他的孩子。
火星的眼睛直视着莎夏，停顿了好久。“我想让他们留下，恰恰是因为他们的父亲是虎星。”他说道。黑莓掌的爪子插进了泥地里，松鼠爪瞪大了眼睛。“虎星是一位优秀的武士，这两只猫已经证实，他们继承了他的胆识。”火星继续说道，“现在他们的族群比以往任何时候更需要他们。”他将目光转向黑莓掌和褐皮，“虎星的另外两个孩子已经在自己的族群中赢得了应有的位置。”
现在秘密被公开了，每只猫都知道虎星留下了四个孩子，三个族群分别养大了他们。蛾翅抬起眼睛，搜寻着河族猫脸上的表情。而鹰霜仰起下巴，似乎根本不在乎众猫怎么想。
豹星点点头，说道：“火星说得对。河族需要每位武士，当然也需要我们的巫医。”
“但他们是虎星的孩子！”曙花的嘶声反对令叶爪感到震惊，河族猫后盯着豹星的样子，仿佛豹星正在邀请一只狐狸加入他们。
松鼠爪的眼睛里燃起了怒火，咆哮道：“那又怎样？那并不意味着他们不忠于族群！”
“鹰霜是我们最好的武士。”暴毛补充着，他环视一圈族猫，说道：“你们有谁怀疑过他的忠心？”
“从没有猫怀疑过。”雾脚轻声说道。
豹星看着鹰霜和蛾翅，问道：“你们愿意留下吗？”
“当然！”鹰霜立刻回答道，“我永远都不会抛弃族群的。”他凝视着族猫，眼睛里流露出不屈的神色。
叶爪紧张得尾巴都在发抖。促使鹰霜做出了这个决定的，是他的野心还是忠心？她不禁看了一眼黑莓掌。这两位武士有着相同的父亲，为何差别会这么大呢？
蛾翅瞄了一眼母亲，耳朵猛地抽动一下。“我也要跟我的族群在一起。”她说，“我现在是巫医了，他们需要我。”
莎夏点点头。“很好！”她打量着一对儿女，“火星说得对，”她喃喃道，“我的确从你俩身上看到了你们父亲的影子。”
叶爪听到曙花发出一声低吼。
莎夏转向这只河族猫后。“虎星根本不知道他有这两个孩子，但他一定会为他俩感到骄傲。”她的目光一一扫过河族猫，说道：“拥有他们，是你们的幸运。”
莎夏走到鹰霜和蛾翅身边，用自己的身体摩擦着他们的皮毛。“祝愿你们一路顺风！”她说完，转身走进森林。蕨丛扑簌簌地颤动着，她的身影消失了。她的身后，一大群猫静静地目送着她离去。
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 22
Squirrelpaw glimpsed movement on the ledgeabove. She stopped, her paws sinking into the banked snow, and glanced up. A falcon was feasting on a shrew a few tail-lengths up the rocky outcrop. Squirrelpaw knew her ginger pelt must stand out like a sunset in a pale sky, and she stood motionless, hoping that the falcon hadn’t noticed her.
The snow felt soothing against her raw pads. She wondered if she had the power to leap up the short distance and catch the falcon. Probably not. The past few days had sapped her strength until she almost couldn’t be bothered to hunt at all.
The falcon flattened the shrew against the rock and stooped to pull the flesh from it. Squirrelpaw felt a wrench of envy as hunger clawed at her belly. Slow as melting ice, she prowled forward, praying the thickly falling snow would camouflage her pelt.
She had to catch some prey. The cold would start killing cats faster than any eagle if the Clans grew any hungrier. Despite their bold promises to Tallpoppy, the shock of losing Smokepaw and then nearly losing Marshkit had shaken the confidence of even the strongest warriors. Squirrelpaw felt a flood of regret so strong it stopped her in her tracks. She had helped to lead the Clans to their death. She was not even sure she would be able to find her way back to them if she caught the falcon. She knew only that they were somewhere near, huddled in the snow, praying to StarClan for deliverance.
If only she could be sure they had reached the place where the Tribe hunted, then at least they might get help from the cats they had met before. Stormfur had taken to ranging out at night, among the snowy crags. He alone seemed comfortable in this barren territory. She knew he was searching for Brook, or any sign of the Tribe, but he had found nothing so far. The Tribe had no need for borders or scent markers. No other cat wanted their unforgiving hunting grounds.
The falcon ruffled its feathers, shaking off some snow, and brought Squirrelpaw’s wandering thoughts back to the hunt. She tensed her tired muscles and prepared to leap.
Suddenly a flash of fur above her made her draw back. Three lean, mud-streaked cats hurled themselves from the rocks above the falcon. One snared the falcon in its long claws, while the other two bundled Squirrelpaw backward, knocking the breath from her. She felt strong paws pinning her under the snow and struggled, but they were too strong for her, and after a few terrified moments she lay still, her breath hoarse and ragged.
“Squirrelpaw?”
She heard a familiar voice growl her name and felt paws tug her out of the snow. She blinked cold flakes of ice from her eyes and saw Talon staring at her in undisguised surprise. Two more cave-guards stood behind him, wide-eyed with astonishment.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
As Squirrelpaw tried to gather her confused thoughts, she recognized one of the cave-guards. It was Jag, one of the outcasts who had returned to save their Tribemates from Sharptooth. Knowing two of the cats who stood in front of her made her feel a little better. “We’ve left the forest,” she explained. “We’re traveling over the mountains.”
Talon narrowed his eyes. “Again?”
“We’re all going this time.”
“All?”
“The four Clans,” Squirrelpaw mewed. “We couldn’t stay in the forest any longer. There was too much destruction. But we never though the journey would be this hard! Smokepaw fell into a ravine, and then an eagle tried to carry off Marshkit….” She trailed off breathlessly.
“Kits?” Talon demanded. “Out here? Are you mad? You must bring all of these cats to the Cave of Rushing Water and rest. Where did you leave them?”
“We sheltered under some rocks. There was a tree jutting out above them like a giant claw.”
Talon glanced at the cave-guards. “Tree-rock,” he meowed. “Go there.”
The cave-guards bounded away across the snowdrift, their ears flattened against the falling snow.
“Let’s find these Clans of yours before they freeze to death,” Talon meowed, picking up the still-warm falcon in his jaws.
Squirrelpaw struggled to keep up with the tom as he raced after the guards.
“They’ll be safe once we get them to the Cave of Rushing Water,” Talon called over his shoulder. Hope gave Squirrelpaw new strength, and she scrambled on until she was clear of the drift and pounding after him along a rock ledge that had been shielded from the snow by a sharp overhang. Her paws sent stones showering down the steep slope, but she kept running.
“Eagle!” The cave-guards skidded to a halt where the ledge came to an abrupt end. Looking along the side of the valley, Squirrelpaw saw the rocky outcrop where she had left the Clans. Their pelts looked like dark smudges through the driving snow. Above them, Squirrelpaw recognized the predatory circling motion of the eagle and felt her belly twist in dread.
The cave-guards sank back onto their haunches, then sprang over the deep cleft that lay between them and the Clan cats. Talon followed, leaping easily over the gap even though he was carrying the dead falcon.
Squirrelpaw looked across the divide, then down at the long drop beneath her. Rocks sharp as teeth pierced the snow that pooled in the chasm beneath. Summoning up every last bit of her strength, she leaped toward the rocky ledge where Talon waited. Reaching out desperately with her forepaws, she grasped the ledge, her hind legs churning empty air. Talon lunged forward, and she felt his teeth sink into her scruff as he pulled her up to safety.
The moment she felt solid ground beneath her paws, Squirrelpaw raced after the Tribe cats. Above them, the eagle folded its wings and started to drop toward the ground.
“Birchkit!” Ferncloud’s shriek tore through the air. Russetfur leaped forward to scoop up the kit and thrust him and his mother into the shadows of the rock. Brambleclaw herded Dawnflower and her kits after them. Hawkfrost leaped to Onewhisker’s side, and together they shielded Tallstar from the attack.
As the eagle swooped down, its talons raking the air, the cave-guards plunged among the Clans. Jag swiped at the bird’s wing, and another cave-guard lunged at it, clawing a feather from its tail. The air thrummed with the beating of the great bird’s wings as it swooped upward, screeching, into the blizzard.
The Clan cats crept out from the shelter of the rock and stared in amazement at their rescuers. They looked scrawny and miserable and bedraggled, and Squirrelpaw was suddenly afraid that the Tribe cats would tell them to give up trying to cross the mountains and go back to wait for warmer weather before restarting their journey.
Brambleclaw bounded over, flicking lumps of snow up from his paws. “Talon! Jag!” He touched noses happily with each cave-guard.
Crowpaw padded up and flicked his tail against Talon’s flank. “Great timing,” he mewed.
“This is Talon,” Squirrelpaw announced to the Clans. “And Jag and…”
“I’m Night of No Stars,” the third cave-guard meowed. Her voice carried the strange accent Squirrelpaw had forgotten; it was good to hear it again.
Talon looked around. “Where is Stormfur?”
“He went hunting,” Tawnypelt explained.
Firestar shouldered his way to the front. “Are you able to help us? The kits are freezing,” he meowed. “One is close to death.”
“Let me see,” ordered Talon.
“Here!” Leafpaw called from beneath the overhang where Tallpoppy was licking her limp kit. Instantly Night picked the kit up in her jaws and placed it on Tallpoppy’s flank.
“Keep it off the ground,” the Tribe she-cat growled. “The rock will suck the warmth from him. And don’t lick. The wet will make him colder.” She began to rub the kit roughly with her forepaws, ruffling its damp fur until the kit began to stir. “Keep rubbing,” she told Leafpaw. “Remember, don’t lick.”
The ShadowClan queen stared at Night with eyes brimming with emotion, but the Tribe cat only nodded curtly and directed a question at Firestar.
“How long have you been here?” she asked.
“Too long,” Squirrelpaw murmured. She felt the weakness of hunger returning now the danger had passed. The cold was making her sleepy.
“We’ll take you all back to the cave,” Talon offered. “You can get warm and eat there.”
“We have to keep going.” Blackstar’s eyes glittered. “We should leave the mountains before the snow gets any worse.”
“You will die if you do not come with us,” Talon meowed.
Blackstar flattened his ears.
Firestar turned his gaze on the ShadowClan leader. “The kits and elders will never make it,” he mewed quietly.
“And Tallstar needs to rest,” Onewhisker called out. The WindClan leader looked as tired and worn as any of the elders.
“We allneed to rest,” Leopardstar put in.
“But Crowpaw has told us there’s moorland just beyond the mountains,” Mudclaw argued. “We should head for that.”
Blackstar turned to Littlecloud. “What do you think?”
“The elders don’t have the strength to go on,” the medicine cat mewed. “And the kits will freeze without food.”
“This one will be dead by sundown if she doesn’t get some shelter,” Leafpaw called. She was rubbing Marshkit, watched closely by his mother, Tallpoppy.
“Very well.” Blackstar stared at Talon. “We’ll come with you.”
Talon glanced at Mudclaw. Squirrelpaw wondered if he thought Mudclaw was one of the Clan leaders, since Tallstar was too frail to speak on behalf of the WindClan cats.
“We’ll come too,” Mudclaw muttered.
Talon dipped his head respectfully. “Good.”
Tallpoppy picked up her kit by the scruff of her neck. Marshkit squirmed and gave a squeak of protest. “It’s all right, little one,” his mother murmured. “You’ll be safe soon.”
The others began to stir, hauling themselves to their paws as they prepared to follow the Tribe cats to the cave.
Suddenly a dark shape raced from a shadowy gully near the overhang.
“Brambleclaw! I’ve scented the Tribe!” It was Stormfur. He paused, staring around the surprised faces. Then he recognized Talon. “You’re here!”
“We found Squirrelpaw,” Talon explained.
Stormfur padded forward and touched the cave-guard’s flank with his nose. “How’s Brook?” he asked.
“She’s fine,” Talon replied. “We’d better get on.” He glanced at Jag and Night. “I’ll lead the way; you two bring up the rear.”
Squirrelpaw felt exhaustion dragging at her paws as she helped to guide the Clans along the unseen paths that led toward the waterfall. She paused only when they reached the cleft in the mountain where the water thundered over the rocks and pounded, frothing, into the deep pool below. Brambleclaw, Crowpaw, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt stopped beside her
“We’re back,” Squirrelpaw breathed.
Stormfur glanced at the mound of earth that marked his sister’s resting place. “I wasn’t sure we’d ever see this place again,” he murmured.
The Clans padded past them, following Talon onto the narrow ledge that led behind the wall of water.
“Come on,” Stormfur mewed. “The Clans will need us. They’ve never met the Tribe before.” He hurried forward, Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, and Tawnypelt following. Crowpaw stayed behind, staring at Feathertail’s grave.
The cats filed slowly behind the waterfall, their fur darkening as the spray soaked their pelts. Stormfur, Brambleclaw, and Tawnypelt weaved among them. Squirrelpaw saw Ashfur stop at the edge of the thundering sheet of water. “We have to go behind there?”
Behind the waterfall, the light wavered on the rock, which glittered and dripped with moisture. “Go on,” Squirrelpaw urged Ashfur. “It’s warm inside; I promise.”
The ThunderClan warrior stepped inside, and Squirrelpaw followed him. Half-forgotten scents washed over her, and, as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she saw the Tribe staring at the visitors in astonishment.
One young she-cat, her brown tabby fur just visible beneath the streaks of mud that all Tribe cats wore, was looking around with something close to excitement, and even joy. It was Brook Where Small Fish Swim, the prey-hunter who had befriended the Clan cats on their last visit to the cave. Squirrelpaw saw her desperately searching the sea of faces, and knew she was looking for only one cat.
Squirrelpaw felt fur brush against hers as Stormfur bounded past. He headed straight for Brook, and the two cats touched noses with such tenderness that Squirrelpaw felt a rush of pity. It was all too clear that Stormfur had more heartbreak ahead of him, when the time came to leave the Tribe she-cat for a second time.
第十八章
第十八章
“看！”雨须突然大喊道，把别的猫吓了一跳。在象征风族领地开始的高地边缘，风族猫正在灰色的天空下站着。他们像石头一样，排成一排等待着。
“出发！”黑星下令道。
他跳出森林下的遮蔽处，快步爬上泥泞的山坡，他的族猫紧跟在身后。松鼠爪悲伤地盯着森林，将爪子插入熟悉的雨后柔软的泥土里。河族和雷族的所有猫都在森林边徘徊着，离开这里似乎要比他们想象中更加艰难。
“这里不再是我们的家园了。”火星温和地提醒他们，“在我们远行的终点，会有一个新家园等着我们。”说完，他转身向前走去，头低得更深了，躲避着倾盆大雨。
众猫跟在火星身后，从森林里缓慢地涌出来。松鼠爪也跟了上去，她的旁边，蕨毛弓着背，蹭着蕨丛，最后一次在那滴水的叶尖上留下他的气息。
“我们还以为你改变主意了呢！”当三个族群走近山顶时，泥掌怒气冲冲地说。
“泥毛正在弥留之际，”豹星解释道，“我们等到他加入星族后就马上离开了。”
高星坐在他的武士身边，打着寒战，腹部的肋骨像树枝一样清晰可见。当三个族群到达山顶时，他站了起来，四肢僵硬，让他不禁皱起了眉头。“我为泥毛感到难过。”他说道。
“至少他死在了银毛星带之下，至少这一点比我们都要心满意足。”黑星喃喃地说道。
这句话让松鼠爪感到后背一阵颤抖。“我们在太阳沉没之地也看见银毛星带了。”她反驳道，“当我们到达终点的时候，星族一定在那儿等着我们。”
泥掌尾巴猛地一甩：“你们确实看见了星星，但它们是我们的武士祖灵吗？说不定是别的什么族群的呢！”
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛，想起了俯视群山的杀无尽部落。如果泥掌说的是真的，他们离开森林岂不是抛弃了星族，就像他们抛弃了家园一样？
黑星的爪子捅入泥泞的地面，嘶吼道：“我们到底还走不走？”
“我们已经准备好了。”高星回答。
在他们前方的荒原已经变得面目全非，所有的野草都被一扫而光，只留下光秃秃的泥土地和怪物留下的一道道深槽。
豹星的目光看过破碎的地面，问道：“这里有很多怪物吗？”
“太多了。”高星低声吼道。
当众猫开始翻越第一块裸露的地面时，松鼠爪就已经变得非常吃力。她的爪子陷在泥水里，腿就像沉重的石头难以迈动。
黑莓掌奋力爬回来，陪着她鼓励道：“加油，你能行的。”
“没事。”她飞快地说道，“我走得动。”
黑莓掌眨了眨眼睛。“我就知道你能行。”他说道。松鼠爪只希望自己刚才的讲话不是那么冲。
尘毛跟在他们身后，嘴里叼着小白桦。云尾在他身边拼命地向前走着。他身上沾满泥浆，背上因为雨不停地冲刷，所以还是白的。“我来带一会幼崽吧！”他提议道。他从尘毛的嘴里接过小白桦，尽力不让这个晃悠个不停的小家伙沾到泥巴。尘毛点头道谢，然后跳到一条泥泞的土垄上，去帮助香薇云——她正挣扎着试图站稳脚跟。
鸦爪也叼着一只幼崽。他看上去也快没力气了，但他的爪子依然在不停地向前移动，眼睛死死地盯着前方的地面。
松鼠爪听到前面传来怪物的轰鸣声，即使在雨里，它们发出的刺鼻气味也非常清晰。她仰起脸，雨水刺痛了她的双眼，这时，她看见两脚兽在视野尽头吆喝着什么。“我们怎么过去呢？”她倒吸一口凉气。
“我们可以绕过去吗？”火星对泥掌喊道。
“荒原上到处都是两脚兽。”一根须大声回应道，“我敢说，这里是最不可能碰上它们的穿越地方。”
一只有着圆滚滚的巨型爪子和闪闪发光牙齿的怪物，隆隆地从前方穿过，另一只怪物也醒了过来，开始翻搅大地。在它们身后远一点的地方，一块小小的岩石从土地上露了出来。
“如果我们能到岩石那儿，就会比较安全了。”泥掌提议道，“两脚兽的怪物爬不到那儿去。”
但是如果怪物愿意，它们就可以摧毁它。松鼠爪一下子想起了巨岩的下场。
“你说得对，它可能是我们唯一的机会了。我们等着这两只怪物跑过去后，就飞快地向那边跑去。”火星看了看另外三个族长，他们都点头表示赞成。
松鼠爪将肚皮平贴在泥地上，感到冰冷的泥浆渗进了她的皮毛，浸入了她的皮肤。炭毛趴在高星旁边，推给他一爪草药。这是最后的旅行草药了，能给他补充力量。松鼠爪猜测。
怪物轰轰响地跑了过去，火星发出命令，让大家快跑。
雷族猫跑在最前面。松鼠爪在泥水里跌跌撞撞地摸索前行，眼睛盯着黑莓掌的虎斑皮毛。只要黑莓掌在自己的视线内，她就觉着自己是安全的。到达岩石时，她大口地喘着气，感到又怕又累。黑莓掌走下来，把她拽到岩石上面——那里已经聚集了很多猫。火星在猫群中穿梭着，虽然泥巴把他姜黄色的皮毛染成了棕色，但他的眼睛一直盯着还在挣扎着往岩石上爬的猫。
鸦爪走到岩石下，举起幼崽，交给一根须，然后才往岩石上爬。松鼠爪听见一只两脚兽大喊大叫的声音，转过身，看到它正挥舞着胳膊，在泥地里蹒跚着奔跑过来。显然它看到了正在往岩石这边跑的群猫。褐皮就在这群猫里，正试图把一位河族学徒从泥泞里拽起来。
“黑星和豹星发布跑的命令时，肯定慢了！”松鼠爪嘶嘶说道。
那两只怪物也转过身，迈着爪子向着这群落在后面的猫冲过来。
“他们肯定不能及时赶到岩石上来了！”黑莓掌喘息着说。
“我们必须回去，帮他们一把！”火星大吼道。
绝望驱散了松鼠爪身体上的每一丝疲惫。她跳回到泥地里。火星闪电一般冲到了她的前头。她还感觉到黑莓掌的皮毛从她身边擦过，紧接着鸦爪也向河族猫飞奔过去。
怪物轰隆隆的叫声使松鼠爪耳鸣不已。她扑向河族猫，冲向一位正挣扎着想从泥泞里摆脱出来的学徒。她一口咬住学徒的脖颈，将他拽了出来。学徒飞快地跑向岩石。
“谢谢！”
松鼠爪一抬头，发现暴毛正在看着她。暴毛感激地眨着眼睛，转身拉住另一位学徒站起来。
“我的孩子！”曙花尖叫道。松鼠爪转身一看，河族猫后爪边只有一只幼崽，另一只幼崽正惊慌失措地冲着怪物跑去——他已经害怕得看不清自己在朝哪儿跑了。
“我去追他！”鸦爪冲过去，用嘴叼住了那只幼崽，然后转身向岩石跑去，泥浆从他的爪子下飞溅开去。
松鼠爪叼起另一只幼崽，猛地推了一把曙花。“快走！”她嘶嘶地叫道。
她跑到岩石旁，跳了上去，发现了一个两脚兽看不到黑黢黢的裂缝，她叼着在她的嘴巴下晃荡的幼崽顺着缝隙跑到了另一端。曙花紧随松鼠爪冲了过去，后面跟着火星和一群河族猫。最后鸦爪带着另一只幼崽也跑了过来。曙花飞奔着迎上去，感激地从他那儿接过自己的幼崽。
松鼠爪将另一只幼崽放在爪子旁，四处寻找姐姐。“叶爪！”她大喊道。
松鼠爪蹲伏在高星身边。风族族长的腹部剧烈地起伏着，睁得大大的眼睛里充满了恐惧。“真没想到竟然会在自己的领地内被追捕！”他喘息着说。
叶爪听见松鼠爪的喊声，仰头看去。
“你能照看一下这些幼崽吗？”松鼠爪问道。叶爪犹豫地看着高星，这时炭毛出现在她的身边。
“我会照看他们的。”叶爪小声说道。
叶爪匆匆跑过去，嗅闻着每只幼崽，然后将耳朵压在每只猫的胸前听了听。“他们只是受了惊吓，有些累而已。”她判断道，“歇息一下就好了。”
“我当然很好。”一只深灰色小母猫尖声说道，“那只怪物永远别想抓住我们。”
“嘘，小柳！”曙花安慰道。当她弯下腰，清洗着幼崽脸上的泥巴的时候，影族猫从水沟里走了出来。
“所有的猫都跟上来了吗？”火星对黑星喊道。
黑星点点头，他喘得太厉害了，所以没有说话。
群猫在岩石上休息了一会儿。但是通往草坡前，还必须越过一块被翻起来的泥地，然后才能到达草地。那些两脚兽现在一定正在寻找他们。在怪物附近留得时间太久，很不安全。
“我们要聚得更近一些，”火星建议道，“应该就像是一个族群在行进。”
“那由谁来发号施令？”豹星质问道，“你吗？”
火星摇摇头说：“谁下命令并不重要。我的意思只是说，我们靠拢一点，危险就小一些。”
“你根本不知道我们要去哪里。”黑星说道，“我们只相信已经走过这条路的猫。每个族群都有这样一只猫，我们可以分开走。”
“但你们刚才掉队了。”火星提醒道，“河族也落后了。我们必须跟紧一点，至少在两脚兽出没的地方，应当紧紧地靠在一起。”
黑星眯着眼睛。“紧紧地靠在一起，行！”他让步道，“但每个族群只能听自己族长的命令。”
松鼠爪沮丧得爪子一阵刺痛。筋疲力尽的感觉使她头晕眼花，她凝视着岩石与荒原之间的泥地，不远处，更多的怪物如同可怕的巡逻队，在缓慢地来回移动着。
黑莓掌向她走过来。“我跟其他几只猫说了。”他压低声音说。松鼠爪明白，他说的“其他几只猫”指的是褐皮、鸦爪和暴毛。“我们一致同意走在猫群外围，”他解释道，“这样一来，我们就能够有所防备，并帮助掉队的猫。我和鸦爪殿后，暴毛打头，你在一边，褐皮在另一边。”松鼠爪点点头。“我们已经带他们走了这么远，所以有责任保护他们。”黑莓掌补充了一句，幽深的眼睛里充满忧虑。
松鼠爪伸出尾巴，跟他的尾巴绕在一起。“我们的决定是对的，”她对他耳语道，“我非常肯定。”
“大家准备好了吗？”火星高声喊道。
众猫慢慢聚拢到岩石边，紧靠着自己的族猫站着。黑莓掌、鸦爪、松鼠爪、暴毛和褐皮等猫离开自己的族群，站在猫群的边缘。黑星先下令出发，豹星、火星和泥掌也迅速下达了命令，猫群开始从让他们安心的硬地面，再次跳进光滑的泥地里。
他们压低身体，悄悄地往前爬着，向有许多怪物据守的风族领地边缘行进。松鼠爪走在队伍边上，竖着耳朵，提防着两脚兽的动向，同时留意有没有猫掉队。
叶爪走到她跟前，问道：“一切都好吧？”
“我觉得一切都好。”松鼠爪小声说道。
“我是说，你还好吗？”叶爪坚持道，“你们并不是非得保护所有猫。你应该明白，是大家自己决定走上这趟旅途的。”
松鼠爪感激地冲她眨了眨眼睛：“我明白。”
众猫走到两脚兽附近的时候，速度慢了下来。松鼠爪觉得，自己身子压得太低，简直让自己都变成了一堆泥巴了。不过，大家身上这么脏，已经完全跟泥土融为一体了，泥巴反而成了一种保护。怪物已经向着远处而去，并且没有转回来的迹象。
“泥巴溅到我的眼睛里了！”小白桦尖叫道。
“嘘！”香薇云喝道。小白桦立刻不说话了。
松鼠爪的心怦怦地跳着。再有几个狐狸身长的距离，他们就可以到达山顶，就能走出这泥地，远离开怪物了。突然，她听到一个声音，顿时觉得身上的血都凝固了。怪物附近传出狗的嚎叫声。她抬头看去，发现狗已经向他们冲了过来，耳朵不住跳动着，巨大的爪子不停地在泥地上跳跃着。
“有狗！”豹星咆哮道。
“快跑！”黑星下令。
松鼠爪惊慌地四处看着。幼崽和长老根本不可能跑过一条狗。众猫立刻向前冲去，火星和其他族长也汇入其中，招呼着各自的族猫。
“把幼崽叼起来！”火星下令。
“帮一把长老！”豹星吼道。
松鼠爪四处寻找着小白桦，看到雨须已经叼起他，向山顶狂奔而去。香薇云紧跟在他的身后。松鼠爪听到恐怖的狗叫声越来越近。那个庞大的畜生在沟壑遍布的地上跑起来很轻松，甚至比怪物跑得还快。尽管其他猫拼命地喊叫着，推着几位长老往前跑，可长老们仍然落在了后面。
松鼠爪转回头，想看看黑莓掌在哪儿。这时，她震惊地看到，黑莓掌已经转身直接朝那条狗跑过去。鸦爪和褐皮飞奔在他的身边，他们身上糊着泥巴，几乎分不清他们是谁。他们这是要干什么？
松鼠爪目瞪口呆，望着他们向那条咆哮着的恶狗冲去。当他们接近它的时候，她才明白他们在做什么。黑莓掌一声令下，他们立即围住了庞大的黑色猎犬。那头畜生立刻慢了下来，大脑袋左右摇晃着，好像是在判断该追哪只猫。最后它盯住了鸦爪，然后冲着瘦骨伶仃的风族学徒跑去。鸦爪立刻转身奔向褐皮，爪子瞬间滑过泥地。这时褐皮闪电一般从鸦爪的另一个方向冲出，一边冲着那条狗厉声怒吼着，一边躲闪着它凶恶的大嘴。那狗犹豫片刻，狂叫着向这位影族武士追去。看到狗冲褐皮追去，松鼠爪吓得心怦怦直跳。但黑莓掌跟在狗身后跑过来，他用后爪抓了狗一下，然后敏捷地转弯跑开了。狗立即转过身，开始朝黑莓掌追去。
两脚兽终于听到了动静，其中一只向这条狗跑过来，还大声呼喝着。这时，黑莓掌离那畜生白花花的尖牙只有一个狐狸身长的距离。鸦爪又转身朝着狗跑过去，从它的鼻子前方掠过。狗有点懵了，不知所措地停下了脚步，它左顾右盼，眼睛里燃烧着怒火。鸦爪靠着有力的后肢猛地转过身子，再次奔跑起来。那狗拼命追了上去，张开大嘴，差点就咬上鸦爪的肚子。两脚兽又叫起来，并探身向前，伸出了爪子。
松鼠爪紧张得屏住了呼吸。可别让两脚兽逮住你！她无声地为鸦爪祈祷。他们不能再失去一只猫了！接着，两脚兽的爪子伸向狗的项圈，把它拖开了。松鼠爪终于松了一口气。
鸦爪从两脚兽的身旁夺路而逃，褐皮和黑莓掌紧随其后。“跑！”他从松鼠爪身边闪过时，尖叫道。松鼠爪转身跟着同伴跑起来。大部分猫已经抵达山顶，正从山的另一边向下走。松鼠爪检查了一遍，看是否有猫需要帮助。但只有两位影族长老因为身体虚弱，又惊吓过度，被黄毛和暴毛半推半拖着往前走。他们磕磕绊绊地越过山顶，沿着另一面坡向下走去。松鼠爪跟在他们身后。
下坡路还没走到一半，松鼠爪意识到他们已经越过了风族边界。这下他们真正地离开了族群的地盘。以前留下的气味标记已经被雨水、泥浆和怪物的臭味淹没了。
松鼠爪强迫自己不要回头。他们已经离开了原来的家园，开始真正踏上漫长的旅程。
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 23
Leafpaw padded into the cave, blinkingat the gloom. The roar of the waterfall made the air tremble, and the light filtering through the sheet of tumbling water quivered on the rocky walls. A stream sparkled like frost as it trickled down the mossy rocks and ran into a pool in the cave floor. Two tunnels led away into darkness, one at each end of the back wall, and narrow claws of stone hung down from the shadowy roof far above.
Leafpaw felt the Tribe cats staring at her, their eyes gleaming in the darkness. She padded over to Squirrelpaw. “They don’t seem frightened of us.”
Squirrelpaw blinked. “Why should they be? We hardly look threatening, as thin as we are. And besides, there are no other cats around here. Now that Sharptooth is dead, the only enemies the Tribe knows are eagles.”
“I’d forgotten about Sharptooth,” Leafpaw mewed. “All this would have been so much worse if he were still prowling the mountains.”
“Yes,” Squirrelpaw agreed, her gaze softening. “When Feathertail died, she did more than save the Tribe. She helped to protect us, too.”
As her eyes adjusted, Leafpaw began to pick out individual shapes, some lithe and sleek, others well muscled and broad shouldered. Yet they were all smaller than the Clan cats—even WindClan—leaner, with broad heads and slender necks.
The kits playing outside the entrance to one of the tunnels stopped and gazed at the Clan cats as they filed into the cave, their eyes wide and curious. A gray-and-white queen padded over to Leafpaw and sniffed her pelt.
“This is Wing,” Squirrelpaw explained. “She looked after Tawnypelt last time we were here, when she was sick from a rat bite.”
The Tribe queen dipped her head. “Stoneteller said you were coming,” she meowed. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting told him that old friends would return and bring new friends with them.”
Despite her tiredness and hunger, Leafpaw’s fur prickled with curiosity. “How did he know?” she whispered to Squirrelpaw.
“Stoneteller shares with the Tribe’s ancestors like you do with StarClan,” Squirrelpaw replied quietly.
Talon padded over. “There’s caught-prey here,” he offered, flicking his tail toward a pile of fresh-kill.
Leafpaw blinked. “Surely there can’t be enough to share with us all?”
“Eat.” Talon flicked his tail once more to the pile of fresh-kill. “Crag is organizing a hunt. There will soon be enough.”
The smell of rabbit rising from the fresh-kill pile made Leafpaw’s stomach growl, but she couldn’t eat until she knew the rest of the Clan was all right. Dipping her head respectfully, she left Squirrelpaw with her mountain friends and found Cinderpelt among the other medicine cats gathered near the entrance.
“A cat called Crag said we can use the nests over there.” Cinderpelt gestured to a cluster of shallow scoops in the earth floor, lined with moss and feathers.
“Will there be enough room?” Littlecloud wondered.
“The coldest and weakest can use the nests,” Barkface suggested. “The rest must sleep where they can find space. At least we’re safe from the snow and wind in here.”
“And there’s food.” Leafpaw nodded toward the pile of fresh-kill. Some of the Tribe cats were already taking pieces of prey and bringing them over to the Clans. Talon dropped a rabbit at Mudclaw’s paws. The WindClan deputy looked at it with hungry eyes and nodded a curt thanks to the cave-guard before taking the rabbit to his queens and apprentices
“We should get the kits into nests to warm up,” Mothwing mewed.
Leafpaw joined the other medicine cats as they began to usher the youngest cats and their mothers toward the soft hollows in the cave floor. As she helped to settle Tallpoppy and her kits into a nest, a long-bodied Tribe tom padded toward her. His fur was so streaked with mud she could not make out the color of his pelt. Only the white whiskers around his muzzle betrayed his age.
“Who among you is healer?” he asked.
Startled, Leafpaw looked back at him. Squirrelpaw had told her that the same cat was both healer and leader among the Tribe. Which did he wish to meet? She glanced toward Cinderpelt, but she was busy examining Dawnflower’s kits.
“I’ll take you to meet Firestar,” she decided. She led him to where her father stood in quiet discussion with the other Clan leaders.
“We must not stay long,” Blackstar was muttering. “The snows will only get worse.” He looked around as Leafpaw approached.
“This is Stoneteller.” Leafpaw dipped her head and backed away.
“You are healer?” Stoneteller asked Firestar.
“I’m leader of ThunderClan,” he replied. “Cinderpelt is our Clan healer.” He flicked his tail toward Cinderpelt, who was watching them with interest from the other side of the cave. “This is Blackstar, Leopardstar, and Tallstar.” Firestar nodded to the three leaders in turn.
“You are all leaders?”
“Yes, we are,” Leopardstar meowed.
Stoneteller’s gaze rested on Tallstar, whose eyes were half-closed with exhaustion. “You are not well,” he meowed. “We give you herbs.” He glanced over his shoulder, catching the eye of a gray tabby she-cat. “Bird, bring strengthening herbs.”
The tabby slipped away down one of the tunnels.
“The Tribe is grateful to your friends for killing Sharptooth. To Feathertail most of all. Her spirit will always be remembered by us.”
“She had her father’s courage,” Firestar agreed, and Leafpaw winced to hear the grief still raw in his voice when he thought of Graystripe.
“You must eat and rest,” Stoneteller went on.
“But after that we must continue our journey,” Blackstar meowed.
Stoneteller dipped his head. “We would not delay you.”
Bird returned with a mouthful of herbs and laid them in front of Tallstar.
Leafpaw felt her whiskers twitch with curiosity. “What herbs are those?”
Stoneteller’s amber eyes gleamed in the half-light.
“I am learning to be a healer,” Leafpaw explained quickly. “I know the herbs of the forest, but in the mountains…” She paused. “Everything is so different here.”
“I hope she isn’t bothering you.” Cinderpelt’s soft mew sounded beside them. “She’s very inquisitive.”
“Inquisitive is good in a healer,” Stoneteller rasped. “She will learn much.” He blinked kindly at Leafpaw. “The herbs are ragwort and lamb’s ears. Good for strength.”
“May I see some later, so I can recognize them if I find them again?”
“Of course.” Leafpaw felt warmth in this wise old cat’s voice, and she longed to learn from him, to understand the differences between Tribe and Clan. “Wing said you knew we were coming,” she meowed. “Is that true?”
Stoneteller nodded. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting showed me.”
“Do you share dreams with your ancestors?” Cinderpelt asked
“Share dreams?” he echoed. “No, I interpret the signs of rock and leaf and water, and know that this is the voice of the Tribe of Endless Hunting.”
“Cinderpelt interprets signs for our Clan,” Leafpaw mewed eagerly. “Signs sent by StarClan. She’s teaching me how to read them too.”
“She has a natural talent for it,” Cinderpelt added.
“Then perhaps she would like to see the Cave of Pointed Stones,” Stoneteller suggested.
“Cave of Pointed Stones?” Leafpaw echoed. “Is that like our Moonstone?”
“I do not know your Moonstone,” murmured Stoneteller as he turned toward one of the dark tunnels that led from the cave. “If it is the place where the voices of your ancestors speak loudest, then yes, it is like your Moonstone.”
Her tail twitching with excitement, Leafpaw padded after Cinderpelt and Stoneteller down the narrow passage. She wondered if they would have to travel as far down into the darkness of the earth as they did to reach the Moonstone; but within a few tail-lengths the passage opened out into another cave, sealed by walls of slippery rock.
Blinking as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Leafpaw peered around. It was much smaller than the main cave, but many more stone claws reached down from the roof, and some stretched up from the ground. A few had joined together, like paws meeting, and in the pale light that seeped from a gap in the roof, Leafpaw saw that they glistened with water, which trickled down into pools on the hard stone floor.
Stoneteller touched one of the pools with his paw and sent ripples flashing across it. “The snow will melt, and these pools will grow, and when starlight shines I will see in them what the Tribe of Endless Hunting wishes me to know.”
“How often do you share with the Tribe of Endless Hunting?” Cinderpelt asked.
“When the pools form,” Stoneteller replied.
“We meet at half-moon to share with StarClan….”
Leafpaw found her gaze drifting around the cave. She padded away from where Cinderpelt and Stoneteller were exchanging experiences and weaved among the stone claws until they were hidden from sight. Her paws felt heavy, and tiredness weighed on her pelt like water. She lay down on the damp stone floor and rested her nose upon her paws, mesmerized by the glitter of water dripping from stone. She closed her eyes. StarClan? Are you here?
Her mind swirled with the sound of rushing water. At the very edge of her thoughts, she heard the roaring of a lion and saw the rippling of shadowy pelts—pelts she did not recognize.Who are you?she asked desperately. Voices breathed back to her, speaking words she did not understand. Panic flooded Leafpaw, and she blinked open her eyes.
StarClan was not here. She could hear only the voices of the Tribe’s ancestors. Leafpaw had never felt so alone in her life.
Though Leafpaw begged her father to let another cat take her place, Firestar insisted she sleep beside Cinderpelt in one of the feather-lined nests on the cave floor.
“The Clan needs its medicine cats now more than ever,” he told her. “You must rest well.”
How could she rest? It was all she could do to lick her ruffled, dirty fur. She just hoped Cinderpelt had not noticed the alarm in her eyes after visiting the Pointed Stones. What will
we do without StarClan?The thought raced around her mind like a mouse trapped in its hole.
Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw were already asleep, curled up together near the back of the cave. As Leafpaw kneaded the soft feathers beside Cinderpelt, she saw Brook slip out of the cave, followed by Crowpaw and Stormfur. “Where are they going?” she whispered to Cinderpelt.
“They’re going to sit vigil for Feathertail,” Cinderpelt murmured, closing her eyes.
Leafpaw settled down beside her mentor and tucked her tail over her nose. She wondered which ancestors Feathertail hunted with now. She pressed close to Cinderpelt, seeking comfort from her warm gray fur. How could she sleep knowing that StarClan had not come with them on this journey? But she was exhausted, and as soon as she closed her eyes, she felt sleep draw her in.
A shining expanse of water spread before her, its indigo surface glittering with stars. Nothing stirred. Even the wind was still. Leafpaw watched the water, too scared look up in case the stars she saw reflected on the water were just an illusion. What if the sky was empty? It would be yet another sign that StarClan weren’t here.
Suddenly a breath of wind ruffled her fur. Leafpaw stared into the darkness, her fur quivering. A cat was speaking to her, so softly she could barely hear. She lifted her nose. The wind carried a familiar scent, too faint for her to be sure which cat it belonged to.
“Who’s there?” she cried.
The wind blew harder, swelling the sound of the whispering voice until Leafpaw could just make out what it was saying: “Wherever you go, we will search for you.”
Leafpaw turned to see the gentle face of Spottedleaf beside her. The tortoiseshell medicine cat’s eyes glimmered, reflecting the starry waters, but her body shivered like a heat haze, no more solid than the stars in the water.
“You haven’t left us!” Leafpaw breathed.
But Spottedleaf did not answer. The wind dropped and she faded into shadow.
“You’re cheerful today,” Cinderpelt mewed. She looked up at Leafpaw, who was sitting beside her, washing in the early morning light that shone through the waterfall.
Leafpaw stopped washing. “I had a dream,” she confessed.
Cinderpelt sat up. “Did StarClan speak to you?”
Leafpaw blinked. Would Cinderpelt be offended that Star Clan had chosen an apprentice for their message, and not ThunderClan’s medicine cat? “I’m sorry,” she began. “Perhaps they came when I was sleeping and you were awake, and that’s why they chose me—”
Cinderpelt cut her off with the gentlest touch of her tail on Leafpaw’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Leafpaw,” she mewed. “I’ve always known that you have a bond with StarClan that is stronger than anything I’ve seen before. It’s a great responsibility, and I’m very proud of how you cope with it.”
Leafpaw gazed at her, searching for words to express her relief and gratitude.
“What was the dream?” Cinderpelt prompted.
“It was very faint,” Leafpaw warned her. “But I know for certain that StarClan is still watching us, and I believe they will be with us wherever we are going.”
Firestar padded over, his fiery coat glowing almost white in the watery light.
“Are we leaving?” Cinderpelt asked.
Firestar shook his head. “It snowed all night, and Stoneteller says there’s more on the way. The Tribe is organizing a hunt so we’ll have enough fresh-kill to last out the bad weather.”
“Does that mean we’re stuck here?” Leafpaw mewed in alarm.
“For now.” Firestar watched Blackstar pacing back and forth in front of the cave entrance. “We’ll leave as soon as we can.”
“Leafpaw!” Sorreltail bounded over. “Do you want to come hunting with some of the Tribe?” She glanced at Firestar. “If that’s okay?”
Firestar turned to Cinderpelt. “Can you spare her?”
“Yes, of course,” Cinderpelt answered.
“Thanks,” Leafpaw mewed. After living in the forest it feltstrange to be cooped up in the gloomy cave, and despite the cold she welcomed the feeling of fresh air in her fur.
She followed Sorreltail over to Talon and Crag. Brook was with them, with Stormfur at her side. Leafpaw was startled to see how different Stormfur looked. His fur was streaked with mud, just like the Tribe cats’, and there was a toughness in his muscles that made him look more like a member of the Tribe than the skinny Clan cats.
“I hope they’re not going to slow us down,” Crag muttered to Brook and Talon. “We’ve got too many mouths to feed.”
“Of course they won’t slow us down,” Brook mewed. “Stormfur was becoming a good prey-hunter by the time he left.”
“I suppose he wasn’t bad,” Crag conceded. He glanced at Leafpaw. “You’re an apprentice, right? What are you hoping to be? A prey-hunter or a cave-guard?”
Leafpaw stared at him, not understanding.
“The Tribe divides its duties,” Stormfur explained. “The cave-guards protect the Tribe; the prey-hunters feed them. Brook is a prey-hunter and Crag is a cave-guard.”
“Then why are you coming hunting?” Leafpaw asked Crag hesitantly.
Crag let out an unexpected purr of amusement. “Who’s going to watch the skies while you’ve got your eye on the prey?” he asked, and Leafpaw remembered with a shudder the eagle that had attacked the Clan. She felt a prickle of resentment at Crag’s superior attitude, but resisted the urge to tell him she was an apprentice medicine cat; to a Tribe cat, that might sound as if she were claiming to be a leader.
“In the forest we could scent for danger and hunt at the same time,” Sorreltail mewed.
“Really? Well, how do you scent an eagle flying a mountain’s height above your head?” Crag retorted.
“Come on,” Brook meowed impatiently. “We’re wasting time.”
She led the way out from behind the waterfall and along a ledge that led them up among the peaks. The blizzard had died away, but the thick snow soon froze Leafpaw’s feet. The air was so cold, it almost hurt to breathe, and her eyes started to stream as soon as they left the warmth of the cave. But there was no way she was going to complain; she wanted to prove to Crag that forest cats could handle anything the mountain cats could. She stifled a shiver and glanced up. Heavy yellow clouds nested on the mountaintops, promising more snow.
As they neared a stunted thornbush, its branches weighed down with fresh snow, Brook stopped and crouched low. Crag and Stormfur flanked her, ducking down as well. Leafpaw copied them, pressing her belly flat against the snow beside Sorreltail. Brook stared at the bush, her nose twitching as though she scented prey.
Leafpaw sniffed. The smell of rabbit wafted past her on the breeze. Instinctively she started to creep forward.
“Stop!” Stormfur warned her with a hiss. “Wait and watch how Brook does it.”
Brook was as still as ice, only the faintest lift of her mud-streaked flank showing that she wasn’t a rock embedded in the snow. Just when Leafpaw began to think she would turn into an icicle if she stayed still any longer, a young rabbit hopped from under the bush, testing the air with its quivering nose.
It hopped closer, not seeing the cats flat against the snow. Leafpaw opened her mouth. The prey-scent was still strong near the bush, which was odd if the rabbit had come out into the open. Perhaps the rabbit had been sheltering there for a long time. Suddenly Brook shot forward and lunged at the rabbit. She caught it in her jaws and killed it with merciful speed.
Out of the corner of her eye, Leafpaw noticed the bush tremble. She darted forward just as a second rabbit fled across the snow. It raced toward a rocky outcrop, but Leafpaw was fast—and hungry—and caught it before it could escape.
“Well spotted!” Brook congratulated her with a warm purr.
“I could smell two scents,” Leafpaw panted.
Crag stared at her in surprise. “You smelled both rabbits at the same time?”
“We’re used to the forest with all its plants and prey,” she mewed, trying to explain. “The air up here is clearer; the scents are not so cluttered. It’s easy to spot different smells.”
Sorreltail blinked proudly at her, and Stormfur gave a small nod. Crag dipped his head in respect and, picking up one of the rabbits, led the way back to the waterfall.
Leafpaw sat near the entrance of the cave, warmed by the soft breathing of the cats around her. Dustpelt lay beside Onewhisker and Tallstar. Spiderpaw stretched out beside Crowpaw. Tallpoppy and Ferncloud shared tongues while their kits played together. Even Hawkfrost looked relaxed as he watched Mothwing grooming Morningflower’s pelt for fleas. In spite of the peaceful scene, Leafpaw felt a tremor of concern. She had never seen the Clans so comfortable around each other before, not even at Gatherings. StarClan may be waiting for them, but would there still be four Clans by the time they reached their new home?
She stared through the sheet of thundering water and saw the full moon trembling above the peaks. None of the Clan cats had mentioned that it was a full moon, and time for a Gathering. There was no need. Suddenly she heard rasping breath by her ear, and she turned to see Stoneteller looking down at her.
“You are watching the moon for signs?” he meowed.
“I was thinking of the Gatherings,” Leafpaw mewed.
“Gatherings?” Stoneteller looked puzzled.
“In the time before we left, the four Clans would meet in peace only at full moon.”
“Clans did not live in harmony?”
“Not always,” Leafpaw admitted. “Unlike you, we had clear boundaries between our hunting territories.”
Stoneteller glanced around. “Trouble has brought you together,” he observed.
“But there will always be boundaries between us,” Leafpaw insisted.
“Why? Together you find food easier.”
“There have always been four Clans. Loyalty to our own Clan makes us strong.”
“But you all share a belief in your StarClan?”
“We will all become warriors in StarClan eventually,” Leafpaw murmured. She gazed at the moon, a blurred white disk behind the falling water.
Stoneteller’s eyes glowed. “You are still a to-be, yet you are wise.”
Feeling her ears grow hot with embarrassment, Leafpaw looked away.
“We will have a gathering of our own tonight,” Stoneteller went on. He raised his voice. “Cats of the Clans and of the Tribe, we have not celebrated our deliverance from Sharptooth,” he meowed. “Instead we grieved for Feathertail, who died saving us. But tonight we shall honor the cats who came from far away and killed the terrible creature.”
Mews of agreement rose among the Tribe cats. The kits mewed with excitement, and the boldest of them padded over to where Tallpoppy’s kits played with Birchkit.
“Come and share with us,” the Tribe kit offered.
Birchkit glanced at his mother, who nodded, her eyes shining with warmth. Tallpoppy and Dawnflower quickly gave their approval, and the Clan kits wasted no time in following the Tribe kit across the cave.
One by one, the Tribe cats got to their paws and took a piece of fresh-kill from the pile. They placed each piece solemnly at the paws of a Clan cat until every cat had been served. The Clan cats watched and waited, unsure what to do.
Leafpaw’s eyes widened in surprise as Crag dropped a rabbit at her paws.
“May I share with you?” he asked.
She nodded shyly.
Stoneteller padded to the center of the cave. “We feast in honor of Feathertail,” he declared. “Her spirit will live forever in the Tribe of Endless Hunting. We honor too the cats who refused to desert us and returned to fulfill the prophecy of our ancestors.” He dipped his head in turn to Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Tawnypelt, Crowpaw, and Stormfur, who each straightened proudly.
“Now let us eat!” Stoneteller called, his mew echoing around the cave.
Crag took a bite from the rabbit he had laid on the ground and then pushed it over to Leafpaw. Guessing this was a custom of the Tribe, she took a bite and passed it back to him. Back in the forest, the cats had shared food too, but there was usually enough fresh-kill for each cat to have a whole piece each. She wondered if the Tribe’s formal sharing ritual arose from the scarcity of prey in the mountains.
After the meal, the cats lay, full-bellied, and quietly shared tongues. Tallstar limped to the center of the cave and gazed around at the cats until they fell silent. Onewhisker crept to his side, supporting the WindClan leader’s frail body with his own.
“Who’s that skinny old raven?” mewed a Tribe kit.
“Hush!” His mother cuffed him sharply. “That’s a very noble Clan leader!”
But though he had to lean on the young warrior, Tallstar’s eyes shone with as much strength and determination as a leader on his first life, rather than his last. “Crowpaw?”
The WindClan apprentice looked up, bewildered.
“Crowpaw has served his Clan with bravery and loyalty.” Tallstar’s voice cracked as he stifled a cough. “He should have received his warrior name long ago,” he rasped. “But the tragedies of the past moons have prevented this. Tonight, if Stoneteller will do me the kindness of letting a Clan ceremony into his Tribe’s home, I wish to honor Crowpaw’s great skill and courage by giving him his warrior name.”
Murmurs of agreement rose from the WindClan cats, but they turned to mews of surprise as Crowpaw stepped forward. This wasn’t part of the warrior naming ceremony.
“May I ask something, Tallstar?” he mewed.
Tallstar narrowed his eyes and nodded for him to go on.
“I would like to choose my own warrior name. If it is all right, I wish to be known as Crowfeather.” Crowpaw spoke so quietly, his voice was almost lost in the pounding water. “I wish to keep alive the memory of…of the cat who did not return from the first journey.”
Stormfur’s ears flicked, and he stared down at his paws.
There was a long pause; then Tallstar announced, “A noble request. Very well. I name you Crowfeather. May StarClan protect you and accept you as a WindClan warrior in life as well as after.”
The WindClan cats jumped up and went over to congratulate their Clanmate.
“That was a brilliant idea!” Squirrelpaw bounded over to Crowfeather’s side. Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, and Stormfur joined her.
“It’s a great name,” Tawnypelt agreed as Brambleclaw wound his lean body around Crowfeather, purring. Stormfur touched his muzzle to Crowfeather’s flank as if he were too moved to speak.
“Thank you,” Crowfeather murmured. He gazed past them at the waterfall, turned silver by the light of the moon. “I will sit my vigil tonight beside Feathertail’s grave.”
Leafpaw watched as he slipped away from his friends and Clanmates and padded out of the cave.
“So he’s a warrior now, yes?” Crag asked her, his eyes shining with curiosity.
“Yes.” Leafpaw got to her paws. “Thank you for sharing with me,” she murmured. The lonely moon called her from the crowded den, and she longed to search the clear sky for Silverpelt.
Padding out from behind the waterfall, she scrambled up the rocks and sat high above the pool where the tumbling water foamed and surged. The stars glittered overhead as Leafpaw gazed down to where Crowfeather sat vigil. He was sitting with his head bowed beside the low mound of rocks that marked Feathertail’s grave. Was she really with the Tribe of Endless Hunting rather than StarClan? Make her welcome,
whoever you are, Leafpaw begged silently.
She watched Crowfeather for a moment, her heart aching for his loss. Then she lifted her head and stared around the peaks, wondering if StarClan watched him too. There was a tranquillity in this high place she had not felt since she lay beneath the trees in the forest. In the bright moonlight, something caught her eye on a small ledge opposite the cave entrance, and Leafpaw thought she saw two silver pelts glowing beneath the stars. She was almost certain that two cats stood there, looking down at Crowfeather; one was slightly taller than the other, but their pelts were marked by the same mottled shadows, as though they were kin.
Feathertail and Silverstream?
Leafpaw blinked, and when she opened her eyes, the silver cats had vanished.
第十九章

第十九章
群猫默默地跋涉在草地上，犹如云彩的影子在地面移动。黑莓掌一直紧紧伴随在松鼠爪身边，替她挡着呼呼吹过的冷风，这让松鼠爪很感激。雨已经小了好多，天上的乌云被凛冽的寒风吹得零零散散，预示着天气会越来越冷。松鼠爪不禁打了个冷战，她抬起头，看到前方隐约有一个两脚兽的洞穴，似乎比巨岩还要高大。
田野上遍布着尖锐的草茬，踩上去，让松鼠爪的脚垫隐隐刺痛，因此，她更加想念林子下踩上去柔软舒服的感觉了。空气中充斥着陌生的气息：两脚兽的气息、纵横交错的雷鬼路上来回奔跑的怪物的气息，两脚兽巢穴里飘出来的新鲜的狗的气息，以及泼皮猫新近留下的气息。这么多猫汇聚在一起，比她以前曾经见过的所有猫都多。但即使被族群猫团团围着，松鼠爪仍像所有离家远行的猫一样，不由心里感到紧张。她扫视着灌木树篱。尽管没有风，但棕色的山毛榉树叶却疯狂地动着。松鼠爪一下子呆住了。
乌爪像一团苏醒过来的阴影，从他隐身的地方走了出来，惊讶地凝视着族群猫。随后，又有另一只猫从他身后的树篱里溜了出来。松鼠爪认出这只黑白花色的猫是巴利。就在几个月前，这只猫曾经同意乌爪让松鼠爪他们在两脚兽的谷仓里住了一晚。
“火星，是你吗？”乌爪的耳朵猛地抽动着，大声呼喊着老朋友。族群猫都停下来看着他。每只猫都知道，这只黑猫原本是雷族的学徒，后来被老师虎星逐出了营地。即使他在森林里待的时间很短，很多猫都跟他不熟悉，但是仍有很多猫在去高石山的路上见过他。
“你好，乌爪！”高星冲他点头致意。
“乌爪！”火星挤出猫群，跟自己的老朋友打着招呼。
“火星！”乌爪与雷族族长碰了碰鼻子，然后看看四周问道，“灰条在哪儿？”
火星眨了一下眼睛说道：“灰条没跟我们在一起。”
“他死了？”乌爪震惊得皮毛都竖了起来。
火星摇了摇头说：“两脚兽把他抓走了。”
“两脚兽？”乌爪重复道，“为什么？”
“两脚兽诱捕我们。”火星的声音十分阴郁，充满了悲伤，“我们被迫撤离森林。”
“什么？”乌爪抬起鼻子嗅了嗅空气，“是不是风族猫和河族猫跟你们在一起？影族猫也在？”
“两脚兽把我们四大族群的领地全毁了，”火星解释道，“我们如果还留在森林里，不是被饿死，就是被它们的怪物给撞死。”
“你们看起来都饿坏了。”巴利走过来说道。
“你好，巴利！”火星跟他打着招呼，“狩猎还顺利吧？”
“从你们的外表可以看出，我的情况肯定比你们好。”他直率地回答道。
“你们要去哪儿？”乌爪问。
“先到高石山，然后……”火星转头询问地看着黑莓掌。但黑莓掌只是沉默地看着他。
“你们今晚就跟我们待在一起吧，好吗？”乌爪问道，“这段时间猎物很多的。老鼠为了避寒，全都躲到谷仓里来了。”
“等等，乌爪！”巴利提醒他，“这么多猫根本不能全部挤进谷仓。要是两脚兽进来给牛取草料时看到了，肯定会大吃一惊的。”
“这倒是真的。”乌爪说道，“但我们肯定有办法帮助他们。”
“我觉得他们可以待在被废弃的巢穴里。”巴利建议道。
“对呀！”乌爪转向火星说道，“你知道那个地方吧——就是那次你和蓝星被大老鼠攻击后，藏身的那个地方？”
火星瞅了一眼天上变红的云彩，说道：“我希望我们晚上的时候能赶到高石山。”
“我们不能拒绝他们提供的猎物。”黑星争辩道。
火星点了点头。“你说得对。”他转向乌爪说道，“谢谢你们了。”
“我们先带你们安顿下来，然后再告诉武士们哪儿最适合狩猎。”乌爪说道，“猎物多的是，够每只猫吃饱肚子。”
松鼠爪听见群猫中传来一阵兴奋的低语声，幼崽听说终于有机会饱餐一顿了，便开始大声叫着，说自己早就饿得不行了。
“我们需要休息一下，还需要比你想象得多得多的大餐。”火星说道。
乌爪看着皮毛上沾满泥巴的老朋友，小声说道：“哦，火星，我认为我能想象得到。”
这个两脚兽的废弃巢穴没有顶，但现在雨已经停了，四面的石墙足以为众猫挡住凛冽的寒风。
“我认得这里。”风族猫后灰脚小声说道，“当时断星把我们赶出了风族领地，火星带我们回家时，就在这儿睡过觉。”
“我从没想过，我还会再回到这个地方。”网脚咆哮道。
幼崽和长老们满心欢喜地涌进巢穴，非常高兴能够躺下来休息。乌爪和巴利带着武士们去狩猎了，松鼠爪和鸦爪留在学徒中间照料他们。炭毛和叶爪在猫群里来回走动着，检查有没有猫在荒原上拼命逃生时受伤。
“松鼠爪！”叶爪喊道，“你能不能去外面找些浸湿的苔藓？猫后和长老太累了，走不动了。”
松鼠爪点点头，匆忙走出去，在庇护他们的古老石墙下扯下一大爪湿苔藓。
几只猫急切地接过去，用前爪挤出苔藓的水分，舔吸起来。等最后一位长老喝足了水，松鼠爪才得以安顿下来，让自己酸痛的脚爪休息一下。她正在一个角落里刚舒服地躺下，这时，武士们带着猎物回来了。顿时，温热鲜美的猎物的气息一下子飘散在庇护所里。黑莓掌在她的面前丢下一只肥美的老鼠，松鼠爪感觉自己开心得哆嗦了一下。
“你和我一起分享吧？”她邀请黑莓掌。
“不了！”黑莓掌说，“这全都是你的。”
松鼠爪吃完老鼠，撑得肚子都有些疼了。她从没有一顿吃过这么多东西，但这种撑得难受的感觉，比起可怕的饥饿的感觉，要好受得多。这是她回到森林以后，第一次感觉身体既温暖又饱足。
“这里是个休息的好地方！”高罂咕哝道，“要是再在露天里待一夜，我的孩子们肯定会受不了的。昨天在雨里淋了一夜，他们都快冻僵了。”
“今晚上他们会觉得非常暖和的。”香薇云也说道。
黑莓掌回来的时候，天已经黑了。他又带回一只老鼠，跟之前带给松鼠爪的那只差不多一样大，然后他在松鼠爪的身边安顿了下来。
火星躺在沙风身边，他那浅姜黄色的尾巴和沙风那暗姜黄色的尾巴，紧紧地缠绕在一起。“你今晚要和我们睡一起吗？”他对正站在巢穴入口、看着那些猫美餐的乌爪说道。
“是的，我想跟你们在一起。”他走到雷族猫聚集的角落。影族猫在对面的角落挤成一团，河族猫和风族猫也各占据了一个角落。
“我从没想过能再次睡在族猫中间。”乌爪喃喃说道。
“我多么希望不是在这种情形下跟你重逢呀！”火星叹了一口气。
乌爪的眼睛一下子暗淡起来：“你们怎样才能找到一个新家园啊？”
“星族会告诉我们的。”松鼠爪瞅了一眼黑莓掌，但黑莓掌没有抬头。“它们会吧？”她看向叶爪，对未来的这种不确定，让她觉得爪子再次刺疼起来。叶爪只是点点头，却什么也没说。
松鼠爪醒来的时候，冷冷的阳光已经照进了巢穴。她活动着爪子，想知道是什么时候了。这一夜，她睡得很香。她抬起头，看见父亲站在一块倒塌的石头上，那块石头位于巢穴的中央，成了一个天然的平台。他四周的猫全都懒洋洋地仰着头，在明亮的日光下，睡眼惺忪地眨着眼。
“我们这一觉睡得太久了。”火星说道，“太阳已经升得很高了。我们必须赶紧往高石山那儿赶。不管我们要去的地方在哪儿，都要有很长的路要走。”
泥掌撑着爪子站起来，脸上一副不情愿的表情：“为什么我们一定要离开这个地方呢？这里狩猎这么容易！”
“几个月来，我的孩子头一次吃饱了！”高罂插嘴道。
“这里的猎物的确很多。”高星赞同道。即使已经长长地睡了一觉，风族族长看起来还是那么疲惫和憔悴。
“乌爪只是邀请我们待一晚上。”火星争辩道。
“那又如何？如果我们决定再多待些时候，他又能怎样？”黑星挑衅地看着乌爪，“我的族群需要食物和栖身地。如果有必要，就算是动武，他们也会毫不犹豫。”
黑莓掌站了起来。“这里不是我们要去的地方。”他说道，“虽然说我不知道我们要去哪儿，但我知道，绝不是这儿。”
松鼠爪点点头说：“如果星族想让我们在这里安家，又何必派我们走那么长的路，赶到太阳沉没之地？如果真的是在这里定居，我们根本就不需要什么预兆啊！”
鸦爪的耳朵不停地抽动着。“我们既然已经上路了，就一定要走完旅程。”他怒吼道。
“我同意！”暴毛从河族猫所在的角落里说道。
“我也同意。”褐皮伸个懒腰，弓着背说，“我们必须继续走下去。”
“我认为他们说得对，”豹星出乎意料地说道，“这周围有很多两脚兽，如果它们的狗没拴紧怎么办？我们又得像现在这样，陷入困境。”
黑星眯起眼睛。“你说的也有道理。”他小声嘀咕道。
高罂不情愿地站起来，推醒她的孩子。“起来了，亲爱的！”她轻声说道，“我们要走啦。”
“但是这里真的很暖和。”其中的一个小家伙说道。
“而且这里有猎物吃。”另一个小家伙也吵吵道。
“无论如何，我们都必须走了。”高罂对他们说道。她沉闷的声音里透着疲倦，松鼠爪不由对这名勇敢的猫后生出一些同情。高罂走到入口处，她的孩子跟在她的身后。经过一夜的休息，众猫睡觉时压到的地方，毛发都翘了起来。
“我陪你们一起去高石山。”乌爪说道，用尾巴弹了弹火星的侧腹。
众猫依次从废弃的巢穴里静静地走出来，朝耸立在远方的高石山的峭壁走去。晴朗的天空下，山峰现出深色的身影。一阵风吹皱了松鼠爪的皮毛，她不由浑身哆嗦了一下。太阳已经西斜，如果他们为了迁就长老和幼崽，放慢脚步，那么，太阳落下地平线的时候，众猫肯定到不了高石山。
“那么，现在谁是雷族的副族长？”她听见乌爪问火星。
松鼠爪瞟了一眼黑莓掌，但黑莓掌正目不斜视地盯着前方。
“副族长还是灰条。”火星怒吼道。
乌爪惊讶地盯着他的朋友，说道：“但他已经失踪了啊！”
火星突然生气地看着他，眼睛里充满了痛苦。“我们被迫离开自己的家园还不够吗？别让我再放弃对这个朋友的最后一线希望。我知道，换作他，他也永远不会放弃我的。”他又迈步向前走去，“雷族已经有副族长了，没有必要再选个新的。”
太阳西沉的时候，高石山笼罩在蓝黑色的阴影之中。已经过了整整一天，猫群似乎还在这陡峭的石坡上奋力攀登着。他们的脚爪早已经累得酸痛，现在，他们终于筋疲力尽地躺在了母亲嘴前面。松鼠爪凝视着通往月亮石的巨大的黑色通道。族长和巫医们一到这儿，就消失在通道里面了。
“我希望你跟他们一起进去。”松鼠爪对姐姐说道，“那样一来，你就能告诉我星族说了什么。”
“豹星说现在还不是学徒进去的时候，火星同意了。”叶爪说道。
“你觉着星族会告诉他们什么事吗？”
“谁知道！”叶爪嘀咕道。
这时，传来碎石被爪子踩踏的声音，火星走出了通道，后面跟着高星、豹星和黑星。他们各自走进自己的族群，脸上没有透露出任何信息。
“我想知道发生了什么事！”松鼠爪焦躁地说道。
“他们不能透露任何事情。”叶爪提醒她。
松鼠爪沮丧得全身一阵刺痛。对叶爪来说，这当然很正常了，因为她与星族有着特殊的沟通方式，但她就不能帮帮那些没有这种沟通方式的猫吗？
“松鼠爪！”黑莓掌喊道。虎斑武士穿过猫群向她走来。“我们在那上面会合！”他对她小声说了一句，又冲着山顶点了一下头，“我们必须决定下一步该怎么办。”
松鼠爪歪着脑袋说：“我还以为，我们要去太阳沉没之地去找午夜呢。”
“这是我们确定自己做的是否正确的最后机会了。”黑莓掌答道，“在这之后，我们要带着族猫进入他们以前从没涉足过的地方。走吧。”
松鼠爪离开族猫，跟着他爬上陡峭的山脊。她看见暴毛从河族猫群里走出来，匆匆攀登到山脊高处，月光下，他灰色的皮毛闪闪发亮。褐皮和鸦爪已经坐在高低起伏的岩壁上，星星密布的湛蓝天空下，他们的身形清晰可见。
高石山的另一边是一片朦胧的世界，大片的黑色使松鼠爪大气都不敢喘。远处有白雪覆盖的山峰、陌生的猫、危险的动物、太阳沉没之地那一望无际的水域——那里是午夜生活的地方。松鼠爪身体战栗起来。哦，星族啊，我们该怎么办？
“我们前往太阳沉没之地寻找午夜，大家都同意吗？”黑莓掌问道。
褐皮的眼睛里充满了忧虑，说道：“我想不出我们还能怎么办。但如果它不在那儿怎么办？”
“这可是一条危机四伏的漫长旅程啊！”暴毛赞同道。
“当初，我真的相信我们会把他们带到安全的新家园。”松鼠爪说道。她想起他们从太阳沉没之地带回午夜信息时的兴奋，“我们会拯救他们的。”
“但也有可能恰恰相反，我们会把他们带入不必要的危险之中。”黑莓掌喃喃说道。
“为什么星族不挑选其他的猫来传递这个信息呢？”暴毛叹了一口气。
松鼠爪为他感到心痛。暴毛失去的太多了，他的妹妹死在上次的旅途中，现在两脚兽又把他的父亲抓走了。松鼠爪不禁靠近他，与他紧挨在一起。
“你们是不是认为祖灵抛弃了我们？”褐皮说道，她的声音里的恐惧令他们全都感到非常不安。
“是的。星族的确没有像午夜承诺的那样，给我们传送来信号，”黑莓掌承认，“你们谁看到过垂死的武士？”
“也许指的是泥毛？”暴毛暗示道。
“可泥毛是巫医啊！”松鼠爪说道。
“午夜会知道两者的差别吗？”褐皮小声说道。
几只猫互相看着，一起陷入了沉默。
“但泥毛是死在河族领地的！”一个不安的疑问一下子自松鼠爪心头升起，她的心里顿时翻腾起来，“如果泥毛的死是一个信号，那我们岂不是完全走错了路！”
五只猫面面相觑，眼睛里充满了恐惧。他们都在想象，当他们对族长说，他们必须带着族群回到森林中，再次面对怪物时，族长们会做何反应。
噢，星族啊，我们是否带错了路！松鼠爪仰脸看向天空，闭上了眼睛。当她再次睁开眼睛的时候，一道移动的光亮吸引了她的注意。她屏住呼吸，其他猫也顺着她的视线看了过去。在他们头顶，一颗流星划出银色的轨迹，然后消失成一道闪光。
“垂死武士！”松鼠爪深吸了一口气。这就是他们一直在等的信号，星族的一位武士祖灵牺牲自己，给他们指明前进的道路。那颗流星在夜空中燃烧后留下的痕迹，微弱得就像一根蛛丝，一直延伸到地平线上那高低起伏的山峰处。
“现在，我们知道要往哪里走了。”黑莓掌轻声说道。
“我们要越过群山。”松鼠爪说。
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 24
Squirrelpaw hurried after Stormfur along arocky trail that only days ago had been buried beneath a tail-length of snow. He seemed determined to cross most of the mountains in search of prey. The rocks echoed with the drip, drip, drip of melting ice. Even the deepest snowdrifts were thawing. Dark gray rainclouds rolled toward the mountains, carried on a milder wind that was releasing the peaks from the grip of the snow and ice.
Not for the first time, Squirrelpaw wondered why the RiverClan warrior had asked her to go hunting when back in the cave the Clans were getting ready to leave. They wouldn’t be able to carry any fresh-kill with them; perhaps Stormfur wanted to catch some prey to say thank you to the Tribe for their hospitality.
“Why isn’t Brook coming hunting with us?” she panted. The prey-hunter had seemed like Stormfur’s shadow in the past few days.
Stormfur concentrated on jumping onto a boulder, and didn’t reply.
“Have you had an argument with her?” The RiverClan warrior was clearly troubled by something. His shoulders were hunched, and he had hardly spoken since they left the cave. She scrabbled awkwardly onto the boulder next to him, her mind racing. Had Stormfur asked Brook to join the Clans, and travel with them to their new home? The thought made Squirrelpaw’s tail quiver. It wouldn’t be the first time an outsider had joined the Clans. Her own father had been raised as a kittypet. But at least Firestar had been born near the forest. Brook was a mountain cat, and Squirrelpaw knew that wherever the Clans settled, it would be nothing like this barren place.
She spotted a mouse on the ridge ahead, tiptoeing out from a crevice to find food. She hissed a warning to Stormfur, who stopped and crouched down, waiting until the mouse had wandered farther onto the trail. Though she longed to make the catch, Squirrelpaw knew Stormfur’s coat would be more easily camouflaged here, and she pressed her orange belly as close to the ground as she could, hoping that stillness would keep her hidden.
Stormfur held still for another moment, then pounced. He snapped the mouse’s spine and turned back to face Squirrelpaw, the fresh-kill hanging in his jaws.
“Is that a parting gift for Brook?” Squirrelpaw prompted gently.
Stormfur blinked.
“Look, what’s wrong?” Squirrelpaw asked, unable to bear seeing her friend so troubled.
Stormfur dropped the mouse, suddenly looking exhausted. When he lifted his head, his eyes were shadowed with uncertainty. “I’ve decided to stay with the Tribe.”
“What?”
“I’ve lost Feathertail and Graystripe, and I never knew Silverstream. I have no kin left in the Clans. Even my mentor, Stonefur, is dead. Apart from Feathertail, he was the closest thing to kin that I had in RiverClan. I don’t even have a home anymore. It feels as though everything has been stolen from me, one thing after another.”
“But what about your Clan?” Squirrelpaw protested. “RiverClan needs you.”
“RiverClan has good, strong warriors.” He looked into Squirrelpaw’s eyes and must have seen the wary look there. “Even Hawkfrost,” he meowed as if he could read her mind. “RiverClan will be safe without me.”
“But this is such a different place,” Squirrelpaw argued. “Once we’ve found our new home, you can start again….”
“Oh, Squirrelpaw, can’t you understand? I love Brook, and I want to stay with her.”
“I thought you might ask her to join the Clans!” Squirrelpaw blurted out.
Stormfur shook his head. “She would be lost without the mountains. But I know that I can live here. There’s water here—noisier than the river—but it’s still water. There’s plenty of fresh-kill, now that I know how to hunt like the Tribe. And my sister’s spirit is here….” He let out a long sigh. “All the Clans have lost their homes, but I feel like I have lost more than any cat. This is the first time in many moons that I feel as if I have actually found something.”
“There’s no need to say any more,” Squirrelpaw whispered sadly. “I understand.”
As they walked back to the cave, her mind whirled. Once again, everything had changed, just when she thought there was nothing left to lose. They slipped behind the waterfall, and Stormfur carried the mouse to the fresh-kill pile, while Squirrelpaw stood at the cave entrance feeling dazed.
“Squirrelpaw!” Leafpaw rushed up to her. “Stoneteller has given us strengthening herbs to share with the Clans.”
Squirrelpaw stared at her. “Th-that’s great,” she mewed.
“Are you okay?”
“Leafpaw!” Cinderpelt was calling to her across the cave.
“I have to go,” Leafpaw breathed, turning away. “WindClan are waiting for the herbs.”
Squirrelpaw watched her go, her eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom. Another shape loomed toward her from the shadows, and her heart sank as she recognized the massive tabby shoulders. What did Hawkfrost want with her?
“Squirrelpaw?”
She blinked. It was Brambleclaw. He was looking at her quizzically. “Are you coming in?” he meowed. “We have to make sure everyone’s eaten.”
Squirrelpaw felt dizzy.
“Is something wrong?” Brambleclaw stared at her.
Squirrelpaw shook her head helplessly. Across the cave, she could see Stormfur murmuring something to Brook.
Brambleclaw followed her gaze. “Stormfur’s staying, isn’t he?”
“He wants to stay with Brook,” Squirrelpaw whispered.
There was a long pause. “You’ll miss him, won’t you?”
“Of course I will!” Squirrelpaw replied, surprised. She turned to look up at Brambleclaw and saw a flicker of something in his amber eyes. Was he feeling jealous? “Oh, Brambleclaw,” she breathed. “My heart is with ThunderClan; don’t you know that?” She lightly brushed her tail along his flank. “My heart is with you.”
His eyes closed, and Squirrelpaw suddenly hoped she hadn’t said the wrong thing. Then he blinked them open again and looked at her so gently that she felt as if she could have stood there forever.
“We must all follow our hearts,” he murmured. Squirrelpaw’s fears about what lay ahead seemed to dissolve in an instant, like mist in greenleaf. She would lose a friend when Stormfur stayed behind, but she would never be alone.
A movement caught her eye. Stoneteller was padding to the center of the cave.
“The Clans are leaving,” he announced to his Tribe. “I want some of you to go with them to show them the path out of the mountains. They head for hillplace, not sunset, so take them along the path that leads toward the Great Star.”
Squirrelpaw felt a rush of excitement. Were the Tribe cats going to take them straight to where the dying warrior had disappeared behind the mountain range?
Stoneteller dipped his head to each of the Clan leaders in turn. “I wish the cats of StarClan good hunting.”
“Thank you, Stoneteller.” Firestar dipped his head. “Your Tribe has shown us more kindness than we could have dreamed of, and we are sad to leave. But we are expected at another place promised to us by our warrior ancestors.” He turned to the other Clan leaders. “Tallstar, is WindClan ready?”
The WindClan leader stared at him, his eyes clouded with confusion, then glanced at Onewhisker, who was standing next to him. Onewhisker nodded back at him encouragingly, but before Tallstar could say anything, Mudclaw raised his head. “We’re ready,” he meowed.
“ShadowClan is ready too,” Blackstar called.
Leopardstar raised her tail. “All my cats are ready.”
“Not all of them.” Stormfur stepped forward. “I’m staying here.”
There was a stunned silence from all the cats. Then Dustpelt spoke. “You can’t leave your Clan now!”
“He is free to choose,” murmured Tallpoppy. Her eyes rested on Brook, her gaze gentle and understanding.
“Graystripe’s kit would not make such a decision lightly,” Sandstorm put in.
Firestar looked thoughtfully at Stormfur. “I remember how hard it was for Graystripe to choose Silverstream over his Clan,” he mewed. “But from that difficult choice, you and Feathertail were born. Without you both, everything would have been different for the Tribe and for the Clans. Feathertail killed Sharptooth, and you finished a difficult journey to bring StarClan’s message back to us. No cat can question your loyalty and courage, nor criticize your choice, for as your father proved, great things come from listening to your heart.”
Approving murmurs echoed around the cave until Leopardstar silenced the cats with a sharp yowl.
Squirrelpaw’s pelt prickled. Would Leopardstar let her warrior go?
The RiverClan leader stared at Stormfur, her eyes narrowed. “Stormfur,” she meowed at last, “RiverClan will miss your courage and skill, but so much has changed in our lives that it is not impossible we will meet again, in this life or the next.” She dipped her head, accepting Stormfur’s decision without anger. “I wish you well.”
Brook brushed her tail against Stormfur’s flank as the Clans filed slowly out of the cave. Squirrelpaw looked sadly back at her friend, wishing he could at least be part of the patrol that would accompany them to the edge of the Tribe’s territory. But Stormfur stayed where he was, his gray pelt glowing in the shimmering light of the waterfall, his eyes betraying the depths of his grief. However much he wanted to live with the Tribe, Squirrelpaw knew that watching the Clans leave without him must be like losing Silverstream, Feathertail, and Graystripe all over again.
“Do you think he’ll be all right?” she asked Brambleclaw.
He gave her ear a swift lick. “I do.”
They followed the other cats out of the gorge and up into the peaks, the sun to one side of them as they headed along the mountain range.
“Do you think they’re taking us the right way?” she whispered to Brambleclaw.
Brambleclaw blinked. “I hope so.” He craned his neck. “It does seem to be the same direction we saw the star fall. I just hope they don’t lead us too far and we miss it.”
As he spoke, the Tribe cats veered their path and headed down through a winding pass. The ground suddenly fell away and the land rolled ahead of them, hill after hill, grassy here, shadowed with woodland there. From where the Clans stood, on the edge of the mountains, the greenness seemed strange after the endless gray and white of the crags. In the sunshine Squirrelpaw could see streams glimmering among the bare trees like silver birch bark in an oak forest.
“Is that it?” Brambleclaw breathed.
“‘Hills, oak woods for shelter, running streams.’” Squirrelpaw found herself quoting Midnight’s prophecy.
“But there’s so much of it!” Tawnypelt had slipped beside them. “How will we know where to stop?”
Brambleclaw shook his head, and they stared in silence until a flicker above their heads caught Squirrelpaw’s eye. Something was moving on the crest of the rocks that lined the mountain pass. Her pelt prickled with fear. Was it an eagle? She forced herself to look up and saw that it was not a bird. It was Stormfur and Brook, racing along the ridge, calling their good-byes to the departing Clans.
As Stormfur bounded nimbly from rock to rock, Brook matched him step for step, so that their pelts brushed each other’s with every leap. Stormfur’s mud-slicked fur was visible only when he crossed a patch of snow, and Squirrelpaw could not help thinking that the RiverClan cat looked almost Tribe-born.
第二十章
第二十章
黎明的寒意冻醒了叶爪，她向炭毛靠得更近一些。身下的石头似乎带走了身体上的全部热量，空气非常寒冷，叶爪一睁开眼，就看见自己呼出的气雾。她站起来，伸个懒腰。天空已经露出鱼肚白，昨夜留在岩石上的霜正泛着微光，一股新鲜的气息向她飘来，使她口舌生津。原来是乌爪嘴巴里挂着一只新抓的野兔爬上了山坡。
其他的雷族猫仍挤在岩石的低洼处，呼呼地熟睡着。雷族猫睡觉的地方距其他族群猫有几个狐狸身长的距离。兔子的气味唤醒了他们。当乌爪从他们身边经过的时候，雷族猫都开始抬起了头。火星正在活动自己的身体，沙风站在他的身边。乌爪将猎物丢在雷族族长的爪子前。
“这是告别的礼物。”乌爪说道。
火星注视着他。“我真希望你能跟我们在一起，”他说道，“我已经失去了灰条，不想再丢下另一位朋友。”
乌爪摇摇头，说道：“我的家就在这里。但我永远不会忘记你，我保证，我会永远等着你。”
叶爪的心里一阵刺痛，她不知他们是否还会回来。她只知道前方的路很漫长，却根本不知道到底有多漫长。
“我们一起经历过那么多事情。”火星轻声说着，回忆起了往事，他的眼神顿时变得迷离起来。“我们亲眼看着蓝星死去，虎星被打败……”他叹了口气，“发生的那么多的事情，就像川流不息的河水。”
“在我们加入星族的行列之前，还会有很多水流过的。”乌爪宽慰他道，“这不是终点，只是开始。你需要狮子一样的勇气，来面对这趟旅程。”
“失去了这么多，我几乎已经没有了勇气。”火星眼睛布满了愁云，“我从没想过，我会离开森林！即使血族来袭击族群的时候，我也只是宁死保卫我的家园。”
乌爪将尾巴轻轻地抚过火星的腹部。“如果我看见了灰条，我会告诉他，你们往哪儿走了，”他保证着，然后郑重地点了一下头，“再见，火星，祝你好运！”
“再见，乌爪！”
这只黑色的独行猫向山下跳去。叶爪不禁为父亲感到心痛，他失去了两个最亲密的老朋友——其中一个至今还生死未卜。她看到沙风将脸贴在父亲的脸上，就像在提醒他，他并不孤单。
炭毛一只一只地换着抻直前腿。“我们要检查一下每只猫，确保他们已经为前方的长途跋涉做好了准备。”她对叶爪说。
叶爪点了点头。她回想起昨天晚上，松鼠爪和另外几只猫从山顶回来的时候，他们的眼睛里都闪着兴奋的光芒。
“我们看到垂死武士了！”黑莓掌激动得气都喘不匀了。
“你们收到信号了？”火星正在沙风的身边打盹，听到黑莓掌的话，一下子跃了过来。
“你们怎么能够确定呢？”炭毛问道。
“有一颗星闪耀着光芒划破了夜空，”松鼠爪解释道，“然后消失在群山的后面。”
黑星从影族聚集的岩石上跑过来，不解地问道：“难道这就是我们当初在巨岩那儿要等的信号？”
褐皮盯着他，露出恍然大悟的样子。“当然了！午夜所说的巨岩，一定是指月亮石的巨岩，而不是四棵树的巨岩！”
暴毛点点头，说道：“午夜从没到过森林，所以，在它看来，这里的岩石就很巨大，我们却以为它指的是四棵树那里的巨岩。”
豹星挤到了众猫的前面，问道：“那么，群山的后面有什么？”
“群山？”香薇云一下子紧紧地搂住了小白桦。
“上次我们就是穿过群山，找到了太阳沉没之地。”黑莓掌解释道，“但这次星星坠落的地方，似乎更远一些。”
鹰霜眯缝起了眼睛，说道：“如此说来，我们要另找一条路线前进了？”
“那也不一定。”黑莓掌对他说。
“翻越群山时，走我们上次走过的路会安全一点。”褐皮说道，“否则，我们就有可能迷路，更何况随时都有可能下雪。”
“翻过了群山，我们再朝着星星坠落的地方走。”松鼠爪插话道。
叶爪看到妹妹的胡须抽动着，黑莓掌坐在岩石上，伸缩着爪子，好像已经迫不及待地准备上路了。但在他们眼睛里，也有一些难以言明的惶恐，因为他们知道，前方一定会遇到各种艰难险阻。叶爪不禁心里一惊，她不知道星族为什么要选一位垂死的武士给他们指路。因为这对未来充满希望的族猫来说，无疑是一个险恶的征兆。
“快点吧，叶爪！”炭毛的声音让她醒过神来，她的思绪重新回到这个寒冷的早晨。
“炭毛！”叶爪犹豫着说，“你觉得星族发来的那个信号，是不是意味着，它们会和我们一路同行？”
暗灰色皮毛的巫医向她投去意味深长的一瞥，回道：“但愿如此吧。”
“你也不敢确定？”叶爪问道。
炭毛向四处看了看，确定附近没有其他猫，然后才开口说道：“昨天我们去了月亮石，但我几乎没有听见星族的声音。”
“但它们一定说了什么了？”叶爪焦虑地问道。
炭毛眯缝起眼睛：“我知道它们在对我说话，但我却没法听清它们说的是什么，它们的声音好像是被呼啸的狂风给淹没了。”
“你什么都没听清吗？”
“什么都没听到。”炭毛闭上了眼睛，过了一会儿，又说道，“但是我确实感觉到它们就在那儿。”
“它们肯定也跟我们一样，经历了很多磨难。”叶爪喃喃道，“它们在天上看着森林被毁坏，却无力阻止。那种感觉一定很难受，毕竟那里也曾经是它们的家园。”
炭毛点了点头：“你说得对。但是它们也会像我们一样，总会恢复过来的——只要五大族群仍然存在。”
“我们迁移到了新地方，它们能找到我们吗？”叶爪焦急地问，“它们知道去哪儿找我们吗？”
“这些问题，我无法回答你。”炭毛直起身，声音变得轻快起来，“走吧，族猫还需要我们的照料呢。”
叶爪走向乌爪放下兔子的那个地方。兔子仍原封不动地丢在父亲的身边。武士们已经组成狩猎队，出去狩猎了。
“我可以把这只兔子带给香薇云和小白桦吗？”她问道。但火星没有反应，似乎仍在深思中。
“当然可以。”沙风说道。
叶爪不安地抬头瞅了一眼母亲，问道：“火星会同意吗？”
火星扭头看着她。“当然没问题。”他说道，“去吧，给香薇云送去吧。”
叶爪叼起地上的兔子，快步走到紧拥着小白桦的香薇云身边。这只小虎斑猫冷得直打哆嗦，香薇云拼命地舔着他，企图让他暖和过来。
“睡在露天里实在太冷了！”看到叶爪，香薇云抱怨道，“我几乎完全没有休息。”她盯着小白桦，眼睛里充满了担忧。叶爪知道她被吓怕了，生怕一醒来就发现，自己的最后一个孩子也失去了生命。
“给你，”她将兔子丢在地上说道，“吃了猎物可能会好点。”
香薇云的眼睛一下子亮了，她感激地看了一眼叶爪，撕下一条后腿，推给小白桦。“吃吧，”她催促道，“我们过去总吃兔子肉，现在已经好几个月没尝过它的味道了。”
“你自己也吃一点。”叶爪劝香薇云。
“我会吃的。”香薇云保证道。
叶爪的肚子也开始咕咕叫了，她希望狩猎队能早一点回来。她四处瞅着，想看看有没有其他猫需要帮助。但大多数的猫都在轻快地四处走动着，活动着僵硬的四肢，或是在岩石上的小坑里舔水喝。黑莓掌、松鼠爪等猫正坐在山顶附近。灰色的岩石被阳光晕染成了玫瑰色。
叶爪听见白爪缠着黑莓掌说：“告诉我们，那里到底是什么样子？求你了！”
黑莓掌转头看着远方的群山说道：“很快你们就会知道了。”
“但是如果你提前跟我们讲了，我们就会做好心理准备了！”蛛爪提醒道。
“他说得对，”白爪说道，“你应该让我们有心理准备。”
黑莓掌将尾巴从爪子上拿起来，认输地叹了一口气，说道：“好吧，那里有很多羊，长着蓬松的毛，看起来就像长着腿的云。不过它们没有危险，但当你们看到它们的时候，一定要当心附近的狗，因为两脚兽会利用狗来管理羊群。当然，那边也有雷鬼路，不过那些路大多数都比较窄，但我们要穿过很多那样的路。接下来，就有很多山……”
他的声音越说越小，叶爪感觉阵阵寒风穿透了她的皮毛。山上有什么东西，让这些猫如此害怕？他们能带领族猫越过那个地方吗？“哦，星族，你们到底在哪儿？”如果能让她相信，星族一直和他们一路同行，她也许就不会如此害怕了。
叶爪从没想过，在高石山之外，还存在着如此广袤的世界。眼前是一片又一片的田野，草地上点缀着三五成群的羊，看起来真的像黑莓掌描述的那样，好像一朵朵白云。松鼠爪走在叶爪的身边，呼出的气息凝成了一团团白雾。
“你还记得这儿吗？”叶爪问道。
“记得一点点。”松鼠爪说。
“所以我们走的路就是对的？”
“是的。”
叶爪很想知道，妹妹为什么说话如此勉强。她看见松鼠爪跟黑莓掌交换了一个担忧的眼神。黑莓掌整个早上都在猫群中穿梭，先是走在一侧，然后又走到另一侧，就好像担心丢了谁似的。
这时，叶爪感觉空气都在颤抖，远处传来轰隆隆的声音，吓得她停住了脚步。听这声音，好像暴风雨就要来了，但眼前晴朗的天空又告诉她，这根本是不可能的。她仰起鼻子嗅了嗅空气：是雷鬼路！
“应该是一条很宽阔的雷鬼路！”松鼠爪提醒道。
当他们离雷鬼路越来越近的时候，隆隆声变成了轰鸣声，叶爪感到臭气让自己的喉咙有些发痒。走在前面的猫放慢了脚步，跟后面赶上来的猫挤在了一起，但众猫仍尽量跟自己的族猫靠在一起。松鼠爪挤上前去，叶爪跟着她。她俩一直走到一条渠沟跟前，渠沟两边都是陡峭的斜坡。沟渠那边，就是一条雷鬼路。
“我们应该让幼崽先过去。”火星率先走进窄窄的渠沟里。叶爪跳下去站在栗尾身边，爪子在绿油油的草地上滑了一下。雷鬼路上，怪物从两个方向轰鸣着相向而行，叶爪感到爪下的地面都在颤动，身子不由得缩了起来。
“就让每个族群自己找机会过雷鬼路吧。”泥掌坚持说道。
“还是让我们河族先过吧！”鹰霜大声说道。
“并不是所有的武士，都像河族武士那么强壮。”豹星似乎有些不满，“火星说得对，我们应该先帮助弱小的族群过去。”
“我们风族不需要你们的帮助！”泥掌低嘶道，“而且，那也会让我们风族乱成一团，族猫该不知道听谁指挥了！”
“那么，由你来指挥我们大家怎么样？”火星讥讽道。
“除了我，谁也不能指挥我们影族武士！”黑星咆哮道。
黑莓掌挤出猫群，来到火星身边。叶爪离他很近，能闻得到他身上紧张的气息。“你们再这样吵下去，只会让族猫们白白丧命！只要能保证每只猫安全地抵达对面，由谁指挥真的那么重要吗？”黑莓掌说道。
黑星贴平了耳朵，鹰霜则猛烈抽打着尾巴。
“让他继续说下去。”火星提议道。
“我来引导雷族，”黑莓掌说，“鸦爪引导风族，褐皮带领影族，暴毛带领河族。”
“鸦爪不能引导风族，”泥掌争辩道，“他只是个学徒。”
“那你以前走过这条路吗？”黑莓掌问他。
“没走过。”泥掌气哼哼地说道，“但我以前指挥过我们的族群！”
“鸦爪绝对没有问题！”黑莓掌低嘶道。
暴毛没有理会他们，径自挥动着尾巴，招呼河族猫走到雷鬼路边上他蹲伏的地方，然后再等候他下一步的指令。一只怪物呼啸而过，阳光下，它的皮毛闪闪发光。等这只怪物走远了，暴毛一声令下，河族猫开始蜂拥着穿过雷鬼路。叶爪在众猫之中搜寻着曙花的身影，很快就发现了她那淡灰色的皮毛，两位河族武士帮她带着两只幼崽。叶爪不禁松了一口气。
这群猫刚走到雷鬼路的对面，叶爪就听见另一只怪物来势汹汹的轰鸣声。感谢星族，河族猫全都安全过去了！正当她抬起头，想看看那只怪物离他们还有多远时，她看到了令她心惊胆战的一幕：泥掌根本不等鸦爪发出指令，直接命令风族猫穿越雷鬼路！
这只怪物呼啸着朝风族猫冲了过来，鸦爪顿时吓得大惊失色。“快点！”他急忙叼起一只幼崽奔向对面。他把那只幼崽丢到路边，又飞奔回来。“快把幼崽带走！”他命令道。他的爪子蹬着滑溜溜的雷鬼路，叼住另一只幼崽的后颈，再次跑向路对面。另外几位武士和学徒也叼起最后的几只幼崽，跟着他跑了过去。几只猫后也快步跟了上去，只剩下长老晨花落在后面。
“快跑啊！”叶爪大吼一声。
火星正蹲伏在叶爪上方的雷鬼路边缘，盯着正冲过来的怪物，判断自己能否及时赶到晨花那里。
“待在那儿，别去！”黑莓掌冲他大吼道。
火星趴得更低了，耳朵平贴在脑后。“继续跑！你能跑过去的！”他冲着风族母猫大喊着。怪物像旋风一样冲过来，突然，它在雷鬼路转了个方向，直扑火星。叶爪顿时感觉恐惧如浪潮般朝她涌来，她不由自主闭上了眼睛，心想，这下子火星一定会变得血肉模糊。
但是这一切并没有发生。叶爪的眼睛睁开一条小缝，看见怪物从火星身边擦过，因为离得太近，它带动的风把火星的毛都要给扯掉了。那只怪物没有减速，呼啸着跑开了。叶爪终于敢睁大眼睛了，她看到晨花仍一瘸一拐地努力穿越着雷鬼路，她的族猫全都在雷鬼路的另一边引颈注视着她。火星从雷鬼路边退了回来，肚子剧烈地起伏着。
“还好火星平安无事。”栗尾伸出鼻子，碰了碰叶爪的肩膀。
“我还以为他死定了。”叶爪轻声说。
“你的父亲是很勇敢，”栗尾小声说，“但是他并不傻。”
叶爪转身看见影族正在等着过雷鬼路。她希望黑星能从泥掌的鲁莽举动中吸取教训，能更谨慎些。此时，影族族长正看着褐皮。
一位学徒刚想向前冲去。
“回来！”褐皮喝道。那位学徒听到她的话，退回到自己的族群里。
“我们要一起冲过去！”她说着看了一眼黑星。黑星向她点点头。
视野之内已经没有任何怪物。黑星小心翼翼地往前迈了一步，仰起鼻子嗅了嗅空气。“快跑！”黑星大喊一声。影族猫纷纷跳出渠沟，争先恐后地跑向雷鬼路。高罂的孩子被几位武士带着，她自己也跟着族猫向前跑，犹如一条鱼在水中向下游拼命游去。等影族猫全部顺利到达了对面，才看到一只怪物往这边冲了过来，大地再次颤抖起来。叶爪这才放下心来，长舒了一口气。
“等这只怪物过去了，我们就跑。”黑莓掌大声叫道。
突然，远处传来一阵微弱的哭声，叶爪顿时僵住了。是高罂的孩子。那只幼崽又跑向雷鬼路，因为分不清方向，他只是在坚硬的路中间转着圈，哭喊着找妈妈。
尘毛和鼠毛肚子紧贴着地面，准备冲出去救那只幼崽。
“等等！”黑莓掌命令道，“太危险了！”
族群猫顿时呆住了。
高罂奋力挤出影族猫群，想去救她的幼崽。就在此时，离幼崽更近的河族猫后曙花冲上雷鬼路，一口叼起那只幼崽，跑向路边，然后把他放到草地上。接着，她便开始飞快地舔着那只幼崽。
突然，曙花停了下来，困惑地舔着自己嘴巴，因为她这才意识到那不是自己的孩子。她有些不好意思地瞟了一眼自己的族猫。这时高罂冲过来，一口叼起了自己的幼崽。叶爪很紧张，心中暗自祈求高罂不要生河族猫后的气。没想到高罂只是满眼感激地冲曙花低头致谢，然后，才带着她的幼崽离开了。
“我就是被困在那处栅栏那里，然后被羽尾救了出来。”松鼠爪用鼻子指着面前闪闪发亮的网子。雷鬼路已经被他们远远地甩在身后，叶爪的爪子总算不颤抖了。多亏松鼠爪一直给她讲述上次经过这儿的事情，有效地分散了她的注意力。“当他们几个还在争论怎么救我的时候，”松鼠爪接着说，“羽尾已经往我的皮毛上抹了许多嚼好的羊蹄叶糊，然后，我就像鱼一样，滑了出来。”
“不过，你的皮毛也被扯掉了很多。”暴毛提醒道。松鼠爪伸出前爪，开玩笑地拍了他一掌。
这里看起来并不危险，没有两脚兽和狗的新鲜气息，只有很多羊咩咩地叫着，但它们根本就没有理睬这些猫。众猫散开开始穿越草地，每个族群的猫聚在一起。只有鸦爪、褐皮、黑莓掌、松鼠爪和暴毛从各自的族群里走出来，轮流在队伍前后跑来跑去，防止有猫掉队。
高星看起来很疲惫，一根须整天守在他的身边。另外几个族长不时瞄两眼这只上了年纪的风族猫，显然有些担心。
天色阴沉，寒风吹皱了群猫的皮毛。青面提议道：“我们应该找个地方休息休息。”
“前面有一片灌木丛，”火星说道，“我们在那儿找个地方休息。”
另几个族长也点点头。于是，众猫爬上斜坡顶，走进了树林。脚爪陷入苔藓的感觉，让叶爪心里非常开心。
“我闻到了狐狸的气味。”黑星警告道。
“狐狸的气味不是很新鲜。”豹星仔细地嗅着空气，说道。
“但狐狸有可能在我们睡着的时候回来。”泥掌说道。
“应该让所有的猫睡在一块儿。”曙花大声说道，与此同时，她伸出尾巴拦住一只胖乎乎的圆脸虎斑小公猫，不让他去追树林里的虫子。“躺下，小滚！”她责备地说。
“幼崽和猫后睡在猫群的中间，”一根须提议道，“他们必须待在最安全的地方。”他说着又瞄了一眼高星：“年事已高的猫也应该睡在最里面。”
“很好，”黑星表示同意，“每个族群派两位武士进行警戒。”
叶爪走向栗尾，由衷地感谢星族，有蕨丛让她栖身。她想，有四大族群围在周围，还有浓密的灌木丛挡风，小白桦一定会很暖和，香薇云今晚可以睡个安稳觉了。树林里很安静，只有猫头鹰的叫声偶尔打破寒冷的沉寂。这里不是他们的家，四大族群乱糟糟的气息混杂在一起，使叶爪的鼻子总是不停地抽动着，但她觉得很安全。于是，她蜷缩在炭毛身边，很快就沉沉地睡去。
叶爪跟随猫群向太阳下落的方向跋涉着，她已经学会如何穿越雷鬼路了。虽然四大族群仍然分头穿越，但猫后们都会互相照应，看护着彼此的孩子。猫后们已经发现，怪物的噪音和臭气会让幼崽搞不清方向。族群间的界线就像风雨中的蜘蛛网一样，开始慢慢消融。
“今天傍晚的时候我们就会走到大山跟前。”黑莓掌预测道。叶爪正在进行早间检查，查看猫的受伤情况和伤口有没有感染。
“我们已经离大山这么近了？”叶爪凝视着远处的山峰，不知什么时候，那些大山已经从地平线上的一道微小的线条，变成了眼前险峻的巨石了。看到山峰最高处的积雪，她不由得打了个寒战。有些猫已经开始咳嗽了，叶爪很担心会有猫染上绿咳症，在秃叶季里，这种病足以彻底摧垮族群。
“叶爪！”火星喊道，“你要不要自己去狩猎？”
“好呀！”她热切地回答道。她一直忙着照料族群，不是用蛛丝敷伤口，就是拿羊蹄叶治疗擦伤，一路上总是忙着和炭毛一起采集最好的草药，已经有好多天都没出去狩猎了。
“你跟黑莓掌和松鼠爪一起去吧，”火星吩咐道，“看看你能不能抓一两只老鼠回来。”
松鼠爪立刻跳到叶爪的身边，问道：“我们去哪里抓呀？”
“那边的田野上应该有很多老鼠。”黑莓掌用尾巴指着灌木篱墙那边开阔草地说道。
“我们赶紧走吧！”松鼠爪催促道。
黑莓掌跟着她冲了出去，叶爪跟在他俩后面。穿过树篱，叶爪发现自己已经置身于一片长满野草的地方了。
黑莓掌和松鼠爪沿着草地边缘前进，叶爪则走到了被秃叶季的风雨吹倒的长草丛中。她立刻就闻到了老鼠的气息。过去几个月的森林生活，他们一直忍饥挨饿，叶爪都不敢相信自己会这么走运。她伏下身子，悄悄地在草丛里潜行，很快就发现了猎物的新鲜踪迹。片刻之后，她就瞄见草丛深处有个棕色的身影正在乱动，便立刻猛扑了过去。
就在她的爪子拍向地面的瞬间，那只老鼠逃走了。叶爪扑了个空，一下子拍在老鼠刚刚坐过的那片草地上。
“看来你只适合在森林里狩猎。”鹰霜高傲的声音把叶爪吓了一跳。她转身，发现这位河族武士正把尾巴盘在爪子上，冷眼看着她。
“你就没有别的事情可做吗？”叶爪毫不客气地说道，“比如给你自己的族群捉些猎物？”
“我已经抓住了三只老鼠和一只画眉，”他说，“我认为，我可以休息一下了。”
叶爪正在想着要怎么回复他，却见鹰霜仰起鼻子嗅了嗅空气。“有狗！”他发出嘶嘶的叫声，“往这边来了。”
这时，叶爪听到草丛中传来沉重的爪子落地的声音。她一脸惊恐地看着周围，不知道该往哪个方向跑。
“快回树篱那里！”鹰霜命令道。
叶爪开始跑了起来，但是一声怒吼吓得她顿时僵住了。她回头看去，看到鹰霜弓着背，拦住了那条正狂叫着的黑白花色的狗。河族武士发出嘶嘶的声音，猛地往前一跳，顺势伸出爪子抓向狗的鼻子。
“黑莓掌！松鼠爪！救命啊！”叶爪大吼了起来。
那条狗猛地扑向鹰霜，鹰霜连忙跳到一边。那条狗猛地转身，咬向鹰霜所在的位置。
“小心！”黑莓掌从叶爪身边的草丛里冲了出来，一下子跳到狗的背上，锋利的爪子紧紧插进狗的皮毛。狗跳跃着，号叫着，试图把黑莓掌甩下来。但黑莓掌紧紧抓住狗的皮毛，狗拼命地转过头，张开嘴朝黑莓掌咬去，它的嘴巴离黑莓掌的脸只有一只老鼠那么远。黑莓掌吓得松开了爪子，一下子被甩到了地上。还没等他回过神来，狗就转身瞪着他，愤怒地淌着口水。
就在这时，鹰霜抢到黑莓掌的前面，锋利的爪子对准狗的口鼻抓了过去。黑莓掌也急忙爬起来，加入了战斗。叶爪站在那儿，恐惧得腿都动不了了，只能看着两位武士在自己眼前闪转腾挪，宽阔的肩膀忽左忽右，仿佛是本尊和影子交错出现。
狗终于两条腿夹着尾巴，慢慢开始后退。鹰霜立起两条后腿，冲着狗发出嘶嘶的威胁声。那狗又狂叫两声，然后朝树篱的方向逃走了。
“黑莓掌，你没事吧？”叶爪喘着粗气问道。
“没事，我很好。”
“幸亏有我来救你。”鹰霜嘲笑道。
“是我救了你，别忘了！”黑莓掌反驳道。
鹰霜耸耸肩。“就算是吧！”他很不情愿地承认道。
“好吧，我觉得，是你吓破了那狗的胆子。”黑莓掌承认道。
“发生什么事了？”这时，松鼠爪从长草丛里匆匆赶了过来，“我闻到了狗的气味。”
“有一条狗攻击我们，结果黑莓掌和鹰霜把它吓跑了。”叶爪讲述道。
“你不是在开玩笑吧？”松鼠爪惊讶地叫道。
“我要走了。”鹰霜生硬地说道。他俩刚刚经历的死里逃生，并没有让鹰霜变得友善一些。不过，看到河族武士走开了，叶爪倒是感到非常高兴。
“走吧，我们去继续狩猎。”黑莓掌说着，就跳进草丛里。
“快点，叶爪！”松鼠爪扭头对着身后喊道，“你得先吃饱肚子，才能向大山进发。”
叶爪抬头看着远方白雪皑皑的山峰，真希望自己也能有妹妹那样的勇气。四大族群历经艰辛，好不容易才走到这儿。但接下来的岩石、冰雪和险峻得令他们眩晕的悬崖峭壁，幼崽和长老们该如何应付啊？武士和学徒们该怎样帮助他们克服困难啊？她闭上眼睛，心里默默地祈求着星族。但除了听到自己那空荡荡的回声外，似乎没有一位武士祖灵在听她的话。她的心中一下子害怕了起来。
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 25
Leafpaw shook the drizzle from herwhiskers and padded after the others up the heather-covered slope. They had trekked all morning, leaving the snow and mountains behind, chased by the rain that rolled down from the mountains after them.
“Have you noticed Tallstar?” Sorreltail whispered, padding beside her.
The WindClan leader was walking beside Onewhisker through the banks of heather. Despite the rain, he no longer leaned against Onewhisker’s flank, but padded confidently, as if he finally believed he was within reach of his Clan’s new home. He pricked his ears as a rabbit darted from a boulder farther ahead. Onewhisker glanced at his leader, and, when Tallstar nodded, he darted after the rabbit. Tornear and Webfoot raced up the slope after him.
“I think the smell of the heather has given WindClan some of their old spirit back,” Leafpaw purred.
All the cats seemed more relaxed than they had been in the mountains, not just WindClan. Blackstar padded next to Firestar. Dustpelt walked alongside Russetfur, the heather brushing his striped flank as he talked comfortably to the ShadowClan deputy.
“I never thought I’d see Dustpelt so comfortable around the other Clans,” Leafpaw commented.
“He’ll soon be back to his old self,” Sorreltail replied matter-of-factly, “once we’re settled in our new home and things are back to normal.”
“There will always be four Clans,” Leafpaw murmured, half to herself. But would there really? Looking around, she realized with a shock that it was impossible to tell from the throng of cats where one Clan ended and another began.
“I’m just glad to be out of the mountains,” Sorreltail mewed. “Stormfur was brave to stay.”
“He had so little left in the Clans,” Leafpaw murmured.
“Well, I’d rather be here,” Sorreltail decided.
“Even though we don’t know where we’re heading?” Leafpaw asked her, surprised.
“Look at this place!” Sorreltail flicked her tail at the land around them. “No sign of monsters or churned earth. And it’s good to smell prey again.” She swiped her tongue around her lips.
As she spoke Onewhisker came trotting back toward the Clans, a rabbit dangling from his jaws. Leafpaw knew she was right—this place felt safer than anywhere they had been for many days and nights—but with no sign from StarClan, was it really their new home?
“Leafpaw!”
Cinderpelt’s voice shocked her into wakefulness. She blinked open her eyes. It was still dark.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, struggling to her paws and staring around the shadowy copse where the Clans had sheltered for the night. A chilly wind whipped between the trees.
“Firestar wants to set off as early as possible,” Cinderpelt told her.
“Why can’t we stay here?” Leafpaw heard Birchkit’s fretful mew and, as her eyes became accustomed to the predawn light, she saw him staring up at his mother, crouched between the roots of a tree.
“We can’t stop yet.” Brambleclaw’s deep mew rang out before Ferncloud could reply. “StarClan will tell us when we have found our new home.”
“But the sign might come if we wait here,” Dustpelt meowed.
“Wait here?” Mudclaw glared at the ThunderClan cats. “These trees may feel like home to you, but not to us.”
“The streams here aren’t wide enough for fish,” Leopardstar pointed out.
Squirrelpaw nodded. “We must keep going.”
“Going where, exactly?” Hawkfrost growled.
Squirrelpaw narrowed her eyes. “Do we have to know everything?”
Brambleclaw flicked his tail to silence her, then glanced at Cinderpelt. “Have you had any sign from StarClan?”
Cinderpelt shook her head. “Not me. But Leafpaw had a dream,” she meowed.
Leafpaw’s heart lurched as the eyes of all the Clans turned to her, gleaming in the half-light. “I-I don’t know if it was a sign,” she mewed quickly. “I dreamed I sat before a great stretch of shining water….”
“Shining water?” Leopardstar interrupted. “You mean a river?”
Leafpaw shook her head. “No, not a river. These waters were smooth, not churning. I could see Silverpelt reflected, all the stars shining as clearly as if they were swimming in the sky.”
“Is that all?” Blackstar demanded.
“Spottedleaf was there too, and she told me StarClan would find us,” Leafpaw forced herself to meet the ShadowClan leader’s gaze even though her legs were shaking.
“So we should head for water?” Tallstar mewed hopefully.
Leafpaw’s ears twitched. “I think it was just a dream,” she whispered. “I’ve had no sign from StarClan since.” She looked unhappily at her paws. “I’m beginning to think I just dreamed what I wanted to.”
“Then we have nothing,” Blackstar muttered, turning away.
“Are you sure it was just a dream?” Brambleclaw asked Leafpaw.
She searched her heart for the truth. “I don’t know.”
She had never been wrong about her dreams before, but if the dream had really carried a message from their warrior ancestors, wouldn’t some sign—a falling star, another dream—have told them by now that StarClan was with them in this strange place?
“Well, we’ll just have to keep going.” Brambleclaw padded out from the trees. A grassy bank sloped down in front of him to a narrow valley. Beyond, a ridge rose into the indigo sky, its curving side shadowed by forest.
As the cats began to pad out of the copse, still blinking and stretching, Leafpaw glanced up at the sky. Clouds obscured the stars.
“Don’t worry about the sign.” Her father’s voice surprised her, and she turned to find him standing beside her. “You are still an apprentice medicine cat,” he murmured. “You shouldn’t feel responsible if StarClan wishes to remain silent.”
She gazed gratefully into his emerald eyes as he went on. “I’m proud of you. And Squirrelpaw too—even though Cinderpelt’s prophecy frightened me for a while.”
“Cinderpelt’s prophecy?” Leafpaw echoed.
“StarClan’s sign that fire and tiger would destroy the Clan.”
Leafpaw blinked. Cinderpelt’s ominous warning seemed a lifetime away now.
“Now I think I understand what it meant.” Firestar gazed after Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw as they led the cats down into the valley. Their fur glowed like the moon and its shadow in the gloom. “The daughter of Firestar and the son of Tigerstar did destroy the Clan,” he meowed. “But not as I feared they would. They led us from our old home, away from danger and into the unknown. Many would have been put off by the difficulties that faced them, but they held on to their faith and brought us all to safety.” He glanced at Tawnypelt and Crowfeather prowling protectively on either side of the Clans. “The cats who first crossed the mountains—whether they are still with us or live among other warriors—will always be honored by every Clan for their courage.”
He flicked his tail, then bounded away to catch up with Sandstorm. Leafpaw felt a surge of pride in her sister, and gratitude to her father for being willing to trust Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw to lead them to a place of safety.
She weaved her way to Sorreltail’s side as they reached the foot of the slope and began to climb upward again on the other side of the valley.
“I’m hungry,” Sorreltail complained.
“It’s nearly dawn,” Leafpaw answered her. “I’m sure we can hunt then.”
“At least it looks like good hunting territory here,” Sorreltail commented, looking around at the young beech trees that crowded the slope.
Leafpaw recognized her sister’s voice drifting from up ahead. “I can smell prey and leaves and ferns like we had back in the forest!” Squirrelpaw bounded back to them. “I hope we get some sort of sign here.” She peered through the trees to where Brambleclaw’s pelt flitted through the shadows like a fish. “I hope he’s all right. He’s hardly spoken today.”
“He’s just worried,” Leafpaw reassured her.
“What do you think the sign will be?” Sorreltail fretted.
Leafpaw shook her head. “I don’t know,” she admitted. Beneath the trees, she could hardly see a pawstep in front of her, but she followed the scents of her Clanmates as they climbed steadily upward.
As if every cat were waiting for something, tension rippled through the Clans, stiffening muscles and making pelts bristle. No cat spoke as they reached the top of the ridge. They filed along its treeless crest in a single line, silhouetted against the murky sky. A cool wind breathed over them, and Leafpaw felt it ruffle her fur. She closed her eyes for a moment and sent a desperate prayer to StarClan.
Let Spottedleaf ’s words be true. Show me you are waiting for us,she begged.
The breeze grew stronger, tugging at her fur, and far above them the clouds shifted to reveal the moon, shining round and bright onto the cats below.
Leafpaw opened her eyes, and her breath caught in her throat. On the far side of the ridge, the ground sloped steeply away to a vast, smooth expanse of water. All the stars of Silverpelt were reflected in the lake, glittering silver against indigo-black, as if they were swimming in the night sky.
Leafpaw’s heart flooded with joy. She knew with all her heart that they had reached the end of their journey. Her faith had been enough, and their warrior ancestors had been waiting for them all along.
She lifted her gaze. The distant horizon was reddening as dawn began to push away the night, gradually revealing more of the Clans’ new home.
This is the place we were meant to find, and StarClan is here
第二十一章
第二十一章
族群猫走在通往山顶的小路上，从山里吹下来的冷风，带着凛冽的寒气，厚厚的云团遮住了整个天空。叶爪从昏黄的天色判断，应该快要下雪了。
黑莓掌和暴毛带领着队伍沿着陡峭的峡谷边缘前进。这里的森林很不一样，完全超出了叶爪的想象。这里只有很少的树木，树很矮，而且长满了疙瘩，牢牢地攀附在光滑的灰色石头上。这里看起来根本没有猎物的生存空间。长达数月的饥馑，使风族猫的皮毛非常稀疏，根本无力抵御寒冷，但他们仍然低着头，一声不吭地缓缓前行着。高星看起来像树叶一样脆弱，不时倚靠在一直陪伴在他身边的一根须身上。影族猫看起来略强一点，但他们也都眼神疲惫、步履缓慢。河族猫也显得毛色黯淡，昔日光滑的皮毛似乎只存在他们的记忆之中，他们似乎都已经不记得，上次吃饱肚子是什么时候的事了。
高罂的一只幼崽望着耸立的峭壁，眼睛瞪得跟猫头鹰似的，怯生生地问道：“我们真的要爬上去吗？”
“是的。”高罂表情阴郁地回答道。
晨花停了下来，僵硬地抬起一只爪子，舔了舔脚垫。
“你还好吗？”叶爪问这只年迈的母猫。晨花的爪子在流血。叶爪抬起头看着前方的队伍，发现松鼠爪和黑莓掌正并排走着。“松鼠爪！”
松鼠爪立刻扭过头来。
“我们可以停一会儿吗？我需要给晨花治疗一下脚爪。”
“我去告诉火星。”松鼠爪回答道。
“你需要什么东西来治疗吗？”黑莓掌问道。
“如果能找到的话，帮我弄一些蛛丝和紫草来。”叶爪看着眼前荒凉的大山，对能找到这些东西几乎不抱什么希望。
走在队伍中间的蕨毛也抬起了头说道：“我们也去找找看。”他小声对身边的猫说了些什么，然后群猫一只传给另一只。很快，所有族群的武士都开始在山岩间搜寻起来。
叶爪给晨花的爪子做着检查。“你必须保持脚爪干净。”她说道，“但是如果你不停地用舌头舔它的话，伤口就不会愈合。”
这时，青面挤到她俩跟前，问道：“怎么啦？”
“走得太久，脚垫磨破了。”晨花轻声说。
“这个管用吗？”黄毛走过来，在地上吐出一嘴树叶。
叶爪仔细嗅了嗅，这些树叶闻起来跟她过去常用的草药的气味不一样。于是，她舔了舔一片叶子，尝了尝味道，然后大胆吞了下去。叶子的味道很苦，还有些涩涩的，让她想起了金雀花的味道。“可能有用。”她看着青面，问道，“我们要不要试试？”
青面嗅了嗅其中的一片叶子，说道：“有点像我们当初在老家荒原上用过的什么东西。”
“你们就试试吧，”晨花提议道，“如果有效，你们就可以给其他猫用了。如果我特别难受的话，我会马上告诉你们的。”
叶爪嚼烂树叶，用它绿色的汁液清洗着晨花的爪子。
老猫皱了皱眉，叶爪赶紧停了下来。“没事，”晨花哼哼道，“只是有点痛。你继续吧。”
就在这时，蛾翅跳了过来，一只前爪上缠着黏黏的白色蜘蛛网。
“太好了！谢谢你！”叶爪小心翼翼地从她的前爪上取下蜘蛛网，尽可能都敷在晨花肿胀的脚垫上。“如果伤口又疼了，就赶快告诉我。”
“我会的。”晨花轻轻地将爪子按在地面上。“感觉不错，我还能继续走。”她说道。
黑莓掌匆忙回到队伍的前面，猫群又出发了。松鼠爪低着头，静静地走在叶爪的身边。
“你们回来的时候，走的是这条路吗？”过了一会儿叶爪问道。
“我……我觉得是。”松鼠爪嘟哝道。
叶爪惊奇地瞟了她一眼。他们之所以会走上这条路，是因为褐皮说他们以前走过这条路，所以走这条路会好走一些。她还以为松鼠爪认得这条路呢。她向前望去，山谷越来越窄，最后变成了岩石间的一道裂缝。“难道你没看到什么熟悉的东西？”
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛说道：“从这个方向看过去，跟上次看到的很不一样。再说了，上次是急水部落的猫带我们走的。”
叶爪倒吸了一口气，不知道路上会不会遇见部落猫。部落猫身上涂着泥巴，他们信仰着跟族群猫不一样的祖灵，生活在满是岩石和冰雪的世界。
猫群艰难地跋涉着，越爬越高，只有暴毛看起来很轻松。从一块岩石跳到另一块岩石上时，他毫不费力，看起来根本就不像是河族猫。甚至连他的皮毛，也跟周围光秃秃的灰色世界颇为协调。
过了一天又一天，众猫继续向上爬着，似乎永远也爬不到头。山势越来越险峻，众猫都感到有些头晕目眩，但峰顶仍遥不可及。晨花的脚垫已经好多了，叶爪也一直在采集治愈了她脚伤的草药。
“你们确定没走错路吗？”栗尾小声问道，“这条路真的是越走越窄了。”
栗尾说得对。众猫正走着的这条小路通往一个盘旋于万丈深谷间的石台。小路的一侧是深渊，另一侧是垂直升起的岩壁。风从缺口处呼呼地刮过，就像水在渠沟里不断流淌，使劲地扯着叶爪身上的皮毛。她顶着寒风，眯起眼睛死死地盯着前面的路。
众猫排成一列纵队，沿着石台小心翼翼地探着前行。
“看紧幼崽！”黑星冲着队伍大声喊道。他的回声在峡谷里回荡，听起来很是可怕。
石台随着大山的起伏顺势而上，延伸到两座山峰间的一条狭窄的通道之中。众猫踩在小路边缘的碎石子上，发出咯吱咯吱的声音，不时有砂砾掉落到下面的阴影处，沙沙作响。叶爪紧贴着山岩，心怦怦地跳得很厉害，她甚至能感受到身后栗尾呼出的热乎乎的鼻息。
突然，前方传来一声惨叫，一块巨大的岩石哗啦啦地坠入深渊。狭窄的小道上出现了一个洞，影族学徒烟爪躲避不及，直直地掉了下去。烟爪拼命抓住崖边，爪子不住地在岩石上扒拉着。影族副族长黄毛探出身子想抓住他，但她的体重让更多的石头掉了下去，烟爪抓住的岩石突然垮塌了下去。黄毛急忙往后一跳，好不容易才稳住了自己的身子。只见那位学徒在空中不断地翻滚着，然后消失在黑暗中。
一位影族猫后身子探出悬崖，大叫道：“烟爪！”
“快回来！”暴毛大喝一声。他像鱼一样绕过众猫，来到影族猫后的身边，把她拽了回来。
众猫全都惊得僵住了，叶爪只能暗暗祈求星族，赶快接走那位学徒。黑星看着悬崖的下方。“我们也无能为力了！”他说着直起身，“我们只能继续往前走。”
“你就准备这样丢下他不管了吗？”猫后痛哭了起来。
“他掉下去根本不可能活下来。而且我们也没办法找到他的身体。”黑星伸出鼻子蹭了蹭猫后的身体，“我很抱歉，夜翅。影族不会忘记烟爪的，我保证。”
带着震惊和悲伤，眼窝凹陷的众猫再次动身前行。每只猫都紧紧地贴着悬岩走，即使岩石擦得他们皮毛生疼也毫不在意。烟爪摔下去的那个地方留下了一个缺口。幸亏长尾走在队伍的前面。叶爪想都不敢想，如果要是这只失明的公猫跨过那个缺口，那该怎么办啊。可是现在仍有几只猫在那个恐怖缺口的另一边。
暴毛蹲伏在缺口的一边，爪子紧紧攀住岩壁。“来吧，”他冲着风族学徒鼬爪喊道，“这边很安全，你很容易就能跳过来。”
鼬爪盯着下方的黑漆漆的山谷，眼睛一下子瞪圆了。
“其他猫因为等你都快冻僵了。”暴毛终于失去了耐心，怒吼道，“别想那么多，只管跳！”
鼬爪抬起头，眨着眼睛。终于，他蹲伏下来，将重心后移，然后伸出前腿就跳了出去。就在他要落地时，暴毛抓住了他的后颈，将他放到另一边的路上，然后转向下一个。
“我的孩子跳不了那么远！”高罂害怕得往后退。
“你能不能把他们递过来？”暴毛说道。
高罂耳朵顿时平贴了起来：“不行，距离太远了！”
“我过去把他们带过来。”鸦爪小心翼翼地从暴毛的身边挤过去，纵身一跳，落到高罂前面。高罂盯着鸦爪，眼睛里露出害怕的表情。“我不会让他们掉下去的。”鸦爪保证道。他叼起那只最小的幼崽，走到缺口边上。那只幼崽在他的嘴巴下使劲挣扎着，恐惧的叫声在峡谷里回荡。高罂的眼睛瞪得大大的，紧紧地盯着鸦爪。鸦爪一跃而起，在暴毛身边落地，爪子下的石子如雨点般落下。叶爪对他敏捷的身手惊叹不已。
“把他看好了！”他说着，把幼崽轻轻地放在小路上，然后转身跳回去接下一只。
当三个孩子都安全地过来以后，高罂才长腿一蹬，轻松地跳了过来。“谢谢你！”她喘着气说道。她伸出鼻子触碰着每个孩子，然后轻轻地推着他们，继续往山顶爬去。
“我们帮其他猫跳过来，”鸦爪对暴毛说道，“你待在这边，我到那边去。”
轮到叶爪的时候，她的腿哆嗦得厉害，真害怕自己在缺口处站不稳，直接掉下去。
“没事！”鸦爪轻声说道，“没你想象得那么难。”
叶爪感到鸦爪那温暖的呼吸吹在自己皮毛上，她努力把注意力集中在起跳上，而不是面前的无底的深渊。她知道，如果是在森林老家，脚下是柔软的林下地面，她想都不用想就能跳那么远。但眼前的这个缺口，就像一条幽深的河流，会一直拖着她往下跌落。
“什么都别想！”暴毛大喊道。
叶爪鼓足勇气，抬起眼睛，感觉着爪子下的石头边缘。星族啊，帮助我！她蹲伏下身子，然后起跳，落地，最后刹住了爪子。停下时力道太大，她感到爪子一阵刺痛。
“干得漂亮！”暴毛大喊道。
叶爪慢慢转过身，看到栗尾正在等待起跳。于是，她往后退了一步，给栗尾让出落脚点。栗尾向她猛冲过来，刚刚跳到缺口的边缘，叶爪连忙探出爪子，抓住了她的脖颈。
“谢谢！”栗尾颤抖着长出了一口气。
“别客气！”叶爪含着一嘴玳瑁色的皮毛含混地说道。
“其他猫赶快跟上！”暴毛说道，“我们要确保所有的猫走在一起。”
他们小心翼翼地继续向山上爬去。高罂已经消失在狭窄的峡谷之中。叶爪跟在她的后面，希望尽快离开这段险峻的悬崖。峡谷过去是一道开阔的缓坡，向下通向另一个山脊。缓坡的一侧是直指云霄的绝壁，另一侧是地势和缓的山坡，坡上巨大的石头中间，长着石楠和野草。众猫像影子一样在岩石间缓缓走着，炭毛在众猫之间穿行，检查着每只猫的身体状况。
叶爪的肚子开始咕咕叫了起来，她希望山谷里或岩石缝里会藏有一些小猎物。自从进山以后，大家几乎就没吃过什么东西。两脚兽的田野里猎物非常丰富，但那已成为遥远的回忆。这里似乎都找不到够一个族群吃的猎物，更别说四个族群了。
“看样子已经有猫开始狩猎了。”栗尾说道。褐皮正领着一小支队伍，向山谷的一侧爬去。黑星则带着两位影族武士，朝下面较远处的一块凸出的岩石而去。
“叶爪！栗尾！”
叶爪听到父亲喊她俩，便跳了过去。
“黑莓掌正在组织狩猎队，”火星说道，“你俩跟他们一起去。”
“我是不是应该留下来帮助炭毛啊？”叶爪问道。
火星看了暗灰色皮毛巫医一眼，说道：“没有猫受伤，只有几只猫受到了惊吓。炭毛告诉我，她应付得来。”
“好的。”说完，她赶紧跟栗尾一起跑向黑莓掌。
“小白桦还好吗？”经过香薇云身边时，叶爪停下来问道。
“他很好。”香薇云让她放心，接着她看了看天上的云，说道，“但是好像马上就要下雪了……”
小白桦眯起眼睛看着叶爪。“为什么柯蒂不跟我们一起来啊？”他抱怨道，“是你叫她走的吗？”
叶爪摇摇头。“她有自己的家。”她柔声对小白桦说道。
“但是我和她一起玩得很开心！”
“等我们到了新家，有的是时间玩。”香薇云向他保证道。
“如果我们能够到达那里的话。”栗尾喃喃说道。
“我们当然能到达那里。”叶爪对她说道，希望自己的声音听起来很有信心。
当她们走近的时候，松鼠爪抬起了头。“黑莓掌正在给武士们解释部落猫是怎么狩猎的，”她小声说道，“我们觉得这对我们的狩猎很有帮助。”
“大家要记住，在这里狩猎时，你们要静止不动，而不是悄悄潜行。”黑莓掌说。
“但我们不是部落猫，我们是族群猫！”一根须争辩道，“为什么我们要像他们那样狩猎？”
“因为这里不是森林！”黑莓掌大声说道，“这里没有灌木丛做掩护，猎物马上就能看见你。所以，在这儿，你只能蹲守，屏气凝神，要与大山融为一体，这样，猎物才会向你跑来。”
“什么猎物会这么傻啊？”鼬爪不屑地说道。
“这是部落猫教给我的！”黑莓掌眼睛闪着光，“如果你们不想饿肚子，就按他们的那种方式狩猎！”他摇了摇尾巴，又说道：“蛛爪，你跟我来。松鼠爪，你跟雨须一起；你们俩……”他看着叶爪和栗尾，“你们俩一起。”
“那我们该到什么地方去狩猎啊？”叶爪向山谷里瞅了一圈儿，看着巨大的石头以及黑乎乎的岩缝，想起了那只导致羽尾丧命的巨猫，不由得打了个寒战，“这里安全吗？”
“如果你们够机灵的话，这里算是很安全的。”黑莓掌用尾巴指着他们上方一块向外凸出的石台提议道，“你们可以先到那里试试。”
栗尾点点头，向山坡上爬去。顿时，沙土和石子落下，洒在下面的猫身上。叶爪抖了抖身上的沙子，跟着爬了上去。她累得脚垫酸痛，但是并没有停步，一直爬上了那块石台。栗尾向她弹了一下尾巴，示意她安静。叶爪立刻闻到了熟悉的老鼠的气息。她在栗尾的身边蹲伏下，盯着岩缝里长出的一蓬野草，静悄悄地，一动也不动。她想起了黑莓掌的建议，但她饿着肚子，实在很难保持这份耐心。
没过多久，草丛开始抖动，于是，栗尾开始非常缓慢地潜行过去。突然，草丛里一闪，一只老鼠冲了出来，向岩石缝里钻了进去。叶爪吓了一跳，栗尾却跳起来就追，结果一下子滚下了石台。
叶爪一下子想到了烟爪摔到峡谷后消失的情景。但她强作镇静，大着胆子往山谷下望去。令叶爪大松一口气的是，栗尾活着。只见栗尾害怕地哭号着，连滚带滑地顺着陡峭的山坡往下滚去。随着一声刺耳的响声，一棵矮小的山楂树挡住了她。山楂树在她的重压下不停地颤抖着，但总算是没让她继续往下滑。
“栗尾！”叶爪喊道，“你怎么样啊？”
雷族武士抬头看着她，大眼睛里充满了惊恐。“我没事，”栗尾说道，“只是爪子划伤了。”说完，栗尾开始沿着山坡往上爬。
栗尾蹬落的碎石引起了黑莓掌的警惕，他急忙冲过山坡，赶了过来，连忙问道：“发生了什么事？”
“我滑了一跤，没事的！”栗尾的眼睛里还带着恐惧，但却尽量平静地说道。
“你们一定要小心点！”黑莓掌盯着她俩说道。突然，他安静了下来，眼睛看着她们的身后。
“你在看什么？”叶爪一转身，心就怦怦地狂跳起来。然后她松了一口气，原来黑莓掌看到一只老鼠正缓慢地从岩缝里往出钻。
“别出声！”黑莓掌轻声说道。
“但是我一下就能抓住它。”栗尾轻轻地回道。
“别动！”黑莓掌低吼道。
这时，叶爪听到头顶有轻微的翅膀扇动的声音。一抬头，她看到一只棕色的巨鸟正在头顶盘旋。她不禁倒吸一口凉气，不知道它盯住的猎物究竟是老鼠，还是他们。
“它是冲着那只老鼠来的。”黑莓掌小声说道，“如果我们幸运的话，我们就可以逮住这个大家伙，供全族猫分享。”这时，只见那只老鹰收起翅膀，向他们猛扑下来，就像一名星族武士，既敏捷，又悄无声息。
“如果我们不走运呢？”栗尾嘀咕道。黑莓掌没有回答。
那只老鹰在他们上方展开翅膀，看起来比那条雷族和河族领地上的界河还要宽。叶爪拼命克制住想要逃跑的冲动。那只大鸟越来越近，近得她都能看清巨大翅膀上的每片羽毛了，大鸟的眼睛瞪得像黑色的小卵石。
“等等，再等等！”黑莓掌闭着嘴，从牙缝里挤出几个字。
叶爪已经能看清大鸟黄色爪子上的肉了。这时，大鸟从他们的身边骤然飞了下去，竟然没有理会那只老鼠和石台上的黑莓掌他们，而是直奔下面的山谷里的族群猫。
黑莓掌忙跳到悬崖边向下张望。“小心！”他大吼一声。
一蓬黄棕色的羽毛从天而降，落入猫群。众猫惊恐万分，尖叫着四处逃窜。只有武士们坚守在原地，撑起后腿，伸出利爪，冲着空中挥舞着。当那只鹰挥动双翼，再次爬升起来时，叶爪看到它长长的鹰爪里抓着一只拼命挣扎着的小东西，听见那只幼崽不断发出可怜的哀号。不！
“小沼泽！”高罂尖叫道。
仿佛被风吹起来似的，蕨毛突然向空中一跃，张开爪子，趁鹰还没有飞高，一下子抓住了鹰爪。蕨毛怒吼着，紧抓住鹰爪不放。老鹰尖叫着，使劲抖动身体，把金棕色武士甩了下去。虽然蕨毛随即掉落地面，但他的这番袭击，也令老鹰松开了爪子，幼崽扑腾着，摔到他的身边。
叶爪飞快地从石台上跳下去，笨拙地落到地上，连爬带滚地冲下山谷。她往下冲的时候，石头划破她的脚垫。黑莓掌和栗尾也慌忙跟在她的身后爬了下来，走着之字形冲下陡坡，停下来时，脑袋险些碰到地上。快落到山谷时，一棵灌木挡住了叶爪。她挣扎着爬起来，直接冲过了山谷。
“你去检查蕨毛是否受伤！”叶爪吩咐栗尾，“我来看看小沼泽。”
高罂正蹲伏在躺在一块大石头上的一堆皮毛旁，香薇云用身子紧紧贴着影族猫后，试图安慰她。
叶爪俯下身子探查那只幼崽，舔着他的胸口。她感觉到他的腹部仍有起伏，小心脏还猛烈地跳动着。他的肩膀上在流血，但伤口不深。
“他会好起来的。”叶爪保证道，“只要给他做好保暖，他很快就会恢复过来。”她抬起头，看到炭毛正一瘸一拐地向她走来，不由松了口气。
“把伤口尽量舔干净！”炭毛吩咐道，“如果发生了感染，我们就得找珍贵的草药给他治疗了。”
叶爪立刻照办，舌头上顿时尝到了幼崽腥咸的味道。
高罂把另外两只吓得哆嗦的幼崽揽到身边。“看看你们把我们带到什么地方了？”她咆哮着，环视四周，寻找着把他们带到山里来的那几只猫。
“我没想到鹰竟然敢攻击这么多的猫！”松鼠爪冲过山谷，气喘吁吁地说道。
“你们不知道可能会发生这种事吗？”黑星暴躁地质问道。
“我们知道鹰捕捉过部落猫，但他们总能把它们赶跑。”松鼠爪可怜巴巴地说。
“我们不是部落猫！”黑星低吼道，“你们应该提醒我们，这样我们也好找个隐蔽处。”
“什么隐蔽处？”高罂喊道，“这里根本无处可藏，也无处狩猎，我们却险些成为猎物！”
“这倒是真的。”曙花说着，惊慌得声调高了起来，“我们会被它一只接一只地叼走。”
“如果我们靠紧一点儿就不会。”尖毛争辩道。
“是的。”黄毛也赞同道，“下次，我们要准备得再充分一些。”
“如果再有大鸟来攻击，我们会在它靠近幼崽之前，就把它赶走。”鹰霜保证道。
“十个族群也赶不走那样的大鸟！”高罂吼道。
“或许赶不走它。”豹星说道，“但任何一只猫都愿冒着生命危险，去保护我们的幼崽。”她的目光扫向所有族群，每位武士和学徒都发出赞同的吼声。
叶爪眨了眨眼睛，发现在这个危机四伏的旅途上，他们已经不再是各自为战的四大族群，大家已经被恐惧和无助凝成一个整体。她离开小沼泽和高罂，由小云看护着他们。
“蕨毛还好吗？”她大声喊道，朝金棕色武士走去，栗尾正坐在他的身边。
“我没事。”蕨毛说着爪子撑地，站了起来。
“我会守着他。”栗尾保证道。
叶爪走到松鼠爪身边，伸出鼻子蹭了蹭妹妹的身体。“情况不会变得更糟了，是吧？”她喃喃说道。
松鼠爪默默无语地回头凝望着她，眼睛里充满了怀疑。绝望中，叶爪转过身，凝望着天空，祈求星族保佑族猫。但是她一点都不知道，她的祈祷能否透过饱含雪花的乌云，抵达他们的祖灵的耳边。
仿佛是一种回应，第一片雪花开始降落下来。
第二十二章
第二十二章
松鼠爪瞥见石台上有什么东西在动，于是停了下来。她的爪子陷在积雪里，抬眼看到，一只猎鹰正在几老鼠尾巴外的岩石上方享用一只鼩鼱。松鼠爪知道，她那暗姜黄色的皮毛就像灰白色天空中挂着的落日一样醒目。于是，她一动不动地站着，希望那只猎鹰没有注意到她。
积雪令她刺痛的脚垫感觉舒服了些。她不知道她是否有能力跳过那段距离，抓住那只猎鹰。很可能做不到。连日来的长途跋涉，她的力量已经消耗殆尽，根本就没有力气狩猎。
猎鹰将鼩鼱摊放在石头上，然后弯腰一块一块地撕下来吃。松鼠爪正饥肠辘辘，看得她心里嫉妒得要命。她悄悄地潜行过去，慢得像正在融化的冰。她默默祈祷，天空中那密密麻麻的雪片能掩盖住她的皮毛。
她必须捕捉些猎物，如果族群猫再这么饿下去，他们很快就会冻死，甚至比被老鹰叼走还要死得快。无论他们向高罂发誓时有多么勇敢，摔死的烟爪和差点没命的小沼泽，对他们造成的震动，都会动摇群猫的信心，哪怕是最强壮的武士也不例外。松鼠爪沉浸在深深的懊悔之中，甚至都忘了继续前进。她本是想帮着族群猫们找到新家，不料却加速了族群的死亡。她甚至不知道，就算抓住了那只猎鹰，自己还能不能原路返回到族群猫聚集的地方。她只知道，他们正在附近的雪地里挤成一团，祈求星族来救他们。
如果他们能抵达部落猫狩猎的地方，他们至少能得到以前遇到过的部落猫的帮助。暴毛已经在夜间出发了，前往白雪覆盖的悬崖峭壁。他似乎十分适应这个贫瘠的地方。松鼠爪知道暴毛在寻找溪儿，或是任何部落猫的踪迹，但迄今为止仍一无所获。部落猫根本无须设置边界或气味标记，没有其他猫想要侵犯这片极不宜居的猎场。
那只猎鹰似乎受了惊，羽毛张起，抖了抖身上的雪。霎时，松鼠爪的思绪回到了现实世界。她绷紧疲劳的肌肉，准备跳起来。
突然，她的上方有一团皮毛闪过，她立即往后一退。只见三只瘦削的、全身糊满泥巴的猫从猎鹰上方的岩石上扑了下来。一只猫用自己那长长的爪子立刻捉住了猎鹰，另两只猫则冲松鼠爪而来，一下子把她撞翻在地，让她几乎喘不过气来。她感到有一双强壮的爪子将她死死摁在雪下。她拼命挣扎着，但对方太强壮了，她根本无法挣脱。过了一会儿，她就精疲力竭，不再动弹了。
“松鼠爪？”
她听到一个熟悉的声音喊着她的名字，感到摁着她的爪子也松开了。她眨了眨眼睛，抖掉眼睛上的冰花，认出了鹰爪。鹰爪正一脸惊愕地盯着她。两位山洞卫士站在他的后面，同样惊讶得瞪大了眼睛。
“你在这儿干什么？”鹰爪问道。
松鼠爪努力整理着自己混乱的思绪。她认出其中的一位山洞卫士是锯齿，他曾经被驱逐了出去，后来又返回部落，从尖牙兽的爪子下拯救了部落同伴。认出站在她面前的两只猫是谁以后，松鼠爪顿时感觉好了一些。“我们离开了森林，”她解释道，“正在翻越这片大山。”
鹰爪眯着眼睛问道：“再翻一次？”
“这次我们是全体出动。”
“全体？”
“四大族群。”松鼠爪说道，“我们在森林里再也待不下去了，那里已经被两脚兽彻底毁了。我们从没想到旅途会如此艰难！烟爪摔下了峡谷，然后一只老鹰差点叼走小沼泽……”她的声音越来越小，最后只剩下喘息声。
“幼崽？”鹰爪询问，“就在这冰天雪地吗？你们疯了吗？你们必须马上把他们都带到急水部落的山洞里休息一下。他们现在在哪儿？”
“我们暂时躲在岩石下面，岩石上有一棵树，就像一只张开的巨爪。”
鹰爪跟两位护穴猫对视了一眼。“树岩！”他说，“我们赶紧去！”
山洞卫士踏着积雪，他们的耳朵平贴着，迎着飘雪，飞奔而去。
“我们得赶紧找到你们的族群猫，不然他们会冻死的。”鹰爪说着，将那只尚有余温的猎鹰叼进了嘴里。
这只公猫跟在两位卫士身后飞奔而去，松鼠爪拼尽全力才勉强赶上他们的步伐。
“我们把他们带到急水部落的山洞，他们就安全了。”鹰爪回头对身后的松鼠爪说道。松鼠爪看到了希望，浑身也顿时再次充满了力量。她奋力攀爬着，终于摆脱了飞雪，跟着鹰爪冲进一条岩壁上的石台，上面有一块悬空的尖石遮住了飘雪。她的爪下，碎石如雨点般纷纷掉落，但松鼠爪仍不停地向前跑着。
“老鹰！”山洞卫士在石台的尽头猛地刹住了爪子。顺着山谷看过去，松鼠爪看到，族群猫仍待在那块岩石上。从漫天大雪中望去，他们的皮毛就像一个个深色的黑点。松鼠爪看到，一只老鹰正在他们头顶盘旋着。她担心得心都揪起来了。
两位山洞卫士身子一沉，蹲伏下来，然后纵身一跃，便跳过了横亘在他们和族群猫之间的深谷缺口。鹰爪跟着他们跳了过去，即使他带着那只死鹰，跳跃过去也一点不费力。
松鼠爪看看缺口那边，又看了看脚下的深渊。缺口下方尖尖的岩石，像利齿一样，坚硬地凸现在积雪之中。她攒足全身的力量，向鹰爪等着她的石台跳了过去。她拼命地伸出两个前爪，抓住了岩石，两条后腿在空中危险地晃悠着。鹰爪探出身子，她感觉鹰爪的牙齿咬进了她的后颈，把她拽到了安全地带。
松鼠爪的爪子一踩上实地，就跟着部落猫跑起来。头顶上，老鹰收起翅膀，开始向地面降落。
“小白桦！”香薇云的尖叫响彻天空。黄毛向前跳去，叼起那只幼崽，带着他和香薇云冲进了岩石下的阴影里。鹰霜立刻冲到一根须旁边，一起护住了高星。
老鹰猛扑下来，爪子在空中划过。这时，山洞卫士冲进了族群猫中间。锯齿向老鹰的翅膀打了过去，另一位山洞卫士也冲向了老鹰，抓住了老鹰尾部的一根羽毛。巨鸟拍打着双翼，空气随之颤动起来。它猛地向上一冲，在暴风雪中发出刺耳的尖叫。
族群猫都慢慢从岩石下的藏身处溜了出来，惊诧地盯着眼前救了他们的猫。族群猫瘦骨伶仃，疲惫不堪，身上的毛乱糟糟的。松鼠爪突然有些担心，生怕部落猫让他们放弃翻山，让他们先回森林，等到天暖和了，再回来重新开始。
黑莓掌这时也跳过来，甩了甩爪子上的积雪。“鹰爪！锯齿！”他高兴地跟山洞卫士相互蹭着鼻子。“你们的时机把握得太好了！”他说道。
鸦爪也冲了过来，用尾巴弹了弹鹰爪的侧腹：“真是太巧了！”
“这是鹰爪。”松鼠爪向族群猫介绍道，“这位是锯齿，这位……”
“我是无星之夜，简称黑夜。”这位山洞卫士自己介绍道。她的声音里带着一点松鼠爪已经忘记了的奇怪口音。现在再次听到这种口音，真是太好了。
鹰爪向四周一一看过，问道：“暴毛在哪儿？”
“他去狩猎了。”褐皮解释道。
火星挤上前来。“你们可以帮帮我们吗？幼崽们都快冻僵了，”他说道，“一只幼崽已经奄奄一息了。”
“让我看看。”鹰爪说。
“在这儿！”叶爪从悬空的岩石下边喊道。高罂正在那儿，舔着那只虚弱的幼崽。黑夜立刻将孩子叼起来，放到高罂的肚子上。
“不要将他放到地上。”部落母猫吼道，“岩石会把他身上的所有热量带走。也不能舔，因为越舔越湿，只会让他更冷。”她开始用两只前爪揉搓着幼崽。“不停地搓，”她告诉叶爪，“记住，千万不要舔。”
影族猫后感激地看着黑夜，但部落猫只是点头致意，便直接问松鼠爪。
“你们到这儿多久了？”她问道。
“很久了。”松鼠爪小声说道。现在危险过去了，她这才感觉饥饿的感觉又重新回来了，寒冷让她只想睡觉。
“我们带你们回我们的山洞，”鹰爪提议道，“在那儿你们能暖和些，也有吃的。”
“我们必须继续赶路。”黑星眼睛里闪过一道光，“我们必须在雪积得越来越深之前，走出这片大山。”
“如果不跟我们走，你们很快就会死掉。”鹰爪说道。
黑星的耳朵顿时耷拉下来。
火星的目光转向影族族长。“幼崽和长老们会坚持不下去的。”他静静地说。
“高星需要休息。”一根须大声说。风族族长皮毛凌乱，看起来很疲倦，跟长老们没什么两样。
“我们全都需要休息。”豹星插嘴道。
“但鸦爪说过，只要越过大山就有荒原了。”泥掌反驳道，“我们应该继续向那儿进发。”
黑星转向小云，问道：“你觉得呢？”
“长老们没力气再继续走了。”影族巫医说道，“没有食物，幼崽们也会冻僵的。”
“如果不给这只幼崽找一个温暖的地方，天黑之前，他就会死去。”叶爪厉声说道。她一直在揉搓着小沼泽，小沼泽的母亲高罂在一旁紧张地盯着幼崽。
“好吧。”黑星盯着鹰爪说道，“我们跟你们回去。”
鹰爪瞅了瞅泥掌。松鼠爪不知道鹰爪是不是以为泥掌是一位族长，因为高星太虚弱，根本没办法代表风族发言。
“我们也跟你们走。”泥掌低声说。
鹰爪低头以示敬意：“很好。”
高罂叼起小沼泽，幼崽不断扭动着，发出尖锐的抱怨声。“乖，听妈妈的话。”高罂喃喃说道，“我们很快就会到安全的地方了。”
其他猫也都开始动了起来，用爪子撑着站起身，准备跟着部落猫去他们的山洞。
突然，一个黑色身影从悬空岩石附近的岩缝里冲了过来。
“黑莓掌，我闻到部落猫的气息了！”来的是暴毛。他停住爪子，盯着周围惊讶的脸，然后认出了鹰爪：“原来是你啊！”
“我们碰到了松鼠爪！”鹰爪解释道。
暴毛走上前来，用鼻子蹭着山洞卫士的身子。“溪儿怎么样？”他问道。
“她很好。”鹰爪回答道，“我们最好马上就走。”他瞅了一眼锯齿和黑夜，吩咐道：“我来带路，你们俩殿后。”
松鼠爪拖着沉重的爪子，带领族群沿着一条若隐若现的小路朝瀑布方向走去。等到达大山深处的裂口时，她停下了脚步。轰鸣的流水跌落在岩石上，被击得粉碎，涌着泡沫，流入下面的水潭里。黑莓掌、鸦爪、暴毛、褐皮也都停了下来，站在松鼠爪的身边。
“我们回来了！”松鼠爪轻声说道。
暴毛看着妹妹安息的那块小土堆。“真没想到我还能再回到这个地方。”他喃喃地说。
族群猫从他们的身边走过，跟着鹰爪进入通往瀑布后面的狭窄通道。
“走吧！”暴毛说，“族群需要我们，他们以前没见过部落猫。”他匆匆赶到前边。黑莓掌、松鼠爪、褐皮跟在他的身后。只有鸦爪仍待在那儿，凝视着羽尾的坟茔。
群猫从瀑布后面鱼贯而入，水花溅在身上，他们的皮毛颜色顿时变深了。暴毛、黑莓掌和褐皮在猫群中不断穿梭。松鼠爪看见蜡毛在雷鸣般的水帘边缘停了下来。
“我们必须走到这后面去吗？”蜡毛问道。
瀑布后面的岩壁上光影闪动，凝结的水珠闪烁着，有的正滴落下来。“走吧！”松鼠爪催促蜡毛，“里面很暖和，我保证。”
雷族武士抬脚走了进去，松鼠爪紧随其后。一股差不多已经快要忘记的气息再次扑面而来。等松鼠爪适应了洞穴里面昏暗的光线，发现里面的部落猫正一脸惊诧地盯着他们这群不速之客。
一只年轻母猫，此刻正在左右顾盼，貌似很兴奋很高兴的样子。她的身上跟所有部落猫一样糊着泥巴，泥巴下勉强可辨认出她是一只棕色虎斑猫。她正是小鱼游溪的溪儿。在黑莓掌他们上次造访山洞时，这位部落猫中的狩猎者极为友善。松鼠爪看见她拼命在猫头攒动的队伍里探寻着什么，知道她在寻找一只猫。
松鼠爪突然感到暴毛擦着她的皮毛，一跃而过，直接奔向溪儿。两只猫温柔地互相蹭着鼻子。松鼠爪不禁为暴毛感到非常难过。显然，暴毛又得品尝一次心碎的滋味，因为等族群猫离开时，他不得不再次跟溪儿分离。
第二十三章
第二十三章
叶爪走进山洞，在昏暗的光线下眨了眨眼睛。瀑布的轰鸣声令空气都在颤动，光线透过一泻而下的水帘照进来，在洞内的石壁上微微抖动。一股涓涓细流，发出冰霜般的微光，顺着长满苔藓的岩石滴下来，落入地上的一个小水坑里。石壁后面有两条通道，一直延伸到黑暗之中；爪状的细长石尖，从洞顶的阴影处垂悬下来。
叶爪感觉到部落猫都盯着她，他们的眼睛在黑暗里闪闪发光。她走向松鼠爪，说道：“他们看来一点也不怕我们。”
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛，问道：“为什么要怕我们？我们瘦成这样，看起来一点威胁也没有，而且这里也没有其他的猫。现在，尖牙兽已经死了，他们唯一的敌人就只有老鹰了。”
“我都忘了以前这里有尖牙兽。”叶爪说道，“如果它还在这大山里阴魂不散的话，我们的境遇恐怕会更加糟糕。”
“是的。”松鼠爪同意道，眼神变得温柔起来，“羽尾的死，不仅那时拯救了部落猫，而且现在也间接保护了我们。”
等叶爪的眼睛渐渐适应了洞内的光线，她开始辨认那些部落猫的身影。一些猫身体轻盈、顺滑，另外一些则肌肉发达，肩宽背厚。但总的来说，他们都比族群猫身形略小，甚至比风族猫还要精瘦，他们脑袋比较宽大，脖子却比较细长。
一群小猫本来正在一条通道的入口处玩耍，当一大群族群猫涌入山洞的时候，他们停止了嬉戏，好奇地盯着他们，眼睛瞪得大大的。一只灰白花色的猫后走向叶爪，不停地嗅闻着她的皮毛。
“这位是掠水的翅影，简称翅影。”松鼠爪介绍道，“上次我们在这儿的时候，她照料过褐皮。当时褐皮被老鼠咬伤了，病得很重。”
部落猫后点了一下头。“尖石巫师说你们要来，”她说，“杀无尽部落告诉他说，有老朋友要来，并且会带来新朋友。”
尽管叶爪又累又饿，但身上的毛还是好奇得竖了起来。“他是怎么知道的？”她对松鼠爪耳语道。
“尖石巫师跟部落祖灵之间的关系，就像你跟星族那样。”松鼠爪悄声回答道。
这时，鹰爪走了过来。“这里有刚刚捕获的猎物。”他的尾巴指向猎物堆，邀请道。
叶爪眨着眼睛：“这显然不够我们所有猫吃！”
“吃吧！”鹰爪再次冲猎物堆摇摇尾巴，“鹰崖正在组织狩猎，很快就会有足够你们吃的猎物了。”
猎物堆里散发的兔子气息让叶爪的肚子咕咕地叫了起来。但她还不能吃，她得先确认族猫都安然无恙。她尊敬地点了一下头，离开松鼠爪和她的朋友，去找和其他巫医一起待在通道入口附近的炭毛。
“一只叫鹰崖的猫说，我们可以睡在那边的巢穴里。”炭毛指着地下一片浅坑，都铺着苔藓和羽毛。
“地方够我们睡觉吗？”小云好奇地问。
“最怕冷、最虚弱的猫睡在巢穴里，”青面提议道，“其余的自己找地方睡。至少在这里，我们很安全，风吹不着，雪打不着。”
“而且这里还有吃的。”叶爪冲猎物堆仰了一下头。一些部落猫已经将猎物撕成片，放到族群猫面前。鹰爪在泥掌的脚下丢了一只兔子。风族副族长用饥饿的眼神看着它，向山洞卫士点头致谢，然后将兔子带给他们族群的幼崽和猫后。
“我们应该先把幼崽安顿到巢穴里，让他们温暖一些。”蛾翅说。
叶爪和巫医们一起，把幼崽和猫后带往巢穴。她刚把高罂和她的孩子安顿在一个窝里，一只修长的部落公猫向她走来。部落猫的身体上糊了太多的泥巴，叶爪根本看不出他的皮毛是什么颜色，只有口鼻周围的白胡子泄露了他的年龄。
“你们中间谁是巫师？”他问道。
叶爪吓了一跳，静静地看着他。松鼠爪告诉过她，在部落里，巫师和族长是由同一只猫担任。不知道他到底想见的是谁？于是她瞅向炭毛，看见炭毛正忙着为曙花的孩子做检查。
“我带你去见火星。”她说道。于是，叶爪领着他朝父亲走去。这时，火星正在跟其他几位族长在一起，低声商讨着什么。
“我们不能待得太久。”黑星嘀咕道，“雪会越积越厚。”说着，他向四周张望着，看到叶爪正向他们走来。
“这位是尖石巫师。”叶爪低头致意后，退后几步。
“你是巫师？”尖石巫师问火星。
“我是雷族族长。”火星答道，“在我们族群，巫医是炭毛。”他的尾巴指向炭毛。此时，炭毛正站在山洞另一边，饶有兴趣地往他们这边看。“这位是黑星，这两位是豹星和高星。”火星依次介绍三位族长。
“你们都是族长？”
“是的，我们都是。”豹星说道。
尖石巫师的目光停留在高星身上，高星的眼睛有气无力地半睁半闭着。“你的情况看起来不太好，”他说道，“我们会拿些草药给你服用。”他转过头瞟了一眼，对一只灰色的虎斑母猫说道：“飞鸟，你去拿些增强体力的草药。”
虎斑猫悄悄地沿着其中的一条通道走了。
“你们的朋友帮我们杀死了尖牙兽，我们全部落的猫都很感激。我们向羽尾致以最高的敬意，我们永远都不会忘记她。”
“她继承了她父亲的勇气。”火星赞同道。叶爪意识到，火星提起灰条时，声音里仍满是悲伤。叶爪不由心里一紧。
“你们先吃饱肚子，然后好好休息。”尖石巫师接着说道。
“但是我们吃饱歇好之后，还得继续赶路。”黑星说。
尖石巫师低垂下头说道：“我们不会耽误你们的。”
飞鸟回来了，嘴里衔着一嘴巴草药，放在高星面前。
叶爪胡子不由抽动着，好奇地问道：“这是什么草药？”
尖石巫师琥珀色的眼睛在半昏暗的光线中闪闪发亮。
“我正在学习成为一名巫医，”叶爪飞快地解释道，“我认识森林里的草药，但是大山里……”她顿了顿说，“这里的东西跟森林里的不一样。”
“希望她没有打扰到你。”炭毛温和的声音从他们身后传来，“她很好学。”
“想成为巫师，好学是一种优点。”尖石巫师粗声说道，“她会学到很多东西的，”他友善地对叶爪眨眨眼，“这些是狗舌草和羊耳草，吃了以后，猫就会有力气了。”
“等一下，我能仔细看一看吗？这样一来，下次我遇到它们的时候，就认得出来了。”
“当然。”叶爪感觉这位老猫的声音很温暖，她渴望向他学习，了解部落猫和族群猫的差异。“翅影说你知道我们要来，”叶爪问道，“这是真的吗？”
尖石巫师点点头：“杀无尽部落向我发过信号。”
“你的祖灵也会向你托梦吗？”炭毛问道。
“托梦？”他说道，“不。我是从岩石、树叶和水的迹象中去解读信息，我能读懂杀无尽部落的旨意。”
“炭毛也为我们族群诠释星族的预言。”叶爪热切地说道，“她也教我怎么解读那些信息。”
“叶爪很有天赋。”炭毛补充道。
“那么，她也许应该看看尖石洞穴。”尖石巫师提议道。
“尖石洞穴？”叶爪反问道，“是不是跟我们的月亮石很像？”
“我不知道你们的月亮石是什么样的，”尖石巫师小声说着，转向从山洞里延伸出的一条黑暗的通道，“如果那是你们的祖灵向你们说话的地方，那么就跟你们的月亮石差不多。”
叶爪兴奋地摇着尾巴，和炭毛一起跟着尖石巫师，走向窄窄的通道。她本以为，她们要沿着黑暗的通道走很远很远的路，就像她们去月亮石似的。但没想到，她们只走了几尾远的距离，就进入了一个四面都是光滑石壁的洞穴。
叶爪的眼睛适应着昏暗的光线，向四处张望。这个洞穴比之前的那个小多了，但是有更多像爪子一样的尖石，有的从洞顶垂下来，有的是从地面向上伸展，还有一些是连在一起。有灰色的光线从洞顶的缝隙透进来。叶爪看到，尖石上水珠泛着微光一滴一滴落在坚硬的石地上，形成了一个个小水池。
尖石巫师用爪子碰了碰其中一个小水池，水面立刻荡起一圈圈涟漪。“雪会融化，这些水池的水面就会升高。星光闪耀的时候，我就会在水池中看到杀无尽部落想要我知道的信息。”
“你多长时间跟杀无尽部落交流一次？”炭毛问。
“只要水池里有水就行。”尖石巫师答道。
“我们每个月半之夜都跟星族对话一次……”
叶爪发现，自己的目光正不停地在山洞周围游移。叶爪慢慢走远了。炭毛跟尖石巫师互相交流经验，边说边走，隐入石林中不见了。叶爪感觉爪子越来越沉，疲惫像皮毛被水打湿了一样，浸透了她的全身。她在潮湿的石地上躺了下来，鼻子搁在爪子上，身体缩成一团。洞顶尖石上淌下来的水滴反射着微光，让她感到有些晕眩。她闭上了眼睛，心中默默念道：星族啊，你们在这儿吗？
叶爪的耳边一直萦绕着瀑布奔流的声音。她隐约听见狮吼般的声音，朦朦胧胧中，看到起伏的皮毛——那些皮毛她并不认识。“你们是谁？”她急切地问。对方回答的声音轻如呼吸般，说着她听不懂的话。叶爪不由得一阵惊慌，一下子睁开眼睛。
星族不在这里。她只能听见部落祖灵的声音。叶爪感到前所未有的孤独。
尽管叶爪央求父亲，把自己温暖的窝让给其他的猫，但火星仍然坚持让她和炭毛一起睡在铺着羽毛的窝里。
“族群现在比以往任何时候更需要巫医，”火星对她说，“你必须休息好。”
可是她怎么能静得下心来休息呢？她只好舔舔自己乱糟糟、脏兮兮的皮毛，只希望炭毛没有注意到她参观完尖石洞穴之后，眼睛里流露出的慌乱。没有星族，我们该怎么办啊？各种杂乱的念头像困在洞里的老鼠一样，在她的脑子里四处乱窜。
松鼠爪和黑莓掌挨在一起，蜷缩在山洞后面已经睡了。正在叶爪整理炭毛身边柔软的羽毛时，她看见溪儿悄悄溜出了山洞，后面还跟着鸦爪和暴毛。“他们要去哪儿？”她对炭毛耳语道。
“他们要去为羽尾守夜。”炭毛闭着眼睛轻声道。
叶爪在老师的身边安顿下来，把尾巴盘在鼻子上。她很想知道羽尾现在和哪边的武士祖灵在一起。叶爪往炭毛跟前靠了靠，想从炭毛那温暖的皮毛中得到一些温暖。既然已经知道这趟旅途中，星族并没有一路相伴，她又怎么睡得着？但是她已经筋疲力尽，刚一闭上眼，就感觉一股睡意涌了上来。
眼前是一片波光粼粼的广阔的、湛蓝色的水面，上面星星闪烁着光辉。四周没有任何响动，连一丝风都没有。叶爪注视着水面，生怕一抬头，水面上倒映的星星就变成了幻觉。如果天空上真的空无一物，那该怎么办？那是不是星族不在这儿的又一证据呀？
突然，一阵微风吹乱了她的皮毛。叶爪在黑暗中睁大了眼睛。一只猫正在对她说话，那个声音如此轻柔，她将将能听见。她仰起鼻子，微风中有着一股熟悉的气息，但是非常微弱，她无法确定究竟是哪只猫的。
“你是谁？”她大声喊道。
风更大了，轻若耳语的声音忽然变大。叶爪听出那个声音在说：“无论你们去哪儿，我们都会找到你们。”
叶爪转过身，看见斑叶温柔的面孔就在她的身边。这只玳瑁色的巫医眼睛闪闪发亮，反射着星光闪耀的水波，但她的身体好像笼罩在轻烟之中，颤动不已，比水中的星光还要缥缈。
“你们没有丢下我们！”
斑叶没有回答。风停了，斑叶在黑影中消失了。
“你今天看起来心情不错！”炭毛说着抬头看着叶爪。叶爪正坐在她身边，借着瀑布外透过来的晨光，梳理着自己的皮毛。
叶爪停止梳洗。“我做了一个梦。”她坦承道。
炭毛一下子坐了起来：“星族跟你对话了？”
叶爪眨了眨眼。星族选了一个学徒来传递消息，而不是通过雷族巫医，炭毛会不会介意？“很抱歉，”她开口说道，“也许它们来临的时候，我在睡梦中，而你却醒着，所以它们选择潜入我的梦中……”
炭毛用尾巴轻柔地碰碰叶爪的肩膀，打断了她的话。“没关系，叶爪。”炭毛说道，“我一直认为，你跟星族有着一种特殊的联结方式，比我以前见过的任何沟通方式都强。这是一个重大的责任，你能承担下来，我为你感到自豪。”
叶爪凝视着她，不知该说什么来表达她的宽慰和感激。
“你梦到了什么？”炭毛追问道。
“梦境很模糊。”叶爪告诉她，“但我非常确定，星族仍守护着我们。我相信不管我们走到哪儿，它们都会和我们在一起。”
正在这时，火星走了过来，火红色的皮毛在水光映照下，闪耀着一层白光。
“我们要出发了吗？”炭毛问道。
火星摇摇头：“雪下了一整夜，尖石巫师说，路上的积雪会越来越深。部落猫正在组织狩猎，好确保坏天气结束之前，我们有足够的猎物。”
“你的意思是我们被困在这儿了？”叶爪担心地问。
“只是暂时的。”火星看到黑星正在洞口前来回走着，“天一转好，我们就离开这里。”
这时，栗尾跳了过来。“叶爪，你想和部落猫一起去狩猎吗？”说着她看向火星，“如果你同意的话。”
火星转向炭毛，问道：“你这里暂时不用她行吗？”
“行，当然可以。”炭毛答道。
“谢谢！”叶爪说道。在森林里生活过的猫，对困在昏暗的山洞里，会感到很烦闷。所以尽管外面很冷，她还是很喜欢新鲜的风吹过皮毛的感觉。
她跟栗尾一起走向鹰爪和鹰崖，溪儿、暴毛也跟他们在一起。叶爪看到暴毛模样大变，顿时吃了一惊。暴毛跟部落猫一样，在身上涂抹了很多泥巴，而且肌肉也非常结实，显得他更像部落猫，而不是骨瘦如柴的族群猫。
“希望他们不会拖慢我们的速度。”鹰崖小声对溪儿和鹰爪说，“还有这么多张嘴等着我们喂呢。”
“他们当然不会拖累我们，”溪儿说道，“暴毛当初离开的时候，就已经是一位很棒的狩猎者了。”
“他是很不错。”鹰崖承认道，但瞟了一眼叶爪，“你是学徒吧？你将来想成为狩猎者，还是山洞卫士？”
叶爪看着他，不明白他是什么意思。
“部落猫都有职责分工。”暴毛解释道，“山洞卫士负责保卫部落，狩猎者负责喂饱大家。比如溪儿就是捕猎者，鹰崖是山洞卫士。”
“那你为什么也去狩猎？”叶爪犹豫着问鹰崖。
鹰崖突然笑了起来。“你们的眼里盯上猎物的时候，谁来盯着天空？”他问道。叶爪想起袭击族群猫的鹰，顿时浑身一颤。但鹰崖居高临下的态度，令她感觉很不舒服，但她仍然忍住，没有说自己想成为巫医，因为这对部落猫来说，听起来，就好像在说自己将来会成为族长。
“在森林里，我们狩猎的同时，能嗅出危险的气息。”栗尾说。
“真的吗？嗯，那你们怎么嗅出高山之巅的鹰的气息？”鹰崖反问道。
“走吧，”溪儿不耐烦地说，“我们这是在浪费时间。”
她带头走出瀑布，沿着群山间的小路走去。暴风雪已渐渐停了，厚厚的积雪很快冻僵了叶爪的爪子。空气太冷了，连呼吸时都会感觉胸部刺痛。她一离开温暖的山洞，眼睛就开始流泪。但抱怨是没用的，而且她还想向鹰崖证明，山地猫能做的事情森林猫也一样能做好。她竭力掩饰着自己身体的颤抖，抬头看了看。只见沉甸甸的乌云正聚积在群山顶上，预示着接下来还会下雪。
他们走到一堆荆棘丛时，看到积雪把它的枝条都压弯了。溪儿停住爪子，蹲伏下了身子。鹰崖和暴毛一左一右，也在她的身边蹲伏了下来。叶爪也依样照做，将腹部平贴在雪地上，与栗尾蹲伏在一起。溪儿盯着灌木丛，抽动着鼻子，好像在探寻猎物的气息。
叶爪也吸了吸鼻子，空气中飘来兔子的气息。叶爪的身体开始缓缓向前移动。
“停下！”暴毛嘶嘶地警告道，“等着看溪儿怎么做。”
溪儿像冰块一样，一动不动，只能从她那涂满泥巴的腹部的轻微起伏中看出，她不是雪地中的一块岩石。正当叶爪心想，如果再这么一动不动地蹲伏下去，溪儿就会真的变成一根冰柱时，一只小兔子从灌木丛下跳了出来，伸出颤抖的鼻子，探测着新鲜的空气。
它跳得更近了，并没看到蹲伏在雪地上的猫。叶爪张开口，灌木丛附近猎物的气息还很浓烈。这就很奇怪了，这只兔子已经走了出来，按理说那里不会再有这样浓烈的气息了。也许是因为兔子在那下面待得时间太长了吧。突然，溪儿闪电般冲向那只兔子。她一口咬住它，瞬间就结果了它的性命。
叶爪眼角的余光看到，灌木丛里又有了动静。第二只兔子刚蹿到雪地里，叶爪便箭一般地冲了过去。兔子忙向一处凸起的岩石逃去，但叶爪的速度更快，饥渴万分的她赶在兔子逃脱之前，按住了它。
“好身手！”溪儿发出温暖的咕噜声，向她表示祝贺。
“我闻到了两种气息。”叶爪喘着粗气说道。
鹰崖惊奇地盯着她：“你能同时闻出两只兔子的气息？”
“我们以前所在的那片森林里，有各种植物和猎物的气息。”叶爪尽力解释道，“这里的空气更干净，气息没有那么混乱，所以很容易分辨出不同的气息。”
栗尾眨着眼睛，自豪地看着她。暴毛也轻轻地点了点头。鹰崖向她低头致意，然后拾起一只兔子，领头向瀑布走去。
叶爪坐在洞口，身边猫温柔的呼吸令她感到非常温暖。尘毛躺在一根须和高星旁边。蛛爪正在鸦爪身边伸展着身体。高罂和香薇云一边聊天，一边看着在一起玩耍的两个孩子。甚至鹰霜看起来也放松多了，他正在看蛾翅梳理着晨花的皮毛，给她清除跳蚤。眼前一派祥和的景象，但叶爪仍然感到忧心忡忡。她以前从没看到过四大族群如此和睦过，即使是在森林大会上。星族也许在等着他们，但当他们到达新家园的时候，还会有四个族群吗？
她看向轰鸣的水帘外，一轮满月刚颤颤巍巍爬上山峰。没有一只族群猫提起今晚是月圆之夜，是召开森林大会的日子。看来，现在已经没有这个必要了。突然，她听到耳边有粗重的呼吸声，一转头，看见尖石巫师正俯视着她。
“你盯着月亮，是想看出什么预兆吗？”尖石巫师问道。
“我想起了森林大会。”叶爪说。
“森林大会？”尖石巫师一脸不解的样子。
“在我们离开森林之前，每到月圆之夜，四大族群都要和平地举行一次集会。”
“族群间就不能和睦相处吗？”
“嗯，经常会有争执。”叶爪承认道，“跟你们这里不一样，每个族群有明确的狩猎区域。”
尖石巫师扫视了一眼四周。“困境使你们团结起来了，共患难总是容易些。”他洞察入微地说道。
“但是我们之间界限是始终存在的。”叶爪坚持说道。
“为什么？你们联合起来，寻找食物不是会容易一些吗？”
“四大族群已经存在好长时间了，忠诚于各自的族群，让我们变得更强大。”
“但你们都共同信仰星族？”
“我们最终都会成为星族的武士。”叶爪低声说道。她凝视着月亮，奔流的瀑布后面月亮犹如模糊的银盘。
尖石巫师眼睛一亮：“虽然你还没成为巫医，但你很睿智。”
叶爪一时间感到耳朵发烫，扭头看向别处。
“我们今晚要举行一次集会。”尖石巫师提高声音说，“所有族群猫和部落猫一起参加。自从脱离尖牙兽的魔爪后，我们还没有为此庆祝过。一直以来，我们都在缅怀英勇的羽尾。但是今晚，我们要借这个机会，向远道而来帮我们杀死那个祸害的族群猫表示感谢。”
部落猫中间发出一片欢呼声。小猫们也兴奋地尖叫着，其中几只胆大的小猫，甚至朝高罂的幼崽和小白桦玩耍的地方走去。
“来跟我们一起玩吧！”急水部落的小猫提议道。
小白桦看着妈妈，香薇云点点头，眼神里流露出一丝暖意。高罂和曙花也很快就同意了。于是，几只族群幼崽争先恐后地追着急水部落里的小猫，在山洞里嬉戏起来。
部落猫一只接一只地站起身，从猎物堆里各自拿起一个猎物，然后庄严地放在每只族群猫的爪下，直到每只族群猫都有一份。族群猫呆呆地看着，不知道该做什么。
当鹰崖在叶爪的面前放下一只兔子时，她惊奇地睁大了眼睛。
“我可以跟你一起分享吗？”他问。
叶爪害羞地点点头。
这时，尖石巫师缓步走到山洞的中央。“我们借这场盛宴向羽尾表示敬意，”他大声说道，“她的精神永远流传在杀无尽部落。我们也向那五位不愿抛弃我们，帮助我们实现祖灵预言的勇士致敬。”他依次走向黑莓掌、松鼠爪、褐皮、鸦爪以及暴毛，挨个儿向他们低头致谢。这五只猫都自豪地挺直了身体。
“现在请大家开始享用食物！”尖石巫师说道，他的声音在山洞里回响。
鹰崖从他放到地上的兔子上咬了一口肉，然后将它推给叶爪。叶爪猜测，这可能是部落猫的习惯，所以她咬了一口后，也将兔子推给他。在森林里，猫与猫之间也分享食物，但通常猎物比较充裕，每只猫都可以享用一整只猎物。她不知道是否因为山中猎物匮乏，才形成了部落猫这种分享习惯。
美餐一顿之后，众猫都躺下了。大家的肚子都吃饱了，就躺在一起低声聊了起来。高星吃力地走到山洞中央，扫视众猫，于是所有猫都不说话了。一根须悄悄地走到高星的身边，用身体支撑着风族族长虚弱的身体。
“那只干瘦的老黑猫是谁？”一只部落小猫问道。
“嘘！”他的妈妈飞快地拍了他一掌，“那是一位高贵的族长！”
尽管高星站都站不稳，只能斜倚在年轻的武士身上，但是他的眼睛仍然炯炯有神，跟他刚刚做族长时一样，充满了力量和决心。“鸦爪？”他说道。
风族学徒抬起头，一脸疑惑。
“鸦爪英勇无比，对族群忠心耿耿。”高星声音嘶哑，不住地咳嗽着，“他早就该被授予武士称号了。但过去的这些日子里，惨剧连连，让我无暇顾及。如果尖石巫师允许另一个族群在他的部落里举行武士命名仪式，今晚，我想向鸦爪授予他的武士称号，向他高超的技能和超常的胆识表示敬意。”
风族猫里响起一阵赞同的声音。但当鸦爪走上前去的时候，他们的议论声转为了惊奇，因为武士命名仪式中并没有这个环节。
“高星，我可以说几句话吗？”鸦爪说道。
高星眯起眼睛，点点头让他继续。
“如果可以的话，我想自己选择一个武士名号，我想让大家叫我鸦羽。”鸦爪静静地说，他的声音几乎被外面轰鸣的水声所淹没，“我想永远怀念……上次旅途中未能返回的羽尾。”
暴毛的耳朵轻轻弹动着，瞅向自己的爪子。
周围一阵长时间的沉默，然后高星宣布道：“这是一个很棒的提议！非常好！我命名你为鸦羽。愿星族保佑你，从今以后，你就永远是我们风族的武士了。”
风族猫都跳了起来，跑上前去，向这只族猫表示祝贺。
“这个想法真是太棒了！”松鼠爪跳到鸦羽身边，黑莓掌、褐皮和暴毛也都聚拢了过来。
“这是一个非常好的名字。”褐皮称赞道。黑莓掌用他瘦削的身体环着鸦羽，高兴地呜呜叫着。暴毛伸出鼻子，触碰着鸦羽的身体，感动得说不出话来。
“谢谢你们！”鸦羽不住地说道。他的目光越过他们，望向瀑布，在月光的照耀下，那道水帘变成了银色，“今晚我要在羽尾的坟前为她守夜。”
叶爪看着鸦羽离开他的朋友和族猫，走出了山洞。
“那么，现在他就是武士了，是吗？”鹰崖问叶爪，眼睛里充满了好奇。
“是的。”叶爪撑起身体，轻声说道，“谢谢你跟我分享猎物。”孤独的月亮召唤她走出拥挤的洞穴，她也渴望在清澈的夜空之下，搜寻天上的银毛星带。
她从瀑布后面走了出来，爬上岩石，高高地坐在水潭上方。奔流不息的溪水注入水潭，翻滚着，泛起泡沫。星星在头顶闪烁。叶爪俯视着坐在水潭边守夜的鸦羽。鸦羽低着头，坐在岩石边上一个低低的土堆旁边——那是羽尾的坟茔。难道羽尾真的是跟杀无尽部落在一起，而不是和星族在一起？不管你们是谁，请真心接纳她！叶爪心中默默祈求道。
她看着鸦羽，为他永失所爱感到心痛。然后她抬起头，遥望群峰四周，不知道星族是否也在注视着鸦羽。坐在这么高的地方，很容易产生一种平和的感觉，这种感觉是她以前躺在森林里的树下所体会不到的。明亮的月光下，洞口对面的小路上有什么东西吸引了叶爪的目光，她觉得自己看见两个银色的身影，在星光下散发着光辉。她几乎可以确定，有两只猫正站在那里俯视着鸦羽，一只比较矮，一只略瘦高一点。但她们的皮毛都点缀着相同的斑纹，仿佛有亲缘关系。
是羽尾和银溪吗？
叶爪眨了眨眼睛。但当她再次睁开眼的时候，两只银色的身影已经消失不见了。
第二十四章
第二十四章
松鼠爪跟着暴毛匆匆走在一条石头小路上，这条路几天前还被一尾深的积雪覆盖着。暴毛似乎下定决心，即使翻遍群山也要找到猎物。岩石上到处回荡着冰雪融化的滴答声，即使积雪堆得最厚的地方，雪也开始融化了。深灰色的雨云向群山翻涌而来，带来阵阵暖风，使峰顶冻结的冰雪开始松动。
松鼠爪已经不止一次想知道，为什么这位河族武士会邀她一起狩猎。等回到山洞的时候，族群猫就会出发。也许暴毛想抓住几只猎物，向好客的部落猫表示感谢。
“为什么溪儿不跟我们一起来狩猎？”她喘着粗气问道。过去这几天，溪儿可是一直跟暴毛如影随形的。
暴毛正准备往一块大圆石上跳，所以没有回答。
“你跟她吵架了吗？”很显然，这位河族武士在为什么事情烦恼。自从走出山洞，暴毛就几乎没怎么说话。松鼠爪好不容易爬上大圆石，思绪飞扬。暴毛有没有让溪儿加入族群，跟他们一起前往新家？一想到这儿，松鼠爪的尾巴就不住地颤抖。外来猫加入族群，这也不是第一例，松鼠爪的父亲加入雷族之前就是一只宠物猫。但至少火星是出生在森林附近，而溪儿则是一只山地猫。松鼠爪知道，不管四大族群将来在哪儿安家，肯定都跟这片荒凉的地方不一样。
她看到前方的山梁上有一只老鼠，蹑手蹑脚从岩缝里钻出来找食物吃。她向暴毛嘘了一声以示提醒，暴毛立刻蹲伏下来，耐心等着老鼠向小路走得更近一点。尽管松鼠爪很想扑上去抓住它，但她知道，暴毛的皮毛在这里更容易伪装。所以她尽可能地将自己暗姜黄色肚皮贴近地面，希望自己静止不动能让自己不被老鼠发现。
暴毛静静地等了一会儿，然后猛扑过去，一下子就咬住了老鼠的颈椎。等他转身面向松鼠爪时，下巴上已经挂着那只猎物了。
“这是你给溪儿准备的离别礼物吗？”松鼠爪温柔地说道。
但暴毛只是眨了眨眼睛。
“喂，你到底是怎么了？”松鼠爪追问道，她实在不忍心看着朋友如此烦恼。
暴毛丢下那只老鼠，突然变得非常疲惫。他抬起头，眼神中满是阴郁。“我决定留下来，留在急水部落。”他说道。
“什么？”
“我已经失去了妹妹和父亲，也从没见过母亲。在族群里，我一个至亲也没有了。我老师石毛也已过世——除了羽尾，他是我在河族最亲近的猫了。现在，我连家也没有了。我感觉我身边的一切都好像被偷走了，一个接一个被偷走了。”
“但你的族群怎么办？”松鼠爪反对道，“河族需要你。”
“河族有很多优秀、强壮的武士。”暴毛直视着松鼠爪的眼睛，一定是看到了她眼神里的担心。“你不用担心鹰霜。”他好像是猜透了松鼠爪的心思，“就算没有我，河族也一样会没事的。”
“但这里跟我们的生活环境差异太大。”松鼠爪争辩道，“一旦我们找到新家，你可以重新开始……”
“哦，松鼠爪，你难道不明白吗？我爱上了溪儿，我想和她在一起。”
“我还以为，你会邀请她加入族群呢！”松鼠爪脱口而出。
暴毛摇摇头。“她离开大山会不知所措的，但我知道，我可以在这里生活。这里也有水，虽然说这里的水比我们那儿的水更吵一些，但毕竟是水。这里猎物充足，我也学会了像部落猫那样狩猎，更何况我妹妹的亡灵也在这里。”他长长地叹了一口气，“所有族群猫都失去了自己的家，但我感觉，我失去的比任何猫都要多。这是几个月以来，我第一次觉得自己找到了真正对我重要的东西。”
“你不用多说了，”松鼠爪悲伤地说道，“我能理解。”
当他们走回山洞时，松鼠爪的心里仍然很乱。不久前她还以为，族群没有什么再可以失去了，但没想到很快就要失去暴毛了。他们悄悄走到瀑布后面，暴毛将老鼠扔在猎物堆上，但松鼠爪却站在洞口处，一脸的失落。
“松鼠爪！”叶爪冲了过来，“尖石巫师给了我们增强体力的草药。”
松鼠爪看着她。“那……那太好了！”她心不在焉地说道。
“你怎么了？”
“叶爪！”炭毛在洞穴的另一头喊她。
“我得走了，风族还在等着我们给发草药。”叶爪低声说着，就走开了。
松鼠爪看着叶爪走远，眼睛也渐渐适应了洞内昏暗的光线。阴影里，有一个朦胧的身影向她走来。松鼠爪的心不禁一沉，她认出那只宽肩虎斑猫是鹰霜。他找自己做什么？
“松鼠爪？”
松鼠爪眨了眨眼睛，这才发现，走过来的是黑莓掌。黑莓掌一脸疑惑地看着她。“你不进来吗？”黑莓掌说道，“我们得确保每只猫都能吃饱。”
松鼠爪感觉有点头晕。
“你怎么啦？”黑莓掌盯着她问道。
松鼠爪无助地摇摇头。穿过洞穴，她看见暴毛正在跟溪儿低语着。
黑莓掌顺着她的目光看过去：“暴毛要留下来，是吗？”
“他想和溪儿在一起。”松鼠爪轻声说。
接着是一阵沉默。
“你会想他，是不是？”
“我当然会想他！”松鼠爪惊讶地答道。她转过身，抬头看着黑莓掌。黑莓掌琥珀色的眼睛里闪过一丝什么。他嫉妒了吗？“哦，黑莓掌，”松鼠爪低声说道，“我的心跟雷族在一起，你难道不明白？”她用尾巴轻轻地刷了刷黑莓掌的身子，“我的心和你在一起。”
黑莓掌闭上了眼睛。松鼠爪突然有些担心，自己会不会说错话了。不过，黑莓掌眼睛眨了眨，又睁开了，异常温柔地看着她。松鼠爪觉得自己愿意永远沉浸在他的目光中。
“我们必须追随我们的内心。”他喃喃道。松鼠爪本来还在担心前途未卜，但现在，这种担心就像绿叶上的薄雾，瞬间消失了。虽然暴毛留在这里，她会失去一个朋友，但她却永远不会孤单。
这时，有个身影走进了松鼠爪的视线，原来是尖石巫师走到了山洞中央。
“族群猫就要离开了。”他对自己的部落高声说道，“我想派几只猫送送他们，给他们指明出山的路。他们要前往丘陵地区，不是日落的地方，所以要带着他们沿着通往巨石的路走。”
松鼠爪感到一阵激动。部落猫会把他们直接带到大山那边垂死的武士消失的地方吗？
尖石巫师依次向每位族长低头致意：“我祝愿星族佑护的族群，永远都狩猎顺利！”
“谢谢你，尖石巫师。”火星低头致意，“我们做梦都没想到，居然能得到贵部落如此的款待。很遗憾，我们不得不离开，我们必须前往我们的武士祖灵指引给我们的新家园。”然后，他转向其他族长：“高星，风族准备好了吗？”
风族族长看着他，眼神里有些许疑惑，然后他看向站在他身边的一根须。一根须向他鼓励地点点头。但还没等高星说话，泥掌已经仰起头说：“我们准备好了。”
“影族也准备好了。”黑星大声说道。
豹星扬起尾巴：“我们所有的猫都准备好了。”
“不是所有的猫！”暴毛走向前去，“我要留在这儿。”
刹那间，所有的猫都惊愕地沉默了。最后，尘毛说话了：“你现在不能离开你的族群！”
“他有自由选择的权利。”高罂小声说道。她静静地看着溪儿，眼神温柔，似乎很能理解暴毛的决定。
“灰条的孩子做出的决定，肯定不会是轻率做出的。”沙风插话道。
火星若有所思地看着暴毛。“我记得灰条当时抛弃自己的族群，选择跟银溪在一起时，有多么的困难。”火星说道，“不过，正因为灰条做出了那个艰难的决定，后来才有了你和羽尾。要是没有你们俩，无论是部落还是族群，肯定都不会有今天的局面。羽尾杀死了尖牙兽，而你则完成了一场艰难的旅程，把星族的信息带给我们。我相信，没有任何猫会质疑你的忠诚和胆识，也没有猫会批评你的选择。因为你父亲已经用自己的实际行动证明，那就是忠于自己的内心，才能成就最伟大的事情。”
赞同的私语声不断回荡在山洞里。这时，豹星发出一声大吼，众猫顿时不说话了。
松鼠爪身上的皮毛都竖起来了：豹星会让暴毛留下吗？
河族族长眯起眼睛，盯着暴毛。“暴毛，”她最后说道，“河族永远不会忘记你那非凡的胆识和高超的战斗技巧。但是，我们各自的生活都发生了太大的变化，再次见面恐怕是不太可能，无论是这辈子，还是下辈子。”她点了一下头，不带一丝恼怒地接受了暴毛的决定，“我祝你一切都好。”
族群猫从山洞里鱼贯而出，溪儿的尾巴轻轻刷着暴毛的身体。松鼠爪回头悲伤地看了一眼自己的朋友，希望他至少能成为送行队伍中的一员，陪伴他们走到部落猫的边境。但暴毛只是待在原处，一身灰色的皮毛在瀑布反射的微光下闪闪发亮，他的眼神里流露出深深的悲伤。松鼠爪知道，不管暴毛多么想和部落猫一起生活，但看着所有族群都离他而去，他一定会像失去银溪、羽尾、灰条那样痛苦。
“你认为他在那里的生活会如意吗？”松鼠爪问黑莓掌。
黑莓掌飞快地舔了一下她的耳朵：“我认为会的。”
他们跟着其他猫一起走出峡谷，爬上峰顶，沿着山脉往前，太阳从他们前方照过来。
“你觉着他们带我们走的方向是对的吗？”松鼠爪对黑莓掌耳语道。
黑莓掌眨了眨眼睛。“我希望是对的。”他伸长脖子，“确实跟我们看到的流星坠落的方向是一致的。我只希望他们别把我们带得太远，错过我们要去的地方。”
他正说着的时候，部落猫带的路忽然一转，穿过一个蜿蜒的隘口。地面突然倾斜向下，大地展现在他们面前。小山连着小山，这里一片草地，那里一片林荫。从族群猫站立的大山的边缘开始，前方是整片的绿色。在漫无尽头的灰白悬崖峭壁上走了这么多天，众猫对绿色的感觉好陌生。阳光下，松鼠爪看到光秃秃的树林间有小溪在闪光，就好像在一片橡树林的银色的白桦树皮。
“就是这里吗？”黑莓掌低声说。
“连绵的山丘，栖身的橡树，流淌的溪流。”松鼠爪发现，自己正在引用午夜的预言。
“但这里好大啊！”褐皮悄悄地走到他们身边，“我们怎么知道应该在哪里停下呢？”
黑莓掌摇摇头，他们一起沉默地看着前方。忽然，他们头顶上有什么东西一闪而过。松鼠爪恰好看见了。在隘口上方的山脊上，有什么东西在动，吓得松鼠爪身上的毛顿时竖起来了。是老鹰吗？她强迫自己抬头看。那不是一只鸟，而是暴毛和溪儿，他们正沿着山脊飞奔着，在跟离去的族群说着再见。
暴毛敏捷地从一块石头上跳向另一块石头，溪儿跟他肩并肩地跳跃着，两只猫的皮毛跳跃时互相摩擦着。暴毛涂抹了泥巴的皮毛，只有在穿过小块雪地时，才看得出来。松鼠爪禁不住想，这只河族猫看起来几乎跟土生土长的山地猫没有两样了。
第二十五章
第二十五章
叶爪抖了抖胡须上的毛毛雨，跟在其他猫后面，走上遍布着石楠的山坡。他们艰苦跋涉了整整一个上午，才将积雪和大山抛在了身后。但自从走出大山，降雨就一直没有停歇。
“你注意到高星没有？”走在叶爪身边的栗尾悄声说道。
风族族长跟一根须并排走着，穿过石楠花遍布的山坡。尽管仍下着雨，但他已不再倚靠着一根须的身体了，而是充满信心地大步走着，仿佛相信自己终于抵达了族群猫的新家园。一只兔子从前方的大圆石处冲了出来，他立刻竖起了耳朵。一根须看了看他的族长，高星点点头。于是，一根须立刻追了上去，裂耳和网脚也随后追上了山坡。
“我认为是石楠的气味让风族猫有了回到家的感觉吧。”叶爪嘀咕着说。
所有的猫看起来都比他们在大山里自在多了，不只是风族如此。黑星正走在火星身边，尘毛和黄毛并肩而行，石楠的叶子拂过尘毛虎斑纹的身体，此刻，他跟影族副族长聊得正嗨。
“我从没想到，我竟然能看到尘毛跟其他族群的猫相处得这么愉快。”叶爪评论道。
“他很快就会恢复老样子的。”栗尾实事求是地答道，“我们一在新家安顿下来，一切都会变回原来的样子。”
“四大族群永远是四大族群。”叶爪似乎也是在对自己说。但是真的会如此吗？她抬眼望去，惊异地发现，在大队的猫群中，根本不可能分出哪只猫是哪个族群的。
“我很高兴终于走出了大山，”栗尾说，“暴毛竟然选择留在山里，真的是很勇敢。”
“族群里其实已经没有什么值得他留恋的了。”叶爪小声说。
“嗯，不过我还是宁愿留在族群里。”栗尾断然说道。
“即使不知道我们会到何处？”叶爪惊讶地问。
“你看看这个地方！”栗尾冲着周围的绿地挥了下尾巴，“没有怪物，也没有翻起的泥土，而且再次闻到猎物的味道。真是太好了！”说着，她伸出舌头，舔了舔嘴唇。
栗尾正说着的时候，一根须朝着族群猫跑了回来，下巴上挂着一只兔子。叶爪知道她是对的——这个地方比他们经过的地方都更有安全感。但是在收到星族的指示之前，这里真的就是他们的新家园吗？
“叶爪！”
炭毛的声音让她惊醒过来。叶爪眨了眨眼睛，睁开眼，天色还是很暗。
“一切都还好吧？”她问道，随后挣扎着站了起来。她看看四处朦胧的树林。夜里，各族群的猫都在此栖身。寒风从林间呼呼地刮过。
“火星想要尽早出发。”炭毛告诉她。
“为什么我们不能待在这里？”叶爪听见小白桦烦躁地说。她的眼睛已经适应了黎明前的光线，看见小白桦抬眼凝望着妈妈——他们母子俩都卧在一棵树的树根间。
“我们还不能停下来。”不等香薇云回答，黑莓掌低沉的声音突然响了起来，“等找到我们的新家园时，星族会告诉我们的。”
“但是如果我们在这儿等着，星族的信号也可能会发来。”尘毛说。
“在这儿等？”泥掌盯着众位雷族猫，“这些树对你们来说，也许很像你们的旧家园，但对我们可不是。”
“这里的溪水也不够宽，不可能有鱼。”豹星提醒道。
松鼠爪点点头：“我们必须继续往前走。”
“到底要走到哪儿？”鹰霜不悦地问。
松鼠爪眯起眼睛：“难道我们什么都得知道吗？”
黑莓掌摇摇尾巴，让她闭嘴，然后看向炭毛：“你从星族那里得到信号了吗？”
炭毛摇摇头：“我没有，但是叶爪做了一个梦。”
各族群的猫齐刷刷地看向叶爪，一双双眼睛在灰暗的晨光下闪烁着。叶爪顿时感觉有点恐惧。“我……我不知道那是不是一个信号，”她飞快地说，“我梦见我站在一片波光粼粼的广阔水面前……”
“波光粼粼的水面？”豹星打断她的话，“你的意思是一条河？”
叶爪摇摇头：“不，不是一条河。水面很平静，没有一丝波澜。我看见水面上倒映着银毛星带，所有的星星都能看得一清二楚，就好像它们在天空中游泳一样。”
“就这些？”黑星问道。
“我梦到斑叶也在，她对我说，星族会找到我们的。”叶爪强迫自己直视着影族族长，尽管她的腿在不住颤抖。
“因此，我们要向有水的地方前进？”高星满怀期待地问道。
叶爪的耳朵抽动着。“我认为这只是一个梦，”她轻声说，“从那以后，我就没再接收到星族的指示。”她遗憾地看着自己的爪子，“所以我开始想，我之所以做这样的梦，可能只是因为我想要这样的结果。”
“那么我们还是一无所获！”黑星抱怨着走开了。
“你确定那只是一个梦？”黑莓掌问叶爪。
她心里不断问自己，想找到答案，但最后只能无奈地说道：“我不知道。”
她以前对自己做过的梦从未错解。但最近做的这个梦，如果真的是他们的武士祖灵传递的信号，那么这些信号——天空坠落的流星和另一个梦——是不是就说明，此时此刻，星族已经伴随他们来到了这个陌生的地方？
“好吧，我们只要往前走就是了。”黑莓掌从树林里走出来，在他前方，长满野草的山坡一直向下，延伸到一个窄窄的山谷。从山谷往上看，湛蓝的天空下，丘陵地带起伏着伸向远方，山丘环绕的地方覆盖着森林。
众猫走出树林，纷纷眨着眼睛，伸着懒腰，一副没睡醒的样子。叶爪凝望天空，星星已经隐没在云层里。
“别担心那个信号。”父亲的声音惊醒了她，她一扭头，发现火星正站在她的身边。“你只是一名巫医学徒，”他说，“如果星族有意保持沉默，那不是你的责任，别感觉有压力。”
她感激地看着父亲碧绿的双眸，火星则继续说道：“我为你感到自豪，也为松鼠爪骄傲——虽然炭毛的预言一开始着实吓到我了。”
“炭毛的预言？”叶爪反问道。
“星族发出的信号，火和虎同时现身会毁灭族群。”
叶爪眨了眨眼，感觉炭毛揭示的那个不祥预兆，好像已经是很久很久以前的事情了。
“我觉得我现在终于理解了那个预兆的含义了。”火星凝视着松鼠爪和黑莓掌的背影，他俩正带领大部队向山谷走去。他们如影随形，就像月亮和它投下的影子，在黑暗中熠熠生辉。“火星的女儿和虎星的儿子，的确毁灭了族群。”他说道，“但不是我所担心的那样。他们带着我们远离了危险的旧家园，走进了未知的远方。这一路面临许多困难，每个困难都有可能浇灭他们前进的动力。但他们信心坚定，把我们平安地带到了这里。”他把目光转向褐皮和鸦羽，他俩正一左一右守护在队伍的两边。“第一次翻越大山的那几只猫，无论他们现在和我们在一起，还是留在了其他部落里，他们的胆识都值得每只族群猫敬佩。”
说完，火星摆摆尾巴，跳过去赶上沙风。叶爪感到自豪之情油然而生，她为妹妹骄傲，也感激父亲，愿意相信黑莓掌和松鼠爪能将他们带到安全地带。
叶爪穿过猫群，来到栗尾身边。这时，众猫已经走到坡脚下，正要往山谷的另一边爬去。
“我快饿死了！”栗尾抱怨道。
“天快亮了。”叶爪对她说，“我敢肯定，天一亮，我们就可以狩猎了。”
“至少看来，这里是个狩猎的好地方。”栗尾转头看着山坡上密密地长满小山毛榉树。
叶爪听到前方传来妹妹的声音。“我闻到猎物的气息了，还有树叶和蕨叶的气息，简直就像又回到了森林老家一样！”松鼠爪跳跃着向她们跑来，“希望我们能在这儿找到某种信号。”她的目光穿过树林，看见黑莓掌的身影像条鱼一般，在阴影里轻快地掠过，“我希望他没事，他今天几乎一句话都没说。”
“他只是太担心了。”叶爪安慰她。
“你认为星族会发来什么样的信号？”
叶爪摇了摇头。“我不知道，”她坦承道。
在树林下，她几乎看不见前方的猫留下的爪印，但她循着族猫的气息稳步向前攀登。
仿佛每只猫都在期待着什么，紧张的气氛从族群中间漫延开来，大家都绷紧了肌肉，皮毛尽竖。当他们到达山脊的时候，谁都没有说话。他们走在长满树木的山顶，鱼贯而行，在朦胧的天空下勾勒出一道轮廓。一阵冷风吹来，叶爪的皮毛翻飞。她闭上眼睛，诚挚地向星族祈祷着。
星族啊，请证实一下斑叶说的话，向我们发出信号，让我知道你们一直在等着我们！她祈求道。
风更猛烈了，吹乱了她的皮毛，也吹散了远方的乌云。月亮露出来了，圆圆地挂在天空中，也照亮了下面的猫群。
叶爪睁大了眼睛，一下子停了下来，几乎忘了呼吸。山坡的另一边，是陡峭的斜坡，坡下是一望无际的平滑水面。银毛星带里的所有星星都倒映在湖面上，蓝黑色的水面上泛着千万点银光，仿佛星星在夜空中游泳。
快乐一下子溢满叶爪的心。她知道，他们已经到达了旅途的终点。她相信，他们的武士祖灵早已等在了这里。
她抬眼四望，远方的地平线越来越红，曙光就在前方。黎明开始驱走黑夜，族群的新家园正一点点地显露出来。
“这就是我们一直寻找的家园，星族就在这里。”
特别感谢凯特•卡里