PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
“No! There must be some mistake!”The cat looked up from where it crouched by the water’s edge, its fur glowing in the moonlight. “There is still so much I have to do!”
A broad-faced cat with blue-gray fur padded around the pool, her eyes soft with sympathy. “I’m sorry,” she meowed. “I know you expected many more moons with your Clanmates before coming to join us.”
The crouching cat looked down into the water. The moon’s reflection trembled like a floating leaf, and the surface of the pool glimmered with starlight cast by the countless shining shapes that lined the hollow. For a moment the only sound was the waterfall that splashed down the steepest part of the rocks. The cats of StarClan waited in watchful silence, as if each one shared the grief of the cat at the water’s edge.
“You have served your Clan more faithfully than some cats manage in a long lifetime,” the blue-furred cat went on. “It must seem very unfair that you should have to leave them.”
The crouching cat raised luminous eyes to face the starry warrior. “Bluestar, I know this isn’t your fault. There’s no need to apologize.”
Bluestar twitched her tail. “Of course there is. You should know how much your Clan owes to you.”
“Allthe Clans.” A black and white tom with a long tail rose to his paws and padded around the edge of the pool to stand beside Bluestar. “StarClan too. None of us would have found our new home without your help.” He dipped his head in a gesture of respect, and the starlight on the surface of the pool wavered.
The cat blinked at him. “Thank you, Tallstar. I’ve made mistakes, but I have always tried to do what I believed to be right.”
“StarClan asks no more from its warriors.” A lean, black tomcat began to pick his way over the moss-covered rocks. “If we could change your fate, we would.”
“But remember,” Bluestar warned, “not even StarClan can turn aside the paws of destiny, however much we might want to.”
The cat at the water’s edge nodded. “I understand. And I will try to have courage. Can you tell me when—”
Bluestar shook her head. “No. Even we cannot see the future so clearly. But when the time comes, you will know, and we will be waiting for you.”
A fourth warrior spirit rose from his place farther up the slope and padded down between the shimmering ranks of StarClan. He was a light-colored tabby with a twisted jaw. “Whenever the Clans tell stories of the great journey, your name will be honored,” he promised.
“Thank you, Crookedstar,” the cat meowed.
All four of the shining warriors gathered around, four who had been Clan leaders when their paws walked the earth.
“Know that the strength of StarClan will be with you,” Bluestar meowed. “We will not leave you to face this alone.”
The cat looked up to meet the intense blue gaze. “StarClan has always been with me.”
“You say that, even though your life has been so hard?” Tallstar’s voice was surprised.
“Of course.” The cat’s eyes glimmered in the starlight. “I have made good friends in all the Clans. I’ve seen kits born and watched elders leave on their final journey to Silverpelt. I’ve made the long journey to the Clans’ new home. Believe me, I wouldn’t change a single day.” The cat paused and looked down into the pool again. “I know it is not in your power to give me longer with my Clan. But I can’t help wanting more.”
Bluestar’s eyes narrowed. “It hurts us all when a young cat is called to join StarClan. I know you would continue serving your Clan loyally for many seasons more.” Her voice rasped with pain, and the cat looked up at her, stretching out one paw in a comforting gesture.
“Don’t grieve, Bluestar. I know my Clan will be well cared for after I am gone.”
A murmur of respect rose up from around the hollow. Bluestar bent her head over the crouching cat, bathing the moon-bright fur with her scent. “We are with you always,” she mewed.
In turn, each of the others bent over and added their scent, filling the air with the tang of stars and ice and the night wind. More warriors followed—a graceful tortoiseshell, a sturdy bracken-colored tom, a tabby she-cat with a silver-striped pelt—wreathing the cat with the strength and courage of StarClan.
Their voices swelled to a low keening of sorrow that drifted up to the stars. The shimmering forms began to fade one by one, until the hollow was empty.
And the stars shone down on a single cat that crouched unmoving beside the pool.
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
It was the first time Squirrelflighthad left the camp since the battle with Mudclaw, and she found herself enjoying the feel of wind in her fur and the crackle of leaves underpaw. Here and there she glimpsed early signs of newleaf: a few pale snowdrops scattered under a tree, and a single early coltsfoot flower like a splash of sunlight against a mossy green trunk. Squirrelflight reminded herself to tell her sister, Leafpool, where it could be found. Coltsfoot was a good remedy for shortness of breath.
Once they were well away from camp, Brambleclaw stopped. “Why don’t you two take the lead?” he suggested, nodding to Ashfur and Rainwhisker. “Let’s see how well you know the territory.”
“Sure,” Rainwhisker agreed enthusiastically, picking up the pace.
But Ashfur gave the tabby warrior a hard stare before sliding through the bracken after Rainwhisker. Squirrelflight knew why.
“What did you say that for?” she mewed crossly to Brambleclaw when they were alone. “You’re treating them as if they’re your apprentices. Ashfur’s older than you, don’t forget.”
“And I’m leading this patrol,” Brambleclaw pointed out. “If you don’t like my orders, you’d better go back.”
Squirrelflight opened her mouth for a stinging reply, then closed it again. She didn’t want to get dragged into yet another quarrel. Instead, she whisked past Brambleclaw and bounded around the edge of a clump of brambles, following the scent trail Rainwhisker and Ashfur had left.
Ashfur must have heard her brushing through the bracken; he waited for her to catch up and slowed his pace to pad next to her. “The buds on the trees are swelling,” he remarked, flicking his tail toward the branches of an oak. “Not long now till newleaf.”
“I can’t wait,” Squirrelflight mewed. “No more ice and snow, lots more prey.”
“The Clan could do with some extra fresh-kill,” Ashfur agreed. “Talking of fresh-kill, how about we hunt? Do you think Brambleclaw would mind?”
“I don’t give a mousetail whether Brambleclaw minds or not,” Squirrelflight hissed.
She opened her jaws to taste the air. At first she thought she caught a trace of badger, and wondered if she should mention it to Brambleclaw—badgers were trouble, especially if their territory overlapped with a Clan’s. But he was the last cat in the forest she wanted to speak to right now, and she guessed he wouldn’t listen to anything she had to say anyway.
She tasted the air again; the scent of squirrel flooded over her, and when she spotted the bushy-tailed creature stooped busily over a nut a few fox-lengths ahead, she pushed the badger to the back of her mind. Checking the direction of the wind, she dropped into a hunter’s crouch and crept up on her prey. As she launched herself forward the squirrel leapt for a nearby tree trunk, but Squirrelflight sprang quickly. Her claws sank into its shoulder and she dispatched it with a swift bite to the neck.
A loud alarm call made her swing around to see a blackbird fluttering up from a clump of bracken while Ashfur watched it in frustration.
“Bad luck!” Squirrelflight called. “I probably startled it by going after the squirrel.”
Ashfur shook his head. “No, I stepped on a twig.”
“Never mind, you can come and share this.” Squirrelflight waved her tail invitingly. “There’s plenty.”
As Ashfur joined her beside the fresh-kill, Brambleclaw appeared from the undergrowth. “What are you doing?” he growled. “We’re on our way to see WindClan, or had you forgotten?”
Squirrelflight swallowed a mouthful of prey. “Come on, Brambleclaw—lighten up, for StarClan’s sake. None of us have eaten this morning.” Awkwardly, not sure how Brambleclaw would react if she tried to be friendly, she drew back from the squirrel. “You can have some if you want.”
“No thanks.” The tabby warrior’s voice was curt. “Where’s Rainwhisker?”
“He went on ahead,” meowed Ashfur, with a wave of his tail.
Without another word, Brambleclaw strode off in the direction the gray tom had indicated, shouldering through the long grass until his dark pelt was swallowed up by damp green fronds.
Squirrelflight let out a hiss of annoyance.
Ashfur flicked her ear lightly with the tip of his tail. “Don’t let him get to you so easily.”
“He doesn’t,” Squirrelflight muttered, trying to convince herself it was true. Once more she remembered how close she and Brambleclaw had been on their journeys, how they had relied on each other and come to need each other. How did we get from there to here? she wondered despairingly.
Glancing up at Ashfur, she saw that his eyes were dark with concern. She knew he wanted to be closer to her, more than just fellow warriors. It was tempting to tell him she felt the same way, but it was too soon for her to be sure her feelings were real. She needed to get over the quarrel with Brambleclaw first. And in the meantime we have a job to do, she reminded herself with a flash of impatience. You’re a warrior, not a moonstruck rabbit!
She and Ashfur finished the squirrel in a few swift bites and set out again toward the WindClan border. Soon they overtook Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker. Brambleclaw had brought down a starling and was tearing into it hungrily, while Rainwhisker was gulping down a vole. He glanced up as his Clanmates appeared.
“I thought you’d got lost,” he meowed.
Brambleclaw took his last mouthful of starling and rose to his paws. Without saying a word, he turned and stalked off. Squirrelflight exchanged a glance with Ashfur, shrugged, and followed.
The trees were thinning out when Squirrelflight began to hear the chattering of water over stones. The patrol emerged at the top of a slope that led down to the stream bordering WindClan. Gusts of WindClan scent drifted across on the breeze, but there was no sign of any cats.
“We must have just missed a patrol,” Ashfur meowed quietly. “Those scent marks are fresh.”
That was a good sign, Squirrelflight thought. If WindClan were organized enough to be patrolling their boundaries, they must be on their way to recovering from Mudclaw’s rebellion. Did that mean Onewhisker had been able to travel to the Moonpool to receive his nine lives and his leader’s name from StarClan?
“Let’s head for the stepping stones,” Brambleclaw suggested. “We might catch up to them.”
He bounded down the slope and headed upstream with the rest of the patrol hard on his paws. The trees soon gave way to open moorland; Squirrelflight turned her head to look at the gray sweep of leafless branches below her. Beyond them, the lake reflected the pale blue sky, where the sun had nearly reached its peak.
The stream tumbled more steeply here, between banks fringed by sedge and reeds. Water foamed around stepping stones that formed a path to the moorland on the other side, easy for a cat to leap, even when the stream was full.
Wind gusted into Squirrelflight’s face, buffeting her fur and making her eyes water. “I don’t know how WindClan puts up with it,” she grumbled to Ashfur. “There isn’t a tree in sight!”
Ashfur let out a small mrrowof amusement. “They probably wonder how ThunderClan puts up with all those branches blocking out the sky.”
“Ask me that when it rains,” Squirrelflight muttered.
A flash of pale brown caught her eye: a rabbit fleeing over the crest of the hill. Squirrelflight’s paws itched to dash after it, but it was well inside WindClan’s territory. Heartbeats later a lean, gray-black cat appeared, racing after the rabbit with his belly brushing the turf. Blinking to clear her watering eyes, Squirrelflight recognized Crowfeather. Like Brambleclaw, he had been one of the cats chosen by StarClan to make the journey to the sun-drown-place.
Hunter and prey disappeared into a hollow and a high-pitched squeal, quickly cut off, told Squirrelflight that the WindClan warrior had made his kill.
“Hunting patrol,” meowed Rainwhisker, nodding to the top of the hill.
Two more WindClan cats followed Crowfeather more slowly over the crest. Squirrelflight made out the dark gray tabby pelt of Webfoot; the smaller cat behind him was his apprentice, Weaselpaw. A third cat, Whitetail, joined them as they stood looking down at the ThunderClan patrol.
Brambleclaw called out, “We’ve brought a message from Firestar!”
Webfoot and Whitetail exchanged a glance, then Webfoot led the way down the slope until all three cats stood on the opposite side of the stream.
“What message?” Webfoot demanded.
Squirrelflight studied the WindClan warrior. He had been one of Mudclaw’s fiercest supporters, and he still showed marks of the battle in a torn ear and a patch of fur missing from one shoulder. But Onewhisker must have decided to trust him again, if he had been put in charge of this patrol.
Brambleclaw dipped his head in greeting. “Firestar sent us to make sure everything’s okay,” he mewed. “He asked us to check that Onewhisker had made his journey to the Moonpool.”
“Onestar,” Whitetail corrected him.
Squirrelflight’s belly lurched. Calling the Clan leader by his ordinary warrior name had been a really bad mistake, as if Brambleclaw didn’t expect him to have received his new name from StarClan.
“Sorry—Onestar.” Brambleclaw twitched one ear, but his voice remained steady. “That’s good news. Congratulate him for us, will you?”
Webfoot’s eyes narrowed. “Why did Firestar send you? Does he think StarClan wouldn’t give nine lives to Onestar?”
Squirrelflight’s eyes stretched wide. Had Webfoot forgotten that Onestar might have been crowfood by now if it wasn’t for Firestar and ThunderClan?
Brambleclaw blinked. “He just wanted to be sure.”
“Perhaps Firestar should concentrate on ThunderClan, and let WindClan get on with their own lives,” Webfoot suggested.
“Onestar wouldn’t be leader if it wasn’t for ThunderClan!” Squirrelflight pointed out hotly. “You know that as well as any cat, Webfoot. You and Mudclaw—” She broke off, choking on a mouthful of fur as Brambleclaw flicked his tail across her mouth.
Webfoot’s eyes burned. “I wasn’t the only cat to believe Mudclaw was our rightful leader,” he snarled. “But since StarClan killed him with the falling tree, and gave Onestar his nine lives and his name, I know that I was wrong.”
“If Onestar trusts himhe’s got bees in his brain.” Squirrelflight dropped back to mutter in Ashfur’s ear. “If I was Onestar, I’d watch my tail.”
To her relief, she spotted Crowfeather appear over the rim of the hollow, dragging the rabbit’s body. Even though the WindClan warrior was as prickly as a holly bush, he wouldn’t be as cold and suspicious as Webfoot among his old friends.
“Hi, Crowfeather,” she meowed. “Good catch!”
To her surprise, the dark gray warrior gave her a curt nod and glanced away without saying anything. He kept his jaws clamped on his fresh-kill, his nostrils flaring.
“If that’s all,” Webfoot meowed, “you can all go home.”
“Don’t tell us what to do on our own territory!” Squirrelflight snapped.
“Leave it,” Brambleclaw warned in a low growl. Squirrelflight knew he was right—this was not the time to pick a fight, however hostile the WindClan cats were being.
Webfoot and the other WindClan warriors watched silently from their side of the stream as Brambleclaw turned and led his patrol back toward camp. Squirrelflight felt the WindClan cats’ gaze pricking her pelt all the way down the hill, and when she glanced back at the edge of the trees, the four cats were still there. She bounded forward, not stopping until she had put a thick bramble thicket between herself and WindClan.
“Thank StarClan!” She skidded to a halt in a clearing and shook herself as if she had just climbed out of icy water. “I don’t know what’s got into them.”
“Me neither,” Rainwhisker agreed.
“I would have thought it was obvious,” Brambleclaw meowed. “WindClan don’t want to be allied with ThunderClan anymore. Everything’s different now.”
“After all we did for them!” Squirrelflight’s frustration and anxiety spilled over into anger; she couldn’t believe Brambleclaw was accepting WindClan’s new hostility without question. “I was a whisker from clawing Webfoot’s ears off back there.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” Brambleclaw pointed out dryly. “There’s more than one cat in ThunderClan who’d say that Firestar shouldn’t interfere in another Clan’s business.”
“Mouse dung! Does that mean you think Firestar should have done nothing, and just let Mudclaw take over?” Squirrelflight sprang forward, but before she could reach Brambleclaw, Ashfur pushed his way between them.
“There’s no need for this,” he meowed. “WindClan probably want to prove they’re strong again, now that they have their new leader. Give them time. They’ll calm down.”
Squirrelflight suspected the gray tomcat was right, but that didn’t mean she was willing to let Brambleclaw get away with insulting her father. She forced her neck fur to flatten again, but she still quivered with fury as they set off toward the ThunderClan camp.
“Firestar will always want to help Onestar.” She addressed the back of Brambleclaw’s head as he slipped through a patch of ferns ahead of her. “They’ve been friends forever.”
“Maybe, but Onestar clearly doesn’t need his help anymore,” Brambleclaw mewed without looking back. The certainty in his tone infuriated Squirrelflight all over again. “It’s natural for Clans to be rivals. We were right to help WindClan when they were in trouble, but we can’t keep on looking out for them.”
“Stupid furball!” Squirrelflight growled, not loud enough for Brambleclaw to hear her. She hated the way the Clans had separated like flowing water into their new territories; what had happened to their closeness during the journey from the forest, when every cat had tried to help each other without stopping to remember which Clan they belonged to? It felt much too soon to turn their backs on that and let hostility and Clan rivalry take over. How would they survive in this new and unfamiliar place if they couldn’t rely on each other?
“And what will happen if ThunderClan need WindClan’s help?” Rainwhisker meowed ominously, as if he had followed Squirrelflight’s thoughts. “Have any of you thought of that?”
Brambleclaw led the patrol home by a different route, hunting on the way to take fresh-kill back for the Clan. Pausing underneath an oak tree, Squirrelflight once again picked up the scent of badger. It was stronger this time, and fresh; she guessed that it was not long since the creature had passed that way.
“Brambleclaw, do you smell that too?”
The tabby warrior padded up with a squirrel he had just caught. He put the fresh-kill down and swiped his tongue around his jaws before drawing in a stream of air. Alarm flared at once in his amber eyes. “Badger! Close by, too.”
Squirrelflight’s pelt prickled. A badger in their territory was the last thing any cat wanted. Hawkfrost had already driven one away from RiverClan, and it looked like ThunderClan had been lucky not to encounter one before now. “We’ll have to do something,” she mewed.
Brambleclaw nodded. A badger would make a tasty meal of a young kit if it had the chance. They were unlikely to prey on an adult cat, but that didn’t mean full-grown warriors were safe if they met one. A badger would kill out of pure savagery, trampling its prey into the ground or clamping it in its jaws and never letting go until its victim was dead.
Squirrelflight reminded herself that not all badgers were like that. Her first journey from the forest had led her to Midnight, the wise badger who lived at the sun-drown-place. Midnight had warned them that Twolegs would destroy the forest, and told them that the Clans would have to leave. But Midnight was unique; the rest of her kin could be blood-thirsty marauders if the mood took them.
“Is there a problem?” Ashfur came to join Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw; his words were indistinct because he carried a mouthful of mice, dangling from their tails.
Brambleclaw beckoned with his tail to Rainwhisker, who had just brought down a blackbird; the young warrior came trotting over with a satisfied look on his face and a feather on his nose.
“A badger—maybe more than one—has been here,” Brambleclaw meowed. “We can’t go back to camp without checking it out.”
“You mean, follow the trail?” Rainwhisker mewed in alarm. “Are you sure?”
“We have to find out if it’s left our territory. Squirrelflight, can you tell which way it went?”
Squirrelflight nosed at the scent the badger had left in the grass. “That way.” She pointed with her tail.
Brambleclaw padded over to sniff the trail. “Keep quiet, all of you. I don’t want them to know we’re here until we see how many there are and decide what’s best to do. We’re lucky that the wind’s in the right direction, so it won’t carry our scent to them.”
The cats left their prey among the roots of the oak tree, scratching earth over the pile until they could come and collect it later. Then with Brambleclaw in the lead, they set out after the badger.
The trail led them deeper into the forest, in the direction of the ShadowClan border. Here and there were freshly turned patches of earth, as if the badger had been digging for grubs. Squirrelflight felt a pang of concern for her friend Tawnypelt and the rest of ShadowClan; if they failed to track the badger down in their territory, some cat would need to warn Blackstar.
The scent grew steadily stronger, a powerful reek that swallowed up all other scents of the forest. Squirrelflight felt her fur stand up along her spine. It looked as if ShadowClan would be safe after all; the badger was still close by.
Suddenly Brambleclaw halted in the shadow of a boulder and held up his tail as a sign for the others to stay back. He clawed his way silently up the rough stone until he could poke his head above it and see to the other side.
Instantly he ducked down again. Squirrelflight crept forward until she could peer around the side of the boulder.
The ground on the other side was flat and pebbly, leading to a scattering of more smooth gray boulders. Between two of the rocks there was a gaping hole flanked by piles of freshly dug earth; Squirrelflight almost sneezed as a harsh scent reached her from the damp soil, a mingled reek of badger and fox. The badger must be building a set in an old fox den, she thought.
In front of the hole, three badger cubs scuffled about, making high-pitched fretful noises as if they didn’t like having to trek through the forest in daylight. Squirrelflight stared, her neck fur rising in horror, then she slid back to join Ashfur and Rainwhisker in the shelter of the rock.
“There’s a whole family of them!” she hissed. “Great StarClan, they’ll be all over the territory in a couple of seasons!”
Ashfur looked puzzled. “It’s unusual for a badger to move with cubs.”
“Maybe they were forced out of their old home,” Rainwhisker suggested.
Brambleclaw slid down from the top of the boulder and crouched beside them. “We can’t do anything until we know how many adults there are,” he meowed. “We’ll stay here and keep watch. Don’t do anything unless I say so, okay?”
All three cats nodded, though Squirrelflight seethed at the way Brambleclaw was ordering them about like wet-eared apprentices.
“Badgers mostly come out at night,” Brambleclaw went on. “If they’re in the set now, there’s not much we can do. No cat is going in there.” His amber gaze rested on Squirrelflight.
“I’m not stupid!” she hissed.
“I didn’t say you were,” Brambleclaw retorted. “But there are times when you do stupid things.”
Ashfur took a breath as if he were going to leap to her defense, but she flicked her tail at him for silence. “Really, it’s not worth it,” she muttered.
“If we find there’s just one full-grown badger with the cubs, we’ll attack,” Brambleclaw mewed. “We can’t let them settle in our territory. Four of us should be able to cope with one badger. Hawkfrost managed to drive one off, after all. This could even be the same badger.”
Squirrelflight’s neck fur began to rise again at the mention of Brambleclaw’s half brother. It was bad enough that Brambleclaw refused to admit that Hawkfrost was untrustworthy, without having him held up as a model of courage and fighting skill as well.
“We might drive it into ShadowClan territory,” she pointed out.
“Then ShadowClan’s warriors will have to deal with it.” Brambleclaw’s eyes were intense, and his voice cold. “We have to protect our own Clan first.”
“And if there’s more than one badger?” Ashfur wondered.
“Then we’ll gather as much information as we can and report back to Firestar. Find somewhere to hide where you can see the mouth of the set.”
Squirrelflight returned to her vantage point in the clump of fern. The badger cubs were still scuffling in front of the pile of earth. The sun climbed higher, and Squirrelflight would have dozed off if hunger hadn’t gnawed at her belly. The squirrel she had shared with Ashfur seemed a long time ago, and she thought longingly of the heap of fresh-kill left under the oak tree.
Her jaws gaped in a yawn, and she clamped them shut again as an even stronger reek of badger flooded into her mouth. The undergrowth on the far side of the clearing rustled briefly before the ferns parted to reveal a powerful, broad-shouldered body and a long muzzle with a white stripe down the middle. The female badger lumbered into the clearing and her three cubs scampered up to her. She dropped a mouthful of beetles onto the ground and the cubs gulped them up with high-pitched cries of joy.
Brambleclaw sprang on top of the boulder and let out a challenging yowl. The female badger’s head shot up and she roared in defiance, showing two rows of sharp yellow teeth.
Brambleclaw yowled again. “Attack!” He leapt from the boulder, landing among the cubs who scurried out of the way, yelping with fear. They huddled together in the mouth of the set, staring at the warrior with wide, scared eyes.
Ashfur hurtled out of his hiding place farther around the clearing, with Rainwhisker hard on his paws. Squirrelflight pelted forward to stand beside Brambleclaw. “Get out!” she hissed at the badgers, even though she knew they wouldn’t understand what she was saying. “This is our territory!”
Brambleclaw lashed at the badger’s muzzle with both forepaws. She reared backward, swiping at him with massive claws, but Brambleclaw dodged the blow.
Squirrelflight ran forward until she was close enough to rake her claws down the badger’s side; blood welled out of the clawmarks and she shook her paw fiercely to dislodge the trapped black fur. She ducked to avoid the snapping jaws, then darted back just as Ashfur dashed in from the other side. The badger swung her head from side to side as if she couldn’t decide which swift-moving target to attack first.
This is easy! Squirrelflight thought. She’s too slow and clumsy!
She let out a screech of alarm as a massive white-furred paw slammed down less than a mouse-length away from her haunches. If it had landed on her it would have snapped her spine. Startled and shaking, she rolled out of range in a tangle of paws and tail. She wanted to run all the way back to the camp, but she knew they couldn’t give up now. This ferocious creature could not be allowed to make a home in their territory, or no cat would be safe, from the youngest kits to the most battle-hardy warriors.
She scrambled to her feet in time to see Brambleclaw swipe his claws down the badger’s shoulder. Leaping up, he tried to fasten his teeth in her throat, but the badger shook him off. He flew through the air, landed with a loud thump, and lay motionless.
Squirrelflight raced to his side, her belly churning in fear. But before she reached him, he shook his head as if he were coming out of deep water, then he staggered to his paws. “I’m okay,” he rasped.
Squirrelflight veered away to meet the badger head-on. Rearing up on her hindlegs, she clawed her enemy’s nose while her other paw slashed for the tiny bright eyes. Ashfur battered at the creature’s haunches, angling his body to make room for Brambleclaw, who was biting down on the badger’s hindpaw. Rainwhisker had his front paws hooked in the badger’s rough pelt while his teeth clamped down on her ear.
The badger had had enough. Shaking off Brambleclaw and Rainwhisker, she let out a roar of fury and defeat and turned tail. Lumbering across to the mouth of the foxhole, she nudged her cubs to their paws and herded them in front of her as they fled the clearing.
“And don’t come back!” Ashfur yowled.
The badger wouldn’t understand his words, but the meaning was plain enough. All four cats stood shoulder to shoulder while the badger’s roars and the high-pitched cries of the cubs faded away through the trees.
“Well fought, all of you,” Brambleclaw panted. “Let’s hope that’s the last we see of them.”
“And that there aren’t any more,” Ashfur commented.
Brambleclaw nodded. “We’ll fill in the hole and keep watch to make sure they don’t come back.”
“What? Now?” Squirrelflight protested. “I’m worn out, and my belly’s yowling!”
“No, not now. We’ll go back to camp and get a couple of other warriors to deal with the set. The regular patrols can keep an eye on it after that.”
“Thank StarClan!” Squirrelflight sighed. “Let’s go and collect that fresh-kill.”
The four cats limped back through the forest. Squirrelflight felt the sting of new wounds on top of her scratches from the battle against Mudclaw. “I won’t have any fur left at this rate,” she muttered.
Ashfur padded to her side and drew his tongue gently across a clawmark on her shoulder. “You fought well,” he murmured.
“So did you.” Squirrelflight could see how battered he was, with blood seeping from a patch on his hindquarters where the fur had been clawed off. She touched her nose to his ear. “I bet that badger wishes she’d never set foot on our territory!” she mewed.
She pictured the huge creature crashing through the undergrowth with her cubs stumbling along behind. For a few heartbeats she shared their fear, and a pang of sympathy pierced her. She knew what it felt like to lose your home, and have to travel far to find a new one.
I hope she finds somewhere safe for her cubs, Squirrelflight thought. But a long, long way from ThunderClan
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
“Leafpool! Leafpool, what’s the matter withyou? That’s the third time I’ve called your name.”
The young medicine cat jumped. “Sorry, Cinderpelt.”
The gray she-cat bent her head to sniff at the seeds Leafpool was wrapping in a leaf. “What have you got here?”
“Poppy seed.”
Cinderpelt sighed. “No, it’s not. It’s nettle seed. Honestly, Leafpool, what’s the matter with you today?”
Leafpool stared down at the leaf. Cinderpelt had asked her to take some poppy seed to Firestar to soothe the pain in his wrenched shoulder. She had no idea how she had taken the wrong herb from the store inside Cinderpelt’s den, but the green, spiny seeds on the leaf in front of her were definitely nettle. They might have helped if Firestar had eaten something poisonous, but they wouldn’t do anything to help his shoulder.
“I’m really sorry, Cinderpelt.”
“I should think so. This morning I caught you trying to put yarrow on Mousefur’s ticks instead of mouse bile.” Cinderpelt’s tone softened. “Is everything all right, Leafpool? Were you hurt when those ShadowClan warriors chased you?”
Leafpool shook her head. “No…no, I’m fine.”
Her thoughts flew back to the night of the battle, when two ShadowClan warriors had chased her into the undergrowth at the top of the hollow, and plunged over the cliff to their deaths. Leafpool had almost fallen with them, her paws slipping on the rock as she tried to haul herself up. She could still feel the firm grasp on her scruff that had hauled her to safety, still see the intense gaze of her WindClan rescuer as he confessed that he loved her. Crowfeather! Every hair on her pelt tingled.
“Leafpool, you’re doing it again!”
Shaking her head to clear it, Leafpool carried the leaf back into Cinderpelt’s den. She returned the nettle seeds to the crack in the rock and took out some poppy seeds instead.
“If there is anything wrong, I wish you would talk to me about it,” Cinderpelt meowed, watching her from the entrance. “We’re busier than we’ve been since we arrived, dealing with wounds from the battle. I need you, Leafpool. You’re more than an apprentice now—you should be able to carry out medicine cat duties on your own.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But everything’s fine, really.”
Of course it was—it was better than fine, when Crowfeather loved her! Leafpool wrapped the correct seeds in the beech leaf and picked up the package to carry it to Firestar. She nodded to her mentor as she nudged her way through the curtain of brambles that led into the camp. Part of her wanted to confide in Cinderpelt more than anything, but Leafpool knew she could never reveal her feelings for Crowfeather to any cat. Medicine cats were not supposed to fall in love.
Cinderpelt had suspected a connection between Leafpool and the WindClan warrior before the Clans split up into their new territories. But that was before Crowfeather told Leafpool that he loved her, before Leafpool had admitted her own feelings to herself. Now it would be even harder to hide what she felt from the wise medicine cat.
She scrambled up the rocks that formed a tumbled pathway to the Highledge outside Firestar’s den. Looking down into the clearing, she saw Dustpelt slipping into the nursery to visit Ferncloud and Birchkit; the patrol that had taken the bodies to ShadowClan must have returned peacefully.
Leafpool set her leaf packet down on the ledge outside the den. “Firestar!” she called.
“Come in!”
She slid through the narrow cleft for a couple of tail-lengths until it widened out into a cave, dimly lit by the light that shone through the opening. Firestar was stretched on a bed of fern and moss at the far end. Thornclaw sat beside him. Firestar nodded a greeting to Leafpool and turned back to the golden-brown tabby.
“So there was no trouble with ShadowClan?”
Thornclaw shook his head. “We met Russetfur leading a border patrol, and she fetched Blackstar. He saidhe knew nothing about his warriors supporting Mudclaw.”
Firestar shrugged, wincing at a twinge of pain from his shoulder. “That could be true.”
“Then his warriors took the bodies away to be buried,” Thornclaw finished, “and we came home.”
“Well done, Thornclaw. I don’t want any trouble with ShadowClan.” Firestar paused for a moment before adding, “We’d better be careful what we say at the next Gathering. No sense in trailing our tails for Blackstar to pounce on. Pass the word to the rest of the Clan, would you?”
“Sure, Firestar.” Thornclaw rose to his paws and left with a farewell flick of his tail.
Leafpool padded across the cave and set down the leaf-wrapped poppy seeds. “Cinderpelt sent you these.”
Firestar leaned over and licked up the seeds with one swipe of his tongue. “Thank you, Leafpool. This’ll teach me not to take on two warriors at once!”
“You should sleep now,” Leafpool meowed.
As she finished speaking, she heard the sound of cats gathering in the clearing below the ledge, and Squirrelflight’s voice calling, “Firestar!”
The Clan leader glanced at Leafpool with a gleam of amusement in his eyes. “There goes my nap. Brambleclaw’s patrol must be back from WindClan.”
He rose to his paws and limped across the den. Leafpool followed him. Excitement rushed through her like a bubbling stream. She wanted to fling herself down the rocks and hurl questions at Squirrelflight. Had the patrol seen Crowfeather? What did he say? Had he been hurt in the battle? Had he mentioned her…?
She stopped abruptly at the entrance to her father’s den. If she asked just one of these questions, Squirrelflight would want to know why she was so interested in the young WindClan warrior. And even her sister wouldn’t understand if she knew that Leafpool had broken the code of a medicine cat and fallen in love.
Brambleclaw and the rest of the patrol were waiting in the clearing, while more of the Clan cats gathered around them to hear their news. Leafpool jumped down the tumble of broken rocks and paused, feeling puzzled as she caught a powerful wave of feeling from her sister. Squirrelflight was in even more turmoil than she had been after the quarrel with Brambleclaw, making Leafpool’s fur bristle with a whirl of agitation, fear, and sympathy.
Leafpool slid between Dustpelt and Mousefur until she reached Squirrelflight’s side. “What’s the matter?” she murmured in her sister’s ear. “What happened?”
Squirrelflight’s claws scraped furiously at the earth in front of her. “WindClan treated us like we were sworn enemies!” she hissed.
Leafpool turned to listen to Brambleclaw, who was reporting to Firestar.
“Webfoot looked as though he’d like to claw our fur off,” the tabby warrior meowed. “You would never have thought we were the same cats who helped WindClan fight off Mudclaw a couple of nights ago.”
“But did you find out about Onestar?” Firestar asked. “He isOnestar now, isn’t he?”
“Oh, yes, he’s got his nine lives all right, but his Clan don’t seem to think we’re allies anymore.”
“I told you,” Ashfur broke in. “They have to show us they’re strong enough to stand on their own now.”
Brambleclaw shook his head. “I think it was more than that.”
“And you really can’t imagine what the problem is?” Dustpelt meowed, coming forward to stand beside his Clan leader. “Come on, Brambleclaw. You’re hardly likely to be the most popular cat in WindClan just now, not after Hawkfrost saved your life at the end of the battle. Onestar probably thinks you and Hawkfrost were working together all along.”
“Mouse dung!” Brambleclaw snapped. “Onestar forgave all the cats who fought against him, including Hawkfrost. And every cat knows I fought for WindClan. Onestar can’t have any quarrel with me.”
Leafpool glanced at Squirrelflight; once her sister would have leapt to Brambleclaw’s defense, but now she was just staring at him with narrowed eyes.
Firestar looked from Brambleclaw to Dustpelt and then back again. “I hope Ashfur’s right,” he mewed at last, “and this is just an example of WindClan trying to prove how strong they are. But I don’t think we can trust Webfoot to report on what’s happening in his Clan. I’ll have to visit WindClan myself once my shoulder is better.”
Leafpool exchanged a startled glance with her sister. “He should wait for the Gathering,” she mewed quietly. “He could talk to Onestar there.”
“You try telling him that,” Squirrelflight murmured back.
Leafpool knew she couldn’t. Firestar’s friendship with Onestar went so far back that none of the Clan cats, even those who had grown up with Firestar, would dare tell him he couldn’t visit his old friend. Leafpool heard Mousefur mutter, “Did you ever hear such a mousebrained idea? A day-old kit could see that WindClan wants to be left alone.”
Firestar was about to go back to his den when Brambleclaw stopped him. “Wait, we haven’t told you about the badger yet.”
“What badger?” Firestar turned back, his green eyes flashing with alarm. “On our territory?”
“Not anymore,” Brambleclaw replied, and he described how the patrol had tracked the badger by its scent.
“It was digging out a set in an old foxhole,” Rainwhisker added. “And there were fourof them. Three cubs and their mother.”
“The cubs were too small to fight,” meowed Ashfur. “But the mother gave us enough trouble.” He twisted around to lick a raw patch on his hindquarters.
Squirrelflight remained silent as Brambleclaw finished explaining how the badgers had been driven off. Leafpool picked up mingled feelings of fear, defensiveness, and pity. She could understand why. ThunderClan had been driven from their home too. But this is our territory now, she reminded herself. We can’t share it with badgers, especially not four of them.
Firestar looked around at his Clan. “Dustpelt, take a patrol up there, please, and fill in the hole. Keep at least one of the warriors on watch in case the badger comes back.”
Dustpelt beckoned to Rainwhisker, who would be able to show him the way to the half-built set, and signaled Brightheart and Cloudtail to follow.
Firestar watched them go. “Every patrol will have to watch out for badgers in the future,” he warned. “This family could come back, or more of them might be trying to settle. If one badger is trying to find a new home, there could be others.” Grimly he added, “We must make it clear they’re not welcome here.”
Moonlight glimmered on the rippling stream, and the warm scents of newleaf drifted across Leafpool’s fur as she stood gazing into WindClan’s territory. Suddenly a lean, dark shape raced down the bank—Crowfeather. He plunged into the stream with a glittering splash as moon-filled drops spun away from his paws. Water brushed his belly fur; then Crowfeather was pulling himself onto the bank beside Leafpool. His scent flooded over her.
“Crowfeather…” she murmured.
“What?”
Leafpool opened her eyes to see Cinderpelt poking her head out of her den. “Did you say something?” the medicine cat mewed.
Leafpool sprang out of her nest and gave herself a shake to dislodge scraps of moss from her pelt. “No, Cinderpelt.” The last thing she wanted was to be asked what she had been dreaming about. “Do you need me to do something?”
“I’ve just been checking our stores of herbs,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Some of them are getting very low, and—”
“I’ll go and gather some,” Leafpool offered. “It’s almost newleaf, so there’s bound to be something growing. Squirrelflight told me where she saw some coltsfoot.”
“Good,” mewed Cinderpelt. “We could do with some marigold or horsetail too. We used nearly every scrap after the battle. And anything else you see that would be useful.”
“Right, Cinderpelt.” Leafpool’s paws itched to carry her out of the camp so she could be alone with her thoughts. Waving her tail in farewell, she headed across the clearing and through the thorn tunnel.
The sun had not yet cleared the tops of the trees, and clammy, dew-laden grass brushed Leafpool’s belly fur, but she scarcely noticed the chill. Her paws tingled with excitement, and she ran faster until she was racing through the trees. The gurgle of water brought her to a halt. She realized her paws had brought her to the stream that marked the border with WindClan, close to the lake where trees grew in WindClan territory too. The place was hauntingly familiar. She had stood here in her dream, and Crowfeather had come to her.
The bank was silent and deserted, the trees casting long shadows over the water. Leafpool stood still, her gaze devouring the undergrowth on the far side of the stream. She half-hoped, half-dreaded what she might see. A WindClan patrol would be hostile if they found her so close to the border, but if Crowfeather appeared…But she had no business hoping to meet Crowfeather. She was a medicine cat, and medicine cats could notfall in love.
She tasted the air and picked up her own Clan’s scent markers, and those of WindClan from the opposite bank, but not the scent that threw her into such turmoil. A pang of disappointment burned through her, and she knew some part of her had expected him to be waiting for her.
“Stupid furball,” she muttered. “It was only a dream.”
She stiffened as she heard voices from farther downstream; a heartbeat later ThunderClan scent drifted around her. She didn’t want to meet a patrol this far away from the camp. They would ask what she was doing, and she was too confused to explain properly. She glanced around. The only cover close by was a holly bush with branches that swept the ground; Leafpool squeezed under it just as the ThunderClan patrol came into sight.
Peering out between the prickly leaves, Leafpool saw that Brackenfur was leading the patrol. He padded past with Sootfur and Whitepaw behind him, then paused to ask his apprentice what she could scent. Leafpool froze.
“WindClan cats,” Whitepaw replied after a moment. “And ThunderClan, of course, and I think a fox went by a while ago—probably yesterday. No sign of any badgers, though.”
“Well done,” meowed Brackenfur. “If you go on like this, you’ll be a warrior in no time.”
Whitepaw fluffed out her tail with pride as she followed her mentor and Sootfur upstream. Leafpool relaxed; the apprentice hadn’t singled her out from the other ThunderClan scents. When the patrol had disappeared she began to wriggle out from her hiding place, only to be flooded by another, crashingly familiar scent.
“Leafpool, whatever are you doing under there?”
Leafpool scrambled the rest of the way out of the holly bush and turned around to meet the curious gaze of her friend Sorreltail. “Looking for berries,” she mewed feebly.
“Hollyberries?” Sorreltail’s amber eyes stretched wide in surprise. “I thought they were poisonous.”
“Yes, they are. I was…er…looking for different berries.”
Sorreltail’s tail curled up, but to Leafpool’s relief she didn’t ask any more questions. Her eyes were shining, even though she looked tired. “There’s something I have to tell you, I think,” she meowed.
Leafpool stared at her friend in horror. Had she guessed about Crowfeather? “There are good herbs around here,” she began, struggling not to show her panic. She had to make Sorreltail believe she was here on medicine cat business—no other reason. “I always come here when—”
“Leafpool, what are you meowing about? I’m expecting kits!”
Leafpool saw pride and excitement and a flicker of fear in Sorreltail’s expression. Mousebrain! she scolded herself. Call yourself a medicine cat?
A purr of happiness rose inside her. “Are they Brackenfur’s?” The tortoiseshell and golden brown warriors had been inseparable ever since they arrived in the new territory.
Sorreltail nodded. “I haven’t told him yet; I wanted to be certain first. Oh, Leafpool, I just know he’ll make a wonderful father.”
“I’m sure he will.” Leafpool pressed her muzzle against her friend’s. “And you’ll be a wonderful mother.”
“I hope so.” Sorreltail ducked her head. “I’m a bit scared, but I know I’ll be fine if I’ve got you to look after me.”
“I’ll do my best,” Leafpool mewed, trying not to squirm under the warmth of her friend’s praise. Right now, she was as far from being a good medicine cat as she could be. “Just think, Sorreltail, you’ll be the first cat to bear kits for ThunderClan in our new home! The first cat to use the new nursery.”
Sorreltail blinked happily. The sound of a pawstep behind her made Leafpool turn; Brackenfur had come back to see what was keeping his mate.
“Are you okay?” he asked, padding up to her and giving her ears a lick.
“I’m fine, Brackenfur,” Sorreltail replied. “Just a bit tired.”
“Come a bit farther,” Brackenfur meowed, pointing upstream with his tail. “We’ve found a nice sunny spot under a tree. You can rest and we’ll see how Whitepaw’s hunting skills are coming on.”
His gentle care of Sorreltail made Leafpool certain that he had guessed her secret. It wouldn’t be a secret for much longer.
Sorreltail leaned against his shoulder for a moment, then touched her nose to Leafpool’s. “Bye, Leafpool. I hope you find those berries.”
Leafpool watched the two cats head upstream, their pelts brushing, until they disappeared among the trees. There was a strange ache in her heart, half joy and half sorrow. She was happy for Sorreltail, but she envied her too. She and Brackenfur had entered a private world where a medicine cat could never follow.
Leafpool had always known that, ever since she first became apprenticed to Cinderpelt. But she had never thought about what it would mean. She had never realized one cat could long for another the way she longed for Crowfeather with every hair on her pelt. And now Sorreltail was depending on Leafpool to take care of her when her kits were born. Her duties kept her busy enough already. There was no room for forbidden feelings.
“You’re a medicine cat,” she told herself. “And Crowfeather’s a warrior from another Clan. So stop thinking about him. Stop dreaming.”
Head down, she padded away from the stream without looking back at the WindClan border, and went to search for Squirrelflight’s coltsfoot.
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 4
Squirrelflight used her claws to tearmoss from the roots of an oak tree and began patting it into a ball to take back to camp. A quarter moon had passed since the battle with Mudclaw and his followers, and the Clan was beginning to recover. Wounds were healing and the memory of Mudclaw’s rebellion was fading.
Brambleclaw had started his training sessions, and Sandstorm had insisted that every warrior take a turn with the apprentice duties. Squirrelflight would rather be hunting or exploring than fetching fresh bedding for the elders, but the job wasn’t too boring when you had a friend to share it with.
Casting a mischievous glance at Ashfur, who was gathering moss from another tree nearby, she hooked up her ball with the claws of one paw and hurled it at him. It landed accurately in the middle of his back and disintegrated, covering his pelt with scraps of moss.
Ashfur spun around to face her. “Hey!”
His eyes gleaming with laughter, the gray warrior scooped up his own moss and flung it at Squirrelflight. She dodged behind the tree to avoid it, and crashed straight into Brambleclaw
“What’s going on?” the tabby tomcat demanded. “What are you doing?”
“Collecting moss for the elders’ bedding,” Squirrelflight replied. Regret for their lost friendship pierced her like a thorn, along with fury that he had to appear at the exact moment she’d stopped working.
Ashfur hurtled around the tree with more moss in his jaws and skidded to a halt when he saw Brambleclaw.
“Collecting bedding? So I see.” Brambleclaw used his tail to flick a scrap of moss from Ashfur’s shoulder. “Carrying it back on your pelt, are you?”
Ashfur put the moss down. “We were only having a bit of fun.”
“Fun?” Brambleclaw snapped. “Wasting time is what I’d call it. Don’t you realize how much there is to do?”
“Okay, okay.” Squirrelflight felt her neck fur bristle. “There’s no need to treat us like lazy apprentices.”
“Stop behaving like lazy apprentices, then,” Brambleclaw flashed back at her, a glint of anger in his amber eyes. “Being a warrior means putting the Clan first.”
Squirrelflight’s fury rose like a wave. “Do you think we don’t know that?” she spat. “Who died and made you deputy?”
As soon as the words were out she knew she had said something unbelievably stupid. She wanted to snatch it back, but it was too late.
Brambleclaw’s eyes blazed, but when he spoke his voice was icy calm. “No cat knows whether Graystripe is dead or alive. Do you have any idea what Firestar must be suffering?”
“Of course I do!” Deep inside, Squirrelflight wanted to say she was sorry, but she couldn’t back down when Brambleclaw was being so unfair. “Firestar is my father, for StarClan’s sake! Don’t talk to me like I don’t care.”
“Steady.” Ashfur stepped forward and pressed his muzzle against Squirrelflight’s shoulder.
Squirrelflight struggled to control her anger. “I’d give anything to have Graystripe back.”
“Yes, we know,” Ashfur reassured her. His breath felt warm against her pelt. “Look, Brambleclaw,” he went on, straightening up, “we’ll get the moss, okay? You don’t need to hassle Squirrelflight.”
Brambleclaw twitched his ears. “Okay, but be as quick as you can. And when you’ve done that, make sure the elders have had some fresh-kill.” Without waiting for a reply he turned and stalked off toward the camp.
“Feed the elders yourself!” Squirrelflight yowled after him. There was no need for Brambleclaw to behave like this—not unless he was punishing her for being suspicious about Hawkfrost.
If Brambleclaw heard her, he didn’t show it. He just carried on walking until soft green ferns hid him from sight.
“Take it easy,” Ashfur meowed. “He’s just trying to make sure everything gets done. We’re all under pressure, with only one apprentice.”
“He should do more himself then, instead of striding around giving orders,” Squirrelflight grumbled. “If he thinks I’m collecting moss for him, he can think again! I’m going hunting.”
She spun around and raced into the trees. Behind her she heard Ashfur call her name, but she was too furious to slow down. Part of her wanted to launch herself at Brambleclaw and wipe that look of scorn from his face, while part of her was torn apart with guilt for implying that Graystripe was dead. Every time she and Brambleclaw spoke to each other they seemed to plunge deeper into a pit of anger and mistrust. Squirrelflight wondered if anything could put things right between them.
With these troubled thoughts churning in her head she hardly noticed where her flying paws were taking her. Too late she saw a bramble thicket looming up in front of her; she tried to skid to a halt and stumbled headlong into the prickly tendrils.
“Mouse dung!” she spat.
Thorns tugged at the fur on her back as she struggled to wrench herself free; she couldn’t bear the indignity of Brambleclaw or Ashfur coming up to find her stuck. Digging her claws into the ground, she managed to drag herself out of the thicket, leaving scraps of ginger fur on the bramble thorns.
Scrambling up, she saw that the trees around her were unfamiliar—huge gray trunks hung with moss and ivy, packed closer together than in the woods around the camp.
“Squirrelflight! Watch out!”
Ashfur’s gasp of alarm came from close behind her. She spun around, her pelt standing on end. Just beyond the bramble thicket was a clearing where the ground was thick with dead leaves. Squirrelflight’s heart started to pound as she spotted a russet-brown, wedge-shaped face peering out at her from a clump of thorns on the far side of the clearing. She watched in horror as the fox stepped delicately out, its jaws parted in a snarl and its eyes gleaming with hunger.
“Back away slowly.” Ashfur’s quiet meow came from close by
Squirrelflight’s legs felt as if they had turned to stone, but she forced herself to take one step back. At once the fox leapt. Squirrelflight raised her claws to defend herself, but in the same instant a gray streak flashed between the fox and her: it was Ashfur, slashing at the creature’s muzzle with both forepaws. He let out a fearsome caterwaul, but the fox stood its ground in the center of the clearing. It wrenched its head toward Ashfur, jaws snapping. Squirrelflight hurled herself at the fox with a furious yowl and raked her claws down the side of its face. It reared up, throwing her off; she hit the ground with a thud that drove the breath out of her. When she scrambled to her paws she saw Ashfur on the ground, battering at the fox with his hindpaws as it tried to bite down on his throat.
Squirrelflight sprang again, claws stretched toward the russet fur. As the fox rounded on her, she glimpsed Ashfur trying to drag himself away with blood pouring from his neck. While her attention was distracted, the fox snapped at her, and this time its teeth met in her shoulder. Squirrelflight yowled with pain and tore at the fox’s muzzle with her claws. She heard Ashfur’s voice calling weakly, “Squirrelflight, run!” But the fox wouldn’t let go. Angry and terrified, Squirrelflight fought harder.
The fox gave her a shake that rattled her teeth. Squirrelflight hung limply in its grip, feeling her strength ebbing away. A black wave was rising behind her eyes, threatening to drown her, when she heard a loud yowling close by. Abruptly the fox’s jaws opened and let her drop. For a few heartbeats she lay half conscious among the leaves, aware of furious snarls somewhere above her head.
Gasping for breath, she staggered to her paws. The forest swirled around her; when her vision cleared she saw Brambleclaw, his tabby fur fluffed out with rage so that he looked twice his normal size. He was driving the fox back into the trees with slashing claws and bared fangs; Ashfur fought alongside him, looking shaky but determined. Squirrelflight stumbled over to join them, letting out a yowl of defiance. At the sight of a third attacker, the fox backed off rapidly, then turned and vanished into the undergrowth. For a moment they heard rustling as it crashed through the ferns, then silence.
“Thanks, Brambleclaw,” Ashfur gasped. “How did you know we were in trouble?”
“I heard you,” Brambleclaw replied. His voice was tight with anger. “Great StarClan, what did you think you were doingout here? You know we haven’t explored this part of the territory properly yet. Surely finding that badger should have made you more careful?”
Squirrelflight was almost speechless with fury. Why did it have to be Brambleclaw who had come along to help? What made it worse was that he was right; she shouldn’t have gone tearing through the forest in a temper without looking where she was going. But he didn’t have to be so obnoxious about it. “What is your problem?” she spat. “I don’t know what I ever saw in you!”
“We thought we’d hunt,” Ashfur explained, brushing his tail across Squirrelflight’s mouth before she could say anything else. “I’m sorry we came farther than we meant to.”
Brambleclaw’s gaze raked over him, fury still burning in his amber eyes.
“It’s a good thing we came across that fox,” Squirrelflight pointed out. “The Clan needs to know about it.”
“And how much would the Clan have known if the pair of you were killed?” Brambleclaw growled. “For StarClan’s sake, have a bit more sense next time.”
He stepped forward to sniff the wound in Ashfur’s neck. To Squirrelflight’s relief it had almost stopped bleeding; it looked deep, but not the kind of wound that would kill.
“You’d better get back to camp and let Cinderpelt have a look at that,” he advised. “You too, Squirrelflight. You have some pretty bad scratches there.”
Squirrelflight twisted her head to see along her flanks and over her shoulders. Several clumps of fur were missing, and blood trickled out in sticky red streams where the fox’s teeth had sunk into her flesh. The bitemarks stung fiercely, and every muscle throbbed. Squirrelflight longed to creep back to camp for a pawful of soothing herbs and her soft nest under the thorn bush. But they couldn’t let the fox go without trying to find its den.
“Shouldn’t we follow the scent trail and see if the fox has a den close by?” she suggested. Her voice was cold, hiding the anger that burned inside her. “There’s no use going to Firestar with half a story.”
“Good idea,” Ashfur agreed. “That fox looked thin and desperate, as if it’s competing for food with stronger foxes. That makes it dangerous. If it lives in our territory, we need to work out how to get rid of it.”
Brambleclaw hesitated, then nodded. “Okay, we’ll follow for a while, at least.”
He led the way to the thicket where the fox had disappeared. The reek of its scent was still strong.
“What a stink!” Ashfur snarled.
Brambleclaw took the lead as the three cats followed the trail through the undergrowth. Before long it crossed the old, overgrown Twoleg path that led back to the stone hollow and continued into the woods on the other side. As the trees thinned out and gave way to moorland, Squirrelflight realized it was becoming mingled with the scent of cats. Not far off she could hear the gurgling of a stream.
Brambleclaw halted. “This is the WindClan border,” he announced.
“If the fox has crossed into their territory, it’s not our problem anymore,” meowed Ashfur.
“Don’t be too sure of that.” Brambleclaw glanced from side to side. “Let’s just check if we can see its den.”
“Its den must be in WindClan territory, mousebrain,” Squirrelflight muttered, but she helped in the search, padding along the border for several foxlengths in each direction before heading farther back into the trees.
When the three cats joined each other again at the border, none of them had found the den.
“It looks as if the fox crossed the border. WindClan can deal with it now,” Squirrelflight mewed.
“I’m not sure Firestar will see it that way,” Brambleclaw warned. “He might want to warn Onestar.”
Squirrelflight knew he could be right. The awkward meeting with the WindClan patrol a few days before hadn’t seemed to change her father’s faith in his friendship with Onestar. And a true friend wouldn’t keep news of the fox to himself. Besides, even if the fox crossed the border, ThunderClan cats were still in danger.
“Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s get back to camp and tell Firestar about it.”
Squirrelflight lay near the entrance to Cinderpelt’s den, gritting her teeth while Leafpool dabbed chewed-up marigold leaves onto her scratches. Nearby, Cinderpelt was applying cobwebs to the wound in Ashfur’s neck. He flinched, and Squirrelflight gave him a sympathetic glance.
“That should be fine,” the medicine cat told him. “Take it easy for the next couple of days, though. And make sure you let one of us check the wounds every day, to make sure they’re not infected.”
“You say the fox went across the WindClan border?” Leafpool asked her sister.
She looked worried. Squirrelflight couldn’t imagine why Leafpool should be bothered about a fox in WindClan’s territory. It would be much more worrying if it lived on the ThunderClan side of the border.
“That’s right,” she mewed, wincing as marigold juice seeped into the puncture wounds where the fox’s teeth had pierced her fur.
“You didn’t see any WindClan cats, did you?” Leafpool went on. Squirrelflight began to pick up embarrassment from her, and some deep, churning feeling she couldn’t identify. “Like—like Crowfeather, for instance?”
“No. If we’d seen any WindClan cats we would have told them about the fox, mousebrain. We wouldn’t have to think about visiting them again.” Brambleclaw was with Firestar right now, describing what had happened, and Squirrelflight was fairly sure what her father’s reaction would be. “Anyway, what made you think of Crowfeather?”
Leafpool was taking a long time to sort through the heap of marigold leaves. “Oh, no reason,” she mewed. “I just know he’s a friend of yours, from when you went to the sun-drown-place.”
“I don’t know about a friend,” Squirrelflight remarked. “I don’t think Crowfeather is capable of getting close to another cat—especially now that Feathertail’s dead. He really loved her. He must miss her so much.”
“I expect he does,” Leafpool replied. She sounded as if something was choking her, and Squirrelflight looked at her in concern, but she had bent down to chew up another leaf.
Ashfur hissed at the sting of marigold as Leafpool slapped the chewed-up leaf on his clawed hindleg. Squirrelflight blinked. Her sister was usually gentler than that!
There was a rustle among the brambles that sheltered the den and Firestar appeared, followed closely by Brambleclaw.
“Brambleclaw said you’d be here,” the Clan leader meowed to Squirrelflight and Ashfur. “I’ve decided to go over to WindClan to warn Onestar about the fox, and I want you to come with me.”
Squirrelflight wasn’t surprised. But we didn’t warn ShadowClan about the badger, she thought.
Cinderpelt raised her head. “I don’t think—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” Firestar interrupted. “But my shoulder’s fine now, and I’ve made up my mind.”
“That’s notwhat I was going to say.” The medicine cat’s blue eyes flashed. “These cats have been hurt in a fight and they need to rest.”
“I need them to tell Onestar what they saw,” Firestar objected.
“They can tell you, and you can pass on the message,” Cinderpelt mewed stubbornly.
“Hang on.” Squirrelflight heaved herself to her paws. “What about asking us? I feel strong enough to go over to WindClan. What about you, Ashfur?”
“Sure.” The gray warrior rose and stood beside her.
Firestar’s gaze swept over them. “Yes, you look fine to me. You can rest when we get back.”
“And if you get into another fight over there?” Cinderpelt challenged him.
“That won’t happen,” Firestar said calmly. “WindClan are our friends.”
Cinderpelt let out an angry hiss and stalked into her den, her tail twitching irritably.
Firestar watched her with a warm look in his green eyes. “She gets more like Yellowfang every day,” he murmured.
By the time Firestar led his patrol across the WindClan border the sun was beginning to set. There was no sign of any other cats; even the scent of the most recent WindClan patrol was faint. Squirrelflight struggled to pick it out among the rich odors of rabbit that drifted down from the moorland, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since early morning. They had not gone far when she spotted three rabbits hopping slowly along as they nibbled the grass.
“It’s as if they know we’re not allowed to chase them,” she complained to Ashfur.
Ashfur’s whiskers twitched. “I know. But just think what Onestar would say if he caught us taking prey in his territory.”
Soon they came to a stream that fell steeply over a series of tiny waterfalls. A few stunted thorn trees grew beside it. There were no WindClan cats to be seen until the patrol was climbing the slope that led to the camp. Then Squirrelflight spotted the outline of a single warrior keeping watch on the skyline; the cat whisked around and disappeared as Firestar led the others up the final stretch of turf. A few heartbeats later, Onestar appeared from the thorn bushes that surrounded the hollow and stood waiting for them. Webfoot and Crowfeather flanked him, their faces expressionless.
“Firestar.” Onestar dipped his head in greeting. “What are you doing in WindClan territory?”
His tone was polite, but he spoke to Firestar as an equal, his head proudly raised and his gaze steady. This was not the cat who had pleaded to Firestar for help when Tallstar first made him Clan leader.
“We came to see how you are,” Firestar replied. “I’d have come before, but I wrenched my shoulder in the battle.”
“WindClan is fine,” Onestar meowed. “Is there any reason we shouldn’t be?”
Squirrelflight’s jaws gaped in astonishment. How could he ask that, when less than a moon had passed since Mudclaw’s rebellion?
Firestar’s gaze slid past the WindClan leader to where Webfoot was standing in front of the barrier of gorse bushes. Squirrelflight guessed her father was reluctant to point out that some of the traitorous cats were still members of the Clan—not when one of those cats was in earshot.
Onestar’s eyes narrowed. “Every cat in my Clan knows that I am the cat chosen by StarClan to be their leader. There will be no more trouble. You don’t need to watch over me as if I were a helpless kit.”
“That’s not what I was doing,” Firestar protested. “We also came to bring you some news,” he went on. “Brambleclaw, tell Onestar what happened today.”
Brambleclaw stepped forward beside his leader. “These two”—he flicked his tail at Squirrelflight and Ashfur—“surprised a fox.”
“A young dog fox,” Ashfur put in. “One of the biggest I’ve seen.”
“The three of us fought it off,” Brambleclaw explained, “and it crossed the border into your territory. We think it must have a den—”
“—among some rocks near the foot of the hill,” Onestar finished. He flicked his tail dismissively. “My warriors have already tracked it. We’re keeping an eye on it; don’t worry.”
“It’s more savage than most foxes,” Brambleclaw warned. “Look at the wounds on Squirrelflight and Ashfur.”
“You can say that again!” Squirrelflight murmured, wincing as she flexed her shoulders.
“WindClan can deal with it,” Onestar insisted. “Many seasons have passed since ShadowClan drove us out of our old home, but too many cats still see WindClan as the weakest clan. You act as if we can hardly feed ourselves. But WindClan is as strong as any other Clan and we shall prove it. We do not need help from anycat.”
Firestar bent his head. Squirrelflight saw pain in his eyes and she longed to be anywhere but here, listening to one of her father’s oldest allies rejecting his friendship.
“WindClan did just as much as any other Clan to bring us to our new home,” Onestar went on. “We owe nothing to any cat.”
Squirrelflight barely stopped herself from yelling, That’s not true! Without ThunderClan, WindClan would have died in their former home, every last cat caught by Twolegs or killed by their gigantic, churning monsters!
Firestar lifted his head. “I’m sorry if we offended you,” he said evenly. He gestured with his tail at his Clanmates, indicating that they should leave. “Good-bye, Onestar,” he mewed. “I’ll see you at the Gathering.”
“Do you want a patrol to follow them to the border?” Webfoot spoke for the first time.
Onestar shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.” Without saying anything else, he turned and disappeared into the bushes. Firestar watched the place where he had vanished until the leaves stopped trembling. Then without speaking he turned and headed down the slope. Squirrelflight was about to follow when she heard a low voice call her name. She glanced back; Crowfeather was still standing in the shadow of the bushes.
“Squirrelflight, I wanted to ask you—” he began.
Webfoot thrust his head out of the bushes. “Crowfeather!”
“I’ll be there in a moment!” Crowfeather called back. “Squirrelflight, listen,” he began again.
But Firestar had paused at the foot of the slope. “Come on, Squirrelflight!”
“Can’t this wait until the Gathering?” Squirrelflight mewed to the WindClan warrior. “I’ve got to go.”
Crowfeather took a step back, his tail drooping in disappointment. “Okay, I guess it can wait.”
Webfoot called out again, and with a last frustrated look at Squirrelflight, Crowfeather turned away.
Squirrelflight bounded after her Clanmates. She still couldn’t believe the way Onestar had spoken to her father. Any new leader would want his Clan to be strong and independent, but surely he couldn’t have forgotten everything he owed to Firestar?
If that’s the way Onestar wants it, she thought as she caught up to her Clanmates, then fine. It didn’t do us any favors to be his allies. But he’ll be sorry in the end, when he needs ThunderClan’s help again.
引子
引子
“不，肯定弄错了！”蜷伏在水边的这只猫抬起头来，他的皮毛在月光下闪着光，“我还有很多事情要做！”
一只脸盘很宽、长着蓝色皮毛的猫绕着水边走过来，她眼神柔和，充满同情。“对不起！”她呜呜地低声说道，“我知道你期待在加入我们之前，还能有更多的月夜和族猫在一起。”
蜷伏着的猫低头看着水面。月亮的影子如同一只浮叶般颤抖着；池面闪烁着的无数星光，从山谷一直延伸过来。有一阵子，唯一能听到的，就是瀑布从崖壁最陡峭处奔腾下来的声响。星族猫都静静地等待着，好像大家对水边这只猫的痛苦感同身受。
“你为族群服务，比一些活得更长的猫都要忠诚。”蓝色皮毛的猫接着说，“让你离开他们，肯定显得不公平。”
这只蜷伏着的猫抬起头，眼睛亮闪闪地注视这位星族武士：“蓝星，我知道这不是你的错，你没有必要道歉。”
蓝星甩了一下尾巴，“当然有必要。你应该知道，自己的族猫对你有多感激。”
“是所有的群族。”一只黑白花色、尾巴很长的公猫站起身，绕着水边走过来，站到蓝星身边，“也包括星族。没有你，我们都无法找到新的家园。”他微微低头以示敬意。水面上的星光随着涟漪摇动起来。
蜷伏着的这只猫朝他眨了眨眼睛说：“谢谢你，高星。我曾经犯过错，但是我一直都在努力去做自认为正确的事情。”
“星族对自己武士的要求也不过如此。”一只瘦瘦的黑色公猫边说边小心翼翼地越过覆满苔藓的石头走过来，“如果能改变你的命运，我们都会在所不辞。”
“但是你要记着，”蓝星警告道，“就连星族都不能置命运的利爪于不顾，无论我们多么想去改变。”
蜷伏在水边的猫点了点头说：“是的。就连我们都无法非常清晰地看清未来。不过，等那一刻到来时，你会知道的。我们会一直等着你。”
第四只星族猫从远处的斜坡上站起身，穿过闪闪发光的星族成员走过来。他是一只毛色较浅的公猫，他的下巴歪斜着。“无论何时，族群提起那次伟大的旅程，谈到你时，都会充满敬意。”他保证道。
“谢谢你，钩星。”蜷伏着的这只猫说道。
这四只闪闪发光的武士聚拢过来——他们活着的时候都是族群的族长。
“你要知道，星族会赋予你力量。”蓝星说，“我们不会让你独自面对这一切的。”
蜷伏着的那只猫抬起头看着蓝星热切的蓝色眼睛说：“星族一直与我同在。”
“你的一生如此艰难，还要这样说吗？”高星的声音里满是惊讶。
“当然。”蜷伏着的那只猫眼睛在星光中闪着光芒，“我在所有的族群中都结交了好朋友。我看着幼崽们出生，看着长老们走完最后的旅程、踏上前往银毛星带的道路。我走过漫长的旅程，来到族群的新家园。相信我，这一切在我的心里永远不会改变。”这只猫说着顿了一下，再次低头看着水面，说道：“我知道，你们没有权力让我和我的族群再多待些时间，可我还是忍不住要这样想。”
蓝星的眼睛眯了起来。“年轻的猫接受召唤加入星族，我们都不好受。我知道，你本可以继续忠诚地为自己的族群服务更多季节。”她的声音沙哑，充满了痛苦。那只蜷伏着的猫抬头看着她，伸出一只爪子安慰她。
“不要难过，蓝星。我知道，我离开之后，族猫们会得到很好的照顾。”整个谷地响起一片充满敬意的低语声。蓝星低下头，贴在这只蜷伏着的猫的皮毛上，用自己的气息包裹着那身银月般闪光的皮毛。“我们一直与你同在。”她轻声说着。
其他的猫也一个接一个弯下腰，留下了自己的气息。空气中充满了星族、冰和夜风的浓烈气息。更多的武士加入进来——一只优雅的玳瑁色猫、一只强壮的棕色公猫、一只银色皮毛的虎斑母猫——他们用星族的力量和勇气把这只猫包裹起来。
他们的声音化成悲痛的低吼，然后升起来，飘向群星。闪光的身影开始一个接一个地逐渐消失，直到山谷重归寂静。
在星光的闪耀中，只剩下一只猫，一动不动地蜷伏在水池边。
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
“Let all cats old enough tocatch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting.”
Squirrelflight woke with a start as the ThunderClan leader’s yowl rang out across the stone hollow. Cloudtail was already pushing his way out through the thorny branches that screened the warriors’ den. His mate, Brightheart, uncurled herself from their mossy nest and followed him.
“What does Firestar want now?” Dustpelt muttered, pulling himself stiffly to his paws and shaking scraps of moss from his fur. With an irritated flick of his ears, he thrust his way into the open after his Clanmates.
Stretching her jaws in a yawn, Squirrelflight sat up and gave herself a quick grooming. Dustpelt’s temper was even shorter than usual this morning; Squirrelflight could see from his awkward movements that the wound he’d received in the battle against Mudclaw was still painful. Most of the ThunderClan cats still bore the rebels’ clawmarks; Squirrelflight’s side stung from a wound of her own, and she drew her tongue over it in rapid, soothing strokes.
Mudclaw had been deputy of WindClan until the Clans arrived in their new territory around the lake. The previous leader, Tallstar, had appointed Onewhisker to succeed him instead just moments before he died; furious, Mudclaw had led a rebellion against Onewhisker before he had the chance to receive his nine lives from StarClan. And Hawkfrost of RiverClan had helped him. Squirrelflight felt a surge of anger as she remembered how Brambleclaw still insisted on trusting his half brother, even after he had seen that Hawkfrost was up to his ears in Mudclaw’s treachery.
Thank StarClan, Squirrelflight thought, that ThunderClan had discovered the plot in time, and had joined the battle against Mudclaw and his supporters.StarClan had proved who the true leader was when lightning struck a tree that fell on Mudclaw and killed him.
Giving a last lick to her dark ginger fur, Squirrelflight slid through the branches and padded into the clearing, shivering in the cold air. The pale sun of leaf-bare was just showing above the trees around the stone hollow where ThunderClan had settled at the end of their long journey. Wind rattled in the bare branches, but down here all was still. The air smelled crisp, and frost still edged the grass and bushes with white. Yet Squirrelflight could pick up a faint hint of growing things that told her newleaf could not be far away.
Digging her claws into the earth, she stretched luxuriously. Her father, Firestar, was seated on the Highledge outside his den, about halfway up the cliff. His flame-colored pelt gleamed in the slanting rays of sun, and his green eyes shone proudly as his gaze swept across his Clan. Squirrelflight guessed he wouldn’t look so confident if he needed to warn them about more trouble.
The cats gathered in the clearing below him. Mousefur and Goldenflower emerged one after the other from the elders’ den; Goldenflower was guiding blind Longtail behind her, the tip of her tail resting on his shoulder.
“Hi.” Squirrelflight’s sister Leafpool padded up and touched noses with her. “How are those scratches? Do you want some more marigold?”
“No, I’ll be fine, thanks.” Leafpool and her mentor, Cinderpelt, the ThunderClan medicine cat, had been busy ever since the battle, finding the right herbs and treating the cats’ wounds. “There are plenty of cats who need it more than I do,” Squirrelflight added.
Leafpool sniffed Squirrelflight’s scratches and gave a nod of satisfaction. “You’re right. They’re healing well.”
An excited squeal came from the nursery as Birchkit pelted out, tumbled over his own paws, and picked himself up in a scramble of light brown fur to take a place beside his father, Dustpelt. His mother, Ferncloud, padded after him and sat next to him, turning her head to smooth his ruffled fur.
Squirrelflight let out a mrrowof amusement. Her gaze drifted past them to the tunnel through the thorn barrier at the entrance to the camp. She felt the muscles in her shoulders tense. It looked like the dawn patrol had just returned: Brambleclaw was padding out of the tunnel, followed by Sandstorm and Rainwhisker.
“What’s the matter?” Leafpool asked.
Squirrelflight suppressed a sigh. She and her sister were much closer than most littermates, and each one was always aware of what the other was feeling. “It’s Brambleclaw,” she mewed reluctantly. “I can’t believe he’s still friends with Hawkfrost, after the way he supported Mudclaw.”
“Many cats supported Mudclaw,” Leafpool pointed out. “They did it because they truly believed Onewhisker wasn’t the right cat to lead WindClan. After the tree fell, Hawkfrost admitted he was wrong, and that Mudclaw had tricked him into helping. Onewhisker has already forgiven him, and all the other cats who fought against him.”
Squirrelflight lashed her tail. “Hawkfrost lied! He was part of Mudclaw’s plot all along. I heard what Mudclaw said before he died—Hawkfrost was trying to become powerful enough to take over RiverClan.”
Leafpool’s troubled gaze seemed to pierce Squirrelflight’s fur. “You have no proof of that, Squirrelflight. Why should we believe Mudclaw over Hawkfrost? Are you sure you’re not judging Hawkfrost because of who his father was?”
Squirrelflight opened her jaws for a swift retort, but there was nothing she could say.
“Remember, Tigerstar was Brambleclaw’s father too,” Leafpool went on. “He may have been a murderous traitor, but that doesn’t mean his sons have to follow his pawsteps. I don’t trust Hawkfrost any more than you do, but we can’t assume he’s as evil as his father without proof. And even if Hawkfrost is dangerous, it doesn’t mean that Brambleclaw has to be like him—or like Tigerstar.”
Squirrelflight twitched her tail uneasily. “I guess you’re right.” The three tabby toms were tangled together like the tendrils in a bramble thicket, and she wondered if either of Tigerstar’s sons could ever be free of their father’s treacherous legacy. “It’s just—Brambleclaw won’t listen to a word I say! He cares about Hawkfrost far more than he cares about me. I don’t understand why he would take Hawkfrost’s word over mine.”
“Hawkfrost ishis brother,” Leafpool reminded her. Her amber gaze was warm and sympathetic. “Don’t you think you should judge Brambleclaw by what he does now, instead of what his father did—or what you’re afraid he might do in the future?”
“Do you think I’m being unfair?” Squirrelflight asked. On the journey to the sun-drown-place, where StarClan sent them to learn about the danger threatening all the Clans, she had trusted Brambleclaw with her life. Since she had witnessed his growing friendship with his half brother, Hawkfrost, she had felt her trust melt away like dew.
“I think you’re upsetting yourself for no reason,” Leafpool replied.
“I’m not upset.” Squirrelflight couldn’t bear to admit, even to her sister, the ache inside her when she thought of what she had lost. “I’m worried about the Clan, that’s all. If Brambleclaw wants to go off with Hawkfrost, it’s none of my concern,” she growled.
Leafpool rested the tip of her tail on her sister’s shoulder. “Don’t pretend that you don’t care,” she meowed. “Especially not to me.” Her voice was light, but her eyes were still serious.
“Hi, Squirrelflight!” Ashfur joined them before Squirrelflight could reply. The gray tomcat gestured to her with his tail. “Come sit by me.”
Squirrelflight padded to his side, noticing that his dark blue eyes gleamed as she joined him. Leafpool followed and gave her ear a quick lick. “Try not to worry,” she murmured. “Everything will be all right.” She gave Ashfur a friendly nod before padding over to sit with Cinderpelt beneath the Highledge.
Out of the corner of her eye, Squirrelflight saw Brambleclaw take a few steps toward her. The uncertain look in his eyes darkened when she settled down next to Ashfur, and he veered abruptly away to sit beside Brackenfur and Sorreltail. Squirrelflight’s fur tingled; she couldn’t tell if it was from relief or disappointment. As Firestar began to speak, she stared straight ahead, feeling Brambleclaw’s amber gaze burning into her fur.
“Cats of ThunderClan, three sunrises have passed since the battle with Mudclaw,” he meowed. “Two dead warriors still lie outside our camp. Now that we have rested, they must be returned to ShadowClan.”
A shiver passed through Squirrelflight’s pelt. She had discovered the stone hollow by falling into it when she and four other cats had first explored the forest; it was pure luck that the part of the cliff where she had slipped over had been too low for the fall to hurt her. But during the battle, two fleeing ShadowClan cats had hurtled over the precipice at its highest point and broken their necks in the clearing below.
“Do you think ShadowClan will want them?” Cloudtail meowed. “They were helping that traitor, Mudclaw, after all.”
“It’s not for us to decide another Clan’s loyalty to its warriors,” Firestar warned. “Mudclaw was no ordinary traitor. Even cats from other Clans believed he was the true leader of WindClan.”
Cloudtail twitched the tip of his tail, clearly dissatisfied, though Squirrelflight saw Brambleclaw nod as if he were thinking of Hawkfrost.
“The dead cats were ShadowClan’s warriors,” Firestar went on, “and their own Clanmates will want to honor them on their journey to StarClan. A patrol must take the bodies to the ShadowClan border.”
“I’ll go,” Thornclaw offered.
“Thank you.” Firestar dipped his head. “Brackenfur, will you go as well, and…”
He hesitated, his gaze traveling thoughtfully over his senior warriors. Squirrelflight realized this mission could be dangerous. Though only a few ShadowClan cats had been involved in the battle, their leader, Blackstar, might blame ThunderClan for the deaths of his warriors and use it as an excuse to attack.
“Dustpelt and Cloudtail,” Firestar decided. “Take the bodies to the border by the dead tree, then find a ShadowClan patrol and tell them what happened. But don’tlook for trouble.” His gaze rested on Cloudtail for a moment, as if he were afraid the headstrong white warrior might say the wrong thing. “If ShadowClan seems hostile, get out of there fast.”
Thornclaw rose to his paws and beckoned the rest of the patrol with a sweep of his tail. Together they headed for the thorn tunnel. The bodies of the ShadowClan warriors lay just outside, hidden in a dense patch of brambles where they had been protected from foxes and other carrion eaters.
Firestar waited until the branches had stopped rustling behind the patrol before going on. “Last night Onewhisker should have traveled to the Moonpool to receive his nine lives and his name. But his leadership won’t be secure unless he is accepted by every one of his Clanmates. I’m going to lead a patrol to WindClan to check.”
“Surely that’s WindClan’s problem!” Mousefur protested. “ThunderClan warriors have already had their fur ripped off once helping Onewhisker. Haven’t we done enough?”
Squirrelflight, though she felt a twinge in her wounded side, couldn’t agree. “But if we risked our lives for Onewhisker,” she argued, “why not make certain it was worth the effort?”
Mousefur shot a glare at her, but Firestar waved his tail to stop the quarrel before it went any further.
Cinderpelt rose to her paws. “Whoever leads this patrol, it won’t be you, Firestar. You wrenched your shoulder in the battle, and you need to stay in the camp until it’s healed.”
Firestar’s neck fur bristled; then he relaxed and dipped his head to the medicine cat. “Very well, Cinderpelt.”
“I’ll lead the patrol.” That was Brambleclaw, springing to his paws.
“Thanks, Brambleclaw,” mewed Firestar. “You’d better not go onto WindClan territory, though. We must show that we respect their boundaries. Take the patrol along the border, and see if you can spot any of their cats.”
Brambleclaw nodded. “Don’t worry, Firestar. I’ll make sure no cat sets a paw over the border.”
Spiderleg, sitting on Ashfur’s other side from Squirrelflight, snorted. “Bossy furball,” he muttered. “Who does he think he is? Clan deputy?”
“Brambleclaw is a good warrior,” Ashfur mewed. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be deputy.”
“Except that ThunderClan already hasa deputy,” Spiderleg pointed out.
“But Graystripe isn’t here,” Ashfur replied. “And sooner or later Firestar is going to have to decide how long he’s prepared to wait for him.”
A sharp thorn of grief stabbed Squirrelflight. Twolegs had captured the ThunderClan deputy just before the Clan fled their old forest home; Squirrelflight still remembered the shock of watching Graystripe being carried away inside the growling, mud-spattered Twoleg monster. No cat knew what had happened to him, yet Firestar refused to believe he was dead, or to appoint another deputy in his place.
Does Brambleclaw really want to be deputy?Squirrelflight wondered. She couldn’t help thinking just like Tigerstar, and remembering how far the murderous tabby had been prepared to go to achieve his ambition.
Firestar called her name, dragging her back to the hollow. “Squirrelflight, you can go with Brambleclaw to WindClan. You too, Ashfur and Rainwhisker.”
Squirrelflight pricked her ears; a run through the woods would blast away these troubling memories. Ashfur was on his paws already, his tail bolt upright.
“Let’s go!” Squirrelflight meowed, bouncing over to Brambleclaw.
“Not yet,” Brambleclaw replied crushingly, his gaze sweeping over her and Ashfur as if he hardly knew them. “I want to hear the rest of the meeting.”
Glaring at him, Squirrelflight sat down again.
“We need hunting patrols too,” meowed Firestar. “Sandstorm, can you organize those?”
“Of course.” Sandstorm looked up from where she sat at the bottom of the cliff. “But there’s one thing I want to say before we end the meeting.” She paused, and Firestar gestured with his tail for her to continue. “ThunderClan has only one apprentice now. It’s hard to get all the duties done.”
Sorreltail’s brother, Sootfur, twitched his tail. “Yes, I’m fed up with fetching moss for bedding. It’s not a proper warrior’s job,” he complained. He hadn’t been a warrior for long, and obviously had hoped he’d finished with apprentice duties forever once Firestar had given him his new name.
“That’s too bad.” Firestar’s voice was firm as he stared at the young warrior. “You can’t expect one apprentice to do it all.”
“Whitepaw works her paws off,” put in Mousefur. “She deserves a bit of help.”
Whitepaw, the only remaining apprentice, ducked her head and scuffled her forepaws. Squirrelflight could see she hadn’t expected praise from the wiry brown elder, whose tongue was as sharp as her claws.
“I’ll help!” Birchkit bounced up excitedly. “I’m old enough to be an apprentice!”
“No, you’re not,” his mother, Ferncloud, told him gently. “Not for another moon.”
“I’m afraid your mother’s right, Birchkit,” meowed Firestar. “But don’t worry, your time will come. And there’ll still be plenty for you to do. Sandstorm, will you sort out the duties in the meantime so no cat does more than their fair share?”
The ginger she-cat dipped her head in agreement. “I will, and I’ll make sure Whitepaw has enough time to train with her mentor as well. That’s another thing,” she added. “With no apprentices to train, we aren’t practicing our warrior skills as much as we used to. If there’s another battle, we could have problems.”
“There’s not going to be another battle,” Spiderleg meowed. “Mudclaw is dead, so where’s the threat?”
“Yeah, we’ve got enough to do,” Sootfur muttered.
“And Mudclaw is the only cat who ever caused trouble?” Mousefur asked scathingly, with a contemptuous twitch of her whiskers. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, you’ll know there’s alwayssome kind of threat.”
“Exactly, Mousefur,” Firestar mewed. “The four Clans are drawing apart again, and sooner or later we’ll find that we have no choice but to fight. We need one cat to be responsible for keeping up our battle skills.”
Ashfur opened his jaws to volunteer, but before he could speak Brambleclaw cut in. “I can do that, Firestar.”
Squirrelflight’s fur prickled. The Clan deputy would normally do this kind of job; it looked as if Brambleclaw really was trying to take Graystripe’s place.
“Starting tomorrow, I can spar with two or three cats every morning,” the tabby warrior went on. “Ashfur, I’ll start with you and Spiderleg.”
Ashfur’s blue eyes narrowed. “Claws sheathed?”
Brambleclaw’s gaze met his. “Claws sheathed, but that’s all. We’re not kits play-fighting.”
“Ashfur never said we were!” Squirrelflight sprang up, her fur bristling along her spine. “I’llfight with you, and see if you think I’m playing!”
Brambleclaw blinked at her. “I’m sure Ashfur doesn’t need you to fight his battles, Squirrelflight. Why not let him speak for himself?”
Squirrelflight ignored Ashfur’s tail, laid warningly on her shoulder. She was too furious to remember she was in the middle of a Clan meeting. “You think you’re so great, Brambleclaw—”
“That’s enough!” Firestar lashed his tail. His green gaze scorched Squirrelflight’s fur; ashamed, she sat down again.
“Told you he’s a bossy furball,” Spiderleg whispered in her ear.
“Thank you, Brambleclaw,” Firestar meowed. “Make sure every cat has a chance to practice as soon as possible.” His gaze traveled over the cats below him as if he were taking in every clawmark and patch of missing fur, assessing how soon they’d be battle-fit again.
Brightheart stood up. “There’s a sheltered clearing not far from here.” The ginger and white she-cat pointed with her tail. “I was hunting there yesterday. The ground is flat and mossy, and it could be a good place to train, like the sandy hollow back in the forest.”
“Sounds ideal,” meowed Firestar. “Show me after the meeting. Brambleclaw, don’t forget to report to me as soon as you get back from WindClan.”
The tabby warrior gave a brisk nod. He turned to Squirrelflight. “We can go now, if you’re ready.”
Squirrelflight sprang up, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t tread on my tail, Brambleclaw.”
“Then start behaving like a warrior, not a mouse-brained apprentice. Unless you think Firestar should have chosen another cat to lead this patrol?”
His voice was as cold as his eyes. Squirrelflight felt a sting of dislike run through her fur. This was not the same cat who had traveled with her and the others to the sun-drown-place. He had been her closest friend on that journey, the cat who meant more to her than any of the others, and now she scarcely recognized him.
“Firestar can choose whichever cat he likes,” she replied, spitting each word out like grit. “You are one of his senior warriors, after all.”
“But that’s not what you really think,” Brambleclaw flashed back at her. His amber eyes blazed and his ears were flattened in fury. “You think I’m disloyal, because I have kin in another Clan. I saw you watching me when I was with Hawkfrost by the lake.”
“It’s a good thing I did,” Squirrelflight retorted. “Otherwise no cat would know that Hawkfrost was plotting to become WindClan deputy and then take over RiverClan. I heard what Mudclaw said.”
“Mudclaw was lying!” Brambleclaw hissed, his neck fur bristling with fury. “Why should we believe that traitor?”
“Why should we believe Hawkfrost?” Squirrelflight clawed the ground in frustration.
“Why shouldn’t we?” Brambleclaw countered. “Because Tigerstar was his father? Like he was my father too?”
“That’s not fair,” Ashfur protested, coming to stand at Squirrelflight’s shoulder. “Squirrelflight didn’t say—”
“Keep out of this!” Brambleclaw rounded on the gray tomcat, tail lashing. “It’s got nothing to do with you!”
Squirrelflight’s claws slid out; she was within a heartbeat of slashing at Brambleclaw’s muzzle. Then she saw Firestar heading out of the camp with Brightheart, and she thought how angry her father would be if his warriors started fighting among themselves. She dug her claws deep into the peaty soil instead. “I don’t care who his father was!” she hissed. “I don’t trust Hawkfrost because he plotted to kill Onewhisker. He’ll do anything for power. A blind hedgehog could see it.”
Brambleclaw glared at her for a heartbeat. “You say that, yet you don’t have any proof. Hawkfrost is my brother. I’m not going to turn my back on him when he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“Fine!” Squirrelflight exclaimed. “You’re so besotted with him you wouldn’t know the truth if it sat up and bit you. Why not join RiverClan too, if it makes you happier? You obviously don’t care about ThunderClan—or me.”
Brambleclaw was about to spit back a retort when Birchkit lost his balance chasing his tail and stumbled between the tabby warrior’s front paws. His eyes stretched wide as he noticed the two cats glaring at each other with bristling neck fur and twitching tails. “Sorry!” he squeaked and fled for the nursery.
Brambleclaw took a pace back, his lip curled. “Come on, we’re wasting time. We won’t reach WindClan before nightfall at this rate.”
Without waiting to see if the rest of the patrol was following him, he whipped around and stalked toward the entrance, his tail high.
Squirrelflight exchanged a glance with Ashfur and saw concern and gentleness in his blue eyes. After Brambleclaw’s hostility, it was like cool water on a hot day.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” Squirrelflight insisted as she set off after Brambleclaw. She brushed past Rainwhisker, who was staring at her as if she’d sprouted rabbit ears. “Hurry up, or we’ll never catch him.”
Brambleclaw didn’t wait for them, but plunged into the thorn tunnel without looking back. As he vanished among the trembling branches, Squirrelflight felt hollow inside; it was almost as if Brambleclaw was deliberately walking out of her life. Would they ever be friends again? She couldn’t see how, after a fight like that.
She just had to accept that whatever they once had, the friendship that had lasted through their long journey, was over.
第一章
第一章
“所有能独自狩猎的猫到高石台下集合。”
雷族族长的召唤声在山谷中回荡，将松鼠飞一下子从睡梦中惊醒了。云尾已经拨开遮蔽武士巢穴的荆棘枝，正往外走。他的伴侣亮心从铺着苔藓的窝里站起身，尾随在他身后。
“火星又想干什么？”尘毛咕哝一句，僵硬地站起身，抖掉身上的苔藓屑。他不满地轻轻抖了一下耳朵，随着族猫们来到空地上。
松鼠飞张嘴打了个哈欠，坐起身，飞快地整理一下皮毛。尘毛今天早上的脾气比平时更糟——从他磨磨蹭蹭的动作里，松鼠飞看得出，他与泥掌战斗时留下的伤口依然让他感到疼痛难忍。雷族的多数猫身上都带着这位反叛者留下的爪印；松鼠飞肚子一侧的伤口还有点疼，她用舌头飞快地舔了几下。
在四大族群来到湖畔的新领地前，泥掌一直是风族的副族长。前任族长高星临死前任命一根须接任，泥掌恼怒异常，在一根须还没来得及从星族那里得到九条命的时候掀起叛乱。河族的鹰霜竟然助纣为虐，帮助泥掌。一想到黑莓掌哪怕在亲眼看到鹰霜全力支持泥掌叛变后，依然固执地信任他这位同父异母的弟弟，松鼠飞心里就燃起阵阵怒火。
感谢星族！松鼠飞心里不由想道，雷族及时发现了这场阴谋，加入了战斗，开始反击泥掌和他的支持者。最后星族证明了谁才是真正的族长——一道闪电劈倒大树，砸死了泥掌。
松鼠飞又舔了一下自己暗姜黄色的皮毛，穿过荆棘来到空地。天气很冷，冻得她直打哆嗦。此时正值秃叶季，淡淡的阳光刚刚照到石头山谷周围的树顶上。经过长途跋涉，雷族最终在这个树木环绕的山谷里安定下来。风在光秃秃的树枝间沙沙作响，可是在谷底，一切都没有受到风的影响。空气清冷，草叶和灌木丛的边缘依然结着白霜。不过，松鼠飞能感觉到万物萌发的微弱迹象。她知道，新叶季已经离得不远了。
松鼠飞将爪子插入泥土中，舒舒服服地伸了个懒腰。她的父亲火星正坐在巢穴外的高石台上。火星的巢穴在崖壁的半腰处。他火焰色的皮毛在道道斜阳中闪着光，目光扫过族猫时，绿色的眼睛里充满了自豪。松鼠飞猜想，要是有更多麻烦要警告大家，他不会这样气定神闲。
众猫在火星下方的空地上聚集起来。金花跟着鼠毛从长老巢穴中走出来。她把尾巴尖搭在身后盲眼的长尾肩上，指引着他。
“嗨。”叶池走上前来，与妹妹松鼠飞碰了碰鼻子，“伤口怎么样了？还需要金盏花吗？”
“不用了，我没事。谢谢。”自那场战斗之后，叶池和她的老师炭毛就一直很忙，不仅要寻找合适的草药，还要治疗受伤的猫。“其他很多猫更需要。”松鼠飞又加了一句。
叶池嗅了嗅松鼠飞的抓伤，放心地点点头：“你说得对，你的伤口愈合得很好。”
一声兴奋的尖叫从育婴室里传出来，小白桦从里面冲出来，被自己的爪子绊了一跤。这团浅棕色的小毛球乱扒拉着从地上爬起来，最后在父亲尘毛的身边安生下来。母亲香薇云一直跟在身后，现在坐到他的旁边，扭头舔梳着他身上凌乱的皮毛。
松鼠飞逗趣地呼噜一声。她的目光越过这些猫，看向营地入口的荆棘通道。她觉得肩膀上的肌肉绷得紧紧的。看样子，黎明巡逻队回来了。黑莓掌正从通道里走出来，后面跟着沙风和雨须。
“怎么了？”叶池问道。
松鼠飞忍不住一声叹息。她和姐姐比其他大多数同窝手足都要亲近，总能感受到对方的心情。“是黑莓掌。”她不情愿地应了一句，“我真的无法相信，鹰霜那样支持泥掌，他依然把鹰霜当朋友。”
“很多猫都支持泥掌，”叶池说道，“他们那样做，是因为他们认为一根须不适合领导风族。大树砸死泥掌后，鹰霜也承认自己错了，还说他是被泥掌骗去帮忙的。一根须已经原谅了他，也原谅了其他对抗他的猫。”
松鼠飞甩了一下尾巴：“鹰霜在撒谎！他一直都在参与泥掌的阴谋。我听到泥掌死前说的话了——鹰霜那样做，是想让自己变得足够强大，好控制河族。”
叶池困惑的眼神似乎能穿透松鼠飞的皮毛：“松鼠飞，你并没有证据。我们为什么要相信泥掌，而不相信鹰霜呢？你能确定对他的偏见，并不是因为虎星是他的父亲？”
松鼠飞张嘴想反驳，可什么也说不出来。
“记住，虎星也是黑莓掌的父亲。”叶池接着说道，“也许他曾是一个凶残的叛徒，但这并不能说明他的儿子们会步其后尘。我也不怎么相信鹰霜，但是我们不能在没有证据的情况下，把他想得和他父亲一样坏。即便鹰霜确实危险，也并不意味着黑莓掌就和他一个样——或者和虎星一个样。”
松鼠飞不自在地抽动着尾巴，说道：“我想你是对的。”这三只虎斑公猫如同黑莓丛中的藤蔓一般纠缠在一起。松鼠飞心里不由地想，虎星的两个儿子，会不会有谁能够抛弃他那叛徒的基因？“只是……我说的话黑莓掌一句也听不进去！与我相比，他更在乎鹰霜。我不懂他为什么肯听鹰霜的，而不愿听我的。”
“鹰霜是他的兄弟，”叶池提醒道，她琥珀色的眼睛里流露出温存和同情，“你不觉得，我们应该根据黑莓掌的表现，而不是根据他父亲来判断他吗？难不成你担心他将来会做什么坏事？”
“你觉得我的判断不公正吗？”松鼠飞不由得问道。星族曾派他们前往太阳沉没之地，查明危及所有族群的危险。在那趟旅途中，她用生命信任过黑莓掌。但自从亲眼看到他与同父异母的兄弟鹰霜的情谊有增无减后，她就觉得对他的信任，已经如晨露般消逝了。
“我觉得你是在自寻烦恼。”叶池回答道。
“我才不烦呢。”哪怕是面对姐姐，松鼠飞也不愿承认，想起可能会失去这一切时心中的疼痛。“我只是为族群担心罢了。就算黑莓掌想跟鹰霜远走高飞，也不关我的事。”她没好气地说。
叶池把尾巴尖搭在妹妹的肩膀上。“别假装不在乎，尤其是不要装给我看。”她的声音很轻，但眼神依旧很严肃。
“嗨，松鼠飞！”松鼠飞还没来得及回答，蜡毛已经站到她们跟前。这只淡灰色公猫用尾巴冲她示意一下，说：“过来坐我旁边吧！”
松鼠飞轻轻走到蜡毛身边。她注意到，看到自己走过来，蜡毛深蓝色的眼里闪着光芒。叶池也跟过来，快速地舔了一下松鼠飞的耳朵。“别担心。”她低声说道，“一切都会好起来的。”她冲蜡毛友好地点点头，然后走到高石台下，坐在炭毛身边。
松鼠飞余光瞥见黑莓掌朝自己走了几步，但看到自己挨着蜡毛坐下，他眼神变得有些迟疑，神色也黯淡下来，然后猛然掉头走开，在蕨毛和栗尾的旁边坐下。松鼠飞感到皮毛一阵刺痛，她不知道这种感觉代表如释重负，还是失望。火星开始讲话了，松鼠飞直直地盯着前方，感到黑莓掌琥珀色的目光几乎要点燃她的皮毛。
“雷族众猫们，与泥掌那场战斗之后，太阳已经升起了三次，”火星讲道，“可是两位死去的武士仍躺在我们的营地外。现在我们已经休息好了，该把他们送回影族了。”
松鼠飞不由浑身一颤。她和其他四只猫第一次来这片森林探索，不慎跌落时发现了这个石头山谷。幸运的是，她跌落的那处崖壁并不高，所以并没有受伤。可是在之前的那场战斗中，两只逃跑的影族猫却不慎从悬崖最高处跌落，摔断了脖子。
“你觉得影族会要他们吗？”云尾问道，“毕竟他们是在帮叛徒泥掌。”
“其他族群对自己武士的态度不该由我们决定，”火星不无警告地说，“泥掌不同于一般的叛徒，就连其他族群的猫都认为，他才是风族的真正族长。”
云尾尾巴尖抽动着，看样子很不满意。不过松鼠飞发现黑莓掌点了点头，好像想起了鹰霜。
“死去的猫是影族的武士，”火星继续说道，“他们的族猫会敬重他们的。我们必须派一支巡逻队，把尸首送往影族边界。”
“我去。”刺掌自告奋勇。
“谢谢你。”火星低头表示敬意，“蕨毛，请你跟他一起去！还有……”
他犹豫一下，眼神若有所思地从资深武士们的身上扫过。松鼠飞感觉这次任务可能会有危险。虽然影族只有几只猫参加了这场战斗，可他们的族长黑星也许会把武士的死归罪于雷族，并以此为借口发动攻击。
“尘毛和云尾，”火星最后说道，“把尸首送到边界处的枯树旁，然后去找影族的巡逻队，把事情的经过告诉他们。千万别惹事。”他的目光在云尾身上停了一会儿，似乎担心这位倔强的白色武士会说错话，“如果影族的态度不善，就赶紧离开。”
刺掌站起来，尾巴一扫，召集起巡逻队的其他成员，然后一起朝荆棘通道走去。影族武士的尸首就藏在外面一片浓密的黑莓丛中，以防被狐狸和其他动物叼走。
等巡逻队走远，荆棘丛不再响动了，火星才接着说道：“昨天晚上，一根须本该到月亮池去领受九条命和族长名号。但是如果族猫不接受他，他的地位就无法稳固。我要带一支巡逻队过去看看。”
“这可是风族自己的问题！”鼠毛抗议道，“雷族武士因为帮一根须，已经伤痕累累，难道我们做的还不够吗？”
尽管受伤的地方仍然隐隐作痛，松鼠飞却不赞同这种说法：“既然我们已经为一根须冒了生命危险，为什么不能确保我们的付出有所回报呢？”
鼠毛狠狠瞪了她一眼。可是火星晃了晃尾巴，阻止了这场可能变得更加激烈的争论。
炭毛站起身说道：“谁领导这支巡逻队都可以，但是你不行。火星，你的肩膀在那场战斗中扭伤了，在伤好之前，你都需要待在营地。”
火星颈上的毛一下子竖了起来，但旋即又平顺下来。他冲这位巫医轻轻点头说：“好吧，炭毛。”
“我来带领巡逻队。”黑莓掌说着跳起来。
“谢谢你，黑莓掌。”火星说，“不过你最好不要踏进风族领地。我们必须表现出对他们边界的尊重。你带巡逻队沿着边界走，看看能不能找到他们的猫。”
黑莓掌点了点头说：“别担心，火星。我保证不让任何猫踏过边界一步。”
蛛足隔着蜡毛，与松鼠飞面对面坐着。他轻蔑地哼了一声。“颐指气使的蠢毛球，”他低声说道，“以为自己是谁？副族长吗？”
“黑莓掌是一位好武士，”蜡毛说道，“就算他想当副族长，也没有什么错！”
“只是雷族已经有副族长了。”蛛足回应道。
“可是灰条不在了。”蜡毛说道，“火星迟早得想清楚，还能等灰条多长时间。”
悲伤如尖刺般扎着松鼠飞。就在雷族逃离旧森林的老家之前，两脚兽把雷族的这位副族长抓走了。松鼠飞曾眼睁睁地看着，灰条被装进咆哮着的、泥浆四处飞溅的两脚兽怪物中带走了。直到现在，她依然记得那种惊恐。没有哪只猫知道灰条后来怎么样，但火星不肯相信他已经死去，所以不肯任命一位副族长来代替他。
黑莓掌真的想当副族长吗？松鼠飞不由得想道。她总是下意识觉得，他跟虎星没有区别，总是无法忘记那只残忍的虎斑猫为了达成野心，曾不惜使用种种卑劣手段。
“松鼠飞，你和黑莓掌一起去风族。还有你俩，蜡毛和雨须。”火星喊着松鼠飞，把她的思绪拉回到石头山谷。
松鼠飞竖起耳朵，心想也许在树林里跑上一通，这些困扰她的记忆就能被抛到脑后。蜡毛已经站起身，尾巴直挺挺地竖着。
“走吧！”松鼠飞说着，朝黑莓掌跑过去。
“等等！”黑莓掌生硬地说，眼神掠过松鼠飞和蜡毛，就像根本不认识他们似的，“我想听完再走。”
松鼠飞瞪了他一眼，又坐了下来。
“我们还需要狩猎，”火星说，“沙风，你能组织一下吗？”
“当然可以。”沙风坐在崖壁下，抬头应了一声，“可是有件事我想在会议结束前说一下。”她停下来，火星用尾巴示意她接着说。“雷族现在只有一位学徒，很难完成所有的事情。”
栗尾的哥哥烟毛抽动着尾巴。“没错。整天都找苔藓来铺窝，我真是烦透了。这不是一个真正的武士该干的事。”他抱怨着。他当武士的时间不长，原先肯定以为，一旦被火星授予新的名号，就不用再做学徒的工作了。
“的确很糟糕。”火星盯住这位年轻的武士看着，声音不容置疑，“我们不能指望一个学徒去做所有的事。”
“白爪忙得爪子都不沾地，”鼠毛插话道，“应该让谁帮帮她。”
白爪是现在仅有的学徒。只见她低着头，摆弄着前爪。松鼠飞看得出来，她并没有想到会受到这位浑身精瘦的深棕色长老的表扬，要知道，她的毒舌完全可以与利爪媲美。
“我来帮忙！”小白桦激动地蹦跶起来，“我已经长大，可以当学徒了。”
“不，你还不够大呢！”他的母亲香薇云温柔地说，“还要再过一个月。”
“小白桦，恐怕你妈妈说得对。”火星说，“不过别担心，那一刻会到来的，到时候需要你干的事情多着呢。沙风，这段时间，你来安排工作，让所有的猫都平均分担，好吗？”
这只姜黄色母猫点点头。“我会的。我也会确保白爪有足够的时间和老师进行训练。说起这个，”她补充说道，“因为没有学徒受训，我们武士技能的训练远不如从前。如果再来一场战斗，我们可能会应付不了。”
“不会再有战斗了，”蛛足说道，“泥掌已经死了，我们还有什么好担心的呢？”
“是啊，我们要做的已经够多了。”烟毛咕哝了一句。
“难道泥掌是唯一会给我们带来麻烦的猫吗？”鼠毛厉声反问道，胡子轻蔑地抖动一下，“等你们活到我这般年纪的时候，就会知道，这世上总会有各种各样的威胁。”
“确实如此，鼠毛。”火星接过话茬，“四个族群再次各自为政，迟早有一天，我们会面临除了战斗外别无选择的情形。我们需要一只猫，来负责训练我们的战斗技能。”
蜡毛张开嘴刚想自告奋勇，黑莓掌抢先一步开了口：“我可以做这个，火星。”
松鼠飞的皮毛再次感到一阵刺痛：通常是副族长做这种工作的，看样子黑莓掌似乎真的想取代灰条。
“从明天起，我每天早上可以和两到三只猫进行格斗练习。”只听这位虎斑武士接着说道，“蜡毛，就从你和蛛足开始吧。”
蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛一眯：“爪子要收起来吗？”
黑莓掌看着他的眼睛说道：“爪子不收起来。我们又不是打着玩的幼崽。”
“蜡毛可没说过我们是幼崽！”松鼠飞腾地站了起来，脊背上的毛都竖了起来，“我来和你打，我倒要看看你会不会觉得我是在打着玩！”
黑莓掌眨眨眼睛，看着她：“松鼠飞，我敢说蜡毛并不想让你替他打。你为什么不让他自己说呢？”
蜡毛把尾巴搭在松鼠飞的肩膀上，想阻止她，但松鼠飞根本没有理会。她气晕了头，已经忘了正在开会：“黑莓掌，你觉得自己有多了不起……”
“够了！”火星猛地一甩尾巴，绿色的眼睛盯着松鼠飞，让她不由得觉得皮毛发烫。松鼠飞感到有些羞愧，赶紧坐下来。
“我早给你说过，他是个颐指气使的蠢毛球。”蛛足在她的耳边轻声说。
“谢谢你，黑莓掌！”火星接着说，“你要确保每只猫都有机会尽快得到锻炼。”他的目光从下方的每只猫身上掠过，似乎想要记住他们身上的每个爪印和每片被撕掉的皮毛，据此判断他们多久才能再次投入战斗。
这时亮心站起身来。“离这儿不远处就有一块隐蔽的空地。”这只白色带姜黄色斑块的母猫用尾巴一指，继续说道，“我昨天在那儿狩猎。那里地面平坦，长着苔藓，应该是个训练的好场地，和我们以前在旧森林里的沙坑一样。”
“听起来挺理想的。”火星说，“开完会带我去看看。黑莓掌，别忘了从风族回来后要赶紧向我报告。”
这只虎斑武士高兴地点点头。他转身对松鼠飞说：“你要是准备好了，我们现在就出发。”
松鼠飞一跃而起，眼睛眯着说：“黑莓掌，别来招惹我。”
“那你做事就要像位武士，别像鼠脑子的学徒。你认为火星应该另选谁带领巡逻队？”
他的声音和他的眼神一样冰冷。松鼠飞不由得一阵厌恶。他再也不是曾和她以及其他猫一起跋涉到太阳沉没之地的那只猫了。在那次旅途中，他曾经是她最亲密的朋友，他对她的重要性远远胜过其他任何猫，可是现在，她几乎都认不出他了。
“火星爱选谁就选谁吧！”她如同呸出沙子一样，啐道，“谁让你是他的资深武士之一呢！”
“这并不是你的真实想法，”黑莓掌回击道，因为愤怒，他琥珀色的眼睛里烈焰灼灼，耳朵平贴着脑袋，“你认为我不忠诚，因为我在其他族群有至亲。我和鹰霜在湖边的时候，我知道你在背后盯着我。”
“幸亏我看到了。”松鼠飞反驳道，“否则谁都不会知道，鹰霜正密谋当风族的副族长，然后再接管河族。我听见泥掌说的话了。”
“泥掌在撒谎！”黑莓掌嘶吼起来，颈上的毛因为愤怒奓开了，“我们为什么要相信那个反叛者？”
“那我们为什么要相信鹰霜？”松鼠飞恼火地抓着地面。
“我们为什么不能相信呢？”黑莓掌反驳道，“就因为虎星是他的父亲？就因为虎星也是我的父亲？”
“这样说不公平，”蜡毛抗议着，他走上前来，站到松鼠飞身边，“松鼠飞并没有说……”
“少管闲事！”黑莓掌对这只虎斑公猫怒吼道，尾巴来回甩着，“这跟你没有关系！”
松鼠飞的爪子弹出了脚垫，她差点就朝黑莓掌的鼻子爪过去。就在这时，她看见火星和亮心往营地外走去，不由得心想，要是父亲看到自己的武士打了起来，该有多生气啊！于是她把爪子狠狠地插进深棕色的泥地里。“我不在乎他的父亲是谁！”她低声吼道，“我不信任鹰霜，因为他密谋杀害一根须。为了权力，他什么都做得出来，连瞎眼的刺猬都看得出来。”
黑莓掌愤怒地瞪着她有一个心跳的时间，然后说道：“你嘴上这么说，但是并没有任何证据。鹰霜是我的弟弟，他没做什么错事，我不会背弃他的。”
“好啊！”松鼠飞叫起来，“你这么护着他，就算真相跳起来咬你，你也不会相信。既然你高兴，为什么不去河族呢？你明摆着根本不在乎雷族……和我！”
黑莓掌正要反驳，追着自己尾巴玩的小白桦突然一个趔趄，绊倒在这位虎斑武士的前爪之间。看到他俩怒目相向，颈上的毛竖立着，尾巴不停猛抽，小白桦吓得瞪大眼睛，连忙说声“对不起”，尖叫着往育婴室跑去。
黑莓掌后退了一步，嘴唇翻卷着：“得了，我们是在浪费时间。照这个样子，天黑之前我们根本到不了风族。”
他猛一转身朝着入口处走去，尾巴翘得高高的，根本不理会巡逻队的其他成员有没有跟上。
松鼠飞和蜡毛交换一下眼神。在蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛里，松鼠飞看到了关心和温柔。在经历了黑莓掌的敌意之后，这样的眼神如同大热天里清凉的水一般。
“你没事吧？”蜡毛问道。
“我没事。”松鼠飞仍然很嘴硬，跟着黑莓掌出发了。她从雨须身边经过时，雨须一直盯着她，就像她长出了兔子耳朵一样。“快点，要不然我们就跟不上他了。”雨须说道。
黑莓掌没有等他们，他头也不回地钻进荆棘通道。等他消失在乱颤的荆棘丛中时，松鼠飞顿时觉得心被掏空了——黑莓掌似乎正有意要走出她的生活。他们还能再做朋友吗？尤其是在发生了这样激烈的冲突之后，她更看不到一点和好的希望。
她必须接受事实：无论他们曾共同经历了什么，他们在那段漫长旅途中积攒的友谊，已经一去不复返了。
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 5
A ruffled disc of white lighttrembled on the surface of the lake, and up above the stars of Silverpelt blazed in the night sky. StarClan must be pleased with how we’re settling in, Squirrelflight decided as she followed her sister along the lakeshore. Her paws tingled at the thought of taking part in the first Gathering on the island. She couldn’t wait to cross the fallen tree and explore.
Firestar led the way with Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Cloudtail close to his flanks. Ashfur and Spiderleg padded just behind, ahead of Cinderpelt, Goldenflower, and Brackenfur. Brambleclaw brought up the rear, glancing back now and again as if he expected trouble.
His caution reminded Squirrelflight of the uneasy new relationship with WindClan. To reach the tree bridge and the island, they had to pass through WindClan territory, and as far as Squirrelflight knew they hadn’t formally asked for Onestar’s permission.
“It was a lot easier at Fourtrees,” she meowed to Leafpool, with a sudden pang of homesickness. She would never forget the horror of discovering that Twoleg monsters had destroyed the great oak trees where the Clans met every full moon. “Back there, we didn’t have to cross other Clans’ territories to get to Gatherings.”
“Cats can’t possibly fight on the way to a Gathering,” Leafpool mewed.
“I’m not sure. When does the truce start? When we get to the island, or when we’re on the way?”
Leafpool shook her head, unable to reply.
Squirrelflight stayed alert as she and her Clanmates slipped through the shadows with the glimmering lake on one side and the steeply sloping moorland on the other. As they drew closer to the Twoleg horse place, they began to pick up strong WindClan scent, as if a large patrol had just passed that way.
“Onestar and his Clan must be ahead of us,” Squirrelflight meowed. Pausing to taste the air, she distinguished another scent, and a moment later she spotted two pale shapes flitting across the field beyond the horse place fence. “That must be the kittypets who live in the barn,” she commented. “Do you remember Smoky and Daisy? We met last time we came to a Gathering. I wonder if Daisy has had her kits yet.”
“It’s time the ThunderClan queens started having kits,” Leafpool mewed. “The Clan is really short of young cats.”
Squirrelflight nodded. More kits meant more apprentices, and that meant she wouldn’t have to collect any more moss!
They crossed the marshy ground where they had made their temporary camp when they first reached the lake. Just beyond it, a new set of scent marks warned that they had reached the RiverClan border. On the lakeshore ahead of them, Squirrelflight could see a throng of cats; in the bright moonlight it was easy to recognize Onestar and his WindClan warriors.
She remembered how her patrol had first discovered the island. They had always known it would be a perfect place to gather, but they had assumed it would be impossible to reach, except for the strong swimmers in RiverClan. But StarClan had found a way to help them cross the narrow stretch of water that separated the island from the shore. Squirrelflight felt her fur bristle with anticipation as they approached the tree bridge. It had once been a lofty pine tree, growing close to the edge of the island. Now its roots reared up into the air, while its tip rested on the pebbly lakeshore. As she drew closer Squirrelflight could see its needles were already brown and dry, falling like brittle rain onto the stones.
Cats were bunched together around the topmost branches; their flattened ears and stiffly held tails betrayed their nervousness about trusting the tree to support their weight across the cold black water. Squirrelflight watched Webfoot sniff warily at a twig. Suddenly there was an impatient meow and Crowfeather leapt up onto the trunk, close to where it stretched out over the water. He swayed until he found his balance, then started to walk along the trunk, placing each paw carefully until he was near enough to the opposite shore to jump down safely.
Squirrelflight wanted to push forward and scramble along the trunk so she could explore the island too, but she made herself wait, claws scraping impatiently on the stones. She was conscious of Brambleclaw watching her with amber eyes that gave away nothing of what he felt. Turning her back on him, she padded over to Ashfur.
“This is great!” he meowed, touching his nose to her ear. “I can’t wait to get over there.”
“Me neither,” Squirrelflight agreed.
More WindClan cats began to cross, gripping the trunk with their claws as they advanced pawstep by pawstep toward the far shore. When Firestar waved his tail for the ThunderClan cats to follow, Squirrelflight started forward eagerly, only to bump into Leafpool, who was gazing across the water to the island.
“What’s the matter?” Squirrelflight mewed. “For StarClan’s sake, get a move on!”
Leafpool jumped. “Sorry!”
As Tornear leapt up onto the tree bridge, Onestar padded across and spoke quickly to Firestar before following his warrior. Firestar beckoned his Clan around him.
“RiverClan and ShadowClan have already crossed,” he meowed. “Onestar told me Leopardstar and Blackstar agreed we should all have a chance to explore the island before the Gathering.”
“Where will we meet when it starts?” Cloudtail asked.
Firestar twitched his ears. “Only StarClan knows, until we get over there. But you shouldn’t get lost. The island’s not that big.”
He jumped onto the tree trunk, followed by Sandstorm and Cloudtail. At last it was Squirrelflight’s turn. She crouched and sprang into the air; the trunk bounced under her weight as she landed. Her fur fluffed out in alarm and she sank her claws into the bark to keep her balance. Suddenly she was conscious of how narrow the trunk was, and how close the water was, lapping at the half-submerged branches beneath her.
“Go on,” Ashfur meowed. “You’re keeping every cat waiting.”
Cautiously Squirrelflight edged out along the tree trunk. The trunk bounced even harder as more cats sprang up behind her, and the branches scraped her pelt as she wove her way between them. But gradually she got used to the motion, and the trunk grew thicker as she crept out across the lake. Her confidence grew; when the branches came to an end she broke into a run until she hurled herself with a yowl of triumph onto the shore on the other side.
Dustpelt leapt into the air and spun to face her. “Great StarClan, you startled me!” he exclaimed. “Any cat would think you were still a kit, the way you behave.”
“Sorry, Dustpelt.” Seeing his tail curl up with amusement, Squirrelflight guessed the brown tabby warrior was as excited as she was to be in their new Gathering place.
She waited in the shelter of the tree roots while Ashfur, Leafpool, and then Brambleclaw crossed. As soon as the broad-shouldered tabby warrior landed on the pebbles, he veered away to join another muscular warrior, as much like Brambleclaw as his reflection in the lake.
“Hawkfrost!” Squirrelflight hissed. “I might have known.”
“There you are, Brambleclaw,” she heard the RiverClan cat meow. “I was hoping you’d be here tonight. Come on—there’s something I want to show you.”
The two cats padded off side by side.
Squirrelflight turned back to look for Leafpool and saw her racing across the shore to join Hawkfrost’s sister, Mothwing, who was the RiverClan medicine cat. The beautiful golden tabby twined her tail with Leafpool’s, excitedly telling her something that Squirrelflight was too far away to hear.
Squirrelflight suddenly felt very lonely. Exploring didn’t seem like so much fun if she had no one to share it with. Then she heard a voice calling her name, and she glanced around to see Ashfur standing a little way off. She bounded over to him.
“Where do you want to go? That way?” he suggested. He gestured with his tail toward a thicket of trees and bushes in the center of the island.
“No, let’s go around the outside first,” Squirrelflight meowed. “I want to see every pawstep!” She blinked warmly at him—somehow she knew there was no need to tell him how pleased she was that he wanted to explore the island with her.
They padded along the shore, passing Squirrelflight’s mother, Sandstorm, who was sharpening her claws on the trunk of another pine.
“This is good,” she mewed happily. “Much safer than where we gathered last time, near the horse place.” Her claws sharpened to her satisfaction, she sat down and stared out across the gently lapping water.
Squirrelflight and Ashfur skirted an outcrop of rocks leading down to the water and came to a wider stretch of pebbles and sandy earth, broken up here and there by small, gleaming pools. Squirrelflight crouched down beside one, tongue extended to lap, then sprang back with a meow of surprise.
“There are fish in there!”
Ashfur padded up beside her and looked interestedly into the water. “I can’t see any.”
“Tiny fish—look, there!” She pointed with her paw as a sleek shape flickered from the shelter of one rock to another. “Too small for prey, though,” she added regretfully. “Let’s keep going.”
The island shore grew rockier farther around, where the vast, glittering lake stretched all the way to their own territory. Squirrelflight could just make out the mass of trees with the dark bulk of the moorland rising above them.
“This would be great to sun ourselves on warm days,” Ashfur commented, gazing up at a smooth gray boulder splotched with lichen. “We haven’t found anything like Sunningrocks in our territory.”
“No, but we haven’t explored it all yet,” Squirrelflight reminded him. “And it would be a very long way to come to warm our pelts!”
As they scrambled over the boulder, claws scraping for balance, she caught a glimpse of Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost nearer the center of the island. They were padding side by side, their heads bent close together as they talked. They didn’t seem interested in exploring their surroundings, and they took no notice of the cats from all Clans that swarmed around them. Squirrelflight wrenched her gaze away from Brambleclaw and called a greeting to Tawnypelt, who was peering under a bush with a young ShadowClan warrior Squirrelflight didn’t recognize. Tawnypelt acknowledged her with a flick of her tail, but didn’t speak; Squirrelflight guessed she had her eye on prey.
The ShadowClan deputy, Russetfur, was sniffing around the bottom of a rock, flanked by her Clanmates Rowanclaw and Oakfur. Squirrelflight changed direction to avoid them; Tawnypelt was the only friend she had in ShadowClan.
“Have you noticed,” she mewed to Ashfur, “how we’ve split up into our Clans again? It’s as if the journey from the forest never happened.”
“Well, Brambleclaw is over there with Hawkfrost,” Ashfur pointed out, turning his ears to where the two tabby toms had reappeared from a clump of bracken.
“Huh!” grunted Squirrelflight.
Ashfur’s blue eyes gleamed. “You’re worried about him, aren’t you?”
“Worried? Me?” Squirrelflight mewed. “Certainly not!” When Ashfur didn’t respond, she added, “Honestly, I’m not worried about him.”
Ashfur let out his breath in a long sigh. “Good,” he murmured. “He’s an honorable cat, you know. He may be friends with Hawkfrost, but he wouldn’t betray his Clanmates.”
Squirrelflight flinched. Was it so obvious that she no longer trusted Brambleclaw? Surely she knew him better than any cat in ThunderClan. Or had she become too close to him to judge properly? She shook her head, confused by the thoughts that buzzed in her ears. She wanted to trust Brambleclaw, she really did, but he seemed determined to make that impossible with everything he said and did.
The moon had risen high in the sky by the time the two cats made a complete circuit of the island. Squirrelflight bounded down to the lake beside the tree bridge and gulped down a few mouthfuls; the water was icy cold, and as she lapped at the glittering surface she felt as if she were drinking starlight
“I can see why Hawkfrost wanted this to be the RiverClan camp,” Ashfur mewed. “There’s everything here a cat could want!”
“Except enough prey,” Squirrelflight pointed out. “RiverClan don’t eat fish all the time. Imagine trying to swim across with fresh-kill in your jaws.”
Ashfur shifted uneasily. “I hope RiverClan don’t change their mind now that the tree bridge is there.”
Squirrelflight stared at him in alarm. “They couldn’t!” she protested. “StarClan put the tree here for all of us.”
“Well, if Leopardstar is planning to claim the island for RiverClan, we’ll find out soon. The Gathering must be due to start.” Ashfur glanced up at the moon.
Squirrelflight shook starry drops from her whiskers. “We still don’t know where we’re meeting.”
“Let’s head for the center,” Ashfur suggested. “We should be able to hear the other cats, even if we can’t see them.”
The two warriors headed for the central thicket. They hadn’t gone far before they heard the gentle murmur of many cats greeting each other after a moon apart.
Ashfur paused to taste the air. “All four Clans are here. This must be the place.”
He led the way through a clump of thorns, swerving to avoid a particularly prickly branch. Squirrelflight could hear prey rustling in the leaves around her, but she was too excited to think of hunting. She tried to push her way through the brambles more quickly, but thorns caught in her pelt.
“I’m notgoing to get stuck again!” she muttered.
Ashfur let out a mrrowof laughter. “Don’t worry. If you do get stuck, I’ll help you. We can’t have you missing the Gathering.”
Squirrelflight crouched down until her belly brushed the crisp dead leaves underneath the brambles, then she wriggled forward until the branches thinned and she broke out into the open.
“Wow!”
She was standing at the edge of a wide circle of grass that shone silver in the moonlight. It looked like a much smaller version of the lake, its surface rippling as the breeze brushed against the stems. A single oak tree grew in the center. Roots thicker than a cat’s body clutched at the ground, while branches shifted overhead and cast trembling shadows on the cats below.
“This is perfect!” Ashfur exclaimed, emerging from the bushes beside her.
Squirrelflight looked around for her Clanmates. Goldenflower was stretched out in a clump of longer grass with a couple of elders from other Clans, and Cinderpelt had joined Leafpool and Mothwing near the tree roots. Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, was padding over to sit beside them. Cloudtail and Dustpelt were standing in the shelter of the bushes farther around the circle; after a shared glance they went over to Mistyfoot and Blackclaw of RiverClan, dipping their heads in greeting.
Squirrelflight suddenly realized she had been nervous that ShadowClan and RiverClan would be as hostile as WindClan had become since they reached their new home. But this looked more like a regular Gathering back in the forest, with cats from different Clans comfortably sharing news.
She twitched her ears to welcome Leafpool, who had left the other medicine cats and padded across the grass to join her sister.
“I love it here.” Leafpool’s eyes shone; Squirrelflight guessed she felt especially close to StarClan here. “It’s smaller than Fourtrees, but it feels so safe.”
As Squirrelflight started to agree, she saw Firestar race across the clearing and leap into the tree. He clawed at the trunk, then pulled himself onto a low branch and stood looking down at the four Clans.
“Blackstar! Leopardstar! Onestar!” he called. “We could sit here for the Gathering.”
Blackstar was the next to appear, agile for a cat of his bulk as he swarmed up the tree to crouch on the branch beside Firestar with his tail hanging down.
“I bet Blackstar wishes he thought of sitting in the tree first,” Ashfur murmured into Squirrelflight’s ear.
Leopardstar settled herself in the fork between two branches not far from Firestar and Blackstar; Onestar climbed a little higher so he could look down on the other three.
Mistyfoot sat tidily on one of the thick, twisting roots at the foot of the trunk. When the other deputies, Ashfoot and Russetfur, joined her there, a pang as sharp as a thorn pierced Squirrelflight’s belly. It was blindingly obvious that there was no ThunderClan deputy to sit with them.
Firestar let out a yowl. “Cats of all Clans, welcome to this new Gathering place. StarClan has brought us here, and we thank them.” He waited for a moment while the warriors grew quiet, then courteously dipped his head to the WindClan leader. “Onestar, would you like to begin?”
The WindClan leader rose to his paws, balancing confidently on the thick branch. His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, his tabby pelt turned to silver. Squirrelflight remembered how nervous he had been about addressing the Clans when Tallstar died. There was no trace of that uncertainty now. He looked as if he had led his Clan for many moons.
“All is well with WindClan,” he reported. “I have made the journey to the Moonpool and received my nine lives and my name from StarClan.”
Murmurs of congratulation rose up from the cats in the clearing: from all four Clans, Squirrelflight noticed. Onestar had been popular as a warrior, and his leadership had received powerful approval from StarClan when they made the tree fall, killing Mudclaw. She glanced around to see whether Webfoot and Mudclaw’s other supporters were joining in; she couldn’t see Webfoot at all, but the black she-cat Nightcloud was crouching under a bush, gazing up at her leader with an unreadable expression on her face.
Onestar bowed his head. “This morning Ashfoot, Tornear, and Crowfeather drove a fox from our territory,” he went on. “They fought well, and I’m sure we’ve seen the last of it.”
A yowl of approval came from the cats below—mostly from WindClan, but some from other Clans too. “Ashfoot! Tornear! Crowfeather!”
Squirrelflight didn’t join in. “He hasn’t mentioned Mudclaw’s rebellion at all,” she muttered to Ashfur. “Or ThunderClan—how we helped in the battle, and how we warned him about the fox.”
Ashfur glanced sideways at her. “Did you really think he would?”
Onestar continued: “We have held warrior ceremonies for two apprentices. Owlwhisker and Weaselfur are here tonight as full warriors of WindClan.” He sat down again as the new warriors were welcomed by the other cats.
Leopardstar was on her paws almost before Onestar had finished, impatiently waving her tail for silence. “There is no sign of the badger that we drove out a moon ago,” she announced. “We think it has gone for good.”
Squirrelflight looked across the clearing to Hawkfrost. He had led the patrol that got rid of RiverClan’s badger. Squirrelflight curled her lip when she saw how pleased with himself Hawkfrost looked. Like he’s the only warrior who ever fought a badger, she thought resentfully, twisting her head to lick the healing wounds on her flank.
“RiverClan have also made a new warrior,” Leopardstar went on. “Voletooth sits vigil in the camp tonight.”
“Onestar and Leopardstar seem very keen to report new warriors,” Squirrelflight whispered to her sister. “It’s as if they’re trying to show the other Clans how strong they are.”
“It’s ridiculous!” Leafpool hissed, startling Squirrelflight with the ferocity of her reply. “Why is it so important for us to be rivals instead of friends? Have they forgotten everything we went through to get here?”
Squirrelflight was a bit surprised that Leafpool felt so strongly; medicine cats usually kept apart from ordinary Clan rivalries, and her friendships with Littlecloud, Barkface, and Mothwing wouldn’t change however hostile the Clans became. But then, Leafpool had probably grown as used to living with all the Clans together as Squirrelflight had.
“At the last Gathering,” Leopardstar went on, “I agreed that the marshy ground where we first camped could be neutral territory so that we would have somewhere to gather. But now that StarClan have given us this island, I’m claiming the marshes for RiverClan.”
Squirrelflight heard several cats muttering discontentedly; Barkface, the WindClan medicine cat, exclaimed, “Mouse dung! Now I won’t be able to collect herbs there.”
“The rest of the Clans have to agree,” Blackstar pointed out, sinking his claws into the bark beneath his paws. “There was neutral territory around Fourtrees.”
Leopardstar lashed her tail. “You can’t turn this place into the forest. Things are different here. For a start, every Clan but RiverClan has to cross another Clan’s territory to reach the island. There’s no point in having neutral territory.”
“Leopardstar’s right,” Firestar meowed. “I don’t see any reason why RiverClan can’t have the marshes.”
Leopardstar dipped her head to him, acknowledging his support
“Onestar, what do you think?” Firestar asked.
Onestar hesitated; Squirrelflight guessed he would like to claim the marshes and their stock of useful herbs for his Clan, but WindClan already had the largest expanse of territory. “Very well,” he growled.
Blackstar shrugged. “I won’t object, if you all agree.”
Leopardstar’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Then we will set our scent markers by the horse place tomorrow.”
Yowls of approval rose from the RiverClan cats; Firestar waited for them to die down before he started to speak.
“I don’t have much to report,” he admitted. “Like RiverClan, we found a badger on our territory, and Brambleclaw led the patrol that sent it away. Apart from that, everything is going well, and we have seen nothing of Twolegs since we moved into the territory.” He stepped back and gestured with his tail to Blackstar.
Squirrelflight tensed as the ShadowClan leader stood up. Would he mention the badger? Did he know that ThunderClan had driven it into ShadowClan territory? But when Blackstar spoke, it was to report that prey was plentiful in the pinewoods. “We found an old badger set not far from the Twoleg nest,” he rasped. “But we could barely detect the scent. It must have been abandoned long ago.”
Squirrelflight exchanged a glance with Ashfur, feeling the fur lie flat on her neck again. The badger and her cubs must have retreated deeper into the forest, well away from any Clan’s territory. From the number of old sets being reported, it looked as if several badgers had once lived around the lake. Perhaps the Clans were lucky they hadn’t encountered more. “I hope we’ve seen the last of them,” she murmured to Ashfur.
“If they come back, we’ll deal with them,” Ashfur meowed. “Anyway, I thought you liked badgers,” he teased. “What about Midnight?”
“Midnight’s different,” Squirrelflight told him. “As for the rest—I don’t care if I never see another one. Badgers and cats don’t mix.”
Now that Blackstar had finished speaking, she assumed the Gathering would be over, but the full moon still floated overhead, and Firestar began to speak once more.
“Clan leaders, and cats of all Clans,” he began, “there’s something we need to decide. This is the Gathering place StarClan have chosen for us, but as Leopardstar said, all of us except RiverClan have to cross another Clan’s territory to reach it. We need to decide exactly where cats can travel in each other’s territory when it’s time to gather.”
“Good idea,” Squirrelflight commented under her breath.
“Well, there’s no need for ThunderClan to cross through our territory to get here,” Blackstar meowed instantly. “It’s much quicker for you to come across WindClan.”
Squirrelflight saw her father stiffen, and she guessed that he was holding back a sharp retort. “Yes, but we still need to discuss it.”
“I don’t mind any cat coming from either direction as far as the tree bridge,” Leopardstar mewed. “But no cat has permission to take prey from RiverClan.”
“The same goes for WindClan,” Onestar added, rising to his paws again. “Firestar, you can bring your cats across my territory, but I want you to keep within two fox-lengths of the lake. If my warriors catch you anywhere else, we’ll regard it as trespass.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Firestar replied calmly. “Let’s make that a general rule.” He raised his voice so every cat could hear. “A Clan may cross another territory to come to Gatherings, but they must stay within two fox-lengths of the lakeshore, and travel without stopping.”
“And take no prey,” Blackstar added.
Firestar nodded. “Does every cat agree?”
A murmur of agreement hung in the air above the cats; what Firestar proposed sounded fair.
Cinderpelt stood up. “Will the same rule apply to cats who want to visit the Moonpool? Because they would have to leave the lakeshore and cross either our territory or WindClan’s to reach the hills.”
“WindClan always allowed cats to cross our old territory when they were going to the Moonstone,” Onestar pointed out. There was a touch more warmth in his voice; he shared the respect that all cats felt for Cinderpelt.
“True,” meowed Firestar. “And I don’t see any reason not to do the same here.”
“But those should be the only two exceptions,” Blackstar put in, with a glare at Firestar. “Otherwise we may as well forget about our boundaries altogether.”
“No, wait.” Mistyfoot looked up from her root. “Cats who cross borders aren’t always hostile. We all need to visit other Clans sometimes. Surely we don’t need to be more suspicious here than we were in the old forest?”
Squirrelflight remembered Mistyfoot’s urgent visit to Firestar when she discovered that Mudclaw and Hawkfrost were plotting together. She had risked crossing ShadowClan’s territory and nearly been caught by a patrol.
“That makes sense,” Leafpool agreed softly. “We should be able to visit each other.” Her amber eyes gazed unblinkingly across the clearing; Squirrelflight couldn’t see what she was looking at.
“If no cat has more to say, we should end this Gathering,” Firestar meowed.
“Fine by me,” Blackstar replied. Onestar and Leopardstar nodded.
“And we need to make sure the cats who aren’t here know what has been decided,” Firestar added.
The ShadowClan leader licked one paw and drew it over his ear. “That would be a job for the deputies, don’t you think?”
Squirrelflight dug her claws into the ground. That was a cruel taunt, aimed straight at Firestar. There was no way the ThunderClan leader could reasonably object. He nodded curtly and sprang down from the tree.
Squirrelflight sighed. “Blackstar won’t let any cat forget that Firestar didn’t appoint another deputy when Graystripe disappeared,” she complained to Ashfur. “It’s obvious he thinks ThunderClan is weaker because of it.”
“If he tries to attack us, he’ll find out how wrong he is,” Ashfur pointed out.
Squirrelflight growled in agreement. As she stood up and stretched, she noticed Brambleclaw still sitting beside Hawkfrost. The RiverClan warrior was mewing something into his ear, and Brambleclaw was nodding slowly.
Maybe he’s telling him what a great deputy he’d make, Squirrelflight thought grimly. She hardly recognized Brambleclaw when she looked at him—he certainly wasn’t the cat she had traveled with to the sun-drown-place to find Midnight. She couldn’t even remember why they had been so close once. Looking at the two warriors again, shoulder to shoulder like a cat beside its reflection in a pool, suspicion prickled through her pelt.
If it were true that Brambleclaw wanted to be deputy, that must mean he thought Firestar was wrong to insist that Graystripe might still be alive. Worse than that, it was only one step from being deputy to being Clan leader. Was Brambleclaw looking ahead to the time when Firestar would lose his last life?
A shiver ran through Squirrelflight’s pelt as she thought of her father’s death, and cold gripped her with icy claws as she remembered the stories she had heard about Tigerstar. He had been prepared to kill to become deputy, and then Clan leader. Did his son, Brambleclaw, share the same ambitions? And would he be prepared to take the same murderous path to achieve them?
第二章
第二章
自从与泥掌的那场大战之后，这还是松鼠飞第一次离开营地。她发觉自己非常享受风拂动着皮毛，以及枯叶在爪子下碎裂发出的声响。到处都能看见新叶萌发的迹象：几朵苍白的雪莲花在一棵棵树下零散地开放着；布满苔藓的绿色树干上，一枝早春款冬开放得如一抹阳光。松鼠飞提醒自己，要记得告诉姐姐叶池这里有款冬——款冬是治疗气喘的良药。
一离开营地，黑莓掌便停了下来。“你们两个为什么不带路呢？”他冲蜡毛和雨须点点头，“让我们看看你们对领地了解了多少。”
“好的。”雨须兴致很高地答应着，加快了脚步。
蜡毛却严厉地瞪了这只虎斑武士一眼，然后才跟着雨须走进蕨丛中。松鼠飞知道蜡毛为什么不满。
“你为什么那么说？”只剩下他们两个的时候，她生气地逼问黑莓掌，“你对待他们的样子，就像他们是你的学徒似的。你不要忘了，蜡毛比你大。”
“但率领巡逻队的是我，”黑莓掌不客气地提醒道，“如果你不喜欢我下达的命令，你最好这就回去。”
松鼠飞张开嘴想猛烈回击，可是马上又闭上了。她不想再吵架。于是她飞快地从黑莓掌身边走过，绕过一片灌木丛，循着雨须和蜡毛留下的气息奔跃而去。
蜡毛肯定听见她在灌木丛中穿行的声音，所以一直在等着她，然后放慢脚步走到她的身边。“树上的叶子已经开始发芽，”蜡毛说着，尾巴指着一棵橡树的树枝，“新叶季不远了。”
“我已经等不及了，”松鼠飞说，“我再也不想看到冰和雪，我希望有更多的猎物。”
“族群需要更多的猎物，”蜡毛也有同感，“说起猎物，我们来抓点什么怎么样？你觉得黑莓掌会介意吗？”
“我才不管黑莓掌介意不介意呢。”松鼠飞怒气冲冲地说。
说着，她张开嘴巴嗅了嗅空气。刚开始，她似乎嗅出了獾的气息，想着要不要告诉黑莓掌——獾很麻烦，尤其是当它们的领地和族群的领地有交叉时。可是，眼下的黑莓掌是这个林子里她最不愿搭理的猫。而且她猜想，无论自己说什么，他都不会听。
她又嗅了嗅。松鼠的气息立刻涌了过来，很快她发现前面几只狐狸身长的地方，一只尾巴毛茸茸的家伙正在弯腰啃一个坚果。她立刻把獾的事情抛到脑后。她观察一下风向，拉开狩猎姿势，朝着猎物蹑手蹑脚地爬过去。她跃起身子，松鼠却一下跳向邻近的一个树干。可是她的动作更快，爪子插进了松鼠的肩膀，朝着它的脖子上猛地一咬，就把它杀死了。
突然，林子里响起急切响亮的警告声。松鼠飞不禁转过身，看见一只黑鸟正从一片灌木丛中展翅飞起，蜡毛正沮丧地看着。
“你运气真不好！”松鼠飞说，“可能是我追赶松鼠时惊扰到它了。”
蜡毛摇摇头说：“不是的。是我踩到了一根小树枝。”
“没关系的。过来和我一起吃吧，”松鼠飞摇了摇尾巴以示邀请，“我一个吃不完。”
正当蜡毛和松鼠飞一起吃着猎物时，黑莓掌从灌木丛中走了出来。“你们在干什么？”他咆哮道，“难道你们忘了我们是要去风族？”
松鼠飞把满嘴的东西吞下去。“好了，黑莓掌，看在星族的分上，不要生气。今天早上我们谁都没有吃东西。”她很尴尬，不知道黑莓掌对自己的示好做何反应，于是丢下了那只松鼠，继续说道，“如果你也想吃，就过来一起吃点吧！”
“不用啦。”这只虎斑猫武士的声音很不友好，“雨须在哪里？”
“已经往前边走了。”蜡毛说着用尾巴一指。
黑莓掌没再说什么，他顺着这只淡灰色公猫指的方向，大踏步穿行在高高的草丛中，直到深色的皮毛淹没在湿漉漉的绿叶丛中。
松鼠飞恼怒地嘶嘶叫了一声。
蜡毛用尾巴尖轻轻地弹了一下她的耳朵，说道：“不要让他这么容易激怒你。”
“不会的！”松鼠飞咕哝一句，尽力想说服自己就是这么想的。她一度想起长途跋涉时，自己和黑莓掌那么亲密，那么相互依赖，那么彼此需要对方。我们什么时候变成了这样子？她不由得绝望地想。
松鼠飞抬头扫了蜡毛一眼，看见他深沉的眼神里满是关切。她知道他想跟自己更亲密些，而不仅仅是普通的关系。她想告诉他自己也有同样的感觉，但是一切来得太快，以至于她都不相信这感情是真的。她需要首先解决和黑莓掌的争吵。再说眼下还有事要做，她的急躁一闪而过，提醒自己道，你是一位武士，不是一只发神经的兔子！
她和蜡毛三两口吃完那只松鼠，再次动身朝风族的边界走去。很快，他们赶上了黑莓掌和雨须。黑莓掌抓了一只欧椋鸟，正狼吞虎咽地吃着，雨须则在吞咽一只田鼠。他们俩赶上来时，雨须抬头看了一眼。
“我还以为你们俩走丢了呢。”雨须说道。
黑莓掌咽下最后一口鸟肉，站起身。他一句话也没说，转身扬长而去。松鼠飞看看蜡毛，与他对视片刻，然后耸耸肩，跟了上去。
树木变得越来越稀疏，松鼠飞开始听到水从石头上流过的淙淙声响。巡逻队来到一个斜坡的顶部。斜坡下面就是作为雷族、风族边界的溪流。一股风族的气息随风飘来，不过一只猫的影子都看不见。
“肯定刚刚过去了一支巡逻队，”蜡毛轻声说，“这些气味标记还很新鲜。”
这是个好兆头，松鼠飞不由得想，如果风族正在有条不紊地巡逻边界，说明他们已经开始从泥掌的叛乱中恢复过来。那是不是意味着，一根须已经能够到月亮池去，从星族那里接收他的九条命和族长名号呢？
“往踏脚石那边走，”黑莓掌提议，“我们或许可以赶上他们。”
说完，黑莓掌冲下斜坡，朝溪流上游跑去。巡逻队的其他成员紧随其后。树木很快就被开阔的荒野替代了。松鼠飞扭过头去，看到身后光秃秃的树枝，灰蒙蒙的一片；再远处，湖水映照着淡蓝色的天空，太阳就快要爬到最高点了。
此处的溪水更加湍急，在两岸间奔腾着；岸边散布着莎草和芦苇。踏脚石边泛起阵阵泡沫，踏脚石连成一条小路，通到对岸的荒原上。就算是在溪水涨满的时候，猫跳过去也易如反掌。
猛烈的风吹着松鼠飞的脸，拨弄着她的皮毛，让她眼里泪水直流。“真不知道风族是怎么忍受这些的！”她对蜡毛抱怨着，“一棵树都看不见。”
蜡毛小声打趣道：“雷族的领地上树枝遮蔽天空，没准他们还纳闷我们是怎么活着的。”
“下雨的时候他们就知道了。”松鼠飞咕哝一句。
一抹一闪而过的淡棕色吸引了她的眼球：一只兔子正在山脊上飞奔。松鼠飞爪痒难耐，想追过去，可是兔子已经跑进风族的领地。紧接着，出现了一只身形瘦长、深烟灰色的猫，他肚皮贴着地面，紧紧地追着兔子。松鼠飞眨巴着流泪的眼睛，认出是鸦羽。和黑莓掌一样，他也曾被星族选中，长途跋涉前往太阳沉没之地。
狩猎者和猎物都消失在一个山谷里。紧接着传来一阵尖叫，不过持续的时间很短。松鼠飞知道，这位风族武士已经抓到猎物了。
“狩猎巡逻队！”雨须说着，冲山顶点点头。
又有两只风族猫跟着鸦羽走过山脊，不过速度要慢得多。松鼠飞认出暗灰色虎斑花纹的是网脚，后面身形小些的是他的学徒鼬爪，第三只是白尾。他们居高临下地俯视着下面的雷族巡逻队。
黑莓掌喊道：“火星派我们来传话！”
网脚和白尾相互看了一眼，然后网脚率先顺着斜坡走了下来，最后，三只猫在小溪的对岸站住了。
“什么话？”网脚问道。
松鼠飞仔细地观察着这位风族武士。他曾是泥掌最强劲的支持者，身上还有那场战斗留下的伤疤：一只耳朵被撕裂了，一侧的肩膀上也被扯掉了一大块皮毛。不过话说回来，如果他是巡逻队的队长，说明一根须已经决定再次信任他了。
黑莓掌低头表示敬意。“火星派我们过来看看，确保一切安好。”他说道，“他要我们来查实一下，看一根须是否已经去过月亮池。”
“是一星。”白尾纠正道。
松鼠飞的肚子不由猛地一紧。直呼风族族长普通武士时的名字是个低级错误，这仿佛是说，黑莓掌并不乐意接受他从星族那里得到的新名号。
“对不起……是一星。”黑莓掌猛地抽动着一只耳朵，声音依然非常淡定，“这是好消息。请把我们的祝贺带给他，可以吗？”
网脚的眼睛眯成了一道缝：“火星为什么派你们过来？难道他认为，星族不会给一星九条命吗？”
松鼠飞不由得睁大了双眼。要不是火星和雷族，一星现在或许已经成了鸦食。难道网脚忘了这件事？
黑莓掌眨了一下眼睛，说道：“他只是想确认一下。”
“火星应该把精力集中在雷族上，让风族处理自己的事情。”网脚建议道。
“要不是雷族，一星当不上族长！”松鼠飞愤愤地指出，“网脚，你和所有的猫一样心知肚明。你和泥掌……”她刚说了一半，黑莓掌就用尾巴堵住了她的嘴，塞得她满嘴都是毛。
网脚的眼睛里喷射着怒火。“相信泥掌是我们族长的不止我一个，”他大发雷霆，“不过从星族让一棵树砸死他，还授予一星九条命和名号起，我就知道自己错了。”
“如果一星相信他，那可真是脑子进水了。”松鼠飞后退一步，在蜡毛耳边轻声说，“如果我是一星，我会加倍小心的。”
她看见鸦羽从山谷的边缘探出头来，嘴巴里拖着那只兔子，心里不由舒了一口气。尽管这位风族武士像刺冬青一样难对付，但在老朋友里面，他并不像网脚那样无情、多疑。
“你好，鸦羽！”松鼠飞招呼道，“你刚才狩猎的动作真棒！”
让她惊讶的是，这位深烟灰色武士只是冲她轻轻地点了下头，目光就看向别处，一句话都没说。他的嘴巴紧紧地咬着猎物，鼻翼翕张着。
“如果你们说完了，”网脚接着说，“就可以回去了。”
“不要命令我们在我们的地盘上做什么！”松鼠飞没好气地说。
“算了吧。”黑莓掌低声劝道。松鼠飞知道他说得对，无论风族猫的敌意有多深，现在也不是挑起争斗的时候。
网脚和其他风族武士站在小溪的这边，一言不发地看着。黑莓掌转过身，领着巡逻队朝雷族营地走去。顺着山坡一路走下来时，松鼠飞感觉风族众猫盯着自己的眼睛，仿佛要刺穿她的皮毛。快进树林时，她回头看了一眼，发现那四只猫依然站在那里。她往前跳跃，不停地奔跑，直到浓密的荆棘丛把她和风族猫隔开。
“感谢星族！”此时她已经跑到一片空地，猛地停下来，抖了抖身子，像刚从冰冷的水里出来，“我真不明白他们是怎么回事。”
“我也是。”雨须附和着。
“我觉得他们的用意很明显，”黑莓掌说道，“风族不想再和雷族结盟了，现在，一切都跟之前不同了。”
“这就是我们为他们做了这么多的报答！”松鼠飞的挫败感和焦虑化成了愤怒。她无法相信黑莓掌竟然毫不质疑，就接受了风族从未有过的敌意。“刚才在那里，我差一点就想把网脚的耳朵扯下来。”
“幸亏你没那么做，”黑莓掌毫无表情地说，“在雷族营地，认为火星不应该干涉另一个族群事务的可不止一只猫。”
“老鼠屎！你这意思是，火星什么都不该做，就眼睁睁地看着泥掌夺权？”松鼠飞往前一跃，准备去抓黑莓掌，但被蜡毛拦住了。
“别冲动。”蜡毛劝说道，“风族或许是想证明，他们现在有了新族长，已经再次强大起来。给他们些时间，他们会冷静下来的。”
松鼠飞觉得这只淡灰色公猫说得有道理，但这并不意味着她会容忍黑莓掌对自己父亲不敬。她强忍着把脖颈的毛平顺下来，尽管她气得直打哆嗦，还是跟着大家朝雷族营地走去。
“火星一直想帮一星。”她对着黑莓掌的后脑勺说道，此时黑莓掌正穿行在一片灌木丛中，“他们一直都是朋友。”
“或许吧。但是很明显，一星再也不需要他的帮忙了。”黑莓掌头也不回地应了一声。他确定无疑的语气再次激怒了松鼠飞。“族群之间反目成仇很自然。风族有难，我们帮忙是对的，但我们不能一直替他们操心。”黑莓掌补充了一句。
“愚蠢的毛球！”松鼠飞低吼一声。她的声音不够大，黑莓掌并没有听见。她不喜欢各个族群在进入新领地以后，如同流水一样各行其道；在离开森林的旅途中，他们是如此亲密，大家竭尽全力，互相帮助，根本不去想谁属于哪个族群。到底发生了什么，让他们这么快就忘掉一切，相互敌视和对抗？如果大家不互相依靠，该如何在这个全新的、不熟悉的地方存活下去呢？
“如果雷族需要风族的帮助，又会发生什么？”雨须不无担心地说，他似乎是按照松鼠飞的想法往下想，“你们谁想过吗？”
黑莓掌领着巡逻队返回营地的路与来时的路不同。大家在路上狩了猎，把猎物带了回去。松鼠飞在一棵橡树下停住了，她再次嗅到了獾的气息。这次的气息更强烈，而且是刚刚留下的。她猜獾可能刚刚经过这里。
“黑莓掌，你也闻到了吗？”
这位虎斑武士衔着刚刚捕到的松鼠走过来。他把猎物放下，舌头舔了一下下巴周围，然后深吸了一口气，琥珀色的眼睛里立刻流露出警惕的神色。“是獾！就在附近。”他警告道。
松鼠飞感到身体一阵刺痛。领地内有獾，可是所有猫最不愿看到的。鹰霜已经从河族领地赶走了一只。一直以来，她还以为雷族很幸运，不会遇到獾。“我们得做点什么。”松鼠飞不由得说。
黑莓掌点点头。只要有可能，獾会把幼崽们当成美餐。它们不大可能吃成年猫，但这并不是说成年猫遇见獾不会有什么危险。獾会纯粹出于兽性，而大开杀戒，把捉住的猎物在地上狠狠地踩，或者放在嘴里咬，直到猎物死亡才会罢休。
松鼠飞提醒自己，并非所有的獾都那样坏。她第一次走出森林的时候，曾遇到午夜。午夜就是一只很聪明的獾，住在太阳沉没之地。午夜曾经提醒他们，说两脚兽要毁掉森林，还提醒所有的族群必须离开。但是午夜是绝无仅有的，它的族獾如果由着性子，个个都是嗜血的杀戮者。
“有问题吗？”蜡毛走过来站在松鼠飞和黑莓掌身边。他说话的声音含混不清，因为嘴里叼着几只老鼠尾巴，老鼠在胸前晃来晃去。
黑莓掌用尾巴招呼雨须。这位年轻的武士一路小跑着赶过来，他刚捕到一只画眉鸟，脸上一副满足的表情，鼻子上还沾着一根羽毛。
“一只獾——没准还不止一只——来过，”黑莓掌对他说，“不查清楚，我们不能回营地。”
“你的意思是跟着踪迹找？”雨须吃惊地说，“你确定吗？”
“我们必须确定獾是否离开了我们的领地。松鼠飞，你能辨识出獾往哪个方向去了吗？”
松鼠飞嗅了嗅獾留在草上的气息。“这边。”她用尾巴一指。
黑莓掌走过来嗅了嗅说：“所有猫保持安静。在弄清楚有多少只獾，并找出最好的应对方法前，我可不想惊动它们。幸运的是，我们是逆着风的，不会把我们的气息吹过去。”
众猫把猎物堆放在橡树下，扒些土盖上，以备将来取走去，然后在黑莓掌的带领下出发去寻找獾。
他们循着踪迹，来到林子深处，朝着影族的方向走去。到处是被翻开的泥土，看样子獾一直在挖掘植物的茎根。松鼠飞不由得为朋友褐皮和影族的其他猫担心起来；如果在这里找不到獾，就需要派只猫去提醒黑星。
气味越来越浓烈，最后一股刺鼻的臭气，遮蔽了林子里所有的气息。松鼠飞觉得脊背上的毛直立了起来。看样子影族依然安然无恙，獾还在附近。
黑莓掌突然在一块巨石的阴影中停下来，竖起尾巴，示意其他猫不要靠近。只见他轻手轻脚爬上满是棱角的石头顶部，探头往对面看。
他立马又俯下身来。松鼠飞轻轻地靠过去，躲在巨石后面往对面看。
巨石的另一边，地面平坦，铺满鹅卵石，再往远处是一片更为光滑的灰色巨石。其中两块巨石中间有一个裂开的洞，两侧是新挖出来的土；一股难闻的气味从湿湿的泥土上飘过来，是獾和狐狸混合的臭气，呛得松鼠飞差点打喷嚏。獾肯定是把窝安在狐狸的旧巢里了。松鼠飞不由得想。
在洞穴前面，三只小獾扭打在一起，发出尖厉的躁动声，就像是不喜欢大白天待在森林中似的。松鼠飞吓得脖颈上的毛都竖了起来。她退回到蜡毛和雨须身边，躲在巨石后。
“有一家子獾！”她嘶嘶地叫道，“伟大的星族啊，只需几个季节的时间，它们就会布满整个领地！”
蜡毛疑惑地说道，“獾带着幼崽搬家可不常见。”
“没准它们是被从原先的家里赶出来的。”雨须说。
黑莓掌从巨石上溜下来，和他们蹲在一起。“等弄清楚有多少只成年獾，我们再行动。”他吩咐道，“我们就在这里待着。没我的命令，不准擅自行动，明白吗？”
三只猫点点头。不过黑莓掌指使他们，就像指使乳臭未干的学徒，这种做派让松鼠飞十分生气。
“獾通常会在夜里出来活动，”黑莓掌接着说道，“它们现在都待在窝里，我们什么都做不了。没有猫愿意进它们的窝。”他琥珀色的眼睛盯着松鼠飞。
“我又不蠢！”她不满地嘶嘶了一声。
“我没有说你蠢，”黑莓掌反驳道，“只不过有时候，你会做愚蠢的事。”
蜡毛深吸一口气，似乎想为松鼠飞挺身而出。但松鼠飞轻轻地挥动尾巴，示意他安静。“没必要说什么。”松鼠飞咕哝一句。
“如果只有一只成年獾和这些幼崽，我们就发动攻击。”黑莓掌交代着，“不能让它们在我们的领地上安家。我们四个应该能对付一只獾。毕竟鹰霜只身一个就赶走了一只——说不定还是同一只獾呢。”
听到黑莓掌提起他的同父异母的弟弟，松鼠飞脖颈上的毛再次竖了起来。让她生气的是，黑莓掌不承认鹰霜不值得信任就已经够糟的了，他还想把鹰霜奉为勇气和战斗技能俱佳的楷模。
“我们没准可以把獾赶到影族的领地。”松鼠飞说道。
“那样一来，影族武士就该出面了。”黑莓掌的眼睛里发出炽热的光，声音却十分冷静，“我们必须首先保护自己的族猫。”
“要是不止一只獾呢？”蜡毛忍不住问。
“我们就搜集尽可能多的信息，向火星汇报。现在，找一个可以看见獾洞口的地方躲起来。”
松鼠飞回到她位于蕨丛中的有利位置。獾的幼崽还在土堆前打闹着。太阳升得更高了。要不是肚子饿得难受，松鼠飞也许会打瞌睡。她和蜡毛分享吃松鼠似乎是老早以前的事了，她满心渴望着橡树底下的那堆猎物。
松鼠飞张大嘴巴打个哈欠，一股更为浓烈的獾的气息冲进了她的嘴鼻，她赶紧把嘴巴又闭上了。空地那头的蕨丛窸窣作响，转眼工夫又出来一只獾。它身体强健，肩膀宽宽的，长长的鼻子中间有一道白色的条纹。
那只母獾缓缓走到空地，三只幼崽蹦蹦跳跳地奔过来。母獾把一嘴的甲虫丢到地上，幼崽们大口吞吃着，高兴地尖叫着。
黑莓掌跃上巨石顶部，挑衅地大吼一声。母獾猛地抬起头，回应着咆哮一声，露出两排尖尖的黄牙。
黑莓掌又大吼一声：“上！”他从巨石上跳下去，落在幼崽中间，吓得它们号叫着四散而逃。它们在洞口聚成一堆，惊恐地瞪大眼睛看着这位武士。
蜡毛猛地从藏身的地方冲到空地上，身后紧跟着雨须。松鼠飞冲到前面，和黑莓掌并肩站在一起。“滚出去！”她知道獾们根本听不懂，但还是冲它们恶狠狠地说，“这是我们的地盘！”
黑莓掌的两只前爪朝母獾的嘴打过去。母獾往后一闪，巨大的獾掌旋即劈过来。黑莓掌闪身躲开。
松鼠飞扑向母獾，用爪子抓掉它侧腹的一块皮，血从抓烂的地方涌出来。松鼠飞拼命地甩着爪子，想把挂在上面的黑色发毛甩掉。她一闪身，躲过狠狠咬过来的嘴，飞快地跑开。就在这时，蜡毛从另一侧冲上来。他们两个快速跑动着，惹得母獾来回摆动脑袋，拿不准该先朝哪个快速移动的目标下手。
这好办！松鼠飞心里不由想，她动作太慢，太笨重！
就在这时，一只硕大的白毛爪子劈了过来，落在离松鼠飞腰部不足一老鼠远的地方，吓得她不由尖叫一声。如果那只爪子落在她的身上，她会立刻脊柱断裂。松鼠飞受到惊吓，身体如同筛糠，连滚带爬地逃离了那只獾。她很想跑回营地，但是她清楚眼下还不行。不能让那个被激怒的家伙在雷族的领地安家，否则从幼崽们到大多数英勇善战的武士，都难以安宁。
松鼠飞挣扎着站起来，正好看见黑莓掌在击打獾的肩膀，接着跳起来，试图用牙齿紧紧地咬住獾的喉咙，结果被獾一下子甩出去。黑莓掌就这样被扔到半空中，重重地落在地上，再也动弹不得。
松鼠飞吓得浑身乱颤，赶紧朝他跑过去。可没等她跑到跟前，黑莓掌就像刚从深水中爬出来一样，晃晃脑袋，挣扎着站起来，粗声粗气地说：“我没事。”
松鼠飞扭身冲向獾，直立起后腿，用一只爪子去抓对方的鼻子，另一只爪子则猛地朝那双亮闪闪的小眼睛击打过去。蜡毛连续击打獾的腰部，同时给黑莓掌腾出空间，让他咬獾的后爪。雨须用前爪钩住獾粗糙的皮毛，牙齿紧紧咬住獾的耳朵。
獾疼痛难忍，它甩掉黑莓掌和雨须，发出混合着愤怒和挫败感的吼叫，转身逃走。蹒跚走过狐狸洞口时，它用嘴把幼崽们拱起来，并把它们聚在身前，带着它们逃离了空地。
“再也不要回来了！”蜡毛大吼一声。
獾听不懂他在说什么，但肯定明白他的意思。四只猫肩并肩站着。母獾的咆哮声和獾崽的尖叫声在林子里逐渐消失。
“大家表现得都很勇敢！”黑莓掌气喘吁吁地说，“希望这是最后一次看见它们。”
“也希望这里再也没有獾。”蜡毛附和着。
黑莓掌点点头说：“我们把洞填上，要留心，确保它们无处可回！”
“什么？现在吗？”松鼠飞抗议道，“我累坏了，而且肚子饿得咕咕直叫！”
“不，不是现在。我们先回营地，带几位武士过来处理这个獾窝。之后，要定期巡逻，多留心。”
“感谢星族！”松鼠飞叹一口气，“咱们走吧，去把猎物取出来。”
四只猫缓慢地穿过林子往回走。松鼠飞和泥掌战斗时留下的伤疤上又添新伤，感到一阵阵的刺痛。“按照这速度，我身上留不下几根毛了。”她不由咕哝一句。
蜡毛走到她的身边，用舌头轻轻舔着她肩膀上的一个抓伤。“你打得真漂亮！”他低声说。
“你也是。”松鼠飞看见他的后腰上一块毛被抓掉了，淌着血，样子很狼狈，她用鼻子碰了碰他的耳朵，“我敢说，那只獾会多希望从来没有进过我们的领地。”
她想象着这个庞然大物在灌木丛中穿行，身后跌跌撞撞地跟着幼崽们的情景。突然间，她对它们的恐惧感同身受，不由生出一股同情。她太清楚失去家园、长途跋涉寻找新家的滋味了。
我希望它能给幼崽们找个安全的地方，松鼠飞不由得想，但是最好离雷族远点，越远越好。
第三章
第三章
“叶池，你怎么了？这已经是我第三次叫你了。”
这位年轻的巫医一下子跳了起来：“对不起，炭毛。”
炭毛低头嗅了嗅叶池正在用叶子裹的草药籽，说道：“你包的这是什么？”
“罂粟籽。”
炭毛叹一口气说：“不，这不是。这是荨麻籽。叶池，说实话，你今天怎么了？”
叶池低头看着叶子。炭毛叫她拿些罂粟籽给火星，治疗他扭伤的肩膀。叶池从炭毛洞里储存的草药中拿的时候，根本没意识到拿错了。可是放在她面前的叶子是绿色的，而且有很多刺，确实是荨麻籽。如果火星中了毒，这草籽也许用得着，但对治疗他的肩膀扭伤，可是一点作用都没有。
“真的对不起，炭毛！”
“你确实应该感到对不起。今天早上，我看见你给鼠毛驱除虱子时，竟然用蓍草，而不是老鼠胆汁。”炭毛的语气变得柔和起来，“叶池，你没事吧？被那些影族武士追赶时受伤了吗？”
叶池摇摇头说：“不，没有，我很好。”
她的思绪飞回到战斗的那天夜里。两位影族武士为了追她，跑进山谷顶部的灌木丛，结果跌落悬崖而死。叶池往上爬时，攀住岩石的爪子一滑，差点和他们一样摔下去。此时她依然能感觉到把自己拽到安全地方的后颈处的那一抓，依然能感受到那位施以援手的风族武士向她表白时热烈的眼神。鸦羽！她全身的皮毛不由得一震。
“叶池，你又这样了！”
叶池晃晃脑袋，努力不去想这些，带着叶子回到炭毛的巢穴。她把荨麻籽放回岩石的夹缝，然后取出一些罂粟籽。
“如果你有什么事，我希望你能告诉我。”炭毛看着她走出洞口时说，“在这里，我们要处理战斗留下的伤口，比以往忙碌了许多。我需要你，叶池。你现在不再是学徒了，你应该能独自履行巫医的所有职责。”
“我知道。我很抱歉。不过我一切都好，真的。”
当然一切都好——有鸦羽爱着，远比一切都好还要好！叶池用山毛榉的叶子把要用的罂粟籽包起来，带给火星。她挤过通往营地的荆棘丛时，冲老师点了点头。她有时也有向炭毛袒露心迹的冲动，但又清楚，她不能把对鸦羽的感情透露给任何猫。巫医不应该坠入爱河。
在各族群分散入驻到新领地之前，炭毛曾经怀疑叶池和这位风族武士间有某种不同寻常的关系。但那个时候，鸦羽还没有向叶池表白，叶池内心也未承认对他的感情。但现在，叶池要想不让这位智慧的巫医看透心思，可谓难上加难。
通往火星巢穴所在高石台的路崎岖不平，叶池在岩石之间攀爬着。她低头朝下面的空地看，发现尘毛钻进育婴室，去找香薇云和小白桦。往影族运送尸首的巡逻队应该已经平安无事地回来了。
叶池把叶子包裹放在火星巢穴外的台子上，喊道，“火星！”
“进来！”
叶池穿过几条尾巴宽的狭窄裂缝，然后进入宽敞的洞穴。裂缝中透过很少的光亮，洞里光线很弱。火星四肢伸展，躺在洞尽头用蕨叶和苔藓铺的窝里。刺掌坐在他的身边。火星冲叶池点点头打了个招呼，然后又把头扭向金棕色的刺掌。
“这么说，在影族没遇到什么麻烦？”
刺掌摇摇头说：“我们碰到黄毛正领着一队猫巡逻边界，是她叫来了黑星。黑星说并不知道有影族武士支持泥掌。”
火星耸耸肩，肩膀的伤痛让他不由得皱了一下眉头：“这话可能是真的。”
“然后他的武士把尸首抬去埋掉了，”刺掌接着说，“我们就回来了。”
“刺掌，干得不错。我不想和影族有任何麻烦。”火星停了一下接着说道，“下次森林大会时，我们说话最好小心点，不要让黑星逮着机会，找我们的麻烦。把这个意思传达给全族的猫，可以吗？”
“没问题，火星。”刺掌站起身，尾巴轻弹一下，告别而去。
叶池走过去，把叶子包着的罂粟籽放下：“炭毛让我给你送来这些。”
火星弯下身子，舌头一卷，就把罂粟籽舔光了。“谢谢你，叶池。这件事教会我，不能一次对付两位武士！”他自嘲道。
“你现在应该睡会儿。”叶池交代他。
叶池刚说完，就听见族猫在高石台下面空地集聚的声音，还听见松鼠飞在大喊：“火星！”
这位族长带着喜悦的眼神看了叶池一眼说：“觉睡不成了。黑莓掌的巡逻队肯定已经从风族回来了。”
他站起身，慢慢往洞口走去。叶池跟着他，心里激动得如同翻腾的溪水。她想从岩石上一跃而下，连珠炮般地问松鼠飞一大堆问题：巡逻队看见鸦羽了吗？他说什么了？他在战斗中受伤了吗？他提到自己了吗？
走到父亲洞口时，她突然停了下来。这些问题她只消问一个，松鼠飞就会好奇她为什么对这位年轻的风族武士这么上心。松鼠飞如果知道，自己破坏巫医守则坠入爱河，就算是她的姐姐，也不会理解的。
黑莓掌和巡逻队的其他猫都在空地上等着。越来越多的猫聚拢过来，打探着消息。叶池从落石堆上跳下来，发现妹妹情绪激动，心里很不解，不由停了下来。松鼠飞比与黑莓掌吵架时还激动。焦虑、恐惧和同情一股脑袭来，叶池身上的毛不由得竖了起来。
叶池从尘毛和鼠皮中间悄悄走到松鼠飞身边。“怎么了？”她对着妹妹的耳朵问道，“发生了什么事？”
松鼠飞用爪子狠劲地挠着眼前的地面。“风族对待我们的态度就好像我们是他们的死敌一样。”她怒气冲冲地说。
叶池转身听黑莓掌说话。他正在给火星汇报。
“网脚的样子，就像是要把我们的皮毛撕扯下来。”只听这位虎斑武士说道，“我们在几天前还帮助风族打败泥掌，真是难以想象。”
“你们见到一星了吗？”火星问道，“他现在叫一星，对吗？”
“噢，是的。他已经领到了九条命，但是他的族猫似乎不再认为我们是盟友了。”
“我告诉过你。”蜡毛插话道，“他们现在只是向我们证明，他们足够强大，可以自立而已。”
黑莓掌摇摇头说：“我觉得不止这些。”
“你真的想不出问题在哪儿吗？”尘毛说着，走上前来站在族长身边，“不要乱说，黑莓掌。你根本不可能受到风族猫的欢迎，尤其是在鹰霜战斗快结束时救了你的命之后。一星或许认为你和鹰霜是一伙的呢。”
“老鼠屎！”黑莓掌恶狠狠地说，“一星原谅了所有与自己对抗的猫，包括鹰霜。所有猫都知道我是为风族而战的。一星不可能和我有过节。”
叶池扫了一眼松鼠飞。要是以前，妹妹会奋力为黑莓掌辩解，但现在她只是眯起眼睛看着。
火星的目光从黑莓掌身上扫到尘毛身上，又移了回来。“我希望蜡毛没有说错，”他终于开腔了，“这件事只是表明，风族在努力证明他们很强大。但是我认为，不能指望网脚把发生的一切告诉他的族猫。等肩膀好点儿了，我必须亲自去一趟。”
叶池和妹妹一脸震惊地交换了一下眼神。“应该等到森林大会，”她轻声说道，“到那时再和一星说。”
“那你试着跟他讲讲去！”松鼠飞回应道。
叶池知道自己不能去说。火星和一星的友谊由来已久，族猫中没有谁能说服他，包括那些和火星一起长大的族猫都不敢阻拦。叶池听见鼠毛咕哝道：“你听说过这么糊涂的主意吗？就连生下来刚一天的幼崽们都看得出，风族不愿被其他族群干涉。”
火星正要回洞里去，却被黑莓掌拦住了：“等等，我们还没有告诉你獾的事。”
“什么獾？”火星转过身，绿色的眼睛里闪着警惕的光芒，“在我们的领土上？”
“已经走了。”黑莓掌接着把巡逻队如何循着气息找到獾的经过讲了一遍。
“那只獾当时正在一个废弃的狐狸洞里挖着，”雨须加了一句，“总共有四只。三只幼崽，一只母獾。”
“幼崽很小，还不能战斗。”蜡毛插话道，“可那只母獾给我们带来很大麻烦。”说着，他扭动身子，去舔臀部被抓烂的地方。
黑莓掌把獾如何被赶走的事讲完了，松鼠飞依然沉默着。叶池感到恐惧，同时又生出一股保护欲和同情感，一时百感交集。她知道原因，雷族曾经也被驱赶出家园。“可是现在这里成了我们的领地，”她提醒自己，“我们不能和獾共享领地，尤其是不能和四只獾共享。”
火星四下看看自己的族猫，说道：“尘毛，请带一支巡逻队过去把洞填上。至少留一位武士看着，以防獾杀回来。”
尘毛示意雨须一起，因为他可以带路，找到那个挖了一半的洞；又示意亮心和云尾跟上。
火星看着他们离去。“接下来，所有巡逻队都要留意獾，”他警告大家，“这一家子獾可能会回来，没准会有更多的獾想来这里安营扎寨。如果有獾要找新家，那么有同样情况的肯定不止一只，肯定还有其他的獾也想这么做。”他神情严肃，“我们必须让它们明白，它们在这里不受欢迎。”
溪水泛着涟漪，月光微颤，新叶温暖的气息拂动着叶池的皮毛。她站立在那里，凝视着风族的领地。突然，一个瘦长、深色的影子顺着溪岸跑过来——是鸦羽。他纵身跃进溪水中，爪子落下去的地方，落满月光的水珠亮闪闪地飞溅开来。溪水浸湿了他腹部的皮毛。不一会儿工夫，鸦羽爬上岸，来到叶池身边。他的气息顿时淹没了她。
“鸦羽……”她轻柔地说。
“怎么了？”
叶池睁开眼睛，却看见炭毛正从巢穴里伸出头来。“你刚才说什么？”这位巫医问道。
叶池从窝里站起来，晃了晃身子，把皮毛上的苔藓碎屑抖落下来。“炭毛，我什么都没说。”她最不愿被问及梦到什么，“需要我做什么吗？”
“我一直在检查储存的草药，”炭毛说，“有的草药剩下的很少，而且……”
“我这就去采些来，”叶池自告奋勇，“已经快到新叶季了，肯定有新长出来的草药。松鼠飞把看见款冬的地方给我说了。”
“好的，”炭毛说道，“我们还需要一些金盏花和马尾草。这场战斗之后，我们的储备几乎全用完了。你找到的其他草药也会很有用。”
“好的，炭毛。”叶池感到爪子痒痒，急着走出营地，这样就可以独自沉浸在思绪里。她摇摇尾巴算作告别，穿过空地走进荆棘通道。
太阳还没有爬上树梢，挂着露珠的湿漉漉的草拂过叶池肚皮上的皮毛，但是她几乎没感觉到寒意。她进入林子，激动难耐，感到爪子痒痒，跑得越来越快，后来简直是飞奔。直到听见汩汩的水声，她这才止住了脚步。这时她才意识到，自己已经来到与风族分界的小溪边，距离风族领地上有树的湖边很近了。这个地方让她流连忘返，也很熟悉。在梦境中，她就是站在这里，然后鸦羽来到了她的身边。
溪岸寂寥无声，没有一只猫的影子，树木在水面上投下长长的影子。叶池一动不动地站着，贪婪地凝视着溪对岸的灌木丛。她想看见，又怕看见鸦羽。风族的巡逻队要是看见她离边界这么近，一定会心生敌意的。但如果是鸦羽出现……但是她不该期待见到鸦羽。她是一位巫医，而巫医是不能坠入爱河的。
她嗅嗅空气，闻到族猫和对岸风族猫的气息，但没有嗅到那个让她心烦意乱的气息。一股强烈的失望感灼烧着她，她知道自己心里多希望他能在这里等着她。
“愚蠢的毛球，”她低声咕哝着，“那只是个梦而已。”
就在这时，她听见下游较远的地方传来声音，一下子僵住了。很快，雷族猫的气息围拢过来。这里远离营地，她不想见到巡逻队。他们会问她在干什么，她脑子很乱，根本无法解释清楚。她环顾四周，附近唯一可躲身的地方是一片枝叶垂地的冬青树丛。她刚钻到下面，雷族的巡逻队就来到了眼前。
隔着多刺的树叶，叶池往外观望——是蕨毛带领的巡逻队。他走在前面，后面跟着烟毛和白爪。忽然，蕨毛停下来，问学徒嗅到什么没有。叶池吓得一动都不敢动。
“是风族猫的气息，”白爪过了一会儿才说，“当然，还有雷族的。我感觉刚才过去了一只狐狸——也没准是昨天。不过，没有獾的踪迹。”
“很好，”蕨毛赞许地说，“照这样下去，你很快就会成为一位武士。”
白爪自豪地抖抖尾巴，跟着老师和烟毛往上游走去。叶池松了一口气，这位学徒并没有辨别出她的气息。巡逻队一走远，叶池赶紧从藏身之处爬出来，但刚爬到一半，却被另一种汹涌而来的熟悉气息围淹没了。
“叶池，你躲在这下面干什么？”
等叶池完全从冬青树丛中爬出来时，迎头遇见朋友栗尾好奇的目光。“我在找浆果。”她小声说道。
“冬青浆果吗？”栗尾惊讶得睁大了琥珀色的眼睛，“我原以为这种浆果有毒呢。”
“是的，是有毒。我……哦……在找别的浆果。”
栗尾的尾巴卷了起来。但是让叶池松了一口气的是，她没有追问下去。她看起来很累，但是眼睛却亮闪闪的。“有些事情我想告诉你。”她说。
叶池惊恐地盯着自己的朋友。她猜出鸦羽的事了吗？“这里有很好的草药，”她赶紧把话题岔开，努力掩饰她的惊慌，她必须让栗尾相信，她来这里是干巫医该干的事，而不是干别的什么，“我习惯来到这里，在……”
“叶池，你在说什么呐？我怀上幼崽啦！”
叶池从栗尾的表情中读到了自豪、兴奋，以及一闪而过的惊慌。鼠脑子！她不禁责备自己，还敢说自己是巫医？
快乐的感觉在她内心升腾起来。“是蕨毛的孩子吗？”来到新领地以后，这位玳瑁色武士和那位金棕色武士已经变得难舍难分。
栗尾点点头说：“我还没有告诉他，我想先确定清楚比较好。哦，叶池，我很清楚他会是一个很棒的父亲。”
“我相信他是。”叶池用鼻子蹭着朋友的鼻子，“你会是一个很棒的妈妈。”
“我希望如此，”栗尾低下头，“我有点害怕。但是我知道，有你的照顾，一切都不是问题。”
“我会竭尽全力的。”在朋友赞扬的温暖气氛中，叶池努力克制着局促不安的情绪。现在她距离一位好巫医要多远有多远。“栗尾，你想想，你是我们来到新家园后第一个怀上雷族幼崽的！还是第一个使用新育婴室的。”叶池安慰道。
栗尾幸福地眨眨眼睛。叶池听到身后传来脚步声，她扭过头去。是蕨毛，他回来看自己的伴侣为什么没跟上。
“你没事吧？”蕨毛说着走到栗尾身边，舔了舔她的耳朵。
“蕨毛，我很好，”栗尾说，“只是有点累。”
“已经不远了，”蕨毛说着用尾巴往上游指了指，“我们在树下找一块有阳光的地方。你可以休息一下，我们一起看看白爪狩猎的技巧锻炼得如何了。”
他对栗尾照顾得很贴心。叶池看得出，他已经猜出了栗尾的秘密——这种秘密守不了多长时间。
栗尾在他的肩膀上靠了一会儿，然后用鼻子蹭着叶池的鼻子，说道：“再见，叶池。希望你能找到需要的浆果。”
叶池看着他们皮毛蹭在一起往上游走去，最后消失在林子里。她的内心有一股奇怪的痛苦——半是快乐，半是悲伤。她为栗尾高兴，但也有点嫉妒。栗尾和蕨毛已经进入一个很私密的世界，那是巫医永远不能涉足的地方。
自从成为炭毛的学徒起，叶池对此一直心知肚明。但是她从来没有意识到这意味着什么。她从来没有想到，一只猫渴望见到另一只猫的时候，全身的皮毛都在想念，就像她渴望见到鸦羽一样。现在栗尾仰仗着她，希望她能在孩子出生时给予照顾。责任让她无暇他顾。
“你是一位巫医，”她告诉自己，“鸦羽是另一个族群的武士。不要再想他！停止做梦吧！”
她低下头，离开小溪，没有回头看风族的边界，而是径直去寻找松鼠飞所说的款冬。
第四章
第四章
松鼠飞用爪子扯着橡树根部的苔藓，卷成球状，准备带回营地。和泥掌的那场战斗已经过去了一个星期，族群开始恢复元气，伤口已经愈合，对泥掌反叛的记忆也开始消逝。
黑莓掌已经开始训练，沙风要求所有武士轮流履行学徒职责。松鼠飞宁愿狩猎或四处查看，也不愿给长老们搜集苔藓。不过有朋友一起时，这种活干起来也没有那么枯燥。
松鼠飞淘气地瞄了蜡毛一眼，看到他正从附近的另一棵树上收集苔藓。于是她用爪子勾住自己的苔藓球，冲他投了过去。苔藓球分毫不差地砸在他的后背，散开来，弄得他浑身都是碎屑。
蜡毛猛地转身，脸对着她说：“嘿！”
这只淡灰色皮毛的武士眼里溢满笑意，他抓起自己的苔藓，朝松鼠飞扔过去。松鼠飞闪到一棵树后面，想躲开苔藓，却迎面撞上了黑莓掌。
“这是干什么？”黑莓掌质问道，“你们在干什么？”
“给长老们收集铺窝用的苔藓啊！”松鼠飞回答。他们之间逝去的友谊让她遗憾，心如刺扎，还糅合着一丝愤怒。他怎么偏偏在自己没干活的时候出现呢？
蜡毛的爪子里抓着更多的苔藓，从树后面冲出来，看见黑莓掌时猛地站住了。
“收集铺窝用的苔藓？我算是领教了。”黑莓掌用尾巴轻轻地弹掉蜡毛肩膀上的苔藓屑，“挂在身上带回去吗？”
蜡毛放苔藓下说：“我们只是玩玩。”
“玩？”黑莓掌没好气地说，“我看这叫浪费时间。你们难道没有意识到，要做的事情很多吗？”
“好了，好了。”松鼠飞觉得后颈上的毛竖了起来，“没有必要把我们当作偷懒的学徒。”
“那就别有偷懒学徒的样子。”黑莓掌不客气地回敬了一句，琥珀色的眼睛里含着怒火，“武士就应该把族群放在首位。”
松鼠飞的愤怒如波浪般汹涌。“你认为我们不知道？”她反唇相讥，“是谁死了，让你有机会当上副族长了？”
话一出口，松鼠飞就知道这话愚蠢得难以置信。她想收回，可是已经晚了。
黑莓掌的眼睛里喷着火，但开口说话时，声音却非常冷静。“没有谁知道灰条是死是活。你知道火星在经受什么样的痛苦吗？”
“我当然知道！”在内心深处，松鼠飞想说的是对不起，但是黑莓掌如此有失公允，让她失去了控制，“看在星族的分上，火星是我的父亲！别这样子跟我说话，就像我不在乎似的。”
“冷静点。”蜡毛上前一步，把脸颊蹭在松鼠飞的肩膀上。
松鼠飞努力控制住愤怒说道：“只要灰条能回来，我愿意用一切来交换。”
“是的，我们都知道。”蜡毛附和着她，他的气息暖暖地拂着她的皮毛。“黑莓掌，”蜡毛抬起头来接着说，“我们这就去搜集苔藓，行了吧？你没有必要和松鼠飞争吵。”
黑莓掌抽动一下耳朵。“好吧。不过要尽可能快些。干完这件事，还要确保长老们有猎物吃。”没等对方回应，他就转身朝营地扬长而去。
“你自己给长老们弄猎物去！”松鼠飞冲着黑莓掌的背影怒吼道。黑莓掌完全没必要这样对待她——除非因为她对鹰霜的怀疑而惩罚她！
就算黑莓掌听见了松鼠飞的话，他也没有表现出来。他只顾往前走，一直走进绿色的蕨叶里，没了踪影。
“看开些！”蜡毛劝道，“他只不过是想确保每件事都安排妥当了。我们只有一位学徒，大家都有压力。”
“那他就应该自己多做些，不要到处发号施令。”松鼠飞嘟囔着，“如果他觉得我会因为他的命令去收集苔藓，那他可真是错了！我要去狩猎！”
说着她转过身，飞快地跑进林子。她听见蜡毛在身后喊，但是她太生气了，怎么都不肯放慢脚步。她一方面想冲黑莓掌猛扑过去，扇掉他脸上那轻蔑的表情，一方面又因说出灰条已经死了的话而悔恨万分。她和黑莓掌的每次交锋，似乎都是在愤怒和不信任的泥坑中越陷越深。松鼠飞明白，他们之间的裂痕已经越来越大，很难修补。
松鼠飞的脑袋里乱七八糟，几乎没有注意飞奔的爪子要赶往哪里。当她注意到一个黑莓灌木丛横亘在眼前时，已经来不及了——她根本停不下来，一头扎进多刺的荆棘丛中。
“老鼠屎！”她不由恨恨地骂道。
荆棘刺钩着后背的皮毛，松鼠飞挣扎着想脱身。无论是被黑莓掌还是蜡毛发现她被困在这里，都是无法忍受的屈辱。她的爪子深深地插进地面，奋力挣扎，但还是在黑莓荆棘丛中留下一小撮暗姜黄色皮毛。
等她挣扎着爬起来，发现周围的林子竟然一点也不熟悉——巨大的灰色树干上长满苔藓和长春藤——也比营地附近的林子里密实得多。
“松鼠飞！小心！”
身后传来蜡毛惊慌的喘息声。松鼠飞转过身来，身上的毛一下子竖了起来。荆棘丛再往外是一块空地，地面积满了落叶，在空地另一面的荆棘丛中，一张黄褐色的楔形脸正盯着松鼠飞，让她不由心脏咚咚直跳。她惊恐地看着，这只狐狸轻轻地走出荆棘丛，张开嘴巴咆哮一声，眼睛里射出饥饿的光。
“慢慢往后退。”从近旁传来蜡毛冷静的声音。
松鼠飞感觉腿似乎变成了石头。她强迫自己后退一步。狐狸猛地飞身跃起，松鼠飞抬爪去挡。就在这时，一个淡灰色的身影闪在她和狐狸之间——是蜡毛。他用两只前爪狠狠地朝狐狸的脸上抓去，嘴里发出可怕的吼声。可是狐狸站在空地中央纹丝不动，它转向蜡毛，猛地咬过去。松鼠飞愤怒地大吼一声，朝狐狸冲去，一爪把狐狸半边脸上的皮毛抓了下来。狐狸后腿直立，把松鼠飞甩飞了。松鼠飞重重地摔在地上，一时动弹不得。等她挣扎着站起来时，看见狐狸正要去咬蜡毛的喉咙。蜡毛则躺在地上，用后腿连连猛击对方。
松鼠飞再次跃起，爪子朝狐狸黄褐色的皮毛抓去。狐狸转身对着她，这时，她瞥见蜡毛的脖子上流着血，正奋力挣扎着。在她稍一分神的工夫，狐狸咬了过来，一下子咬到她的肩膀。松鼠飞痛得大叫一声，爪子拼命地抓挠狐狸的鼻子。就在这时，她听见蜡毛微弱的呼喊声：“松鼠飞，快跑！”但是狐狸不肯松嘴。松鼠飞又气又怕，战斗得更加勇猛。
狐狸叼着她晃动着，震得她牙齿直打战。就这样被狐狸叼着，松鼠飞感到浑身软绵绵的，力气正在一点一点地丧失。泪水从她的眼睛里升腾起来，似乎要把她淹没。就在这时，她听见附近传来一声咆哮。狐狸的嘴巴立刻松开了，把她丢到地上。她神志不清地在落叶中躺了一小会儿，蒙眬中听到头上什么地方传来愤怒的咆哮。
她深吸一口气，颤巍巍地挣扎着站起来。树木在她的周围旋转着，等视线变得清晰时，她看见了黑莓掌。他虎斑纹的皮毛因为愤怒全竖了起来，身形比平时大了两倍。他正挥动着爪子，龇着牙，把狐狸往后面的森林里赶；蜡毛的身体有些不稳，但仍坚决地与他并肩战斗着。松鼠飞跌跌撞撞地赶到他们身边，愤怒地咆哮着。狐狸看见进攻者又多了一位，不由加快了后退的步伐，最后一转身，消失在灌木丛中。他们听见灌木丛传来一阵窸窸窣窣的响动，然后一切都归于寂静。
“谢谢你，黑莓掌，”蜡毛气喘吁吁地说，“你怎么知道我们遇上麻烦了？”
“我听见你们在喊。”黑莓掌回答道，他的声音因为愤怒而发抖，“星族啊，你们这是在做什么？你们知道我们对这里还没有很好地查探。在发现那只獾后，你们真的变得更谨慎了吗？”
松鼠飞气得说不出话来。为什么赶来相救的是黑莓掌？然而更糟糕的是，他说得没错，她确实怒不择路，否则不会在林子里胡乱跑。但是他也没有必要把话说得这么难听。“你怎么回事？”她不由高声说道，“我都不知道我以前看上你什么了！”
“我们本想去狩猎，”蜡毛解释着，同时用尾巴堵着松鼠飞的嘴巴，不让她再说话，“不知不觉就走了这么远，我很抱歉。”
黑莓掌看着蜡毛，琥珀色的眼睛里依然喷射着怒火。
“碰上那只狐狸是件好事，”松鼠飞说道，“应该让全族的猫都知道这件事。”
“如果你们两个双双阵亡，全族的猫都知道了又能怎样！”黑莓掌咆哮起来，“看在星族的分上，下一次长点记性吧！”
黑莓掌走上前去，嗅了嗅蜡毛脖颈上的伤口。松鼠飞松了一口气，蜡毛的伤口已经不流血了，虽然看起来很深，但不足以危及性命。
“你最好回营地让炭毛看看。”黑莓掌建议，“还有你，松鼠飞，你身上也有严重的抓伤。”
松鼠飞扭头看自己的侧腹和肩膀。那里有好几片没了皮毛，黏稠的红色血液正从狐狸咬到的地方往外渗。被咬到的地方如刺扎一般，疼得她浑身肌肉都在抽动。松鼠飞真想悄悄走回营地，敷上镇痛的草药，躺到荆棘丛下柔软的窝里。但是还没有找到狐狸的窝，不能就此作罢。
“难道我们不该循着气味看看附近有没有狐狸窝吗？”她提议道，她的声音冰冷，掩盖住了内心沸腾的愤怒，“把没有结果的事告诉火星没什么用。”
“好主意，”蜡毛表示赞同，“那只狐狸看起来很瘦，很绝望，似乎有更强壮的狐狸在和它争抢食物。它的样子很危险，如果住在我们的领地内，我们就要想办法把它赶出去。”
黑莓掌犹豫一下，然后点点头说：“好吧，我们至少要追上去看看。”
说着他走在前面来到狐狸钻进去的灌木丛前。狐狸的臭味依然很浓烈。
“真臭！”蜡毛低吼一声。
黑莓掌带路，三只猫循着狐狸的气息穿行在灌木丛中。不久，他们便跨越了一条老旧的两脚兽小路，随后走进了对面的林子。这条路一直通向山谷，已经是杂草丛生。树木开始让位给荒原，变得稀少起来。这时松鼠飞才感觉到狐狸的气息和猫的气息已经混合在一起。她听见不远处传来淙淙的流水声。
黑莓掌停了下来。“这是风族的边界。”他说道。
“如果狐狸进了他们的领地，就不关我们的事了。”蜡毛说。
“也不一定。”黑莓掌来回看了看，“看看能否找到它的窝。”
“狐狸的窝肯定在风族领地那边，鼠脑子。”松鼠飞嘟囔一句。不过她也在帮着找，在沿着边界几只狐狸身长的范围内四处找，然后才折返回林子。
当三只猫在边界上再次碰头时，都说没有找到狐狸的窝。
“看样子狐狸越过了边界。剩下的事情就交由风族去处理了。”松鼠飞说。
“我觉得火星肯定不会这么想，”黑莓掌警告道，“他会想着提醒一星的。”
松鼠飞知道他说得没错。几天前与风族巡逻队不愉快的会面，似乎并没有改变父亲对一星的忠诚。而且真正的朋友不会隐瞒狐狸的消息的。再说了，即便狐狸过了边界，雷族的猫们依然处在危险中。
“好吧，”松鼠飞说道，“我们回营地去，把这件事告诉火星。”
松鼠飞躺在炭毛的巢穴入口附近，紧咬着牙关，叶池正把嚼碎的金盏花叶子往她伤口上敷。在不远的地方，炭毛正把蛛丝往蜡毛脖颈的伤口上敷。蜡毛疼得缩了一下，松鼠飞同情地看了他一眼。
“伤口没事，”巫医说道，“不过接下来几天要放松些。要保证我们中有一位每天检查你的伤口，确保不发炎。”
“你说狐狸去了风族领地那边？”叶池问妹妹。
叶池看起来很担心。松鼠飞实在想不明白，叶池为什么会因为狐狸去了风族领地而担心。如果狐狸住在边界这边的雷族领地，那才应该担心呢。
“是的。”松鼠飞回答道。金盏花的液汁渗透到狐狸牙齿咬的伤口里，疼得她直咧嘴。
“你没有看见风族武士，是吧？”叶池继续问。松鼠飞开始感到叶池很不自在，还有某种她无法辨识出来的、深藏在心底的汹涌的情感。“比方说……比方说鸦羽？”叶池又问道。
“没有。鼠脑子，如果我们见到了风族武士，就会把狐狸的事情告诉他们。我们就用不着再去拜访他们了。”此刻黑莓掌正和火星在一起，讲述着发生的一切，松鼠飞很清楚父亲会是什么反应，“好吧，你怎么会想起鸦羽？”
叶池慢吞吞地整理着金盏花叶子。“哦，没有原因。”她说，“我只是知道，从你们前往太阳沉没之地以来，他就是你的朋友。”
“我不懂什么是朋友。”松鼠飞说，“我觉得鸦羽不可能和别的猫亲密——尤其是在羽尾死了之后。他曾经那么爱她，他肯定很想她。”
“我想是吧。”叶池回了一句。听声音，她似乎被什么东西噎住了。松鼠飞关切地看着她，但是叶池却低下了头，去嚼另一片叶子了。
叶池把嚼碎的叶子往蜡毛被抓伤的后腿上敷，蜡毛疼得直叫。松鼠飞眨巴着眼睛，心想，姐姐的动作以前可是很轻柔的啊。
遮蔽洞口的荆棘丛一阵哗啦响，火星出现了，后面紧跟着黑莓掌。
“黑莓掌说你们会在这里。”族长对松鼠飞和蜡毛说，“我已经决定去风族，提醒一星注意狐狸。我想让你们和我一起去。”
松鼠飞一点都不惊讶，心里却不由得说：可我们并没有把獾的事情告诉影族。
炭毛抬起头，说：“我不认为……”
“我知道你想说什么。”火星打断了她，“我的肩膀已经好了，而且我已经作出决定了。”
“我要说的不是这个。”巫医蓝色的眼睛一闪，“这两只猫受了伤，需要休息。”
“我需要他们把亲眼所见告诉一星。”火星不同意。
“让他们给你讲讲，你可以把话捎过去。”炭毛固执地说。
“等一等。”松鼠飞站起身来，“为什么不征求一下我们的意见呢？我觉得可以去风族。蜡毛，你呢？”
“没问题。”淡灰色武士也站起身，站到松鼠飞身边。
火星的眼睛在他们身上扫过：“是的，我觉得你们没问题，等回来后再休息。”
“如果你们到那里，又打起来怎么办？”炭毛对火星不依不饶。
“不会的，”火星平静地说，“风族猫是我们的朋友。”
炭毛愤怒地哼了一声，大步走进她的巢穴，尾巴烦躁地甩动着。
火星看着她，绿色的眼睛里满是温暖。“她越来越像黄牙了！”他低声说道。
等到火星带着巡逻队穿过风族边界，太阳已经开始西沉。看不见一只猫，连风族巡逻队最近一次的气息都很微弱。从荒原飘过来浓烈的兔子气息，让松鼠飞费了好些劲才把风族巡逻队微弱的气息辨别出来。而兔子的气息让她不由得想起，从清早起她就没有吃过东西。果然，没有走多远，松鼠飞就看见三只兔子边吃草，边慢慢地蹦跳着。
“兔子们似乎知道我们不能去追赶它们。”她冲蜡毛抱怨着。
蜡毛抽动着胡须说道：“我知道。但是想一想，一星抓住我们在他的领地内狩猎会说些什么。”
他们很快来到溪流边。水流垂直落下，形成一连串的小瀑布。溪边长着几丛矮小的荆棘。一眼望去，完全看不见风族猫的影子。于是巡逻队顺着通往风族营地的山坡往上爬。很快，松鼠飞看见天际处有一个守望武士的身影。但是等火星领着其他猫爬上最后一块草地时，那只猫飞快地跑走了，很快不见了踪影。没一会儿工夫，一星从环绕山谷的荆棘丛中走了出来，站在那儿等着。网脚和鸦羽分站两侧，脸上没有一点表情。
“火星，”一星点头算是打招呼，“你在风族领地里干什么？”
一星的语气很客气，但是头骄傲地昂着，眼神坚定，对火星不卑不亢。这不再是那个刚被高星定为族长，就求着火星援助的那只猫。
“我们过来看看你怎么样。”火星回答，“我本应该早点来的，可是我在那场战斗中扭伤了肩膀。”
“风族很好，”一星说，“我们有什么理由不好吗？”
松鼠飞惊呆了，嘴巴不由大张着。泥掌的叛乱刚过去还不到一个月，他怎么这么说话呢？
火星的目光越过风族族长，看向网脚。网脚站在金雀花丛屏障前面。松鼠飞猜想，父亲不愿意指出有些叛乱者依然在风族——尤其是在所有猫都听得见的时候。
一星的眼睛眯了起来：“我族里的每只猫都知道，我是星族选出来的族长，不会再有麻烦。你没必要把我当成无助的幼崽。”
“我可没有这么做，”火星抗议道，“我们给你带来了几个消息。”他接着说道：“黑莓掌，把今天发生的事情告诉一星。”
黑莓掌上前一步，站到族长身边。“这两位——”他用尾巴指着松鼠飞和蜡毛，“惊动了一只狐狸。”
“一只年轻的沙狐，”蜡毛插话道，“是我见过的最大的一只。”
“我们三个把它赶跑了。”黑莓掌解释着，“狐狸越过了边界，来到了你们边界一侧。我们认为它肯定有过窝，就在……”
“就在山脚附近的岩石中。”一星接过话茬，不屑地甩动着尾巴，“我的武士已经找到了它的踪迹。我们都在密切关注着这一切，不用担心。”
“它比大多数狐狸都凶残，”黑莓掌提醒道，“看看松鼠飞和蜡毛身上的伤就知道。”
“的确如此！”松鼠飞咕哝着，动了一下肩膀，痛得直咧嘴。
“风族应付得了！”一星坚持道，“自从影族把我们从老家赶出来，已经过去很多个季节了。但是在很多猫的眼里，风族依然是最弱的。你们这样对待我们，就像我们养活不了自己似的。我们会证明风族和其他族群一样强大。我们不需要任何猫的帮助。”
火星低下头。松鼠飞看见他眼神里的痛苦，她真想躲到任何一个地方，而不是在这里。那样一来，她就不会像现在这样站在这里，听父亲最铁的同盟者拒绝他的好意。
“我们能来到新家，风族做得不比其他族群少，”一星接着说，“我们不欠任何猫的。”
松鼠飞差点没有控制住叫嚷起来：这不是真的！没有雷族，风族要么在先前的家园全军覆没，要么被两脚兽抓住，要么被两脚兽庞大的、翻腾着的怪兽弄死。
火星抬起头。“如果冒犯了你，我向你道歉。”他平静地说着，然后用尾巴示意族猫们准备离开。“再见，一星！”火星最后说道，“我们森林大会时再见。”
“需要派一支巡逻队跟到边界吗？”网脚第一次张嘴说话。
一星摇摇头说：“没有必要。”然后他没再说什么，转身消失在树丛中。火星看着他离去，直到树叶不再颤动才转过身，一言不发地顺着山坡走下去。松鼠飞正要跟上，忽然听见一个低低的声音在喊自己的名字。她扭头发现，鸦羽还站在树丛的阴影中。
“松鼠飞，我想问问你……”他开口说道。
网脚从树丛中探出了头：“鸦羽！”
“我马上来！”鸦羽回应一声。“松鼠飞，听着！”他接着说。
但是火星在斜坡底下停住了：“快点，松鼠飞！”
“不能等到森林大会的时候吗？”松鼠飞对这位风族武士说，“我要走了。”
鸦羽后退一步，尾巴失望地耷拉下来，说道：“好吧。我觉得我可以等。”
网脚又在喊了。鸦羽又困惑地看了松鼠飞一眼，转身离去。
松鼠飞朝族猫们跑去。她依然无法相信，一星竟然用那种方式和父亲说话。任何新上任的族长都希望自己的族群强大、独立，但是他不可能忘记亏欠火星的一切吧？
如果这就是一星想要的，追赶族猫的时候，松鼠飞想道，那么也好。和他结盟对我们没有一点好处。不过等将来需要雷族再次帮忙的时候，他就该后悔了。
第五章
第五章
月光在湖面上摇晃着，像一个皱巴巴的白玉盘。天空中，银毛星带在夜空中闪耀。星族对我们适应了新环境肯定很满意。松鼠飞跟着姐姐走在湖畔，心里不由得想。一想到第一次要在岛上参加森林大会，她就爪子痒痒。她已经迫不及待想要跨过倒伏的树干，进行一番探险了。
火星带队，尘毛、沙风和云尾在两侧紧跟着。接下来是蜡毛和蛛足，再后面是炭毛、金花和蕨毛。黑莓掌殿后。他时不时地回头瞄着，似乎怕有事发生。
黑莓掌的谨慎让松鼠飞想起了与风族之间刚形成的不愉快的新关系。他们到树桥和岛上去，必须穿过风族的领地。就松鼠飞所知，他们还没有正式获得一星的允许。
“在四棵树的时候多容易呀！”松鼠飞对叶池说，心中油然升起一股思乡之情。她永远忘不掉发现两脚兽毁掉大橡树时心中生出的恐惧。大橡树是族群满月时开森林大会的地方。“在老家的时候，去开森林大会不用穿过其他族群的领地。”松鼠飞说道。
“去开森林大会的路上，大家不大可能会打起来。”叶池说。
“我不敢肯定。停战协议什么时候会生效？是等我们到了岛上，还是我们在路上的时候？”
叶池摇摇头，回答不上来。
松鼠飞一直很警觉地和众猫穿行在树影中，一边是泛着微光的湖面，一边是坡度很陡的荒原。走近两脚兽的马场时，他们开始嗅到浓烈的风族气息，好像刚刚有一支很大的巡逻队经过这里。
“一星和他的族猫一定就在我们前面。”松鼠飞说着停下来嗅嗅空气。她嗅出了另一种气息。不一会儿，她看见两个苍白的身影从马场围栏另一边的田野中飞驰而过。“肯定是住在谷仓中的宠物猫，”她说道，“你还记得小灰和黛西吗？上次我们参加森林大会时见过。不知道黛西生下幼崽没有？”
“雷族的猫后们也应该开始生幼崽了，”叶池说，“族群里非常缺年轻的幼崽。”
松鼠飞点点头。幼崽多意味着学徒多，而学徒多，意味着她再也不用去收集苔藓啦！
他们从沼泽地上走过。当初他们第一次来湖边时，曾在这里短暂驻扎过。过了沼泽地，一股新的气味标记提醒，他们已经来到河族边界。松鼠飞看见前面的湖边有一群猫；月光明亮，很容易认出是风族的一星和他的武士们。
松鼠飞想起雷族巡逻队最初发现岛屿时的情形。大家一直都觉得，岛上是开森林大会的好地方，但又觉得除了河族强壮的游泳好手，其他的猫都过不去。结果还是星族想出了一个办法，帮助他们跨过了那条隔断湖岸和岛屿的狭窄水域。走到树桥前，满怀期待的松鼠飞身上的毛立刻直立起来。倒地的松树曾经高耸云端，生长在岛屿边缘。现在树的根部翘到半空中，树梢搭在有很多岩石的湖岸上。等再走近一些，松鼠飞已经能看见松针变得枯黄干燥，如雨丝般散落在石头上。
众猫聚集在树枝周围，耳朵平贴着，尾巴举得高高的。看得出来，他们很紧张，不相信树干能支撑他们跨过冰冷的黑色水域。松鼠飞看见网脚小心地嗅着一根小树枝。突然传来一阵不耐烦的叫声，鸦羽纵身跳上离水面很近的树干。他来回摇摆着，过了一会儿才找到平衡，然后开始沿着树干走，每一步都走得小心翼翼。等离对岸很近的时候，他猛的一下跳到安全的地方。
松鼠飞也想往前挤，爬过树干，好把岛屿探索一番。但是她强迫自己等着，爪子不耐烦地抓挠着石头。她留意到黑莓掌琥珀色的眼睛正盯着自己，不过看不出他是什么意思。于是她转身背对着他，朝蜡毛走去。
“太好了！”蜡毛说着，用鼻子碰了碰她的耳朵，“我想过去，都等不及了！”
“我也是。”松鼠飞附和着。
其他的风族猫开始沿着树干爬行，他们用爪子紧紧抠住树干，一步一步地朝对岸走。火星挥动尾巴，示意雷族猫跟上。松鼠飞急匆匆地往前赶着，结果撞到了叶池身上。叶池的视线越过水面，正凝视着对岸的小岛。
“怎么了？”松鼠飞问道，“看在星族的分上，快跟上！”
叶池吓了一跳，忙说：“对不起！”
等裂耳跳上树桥后，一星走到火星跟前，快速地说了什么，然后跟着他的武士走了。火星示意族猫聚拢过来。
“河族和影族已经过去了，”他说道，“一星告诉我，豹星和黑星已经达成一致意见，认为大会前，所有族群的猫都可以在岛屿上探索。”
“开会时在哪里集合？”云尾问道。
火星抽动着耳朵，说道：“只有星族知道。我们先过去再说。不过你们不会走丢的，这个岛没有多大。”
说着他跳上树干，沙风和云尾紧随其后。最后才轮到松鼠飞。她拉开架势，一下蹿到半空中，落下来时，震得树干晃荡起来。松鼠飞吓得皮毛一下子竖了起来，爪子紧紧地抓住树皮，这才保持住了平衡。这时候她才意识到树干有多狭窄，而且离水面有多近！在她的身下，水不停地拍打着半沉半浮的树枝。
“往前走！”蜡毛鼓励她，“大家都在等你！”
松鼠飞小心翼翼地沿着树干一点一点地往前挪动着。在她身后，越来越多的猫跳上来，树干晃动得越发厉害。穿行在擦着身体的树枝间，她开始慢慢地适应了。这个时候，树干也变得越来越粗，她不由信心倍增。到了树干根部时，她猛地跑动起来，随着一声欢欣的喊叫，跳到了对面的岸上。
正跳到半空中的尘毛转身对着她喊道：“伟大的星族啊，你吓坏我了！就你这个样子，所有的猫都会认为你还是只小幼崽。”
“对不起，尘毛。”松鼠飞看见尖毛的尾巴饶有兴致地卷了起来。她知道，马上要到新的森林大会地点，这只暗棕色的虎斑武士和自己一样激动。
松鼠飞在树根处等着。先过来的是蜡毛、叶池，最后过来的是黑莓掌。这位肩膀宽阔的虎斑武士刚一踏上鹅卵石地面，就扭身去找另一位肌肉发达的武士。这位武士和黑莓掌长得很像，如同他映在湖中的影子。
“是鹰霜！”松鼠飞没好气地说，“我早就该猜出来！”
“你来了，黑莓掌！”松鼠飞听见河族武士正在打招呼，“今晚我一直盼着你来。来吧，我让你看点东西。”
两只猫肩并肩地走开了。
松鼠飞转身去找叶池，只见她正沿着岸边，飞奔着去找鹰霜的妹妹蛾翅。蛾翅是河族的巫医，是只漂亮的金色虎斑猫。她的尾巴和叶池的尾巴缠在一起，激动地给叶池讲着什么。因为离得太远，松鼠飞听不见她在说什么。
松鼠飞突然觉得很孤独。要是没有谁陪着，探索岛屿还有什么乐趣可言？就在这时，她听见有个声音在喊她。她四下看着，发现蜡毛站在不远的地方，于是跑了过去。
“你想去哪里？那里怎么样？”蜡毛边说边用尾巴指着岛中央的树林和灌木丛生的地方。
“不去那儿了，咱们先看看周围吧。”松鼠飞说，“每走一步，我都想好好看看！”说着，她冲蜡毛温柔地眨眨眼睛。她很高兴能与蜡毛一起探索岛屿。但不知怎么的，她觉得没有必要说出来。
他们沿着岸边走着，碰见松鼠飞的母亲沙风。沙风正在一棵松树的树干上磨爪子。
“这里很好！”沙风开心地说，“比上次我们在马场附近聚会安全多了。”把爪子磨得尖尖的，沙风满意地坐下来，看着轻轻拍打着堤岸的湖水。
松鼠飞和蜡毛绕过一个伸向水边的岩石，来到一片满是鹅卵石和沙土的宽阔地面。地面上到处是小小的亮闪闪的水洼。松鼠飞在一个水洼前蹲下身来，伸出舌头去舔水，旋即惊叫一声，跳了回来。
“里面有鱼！”
蜡毛走到她的身边，饶有兴致地看着水洼里的水：“我怎么看不到。”
“很小的鱼！看，在那儿！”松鼠飞用爪子指着，只见一个柔滑的身影正忽闪着从一块岩石的阴影里游向另一个阴影。“不过太小了，还不够塞牙缝！”松鼠飞遗憾地说，“咱们接着走吧。”
再往前走，岸上的岩石越来越多，一望无际的水面铺展开来，一直伸向他们自己的领地。松鼠飞只能勉强辨识出一大片树林外有一处起伏的深黑色沼泽地。
“暖洋洋的日子，晒晒太阳该有多美！”蜡毛不由心生感慨，眼睛盯着一块长满青苔的巨石，巨石是灰色的，很光滑，“在我们的领地上，还没有发现像太阳石那样的石头呢。”
“是啊，不过我们还没有探索完我们的领地。”松鼠飞提醒他，“所以，我们现在要是想晒晒太阳，得走很远的路。”
他们爬上巨石，用爪子紧紧攀住表面以保持平衡。就在这时，松鼠飞瞥见黑莓掌和鹰霜正在岛中央附近肩并肩地走着，他们正头抵在一起说着话。他们似乎对周围的环境并不感兴趣，也不在意从身边走过的其他猫。松鼠飞把视线从黑莓掌身上拉回来，冲褐皮打了个招呼。褐皮正和一位年轻的影族武士在树丛下张望着。松鼠飞不认识这位影族武士。褐皮挥了挥尾巴，算是打招呼，但是没有说话。松鼠飞猜想她正紧盯着猎物。
影族的副族长黄毛正在岩石根部四处嗅着，两侧是族猫花楸掌和橡毛。松鼠飞掉转头，避开了他们。褐皮是她在影族里唯一的朋友。
“你注意到了没有，我们再次分裂成了几个族群？”松鼠飞对蜡毛说，“就好像大家没有一起从森林里一路跋涉过来似的。”
“噢，黑莓掌和鹰霜在那边。”蜡毛答非所问。两只虎斑猫已经从一片灌木丛中走了出来。蜡毛耳朵转动，朝他们支棱着。
“嗬！”松鼠飞嘶嘶地叫道。
蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛闪闪发光，问道：“你很担心他，是吗？”
“担心？我吗？”松鼠飞问道，“怎么可能！”看蜡毛不吭声，她又说道：“说实话，我根本就不担心他。”
蜡毛长叹一口气。“好吧，”蜡毛接着又说，“他是一只值得敬佩的猫，你知道的。虽然他和鹰霜交朋友，但绝不会背叛族群。”
松鼠飞的心里一紧。她不再信任黑莓掌，这谁都看得出来吗？她确实比雷族的其他猫更了解他。抑或是她与他太过亲密，已经无法做出正确判断？她摇摇头，耳朵里嗡嗡直响，千头万绪，理不出个眉目。她想信任黑莓掌，她真的想。但是黑莓掌似乎铁了心，用所说所做的一切让她信任不得。
等他们两个绕着岛屿走完一圈时，月亮已经高高升到半空。松鼠飞跳跃着奔向湖边的树桥，狂饮几口水。水冰凉冰凉的，她用舌头扑打着闪闪发光的水面，感觉像是在畅饮星光。
“我明白鹰霜为什么想把这里据为河族所有了。”蜡毛说道，“这里有猫想要的一切。”
“只是猎物不够多。”松鼠飞补充道，“河族也不能天天都吃鱼。想象一下，河族猫嘴里咬着猎物在水里游是什么感觉。”
蜡毛不安地动了动爪子，说道：“现在有了树桥，我希望河族没有改变想法。”
松鼠飞吃惊地盯着他。“他们不能这样！”她抗议道，“星族是为了所有猫，才放倒这棵树的。”
“嗯。豹星是否计划让河族拥有这个岛屿的所有权，我们很快就会知道。森林大会马上就要开始了。”蜡毛说着，抬头看看月亮。
松鼠飞把胡须上亮晶晶的水珠甩掉：“我们还不知道在哪里开会。”
“往岛中心走，”蜡毛提议道，“就算是看不见其他猫，我们也能听到他们的声音。”
两位武士朝岛中央的灌木丛走去。没走多远，就听到众猫轻声打招呼的声音。大家已经一个月没有见面了。
蜡毛停下来嗅着空气，说：“四个族群都在。肯定是这里。”
他带路穿过一片荆棘，然后绕过一根长满刺的树枝。松鼠飞听到周围的叶子里有猎物在沙沙作响，但她兴奋得没有心思去想狩猎的事。她想更快些穿过荆棘，可是老是挨刺扎。
“我可不想再次被困住！”她嘟哝着。
蜡毛不由得大笑起来：“别着急！如果你被困住了，我就来帮忙。我们可不能让你错过森林大会。”
松鼠飞蹲伏下来，肚皮贴着荆棘丛下发脆的枯叶，扭动身体往前爬着。枝条越来越稀少，最后她一下子跳到空地上。
“哇哦！”
她正站在一大片草地的边缘。月光下，草地闪着银色的光，看起来像是缩小版的湖，风拂草地，如涟漪般起着皱褶。草地中央是一棵孤零零的橡树，如猫腰一般粗的树根，牢牢伸到地里，头顶上的树枝轻轻摇曳，在下面的众猫身上投下变幻的光影。
“太棒了！”蜡毛从树丛中钻出来，站到松鼠飞身边。
松鼠飞四下张望着寻找族猫。金花四肢舒展地躺在一片深草丛中，身边是其他族群的几位长老；炭毛和叶池、蛾翅在树根附近。影族的巫医小云走过来，在她们旁边坐下。云尾和尘毛正在草地另一边的灌木丛下站着。他们互看了一眼，然后朝着河族的雾脚和黑掌走过去，点着头，打着招呼。
松鼠飞突然意识到，自己原来一直很害怕影族、河族会和风族一样，对他们充满敌意。但这里看起来更像以往在森林时的惯常聚会，来自不同族群的猫们，在轻松自在地分享着信息。
松鼠飞猛地甩动一下耳朵，看向叶池。此刻叶池已经离开其他巫医，穿过草地朝她的妹妹走过来。
“我喜欢这里。”叶池的眼睛闪着光，松鼠飞猜想，这是因为在这里叶池与星族离得更近，“这里比四棵树小，但是感觉很安全。”
松鼠飞表示赞同。正在这时，她看见火星飞快地跑过空地，跳到树上。他顺着树干往上爬，然后抽身上了一枝较矮的树枝，站在那里俯视着四个族群的猫。
“黑星！豹星！一星！”他招呼着，“我们可以坐在这里开会。”
黑星第二个出现，他身躯庞大，却身手矫捷。他爬上树后，蜷伏在火星旁边的树枝上，尾巴一直垂了下来。
“我敢打赌，黑星希望第一个坐到树上。”蜡毛对着松鼠飞的耳朵轻声说。
豹星安坐在离火星和黑星不远的两根树枝间的树杈上。一星爬得更高些，可以俯视另外三个族长。
雾脚规规矩矩地坐在一根很粗、如虬龙般的树根上。当其他的副族长——灰脚和黄毛——也跟着她坐在那里时，松鼠飞感觉，一阵尖刺般的疼痛刺穿了她的肚皮。明摆着的，雷族没有副族长，无法与他们并肩而坐。
火星大声招呼着。“所有族群的猫们，欢迎来到这个新会场。星族把我们带到这里，我们感谢星族。”他顿了一下，等武士们安静下来后，冲风族族长礼貌地点点头，“一星，你先来，好吗？”
风族族长站起身，自信满满地在一根粗粗的树枝上站定。在月光下，他的眼睛闪闪发光，虎斑皮毛也被月光染成了银色。松鼠飞不由想起来，高星死的时候，一星曾当着全族群的猫讲话，那个时候他多么紧张。现在那种不自信已经消失得无影无踪，他看起来就像是已经当了很长时间的族长。
“风族一切安好！”一星开始汇报，“我已经去过月亮池，从星族那里领受了九条命和名号。”
空地上的群猫发出祝贺之声。松鼠飞注意到，祝贺来自四个族群。星族对他大力支持，让大树倒下砸死泥掌，他的领袖地位也得到了星族的强烈认同。松鼠飞环顾四周，想看看网脚以及泥掌的其他追随者是否也在其中。但她根本看不到网脚，只有黑色的母猫夜云蜷伏在灌木丛下，带着捉摸不透的表情注视着族长。
一星点了点头。“今天早上，灰脚、裂耳和鸦羽把一只狐狸从我们的领地赶出去了，”他接着说，“他们很勇猛，我敢保证，再也不会有狐狸来侵犯风族了。”
下面的猫群中发出一阵喝彩声——多数是风族猫，但也有其他族的——“灰脚！裂耳！鸦羽！”
松鼠飞并没有随着喊。“他还没有讲到泥掌的反叛呢！”她低声对蜡毛说，“也没有讲到雷族——没讲我们怎么在战斗中伸出援手，怎么提醒他小心狐狸。”
蜡毛侧眼看了她一眼：“你真的觉得他会讲？”
一星接着说道：“我们已经给两位学徒举行了晋升武士的仪式。今天晚上，枭羽和鼬毛已经作为风族的正式武士来到这里。”说着他再次坐了下来。两位新武士接受着其他猫的祝贺。
豹星在一星还没有说完之前已经站起身，她不耐烦地挥动尾巴，示意大家安静。“一个月前，我们赶走了一只獾，到现在，没有再见过它。”她大声宣布，“我们认为獾再也不会回来了。”
松鼠飞的目光越过会场，看向鹰霜。他曾带领巡逻队赶走进入河族领地的那只獾。松鼠飞看着他煞是得意的样子，不由撇撇嘴。好像只有他和獾打过似的。她心里不由愤愤地想，扭头去舔侧腹正在愈合中的伤疤。
“河族也晋升了一位新武士，”豹星接着说，“田鼠齿今天晚上在营地里守夜。”
“一星和豹星似乎很热衷于汇报晋升新武士的情况，”松鼠飞低声对姐姐说，“看起来就像是在向其他族群展示，他们很强大。”
“荒唐！”叶池恨恨地说。她声音发狠，松鼠飞不由吓了一跳。“为什么成为对手比成为朋友更重要？他们难道忘了我们所遭受的一切吗？”叶池很不理解地说道。
叶池反应如此强烈，着实令松鼠飞感到惊讶。巫医通常置身族群的恩怨之外，无论族群与族群之间多么敌对，叶池与小云、青面以及蛾翅的友谊都丝毫不会受到影响。不过话说回来，也许叶池和松鼠飞一样，只是习惯了族群之间的和睦相处。
“上次召开森林大会时，”豹星接着说道，“我同意把我们最早扎营的沼泽地当作大家临时召开森林大会的地方。现在，星族给了这座岛屿，我要重新声明，沼泽地是河族的领地。”
松鼠飞听见好几只猫不满地嘟囔着。风族的巫医青面高声喊道：“老鼠屎！这样一来，我就不能在那里采草药了。”
“所有的族群都不能否认，”黑星说着，爪子深深地抠进身下的树皮里，“过去四棵树周围就有公用的领地。”
豹星快速甩动一下尾巴说道：“你不能把这个地方变成那片森林。情况不一样。首先，除了河族之外，其他族群来岛上，都要经过别族的领地，设立公用领地没有意义。”
“豹星说得对，”火星接过话茬，“我认为没有什么理由反对河族拥有沼泽地。”
豹星冲他点点头，对他的支持表示感谢。
“一星，你怎么看？”火星问道。
一星犹豫着，松鼠飞猜想，他是想把沼泽地以及有用的草药据为己有。但是风族已经拥有了最大的领地。“很好啊！”他没好气地说道。
黑星耸耸肩说：“如果大家都同意，我也不反对。”
豹星的眼睛里闪动着满意的光芒：“那好，明天我们就在马场附近设置气味标记。”
从河族的猫群中传出一阵欢呼声。火星等大家安静下来才开始讲话。
“我要汇报的事情不多。”他坦言道，“像河族一样，我们在领地内也发现了一只獾。黑莓掌领导的巡逻队将它赶跑了。除了这个，一切正常。自从搬到新领地以来，我们还没有发现两脚兽的踪迹。”说完，他后退一步，用尾巴示意黑星说话。
影族族长站起身，松鼠飞不禁一阵紧张。他会提到獾的事吗？他知道雷族已经把獾赶到影族领地了吗？但是黑星说的是松树林里猎物很多。“我们在离两脚兽巢穴不远的地方发现了一个不用的獾窝。”他粗声粗气地说，“但是我们嗅不到一点气息，肯定早被废弃了。”
松鼠飞和蜡毛交换了一下眼神，脖颈上的毛又平贴下来。那只獾和幼崽肯定已经进入林子深处，远离所有的族群领地。从汇报的獾窝数量看，湖周围似乎住过好几只。其他的族群都没有碰到过獾，或许仅仅是因为运气好。“希望我们看到的是最后一只。”她轻声对蜡毛说。
“那只獾要是胆敢回来，我们绝不轻饶。话说回来，我原先还以为你喜欢獾呢。”蜡毛取笑松鼠飞道，“午夜怎么样？”
“午夜不一样。”松鼠飞告诉他，“至于其他的，我才不想认识呢。獾和猫合不来。”
此时黑星的讲话已经结束，松鼠飞以为森林大会就要结束了。但是圆圆的月亮依然悬在头顶，火星又开始说了起来。
“各族的族长们，各族的族猫们，”他说道，“有点事我们需要裁决一下。这里是星族给我们选的聚会地点，但是正如豹星所说，除了河族之外，其他族群过来，都得穿过另一个族群的领地。我们必须清楚地制定出召开森林大会时，在彼此领地上可以行走的确切路线。”
“这个提议好！”松鼠飞不由低声叫了起来。
“嗯，雷族没有必要从我们领地过，”黑星立刻接过话茬，“从风族领地过会更快些。”
松鼠飞看见父亲呆住了，但并没有厉声反驳。她知道火星在极力克制着自己。“是的，但是我们仍然需要讨论一下。”火星说道。
“不管从哪个方向来，大家都可以走到树桥。我不介意经过河族领地。”豹星说，“但是任何猫都不允许带走河族的猎物。”
“风族也一样。”一星接过话茬，再次站起来，“火星，你可以带领族猫从我的领地过，但你们要保持在距离湖边两只狐狸身长的范围内，并且不得停歇。”
“听起来还算合理，”火星平静地说道，“咱们把它制定为规则吧。”说着，他提高嗓门，好让每一只猫都能听清楚：“参加森林大会时，可以从别族的领地经过，但必须在距离湖岸两只狐狸身长的范围内，而且中间不得停歇。”
“而且不准狩猎。”黑星加了一句。
火星点点头说：“大家都同意吗？”
赞同的声音在众猫头顶的半空中飘荡着，火星的提议听起来很公正。
这时，炭毛站起身来说道：“这样的规则适用于去月亮池的猫吗？因为要到山上去，猫们就得离开湖岸，穿过本族或风族的领地。”
“一直以来，风族都允许其他族群的猫穿过领地去月亮池。”一星解释着。他的声音里多了些温暖，他跟其他的猫一样尊敬炭毛。
“确实如此，”火星说，“在这里，我没有不支持的理由。”
“但是应该只有这两种例外，”黑星插话，同时瞪了火星一眼，“否则我们之间的边界几乎就完全废弃了。”
“不，等等。”站在树根处的雾脚抬起头说道，“穿越边界的并非都怀有恶意。我们有时候需要到其他族群去。在这里，我们没必要比在森林里时更多疑吧？”
松鼠飞想起来了。雾脚在发现泥掌和鹰霜的阴谋后，曾火急火燎地来找火星。她冒险穿过影族时，差一点就被巡逻队抓住。
“这话有道理。”叶池轻声表示赞同，“我们应该能够互相走动。”她琥珀色的眼睛一眨不眨地盯着空旷处，松鼠飞看不出来她在看什么。
“如果没有其他要说的，我们就结束这次大会吧。”火星宣布道。
“我同意。”黑星附和着。一星和豹星也点点头。
“而且我们要确保没到场的猫知道这些决定。”火星又补充了一句。
影族族长舔着一只爪子，然后把爪子放到耳朵上说：“这是副族长的职责，你不这么认为吗？”
松鼠飞的爪子紧紧抠着地面。这是血淋淋的嘲弄，目标直指火星。雷族族长却没有理由反驳。只见火星匆忙地点点头，从树上跳了下来。
松鼠飞叹了一口气。“黑星不会让大家忘记，火星在灰条消失之后还没有任命副族长。”她对蜡毛抱怨道，“很明显，他认为雷族没有副族长，所以变弱了。”
“如果他敢攻击我们，那就大错特错了。”蜡毛说道。
松鼠飞赞同地应了一声。她站起来伸展腰身，注意到黑莓掌依然坐在鹰霜身边。而这位河族武士正对着黑莓掌的耳朵说着什么。黑莓掌缓缓地点着头。
没准儿他在讲黑莓掌会是位了不起的副族长呢！松鼠飞绝望地想道。松鼠飞几乎不认识黑莓掌了——他根本不是那只与她一起去太阳沉没之地找午夜的猫了。她甚至想不起来他们曾经那么亲密过。她又看了一眼，两位武士依然肩并肩，就像一只猫和水里的影子一样。对黑莓掌的怀疑几乎让松鼠飞崩溃。
如果黑莓掌想当副族长这件事是真的，那么他肯定知道，火星坚持灰条仍然活着是错误的。更糟糕的是，从副族长到族长只有一步之遥。黑莓掌难道一直盼望着火星失去最后一条命的那一刻？
想到父亲的死，松鼠飞禁不住浑身战栗，再想到自己听到的虎星的经历，就更觉得寒气逼来，心如同被冰冷的利爪攫住。虎星为了当上副族长，再上位族长，一直在谋划着杀戮。他的儿子黑莓掌也有同样的野心吗？野心会让他走上同样的无情杀戮之路吗？
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 8
Leafpool and Cinderpelt emerged from thetrees beside the lake to see the small figure of a single cat making its way along the shore in ShadowClan territory.
“There’s Littlecloud,” Cinderpelt meowed, pointing with her tail.
Leafpool let out a faint sigh of relief. The sun had gone down over the lake, and the half moon already shone pale in the darkening sky. It was time for the medicine cats to meet at the Moonpool. Leafpool had been afraid that if she and Cinderpelt had to make the journey alone, the medicine cat would start questioning her about her visit to RiverClan two days earlier.
When Leafpool had returned, Cinderpelt was furious. She wanted to know why Leafpool had stayed away for a whole night.
“Do you realize that Firestar ordered a patrol to search for you?” she hissed. “Do you think cats have nothing better to do? Honestly, Leafpool, I thought you were more responsible.”
“I’m sorry.” Leafpool scuffled with her forepaws in the dry leaves outside Cinderpelt’s den. “I wanted to take some catmint to Mothwing. She gave me the horsetail in exchange.” She gestured to the pile of fleshy stalks she had picked on her way back across the marshy ground.
Cinderpelt made an exasperated noise. “Leafpool, the Clans have to start living independently again. I know Mothwing’s your friend, but that doesn’t mean you can swap herbs whenever you feel like it. Next time, ask me for permission first.”
“Yes, Cinderpelt.” Leafpool was pretty sure the permission wouldn’t be forthcoming. She knew Cinderpelt would be even angrier if she knew the real reason for Leafpool’s visit. But Mothwing deserved to be a medicine cat because of her skill at healing, and if StarClan spoke to her through Leafpool, it didn’t matter if Mothwing couldn’t believe in them.
Now, as they waited for Littlecloud beside the lake, Cinderpelt’s blue gaze was fixed on her again. “Are you sure you only went to RiverClan that day? There’s nothing else I should know about?”
Stung, Leafpool looked up. “No, Cinderpelt. I’m quite sure.”
Did the medicine cat suspect her of sneaking off to meet Crowfeather? Leafpool felt even more indignant because she had told Cinderpelt the truth about going to RiverClan. She hadn’t seen a single hair on Crowfeather’s pelt! Leafpool told herself that her mentor couldn’t know for sure about the feelings she tried so hard to hide. But it would be hard to defend herself if Cinderpelt made a more direct accusation.
To her relief the ShadowClan medicine cat was close enough to hear them now. Cinderpelt wouldn’t say anything about Crowfeather in front of him.
Littlecloud waded through the stream that marked the border, shook water drops off each paw in turn, then bounded along the shore until he reached the other two medicine cats. “May StarClan light your paths,” he greeted them. “Is all well with your Clan?”
“Everything’s fine,” Cinderpelt replied. “How about ShadowClan?”
“Oh, yes, fine, fine.”
Leafpool thought that the small tabby tom looked distracted. If Cinderpelt noticed, she didn’t say anything, and the three cats headed toward the stream on the WindClan border that they would follow to the Moonpool.
“Mothwing didn’t come with you?” Leafpool meowed.
“No.” Littlecloud twitched his whiskers. “I expect she’s coming through WindClan.”
There was no sign of the RiverClan cat traveling along the shore from the other direction. Leafpool’s paws felt heavy with secrets as she followed the others upstream through the woodland. She wondered if Mothwing had finally decided that she couldn’t be bothered coming to share tongues with cats she didn’t believe in. Or maybe the trouble foretold by Feathertail had already come, and the RiverClan medicine cat couldn’t leave her Clan.
Her anxiety deepened when they met Barkface, the WindClan medicine cat, at the point where the trees gave way to open moorland. He hadn’t seen Mothwing either.
“She can still catch up,” Cinderpelt mewed, as she limped farther up the hill.
As they skirted WindClan territory, Leafpool scanned the moorland slopes. She told herself it was Mothwing’s golden pelt she wanted to see, not the lean gray shape of Crowfeather.
“How are things in WindClan?” Cinderpelt asked Barkface. “Onestar seemed confident at the Gathering.”
“Onestar will make a strong leader.” Barkface’s tone was neutral. If there were still difficulties within WindClan, he obviously wasn’t going to talk about them, not even to other medicine cats.
“You know what I found up on the moors?” Barkface went on, his voice growing more friendly as he changed the subject.
“Of course I don’t, mousebrain!” Cinderpelt flicked his ear gently with the tip of her tail. “But I can see you’re dying to tell me.”
“Goldenrod—huge tall clumps of it.” The older cat let out a satisfied purr. “Very good for healing wounds.”
“That’s excellent news, Barkface,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Let’s hope you don’t need to use it too soon.”
The WindClan medicine cat agreed with a rumble deep in his throat. “But it’s good to know where it is.”
Leafpool felt a sudden chill. Even counting the fox and the badger, so far they hadn’t encountered many enemies in their new home. They wouldn’t need a supply of goldenrod unless the cats started fighting each other. We all journeyed together not long ago, she thought despairingly. Why do we have to split into four again?
Night had fallen by the time the four medicine cats reached the Moonpool. Ahead of them rose a cliff of black rock, hung with ferns and shaggy moss. A stream cascaded from a cleft about halfway up; stars glittered on its surface and on the bubbling water of the pool.
Leafpool felt calmer as she pushed through the barrier of bushes that guarded the hollow. Whatever the future would bring, they were all in the paws of StarClan now.
Barkface stood back to let Cinderpelt go first down the path that led around the sides of the hollow. Suddenly Leafpool heard gasping breaths behind her, and the bushes rustled as another cat thrust its way through.
“Mothwing!” she exclaimed, feeling weak with relief. “I thought you weren’t coming. Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine,” Mothwing panted. “Busy, that’s all. Sorry I’m late.”
Leafpool caught Cinderpelt giving Mothwing a look from narrowed eyes, as if she wondered what could be so important that it meant being late for a meeting at the Moonpool.
“You’re not late,” Littlecloud mewed, with a friendly wave of his tail. “We haven’t started yet.”
As Cinderpelt led the way down to the pool, Leafpool hung back to whisper to Mothwing. “I thought maybe Feathertail’s prophecy had come true.”
“No, I’ve checked the territory over and over, and there’s nothing.” Mothwing’s brilliant blue eyes gazed seriously into Leafpool’s amber ones. “But I’ll keep looking. I won’t forget.” She hurried after the other medicine cats.
Leafpool went down last, feeling her paws slip into the pawprints fixed into the hard earth of the path. No cat had been there for moons beyond counting until Spottedleaf had led Leafpool to the place, but the dimpled pawmarks proved that their ancestors had been there many times. Leafpool’s paws tingled at the thought of being in a long line of medicine cats, all serving their Clans with the guidance of StarClan.
At the bottom of the hollow, all five cats crouched down by the edge of the pool and stretched their necks to lap the dancing, star-filled water. Leafpool felt its icy touch on her tongue, tasting of stars and night, and closed her eyes to receive the dreams StarClan wanted to send her.
She expected to see Feathertail, and perhaps receive more explanation of her warning to Mothwing, but the beautiful gray she-cat did not appear. Instead, Leafpool found herself walking through a windy darkness, where the outlined shapes of cats whisked into the corner of her eye and disappeared before she could confront them. She heard a distant wailing, the mingled lament of many cats rising into the night, with no words she could distinguish or voices she could recognize.
“Who are you?” she called aloud. “Where are you? What do you want?”
Only the eerie, distant caterwauling came back to her. Fear pulsed through her, throbbing to the rhythm of her heartbeat. It tugged at her paws, almost making her flee in blind terror through the shadows, but she made herself pace slowly forward, looking from side to side in an effort to find out where she was and what message StarClan had for her.
At last she saw a spot of pure white light, far ahead of her, like a star hovering on the horizon. She raced forward. The light swelled until it filled her vision; then she burst through it and found herself blinking awake on the edge of the Moonpool.
Shivers ran through her and she felt as if every hair on her pelt was on end. When she tried to stand up, she felt so shaky that she flopped down again and lay still, taking deep breaths to calm herself. Looking around, she saw Cinderpelt, Barkface, and Littlecloud still deep in their dreams. Mothwing, however, had curled up on a flattened stone and was obviously enjoying a peaceful sleep.
“Mothwing!” Leafpool whispered, reaching over to prod her with one paw. “Mothwing, wake up!”
The RiverClan medicine cat’s eyes opened, blinking in confusion at Leafpool. Then she got up and extended her front paws in a graceful stretch. “Honestly, Leafpool,” she complained. “Did you have to wake me? That was the best sleep I’ve had in moons.”
“Sorry, but you wouldn’t want the others to catch you, would you?”
Mothwing glanced at the other three medicine cats, who were all beginning to stir. “No, I wouldn’t. Sorry, Leafpool.”
Leafpool sat up and began to groom her ruffled fur. She wanted to know if the others had received the same confusing dream, and to find out if they could make sense of it. She wasn’t surprised when Cinderpelt, Barkface, and Littlecloud sat up looking solemn and a little puzzled.
“That was a much more confusing dream than usual,” Littlecloud began, giving his chest fur a lick. “Maybe we should discuss it.”
Good, Leafpool thought. Perhaps one of them understands what it meant, because I certainly don’t!
“Claws,” Cinderpelt put in. “I saw huge white claws, ready to tear fur and spill blood.”
Barkface nodded. “And gaping jaws. But were they cats? I couldn’t be sure.”
“And then that voice.” Littlecloud shuddered. “So loud, foretelling death and danger. What does it all mean?”
Leafpool froze. This wasn’t her dream! Why had StarClan not shown these images to her as well? Was it because she was keeping Mothwing’s secret? But Feathertail came to me, she thought confusedly. If StarClan were angry about Mothwing, she would have told me
Maybe this had nothing to do with Mothwing. Perhaps StarClan had noticed Leafpool’s feelings for Crowfeather. Was she becoming less of a medicine cat because she loved the gray warrior? But that’s not fair! she wailed inwardly. I haven’t even spoken to him since that night by the hollow
“What do you think, Leafpool?” Cinderpelt broke in on her thoughts.
Leafpool started. “I…I’m not sure.” Does Mothwing feel like this when she’s asked about StarClan? she wondered. Always needing to pretend?
Mothwing stretched her jaws in an enormous yawn. “StarClan must be warning us about something,” she meowed.
Leafpool glanced at her in surprise. But it wasn’t difficult to guess that from what the others had said. Did Mothwing assume it was the same as Feathertail’s warning? But that had been for RiverClan alone, whereas this prophecy had come to the three other Clans.
Cinderpelt bowed her head. “We must think about this,” she mewed. “If there is danger ahead, StarClan will show us more.”
“Let’s talk about this again when we meet next time,” Littlecloud suggested. “Maybe by then everything will be clearer.”
“Good idea,” Barkface grunted. “StarClan certainly weren’t giving much away tonight.”
“Don’t forget our warrior ancestors have to settle into a new home as much as we do,” Cinderpelt added. “Maybe that makes it harder for them to reach us.”
That was possible, Leafpool thought hopefully. But it didn’t explain why she had dreamed something totally different from the others.
The medicine cats followed the spiral path out of the bowl and pushed through the barrier of bushes. As they made their way down the hill, Cinderpelt, Littlecloud, and Barkface drew ahead, murmuring anxiously as if it was too hard to keep to their agreement of waiting until next time to discuss the dream. Mothwing and Leafpool padded side by side behind them.
“Did you tell Leopardstar about my dream?” Leafpool asked her friend, quietly, so the other cats wouldn’t hear.
Mothwing gave her a startled glance. “No, how could I? I couldn’t admit that StarClan had sent me a message through another Clan’s medicine cat.”
“But you could have said it was your own dream.” Leafpool touched the golden tabby’s shoulder with her tail-tip. “I wouldn’t mind. Leopardstar ought to know, so she can tell the warriors to keep a lookout for anything suspicious.”
Mothwing’s tail lashed once. “I can’t, Leafpool. I’ve never told Leopardstar about a dream before this, and I probably never will again. It wasn’tmy dream. I just don’t haveprophetic dreams from StarClan.” Her voice quieter and more troubled, she went on, “I have to find my own way of being a medicine cat, without StarClan. Trust me, Leafpool. I want nothing more than to care for my Clan, but it has to be on my own terms.”
Leafpool eyed her friend doubtfully. Silverpelt blazed across the sky above them; how could Mothwing see the shining spirits of their ancestors and not believe in them? She knew Mothwing worked hard at her healing skills, and truly cared for her Clan, but without that belief she could not lap from the spring of strength and wisdom that came from StarClan. Her own faith was so important to Leafpool that she couldn’t imagine being a medicine cat without it.
“But if you don’t believe—” she began, then stopped and struggled to figure out what she really wanted to say. “Mothwing, do you believe I had a dream where Feathertail warned me about trouble in your Clan?”
Mothwing gazed at Leafpool with eyes that gleamed pale in the moonlight. “Yes, I believe you had a dream.”
That’s no answer, Leafpool thought frustratedly. But then she realized that it might be the best answer her friend could give. And what right did she have to criticize, when she seemed to be losing her own connection to StarClan?
“It’ll be okay,” Mothwing reassured her. “I’m checking all the water sources regularly, and when I go out gathering herbs I keep my eyes open for anything to do with Twolegs.” A flick of her tail told Leafpool she didn’t want to talk about the warning anymore. “What about ThunderClan? Is everything okay with you?”
“Fine, thanks. We’ve just made a new apprentice—Birchpaw. You’ll be seeing him at a Gathering before long, I expect.”
“That’s great. Who’s his mentor?”
“Ashfur.” Leafpool broke off as a hiss came out of the darkness. Her pelt pricked with the sense of danger.
“What was that?” Mothwing whispered.
They had reached the border of WindClan territory. The moorland stretched away from them on all sides, dotted with outcrops of rock and stunted thorn trees. Deep shadows lay in the hollows.
The hiss came again. “Leafpool!”
Leafpool relaxed as a lean gray shape slid out from behind the nearest rock and a familiar scent flooded over her. “Crowfeather!” she exclaimed. “You scared me out of my fur!”
“Sorry,” the WindClan warrior muttered. He gave Mothwing a searching stare. “I want a word with Leafpool, if you don’t mind.”
Mothwing looked surprised, and hesitated as if she were about to object. Then she nodded and let out a faint, knowing mrrow. Leafpool felt her skin under her fur flush hot with embarrassment.
“Sure,” Mothwing murmured. “See you soon, Leafpool.” She turned and vanished downhill into the darkness.
Leafpool almost called her back. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone with Crowfeather. “This isn’t right,” she began, taking a pace back.
“I knew you’d come this way,” Crowfeather meowed urgently. “I followed Barkface’s scent trail, and then I waited for you. Leafpool, we have to talk. I can’t forget that night outside your camp.”
“I know, but—”
Crowfeather interrupted. “At first I thought you felt the same way as I do. But then you avoided me at the Gathering, and I don’t understand why.” His claws raked the tough moorland turf. “I can’t get you out of my head, Leafpool. The other day I missed a rabbit that practically leapt into my paws. I keep making mistakes—”
“I’m doing the same thing!” Leafpool exclaimed. “I tried to give Firestar nettle seed instead of poppy, and I mixed up ointment of yarrow and mouse bile. That was so mousebrained!”
The WindClan warrior twitched his whiskers. “Ashfoot said I was as daft as a new apprentice.”
“Cinderpelt got cross with me, too.”
“Leafpool, I knowyou feel the same as I do,” Crowfeather meowed. “Somehow we have to be together.”
His scent, his nearness was doing something to Leafpool’s insides. She felt as if she were melting like ice in newleaf. “But I’m a medicine cat,” she protested, struggling against the urge to press her muzzle into his fur. “And I’m from another Clan. There isn’t any future for us, Crowfeather.”
Amber eyes burnt into hers. “Leafpool, do you want to be with me as much as I want to be with you?”
Leafpool knew what her answer should have been, but she couldn’t lie to him. “Yes, I do.”
“Then there must be a way. Will you meet me again? Somewhere we can talk properly?”
Leafpool dug her claws into the ground. Surely this couldn’t be wrong, this overwhelming need to be with Crowfeather? StarClan couldn’t be so cruel as to deny her this. “Yes, I will,” she whispered. “Where?”
“I’ll think of something. I’ll get a message to you.”
Suddenly Leafpool heard Cinderpelt’s voice, calling from farther down the hill. “Leafpool, are you there?”
“Coming, Cinderpelt!” More softly, she added to Crowfeather, “I must go.”
Crowfeather’s tongue rasped across her ear. “I’ll let you know where we can meet. It won’t be long.”
Leafpool gazed at him until she knew her eyes would see nothing but his face all the way back to the ThunderClan camp. Then she spun around and pelted down the hillside as if a whole pack of foxes were behind her.
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 6
Leafpool stayed sitting down as hersister and Ashfur headed into the bushes toward the lakeshore. She gazed across the clearing to where she had last seen Crowfeather. She spotted the WindClan cat at once; he was looking straight back at her.
Leafpool glanced around. Other cats moved in the shadows; the brambles behind her rustled as they pushed through them on their way back to the tree bridge. No cat seemed to be paying much attention to her.
She started to circle the clearing, keeping to where the moonlight threw deep shadows.
“Leafpool!”
The young medicine cat froze, feeling her pelt tingle with frustration. She took a deep breath before turning around. “Yes, Cinderpelt?”
“Come on, you’re being left behind.”
Leafpool narrowed her eyes. Her Clanmates had only just left the clearing. Was Cinderpelt deliberately keeping her away from Crowfeather?
“Okay, Cinderpelt, I’m coming.” Leafpool shot a glance over her shoulder and saw Crowfeather watching her with anguish in his eyes.
Leafpool knew she couldn’t do anything but follow Cinderpelt into the bushes.
I’m a medicine cat, she told herself as she ducked under the prickly branches. I can’t love Crowfeather, and he can’t love me.
She repeated it over and over, all the way back to the ThunderClan camp, but all she could think of was the look in Crowfeather’s eyes.
A sweet scent drifted around Leafpool and a voice murmured her name. At first she thought Spottedleaf was calling to her; the former ThunderClan medicine cat had often come to her in dreams. But when she blinked open her eyes the cat standing in front of her had a silvery-gray pelt, and eyes of clearest blue. Starlight sparkled around her paws and at the ends of her whiskers.
Leafpool stared at her, bewildered. “Feathertail?”
Beyond her nest among the brambles outside Cinderpelt’s den, the hollow was bathed in silvery light. But several days had passed since the Gathering, and the moon was waning. Leafpool knew she was dreaming.
She stood up. “What is it, Feathertail?”
She guessed Feathertail had come to speak to her about Crowfeather. A pang of guilt shot through her. Feathertail and Crowfeather had loved each other so much, but the beautiful RiverClan cat had given up her life to save the Tribe and her friends from the fierce lion-cat Sharptooth. Was she angry that Crowfeather had fallen in love with another cat?
“I—I’m sorry,” Leafpool stammered.
Feathertail swept her tail across Leafpool’s mouth. “We need to talk, but not here. Follow me.”
She led the way into the clearing. Leafpool tried to walk as lightly as if she were stalking a mouse, then she wondered if the Clan could hear her when this was only a dream.
A bright, unearthly light flooded the hollow. Brightheart and Sootfur, on watch, looked like cats made of stone, their coats the color of moonlight. Neither stirred as Feathertail and Leafpool crept past them and out through the thorn tunnel.
Once they were several fox-lengths away from the camp, Feathertail found a comfortable spot in a clump of long grass and settled down, gesturing with her tail for Leafpool to join her
“I can guess what you’re thinking,” she meowed. “You think I’m angry about Crowfeather, don’t you?”
Leafpool blinked at her, too ashamed to admit to her suspicion.
“Do you think I wouldn’t want to see him happy?” Feathertail asked gently. “You make him happy; I can see that.”
“I’m a medicine cat!” Leafpool protested. Her fur tingled with delight that Feathertail wasn’t angry—more than that, she seemed to wantLeafpool and Crowfeather to be together—but she knew it was more complicated than that. “I wish I could make him happy, but I can’t.”
“That’s not why I’m here,” Feathertail told her. “There’s something I need you to do.”
Leafpool pricked her ears. “What?”
“It’s Mothwing.” Feathertail’s expression clouded. “I have an important message for her, but I can’t reach her.”
Leafpool felt icy water trickle down her spine, making her fur stand on end. When the Clans first came to the lake, the RiverClan medicine cat had confessed to Leafpool that she didn’t believe in StarClan. At first, Leafpool had been stunned. How could a medicine cat carry out her duties without the guidance of their warrior ancestors? But she agreed to keep her friend’s secret because she knew Mothwing was truly committed to caring for her Clan, and she knew as much about herbs as any of the medicine cats.
But she should have known that StarClan saw into the heart of every cat. There was no hiding the truth from them.
A shiver of alarm swept through Leafpool. Were StarClan angry with Mothwing? Could they stop her being a medicine cat? Would they be angry with Leafpool too, for keeping Mothwing’s secret?
“Mothwing’s really good with healing herbs,” she told Feathertail. “And when she was an apprentice she wanted to believe.”
“I know,” Feathertail meowed. “We hoped that in time she would find faith in us. But she hasn’t, so we can’t speak to her to give her the messages her Clan needs.”
“But—” Leafpool hesitated. This was so hard to ask, but she hadto know. “But Mudfur waited for a sign from StarClan before he chose Mothwing to be his apprentice. And one morning he found a moth’s wing outside his den. He took it as a sign that StarClan approved his choice. Was he mistaken?”
Feathertail bent her head to lick her chest fur. “You can’t expect to understand the signs given to another cat,” she replied when she looked up again. More briskly she added, “Leafpool, I need to tell Mothwing something urgently. I can’t reach her, so will you take a message to her?”
“What would you like me to say?” Leafpool knew she wouldn’t refuse Feathertail’s request. She would do anything to help Mothwing.
“Tell her RiverClan are in serious danger from Twolegs.”
“Twolegs?” Leafpool cocked her head, puzzled. “But we haven’t seen any Twolegs yet. Surely they won’t come until greenleaf?”
“I can’t tell you any more, except that the danger is to RiverClan alone. But it is real, I promise you that. Will you go and warn Mothwing, please?”
“Yes, of course.”
Feathertail gave Leafpool a single lick on the top of her head. Her sweet scent drifted around the younger cat. “Thank you, Leafpool,” she murmured. “I know that if things had been different, you and I would have been good friends.”
Leafpool wanted to believe it. But they had been in different Clans when Feathertail was alive—and what about Crowfeather? Would they both have wanted him?
The scent faded. When Leafpool looked up the beautiful silver tabby was gone, and she was waking for real in her nest outside Cinderpelt’s den.
Pale dawn light filled the clearing, although the sky was gray with cloud. As Leafpool yawned and stretched, Cinderpelt poked her head out and sniffed the air.
“Rain later,” she commented. “You’d better find Ashfur and check that his neck wound is okay. He’s healing well, but there’s still a risk of infection.”
“Sure, Cinderpelt.”
As Leafpool set off to find the gray tomcat, she wondered how she could get away long enough to visit Mothwing and give her Feathertail’s message. RiverClan’s territory was on the opposite side of the lake, and she didn’t think she could make it there and back before nightfall. Should she tell Cinderpelt about Feathertail’s visit? No, that would mean betraying Mothwing’s secret—that she didn’t believe in StarClan. Mothwing would have to give up being a medicine cat, and Leafpool didn’t want that to happen.
She spotted Ashfur pushing his way through the thorn tunnel with the dawn patrol. “Hi, there,” he meowed. “Are you looking for me?”
“Yes, I’ve come to check your wound.” Leafpool parted Ashfur’s fur with one paw; the deep puncture wound was scarcely visible. “That’s fine. I’ll check with Cinderpelt, but I don’t think you need any more herbs on it. We’ll keep an eye on it for a few more days, though.”
“Great!” mewed Ashfur. “I’m lucky it wasn’t infected, with that filthy creature’s teeth in there.”
“Well, let us know if you have any more trouble with it.”
“Hi.” Squirrelflight had deposited a couple of starlings on the fresh-kill pile and bounded up to Ashfur and her sister. “Leafpool, you’ll never guess what we found on patrol!”
“What?”
Squirrelflight’s green eyes gleamed. “Catmint!”
“That’s impossible! You only find catmint in Twoleg gardens.” Leafpool’s heart sank into her paws. “Don’t tell me you’ve found Twoleg nests on our territory.”
“No, mousebrain. You remember the abandoned Twoleg nest that Brambleclaw and his patrol found?”
Leafpool nodded.
“Well, it’s there. The Twolegs must have had a garden once, but it’s all overgrown now. And there are these enormous clumps—only just coming up, but it’s catmint, all right.”
“That’s great!” Catmint was by far the best remedy for whitecough and the dreaded greencough that could be fatal to elders and kits. Back in the forest there had been a steady supply in Twolegplace, but Leafpool hadn’t expected to find any here.
“I’ll tell Cinderpelt right away. Thanks, Squirrelflight.” Halfway to her den, Leafpool realized this could be the answer to her problem. She paused briefly to decide what to say, then she went to find the medicine cat.
Cinderpelt was inside her den, checking the stores of herbs. “Thank StarClan newleaf is coming,” she meowed. “We’re down to our last poppy seed. I hope no cat gets ill for the next moon or so.”
“Then you’ll want to hear what Squirrelflight just told me.” Leafpool told her about the discovery of catmint.
Cinderpelt purred. “Could you go and collect some?”
“Sure,” Leafpool replied. “I’ll have a good nose around, and see if there’s anything else worth having.”
She was about to dart out of the den, but Cinderpelt stopped her. “Do you think you should take a warrior with you?”
Leafpool’s heart sank. An escort was the last thing she wanted. Once she might have considered taking Sorreltail, who had shared adventures with her in the past, but the young tortoiseshell had to rest now for the sake of her kits.
“I’ll be fine,” she promised Cinderpelt. “That old nest is right in the middle of our territory, and we know the fox has gone.”
“Okay. Be careful, though. Keep on the lookout for badgers.”
“I will.”
She hurried across the clearing to the thorn tunnel before anyone else could ask what she was doing. She had never been to the abandoned nest before, but she knew it was near the overgrown Twoleg path that led away from the stone hollow. Brambleclaw thought that Twolegs had once taken stone out of the hollow, leaving their marks on the cliffs, and used the path to carry it away. Leafpool didn’t know if he was right, but the stony path made a good clear space where she could race along without being held up by undergrowth.
The morning light was still casting long shadows through the woodland when she came to the Twoleg nest. It was set back from the path, half hidden by sparse trees and thickets of bramble. A shiver went through Leafpool; though Brambleclaw had described it to her, she hadn’t known until now just how sinister the nest would feel.
I’d rather face wild foxes than go in there! she thought.
Warily she examined the tumbledown walls and the sagging piece of wood that once had blocked the entrance. Nothing moved, and when she tasted the air there was no scent of Twolegs. However, she could pick out the scent of catmint, and she followed it until she found the clumps Squirrelflight had mentioned, not far away from the wall of the nest. Several stems were long enough to take now, and there would be plenty more later in newleaf. Leafpool bit off a few stalks and padded away from the Twoleg nest.
Instead of following the path back to camp, she cut through the woods in a wide arc until she came to the stream that marked the border with WindClan. She told herself this was the best way around the lake because ShadowClan were more likely than WindClan to be hostile if they found her on their territory.
Slipping along in the shelter of bushes, with her ears pricked for patrols from either Clan, Leafpool followed the stream until she came to the shallow place where ThunderClan had crossed when they first arrived in the territory.
Before she went any farther, Leafpool paused to hunt. She soon brought down a vole that was scuffling in the reeds. She devoured it in a few bites, still listening for the sound of other cats, then she crossed into WindClan territory.
She followed the stream on the other side until she was within two fox-lengths of the lake. Now she could breathe more easily. She was on medicine cat business so she shouldn’t encounter any trouble, even if WindClan warriors saw her.
Wishing for the wind in her paws, she raced along the lakeshore. At first she cast anxious glances behind her, in case she was spotted by ThunderClan cats patrolling the stream. Then a fold of the hill hid her from her own territory. She slackened her pace to a brisk trot and began to think about what she was going to say to Mothwing. Suddenly she stopped dead, her heart pounding.
Would Mothwing take the warning seriously, when she didn’t believe StarClan existed?
She has to, Leafpool told herself, forcing herself to keep going. Feathertail would be watching her from StarClan, and she had to keep her promise.
Leafpool kept one eye on the moorland slopes, but there was no sign of any WindClan cats. There’s no point in looking for Crowfeather. What could you even say to him if he were here?
There was no sign of the kittypets at the horse place, either, but almost as soon as she passed the new RiverClan scent markings Leafpool spotted a patrol approaching her from the higher ground beyond the marsh. Mistyfoot was leading it, with Mosspelt and an apprentice Leafpool hadn’t met before.
“Hi, Leafpool” Mistyfoot meowed as she came up. “Is everything all right?”
Leafpool set down her stems of catmint. “I’ve brought some herbs for Mothwing.”
Mistyfoot gave the leaves a good sniff. “Catmint,” she mewed approvingly. “Thanks, Leafpool. I think Mothwing’s in camp. You can come with us—we’re just on our way back.”
Picking up her catmint again, Leafpool followed the patrol along the lakeshore until they came to a stream. They turned inland and padded beside the swift-flowing shallow water until a smaller stream joined it on the far side. The land between the two was fringed with reeds and thick with bushes. Even through the scent of catmint, Leafpool could pick up the scents of many cats.
Mistyfoot splashed across and jumped onto the opposite bank. “Welcome,” she meowed.
Leafpool picked her way more cautiously through the stream, wishing she were as confident in the water as Mistyfoot and the other RiverClan cats. They passed a bramble thicket where Dawnflower, one of the RiverClan queens, was sunning herself with three tiny kits scrambling over her flank; she acknowledged Leafpool with a wave of her tail. Farther on, a couple of apprentices were wrestling in the shade of a clump of bracken
Leafpool spotted a well-stocked pile of fresh-kill. “You’ve settled in well,” she commented to Mistyfoot, around the stems of catmint.
Mistyfoot gave a satisfied nod. “This is a good place.”
She led Leafpool to a spot where a thorn bush overhung the narrower stream. The bank had fallen away, and the current had scoured out a small round pool beneath the bush’s roots. Where the earth had been washed away, a smooth-sided hole had been left in the bank; from the piled leaves and berries Leafpool could see inside, she realized this must be Mothwing’s den.
Mothwing was crouched on the bank above the pool, sorting through a pile of horsetail.
“Mothwing, you’ve got a visitor,” Mistyfoot meowed.
The golden tabby glanced up and then sprang to her paws with a mrrowof delight. “Leafpool! What are you doing here?”
“I brought you this.” Leafpool jumped down and laid her catmint stems in front of Mothwing, glancing back to thank Mistyfoot as the RiverClan deputy padded away.
“Catmint!” Mothwing exclaimed. “That’s great—I haven’t found any in our territory yet.”
Leafpool looked around to make sure Mistyfoot had really gone, and that no other cat was in earshot. This was her chance to pass on Feathertail’s warning. But her fur prickled and her mouth felt dry. Something about this didn’t feel right.
Drawing closer to Mothwing, she mewed, “Actually, the catmint is only one reason I came. I have a message for you from StarClan.”
Mothwing’s blue eyes stretched wide. Leafpool suddenly wished she hadn’t come. It might look like she was suggesting Mothwing couldn’t be a proper medicine cat because the warning hadn’t come to her directly. But Mothwing said nothing, just pricked her ears as she waited for Leafpool to finish.
“I had a dream,” Leafpool told her. “Feathertail came to me.”
She hesitated as she saw Mothwing’s eyes flood with grief. Of course, since Feathertail had been a warrior of RiverClan, Mothwing would have known her well.
“She…she told me she couldn’t get through to you. She asked me to bring you a message. RiverClan is in grave danger from Twolegs.”
The RiverClan medicine cat sat in silence for several heartbeats, her eyes thoughtful.
“Twolegs?” she meowed at last. “But there aren’t any—” She broke off and sprang to her paws. “Leafpool, it’s been so quiet along the small Thunderpath that we haven’t bothered with it much. Maybe something has happened there. Will you come and check it out with me?”
Leafpool hesitated. She had meant to give Mothwing the message and go straight home. If she stayed much longer in RiverClan she would probably have to spend the night there. But it was important to help Mothwing make sure that her territory held no hidden dangers.
“Yes, of course I’ll come,” she agreed, pushing aside the thought of the scolding Cinderpelt would give her. She was relieved that Mothwing didn’t seem to blame her for bringing Feathertail’s message, with all its implications that Mothwing wasn’t a true medicine cat. She felt a rush of warmth for her friend and hoped Feathertail was watching them now, seeing how devoted Mothwing was to looking after her Clanmates.
Mothwing led the way upstream until she came to a spot where a single stepping stone broke the surface of the water. Crossing in two graceful leaps, she scrambled up the opposite bank and paused to wait for Leafpool.
“I was afraid you’d think I was talking nonsense,” Leafpool confessed in a rush, once she had jumped across the stream. With a surge of hope she added, “Does that mean you’re starting to believe in StarClan?”
Mothwing twitched her whiskers. “No, Leafpool. I don’t believe the spirits of our warrior ancestors come back to speak with us. Stars are just unseeing specks of light in the night sky, not dead cats looking down on us. We can keep our old friends alive with memories, but if they’re not here, they’re nowhere. That’s what I believe.”
“I know.” Leafpool paused as she picked her way around a patch of thistles. “But if you don’t believe in StarClan, why take any notice of Feathertail’s warning?”
The RiverClan cat slowed down to look into Leafpool’s eyes. “Because I believe in you, Leafpool.”
Leafpool shook her head. “That’s mousebrained! How would I know anything, unless StarClan told me?”
“Because you’re a good medicine cat. You observe everything around you. Somehow you’ve seen or heard or scented something and you know it means danger, though you aren’t certain howyou know. And because youbelieve in StarClan, it all surfaced in a dream about Feathertail. Simple.” She turned and padded on.
Leafpool didn’t think it was simple at all. But she didn’t argue. At least Mothwing had listened to Feathertail’s message.
When they reached the Thunderpath, Leafpool glanced around curiously. She had never seen this place before, although Squirrelflight had described it to her. There was a wide space covered by the same hard stuff as the Thunderpath, with a small wooden Twoleg nest in one corner. A half-bridge made of narrow strips of wood jutted out into the water. Everything was quiet.
Mothwing stood on the edge of the Thunderpath and tasted the air. “Yuck. ShadowClan,” she meowed, reminding Leafpool that this was the border of the two territories. “And something else…”
Leafpool stretched her jaws wide. There was a faint, harsh taint to the air that she had not scented for a long time. She felt the fur on her neck bristle. “Monsters have been here,” she mewed.
Mothwing met her anxious gaze. “But not recently. There’s stale Twoleg scent too, though that reek from ShadowClan nearly covers it. Honestly, Leafpool, I don’t think we can call that ‘grave danger.’”
“Then what could the danger be?” Leafpool wondered.
Mothwing twitched the tip of her tail. “You can never tell what Twolegs will do next. Maybe it hasn’t happened yet.”
Turning away from the Thunderpath, she began to pad along the lakeshore, pausing once or twice to taste the water. “Remember that pool with the dead rabbit?” she called over her shoulder. “How it gave all the elders a bellyache? I won’t make that mistake again. But the water here’s fine.”
When they reached the stream she checked the water there, too, before they followed it back to the RiverClan camp. She ended by taking Leafpool back to her den, where both cats drank from the little pool. The water was cool and sweet tasting, and there was no scent of anything unusual.
The sun was going down, and shadows lay thickly over the pool and stretched into Mothwing’s den. As Leafpool had feared, it was too late to go home. “Would you like to stay the night?” Mothwing offered. “You’ll never get back to ThunderClan before dark.”
“Thanks, I would.” Leafpool knew Cinderpelt would have missed her long ago, and she knew she would have to answer some awkward questions when she got back. But it would be safer to stay here for the night and go home in the early morning, especially if there might be badgers about.
A RiverClan apprentice brought Mothwing a plump fish, enough for both cats to share. As Leafpool settled down to sleep beside Mothwing in her nest of moss and bracken, she murmured, “You will remember Feathertail’s warning, won’t you? You’ll keep your eyes open for trouble?”
“What?” Mothwing muttered sleepily. “Oh, yes, Leafpool. Of course I will. Don’t worry.”
But Leafpool couldn’t help worrying. Without having heard the warning from Feathertail herself, it would be easy for Mothwing to forget, or decide that it wasn’t important. And Leafpool was certain that trouble was coming.
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 7
Squirrelflight paused beside a clump ofbracken, drawing in the scent of the fresh green fronds. Sunlit dew sparkled on every blade of grass, and the whole forest seemed to be waking up after the long sleep of leaf-bare.
Another deep breath brought the scent of cat. Not ThunderClan, and not ShadowClan either, though she was near their border. Squirrelflight froze, glancing from side to side. A bracken frond waved, and she caught a glimpse of a strange tabby cat creeping along with its belly fur brushing the ground.
Squirrelflight thought at first that a rogue had wandered into their territory; a heartbeat later she realized it must be one of the kittypets she and Brambleclaw had fought with when they first explored the land around the lake. Their Twoleg nest was in ShadowClan’s territory, but this crowfood-eating tabby wouldn’t give a mouse tail for Clan boundaries.
Dropping into the hunter’s crouch, Squirrelflight started to creep up on it, but she hadn’t taken more than a couple of pawsteps when she heard the rest of her patrol approaching: Thornclaw, Ashfur, and Sootfur. Mousebrains! she thought. Clumping around like horses!
She warned them to keep back with a flick of her tail, but the tabby had already heard them. Squirrelflight saw the brown shape streak out of the middle of the bracken, and she sprang forward in pursuit. Behind her, she heard Ashfur yowl, “Hey, Squirrelflight, stop!” but she ignored him.
She dashed after the intruder, determined to give it a well-clawed ear to teach it not to come back, but the kittypet had too good a start. “Mouse dung!” she spat when she lost it in a patch of thick undergrowth. She turned back to join the rest of the patrol. To her surprise they were standing bunched together, staring at her with worried looks on their faces.
“Squirrelflight, you mousebrain!” Sootfur called out.
Before she reached the others, Brambleclaw shouldered his way through the undergrowth, with Sandstorm just behind him.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
“I spotted one of those kittypets from ShadowClan territory.” Squirrelflight was puzzled and angry at how hostile he sounded. What was he accusing her of now? “We’re supposed to chase trespassers on a border patrol, right?”
“Right,” meowed Brambleclaw. “What you’re notallowed to do is cross the border into another Clan’s territory. Suppose a ShadowClan patrol had seen you?”
“But I didn’t…” Squirrelflight’s voice trailed off. Suddenly she spotted the dead tree that was one of the boundary markers. She must have chased the kittypet straight past it. “I didn’t notice any scent marks,” she argued, padding forward until she was on the right side of the border again.
“The markings are really faint.” Ashfur had been over to sniff at the roots of the dead tree. “Leave her alone, Brambleclaw. Any cat could have made the same mistake.”
Sandstorm gave Ashfur a look from narrowed green eyes. “Squirrelflight can answer for herself,” she mewed. “She’s not usually lost for words.”
Squirrelflight blinked gratefully at Ashfur. She didn’t need him or any cat to spring to her defense, but it was good of him to support her. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t notice.”
“The markings arefaint,” Thornclaw agreed. “I don’t think ShadowClan have renewed them for days.”
“What’s the matter with them?” Sandstorm wondered. “ShadowClan are usually the first to make sure that no cat crosses their borders.”
Squirrelflight shrugged. “If they can’t be bothered to set their markers, they can’t object if some cat crosses the boundary by mistake.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Brambleclaw sighed. “But for StarClan’s sake, be a bit more careful next time.”
“She will be.” Ashfur sprang to Squirrelflight’s defense again, unaware of the furious look she gave him this time. She was even angrier when she noticed a surprised glance from Sandstorm, as if her mother couldn’t believe she was depending on Ashfur for protection. “Anyway, Brambleclaw,” the gray tomcat went on, “it’s not your place to tell her what to do.”
“It’s anycat’s place,” Brambleclaw retorted, his neck fur starting to bristle. “Do you wanttrouble with ShadowClan?”
Ashfur unsheathed his claws. “That’s not the point!”
“Hang on!” Squirrelflight protested. “I don’t want—”
“That’s enough.” Sandstorm stalked over and confronted the three quarreling cats. “Let’s get back to camp before ShadowClan cats doturn up and find us ruffling each other’s fur.”
She stalked off in the direction of the camp. Sootfur and Thornclaw followed, but Brambleclaw and Ashfur hesitated, still giving each other an angry stare. Squirrelflight felt thoroughly exasperated with both of them.
“You go on ahead,” she snapped to Ashfur.
Ashfur looked startled. “Oh—okay. I’ll see you back at camp.” With a frustrated lash of his tail he padded off after the others.
“You can’t blame him for wanting to take care of you.” Bramblelclaw’s words could have been approving, but his tone was critical as if he were remembering all the times on their journey when Squirrelflight had been furious with him for trying to protect her.
“At least there’s one cat I know I can trust with my life!” she hissed.
Brambleclaw’s eyes widened. “Only one, Squirrelflight?”
“Yes!” she spat back. She felt so far away from him now it was impossible to remember she had once looked at him with warmth. “At least Ashfur doesn’t keep going off with a cat from another Clan—a cat who can’t be trusted!”
The hurt in Brambleclaw’s eyes faded, to be replaced by rage. “That’s what you want, is it? A loyal warrior to pad after you and smooth all the thorns out of your path? I never used to think you were like that. I believed better of you.”
“Believe what you like!”
Brambleclaw drew his lips back in the beginnings of a snarl. Before he could speak, the undergrowth behind Squirrelflight rustled. She whirled around to see that Ashfur had come back.
“What do you want now?” she growled.
Ashfur looked bewildered. “I’m sorry. I wondered why you didn’t catch up, so I came back to make sure you’re okay.”
Squirrelflight sighed and let the fur lie flat on her neck. Ashfur would have to learn that she could stand up for herself, but at least he was straightforward. He said what he meant, and no cat could doubt his loyalty to his Clan. If Brambleclaw was a deep pool shadowed by forest trees, Ashfur was like the lake, glittering in sunlight. Squirrelflight suddenly found herself longing for the sun.
“I’m fine,” she meowed, touching her muzzle to Ashfur’s. “Let’s go.”
She headed away from the border, with Ashfur at her side. But all the while she was conscious of Brambleclaw’s amber gaze upon her, until the ferns closed around her and she was hidden from his sight.
When Squirrelflight returned to camp, the stone hollow was full of activity. Cloudtail and Brightheart were just emerging from the warriors’ den; their daughter, Whitepaw, dashed across the clearing to join them, meowing loudly. The elders had already taken their places at the foot of the rocks beneath the Highledge. Firestar was making his way down the stony path from his den to the floor of the hollow.
“What’s happening?” Squirrelflight asked as more warriors appeared from their den.
“Firestar just called a meeting.” Leafpool spoke behind her. Squirrelflight thought she looked subdued, as if she was still recovering from the fierce scolding Cinderpelt had given her for staying out all night in RiverClan. “It’s time for Birchkit to be made an apprentice.”
“Great!” Squirrelflight gave a little bounce of delight. For the first time she noticed Ferncloud at the entrance of the nursery, vigorously grooming Birchkit’s pelt while the young cat wriggled with excitement. Dustpelt sat close by, looking ready to burst with pride. “The first new apprentice in our new home. Who’s going to mentor him?”
“I have no idea,” Leafpool meowed, beginning to cheer up. She glanced around the clearing as if she were trying to guess who the new mentor would be.
Squirrelflight and Ashfur found places among the other cats grouped in a semicircle around Firestar. She would have liked to mentor Birchkit herself, but she suspected she hadn’t been a warrior long enough to be chosen, when so many more experienced cats were without an apprentice. Besides, Sandstorm followed Firestar down the rocks from his den, and she gave Squirrelflight a hard look as she padded past to sit beside Brackenfur. She must have told Firestar what had happened on the ShadowClan border. Sighing, Squirrelflight guessed she would have to start thinking before she acted if she wanted to be trusted with the responsibility of mentoring an apprentice.
When all the cats had gathered, Firestar summoned Birchkit with a flick of his tail. The young gray cat padded forward; although he was shaking with nerves he stood before Firestar with head and tail held high. His pelt gleamed in the sunlight and his eyes shone. Squirrelflight felt a rush of admiration for him. His littermates, Larchkit and Hollykit, had died from starvation when the Twolegs tore up the old forest. Birchkit had lost his home too, but he had shown great courage for such a young cat.
Squirrelflight noticed Brambleclaw, crouched by himself a couple of tail-lengths away from her; ambition flared in his amber eyes as he gazed at Birchkit. She could see how desperately he wanted the young cat as his apprentice, and she wondered why he should care so much more than the other warriors.
Then claws gripped deep in her belly as the answer came to her. Warriors could not be chosen as deputy unless they had mentored an apprentice. With Graystripe’s fate still unknown, it couldn’t be long before Firestar had to name another cat in his place. If Brambleclaw were to stand a chance, he had to have an apprentice. And there were no more kits in the Clan.
Seeing Brambleclaw now, focused on Birchkit as if the young cat were a particularly juicy piece of fresh-kill, Squirrelflight couldn’t help asking herself what Brambleclaw would be prepared to do to feed such fierce ambition. Could he really become a killer like his father, Tigerstar?
Firestar waited for the Clan to grow silent. “This is a good day for ThunderClan,” he began. “By naming apprentices, we show that ThunderClan will survive and remain strong. Birchkit, from now on you will be known as Birchpaw.”
Birchpaw nodded enthusiastically.
“Ashfur, you are ready for an apprentice,” Firestar continued. “You will be Birchpaw’s mentor.”
Squirrelflight saw Brambleclaw’s eyes blaze in disbelief. His muscles tensed as if he were about to spring to his paws, but he held himself still. Not even the most ambitious cat would challenge a leader’s choice of mentor.
Squirrelflight turned to look at Ashfur. Pride and happiness shone in his eyes as Birchpaw scampered toward him.
“Ashfur,” Firestar continued, “you too have known loss and grief, and found the strength to deal with them.”
He was talking about the death of Brindleface, Ashfur’s mother. She had been murdered by Tigerstar and left as bait for the dog pack to lure them into the old ThunderClan camp. All that had happened before Squirrelflight was born, but every cat in the Clan had heard the story over and over again.
“I know you will pass on your strength to Birchpaw,” Firestar meowed, “and teach him the skills that will make him a brave warrior of ThunderClan.”
Eyes brimming with excitement, Birchpaw stretched up, and Ashfur bent his head to touch noses with him.
“Birchpaw! Birchpaw!” The Clan welcomed the apprentice with his new name. Ferncloud and Dustpelt bounded over to him, Ferncloud purring too loudly to speak, and Dustpelt gave his son a quick lick of congratulations.
“You never told me Firestar chose you!” Squirrelflight exclaimed to Ashfur, too happy for him to feel really indignant.
Ashfur’s blue eyes glowed as he turned and gave her shoulder a swift lick. “I wanted to surprise you,” he replied.
With the ceremony over, Birchpaw started to look a bit lost, as if he wasn’t sure what happened next. Whitepaw darted across and pressed her muzzle against his. “Come on,” she meowed. “I’ll show you the apprentices’ den. We’ll fetch some more moss for your bedding. And I’ll ask Brackenfur if we can train together tomorrow.”
Birchpaw glanced at his mentor for permission to go with her, and when Ashfur nodded, he followed Whitepaw across the clearing. They both disappeared into the brambles where the apprentices slept.
“I never thought Firestar would choose me,” Ashfur murmured, watching him go. “I still can’t believe it!”
Squirrelflight pressed her nose into the fur on his shoulder. “You deserve it as much as any cat,” she meowed.
But her gaze slid past him to Brambleclaw. The big tabby tom had risen to his paws and was gazing at her and Ashfur with envy and frustration in his eyes. A tremor of fear went through Squirrelflight. What would he do now, when his hopes of becoming deputy had been frustrated yet again?
“Squirrelflight.” Sandstorm was calling to her a few tail-lengths away. “Come here a moment.”
Squirrelflight padded over to her mother. “What is it?”
“That quarrel today, by the ShadowClan border. Brambleclaw and Ashfur were close to fighting, and that’s not good for the Clan.”
Squirrelflight’s pelt prickled. “It wasn’t my fault,” she muttered mutinously. “Why tell me about it?”
The tip of Sandstorm’s tail twitched back and forth. “Come on, Squirrelflight, you know better than that. Any cat can have problems, but you shouldn’t let yours get in the way of your duty to the Clan.”
Squirrelflight forced herself to meet her mother’s eyes and saw sympathy there in spite of her stern words. “Okay,” she mewed. “I’ll do my best. But there are times when they bothbehave like furballs.”
Amusement glimmered in Sandstorm’s green eyes. “That’s tomcats for you.” She rested her tail on Squirrelflight’s shoulder for a moment before heading toward the fresh-kill pile.
Squirrelflight watched Brambleclaw slipping between the thorn branches into the warriors’ den. His head was down and his tail trailed on the ground.
The cat Squirrelflight thought she had known would have accepted his disappointment and moved on, given up his hopes of being deputy, and concentrated on being a loyal ThunderClan warrior.
But Brambleclaw wasn’t that cat anymore. Fear tingled through Squirrelflight again as she wondered just how far he would go to fulfill his ambition.
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 9
“Hey, Squirrelflight!”
Squirrelflight looked up from the mouse she was eating beside the fresh-kill pile. Her fur was ruffled uncomfortably by a cold wind. The weather had been gray and blustery for several days and the promise of early newleaf had vanished.
“Want to go for a hunt?” Cloudtail asked, strolling up to her. “Brackenfur and Spiderleg are coming.”
“Great!” Squirrelflight replied.
Brackenfur was talking to Ashfur and the two apprentices near the thorn tunnel. He seemed to be giving them an order, waving his tail for emphasis. Then Ashfur led the two apprentices toward the elders’ den, while Brackenfur strode over to join Squirrelflight and Cloudtail.
“Ashfur is going to supervise Whitepaw and Birchpaw while they do their duties for the elders,” he explained. “They keep asking to work together.”
Squirrelflight could understand why. Whitepaw had been the only apprentice since Spiderleg had been made a warrior more than a moon ago, while Birchpaw had been alone in the nursery since the Clan came to their new territory. Squirrelflight remembered how much fun it had been to train with others when she had been an apprentice. Her best friend then had been Shrewpaw, who had died on their journey to the lake; she would have liked to train with Leafpool, but right from a tiny kit her sister had seemed to know that her path led to the medicine cat’s den.
Swallowing the last gulp of mouse, Squirrelflight sprang to her paws. “Where are we going?” she asked, licking a paw and swiping it over her jaws to remove the traces of fresh-kill.
“I thought we might try the stream close to the lake,” Brackenfur replied. “There’s good cover there, plenty of places for prey to hide. Where’s Spiderleg?” he added.
Before Cloudtail could answer, the long-legged black warrior pushed his way out through the branches of the warriors’ den and bounded across the clearing. “What are we waiting for?” he demanded.
“You.” Cloudtail flicked his tail over Spiderleg’s ear. “Let’s go.”
Wind thrashed the branches above their heads and almost flattened the ferns as the four cats headed toward the stream. Squirrelflight shivered as it tugged her fur the wrong way, but there was something exhilarating about it too, as if it would make her senses keener and her paws run faster. Gradually she quickened her pace until she was racing through the woods with her tail streaming out behind her.
“Wait for us!” Brackenfur called.
Cloudtail was running alongside her, his white pelt almost brushing hers, and Brackenfur caught up on her other side. With a yowl of triumph Spiderleg flashed past all three of them, his long legs eating up the ground.
“Don’t go too far ahead!” Cloudtail panted. “You’ll scare all the prey.”
Squirrelflight slowed down; the run had stretched her muscles and made her feel she had enough energy for anything. They caught up with Spiderleg near the top of the bank that led down to the stream; he twitched his tail, warning them to keep silent, and Squirrelflight saw that he had spotted a starling. He dropped into the hunter’s crouch, waggling his hindquarters as he crept up on the bird. He was ready to pounce when suddenly the wind changed, parting the grasses that had concealed Spiderleg from his prey. The starling let out a loud alarm call. Spiderleg leapt, but the bird fluttered away from his outstretched forepaws and vanished into a tree.
Spiderleg turned back to his Clanmates with his tail drooping. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Brackenfur meowed to the younger warrior. “It was just bad luck, the wind changing like that.”
Squirrelflight stood on the bank, listening to the clatter of the branches and the stream bubbling below. Downstream, between the trees, she could see the surface of the lake, gray and ridged as the wind swept over it. For a moment she thought she heard another sound, the faint cry of a cat in distress, but it wasn’t repeated, and Squirrelflight thought she must have imagined it.
Cloudtail came to stand beside her. “Can you scent anything?”
Squirrelflight shook her head.
The white warrior opened his jaws and tasted the air. Squirrelflight saw his ears prick up, and he exclaimed, “Intruders!”
“WindClan?” Brackenfur joined them and peered down at the stream that formed the border. Even now, at the end of leaf-bare, the slope was covered with grass and fern, where invaders could hide as easily as prey.
“No, not WindClan.” Cloudtail drew in the scent again. “I don’t know who it is.”
Squirrelflight tasted the air. Cloudtail was right. There was definitely the scent of a cat—maybe more than one—but it wasn’t from any of the Clans. It was a pungent scent, with a hint of grass, and it was coming from close by.
“Rogues, do you think?” Spiderleg began to creep down the bank.
“Stay where you are!” Cloudtail snapped. “Would you go sticking your nose into a bee’s nest? We need to know what we’re dealing with.” He took a pace forward and called out, “Who’s there? Show yourself!”
Squirrelflight scanned the ground that led down to the stream, muscles tensed for the first sign of danger. “If they’re looking for trouble, they can have it,” she muttered.
“We know you’re there!” Cloudtail called again. “Come out!”
A tussock of long grass at the edge of the stream parted. To Squirrelflight’s astonishment a she-cat with long, cream-colored fur padded out.
“It’s Daisy from the horse place!” Squirrelflight exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Are you lost?” Privately, she couldn’t believe that even a kittypet could get lost here, when all she had to do was follow the lakeshore back to her home.
The she-cat cowered in the shelter of a bush and pressed herself to the ground as she looked up at the warriors. “Please don’t hurt me,” she mewed.
“I’ll chase her out,” Spiderleg offered, crouching down as if preparing to pounce on prey.
Cloudtail swished his tail. “Stand up, mousebrain,” he snapped. “Let’s find out what’s going on first.”
He padded down the bank until he stood face to face with Daisy. Squirrelflight followed him. The kittypet was a pitiful sight: her long-furred pelt was muddy and tangled with burrs, and her blue eyes were blank with exhaustion.
“What’s wrong? Has something happened at the horse place?”
Daisy blinked up at her, but before she could reply a mewling cry rose from the other side of the bush.
“Kits!” exclaimed Cloudtail.
He pushed past Daisy and shouldered his way into the long grass. Daisy followed him, mewing desperately, “Don’t hurt my kits!”
Dodging around the tussock of grass, Squirrelflight found three tiny kits huddled together, their tiny pink mouths stretched open in a wail of hunger and confusion. One was creamy-furred like Daisy, the others gray and white like the tomcat, Smoky, from the horse place.
Daisy circled her kits with her body, drawing them close to her with her tail. “Please help us,” she begged.
“Don’t worry, we won’t hurt any of you,” Brackenfur reassured her.
“What are you doing here?” Squirrelflight asked. “Surely your kits are too young to travel all this way?”
Daisy bent down and licked the cream-colored kit. “When Floss had her kits, the Nofurs took them away.”
Nofursmust be Twolegs, Squirrelflight thought. “Why would they do that?”
Daisy shook her head. “No cat knows. They were so young their eyes weren’t even open.”
Cloudtail let out a hiss of anger. “Fox dung! If I’d been there I’d have clawed their stupid faces.”
“What good would that do?” Daisy asked, her eyes brimming with sorrow. “The kits would still be gone. Floss will never see them again. So when I had mine,” she went on, lifting her head defiantly, “I decided to leave before the Nofurs found them. I saw lots of cats going past our fence in this direction, and I thought some of you would be friendly.” She turned her huge, trusting blue eyes on Cloudtail.
The warrior bent his head to sniff the three little scraps of fur. The kits shrank away, shivering, and their mews grew shrill with panic.
“You will help us, won’t you?” Daisy went on. “Back there”—she pointed with her tail toward WindClan territory—“some cats drove us off.”
“That would be WindClan,” Brackenfur meowed. “Don’t worry, you’re in ThunderClan territory now.”
Daisy nodded. “That must be why they left us alone once we crossed the stream. But I don’t think my kits can go any farther, and I won’t take them back. The Nofurs will steal them if I do.”
“We’ll help you,” Cloudtail promised. “You can bring your kits to our camp.”
Daisy blinked warmly at him. “Oh, thank you! You’re so kind!”
Brackenfur shot Cloudtail a look of surprise. “Fourkittypets?” he murmured. “What’s Firestar going to think about that?”
“Firestar will understand,” Cloudtail replied. “He was a kittypet once, and so was I. Do you have a problem with that, Brackenfur?”
Brackenfur twitched his ears. “Of course not. But I wonder if this is the right time to take in more cats, when we haven’t finished exploring our territory.”
“Well, it’s now or never for these kits,” Squirrelflight pointed out. “We’re not going to send them along the lake into ShadowClan. Come on!”
“Okay, let’s get going,” Cloudtail meowed. “Spiderleg!” he called to the younger warrior who had remained on watch at the top of the bank. “We need some help down here! You three can each carry a kit,” he explained, “and I’ll help Daisy.”
Squirrelflight picked up one of the gray and white kits by the scruff; it let out a wail of terror and started wriggling. “Shut up. I’m helping you,” she muttered through a mouthful of fur.
Brackenfur and Spiderleg each took one of the other kits, and Cloudtail let Daisy lean on his shoulder as they struggled up the bank and made their way slowly back to camp.
When Squirrelflight pushed her way through the thorn tunnel the clearing was deserted, but as she headed toward the nursery Birchpaw bounded up to her, carrying a ball of dirty moss from the elders’ den.
“What have you got there?” he asked, dropping the moss and peering curiously at the tiny bundle dangling from her mouth. “Oh, wow! Whitepaw, come and look at this!”
The older apprentice followed him out of the elders’ den with more moss. “Kits!” she exclaimed. “Where did you get them?”
Squirrelflight couldn’t explain with a mouthful of kit, so she padded on to the nursery, while the excited apprentices called the rest of the Clan to come and look. Ferncloud appeared from the warriors’ den and stretched her eyes wide when she saw what Squirrelflight and the others were carrying.
“Poor little scraps!” she gasped. “Bring them into the nursery. Whitepaw, go and fetch Cinderpelt. And Birchpaw, let Firestar know. Are you their mother?” she meowed to Daisy, who had stumbled up with Cloudtail pressed close to her flank. “Don’t worry. We’ll look after all of you.”
Ferncloud ducked into the nursery ahead of Squirrelflight and began pulling moss and bracken together to make a warm, thick nest. Squirrelflight gently set her kit down in the middle of the nest; it had stopped wriggling long ago and lay very still, scarcely breathing. Brackenfur and Spiderleg set down the kits they carried and Daisy lay down beside them, nudging them anxiously.
“Whitepaw says there are kits here. Can I see?” Sorreltail stuck her head into the nursery. When she saw Daisy and her litter she pushed her way through the branches to crouch beside the nest. “Oh, they’re beautiful!” she purred. “Here, let me help you.” She began licking the nearest kit, rubbing its fur the wrong way to warm it up.
Squirrelflight was surprised to see how interested Sorreltail was in the kits, until she noticed how plump the tortoiseshell was looking, and how her scent had changed. She must be expecting Brackenfur’s kits, she thought. That’s great! ThunderClan needs new kits
With Daisy, Sorreltail, and Ferncloud all busily licking, the kits soon started to stir, letting out faint, whimpering cries. But Daisy didn’t look up until all three revived enough to nuzzle into her belly and start suckling.
“You saved their lives,” she murmured. “I thought they were all going to die.”
The nursery entrance rustled again as Cinderpelt padded in, followed by Leafpool with a mouthful of herbs. Squirrelflight slid across to her sister’s side and whispered, “Do you think Sorreltail is expecting kits?”
Leafpool placed the herbs close to where Daisy was lying. “Of course she’s expecting kits!” she snapped. “Any cat can see it. Where have you been for the last half moon?”
Squirrelflight twitched her ears. Leafpool wasn’t usually so short-tempered. She felt strong emotion coming off her sister’s fur in waves, but Squirrelflight couldn’t make out what it was.
Cinderpelt edged past Spiderleg to reach Daisy and the kits. “What’s this, a Gathering? Any cat who hasn’t something to do here, out! Give us all room to breathe.”
With a last glance at the new arrivals, Squirrelflight left, along with Spiderleg and Brackenfur. As they emerged into the clearing, Squirrelflight heard Cinderpelt meow, “Daisy, I’ve brought you some herbs to strengthen you and the kits. Don’t worry. You’re all going to be fine.”
In the clearing, the apprentices were chattering excitedly, the soiled moss abandoned on the ground. Just outside the nursery, Cloudtail was reporting to Firestar, while several other cats crowded around to listen. Squirrelflight spotted Brambleclaw among them; the tabby tom looked disapproving—but then Brambleclaw alwayslooked disapproving these days.
He wasn’t the only cat to seem troubled by Daisy’s arrival.
“How long are you going to let them stay?” Dustpelt asked the Clan leader.
Firestar twitched the tip of his tail. “That depends on a lot of things. How long do they want to stay?”
“I don’t think Daisy ever wants to go back to the horse place,” Cloudtail meowed. “The Twolegs took Floss’s kits away, so when her own kits were born she decided to leave in order to keep them safe.”
“That’s a good reason,” Firestar commented.
“Does that mean you’d let them join the Clan? Permanently?” Brambleclaw’s tone was clearly challenging. “Four kittypets?”
Squirrelflight felt a growl rising from the back of her throat. Had Brambleclaw forgotten that Firestar had been a kittypet, and she shared his kittypet blood?
“You only have to look at Daisy to tell she probably never killed a mouse in her life,” Brambleclaw went on, before Squirrelflight could challenge him. “She’ll need a lot of help to live out here.”
“True,” Firestar admitted. “But ThunderClan needs more young cats. We only have two apprentices, and although Sorreltail’s kits will be very welcome, they won’t begin their warrior training for moons.”
Brackenfur and Sorreltail, who had emerged from the nursery to stand beside her mate, blinked proudly at each other.
“But these are kittypets,” Brambleclaw objected. “How are they going to learn—”
“Whatdid you say?” Cloudtail whirled around to face Brambleclaw, his blue eyes slitted with anger. “Have you forgotten that your Clan leader was a kittypet? That Iwas a kittypet? I’ll show you that a kittypet can claw your ears off any time.”
Brambleclaw took a step back, his eyes flaring. The rest of the cats looked shocked too, including Cloudtail’s mate, Brightheart. Squirrelflight hadn’t realized the white warrior was still so sensitive about his kittypet origins; they were never mentioned by his Clanmates, and he had arrived in ThunderClan as a tiny kit, long before Squirrelflight was born.
“If Cloudtail doesn’t claw you, I will,” she hissed, padding forward to stand beside the white warrior and glaring furiously at Brambleclaw.
“That’s enough.” Firestar thrust between the bristling antagonists. “Sheathe your claws. There’ll be no fighting here.”
“Thank you for standing up for us.” The quiet voice came from behind her. Squirrelflight turned to see that Daisy had appeared at the entrance to the nursery. “I couldn’t help hearing what you were saying. I didn’t intend to join anyone when I left home. I only wanted to save my kits from whatever happened to Floss’s litter. If it’s a problem having us here, we’ll leave as soon as my kits are strong enough to travel.”
“It’s not a problem,” Cloudtail assured her instantly.
“You can stay as long as you want,” Firestar added, padding across to stand in front of Daisy. “But if you decide to leave you need to think very carefully about where you’ll go. The life of a loner is tough. Are you used to catching your own food?”
“I bet she can,” Squirrelflight put in, before Daisy could answer. “Barley and Ravenpaw catch mice in their barn, so why shouldn’t Daisy and the others?”
Daisy shook her head, looking a bit embarrassed. “No, we—”
“No, she’d be too fat and lazy to run fast enough,” Sootfur interrupted, loud enough to be heard. Squirrelflight was glad when Mousefur hissed at him and gave him a clout around the ear with a sheathed paw; she would have done the same if she’d been close enough.
“The Nofurs fed us,” Daisy explained, blinking anxiously. “We did catch mice sometimes, in the barn. But there aren’t very many mice there—and anyway, I expect it’s harder out here.”
“You’re right. It is,” Firestar meowed. “But we’ll show you how, if you decide to stay. And we’ll train your kits in our ways.”
“You don’t have to decide right now,” Cloudtail put in. “Why don’t you go back to your kits now? You need to rest.”
“And we won’t make any decisions without talking to you,” Firestar added. He turned to the apprentices, who were hovering on the edge of the group with eyes like full moons. “Birchpaw, fetch Daisy a piece of fresh-kill from the pile, please.”
The young apprentice bounded off.
“Come on, Daisy,” Cloudtail meowed. “Everything will seem better when you’re not hungry and tired.”
Squirrelflight saw Brightheart looking a little disconcerted as her mate touched his nose to Daisy’s flank. The ginger and white she-cat watched them walk back to the nursery, then murmured to Whitepaw, “Your father’s doing exactly the right thing. Daisy’s exhausted, and she must be scared out of her wits.”
Brightheart hurried forward to catch up with Cloudtail and Daisy. “Do you need any help with the kits?” she offered.
Daisy glanced around and let out a little squeak of alarm. “What happened to your face?”
Squirrelflight was so used to seeing the injuries Brightheart had received from the dog pack that she didn’t notice them anymore. But she could understand how Daisy, confronted by the bald pink scars and empty eye socket for the first time, might be frightened.
She doesn’t have to show it like that, though, Squirrelflight thought crossly. Poor Brightheart!
“I was attacked by dogs.” Brightheart lowered her head and turned the injured side of her face away from Daisy. She stepped back to let Cloudtail and Daisy go into the nursery alone, then she headed across the clearing to the warriors’ den.
“Want to hunt?” Squirrelflight jumped at the sound of Ashfur’s voice behind her. “It doesn’t sound as if your patrol had much chance to bring back fresh-kill.”
“No, we didn’t,” Squirrelflight admitted. “Let’s go now.”
“We’ll need plenty of prey from now on,” Ashfur remarked as they headed to the thorn tunnel. “Four more mouths to feed!”
Squirrelflight was pleased by the warmth in his tone. He was much more welcoming to the new arrivals than Brambleclaw had been, with his scathing comments about kittypets. I’m half kittypet myself, she thought. Do you think I shouldn’t be a warrior either, Brambleclaw?
Ducking her head to follow Ashfur through the brambles, Squirrelflight pushed thoughts of Brambleclaw out of her mind. It didn’t make any difference where Daisy came from. ThunderClan was desperately short of young cats, after so many had died during the famine and the journey to the lake. Daisy’s arrival could be exactly what they needed.
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 10
Leafpool dropped the herbs she wascarrying and looked down at the creamy-furred she-cat. “Cinderpelt says you need to eat these.”
Daisy blinked up at her from sleepy blue eyes, lifting her head from where she lay among the thick moss in the nursery. In the two days since they came to the camp, she and her kits had almost recovered from their exhausting journey. Daisy had groomed her fur back into soft silkiness, while her three kits were curled up together in a purring heap. “You’re all so kind,” Daisy murmured. She chewed up the herbs obediently, wrinkling her nose against the pungent scent.
Careful not to disturb them, Leafpool bent to check the three kits. “They’re beautiful,” she mewed. “Have you given them names yet?”
“Yes. The one with cream fur like mine is Berry, the bigger gray one is Mouse, and the smallest one is Hazel.” Daisy rested her tail softly on each kit as she named it.
“Those will work very well as Clan names,” Leafpool told her. “Here they’ll be Berrykit, Mousekit, and Hazelkit. I’ll let Firestar know.”
She thought Daisy looked a bit doubtful, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted her kits to be part of the Clan, but before she could say any more Ferncloud crept in through the entrance with a mouse in her jaws.
“I’ve brought you some fresh-kill,” she meowed to Daisy, placing the mouse next to her. Purring, she settled down in the moss beside the kits. “They look fine now. I’m sure you have enough milk.”
Leaving them to discuss the kits, Leafpool said good-bye and emerged into the clearing. The weather was still gray and cold, and the trees above her head clashed in the wind.
More than a half moon had passed since their encounter on the hillside, but there had been no word from Crowfeather. Half the time, Leafpool drifted around in a haze of happiness, remembering the look in his eyes and the scent of his pelt.
But for the rest of the time she was clawed by guilt that she had agreed to meet him again. If she was a true medicine cat, she wouldn’t even be thinking about him. She tried harder than ever to concentrate on her tasks, so that she could become the cat she had always longed to be. Besides, she didn’t want Cinderpelt to scold her, or suspect that the WindClan warrior was occupying her thoughts.
Leafpool padded toward her den, but stopped short as a tortoiseshell cat hurtled through the thorn tunnel and skidded to a halt in the middle of the clearing. For an instant Leafpool thought it was Sorreltail, and her heart lurched at the thought of any harm coming to the kits she was carrying. Then she looked more closely and recognized Mosspelt, a warrior from RiverClan.
“Leafpool!” she gasped. “Thank StarClan you’re here!”
“What’s the matter?” Leafpool asked.
“Mothwing sent me.” Mosspelt’s chest heaved. “There’s sickness in RiverClan. It’s bad—very bad.”
“And Mothwing wants me to come?”
Mosspelt nodded. “Mothwing said you would understand what the trouble is.”
Leafpool swallowed, feeling as if a tough piece of fresh-kill were stuck in her throat. She understood too well. Feathertail’s warning—that Twolegs would put RiverClan in great danger—had come true. Her dream, her long journey to tell Mothwing, had all been in vain.
More cats had begun to gather in the clearing. Firestar appeared on the Highledge with Sandstorm, while Brightheart and several other warriors emerged from the warriors’ den. Daisy peered cautiously out of the nursery, then ran across to Cloudtail and began talking urgently to him, twitching her tail anxiously as she spoke.
Sootfur shot Mosspelt a hostile stare. “Why should we send our medicine cat all the way around the lake to help RiverClan? They should find help somewhere else.”
“Oh, come on!” Thornclaw argued. “WindClan aren’t likely to help, are they? And ShadowClan have never been exactly generous toward other Clans.”
Leafpool was relieved to see Cinderpelt padding across to them.
“What’s going on? Mosspelt, are you in trouble?”
“The whole of RiverClan is in trouble,” the she-cat answered. More calmly, now that she had caught her breath, she repeated what she had told Leafpool. “Mothwing’s den is full of sick cats,” she mewed. “None have died yet, but they will die, if we don’t have help.”
“May I go?” Leafpool begged. She was racked with guilt that she hadn’t tried to do anything else to find out what the trouble might be. Perhaps she really was losing her ability to speak with StarClan. “Please, Cinderpelt!”
Cinderpelt and Firestar exchanged a long glance. Then the medicine cat meowed, “If Firestar agrees.”
The Clan leader nodded. “We can’t refuse to help another Clan in trouble. Besides, this sickness, whatever it is, might come here. Leafpool, try to find out everything you can about it.”
“I will,” Leafpool promised. “Are you sure you can manage without me?” she asked Cinderpelt. Because of her lame leg, the medicine cat relied on Leafpool to collect most of the healing herbs they needed.
“Of course,” Cinderpelt replied. “ThunderClan is lucky to have two medicine cats.” A shadow flickered in her eyes.
Brightheart stepped forward. “I could help you, Cinderpelt,” she offered. “I think I know what most of the herbs look like—the common ones, anyway.”
“Thank you, Brightheart.” Cinderpelt turned back to Leafpool. “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t go with Mosspelt. But come back as soon as you can. And may StarClan go with you.”
Leafpool nodded and followed Mosspelt out of the camp. Already she had begun to run through a list of the herbs she might need: juniper, watermint, chervil root…. She shook her head. She couldn’t tell what she needed until she’d had a chance to examine the sick cats. StarClan, I need you now, she prayed silently. Show me what I have to do
A strong wind whisked across the surface of the lake as Leafpool and Mosspelt crossed WindClan’s territory, buffeting the two cats’ fur. After her frantic dash to ThunderClan, Mosspelt couldn’t manage anything faster than a trot, and Leafpool kept pace with her. There was no point in racing on to the RiverClan camp if she arrived too exhausted to help.
They were drawing near the horse place when Leafpool heard a yowl from somewhere above them. Glancing around, she spotted a patrol of four WindClan cats bounding down the hillside toward them. Her heart lurched as she saw Crowfeather’s lean gray shape racing over the turf.
She and Mosspelt stopped and waited for the patrol to catch up. Tornear was leading it; behind him, flanking Crowfeather, came Owlwhisker and Webfoot.
“Greetings.” Tornear dipped his head. “What are you doing on WindClan territory?”
His tone was formal, not aggressive, though Leafpool hardly registered his question. She was too conscious of Crowfeather’s eyes scorching into her fur, though she dared not speak to him or even look at him with so many other cats around.
“We’re on our way to RiverClan,” Mosspelt meowed. She did not tell Tornear why; Leafpool guessed she was in no hurry to let WindClan know that RiverClan had been weakened by sickness.
“We’re staying close to the lake,” Leafpool pointed out, “just as the leaders decided at the Gathering.”
“I can see you are,” meowed Tornear. “Carry on, then, and—”
“What are you staring at herfor?” Webfoot growled. “Aren’t there enough cats in WindClan for you to be padding after?”
Leafpool froze. He was speaking to Crowfeather. She looked at the gray warrior and saw her own dismay reflected in his eyes.
“Great StarClan, Webfoot,” Tornear meowed. “Don’t be more mousebrained than you can help. This is Squirrelflight’s sister, remember? Squirrelflight who Crowfeather went on the journey with?”
Leafpool went limp with relief, breathing out silent thanks to Tornear.
“That’s right,” Crowfeather choked out. “Er…say hi to Squirrelflight for me, will you, Leafpool?”
“Sure.” Leafpool dipped her head.
Mosspelt scraped her claws impatiently on the pebbles. “Can we keep going, please?”
Tornear nodded, waving Leafpool and Mosspelt away with a sweep of his tail.
Before Leafpool had taken a couple of paces she heard a hiss behind her and swung around to see Crowfeather following her.
“Meet me by the island at twilight,” he whispered, adding in a louder meow, “Remember to tell Squirrelflight what I said.”
“Yes, I will,” Leafpool replied. Guilt and excitement thrilled through her until she felt that every hair on her pelt must be sparkling with it. This couldn’t be wrong, could it? When it made her so happy?
“Crowfeather, are you coming?” Webfoot yowled.
The gray warrior darted away without another glance at Leafpool. She bounded along the lakeshore to catch up to Mosspelt, feeling as though her paws hardly touched the ground.
Long before she and Mosspelt reached the RiverClan camp, Leafpool could smell the sickness. It hung heavily in the air, a stench like rotting carrion. Then an eerie wailing rose above the gurgle of the stream that bordered the camp. Mosspelt shot Leafpool a terrified glance and bounded ahead, splashing through the stream and into the camp. Leafpool followed, hardly noticing the icy water that dragged at her paws and soaked her belly fur.
Leopardstar emerged from the ferns at the top of the bank and waited for Leafpool and Mosspelt to reach her. The terrible wailing went on and on.
“Ivytail is dead,” Leopardstar announced. Her voice was calm, but Leafpool could see stark terror behind her eyes. “Do you think you can do anything to help us?”
“I don’t know until I talk to Mothwing,” Leafpool answered. “I’ll go straight to her den—I know the way.”
“I will send some of my warriors to help you,” Leopardstar meowed.
Leafpool crossed the camp and picked her way down the bank to Mothwing’s den under the thorn bush. All thoughts of Crowfeather had vanished from her head. All that mattered was helping these sick cats.
On the way, she met Heavystep and Hawkfrost bearing the limp body of a brown tabby Leafpool didn’t recognize. She stood aside to let them pass, her head respectfully bowed.
“Leafpool!” It was Mothwing’s voice, high and panicky. The RiverClan medicine cat flung herself out of the den and pressed her muzzle into Leafpool’s fur. “I knew you would come!”
Leafpool inhaled her friend’s fear scent, stronger even than the reek of sickness. “Tell me what the matter is,” she mewed.
“They’re all dying!” Mothwing’s wide blue eyes were distraught. “I don’t know what to do!”
“Mothwing, calm down,” she ordered. “Your Clan will give up completely if they see their medicine cat panicking. You mustbe strong for their sake.”
Mothwing took a couple of gulping breaths. “I’m sorry,” she meowed after a moment. “You’re right, Leafpool. I’m okay now.”
“Tell me what’s been happening,” Leafpool repeated.
“Come and see.”
Mothwing led Leafpool to her den. Close to the entrance, sheltered by the twisted branches of the thorn tree, a small black kit lay in a mossy nest. Its eyes were closed, and Leafpool had to watch closely for a few moments before she saw its shallow breathing.
Beside it were two other kits—another black one unconscious like the first but breathing more strongly, and a gray one thrashing back and forth, its jaws gaping in a feeble wail.
Farther along the bank, beyond the den, four warriors lay in rough nests of dried bracken, along with a younger cat who looked like an apprentice. Leafpool recognized Dawnflower’s pale gray pelt, and Voletooth, who had recently been made a warrior.
She crouched down beside Dawnflower, who was nearest, and extended one paw to pat her belly gently. Dawnflower moaned and tried to pull away from her. Leafpool gave her a soothing lick, then sat back and looked up at Mothwing.
“It reminds me of the time the elders were ill from drinking poisoned water,” she meowed. “But the scent isn’t quite the same. I wonder—”
“But that was my fault!” Mothwing wailed. “I should have smelled there was a dead rabbit in that pool.”
“Not when your paws were covered in mouse bile,” Leafpool reminded her. “And this sickness isn’t your fault either.”
“It is!” Mothwing dug her claws into the earth. “If I were a true medicine cat, I would know what to do for my Clan.”
“That’s nonsense,” Leafpool mewed sharply. “You area true medicine cat. You’ve done nothing to cause this sickness, but we need to find out where it comes from.”
“I haven’t had time to check everywhere in the territory, not since the first cats fell ill,” Mothwing admitted. “But all the streams are running clear, and there’s no sign of Twoleg rubbish in the lake.” She scraped the ground again with her claws. “I’m a useless medicine cat. Mudfur should never have chosen me.”
“That’s nonsense too, and you know it,” Leafpool meowed more gently, brushing her tail against Mothwing’s pelt. “What about the moth’s wing that Mudfur found outside his den? It was a clear sign from StarClan that they wanted you to be his apprentice.” Mothwing looked as if she was about to protest, but Leafpool went on rapidly, “Tell me what you’ve been doing for these sick cats.”
“I gave them watermint for bellyache, and when that didn’t work I tried juniper berries. That seemed to soothe the pain a bit, but the cats didn’t get better.”
“Hmm…” Leafpool ran her list of remedies through her mind. “If they’ve eaten something poisonous, then we should try to make them bring it up. Have you got any yarrow leaves?”
“A few,” Mothwing replied. “Not enough for every cat, though.”
“Then some cat will have to go and fetch more.”
While she was speaking, Leafpool saw Mistyfoot and a young black warrior she didn’t know padding down the slope toward her. Mistyfoot waved her tail in greeting. “Leopardstar sent us to help you,” she meowed.
“Thanks,” Leafpool replied. “We need yarrow leaves.”
“I’ll get some,” the black tom offered immediately. Dipping his head to Leafpool, he added, “You don’t remember me, do you?”
Scanning his slender figure and small, neat ears, Leafpool felt as if she should recognize him, but she couldn’t remember his name. She shook her head. “Sorry.”
“I’m Reedwhisker,” the black warrior meowed. “You saved me when I nearly drowned, back in our old home.”
“He was Reedpaw then,” Mistyfoot added.
Surprise silenced Leafpool for a moment, as she remembered the cat Mistyfoot had dragged out of the flooded river. Mothwing hadn’t known what to do to get the young cat breathing again, and Leafpool had been forced to take over. The spirit of Spottedleaf had been close beside her all the time, guiding her paws until it was clear that the apprentice would live.
“I’m glad to see you again,” she mewed briefly, not wanting to remind Mothwing of another occasion when she had panicked. “We need as much yarrow as you can carry, and quickly. Do you know where to find it?”
“There are some good clumps near the horse place fence,” Mothwing put in before he could reply.
Reedwhisker waved his tail. “I’m on my way. I’ve got an apprentice of my own now,” he added. “Ripplepaw. I’ll take her with me so we can carry more.”
“Juniper berries too,” Leafpool called after him as the slender black warrior whipped around and raced off. “There are bushes near the top of the slope above the marshes.”
Reedwhisker flicked his tail to show he had heard and vanished over the top of the bank.
“Right, Mothwing,” Leafpool meowed when he had gone. “Where’s the yarrow you do have? We can get started while we wait for Reedwhisker to come back.”
“Tell me what I can do first,” Mistyfoot mewed. “Are there any other herbs you need?”
“Not right now,” Leafpool answered. “But you could check the territory for anything that might have caused this.”
Mistyfoot looked puzzled. “What kind of thing am I looking for?”
Leafpool shook her head, careful to say nothing that would reveal that the warning dream had come to her and not to RiverClan’s own medicine cat. “I wish I could tell you. Anything unusual—especially anything that doesn’t smell right. Look for something that Twolegs might have done or left behind.”
“Twolegs? Around here?” Mistyfoot put her head on one side. “Well, you know best, I suppose. I’ll send out all the cats we can spare.”
She cast a sorrowful look at the row of sick cats lying along the bank of the stream, then disappeared over the top of the bank.
Meanwhile Mothwing had retreated into her den and came back with a bunch of yarrow leaves, which she dropped at Leafpool’s paws. Leafpool blinked in dismay at how few there were, but at least they looked reasonably fresh.
“Okay, let’s treat the kits first,” she meowed. “There’s enough here for all three of them, and with any luck Reedwhisker will be back soon.” She nosed the gray kit, who was still writhing in pain and letting out faint mewling sounds; a chill crept over her as she realized he had weakened even in the short time since she had first seen him. “Help me move him over here,” she directed Mothwing. “We don’t want him vomiting in the place where he’s got to sleep.”
As gently as they could, the two she-cats moved the kit closer to the bank of the stream and laid him on a soft cushion of moss. Leafpool chewed up a single yarrow leaf, being careful to spit out all the scraps. Then she stuffed the pulp into the kit’s wide-open mouth.
“Swallow it,” she ordered, although she wasn’t sure if the kit could hear her.
The tiny throat convulsed as the kit tried to spit out the scraps of bitter-tasting leaf. But some must have gone down, because a moment later he vomited up several mouthfuls of evil-smelling mucus. His cries died down, and he lay limp and shivering, blinking up at Leafpool.
“Well done.” Leafpool stroked one paw over his head. “Now I want you to eat one juniper berry for me, and then you can go to sleep. Mothwing?”
The RiverClan medicine cat was already at her side with the juniper berry. She crushed it carefully and held it where the kit could lick it up, massaging his throat to make sure he swallowed it. Her soothing purr—so different from her earlier panic—quieted the tiny kit, and he was asleep by the time Leafpool and Mothwing moved him back to his nest.
“I think he’ll be okay,” murmured Leafpool, sending up a silent prayer to StarClan. “Let’s treat the next one.”
The next kit was still sleeping, but she stirred as the two medicine cats moved her to the edge of the bank.
“My belly hurts,” she moaned.
“This will make it better,” Leafpool promised, stuffing another yarrow leaf into the kit’s mouth.
Instantly the kit spat it out. “Yuck, it’s horrible!”
“Minnowkit, do as you’re told and eat it,” Mothwing mewed sharply.
“Don’t want—” The kit’s protest was interrupted by a feeble wail as her belly was seized by another cramp.
Mothwing took the chance to stuff the yarrow leaf back into her mouth, while Leafpool stroked her throat. Minnowkit wailed again, and like the first kit soon brought up the reeking mucus.
“Now you can have a juniper berry,” Mothwing meowed, popping it in swiftly as Minnowkit opened her mouth to protest.
“Juniper’s horrible,” Minnowkit murmured, her voice fading as she drifted, still complaining, into sleep.
Leafpool and Mothwing dragged her back to the nest and examined the third kit, the one who seemed weakest.
Mothwing’s eyes were huge with distress. “I think she’s dead.”
Leafpool bent over the tiny kit and felt her whiskers stirred by a faint breath. “No, she’s still alive.” She tried to sound hopeful, though privately she was afraid the kit was well on the way to joining the ranks of StarClan. Not if I can help it, she decided. “I don’t think we should try moving her, though,” she warned. “Fetch a dock leaf, and she can vomit onto that.”
Mothwing hurried over to where docks grew at the edge of the stream and bit through the stem of a large leaf. Meanwhile Leafpool chewed up more yarrow. All her efforts to rouse the kit failed, so Mothwing had to part the kit’s jaws while Leafpool forced the yarrow as far down her throat as she could.
The kit retched feebly and spat a few scraps of yarrow mixed with mucus onto the dock leaf before lying still.
“That’s not enough,” Mothwing mewed worriedly.
“No, but it’s better than nothing. We’ll let her rest for a while, then try again.”
There were only two yarrow leaves left.
“We should treat Beechpaw next,” Mothwing decided, pointing with her tail to where the young cat lay at the end of the row of sick warriors. “He’s the weakest, except for the kits.” She picked up the remaining yarrow in her jaws and padded off. Leafpool was about to go with her when Mistyfoot reappeared at the top of the bank, her sides heaving.
“Leafpool,” she panted, “I’ve found something. Will you come and see?”
Leafpool glanced at Mothwing, who had also heard the deputy’s arrival and turned to listen. “Go on, Leafpool,” she urged. “I’ll be fine here.”
Leafpool made one last swift check of the sleeping kits, then climbed the bank to join Mistyfoot. To her relief, she spotted Reedwhisker and a silver-pelted apprentice padding across the camp, their jaws full of yarrow.
“That’s great!” she exclaimed. “Take it straight to Mothwing, please.”
“No problem,” Reedwhisker mumbled around his mouthful of stems. “We’ll fetch the juniper next.”
The RiverClan deputy led Leafpool along the top of the bank as far as a barrier of thorns that stretched from stream to stream, blocking off the camp from intruders. When the two cats had pushed their way through a narrow tunnel, curved around many sleek bodies, Mistyfoot followed the smaller stream up a steep slope in the direction of the ShadowClan border.
Soon the slope became an almost sheer, sandy cliff, with jutting rocks that cats could climb, while the stream cascaded down beside them in a waterfall. Leafpool slowed down, careful not to slip on the wet stone. Mistyfoot waited for her at the top, where the stream gushed out of the hillside between moss-covered boulders.
“Not far now,” she promised.
Leafpool paused to catch her breath and taste the air. She caught a faint hint of the Thunderpath that formed the border between RiverClan and ShadowClan, but the scent of monsters was faint and stale, as if none had been there for many days. Her ears pricked as she identified another scent—unfamiliar, but reminding her of the reek of sickness around Mothwing’s den. She glanced at Mistyfoot.
“This way,” the deputy mewed.
The stench grew stronger as they approached the border with ShadowClan. Leafpool was just starting to wonder if the problem lay in RiverClan’s territory at all when Mistyfoot swerved around a hazel thicket and headed back into her own territory. Hawkfrost and Blackclaw were waiting a few fox-lengths away, in a small clearing enclosed by brambles. Hawkfrost swung to face them as they approached, neck fur bristling, then relaxed when he saw who they were.
“Nothing to report,” he meowed. “Everything’s been quiet since you left.”
“No sign of ShadowClan,” Blackclaw added.
Leafpool wondered why the RiverClan warrior was so worried about ShadowClan. They hadn’t crossed the border between the territories. Perhaps he wanted to blame ShadowClan for the sickness.
“This has nothing to do with ShadowClan,” Mistyfoot mewed sharply. “It’s a Twoleg thing, just like you said, Leafpool. Come and see, but don’t get too close.”
Hawkfrost and Blackclaw stepped aside to reveal a smooth, round object about the size of a badger lying at the far side of the clearing, half hidden by brambles. It was hard and shiny, like the Twoleg monsters. As Leafpool crept toward it, she saw that in one place the smooth surface was crushed and broken. A sticky liquid oozed out of the crack, dripping down the side to form a silvery-green puddle. Traces of the liquid on the grass farther away suggested that cats or some other animal had trodden in the puddle and picked up some of the sticky stuff on their paws.
Leafpool opened her jaws to speak and coughed as the reek hit her throat. “This must be it!” she gasped. “That stuff could kill a cat; it even looksevil.”
“And smells vile,” Hawkfrost growled, his nose wrinkled in disgust.
“I don’t get it,” Blackclaw argued. “Surely no cat would be mousebrained enough to drink that.”
“Mousebrain yourself,” Mistyfoot retorted. “Can’t you see cats must have picked it up on their pads? You tread in it accidentally, you lick yourself clean, and there you are.”
“Other animals would tread in it too,” Leafpool agreed. “Mice, for example. If cats killed them and ate them, they would pick up the poison that way.”
Mistyfoot looked horrified. “That means it could be over the whole territory by now!”
“I don’t think it’s as bad as that,” Leafpool told her. “You’ll need to warn every cat to keep away from this area for a while, but any prey that picked it up would die before they had the chance to travel very far. I don’t think there’s much risk they’d be caught as fresh-kill anywhere else.”
Mistyfoot nodded. “I’ll tell Leopardstar right away.”
“It’s about time,” Hawkfrost commented in a low voice to Blackclaw. “If the patrols had been properly organized, we would have found this long ago.”
Leafpool froze. Patrols were the deputy’s responsibility; Hawkfrost was criticizing Mistyfoot practically to her face. She remembered that back in the old forest Mistyfoot had been trapped by Twolegs, and while she was away Hawkfrost had been made RiverClan deputy in her place. Becoming an ordinary warrior again when Mistyfoot returned must have been hard for Hawkfrost, but that was no excuse for undermining Mistyfoot’s authority to other cats. What he said wasn’t even true; a Clan’s territory was too big for patrols to find every single hazard right away.
Blackclaw was nodding agreement, with a hostile glance at the blue-furred she-cat; did he think Hawkfrost should still be deputy? Leafpool wondered. Was Hawkfrost trying to gain followers who were loyal to him alone, and not to the Clan?
Mistyfoot had begun to pad away, back to the camp. If she had noticed the exchange, she gave no sign of it.
“We’ll find some thorns and build a barrier around the thing,” Hawkfrost offered, calling after her. “Come on, Blackclaw,” he added more softly. “We don’t want any animals coming near it, cats or prey. Somecat has to look out for the Clan.”
He bounded over to the nearest thicket and started clawing at a dead thorn branch. Blackclaw followed and helped to drag it back to the Twoleg thing with its stinking pool.
“Wash your paws when you’ve finished,” Leafpool advised, trying to pretend she hadn’t heard what Hawkfrost said. “Don’tlick them.”
“Good thinking,” Hawkfrost replied, as he went off to find another branch.
Leafpool ran to catch up with Mistyfoot. “There’s one thing I don’t understand,” she meowed, as the choking stench began to die away behind them. “How did those kits get ill? Surely they’re too young to be this far from the nursery?”
Mistyfoot let out an exasperated sigh. “The other day they ran away from camp and went exploring on their own. It was Minnowkit’s idea. She can think of more ways of getting into trouble than there are stars in Silverpelt. The sooner she has a mentor to keep an eye on her, the happier I’ll be.”
“They’re too young to have caught any prey around here, so they must have found that Twoleg thing.” Leafpool shivered at the thought of young kits sticking their paws into the vile green liquid. “They never told any cat what they had found?” When Mistyfoot shook her head, Leafpool went on, “The other cats must have gotten sick from poisoned prey, or theywould have reported the Twoleg thing to Leopardstar.”
“The kits never said a word,” Mistyfoot agreed. “I was furious when I caught them trying to sneak back into camp. They probably thought they were in enough trouble already.” She stopped suddenly. “Dawnflower’s their mother. She gave them a good licking when they got back, and she was the first full-grown cat to fall ill.”
“That makes sense,” Leafpool meowed. “I’ll have to have a word with those kits when they wake up.”
“They willwake up?”
“I think so.” Leafpool didn’t mention the black kit who hadn’t responded to the yarrow treatment. Mothwing needed more help than she alone could provide to save some of these fragile lives. “With the help of StarClan,” she added quietly.
The day was nearly over when the two cats returned to the RiverClan camp. The setting sun was a sullen red glow behind bars of cloud. Leafpool had hardly noticed time passing; it seemed no more than a few heartbeats since Mosspelt had dashed into the stone hollow.
At least the camp was quiet; no eerie wailing signaled another death. Most cats were settling into their dens for the night, although two or three still crouched beside the fresh-kill pile.
“That reminds me,” Leafpool meowed. “It would be a good idea to go through the fresh-kill pile and throw out anything with that scent on it.”
Mistyfoot nodded. “I’ll check the camp, too, in case any cat has brought that stuff in on their paws. And every cat should check themselves, and wash off the scent downstream if they have it.”
She headed toward Leopardstar’s den to report to her leader. Leafpool watched her go, then she slipped over the top of the bank and down to where Mothwing stooped over the sick cats.
“How’s it going?” she asked, joining the RiverClan medicine cat who was examining Dawnflower.
“Okay, I think. No cat has died, though Heavystep has fallen ill.” She pointed with her tail to where the big tabby elder was curled up on the bank. “I’ve given him yarrow, and he doesn’t seem as bad as some of the others.”
Leafpool remembered that Heavystep was one of the cats who had been carrying out the dead cat when she arrived. Perhaps he had picked up the poison that way. Hawkfrost had been with him, but he seemed fine, and he knew now that he had to be careful not to get the sticky Twoleg stuff on his fur.
“We found what the problem is,” Leafpool told Mothwing. She described the shiny Twoleg thing and the greenish liquid that was seeping out from it.
Mothwing shuddered. “So it wasTwolegs who brought the trouble!” Her blue gaze locked with Leafpool’s. Then she flicked her tail. “Come and check the cats.”
Leafpool had hardly begun to sniff Dawnflower when she glimpsed movement out of the corner of her eye. A kit was standing at the other end of the line of sick cats; in the twilight Leafpool could only just make out her grayish-white pelt. At first she thought she must be one of Dawnflower’s litter making a spectacular recovery, but this kit was older, and she didn’t look ill at all.
“Mothwing, over here!” the kit called urgently.
“Who’s that?” Leafpool asked, following Mothwing as she began to pick her way around the sleeping bodies.
“Willowkit,” Mothwing replied; her eyes glowed with affection as she reached the pale gray kit and looked down at her. “Mosspelt’s daughter. She often comes to help me, and she already knows nearly all the herbs. Willowkit, this is Leafpool from ThunderClan.”
Willowkit dipped her head. “Mothwing, I think you ought to look at Beechpaw,” she urged.
The apprentice was lying on his side, his limbs splayed out, his claws scraping feebly at the ground. His chest heaved and he was struggling to breathe. His wide-open eyes were glazed
“What’s the matter with him?” Willowkit asked, her eyes huge with anxiety. “None of the others are like this.”
Mothwing hesitated, and it was Leafpool who spoke first. “Did you give him juniper?”
“Yes, for the bellyache,” Mothwing replied. “It ought to help his breathing as well. I wish we had coltsfoot,” she added with a frustrated lash of her tail. “The flowers are up, but it’s the leaves we need, and they won’t appear for another moon.”
Leafpool couldn’t see the point of wishing for a herb that wasn’t in season. Beechpaw’s efforts to breathe were already growing weaker; if they didn’t think of something soon he would die in front of them.
Suppose this wasn’t caused by the Twoleg stuff at all? It might be a completely new problem, and Beechpaw didn’t have much time for them to find the answer.
“Could there be something stuck in his throat?” she suggested. This didn’t look like ordinary choking, but with Beechpaw weakened already by the poison he might not be able to cough up an obstruction.
Mothwing prized open the apprentice’s jaws, holding him firmly as he writhed to free himself. Leafpool peered down his throat. “There’s something there, but so far down…”
“Let me try.” Instantly Willowkit poked a slender paw down Beechpaw’s throat, let out a faint sound of satisfaction, and withdrew it to show a wad of half-chewed yarrow leaves hooked into her claws.
“Well done!” meowed Leafpool.
As Mothwing released him, Beechpaw collapsed, trembling and drawing in great gasping breaths.
“Willowkit, fetch him some water,” Mothwing directed.
The kit darted to the edge of the stream, tore off a clump of hanging moss, and dipped it in the water. Within heartbeats she was back, squeezing a few drops into Beechpaw’s mouth. Gradually his sides stopped heaving, his trembling died away, and he shifted into a more comfortable curled position with his eyes closed.
Mothwing touched Willowkit on the shoulder with the tip of her tail. “You saved Beechpaw’s life,” she mewed. “I’ll make sure he knows it when he wakes up.”
Willowkit’s eyes blazed with happiness. “Is this what it feels like to be a medicine cat?” she asked. “It’s the best thing ever!”
“I know.” Leafpool let out a sympathetic purr. “I remember the first time I put burdock root on a rat bite. I could hardly believe it when the wound started healing!”
“And don’t forget how you saved Reedwhisker when he nearly drowned,” Mothwing meowed. “You were only an apprentice then.”
Leafpaw blinked warmly at her friend, grateful that Mothwing was generous enough to remind her. “There’s no feeling like being able to help your Clanmates,” she told Willowkit. “I can’t think of any other way I’d rather live my life.”
“But you can’t save lives every day,” Mothwing teased, with an affectionate glance at Willowkit. “There are routine jobs to do too.”
“But those jobs are important, aren’t they?” Willowkit mewed.
“Of course they are,” Mothwing assured her. “And I want you to do an important job for me now. Stay here with Beechpaw, and call me right away if there’s any change in his breathing.”
“Yes, Mothwing.” Willowkit sat beside the apprentice, her tail wrapped around her paws and her eyes fixed intently on him.
Mothwing and Leafpool left her while they checked the other cats. Leafpool couldn’t help wondering whether Mothwing had already found the perfect apprentice, and then she asked herself how Mothwing could train an apprentice at all, when she couldn’t pass on any knowledge of StarClan.
She forced the problem to the back of her mind as she and Mothwing examined the sick cats. All of them were sleeping. Leafpool started to believe that they would all recover, though Dawnflower was still very weak.
Last they came to the three kits in the mossy nest by Mothwing’s den. The little gray tom was sleeping, but Minnowkit had her eyes open. “I’m hungry!” she wailed.
“That’s a good sign,” Leafpool commented to Mothwing. “It means the poison’s gone.”
“Your mother can’t feed you now,” Mothwing meowed, with a glance at Dawnflower’s unmoving shape. “You can have a drink of water if you want one.”
Minnowkit looked ready to complain again, then staggered to her paws and tottered the few pawsteps to the stream, where she crouched down to lap. Leafpool kept an eye on her in case she lost her balance and fell into the water.
“Leafpool.” Mothwing’s voice was tight and quiet.
Leafpool glanced around. Mothwing had bent to sniff the weakest kit. She looked up, grief dulling her blue eyes. “We must have been too late with the yarrow. She’s dead.”
Leafpool nosed the tiny body, but Mothwing was right. The kit had gone to join the ranks of StarClan. Take care of her, Leafpool prayed. She’s so little.
Minnowkit had finished drinking and was staggering up the bank again.
“Don’t say anything,” Leafpool whispered urgently to Mothwing, pulling up a covering of moss to hide the motionless scrap of fur. “They’ll be stronger in the morning, and maybe Dawnflower will be awake to comfort them. Minnowkit,” she went on, as the tiny black she-cat settled herself again in the soft moss, “did you and your littermates find something unusual, that day you ran away from camp? Something Twolegs left behind?”
Minnowkit’s eyes stretched wide. “You know about that?”
Leafpool nodded. “I’ve seen it too. Did you touch the sticky stuff?” When Minnowkit hesitated, she added, “Don’t worry, you won’t get into trouble.”
The black kit hesitated for a heartbeat longer. “Okay, we did touch it,” she admitted. “We played at running through it and making pawmarks on the grass. Then I dared Pebblekit to drink some.”
Mothwing drew in a shocked breath. “How couldyou be so mousebrained?”
“And did he drink it?” Leafpool prompted, silencing Mothwing with a swift glance.
“We all did.” Minnowkit’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “It was yucky.”
“You know that’s what made you ill, don’t you?” Mothwing mewed.
Minnowkit stared at her in dismay. “We didn’t know!”
“That’s why you must never touch anything strange,” Leafpool told her. “When you’re an apprentice and you’re allowed out of camp on your own, you must report anything you find to your mentor. Even in your territory, not everything is safe. Promise?”
“Okay,” Minnowkit mewed. Her eyes closed and then blinked open again. “Is this all my fault?”
Leafpool shook her head. There would be time enough for Minnowkit to blame herself when she discovered her sister was dead. “No, little one. Go to sleep now.”
“I don’t know how you can be so kind to them!” Mothwing hissed when the kit was asleep again. “I’d like to claw their ears off. All this trouble, and cats dead!”
“You know you wouldn’t really hurt them,” Leafpool replied. “They’re only kits. They didn’t know what they were doing. And anyway, it’s not all their fault. Dawnflower probably got the poison from them, but the rest of the cats must have picked it up by themselves, or eaten prey that was tainted with it.”
“I know.” Mothwing sighed. “But you’d think they’d have more sense!” Her jaws parted in an enormous yawn.
“You’re worn out,” Leafpool meowed. “Why don’t you get some sleep too? I’ll keep watch and wake you at moonhigh.”
Mothwing yawned again. “Okay. Thanks, Leafpool—thanks for everything.”
She padded into her den under the roots of the bush. Leafpool took one last look at the sick cats; all of them were sleeping quietly, even Beechpaw.
“He’s doing fine,” she murmured to Willowkit. “I’ll look after him now. You can go back to the nursery to your mother. Make sure you tell her how well you did.”
Willowkit dipped her head, eyes shining, and dashed off up the bank. Leafpool settled down beside the sleeping apprentice, tucking her paws under her. Above her head the stars of Silverpelt blazed down, scattered around the bulging shape of the moon, which was almost full. Leafpool sent up a wordless prayer to StarClan, a surge of thankfulness that at last RiverClan’s sickness seemed to be under control.
Only then did she realize that she had completely forgotten to meet Crowfeather at twilight.
第六章
第六章
当松鼠飞和蜡毛钻进树丛，朝着湖岸走去时，叶池依然坐着没动。她的目光越过会场，投向刚才鸦羽所在的地方。她看见了鸦羽，而鸦羽也正死死地盯着她。
叶池四下看了一眼，发现众猫正在阴影中移动着，他们穿过蕨丛往树桥走去时，发出一阵沙沙的声响。似乎没有谁注意到她。
叶池也小心翼翼地走在月光投下的长长的阴影里，绕着会场边缘朝鸦羽走去。
“叶池！”
年轻的巫医一下子僵住了，感到绝望刺得她全身发痛。她深吸一口气，转过身说道：“炭毛，怎么了？”
“快点，你已经落在后面了！”
叶池眯起眼睛。她的族猫刚刚离开会场。炭毛是有意不让她去见鸦羽吗？
“好的，炭毛，我这就来。”叶池飞快地回头望了一眼，发现鸦羽正用痛苦的眼神凝望着自己。
叶池知道，除了跟着炭毛乖乖走进树丛之外，她什么都不能做。
我是一位巫医，她一边躲闪长满刺的枝条，一边告诫自己，我不能爱鸦羽，他也不能爱我。
在回雷族营地的路上，她一遍又一遍地重复着这些话，但是满脑子回旋的都是鸦羽的眼神。
一股甜美的气息在叶池周围飘荡，一个声音呢喃着她的名字。一开始，她以为是斑叶。斑叶是雷族以前的巫医，常常在梦中找她。可等她睁开眼睛时，却发现站在面前的是一只银灰色皮毛的猫，长着最清澈的蓝色眼睛。星光在她的爪子周围以及胡须尖上闪耀着。
叶池迷惑地看着她，叫道：“羽尾？”
叶池的窝在炭毛巢穴外面的荆棘丛中，再往外就是沐浴在月光中的石头山谷。森林大会已经过去了好几天，月亮已经开始残缺了。叶池猜出自己是在梦中。
她站起来，问道：“羽尾，怎么了？”
她猜想羽尾过来是因为鸦羽，内心不由得一阵愧疚。羽尾是只漂亮的河族猫，与鸦羽曾经非常相爱，但是为了拯救急水部落的猫和朋友们，使他们免受凶残的尖牙兽的伤害，献出了自己的生命。她是在为鸦羽爱上别的猫而生气吗？
“我……对不起！”叶池结结巴巴地说。
羽尾用尾巴扫了一下叶池的嘴巴，说：“我们需要谈谈，但不是在这里。跟我来。”
羽尾带头走进空地。叶池跟着她，就像追踪老鼠似的轻手轻脚，可是她心里非常好奇，这是在梦里，族猫们会听见响动吗？
一道明亮的、非尘世的光充溢着山谷。正在巡逻的亮心和烟毛披着月光色的皮毛，如同石头雕塑一般。羽尾和叶池轻轻走过荆棘通道，他们一点反应都没有。
两只猫离开营地，走了几只狐狸身长的距离。羽尾在一片高高的草丛中找到一个舒服的地方，停下来，并挥动尾巴，示意叶池也这么做。
“我知道你心里在想什么。”羽尾说，“你认为我会生鸦羽的气，对吗？”
叶池冲她眨眨眼睛，羞得不敢承认。
“你认为我不想看见他幸福吗？”羽尾轻柔地问道，“你让他很快乐，我看得出来。”
“可是我是一位巫医！”叶池言不由衷地说道，其实她已经心花怒放，因为羽尾不仅没有生气，似乎还想让她和鸦羽在一起。但她知道事情没有这么简单。“我希望给他幸福，可是我给不了。”她小声说道。
“我来不是为了这个，”羽尾告诉她，“我有事情需要你去做。”
叶池的耳朵一下子竖了起来：“什么事？”
“是蛾翅的事。”羽尾神情忧郁地说道，“我有一个重要的消息要告诉她，可是我联系不上她。”
叶池顿时感觉冰冷的汗顺着脊背淌下来，身上的毛不由得竖了起来。几个族群刚来到湖周围时，蛾翅已经向叶池坦言自己并不相信星族。当时叶池惊呆了。一位巫医没有武士祖灵的指引，该怎么履行职责呢？但叶池还是答应帮蛾翅保守秘密，因为她知道蛾翅是真的想照顾族群，再说蛾翅对草药的了解并不比其他巫医少。
但是蛾翅应该知道，星族能看到所有猫的内心，什么事情都瞒不过它们。
叶池浑身一颤。星族生蛾翅的气了？它们会不会不让她当巫医？它们会因为自己为蛾翅保守秘密而生气吗？
“蛾翅真的很熟悉各种草药的使用，”叶池赶紧对羽尾说，“而且她当学徒时，也想相信星族。”
“我知道。”羽尾说道，“我们希望她最终能信任我们，但现在她还不信任我们，所以我们才联系不上她，不能把族群需要的消息传递给她。”
“但是……”叶池说不下去了，这话很难讲出来，可是她必须问，“但是泥毛选蛾翅当学徒时曾得到过星族的信息，他有一天早上在巢穴外面发现了一只蛾子的翅膀。他把这个当作星族赞同他的决定的信号。难道说，他错了吗？”
羽尾低头舔了舔胸前的皮毛。“其他猫的征兆，你是难以理解的。”羽尾再次抬起头，接着说，“叶池，我有一些消息需要尽快告诉蛾翅。但是我无法联系上她，你能给她捎个信吗？”
“你想让我捎什么信？”叶池知道自己不会拒绝羽尾的要求。只要能够帮助蛾翅，她什么都愿意做。
“告诉她，河族处在两脚兽的严重威胁中。”
“两脚兽？”叶池不解地仰起头，“可我们还没有见过两脚兽。难道它们不是在绿叶季才过来吗？”
“我无法告诉你更多，只能告诉你，这种威胁只针对河族。还有，这是真的，我向你保证。你去提醒一下蛾翅，好吗？”
“好的，当然可以。”
羽尾在叶池的头顶舔了一下，她甜美的气息在这位年轻些的猫周围飘荡开来。“谢谢你，叶池，”她低声说道，“我知道，如果一切可以重来，你我会成为好朋友。”
叶池想说服自己相信她的话。但是羽尾在世的时候，她们已经分属不同的族群，更何况还有鸦羽呢，而且她们俩都想和他在一起啊！
甜美的气息逐渐消失。叶池抬头看时，美丽的银灰色虎斑猫已经不见了，自己则躺在炭毛巢穴外面的窝里，刚刚从梦中醒来。
淡淡的晨曦填满空地，布满云层的天空灰蒙蒙的。叶池打个哈欠，伸伸懒腰。这时，炭毛从洞中探出头，嗅了嗅空气。
“晚些时候会下雨。”她说道，“你最好去蜡毛那里，看看他颈部的伤好了没有。他的伤口愈合得还行，但还是有感染的危险。”
“没问题，炭毛。”
叶池动身去找淡灰色皮毛的公猫蜡毛时，心里却盘算着，该怎么争取足够的时间去见蛾翅，传递羽尾的消息。河族的领地在湖的另一面，天黑之前肯定赶不回来。她应该把羽尾的事告诉炭毛吗？不，如果那么做了，就意味着要把蛾翅不相信星族的秘密泄露出去，蛾翅便再也做不了巫医。她不想让事情变成这个样子。
这时，她看见蜡毛正带着凌晨巡逻队走进荆棘通道。“喂，你好！”蜡毛打着招呼，“你是在等我吗？”
“是的，我来检查你的伤口。”说着，叶池用一只爪子拨开蜡毛的皮毛，之前那个很深的伤口几乎看不见了，“很好。我和炭毛还会继续检查你的伤口的，但我认为你没必要再敷草药了，只需要再多观察几天。”
“太好了！”蜡毛说，“被那个脏东西用牙咬过，伤口却没感染，真是太幸运了！”
“好的。如果感到伤口不舒服的话，一定告诉我们。”
“你们好。”松鼠飞把几只八哥往猎物堆上一放，朝蜡毛和姐姐跑过来，“叶池，你绝对猜不出来，我们巡逻时发现了什么！”
“发现了什么？”
松鼠飞绿色的眼睛闪闪发亮：“猫薄荷！”
“怎么可能？只有在两脚兽的花园里才能找到猫薄荷。”叶池的心不由得猛地一沉，“莫非你们在我们的领地上找到了两脚兽的巢穴？”
“才不是呢，鼠脑子！黑莓掌和他的巡逻队曾经发现了一个两脚兽废弃的巢穴，还记得吗？”
叶池点点头。
“嗯，就是那儿。两脚兽以前肯定有个花园，不过现在已经杂草丛生。那里有一丛一丛的猫薄荷——刚刚发芽，但确实是猫薄荷，一点都没错。”
“太好了！”治疗白咳症和致命的绿咳症，猫薄荷绝对是疗效最好的。还在森林里的时候，两脚兽住的地方就是猫薄荷的来源地，供应源源不断。叶池没想到，在这里也能找到猫薄荷。
“我这就去告诉炭毛。谢谢你，松鼠飞。”回去的路上，叶池意识到没准可以借此机会去见见蛾翅。她稍停片刻，整理了一下思绪，然后去找炭毛。
炭毛正在巢穴里检查储存的草药。“感谢星族，新叶季终于来了。”她说道，“我们只剩下最后一点罂粟籽，希望最近一个月没有猫生病。”
“你肯定想听听松鼠飞刚刚告诉我的消息。”叶池把松鼠飞发现猫薄荷的事说了一遍。
炭毛很高兴地说道：“你能去采一些吗？”
“当然可以。”叶池回答道，“我会四处好好找找，看看是否还有别的草药。”
说完叶池就想冲出巢穴，却被炭毛叫住了：“要不要带位武士和你一起去？”
叶池的心一沉。她最不愿意的就是有猫跟着。她曾想过带栗尾去，因为她过去与自己一起冒过险。可是现在这只年轻的玳瑁色母猫怀了幼崽，需要休息。
“没事，”她向炭毛保证道，“那个巢穴就在我们领地中央，再说狐狸已经被赶走了。”
“好吧。你小心点。要小心獾。”
“我会的。”
叶池匆匆跑过空地，进入荆棘通道，没给任何猫问话的机会。她以前没去过那个两脚兽废弃的巢穴，不过她知道猫薄荷就在那条杂草丛生、从山谷里延伸过来的两脚兽小路附近。黑莓掌曾说过，两脚兽曾用这条路搬运山谷里开采的石头，还在崖壁上留下了痕迹。叶池不知道他说得对不对。但是这条满是石头的小路确实好走，她一路飞奔，也没有被灌木绊住。
等她来到两脚兽的巢穴时，晨光透过树林投下长长的阴影。这个巢穴并没有靠着小路，被稀疏的树木和荆棘丛半掩着。叶池不禁打了个寒战。虽然黑莓掌给她说过这里有多危险，但是直到现在，她才意识到这里有多凶险。
我宁愿碰到凶残的狐狸，也不愿进到两脚兽巢穴里去！她不由得想。
她小心翼翼地检查着摇摇欲坠的围墙和曾经用来挡住入口的木板。一切都静悄悄的。她嗅嗅空气，没有两脚兽的气息。还好，她嗅出了松鼠飞所说的猫薄荷，于是循着气息找了过去，来到离两脚兽巢穴墙壁不远的地方。有好几棵茎秆已经长得很高，可以采摘了。新叶季到了以后，应该会长出更多。叶池咬下几根茎秆后离开了。
她没有顺着原路返回，而是绕了个大圈，穿过树林来到与风族搭界的小溪边。她告诉自己，这是绕湖的最佳路径，因为要是在影族领地被发现了，他们可能比风族猫的敌意更深。
叶池穿行在树丛中，耳朵竖了起来，留意着两边族群的巡逻队。她沿着小溪来到溪水很浅的地方。雷族最初到达这块领地时，就是从这里过的小溪。
叶池没有接着往前走，而是停下来狩猎。很快，她就在芦苇中抓住一只匆忙奔逃的田鼠。她几口把田鼠吞下肚子，同时留意着其他猫的声响，然后过了小溪进入了风族领地。
过了小溪，她顺着溪岸一直走到离湖只有两只狐狸身长的地方。终于可以舒口气了。她是执行巫医职责，就算被风族的武士看见，也不会有麻烦。
她沿着湖岸飞奔起来，享受着春风拂面的滋味。一开始她还不放心地回头张望，害怕被巡逻小溪的雷族猫看见。她跑啊跑啊，直到跑过一个小山谷，再也看不见雷族领地的时候才放慢速度，改成慢跑，心里想着该怎么给蛾翅说。突然，她停了下来，心中不由得怦怦直跳。
蛾翅不相信星族，她会把星族的警告当回事吗？
她必须当回事。叶池自言自语道，然后强迫自己继续前行。羽尾在星族看着她，而她必须信守诺言。
叶池留意着荒原上的斜坡，可是根本看不见风族猫的影子。找鸦羽能有什么用？就算他在，又能说些什么？她心中说道。
马场里没有宠物猫的动静，不过她刚闻到新鲜的河族气味标记，就看见一支巡逻队从沼泽地外的高地向她走来。走在最前面的是雾脚，后面跟着藓毛和一位叶池从没见过的学徒。
“嗨，叶池，”雾脚打着招呼，“一切还好吧？”
叶池放下猫薄荷的茎秆，说道：“我给蛾翅送草药来了。”
雾脚仔细嗅了嗅叶子。“猫薄荷，”她满意地说道，“谢谢你，叶池。蛾翅可能在营地。你可以跟我们一起走。我们正要回去。”
叶池重新叼起猫薄荷，跟着河族巡逻队沿着湖岸来到一条小溪前，然后他们沿着溪水走。溪水很浅，但水流很急。走了一小会儿，小溪对岸有一条更小的溪流注入进来。两条小溪之间的陆地边缘长满芦苇和浓密的树丛。即便满鼻子猫薄荷的气息，叶池依然辨识出很多猫的气味。
雾脚蹚水而过，跳到对面的岸上说：“欢迎你。”
叶池小心翼翼地在溪流中择路前行。她多么希望自己能像雾脚和河族的其他猫一样在水里那样淡定啊。上岸后，他们走过一片荆棘丛，河族的猫后曙花正在那里晒太阳，三只幼崽在她的腹部攀爬着。她冲叶池摆了一下尾巴，算是打招呼。再往前走，几位学徒正在一堆蕨丛的阴凉中摔跤。
叶池看见一旁堆积着猎物，不顾嘴里叼着猫薄荷，对雾脚说：“你们过得很不错啊。”
雾脚满意地点点头：“这的确是一个好地方。”
雾脚领着叶池来到一处狭窄的小溪旁，荆棘丛垂在水面。溪岸已经塌陷，水流在荆棘丛的根部冲刷出一个小圆坑。岸上，泥土被冲走的地方留下一个边缘光滑的洞，透过成堆的叶子和浆果，叶池可以看见洞里的情形。她意识到这里可能是蛾翅的巢穴。
蛾翅蜷伏在圆坑上面的溪岸上，正在整理一堆马尾草。
“蛾翅，有猫找。”雾脚对她说。
金色虎斑猫抬起头，紧接着站起身，欢快地喊了起来：“叶池，你怎么来啦？”
“我给你送这个。”叶池跳下来，把猫薄荷的茎秆放在蛾翅眼前。河族的副族长雾脚转身离去时，叶池回头望了她一眼，以示感谢。
“猫薄荷！”蛾翅激动地喊道，“太好了！在我们领地里还没找到过！”
叶池四下看看，确定雾脚已经走远，而且听力所及的范围内没有其他的猫，正是传达羽尾警告的好时机。可是叶池却感到皮毛一阵刺痛，嘴巴发干，好像有什么地方不对劲。
她走近蛾翅说：“实际上，猫薄荷只是我来找你的借口。我有来自星族的口信要告诉你。”
蛾翅琥珀色的眼睛睁得大大的。叶池突然很希望自己没有过来。这样做像是在暗示，蛾翅不是一位称职的巫医，因为警告口信并没有直接传递给她。可是蛾翅什么都没有说，只是竖起耳朵，等着叶池把话说完。
“我做了一个梦，”叶池接着说，“羽尾来找我了。”
蛾翅的眼睛里顿时充满悲伤，叶池犹豫了起来。既然羽尾曾经是河族的武士，蛾翅应该跟她很熟。
“她……她告诉我，她联系不上你，要我给你捎个信，说两脚兽会给河族带来致命的危险。”
有一阵子，这位河族巫医若有所思地沉默着。
“两脚兽？”她终于开口了，“可是根本没有……”话还没说完，她猛地跳了起来，“叶池，那条雷鬼路一直都很安静，我们根本就没有去管过它。没准是那里出了问题。你能跟我去看看吗？”
叶池犹豫了一下。她本打算把口信传给蛾翅后就立刻回雷族营地。要是待得时间久了，就必须在河族过夜。不过，迫在眉睫的是，她要帮助蛾翅确定一下河族领地没有危险。
“可以，当然可以！”叶池应承着，把可能会被炭毛斥责的担忧搁置一边。让叶池放心的是，尽管口信处处在暗示蛾翅不是一位真正的巫医，但蛾翅似乎并没有责怪自己的意思。叶池不由生出一股温情。叶池多么希望羽尾也能看到，蛾翅是多么尽心尽力地照看族群。
蛾翅带路沿溪而上，来到水中凸出的一块孤零零的踏脚石前。蛾翅接连两个优雅的跳跃，到了对面的岸上，然后停下来等叶池。
“我还担心你认为我在瞎说呢！”叶池刚一跳过溪流，就迫不及待地说。她的心中升腾起一股希望，不由得接着说道：“这是不是意味着你开始相信星族啦？”
蛾翅的胡须一动，说道：“不是，叶池。我不相信武士祖灵会回来和我们说话。星星只是夜空中闪烁的光点，并非去世的猫在俯视我们。我们可以让老朋友在我们的记忆中永存。但如果它们不在记忆里，那就不会在任何地方。这就是我所秉信的。”
“我知道。”叶池此时正小心翼翼地绕过一片蓟草，不由得停下来，“但如果你不相信星族，为什么会在乎羽尾的警告呢？”
蛾翅放慢脚步，定定地看着叶池的眼睛说道：“因为我相信你，叶池。”
叶池摇摇头：“这说不通！如果不是星族给我传递信息，我怎么会知道？”
“因为你是一位好巫医。你观察周围的一切。你通过某种方式看见、听见或嗅到什么，尽管说不清楚，但你能感觉到危险。正是因为你相信星族，这一切才会出现在和羽尾对话的梦境中。就这么简单。”说完她转过身，继续前行。
叶池不认为事情就这么简单，但她没有辩解，至少蛾翅听进了羽尾的话。
她们来到雷鬼路，叶池不由好奇地四下观望着。她从来没有来过这里，只是听松鼠飞说起过。只见大片的空地上都铺着和雷鬼路一样硬邦邦的东西，空地一角立着一个小小的两脚兽的木质巢穴。一切都悄无声息。
蛾翅站在雷鬼路边上嗅着空气。“讨厌，是影族的气味！”蛾翅的话提醒了叶池，这里是河族、影族两族领地的交界处，“而且还有别的……”
叶池把嘴巴张得大大的，让气息流入口鼻。那是一股淡淡的、刺鼻的气息，好长时间都没有闻到过了。她脖子上的毛一下子竖立了起来：“怪物们来过这里。”
蛾翅迎着她焦急的眼神，说道：“不是新近来的。能嗅出两脚兽的气息，但并不新鲜，而且几乎被影族的臭味遮盖住了。说实话，叶池，我觉得这并不是‘致命危险’。”
“那么威胁会是什么呢？”叶池疑惑地问道。
蛾翅的尾巴尖摆动了一下，说道：“我们永远无法断定两脚兽下一步会做什么。或许威胁还没有出现。”
说着，她离开雷鬼路，沿着湖边走着，中间停下来一两次，尝了尝湖里的水。“还记得那个有死兔子的水塘吗？”她回头问道，“还记得所有的长老都因为喝了水塘里的水肚子疼吗？我不会再犯那样的错误。可这里的水没问题呀！”
她们又来到小溪边，蛾翅同样检查了小溪里的水。然后她们顺着小溪返回河族的营地。最后蛾翅把叶池带回自己的巢穴，在这里，她们喝了小水池里的水。水凉凉的，甜丝丝的，没有不正常的气味。
太阳正在落山，厚重的阴影落在水池上，延伸到蛾翅的巢穴里。正如叶池所担心的，时间已经太晚，根本回不去了。“今晚留下来好吗？”蛾翅提议道，“天黑之前你回不到雷族营地了。”
“谢谢，那我今晚就留下来过夜了。”叶池知道，炭毛一定早就担心她了，她也知道，自己回去后，炭毛肯定会问她一些让她难以回答的问题。但是附近可能有獾，今晚住一夜，明天一大早回去更安全。
河族的一位学徒给蛾翅拿来一条肥鱼，足够她们两个吃了。叶池在用苔藓和蕨草铺的窝里躺下时，低声对身边的蛾翅说：“你会记着羽尾的警告，对吧？你会小心的，对吧？”
“什么？”蛾翅睡意蒙眬地说，“哦，是的，叶池。我当然会的，不要担心。”
可是叶池还是止不住地担心着。蛾翅没有当面聆听羽尾的警告，所以很容易忘掉警告，或认为没那么重要。而叶池坚信，麻烦已经来临。
第七章
第七章
松鼠飞在一处蕨丛前停了下来，深吸了一口新鲜的蕨叶的香味。每片草叶上都有晶莹的露珠，经过了漫长的秃叶季，整个森林似乎正在苏醒过来。
她又深吸了一口气，却闻到了猫的气息。她现在身处两族交界地带，但这气息不是雷族的，也不是影族的。她停下来，四处看着。一片蕨叶摆动了一下，她看见一只虎斑猫肚皮紧贴着地面，正在匍匐前行。这只猫她不认识。
松鼠飞一开始觉得那是一只误入领地的泼皮猫，可是转眼间，她就认出，这只猫是她和黑莓掌第一次到湖边勘察时，曾经打过架的宠物猫中的一只。那些宠物猫所住的两脚兽巢穴在影族境内，不过这只胆大包天的虎斑猫，根本不会理会族群间的边界。
松鼠飞做出狩猎的姿势，开始慢慢朝宠物猫靠过去。可是没走几步，就传来巡逻队其他队员的声音，有刺掌、蜡毛和烟毛。真是一群鼠脑子！她不由恨恨地想，跟马似的，走起路来咚咚响！
她轻摆一下尾巴，示意他们别过来。可是虎斑猫已经听到了声响，那褐色的身影飞快地钻出蕨丛。松鼠飞赶紧跳起来去追。只听身后蜡毛大喊：“嘿，松鼠飞，站住！”但松鼠飞没有理会。
松鼠飞朝入侵者扑了过去，想把宠物猫的耳朵抓得稀烂，好让对方长记性，别再来了。可是宠物猫动作更快，转眼便消失在一片浓密的树丛中。“老鼠屎！”她不由愤愤地骂道，然后转身朝巡逻队其他成员走去。让她惊讶的是，他们聚在一起，正满脸担心地盯着她。
“松鼠飞，你这个鼠脑子！”烟毛大声呵斥道。
还没等松鼠飞走到跟前，黑莓掌已经从灌木丛中钻了出来，身后跟着沙风。
“你这是干什么？”黑莓掌问道。
“我看见一只从影族领地过来的宠物猫，”松鼠飞一头雾水，很生气黑莓掌说话的语气，不知道自己这么做有什么可指责的，“在边界巡逻时，我们有责任赶跑入侵者，对吧？”
“没错，”黑莓掌说，“但你不该跨过边界，进入别族的领地。万一影族的巡逻队发现你了怎么办？”
“可我并没有……”松鼠飞的声音弱了下去。猛然间，她看见了作为边界标志之一的那棵枯树。她追宠物猫时肯定没注意到。“我没注意到什么气味标记。”她狡辩着，边说边往前走，进入雷族的领地。
“气味标记真的很弱。”蜡毛说着，走过去在枯树根部嗅了起来，“别责怪她，黑莓掌，谁都会犯同样的错误。”
沙风眯起绿色的眼睛看了蜡毛一眼。“松鼠飞自己可以解释，”她说道，“她通常很少有无话可说的时候。”
松鼠飞感激地朝蜡毛眨了眨眼睛。她并不需要他或者是其他的猫为自己仗义执言，可是他能支持自己还是挺好的。“对不起，我真的没有注意到。”松鼠飞说道。
“气味标记很弱，”刺掌也表示赞同，“我觉得影族已经好多天没有更新了。”
“他们出什么事了吗？”沙风不由得问道，“影族通常是最在意边界的。”
松鼠飞耸耸肩说：“要是他们不愿费劲设置标记，不小心穿越边界那可就怪不了我了。”
“我知道你说得有道理，”黑莓掌叹了一口气，“可是为了雷族，下次一定要小心些！”
“她会的。”蜡毛再次为松鼠飞挺身而出，并没有注意到她愤怒的眼神。松鼠飞看到沙风表情惊讶，心里更是来气，好像母亲难以相信，她竟然要仰仗蜡毛的保护。“不管怎么说，黑莓掌，”这只不识趣的淡灰色公猫接着说道，“还轮不到你来告诉她去做什么。”
“任何猫都可以说！”黑莓掌反驳道，脖子上的毛开始竖立起来，“难道你想招惹影族吗？”
蜡毛亮出爪子：“这不是关键！”
“别吵了！”松鼠飞大声说道，“我可不想……”
“够了！”沙风走上前来，对着三只吵架的猫说道，“趁着影族还没有看到我们，大家还是都回营地吧！”
说完她朝着营地的方向走去，烟毛和刺掌紧随其后。可是黑莓掌和蜡毛没有动，互相愤怒地瞪着对方。松鼠飞简直要被他们两个气疯了。
“你先走！”她没好气地对蜡毛说道。
蜡毛吓了一跳。“噢——好吧。我回营地等你。”他困惑地甩了一下尾巴，追赶其他的猫去了。
“你不能因为他想要保护你而责怪他。”黑莓掌的话很有道理，但却带着尖酸的语气，就好像是想起曾经的旅途中，他也曾想保护她，而她却总是冲他发脾气。
“至少我知道，有一只我可以用生命去信赖的猫。”松鼠飞没好气地说。
黑莓掌的眼睛睁得大大的：“松鼠飞，只有一只吗？”
“是的！”她生气地说道。她感觉现在与他相隔遥远，根本记不起她曾经也满含温情地看过他。“至少蜡毛不会一直去见别族的猫，去见一只不可信赖的猫！”她又补充了一句。
黑莓掌眼中的伤感不见了，取而代之的是愤怒的神情：“这就是你想要的，对吧？一位整天跟在你的身后，为你扫除一切障碍的忠诚武士，是吗？我过去可从来没想到你是这样的。我把你想象得太好了！”
“随便你怎么想！”
黑莓掌的嘴唇往后一缩，就想咆哮。但还没等他张嘴，松鼠飞身后的灌木丛中传来沙沙的声响。松鼠飞转过头，发现是蜡毛。
“你要干什么？”松鼠飞咆哮了一声。
蜡毛不知所措地说道：“对不起。我不知道你为什么没有赶上来，所以回来看看你有没有事。”
松鼠飞叹了一口气，脖子上支起来的毛又平顺下来。蜡毛一定得明白，她是可以保护自己的，但至少蜡毛是坦率的，心里想什么就说什么，而且没有谁会怀疑他对族群的忠诚。如果说黑莓掌是被森林里的树木遮蔽的深潭，那么蜡毛则是在阳光下闪闪发光的湖泊。松鼠飞突然感觉很想看到太阳。
“我很好，”说着，她用鼻子轻轻碰了碰蜡毛的鼻子，“我们走吧。”
她离开边界，在蜡毛的陪伴下走了。但是她却能感觉到，黑莓掌琥珀色的眼睛一直在盯着她，直到她走进灌木丛，他再也无法看见她为止。
等松鼠飞回到营地时，石头山谷里已经热闹起来。云尾和亮心刚从武士巢穴里钻出来，他们的女儿白爪正从空地跑过来找他们，嘴里大声叫嚷着。长老们已经在高石台下坐定。火星从巢穴里出来，正顺着石头小路走下来。
“怎么回事？”看到越来越多的武士聚拢过来，松鼠飞不由得问道。
“火星刚刚召集开会。”叶池在她身后说。松鼠飞见她情绪低落，似乎还没有从炭毛的严厉批评中缓过神来——因为叶池在河族过了一夜。“小白桦要晋升学徒了。”叶池说道。
“太好了！”松鼠飞高兴得轻轻一跳。这个时候，她才注意到，香薇云正在育婴室门口起劲地整理着小白桦的皮毛，这只小幼崽兴奋得一个劲儿地扭着身子。尘毛坐在近旁，自豪得双眼闪光。“这是我们在新家的第一位新学徒。谁会是他的老师呢？”尘毛轻声说道。
“我也不知道。”叶池说着，心情似乎好了一些。她往空地里四下张望着，似乎想猜出哪位武士会成为小白桦的老师。
松鼠飞和蜡毛挤进猫群。大家形成半圆，围着火星。松鼠飞很想当小白桦的老师，但她知道自己当武士的时间不长，根本不可能被选上，因为有很多经验丰富的猫都还没有学徒。还有，跟着火星从巢穴里出来的沙风在经过松鼠飞的身边时，狠狠地瞪了她一眼，才在蕨毛身边坐下。沙风肯定会把在影族边界发生的一切告诉火星。松鼠飞叹了一口气，意识到要想被族群信任，拥有带学徒的资格，做事之前就得先动动脑子。
所有的猫都集合起来了。火星轻轻甩动尾巴，示意小白桦过来。这只年轻的浅棕色公猫走上前来。他站在火星面前，激动得直发抖，头高高昂着，尾巴直直翘着。他的皮毛在阳光下泛着光，眼睛闪闪发亮。松鼠飞的心中涌出一股赞美之情。小白桦同窝生的小叶松和小冬青，在两脚兽摧毁旧森林时都饿死了。小白桦也失去了家园，但他却显示出了年轻猫的巨大勇气。
松鼠飞注意到，黑莓掌蜷伏在离她有几个尾巴远的地方，他那琥珀色的眼睛死死地盯着小白桦，野心表露无遗。她看得出来，黑莓掌非常希望小白桦能当他的学徒。他为什么比其他武士都更热切呢？这让松鼠飞有些疑惑。
当意识到答案时，她感觉如同有爪子深深地抓进肉里一样难受。没有学徒的武士不能当副族长。灰条生死未卜，用不了多长时间，火星就得另外任命副族长。如果黑莓掌想抓住机会，就得先有学徒，而现在族群里再没有其他幼崽了。
此刻，黑莓掌的注意力完全集中在小白桦身上，好像他是一只特别肥美的老鼠。看到这里，松鼠飞不禁问自己，黑莓掌为了满足其勃勃的野心，会无所顾忌吗？他真的会像他的父亲虎星一样，变成一只残忍的猫吗？
火星等众猫安静了下来。“对雷族来说，今天是个好日子。”他开口说道，“我们将任命学徒，证明雷族的繁荣。小白桦，从现在起你叫桦爪。”
桦爪忙兴奋地点着头。
“蜡毛，你准备好接收学徒了吗？”火星接着说，“你将成为桦爪的老师。”
松鼠飞看到黑莓掌的眼里露出难以置信的神情。只见他肌肉紧绷着，好像随时都会跳起来。不过他还是克制住了，并没有动。就算再有野心，也没有谁敢因为族长确定学徒的老师而发难。
松鼠飞扭头看向蜡毛。桦爪正飞快地朝他跑过来，眼睛里闪动着自豪和幸福。
“蜡毛，”火星接着说道，“你也经历过丧亲之痛，而且都找到了化解悲痛的力量。”
他说的是蜡毛母亲纹脸遇害的事。纹脸被虎星谋害致死，并用作诱饵，把狗群引到曾经的雷族营地。所有这些，都发生在松鼠飞出生之前，但是族里的所有猫都不止一遍地听说过这件事。
“我知道你会把这股力量传给桦爪，”火星接着说，“而且还会教他技能，让他成为雷族勇敢的武士。”
桦爪的眼睛里溢满激动，挺直了身子。蜡毛低下头，用鼻子碰了碰他。
“桦爪！桦爪！”全族的猫都在呼喊着这位学徒的新名字。香薇云和尘毛跑到桦爪面前。香薇云激动地大声地呼噜着，说不出话来。尘毛则飞快地舔了儿子一下，以示祝贺。
“你从没说过火星会选你！”松鼠飞冲着蜡毛大声喊着。蜡毛高兴得已经感觉不出她语气中的不满了。
蜡毛转过身来，深蓝色的眼睛闪着光，飞快地舔了一下松鼠飞的肩膀。“我想给你一个惊喜。”他说。
仪式结束后，桦爪有点迷茫，好像不知道接下来该怎么做似的。白爪飞快地跑过来，鼻子紧贴着他的鼻子。“来吧，”她说道，“我领你去看学徒的巢穴。我们会给你的窝里铺上更多的苔藓。我去问问蕨毛，看明天我们能不能一起训练。”
桦爪看了老师一眼，等着他的应允。等蜡毛点了一下头，桦爪就跟着白爪穿过空地，走进黑莓丛中学徒睡觉的地方。
“我从没想到火星会选我，”看着白桦走远了，蜡毛才低声说，“我到现在都无法相信！”
松鼠飞用鼻子蹭着他肩膀上的皮毛说：“你跟其他猫一样，有这个资格。”
说着，她的目光从蜡毛身上转到黑莓掌身上。这只体形硕大的虎斑公猫已经站起身，正盯着她和蜡毛，眼睛里满是嫉妒和挫败感。松鼠飞不由身子一阵战栗，感到莫名的恐惧。现在黑莓掌想成为副族长的希望再次化为泡沫，他接下来会做什么呢？
“松鼠飞，”沙风在几个尾巴远的地方喊道，“你过来一下。”
松鼠飞走到母亲身边问道：“怎么了？”
“今天在影族边界发生了争执，黑莓掌和蜡毛差一点就打起来，这对雷族来说可不是好事。”
松鼠飞感到皮毛一阵刺痛。“这又不是我的错，”她不服气地小声嘀咕着，“为什么要给我说这个？”
沙风的尾巴尖来回抽动着说：“松鼠飞，得了吧！你知道他们为什么争吵。任何一只猫都有他们自己的问题，但你不应该让你的问题妨碍到族群派给你的任务。”
松鼠飞硬着头皮迎着母亲的眼神。尽管母亲言辞严厉，但眼神中却满是爱意。“好吧，”松鼠飞说道，“我会尽力的，可有时候，他们两个做事蠢得简直就像个毛球。”
沙风绿色的眼睛里闪着调侃的神色：“他们是为了你才这样的。”说着她把尾巴搭在松鼠飞的肩膀上，然后朝猎物堆走去。
松鼠飞看着黑莓掌穿过荆棘树丛，走进武士巢穴。他的头垂着，尾巴也拖在地上。
松鼠飞觉得，她再熟悉不过的这只猫将不得不接受失望，放弃成为副族长的想法，专心致志地当一位忠诚的雷族武士。
可是黑莓掌再也不是以前的黑莓掌了。她不知道，他为了满足野心会做些什么。恐惧再次向她袭来。
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 12
Brambleclaw reappeared from the den withBrackenfur, Thornclaw, Cloudtail, and Rainwhisker behind him. Squirrelflight dashed across to join them.
“Good luck!” Ashfur called.
Squirrelflight waved her tail in farewell. Once through the thorn tunnel, she joined Brambleclaw at the head of the patrol
“Tawnypelt should be waiting where I left her,” she meowed. “She can take us to Blackstar.”
Brambleclaw nodded. “Okay. You lead the way, then.”
He kept pace with her as she trotted through the trees, not racing at top speed because they had a long way to go and had to be fit to fight when they got there.
“What’s the plan?” Thornclaw asked.
“There isn’t one,” Brambleclaw replied. “We’ll tell Blackstar that we’ve come to help and are willing to do whatever he wants. If he wants us to stay, we’ll work out a plan with him and his warriors.”
Tawnypelt was sitting close to the border, crouched under a brittle clump of bracken that hid her pale fur. She sprang to her paws, relief showing in her eyes when she saw her brother and the strong force of cats he had brought with him.
“See?” Squirrelflight meowed. “I told you Firestar would send help.”
Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt touched noses. “Take us to Blackstar,” Brambleclaw meowed.
Tawnypelt turned and led the way swiftly through the undergrowth, deeper into ShadowClan territory. Soon the leafless trees gave way to dark pines, shutting out most of the light, and the ground underpaw grew soft with a covering of fallen needles. They splashed through a stream, the water running cold and shallow over a stony bed, and up a gentle slope on the other side. Gradually the scent of ShadowClan grew stronger, and Squirrelflight realized they were approaching the camp.
The ground sloped more steeply here, with rocks jutting out of the covering of fallen pine needles. At the top of the rise the trees grew more thickly, guarding the edge of a wide, shallow dip almost filled with bushes. Squirrelflight recognized the place she and her friends had discovered when they first explored the territory. Back then, no cat had expected that the kittypets would be a problem, but now she wondered whether ShadowClan had made their camp too close to the Twoleg nest.
Although the scent of fear and injury wafting from the camp almost took her breath away, Squirrelflight couldn’t spot any cats at first. But as they waited at the edge of the hollow, branches rustled beneath them and Blackstar appeared. He climbed up in a couple of bounds, his fur bristling.
“What’s going on?” he demanded. “ThunderClan cats in my territory? Tawnypelt, what do you know about this?”
Tawnypelt dipped her head to her Clan leader. “Squirrelflight helped me fight off one of the kittypets. I told her about the trouble they’re causing, and she brought a ThunderClan patrol to help us.”
A growl rose in Blackstar’s throat. “You told a warrior from another Clan about our Clan’s problems?”
Tawnypelt stared at him without flinching. “I told Squirrelflight. She’s a friend.”
“And Tawnypelt’s my sister,” Brambleclaw added, stepping forward to stand beside her.
Blackstar gave a contemptuous sniff. “Tawnypelt’s first loyalty is to her Clan—or it should be.”
The tortoiseshell warrior began to bristle. “Blackstar, I’ve never given you any reason to doubt my loyalty.”
The ShadowClan leader’s gaze swept over the six ThunderClan cats. “You expect me to believe that, when you bring these warriors right into our camp?”
“We’ll turn right around and go home again if that’s what you want,” Thornclaw meowed. “Just say the word.”
“Don’t be a fool, Blackstar.” The voice was Cedarheart’s. The gray tom heaved himself out of the cover of the bushes and scrambled up the slope to stand beside his leader. Squirrelflight saw that he was limping, and she remembered Tawnypelt telling her that the Twolegs had injured him when he went to fight the kittypets. “We can’t deal with this by ourselves.”
“Cedarheart is right.” Rowanclaw came to stand at his Clanmate’s shoulder. “Those kittypets killed my apprentice. I’d welcome any cat who’d help me rip out their entrails.”
Blackstar hesitated for a moment, looking from one of his warriors to the other, taking in their burning gazes and bristling fur. At last he bowed his head. “Very well. Cedarheart, fetch Russetfur. We’ll send a patrol with these ThunderClan warriors to the Twoleg nest. But you’re not going,” he added as Cedarheart retreated into the bushes. “You’re not battle-fit.”
Cedarheart shot him a furious look, but vanished without a protest.
“Blackstar, I don’t think we ought to kill these kittypets,” Brambleclaw meowed when he had gone.
“What?” Rowanclaw spat, before his Clan leader could reply. “They killed my apprentice. I want revenge!”
“And if we kill the kittypets, the Twolegs will want revenge,” Brambleclaw pointed out. “They must know you’re here.”
“That’s right.” Cloudtail lashed his tail. “Twolegs have little Clans of their own.” He shuddered as he added, “I was trapped in one once. If their kittypets are hurt or killed, they won’t rest until they’ve killed you or driven you out. You saw what they did to us in the old forest. Do you want that to happen here?”
“Then how do we stop their kittypets from bothering us?” Rowanclaw challenged. “Just ask them nicely?” He gave a disgusted snort.
“If we could trap them, we could make them promise to stay away,” Squirrelflight suggested. “Seeing all of us together should scare them out of their fur.”
“It’s an idea,” murmured Brambleclaw.
Squirrelflight glanced at him, startled and pleased by his support.
“It’s worth a try,” Blackstar decided, as his deputy Russetfur slid out of the cover of the bushes and came to join her Clanmates. Oakfur, a smaller ShadowClan tom, followed her.
“Right, this is the plan,” Blackstar meowed. “Go to the Twoleg nest, trap the kittypets, and make them promise to leave us alone. Tell them we will kill them if they lay a claw on any of our cats again.” He caught Brambleclaw’s gaze and added, “I mean that. I will do whatever it takes to protect my Clan. But for now, don’t hurt them any more than you have to. Is that clear, Rowanclaw?”
The ginger tom dipped his head, muttering something inaudible
“Then go,” Blackstar continued. “Russetfur, you will lead. I’ll stay here and guard the camp.”
They must bereally scared of the kittypets, Squirrelflight thought, if the Clan leader has to stay behind to protect the camp! Then she saw Blackstar’s gaze slide sideways to give Brambleclaw a suspicious look. She guessed he was afraid the ThunderClan cats were trying to trick him and meant to attack his camp while his senior warriors were safely out of the way. Typical ShadowClan! She sniffed crossly. They think every cat is as untrustworthy as they are.
“May StarClan be with you,” Blackstar added, before he slipped back into the shelter of the bushes.
The ShadowClan deputy gathered the patrol together with a wave of her tail and led them around the edge of the hollow and down the slope on the other side. Brambleclaw nodded to his Clanmates and waved his tail for them to follow.
Russetfur brought them to a halt a few fox-lengths away from the Twoleg nest, in the shelter of a bank covered with ferns. The nest was surrounded by a rough stone wall. Both the kittypets were sitting on it, gazing out into the forest. Squirrelflight recognized the big black and white tom with the torn ear who had been fighting with Tawnypelt, and the smaller light brown tabby she had chased out of ThunderClan territory a few days before.
“There they are!” she meowed.
Russetfur irritably flicked one ear. “Quiet!”
Both cats looked full-fed and sleepy; after a moment the big tom started to wash himself, drawing his tongue lazily over his shoulder.
“They don’t know we’re here,” Rowanclaw hissed. “Let’s attack!”
“No!” Russetfur snapped. “As soon as they see us they’ll run into their nest and fetch their Twolegs. We’re no match for those creatures. Even I know that.”
“We’ll have to get them to come out here to us,” Thornclaw put in.
“Listen.” It was Brambleclaw who spoke, pushing forward to stand beside Russetfur. “Suppose one of us goes over there”—he nodded toward the space between the ferns where they were hiding and the wall of the nest—“and pretends to be hurt, or ill. If what you say about them is true, they won’t miss a chance to attack an easy victim. Meanwhile, some of us should get between them and the wall, so they can’t flee back into the nest.”
“Good idea!” Brackenfur meowed enthusiastically. “Then we can jump on them and tell them exactly what we’ll do if they cause any more trouble.”
“What do you think?” Brambleclaw asked Russetfur.
The deputy’s ears twitched. “Great StarClan,” she muttered, “a ThunderClan cat with brains.” Squirrelflight bounced with impatience while she made up her mind. “Okay, we’ll go with Brambleclaw’s plan,” she decided. “We need a cat to go out there as bait.”
“I’ll do it.” Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt spoke at the same time.
“Tawnypelt,” meowed Russetfur. Waving her tail at Squirrelflight, she added, “If they pick up a different scent, they might guess it’s a trick.”
True enough, Squirrelflight thought.
Brambleclaw pushed his nose into his sister’s fur. “Don’t worry,” he meowed. “We won’t let them hurt you.”
Tawnypelt gave him a long look. “I know.”
Squirrelflight watched as Tawnypelt limped out into the clearing and collapsed on her side as if she were too exhausted to go any farther. Maybe the black and white tom would think he’d hurt her badly when they had fought earlier, by the ThunderClan border.
Russetfur chose Rowanclaw, Oakfur, Thornclaw, and Cloudtail to creep in opposite directions and cut off the kittypets from the nest as soon as they made a move. The rest of the cats stayed where they were.
“Keep as quiet as you can, even in the battle,” Russetfur ordered. “We don’t want the Twolegs to hear what’s going on.”
Squirrelflight crouched in the bracken with her gaze fixed on the kittypets. As soon as Tawnypelt appeared, they both sat up, ears pricked. The black and white tom mewed something to his companion. Then both cats flowed down from the wall and stalked across the open ground toward Tawnypelt.
At once Russetfur signaled with her tail, and the warriors split into two groups and slid away, their bellies pressed close to the ground as they crept in a wide circle. Neither kittypet noticed; Squirrelflight guessed they weren’t used to picking up unexpected scents, and besides, they were too intent on their prey.
Tawnypelt lay on her side, her chest heaving with painful, panting breaths. As the kittypets drew closer she raised her head and gasped out, “Don’t hurt me, please!”
The big tomcat thrust his muzzle into her face. “We won’t hurt you, roadkill,” he sneered. “We’ll just take off a few pawfuls of your fur.”
“That’ll teach you to come into our place,” the tabby hissed, slashing a paw toward Tawnypelt’s eyes.
Tawnypelt flinched. Squirrelflight heard Brambleclaw gasp and saw the huge warrior dig his claws into the ground as if he had forgotten that his sister wasn’t as helpless as she looked.
At the same moment Russetfur leapt out of the bracken. “Now!”
Squirrelflight pelted across the open ground, Brambleclaw and the rest of the patrol keeping pace with her. The two kittypets took one appalled look at the tide of cats rising to engulf them and turned tail and fled back toward the nest. But the other warriors were already in place behind them, advancing shoulder to shoulder. The small tabby kittypet let out a terrified wail, but the big tom leapt into battle, charging straight for Cloudtail and carrying the white warrior off his paws. Rowanclaw leapt on top of them as they writhed on the ground in a whirl of teeth and claws.
Tawnypelt scrambled up and sprang at the tabby. Rainwhisker and Russetfur piled in to help her, so Squirrelflight launched herself at the big tom as he tore himself away from his opponents’ claws and tried to flee across the clearing. Hissing in fury, she raked one paw across his face; his blood spattered onto her fur, warm and sticky. She ducked as he swung a paw at her, slamming her head into his chest so that he staggered back and collided with Brambleclaw coming up behind. Squirrelflight scrambled on top of him, avoiding his battering hindpaws; a heartbeat later Brambleclaw had him pinned by the haunches while Rowanclaw came up and sank his teeth into the thrashing black and white tail.
“Don’t mess with our warriors, you hear me?” Squirrelflight hissed into his ear. At that moment, she was speaking for all four Clans, ready to kill if a hair was harmed on the pelt of a cat from any one of them.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Tawnypelt and Rainwhisker had pinned down the tabby cat. Russetfur spoke to him in a low growl, then turned and stalked over to the big tom. She looked down at him in silence for a moment, while he glared back with yellow eyes full of hatred.
“You are a kittypet, and you belong with your Twolegs,” she snarled, her voice full of contempt. “The forest is ours now. Cause any more trouble for us, and you know what will happen to you.”
Squirrelflight jabbed her claws into the tom’s pelt. “Understand?”
The black and white cat spat at her.
“Understand?” Squirrelflight repeated. “Or would you rather I bit your throat open now?”
“I understand,” the cat growled.
“Let him go,” Russetfur ordered, adding to the big tom, “Go back to your Twolegs and stay there.”
Reluctantly Squirrelflight and the other warriors released the kittypet. He staggered to his paws, shaking drops of blood from his pelt. The tabby slunk over to his side and stood with head lowered and tail drooping to the ground.
“Go!” Russetfur bared her teeth. “Now!”
Both kittypets backed away a couple of paces, then turned and fled for the nest. They scrambled over the wall and vanished into the garden. Squirrelflight heard the door of the nest open and a Twoleg voice raised in alarm.
Russetfur twitched her tail and the combined patrol of ShadowClan and ThunderClan cats bounded back into the shadow of the pine trees, not stopping until they were within sight of the camp.
“I’ll fetch Blackstar,” Russetfur meowed, slipping over the edge of the hollow.
Tawnypelt padded over to Brambleclaw and pushed her nose into his fur. “Thanks. You were great—all of you,” she added, lifting her head.
“It was a pleasure,” Brambleclaw purred. “Any time.”
“Wasn’t that great?” Squirrelflight meowed. “I’ll never forget the look on those kittypets’ faces when they saw us coming. And Brambleclaw, you were in just the right place when I attacked that big brute. You were terrific!”
The warmth welling up inside her turned to ice as Brambleclaw’s gaze swept over her from ears to tail-tip. “You fought well too,” he replied stiffly, as though he were paying a compliment to another cat’s apprentice.
Squirrelflight sank her claws into the leaf mold and bit back an angry retort. She wasn’t going to quarrel with her Clanmate in front of the ShadowClan cats. But his coldness hurt more than any wound she had received in the battle.
The bushes rustled in the hollow and Blackstar appeared. “Russetfur tells me you made the kittypets promise to leave us alone.”
“You shouldn’t have any more trouble,” Brambleclaw meowed, “but if you do, let us know. We’ll be glad to help.”
“Thank you.” Blackstar’s voice was cool. “But I think we’ll be able to manage for ourselves now.”
His words were a dismissal. Brambleclaw didn’t try to change his mind. He gathered his cats together with a sweep of his tail and briefly touched noses with Tawnypelt. “Good-bye,” he mewed to Blackstar. “I expect we’ll meet at the next Gathering.” He turned and headed back toward ThunderClan territory, following the scent trail they had left on their way.
Padding behind him, Squirrelflight felt dull anger slow her paws. The excitement was over; the brief feeling of closeness to Brambleclaw was over too. Why couldn’t they just be friends? This antagonism was such a waste, when the two of them fought so well together. Her belly twisted with pain that Brambleclaw could put aside old rivalry for the sake of ShadowClan, but not for her.
“Fine. If that’s the way he wants it,” she muttered, too low for any cat to hear. “See if I care.”
But her shoulders ached and her drooping tail brushed the pine needles as she followed her Clanmates back to the stone hollow.
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 11
Squirrelflight stopped underneath a tree andlistened. The woods were silent except for the wind rustling in the trees. When she tasted the air, the scents were faint; the cold weather must have sent all the prey deep into their holes. Shrugging, she padded on, letting her paws decide where to take her.
She hadn’t left the camp intending to hunt. She had set out with Ashfur and Birchpaw on the way to the mossy clearing Brightheart had discovered. But when they emerged from the thorn tunnel they met Brambleclaw on his way back from a training session with Spiderleg and Rainwhisker.
“Where are you going?” he asked Squirrelflight, gesturing for the two younger warriors to go on without him.
“Ashfur’s going to teach Birchpaw some fighting moves,” Squirrelflight meowed, ignoring the tabby warrior’s aggressive tone. “I thought I’d go along and help.”
“Well, you thought wrong,” Brambleclaw snapped. “Ashfuris Birchpaw’s mentor, not you. If you’re looking for something to do, the elders need their pelts checked for ticks.”
Squirrelflight drew her lips back in the beginning of a snarl. “Don’t order me around!”
“Then stop being so irresponsible,” Brambleclaw retorted. “There’s still a lot to do.” He flicked his tail angrily and vanished into the tunnel.
“We’d better go by ourselves,” Ashfur meowed. He glanced at Birchpaw, who had listened to the exchange with wide, scared eyes. “There’s no point making trouble.”
“It’s Brambleclaw who’s making all the trouble,” Squirrelflight pointed out, although she had to admit that Ashfur might be right. Back in their old home, mentors and apprentices had usually trained alone. “I’ll see you later. But I’m not checking the elders for ticks,” she added, as Ashfur and Birchpaw headed for the clearing. “I’m not letting Brambleclaw think he can tell me what to do.”
As she bounded away from the camp, Brambleclaw’s actions started to make more sense. He must be jealous of Ashfur because he had been chosen to mentor Birchpaw. And maybe because I’m spending time with Ashfur instead of him, she realized. But he made it perfectly clear how he felt about me, so he has no right to act like a bee-stung badger!
She had decided to hunt for a while and take back a decent contribution to the fresh-kill pile. She wouldn’t give Brambleclaw the satisfaction of telling her off yet again for neglecting her warrior duties.
Suddenly she was flooded with the reek of ShadowClan. Her wanderings had taken her close to the border, not far from the dead tree. A heartbeat later she heard a fierce snarling, followed by the screech of a fighting cat. She froze. Had she crossed the border by mistake?
In front of her, a few tail-lengths on the ShadowClan side, a clump of bracken started waving madly, and two cats locked in a yowling knot of fur crashed into the open. One was Tawnypelt; the other was the huge black and white tomcat from the Twoleg nest in ShadowClan’s territory.
Squirrelflight heard a shriek of pain from Tawnypelt as the kittypet fastened his teeth in her throat. She couldn’t stand by and watch her friend and former Clanmate get killed. She streaked across the border and flung herself on top of the tomcat.
“Let her go!”
She raked her claws down his side and as he tried to writhe away she bit down hard on his tail. He let out a yowl of mingled pain and fury, and Tawnypelt pulled free from him, whirling around to aim her claws at his ear. The kittypet rolled over, battering at both she-cats with his powerful hindlegs, then leapt to his paws and raced off into the trees.
Squirrelflight scrambled up and watched him until he was out of sight; a moment later Tawnypelt joined her and stood panting hard.
“Thanks,” she gasped. “He jumped me when I wasn’t expecting it.”
“You’re welcome. Any time.”
There was a haunted look in Tawnypelt’s eyes and her gaze darted warily from side to side as if she expected to find an enemy behind every tree. Squirrelflight was close enough to catch the fear scent coming from her friend. She couldn’t understand it; Tawnypelt was a brave warrior, and in her own territory. “Is there something wrong?” she asked.
Alarm flared briefly in Tawnypelt’s eyes, then she shook her head. “Nothing we can’t deal with.”
“Yeah, and hedgehogs can fly,” Squirrelflight retorted. “Come on, Tawnypelt, I can see something’s upsetting you. It can’t surely be that mangy brute.”
“Leave it, will you, Squirrelflight?” Tawnypelt snarled. “You shouldn’t even be here. Consider yourself lucky a patrol hasn’t caught you already.” She spun around and bounded away, deeper into ShadowClan territory.
Her pelt prickling with anxiety, Squirrelflight checked that no cats were in sight, then she ran after her friend. “Tawnypelt, wait!”
Tawnypelt skidded to a halt in the shadow of a pine tree. “Squirrelflight, you mousebrain!” she hissed. “Go back! If a patrol catches you here they’ll claw your ears off, and I’ll be in just as much trouble for letting you get this far.”
Squirrelflight ignored her. Scanning her closely, she saw how thin her friend looked, her ribs showing like branches and her pelt rough. She looked exhausted from more than the recent fight. “I’m not going back,” Squirrelflight mewed stubbornly. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
Tawnypelt sighed. “You never give up, do you?” She crept backward into the shelter of the pine tree until its low-growing branches screened them from passing patrols.
Squirrelflight gave her a comforting lick around the ears. “Come on, you can tell me.”
“You know where that black and white tom comes from?” Tawnypelt began. “The Twoleg nest in our territory? There’s another kittypet there too—a tabby.”
Squirrelflight’s tail curled up. “Did you think I’d forgotten? They nearly clawed my fur off!” And I wouldn’t have got away if Brambleclaw hadn’t helped me, she added to herself.
“Well, ShadowClan are having some trouble with them,” Tawnypelt explained reluctantly.
“Trouble with kittypets? ShadowClan?” Squirrelflight echoed. “You’re telling me a whole Clan of warriors can’t deal with a couple of kittypets?”
“It’s not funny,” Tawnypelt snapped. “Yesterday they caught Talonpaw out on his own. They attacked him and left him wounded. He managed to drag himself back to camp, but he died.” She stared down at her paws.
“Oh, Tawnypelt, I’m sorry!”
Tawnypelt went on, her voice dull as if she was too exhausted to share Squirrelflight’s horror. “Rowanclaw, who was Talonpaw’s mentor, led a patrol to take revenge. But as soon as the kittypets saw them they fled back into the nest. Their Twolegs threw hard things at the patrol, and Cedarheart’s leg was badly injured.” Tawnypelt curled her lip. “Those kittypets are cowards. They only come after cats who are weak, or alone.”
Squirrelflight pressed her muzzle against Tawnypelt’s side. “ThunderClan will help,” she promised. “I’ll go and tell Firestar right away.”
Tawnypelt stared at her. “Don’t be a mousebrain. This is ShadowClan’s problem.”
“So? We can’t let you be picked off one by one without doing something.”
Tawnypelt lifted her head, grief giving way to defiance. “Are you saying that my Clan isn’t strong enough to solve our own problems?”
“Oh, you’ll sort them out in the end,” Squirrelflight agreed. “But how many more cats will die or be injured in the meantime? What’s wrong with both Clans putting our heads together and coming up with a plan to teach the mangy brutes a lesson once and for all? You’re worse than stupid if you turn down help when it’s offered.”
For a heartbeat Tawnypelt’s eyes blazed and Squirrelflight only just stopped herself from flinching away as she remembered what a formidable fighter her friend was. Then the tortoiseshell warrior let her fur lie flat again. “That’s for Blackstar to decide,” she meowed.
Squirrelflight gave her ear a last reassuring lick. “I’ll come straight back,” she promised.
Not caring if any cat from either Clan saw her, she raced for the border and back toward the ThunderClan camp. ThunderClan had to help! They hadn’t come this far to watch another Clan be driven out by a couple of kittypets.
When she came in sight of the barrier of thorns she slowed down, getting her breath back so she could tell Firestar exactly what was going on. To her relief her father was one of the first cats she saw when she pushed her way through the tunnel. He was crouched near the fresh-kill pile, sharing a vole with Sandstorm. Dustpelt and Ashfur sat close by, talking with their heads close together. A few tail-lengths away, Brambleclaw was eating alone, devouring a wood pigeon with swift, hungry bites.
Squirrelflight raced over. “I’ve just seen Tawnypelt.” She reported what the ShadowClan warrior had told her. “They’re being terrorized by those two bits of fox dung,” she finished breathlessly. “I told Tawnypelt we’d come and help.”
“You’d no business telling her any such thing,” Dustpelt growled.
Squirrelflight bristled, but Firestar gestured with his tail for her to keep silent. “It’s true each Clan should fend for themselves,” he agreed. “That’s part of the warrior code. But how far would we have gotten if we’d tried to follow the code when the Twolegs were tearing up the forest? Their monsters would have killed us all.”
“Then you’ll let us help?” Squirrelflight asked eagerly. “Don’t forget I spotted that tabby brute on ourterritory first. We could have trouble with them ourselves if we don’t do something to stop them.”
“I’ll go.”
Squirrelflight jumped when Brambleclaw spoke behind her. She hadn’t noticed that he had come over to listen.
Firestar twitched his ears at the tabby warrior. “I haven’t said yet that any cat is going.”
“I’m not sure we should,” Dustpelt meowed. “We’re still recovering from the journey, one of our medicine cats is already away helping another Clan…You can’t take every cat’s troubles on your shoulders, Firestar.”
“No, but we can try,” Sandstorm pointed out, giving him a long gaze from her pale green eyes. “An apprentice was killed, Squirrelflight says. What if that had been Birchpaw?”
The question silenced Dustpelt.
“Then you’ll send a patrol?” Brambleclaw prompted. “Tawnypelt’s my sister. I’d fight StarClan for her, never mind a couple of kittypets.”
“So would I,” Squirrelflight added. “We journeyed with Tawnypelt. We can’t just ignore this!”
Brambleclaw’s eyes narrowed as he focused on something behind her, and she turned to see Ashfur coming over, looking troubled. He padded up to her and touched her muzzle with his nose.
“We have to help ShadowClan,” she meowed, worried that he would disapprove. “You do see that, don’t you?”
“I understand why you feel like this,” he replied. “You’re loyal to your friends. I wouldn’t want you to be anything else.”
Squirrelflight felt a purr rise in her throat. She pressed herself against Ashfur’s shoulder, aware of Brambleclaw standing rigid on her other side.
“Very well,” Firestar meowed. “We’ll send a patrol. Brambleclaw, you can lead it, but you’re to speak to Blackstar before you do anything. And come straight back if he doesn’t want you on his territory. Understood?”
“Yes, Firestar.”
“Squirrelflight, you’d better join him. You’ll go anyway, so you may as well have permission.”
Squirrelflight’s tail curled up. “Thanks, Firestar!”
“Pick a few more cats to go with you, Brambleclaw,” the Clan leader went on, “then you can leave at once.”
Brambleclaw nodded and ran across the clearing to the warriors’ den, vanishing between the branches.
“I’ll go too,” Ashfur volunteered.
“No, I don’t think so,” Firestar meowed, and as the gray warrior looked crestfallen, he added, “I heard you promise to take Birchpaw hunting. You don’t want to disappoint him, do you?”
Ashfur sighed and murmured, “Of course not, Firestar.”
Squirrelflight figured Brambleclaw wasn’t likely to choose him to be a part of his patrol anyway. Her claws scraped the ground impatiently as she waited for the tabby warrior to come back.
“I suppose it’s no good telling you to be careful,” Ashfur meowed despondently.
Squirrelflight touched his shoulder with the tip of her tail. “Don’t worry about me,” she mewed. She remembered her first fight with the kittypets—she should have known they would cause more trouble! The fur on her shoulders rose at the prospect of revenge. “We’ll be fine,” she promised Ashfur. “We’re going to make those kittypets wish they’d never heard of the Clans!”
第八章
第八章
叶池和炭毛从湖边的树林中走出来，看见一个小小的、孤零零的身影正沿着影族领地的湖边走着。
“是小云。”炭毛用尾巴指着说。
叶池轻轻舒了一口气。太阳已经从湖那边落下去了，一轮半圆的月亮在黑幕般的夜空中发出苍白的光。现在是巫医们在月亮池相聚的时刻了。叶池一直很担心，要是自己不得不单独和炭毛一起前往月亮池，炭毛肯定会问起两天前她去河族的事。
那天叶池回来后，炭毛大发雷霆，她很想知道叶池为什么整整一夜都没有回来。
“火星派了一支巡逻队去找你，知道吗？”炭毛嘶嘶地说着，“你觉得大家没有更重要的事情要做吗？说实话，叶池，我还一直以为你有点责任感呢。”
“对不起。”叶池的前爪不住在炭毛巢穴外的干叶子中来回摩擦着，“我想给蛾翅送些猫薄荷。作为交换，她给了我这些马尾草。”说着，她指了指回来的路上在沼泽地上新采的马尾草。
炭毛很恼火地说道：“叶池，所有的族群都应该自力更生。我知道蛾翅是你的朋友，但这并不意味着，你就可以随心所欲地找她换草药。下次要先征得我的同意。”
“是，炭毛。”叶池心里清楚，炭毛根本就不会同意的。叶池也明白，如果炭毛知道自己去河族的真正原因，肯定会更加生气。可是蛾翅医术精湛，绝对有资格当巫医。如果星族可以通过自己同蛾翅进行交流，那么蛾翅信不信星族就并不那么重要。
现在，当她们站在湖边等小云的时候，炭毛的蓝色眼睛再次盯住了她：“你确定那天你只是去了河族？没有别的瞒着我的事吗？”
叶池痛苦地抬起头说：“没有，炭毛，我保证。”
这位巫医是在怀疑她偷偷溜出去见鸦羽了吗？叶池不由得更生气了，因为她已经把去河族的事情告诉了炭毛。她连鸦羽的一根毛都没有看见！叶池思量过，她的老师不可能确切地知道她竭力隐藏的那份感情。但是如果炭毛直接问她鸦羽的事，她就很难自圆其说了。
幸运的是，小云听到了她们的对话，走了过来。炭毛不会当着小云的面说起鸦羽。
小云蹚过边界的小溪，挨个儿抖掉爪子上的水，然后沿着湖边跳跃着来到两位巫医跟前。“愿星族照亮你们的道路，”他打着招呼，“你们的族群里一切都好吧？”
“一切都好，”炭毛回应道，“影族怎么样？”
“哦，很好，很好。”
叶池觉得这只小个头的虎斑公猫有点心不在焉。炭毛可能也注意到了，但她没说什么。于是三只猫朝风族边界上的小溪走去，然后他们会沿着溪流前往月亮池。
“蛾翅没有和你一起来？”叶池问道。
“没有。”小云胡须抽动了一下，“我想她正在穿过风族领地过来。”
对面的溪岸上并没有蛾翅的影子。叶池跟着其他猫逆流而上，穿行在森林中。因为心里有秘密，叶池的步履不由沉重起来。叶池不知道蛾翅是不是已经决定，不来月亮池跟那些她不相信的猫交流了。也没准是羽尾所预言的麻烦已经出现，蛾翅只是无法脱身罢了。
在森林和荒原交会的地方，他们碰到了风族巫医青面。青面也没有看见蛾翅，这更加深了叶池的担忧。
“她还能赶上我们。”炭毛说着慢慢往山上走。
他们来到风族边界时，叶池扫视了一下荒原上的山坡，她告诉自己，想看到的是金色皮毛的蛾翅，而不是鸦羽瘦削的身影。
“风族的情况怎么样？”炭毛问青面，“森林大会时，一星似乎很自信。”
“一星会成为一位强大的族长。”青面的语气不带一点感情色彩。看得出来，就算风族依然困难重重，他也不打算说，即便大家都是巫医也不行。
“你知道我在沼泽地找到什么了吗？”青面话题一换，语气也友善了许多。
“我怎么会知道，鼠脑子！”炭毛用尾巴尖轻轻弹了一下青面的耳朵，“不过看得出来，你很想告诉我。”
“金盏花，一大片长得很高的金盏花。”青面发出满意的咕噜声，“它对治疗伤口可是很有效的。”
“青面，这真是个天大的好消息！”炭毛说，“但愿你们不会很快就用上它。”
青面很是赞同，他的喉咙深处发出呼噜的声音：“但是无论如何，知道哪里有金盏花，总归是好事。”
叶池突然感到一股寒意。算上狐狸和獾，到目前为止，他们在新家还没有遇见过太多的敌人。如果族群之间不发生战争，就用不着金盏花。她不由绝望地想：不久之前，大家还共同长途跋涉，为什么现在就要再次分成四个族群呢？
四位巫医来到月亮池的时候，夜幕已经降临。他们眼前出现一个黑色的崖壁，上面悬垂着蕨叶和蓬松的苔藓。崖壁的半腰处。一股水流从石缝中倾泻而出，星光在水流和下面冒着气泡的水面上闪烁着。
穿过环绕山谷的灌木屏障时，叶池平静了下来。无论将来会发生什么，他们都已经在星族的掌控之中了。
青面后退一步，好让炭毛先走下环绕着山谷的小路。突然，叶池听见身后传来急促的喘息声，随着树丛里发出一阵沙沙声，一只猫走了出来。
“蛾翅！”叶池喊了一声，因担忧而紧绷的神经顿时松弛下来，“我还以为你不会来了。一切都还好吗？”
“我很好！”蛾翅气喘吁吁地说，“只是太忙了。很抱歉来晚了。”
叶池发现炭毛眯起眼睛看了蛾翅一眼，好像不明白，有什么事情能比参加月亮池聚会还要重要，蛾翅竟然会迟到。
“你来得不算晚，”小云招呼着，友好地甩甩尾巴，“我们还没有开始呢。”
炭毛带头朝月亮池走去。叶池故意落在后面，低声对蛾翅说：“我还以为羽尾的预言成真了。”
“不是的。我一遍又一遍地检查了整个领地，但什么都没发现。”蛾翅亮闪闪的琥珀色眼睛盯着叶池，表情十分严肃，“我会一直小心的，不会忘记的。”说完，她急匆匆地去追赶其他巫医。
叶池最后一个往下走去。小路的地面很坚硬，脚掌不停地滑进地面上的爪印里。在斑叶带叶池来过这里之前，也不知有多少个月没有猫来过这里了。但地面上的窝状爪印说明，他们的武士祖灵们曾经多次来过这里。一想到自己已经跻身长长的巫医行列，和大家一起在星族的指引下为族群服务，叶池不由感到脚掌一阵刺疼。
来到谷底的池边，五只猫蜷伏下来，伸长脖子接触波光粼粼的水面。叶池用舌头感受着池水的冰凉以及星星和黑夜的气息。她闭上眼睛，准备接受星族带给她的梦。
她期待见到羽尾，或许还能收到羽尾给蛾翅更多的警告。但是这只美丽的银灰色母猫并没有出现。取而代之的是，叶池发现自己行走在狂风呼啸的黑夜里，眼前不停地有猫的影子闪过，但还没等她来得及仔细观看，那些影子就已经消失得无影无踪。她听见远处一只猫的哀号，接着，许多猫悲痛的声音在夜空中响起，但她却一句都听不清楚，一个声音都辨识不出来。
“你们是谁？”叶池大声问道，“你们在哪里？想干什么？”
只有远处怪异的猫的哀号声回应着她。她很害怕，心怦怦直跳。一股莫名的恐惧拽着她的爪子，让她差点在阴影中落荒而逃。但她强迫自己放慢脚步，不时来回看着，判断声音的方位，试图弄明白星族发出的信号。
最后，她看见在前面很远的地方，有一个纯白的亮点，像是地平线上升起的一颗星星。她向前冲了过去。那个亮点越来越大，溢满了她的视野。接着，她从光亮中穿了过去，却发现自己正在月亮池边上眨着眼睛。她醒了，浑身战栗着，感觉自己身上的每根毛都直立了起来。她想起来，却站不稳，扑通一声又倒下去了。于是她干脆卧着，通过深呼吸来平复内心的起伏。她四下里看着，发现炭毛、青面和小云依然沉浸在梦乡。但蛾翅却在一块扁平的石头上缩起身体，显然正沉浸在宁静的睡梦中。
“蛾翅！”叶池喊着，同时伸出一只爪子去戳她，“蛾翅，醒醒！”
河族猫睁开了眼睛，疑惑地冲叶池眨巴着，然后起身往前伸出前爪，来了一个优雅的伸展动作。“说真的，叶池，”蛾翅抱怨着，“你非得要叫醒我吗？我好几个月都没有睡得这么香了。”
“对不起，但是你并不想让其他猫知道那个秘密，是吧？”
蛾翅看了一眼其他三位快要醒过来的巫医，说道：“当然了，我可不想让他们知道。对不起，叶池。”
叶池坐起来，开始整理弄乱的皮毛。她不知道其他猫是否也做了同样让他们感到疑惑的梦，不知道他们会有什么想法。所以当看到炭毛、青面和小云坐起来，神情庄重而迷茫的时候，叶池一点都不惊讶。
“这次的梦比以往的更难以理解，”小云说着舔了一下胸脯，“我们最好能好好讨论一下。”
很好，叶池不由得想，或许他们中有谁明白这个梦是怎么回事，我肯定是不明白！
“很多的爪子，”炭毛插话道，“我看见巨大的白色爪子，正在撕开皮毛，洒下血迹。”
青面点点头说：“还有大张的嘴。那些是猫的吗？我无法确定。”
“还有那种说话声。”小云颤抖了一下，“声音那么响，好像是在预告死亡和危险。这些都是什么意思啊？”
叶池一下子惊呆了。他们的梦跟她的不一样！星族为什么不让她看到同样的情景呢？是因为自己保守了蛾翅的秘密吗？可是羽尾来找我了，她不无困惑地想着，如果星族在生蛾翅的气，羽尾应该会告诉我的。
也许跟蛾翅无关。没准星族已经注意到她对鸦羽的感情。难道因为她爱上了那位深烟灰色武士，就变成了一位不合格的巫医了吗？这不公平！她在心里呐喊着。从山谷边上那晚以来，我甚至都没有跟他搭过腔。
“叶池，你在想什么呢？”炭毛的话打断她的思绪。
叶池吓了一跳。“我……我没想什么。”当蛾翅在被问及星族的问题时，她也是这样的感觉吗？叶池心里想，她要一直假装下去吗？
蛾翅张开嘴巴，打了一个大大的哈欠，喃喃地说道：“星族肯定是在警告什么。”
叶池惊讶地看了她一眼。从其他猫的话中不难得出这个结论。蛾翅是觉得这个预言和羽尾的警告没什么不同吗？但是羽尾的警告只是针对河族，现在的预言，却传递给了其他三个族群。
炭毛低下了头。“我们必须好好想一想，”她说道，“如果前面有危险的话，星族会给我们更多的警告。”
“等我们下次见面时再讨论吧！”小云提议道，“没准到那时候，一切都会明朗起来。”
“好主意，”青面咕哝了一声，“星族今晚上给我们的信息显然不够多。”
“别忘了武士祖灵和我们一样，也是刚刚搬到新家的。”炭毛补充道，“没准就是因为这个，它们与我们沟通才这么困难。”
这倒有可能！叶池不无希望地想，但这并不能解释，她的梦为什么与其他猫的不同。
巫医们沿着盘旋的小路走出低地，挤过灌木屏障。下山的时候，炭毛、小云和青面走在前面，急切地低声谈论着，似乎已经来不及等到下次见面再讨论了。蛾翅和叶池并肩走在后面。
“你把我的梦告诉豹星了吗？”叶池问道。她的声音很低，其他的猫听不见。
蛾翅吃惊地看她一眼，说道：“没有。我怎么会这样做？我怎么能承认星族通过别族的巫医给我传话呢？”
“你可以说这是你做的梦。”叶池用尾巴尖碰了碰这只金色虎斑猫的肩膀，“我不会介意的。豹星应该知晓这件事，也好安排武士们留意可疑的东西。”
蛾翅的尾巴甩动了一下。“我不能，叶池。我以前从没有给豹星说过梦的事情，而且将来我也不会。这不是我的梦。我就是不会做来自星族预言的梦。”她的声音很平静，神情更加困惑。然后她接着说：“我必须找到自己当巫医的方式，而不是依靠星族。相信我，叶池。除了照看族猫，我什么都不想，但我必须根据我自己的方式去做。”
叶池怀疑地看着这位朋友。头顶的夜空中，银毛星带在闪耀着。“蛾翅怎么能看见祖灵们闪闪发光的灵魂而不相信呢？”她知道蛾翅在努力提高医疗技能，而且真心实意地照顾着族猫。可是不相信星族，她就不能从它们那里汲取智慧与力量。对叶池来说，这种信仰至关重要，她甚至无法想象，如果没有这种信仰，她该如何当巫医。
“可是如果你不相信……”叶池开口道，可是话说到一半，又开始斟酌起字句来，“蛾翅，我做过一个梦，在梦里，羽尾把你们族群的麻烦告诉了我。这个你相信吗？”
月光中，蛾翅凝视着叶池，眼睛闪着苍白的光。“是的，我相信你做了一个梦。”她说道。
这算什么回答呀？叶池不无沮丧地想。但她转念一想，又觉得这也许是朋友能给出的最好答案了。更何况自己也似乎已经失去了与星族的联系，有什么资格胡乱挥舞爪子指责自己的朋友呢？
“会没事的。”蛾翅让她安心，“我在定期检查所有的水源，采草药时也会留意两脚兽的迹象。”她说着轻轻甩了一下尾巴，示意叶池不想再谈论星族的警告。“雷族怎么样？你们一切可好？”她换了一个话题。
“很好，谢谢。我们刚刚命名了一位学徒桦爪。我想，在不久以后召开的森林大会上，你就会看见他了。”
“太好了。他的老师是谁？”
“蜡毛。”黑暗中的嘶嘶声让叶池一下子停了下来。她感到了危险，浑身的毛竖了起来。
“什么声音？”叶池压低声音问道。
此时她们已经来到风族领地的边界处。荒原从她们身下向四下里延伸，其间散布着裸露的岩石和矮小的荆棘丛。山谷里布满了深深的阴影。
“叶池！”那个嘶嘶的声音再次响起。
一个深烟灰色的瘦削身影从离叶池最近的一块岩石后闪出，一股熟悉的气息淹没了她。叶池顿时松了一口气。“鸦羽！”她惊叫一声，“你吓死我了！”
“对不起，”风族武士喃喃说道，谨慎地看着蛾翅，“如果你不介意，我有话要单独和叶池说。”
蛾翅有点惊讶，犹豫着似乎想要拒绝，但最终还是点点头。叶池尴尬极了，皮毛下的皮肤一阵发烫。
“可以，”蛾翅轻声说，“待会儿见，叶池。”说完蛾翅转身下山，消失在黑暗之中。
叶池差点就要喊蛾翅回来。她拿不准自己是否想和鸦羽单独待在一起。“这样是不对的。”她后退一步说。
“我知道你会从这里经过，”鸦羽急切地说，“我循着青面的气息找了过来，然后在这里等着。叶池，我们必须谈谈。我忘不了在你们营地外的那天晚上。”
“我知道，但是……”
鸦羽打断了她。“开始的时候，我觉得你和我的感觉一样。但后来你在森林大会上开始有意躲着我，我不明白为什么。”他用爪子抓挠着坚硬的荒原草地，“叶池，我无法忘记你。有一天，我把已经跳进爪心里的一只兔子放跑了。我一直都在犯错……”
“我也一样！”叶池大声说道，“我想给火星罂粟籽，却错拿成了荨麻籽，我还把蓍草和老鼠胆汁拌到一起。我真是鼠脑子！”
风族武士抽动着胡须说：“灰脚说我简直像新学徒一样愚。”
“炭毛也总冲我发脾气。”
“叶池，我知道你的感受和我一样，”鸦羽说，“不管怎样，我们都得在一起。”
鸦羽近在咫尺的气息让叶池内心无法平静，她感觉自己的心如同新叶季的冰一样开始融化。“可我是一位巫医，”叶池反驳着，努力克制着想把脸埋进他的皮毛中的冲动，“而且我和你也不是同一个族群的。鸦羽，我们是不会有未来的。”
鸦羽那双蓝色的眼神正在她的眼里燃烧：“叶池，我想和你在一起，你也想和我在一起吗？”
叶池知道该怎么回答，但是她不能对他撒谎：“是的，我想和你在一起。”
“那我们得想一个方法。你还会和我见面，找个地方好好谈谈吗？”
叶池把爪子插进泥土里。想和鸦羽在一起的强烈愿望，真的该有吗？星族不可能残忍到连这点愿望都不满足自己吧？“嗯，我会的，”她低声说，“在哪里见面？”
“容我想想。我会给你信儿。”
突然，叶池听见炭毛的声音从远处的山下传来：“叶池，是你在那里吗？”
“炭毛，我马上就来了！”然后，她以更温柔的声音对鸦羽说，“我必须走了。”
鸦羽的舌头重重地舔过她的耳朵，说道：“我会告诉你在哪里见面的，不会让你等太久的。”
叶池凝视着他，她知道，在自己回雷族营地的路上，眼睛里只有他的脸庞，再也看不见任何别的东西。然后，她转过身去，就像身后有一群狐狸追着似的，顺着山坡飞快地跑了下去。
第九章
第九章
“嗨，松鼠飞！”
松鼠飞正在猎物堆旁吃一只老鼠，听到声音，抬起头来。一股冷风吹得她的皮毛乱抖，让她感觉很不舒服。天灰蒙蒙的，大风已经刮了好些天，新叶季来临的踪影一点也看不到。
“想一起去狩猎吗？”云尾走上前来问道，“蕨毛和蛛足也会去的。”
“太好了！”松鼠飞答应着。
蕨毛正在荆棘通道附近和蜡毛以及两位学徒说着话。他正在下达命令，还挥动着尾巴强调着什么。然后蜡毛带着两位学徒朝长老巢穴走去，蕨毛则大步流星朝松鼠飞和云尾走过来。
“白爪和桦爪要给长老们干活，蜡毛去监督。”他解释着，“这两只猫一直要求一起干活。”
松鼠飞完全理解两位学徒为什么会这样。在一个多月前，蛛足被命名为武士，白爪就成了唯一的学徒。自族群来到这处新的领地，桦爪（幼崽时名叫小白桦）就一直独自待在育婴室。松鼠飞不由得想起当年自己当学徒时，和其他猫一起训练的快乐时光。那个时候，她最好的朋友是鼩鼱爪，但他已经在来湖边新领地的路上死了。她倒是很愿意和叶池一起训练，但是从小时候起，她的姐姐就似乎已经决定要当巫医了。
松鼠飞吞下最后一口老鼠肉，跳了起来。“我们要去哪里？”她舔着一只爪子，然后擦掉嘴上的猎物残渣。
“我觉得，我们可以到离湖边很近的那条小溪去试试。”蕨毛说，“那里树丛茂密，有很多猎物可以藏身的地方。蛛足在哪里啊？”
还没等云尾回答，这只长腿黑色皮毛的武士已经从武士巢穴所在的树丛间钻出来，穿过空地向他们跑过来。“我们在等什么？”他问道。
“等你啊！”云尾用尾巴轻弹了一下蛛足的耳朵，“我们走吧。”
风吹动头顶的树枝，几乎把蕨丛吹倒在地上。四只猫朝小溪走去。风把松鼠飞身上的毛吹得直往后倒，冷得她直哆嗦。不过寒冷也让她变得机警，感觉更加敏锐，爪子也迈得更快。她的速度越来越快，最后，尾巴在身后拉成了一条直线，简直是在森林里飞奔了。
“等等我们！”蕨毛大声喊道。
云尾和她并肩跑着，他那白色的皮毛几乎擦着松鼠飞的身体。蕨毛则从另一边赶了上来。蛛足迈着长腿，得意扬扬地大喊一声，风一般地超过了他们。
“别跑得太远！”云尾喘着气说，“会把所有的猎物都吓跑的。”
松鼠飞放慢了速度，奔跑让她肌肉舒展，让她觉得有足够的能量去做任何事情。他们在小溪堤岸的高处赶上了蛛足，蛛足摆动尾巴，示意他们安静。松鼠飞发现他瞄上了一只八哥。只见他拉开狩猎姿势，摆动臀部，慢慢地朝着鸟儿靠了过去。他正要扑上去，风向却忽然改变了，把挡在他和猎物之间的草丛给吹开了。八哥吓得发出一声高亢的警报。蛛足急忙跳起来，伸出前爪去抓，鸟儿却展翅飞走了，最后消失在一棵繁密的大树中。
蛛足转过身来，尾巴低垂着，对着族猫说道：“对不起。”
“不用说对不起，”蕨毛对这位年轻的武士说，“你只是运气不好，谁也不知道风向说变就变了。”
松鼠飞站在岸上，听着下面树枝发出的哗啦声和溪水的汩汩声。透过下游树木的间隙，她看见了湖。湖面灰蒙蒙的，风吹过时荡起阵阵涟漪。突然，她听见了一个声音，是遇到危险的猫发出的微弱的求救声。但很快什么声音都没有了，松鼠飞还以为是自己幻听。
这时，云尾走过来站在她的身边：“你嗅到什么了吗？”
松鼠飞摇摇头。
这位白色武士张大嘴巴嗅着空气。松鼠飞看见他的耳朵竖了起来，接着听到他大喊一声：“有入侵者！”
“是风族猫吗？”蕨毛走了过来，看着下方作为边界线的小溪。尽管已经是秃叶期的末期了，但斜坡上依然覆盖着青草和蕨丛，入侵者可以像猎物一样轻易地藏身。
“不，不是风族猫的气味。”云尾再次吸入那种气息，“我闻不出来是谁的。”
松鼠飞嗅了嗅。云尾说得很对，确实有猫的气息——或许不止一只——但不是四个族群的猫。气味很刺鼻，隐约还有一种青草的气息，而且就在附近。
“你觉得是泼皮猫吗？”蛛足说着，从溪岸上慢慢往下走去。
“站着别动！”云尾厉声喝道，“难道你想用鼻子去戳蜜蜂窝吗？我们需要先知道对方是谁。”他上前一步大喊道：“谁在那里？出来吧！”
松鼠飞扫了一眼通往小溪的地面，肌肉绷得紧紧的，准备随时应对可能出现的危险。“如果他们敢来找麻烦，那就过来试试吧。”她低声嘟囔着。
“我们知道你在那里！”云尾又喊了一声，“出来吧！”
溪边一片高高的草丛被分开了，走出来一只长着长长的乳白色皮毛的母猫。松鼠飞惊讶不已。
“是马场的黛西！”松鼠飞惊呼道，“你在这里干什么？迷路了吗？”说心里话，只需顺着湖边走，就能找到回家的路，松鼠飞不相信这只宠物猫会迷路。
只见母猫缩在草丛下，伏低身子，抬头看着几位武士乞求着：“请不要伤害我！”
“我去把她赶出去。”蛛足拉开架势，就好像随时准备扑向猎物似的。
云尾猛地抽动了一下尾巴。“站起来，你这个鼠脑子！”他厉声说道，“先弄清楚是怎么回事再说。”
云尾缓步走下堤岸，径直来到黛西跟前。松鼠飞跟在他的身后。这只宠物猫的情形实在可怜，她长长的皮毛上沾满了泥巴，一撮一撮的，蓝色的眼睛因为疲倦，显得暗淡无光。
“怎么啦？马场出什么事了？”
黛西眨着眼睛看着松鼠飞，没等她回答，树丛后就传来幼崽凄惨的叫声。
“幼崽！”云尾大叫一声。
他从黛西旁边跑过去，钻进深深的草丛。黛西跟着他，绝望地叫着：“不要伤害我的孩子！”
松鼠飞绕过草丛，看到三只幼崽缩成一团，小小的粉色嘴巴张着，因为饥饿和惶惑，正哀号着。一只幼崽像黛西一样是乳白色，另两只幼崽的皮毛则是灰色，跟马场的公猫小灰很像。
黛西用她的身体护住幼崽，并用尾巴把他们围得更近些。“帮帮我们！”她乞求着。
“不要担心，我们不会伤害你们的。”蕨毛安慰她。
“你在这里干什么？”松鼠飞问道，“难道你不知道，你的幼崽太小，不能走这么远的路吗？”
黛西弯下腰，舔了一下那只乳白色的幼崽，说道：“丝儿生下的幼崽，被无毛兽全部带走了。”
她说的无毛兽，肯定是两脚兽。松鼠飞心里想着，便问道：“它们为什么要那样做？”
黛西摇摇头说：“没有谁知道。幼崽们很小，眼睛甚至都没有睁开。”
云尾生气极了，他嘶嘶叫道：“狐狸屎！如果我在那里，非抓破它们的蠢脸不可。”
“那样做有什么好处？”黛西问道，她的眼睛里溢满悲伤，“幼崽们依然会被带走。丝儿再也见不到他们了。所以，当我发现自己有了孩子时，”说着她骄傲地抬起头，“我就决定在无毛兽发现之前离开。我曾看见栅栏外有很多猫往这个方向走，我想你们中间肯定有友善的猫。”她的蓝色眼睛睁得大大的，把信任的目光投向云尾。
这位武士低头嗅了嗅三只小小的毛球。幼崽们受到惊吓，蜷缩着身体，颤抖着，声音嘶哑地叫着。
“你们会帮助我们的，是吧？”黛西接着说，“在那边，”她用尾巴往风族的领地一指，“有些猫把我们赶了出来。”
“那里是风族的领地，”蕨毛说，“你不用担心，你现在是在雷族的领地上。”
黛西点点头说：“肯定是因为那里是他们的领地。难怪我们过了小溪，他们就不再管了。可是我的孩子再也走不动了，再说我也不能带他们回去，因为一回去，无毛兽就会把他们偷走。”
“我们会帮助你的。”云尾承诺道，“你可以把你的幼崽带到我们营地去。”
黛西感激地冲云尾眨眨眼：“哦，谢谢你！你真好！”
蕨毛惊讶地瞥了云尾一眼。“四只宠物猫？”他低声说道，“火星会怎么想？”
“火星会理解的，”云尾回答道，“他曾经也是一只宠物猫，我也一样。蕨毛，你有不同意见吗？”
蕨毛抽动了一下耳朵，说道：“当然没有。但是我们的领地还没有探索完，在这个时候，一下子收养这么多猫，我不知道是不是合适。”
“噢，对这几只猫来说，要么现在就帮他们，要么永远就别想了。”松鼠飞说道，“难道我们要顺着湖边，把他们送到影族去吗？来吧！”
“好吧，我们走！”云尾说，“蛛足！”云尾招呼还在堤岸上监视边界的年轻武士，“我们这里需要你的帮忙！你们三个各带一只幼崽，”接着又说，“我来帮黛西。”
松鼠飞选了一只灰色的幼崽，衔住幼崽的后颈。幼崽惊恐地哀号着，身体胡乱地挣扎着。“别叫啦，我在帮你！”松鼠飞满嘴是毛地咕噜道。
蕨毛和蛛足从剩下的幼崽中各叼住一只，云尾则让黛西靠着自己的肩膀。然后，众猫艰难地爬上堤岸，慢慢地走回营地。
松鼠飞走出荆棘通道时，空地上没有一只猫。她朝育婴室走的时候，桦爪蹦跳着跑过来，衔着一团从长老巢穴中清理出来的脏苔藓。
“你怎么回来了？”桦爪说着放下苔藓，好奇地盯着她叼着的那团皮毛，“哇！白爪，你快来看！”
这位年龄稍大的学徒跟他前后脚走出长老巢穴，嘴里衔着更多的苔藓。“幼崽！”她不由得喊叫起来，“从哪里弄来的？”
松鼠飞的嘴里叼着猫，无法给他们解释，只管朝着育婴室走去，留下两位激动的学徒大声招呼其他猫过来看。香薇云从武士巢穴走出来，看见松鼠飞和其他猫叼的东西，不由得睁大了眼睛。
“可怜的小东西！”她激动地说，“快带到育婴室去。白爪，快去叫炭毛。桦爪，去告诉火星一声。你是这些小东西的妈妈吗？”香薇云问黛西。黛西在云尾的搀扶下已经磕磕绊绊地走了过来。“不要担心。我们会照顾你们几个的。”香薇云说道。
香薇云赶在松鼠飞前面冲进育婴室，把苔藓和蕨叶拢到一起，铺了一个暖暖的、厚厚的小窝。松鼠飞把叼着的幼崽轻轻地放在窝中间，幼崽早已不再扭动身体，放下后仍然一动不动，几乎没了呼吸。蕨毛和蛛足也把叼着的幼崽放下，黛西在幼崽的旁边躺下，焦急地轻轻碰着幼崽们。
“白爪说这里有幼崽。我能看看吗？”栗尾把头伸进育婴室。一看见黛西和她的幼崽，栗尾立刻从荆棘丛中挤了进来，伏在他们的窝旁边。“噢，他们好漂亮！”她赞叹着，“来，让我帮帮你！”说着，她开始舔离她最近的一只幼崽，来回揉搓着他的毛，好让他暖和起来。
松鼠飞很惊讶，栗尾对幼崽竟然如此感兴趣。她这才发现她已经胖了好多，连气息都不一样了。她肯定是怀了蕨毛的孩子。松鼠飞不由得心想，太好啦！雷族正需要更多的幼崽。
黛西、栗尾和香薇云在一刻不停地舔着，幼崽们很快就清醒过来，开始呜呜咽咽地叫着，但声音很微弱。等到三只幼崽都恢复得差不多了，拱到肚子下开始吃奶时，黛西才抬起了头。
“你们救了我们，”黛西低声说道，“我还以为他们就要死了。”
育婴室的入口沙沙作响，炭毛走了进来，身后跟着叶池，嘴里叼着草药。松鼠飞轻轻走到姐姐身边，低声说道：“你觉得栗尾怀孕了吗？”
叶池把草药放在黛西旁边。“当然是了！”她没好气地说，“谁都看得出来，已经半个月了，你都没发现？”
松鼠飞抽动了一下耳朵——叶池平时不怎么发脾气。她感觉到姐姐身上从里到外都散发出一种强烈的情绪，但是她无法断定这是什么情绪。
炭毛从蛛足身边挤过去，来到黛西和幼崽身边，说道：“你们在干什么？聚会吗？没什么事的猫，都出去！让我们喘喘气。”
松鼠飞最后看了一眼这些新来的猫，然后和蛛足、蕨毛离开了。刚走到空地，松鼠飞就听见炭毛说话的声音：“黛西，我给你带来了一些草药，让你和幼崽们恢复体力。不要着急，你们都会没事的。”
两位学徒正在空地上激动地讨论着，脏苔藓就丢在身边的地上。在育婴室外，云尾正在向火星汇报，周围有几只猫也在听。松鼠飞看见黑莓掌也在其中，这只虎斑猫耷拉着脸——不过话说回来，这一段时间，黑莓掌一直都是这个样子。
黛西的到来搅扰到的可不止他一个。
“你想让他们待多长时间？”尘毛问族长。
火星甩了一下尾巴，说：“那取决于很多因素。他们想待多长时间？”
“我觉得黛西不想回到马场，”云尾说，“两脚兽把丝儿的孩子带走了，黛西自己生下孩子后，为了保证他们的安全，就决定离开了。”
“这倒算个正当理由。”火星说。
“你意思是，让他们加入族群？永远的吗？”黑莓掌的声音明显地带着挑衅，“四只宠物猫？”
松鼠飞立刻感觉一股愤愤不平的情绪从喉咙里涌了出来。火星曾经就是只宠物猫，她的身上还流着宠物猫的血呢，难道黑莓掌忘了这一点？
“你只需看一眼黛西，就能知道她长这么大，或许连一只老鼠都没杀过。”没等松鼠飞质问，黑莓掌接着说道，“要是她在这里生活，那就需要我们很多的帮助。”
“是的。”火星承认道，“但是雷族需要更多的年轻猫。我们只有两位学徒，大家都在盼着栗尾的孩子出生。可是对他们进行武士训练，还要等好几个月。”
此时栗尾已经从育婴室里走出来了，站在自己的伴侣蕨毛身边，骄傲地朝对方眨着眼睛。
“可这些都是宠物猫，”黑莓掌反驳道，“他们怎么可能学会……”
“你说什么？”云尾转身面对着黑莓掌，蓝色的眼睛里充满了愤怒，“难道你忘了，你的族长曾经也是只宠物猫吗？不要忘了，我也曾经是宠物猫。我要让你知道，宠物猫随时能把你的耳朵扯下来。”
黑莓掌后退一步，眼中燃起熊熊烈火。其他的猫，包括云尾的伴侣亮心在内，也都十分震惊。松鼠飞没想到，这位白色武士对宠物猫的出身竟然这么敏感。这些事族猫们从不提起，云尾在松鼠飞出生之前就来到了雷族。到雷族时，他还是只幼崽。
“要是云尾不扯掉你的耳朵，那么我来！”松鼠飞低吼一声，走上前去，站在白色武士身边，愤怒地看着黑莓掌。
“够了！”火星站到剑拔弩张的双方中间，“收起你们的爪子，这里不准打架！”
“谢谢你们替我们说话。”松鼠飞身后传来轻轻的说话声。她转过身，看见黛西站在育婴室入口。“我不是有意听你们说话的。我离开家时，没想过加入任何族群。我只是想救救我的孩子，不让他们遭受丝儿孩子的厄运。如果在这里给大家造成了麻烦，我会在孩子们足够强壮的时候离开。”
“不会麻烦的。”云尾赶紧安慰她。
“你想待多长时间，就待多长时间，”火星说着，走过去站在黛西面前，“如果你要离开，就得仔细想想要去哪里。独行猫的生活会很艰难。你习惯自己狩猎吗？”
“我敢打赌，她可以的。”不等黛西回答，松鼠飞就抢先说道，“巴利和乌爪能在谷仓里抓老鼠，黛西和其他的猫为什么就不能抓呢？”
黛西摇摇头，有点尴尬地说：“不，我们……”
“不可能！她又胖又懒，不可能跑得很快。”烟毛插话说道。他的声音很大，所有的猫都能听见。鼠毛对他低吼一声，用收着的爪子在他耳朵附近拍了一下。松鼠飞看见了，心里很高兴。要是她在烟毛近旁，也会这么做的。
“无毛兽会给我们吃的。”黛西解释着，焦急地眨巴着眼睛，“有时候，我们也在谷仓里抓老鼠。但是里面的老鼠不多——不管怎么着，我知道离开了那里，会更艰难些。”
“不错，确实很艰难。”火星说，“但是如果你留下来的话，我们会教你的，而且还会用我们的方式训练你的孩子。”
“你没必要现在就做决定，”云尾说道，“不如现在回去看看孩子们？你也需要休息。”
“我们不会不和你商量就做什么决定的。”火星说着转身面对两位学徒。他们两个的眼睛睁得如同满月一般，正在猫群外围转悠着。“桦爪，去猎物堆给黛西拿些吃的。”
这位年轻的学徒跳着跑开了。
“走吧，黛西。”云尾说道，“等你吃饱睡好以后，你会觉得一切都会好多了。”
他说着用鼻子碰了碰黛西的身体。松鼠飞看见亮心正不安地看着他。这只白色带姜黄色斑块的母猫看着他们朝育婴室走去，然后才低声对白爪说：“你父亲做得对。黛西累坏了，而且也吓得不轻。”
亮心说完，快步赶上云尾和黛西。“孩子们需要帮忙照顾吗？”她自告奋勇地问道。
黛西扫了她一眼，惊叫起来：“你的脸怎么了？”
松鼠飞早已习惯亮心被狗群咬过以后，脸上留下的伤疤，但她可以理解，黛西第一次看到那粉色的伤疤和一只空空的眼眶时的害怕。
但她没必要表现得这个样子啊！松鼠飞还是有些生气，可怜的亮心！
“我被狗袭击过。”亮心低下头，把受伤的半张脸扭开，不让黛西看到。接着她后退一步，让云尾和黛西走进育婴室，然后直接转身，穿过空地朝武士巢穴走去。
“你想去狩猎吗？”身后传来蜡毛的声音，松鼠飞吓了一跳，“听起来你们巡逻队似乎没有机会带回猎物啊！”
“是的，确实没有。”松鼠飞承认道，“我们现在就去。”
“从现在起，我们会需要更多的猎物，”两只猫朝荆棘通道走去，蜡毛接着说，“要多养四只猫呢！”
松鼠飞对他声音中的温情很受用。对新来的猫，他比黑莓掌热情得多，况且黑莓掌对宠物猫还颇有微词。我自己还算半只宠物猫呢！她不由得想，黑莓掌，难道你觉得我也不该成为武士吗？
松鼠飞低头跟着蜡毛穿过荆棘丛，不再去想黑莓掌。黛西来自哪里并不重要，雷族的猫因为饥荒和长途跋涉死去了很多，年轻的猫非常缺少，黛西的到来正是他们所需要的。
第十章
第十章
叶池放下叼着的草药，低头看着这只乳白色母猫说：“炭毛说让你吃下这些草药。”
黛西躺在育婴室厚厚的苔藓上，抬起头，睡意蒙眬的蓝色眼睛冲叶池眨着。自从来到营地，已经过去两天了，她和孩子们差不多已经从疲惫中休整过来了。黛西的皮毛恢复了原先的柔软和光滑。她的三个孩子此时蜷缩着，挤在一起呼呼大睡。“你们都太好了！”黛西低声说道。她顺从地嚼着草药，刺鼻的味道让她不由皱起了鼻子。
叶池俯下身，小心翼翼地查看三只幼崽，尽量不惊扰到他们。“他们很漂亮！”叶池说，“你给他们起名字了吗？”
“起了。和我一样有着乳白色皮毛的那个叫草莓，灰色的大些的叫鼠儿，小些的叫榛子。”黛西边介绍边用尾巴轻轻地点着他们。
“这些名字当作族猫名也很好，”叶池对她说，“在族群里，他们可以叫小莓、小鼠和小榛。我会报告给火星的。”
叶池觉得黛西有点犹豫，似乎还没决定要不要让孩子们加入雷族。但是还没等黛西开口说话，香薇云悄悄从入口处进来了，嘴里还叼着一只老鼠。
“我给你带了点猎物。”香薇云对黛西说着，把老鼠放在她的旁边。香薇云嘴里呼噜作响，在幼崽们旁边的苔藓上蜷伏下来，轻声说道：“现在他们看起来气色很好。我想你一定奶水很足。”
叶池道别，好让她们聊聊孩子。她走到空地上。天依然灰蒙蒙的，也很冷，头顶上方的树枝在风中相互撞击着。
自从上次与鸦羽在山坡那里见面以来，已经过去了半个多月，鸦羽依然没有任何消息。有一半的时间，叶池都飘浮在幸福的迷雾中，回想着他的眼神和他身上的气息。
但在另一半时间里，她都在因为答应他再见面的请求而万般愧疚。一位真正的巫医，是不应该去想他的。她比以往更加努力地完成各种任务，以便自己能成为梦想中的巫医。另外，她不想让炭毛责备自己，也不想让炭毛怀疑，风族武士已经占据了自己的心。
叶池朝自己的巢穴走去。这时，一只玳瑁色的猫快速地跑过荆棘通道，然后在空地中央猛地停了下来。叶池不由得停住爪子，站住了。有那么一瞬间，叶池以为这只猫是栗尾，还以为是栗尾怀的孩子出了状况，心里不由一惊。等她再仔细看时，这才认出是河族猫后藓毛。
“叶池！”她气喘吁吁地叫道，“感谢星族，你在这里！”
“怎么了？”叶池急忙问道。
“是蛾翅派我来的。”藓毛的胸脯不住地起伏着，“河族发生了疫情，很糟糕——非常糟糕！”
“蛾翅想让我过去？”
藓毛点点头：“蛾翅说你清楚是怎么回事。”
叶池吞了吞口水，似乎有一块肉卡在喉咙里下不去。她十分清楚，羽尾的警告——两脚兽要使河族处于巨大的危险中——已经成真了。她的梦以及她为了告诉蛾翅所进行的长途跋涉，最后都于事无补。
雷族猫在空地上围拢过来。火星出现在高石台上，身旁站着沙风。亮心和其他武士从巢穴中走了出来。黛西小心翼翼地从育婴室中往外张望，然后跑到云尾跟前，对他急切地说着什么，一边说，还一边不安地摆动着尾巴。
烟毛一脸敌意地瞪了藓毛一眼：“为什么我们要这么不辞辛苦，把巫医派到湖的另一边去帮助河族？他们应该去别处求助。”
“噢，够了！”刺掌争辩道，“风族不大可能帮忙，不对吗？还有，影族对其他族群从来就没有慷慨过。”
看见炭毛走了过来，叶池不由得舒了一口气。
“藓毛，怎么了？你们有麻烦了？”
“整个河族都有麻烦了。”这只母猫回答道。她这会儿气息已经平稳了些，把给叶池说过的话重复了一遍，然后接着说道：“蛾翅的巢穴里全是生病的猫。虽然说目前还没有猫死亡，但是如果没有外援，他们早晚都会死的。”
“我可以去吗？”叶池乞求着。她没能尽全力帮助蛾翅查明麻烦所在，内心充满了内疚。或许她真的快要失去了与星族沟通的能力了。“炭毛，求你了！”
炭毛和火星对视了好一会儿。最后，这位巫医发话了：“只要火星同意，我没意见。”
火星点点头：“我们无法拒绝帮助处于困境中的族群。再说了，无论是什么病，没准都会传过来。叶池，你要尽力查明真相。”
“我会的。”叶池承诺道。“没有我在你身边，你确定独自可以应付吗？”她问炭毛。因为炭毛的腿瘸了，全靠叶池去采集族群里需要的草药。
“当然没问题，”炭毛回答道，“雷族很幸运，有两位巫医。”她的眼中闪过一丝阴影。
亮心走上前去。“我可以帮你，炭毛。”她说道，“我认得出大多数的草药——当然，只是最常见的那些。”
“谢谢你，亮心。”炭毛说着转身看着叶池，“我没理由不让你和藓毛走。但是要尽快回来。愿星族与你同在。”
叶池点点头，跟着藓毛走出营地。她的脑子里已经开始飞快地闪着可能用到的草药：杜松果、水薄荷、山萝卜……最后她摇摇头。不检查生病的猫，根本就无从判断到底需要什么。“星族啊，我现在需要你！”她不由得轻声祈祷着，“告诉我该怎么做吧！”
叶池和藓毛在风族的领地里穿行。一阵疾风掠过湖面，吹乱了她俩的皮毛。藓毛来雷族的时候跑得太快，此时再也提不起劲，只能小跑着前行。叶池和她保持着同样的步速。如果拼尽力气跑到河族，却累得什么都做不了，就算到了也没有什么意义。
经过马场时，叶池听见头顶上传来一声号叫。叶池四下张望，看见四只风族猫组成的巡逻队正从山坡上冲下来。看见鸦羽飞奔在草地上的深烟灰色身影，她的心不由得一阵忐忑。
她和藓毛停了下来，等着风族巡逻队过来。风族巡逻队由裂耳带头，他的身后是鸦羽，鸦羽的两边是枭羽和网脚。
“你们好，”裂耳点了一下头，问道，“你们在风族领地上干什么？”
裂耳一副公事公办的样子，没有敌意，但叶池却根本没有听进去他的话。鸦羽的眼神盯得她皮毛发烫，让她无暇他顾。但是周围这么多猫，她不敢和鸦羽说话，甚至不敢看鸦羽一眼。
“我们正要去河族。”藓毛回答道。她没有把原因告诉裂耳，叶池猜想，她不愿意让风族知道河族被疾病困扰。
“我们是紧贴着湖边走的，”叶池指出，“完全符合族长们在森林大会上约定的那样。”
“看得出来你们确实如此。”裂耳说，“那么请继续吧，而且……”
“你盯着她干什么？”网脚咆哮着，“难道风族的猫还不够你追求吗？”
叶池顿时呆住了。他是在说鸦羽。她看着鸦羽，在他的眼睛里看到了自己的惊愕。
“伟大的星族啊！网脚，”裂耳说，“不要这么鼠脑子了。这位是松鼠飞的姐姐，你还记得吗？就是那个和鸦羽一起走完征程的松鼠飞？”
叶池松了一口气，感觉浑身发软，默默地感谢着裂耳。
“是这样的。”鸦羽磕磕巴巴地说，“噢……替我向松鼠飞问好！可以吗，叶池？”
“当然可以。”叶池点点头。
藓毛不耐烦地用爪子抓着石头说：“请问，我们可以走了吗？”
裂耳点点头，尾巴一扫，示意她们可以继续走了。
叶池没走几步，就听见身后传来嘶嘶的声音。一转身，她看见鸦羽正跟在自己的后面。
“黄昏时到岛边来找我，”鸦羽低声说道，然后又大声加了一句，“记得把我的话告诉松鼠飞。”
“好的，我会的。”叶池回答道。愧疚与激动传遍了全身，她感觉身上的每根毛都在闪闪发光。此时，她是如此幸福。这样做没有什么错，是吧？
“鸦羽，可以走了吗？”网脚吼了一声。
这位深烟灰色皮毛的武士飞快地跑开了，再没有回头看一眼。叶池跳跃着顺着湖边去追赶藓毛，感觉脚掌简直是在地面上飘。
叶池远远地就闻到了河族营地里疾病的气息。这种气息浓重地悬浮在空气中，像腐烂的尸肉一般发着恶臭。紧接着，她听到一声恐怖的哀号，盖过了环绕营地的小溪汩汩的声响。藓毛惊恐地看了叶池一眼，跃进小溪中，水花飞溅地蹚了过去，走进了营地。叶池跟在后面，水拖拽着她的脚掌，浸透了她的皮毛，但她几乎没有注意到。
豹星从小溪岸顶部的蕨丛中走了出来，等着叶池和藓毛。那种可怕的哀号依然在响着。
“春藤尾死了。”豹星说，她的声音很平静，但是叶池能感觉到她眼中掩饰不住的惊恐，“你可以帮助我们吗？”
“等和蛾翅谈了才能知道。”叶池回答，“我直接去她的巢穴吧，我知道路。”
“我会派几位武士协助你。”豹星说。
叶池穿过营地，小心地下了溪岸，向蛾翅位于荆棘丛下的巢穴走去。所有和鸦羽有关的思绪都已经从她的头脑中消失了，眼下最重要的是帮助这些生病的猫。
她在路上碰见了巨步和鹰霜。他们抬着一只软耷耷的猫从身边经过，那是一只有着棕色皮毛的虎斑猫，叶池并不认识。她赶紧闪开路，让他们先过，同时恭敬地低下了头。
“叶池！”是蛾翅的声音，她的嗓门很高，充满了恐惧。这位河族巫医从自己的巢穴中冲了出来，鼻子压在叶池的身上：“我就知道你会来的！”
叶池嗅到朋友身上的恐惧，甚至比疾病的气息还要浓烈。“快告诉我是怎么回事。”叶池连忙问道。
“他们都要死了！”蛾翅琥珀色的眼睛大睁着，一副惊慌失措的神情，“我不知道该怎么办！”
“蛾翅，冷静点！”叶池命令道，“看到巫医惊慌失措，你的族猫会完全崩溃的。为了他们，你必须坚强起来。”
蛾翅深呼了几口气。“对不起！”她过了一会儿才说道，“你说得对，叶池。我现在好多了。”
“告诉我，发生了什么事！”叶池又问了一遍。
“你过来看看。”
蛾翅把叶池领到她的巢穴。靠近巢穴的入口处，缠绕着的荆棘枝条下，有一个用苔藓做成的窝，里面躺着一只小黑猫。他的眼睛闭着，叶池仔细看了好一会儿，才感觉到他微弱的呼吸。
小黑猫的旁边还有两只幼崽——一只和他一样，是黑色的，但呼吸更有力些；一只是灰色的，正剧烈地扭动着，嘴巴大张着，发出微弱的哀号。
她们沿着溪岸再往前走，过了蛾翅的巢穴，在干蕨叶铺的窝里躺着四位武士和猫后。旁边是一只年轻些的猫，看样子是位学徒。叶池认出曙花那淡灰色的身体，还认出了已经被命名为武士的田鼠齿。
叶池伏在离自己最近的曙花身边，伸出一只爪子轻轻地拍她的肚子。曙花呻吟着，想躲开。叶池舔了舔她的身体表示安慰，然后坐起身，看着蛾翅。
“这让我想起那件长老们喝了毒水生病的事，”叶池说道，“可是这气息不大一样。我不知道……”
“那次是我的错！”蛾翅哀号起来，“我本应该闻出那个水潭里有死兔子。”
“可是你当时爪子上沾满了老鼠胆汁，根本无法闻出来。”叶池提醒她，“再说了，这次的疫情又不是你的错。”
“是我的错！”蛾翅的爪子抓挠着地面，“如果我是一位真正的巫医，我就会知道该为我的族猫做什么。”
“一派胡言！”叶池严厉地说，“你是一位真正的巫医，你也没做什么引发这种疾病的事。不过话说回来，我们确实需要查明疾病的来源。”
“第一只猫病倒后，我就再也没有时间查看整个领地了。”蛾翅坦言道，“可是所有的溪水都是清澈的，湖里也看不到两脚兽的垃圾。”她又开始用爪子抓挠地面，“我是一位无用的巫医，泥毛不应该选我。”
“这同样是一派胡言，你心里清楚。”叶池的声音更温和了，同时用尾巴摩挲着蛾翅的身体，“泥毛在他的巢穴外发现的蛾子翅膀该怎么解释？那是星族给的一个明显的信号，它们想让你当他的学徒。”蛾翅似乎要反驳，但是叶池紧接着说道：“给我说说，你是怎样治疗这些生病的猫的。”
“我让他们吃水薄荷来治肚子疼，不管用的时候，就尝试杜松果。可是杜松果似乎只能轻微缓解疼痛，生病的猫并没有好转。”
“嗯……”叶池在脑子里把所有治疗方案过了一遍，“如果他们吃了有毒的东西，就应该想办法让他们吐出来。你有蓍草叶吗？”
“有一些，”蛾翅回答，“但是不够所有的猫用。”
“那就派猫去多采些来。”
叶池说话的时候，看见雾脚和一位年轻的武士正从山坡上走过来。那位年轻的武士一身黑色的皮毛，叶池并不认识。雾脚摇动尾巴，向她打招呼。“豹星派我们来帮忙。”雾脚说道。
“谢谢，”叶池回应了一下，“我们需要蓍草叶。”
“我去采些回来。”那位黑色的公猫立刻说。他冲叶池点点头，接着说：“你不记得我了，对吧？”
叶池扫了他一眼。这只猫身材修长，耳朵小巧，似乎是在什么地方见过，但她实在想不起他的名字。于是叶池摇摇头说：“对不起。”
“我是芦苇须呀，”那位黑色武士说，“在旧营地的时候，我差点被淹死，是你救了我。”
“他那时候叫芦苇爪。”雾脚补充道。
叶池想起来了，他是雾脚从洪水中拽出来的那只猫，一时间竟惊讶得说不出话来。当时蛾翅不知道怎样让这只幼崽恢复呼吸，叶池只好帮着治疗。在整个过程中，斑叶的灵魂一直在她的身边，引导着她，直到这位学徒活下来。
“很高兴再次见到你。”叶池的话不长，她不想让蛾翅想起那次感到紧张的经历，“我们需要很多蓍草叶，越多越好，而且要快。你知道哪里有吗？”
“马场的栅栏附近有好几大片。”蛾翅没等他回答，插话道。
芦苇须晃动一下尾巴。“那我走了。我现在有学徒了，”他接着说，“叫涟爪。我带她去，可以多采些回来。”
“杜松果也要一些，”当这位身材修长的黑色武士转身向远处跑去时，叶池对着他的背影喊道，“沼泽地上面的坡顶处就有。”
芦苇须轻弹了一下尾巴，表示自己听见了，随后就消失在溪岸上。
“对了，蛾翅，”看他走远了，叶池说道，“你的蓍草叶在哪里？我们边等芦苇须回来，边开始吧。”
“先告诉我做什么，”雾脚说，“你们需要其他草药吗？”
“暂时不需要，”叶池回答道，“不过你可以检查一下领地，查找一下致病的原因。”
雾脚看起来很困惑，问道：“我该留意什么东西？”
叶池摇摇头。为避免泄露那个警示性的梦是给她的，而不是给河族巫医的，叶池谨慎地说道：“我倒是希望能告诉你。你要注意任何不寻常的东西——尤其是气味奇怪的东西。找找看有没有两脚兽做的或留下的东西。”
“两脚兽？在这附近？”雾脚歪着头，一脸的不解，“噢，我想你最清楚。我会把所有能抽调出来的猫都派出去。”
说着，她悲伤地看了一眼沿着溪岸躺着的那排病猫，随后消失在溪岸上方。
此时，蛾翅已经回到了巢穴，带回来一束蓍草叶。她把叶子放在叶池的爪边。看见蓍草叶这么少，叶池不由失望地眨了眨眼睛。庆幸的是，这些叶子还算新鲜。
“好了，我们先治疗幼崽。”叶池说道，“这些够这三只幼崽用了，运气好的话，芦苇须很快就会回来。”她用鼻子拱了拱那只灰色的幼崽。幼崽还在痛苦地扭动着，发出微弱的叫声。叶池发现，从看到他到现在这么短的时间里，这只幼崽已经更虚弱了。一阵寒意不禁流遍叶池的全身。“帮我把他挪到这边，”她指导着蛾翅，“我们不能让他在睡觉的地方呕吐。”
她们俩尽量小心地把这只幼崽挪到离溪岸近些的地方，放在一团软软的苔藓上。叶池嚼碎一片蓍草叶，小心地把碎渣吐出来，然后把叶子嚼成药糊，填到幼崽大张着的嘴巴里。
“咽下去！”她命令道，不过她并不确定幼崽能不能听见。
幼崽试图把味道很苦的药糊吐出来，细细的喉咙蠕动着。不过肯定咽下去了一些，因为没过多久，他就吐出几口臭烘烘的黏液。幼崽的哀号声渐渐消失了，无力地躺着，身体不住颤抖着，冲叶池眨着眼睛。
“很好。”叶池用一只爪子碰碰他的头，“现在吃一个杜松果，然后就可以睡觉了。蛾翅？”
蛾翅已经拿着杜松果站到了叶池的身边，很小心地把果子压碎，然后伸到幼崽嘴边，按摩着幼崽的喉咙，帮助幼崽把果子咽下去。她已经不那么惊慌了，发出咕噜咕噜的声音，安抚着幼崽。等蛾翅和叶池把幼崽再挪回窝里时，幼崽已经睡着了。
“他没事了。”叶池小声说，默默地向星族祈祷着，“我们来治疗下一个。”
接下来的这只幼崽还在睡觉，两个巫医把她往岸边搬动时，她醒了过来。
“我的肚子好疼。”她呻吟着。
“这种药会缓解疼痛。”叶池保证道，然后往她嘴里填了片蓍草叶。
但幼崽很快就把蓍草叶吐了出来：“呸，难吃死了！”
“小鲤，听话，把药吃下去。”蛾翅严厉地说。
“别想……”幼崽的话没说完，就又发出微弱的哀号——又一阵绞痛袭来了。
蛾翅趁机把蓍草叶塞回她的嘴里，叶池轻揉着她的喉咙。小鲤再次哀号起来，和第一只幼崽一样，她也很快吐出了难闻的黏液。
“现在你再吃一个杜松果。”蛾翅说着，飞快地把果子塞进小鲤张开准备抗议的嘴巴里。
“杜松果好难吃！”小鲤低声说。她的声音越来越弱，抱怨的话还没说完，就沉沉地进入了梦乡。
叶池和蛾翅把她挪回窝里。接着检查第三只幼崽，这只幼崽看起来最虚弱。
蛾翅的眼睛睁得大大的，一脸悲伤地说道：“我觉得她已经死了。”
叶池俯下身，发现她的胡须随着微弱的呼吸抖动着。“没有，她还活着。”其实，叶池心里也害怕幼崽已经踏上前往星族的旅途，但她却努力让自己的声音听起来充满希望。我一定要救活她。她暗下决心。“我觉得我们不应该挪动她，”她警告道，“去取一片羊蹄叶，让她往叶子上吐。”
蛾翅飞快地跑到溪边长着羊蹄叶的地方，咬断一片硕大叶子的茎秆。与此同时，叶池开始嚼蓍草叶。所有试图唤醒幼崽的努力均以失败告终，蛾翅不得不扒开幼崽的嘴，让叶池强行把蓍草叶糊塞入幼崽的喉咙里。
幼崽虚弱地呕吐着，在羊蹄叶上吐出些许蓍草残渣，中间还夹杂着黏液，然后就躺着一动不动了。
“她吞进去的草药还不够。”蛾翅着急地说。
“是不够，但是总比一点没吞进去强。让她先休息一会儿，然后我们再试试。”
现在，只剩下两片蓍草叶了。
“接下来应该先治疗榉爪，”蛾翅说着，用尾巴指着躺在那排病猫尽头的年轻学徒，“除了幼崽，就数他最虚弱。”说完，蛾翅用嘴咬住剩下的蓍草叶走过去。叶池正要跟上去，却发现雾脚出现在溪岸上方，她上气不接下气，身体两侧剧烈地起伏着。
“叶池，”雾脚气喘吁吁地说，“我发现了一些异常情况，你能来看看吗？”
叶池扫了一眼蛾翅。蛾翅也听见了，转头倾听着。“去吧，叶池！”蛾翅催促道，“我在这里没问题。”
叶池快速地检查一下正在睡觉的幼崽，然后爬上溪岸去找雾脚。这时，她看见芦苇须和一只银色皮毛的学徒正从营地走过来，嘴里叼满了蓍草。叶池顿时松了口气。
“太好了！”她大声说道，“赶紧拿给蛾翅。”
“没问题，”芦苇须满嘴都是蓍草茎秆，呜呜囔囔地说道，“我们接着就去采杜松果。”
河族副族长领着叶池沿溪岸的上方往前走着，一直走到一片荆棘丛前。荆棘丛长在两条小溪中间，形成了一道屏障，把河族营地与外界隔绝开来。两只猫穿行在窄窄的通道中，通道两边聚着许多身体光滑的猫。雾脚顺着较小些的小溪爬上一个陡坡，向影族边界走去。
很快陡坡变成了陡峭的沙崖，上面有可以攀爬的凸出岩石。岩石旁边，溪水散成瀑布，奔泻而下。叶池放慢脚步，在潮湿的岩石上小心地走着，以免跌倒。溪水从山腰处覆满苔藓的巨石中奔涌出来，雾脚就在山顶上面等着她。
“马上就到了！”雾脚说。
叶池停下来喘着气，嗅了嗅空气。她嗅出河族与影族交界处的雷鬼路的微弱气息，不过怪物的气息很弱，而且也不新鲜，似乎很多天都没有出现了。她还辨识出另外一种不熟悉的气息，一下子就想起蛾翅巢穴周围那种疾病的恶臭。她突然感到耳朵一阵刺痛，看了一眼雾脚。
“这边走！”河族副族长说道。
她们越接近影族的边界，臭味就越浓。叶池刚开始想会不会是河族领地出了什么问题，这时，就见雾脚绕过一片榛子林，又朝河族的领地走去。几只狐狸身长之外，有一片被荆棘围起来的小片空地，鹰霜和黑掌正在那里等着。她们刚一靠近，鹰霜就猛地扑向她们，他身上的毛竖着。等看清楚她们是谁后，鹰霜这才放松下来。
“没有什么异常情况，”鹰霜说道，“你离开之后，一切都很平静。”
“没有影族猫的踪迹。”黑掌补充说道。
叶池不明白河族武士为什么会如此担心影族。他们并没有跨越两族之间的边界啊！或许鹰霜想把这场疾病怪罪于影族。
“疾病和影族没有任何关系！”雾脚厉声说道，“叶池，正如你所说，这里有两脚兽的东西。过来看看，但是不要靠得太近。”
鹰霜和黑掌闪开，露出一个光滑的圆圆的东西，有一只獾那么大，杵在空地的另一端，被荆棘半掩着。这个东西很硬，亮闪闪的，很像是两脚兽的怪物。叶池慢慢靠过去，看见那个东西光滑的表面上有个地方裂开了一个缝，一种黏黏的液体从裂缝中渗了出来，沿着一侧淌下来，形成一个银绿色的水坑。草地远处也有这种液体的痕迹，表明有猫或者其他动物踩上了这个水坑，他们脚掌上粘上了这种黏黏的液体。
叶池张开嘴想要说话，却因为臭气进入她的喉咙，咳嗽了起来。“河族猫生病肯定是因为这个！”她喘着粗气说道，“这种东西可以呛死猫，看起来都很恶心。”
“而且很难闻。”鹰霜没好气地说着，嫌恶地皱皱鼻子。
“那我就不明白了，”黑掌说，“我想，即使最鼠脑子的猫，也不会蠢到喝那东西吧。”
“你才鼠脑子！”雾脚呵斥道，“肯定是有猫爪子踩着了，难道你没有看出来？不小心踩上了，就去舔干净，于是就病了。”
“其他的动物也有可能踩上。”叶池赞同地说道，“比方说老鼠。如果猫吃掉这样的老鼠，肯定也会中毒。”
雾脚看起来吓坏了，说道：“也就是说，现在我们河族的每一块领地上都有可能有这种毒物！”
“我觉得不会这么糟糕。”叶池对雾脚说道，“你要警告所有的猫，暂时远离这个地方。任何沾染上这种毒的猎物走不了多远就会死去。我认为，这样的猎物在别处出现的可能性并不大。”
雾脚点点头说：“我立刻去报告豹星。”
“是时候了。”鹰霜低声对黑掌说，“要是好好地组织巡逻队，我们应该早就发现了。”
叶池惊呆了。组织巡逻队是副族长的职责，鹰霜这是在当面批评雾脚。叶池突然想起来，还在旧营地的森林时，雾脚曾被两脚兽抓住过，其间鹰霜替代她当上了河族的副族长。雾脚回来后，鹰霜再次成为普通的武士，他肯定不好接受，可这并不是他当着其他猫的面破坏雾脚权威的理由。再者说了，他所说的也不是事实：族群的领地那么大，巡逻队不可能在很短的时间内找出所有的危险。
黑掌点点头，表示赞同，并用带着敌意的眼神扫了一眼这只灰色皮毛的母猫。难道黑掌觉得依然应该由鹰霜当副族长吗？叶池心里暗自想着，鹰霜在努力争取只忠于他、而不是忠于整个族群的追随者，是这样吗？
雾脚已经开始动身回营地了。就算她听到了这番对话，也没有表现出什么来。
“我们会找一些荆棘把这东西围起来的。”鹰霜冲着雾脚的背影喊道。“走吧，黑掌。”他接下来的声音柔和了许多，“无论是猫还是猎物，我们都不能让他们靠近。总得有猫为族群的安全操心。”
他跳到最近的一片荆棘前，开始去扯一根枯死的荆棘枝条。黑掌也跟了过来，一起把荆棘枝条拖拽到两脚兽的那个东西和那摊恶臭的液体前。
“记得干完后要洗洗爪子！”叶池叮嘱道。她努力装出没有听见鹰霜刚才说的话，又补充了一句：“千万不要去舔。”
“知道了。”鹰霜应了一句，又出去找树枝了。
叶池跑着去追赶雾脚。等闻不到那股令她感到窒息的恶臭味后，叶池开口问道：“有一件事我不明白，幼崽们怎么得上那病的？他们这么小，应该跑不到离育婴室那么远的地方吧？”
雾脚叹了一口气，有些恼怒地说道：“有一天，他们跑出了营地，自个儿出去探险。这都是小鲤的主意。她能想出的惹祸点子比银毛星带里的星星都多。她越早能有位老师管着，我就越高兴。”
“他们还太小，不可能在这附近抓到什么猎物。他们肯定是发现了两脚兽的那个东西。”一想到幼崽们把爪子伸到那摊肮脏的银绿色液体里，叶池就不由浑身战栗，“他们从来没有把找到的东西告诉任何猫吗？”雾脚摇了摇头。叶池接着说道：“其他猫肯定是吃了有毒的猎物才生病的，否则，他们肯定会把发现两脚兽东西的情况汇报给豹星。”
“幼崽们从没有提起过一个字。”雾脚说道，“他们偷偷溜回营地时被我逮住了，我很生气。或许他们觉得已经惹下了大麻烦。”她突然停了下来，“曙花是他们的妈妈。幼崽们回来后，曙花把他们好好地舔了一番，所以她是最先生病的成年猫。”
“这就说得通了，”叶池说道，“等这些幼崽们醒来，我要和他们谈谈。”
“他们会醒来吗？”
“我认为会的。”叶池并没有提那只对蓍草治疗根本没反应的黑色幼崽。要拯救这些奄奄一息的生命，蛾翅所需要的远不止她一个。星族保佑！她默默地祷告着。
两只猫返回河族营地时，这一天已经快过去了。落日躲在云层后，透出暗红色余晖。叶池觉得时间过得太快了，似乎从藓毛冲进山谷那刻算起，只不过是经过了几个心跳的时间。
营地里很安静，没有表明有猫死亡的恐怖的哀号声。大多数猫都进巢穴过夜了，只有两三只还蜷伏在猎物堆旁。
“这倒提醒了我，”叶池说道，“检查一下猎物堆，把有那种气味的猎物都扔掉。”
雾脚点点头说：“我也会检查一下营地，以防哪只猫爪子上沾着那种东西进来。我会让所有的猫检查一下自己，如果身上有那种气味，就去小溪下游清洗干净。”
说完，她朝豹星的巢穴走去，准备向族长汇报。叶池看雾脚走开了，便匆匆走过溪岸，下到蛾翅治疗病猫的地方。
“怎么样？”叶池站到河族巫医身边问道。蛾翅正在检查曙花。
“我觉得还好。巨步病倒了，不过还没有猫死去。”蛾翅说着，用尾巴指了指蜷缩在溪岸上的那位个头很大的虎斑长老，“我给他吃了蓍草，他病得没有其他猫那么厉害。”
叶池猛然想起，她刚来到这里时，巨步曾帮忙把那只死猫抬了出去。没准他是因为这个才染上毒物的。鹰霜也和他一起抬了，但是他似乎没事，可能他知道要小心，没有让那种黏糊糊的两脚兽的东西沾到身上。
“我们找到问题所在了。”叶池对蛾翅讲了那种亮闪闪的两脚兽的东西以及从那里面渗出的银绿色液体。
蛾翅浑身颤抖着。“这么说，的确是两脚兽带来的祸患！”她琥珀色的眼睛看着叶池。然后，她轻轻甩动尾巴说道：“过来检查一下这些猫。”
叶池刚要去嗅曙花，就瞥到有什么东西在移动。一只幼崽正站在那排病猫的另一头。借着朦胧的光线，叶池只能勉强辨识出深灰色的皮毛。起初她以为，是曙花生病的孩子中的一个已经康复了，但是这只猫要大一些，而且看样子也根本没有生病。
“蛾翅，你过来！”那只幼崽急切地叫着。
“她是谁？”叶池边说边跟着蛾翅小心绕过正在睡觉的猫们。
“小柳，”蛾翅说着，走到这只深灰色幼崽前，低头看着她，眼睛里溢满爱意，“她是藓毛的女儿，常常过来帮助我，差不多已经认识了所有的草药。小柳，这位是雷族的叶池。”
小柳点了一下头。“蛾翅，我觉得你应该看看榉爪。”她催促着。
学徒榉爪此时正侧身躺着，四肢伸展，爪子无力地抓挠着地面，胸部起伏着，呼吸困难，眼睛大张，没有一点神采。
“他怎么了？”小柳问道，眼神里充满了焦虑，“其他生病的猫不是这样的。”
蛾翅犹豫着，叶池先开口说话了：“你给他吃杜松果了吗？”
“给他吃了，治他的肚子疼。”蛾翅回答道。“他呼吸不畅，要是有款冬就好了，”她失望地摆摆尾巴，继续说道，“可惜，款冬已经开花了，我们需要的是款冬的叶子，还得再等一个月。”
叶池认为，期盼能有不应季的草药没任何意义。榉爪的呼吸变得更加微弱了，如果不赶紧想办法，也许只能眼睁睁地看着他死去。
或许榉爪的病根本就不是两脚兽的东西引起的？他生病可能完全是因为其他的原因，不过榉爪可没有时间等她们找到答案。
“有没有可能是什么东西卡在了他的喉咙里面？”叶池提醒道。他的病状跟常见的窒息不一样，但榉爪已经被毒物折磨得没了气力，无法把卡住的东西咳出来。
蛾翅撬开榉爪的嘴。榉爪扭动着想挣脱，于是蛾翅把他紧紧按住了。叶池趁机往他的喉咙里仔细看。“里面有东西，可是很靠下……”叶池说道。
“让我试试。”小柳把一只细长的爪子伸进去，随着她满意地轻哼一声，她的爪子勾出一团嚼了一半的蓍草。
“干得漂亮！”叶池表扬道。
蛾翅松开榉爪。榉爪一下子瘫倒了，浑身不住颤抖，大口喘着气。
“小柳，给他取些水。”蛾翅说道。
小柳飞快地跑到小溪边，扯下一块悬垂的苔藓，在水里蘸了蘸，一转眼工夫又跑了回来，往榉爪的嘴里挤出几滴水。慢慢地，榉爪的身体两侧慢慢停止了起伏，他也不再颤抖了。他换了一个更舒服的姿势，蜷缩起来，闭上了眼睛。
蛾翅用尾巴尖碰了碰小柳的肩膀。“你救了榉爪的命，”她说道，“等他醒来，我一定会告诉他。”
小柳的眼睛里闪动着欢快的光芒。“当巫医就是这种感觉吗？”她问道，“这种感觉真是太棒了！”
“我明白你的这种感觉。”叶池表示理解，“我到现在还记得第一次往老鼠咬的伤口上敷牛蒡根的情形。伤口开始愈合时，我简直无法相信。”
“而且不要忘了，是你救了差点淹死的芦苇须，”蛾翅说道，“那时候，你还只是一位学徒。”
叶池温和地看着朋友，很高兴蛾翅提到了自己的光辉事迹。“没有什么能比帮助族猫更让你开心的了。”她对小柳说，“我无法想象，要是不当巫医，我该怎么度过这一生。”
“不过也不能整天救死扶伤啊。”蛾翅开着玩笑，慈爱地看了小柳一眼，“还有日常的工作要做的。”
“日常工作很重要，对吧？”小柳问道。
“当然啦！”蛾翅告诉她，“现在我想让你帮我做一件很重要的工作——陪着榉爪，一旦他的呼吸有什么异常，就赶紧叫我。”
“是，蛾翅。”小柳说着在榉爪身边坐下，尾巴缠绕在爪子上，眼睛一动不动地盯着榉爪。
蛾翅和叶池离开，去检查其他的猫。叶池想知道，蛾翅是否已经找到心仪的学徒，但转念又想，蛾翅不能传授星族的知识，又该如何训练学徒呢？
叶池强迫自己不去想这个问题，和蛾翅一起检查着生病的猫。所有的猫都已经睡着了。叶池开始乐观地认为，他们都在康复中，尽管曙花现在依然很虚弱。
最后她们来到蛾翅巢穴旁的苔藓窝前，看那三只幼崽。那只灰色小公猫正在睡觉，小鲤却睁着眼睛。“我饿！”她哀号着。
“这是个好兆头，”叶池对蛾翅说，“说明毒已经排完了。”
“你的妈妈现在还不能喂你，”蛾翅说着，看了一眼一动不动的曙花，“如果你愿意，可以喝点水。”
小鲤看样子不大愿意，不过还是摇摇晃晃地站起身，踉跄几步，走到小溪边俯身去喝水。叶池一直留意着她，担心她站立不稳掉进水里。
“叶池。”蛾翅的声音很轻，显得忐忑不安。
叶池扭过头，看见蛾翅正弯腰嗅着最虚弱的那只幼崽。等蛾翅抬起头时，她那琥珀色的眼睛里满是悲伤：“一定是蓍草用得太迟。她死了。”
叶池用鼻子拱了拱那个小小的身体。蛾翅说得对，这只幼崽已经加入了星族的行列。请好好照顾她吧！叶池祈祷着，她还那么小。
这时，小鲤已经喝完水，正趔趄着往溪岸上走。
“先什么都不要说。”叶池赶紧小声对蛾翅说，同时拉过一片苔藓盖住那一动不动的尸体。“到早上他们会更强壮，没准曙花也能醒过来，喂他们奶。小鲤，”当小小的黑色母猫再次卧倒在松软的苔藓中时，叶池接着说道，“你和你的同窝手足有没有见过什么奇怪的东西？你们偷偷跑出营地那天，有没有看到两脚兽留下的什么东西？”
小鲤的眼睛睁得大大的：“你知道了？”
叶池点点头。“我还看见了。你们碰没碰那种黏糊糊的东西？”趁小鲤犹豫的时候，叶池又接着说，“别担心，说出来不会有事的！”
这只黑色的幼崽犹豫了一下。“是的，我们的确碰了。”她坦白道，“我们玩游戏，从那黏糊糊的东西上面跑过去，在草地上留下了爪印。然后我还问小砾敢不敢喝那东西。”
蛾翅大吃一惊，不由倒吸一口气，斥责道：“你怎么能这么鼠脑子？”
“他喝了吗？”叶池追问道，迅速看了一眼蛾翅，示意她不要说话。
“我们都喝了。”小鲤一脸厌恶地皱起鼻子，“很难喝。”
“是这种东西让你们生病的，知道吗？”蛾翅说道。
小鲤惊慌地盯着她说：“不知道！”
“这就是为什么不让你们触碰不熟悉的东西。”叶池对她说道，“等你们成了学徒，才可以独立走出营地，发现任何情况一定要向老师汇报。就算是在自己的领地，也不表示一切都是安全的。记住了吗？”
“嗯，记住了。”小鲤说着，眼睛闭了一下，然后又睁开了，“这都是我的错吗？”
叶池摇摇头。这只幼崽早晚会知道自己的妹妹已经死去，有的是时间自责。“不是的，小家伙。去睡觉吧！”叶池轻声说道。
“我真不明白你怎么能对他们那么好！”等这只幼崽再次睡着时，蛾翅生气地低声说道，“我真想把他们的耳朵撕下来。看看他们惹的麻烦，都有猫死掉了！”
“我知道你不是真的想伤害他们。”叶池说道，“他们还小，并不知道自己在做什么。而且不管怎么说，这也不全是他们的错。曙花有可能是因为他们才中的毒，但是其他的猫要么是自己踩上了，要么是吃了中毒的猎物。”
“我知道。”蛾翅叹了一口气，“可是你不觉得他们应该多动动脑子吗？”说着，她张开嘴巴，打了一个大大的哈欠。
“你累坏了！”叶池说，“为什么不去睡会儿呢？我来看着，等月亮升高时我再叫醒你。”
蛾翅又打一个哈欠，说道：“好吧，谢谢啦，叶池——感谢你所做的一切。”
说完，蛾翅走进荆棘丛根部自己的巢穴里。叶池又检查了一遍生病的猫。他们都在安静地睡着，榉爪也是。
“榉爪恢复得挺好的，”叶池小声对小柳说，“现在我来照顾他，你可以回育婴室找妈妈了。一定要让你妈妈知道，你表现得非常棒。”
小柳眼睛闪闪发亮，低头向叶池致敬，然后飞快地冲上溪岸。叶池在睡着的学徒身边卧下来，爪子放在自己身体下面。头顶上空，银毛星带的群星闪耀着，环绕在圆圆的月亮周围——就快满月了。河族猫的病终于得到了控制。叶池心里涌起一股感激之情，默默地向星族祈祷着。
这时，她才意识到，自己把黄昏时与鸦羽见面的事完全给忘记了。
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 15
A few wisps of cloud driftedacross the sky, but the full moon floated clear of them as the ThunderClan cats crossed the tree bridge to the island. Leaping down onto the pebbly shore, Leafpool scanned the cats who were already there and spotted Ashfoot and Barkface making their way toward the line of bushes that guarded the center of the island.
WindClan are here, so where’s Crowfeather? She told herself to stop looking for him, but when she couldn’t spot him her belly clenched with disappointment. She paused in the shadow of the tree roots, tasting the air for his scent, but it was impossible to pick one out among so many mingled scents.
Tail drooping, she trudged up the slope toward the barrier of bushes. She saw Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost padding up to touch noses; amber eyes gazed into ice blue. Some unspoken message passed between them, then both cats turned and disappeared beneath the thick branches.
Leafpool felt chilled to the depths of her fur. For a moment the island vanished, and she was back in that dark forest where Tigerstar was advising his sons how to seize power. What were Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw planning?
She heard the bushes rustle as the two tabby toms pushed their way into the clearing, and she waited for the leaves to stop quivering before she followed them. Her paws tingled with the sense of danger. Was Brambleclaw plotting to take over ThunderClan, just as his bloodthirsty father had plotted so many seasons ago?
She emerged from the bushes, blinking in the shining wash of moonlight that outlined every leaf and stem. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost were sitting side by side in front of her, not far from the roots of the Great Oak. Leafpool was just in time to see Squirrelflight glare at them before she settled down beside Ashfur. Tawnypelt and Russetfur joined them and the four warriors greeted one another in a friendly way, as if they were remembering how they had recently fought side by side against the kittypets.
Mothwing was comfortably crouched near the edge of the clearing with her paws tucked under her, beside Cinderpelt and the other medicine cats. Leafpool padded over to her.
“Is everything okay? Have you had any more trouble with that Twoleg stuff?”
Mothwing shook her head. “Everything’s fine, thanks. Dawnflower and her kits have gone back to the nursery, with Mosspelt to keep an eye on them. And Beechpaw is training with Blackclaw again.”
“That’s great news,” Leafpool purred, at the same moment as Littlecloud asked, “What Twoleg stuff?”
Mothwing began to tell him about the leaking green and silver liquid, while Leafpool glanced around the clearing. She flinched as she made out the lean gray-black shape of Crowfeather, sitting in a group of other WindClan cats. She had been so sure he wasn’t there! She stared at him for a few heartbeats, only tearing her gaze away when his ears twitched as if he knew he was being watched.
A yowl sounded from the branches of the Great Oak. She looked up to see Blackstar standing on a branch that jutted out over the clearing. Firestar was sitting on a branch just above him, with Leopardstar beside him. Onestar was a couple of tail-lengths away, crouched in the fork between a thick bough and the tree trunk. Ashfoot and Mistyfoot were already sitting on the roots; Russetfur bounded up to join them as Blackstar stepped forward.
“Cats of all Clans,” he began, “StarClan have brought us here again to gather in the light of the full moon. Firestar, will you begin?”
The ThunderClan leader stood up and dipped his head to Blackstar. “ThunderClan have a new apprentice,” he reported. “Ashfur is now mentor to Birchpaw.”
Not far away, Leafpool saw Ashfur give his chest fur a couple of self-conscious licks, while Squirrelflight, beside him, gazed around proudly. Birchpaw himself hadn’t come to this Gathering.
“Daisy, one of the cats from the horse place, has brought her kits to ThunderClan,” Firestar went on as soon as the meows of congratulation had died away. “I have given them permission to stay as long as they like.”
A murmur of surprise rose up in the clearing, along with one or two yowls of protest. Rowanclaw of ShadowClan sprang to his paws. “Is that wise?” he demanded. “What good will kittypets be?”
Leafpool saw her father’s neck fur bristle, then relax again as if he were trying hard to keep his temper. “Daisy isn’t exactly a kittypet,” he replied evenly. “She lived with the horses, not in the Twoleg nest. And she did a brave thing in bringing her kits to us so the Twolegs couldn’t take them away.”
Rowanclaw flicked his tail. “They’ll never be warriors.”
“You don’t know that,” Firestar meowed, with a glance at Cloudtail, who was sitting near the roots of the Great Oak. “A good warrior doesn’t have to be forestborn, just as being forestborn doesn’t guarantee being a good warrior. Daisy is settling in well, and her three kits will be apprenticed as soon as they’re old enough. They’ll soon learn the warrior code.”
“Maybe,” grunted Rowanclaw, sitting down again. Leafpool was close enough to hear him mutter to Oakfur, “Why do we expect him to understand the importance of being Clanborn? Firestar would fill the forest with kittypets if he could.”
Oakfur twitched his ears. “You’ve got to admire him,” he mewed. “You think Blackstar would turn down the chance to have three extra warriors for the Clan?”
Rowanclaw just snorted.
While Leafpool was listening to the ShadowClan warriors she had missed the end of her father’s report. When she started paying attention again, Leopardstar was on her paws.
“Twolegs left poison in our territory,” she meowed. “Ivytail and one of our kits died, but all our other cats are recovering, thanks to Mothwing—and Leafpool, who came to help us from ThunderClan.”
Her gaze swept the clearing and fixed on Leafpool; the RiverClan leader dipped her head in a gesture of thanks before she sat down again. Embarrassed to be praised in front of every cat, Leafpool studied her paws.
“ShadowClan has reason to thank ThunderClan too,” Blackstar began, going on to recount what had happened. Leafpool knew how hard it must be for him to admit that his Clan hadn’t been able to deal with the trouble without ThunderClan’s help, but at least he didn’t try to hide the debt he owed. “Since then the kittypets have stayed inside the Twoleg garden,” he finished.
Onestar jumped to his paws. “What sort of a Clan leader are you?” he growled. “Aren’t you ashamed that you needed help from another Clan? You too,” he added, rounding on Leopardstar. “RiverClan has its own medicine cat. Why do you have to go crawling to ThunderClan?” He ignored the muttering that broke out below him as he glared at Firestar. “It’s time ThunderClan stopped paying so much attention to what’s happening in the other Clans. Your warriors ignore our boundaries and think they can tell every cat what to do. We all made the journey here together, and ThunderClan is no stronger than any other.”
Before Firestar could reply, Cloudtail leapt up. His white pelt was bristling, his tail fluffed out to twice its size. “You were glad enough for ThunderClan’s help when WindClan were starving,” he snarled.
“That was different,” Onestar retorted.
“Exactly.” Firestar’s voice was quiet, but full of authority. “Back then, we had to join together to survive what the Twolegs were doing to the forest. I don’t believe StarClan would want us to stop helping each other now.”
“They would, if it meant keeping the Clans separate,” Onestar insisted. “There have always been four Clans. Every kit knows that.”
More protests broke out. “WindClan would have been destroyed without us!” Dustpelt yowled.
Onestar took a pace forward, his claws scraping on the bark. “Look up at the moon!” he rasped. “Do you see clouds covering it? No, it’s shining brightly—and that means StarClan agrees with what I’m saying.”
“No cat has ever claimed there shouldn’t be four Clans,” Firestar defended himself. “But that doesn’t mean StarClan want us to turn our backs on each other when trouble comes.”
“I can see why you would say that,” Onestar hissed. “You think your Clan is the strongest and make sure to prove it to the rest of us whenever you get a chance.”
“Mouse dung!” Blackstar growled. “ThunderClan helped us once. If they set paw on our territory without an invitation, they’ll find out just how strong we are.”
Leafpool dug her claws into the ground. Why couldn’t the other leaders see that Firestar was right? Even if there were four Clans, that didn’t mean they couldn’t help each other in a crisis. She turned to Cinderpelt, but before she could ask her mentor what she thought, she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Drawing in her breath sharply, she looked around to see Crowfeather crouching in the shadows at the edge of the clearing.
“I have to talk to you!” he whispered, jerking his head in the direction of the bushes.
Cinderpelt was staring up at the Clan leaders. Cautiously Leafpool slid backward until the shadows engulfed her, too. An overhanging branch screened them from the cats in the clearing as they pushed their way through the encircling bushes. Together they retreated a few pawsteps toward the shore of the island until they could put a jutting rock between themselves and the Gathering place.
“What happened to you?” Crowfeather’s eyes looked hurt. “Why didn’t you meet me that night?”
Leafpool swallowed nervously. “Don’t be angry with me,” she pleaded. “I couldn’tcome. I had to help Mothwing.”
Crowfeather lashed his tail. “It’s no good, stealing moments together like this,” he murmured. “I never get to see you.”
“I know. I feel the same. But Crowfeather, I’m a medicine cat…” Leafpool knew this was her chance to tell Crowfeather that there was no point in loving her. But here, standing beside him, her pelt brushing his, his scent flooding over her, she couldn’t begin to find the right words.
For a moment her guilt and anxiety faded. She felt as though nothing mattered except being close to him, gazing into his burning amber eyes.
“I know there are problems,” Crowfeather went on, scraping the earth with his claws. “You’re a medicine cat, and we’re in different Clans. The whole of the warrior code is against us. But there mustbe a way.”
Leafpool blinked at him. “How?” All their difficulties came rushing back until she felt trapped by them.
The gray-black warrior was so tense she could almost see lightning playing around his fur. “I wish we could just escape everything!” he burst out. “Clans, traditions, all the rules and boundaries…I want to get away from all of it!”
“Escape?” Leafpool echoed. “Do you mean—go away?”
Was Crowfeather really suggesting they could leave their Clans and the lives they had known ever since they were kits? She would have to say good-bye to her mother and father, to Squirrelflight and Sorreltail, and to her mentor, Cinderpelt. More than that, she would have to give up her life as a medicine cat. Pain twisted in her belly. How could she face never again walking in dreams with StarClan, never seeing Spottedleaf, never healing her Clanmates with the help of her warrior ancestors?
Crowfeather nudged her. “Leafpool?”
Unhappily she shook her head. “We can’t leave our Clans. That’s not the answer.”
“I don’t know what the answer is, either.” He broke off with a hiss.
Leafpool realized that the sounds of argument from the clearing had died away; they could just hear Blackstar drawing the meeting to a close.
“It’s time to go,” Crowfeather muttered. “Tomorrow, at sunhigh, go and collect herbs by the stream near the stepping stones. I’ll come and talk to you there. Please.”
Without waiting for her reply he whipped around and skirted the bushes until he reached his Clanmates as they made for the tree bridge.
Leafpool waited for a few heartbeats before creeping back through the branches into the clearing. It didn’t look as if any cat had noticed her leaving to talk to Crowfeather. The medicine cats were still huddled together on the edge of the bushes. Leafpool padded over to join them.
“I’ve had the same dream again and again,” Littlecloud was meowing anxiously. “Warnings of danger to come…yet StarClan never tell me what the danger is.” He glanced anxiously from cat to cat. “Have any of you had a clearer sign?”
Leafpool didn’t look at Mothwing. There were now two medicine cats whose dreams were closed off to StarClan. Her warrior ancestors certainly hadn’t sent her the dream of the dark forest where she had seen Tigerstar and his sons. She couldn’t let any cat know she hadn’t received the dreams Littlecloud was describing, and she hoped that Cinderpelt wouldn’t ask her directly.
Mothwing broke the silence. “I don’t know what any of these dreams mean,” she mewed. Leafpool realized how careful she was being not to reveal her lack of faith in StarClan. “But we should warn our Clan leaders to be alert for danger.”
Cinderpelt dipped her head approvingly. “Good idea.”
“But what sortof danger?” Barkface asked with a twitch of his whiskers. “WindClan hasn’t seen much that could threaten us since we moved in, unless you count the fox, and that was quickly dealt with.”
“We had the problem with the Twoleg poison,” meowed Mothwing. Glancing at Leafpool, she added, “But StarClan sent a special warning about that.”
“And we had trouble with the kittypets.” Littlecloud nodded to Cinderpelt. “ThunderClan helped us sort that out, so StarClan wouldn’t still be sending dreams about it.”
“There must be another danger,” Cinderpelt decided. “Something that hasn’t come yet, and something that could affect every Clan.”
“All of us must keep watch for signs,” Barkface rumbled. “Maybe by the time of the half moon StarClan will have shown us something more.”
His words were the signal for them to leave. The clearing was almost empty as the last of the cats made their way out through the bushes. Leafpool emerged to find the stretch of shore beside the tree bridge crowded with cats milling around the roots, waiting for their turn to cross.
Leafpool let her gaze travel over them; when she spotted Crowfeather, she felt as if a bolt of lightning had ripped through her fur.
The WindClan warrior sprang nimbly onto the tree trunk and began making his way to the shore, balancing easily with his tail straight up in the air. Leafpool hardly knew how she stopped her paws from dashing after him, even though they were surrounded by cats from every Clan.
StarClan, help me! she begged. I don’t know what to do!
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 13
“I’ll be glad when newleaf comes,”Mothwing remarked, turning over her store of juniper berries with one paw. “We’re very short of herbs.”
“It’s just as bad in ThunderClan,” Leafpool told her, touching her shoulder sympathetically with the tip of her tail. “This has been a long leaf-bare, and we don’t know the best places yet to find supplies. At least your cats are getting well now.”
“Yes, thanks to you.” Mothwing let out a purr, then turned to Willowkit, who was standing just outside the medicine cat’s den, shifting from paw to paw. “Give two juniper berries to each cat—except for Minnowkit and Pebblekit. They can have one each. Can you remember what juniper is for?”
The small gray kit paused with one paw raised, ready to snag a couple of berries on her claws. “Bellyache,” she began, eyes narrowed with the effort of remembering, “but they’re getting better, and their bellies aren’t aching anymore.” She hesitated, puzzled; then her eyes brightened. “Strength!” she mewed triumphantly. “You’re giving them juniper so they’ll get strong again.”
“Very good!” Mothwing purred. She watched the young kit as she tottered away to give the juniper to Dawnflower. “She’s been such a help—and so have you, Leafpool. My Clanmates would have died without you.”
“I don’t think so,” Leafpool meowed, embarrassed by her friend’s praise. “You knew what to treat them with all along.”
Her third night in the RiverClan camp was drawing to an end. Dew glittered on every leaf and blade of grass in the slanting rays of the sun, and Leafpool was convinced it felt warmer than before. Newleaf could not be far off.
No more RiverClan cats had fallen ill. Mistyfoot had organized the fittest warriors to clean up any traces of the silver-green liquid they found in and around the camp, while Hawkfrost had finished the barrier around the Twoleg thing and made sure every cat knew they had to avoid it.
Meanwhile, all the remaining cats who had been poisoned by the sticky stuff were recovering. Heavystep had already returned to the elders’ den, while Minnowkit and Pebblekit were feeling well enough to get into mischief. They were down by the stream now, dabbing a paw into the water as if they were pretending to fish.
“Stay away from the edge!” Mothwing called out. “I don’t have time to rescue you if you fall in.”
The two kits glanced at each other and drew back a couple of pawsteps, then started to chase each other in a circle.
“They’ll have to go back to the nursery,” Mothwing sighed. “Dawnflower isn’t really strong enough to look after them yet, but I’ll get Mosspelt to help her. They’ll only get into trouble if they stay here. I caught Minnowkit sniffing around my herb store yesterday.”
Leafpool let out a mrrowof amusement. “You’d think they’d had enough bellyache without stuffing themselves with the wrong sort of herbs.”
She stood up and gave herself a good long stretch. Along the bank of the stream the sick cats were stirring: Dawnflower had rolled onto her side to wash her belly fur, while Beechpaw was sitting up with his jaws parted in an enormous yawn. No cat looked uncomfortable or in pain.
“It’s time I was leaving,” Leafpool meowed. “You don’t need me anymore.”
Mothwing nodded, although there was a flash of regret in her eyes. “It’s been great, having another medicine cat to work with. But I know you have to go home to your Clan.”
“You’re leaving?” Willowkit bounced up to them to collect another dose of juniper berries. “We’ll miss you, Leafpool.” Hesitantly she added to Mothwing, “Will you still need me to help?”
“Of course I will,” Mothwing reassured her.
Willowkit’s tail pointed straight up and her eyes shone.
Leafpool padded along the bank to say good-bye to those cats who were awake. When she returned to Mothwing’s den she saw that Leopardstar had appeared.
“Mothwing tells me you’re leaving,” the RiverClan leader meowed. “The thanks of all RiverClan go with you, Leafpool.”
Leafpool bowed her head. “Any medicine cat would have done the same.”
“We won’t forget in a hurry,” Leopardstar told her. “Have a safe journey, and give my thanks to Firestar, too.”
With a last good-bye to Mothwing, Leafpool followed the stream down to the lake, splashing through at a shallow spot and heading along the shore, past the tree bridge. She hoped Crowfeather hadn’t been too angry when she had broken her promise to meet him. She had forgotten about him on the first night in her desperate rush to help the sick cats, and on the next two nights she had been too exhausted. Besides, she hadn’t known if he would wait for her again, since she’d let him down the first time.
When she reached WindClan territory she kept one eye on the moorland, half-hoping to see his lean, gray-black shape racing toward her, yet half-dreading it too. Maybe it was better to end it this way, letting him think she wasn’t interested.
But the only WindClan cats she spotted were a patrol high up on the hillside; they were too far away for her to identify them, except to be sure none of them was Crowfeather. She felt as if she would recognize his sleek dark shape from the other side of the lake.
As she approached the stone hollow, the warm scent of ThunderClan cats surrounded her. A purr rose in her throat and she pushed her way eagerly through the thorn tunnel, glad to be home.
Firestar was talking to Cloudtail close to the nursery entrance. “I can’t see Daisy ever becoming a warrior,” Leafpool heard him meow as she approached. “But sure, you can teach her some fighting moves. She needs to be able to defend herself and her kits if she’s going to live in the wild.”
Cloudtail’s blue eyes gleamed. “She’ll be fine,” he promised, before vanishing into the brambles to tell her.
Firestar shook his head doubtfully, then straightened up as he spotted Leafpool. “Welcome back,” he purred, touching her ear with his nose. “How are things in RiverClan?”
“They were very bad when I first arrived. Twolegs left some sticky poisonous stuff on their territory.” Leafpool described what she had discovered, and how she had helped Mothwing care for the sick cats. “But they’ll be fine now,” she finished.
“You’ve done well. I always knew you would be a brilliant medicine cat.” Her father dipped his head and licked her ears. “I’m very proud of you.”
Leafpool’s pelt tingled with pleasure. “I’d better go and find Cinderpelt,” she mewed. “She must have been rushed off her paws without me to help her.”
She bounded across the clearing and slipped behind the screen of brambles to Cinderpelt’s den. “Cinderpelt, I’m—”
She skidded to a halt at the mouth of the den. Rainwhisker was lying on the sandy floor with one paw held out, while Brightheart vigorously licked his pad. “That’s better,” she meowed. “I should be able to get it out now.”
There was a thorn sticking out of Rainwhisker’s pad. Carefully Brightheart gripped it in her teeth and pulled; it came away easily, followed by a spurt of bright blood.
“That looks fine,” Brightheart murmured, nosing the thorn to make sure no scraps of it were left in the paw. “Give your paw a good lick, and you should be able to walk on it soon.”
“Thanks, Brightheart,” Rainwhisker meowed.
Every hair on Leafpool’s pelt bristled from shock. How many medicine cats did ThunderClan need? She knew Brightheart had offered to help Cinderpelt collect herbs while Leafpool was away, but Leafpool had never imagined she would start doing any of the other medicine cat tasks.
Brightheart looked up. “Oh, Leafpool, you’re back.”
Before Leafpool could reply, Cinderpelt emerged from her den with a mouthful of borage leaves. “Here you are, Brightheart,” she mewed, setting them down. “This should help Mousefur’s fever.”
Brightheart sprang to her paws. “Thanks. I’ll take them to her right away.” Grabbing them in her jaws, she hurried across the camp to the elders’ den.
Leafpool struggled with a pang of envy as sharp as a thorn. It looked like she wasn’t needed anymore! Then she told herself to stop overreacting. She should have been grateful that Brightheart had made it possible for her to help RiverClan.
A warm tongue rasped across her ear. “Welcome back,” Cinderpelt meowed. “Tell me all about what happened.”
As Leafpool sat down, tail wrapped neatly over her paws, she tried to put Brightheart out of her mind. Helping with one thorn and a few herbs didn’t make a medicine cat.
I’m home now, and everything will soon be back to normal
When she had finished reporting to Cinderpelt, she padded off to the fresh-kill pile for something to eat; her belly was yowling, because she hadn’t had so much as a sniff of food since she left RiverClan. She was about to sink her teeth into a plump vole when Squirrelflight and Ashfur appeared, their jaws full of fresh-kill.
“Hi,” Squirrelflight meowed, dropping her load on the pile. “It’s great to see you again. You’ll never guess what happened while you were away!”
“What?” Squirrelflight’s eyes were gleaming with satisfaction, so it couldn’t be anything bad.
Ashfur brushed his nose against Squirrelflight’s fur. “You tell Leafpool all about it,” he mewed. “I’ll go back and collect that last squirrel you caught.”
“Thanks.” Squirrelflight flicked her ears at him. “See you later.”
While she listened with half an ear to Squirrelflight telling her about the kittypets in ShadowClan territory, another pang of envy sank its claws into Leafpool. Her sister and Ashfur were getting along so well together, working as a team, sleeping side by side in the warriors’ den. Why couldn’t she share anything like that with Crowfeather? Because you’re a medicine cat, she reminded herself. She had no right to be in love, even if Crowfeather had been a ThunderClan cat. There was no hope that they could be together.
“Are you okay?” Squirrelflight broke off what she was saying to look at Leafpool with concern. “Everything’s all right in RiverClan, isn’t it?”
“Yes, everything’s fine now.” Leafpool longed to pour out her problems to her sister, but she couldn’t take any cat into her confidence. Instead, she forced herself to sit and eat her vole, and make all the right admiring comments about the raid on the kittypets.
Oh StarClan, she sighed, why does your way have to be so difficult?
Leafpool was still feeling confused as the sun went down, but when she curled up in her nest outside Cinderpelt’s den, she fell asleep almost at once. She found herself padding through deep woods, the kind of place where she had often walked with warriors of StarClan.
“Spottedleaf?” she called. She was desperate to speak with her, to make sure her warrior ancestors weren’t punishing her for thinking about Crowfeather. “Are you there?”
But there was no trace of the medicine cat’s sweet scent. Clumps of fern arched above her, and when she looked up for a glimpse of the starry warriors overhead, massive branches blocked her view of the sky. They shifted with a desolate creaking sound; the wind that stirred them probed her pelt with icy claws.
“Where are you?” Panic surged through her. “Spottedleaf, Feathertail, don’t leave me alone!”
She remembered her dream at the Moonpool, when she had been unable to work out what her warrior ancestors were saying. She knew instinctively that they were not here now. Perhaps she had lost them forever. She began to run, scrambling over gnarled roots and forcing her way through thorn thickets.
At last Leafpool spotted a faint light through the trees. She veered toward it until she halted, gasping for breath, at the edge of a clearing. Light filtered down, but it seemed gray and sickly, not like the silver blaze of the stars she was used to. It lay heavily on a thick covering of dead leaves and clumps of fungus that glowed with a light of their own.
In the center of the clearing a gray rock pushed up at an angle out of the leaf-mold. A massive tabby tom crouched there, his paws tucked under him and his gaze fixed intently on two cats who sat at the base of the rock, their faces turned toward him.
Leafpool let out a gasp, so loud she was sure the three cats must have heard her, and shrank back fearfully against the nearest tree trunk. She recognized the two cats on the ground instantly: one was her Clanmate Brambleclaw, the other his half brother, Hawkfrost. And that meant she could put a name to the huge tabby on the rock, who looked so much like both of them.
He must be their father, Tigerstar!
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 14
Shivering, Leafpool peered out into theclearing. If Tigerstar looked up, she felt as if his amber gaze could have burned away the tree trunk to reveal her cowering behind it. Instead, his eyes were fixed on his sons. But this was a dream! Had Tigerstar called them to him as they slept, in the same way that medicine cats walked in dreams with StarClan? He had brought them somewhere Leafpool had never been before, a place of endless night where living cats never set paw. Even StarClan, she guessed, had never breathed the dank airs of this forest, or padded through its sickly light.
“Courage matters more than anything,” Tigerstar was saying. “Remember that, when you are leaders.”
Hawkfrost meowed something that Leafpool didn’t catch; Tigerstar twitched his tail impatiently.
“Of course courage in battle is important,” he rasped, “but I’m talking about courage in the way you deal with your own Clan. They must accept your orders, and if they question you, back up your decisions with tooth and claw.”
Leafpool’s eyes stretched wide in disbelief. Firestar had never attacked a member of his Clan, even if they disagreed with him.
“Weakness is dangerous,” the huge tabby continued. “You must hide your doubts—or better still, don’t have doubts at all. You must always be certain that what you are doing is right.”
Was that how Tigerstar had felt, Leafpool wondered, when he had murdered Redtail and plotted the murder of Bluestar so that he could be Clan leader? When he led the dog pack to the ThunderClan camp to gain revenge, and brought BloodClan into the forest to help him force the other Clans into submission—had he been completely sure that he was right?
Hawkfrost’s ice-blue eyes were fixed on his father; he was obviously drinking in every word. Brambleclaw had his back to Leafpool so she couldn’t see his expression, but his ears were pricked. Icy claws gripped her heart. Tigerstar was training his sons, like a warrior preparing an apprentice for battle! He was trying to turn them into the kind of murderous tyrant he had been.
“But how do we become leaders?” Brambleclaw asked. “I don’t think Firestar will ever make me his deputy. I haven’t even had an apprentice yet.”
The fur on Tigerstar’s shoulders bristled. “When you hunt, do you expect the mice to leap into your jaws?” he hissed. “No. You scent your prey, you stalk it, and then you pounce. It’s the same with power. It won’t come to you unless you seek it.”
Brambleclaw muttered something, and Leafpool saw Tigerstar’s neck fur lie flat again.
“Don’t worry,” he meowed. “Both of you have the true spirit of warriors. I know you will succeed if you follow my pawsteps closely.”
“We will!” Hawkfrost leapt to his paws. “We’ll do whatever you tell us.”
His enthusiasm chilled Leafpool. What could this bloodthirsty cat command his sons to do? She shrank back, shivering, and although she didn’t think she had made a sound, the huge tabby’s head swung around and he peered into the shadows where she was hiding.
Terrified, Leafpool turned and fled, blundering among roots and trailing stems of bramble, bracing herself to hear sounds of pursuit and to feel a massive paw grabbing her by the throat. There were no paths out of the dark forest. Trees stretched endlessly on every side, and there was no birdsong or rustle of prey, no sign that any living creature had ever trodden among these dark thickets.
Where am I? There was no reply to Leafpool’s silent wail. What had brought her to this place where StarClan had never set paw, where the spirit of a murderous cat could call his sons to him in dreams?
In her panic-stricken flight Leafpool didn’t look where she was going. Suddenly the ground gave way under her paws. She let out a shocked yowl as she plunged into darkness; her body hit the ground with a thump that drove the breath out of her.
Her eyes flew open and she let out a gasp of terror. A tabby head was a mouse-length away from hers, amber eyes staring down at her.
“Are you okay?” Brambleclaw meowed.
Leafpool scrambled into a sitting position, scattering scraps of moss. She was in her nest outside Cinderpelt’s den. The creamy light of dawn was seeping into the sky above the trees
“Leafpool?” Brambleclaw sounded concerned. His pelt was ruffled, with bits of bracken sticking to it, as if he had only recently roused from his own nest in the warriors’ den. “Is something the matter? I heard you cry out.”
“What? No—no, I’m fine.” Leafpool stared uncertainly up at Brambleclaw. Had he come to tell her that he’d seen her in his dream?
“Firestar is choosing cats to go to the Gathering tonight,” he meowed, yawning. “Are you fit to come? I know you had a long journey yesterday.”
Relief swept through Leafpool from ears to tail-tip. If Brambleclaw had really had the same dream, he hadn’t noticed her in the shadows. But her relief faded as she wondered if he had chosento visit his father in the dark forest. What was Tigerstar going to make him do to become Clan leader?
She got up, still feeling shaky but determined to hide it. “I’m fine,” she repeated. “Tell Firestar I’d like to come.”
Brambleclaw dipped his head and backed away. Leafpool took a few deep breaths before giving her pelt a quick grooming. She had completely forgotten that this was the night of the full moon. Even though her pelt prickled with fear, she wanted to watch Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw together. Would they give away what was happening as they slept? How often had Tigerstar called them to him in dreams before now?
Leafpool knew there was no cat she could ask for advice. Firestar and Cinderpelt both took her dreams from StarClan very seriously, but this dream was different. She didn’t dare tell them about it; she was terrified of what the dream might mean, for she had never heard of any other medicine cat walking where she had walked. In that forest, she had felt farther than ever from her warrior ancestors. If she lost touch with them altogether, would she be condemned to wander forever in that dark place, and never find her way back to the light?
Even though it was very early, she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep now. Cinderpelt was still in her den, so Leafpool decided to go out and look for herbs. They could do with more borage leaves, especially if Mousefur was feverish
She knew a patch of borage grew close to the abandoned Twoleg nest. Leafpool slipped out of the camp and padded along the disused path. The gray, cloudy weather had given way to sunlight that shone warmly on her fur. Green shoots were thrusting up through the ground. Buds were swelling on the trees and birds sang above Leafpool’s head, promising plentiful fresh-kill as newleaf approached. The forest couldn’t have been more different from the dark place of her dream, yet Leafpool could not shake off the terror, and found herself glancing over her shoulder at every pawstep.
Her pelt crawled when she came in sight of the tumbledown nest, with shadowy holes in its sides like eyes staring at her. Then she braced herself and padded more boldly through the trees, sniffing for the borage she had come to collect. What was there to be frightened of here, for a cat who had walked in Tigerstar’s forest?
She was on her way back, carrying a satisfying clump of fragrant borage leaves, when she spotted a flash of pale fur behind a clump of bracken. Curious, she circled the bracken and found herself on the edge of the mossy clearing where the cats went for battle training. Cloudtail was there with Daisy, standing over her with his ears pricked.
“No,” he meowed. “You’ve got to hitme. Hard.”
Daisy blinked at him with limpid blue eyes. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”
Cloudtail’s tail curled up. “Don’t worry, you won’t. Come on, try again.”
The horse place cat gave him a doubtful look, then ran at him, flashing out a paw as she went past. Cloudtail dodged aside and hooked out Daisy’s paws from under her so that she sprawled on the grass in a tangle of legs and fluffy tail.
“That’s not fair!” she wailed. “You never said you were going to do that.”
“Oh, right.” Cloudtail couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice. “Do you think in the thick of a battle an enemy warrior will come up and say, ‘Be careful, I’m going to push you over now?’”
Daisy lashed her tail. “It’s not like I’ll ever need to fight.”
“You might.” Cloudtail’s gaze was serious now. “If another Clan attacked us—or other creatures like foxes or dogs—you need to know how to defend yourself. If you don’t, you could get reallyhurt.”
“Oh, all right.” Daisy gave her creamy chest fur a couple of licks. “Show me again what I’ve got to do.”
Leafpool thought Cloudtail had a tough task ahead of him if he was going to turn this kittypet into a competent warrior. Daisy didn’t seem to have any fighting instinct at all. But the white warrior seemed willing to teach her. Leafpool remembered how he had shown infinite patience with Brightheart after the she-cat had been attacked by the dogs, and needed to learn a whole new way of fighting and hunting. Perhaps he would be able to teach Daisy to be a warrior too.
Thinking about Brightheart made Leafpool want to get back to camp. She still didn’t like the way the ginger and white she-cat was taking over all her duties.
She waved her tail in greeting as she padded past Cloudtail and Daisy; as she left the clearing she heard Cloudtail meowing, “This time try to pretend I’m a badger and I’m going to eat your kits.”
“But my kits really like you,” Daisy protested.
More warriors were up and about by the time Leafpool reached the stone hollow. She nodded to Sandstorm, who was leading Spiderleg and Thornclaw out on a hunting patrol, then she went to find Cinderpelt in her den. But it was Brightheart, not Cinderpelt, who came out to meet her.
“Borage!” the ginger and white she-cat exclaimed. “Thanks, Leafpool. We have hardly any left, and Mousefur’s fever isn’t down yet.” As soon as Leafpool put down the borage at the mouth of the den, she grabbed up a couple of the stalks and hurried toward the clump of fern and bramble where the elders slept beneath the twisted branches of a hazel bush.
Leafpool let out a hiss of annoyance and slashed at the nearest bramble with her paw. Brightheart was behaving as if she were the medicine cat, and Leafpool just her helper.
“What’s the matter?” Cinderpelt emerged from the mouth of her den, gave the remaining borage an appreciative sniff, then limped across to join Leafpool.
Leafpool shrugged. “Just too many medicine cats around here,” she muttered.
Cinderpelt’s blue gaze rested on her. Leafpool looked up and saw wisdom and compassion there, and something deeper she could not name. “Be patient with Brightheart,” the medicine cat mewed. “Everything has changed for her.” More quietly she added, “The greatest gift we could ask for is the courage to accept what StarClan sends us, however hard it seems.”
Leafpool was surprised to see a flash of sadness in her mentor’s face. She wanted to ask Cinderpelt what she was talking about, but she was afraid of the answer. Was she just talking about Brightheart, and the courage she had shown in accepting her disfigured face? Or was she trying to tell Leafpool that she wasn’t needed anymore, now that Brightheart had begun to take on the role of medicine cat?
Before she could summon the courage to say anything, Cinderpelt disappeared back inside her den. Leafpool was about to follow her when she saw Cloudtail push his way through the thorn tunnel with Daisy just behind him. Daisy’s kits, who were tumbling together at the entrance to the nursery, sprang up and scampered across the clearing to fling themselves on Cloudtail. The white warrior toppled onto his side and wrestled with the kits in a play fight, his claws carefully sheathed.
“Hey, Berrykit, get off!” he panted, giving the creamy-white kit a gentle cuff around the ear. “Mousekit, that tickles. And who’s got their teeth in my tail?” He rolled over, taking the smallest kit with him. “Hazelkit, show a bit of respect for a warrior!”
“He’s really good with them.” Brightheart had returned and stood gazing at her mate with a wistful look. “He’ll be a fantastic mentor,” she went on. “He was so patient with me when I was injured. He worked out all kinds of fighting moves for me so I could be a warrior again.”
Leafpool felt an unexpected stab of sympathy for her. Maybe Cinderpelt was right, and Brightheart had more changes to get used to than any of them. It couldn’t be easy for her to watch Cloudtail spending so much time with Daisy and her kits. But her sympathy dissolved when Mousefur padded up and spoke to Brightheart.
“I forgot to ask you,” the brown-furred elder meowed. “Can I have some poppy seed? This fever has kept me awake for two nights now.”
“I’m not sure,” Brightheart replied. “I don’t think you should have poppy seed on top of all that borage. Let’s ask Cinderpelt if she has anything better.”
She led the elder behind the brambles that screened Cinderpelt’s den, leaving Leafpool to stare after them in frustrated disbelief. Who’s the medicine cat around here? If Mousefur or Brightheart had bothered to ask her, she would have suggested chewing a dandelion leaf instead of poppy seeds. But they’d acted as if Leafpool wasn’t even there.
Maybe Cinderpelt would make Brightheart a medicine cat apprentice. ButI’m still her apprentice, Leafpool thought miserably. Even though she had her proper name now, she would continue to learn from Cinderpelt for many more seasons. She had never heard of a medicine cat having two apprentices at the same time. Besides, she added to herself, Brightheart has a mate, and a kitShe can’t be a medicine cat. Right?
She felt as if a huge stone hung in her belly, weighing her down. Maybe this is a sign from StarClan after all, she thought. A sign that I’m not needed in ThunderClan anymore
第十一章
第十一章
松鼠飞在一棵树下停下来倾听着。林子里除了风吹动树枝发出的沙沙声外，一片静寂。她嗅了嗅，猎物的气息很微弱，寒冷的天气肯定把所有的猎物都赶进洞里了。她抖抖身体，又漫无目的地向前走去。
她离开营地不是为了狩猎。她本来是和蜡毛、桦爪一起出来，准备前往亮心发现的那片长满苔藓的空地。可是刚走出荆棘通道，他们就迎头碰上了黑莓掌。黑莓掌和蛛足、雨须结束了训练，正往回走呢。
“你们要去哪里？”他问松鼠飞，同时示意两位年轻的武士先走。
“蜡毛要教桦爪一些格斗动作，”松鼠飞故意没有理会这位虎斑武士语气中的挑衅，说道，“我想一起过去帮帮忙。”
“你这么想，那可就不对了！”黑莓掌厉声说道，“桦爪的老师是蜡毛，而不是你。要是你没事可做，可以帮长老捉一下虱子。”
松鼠飞忍无可忍，龇起牙吼道：“还轮不到你命令我！”
“那就别这样没有责任心！”黑莓掌毫不示弱地反驳道，“我们要做的事情还很多。”他愤怒地甩甩尾巴，走进了通道。
“我们还是自己走好了！”蜡毛说着，看了桦爪一眼。桦爪看见他俩吵架，吓坏了，眼睛睁得大大的。“我们没必要找麻烦。”蜡毛又说了一句。
“找麻烦的是黑莓掌。”松鼠飞尽管心里知道蜡毛说得对，嘴上却毫不示弱。在旧家园时，老师和学徒通常是单独训练的。“那我们晚些时候见。但我是不会给长老捉虱子的。”此时蜡毛和桦爪已经朝林间空地走去，“我可不想让黑莓掌认为，他可以命令我。”
在她跳着离开营地的路上，她琢磨出黑莓掌的所作所为有更深的含义。蜡毛被选为桦爪的老师，他肯定心生嫉妒。没准是因为我和蜡毛在一起，而不是和他。她突然想：他对我的态度已经很明确了，为什么还会表现得像只被蜂蜇了的獾？
她决定去狩猎，多带回去点猎物。她可不愿让黑莓掌再次找到机会，来提醒她没有尽到武士职责。
突然，影族的气味汹涌而来。她在无意中已经来到边界，离枯树已经没有多远了。紧接着，她就听见了愤怒的咆哮声以及猫战斗时的惨叫声。她惊呆了，心想：难道自己不小心过了边界？
在她前方几尾远的影族领地那一侧，一片灌木丛在疯狂摆动着，接着两只号叫着的猫扭打着滚到空地上。一只是褐皮，另一只是个头很大的公猫。那只公猫一身黑白花色的皮毛，应该是来自影族领地上的两脚兽的巢穴。
这只宠物猫用牙去咬褐皮的喉咙，松鼠飞听见褐皮疼得尖叫起来。她不能作壁上观，眼睁睁地看着朋友兼前族猫被杀死。于是她飞快地跑过边界，猛地扑向了那只公猫。
“放开她！”
松鼠飞怒吼着，用爪子抓向宠物猫的腹侧。趁宠物猫挣扎着想脱身的机会，松鼠飞狠狠咬住了他的尾巴。那只公猫又疼又怒，不由惨叫一声。褐皮趁机挣脱，转身去抓对方的耳朵。宠物猫就地一滚，两只强有力的后腿狠狠地击打着两只母猫，然后抽空一跃而起，飞速跑进了树林。
松鼠飞爬起来，眼睁睁看着他没了踪影。不一会儿，褐皮也赶了过来，大口喘着粗气。
“谢谢你！”褐皮气喘吁吁地说，“他趁我没防备就发动了攻击。”
“不用谢，这是应该做的。”
褐皮眼睛里流露出惊恐的神色，警惕地来回扫视着，好像每棵大树后面都藏着敌猫。松鼠飞离她很近，能感受到她身上散发出来的恐惧气息。松鼠飞实在无法理解，褐皮是位勇敢的武士，而且这还是在她自己的领地上。“出了什么事了吗？”松鼠飞不由得问。
褐皮的眼睛里掠过一丝惊恐，不过她很快摇摇头：“没有什么问题我们解决不了。”
“是啊，刺猬都会飞呢。”松鼠飞回敬了一句，“得啦，褐皮！我看得出你心里有事，肯定不会是因为那个臭家伙。”
“松鼠飞，别问了，好吗？”褐皮低吼一声，“你甚至都不该在这里。巡逻队竟然没有发现你，你还真是够幸运的！”说完，褐皮一转身跳开了，往影族领地深处去了。
一阵焦虑传遍了松鼠飞的全身。她四下看了看，确定附近没有其他猫后，便追了过去：“褐皮，等等！”
褐皮在一棵松树下站住。“松鼠飞，你真是个鼠脑子！”她嘶吼说，“赶紧回去！要是巡逻队发现了，非把你的耳朵揪下来不可。还有，如果我允许你到影族领地来，同样也会惹上麻烦。”
松鼠飞没理会她的话，仔细打量着她，发现她是那么瘦，肋骨像树枝一样凸显出来，皮毛凌乱不堪。她看起来筋疲力尽，但绝对不是因为刚才的战斗。“我不会回去的，”松鼠飞固执地说道，“除非你告诉我是怎么回事。”
褐皮叹了口气。“你就是想知道，是吗？”说着，她慢慢地退到松树的阴影里，直到低垂的树枝把她们遮蔽起来，不会被巡逻队发现。
松鼠飞舔着褐皮的耳朵周围，安抚着她说：“说吧，把真相告诉我吧！”
“你知道那只黑白花色的猫是从哪儿来的吗？”褐皮开始说道，“他就来自我们领地上那个两脚兽的巢穴，那里还有一只宠物猫——是只虎斑猫。”
松鼠飞把尾巴翘了起来：“你觉得我会忘了吗？他们差点把我的皮毛扯掉！”当时如果不是黑莓掌帮忙，我根本就不可能脱身。松鼠飞在心里对自己说。
“是的，影族跟他们发生了冲突！”褐皮很不情愿地解释着。
“和宠物猫有冲突？影族？”松鼠飞重复着她的话，“你是说整族的武士都对付不了几只宠物猫？”
“这一点都不好笑！”褐皮没好气地说，“昨天他们趁鹰钩爪独自外出的时候，袭击了他，还把他打伤了。鹰钩爪连滚带爬，好不容易回到营地，最后还是死了。”说完，她就低下头盯着自己的爪子。
“噢，褐皮，对不起！”
褐皮继续说话，她的声音淡漠，似乎累得已经无法感觉到松鼠飞的震惊了。“花楸掌是鹰钩爪的老师，他带了一支巡逻队前去复仇。但是那些宠物猫一看见他们就逃回了巢穴。他们的两脚兽用坚硬的东西砸巡逻队，杉心的腿因此受了重伤。”褐皮说着撇了撇嘴，“那些宠物猫就是懦夫。他们只敢袭击身体虚弱或独自出行的猫。”
松鼠飞用脸贴着褐皮的腹侧。“雷族会帮忙的！”她信誓旦旦地说，“我这就回去告诉火星。”
褐皮盯着她说：“不要这么鼠脑子。这是影族的问题。”
“那又怎样？我们不能袖手旁观，看着你们被攻击。”
褐皮抬起头，眼中的悲伤变成了不满：“你是说，我们族群没有足够的力量解决自己的问题？”
“哦，你们最终会解决的。”松鼠飞顺着她说，“可是在此期间要死伤多少只猫啊？我们两个族群一起商讨，想出一个好办法，狠狠地教训一下这些臭家伙，这有什么错？如果你们拒绝送上门的援助，那可就不仅仅是愚蠢了。”
有一个心跳的时间，褐皮的眼睛里燃起熊熊烈火，当松鼠飞想起她是一位真正的武士时，才勉强控制住自己没被吓跑。过了一会儿，这位玳瑁色的武士的皮毛才平顺下来，说道：“这件事要由黑星决定。”
最后，松鼠飞舔了褐皮的耳朵一下让她放心。“我很快就会回来。”她保证道。
松鼠飞不再在乎是否会被两个族群的猫发现了，她冲过边界，朝雷族营地跑去。雷族必须帮忙！他们长途跋涉，好不容易才来到这里，可不是为了眼睁睁地看着别的族群被几只宠物猫给赶跑。
看到荆棘屏障时，松鼠飞放慢了速度，调整呼吸，以便给火星一字不落地讲讲事情的原委。让她舒了一口气的是，她刚穿过荆棘通道，就看到了父亲。火星正蹲在猎物堆旁，和沙风分享着一只田鼠。尘毛和蜡毛坐在旁边，头抵在一起说着话。几尾远的地方，黑莓掌正独自狼吞虎咽地吃着一只林鸽。
松鼠飞跑过去。“我刚才见到褐皮了。”她把这位影族武士告诉她的事，原封不动地讲了一遍。“他们被这两只狐狸屎吓坏了，”说到这儿，她已经是上气不接下气，“我告诉褐皮，我们会过去帮忙的。”
“你没有权利对她这么说。”尘毛咆哮道。
松鼠飞的毛顿时立了起来，可是火星用尾巴示意她沉住气。“每个族群都应该照顾好自己，这话不假，”他表示同意尘毛的意见，说道，“这是武士守则的一部分。不过话说回来，两脚兽摧毁森林的时候，如果死守这些武士守则，我们还能活多长时间呢？没准两脚兽的怪物，早就把我们全部杀死了。”
“这么说，你会让我们去帮忙了？”松鼠飞急切地说道，“别忘了，我最先是在我们领地上看到那只虎斑畜生的。如果我们现在不想办法阻止他们，我们自己也会惹上麻烦的。”
“我愿意去。”
黑莓掌的声音突然在松鼠飞身后响起，吓了她一跳。她没注意到，黑莓掌已经过来了。
火星冲这位虎斑武士抽动了一下耳朵说：“我还没决定要不要派雷族猫过去。”
“我不知道我们该不该帮影族，”尘毛说道，“我们长途跋涉，还没有从劳顿中恢复过来，一位巫医已经去帮另一个族群……火星，你不能把所有族群的麻烦都揽过来。”
“是的，我们不会把其他族群的麻烦都揽过来，但我们可以试试。”沙风说道，她那双浅绿色的眼睛久久地盯着尘毛，“松鼠飞说，有一位学徒被杀死了。如果死的是桦爪呢？”
听了沙风的话，尘毛一下子不说话了。
“那么你是不是要派出巡逻队了？”黑莓掌问道，“褐皮是我妹妹。为了她，我甚至愿意与星族作对，更别说是几只宠物猫。”
“我也是，”松鼠飞跟着说，“我们曾与褐皮一起长途跋涉过。我不能袖手旁观！”
黑莓掌的眼睛眯了起来，盯着松鼠飞的身后。松鼠飞转过身，看到了蜡毛。蜡毛一脸疑惑地走到松鼠飞身边，用鼻子碰了碰她的鼻子。
“我们必须帮助影族，”松鼠飞赶紧说，很害怕蜡毛不同意，“你都知道了，是吧？”
“我理解你为什么会这样想，”蜡毛说道，“你对你的朋友很忠诚，我也不希望你因为什么改变自己。”
松鼠飞感觉喉咙一热。她再次把身体贴到蜡毛的肩膀上，感觉站在自己另一侧的黑莓掌身子有些僵硬。
“很好，”火星说，“我们会派一支巡逻队的。黑莓掌，你做队长，不过在做任何事情之前务必和黑星沟通。如果他不想让你们留在他们的领地上，就赶紧回来。明白吗？”
“明白，火星。”
“松鼠飞，你最好和黑莓掌一起去。横竖你都要去，所以就准许你了。”
松鼠飞的尾巴卷了起来：“火星，谢谢！”
“黑莓掌，多选几只猫。”这位族长接着说，“尽快出发。”
黑莓掌点点头，穿过空地朝武士巢穴奔去，很快就消失在了枝条间。
“我也去。”蜡毛自告奋勇说道。
“不行，你不能去。”火星说道。看到这位淡灰色皮毛武士垂头丧气，他又接着说道：“我听说你答应要带桦爪去狩猎。你不想让他失望，对吧？”
蜡毛叹了口气，低声说道：“当然不会，火星。”
松鼠飞心里很清楚，黑莓掌应该不太可能让蜡毛加入巡逻队的。在等待这位虎斑武士回来的时候，松鼠飞焦急地用爪子抓挠着地面。
“我想对你说要小心点，但又觉得没什么用。”蜡毛沮丧地说。
松鼠飞用尾巴尖碰了碰他的肩膀。“不用担心我。”她说道。她想起了与宠物猫第一次战斗的情形——当时就应该知道他们会制造很多麻烦的！一想到复仇，她肩膀上的毛一下子直立了起来。“我们不会有事的，”她向蜡毛保证道，“我们会给那些宠物猫一些厉害尝尝，让他们心里祈祷就不该惹上我们！”
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 16
“Daisy! Daisy, where are you?”
Squirrelflight stopped and looked around when she heard the furious yowl that came from the medicine cats’ den. A moment later Brightheart appeared, carrying one of Daisy’s kits by the scruff. The tiny creature was wailing miserably, his paws thrashing the air. His littermates crept out after them, heads down and tails drooping, and huddled together beside the brambles that shielded the den.
The horse place cat had been in camp long enough for her kits to grow stronger and more confident, and to begin exploring the camp. And that was likely to mean trouble; Squirrelflight’s whiskers twitched as she remembered some of the things she and Leafpool had got up to before they were apprenticed.
Brightheart dropped the kit she was carrying—it was Mousekit, Squirrelflight realized, taking a closer look. The ginger and white she-cat’s good eye was blazing with anger. “Daisy! Come here!”
There was no response from the nursery, but a heartbeat later Daisy appeared from the thorn tunnel and raced across the camp to confront Brightheart. Cloudtail followed her more slowly.
“What’s the matter? What are you doing to my kits?” Daisy demanded.
“Ask your kits what they’ve been doing in Cinderpelt’s den,” Brightheart retorted. “And stop making that noise,” she added to the kit she had dropped, who was still wailing, his tiny pink jaws gaping wide. “I haven’t hurt you.”
“What happened?” Daisy’s blue eyes were just as furious, and her long, creamy fur couldn’t hide the tension in her muscles. For a moment Squirrelflight thought she might fly at Brightheart with one of the fighting moves Cloudtail had been teaching her. Squirrelflight knew Brightheart could look after herself, but Daisy might not get away unscratched. She padded over in case some cat was needed to stop the fur flying.
“Your kits came into Cinderpelt’s den and started messing with the herbs,” Brightheart explained. “Did you eat anything?” she hissed, rounding on Berrykit and Hazelkit. “Any of you?”
Mute with terror, the kits shook their heads. Squirrelflight knew that part of Brightheart’s anger was fueled by fear that the kits might have eaten something dangerous. Cinderpelt wouldn’t keep anything like deathberries among her supplies, but there were plenty of remedies that could give a cat a nasty bellyache if they ate too much.
Brightheart’s fur began to lie flat again, but annoyance still crackled off her like lightning in greenleaf. “Just go and lookat the mess they’ve made,” she meowed to Daisy. “Why weren’t you keeping an eye on them?”
“She was with me,” Cloudtail meowed.
“And that makes it okay for her kits to spoil Cinderpelt’s supplies?” Brightheart challenged him.
“They didn’t know any better.”
“Then they should!” Brightheart snarled back at her mate. “Do you think we have nothing better to do than clean up after them? I spent all day yesterday collecting berries.”
“Look, I’m sorry,” Daisy mewed, glancing uneasily from Cloudtail to Brightheart and back again. She nudged Mousekit to his paws and collected the others with a sweep of her tail. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“You do that,” Brightheart snapped.
The horse place cat headed back to the nursery, herding her kits in front of her. Squirrelflight heard Mousekit complain, “That ugly cat frightened me!”
“Then you shouldn’t get into trouble,” Daisy replied.
Squirrelflight saw Brightheart flinch at what Mousekit said. She and Cloudtail were nose to nose, their tail-tips twitching back and forth.
“I’ll help clean up,” Squirrelflight offered, backing around the brambles. She didn’t want to get involved in a quarrel between Brightheart and her mate.
When she turned around she saw why Brightheart had been so angry. Berries were scattered all over the ground at the mouth of the den, and herbs lay in untidy clumps. Some of the leaves had been torn off their stems and were covered in dirt; they would probably have to be thrown out.
Squirrelflight began to roll the berries that could be salvaged into a pile. She wondered where Leafpool and Cinderpelt had gone. After a few moments she heard another cat padding up behind her.
“There you are!” meowed Ashfur, touching his nose to her shoulder. “I thought we were going hunting. Why are Cloudtail and Brightheart glaring at each other like a couple of badgers?”
Squirrelflight went on sorting berries as she explained.
“Clanborn kits would know not to do this sort of thing,” Ashfur commented. “Maybe these kittypets will never settle here properly.”
“Whatdid you say?” Squirrelflight spun around to face him. “Have you forgotten that my father was a kittypet?”
Ashfur blinked. “I’m sorry. But Firestar’s pretty special. Most kittypets couldn’t live our sort of life. They need their Twolegs to look after them.”
Squirrelflight let out a furious hiss, and her claws slid out; it took a massive effort to shield them again and go on sorting berries. How dare Ashfur make judgments based on a cat’s birth? she fumed. Did that mean he thought less of her because she was half kittypet? Couldn’t he see that she and Leafpool, Cloudtail, and his kit Whitepaw were as important to the Clan as any warrior who was forestborn through and through?
Before Ashfur could say anything else, the bramble screen shook as Leafpool and Cinderpelt brushed past. Both medicine cats carried large bunches of chickweed.
“What’s going on here?” Cinderpelt asked, dropping her mouthful.
Squirrelflight explained what had happened for the second time, while Leafpool began examining the scattered leaves and piling up the ones that would have to be thrown out.
“Kits!” Cinderpelt grunted, nosing a muddy and crumpled stack of yarrow leaves. “Still, if they didn’t eat anything there’s no real harm done.”
“A lot of extra work, though,” Ashfur pointed out.
“We can manage,” Leafpool meowed sharply, and Squirrelflight glanced at her in surprise. “I’ll throw out these damaged herbs and go collect some more.”
A bolt of strong emotion made Squirrelflight’s fur stand on end. She stared at her sister. Was that guiltLeafpool was feeling? Why should she feel guilty about collecting herbs? Even more mysteriously, mixed with the guilt there seemed to be a thrill of anticipation, and beneath it all a layer of piercing unhappiness.
Squirrelflight told herself her sister was just tired; the night before had been the half moon, when Leafpool and the other medicine cats paid their regular visit to the Moonpool. But deep down she knew Leafpool was suffering from more than the long journey and lack of sleep. Perhaps the medicine cats had received a sign from StarClan of trouble ahead. Yet Leafpool hadn’t been her normal self for some time. In fact, she’d been as jumpy as a grasshopper since the Gathering.
“I’ll help you,” Squirrelflight offered. “Ashfur, you’d better hunt without me. I’ll join you later if I can.”
Ashfur gave her a long look. “Okay.” With a nod to Cinderpelt he left.
Squirrelflight opened her mouth to call him back, wishing she hadn’t spoken so sharply to him, but her need to talk to Leafpool was greater. Besides, perhaps it was best for them both to have some space after their quarrel.
“Which herbs do we need to throw out?” she asked her sister
“These.” Leafpool pointed with her tail. “The rest are okay, I think.”
Squirrelflight divided the heap of bruised and dirty leaves into two bunches and picked up one of them. Cinderpelt had begun to carry the herbs and berries worth keeping back into her den. Leafpool picked up the remaining herbs and followed Squirrelflight out of the camp. They carried the leaves to the rough ground a few fox-lengths from the entrance where the cats went to make their dirt.
“It’s good to get out of there,” Squirrelflight remarked when she had finished spitting out scraps of sharp-tasting leaf. She wanted to tell Leafpool about Ashfur’s hurtful comments, but now she could see how tense and miserable Leafpool was, her quarrel didn’t seem important. “Is everything okay with you?” she asked.
“Why shouldn’t it be?” Leafpool scraped the ground in front of her and sniffed at an unfurling frond of bracken.
“When Cinderpelt suggested collecting more herbs, I just thought you seemed…well, weird, sort of.” A thought struck her and she added, “You’re not worried about Brightheart, are you? I mean, you’re Cinderpelt’s realapprentice. Brightheart is just helping out.”
Leafpool blinked. “No, of course I’m not worried about Brightheart. Look, Squirrelflight,” she went on, “we’d better split up if we’re going to collect herbs, otherwise it will take all day. I know Cinderpelt wants more catmint. Do you think you could fetch some from the abandoned Twoleg nest?”
Squirrelflight stared at her. It couldn’t be more obvious that Leafpool was trying to get rid of her. “Where are you going to go?”
“Oh…near the ShadowClan border, maybe.”
Another bolt of guilt and impatience flashed from her, making every hair on Squirrelflight’s pelt tingle. She was sure Leafpool was lying, and she clamped her teeth shut on a yowl of outrage. Wenever lie to each other!
“You know,” she mewed, trying to sound calm, “you areweird these days. It feels like something’s changed.”
She had meant the words as a joke, an attempt to recover the closeness to her sister that somehow seemed to have vanished. But instead of being amused, Leafpool flinched as if a bee had stung her. Her eyes narrowed.
“I’m going to collect herbs,” she meowed coldly. “I’m a medicine cat. You can’t expect to share every part of my life.” Turning her back on her sister, she stalked off into the undergrowth.
For a few heartbeats Squirrelflight was tempted to follow her, but if Leafpool found out she would be even more furious. But Squirrelflight couldn’t just ignore her sister’s unhappiness, not when they had always meant so much to each other. She would just have to keep her eyes open and wait for the chance to discover what was wrong.
The hooting of an owl woke Squirrelflight. Faint moonlight filtered through the branches of the warriors’ den, outlining the curled-up bodies of her Clanmates. The den was filled with the warmth of their breath.
Squirrelflight’s jaws gaped in a yawn, but she didn’t feel like going back to sleep. She was wide awake now and restless. Sliding out of her nest, being careful not to wake Ashfur, who was sleeping a tail-length away, she crept between the overhanging branches and into the clearing.
The moon, waning now to the thinnest crescent like a claw scratch in the indigo sky, shed just enough light to see the boundaries of the hollow. Clumps of bramble and fern cast dark shadows around the edges. Opposite her, beside the entrance to the thorn tunnel, Squirrelflight could just make out the pale pelt of Cloudtail, sitting on guard.
She flexed her claws, wondering whether to tell the white warrior that she felt like some night hunting. Suddenly a movement flickered in the corner of her eye, and she turned to see Leafpool emerging from the medicine cats’ den.
Squirrelflight almost called out to her. Then she realized how strangely her sister was behaving. Leafpool glanced around carefully before she crept out of the shelter of the brambles, although she clearly failed to spot her sister’s dark ginger pelt in the shadows by the warriors’ den. Then she headed around the edge of the clearing, hugging the darkness as if she were being hunted like a mouse. Her tension shivered through Squirrelflight from ears to tail-tip.
All Squirrelflight’s earlier uneasiness returned as she padded into the shadows after her sister, placing each paw silently onto the ground. She didn’t want to disturb Cloudtail or any of the other warriors until she knew what Leafpool was trying to do. Leafpool was in some kind of trouble, and this could be the chance Squirrelflight needed to find out more.
Before she reached the thorn barrier across the entrance to the hollow, and risked being seen by Cloudtail, the young medicine cat veered sharply into a clump of brambles. Squirrelflight heard a brief thrashing and froze as Cloudtail’s head swung around, but after listening for a few moments the white warrior twitched the tip of his tail and turned back to watch the tunnel again.
Her heart pounding, Squirrelflight slipped into the brambles behind Leafpool. This was a corner of the hollow that was still too overgrown to be used for sleeping or storing fresh-kill. To her surprise, Squirrelflight saw that part of the rock wall had crumbled away here, and it wouldn’t be too difficult for an agile cat to climb right to the top of the cliff. Leafpool had found a secret way out of the camp! It occurred to Squirrelflight that her sister must know the way very well, to have vanished already. How many times had she used this exit before?
Squirrelflight launched herself upward, fighting her way through the tendrils of bramble and sinking her claws into a straggling bush that had rooted itself in a crack. At last she scrambled over the edge of the hollow and dived for cover into the nearest clump of ferns, her ears pricked for any sound in the hollow below that might mean some cat had spotted her.
But everything was quiet, except for the rustle of wind in the branches. Gradually Squirrelflight’s racing heartbeat slowed, and she dared to poke her head out of the ferns to look around.
Leafpool was nowhere to be seen, but it didn’t take long for Squirrelflight to pick up her scent. The trail skirted the top of the hollow, then set off into the forest.
Squirrelflight followed, pausing every now and then to taste the air. She wanted to believe that Leafpool had left the hollow on medicine cat business, but as far as she knew, there were no herbs that had to be gathered by moonlight. Besides, the way Leafpool had sneaked out of camp, and the mingled guilt and excitement Squirrelflight picked up from her, meant that she must be doing something she shouldn’t.
You could have told me, Squirrelflight thought crossly. Maybe I could have helped
Leafpool’s scent trail wound around hazel thickets and clumps of fern. After a while Squirrelflight realized she could hear the gurgling of the stream that marked the border with WindClan. She stopped and thought for a moment. Could Leafpool be going to the Moonpool? If she were, she would be furious that Squirrelflight was intruding on a medicine cat ritual. But if that were the case, why sneak out of the camp? Leafpool wouldn’t mind if every cat in the Clan knew she was going to share tongues with StarClan.
Squirrelflight went on, doing her best to follow the trail, but the woodland was full of the smell of newly bursting leaves and rising sap. Mouthwatering hints of prey crossed and recrossed Leafpool’s scent, until Squirrelflight could hardly distinguish it from all the others that flooded her senses. Several times she had to stop and take deep, gulping breaths before she could go on. Once she thought she had lost the trail on a bare patch of ground where rock pushed up close to the surface, but she picked it up again on the other side. Then the scent vanished completely in a patch of marshy ground, and though Squirrelflight padded all over it with her nose to the ground she couldn’t find it again.
“Huh!” she grunted. “Call yourself a hunter?”
She could still hear the sound of running water, and she slid silently through the trees until she came in sight of the stream. The breeze brought WindClan scent to her; could Leafpool have crossed the border into WindClan territory? For a heartbeat Squirrelflight thought of crossing to see if she could pick up her sister’s scent on the other side. But there was always the chance that some WindClan cat might have felt like hunting at night. If she were spotted on their territory there would be big trouble, with Onestar feeling the way he did about ThunderClan. Squirrelflight decided she would have a better chance of finding out what Leafpool was up to if she went back and waited outside the hollow until she returned.
She crouched among the ferns above the place where the cliff had crumbled away, guessing Leafpool would return the same way she had left. Her belly growled with hunger, but she didn’t want to hunt in case she missed her sister.
The sky was growing milky with the first sign of dawn when she heard a cat approaching through the undergrowth. Squirrelflight drew in her sister’s scent; rising to her paws, she saw Leafpool coming toward her, her head lowered and her tail brushing the grass.
“Where have you been?” she demanded.
Leafpool’s head shot up and she stared at her sister in dismay. “What are you doing out here? Have you been spying on me?”
“No, you daft furball.” Squirrelflight padded up to her sister, wanting to brush against her fur and reassure her, but Leafpool drew back a pace, and her eyes were wary. “I saw you leave last night, that’s all, and I’m worried about you. I know something’s wrong. Can’t you tell me what it is?”
The strength of Leafpool’s emotions almost swept Squirrelflight off her paws. She could tell her sister longed to confide in her, but a barrier stronger than thorns blocked her way. Squirrelflight’s belly clenched. Leafpool’s problem must be even more serious than she had thought.
Leafpool shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. Leave me alone.”
“I’m hardly going to do that now,” Squirrelflight scoffed. “Leafpool, this isn’t like you, sneaking off—”
“Sneaking!” Leafpool hissed, her tail fluffing out in fury. “You’re a fine one to talk! Why is it okay for you to sneak out and follow me?”
“I didn’t!” Squirrelflight protested. “I only wanted to know what was wrong.”
“It’s none of your business! If you trusted me, you wouldn’t ask all these questions.”
“Fine!” Squirrelflight snapped. “My sister’s in trouble and I’m supposed to ignore that?”
“If I wanted your help I would ask for it!” Leafpool flashed back at her.
“You know you need help.” Squirrelflight made a huge effort to control her fury. “If it’s medicine cat stuff, why don’t you talk to Cinderpelt?”
“Cinderpelt never listens to me.” Leafpool’s voice was sad. “She’s got Brightheart to help her. She doesn’t need me.”
“That’s the most mousebrained thing I’ve ever heard!”
Leafpool let out a hiss. “And you’re so wise and clever all of a sudden? I suppose you’re going to tell Firestar about this, too.”
Squirrelflight’s anger died away. Her sister seemed so desperate, it was impossible to go on challenging her. Wherever she had been, whatever she had been doing, it hadn’t made her happy.
“I won’t tell any cat,” she mewed quietly. “You’d better get back to your den before you’re missed.”
Leafpool nodded and brushed past, then turned and gave her such a sorrowful look that Squirrelflight felt a pang pierce her heart, as sharp as a thorn.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her voice so low that Squirrelflight could scarcely hear her. “I’d tell you if I could, I promise.”
Without waiting for a reply, she disappeared over the edge of the hollow.
Squirrelflight stayed where she was, shaking like a leaf in the wind. She knew there was no point in going back to her den and trying to sleep. Her belly growled again, reminding her how long it had been since she had eaten. She would hunt for a while: a vole for herself, maybe, and then as much prey as she could catch for the fresh-kill pile. She turned to plunge back into the forest, and jumped as the undergrowth rustled and Brambleclaw stepped out.
“Was that Leafpool I saw just now? Where had she been?”
“I’ve no idea,” Squirrelflight replied, her pelt prickling. “She doesn’t need permission to leave the camp.”
Brambleclaw’s eyes narrowed; he clearly guessed Squirrelflight was hiding something from him. “It’s not safe for cats to wander around alone at night,” he commented.
“I think it was medicine cat stuff.” Squirrelflight automatically lied to protect her sister. “You know, looking for herbs.”
Brambleclaw blinked; Squirrelflight wasn’t sure she’d convinced him. He might have noticed that Leafpool hadn’t been carrying any herbs when she vanished into camp. And why would she have climbed down the cliff instead of using the tunnel? Squirrelflight’s tail twitched in her eagerness to get away before the tabby warrior could go on questioning her.
“I’m going hunting,” she mewed briskly.
“So am I.” Brambleclaw hesitated as if he were about to suggest they hunted together.
That was the last thing Squirrelflight wanted. “Well, I’m going this way.” She swung around and headed in the direction of the ShadowClan border, glancing over her shoulder to add, “See you later.”
She could feel the tabby warrior’s gaze following her as she plunged into the undergrowth, and she couldn’t stifle a pang of regret, deep within her belly. Once, she would have told him everything about Leafpool, trusting him to do everything he could to help. Now she didn’t trust him at all—especially not to keep her sister’s secret, whatever it was. Squirrelflight couldn’t imagine what it could be, but fear for Leafpool hung over her like a heavy black cloud that would soon unleash a storm.
第十二章
第十二章
黑莓掌从巢穴中出来，后面跟着蕨毛、刺掌、云尾和雨须。松鼠飞朝他们飞奔过去。
“祝你好运！”蜡毛喊道。
松鼠飞挥动尾巴向他告别。钻过荆棘通道，松鼠飞赶上走在队伍前面的黑莓掌。
“褐皮应该在我离开的地方等着，”松鼠飞说道，“她会带我们去见黑星。”
黑莓掌点点头说：“好的。你来带路。”
松鼠飞在林间小跑着，黑莓掌控制着速度，与她保持一致。因为要走的路还很远，所以他们并没有尽全力奔跑，这样，到达时就有力气进行战斗了。
“你有什么计划没有？”刺掌问。
“还没有，”黑莓掌回答道，“我们首先要让黑星知道，我们是来帮忙的，只要他发话，我们愿意做任何事情。如果他要我们留下，我们就和他们一起制订计划。”
雷族猫到达时，褐皮正在靠近边界的地方等着。她蜷缩在一处枯黄的蕨丛下面，一身玳瑁色的皮毛被遮掩住了。看见哥哥和他带来的强大队伍，褐皮一下子跳了起来，眼睛中露出宽慰的神色。
“看到了没有？”松鼠飞说，“我给你说过火星会派出援兵的。”
黑莓掌和褐皮碰了碰鼻子。“带我们去找黑星。”黑莓掌说。
褐皮转过身走在前面带路，轻巧地穿行在灌木丛中，走入影族领地的腹地。很快，光秃秃的树木就被深棕色的松树取代了，林子里的光线很弱，地上落满厚厚的一层松针，踩上去软软的。他们蹚水过了小溪，然后爬上对岸的一个缓坡。溪水很凉，缓缓流过石头河床。影族的气息越来越浓烈，松鼠飞意识到，已经快接近影族营地了。
这里的地面坡度较陡，落满松针的地面上凸起着一块块岩石。在山坡的顶端，树木更加浓密，拱卫着一个既宽且浅的洼地。洼地里长满了灌木。松鼠飞记得这里，她和朋友们第一次勘察大湖周围时曾来过这里。那个时候，没有谁能想到宠物猫会成为一个祸患。但是现在，她开始有些怀疑，影族的营地是不是离两脚兽的巢穴太近了。
从影族营地飘散出来的恐惧与伤痛的气息，让松鼠飞几乎窒息，但松鼠飞并没有看见一只猫。当他们在洼地的边缘等着的时候，下面的树枝一阵晃动，接着，黑星就出现了。他几步跳上来，身上的毛奓开了。
“这是怎么回事？”他问道，“雷族猫怎么在我们的领地里？褐皮，你知道这是怎么回事吗？”
褐皮冲着族长点点头说：“松鼠飞帮我赶跑了一只宠物猫。我告诉她，那些宠物猫给我们制造了很大的麻烦，于是，她带着雷族的巡逻队来支援我们。”
黑星咆哮了起来：“你竟然把我们族里遇到的问题告诉了别族的武士？”
褐皮毫无惧色地看着他说：“我告诉松鼠飞了，她是我们的朋友。”
“褐皮是我的妹妹。”黑莓掌接着说道，上前一步站在她的身边。
黑星不屑地吸了一下鼻子：“褐皮首先要忠诚的是她的族群——也可以说她本该如此。”
褐皮的皮毛竖立了起来：“黑星，我从来没有做过让你质疑我忠诚的事情。”
影族族长的目光掠过六位雷族猫：“你带着六位武士直接进入营地，是想让我相信你的忠诚吗？”
“如果你不愿意我们在这里，我们马上转身回去，”刺掌说道，“只需你说一句话。”
“别犯傻了，黑星。”说话的是杉心。这只深灰色的公猫从灌木丛中钻出来，爬上斜坡，站在族长旁边。松鼠飞看见他一瘸一拐的，猛然记起褐皮说过他去找宠物猫打架，结果被两脚兽给打伤的事情。“就靠我们自己，没办法解决问题。”杉心说道。
“杉心说得对，”花楸掌过来与杉心并肩站立着，“那些宠物猫杀死了我的学徒。无论是谁，只要能帮助我把他们的肠子扒出来，我都欢迎。”
黑星犹豫了片刻，眼睛看看杉心，又看看花楸掌，只见两位武士眼中露出愤怒的神情，身上的毛倒立着。最后，黑星低下头。“很好，杉心，去把黄毛叫来。我们派一支巡逻队和这些雷族武士去两脚兽的巢穴。不过你不要去，”当杉心退回灌木丛时，黑星又补充了一句，“你的身体现在不适合战斗。”
杉心愤怒地看了黑星一眼，什么都没说就走了。
“黑星，我觉得我们不应该杀死那些宠物猫。”等看不到杉心了，黑莓掌说道。
“什么？”花楸掌很是不满，不等他的族长说话便说道，“他们杀死了我的学徒，我要报仇！”
“如果我们杀死这些宠物猫，两脚兽就会报复我们，”黑莓掌说道，“它们肯定知道你们在这里。”
“黑莓掌说得对。”云尾猛甩一下尾巴说，“两脚兽也有自己的小族群。”他浑身颤抖了一下，接着说：“我曾被两脚兽抓住过一次。如果它们的宠物猫受伤或被弄死，它们不把我们杀死或驱赶出去，是决不会罢休的。你们想想，在旧森林时，两脚兽对我们做了什么。你们难道希望那种事情在这里发生吗？”
“那我们怎样才能阻止两脚兽的宠物猫的骚扰呢？”花楸掌挑衅地问道，“难不成要低声下气地去求他们？”说着，他厌恶地哼了一声。
“如果我们能逮住他们，我们就能逼迫他们承诺不再侵犯。”松鼠飞提议道，“看到我们有这么多猫，他们非得吓死不可。”
“这倒是个好主意。”黑莓掌低声说。
松鼠飞看了他一眼，对他能支持自己，感到既高兴又惊讶。
“这值得一试。”黑星说。正在这时，他的副族长黄毛从灌木丛中钻了出来，和族猫们站在一起。她身后还跟着个头稍小一点的公猫橡毛。
“好，我们的计划如下，”黑星开口说道，“我们去两脚兽的巢穴，想办法抓住这些宠物猫，逼他们承诺不再找我们的麻烦。警告他们，要是胆敢再动我们一指头，就把他们赶尽杀绝。”他看了一眼黑莓掌的眼睛，又补充了一句：“我说到做到，只要能保护我们的族猫，我什么都会去做的。但是眼下如果没有必要，就不要伤害他们。花楸掌，你听明白了吗？”
这只姜黄色的猫低下了头，嘴里嘟哝着什么。
“那好，出发吧！”黑星接着下令，“黄毛，由你来领头。我留下来守护营地。”
他们肯定是让宠物猫给吓坏了，松鼠飞不由心想，竟然会让族长留下来保护营地！接着她看见黑星眼神侧斜，怀疑地看了黑莓掌一眼。她猜想，黑星或许是担心雷族的猫欺骗他，趁他的资深武士不在家的时候袭击影族营地。典型的影族做派！她愤愤地吸了一下鼻子，难道他们以为，所有的猫都像他们一样不可信任吗？
“愿星族保护你们！”黑星说完，悄无声息地钻进了灌木丛。
影族副族长把巡逻队召集起来，挥动尾巴，带头沿着洼地边缘走去，然后下了斜坡。黑莓掌冲族猫点点头，挥动尾巴，示意他们跟上。
黄毛带着众猫来到两脚兽的巢穴附近，在有几只狐狸远的地方停了下来。两脚兽的巢穴隐藏在覆满蕨丛的溪岸后面，被粗糙的石墙围着。两只宠物猫正蹲在墙上，凝视着墙外的森林。其中一只体形硕大，黑白花色的皮毛，耳朵撕裂了。松鼠飞一眼就认了出来，这只猫正是她和褐皮赶走的那只。另一只个头小些的浅棕色虎斑猫，是她几天前从雷族赶出去的那只。
“他们在那儿！”松鼠飞说道。
黄毛生气地摆动着一只耳朵说：“别说话！”
两只宠物猫看起来已经吃饱喝足，睡意蒙眬。不一会儿，那只体形硕大的公猫开始清洁身体，他的舌头懒洋洋地舔着肩膀。
“他们并不知道我们在这里，”花楸掌低声说道，“我们行动吧！”
“不！”黄毛制止了他，“只要一看见我们，他们就会跑回两脚兽巢穴，把两脚兽叫出来。我们根本就不是两脚兽的对手。”
“看来，我们要把他们引到这里来。”刺掌说道。
“听着。”说话的是黑莓掌，他上前一步站在黄毛身边，“我们派一位武士走到那里，”他冲一片四周长满蕨丛的空地点点头——这片空地位于他们的藏身地和围墙之间——继续说道，“假装受了伤，或生了病。如果他们跟你们所描述的一样，那他们肯定不会放过任何一个攻击弱者的机会。同时，我们要派几只猫堵在他们和围墙之间，阻断他们逃回巢穴的路。”
“好主意！”蕨毛激动地说道，“这样就能跳上前去，警告他们要是胆敢再惹麻烦，决不轻饶。”
“你觉得呢？”黑莓掌问黄毛。
这位副族长抽动了一下耳朵。“伟大的星族啊！”她低声念叨着，“这只雷族猫很会动脑子啊！”看松鼠飞已经跃跃欲试，黄毛最后做出了决定：“好吧，我们就按黑莓掌说的做。现在需要有一只猫过去充当诱饵。”
“我去。”松鼠飞和褐皮异口同声地说道。
“还是褐皮去吧！”黄毛说着，冲松鼠飞摆摆尾巴，“如果宠物猫嗅出气味不对，或许会猜出这是个圈套。”
的确有这种可能。松鼠飞心里想。
黑莓掌把鼻子埋进妹妹的皮毛说：“不要担心，我们不会让他们伤害你的！”
褐皮久久地看着黑莓掌说：“我知道。”
褐皮说完，一瘸一拐地走进空地，侧身瘫倒在地，就好像是精疲力竭，再也走不动了似的。没准那只黑白花色的猫会认为，她是刚才在雷族边界处战斗时受了重伤。
黄毛选出花楸掌、橡毛和云尾，命令他们，一旦宠物猫有所行动，就朝对面慢慢靠过去，切断宠物猫退回巢穴的道路。剩下的猫则待在原处。
“即便是在战斗时，也要尽量保持安静！”黄毛命令大家，“我们不想让两脚兽听到动静。”
松鼠飞蜷伏在蕨丛中，眼睛紧紧地盯着那两只宠物猫。看见褐皮，两只宠物猫一下子坐直了身体，耳朵支棱了起来。那只黑白花色的猫对同伴说着什么，接着两只猫从墙上一跃而下，趾高气扬地穿过空地，朝褐皮走去。
黄毛立刻用尾巴发出信号，武士们立刻分成两组，散开围成一个大圈，肚皮紧贴地面，悄无声息地往前逼近。两只宠物猫没有觉察到。松鼠飞猜想，他们也许已经辨识不出陌生的气味了，更何况，他们的精力完全放在了猎物上。
褐皮侧身躺着，身体剧烈起伏着，发出痛苦的喘息声。等两只宠物猫靠近时，她抬起头，气喘吁吁地说道：“不要伤害我，求你们了！”
体形硕大的公猫把鼻子戳到褐皮的脸上。“我们不会伤害你，不得好死的家伙。”他冷笑着说，“我们只会撕下你几块皮毛。”
“算是给你闯入我们地盘的教训。”另一只虎斑猫低声吼着，伸出一只爪子，朝褐皮的眼睛抓去。
褐皮身子急忙一缩。松鼠飞听见黑莓掌大口喘息着，爪子深深地插进地里，似乎忘记了妹妹并非看起来那般无助。
就在此时，黄毛从蕨丛中一跃而起：“攻击！”
松鼠飞飞快地冲过空地，黑莓掌和巡逻队的其他成员紧随其后。两只宠物猫吓破了胆，看着猫群如潮水般涌来，要把他们吞没，他们掉头就朝两脚兽巢穴跑去。但另一队武士已经堵在他们身后，正肩并肩向他们逼近。个头小些的虎斑宠物猫发出惊恐的哀号，个头大的那只却一跃而起，冲云尾扑了过去。云尾被撞翻在地。两只猫在地上扭作一团，又是抓，又是咬。花楸掌一下子跳到他们两个身上。
这时，褐皮也已从地上爬起来，冲虎斑猫冲了过去。雨须和黄毛赶过来帮忙。那只个头大的公猫摆脱了攻击，往空地上跑，却被松鼠飞盯上了。只见松鼠飞愤怒地低吼一声，伸出爪子，在他的脸上抓了一把。顿时，宠物猫的血就溅到了她的身上，热乎乎的，黏糊糊的。公猫一爪子甩过来，松鼠飞急忙躲开，转而用头狠狠地撞在他的胸口。公猫被撞得趔趔趄趄地后退着，和从后面赶上来的黑莓掌撞在了一起。松鼠飞转移到大公猫的上方，避开他挥动的后爪。转眼间，黑莓掌已用臀部把他死死压住。这时花楸掌走上前，张嘴咬住他来回摆动的黑白花色的尾巴。
“不要招惹我们武士，听到没有？”松鼠飞对着他的耳朵狠狠地说道。在这一刻，她是代表四个族群的所有猫说的。她要让这只宠物猫明白，如果族群里任何一只猫伤了一根毫毛，她就要大开杀戒。
松鼠飞回过头，看见褐皮和雨须已经把那只虎斑猫压倒在地。黄毛压低声音对那只宠物猫狠狠地说着什么，然后起身来到大个头的公猫面前。松鼠飞低头看这只公猫。公猫黄色的眼睛瞪着她，眼中满是仇恨。
“你是只宠物猫，属于两脚兽！”她低声怒吼道，声音里满是轻蔑，“现在森林是我们的，你要是胆敢再惹麻烦，有你好瞧的！”
松鼠飞用爪子戳着这只公猫的身体，吼道：“明白了吗？”
这只黑白花色的猫冲她呸了一下。
“明不明白？”松鼠飞重复了一遍，“你想让我现在把你的喉咙咬开吗？”
“明白了。”这只公猫小声说着。
“放他走！”黄毛命令道，接着对这只大个头的公猫说，“回你的两脚兽巢穴，老实待着。”
松鼠飞和其他武士很不情愿地松开了这只宠物猫。宠物猫摇摇晃晃站起身，抖落身上的血滴。那只虎斑猫溜到他的身边，低着头，尾巴拖在地上。
“滚！”黄毛龇着牙喝道，“快点！”
两只宠物猫后退几步，然后转身，朝两脚兽巢穴跑去，爬过墙头，消失在花园里。松鼠飞听到两脚兽巢穴门打开的声音和两脚兽发出的惊恐的叫声。
黄毛摆动一下尾巴，由雷族和影族联合组成的巡逻队立刻朝着松林深处奔去，一直跑到看见影族营地时才停了下来。
“我去叫黑星。”黄毛说着，飞快地跨过洼地的边缘。
褐皮走到黑莓掌身边，用鼻子拱着他的皮毛。“谢谢。你太棒了——你们大家都很棒！”她说着抬起了头。
“乐意效劳，”黑莓掌说道，“任何时候都是。”
“这是不是很棒？”松鼠飞说，“我永远忘不了那两只宠物猫看见我们时的表情。还有黑莓掌，我朝那只大个畜生进攻时你来得真是时候。你可真厉害！”
然而，黑莓掌只是上上下下打量着她，让松鼠飞心中生出的温情瞬间化成了冰霜。“你表现得也很棒！”他面无表情地说道，就像是对哪位学徒说话似的。
松鼠飞抓挠着地上的腐叶，强忍着愤怒没有说什么。她不想当着影族猫的面吵架。他的冷漠比战斗中受到的巨大伤痛都让她难受。
洼地的灌木丛沙沙作响，黑星钻了出来。“黄毛说，你们逼着宠物猫答应不再骚扰我们了。”他说道。
“应该不会再有麻烦了，”黑莓掌说，“但是如果有麻烦，请告知我们一声。我们乐意效劳。”
“谢谢。”黑星的语气冷冷的，“不过现在我们自己可以应付了。”
这是逐客令。黑莓掌不想说服他改变想法，于是挥动尾巴，把本族的猫召集起来，与褐皮轻轻地碰了碰鼻子，然后对黑星说：“再见，希望能在下次森林大会时见面。”说着，他转过身，循着来时留下的气息，朝雷族领地走去。
松鼠飞跟在他的后边，闷闷地生着气，步伐不由慢了下来。激动的心情随风而去，对黑莓掌的那种短暂的亲密感也随之消失了。为什么做不了朋友呢？两只猫联合起来战无不胜，这种敌对完全没有必要啊。想到黑莓掌可以为影族抛弃仇怨，竟然不能为她这么做，松鼠飞顿时觉得肚子里一阵绞痛。
“好吧。如果他愿意那就这样吧！”她的声音很低，没有一只猫听见，“我才不在乎呢！”
可是在跟着族猫往石头山谷走去时，她感觉肩膀很疼，尾巴无力地拖在满是松针的地上。
第十三章
第十三章
“真希望新叶季能早点到来，”蛾翅边说边用一只爪子翻动着储存的杜松果，“我们很缺草药。”
“雷族也一样。”叶池说着，满是同情地用尾巴尖碰了碰她的肩膀，“秃叶季太长了，我们还没找到补充草药的最佳地点。幸好，你的族猫们现在正在康复。”
“是的，谢谢你。”蛾翅轻声说道，然后转向小柳——小柳正在巫医巢穴外面，不停地换着爪子站立——“给每只猫两个杜松果——小鲤和小卵石除外，他们俩每只一个。你知道杜松果治什么病吗？”
这只小灰猫一只爪子举在半空，准备去抓杜松果，说道：“治肚子疼。”说着她眯起了眼睛，努力地回忆着。“可是他们正在恢复，肚子不再疼了。”她犹豫着，似乎为这个问题感到困惑，继而眼睛一亮。“补充体力！”她带着胜利的神态说，“你给他们吃杜松果，是想让他们恢复体力。”
“非常好！”蛾翅轻声说。看着小柳走远，乐颠颠地去给曙花送杜松果，蛾翅说道：“她帮了我很大的忙——叶池，你也是。没有你们，我的族猫们可能都会死去。”
“我可不这么认为，”叶池听了朋友的表扬显得有些不好意思，说道，“你对怎么治病很在行的。”
叶池在河族的第三个夜晚即将结束。晨光的照射下，树叶和草叶上的露珠闪着亮光。叶池真切地感受到天气比原先暖和多了——新叶季已经不远了。
河族再没有猫病倒。雾脚召集最强壮的武士，已经把营地内外的银绿色液体痕迹全部清理掉了，同时，鹰霜在两脚兽的物体周围竖起屏障，并确保每只猫都知道应该远离那里。
在此期间，所有中毒的猫都已经逐渐恢复。巨步已经返回长老巢穴，小鲤和小卵石恢复得相当好，已经有精力捣乱了。眼下他们正在小溪边，一只爪子轻轻地拍着水面，似乎在假装捉鱼。
“别靠近溪边！”蛾翅喊道，“要是掉进去，我可没有时间去救你们。”
两个小家伙对视了一下，往后退了好几步，然后开始转圈追着玩。
“他们必须回育婴室！”蛾翅叹了口气，“曙花体力还没有恢复，照顾不了他们，我让藓毛去帮忙。他们待在这里只会惹祸。昨天我看见小鲤在储存草药的地方乱嗅。”
叶池也被逗乐了，说道：“你应该这么想，大概他们还嫌肚子疼得不够，想再多吃错一些草药！”
说着，叶池站起身，尽情地舒展着身体。溪岸上，生病的猫开始活动起来：曙花侧着身体，正在清洗自己肚皮上的毛；榉爪正端坐着，张开嘴巴，打了个大大的哈欠。没有哪只猫看起来不舒服或难受。
“我该走了，”叶池说道，“你这里不再需要我了。”
蛾翅点点头，眼睛里闪过一丝不舍。“和另一位巫医合作的感觉真好。但我知道你必须回营地去了，回到你的族群里去。”蛾翅说道。
“你要走了吗？”小柳跳跃到她们跟前，她又来拿杜松果了，“我们会想念你的，叶池。”迟疑了一下，她又对蛾翅说道：“你还需要我帮忙吗？”
“当然需要。”蛾翅安慰道。
小柳的尾巴直直地竖起来，眼睛一下子亮亮的。
叶池沿着溪岸走着，与那些醒着的猫告别。返回蛾翅的巢穴时，她刚好看见了豹星。
“蛾翅告诉我说你要走了，”河族族长说，“所有的河族猫都感谢你，叶池。”
叶池低下头说道：“是巫医都会这么做的。”
“我们永远不会忘记的，”豹星对她说道，“一路平安，也把我的谢意带给火星。”
叶池最后一次向蛾翅道别，顺着溪水流动的方向来到湖边，在一片浅水处，涉水向对岸走去，然后经过了树桥。她希望鸦羽没有因为她不信守承诺而太生气。刚来河族的第一个晚上，她拼尽力气，一路跑来救助那些生病的猫，完全把鸦羽给忘了。而接下来的两个晚上，她又实在太累了。此外，叶池也担心，自己第一天晚上让他失望了，鸦羽接下来可能不会等着自己。
来到风族边界的时候，她一直留意着荒原，既希望能看见那瘦削、深烟灰色的身影跑过来，又害怕见到他。让他觉得自己并不在意他，或许是最好的结果。
但此刻，她看见了风族在半山腰处的巡逻队。他们离得太远，她看不清楚到底是哪些猫，但可以确定的是，巡逻队里面没有鸦羽。就算隔着整个湖，她也能一眼认出鸦羽那光滑的深烟灰色身影。
走近石头山谷时，雷族温暖的气息顿时围绕在她的周围。她喉咙一热，迫不及待地走进荆棘通道，心里因为回家而感到振奋。
火星正在育婴室入口处和云尾说话。“我不觉得黛西会成为一位武士，”叶池走近时听见火星说道，“不过你可以教她一些战斗技巧。她要在荒野中生存，得学会保护自己和孩子们。”
云尾蓝色的眼睛闪闪发光。“她没问题的。”他答应了一声，然后钻进荆棘丛，去找黛西了。
火星有点怀疑地摇摇头，看见叶池时立刻直起身来。“欢迎归来！”他轻声说道，然后用鼻子碰了碰她的耳朵，“河族的情况怎么样？”
“我刚到的时候很糟糕。两脚兽在他们的领地里留下了一些黏糊糊的有毒物质。”叶池把自己的所见所闻讲述了一遍，还讲了她怎样帮助蛾翅照顾生病的猫。“不过他们现在都好了。”她最后说道。
“你干得真漂亮。我就知道你会是位出色的巫医。”父亲点点头，舔了舔她的耳朵，“我为你感到自豪。”
叶池浑身洋溢着快乐。“我这就去找炭毛，”她说道，“我不在，她肯定忙得爪子都挨不着地了。”
她蹦跳着跑过空地，轻巧地钻进荆棘屏风前往炭毛的巢穴：“炭毛，我回……”
在巢穴入口处，叶池停住了。只见雨须正躺在沙质地面上，一只爪垫直伸着，亮心正起劲地舔着。“这样好多了，”亮心说，“现在我应该能把它取出来了。”
原来，雨须的爪垫上扎了一根刺。亮心很小心地用牙齿咬住往外拔。刺很容易就拔了出来，接着流出一股鲜艳的血。
“看起来没事了，”亮心小声说着，同时又嗅了嗅那根刺，以确保爪子里没有残留的碎屑，“把爪子好好舔舔，应该很快就能走路了。”
“谢谢你，亮心。”雨须说道。
叶池身上的每一根毛都因为震惊而竖了起来。雷族到底需要几位巫医？叶池知道自己离开时，亮心会帮炭毛采集草药，但是她从没有想过，亮心竟然已经开始担当起巫医的其他职责了。
这时，亮心抬起了头，说道：“哦，叶池，你回来了。”
不等叶池回答，炭毛就从巢穴里面走了出来，满嘴叼着琉璃苣叶。“这些给你，亮心，”她把草药放下，说道，“这对鼠毛的高烧有帮助。”
亮心立刻跳起身。“谢谢，我这就给她送过去。”说完她用嘴咬住叶子，急匆匆地跑过营地，往长老巢穴去了。
嫉妒像一根刺般扎进了叶池的心里。看情形，这里已经不需要她了！一转念，她又告诫自己不要反应过度。亮心让自己能抽身去河族帮忙，自己应该心存感激才对。
温暖的舌头舔过她的耳朵。“欢迎回来，”炭毛说道，“把河族的情况给我讲讲。”
叶池坐下来，尾巴整齐地盘在爪子周围，努力不去想亮心的事——帮其他猫拔一根刺、送点草药算不上是巫医吧！
现在我回来了，一切很快都会恢复正常的。她心想。
等给炭毛汇报完毕，叶池来到猎物堆前，开始找东西吃——她的肚子咕咕直叫。自离开河族到现在，她还没有吃过一点东西。她正要去咬一只肥美的田鼠，看见松鼠飞和蜡毛走了过来，嘴里叼满了猎物。
“嗨，”松鼠飞把叼的东西放在猎物堆上，打着招呼，“看到你真好。你绝对想不到这些日子发生了什么事！”
“发生什么事了？”看到松鼠飞那得意的神色，叶池知道，不可能是坏消息。
蜡毛用鼻子蹭着松鼠飞的皮毛。“你告诉叶池吧，”他说道，“我回去取你最后抓的那只松鼠。”
“谢谢。”松鼠飞冲他弹动了一下耳朵，“待会儿见。”
叶池心不在焉地听松鼠飞讲影族领地上宠物猫的事，心中不由得又生出嫉妒。妹妹和蜡毛相处得非常融洽，相互挨着睡在武士巢穴里。为什么自己就不能和鸦羽这样呢？因为你是位巫医。她心里告诫自己。她没有爱的权利，就算鸦羽是雷族的一员也不行。他们两个没有可能在一起。
“你没事吧？”松鼠飞停了下来，关切地看着叶池，“河族一切还好吧？”
“是的，现在一切都好。”叶池真想把心事向妹妹倾诉，可是她却不敢。于是她强迫自己坐下来吃田鼠，对他们奇袭宠物猫的行动表示赞美。
噢，星族，她不由心中叹道，为什么一切非得如此艰难呢？
太阳落山的时候，叶池还没有理出头绪。她在炭毛巢穴外面的窝里蜷缩起身子，很快便进入了梦乡。她发现自己正行走在深深的森林里，那里是她经常和星族武士散步的地方。
“斑叶？”她大声喊道，急切地想和斑叶说说话，想确认武士祖灵并没有因为她心里想着鸦羽而对她实施惩罚，“你在吗？”
可是嗅不到这只老巫医的丝毫气息。她抬头想看看天上的星族武士，可是一丛拱形的蕨叶搭在了头顶上，浓密的枝条挡住了她的视线。树枝落寞地摇动着，咔嚓作响；舞动树枝的风如冰冷的爪子，戳着她的身体。
“你在哪里？”一阵恐惧向她袭来，“斑叶，羽尾，不要抛弃我！”
她想起了在月亮池做的那个梦，她依然没弄明白武士祖灵们的话。现在，她的直觉告诉她，武士祖灵们并不在这里。没准她再也见不到它们了。于是她开始奔跑起来，爬过疙疙瘩瘩的树根，强迫自己穿行在荆棘丛中。
最后叶池透过林子看见一丝微弱的光亮。她朝着光亮走了过去，在一片空地的边缘站住了，大口喘着气。透过来的光，似乎是灰色的，显得很苍白，不像她惯常看到的星星那银色的光辉。光线重重地泻在一层厚厚的枯叶和闪着微光的蘑菇堆上。
在空地中央，一块灰色岩石从腐叶中斜刺出来，一只体形硕大的虎斑公猫盘踞在上面，爪子收在身体下，眼睛热切地盯着坐在岩石根部的两只猫，这两只猫也面向他。
叶池倒抽一口气。她吸气的声音很大，她十分确定这三只猫听见了，于是赶紧缩回到最近的一棵树后面。她认出了地上的两只猫：一只是她的族猫黑莓掌，另一只是黑莓掌同父异母弟弟鹰霜。由此，她也认出了岩石上的那只跟下面两只猫长得很像的巨大公猫。
他一定是他们的父亲虎星！
第十四章
第十四章
叶池浑身发抖，向空地上偷偷地观望着。在她看来，如果虎星抬头看过来，他那琥珀色的眼神没准会把树干烧成灰烬，让她无处藏身。但是虎星没有这么做，他的眼睛只是紧紧地盯着两个儿子。这是个梦！就像巫医与星族共赴梦乡一样，难道虎星也是在他们睡着时，把他们召集过来的？这个地方叶池从没来过，到处是无尽的黑暗，所有活着的猫绝不会踏入这里。她不由猜想，没准星族也没有呼吸过这里阴湿的空气，没有在这种暗淡的光线中行走过。
“勇气比什么都重要，”虎星正在说话，“等你们当上了族长，一定要记住这一点。”
鹰霜说了句什么，叶池没有听清楚。虎星则不耐烦地抽动着尾巴。
“战斗时的勇气当然很重要，”虎星严厉地说，“不过我说的是怎样对付族猫。他们必须执行命令，如果有猫胆敢质疑，就用尖牙和利齿对付他们。”
叶池的眼睛不由得睁得大大的。火星从来没有攻击过自己的族猫，就算是与他意见不和的猫。
“软弱是非常危险的，”这位体形硕大的虎斑猫接着说，“你必须把犹豫隐藏起来——最好根本就不要有。你必须坚信自己所做的一切都是正确的。”
叶池不由得想，为了当上族长，虎星在害死红尾和谋杀蓝星的时候，心里也是这么想的吗？他领着狗群去雷族营地实施报复，带着血族进入森林，胁迫其他族群屈服的时候，他真的认为自己是对的吗？
鹰霜冰蓝色的眼睛一眨不眨地盯着父亲，明显已经把虎星的每句话铭记在心。黑莓掌背对着叶池，所以叶池无法看见他的表情，但他的耳朵却警觉地竖着。冰冷的爪子顿时揪住了她的心。虎星在训练他的儿子，就像武士培养学徒准备战斗一样！虎星在努力把他们变成像他那样凶残的暴君。
“可是我们怎么才能当上族长呢？”黑莓掌问道，“我觉得火星永远不会让我当他的副手。我甚至连个学徒都没有。”
虎星肩膀上的毛一下子立了起来。“你在狩猎的时候，会等着老鼠跳到你的嘴里来吗？”他低声怒吼道，“不是那样的！你嗅到猎物，悄悄靠近，然后猛扑上去。权力也是如此，不想办法去攫取就永远轮不到你。”
黑莓掌轻声说了句什么，叶池看见虎星脖子上的毛又平顺了下来。
“不要担心！”虎星说，“你们两个都具有真正的武士精神。我知道该怎么做，只要你们紧紧跟随我，就一定会成功。”
“我们会的！”鹰霜一跃而起，“你让我们做什么，我们就做什么。”
他的热情让叶池感到全身发冷。这只嗜血的猫，会让儿子们做什么呢？她浑身发抖，身体不由得往后缩。虽然她觉得自己并没有弄出声响，但那只巨型虎斑猫却转过头来，盯着她藏身的地方。
叶池吓坏了，转身就跑，在树根和垂下的荆棘条中跌跌撞撞地逃着。她鼓足勇气，留意身后是否有追赶的声音。她总感觉有一只巨大的爪子在掐着自己的喉咙。黑色森林里没有出去的路，四面绵延的树木似乎没有尽头。幽暗的森林里，没有鸟鸣，没有猎物窸窸窣窣的声响，也没有任何活物走动的痕迹。
我在哪里？叶池无声地哀号着。没有猫回应她。是谁把自己带到这处星族从没有来过的地方？凶残的虎星的灵魂竟然在梦中把儿子召集到了这里？
叶池惊恐地奔逃着，根本就没有注意方向。突然，地面塌陷了下去，叶池吓得大叫一声，跌入黑暗之中。瞬间过后，她的身体砰的一声跌落在地上，差点喘不过气来。
她猛然睁开眼睛，发出一声惊恐的尖叫。隔着一只老鼠身长的地方，一只脑袋上有虎斑花纹的猫正用琥珀色的眼睛注视着自己。
“你没事吧？”黑莓掌问道。
叶池挣扎着坐起身，把苔藓屑弄得到处都是。她正在炭毛巢穴外面自己的窝里躺着。黎明已经到来，奶白色的晨光慢慢浸透了树顶上方的天空。
“叶池？”黑莓掌关心地问道，他的皮毛凌乱不堪，沾着蕨草屑，好像刚从武士巢穴的窝里起来，“出什么事了？我听见你在喊。”
“什么？没……没有，我很好！”叶池犹犹豫豫地抬头盯着黑莓掌。他是来告诉自己，他曾经在梦里见到她了吗？
“火星正在挑选今天晚上去参加森林大会的猫。”黑莓掌打了个哈欠说，“你可以去吗？我知道你昨天跑了很远的路。”
叶池从耳朵到尾巴尖全身都放松了下来。黑莓掌就算真的做了同样的梦，他也不会注意到躲在阴影处的她。她又转念一想，他是不是主动去找黑森林里的父亲呢？放松的感觉一下子又消失得无影无踪。为了成为族长，虎星会指示他做什么事呢？
叶池站了起来，依然感到有些不安，但她决定尽力掩饰住。“我很好，”她又说了一遍，“告诉火星，我想参加。”
黑莓掌点点头，转身离开了。叶池深吸几口气，快速地舔梳着皮毛。她刚才完全忘记了今晚是月圆之夜。尽管害怕，她还是想看看鹰霜和黑莓掌在一起是什么样子。他们会不经意透露出梦中的情形吗？以前，虎星多长时间在梦里召集他们一次？
叶池知道，没有猫能给她什么建议。火星和炭毛都会严肃对待星族传递给她的梦，但是这次的梦与以往的不同。她不敢告诉他们，她对那个梦传达的信息感到害怕，因为从没有听说过其他巫医去过那个森林。在那个森林里，她与武士祖灵们的距离比任何时候都遥远。如果她已经完全与祖灵们失去了联系，会不会受到惩罚，她会永远被禁闭在那个黑暗的地方，再也找不到返回光亮世界的路了吗？
虽然现在还很早，可是叶池再也睡不着了。炭毛还在巢穴里，于是她决定去采集草药。族里需要更多的琉璃苣叶子，尤其现在鼠毛正在发烧。
她知道离两脚兽巢穴很近的地方长着好大的一片，于是悄悄出了营地，走上那条废弃的道路。这时，原先灰蒙蒙的天空已经阳光灿烂，照在身上暖暖的。绿色的嫩芽正从土里钻出来。枝头叶芽萌动，鸟儿在头顶歌唱，无不预示着新叶季已经临近，猎物也变得丰富起来。这座森林与她梦中的黑暗之地有着天壤之别，可是叶池还是无法摆脱那股恐惧，每走一步就不由自主地回头张望着。
当看到摇摇欲坠的两脚兽巢穴时，她放慢了脚步。两脚兽巢穴的侧面有几个阴森的洞口，就像一双双眼睛在盯着她。她大着胆子，开始在林子里用鼻子搜寻琉璃苣。对一只曾经闯过虎星的森林的猫来说，这里有什么好怕的？
她嘴里叼着芬芳的琉璃苣，满意地往回走着。忽然，她发现一片蕨丛后有个浅色的身影一闪而过。她好奇地绕过蕨丛，来到一片长满苔藓的空地边缘。这里是猫们进行战斗训练的地方。云尾正站在黛西面前，竖着耳朵看着她。
“不，”云尾说道，“你必须攻击我，要用力。”
黛西清澈的蓝眼睛冲他眨了眨：“我不想伤到你。”
云尾卷起尾巴说：“不要担心，你伤不了我。过来，再试一次！”
这只马场来的猫疑惑地看了他一眼，接着就扑了过来，猛地朝云尾挥出一掌。云尾一闪，从下面勾住了黛西的爪子，黛西一下子摔在草地上，蓬松的尾巴和脚掌乱成一团。
“这不公平！”黛西哀号着说，“你没说要用这一招。”
“哦，是的，”云尾被逗乐了，忍不住笑着说，“战斗激烈的时候，你认为对方的武士会走过来说，‘小心点，现在我要打翻你了’吗？”
黛西猛地一甩尾巴说：“我又不是非要战斗不可。”
“你很有可能会的，”云尾神情严肃地说道，“如果别的族群或者其他动物，比如狐狸和狗，来攻击我们，你应该知道怎样保护自己。如果你保护不了自己，你就会受伤。”
“哦，好吧。”黛西舔了几下乳白色的皮毛，“再教我一遍。”
叶池觉得，云尾如果想把这只宠物猫训练成一位合格的武士，那可是一项艰巨的任务。黛西似乎根本没有战斗的天分，好在云尾愿意教她。叶池想起来，亮心遭到狗群攻击后，需要学习一套全新的战斗和狩猎技巧时，云尾也曾表现得无比耐心，没准他也可以教好黛西。
一想起亮心，叶池就不由得急着想回营地。她无法习惯这只身上长着姜黄色斑块的白色母猫履行本属于她的职责。
叶池从云尾和黛西身边经过时，挥动尾巴，打了一声招呼。离开空地时，她听见云尾说：“这次，你设想我是一只獾，要吃掉你的孩子。”
“但是我的孩子们真的很喜欢你。”黛西不情愿地说道。
等叶池回到石头山谷时，更多的武士已经起来了，正四处活动着。沙风正要带领蛛足和刺掌出去进行狩猎。叶池冲她点点头，然后去巫医巢穴找炭毛。但出来迎接她的不是炭毛，而是亮心。
“琉璃苣！”这只身上长着姜黄色斑块的白色母猫高兴得大叫道，“谢谢你，叶池。我们储存的叶子都快用完了，但是鼠毛的烧还没有退下来。”叶池刚把琉璃苣放在巢穴入口，亮心就叼起几根，急匆匆地朝蕨丛和荆棘丛走去。在一棵长满弯曲枝条的榛子树下面，是长老们睡觉的巢穴。
叶池发出一声不满的呼噜，爪子猛烈地击打着身旁的荆棘。亮心简直就是巫医，而叶池只是她的帮手。
“你怎么了？”炭毛从巢穴里走出来，赞赏地嗅了嗅剩下的琉璃苣，然后一瘸一拐地走到叶池跟前。
叶池耸耸肩。“这里的巫医可真不少！”她低声抱怨道。
炭毛蓝色的眼睛看着叶池。叶池抬起头，看见炭毛的眼神里充满了智慧与同情，还有一些她无法理解的东西。“对亮心要有耐心，”这位巫医说，“对她来说，一切都变了。”她接下来的语气更加沉静，“我们所能要求的最美好的礼物，就是要有勇气接受星族的赐予，无论表面上看起来多么难以接受。”
叶池惊讶地发现老师的脸上闪过一丝悲伤。她想问问炭毛什么意思，但又害怕听到答案。她只是在说亮心在接受变丑的脸时，所表现出来的勇气？还是想告诉自己，现在亮心已经可以当巫医，不再需要她了？
还没等叶池鼓足勇气问，炭毛已经回到了巫医巢穴。叶池正要跟进去，忽然发现云尾出现在荆棘通道，后面跟着黛西。正在入口处打闹的黛西的孩子们，看到他们，立刻跳起身，蹦蹦跳跳着跑过空地，朝云尾扑过去。云尾侧身倒地，把爪尖很小心地收了起来，和他们玩闹了起来。
“嗨，小莓，快起来！”云尾一边喘着气，一边轻轻拍了拍这只乳白色幼崽的耳朵，“小鼠，很痒痒。谁在咬我的尾巴？”他在地上打了个滚，身上趴着最小的猫，“小榛，对武士要尊重！”
“云尾和他们相处得真好。”亮心已经回来了，站在一旁看着自己伴侣，一脸的渴望，“他会成为很棒的老师。”亮心接着说，“我受伤的时候，他就非常有耐心。他为我设计出各种战斗招数，好让我再次成为武士。”
叶池对亮心生出一丝同情。或许炭毛说得对，亮心需要适应的变化比任何猫都要多。看到云尾花那么多的时间陪伴黛西和她的孩子，亮心肯定心里不好受。可是等鼠毛走上前来，和亮心说了一番话后，叶池的这种同情立马烟消云散。
“我忘了问你，”这位深棕色皮毛的长老说，“我能吃一些罂粟籽吗？因为发烧，我已经两夜没合眼了。”
“我说不好，”亮心回答道，“你吃了琉璃苣，按说不应该再吃罂粟籽。我们去问问炭毛，看她有没有更好的办法。”
说着，亮心领着这位长老走进遮蔽炭毛巢穴的荆棘丛，只留下叶池难以置信地盯着她们的背影。这里到底谁是巫医？如果鼠毛或者亮心肯费心问问她，她会建议嚼一片蒲公英叶子，而不是罂粟籽，但是她们表现得就好像叶池根本不存在似的。
或许炭毛会让亮心当巫医学徒，可是我依然是她的学徒啊！叶池痛苦地想着。就算她现在已经获得了巫医的名字，她也还要跟炭毛再学习很多个季节。叶池从来没有听说过，一位巫医同时有两位学徒。再说了，她自言自语道，亮心有伴侣，而且还有孩子，她没资格当巫医，对吧？
叶池觉得自己的肚子里像是悬着一块大石头，正拖着她往下沉。或许这是星族的预兆，她不由心想，那就是雷族不再需要我了。
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 17
Leafpool picked her way through theundergrowth, ears pricked for the sound of pursuit. Ever since she had returned from meeting Crowfeather to find her sister waiting for her, she had been terrified of being followed. Her belly clenched with pangs as sharp as hunger when she imagined the rest of her Clan finding out what she was doing. They’ll find out sooner or later, a voice inside her mewed.
The quarrel with Squirrelflight still haunted her. Without the closeness she had shared with her sister since they were kits, Leafpool felt utterly alone in her Clan. But she couldn’t tell Squirrelflight the truth, and she couldn’t give up her meetings with Crowfeather. He was the only cat she could talk to now.
She’d tried to work up enough courage to tell Cinderpelt, but the medicine cat seemed obsessed with restocking her supplies, hunting through the territory for the tiniest signs of new growth. Besides, Leafpool was afraid Cinderpelt had already guessed her secret and was showing her disapproval in an uncharacteristic quickness of temper. She missed the afternoons they had spent talking back in the forest, when their paws had been busy sorting berries and leaves. Now her mentor seemed distant and more judgmental, less of a friend than she had always been.
In desperation, Leafpool had considered telling her mother, approaching her one evening by the fresh-kill pile. But Sandstorm had been discussing the best hunting grounds with Dustpelt, only giving her daughter a friendly nod before returning to the debate. And as for Sorreltail, Leafpool’s friend was so close to having her kits that she spent all her time with Daisy and Ferncloud in the nursery. Apart from when Cinderpelt asked her to take strength-building herbs to the queens, Leafpool kept away.
She paused when she heard a twig snap, freezing with one paw in midair. But it was only a squirrel, jumping down from an oak tree and racing in the opposite direction. Leafpool took a deep breath and carried on. A little earlier, at sunset, heavy rain had fallen from thundery black clouds. The skies were clearer now, but every fern and grass stem was loaded with drops of water, reflecting the pale glow of moonlight. Leafpool’s pelt had soaked through long ago, the cold seeping into her skin. Stopping to shake herself, she gazed up at the waning moon. It would have to wax again before her next visit to the Moonpool, yet she longed to lie down beside the water and share tongues with StarClan in her dreams. But what if StarClan refused to speak to her again?
“Oh, Spottedleaf,” she whispered, “I wish you’d tell me what to do.”
Leafpool’s head spun with weariness. She had been meeting up with Crowfeather every few nights, leaving her short of sleep and restless whenever she was away from him. During the day she had to pretend to Cinderpelt and the rest of the Clan that she was as committed as ever to being a medicine cat, that the only important thing was where to find juniper berries or easing the stiffness from the elders’ leaf-bare-damp joints.
You can’t go on like this, the small voice warned her.
Crowfeather had said the same thing: “We can’t go on like this, Leafpool. We’ll never be together unless we leave our Clans.”
Leafpool had stared at him in horror. Through all their difficulties, her fear and guilt warring with her love, she had never really imagined that they would have to leave their Clans. “Crowfeather, we can’t!”
Crowfeather shook his head. “It’s the only way. Will you think about it, please?”
Reluctantly, Leafpool had nodded. “All right. I will.”
But how could she give up her life as a medicine cat, give up her Clan, her family, her friends? Whatever decision she made, she was afraid she would not survive the loss.
Close to the border stream, she tasted the air for the first traces of Crowfeather’s scent; every hair on her pelt prickled with excitement as she detected it, and a heartbeat later she made out the lean gray-black warrior waiting for her in the shadow of a bush on the WindClan side of the stream. “Crowfeather!” she called, bounding forward.
“Leafpool!” Crowfeather sprang to his paws and his tail shot straight up as he spotted her.
She halted on the brink of the stream. Crowfeather climbed down the bank and splashed through the water as if he hardly realized it was there. Hauling himself out on the ThunderClan side, he padded up to Leafpool, droplets spinning from his pelt as he shook himself. His scent wreathed around her and she shut her eyes blissfully.
“I’m so glad you could come,” Leafpool purred. “Did you have any trouble getting away from camp?”
Crowfeather was about to reply when he froze, ears standing up. At the same moment, Leafpool heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. ThunderClan scent flooded her senses. She spun around.
“All right, Squirrelflight, come out!” she snapped. “I know you’re there.”
There was a brief silence. Then the bracken in front of her parted and out stepped not Squirrelflight, but Cinderpelt.
“What…what are you doing here?” Leafpool stammered, casting an anguished glance over her shoulder at Crowfeather.
The medicine cat limped forward and faced her calmly. “You know what I’m doing, Leafpool. I’m here to tell you that this has to stop.”
Leafpool stiffened. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t lie to me, Leafpool. Not with that WindClan warrior standing there, on ourterritory.”
There was no anger in her blue eyes, only concern. Her steady gaze pinned Leafpool like a claw, until the younger cat had to look away. “I suppose Squirrelflight told you to follow me,” she muttered.
“Squirrelflight? No. I was collecting herbs when I picked up your scent, and a WindClan cat’s close by. I came to see what was going on. Besides, do you think I didn’t suspect you’ve been sneaking out at night?”
Terror flashed through Leafpool. “You’ve been spying on me!”
“I didn’t need to,” Cinderpelt meowed. “You’re obviously so exhausted that you can’t do your job properly. Only yesterday you tried to give Sootfur borage leaves instead of water mint for his bellyache. As for Crowfeather, I can’t say I’m surprised. Do you think I haven’t noticed the two of you at Gatherings? I’m not blind, Leafpool.”
“Wait,” Crowfeather began, stepping forward to Leafpool’s side. “This is between me and Leafpool. She’s not betraying her Clan, if that’s what you think.”
Cinderpelt fixed him with a stern gaze. “I never imagined she would. But she shouldn’t be here with you, and you know that as well as I do.”
Crowfeather bristled. Leafpool’s belly lurched, terrified that the aggressive young warrior might launch himself at the medicine cat with claws unsheathed.
“It’s okay, Crowfeather,” she mewed. “I can handle this.” Reluctantly she added, “You’d better go back to your camp.”
“And leave you alone to get your ears clawed?”
“Cinderpelt won’t do that. Please,” Leafpool begged.
Crowfeather hesitated a moment longer, limbs stiff with anger. Then he swung around and bounded back across the stream; Leafpool’s gaze followed him until he vanished into the undergrowth on the other side.
Turning back to her mentor, Leafpool sank her claws into the ground. “We aren’t doing any harm,” she mewed.
“Leafpool!” Cinderpelt’s tone hardened and she lashed her tail. “Crowfeather belongs to a different Clan, but that’s only the beginning. You’re a medicine cat. You can’t fall in love. Not with Crowfeather, not any cat. You have always known that.”
I knew it, Leafpool wailed inwardly, but I never knew what it would mean!
“It’s not fair!” she meowed. “I’ve got feelings too, just like any other cat.”
“Of course you have. But a medicine cat has to control those feelings for the good of her Clan. The path we follow has its own rewards. I’ve never felt cheated by the destiny StarClan sent me.”
Every word she spoke tore into Leafpool like a badger’s fangs. Fury surged inside her. “You can’t possibly understand!” she spat. “You’ve never been in love!”
Cinderpelt’s blue gaze rested on her, unspoken thoughts flickering like minnows in her eyes.
“It’s easy for you,” Leafpool went on bitterly. “You’ve never wanted anything else.”
The medicine cat flexed her claws, and her neck fur began to rise. “How do you know what I want?” There was the hint of a snarl in her voice. “How do you know what hopes I gave up to follow the path StarClan laid down for me?”
Leafpool flinched. She had never seen Cinderpelt this angry.
“You’ll come back to camp with me—now!” Cinderpelt growled. “And stop this nonsense for good. It’s for your own sake, Leafpool. Meeting Crowfeather can’t be right if you have to lie and sneak around in the shadows. I haven’t spent all this time training you to be a good medicine cat for you to throw it away like this. Your Clan needs you!”
“No! I won’t come!” A gale of guilt and anger swept through Leafpool. “I’ll go on seeing Crowfeather whenever I want to, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”
Cinderpelt’s eyes flashed and she launched herself at Leafpool, claws out. Leafpool turned tail and ran. As she fled, all she knew was that she must escape from that accusing stare, those lashing claws. The forest whirled past her as if she were caught up in the wind, and when exhaustion finally forced her to stop she wasn’t sure where she was.
She was standing on the edge of a narrow valley with gorse and bracken growing on each side. In the distance it grew deeper, and very faintly Leafpool could hear the sound of running water. Suddenly relief flooded her heart. She had left ThunderClan territory behind, and was halfway to the Moonpool!
She could be completely alone there, without Crowfeather pleading with her to leave, or the fear that her secret would be discovered. The shining spirits of her ancestors would come to her and tell her what to do.
She padded on, more slowly now, until she reached the starlit stream that tumbled down from the hollow where the Moonpool lay. By the time she reached the barrier of bushes around the top she was staggering from weariness, but the sight of the glimmering water below gave her strength. As she followed the spiral path down to the water’s edge, her paws slipping easily into the marks left by generations of cats so long ago, her churning emotions grew calmer. She crouched down by the pool, lapped once from the water, and closed her eyes.
“Leafpool! Leafpool!” The gentle voice spoke in her ear, and soft fur brushed against her pelt. Leafpool opened her eyes to see the beautiful tortoiseshell, Spottedleaf, sitting beside her, wreathed in starlight.
“Oh, Spottedleaf!” she purred. “I’ve missed you so much. I thought you had abandoned me.”
“Never think that, dear one,” Spottedleaf mewed. Her sweet scent flowed over Leafpool as she bent her head to draw her tongue over the younger cat’s ears. “How could I leave you to struggle with your feelings alone?”
Leafpool felt her fur crawl with guilt. “You know about Crowfeather?”
Spottedleaf nodded.
“I love him so much. I can’t be a medicine cat anymore!” Leafpool blurted out helplessly.
Spottedleaf pressed her muzzle against Leafpool’s shoulder. Then she murmured, “I know what it is to love, although my path was different from yours. Who knows—if I had lived, I might have suffered what you are suffering now.”
“Please tell me what to do!” Leafpool begged. “I can’t bear this! I don’t feel like I’m needed in ThunderClan anymore. Cinderpelt doesn’t want me; she has Brightheart to help her.”
“Brightheart needs a purpose just now.” Wisdom shone like moonlight in Spottedleaf’s eyes. “She has found it in helping Cinderpelt. Be generous to her.”
“But she’s always there,” Leafpool muttered. She knew she was being unreasonable. “I’ll try to understand,” she promised with a sigh. “But Brightheart isn’t the only reason I don’t think my Clan wants me. I’ve quarreled with Squirrelflight, and we neverquarrel.”
Spottedleaf gave her a gentle lick between the ears. “Your sister loves you. One quarrel will not change that.”
“And Crowfeather?” Leafpool mewed, feeling her heart beat faster as it always did when she thought of the WindClan warrior. “He wants us to go away together. I want to be with him so much, but should I really leave my Clan for him?”
“No cat can make this choice for you,” Spottedleaf replied, letting the tip of her tail brush against Leafpool’s shoulder. “Deep inside, you know what is right, and you must follow your heart.”
Leafpool sat up, feeling as if a bright light had shone straight into her mind. Surely her heart was where her feelings for Crowfeather came from? Spottedleaf didunderstand. “You mean it’s all right for me to love Crowfeather? Oh, Spottedleaf, thank you!”
The beautiful tortoiseshell began to fade, dissolving into stars. Her scent remained, hanging in the air with a few last words that died away into silence. “Remember, you know what is right.”
Leafpool blinked. Her nose was almost touching the shining water of the Moonpool, and her legs were cramped from lying on the cold stones, but when she sprang up, she felt as if she could run forever.
You must follow your heart
Spottedleaf had told her she could do what her love demanded and leave the Clans with Crowfeather. It didn’t matter if she gave up being a medicine cat, because Brightheart was helping out. Besides, Cinderpelt was young and healthy; she had many seasons to train another apprentice. It didn’t matter that Leafpool felt as if her Clan didn’t need her anymore. Her destiny lay elsewhere, far beyond this territory, with Crowfeather beside her.
Her heart light as a leaf, she bounded up the spiral path, thrust her way through the bushes, and raced down the hill to find Crowfeather. The long journey between the Moonpool and the lake seemed to skim by in a few heartbeats, although by the time she reached the stream that divided ThunderClan from WindClan the sky was growing paler and one by one the stars were fading.
At first she was afraid she would have to wait for the next Gathering before she saw Crowfeather again. After all, she had sent him back to his camp to avoid a quarrel between him and Cinderpelt. Maybe he had been so angry that he wouldn’t even want to see her again.
Then she spotted him sitting in the shelter of a gorse bush a few tail-lengths inside WindClan territory. He looked so lonely, staring down at the lake with his tail curled over his paws. Leafpool’s heart flipped over. They were both loners in their own Clans, but now they could be together forever.
“Crowfeather!”
He spun around. Leafpool splashed through the stream toward him, and he met her on the far bank, his eyes shining as he pressed his muzzle into her shoulder and wound his tail with hers.
“I’ve thought about what you said,” she mewed. “About leaving.”
“You have?”
“I’ve been so scared, Crowfeather—scared about leaving my Clan and my kin. But I went to the Moonpool, and Spottedleaf came to speak to me.” Seeing Crowfeather look puzzled, she added, “She was ThunderClan’s medicine cat once, but now she walks with StarClan. She often visits me in dreams.”
Crowfeather still seemed bewildered; Leafpool wasn’t sure if he believed her, or if he thought that her encounters with Spottedleaf were nothing more than dreams.
“What did she say?” he asked.
“She told me to follow my heart.”
Crowfeather’s eyes widened. “You’re a medicine cat, Leafpool. Isn’t that where your heart has led you?”
“Once it was.” Leafpool’s heart thumped as she realized that Crowfeather thought she was about to reject him. “But ThunderClan has a medicine cat. Cinderpelt is young and strong, and she’ll serve the Clan for seasons yet. And Brightheart will help out for now. Cinderpelt can train another apprentice when I’ve gone.”
Crowfeather drew in a painful breath. “When you’ve gone? Leafpool, does that mean…?”
“Yes. I’ll come with you.”
Leafpool could hardly bear to look at the blaze of happiness in Crowfeather’s eyes. Did he really love her this much? Her belly twisted with fear. She couldn’t let him down now. She had to go through with this.
“I’ve been scared too,” Crowfeather admitted. “I don’t want to leave my Clan or my friends. I even hoped I might be leader one day. But more than that, I don’t want to lose you, Leafpool. And there’s no way for us to be together if we stay here.”
Leafpool pressed her side against his, the warmth of his pelt comforting her as she stared into a future that was suddenly dark and terrifying. “Where should we go?”
“Not back toward the forest,” Crowfeather decided. “We’d end up in the mountains, or places where there are too many Twolegs. There are hills beyond WindClan where we can look for a place to live. I’ll take care of you, Leafpool.” For a moment his gaze darkened and drifted away from her, filled with memories. “I promise I’ll take care of you,” he repeated more strongly. “Are you ready?”
“You mean, we’re leaving now?” Leafpool gasped.
“Don’t you think we should?”
But I want to say good-bye! Leafpool almost wailed out loud, but she knew that it would be impossible. Saying good-bye would cause anger and pain and confusion, and maybe their Clans would prevent them from going at all.
“You’re right.” She tried to sound brave and optimistic. “I’m ready.”
Crowfeather touched his nose to the top of her head. “Thank you. I promise I’ll do everything I can to make sure you won’t regret this.”
They turned their backs on the lake and padded side by side up the hill. Ahead of them the rising sun filled the sky with streaks of flame, as they left their Clans and everything they had ever known.
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 19
“We’d better go straight to thecamp,” Brambleclaw decided. “And hope that Onestar is in a welcoming mood.”
“I’m not going home without talking to Leafpool,” Squirrelflight mewed determinedly.
She hoped Onestar wouldn’t try to stop them from seeing her sister. The WindClan leader had been so hostile at the last Gathering that she felt very vulnerable crossing the open moorland where they could be spotted so easily. She kept scanning the bare slopes for approaching cats, but it was still a shock when a patrol leaped out from behind a jutting rock and raced across the turf toward them.
She let out a hiss. “Look—it’s Webfoot and Weaselfur.”
They stopped and waited for the WindClan cats to reach them. As well as the two warriors, there was an apprentice Squirrelflight didn’t recognize. Her belly clenched when she saw the hostility in Webfoot’s eyes and the way his neck fur bristled as he skidded to a halt in front of them.
“What are you doing on our territory?” he snarled.
“We need to speak to Onestar,” Brambleclaw told him.
Webfoot’s tail lashed from side to side. “More ThunderClan interference? What does Firestar want this time?”
“We’ll tell that to Onestar.”
Webfoot and Weaselfur exchanged a glance. Squirrelflight wondered if they were going to have to fight their way past.
Then Webfoot let out a faint snort of disgust. “We don’t need you to tell us why you’re here. We already know. And I guess Onestar will want to hear what you have to say.”
He and Weaselfur fell back to let Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight keep going, while the apprentice watched them with hot, accusing eyes. Squirrelflight shot a questioning glance at Brambleclaw, but the tabby warrior looked as bewildered as she felt. Webfoot must have been talking about Leafpool, but it didn’t make sense that they’d be so angry about a cat wanting to join their Clan.
The two WindClan warriors flanked them all the way to the camp, one on each side. As they climbed toward the hollow, the apprentice ran ahead to warn Onestar. By the time Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw reached the edge of the hollow, Onestar was waiting for them beside the pile of rocks in the center. His deputy, Ashfoot, and a couple of other warriors stood beside him, all looking up expectantly as Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw started to climb down into the hollow. There was no sign of Leafpool and Crowfeather, and Squirrelflight gulped. Surely Onestar wasn’t keeping them under guard?
“Here they are,” Webfoot mewed.
Onestar stepped forward, his ears flattened. “Well, I presume Firestar sent you. Have you come to explain why ThunderClan have stolen one of our warriors?”
“What?” Fury raced through Squirrelflight like flame through dry grass. She stepped forward until she was nose to nose with Onestar. “How dare you call us thieves? It’s WindClan who—”
She broke off when Brambleclaw slapped his tail across her mouth; she glared at him but his amber eyes clearly signaled a warning. Flexing her claws, she reluctantly took a pace back.
The tabby warrior dipped his head to Onestar. “ThunderClan haven’t stolen any WindClan warriors,” he meowed. “Why? Has one gone missing?”
“It’s Crowfeather, isn’t it?” Squirrelflight’s heart started pounding hard.
Onestar’s eyes narrowed, but before he could speak, Ashfoot interrupted. “Yes—do you know where he is?” She sounded desperate, and Squirrelflight remembered she was Crowfeather’s mother.
“Keep quiet!” Onestar snarled, glaring at Ashfoot, but the gray she-cat didn’t flinch.
“When did you last see him?” Brambleclaw asked, breaking the tension between the WindClan leader and his deputy. “We might be able to help.”
“We don’t want help from ThunderClan!” Webfoot spat.
Onestar silenced him with a wave of his tail. “Crowfeather did not sleep in the warriors’ den last night,” he meowed. “This morning we followed his scent trail as far as the border with ThunderClan. There his scent mingled with a ThunderClan cat’s. They obviously met there.”
Weaselfur pushed forward to stand beside his leader. “Wait a moment,” he mewed to Brambleclaw. “If you knew nothing about Crowfeather, why are you here? Do you know which ThunderClan cat he met with?”
Squirrelflight nodded. There was no use hiding the truth now. “My sister, Leafpool. She’s vanished too. We followed herscent trail to the border.”
“But she’s a medicine cat!” Ashfoot exclaimed.
“Medicine cats have feelings just like any other cat,” Squirrelflight said, defending her sister.
Onestar let out an angry hiss. “She has broken the laws of StarClan.”
“Crowfeather must have persuaded her to go!” Squirrelflight flashed back at him.
Brambleclaw shot her a warning glance. “Onestar, you’re making a big mistake if you try to turn Firestar and ThunderClan into enemies. We have to work together and find both our missing cats.”
“How?” Onestar was clearly making a massive effort to control his anger; as it ebbed away, he just sounded bewildered. “If Crowfeather isn’t with you, then where have they gone?”
“Where couldthey go?” Ashfoot asked despairingly, as if she didn’t expect an answer.
“We can try to find out,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Maybe we can follow their scent trail.”
“I’ll go and look,” Ashfoot offered.
Onestar nodded. “Take another warrior with you.”
“We’ll come too,” Squirrelflight mewed. To her relief, Onestar didn’t object.
Ashfoot beckoned to Tornear; the four cats left the camp and headed for the place close to the border where they had last scented their Clanmates. Squirrelflight felt more anxious with every step. Would Leafpool be safe, traveling into unknown territory with only one other cat? How could they live a normal life, without the support of their Clans? Wemust find them, she vowed. They’re making a huge mistake!
Ashfoot was first to pick up the scent trail again. “This way!” she meowed, gesturing with her tail.
The four cats spread out with a few tail-lengths between them, noses to the ground in case the cats they were following split up again. But the two trails went on side by side, across the WindClan scent markers and on into the hills. Squirrelflight’s heart sank. Until then she had clung to a faint hope they would find Leafpool and Crowfeather hiding on the edge of the territory. Now she had to admit they were truly gone.
The lake soon vanished behind a fold of moorland. The hills grew steeper and bleaker, with rocks jutting through the scratchy grass. Squirrelflight started to feel tired and cold. She couldn’t imagine how Leafpool had found the strength to set out into this hostile country. She must have been so desperate…
At last Brambleclaw came to a halt at the top of a rise. Beyond, the ground fell away into restless gray scree, with only a few stunted thorn bushes poking out of it.
“I can’t scent them anymore,” he announced.
All four cats exchanged worried glances. Unwilling to give up yet, they padded along the crest of the hill, trying to pick up the scent again. But there was nothing. Squirrelflight launched herself down the slope, splinters of rock sharp beneath her paws. But there was no scent there either, nothing to tell her which way her sister and the WindClan cat had gone.
“This is hopeless,” Tornear was mewing as Squirrelflight scrambled up to join the others. “We’re never going to find them.”
“We’d better go back,” mewed Brambleclaw.
“No!” Squirrelflight protested. “We can’t let them go like this.”
Brambleclaw waved his tail to take in the harsh rock stretching in front of them, the barren moorland, and the sky. “They could be anywhere.”
“He’s right.” Ashfoot’s eyes were dark with pain. “There’s nothing more we can do.”
Brambleclaw padded up to Squirrelflight and rested his tail on her shoulder. “We can’t track them down if they don’t want to be found,” he meowed gently.
Squirrelflight wanted to insist that they could, but deep within her fur she knew Leafpool and Crowfeather had gone. I’ll never see my sister again. She turned her head to press her cheek against Brambleclaw, letting his familiar scent comfort her. They had been through so much together to lead the Clans to their new home. She was glad he was here, helping her with this new agony.
The sun was close to sinking below the horizon when they reached the WindClan border again. Squirrelflight said good-bye to Ashfoot and Tornear and splashed wearily through the stream behind Brambleclaw. What were they going to say to Firestar?
“We’re losing all the cats who made the journey to find Midnight,” she mewed to Brambleclaw. “Feathertail, Stormfur, and now Crowfeather.” A chill rippled across her fur. “Do you think that means StarClan don’t want us to settle here after all?”
Brambleclaw shook his head. “I’m sure this is where they wanted the Clans to be. Don’t start doubting them, Squirrelflight. We never thought settling into our new homes would be easy.”
“No, but I never thought it would be this difficult,” Squirrelflight murmured as she followed him back through the shadowed forest.
Though it was dark under the trees, a few rays of sun still reached into the stone hollow, staining the clearing with blood-red light. Squirrelflight suppressed a shiver and wondered if a medicine cat would think that was a sign from StarClan.
As soon as she entered the camp, she could tell the whole Clan had noticed Leafpool’s disappearance. Ferncloud and Dustpelt were crouched beside the fresh-kill pile, their heads close together. Brackenfur, Ashfur, and their two apprentices were in an anxious huddle outside the apprentices’ den. The elders had emerged from their den underneath a twisted hazel bush, and just below the Highledge Firestar was speaking to Sandstorm, Cinderpelt, and Brightheart. Only Daisy’s kits hadn’t seemed to notice anything was wrong, scuffling happily together on the dusty ground outside the nursery.
Squirrelflight was aware of cats turning to look at her, their eyes burning into her fur as she crossed the clearing with Brambleclaw. She felt a ripple of hope go through her Clanmates like wind across grass, only to die away when they saw Leafpool wasn’t with them.
Firestar began to pad toward them, but it was Brightheart who reached them first. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she meowed. Her voice cracked with distress and her good eye was filled with guilt. “I wasn’t trying to take her place. Leafpoolis our medicine cat, just like Cinderpelt.”
“I’m sure she didn’t leave because of you,” Squirrelflight replied awkwardly. She knew quite well that Leafpool had been unhappy about the way Brightheart was taking over her medicine cat duties.
“What happened?” Firestar demanded, halting in front of his daughter. “What did you find out?”
“Did you find Leafpool?” Sandstorm added.
Other cats gathered around, echoing Sandstorm’s question. Some of them mentioned Crowfeather. Leafpool’s secret wasn’t a secret any longer. Cinderpelt must have been forced to tell her Clanmates everything she knew.
It was Brambleclaw who explained. “Her scent trail led into WindClan territory, so we went to visit their camp.”
Cinderpelt limped up just then, in time to hear Brambleclaw’s words. “Did you speak to her?”
Brambleclaw shook his head. “She wasn’t there. She and Crowfeather had already left the territory. We followed their trail with a couple of the WindClan cats, but we lost it in the hills. They’ve gone.”
“No!” Cinderpelt’s voice was a rough whisper; terrible fear dulled her eyes.
Firestar and Sandstorm moved closer together until their pelts brushed. “We’ve lost her,” Sandstorm mewed softly.
“The whole Clan has lost her,” Firestar meowed.
Squirrelflight wanted to wail out loud. Leafpool had lost so much too. She must have loved Crowfeather very much to give up everything for him.
Would I do that for Ashfur? Squirrelflight wondered. Somehow, she didn’t think she would.
For Brambleclaw?
She blinked, realizing that that was a question she couldn’t answer.
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 18
Squirrelflight was on the dawn patrolwith Ashfur and Thornclaw, checking the ShadowClan border. Everything was quiet. The ShadowClan scent markings at the foot of the dead tree were strong and fresh.
“Have you scented either of those kittypets?” she asked Ashfur as he came up to join her.
“Not a thing.” Ashfur’s blue eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “You must have scared them off for good.”
Squirrelflight twitched her ears. “I hope so. If I never see them again, it’ll be too soon.”
Ashfur waved his tail to summon Rainwhisker, who had been renewing the ThunderClan scent markers farther up the border, and the patrol set off back to camp. The sun was rising as they emerged from the thorn tunnel. Golden rays slanted down into the stone hollow and the ground was dappled with shadows of fresh leaves. Stopping just inside the entrance, Squirrelflight arched her back in a long stretch and let the warmth soak into her pelt.
“Squirrelflight!” Cinderpelt called to her from across the camp; the medicine cat was limping rapidly toward her. “Have you seen Leafpool this morning?”
Alarm flared in Squirrelflight’s belly. “No,” she replied. “We were over by the ShadowClan border.” She almost added,and Leafpool only ever goes toward WindClan, but stopped herself in time.
Cinderpelt nodded, and Squirrelflight realized the medicine cat already knew what she had not put into words. “I saw her last night—” Cinderpelt broke off, twitching her ears. Squirrelflight stared at her. What was the medicine cat not telling her?
“When I woke up, her nest was cold,” Cinderpelt went on, “and her scent was stale. She hasn’t been here all night.”
“But she always comes back before dawn!” Squirrelflight blurted out.
Cinderpelt’s eyes narrowed and Squirrelflight flinched. Would the medicine cat be angry that Squirrelflight had known her sister’s secret all along? “I’m sorry, Cinderpelt,” she began.
Cinderpelt stopped her with a dismissive flick of her tail. “It’s all right. I know she’s been visiting Crowfeather.”
“Crowfeather?” Squirrelflight felt every hair on her pelt bristle. All she had known was that Leafpool had had some reason to sneak out of the camp at night. “That can’t be true! Crowfeather is in love with Feathertail.”
“Feathertail is dead. And it’s possible to love more than one cat in a lifetime. Squirrelflight, have you never noticed how they looked at each other at Gatherings? Where did you think she was going all these nights?”
Squirrelflight stared at her, speechless with shock. Leafpool was a medicine cat! Then she remembered sensing her sister’s chaotic feelings of guilt and excitement, and she knew Cinderpelt must be right. Guilt flooded over her; she had been so distracted by her new friendship with Ashfur that she hadn’t tried hard enough to find out what was troubling her sister.
“Do you think she’s gone to WindClan to be with Crowfeather?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
Cinderpelt’s whiskers twitched. “Perhaps.”
“Would WindClan accept her?”
“What do you think?” The medicine cat’s tone was dry. “Leafpool is a valuable cat for any Clan. But we can’t be sure,” she added. “Last night, when Leafpool left the camp, I followed her. She saw me, and we quarreled. We both said things that should have been left unsaid. Perhaps she’s somewhere in ThunderClan territory, waiting until her temper has cooled before she comes back to camp.”
Cinderpelt spoke briskly, without betraying much feeling. Squirrelflight wondered if her coldness came from anger and disappointment at Leafpool’s betrayal. But as Cinderpelt turned away, Squirrelflight heard her mutter, “StarClan be with her, and bring her back safe!” The anguish in her voice revealed how much she had been torn apart by Leafpool’s disappearance.
The camp was stirring around them. Daisy appeared at the entrance to the nursery, blinked lazily in the sunlight, then called her kits out. The three little scraps tumbled happily on the ground in front of her, squealing and batting each other with soft paws. On the other side of the clearing, Sandstorm slid out of the warriors’ den, calling to Cloudtail and Dustpelt for a hunting patrol; the three cats loped across the clearing and out through the tunnel, waving their tails at Squirrelflight and Cinderpelt as they passed. A few moments later Whitepaw and Birchpaw emerged from the apprentices’ den, arguing about whose turn it was to fetch mouse bile for the elders’ ticks.
Squirrelflight knew it wouldn’t be long before some cat noticed Leafpool’s absence and started asking questions.
“I’m going to tell Firestar.” Suddenly Cinderpelt sounded exhausted.
Squirrelflight ran after her. “No, don’t tell him or any other cat just yet. I’ll go out and look for Leafpool. Maybe I can bring her home before any cat notices she’s gone.”
Cinderpelt hesitated. Then her eyes seemed to focus again and she nodded. “Thank you, Squirrelflight. It’s veryimportant to find her. She’ll lose so much—her Clan, her kin, her life as a medicine cat—if she doesn’t come back.” She looked away and added more quietly, “I don’t think she understands how much her Clan needs her.”
“I’m on my way.” Squirrelflight whipped around and plunged back into the thorn tunnel.
She headed straight for the WindClan border. In spite of what Cinderpelt had said, she didn’t believe Leafpool was sulking somewhere in ThunderClan territory. Leafpool never sulked…but maybe Squirrelflight didn’t know her sister as well as she thought.
She paused to taste the air, searching for a trace of Leafpool’s scent. “If I don’t find her on the border, I’ll have to go into WindClan territory,” she decided out loud.
“Go to WindClan? Why?”
Squirrelflight jumped. “Brambleclaw! You nearly frightened me out of my fur,” she gulped, spinning around to see the tabby warrior stepping out from the shelter of a hazel thicket.
“What were you saying about WindClan?” Brambleclaw persisted. “We don’t want to stir up trouble with them. Onestar’s prickly enough as it is.”
“I’m not looking for trouble!” Squirrelflight retorted. She was too shaken to lie about where she was going. “I’ve got to find Leafpool. Cinderpelt thinks she’s gone to WindClan so she can be with Crowfeather.”
Brambleclaw’s ears twitched. “But she’s a medicine cat.”
Squirrelflight glared at him. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
Brambleclaw still remained infuriatingly calm. “You’re right, we have to go after her,” he meowed. “We don’t want Onestar to think we’re driving our cats away.” As Squirrelflight let out a furious hiss, he added, “And we want Leafpool back. She’s making a big mistake, leaving her own Clan.”
“She’s lost her mind!” Squirrelflight tore at the ground with her claws. “I’ve got to find her before Firestar finds out.”
“Do you think she’ll come back?” Brambleclaw’s amber gaze was serious. “We can’t force her.”
“She hasto!”
“If she has really gone to join WindClan, it must have been a hard decision for her,” Brambleclaw pointed out. “It won’t be easy to change her mind.”
“But I have to try,” Squirrelflight protested. “And even if I can’t convince her, I need to know where she is.”
“Can you sense anything?” Brambleclaw asked. “You know, like when we were on our journey?”
Squirrelflight reached out with that strange sense she had always shared with her sister. She tried to picture Leafpool, and for a heartbeat she thought she picked up a trace of wind on the moorland, but then it was gone, leaving nothing but emptiness.
“I can’t see her anywhere,” she mewed wretchedly.
Brambleclaw straightened up. “Well, standing here won’t solve anything. Let’s go.”
“You’ll come with me?” Squirrelflight stared at him in surprise.
“If you’re going to WindClan, you’ll need some cat with you,” Brambleclaw replied. “ThunderClan cats aren’t exactly Onestar’s favorite guests these days.”
Gratitude flooded over Squirrelflight like a warm wash of sunlight. Whatever she felt about Brambleclaw’s private ambitions, or his willingness to trust Hawkfrost, she couldn’t think of any other cat she’d rather have beside her right now.
They padded toward the border in silence; Squirrelflight was still feeling too stunned to speak. How could Leafpool think of giving up her life in ThunderClan? Didn’t her kin, her friends, her work as a medicine cat mean anything to her? What about StarClan? Did Leafpool have a choicenot to be a medicine cat? And what about Firestar? Squirrelflight’s pelt prickled as she wondered what she could possibly say to her father to explain where Leafpool had gone.
The sun shone down from a blue sky dotted with tiny puffs of cloud. Dew glittered on the grass and on strands of cobweb stretched precariously across thickets of bramble. New fronds of bracken were beginning to uncurl and everywhere Squirrelflight could smell the sharp, green scent of growing things. But even the rustle of prey in the undergrowth couldn’t distract Squirrelflight from her troubled thoughts.
Glancing sideways, she met Brambleclaw’s eyes and saw nothing but calm sympathy in his face. She realized he must understand part of what she was feeling because he too had lost a sister to another Clan.
“Did you feel like this when Tawnypelt left? As if nothing would ever be all right again?”
Brambleclaw waited until they had ducked beneath some low-hanging ferns before replying. “At first I felt so lonely I thought I wouldn’t be able to bear it,” he meowed. “But I knew I had to respect her decision. And we’re still friends, even though she is in a different Clan.”
But it’s not the same, Squirrelflight thought. And Tawnypelt wasn’t a medicine cat, chosen by StarClan to serve her Clanmates
They followed the stream upward on the ThunderClan side, tasting the air every few paces for any sign of Leafpool. When the trees gave way to bare moorland Squirrelflight picked up a faint trace, but it was stale, at least from the night before, and it stopped at the edge of the stream. “She crossed here,” she meowed to Brambleclaw.
The tabby warrior nosed the grasses that overhung the water, then nodded. “It looks like it.” He raised his head and gazed across the moorland. “Okay, WindClan it is.”
He led the way across the stream and Squirrelflight followed, splashing through brown peaty water that ran ice cold over pebbles. On the other side they found more of Leafpool’s scent, mingled with a second cat’s.
“WindClan,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Crowfeather, I think.”
“He must have been waiting for her.” Squirrelflight’s last hope vanished, and for the first time she realized she might have lost her sister forever.
第十五章
第十五章
几朵云团飘过，满月高悬在天空。此时，雷族的武士们正穿过树桥赶往湖中的小岛。叶池跳到满是鹅卵石的岸边，扫了一眼已经聚在那里的猫群，看见灰脚和青面正朝环绕着小岛中心的一片灌木丛走去。
风族已经到了，鸦羽在哪里呢？叶池告诉自己不要再找他，可真的没看到时，她的肚子因为失望不由一紧。她在树根的阴影处停了下来，辨识着他的气息。可是这么多气息混合在一起，怎么可能辨别出他的气息啊？
叶池尾巴低垂，步履沉重地沿坡而上，朝灌木丛走去。她看见黑莓掌和鹰霜走到一起，碰了碰鼻子，琥珀色的眼睛与冰蓝色的眼睛对视着。无法言说的信息在他们之间传送着，然后他们转过身，消失在浓密的树枝下面。
一股寒意顿时刺穿了叶池的身体。有一瞬间，她感觉小岛似乎正在消失，自己仿佛又回到了那座黑暗的森林，看到虎星正在教导两个儿子怎样夺取权力。黑莓掌和鹰霜在计划什么呢？
她突然听到灌木丛沙沙作响，两只虎斑公猫钻了出来，来到空地上。等树叶不再颤动了，她才跟了上去。她的脚掌因为感到危险而刺痛。难道黑莓掌要像他那嗜血的父亲很多个季节前所做的那样，在密谋夺取雷族权力吗？
月光如水，撒在每一片叶子和茎秆上。她钻出灌木丛，皎洁的月光下，她的眼睛亮闪闪的。黑莓掌和鹰霜正肩并肩地坐在她前面不远处离老橡树的根部很近的地方。叶池刚好看到，松鼠飞狠狠地瞪了他们一眼，然后才在蜡毛的身边坐下。褐皮、黄毛走过去和他们坐在一起，四位武士友好地打着招呼，好像还在回忆着不久前曾肩并肩与宠物猫战斗的情形。
蛾翅的爪子盘在身体下方，舒服地蜷伏在空地的边缘。她的旁边是炭毛和其他巫医。叶池朝他们走了过去。
“一切都好吧？两脚兽那东西没再给你们带来什么麻烦吧？”叶池问道。
蛾翅摇摇头说：“我们一切都好，谢谢你。曙花和她的孩子们已经回到育婴室了，由藓毛照看着。榉爪又开始接受黑掌的训练了。”
“这真是个好消息！”叶池轻声说着。就在这时，小云问道：“什么两脚兽东西？”
蛾翅于是给他讲了银绿色液体泄露的事，叶池则在空地上四处张望着。当看到瘦削、深烟灰色鸦羽正和一群风族猫坐在一起时，她身子颤抖了一下。她原本以为鸦羽没有来。她盯着他看着，过了几个心跳的时间，看见他耳朵抽动了一下，似乎意识到有谁在看他，于是叶池赶紧把目光挪开。
大橡树的树枝间传来一声吼叫。叶池抬起头，看见黑星正站在一根伸到空地上空的树枝上。火星则坐在黑星正上方的树枝上，他的旁边是豹星。一星离他们有几尾远，蜷伏在一根粗壮的树枝和树干之间。灰脚和雾脚已经在树根坐好了，黄毛也赶紧跳过来坐到她们身边，黑星则往前走了一步。
“所有族群的猫们，”黑星开始讲话，“在满月的月光中，星族再次把我们召集到这里。火星，你先来说吧？”
雷族族长站起来，冲黑星点了点头。“雷族新增了一位学徒，”他开始讲话，“蜡毛现在成了桦爪的老师。”
叶池看见，不远处蜡毛正不自觉地舔着胸部的皮毛，他旁边的松鼠飞则骄傲地环顾四周。唯一让她感到有些遗憾的是，桦爪没能参加这次大会。
“黛西是马场的一只宠物猫，她带着孩子来到了雷族。”等祝贺的声音慢慢停了下来，火星才接着说道，“我已经允许她和她的孩子留在雷族，他们想待多长时间，就待多长时间。”
空地上传来一阵惊呼，夹杂着一两声抗议的号叫。影族的花楸掌跳了起来。“这样做明智吗？”他质问道，“宠物猫能有什么用？”
叶池看见父亲脖子上的毛顿时就立了起来，然后又平顺下来，显然，他在努力控制着自己的情绪。“黛西并非是一只完全意义上的宠物猫。”火星平静地解释着，“她和马住在一起，而不是住在两脚兽的巢穴里。为了不让两脚兽把自己的孩子带走，她才勇敢地来找我们。”
花楸掌尾巴摆动了一下说：“他们永远成不了武士。”
“不要妄下结论，”火星说着扫了一眼云尾，此时，他正坐在大橡树的根部附近，“好的武士并非一定要生在森林，正像生在森林不能保证成为好武士一样。黛西适应得很快，她的三个孩子长大后可以当学徒。他们很快就能掌握武士守则。”
“或许吧。”花楸掌不满地咕哝了一声，再次坐了下来。叶池离他很近，听见他对橡毛说道：“我们为什么还想让他能理解生在森林的重要性呢？过不了多久，火星就会让森林里住满宠物猫的。”
橡毛耳朵动了一下。“你得佩服火星的决定，”橡毛说道，“如果族群里能多出三位武士，你觉得黑星会拒绝吗？”
花楸掌只是哼了一声。
叶池只顾着听两位影族武士的说话，没听到父亲后面的讲话。等她再想去听的时候，豹星已经站起身来。
“两脚兽在我们的领地里丢下了毒物，”她说道，“春藤尾和我们的一只幼崽死了，其他的猫都在康复中。我要感谢蛾翅……还有雷族前来帮忙的叶池。”
她的目光掠过空地，落在叶池的身上，冲着她低头表示谢意，然后坐了下来。叶池被当众表扬，很不好意思地摆弄着爪子。
“影族也要感谢雷族。”黑星讲了事情的经过。他承认，没有雷族的支援，影族不可能解决掉他们遇到的麻烦。叶池知道，黑星能这样说实属不易，但至少他并没有试图隐瞒影族欠下的这份情。“从那以后，宠物猫再也没有踏出过两脚兽的花园。”黑星最后说道。
这时，一星一跃而起。“你算什么族长？”他咆哮起来，“还要别的族群帮忙，难道你不觉得羞愧吗？还有你，”说着他转向豹星，“河族有自己的巫医，为什么还要可怜巴巴地去求雷族？”他丝毫不理会下面猫群爆发出的嘀咕声，怒视着火星说道：“现在是雷族停止干涉其他族群事务的时候了。你的武士无视族群间的边界，以为能对其他族群的猫发号施令。别忘了，我们是一起长途跋涉来到这里的，雷族并不比其他族群更强大。”
不等火星做出回应，云尾跳了出来。他白色的皮毛直立着，尾巴蓬松着，一下子变成原来的两倍粗。“要是雷族在风族挨饿的时候伸出援手，你高兴还来不及呢。”他咆哮着。
“这是两回事。”一星反唇相讥。
“确实是两回事，”火星的声音很平静，但是充满威严，“过去两脚兽毁灭森林时，我们联起手来，才得以存活。我不相信现在星族会愿意看到我们各族群之间不管不问。”
“如果能保证族群的独立，星族会愿意的。”一星坚持说道，“一直以来，都是四个族群，这是连幼崽都知道的事实。”
更多的抗议声响起。“没有我们，风族可能早已经被摧毁了。”尘毛怒斥道。
一星往前一步，爪子抓挠着树皮。“看看月亮！”他厉声说道，“你们看见云彩遮住月亮了吗？没有，月亮还在明亮地照耀着——这就是说，星族同意我所说的话。”
“没有谁说过不该有四个族群，”火星争辩着，“但这并不等于说，星族希望族群陷入绝境时大家还在互相对抗。”
“我知道你为什么这么说，”一星低声怒吼着，“你觉得自己的族群最强大，想随时证明给我们看。”
“老鼠屎！”黑星咆哮道，“雷族曾经帮助过我们一次。但是如果他们不请自来，踏上我们的领土，我们会让他们明白影族有多么强大。”
叶池的爪子深深地抓进地面。其他的族长怎么就看不出火星是对的呢？就算有四个族群，那也不等于说在危机中不能互相帮助。她扭头看炭毛，正想问老师的意见，就感觉谁轻轻碰了一下自己的肩膀。她吓了一跳，一回头，看见鸦羽正蜷伏在空地边缘的阴影中。
“我要和你谈谈！”鸦羽低声说着，脑袋猛地朝灌木丛的方向仰了仰。
炭毛正盯着族长们看。叶池小心地往后退着，一直退到阴影中。他们穿行在空地边的灌木丛中，悬垂的树枝把他们与空地上的猫隔开了。他们又朝岛的岸边退了几步，一块凸起的岩石把他们和会场完全隔开了。
“你怎么了？”鸦羽的眼神看起来很受伤，“那天晚上，你为什么不去找我？”
叶池紧张地吞咽了一口口水。“别生我的气，”她乞求着，“我不能来，我要帮助蛾翅！”
鸦羽猛地一甩尾巴。“这样偷偷摸摸相聚，感觉真的很糟，”他低声说道，“我老是看不到你。”
“我明白，我也有同样的感觉。但是鸦羽，我是一位巫医啊……”叶池知道这是个机会，她应该告诉鸦羽，爱上自己是没有意义的。但现在站在他的身旁，皮毛蹭着鸦羽的皮毛，鼻子里满是他的气息，叶池根本找不到合适的字眼去开口。
过了一会儿，愧疚与焦虑逐渐消失了。叶池觉得，只要能待在他的身边，凝视他热切的蓝色眼睛，那就够了。
“我知道我们在一起会遇到很多困难，”鸦羽用爪子抓挠着地面，“你是巫医，而且我们还分属不同的族群，整个武士守则都与我们作对，但是我们肯定能想出办法。”
叶池冲他眨了眨眼睛。“什么办法？”所有的困难涌了过来，叶池觉得自己根本无法突围。
这位深烟灰色武士神情紧张，叶池几乎能感到他的皮毛上电光闪烁。“我多么希望我们能逃离这一切！”他脱口而出，“族群、传统、所有的规则和领地……我想摆脱这一切！”
“逃跑？”叶池问道，“你是说——离开？”
鸦羽真的要离开他们族群和从小就熟知的生活吗？那样一来，她就得向父亲、母亲，向松鼠飞和栗尾，还有老师炭毛道别。除此之外，她还要放弃巫医的生活。痛苦在内心深处翻滚起来：再也不能和星族共赴梦乡，再也看不见斑叶，再也不能在武士祖灵的帮助下，给族猫治病。她该如何面对这一切？
鸦羽轻轻碰了她一下：“叶池？”
她难过地摇摇头说：“我们不能离开族群。这样做不行。”
“我也不知道该怎么办。”鸦羽长叹一口气，不再说话。
叶池发现空地上的争论已经停了下来，黑星刚好宣布森林大会结束。
“我们该走了！”鸦羽低声说，“明天太阳升到头顶的时候，你到垫脚石附近的小溪边去采草药。我在那里等你。求你了！”
没等她回答，鸦羽转身穿过灌木丛，去找族猫了。此时，众猫正朝树桥走去。
叶池等了几个心跳的时间，然后才穿过灌木丛，悄悄回到会场。看样子，没有谁注意到她和鸦羽。巫医们依然聚在灌木丛的边缘，叶池走过去加入他们。
“我一遍又一遍地做着相同的梦，”小云正焦急地讲着，“警告我有危险即将来临……但是星族从来没有告诉我是什么危险。”他焦虑地看看这只猫，又看看那只猫，“你们谁得到更明确的信息了？”
叶池没有看蛾翅。现在，她们俩都已经与星族失去了联系。武士祖灵不会把她在黑暗森林里见到虎星和他儿子的梦传递给蛾翅。她不能让任何人知道，她没有见到小云所说的梦境，她也很害怕炭毛直接问她。
蛾翅打破了寂静，说：“我不知道这些梦境是什么意思。”叶池发现她很谨慎，生怕泄露了她不相信星族的秘密，“但是我们应该警告族长小心些。”
炭毛赞许地点点头：“好主意。”
“可是让他们小心什么呢？”青面抽动着胡须问，“自从来到这里以后，风族还没有遇到过什么危险，除非把遇到狐狸那次算上。可是那次的问题很快就解决了。”
“我们遇到过麻烦，就是两脚兽的毒物。”蛾翅说着扫了叶池一眼，然后接着说，“但是星族给过特别的警告。”
“我们与宠物猫之间有争端。”小云对炭毛点点头，“雷族帮助我们把问题解决了，所以星族不会再发送相关的梦境。”
“肯定还有其他危险，”炭毛判断道，“是一种还没有降临、但会影响到所有族群的危险。”
“我们大家都要留意这些信号。”青面低沉的声音说道，“或许到月半之夜时，星族会给我们透露更多的信息。”
青面的话成了众猫告别的信号，大家开始散去。他们是最后一批离开的，当他们走进灌木丛时，空地上已经没有一只猫了。叶池从灌木丛中钻出来时，眼前是绵延的湖岸。树桥的树根周围挤满了猫，都在等着过桥。
叶池的目光在他们身上跳跃，看见鸦羽的时候，她感觉好像有一道闪电撕开了自己的皮毛。
只见这位风族武士灵巧地跳上树干，尾巴直直地翘着，很轻松地保持着平衡，往对岸走去。尽管身边满是各个族群的猫，叶池仍感到很难控制住自己，不让自己追上去。星族，帮帮我！她乞求着，我真的不知道该怎么办！
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 20
Leafpool paused at the top ofa ridge, trying to ignore the ache in her paws as she turned to look back. The lake and the trees were long gone; all around her stretched fold after fold of unfamiliar hills. She opened her mouth, picking up the sharp scent of moorland grass and a hint of rabbit. The sun was going down, but there was no sign of any trees or bushes where she and Crowfeather could shelter for the night.
The WindClan warrior followed her up the slope and stood close beside her. Warmth crept back into Leafpool’s tired legs as she felt his pelt brush hers. This cat could still give her courage and hope when everything else seemed strange and frightening.
And what about everything you’ve left behind? a small voice mewed inside her.
Leafpool tried to imagine what was happening in her Clan. Firestar would be furious that she’d abandoned them without saying a word. Cinderpelt would have to find a new apprentice. Squirrelflight would miss her so much…. A jolt of pain shook Leafpool, almost enough to make her turn her paws back toward the lake. But how could she go back now, when every cat knew what she had done, and that Crowfeather was with her?
Nothing mattered as long as she had Crowfeather. Her love for him tingled through her from ears to tail-tip; she had to keep on believing that her decision was the right one.
“Just a bit farther.” Crowfeather nosed her ear. “We need to find somewhere to sleep before it gets dark.”
“Okay.” Leafpool forced her paws to follow him along the ridge. They had been traveling all day, even though neither of them had gotten any sleep the previous night, and she felt more exhausted than she had ever been in her life.
Suddenly Crowfeather stopped and pointed down with his tail. “Look!”
When she caught up, Leafpool saw that just ahead the ground fell away into a rocky hollow. A tiny pool lay at the bottom, shaded by a couple of wind-scorched thorn trees.
“Thank StarClan!” she exclaimed. “Shelter and water.”
Summoning up her last scrap of energy, she bounded down the slope, paws slipping on the loose stones, until she could crouch beside the pool and lap from it. The memory of her last visit to the Moonpool flooded her mind.
Never again, the inner voice told her. You’re not a medicine cat anymore
But that didn’t matter either, Leafpool reminded herself. Spottedleaf had told her to follow her heart. She must be doing the right thing.
The gray-black warrior joined her beside the pool, peering into the water. “I can’t see any fish,” he commented.
His words reminded Leafpool how hungry she was. The only fresh-kill they’d had all day was a scrawny vole they had shared beside the stream not long after setting out. It seemed like moons ago now.
“You can catch us a rabbit in the morning,” she mewed, trying to ignore how faint the scent of rabbit had been. “You’re good at hunting on moorland like this. You can teach me how too.”
“Sure. You’ll soon learn,” Crowfeather replied. “But I don’t think we need to wait till morning. There must be some sort of prey around here.”
He stood with his jaws wide, tasting the air. Leafpool stood beside him, ears standing straight, until she heard the sound of a tiny creature scuffling under the thorn trees. A heartbeat later she spotted a mouse and dropped into the hunter’s crouch. With a purr of satisfaction she pounced.
At the same moment a second mouse shot out of some dead leaves. Crowfeather grabbed it with one paw.
“There, what did I tell you?” he mewed, padding over to Leafpool so they could eat together.
They found a patch of sand between the roots of one of the stunted trees, sheltered from the wind by its twisting branches, and devoured the mice in a few famished gulps.
“You were right about the prey,” Leafpool murmured, swiping her tongue around her mouth. “I’m glad you’re here. I would be so scared without you.”
“I’ll always look after you,” Crowfeather promised, resting his nose in her fur. “Tomorrow we’re bound to find somewhere better to live. After all, the Clans found the lake, and we don’t need such a big territory when it’s just the two of us.”
Leafpool nodded. “These hills can’t go on forever.” Can they?
“We’ll be fine. You’ll see,” Crowfeather assured her.
“I know.” Leafpool’s voice faded as she sank exhaustedly into sleep.
She was standing in a dark place, her paws cold on dew-drenched grass. She was surrounded by fearful snarling, but she couldn’t see where it came from, even though she wrenched her head frantically from side to side. Then she realized that the darkness that surrounded her was a rolling cloud of black fog. It drifted apart for an instant to show her waves lapping the lakeshore. Her dream had taken her home. But the reek of blood engulfed her, and she saw that the water in the lake was a blood-red tide sucking hungrily at the land.
“No!” she gasped.
Before all is peaceful, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red
Every hair on her pelt stood on end. She had left her Clan far behind. Why couldn’t she escape StarClan’s terrible prophecy?
The snarling died away, only to break out again behind her, louder than before. Leafpool spun around. The black fog still billowed around her, but she could see huge lumbering shapes moving within it. They were too blurred for Leafpool to make out, although she caught glimpses of blunt claws, snapping jaws, and small, malicious eyes. A huge dark mass loomed over her, and a claw slashed across her face, ruffling her whiskers and barely missing her eye. She leapt back and felt sticky liquid washing around her paws. The stench of blood filled her nose and mouth.
“StarClan help me!” she yowled.
Her eyes flew open. She was lying in the moorland hollow with thorn branches above her head and Crowfeather at her side. She drew a long breath of relief. Then she realized that the WindClan warrior was rising to his paws, his body rigid with tension as he stared into the darkness.
“Who’s there?” he called sharply.
Leafpool heard shuffling pawsteps coming closer. Crowfeather moved protectively in front of her; peering past him, Leafpool could just make out a dark, slowly moving shape like the ones in her dream.
Am I really awake?
Then a cloud moved away from the moon. Silver light washed down into the hollow, revealing a large, thick-furred creature with a broad white stripe down its pointed muzzle. A badger!
Leafpool sprang to her paws. “Keep back!” she growled.
Crowfeather waved his tail. “It’s all right, Leafpool,” he meowed. “It’s Midnight.”
Still trembling, Leafpool gazed up at the old she-badger. Midnight lived beside the sun-drown-place; what was she doing here on the moor? Leafpool padded forward curiously. She had always wanted to meet the badger who had warned her sister and Brambleclaw that the forest was being destroyed by Twolegs, and all the Clans would have to leave. Without her, they would never have discovered the new place StarClan had chosen for them.
“Greetings, Crowpaw.” Midnight’s eyes were bright with surprise. “Even I not foresee meeting you here.”
“Greetings, Midnight,” Crowfeather meowed. “We didn’t expect to see you, either. And I’m not Crowpaw anymore,” he added. “My warrior name is Crowfeather…in memory of Feathertail.”
“Yes, she watches you still,” Midnight told him.
Leafpool winced. Crowfeather seemed to sense she was feeling awkward, and he brought her forward with a gesture of his tail. “This is Leafpool,” he meowed. “Squirrelflight’s sister.”
Leafpool dipped her head. “It’s good to meet you at last, Midnight. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Your sister speak of you,” Midnight replied. “StarClan show you much of future also?”
“Yes, I’m a medicine cat.” Leafpool blinked. Not anymore.
The old badger glanced from her to Crowfeather and back again. “You flee, yes?” she demanded.
Leafpool stiffened. Did Midnight know she and Crowfeather were running away from their Clans? Is that why she came to find them?
“How do you know?” she asked warily.
Before Midnight could reply, Crowfeather took a pace forward. “We hadto leave,” he explained. “We’re from different Clans, and there’s no way we could stay together if—”
“Wait.” Midnight raised a massive paw. “You mean here alone you are? Where rest of cats?”
“In their territories, by the lake.” Crowfeather pointed with his tail.
“Then you not know?”
“Know what?” Leafpool’s claws slid out in sudden panic.
Midnight lowered her head. “Is great trouble coming. Many of my kin with Clans are angry,” she rasped. “Cats drive them out of their place. Now they come to attack and drive you out, take back what once theirs.”
Leafpool drew in a sharp breath. “We drove a badger out of our territory,” she remembered. “A female with kits.”
“And Hawkfrost chased one out of RiverClan,” Crowfeather meowed.
Leafpool hardly heard him. Her head spun as she plunged back into her dream of blood and slashing claws. “You say they’re going to attack the Clans?” she whispered.
“And whose side are you on, Midnight?” Crowfeather added harshly.
Midnight’s gaze met his. “I have no side. Cats, badgers, in peace could live. I speak against attack, but my kin not listen to me. For many days now they talk of blood and revenge.”
Crowfeather drew closer to Leafpool. She could feel his body quivering. “What do they plan to do?” he asked.
“Many badgers gather. Your sets they will attack, kill many cats, drive out others.”
Our sets…She means our camps. Leafpool’s fur stood on end. She and Crowfeather would be safe out here, but the Clans they had left behind would be destroyed, their Clanmates murdered.
“No…” she whispered. “It can’t happen!”
“So what are you doing here?” Crowfeather asked Midnight.
“I go to warn Clans, tell them what is coming,” the old she-badger replied. “Will you help?”
Leafpool opened her jaws to speak, but Crowfeather interrupted. “No. We have left our Clans for good. There’s nothing we can do.”
“Crowfeather, no!” A shiver of horror passed through Leafpool from ears to tail-tip. “We can’t leave our Clans to die.”
Crowfeather’s amber eyes were full of pain. Gently he touched his nose to Leafpool’s muzzle. “I know,” he mewed. “But Midnight is going to warn them. They’ll be safe if they listen to her. What more could we do?”
“We—” Leafpool broke off, not sure she knew the answer.
“We’ve come too far,” Crowfeather insisted. “If we go back now, every cat will know what we’ve done. We won’t be able to leave again. Things will be the same as they ever were—worse, because we won’t be able to meet up like we used to. Every cat will be watching us, waiting for us to slip away. All this will have been for nothing.”
Leafpool gasped with pain, as if the claws of the badgers in her dream had torn her pelt away. She knew Crowfeather was right; they would lose everything if they went back now. Yet how could they keep going, when they knew what terrible danger their Clanmates were facing?
Midnight looked from her to Crowfeather and back again. Leafpool didn’t know how much the badger understood about the duties of medicine cats, or about the warrior code that said that cats from different Clans could not be together. But there was warmth and understanding in her gaze, as if Midnight somehow sensed the struggles they had gone through before they made the decision to leave.
“StarClan go with you,” the badger murmured. “Future rests in paws of warrior ancestors. All I can I will do.”
“Thank you,” meowed Leafpool.
She watched as Midnight lumbered away up the slope in the direction of the territory they had left. Her paws trembled with guilt and sadness; her Clanmates were in trouble, and she was deliberately choosing not to help them.
Crowfeather nuzzled her ear. “Let’s get some more sleep,” he meowed.
Leafpool curled up beside him under the thorn trees, but sleep refused to come. Her mind was filled with images of snarling badgers bursting into the ThunderClan camp, ripping apart her Clanmates.
StarClan be with them! she prayed.
Her dream had shown her how savage the attack would be. She remembered the dreams that the other medicine cats had described at the Moonpool, dreams of darkness and slashing claws. And now she had received the same message from StarClan. Leafpool’s pelt tingled; the starry warriors were still speaking to her. She hadn’t lied to Midnight when she said she was still a medicine cat.
She could tell Crowfeather wasn’t asleep either. He kept shifting restlessly, and once she heard him sigh. He pressed closer to her, as if trying to comfort her, or himself.
At last Leafpool drifted into a light, troubled sleep. She seemed to float in gray mist, with nothing to tell her where she was. Suddenly the emptiness was ripped apart by a shriek of agony.
“StarClan, help me!”
Leafpool leapt up, trembling, to see the thorn branches outlined against a sky growing pale with the first light of dawn. She had recognized the voice in her dream; it was Cinderpelt.
“Crowfeather!” she gasped. “I can’t stay here. We have to go back.”
Crowfeather lifted his head. His amber eyes were sad. “I know,” he meowed. “I feel the same way. We have to go and help our Clans.”
Relief flooded over Leafpool. She loved him even more at that moment because he understood, because he cared for his Clanmates as much as she cared for hers. Briefly she pressed her muzzle against his, with a purr that lasted no more than a heartbeat.
“Let’s go,” she meowed.
第十六章
第十六章
“黛西，黛西，你在哪里？”
松鼠飞听见从巫医巢穴传来一声怒吼，便停下来，四处张望着。很快，亮心就出现了，她的嘴里叼着黛西的一个孩子的脖子。这个小家伙可怜地不住哀号着，爪子在半空中乱抓着。他的同窝手足默默地跟在后面，低着头，尾巴耷拉着，在遮蔽巫医巢穴的荆棘丛边挤作一团。
黛西来到营地有些时日了，她的孩子都长得更健壮了，也更自信了，开始在营地里四处探索，很有可能惹出麻烦。松鼠飞想起自己和叶池还没当学徒时惹的麻烦，不由得连连抽动胡须。
亮心丢下叼着的幼崽——松鼠飞仔细一看，认出是小鼠。亮心那只健康的眼睛里喷射着怒火：“黛西，你出来！”
育婴室里没有回应，但是一个心跳过后，黛西就从荆棘通道里钻了出来，冲到亮心面前。云尾跟在她的后面，但是速度慢得多。
“怎么了？你把我的孩子怎么了？”黛西质问道。
“问问你的孩子在炭毛的巢穴里做了什么。”亮心不甘示弱。“别再发出那种声音，我又没有弄疼你！”她对被丢在地上的幼崽吼道。这个小家伙正在哀号，小小的粉色嘴巴大张着。
“到底怎么了？”黛西蓝色的眼睛里同样燃着怒火，长长的乳白色皮毛下，肌肉紧绷着。松鼠飞还以为，她会用云尾教她的招数朝亮心扑过来。松鼠飞知道亮心不会有事，但黛西可就不同了。于是松鼠飞赶紧走过去，希望能在双方举爪相向时，及时制止她们。
“你的幼崽跑到炭毛的巢穴里，把草药弄得乱七八糟。”亮心解释着，“你吃了什么没有？”她嘶嘶地叫着，转脸对着小莓和小榛说，“你们有没有吃？”
幼崽们吓得不敢吭声，都摇摇头。松鼠飞知道，亮心之所以这么生气，有很大一部分是害怕幼崽们吃下了危险的东西。炭毛不会在草药中放诸如死亡浆果之类的东西，但是草药如果吃得太多，也会肚子疼的。
亮心身上的毛慢慢平顺下来，但是愤怒的情绪正像绿叶季的闪电一样躁动着。“你去看看他们弄得有多乱，”她对黛西说，“你怎么不好好看着他们？”
“她和我在一起。”云尾急忙说道。
“和你在一起，就可以让幼崽破坏炭毛的草药吗？”亮心一点也没给云尾面子。
“他们还不懂事。”
“他们应该懂事了！”亮心冲自己的伴侣吼道，“你觉得我们除了在他们屁股后面收拾，就没有更有意义的事情可做吗？昨天采浆果，花了我一整天的时间。”
“哎呀，对不起！”黛西说着，眼神不安地看看云尾，又看看亮心，然后又看着自己的孩子。她拱着小鼠站起身，尾巴一甩，又把其他两只幼崽拢到身边，说道：“我保证，再也不会发生这种事情。”
“你最好说话算数。”亮心没好气地说。
黛西赶着幼崽们朝育婴室走去。松鼠飞听见小鼠在抱怨：“那只难看的猫吓死我了！”
“那你就别招惹她。”黛西对他说。
松鼠飞发现亮心听见小鼠的话时，身子一震。亮心和云尾面对面地站着，他们的尾巴尖来回摆动着。
“我去帮忙清理。”松鼠飞说着，后退着走回荆棘丛。她可不想卷入亮心与伴侣之间的争吵中去。
等她来到巢穴里，才知道亮心为什么那么生气了。浆果在巢穴入口处的地上散落得到处都是，草药也乱糟糟地散落成好几堆。有的草药叶子被从茎秆上扯下来，上面满是尘土，没准都得扔掉了。
松鼠飞开始把能收起来的浆果堆成一堆。她很想知道，叶池和炭毛去了哪里。过了一小会儿，她听见身后有猫走过来的声音。
“原来你在这里！”蜡毛说着，用鼻子碰了碰她的肩膀，“我想我们该去狩猎了。云尾和亮心为什么像两只獾似的，互相瞪着眼睛啊？”
松鼠飞一边解释，一边整理着浆果。
“族群出生的幼崽不会干这种事的，”蜡毛说道，“这些宠物猫或许永远都不能适应这里的生活。”
“你说什么？”松鼠飞转身对着他，问道，“你忘了我父亲曾经也是宠物猫了？”
蜡毛眨巴一下眼睛说：“对不起。但是火星跟他们不同。多数宠物猫过不了我们这种生活，他们需要两脚兽照顾。”
松鼠飞愤怒地嘶嘶叫着，亮出了爪子。但她极力克制自己，才把爪子收了起来，继续整理浆果。蜡毛竟然用猫的出身来评判他们？她怒气冲冲地想着。他会因为她是半只宠物猫，而轻视她吗？难道他不知道，自己和叶池、云尾，以及云尾的孩子白爪，都与在森林里出生的武士们一样重要吗？
蜡毛还没来得及再说什么，就见荆棘丛一阵晃动，叶池和炭毛走了进来。两位巫医带回来大捆的石竹草。
“这里发生什么了？”炭毛把嘴里的东西放下，问道。
松鼠飞再次解释了刚才发生的事，叶池开始检查散落的叶子，把要扔掉的堆在一起。
“这些调皮的幼崽！”炭毛低声说着，用鼻子拱着沾了土的皱巴巴的蓍草叶子说，“不过，只要他们没吃什么，就没有什么大问题。”
“可是，这得多出多少活呀！”蜡毛说道。
“这没什么。我会把这些没用的草药扔掉，再去采一些回来。”叶池立刻说道。松鼠飞惊讶地看了她一眼。
一股强烈的情感闪过，松鼠飞的皮毛不由得直立起来。她盯着姐姐。叶池是心里有愧吗？她为什么对采草药心怀愧疚？更让她不解的是，和愧疚混合在一起的，似乎还有一股包含着期盼的激动，在这两种情感之中，还夹杂着一些不快。
松鼠飞想，也许姐姐只是太累了。前一天晚上是月半之夜，叶池和其他巫医按惯例去了月亮池。但是内心深处，她知道让叶池不安的不只是长途跋涉和缺乏睡眠。也许这位巫医从星族那里收到了危险信号。不过，叶池心神不宁已经有一段日子了。确切地说，自从那次森林大会起，她就一直像蚱蜢一样烦躁不安。
“我来帮你。”松鼠飞提议道，“蜡毛，你还是独自去狩猎吧。如果有时间，我会去找你的。”
蜡毛久久地看着松鼠飞。“好吧。”然后他冲炭毛点点头，就离开了。
松鼠飞后悔刚才对他说话那么难听，有点想把他叫回来。但是她更想和姐姐谈谈。再说了，刚和他拌过嘴，最好还是给彼此留一点空间。
“哪些草药需要扔出去？”她问姐姐。
“这些。”叶池用尾巴指了指说，“我看其他的还行。”
松鼠飞把破损的叶子和脏叶子分开，然后叼起了其中的一堆。炭毛已经开始把能用的草药和浆果往巢穴里搬。叶池叼起剩下的，跟着松鼠飞走出营地。她们把叶子送到离入口有几只狐狸身长的崎岖不平的地方——那里是猫们排便的地方。
“能出来可真好！”松鼠飞把嘴里味道刺鼻的叶子吐干净后，对叶池说。她想把蜡毛的话告诉叶池，但是发现叶池非常紧张和难过，而她和蜡毛的吵嘴似乎不再那么重要了。“你还好吗？”她问道。
“为什么会不好呢？”叶池抓挠着眼前的地面，嗅着一片展开的蕨叶说道。
“炭毛提出采集更多草药的时候，我觉得你似乎……嗯，怪怪的。”她脑子里有一个想法一闪，接着说道，“你并不是在担心亮心，对不对？我的意思是，你才是炭毛真正的学徒，亮心只是在帮忙。”
叶池眨巴着眼睛。“是的，我当然不担心亮心。好了，松鼠飞，”她接着说，“我们最好分开去采草药，否则可能就要花上一整天时间了。炭毛需要更多的猫薄荷。你可以去废弃的两脚兽巢穴那儿采一些吗？”
松鼠飞盯着叶池。很明显，叶池是想摆脱她。“你要去哪里？”
“嗯……影族边界附近，没准。”
愧疚和急躁再次从她的眼里闪过，这让松鼠飞身上的每根毛都刺痛起来。她确定叶池在撒谎，但她拼命咬紧牙关，没有愤怒得咆哮出来。我们以前从来不对对方撒谎的！她在心里想。
“你知道吗？”松鼠飞尽力让自己的声音平静下来，“这些天你很奇怪，好像是发生了什么事。”
她的本意是想开玩笑，想找回与姐姐之间曾经的亲密无间，但是叶池非但没有体会到她的善意，反而缩了缩身子，眯起眼睛，像被蜜蜂蜇了似的。
“我要去采草药了，”叶池冷冷地说，“我是一位巫医，不要指望我会和你分享我生活中的一切。”说完，她转身扬长而去，消失在灌木丛中。
有几个心跳的时间，松鼠飞很想跟着叶池。可是她知道，叶池发现了会更生气。不过松鼠飞对姐姐的不开心无法坐视不理。尤其是她们一直以来都那么亲密。她必须多加留意，等待时机，弄清楚是怎么回事。
猫头鹰的叫声把松鼠飞唤醒了。淡淡的月光从武士巢穴的树枝间透过来，映照出族猫蜷缩着的身体轮廓。巢穴里充满猫们呼出的温暖气息。
松鼠飞张大嘴巴，打了一个哈欠，但她不想接着再睡了。她已经完全睡醒了，睡意全无。于是她轻手轻脚地溜出巢穴，以免惊动离她一个尾巴远的蜡毛。她慢慢地穿过悬垂的树枝，来到空地上。
此时的月亮已经弯成最瘦的月牙，像是深蓝色天空中的一道爪痕，洒下的光芒勉强能看清楚山谷的边缘。一丛丛的荆棘和蕨叶在山谷边缘投下深色的影子。松鼠飞勉强辨认出对面的荆棘通道入口处云尾那身白色的皮毛，他正在担任警戒任务。
她活动了一下爪子，想着要不要告诉云尾，她想去夜间狩猎。突然，她的眼角察觉到有什么一闪，一扭头，却看到叶池正从巫医巢穴走出来。
松鼠飞正想喊她，却发现姐姐的行为很怪异。只见她小心翼翼地四下观望着，然后悄悄走出荆棘丛。很明显，她并没有注意到妹妹隐藏在武士巢穴旁边阴影中的姜黄色的皮毛。只见叶池一直沿着空地边缘前行着，她一直躲在阴暗处，仿佛就像一只被追捕的老鼠。松鼠飞不由得从耳朵到尾巴尖都紧张起来。
松鼠飞跟随姐姐走进阴影中，留意不发出一点声音。之前的所有不安再次涌来。在弄清楚叶池的行踪之前，她不想惊动云尾或其他任何猫。叶池可能惹上了什么麻烦，眼下正是松鼠飞找出真相的好机会。
如果从山谷的入口往荆棘丛走，有可能会被云尾发现。但是还没等她想清楚该怎么办，叶池已经突然拐弯，钻入了荆棘丛。松鼠飞听见荆棘丛发出一阵响动。云尾转过头来，吓得松鼠飞一动都不敢动。云尾警觉地四处查看了一下，然后抽动了一下尾巴尖，又扭头转了回去，再次守卫着通道。
松鼠飞的心怦怦直跳，赶紧也跟着叶池钻进荆棘丛。这里是山谷一个角落，因为荒草茂盛，不适宜睡觉或存放猎物。松鼠飞惊讶地发现，这里的石壁有一部分已经坍塌了，所以对身手灵活的猫来说，从这里爬到崖顶并不太困难。叶池竟然发现了走出营地的秘密通道！松鼠飞突然想到，姐姐肯定是对这条路非常熟悉，才会这么快就没了踪影。她曾经从这里走过多少次啊？
松鼠飞一跃而起，抓着长在岩缝中的长灌木，费力地在荆棘藤蔓中穿行着。终于，她爬到了山谷边缘，立刻就躲入最近处的蕨丛中，竖着耳朵捕捉下面山谷中传来的声响，以免被其他猫给发现了。
但周围静悄悄的，只有风在树梢间沙沙作响。松鼠飞狂跳的心终于平静下来，她慢慢从蕨丛中探出脑袋，四下张望着。
虽然看不见叶池，但松鼠飞很快就嗅到了她的气味，叶池的气味沿着山谷顶部往前延伸，然后就消失在森林里。
松鼠飞追踪着叶池的气息，不时停下来嗅嗅空气。她多么希望叶池是因为职责所需离开了山谷，可是她明白，没有哪种草药必须是趁着月光去采摘。还有，叶池是偷偷溜出营地的，而且她嗅到的那种气息中，混合着愧疚和兴奋的感觉。所有迹象都显示，她在做自己本不该做的事情。
你可以告诉我的呀，松鼠飞生气地想，没准我可以帮你的。
叶池的气息绕过榛树丛和蕨丛。过了一会儿，松鼠飞听见了作为雷族和风族分界的溪水的汩汩声。她停下来，想了想。叶池会不会是去了月亮池啊？如果是的话，她这样贸然出现，干扰了巫医仪式，叶池一定会很生气的。但叶池如果真的是去月亮池，为什么要悄悄地溜出来呢？如果是与星族进行交流，叶池不应该担心会被其他猫知道啊？
松鼠飞努力辨别着姐姐的气息，继续搜寻着。但是弥漫树林的新生树叶的味道、令人垂涎欲滴的猎物气味，与叶池的气息混杂在了一起，松鼠飞根本辨识不出姐姐的气息。有好几次，她不得不停下来，大口地吸着气。在一块满是岩石的裸露地面，她一度以为自己跟丢了，但过了一会儿，又重新闻到了姐姐的气味。之后在一片沼泽地里，完全嗅不到姐姐的气息，害得松鼠飞鼻子贴着沼泽地地面找了个遍。
“哼！”她小声嘀咕了一声，“还敢说自己是出色的狩猎者？”
松鼠飞依然能听见流淌的水声，于是继续悄无声息地小跑着，一直来到小溪边，风族的气息被微风吹了过来。叶池会跨过边界，进入风族领地吗？松鼠飞很想越过边界，看看能否在对岸找到姐姐的气息，但害怕被哪只喜欢夜里狩猎的风族武士给发现了。一星对雷族有心存不满，如果她被发现夜间出现在他们的领地，肯定会惹出大麻烦的。如果在山谷外等着叶池回来，反倒更有可能弄明白事情的原委。于是松鼠飞决定返回营地。
松鼠飞猜想叶池会顺着原路返回，于是在崖壁塌陷处的顶部的蕨丛中蜷伏了下来。尽管肚子饿得咕咕直叫，可她不想去狩猎，生怕错过了姐姐。
黎明的第一缕晨光出现了，天空泛起鱼肚白。就在这个时候，她听见有猫从灌木丛中走了过来。松鼠飞嗅出姐姐的气息，于是站起身。来的正是叶池，只见她低着头，尾巴拖在草地上。
“你去哪里了？”松鼠飞问道。
叶池猛地抬起头，惊讶地盯着妹妹，问道：“你在这里干什么？你在监视我？”
“没有！你这个愚蠢的毛球。”松鼠飞走到姐姐跟前，想用身体蹭蹭她，安慰安慰她。但是叶池后退一步，眼睛里满是警觉。“昨天晚上我看见你出去了。我有些担心你。我知道你有麻烦事，能给我讲讲吗？”松鼠飞说道。
叶池的情感剧烈波动起来，这让松鼠飞有些猝不及防。她看得出姐姐渴望向她敞开心扉，但是有一道比荆棘还要牢固的障碍拦住了叶池。松鼠飞的肚子里一阵绞痛。叶池的问题肯定比想象的要严重得多。
最后，叶池只是摇摇头：“我好着呢。别管我。”
“眼下我不可能不管，”松鼠飞带着嘲讽的口气，“叶池，这可不像你，竟然偷偷地溜出去……”
“偷偷地溜出去！”叶池低声吼着，尾巴上的毛因为愤怒蓬松了起来，“你倒是讲讲，你为什么要偷偷溜出来跟踪我？”
“我没有！”松鼠飞不满地说道，“我只是想知道出了什么事。”
“这跟你没关系！如果你信任我，就不会问这些问题。”
“很好！”松鼠飞猛地说道，“我的姐姐遇到了麻烦，难道要让我视而不见吗？”
“如果需要你帮忙，我会说的！”叶池冲着她吼道。
“你明知道自己需要帮助。”松鼠飞费了很大的劲才压下了怒火，“如果你的麻烦事是巫医方面的，为什么你不告诉炭毛？”
“炭毛从来都不肯听我说，”叶池悲从中来，“现在有亮心帮忙，她根本不需要我。”
“这是我听过的最鼠脑子的话了！”
叶池嘶嘶地叫着：“你突然间变得这么聪明了？我想，你肯定会把这件事告诉火星的？”
松鼠飞的愤怒一下子消失了。姐姐似乎很绝望。没必要再争论下去了，不管她去了哪里，不管做了什么，可以肯定的是，那一定是一件让她很不开心的事。
“我不会告诉任何猫。”松鼠飞轻声说，“你最好在被发现之前回去。”
叶池点点头，从她的身边走过，然后转身满是哀怨地看了她一眼。那眼神让松鼠飞感觉如刺扎一般痛苦。
“对不起，”叶池的声音很低，松鼠飞几乎听不见，“如果可以，我会告诉你的。我保证。”
不等松鼠飞回答，叶池已经翻过了山谷的崖壁，没了踪影。
松鼠飞站在原地，如同风中的树叶一般颤抖着。她无法再回到巢穴睡觉。肚子又开始咕咕叫，提醒她已经很长时间没有吃东西了。她决定去狩会儿猎：没准可以给自己抓只田鼠吃，然后尽量多捉些猎物带回去。她转身刚钻进树林，不料灌木丛沙沙作响，吓了她一跳。接着，她看见黑莓掌钻了出来。
“刚才离开的是叶池吗？她去哪儿了？”
“不知道，”松鼠飞回答，感觉浑身都不自在，“她离开营地又不需要我批准。”
黑莓掌的眼睛眯了起来。很显然，他猜出松鼠飞对他隐瞒着什么。“猫在夜里四处游荡很不安全。”他说道。
“我觉得她是在忙巫医的事。”松鼠飞下意识地想保护姐姐，“比如寻找草药什么的，你也知道的。”
黑莓掌眨了眨眼睛。松鼠飞并不确定黑莓掌是否相信自己的话。他或许已经发现，叶池走进营地时并没有衔着草药。还有，她为什么要从崖壁下去，而不是走荆棘通道呢？松鼠飞的尾巴急躁地抽动着，想赶紧在这位虎斑武士质疑之前离开。
“我要去狩猎了。”她急忙说道。
“我也是。”黑莓掌犹豫着，似乎是在提议他们一起去。
但这是松鼠飞最不希望的事情。“嗯，我往这边走，”她说着一转身，朝影族边界走去，还不忘回头说了一句，“待会儿见。”
她进入灌木丛，感觉到这位虎斑武士的目光一直盯着她。她内心深处难以抑制地涌起一股悔恨。要是在过去，她会把叶池的事告诉黑莓掌的，也相信他会竭尽全力施以援手，但是现在，她不再信任他，尤其不能让他知道姐姐的秘密，不管那个秘密是什么。松鼠飞实在想象不出那个秘密是什么，可是对叶池的担心，如同一团马上带来风暴的浓密黑云，悬在自己的心头。
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 21
“Mouse dung!” Squirrelflight muttered. The starlingshe had just missed fluttered onto a branch above her head, while her empty claws sank into the moss. How was she supposed to concentrate on hunting when every waking moment was filled with worry about her sister?
I should have stopped her, she thought bleakly.
“Bad luck,” Ashfur meowed, coming up behind her. “Should we call it a day? We’ve got more than enough to carry back.”
“Okay.” Squirrelflight followed him to the place under a thorn bush where he had scraped earth over their previous kills. Spiderleg joined them, a squirrel dangling from his jaws, and the hunting patrol headed back to camp.
“Come on,” Ashfur murmured to Squirrelflight when they had dropped their catch on the fresh-kill pile. “Leafpool will be fine.”
“How can she be fine, when she’s left everything behind?” Squirrelflight retorted.
“Why don’t you rest for a while?” the gray warrior suggested, pointing with his tail at a sunny spot near the wall of the hollow. “You hardly slept at all last night.”
“And I won’t be able to sleep now. I’m going to make sure Cinderpelt has eaten.”
Squirrelflight grabbed a vole from the fresh-kill pile and padded across the clearing to the medicine cat’s den. Rounding the screen of brambles, she found Cinderpelt crouched in the opening of her den with her paws tucked under her. Her blue eyes were fixed on nothing. Squirrelflight shivered; it looked as though Cinderpelt were gazing at horrors that only she could see.
The medicine cat blinked and looked up at her. “Squirrelflight—is there any news?”
“About Leafpool?” Squirrelflight set the vole down in front of Cinderpelt. “No, nothing. I brought you some fresh-kill.”
The medicine cat turned her head away. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat!” Squirrelflight protested. She wondered if Cinderpelt blamed herself for Leafpool’s disappearance. The medicine cat seemed to have no courage or energy left. “We need you more than ever, now that Leafpool’s gone.”
Cinderpelt let out a long sigh. “But I’ve failed. Utterly failed.”
“It’s not your fault!” Squirrelflight wriggled into the narrow opening beside Cinderpelt so that she could press herself comfortingly against her. “You’re a great medicine cat. What would ThunderClan do without you?”
Cinderpelt gazed at her, a searching look that made Squirrelflight feel like she was about to drown in the blue depths of her eyes. Cinderpelt seemed to be on the verge of confiding something to her, but all she said was, “I wish things didn’t have to change.”
“They don’t have to. They won’t. Leafpool will come back. We have to believe that.”
Cinderpelt shook her head and closed her eyes.
Squirrelflight stretched out a paw and nudged the vole a bit closer to her. “Come on, you’ll feel better when you’ve eaten.”
Cinderpelt hesitated, then bent down to sniff the fresh-kill. “Squirrelflight, will you go and check on Sorreltail?” she meowed after a moment. “I’m worried about her. You know what good friends she and Leafpool were.”
“Does Sorreltail know what’s happened?” Confined to the nursery because her kits were due any day, the young tortoiseshell warrior might not have heard the news.
“Yes, I told her last night.” To Squirrelflight’s relief, Cinderpelt was beginning to sound more like her normal self. “She was upset, and I gave her some poppy seed to help her sleep.”
“Sure, I’ll look in on her. On one condition—that I see you eating that vole before I go.”
A faint gleam of humor crept into Cinderpelt’s eyes. “You never give up, do you? All right—and call me if Sorreltail needs anything.”
As Squirrelflight slid out of the den, the medicine cat sniffed the vole again, took a bite, and then began to eat more quickly, as if she had suddenly realized how hungry she was.
Squirrelflight left her to it and headed for the nursery. Just outside, Brightheart was bending over Berrykit. She straightened up as Squirrelflight approached.
“There!” she mewed. “That thorn won’t bother you again. Give your paw a good lick now.”
“Thanks!” Berrykit looked up admiringly at the ginger and white she-cat. The horse place cats seemed to have stopped noticing her scars. “You’re the best medicine cat ever!”
“I’m not a medicine cat,” Brightheart corrected him, with a sidelong glance at Squirrelflight. “ThunderClan already has two medicine cats. I’ll never be one.”
“Well, Ithink you are,” Berrykit meowed, licking his paw vigorously.
It’s a pity Brightheart couldn’t have said that while Leafpool was here, Squirrelflight thought. “Hi,” she mewed. “Cinderpelt sent me to check on Sorreltail.”
“Sorreltail’s fine,” Brightheart told her. “She and Daisy shared a rabbit earlier, and now she’s asleep again. Great StarClan, she’s huge,” she added. “It can’t be long before she starts to kit.”
“That’s good.” Squirrelflight tried to summon up enthusiasm, but she couldn’t get excited about the first kits to be born in their new home when her mind was filled with worrying about Leafpool and Cinderpelt.
She poked her head into the nursery and saw a tortoiseshell mound of fur sleeping peacefully among the moss and ferns. Daisy and Ferncloud were close beside the young warrior, sharing tongues and mewing softly to each other. Both of them glanced up and twitched their whiskers in greeting to Squirrelflight.
Brightheart had gone by the time she backed out again; Squirrelflight caught a glimpse of her tail whisking behind the bramble screen in front of Cinderpelt’s den. Trusting Brightheart to report about Sorreltail to the medicine cat, Squirrelflight headed for the fresh-kill pile to find a piece of prey.
Firestar was there, sharing a squirrel with Sandstorm, while Brambleclaw devoured a thrush a tail-length away.
“I want you to lead the dawn patrol tomorrow,” Firestar was meowing to Brambleclaw as Squirrelflight came up. “Have a good look along the WindClan border. It’s possible you’ll come across more traces of Leafpool.”
Brambleclaw swallowed a mouthful. “I’ll take Cloudtail. He’s one of our best trackers.” Hesitantly, he added, “But we followed her trail quite a long way into the hills. I don’t think we’ll find anything else now.”
“You might,” Firestar insisted. It was as if he couldn’t admit they might never see Leafpool again.
Like Graystripe? Squirrelflight suddenly wondered.
Sandstorm lifted her head. “You might meet her coming back,” she mewed. “If you do, don’t be angry with her.”
Brambleclaw nodded. “Don’t worry. If I see her I’ll make sure she feels safe to come home.”
Squirrelflight could tell he didn’t hold out much hope of setting eyes on the missing medicine cat. She was beginning to agree with him. Even though she clung to the hope that her sister would come back, she knew how hard it would be for Leafpool once she had made the impossible decision to leave.
She chose a magpie from the pile and settled down to eat it.
“Are you okay?” Brambleclaw asked quietly.
“Not really,” she replied.
“You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Sandstorm assured her.
“But it’s my fault!” All Squirrelflight’s worries spilled over and she had to stop herself from wailing like a lost kit. “I knew Leafpool was leaving the camp at night and I didn’t do anything.”
Firestar leaned over to give her ear a comforting lick. “We should all have seen that there was something troubling Leafpool.”
“Yes,” Brambleclaw put in unexpectedly. “If you haddone anything, you might have driven her away sooner. No cat knows.”
His gaze slid past her to the camp entrance, where Ashfur had just appeared with his apprentice. They headed for the fresh-kill pile; Brambleclaw finished his prey, swiped his tongue around his jaws, and stalked off before the gray tomcat came up.
“That was good work,” Ashfur meowed as he and Birchpaw approached. “Take some fresh-kill to the elders, and then you’re done for today.”
Birchpaw grabbed some prey from the pile and dashed off across the clearing, while Ashfur padded over to Squirrelflight. Firestar and Sandstorm got up and left the two of them together.
“I just gave Birchpaw a training session,” Ashfur told Squirrelflight. “He learns really fast.”
“That’s good,” Squirrelflight replied, trying to feel pleased that Ashfur’s mentoring was going well.
“You look exhausted.” Ashfur touched his nose to her ear. “This time you aregoing to rest, so don’t try to argue.”
Squirrelflight felt as though ants were crawling through her pelt; the last thing she wanted to do was lie down, unable to sleep. But seeing the concern in her Clanmate’s eyes, she sighed and gave in. Finishing her prey, she padded over to the sunny spot near the wall, where she stretched out on her side and let the rays of the setting sun soak into her fur.
Ashfur crouched close beside her and began to lick her shoulder soothingly. In spite of the thoughts that buzzed in her mind, Squirrelflight began to drift into sleep. But the buzzing grew louder, and she realized it wasn’t inside her head after all. A low, grumbling roar was approaching through the trees.
Irritated, she raised her head. “What in StarClan’s name is that?”
Before she had finished speaking, the startled wail of a cat came from outside the clearing. The thorns rustled violently and Whitepaw skidded out of the mouth of the tunnel, her ears flat to her head and her eyes huge with fear. Brackenfur was hard on her paws.
Squirrelflight jumped up. The roaring grew clearer: it was the sound of many creatures, growling and snarling. It became louder still, until it seemed to fill the whole forest, and with it came snapping noises of breaking twigs, as if something were trampling down the barrier across the entrance to the hollow. Suddenly Squirrelflight saw an enormous creature thrust its way through the branches. The dying sunlight showed her a broad head with a narrow, striped snout, massive shoulders, and strong, blunt claws.
“Badger!” she yowled.
Cats ran out from all around the clearing. Firestar emerged from his den on the Highledge and launched himself down the rockfall. Brambleclaw pushed his way out of the warriors’ den, closely followed by Sandstorm and Cloudtail. Cinderpelt and Brightheart brushed past the bramble screen in front of the medicine cat’s den; Brightheart’s good eye narrowed and she snarled at the intruder.
The badger had paused just inside the barrier, swinging its head from side to side as it scanned the clearing with small, bright eyes. Squirrelflight was about to hurl herself on it when more trampling noises kept her paws frozen to the ground in horror. Other badgers were breaking their way into the camp, more than she could count, crushing the thorn bushes like blades of grass.
With a roar that seemed to come from all their throats at once, the badgers surged forward. In an instant, the hollow was filled with gaping jaws and slashing claws. Squirrelflight glimpsed Rainwhisker being caught by one leg and tossed into the air; he landed with a dull thud a fox-length away, and didn’t get up.
Suddenly a striped face loomed in front of her. Squirrelflight backed up against a clump of brambles, hissing as she lashed out with both front paws. The badger’s rank scent stung in her throat. “Get out, or I’ll claw your fur off!” she rasped.
Then she felt herself shouldered aside, stumbling to keep her balance as a streak of gray fur flashed past her. Ashfur had thrown himself between her and the badger.
“I can take care of myself!” she hissed, but Ashfur had already leapt forward, plunging his claws into the attacker’s pelt while he fastened his teeth into its ear. The badger let out a hoarse bellow, shaking its head from side to side to dislodge him.
“Squirrelflight!” a voice meowed in her ear. It was Brambleclaw, bleeding from a long scratch down one shoulder. “Help me—we’ve got to get Daisy and the kits out of the hollow. Sorreltail, too.”
Without waiting for her response he turned and raced toward the nursery, skirting the edge of the clearing. Squirrelflight darted after him, dodging a couple of screeching cats—Spiderleg and Sootfur—who darted in from opposite sides to claw one huge female badger; the great beast swung her head to and fro, jaws snapping, frustrated that she couldn’t catch either of them.
Brambleclaw plunged into the nursery while Squirrelflight waited at the entrance, ready to defend it. The clearing heaved with cats fighting for their lives, and badgers fighting to kill them. Squirrelflight realized that the walls of the stone hollow, which had seemed to offer such good protection when they first found the camp, were trapping her Clanmates now. They couldn’t run away, or avoid their enemies by climbing trees. Squirrelflight watched Birchpaw scrabble a few tail-lengths up the rock wall, only to fall back into the claws of a badger. The apprentice saved himself by squeezing into a narrow crack at the foot of the cliff, just out of reach of the swiping black paw.
How will Daisy and Sorreltail and the kits escape? Daisy would never be able to defend herself against something like a badger, and Sorreltail was too close to giving birth to fight well.
Could they climb to the Highledge,Squirrelflight wondered, and take shelter in Firestar’s den?But the fallen rocks were too easy to climb, easy enough for a badger, and they could all be trapped up there.
More badgers were trying to enter through the wreckage of the thorns. At least that was their only way in. Firestar flung himself at the barrier, fighting furiously, with Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Thornclaw beside him. Thornclaw was picked up by a massive paw and sent spinning into a clump of nettles; the trembling stalks closed around him, and he didn’t reappear.
Squirrelflight glimpsed her father clinging desperately to a badger’s shoulder while he clawed at its eyes. Then another of the huge creatures pushed in front of him, and she couldn’t see any more.
“Where’s Daisy?” a hoarse voice meowed. Squirrelflight turned her head to see Cloudtail limping toward her; the white warrior’s pelt was covered with dust, but the light of battle still gleamed in his blue eyes.
“In here,” Squirrelflight meowed, nodding to the bramble thicket behind her. “Brambleclaw’s fetching her.”
The tabby warrior appeared as she spoke, pushing Daisy in front of him. Berrykit squirmed in his jaws, wailing.
Daisy’s eyes were stretched wide with horror. “They’ll kill us all!” she yowled. “What about my kits?”
“We’ll save your kits.” To Squirrelflight’s surprise, Brightheart had made her way across the clearing from the medicine cat’s den. “It’s not their fault their mother brought them here,” she muttered fiercely as she vanished into the nursery. Cloudtail followed her to fetch the third kit.
“But we’ll never get out!” Daisy wailed, staring at the fight still going on in the camp entrance.
“Yes, you will,” Squirrelflight meowed. She suddenly remembered how Leafpool had sneaked out of the camp to meet Crowfeather. “I know a way.”
“Show us.” Brambleclaw managed to speak around the kit in his jaws.
Squirrelflight glanced into the nursery to yowl, “Hurry up!” Brightheart appeared at once, but she wasn’t carrying a kit. “Fetch Cinderpelt,” she snapped. “Sorreltail’s kits are coming. Now.”
Panic swept through Squirrelflight. Great StarClan, no! Scanning the clearing, she couldn’t see Cinderpelt, but she caught sight of Sorreltail’s mate, Brackenfur, battling furiously with a badger only a few tail-lengths away. He was obviously trying to reach the nursery.
“Brackenfur, run!” she yowled, launching herself at the badger and clawing at its haunches.
The creature swung aside, batting at the air, giving Brackenfur the chance to dodge around it.
Squirrelflight let go of the badger and raced back to the nursery. “Sorreltail’s kits are coming,” she gasped. “No!” she added, blocking Brackenfur as he tried to dive into the bramble thicket. “Find Cinderpelt.”
Brackenfur shot her a look from eyes glazed with fear, then he turned and plunged across the clearing toward Cinderpelt’s den. A gap opened up among the battling animals, just long enough for Squirrelflight to see him meet the medicine cat. He gestured frantically with his tail, then both cats headed back toward the nursery. They arrived just as Cloudtail and Brightheart appeared from the brambles, each with a kit in their jaws.
“If Sorreltail’s kits are really coming, she can’t be moved,” Cinderpelt meowed. “One of you must stay to guard the entrance. The rest of you, do what you can to save yourselves and the kits.” She vanished into the nursery without waiting to see if her order was obeyed.
“I’ll stay,” Brackenfur offered instantly.
“I’ll come back and help you,” Squirrelflight promised. “As soon as I’ve shown the others how to get out. It’s this way…”
She glanced from side to side, trying to judge the safest way to reach Leafpool’s escape route. It’s all the way on the other side of the clearing! At least darkness had fallen, and although the center of the clearing was lit by the faint light of the crescent moon, shadows lay thickly around the edges. Badgers could see well in the dark, but Squirrelflight hoped that they were too distracted by the battle to bother with a few cats slipping along beside the walls.
“Stay close to me,” she warned Daisy.
She padded around the edge of the hollow, sheltering as well as she could beneath brambles and clumps of fern. She could hear the quick, terrified breathing of the horse place cat behind her, and farther back the faint mewling of her kits, almost drowned out by the snarls and screeches of battling animals no more than a couple of tail-lengths away.
“What’s happening?” Mousekit asked plaintively. “What’s all the noise about?”
“Yes, and why do we have to be carried?” Berrykit complained. “I’m big enough to walk by myself!”
“You’re being carried because badgers are such big, clumsy creatures,” Daisy told them over her shoulder. “They might tread on you in the dark.” Squirrelflight felt a flash of admiration for the way she was hiding her fear from her kits.
“If a badger stepped on me, I’d bite it!” Hazelkit boasted
“You won’t get the chance,” his mother mewed. “Now keep quiet and stop wriggling, and we’ll be perfectly safe.” She caught Squirrelflight’s eye as she spoke, as if warning her not to disagree.
They shrank back against the camp wall as a badger lumbered past, roaring furiously as it tried to dislodge Thornclaw, who was clinging to its shoulder and raking his claws over its ear. As they passed the hazel bush where the elders had their den, Squirrelflight saw Mousefur crouched in the shelter of the branches, her claws bared and her eyes gleaming with fury. Goldenflower and Longtail were just behind her.
“Come with us,” Squirrelflight called softly. “I know a way to climb the walls.”
Mousefur shook her head. “A blind cat can’t climb rocks,” she replied with a glance at Longtail.
“Then you go,” Longtail responded. “I can still claw a badger if it comes near enough.”
Mousefur hissed at him. “We’re staying together and that’s that.”
Squirrelflight didn’t have time to stand around arguing. Beside her, Daisy was shivering with fear, barely holding back panic. Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, and Brightheart had caught up with them and were shifting restlessly under the weight of the kits they carried; Squirrelflight heard Berrykit asking, “Why have we stopped?”
“You can hide on the Highledge,” she suggested to Mousefur. “Longtail should be able to get up there if you guide him.” She still had her doubts about how safe Firestar’s den would be, but at least it was more sheltered than down here.
“Okay.” Mousefur nodded. “Longtail, grab my tail with your teeth.”
Squirrelflight led the way past the warriors’ den, Daisy and the others following close behind her. She had to halt briefly as a badger broke out through the branches, blood pouring from its side; it looked ready to give up. Sandstorm shot out after it, yowling, “Get out and stay out!” Squirrelflight flicked her ears at her mother as the badger fled, but there was no time to stop.
When they were more than halfway around the hollow, a pale gray shape slid out of the shadows. It was Ashfur; one ear was torn and a trickle of blood came from a deep scratch on his flank. He was breathing hard, but he didn’t seem to be seriously hurt.
“Squirrelflight, are you okay?” he exclaimed.
“Yes, fine. I’m going to show Daisy and her kits a way out.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Squirrelflight twitched her whiskers impatiently. “No, go to the nursery and help Brackenfur.”
For a heartbeat Ashfur hesitated, and Squirrelflight thought he was going to object. Then he slipped past her and the rest of the cats and vanished into the darkness. A badger spotted him, let out a roar, and gave chase, but Squirrelflight couldn’t stop to help.
“Come on,” she muttered. “It’s not far now.”
Her belly clenched as the shriek of a cat in pain rose above the clamor. Turmoil filled the clearing, the huge shapes of badgers lunging after their prey, with the small, lithe forms of her Clanmates flitting between them, dashing in to strike a blow, then darting off again. Squirrelflight couldn’t see the thorn barrier from here, but she realized even more invaders must have broken through.
Great StarClan, is this the end?
第十七章
第十七章
叶池竖着耳朵，小心地在灌木丛中穿行，留意着身后可能追赶过来的声响。自那次与鸦羽见面被妹妹发现之后，她一直害怕被其他猫跟踪。一想到族猫发现真相后会有的反应，叶池就觉得心里如饥饿般难以忍受。他们早晚会知道的。她的心里有个声音说道。
与松鼠飞的争吵依然让她十分难受。和妹妹再也没有了过去的亲密，这让叶池在族里感觉非常孤单。她不能把真相告诉松鼠飞，也做不到不去见鸦羽。现在，鸦羽是她唯一可以倾诉的知己了。
叶池也曾鼓足勇气试图想告诉炭毛，但是炭毛似乎一心只想着如何补充草药，以及在整个领地寻找新生草药的踪迹。此外，叶池担心炭毛已经猜出了自己的秘密，而且正整天以一种无法言说的冷漠表示着自己的不满。叶池怀念她们以前在森林时的那些下午时光，她俩一边轻松地聊着天，一边有条不紊地整理着浆果和叶子。现在老师似乎不再那么和蔼可亲，与以往相比，多了批评，少了友情。
绝望之中，叶池也曾想过告诉母亲。一天晚上，叶池趁母亲在猎物堆旁挑选猎物时去找过她。但是母亲正和尘毛讨论最好的狩猎地点，看到女儿，只是和蔼地点了一下头，又继续讨论了起来。至于她的好朋友栗尾，因为临近生产，现在整天待在育婴室里，和黛西、香薇云在一起。除了按炭毛的要求给猫后们送补充体力的草药之外，叶池基本就不过去。
听到树枝断裂的声音，叶池停住了，吓得一只爪子僵到半空中。原来是一只松鼠，它从一棵橡树上跳下来，正飞速地往对面跑。叶池深吸一口气，继续往前走着。就在刚刚红日西斜时，一阵乌云遮住了天空，瞬时雷声大作，大雨瓢泼。现在，天空已经放晴，每一棵蕨丛和青草茎秆都挂满了雨珠，反射着淡淡的月光。叶池全身早都湿透了，阵阵寒意袭来。她停下来，抖落身上的雨滴，抬头看着天空的残月。月亮会在她下次去月亮池之前再次变圆。她多么盼望能躺在月亮池边，在梦中与星族交流信息啊。但是如果星族再次拒绝与她交流，那可怎么办？
“哦，斑叶，”她低声说道，“我多想听听你的建议啊！”
疲惫的感觉在叶池的脑海中不停地回荡。每隔几个夜晚，她都会去和鸦羽偷偷见面，这让她睡眠严重不足。可是，见不到鸦羽又会让她心神不宁，坐卧不安。白天，她要在炭毛和族猫面前装模作样，像以往一样恪尽职守地做一名巫医，唯一重要的事就是到哪里找杜松果，如何缓解长老们因秃叶季而出现的关节僵硬和不适。
你不能再这样下去了。脑海中，一个微弱的声音警告她。
鸦羽也说过同样的话：“叶池，我们不能再这样下去了。除非离开族群，否则我们永远无法在一起。”
当时，叶池恐惧地盯着他。虽然他们俩历尽了万般艰辛，恐惧、愧疚一直与爱情在交战，但她从未想过离开族群。“鸦羽，我们不能那么做！”叶池说道。
鸦羽摇摇头说：“这是唯一的办法。你考虑一下，好吗？”
叶池不情愿地点点头：“好吧，我会好好考虑一下。”
但是她如何能放弃巫医的生活，放弃自己的族群、至亲和朋友？无论她做出什么样的决定，她都害怕自己无法承受失去的这些。
靠近边界小溪的时候，她嗅了嗅空气，开始寻找鸦羽的气息。很快，她就嗅到了，顿觉身上的每一根皮毛都兴奋得直立起来。她非常确定，那位深烟灰色皮毛的武士，就在对岸风族的灌木丛的阴影中等着她。“鸦羽！”她一边喊着一边向前跳去。
“叶池！”鸦羽一看见她，就立刻站起身，尾巴直竖着。
她跑到小溪边停了下来。鸦羽冲下溪岸，直接跳进水里，弄得水花飞溅。很快，他就爬上雷族一边的溪岸，来到叶池跟前，然后抖动身体，水珠四下飞溅开去。顿时，鸦羽的气息包裹着她，叶池幸福地闭上了眼睛。
“你能来，我真是太高兴了。”叶池轻声说道，“从营地出来时，你有没有遇到什么麻烦？”
鸦羽正要回答，却突然僵住了，耳朵也直立起来。与此同时，叶池听见自己身后的灌木丛沙沙作响，一股雷族猫的气息扑面而来。她一下子跳转过身。
“好了，松鼠飞，出来吧！”叶池厉声呵斥道，“我知道你在那儿！”
一阵短暂的沉默，随后面前的荆棘丛分开了，走出来的是炭毛，并不是松鼠飞。
“你……你在这里做什么？”叶池口齿不再伶俐，回头痛苦地看了一眼鸦羽。
炭毛一瘸一拐地走上前来，平静地看着叶池说：“你知道我来这里是因为什么，叶池。我来是要告诉你，这件事必须结束了。”
叶池身子一僵，说道：“我不明白你是什么意思。”
“别再对我撒谎了，叶池。不要和这位风族武士站在这里——站在我们的领地上。”
她蓝色的眼睛里没有愤怒，只有关心。她坚定的眼神如同爪子般把叶池的心攫住了。过了一会儿，叶池把目光移开。“我猜是松鼠飞让你来的。”她低声说。
“松鼠飞？不。我刚才采草药时嗅到了你的气息，而且嗅出附近有一只风族猫，就过来看怎么回事。再说了，你认为你夜里偷偷溜出来，我就没有发现过？”
叶池感到一阵恐惧：“你在监视我？”
“我没必要那么做，”炭毛说，“你已经累得没办法好好工作了。就在昨天，烟毛肚子疼的时候，你拿给他的却是琉璃苣叶，而不是水薄荷。至于见到鸦羽，我一点也不惊讶。你以为开森林大会时，我没有注意到你们俩吗？我眼睛不瞎，叶池。”
“等等！”鸦羽上前一步来到叶池身边，“这是我和叶池之间的事。她并没有背叛自己的族群，希望你不要这么想。”
炭毛严厉地盯着鸦羽说道：“我从来没想过她会背叛族群。但是她不应该和你待在这里，这件事你和我一样心知肚明。”
鸦羽浑身的毛立了起来。叶池心里一紧，很害怕年轻武士伸出爪子，朝炭毛扑过去。
“没事的，鸦羽！”叶池赶紧说，“这件事我能处理好。”然后，她很不情愿地继续说道：“你还是赶紧回风族营地吧！”
“独自留下你，被她扯掉耳朵吗？”
“炭毛不会那样的。拜托了！”叶池乞求着。
鸦羽又犹豫了一会儿，四肢因为恼怒而僵硬。然后，他转过身，冲过小溪。叶池的目光追随着他的身影，直到鸦羽消失在对岸的灌木丛中。
叶池转身对着老师，爪子深深地插进泥土里。“我们并没有做什么伤天害理的事情。”她说道。
“叶池！”炭毛的语气变得严肃起来，她猛地一甩尾巴说，“鸦羽属于另一个族群，而且这只是个开始。你是一位巫医，你不能恋爱。无论是和鸦羽，还是别的什么猫。你明明一直都清楚这一点的。”
我的确是非常清楚，叶池心里哀号着，但是我从来不知道这意味着什么。
“这样不公平！”她说道，“我和其他猫一样，也有自己的感情。”
“你当然有。但是为了族群利益，巫医应该学会控制感情。我们所选的道路自有回报——星族给了我这样的命运，我从来没有觉得难以接受。”
炭毛的每句话如同獾的利牙，正在撕扯着叶池。叶池胸中的愤怒汹涌着。“你根本就不懂！”她生气地嚷道，“因为你从来没有爱过！”
炭毛蓝色的眼睛久久地盯着叶池，眼中无法说出的话语，如同小鱼般游动着。
“对于你来说很容易做到，”叶池继续痛苦地说道，“你除了想着当好巫医，从没想过别的什么东西。”
炭毛伸缩着爪尖，颈部的毛开始直立起来。“你怎么知道我想要什么？”她竭力压抑着咆哮的冲动，“你怎么会知道，为了遵循星族给我的道路，我放弃了什么？”
叶池心头猛地一惊，她从来没有见过炭毛这么生气。
“跟我回营地——马上！”炭毛咆哮道，“而且永远不要再胡说八道！叶池，这是为你好。要见鸦羽，你就得撒谎，就得偷偷地走在阴影里，这是不应该的。我花了这么多时间训练你，是想让你成为一名好巫医，可不是想让你就这么随意地放弃。你的族群需要你！”
“不！我不回去！”叶池既愧疚又愤怒，“我就是要见鸦羽，什么时候想去，就什么时候去。你阻挡不了我！”
炭毛的眼睛里燃烧着怒火，伸出爪子，冲着叶池扑了过来。叶池转身跑开了。她心中只有一个念头，那就是逃离那种苛责的眼神和劈过来的爪子。森林飞速地后退着，好像有风在助力似的，等她跑得筋疲力尽停下来的时候，早已不知道身在何处了。
她站在一条窄窄的两岸长着金雀花和蕨叶的峡谷边缘。远处的峡谷，似乎更加深邃。她隐隐听见水流的声响，心中顿时轻松了许多！她已经把雷族甩得远远的，正在去往月亮池的路上！
到了月亮池那里，她就会彻彻底底自由了！既没有鸦羽恳求她离开，也不用担心秘密被发现。祖灵们闪闪发光的灵魂会过来找她，告诉她该怎么做。
她放慢速度，继续前行，一直走到溢满星光的小溪边。这条小溪是从月亮池所在的山谷中流出来的。等她来到山谷顶部的灌木丛时，已经累得步履蹒跚了，但是看见下面泛着微光的水面，不由得又生出了力量。她沿着盘旋的小路走着，爪垫在很早前的一代代猫们留下的爪印中滑动。她波动的情绪慢慢平静了下来。她蜷伏在月亮池边，舔了舔里面的水，然后闭上了眼睛。
“叶池！叶池！”一个温和的声音在她耳边响起，软软的皮毛拂过她的身体。叶池睁开眼睛，看见了斑叶那一身漂亮的玳瑁色皮毛。斑叶正坐在她的身边，全身沐浴在星光中。
“哦，斑叶！”叶池轻声说道，“我非常想念你，我还以为你抛弃我了。”
“亲爱的，永远不要那样想。”斑叶说着，低头用舌头舔着叶池的耳朵，她甜美的气息顿时淹没了叶池，“我怎么能让你独自去面对感情的折磨呢？”
叶池觉得愧疚在皮毛里游走：“你知道鸦羽的事？”
斑叶点点头。
“我很爱他。我再也当不成巫医了！”叶池无助地脱口而出。
斑叶用鼻子放在叶池的肩膀上，过了一会儿才说道：“我知道什么是爱，尽管我与你的道路并不相同。如果我还活着，我也许会经历你现在正在忍受的折磨。”
“请告诉我该怎么做！”叶池乞求着，“我受不了了！我觉得雷族不需要我了。炭毛不需要我了，她有亮心帮忙。”
“亮心眼下需要一个目标。”有智慧如月光般在斑叶的眼中闪烁着，“在帮助炭毛的过程中，她找到了希望。你对她要宽容一点。”
“可是她一直都在那里，”叶池低声抱怨着，她知道自己这么说并没什么道理，“我会努力去理解的。”她叹了口气，承诺道：“亮心并不是我觉得族猫们不再需要我的唯一的原因。我还和松鼠飞吵架了，我们以前是从不吵架的。”
斑叶温柔地舔着叶池的耳朵中间，说道：“你的妹妹爱你，一次争吵改变不了你们之间的情谊。”
“还有鸦羽？”一想到鸦羽，叶池的心和平时一样，跳得越来越快，“他希望我们一起离开。我很想和他在一起，但是我真的应该为了他而离开族群吗？”
“没有谁能代替你做出选择，”斑叶回答道，同时用尾巴尖抚着她的肩膀，“在你内心深处，你知道怎么做是对的，你要追随你的内心。”
叶池坐起身，感觉一道亮光射入心田。很显然，她的心是在对鸦羽的身上。斑叶确实懂她。“你是说我爱鸦羽没有问题？哦，斑叶，谢谢你！”叶池说道。
这只美丽的玳瑁色母猫开始消逝，最后化为星星。但她的气息还在，她最后说的那句话也慢慢归于沉寂：“记住，你知道这么做是对的。”
叶池眨了眨眼睛，鼻子几乎碰到月亮池里闪闪发光的水面。因为是蜷伏在冰冷的石头上，叶池的腿有点抽筋，但当她跳起来时，她觉得自己能永远地跑下去。
你必须追随你的内心。
斑叶已经告诉她，可以为了爱，去做该做的一切。和鸦羽离开族群，不做巫医没什么大不了，因为有亮心在帮忙。再说了，炭毛还年轻，身体也健康，有足够的时间再训练一位学徒。叶池觉得，就算族猫们不需要自己，也没有什么大不了的。她的命运在别处，在离这片领地远远的地方，有鸦羽陪着她。
她的心轻得像一片叶子，她跳上盘旋的小路，在树丛中奋力奔跑着，然后飞奔下山去找鸦羽。月亮池和大湖之间长长的距离，似乎一眨眼工夫就跑完了。不过等她跑到把雷族和风族隔开的小溪边时，天空已经露出了鱼肚白，星星一颗接一颗地消失了。
刚开始，她还担心要等到下次森林大会时才能见到鸦羽。毕竟，是她担心鸦羽和炭毛吵起来，把鸦羽赶回营地的。没准鸦羽很生气，甚至不想再看见她。
但没过多久，她就发现，在风族领地内几尾远的地方，鸦羽正坐在金雀花丛的阴影处。他看起来很孤单，尾巴盘在爪子上，怔怔地盯着湖面。叶池的心差点就要跳出喉咙。他们都是自己族群中的孤独者，但是现在，他们可以永远在一起了。
“鸦羽！”
鸦羽转过身来。伴着飞溅的水花，叶池蹚过了小溪。鸦羽在小溪的对面迎接她，眼睛亮闪闪的，一边用鼻子蹭着她的肩膀，一边把自己的尾巴和她的尾巴缠绕在一起。
“我仔细想了你说的话，”叶池说道，“关于离开族群的话。”
“想过了？”
“我一直很害怕，鸦羽——害怕离开族猫和至亲。所以，我去了月亮池，斑叶过来跟我说话了。”看见鸦羽满脸疑惑，叶池接着说道，“她曾是雷族的巫医，但是现在属于星族。她常常在梦里来找我。”
鸦羽依然满脸的疑惑，叶池不确定他是否相信自己，或者觉得自己见斑叶只不过是做梦而已。
“她说了什么？”鸦羽问道。
“她告诉我，要遵从自己的内心。”
鸦羽的眼睛一下子睁得大大的：“你是一位巫医，叶池。你的心引导你追求的，难道不是这个？”
“曾经是。”叶池的心怦怦直跳，因为她总算明白了，原来鸦羽一直以为她要拒绝他，“可是雷族已经有了一位巫医。炭毛不仅年轻，而且身体强壮，还可以为族群服务很多个季节。更何况眼下还有亮心帮忙。我走了，炭毛还可以再训练一位学徒。”
鸦羽痛苦地吸了一口气：“你走了？叶池，你是说……”
“是的，我要和你一起走。”
叶池几乎不敢看鸦羽眼睛里流露出的幸福的光芒。他真的如此爱自己吗？叶池害怕得肚子一阵翻搅。现在她不能让他失望，她必须接受这一切。
“我也很害怕，”鸦羽坦言道，“我不想离开族猫和朋友。我甚至希望有一天当上族长。但更重要的是，我不想失去你，叶池。如果我们待在这里，就不可能在一起。”
叶池再次用身体蹭着他的身体，他身体的温暖，让她敢于展望未来。要知道，她的未来曾一度是只有黑暗和恐怖。“我们应该去哪里？”叶池问道。
“我们不回森林。”鸦羽下定了决心，“如果回森林，我们就得去深山里，或者有很多两脚兽的地方。过了风族领地，有几座连绵的山峦，我们可以在那里找个地方住下。我会照顾你的，叶池。”过了一会儿，鸦羽的眼神暗淡下来，目光从叶池的身上游离开去，里面满是回忆。“我发誓，我会照顾好你的，”鸦羽更加用力地重复了一遍，“你准备好了吗？”
“你是说，我们现在就走？”叶池倒吸了一口气。
“你不觉得我们应该这样吗？”
可是我还想道别呢！叶池差点哭出来，但她知道这是不可能的。道别只会带来愤怒、痛苦和混乱，没准他们的族猫都会阻止他们离开。
“你说得对，”她努力让自己的声音听起来勇敢、乐观，“我准备好了。”
鸦羽用鼻子碰碰她的头顶说：“谢谢你。我保证我会尽自己所能，不会让你为你做出的这个决定后悔的。”
他们转身背对着湖，肩并肩朝山丘走去。在他们前方，初升的太阳把天空染成一片火红。就这样，他们离开了自己的族群，离开了他们所熟知的一切。
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 22
Squirrelflight shook her head to clearthe numbing horror that had gripped her. Her first task was to help her Clanmates before she thought about going to join the fight at the entrance to the hollow. Flicking her tail, she led them on again, the noise of the battle battering her ears.
To her relief the brambles that shielded the escape route had not been trampled down, leaving just enough space for them to hide. The cats huddled together in the thorn-circled gap and gazed uncertainly at the wall that loomed above them.
“It’s not that difficult to climb,” Squirrelflight promised. “I’ll show you. Here, Brambleclaw, give me that kit. If a badger spots us, keep it busy.” A pang shot through her as she realized how absolutely she trusted the tabby warrior to guard them while they retreated.
Brambleclaw flicked her ear gently with his tail and set down Berrykit so she could grip its scruff between her teeth. The tiny scrap had stopped complaining; now it looked stunned with terror.
Squirrelflight clenched her jaw and launched herself upward, scrabbling out of the brambles and digging her claws into a bush rooted a couple of tail-lengths up the wall. Berrykit let out a squeak as she accidentally let him bang against the rock.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
Pushing madly with her hind legs, she reached a ledge where rock had fallen away, and from there she could scramble up with tussocks of grass for pawholds until she stood on the edge of the hollow.
She dived into the clump of ferns she had used to hide when she followed Leafpool and set Berrykit down, giving him a swift, rough lick. “There, little one, you’re safe now.”
She lifted her head cautiously above the ferns. The roar of battle in the clearing was muted up here, and the scent of badgers much fainter. She didn’t think any of the hostile creatures were in this part of the forest. Keeping so low that her belly fur brushed the grass, she left the shelter of the ferns and peered over the edge of the hollow.
“It’s okay up here!” she called. “You can come up.”
Cloudtail was already climbing with Hazelkit in his jaws, dragging himself up without putting too much pressure on his injured foreleg. Squirrelflight showed him where to put the kit next to her brother and he let her drop into the soft ferns with a sigh of relief. Brightheart was right behind him with Mousekit.
“You stay here,” Cloudtail told her. “Daisy and the kits will need some cat with them, in case the badgers come.”
“You stay, then.” Brightheart glared at him. “I’m going back to fight. You’re injured.”
“For StarClan’s sake, this isn’t the time to have an argument,” Squirrelflight snapped. “We’re all going back. Daisy will have to cope on her own. ThunderClan needs all its warriors down there.”
Brightheart swung around and vanished over the edge. Cloudtail muttered, “She-cats!” and followed her. Squirrelflight checked the kits once more, saw them safe in a squirming heap among the ferns, and turned back to the hollow in time to see Daisy pull herself up and stand panting on the edge.
“Where are my kits?” she gasped.
Squirrelflight pointed with her tail, and the horse place cat rushed over to the ferns.
“Thank you,” she meowed, glancing back before she pushed her way among the stalks. “And good luck.”
“We’ll need it,” Squirrelflight replied grimly as she gathered herself to scramble back down the cliff into the clearing.
Down on the ground Brambleclaw was still keeping guard. Ferncloud and Birchpaw were with him. The young apprentice had survived the badger attack, but part of the fur on his haunches had been ripped off and one eye was almost closed. His mother was bleeding from clawmarks along her side.
“Look, Ferncloud, you can climb out here,” Brambleclaw meowed as Squirrelflight leapt the last couple of tail-lengths and landed neatly beside him. “Take Birchpaw with you.”
Birchpaw looked too dazed to figure out the escape route, but Ferncloud nudged him gently over to the rock wall.
“Stay close to him,” Squirrelflight warned. “Daisy and her kits are up there already. They’ll be glad to have a warrior to protect them.”
Ferncloud gave her a grateful nod and followed Birchpaw as the apprentice began scrabbling upward through the thorns.
Brambleclaw was peering out from behind the screen of brambles. “I’m going to help Firestar defend the entrance,” he mewed.
Squirrelflight drew her breath in painfully. “Is Firestar still alive?”
“I spotted him a few moments ago,” Brambleclaw reassured her. “The battle isn’t over yet. I’ll see you later.” He sped off with a twitch of his tail.
Squirrelflight’s heart lurched suddenly as she saw him vanish into the thickest of the fighting. Would they really see each other again? Or was it too late to put right everything that had gone wrong between them?
Unable to bear the thought of losing Brambleclaw now, Squirrelflight was about to follow him when she heard a cat wailing somewhere close by. Staring around the hollow, she caught a glimpse of Sootfur, his black pelt barely visible in the shadows. She could tell he was badly wounded, because he was dragging himself along the ground as if he couldn’t use his back legs.
“Sootfur, over here!” she called.
The black warrior raised his head, too confused by pain to know where the cry had come from. Squirrelflight darted out to him and managed to nudge him to his paws, letting him lean on her shoulder as she guided him back to the screen of brambles.
“You can get out this way,” she meowed, gesturing with her tail to the route up the wall.
Sootfur blinked drops of blood out of his eyes. “Can’t…can’t climb…” he gasped.
“You’ve got to!”
Squirrelflight pushed him over to the wall. Sootfur clawed desperately, but both his back legs were broken and he couldn’t use them to thrust himself upward. He managed to haul himself a few tail-lengths from the ground, then slipped back down again with a shrill cry of pain.
At the same moment a badger appeared, breaking down the bramble screen and lunging at Sootfur. Squirrelflight glimpsed healed scars running along its side; her claws flexed instinctively with the memory of tearing through that coarse black fur. This must be the female they had driven out of their territory. For a moment she locked gazes with the furious creature. To think I felt sorry for you! she thought. Do we really deserve this?
Sootfur lifted his head, snarling, and lashed out with one forepaw while Squirrelflight leapt on the badger from behind, biting down hard on its hind leg. It flung her off as if she were a fly; she crashed into the rocks and lay stunned for a couple of heartbeats. When she managed to scramble up again, the badger was lumbering off into the darkness, leaving the black warrior lying ominously still.
“Sootfur, no!” Squirrelflight staggered over to him. There was a new gash in his throat and his eyes gazed sightlessly into the sky.
“Great StarClan!” Squirrelflight yowled. “Why are you letting this happen?”
But there was no time to grieve for her Clanmate. She had to get back to the nursery. Instead of returning the way she had come, she risked a dash across the middle of the clearing, skidding around screeching bundles of fur and claws.
We can’t win! a voice shrieked inside her head. There are too many of them!
Refusing to listen, she slashed at the eyes of a badger that tried to block her way, spitting fiercely until it backed off. When she reached the nursery, she found Brackenfur crouched in the entrance, his lips drawn back in a snarl as he challenged a young badger. The creature hesitated, as if it thought there might be easier prey.
A couple of fox-lengths away, Ashfur was fighting with an older, bigger badger; Squirrelflight watched in dismay as it caught the gray warrior with a blow to the side of his head, throwing him to the ground.
Squirrelflight let out a screech. Springing forward, she hurtled into the badger’s flank, forcing it off balance. It lurched sideways, leaving its underbelly exposed; Squirrelflight dived between its paws and raked it with her foreclaws. The badger let out a growl of fury. Pain flooded through Squirrelflight as she felt long claws sink into her shoulder and flip her onto her back. The weight of the badger forced all the breath from her chest as it landed on top of her. She felt as if it were pushing her into the ground; she could imagine her bones cracking. She choked on a mouthful of hot fur and fought for air as her senses spun away.
Suddenly the weight lifted and she could breathe again. Gasping, she staggered to her paws to see Ashfur gripping the badger’s foreleg with his teeth, his body whipping from side to side as the badger tried to shake him off. With a yowl of fury Squirrelflight dashed in on the other side. The badger swung its head around, jaws snapping for her. She ducked away from it, slashing at its throat and dodging out of range before it could swat her with a paw.
Meanwhile Ashfur had dropped to the ground and darted forward, distracting the creature’s attention from Squirrelflight long enough for her to dash in again and rake her claws over its shoulder. The badger wove back and forth, never managing to land a blow. Its growls rose to a roar of frustration and it turned tail, fleeing toward the entrance.
Squirrelflight exchanged a triumphant glance with Ashfur, then spun around to check the nursery. Brackenfur was still tussling with the young badger. His teeth were fastened in its ear; before Squirrelflight or Ashfur could move, it dislodged the ginger warrior with one swat from its blunt claws, then thrust its way into the nursery.
Squirrelflight froze as a terrible shriek rose from the bramble thicket.
“StarClan, help me!”
第十八章
第十八章
松鼠飞和蜡毛、刺掌正在进行黎明巡逻，检查影族边界。一切都静悄悄的。在枯树的根部，影族的气味标记浓烈而新鲜。
“你嗅到那两只宠物猫的气息没有？”松鼠飞问走过来的蜡毛。
“一点也没闻到。”蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛露出满意的神情，“你肯定把他们镇住了，他们再也不敢到这儿来了。”
松鼠飞抽动着耳朵说：“希望如此。不过说再也见不到他们，也许为时尚早。”
蜡毛挥动尾巴，示意在边界上更新雷族气味标记的雨须回来，然后大家一起动身返回营地。等他们钻出荆棘通道时，太阳正冉冉升起。金色的阳光斜照在石头山谷中，地面上布满嫩叶的影子。松鼠飞在通道入口停下来，弓起背，伸了一个长长的懒腰，让温暖的阳光透进皮毛。
“松鼠飞！”炭毛在营地对面喊她，然后一瘸一拐地快速走过来，“你今天早上看见叶池没有？”
松鼠飞的心里一阵惊慌。“没有，”她如实相告，“我们去巡逻影族边界了。”她差点想再加上一句“叶池只会往风族的边界走”，还好及时住了口。
炭毛点点头。松鼠飞看出炭毛已经知道她隐藏了什么。“我昨天晚上看见她……”炭毛停住不说了，只是抽动着耳朵。松鼠飞盯着炭毛。这位巫医接下来要说什么？
“我起来的时候，她的窝已经冰凉了。”炭毛接着说，“气味也不新鲜。她一整晚上都不在。”
“她通常会在天亮时回来！”松鼠飞脱口而出。
炭毛的眼睛眯了起来。松鼠飞因为说错了话，身子直往后缩。炭毛会因为自己隐瞒姐姐的秘密生气吗？“对不起，炭毛！”她赶紧说道。
炭毛不满地轻弹一下尾巴，打断了她：“不用说了。我知道她常常去找鸦羽。”
“鸦羽？”松鼠飞觉得身上的每根毛都直立了起来，她只知道叶池因为某些理由夜里溜出去，“不可能！鸦羽爱的是羽尾。”
“羽尾已经死了。一只猫有可能再爱上一只猫的。松鼠飞，在森林大会上，你没有注意到他们彼此凝视的眼神吗？你以为这些天以来她夜里会去哪里？”
松鼠飞盯着炭毛，震惊得说不出话来。叶池是巫医！接着她又想起来姐姐既愧疚又兴奋的复杂感情。炭毛没有说错。瞬间，愧疚感将她淹没。一直以来她太专注于与蜡毛的新友情，根本没有花心思去寻找姐姐为什么事情而烦恼。
“你是说她已经去了风族，和鸦羽在一起了？”她声音沙哑地问道。
炭毛的胡须抽动了一下：“或许吧。”
“风族会接受她吗？”
“你觉得呢？”炭毛的声音冷冷的，“叶池对每个族群来说都很有用。但是我们还不能断定。”她接着说道：“昨天晚上，叶池离开时我跟踪了她。她发现后，和我吵了一架。我们都说了不该说的话。也许她就在雷族领地的某个地方，等情绪平复下来，就会回到营地。”
炭毛说得很快，没有表现出太多感情。松鼠飞不知道她的冷漠，是否来源于对叶池背叛的气愤和失望。松鼠飞听见她低声说：“愿星族保佑她，把她安全带回来！”她语气中的痛苦显示，叶池的消失正让她备受煎熬。
在她们周围，营地已经热闹起来。黛西出现在育婴室入口处，在阳光中懒洋洋地眨着眼睛，然后喊她的孩子们出来。三个小家伙在她面前的空地上快乐地翻滚着，叫着，用软软的爪子互相打闹着。在空地的另一面，沙风从武士巢穴中走了出来，招呼云尾和尘毛去狩猎。然后他们三个轻快地跑过空地，朝着通道奔去。从松鼠飞和炭毛身边经过时，他们还摆了摆尾巴，冲她俩打了声招呼。过了一会儿，白爪和桦爪从学徒巢穴中出来了，争论着该谁去取老鼠胆汁，治长老们身上的虱子。
松鼠飞知道，要不了多久，就会有猫注意到叶池不见了，并开始询问。
“我去告诉火星。”炭毛的声音听起来非常疲惫。
松鼠飞追上她说道：“不，眼下不要告诉他，或者其他的猫。我这就出去找她，没准能在族猫注意到之前，把她带回来。”
炭毛犹豫了片刻。很快，她的眼睛一亮，点了点头。“松鼠飞，谢谢你。找到她非常重要。她会失去很多——族猫、至亲，以及作为巫医的道路——我是说如果她不回来的话。”说着，她的眼睛看向别处，声音很平静，“我认为她还不明白，雷族多么需要她！”
“我这就出发。”松鼠飞猛地转过身，再次钻进荆棘通道。
她直接朝风族边界走去。尽管炭毛那样说，但松鼠飞还是不相信，叶池会在雷族领地的某个角落生闷气。叶池从来就不会生闷气的。不过，没准松鼠飞并不像自己以为的那样，了解她的姐姐。
松鼠飞停下来嗅着空气，搜寻着叶池的气息。“如果我在边界上找不到，就得进入风族的领地了。”她不由得自言自语。
“去风族？为什么？”
松鼠飞吓了一跳。“黑莓掌，你差点吓死我！”她倒吸一口气，转身看见他正从榛子树丛的阴影中走出来。
“你是在说风族吗？”黑莓掌追问道，“我们可不想和他们再起事端。一星实在是喜怒无常。”
“我不是要去惹事！”松鼠飞反驳道，她已经吓得乱了方寸，都没法继续撒谎了，“我必须找到叶池。炭毛认为她到风族去找鸦羽了。”
黑莓掌的耳朵抽动着说：“但她是巫医呀！”
松鼠飞怒狠狠地看着他：“你以为我不知道吗？”
黑莓掌依然保持着冷静。“你说得对，我们必须找到她。”过了一会儿，黑莓掌说道，“不能让一星认为，是我们赶走了自己的族猫。”看到松鼠飞愤怒地嘶嘶低吼着，他继续说道：“我们一定要把叶池带回来。她犯了一个大错，竟然离开了自己的族群。”
“她失去理智了！”松鼠飞用爪子抓挠着地面，“必须在火星发现之前把她找回来。”
“你觉得她会回来吗？”黑莓掌琥珀色的眼睛闪着严肃的光芒，“我们不能强迫她回来。”
“她必须回来！”
“如果她真的决定加入风族，对她来说肯定也很痛苦。”黑莓掌指出，“要改变她的想法，没有那么容易。”
“但是我必须试试，”松鼠飞抗议道，“就算说服不了她，也要知道她在哪里。”
“你能感应一下她吗？”黑莓掌问，“就像我们长途跋涉的时候那样？”
松鼠飞搜寻着和姐姐心灵相通的那种奇妙感觉。她努力想象着叶池的心境，一个心跳间，她似乎在荒原里感应到了一丝叶池的气息，但气息很快就消失了，除了空白，什么都没有留下。
“我感应不到她在哪里。”她难过地说。
黑莓掌直起身子说道：“算了，站在这里什么问题都解决不了。我们走吧。”
“你要和我一起去吗？”松鼠飞吃惊地盯着他问。
“如果是去风族，你需要有只猫陪着。”黑莓掌回答道，“眼下，雷族猫可不怎么受一星的欢迎。”
感激之情如同温暖的阳光在松鼠飞的心中涌起。不管她怎么看黑莓掌的野心和黑莓掌对鹰霜的信任，眼下，她真的想不起，还能找别的猫一起去。
他们默默地朝边界走去。松鼠飞没有说话，是因为她依然为叶池的不辞而别感到震惊。叶池怎么能放弃雷族的生活？难道她的至亲、朋友和巫医的职责对她都不重要吗？星族怎么办？叶池可以不当巫医吗？火星怎么办？她不知道该怎么给父亲解释姐姐的事。想到这些，松鼠飞感觉全身的皮毛都在痛。
阳光从点缀着丝丝白云的蔚蓝色天空洒下来。草叶和搭在荆棘丛上摇摇欲坠的蜘蛛网上的露珠，晶莹透亮。新的蕨叶正在舒展开来。松鼠飞到处都能闻到那种清新的、新生事物的气息。但是即便有猎物在灌木丛中沙沙作响，也不能让她从烦恼中回过神来。
松鼠飞往旁边看了一眼，正好与黑莓掌的目光相遇。她在黑莓掌的脸上看到了平静和同情。她意识到，黑莓掌肯定能了解自己的部分感受，因为他的妹妹也在另外一个族群。
“褐皮走的时候，你也是这种感觉吗？似乎一切都再也不回不到正轨了？”
黑莓掌没有说话，一直等他俩躲进低垂的蕨丛后才说道：“一开始我觉得很孤独，无法接受这一切。但是我知道，我必须尊重她的决定。何况就算她属于另外一个族群，我们依然是兄妹。”
可是这次不一样，松鼠飞心里不由得想道，还有，褐皮并没有被星族选中，成为服务族猫的巫医。
他们沿着雷族一方的边界，沿着小溪往上游走，每走几步就要嗅嗅空气，搜寻叶池留下的蛛丝马迹。树木逐渐稀少，一直到荒原的时候，松鼠飞才嗅到了一股淡淡的气息，但是已经不新鲜了，至少是前一天晚上的，而且，气味在小溪边消失了。“叶池从这里走过。”她对黑莓掌说。
黑莓掌用鼻子嗅着悬在水面上的青草，点点头。“看样子是的。”他抬起头，凝视着荒野，“没错，是进了风族领地了。”
于是，黑莓掌在前，松鼠飞在后，两只猫踩着冰冷的鹅卵石，伴着飞溅的水花，蹚过棕色的浑浊溪水。到了小溪对岸，他们发现了更多的叶池的气息，还混杂着另一只猫的气息。
“风族猫，”黑莓掌说道，“我认为是鸦羽。”
“他肯定一直在等着她。”松鼠飞最后的一点希望破灭了，她这才意识到，也许她已经永远失去了自己的姐姐。
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 23
Leafpool and Crowfeather paused beside thestepping stones that led across the stream into ThunderClan territory. Night had fallen, and a thin crescent moon rode high in the sky. They had traveled all day, only stopping at sunhigh long enough to devour a rabbit Crowfeather had caught on the moorland. Now Leafpool’s paws were sore and her heart pounded with mounting fear.
“Good-bye,” she murmured, pushing her nose into Crowfeather’s fur. “I’ll see you again when all this is over.”
“What do you mean, ‘good-bye’?” Crowfeather demanded. “I’m not leaving you when there are hostile badgers around.”
“But you need to warn WindClan.”
“I know, and I will. But I’ll see you to your camp first. It won’t take long.”
Seeing the stubborn light in his eyes, Leafpool knew she would only waste time by arguing. Leaping swiftly from one stepping-stone to the next, she led the way down the slope and into the shelter of the trees.
It was a relief to enter the woods after traveling for so long under the open sky, but Leafpool’s feeling of homecoming didn’t last long. Almost at once a rank scent drifted around them, masking all the other scents of the forest.
“Badgers,” Crowfeather growled.
Leafpool was too terrified to speak. Although she was exhausted from the long trek over the moors, she picked up her pace until she was racing through the trees, the gray-black warrior at her shoulder. As they drew closer to the ThunderClan camp, she heard the sound from her dream she had been dreading every pawstep of the journey: the yowls of fighting cats mingled with the deeper roars of her enemies. Badgers had broken into the camp!
When she reached the edge of the hollow, she heard a rustling among the ferns and a cat wailing, “Not more of them! Oh, help!”
Whipping around, Leafpool saw Ferncloud and Daisy peering out from under a clump of bracken. It was Daisy who had cried out.
“Leafpool!” Ferncloud exclaimed. “What—” She broke off and added, “No, don’t stop. Go and help the Clan.”
Leafpool and Crowfeather ran on, down the slope that led to the entrance. The thorn barrier that was supposed to protect the camp had been utterly destroyed, trampled down by monstrous paws. Beyond the scattered branches, badgers filled the hollow, their thick-furred shoulders heaving as they pounced and fought. Leafpool caught a glimpse of her father, a wild light in his green eyes as he rallied his Clan with sweeping gestures of his tail.
“Follow me! Drive them out!” he yowled as he leapt at the nearest badger, a huge male with a scarred muzzle.
Dustpelt and Brambleclaw were hard on his paws. Dustpelt hurled himself at the badger’s shoulder, scoring its pelt with outstretched claws. Brambleclaw flung himself at another creature that stood growling a tail-length away, springing up as it lowered its head and fastening his teeth in its ear.
Around the edge of the clearing, the dens that were barely two moons old were torn, their branches scattered so that Leafpool scarcely recognized her home. One massive badger was crashing through the warriors’ den in pursuit of Rainwhisker. Another rolled around a tail-length from Leafpool, locked into combat with Spiderleg while Sandstorm sank her teeth into its hind leg.
I’m too late! Leafpool thought in dismay. She couldn’t see Midnight anywhere among the badgers. Perhaps her vengeful kin had caught her on her way to ThunderClan and stopped her from warning the cats. Maybe they’d even killed her!
Throwing off the horror that froze her paws, Leafpool tore through the trampled thorns into the clearing. There must be somethingshe could do to help her Clanmates, something more than just die at their side. She was about to hurl herself into battle when an eerie shriek rose above the rest of the clamor. It came from the nursery, the only clump of thorns that remained standing.
“Cinderpelt!” she gasped to Crowfeather.
As if her paws had wings, she streaked across the clearing, barely aware of a badger that lunged for her, only to fall back as Crowfeather flew at it, spitting and clawing. He was hard on her paws as she raced up to the nursery.
Just outside, a ginger cat was lying in the dust, a badger looming over her.
“Squirrelflight!” Leafpool yowled.
Her claws sank into the badger’s leg. Its head swung around, jaws snapping. Crowfeather thrust himself in front of Leafpool, his claws raking at the badger’s eyes. With a bellow of pain it reared back and lurched away.
Leafpool flung herself down beside her sister. Only the link that still connected them told her that her sister wasn’t dead. Relief swept through her from ears to tail-tip as Squirrelflight raised her head, blinking confusedly. “Leafpool…you came back!”
“Yes, I’m here. Are you hurt?”
Squirrelflight took in a huge, gasping breath. “Only…winded. Leafpool, in there…” Her gaze flicked to the nursery. “In there…Cinderpelt, with Sorreltail…kits coming. Badger…broke in.”
A fresh wave of terror flooded over Leafpool. I’m too late
She plunged past Squirrelflight into the nursery. The shadows inside were filled with the sound of vicious snarling, cut through with a wail of terror. Leafpool recognized Sorreltail’s voice. “Sorreltail, it’s me, Leafpool. Where’s Cinderpelt?”
In the darkness she could make out nothing but a huge, humped shape. The stench of the badger filled the whole nursery. She hurled herself forward and collided with a solid flank covered in coarse fur. Raking her claws down the badger’s side, she gasped, “Out! Get out!” The invader turned its head toward her; she caught the gleam of bright, malignant eyes and knew she was living out her nightmare of the rolling black mist.
Lashing out with one paw, she scored the badger across its nose and saw blood spatter out, its hot scent mingling with the reek of badger. A paw swept up to batter her, but before the blow fell Crowfeather appeared next to her, slashing at the badger’s muzzle.
The badger let out a howl of pain. Turning, it thrust Leafpool aside and made for the nursery entrance, breaking down more of the brambles as it went. Watery shafts of moonlight filtered through the gaps, revealing the horrified faces of Squirrelflight and Ashfur looking in.
“What’s going on? Is Cinderpelt hurt?” Squirrelflight asked hoarsely.
“I don’t know yet,” Leafpool replied. Her voice shook with fear. “I’ll look after her. You stay on guard.”
Her sister nodded and went back to the entrance with Ashfur. Crowfeather touched noses briefly with Leafpool before following them. “Call me if you need me,” he meowed.
The floor of the nursery was covered with a thick layer of moss and fern. Sorreltail lay at the far side, her head raised and her eyes staring in terror. A powerful ripple passed along her belly, and Leafpool realized that her kits were about to be born. She started to cross the nursery, but stopped when her paws brushed against a broken, motionless body.
Cinderpelt lay on her side in the bed of moss, her paws and tail limp, her eyes closed. Blood spilled slowly from a gash in her side.
“Cinderpelt…” Leafpool whispered. “Cinderpelt, it’s me, Leafpool. Wake up.”
The medicine cat’s eyes twitched open and she gazed up at Leafpool. “Leafpool,” she rasped. “I prayed to StarClan you would come back.”
“I should never have left you.” Leafpool crouched beside her mentor, breathing in the familiar comforting scent. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Cinderpelt, please don’t die!”
She scooped a pawful of moss from the floor and pressed it against the wound in Cinderpelt’s side. “You’re going to be fine,” she mewed. “As soon as the bleeding stops I’ll fetch some marigold to make sure the wound doesn’t get infected, and some poppy seeds for the pain. You’ll be able to have a good long sleep, and you’ll feel much better when you wake up.”
“Stop it, Leafpool,” Cinderpelt whispered. “There’s no point.” Leafpool saw her eyes gleam dully in the shadows. “I’m going to join StarClan.”
“Don’t say that!” Leafpool protested, clawing up more moss and thrusting it against the tide of blood that showed no sign of stopping.
The medicine cat tried to lift her head, but the effort was too much for her, and she let it fall again. “It’s all right,” she murmured. “StarClan told me they would come for me soon. This is the fate they have laid down for me.”
“You knew?” Leafpool felt as though a dark chasm had opened up in front of her paws and she was crashing helplessly into its depths. “You knew you were going to die and you didn’t tell me?”
“It was my destiny, not yours.”
“But you knew I was meeting Crowfeather! You knew that if I went away ThunderClan would be left without a medicine cat! Cinderpelt, you should have forcedme to stay.”
Her mentor blinked slowly. Her blue eyes were very bright. “I would never force you to do anything, Leafpool. I didn’t want you to stay if it was going to make you unhappy. You must want to be a medicine cat with all your heart.”
“I do,” Leafpool whispered. “I do.” Follow your heart, Spottedleaf had said.
“You are a wonderful medicine cat,” Cinderpelt told her.
“No, I’m not. I went away and left you, and my Clan. Oh, Cinderpelt, I’m so sorry!”
The tip of Cinderpelt’s tail gave a tiny, restless twitch. “There’s nothing to forgive. I am happy to join StarClan, knowing that ThunderClan will be cared for.”
“No!” Leafpool cried, as if by sheer force of wishing she could turn back time and prevent her mentor’s death. “This is all my fault. I should have been here. I should—”
Cinderpelt shook her head. “It would have made no difference,” she mewed. “We cannot change our destiny. We just have to have the courage to know what it is, and accept it.” She let out a long sigh. “StarClan are waiting for me. Good-bye, Leafpool.”
Her eyes closed. Her body jerked once, then lay still.
“Cinderpelt!” Leafpool pushed her nose deep into her mentor’s fur. She felt as if all the frosts of leaf-bare were gathered in her limbs.
A few moments later she felt a warm pelt brush against her side and realized that Crowfeather was crouching beside her. “I’m sorry, Leafpool,” he murmured. “I know what she meant to you.”
“She taught me everything, and now she’s dead,” Leafpool wailed. “I don’t know what to do. I trusted Spottedleaf. She told me to follow my heart, but she knew Cinderpelt was going to die! How could she do that?”
Crowfeather pressed closer to her and drew his tongue over her face and ears with gentle, comforting strokes. “You did follow your heart,” he meowed. “Your heart told you to come home. You could never be happy away from your Clan.”
Leafpool turned her head and saw pain glisten in his amber eyes. “But what about you?” she whispered.
Crowfeather bowed his head. “Your heart lies here. Not with me. It was never truly with me.”
Leafpool felt as though she were being torn in two, but she knew Crowfeather was right. She loved him, but not enough. For a few heartbeats she leaned into him, feeling his warmth and strength for the last time. Then she touched Cinderpelt’s fur with her nose.
“It’s all right,” she murmured. “I’ll stay here and take good care of the Clan, I promise. One day we’ll meet again, walking among the stars.”
For a moment she thought she felt the brush of two pelts against hers, and she smelled two familiar scents as Spottedleaf and Cinderpelt wound around her.
“StarClan is with you, Leafpool,” Spottedleaf murmured, and Cinderpelt added, “We will always be watching over you.”
Then they were gone. Leafpool was crouching on the floor of the nursery, with the roar of battle still outside and Sorreltail gasping in the far corner as her kits fought their way into the world.
“Your friend needs your help,” Crowfeather meowed. “Can I do anything?”
“Just help the others keep the badgers off.” Leafpool was amazed at how calm her voice sounded. “If you get the chance, ask some cat to show you Cinderpelt’s den and fetch me some watermint. But if you can’t, I’ll manage without it. It’s more important to keep the badgers out of here.”
The gray-black warrior dipped his head and slipped away. Leafpool picked her way around Cinderpelt’s body and across the mossy bedding until she reached Sorreltail’s side.
“Don’t worry,” she reassured her friend. “I’m here now. Everything’s going to be fine.”
第十九章
第十九章
“我们最好直接去风族的营地，”黑莓掌说道，“希望一星能欢迎我们。”
“不见到叶池，我是不会回家的。”松鼠飞坚决地说。
她希望一星不会阻止他们找叶池。上次森林大会上，这位风族族长对雷族表现出了很强的敌意。此时，走在很容易被发现的开阔的荒原上，松鼠飞心里很不踏实。她不停地扫视着光秃秃的斜坡，留意是否有猫接近。但是当看到风族巡逻队突然从一块凸出的石头后跳出来，冲过草地朝他们奔来的时候，她还是吃了一惊。
她低声嘶吼着：“看——是网脚和鼬毛。”
于是他们停了下来，等着对方过来。和两位风族武士一起的，还有一位松鼠飞不认识的学徒。看到网脚眼里的敌意和后颈上直立起来的皮毛，松鼠飞心头一紧。网脚走上前来，停在他们面前。
“你们在我们的领地上干什么？”他怒吼一声。
“我们要找一星谈谈。”黑莓掌告诉他。
网脚的尾巴来回抽动着说：“雷族又准备干涉我们的事了？这一次，火星想干什么？”
“我们会对一星讲的。”
网脚和鼬毛相互看了一眼。松鼠飞心想，或许得打败他们才能过去。
但是，网脚却不屑地打了个响鼻说：“我们没必要知道你们为什么来这里。我们早就知道了。我猜一星会愿意听听你们怎么说。”
说着，他和鼬毛后退一步，让黑莓掌和松鼠飞过去，那位学徒却用激动、质疑的眼神盯着他们。松鼠飞不解地看了黑莓掌一眼，但是黑莓掌和她一样困惑。网脚刚才说的话肯定是指叶池，但是他们对一只想加入他们族群的猫这么不友好，实在让松鼠飞和黑莓掌有些想不通。
两位风族武士分别走在松鼠飞和黑莓掌的两侧，就这样朝风族营地而去。等他们朝风族营地所在的洼地攀爬的时候，那位学徒就先跑回去禀告一星了。等松鼠飞和黑莓掌来到山谷边上时，一星已经在山谷中央的一堆石头旁边等着他们了。风族副族长灰脚和其他几位武士站在一星旁边，满心期待地张望着。没有叶池和鸦羽的身影，松鼠飞顿时就呆住了。一星难道是把他们关起来了吗？
“他们来了。”网脚说道。
一星上前一步，耳朵放平，说道：“是火星派你们来的吧？是来解释为什么偷走我们的一位武士吗？”
“什么？”愤怒如同枯草中蔓延的烈火，顿时就将松鼠飞给吞噬了。她走上前去，鼻子对着一星的鼻子低吼道：“你竟然说我们是小偷？风族才是……”
不等松鼠飞说完，黑莓掌尾巴一甩，就横在她的嘴上。松鼠飞生气地看着黑莓掌，发现他琥珀色的眼睛正冲她发出警告。她伸缩了一下爪尖，很不情愿地后退了一步。
黑莓掌冲一星点点头。“雷族没有偷走什么风族武士，”他说道，“为什么这么说？你们风族有谁不见了吗？”
“是鸦羽，对吧？”松鼠飞的心开始咚咚地跳。
一星的眼睛眯缝了起来，没等他张口说话，灰脚抢先说话了：“是的——你知道他在哪里吗？”她的声音里透着绝望。松鼠飞一下子想了起来，灰脚是鸦羽的母亲。
“安静！”一星怒吼一声，怒视着灰脚。可是这位灰色皮毛的母猫并没有退缩。
“你最后一次见到他是什么时候？”黑莓掌打破了风族族长和副族长之间的紧张氛围，说道，“没准我们可以帮上什么忙。”
“我们不需要雷族帮忙！”网脚不满地说道。
一星挥动尾巴，示意网脚闭嘴。“鸦羽昨天晚上没有在武士巢穴睡觉，”他说道，“今天早上，我们循着他的气息找到雷族边界。在边界附近，他的气息与一只雷族猫的气息混杂在一起。很明显，他们是在那里见的面。”
鼬毛上前一步，站在族长身边。“等等！”他对黑莓掌说道，“如果你不知道鸦羽的情况，为什么会来这里？你知道和他见面的雷族猫是谁吗？”
松鼠飞点点头，现在隐瞒事实已经没有用了：“是我的姐姐叶池。她也不见了，我们是跟踪着她的气息找到边界的。”
“可她是巫医啊！”灰脚惊呼道。
“巫医和其他猫一样，也会有感情的。”松鼠飞替姐姐辩护道。
一星愤怒地低吼一声：“她违反了星族的守则。”
“肯定是鸦羽说服她走的！”松鼠飞毫不相让。
黑莓掌警告似的瞥了她一眼，说道：“一星，如果你把火星和雷族当成仇敌，那你就犯了一个大错误。我们必须携起手来，共同找到那两只失踪的猫。”
“怎么找？”很显然，一星在努力控制自己的愤怒，然而，随着怒气消散，他的语气里只剩下了迷茫，“如果鸦羽没在你们那里，那么，他们去了哪里呢？”
“他们能去哪里啊？”灰脚绝望地问道，似乎并不希望能得到答案似的。
“我们会尽力去找的，”黑莓掌说，“没准我们可以跟踪他们的气息。”
“我去找他。”灰脚自告奋勇说道。
一星点点头说：“你再带上一位武士。”
“我们也一起去。”松鼠飞说道。令她松了一口气的是，一星并没有反对。
灰脚召唤上裂耳，然后四只猫离开营地，朝着边界附近两只猫最后留下气息的地方走去。每走一步，松鼠飞的焦虑就增加一分。叶池和别的猫去了不熟悉的地方，会安全吗？没有族猫的支持，他们怎么才能过上正常的生活啊？她不由心中暗暗发誓：我们必须找到他们。这次，他们真的犯下大错了！
灰脚第一个再次闻到他们的气息。“往这边走！”她尾巴一指说道。
为防止要找的两只猫分开走，四只猫分散开来，相互之间仅隔几尾的距离，鼻子贴着地面仔细搜寻着。但是两条气息一直并排向前延伸着，过了风族边界处的气味标识，然后继续向大山之中延伸。松鼠飞的心不由一沉。她原先一直怀着一个非常渺茫的希望，那就是叶池和鸦羽就在边界附近躲着。现在，她不得不承认，他们真的走了。
很快，大湖就消失在了荒原的起伏处。山势更加陡峭，也更荒凉了，稀稀落落的草地上，一块块岩石凸了出来。松鼠飞开始觉得又累又冷。她无法想象叶池怎么会有勇气踏进这片荒凉的土地，她一定是绝望到非离开不可了……
最后，黑莓掌在一片山坡的顶部站住了。再往前的地面上，覆盖着绵延无尽的灰色碎石，碎石间零星长着低矮的满是刺的灌木丛。
“我嗅不到他们的气息了。”黑莓掌说道。
四只猫担心地互相看着。他们都不愿意放弃，于是沿着坡顶继续往前走，试图再次找到他们的气息，但他们什么都没有找到。松鼠飞飞快地冲下山坡，不顾脚下锋利的碎石硌着脚垫。可是下面也没有他们的气息，没有任何东西能提示姐姐和那只风族猫去了哪里。
“没希望找到他们了，”当松鼠飞再次爬上来时，听见裂耳说道，“我们永远都不可能找到他们了。”
“我们还是回去吧！”黑莓掌提议道。
“不！”松鼠飞反对道，“我们不能就这样让他们走了！”
黑莓掌挥动尾巴，指着面前伸展开来的粗糙岩石、光秃秃的荒野和空旷的天空说：“他们可能躲在任何地方。”
“他说得对。”灰脚的眼睛因痛苦而更显得忧郁，“我们已经没有任何办法了。”
黑莓掌走到松鼠飞跟前，把尾巴搭在她的肩膀上。“如果他们不想让我们找到，我们就是白费力气。”他轻声说道。
松鼠飞想坚持说能找到，可她内心深处也明白，叶池和鸦羽已经离去了。“我再也见不到姐姐了。”她扭过头，把脸贴在黑莓掌身上，让他熟悉的气息来抚慰自己。他们曾经共同经历了那么多，带领着族群来到新家。她很高兴他在这里，帮助她分担这份新的痛苦。
等他们再次回到风族边界时，太阳已经快落到地平线以下了。松鼠飞向灰脚和裂耳道过别，然后疲惫地跟在黑莓掌后面，蹚过了小溪。他们该怎么对火星说呢？
“我们正在失去参与过寻找午夜的猫，”松鼠飞对黑莓掌说，“先是羽尾、暴毛，现在轮到了鸦羽。”冰冷的感觉传遍松鼠飞的全身：“这是不是意味着，星族不想让我们在这里居住？”
黑莓掌摇摇头说：“我敢肯定，这里就是星族想让各个族群居住的地方。不要再怀疑这些了，松鼠飞。我们从没觉得在新家安顿下来，会是一件容易的事。”
“是呀，但是我也从来没想过会这么难。”松鼠飞低声说着，跟着黑莓掌穿过荫翳蔽日的树林往回走。
树林中的光线很暗，但依然有几缕阳光照到山谷里，把空地染成了血红色。松鼠飞强忍着身体的战栗，她不知道在巫医眼里，会不会把这看作是星族传递的信息。
一进入营地，松鼠飞就知道整个族群已经注意到叶池失踪的事情了。香薇云和尘毛正蜷伏在猎物堆旁，头抵在一起。蕨毛、蜡毛以及他们的两位学徒聚集在学徒巢穴外边，一副很焦急的样子。长老们也已经从位于榛树丛下的巢穴里出来了。高石台的正下方，火星正和沙风、炭毛以及亮心说着话。只有黛西的孩子似乎没有感觉到什么不对劲，正在育婴室外面的泥土地上欢快地打闹着。
当松鼠飞和黑莓掌走过空地的时候，她感觉族猫都扭头看着自己。族猫们个个目光如炬，似乎要燃烧她的皮毛。她能感觉到，希望的涟漪，如同风吹过草地在族猫中间荡漾着。但是当族猫发现叶池并没有回来时，希望又在瞬间消失了。
火星朝他们走了过来，但是最先赶到他们面前的是亮心。“对不起！对不起！”她的声音因为痛苦，显得非常沙哑，那只好的眼睛里也满是愧疚，“我从没想过要取代她。叶池和炭毛才是我们的巫医。”
“我向你保证，她不是因为你而离开的。”松鼠飞很不自在地回答道。因为她非常清楚，叶池对亮心插手巫医的事务非常不满。
“到底是怎么回事？”火星在女儿面前站住，问道，“你们发现了什么？”
“你们找到叶池了吗？”沙风问道。
其他的猫都聚拢过来，重复着沙风的问题，有几只猫甚至提到了鸦羽。叶池的秘密再也不是秘密了。炭毛一定是情不得已，已经把知道的一切都讲了出来。
黑莓掌解释着：“她的气息进入了风族领地，因此我们去了风族的营地。”
这时炭毛一瘸一拐地走过来，正好听见黑莓掌的话。“你和她说话了？”炭毛问道。
黑莓掌摇摇头：“她不在那里。她和鸦羽已经一起离开了。我们和两只风族猫跟踪了他们的气息，但进入山区后，就再也闻不到了。他们走了。”
“不！”炭毛的声音不大，却很凄厉，眼神也因为恐惧而暗淡下来。
火星和沙风靠在一起，直到皮毛蹭着皮毛。“我们失去她了！”沙风轻声说道。
“整个族群都已经失去她了。”火星说道。
松鼠飞真想放声大哭。叶池同样也失去了很多。她一定很爱鸦羽，才会为了他放弃一切。
我会为蜡毛放弃一切吗？松鼠飞心里问自己。不知怎么的，她不认为自己能做到。
要是为了黑莓掌呢？
她眨了眨眼睛，发现自己根本无法回答这个问题。
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 24
Squirrelflight leapt around at the soundof pawsteps behind her. Crowfeather was emerging from the nursery.
“What’s happening in there?” she demanded.
The WindClan warrior stared at her as if he were looking straight through her. “Cinderpelt’s dead,” he meowed hoarsely.
Squirrelflight’s belly clenched. It couldn’t be true! StarClan couldn’t be that cruel! She wanted to rush into the nursery to see for herself and comfort her sister, but she knew she had to stay where she was, guarding Sorreltail while her kits arrived.
In front of her, the hollow was emptying as if some of the badgers had been chased off, but the cats still weren’t winning the fight. There were too many unmoving heaps of fur sprawled on the ground, too much blood sinking into the paw-trodden earth.
A few fox-lengths away Squirrelflight could see Firestar and Brackenfur battling a long-legged male badger, darting forward in turn to confuse it. The badger swiped at them with massive paws; it couldn’t be long before one of the blows landed, hard enough to smash a cat’s skull or break a limb. Her belly churned as she looked for Brambleclaw, but she couldn’t see him.
Crowfeather crouched beside her, his amber eyes burning as he gazed across the clearing.
“You wouldn’t think he’d be so upset about the death of another Clan’s medicine cat,” Ashfur muttered into Squirrelflight’s ear.
Squirrelflight didn’t say anything. She knew the gray-black warrior wasn’t just grieving for Cinderpelt.
Another badger lumbered out of the shadows, its jaws open to reveal two rows of pointed yellow teeth. It was bleeding heavily from one shoulder; Squirrelflight’s belly twisted as she imagined what might have happened to the warrior who had inflicted the wound. Ashfur leapt out to confront the creature before it got too close to the nursery, and Squirrelflight sprang up to follow. “Crowfeather, guard the entrance!” she yowled.
But before she could join Ashfur, she was distracted by a terrified wail. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Whitepaw flat on the ground by the trampled barrier, frozen with terror as a badger loomed over her. Squirrelflight swerved and pelted over to the apprentice’s side. She aimed outstretched claws, then pulled back without striking and stared up in disbelief
“It’s okay, Whitepaw,” she choked out after a moment. “This is Midnight.”
“Greetings, small warrior,” Midnight rasped.
Squirrelflight’s instinctive reaction had been relief, but then her suspicions flared up. Was Midnight here to fight on behalf of her kin? Squirrelflight took a pace backward until she was standing protectively over Whitepaw.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“No need for fear,” Midnight reassured her. “My way is not fight. I bring help.”
She cocked her head to one side as if she were listening to something, then stepped aside to let a river of cats stream into the camp: strong, fresh warriors who fell on the badgers with yowls of fury. Tornear, Ashfoot, Whitetail, Onestar…
WindClan had come to help them!
The badger that had been fighting with Firestar and Brackenfur staggered back, turned tail, and ran. Firestar and Webfoot chased after it, hissing. Nightcloud and Onestar joined Ashfur to chase off the badger that had come too close to the nursery. Squirrelflight dashed forward to help, but she realized all the invaders were fleeing from the clearing. She skidded to a halt and watched them blunder through the broken branches that lay across the entrance to the hollow.
Relief stabbed Squirrelflight as she spotted Brambleclaw standing a little way off, his sides heaving with effort. She caught his eye and saw her own surprise reflected at the arrival of the Clan who had so recently rejected their friendship.
Ashfur’s badger lumbered past her with Nightcloud and Onestar hard on its paws. Onestar halted in front of Brambleclaw as the badger scrambled over the remains of the thorn barrier and vanished into the trees.
“You came,” Brambleclaw meowed.
“Of course we came.” Pride kindled in Onestar’s eyes. “There are fourClans in the forest, but we can still help one another.”
Ashfur staggered to a stop beside Squirrelflight, and she turned to lick his wounds. He had lost fur from his shoulder and one side, and there was a deep gash on his foreleg. Even as she took care of him she tried to push aside the thought that she hadn’t been as frightened for him as she’d been for Brambleclaw.
“You’d better let Leafpool have a look at that,” she told him. She’d almost said “Cinderpelt.”
“Later,” he meowed. “It’s nothing serious. I couldn’t believe it when I saw Onestar and his warriors,” he added. “I thought we were all going to join StarClan.”
“Not yet,” Squirrelflight assured him. But the grim truth of what had happened swept over her, and she felt like wailing aloud. How many cats were dead besides Cinderpelt and Sootfur? How many more would die of their injuries?
The last of the badgers were disappearing with WindClan in pursuit. The exhausted ThunderClan warriors began to gather in the center of the camp around Midnight. Their eyes were stunned with horror, as if they couldn’t believe the battle was over.
Whitepaw scrambled to her paws and ran over to Cloudtail and Brightheart, who were slowly approaching from the direction of the elders’ den. Cloudtail’s white fur was caked with blood and dust, and he leaned heavily on Brightheart’s shoulder. Mousefur guided Longtail down from the Highledge, glancing around with narrowed eyes as if she wasn’t sure all their enemies had gone. Goldenflower followed a moment later; Brambleclaw, Thornclaw, and Sandstorm joined them.
Dustpelt limped up, fear in his eyes as he scanned the clearing. “Ferncloud?” he rasped. “Birchpaw?”
“They’re fine,” Squirrelflight reassured him. “They got out of the camp. They’re looking after Daisy and her kits.”
The brown tabby warrior visibly relaxed, collapsing on the ground to lick a wound on his shoulder.
Firestar staggered up and halted in front of Midnight, gazing up uncertainly as if he wondered why this badger wasn’t fleeing. As he tensed his muscles, ready to attack, Squirrelflight stepped forward quickly.
“Firestar, this is Midnight,” she meowed. “The badger we met at the sun-drown-place. Midnight, this is our Clan leader, Firestar.”
Relief flooded Firestar’s green eyes. “The badger who warned us to leave the forest?” He dipped his head. “You’re welcome here.”
“Good is it to be here,” Midnight told him. “And to see again friends from journey. Yet I wish time was happier.”
“So do we all.” Firestar let out an exhausted sigh. “You knew about this, then? You came to warn us?”
“No, she came to warn us.” Onestar padded up to Firestar’s side. “And to ask for our help.”
“Attack come before I expect,” Midnight explained. “No use come alone to ThunderClan. Best to find more fighting cats first.”
Firestar blinked gratefully. “We’re very glad you did. Thank StarClan you found out what your kin were planning.”
“First in stars I see it,” the old badger told him. “Then I go to my kin, try to speak of peace, but they not listen, and little they tell me. They call me ‘cat-friend,’ and other insults more worse.”
Squirrelflight flexed her claws. “I wish I’d ripped a bit more fur off, just for you, Midnight.”
The badger shrugged. “Is not important. Except I might have got here more sooner. RiverClan they hate most,” she added. “Warriors there drive them out first.”
“We’d better send a message to Leopardstar,” Firestar meowed. “The badgers could still attack there.”
Squirrelflight’s shoulders sagged at the thought of trekking all the way around the lake to RiverClan.
“No need,” rasped Midnight. “My kin in no state fight more. They think twice before bother cats again.”
“Thank StarClan for that,” Squirrelflight murmured. She was wondering how soon she would be able to crawl into what remained of the warriors’ den to sleep when she heard her sister’s voice behind her. “Brackenfur? Is Brackenfur here?”
The ginger warrior was lying in a patch of ferns at the edge of the clearing. His blood was trickling into the dust and he looked barely conscious. He lifted his head as Leafpool came up to him.
“Sorreltail?” He lurched unsteadily to his paws. “It’s Sorreltail, isn’t it? Is she all right?”
Leafpool brushed against his pelt. She looked exhausted too. “She’s fine. She has four healthy kits.”
“Four?” Brackenfur’s tail curled up. “That’s great! Thanks, Leafpool.” He raced across the camp and into the nursery
Squirrelflight watched him go. Thanks to WindClan they had won the battle. ThunderClan had survived greater disasters than this, and sooner or later the Clan would be as strong as ever. The four scraps of new life in the nursery seemed like a promise from StarClan.
Yet life had ended too. ThunderClan would mourn Cinderpelt’s death for a long time. But it would have been even worse if Leafpool hadn’t returned.
Squirrelflight rasped her tongue over her sister’s ear. “I’m so glad you came back.”
Leafpool glanced over at Crowfeather, who was still crouched outside the nursery, then turned back to her sister. “I’m glad to be back, too.”
Crowfeather stood up as the WindClan cats came back into the camp.
“Look, it’s Crowfeather!” Whitetail exclaimed. “What’s he doing here?”
Onestar stalked over to stand in front of the gray-black warrior. “Crowfeather, you came back…but not to your own Clan.”
Crowfeather looked at him steadily. “I wanted to bring Leafpool safely to her own camp first. I’m ready to come home now.”
“We have things to talk about, but now is not the time,” Onestar meowed.
Crowfeather dipped his head and fell in behind his leader as Onestar padded over to Firestar.
“Onestar, every cat in ThunderClan thanks you,” Firestar meowed. “Without you, StarClan would have gained many more warriors.”
“You’ve helped WindClan in the past,” Onestar replied. “It’s only right that we should come and help you.”
“We won’t forget—” Firestar began.
He was interrupted by a startled yowl from Thornclaw, who was closest to the camp entrance. Squirrelflight stiffened. Had the badgers come back? She didn’t think she could lift a single paw now, even to save her life.
But her exhaustion vanished when she saw two cats carefully picking their way through the scattered thorn branches. The first of them, a powerful warrior with a thick gray pelt, stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked around.
“This isn’t what I expected to find,” he meowed. “What happened?”
Squirrelflight stared in disbelief. After the badger attack, she had thought nothing else could shock her, but for a heartbeat she forgot how to breathe.
Gazing curiously around them, sleek furred and calm among the shattered Clan, were Stormfur and Brook.
第二十章
第二十章
叶池在山脊的顶部停住了，回头望着来时的路。大湖和树林早已看不到了，周围绵延开来的都是不熟悉的山峦。她努力不去想爪垫的疼痛，张开嘴，搜寻着荒野上草地的清新气息和兔子的踪迹。太阳开始落山了，但周围却根本看不到可以让她和鸦羽过夜的树林或灌木丛。
鸦羽跟着她上了山坡，紧挨着她站住。当她感觉到他的皮毛蹭着自己的皮毛时，疲惫的四肢不由得温暖起来。一切似乎都是那么陌生和恐怖，唯有这只猫依然可以给她力量和希望。
那么，你抛下的一切会怎么样呢？她的心里有个微弱的声音在问。
叶池努力想象着族群里的情况。火星会对她的悄然离去大发雷霆；炭毛得找一位新学徒；松鼠飞会非常想念她……一股强烈的疼痛袭来，差点让叶池掉转脚步，往湖边跑去。可是，眼下所有猫都知道她出走了，而且鸦羽就在她身边，她又怎么能回去呢？
只要有鸦羽，其他什么都不重要。对他的爱，让她从耳朵到尾巴尖都兴奋起来，她必须坚信自己的选择是正确的。
“再往前走点吧！”鸦羽用鼻子蹭着她的耳朵，“我们需要在天黑前找个睡觉的地方。”
“好吧。”叶池强打精神，跟他沿着山脊往前走。他们已经走了一整天，加上头天晚上又没怎么睡觉，她觉得自己长这么大，从来没有像现在这么累过。
突然，鸦羽站住了，用尾巴一指：“看！”
叶池急忙赶上来，发现前面的地势缓缓下降，变成了一个布满石块的山谷。谷底有一汪水，几株在风中摆动的荆棘撑起一片树荫。
“感谢星族！”叶池高兴地喊起来，“我们有住处和水了！”
她用尽最后一点力气，朝坡下奔去，爪子在光滑的岩石上直打趔趄。但她不管不顾，一直跑到水边，伸出舌头舔着。上一次造访月亮池的记忆，瞬间汹涌而至。
再也不是了！她的内心有个声音对她说，你再也不是巫医了。
但这个也不重要了！叶池提醒自己，斑叶已经告诉她要遵从自己的内心。她做的一定是正确的事情。
深烟灰色武士来到水池旁，站在叶池的身边，凝视着水面。“我没有看到鱼。”他说道。
鸦羽的话提醒了叶池，她这才感到自己饿坏了。一整天，他们只吃了一只又瘦又小的田鼠，那还是在出发不久在小溪边捉到的。而现在，那似乎遥远得如同几个月前的事了。
“明天早上你可以抓兔子来吃。”叶池尽力不去想兔子的气息是多么微弱，“你很擅长在荒原上狩猎，你也可以教教我。”
“好啊。你很快就能学会的。”鸦羽说道，“不过我不用等到明天早上。附近肯定有别的什么猎物。”
说着鸦羽站起身，张大嘴巴嗅着空气。叶池站在他身旁，耳朵直竖了起来，果然听见荆棘树丛中有小动物活动的声音。一个心跳过后，她就发现了一只老鼠，于是急忙摆出狩猎的姿势，嘴里发出满意的咕噜声猛扑了上去。
这时候，又有一只老鼠从枯叶中蹿了出来。鸦羽毫不费力地用一只爪子抓住了它。
“看吧，我说什么来着？”说着，他走到叶池跟前，想和她一起吃猎物。
他们在低矮树丛的根部发现了一处沙地，弯弯曲曲的树枝挡住了寒风。于是，饥肠辘辘的他们在那儿几口就把老鼠吞了下去。
“你说附近有猎物，说得还真准。”叶池一边小声说着，一边用舌头舔着嘴巴周围，“很高兴有你在我身边，要不然，我会很害怕的。”
“我会永远照顾你的，”鸦羽承诺道，鼻子抵在她的皮毛上，“明天一定要找一个好点的住处。族群都能找到湖区，现在只有我们俩，就不需要那么大的领地了。”
叶池点点头说：“不会一直都是大山吧？”
“我们会好起来的。你放心好了。”鸦羽宽慰着她。
“我知道。”叶池的声音渐渐弱了下去，疲惫地进入了梦乡。
她正站在一个黑暗的地方，脚下的草地被露水浸透，冰冷冰冷的。她被可怕的哀号声包围着，吓得四处张望，却找不到声音是从哪里来的。然后，她意识到，周围的黑暗是一团正在滚动的黑雾。黑雾倏尔分开，露出拍打着湖岸的波浪。梦把她带回家了。但是她被血腥味淹没了，看见湖中血红的浪潮正饥饿地吞噬着陆地。
“不！”她大口喘着气。
在和平降临之前，鲜血将四处喷涌，湖水将变得一片血红。叶池身上的毛全部立了起来。她已经远离开了族群，为什么还是无法逃脱星族可怕的预言？
哀号声渐渐消失了。突然，更大的声响在她身后响起。叶池猛地转过身。黑雾依然在滚动，她看到雾里面有硕大的笨重身影在移动，很模糊，辨识不出是什么，只能看见钝钝的爪子，猛咬的嘴巴和恶毒的小眼睛。一个巨大的黑色身影朝她压了过来，一只爪子朝她的脸上扇去，掀起她的胡须，差点击中她的眼睛。她赶紧往后一跳，感觉爪子上有黏黏的液体往下流，鼻子和嘴巴里全是血腥味。
“星族，救救我！”叶池大喊道。
她猛地睁开眼睛，发现自己正躺在荒原上的山谷中，头顶是荆棘的枝条，身边是鸦羽。她不由长舒了一口气。这时，她发现鸦羽慢慢站了起来，正紧盯着黑暗处，身体因为紧张而绷紧了。
“是谁？”鸦羽大吼一声。
叶池听见一阵窸窸窣窣的脚步声。鸦羽挡在前面护着她。叶池从他的身后仔细看着，勉强辨识出一个缓慢移动的身影，跟她梦中见到的那个身影很像。
我真的醒着吗？她在心里问道。
这时，云层从月亮上移开了。银色的月光如洗，洒满了山谷，映照出了一个巨大的皮毛厚厚的动物的身影。只见它鼻子尖尖，上面有一道宽宽的白色条纹。是獾！
叶池一下子跳起身来。“别过来！”她大吼一声。
鸦羽挥动着尾巴。“没事的，叶池，”鸦羽说道，“是午夜。”
叶池的身子还在发抖，死死地盯着这只老獾。午夜住在太阳沉没之地，它来荒原这儿干什么？叶池好奇地走上前。她一直想见见这只獾，因为这只獾曾经提醒过松鼠飞和黑莓掌，告诉他们两脚兽要毁掉森林，族群都得离开。没有它，族群永远都找不到星族为他们选定的新地方。
“你好，鸦爪！”午夜满眼都是惊讶，“我怎么也想不到会在这里遇到你。”
“你好，午夜！”鸦羽说。“是啊，我们也没想到会见到你。还有，我不再叫鸦爪了，”他接着说，“我现在是武士了，名字叫鸦羽……是为了纪念羽尾取的这个名字。”
“是呀，她仍一直注视着你。”午夜对他说道。
叶池身子不由一缩。鸦羽似乎感觉到了叶池的尴尬，于是用尾巴把她往前推了一些。“她是叶池，”鸦羽说道，“是松鼠飞的姐姐。”
叶池冲午夜点点头说道：“终于见到你了，午夜！真是太好了！我听过很多你的故事。”
“你妹妹曾经提起过你，”午夜说，“星族也向你显示过很多未来的信息吧？”
“是的，我是巫医。”叶池眨巴着眼睛——不过再也不是了。
老獾的目光从她的身上挪到鸦羽身上，然后又返了回来。“你们是私奔出来的，对吗？”它问道。
叶池僵住了。午夜知道她和鸦羽是从族群里跑出来的？它是因为这个才来的吗？
“你怎么知道的？”叶池小心翼翼地问道。
没等午夜回答，鸦羽上前一步。“我们不得不离开，”他解释道，“我们分属不同的族群，根本不可能在一起，除非……”
“先等一等。”午夜举起一只硕大的獾掌说，“你是说，这里只有你们俩？其他的猫在哪里？”
“在湖边的领地里。”鸦羽用尾巴一指。
“这么说你们并不知道？”
“知道什么？”叶池感到一阵恐惧，爪子尖不由自主地伸了出来。
午夜的脑袋低垂了下去。“大麻烦就要来了。我的很多同类都很生族群猫的气，”它粗声粗气地说，“因为族群猫把它们赶了出去。现在，它们要主动攻击，把你们赶出去，把曾经属于它们的领地夺回来。”
叶池倒吸一口气。“我们是把一只獾从领地上赶出去了。”她想起来了，“是一只带着幼崽的母獾。”
“鹰霜也从河族的领地上赶走过一只。”鸦羽说道。
叶池几乎没听清楚鸦羽在说什么，她又陷入了鲜血与爪子的梦境中，脑海中一阵晕眩。“你说它们要攻击族群猫？”她小声问道。
“午夜，那你支持哪边？”鸦羽严厉地问道。
午夜迎着他的目光，说道：“我哪边都不支持。猫啊，獾啊，本可以和平相处的。我反对它们向你们发动攻击，但是我的同类不听我的。好些天以来，它们一直嚷嚷着血债血偿，要对族群猫进行报复。”
鸦羽靠近叶池。她能感觉到鸦羽的身体在发抖。“它们打算怎么做？”鸦羽问道。
“很多獾聚集了起来。它们要攻击你们的住处，杀很多猫，把剩下的都赶出去。”
我们的住处……它们要攻击我们的营地？叶池全身的毛一下子竖了起来。她和鸦羽在这里会很安全，但是他们身后的族群会被摧毁，族猫们会遭到屠杀。
“不……”叶池低声叫了起来，“不能这样！”
“那么你来这里做什么？”鸦羽问午夜。
“我要去通知族群猫，把这件事告诉他们。”老獾回答道，“你们会帮忙吗？”
叶池张开嘴刚要说话，却被鸦羽打断了：“不，我们已经离开了族群，再也不回去了。我们什么都做不了。”
“鸦羽，不！”一阵恐惧袭来，让叶池从耳朵到尾巴尖都颤抖起来，“我们不能任由族猫被屠杀。”
鸦羽蓝色的眼睛里满是痛苦，他轻轻地用鼻子碰了碰叶池的鼻子。“我知道。”他说道，“但是午夜会去告诉他们的。只要他们听它的话，就不会有什么事的。不然，我们还能做什么呢？”
“我们……”叶池说不下去了，她不知道该说些什么。
“我们已经到了这种地步，”鸦羽固执地说，“如果现在回去，所有的猫都会知道我们所做的事，我们将再也无法脱身了，一切就会变得和原先一样——甚至更糟糕。我们再也不能像过去那样见面了。每只猫都会盯着我们，防止我们跑掉。我们现在所做的这一切就都没了意义。”
叶池痛苦地喘息着，似乎梦中那些獾已经把她的身体给撕裂了。她知道鸦羽说得没错，如果他们现在回去，就会失去一切。可是现在他们已经知道，族猫正面临着巨大的危险，他们怎能坐视不理呢？
午夜的目光从叶池的身上挪到鸦羽身上，然后又挪了回去。叶池不知道这只獾是否知道，巫医职责和武士守则都规定，不同族群的猫不能在一起。可是老獾的眼神中却流露出温暖和理解，似乎多少能感受到他们在离开族群之前所做的痛苦挣扎。
“愿星族保佑你们！”这头獾小声说道，“未来掌握在武士祖灵的手中。我会竭尽全力做我能做的事。”
“谢谢你。”叶池说。
叶池目送着午夜慢慢爬上山坡，朝着他们离开的方向而去。愧疚和难过让她浑身发抖：族猫们有了麻烦，她却选择了逃避。
鸦羽轻轻地蹭蹭叶池的耳朵。“咱们再睡会儿吧。”他说道。
在荆棘丛下，叶池在鸦羽的身边蜷缩起身子，却怎么也睡不着。她满脑子都是张牙舞爪的獾，怒吼着闯进雷族营地，把族猫们撕碎的场景。
愿星族保佑他们！她心中暗暗祈祷着。
她的梦境已经清楚地显示出，獾的攻击有多么残暴。她想起在月亮池时，其他的巫医所描述的梦境，梦中一片黑暗，到处都是挥舞的爪子。现在，她收到了星族同样的信息。叶池感到浑身激动：星族武士依然在和她说话，她对午夜说自己是巫医，也算不上是撒谎。
她看得出来鸦羽也没有睡着。鸦羽不停地翻着身，有一次她还听见鸦羽叹息的声音。鸦羽又往她身边靠近了些，不知是想安慰她，还是安慰自己。
最后，叶池恍恍惚惚地睡着了，却睡得很不安稳。她似乎在一团灰色的迷雾中飘浮着，根本不知道自己身在何处。突然，一声痛苦的尖叫把这团灰雾撕裂开来。
“星族，救救我！”
叶池一下子跳了起来，浑身颤抖着。黎明的第一缕晨光已经升起，透过荆棘的枝条，叶池看到天空灰蒙蒙的。她已经听出梦中的那个声音来自炭毛。
“鸦羽！”她喘着粗气说道，“我不能待在这里。我们必须回去。”
鸦羽抬起头，蓝色的眼睛里满是难过。“我知道，”他说道，“我也这么想。我们必须回去帮助族猫。”
一阵轻松淹没了叶池。在这一刻，她更爱他了，因为他理解自己，也和她一样在乎族猫。她用鼻子碰了碰鸦羽的鼻子，发出一声比一次心跳还短的呼噜声。
“我们走吧！”她说道。
第二十一章
第二十一章
“老鼠屎！”松鼠飞咕哝着。从她爪下逃脱的八哥闪动着翅膀，飞到头顶的树枝上，而她的爪子却抓进泥沼中。只要一睁开眼，她便无时无刻不在担心着姐姐，怎么可能集中精力狩猎呢？
我本该阻止她的。她郁闷地想。
“你可真倒霉！”蜡毛说着，从她后面走了上来，“今天就这样吧？猎物已经多得拿不回去了。”
“好吧。”松鼠飞跟他来到一处荆棘树丛下。蜡毛把捕到的猎物都用土埋在了这里。这时，蛛足嘴里叼着一只松鼠，走到了他们身边。于是狩猎队开始往营地的方向走去。
“好啦！”蜡毛把猎物放在猎物堆上，低声对松鼠飞说，“叶池不会有事的。”
“她抛下了一切，怎么可能会没事？”松鼠飞顶了一句。
“你为什么不休息一会儿呢？”蜡毛一边提议，一边用尾巴指了指崖壁附近能晒到阳光的一块地方，“你昨天晚上几乎没怎么睡。”
“我现在也睡不着。我得让炭毛吃些东西。”
松鼠飞从猎物堆上叼起一只田鼠，穿过空地，朝巫医巢穴走去。绕过荆棘屏风，她看见炭毛蜷伏在巢穴里的空地上，爪子收在身下，蓝色的眼睛呆滞无神。松鼠飞不由心中一颤。炭毛仿佛在凝视着只有她自己才看得见的恐惧。
炭毛眨了一下眼睛，抬起头问：“松鼠飞，有什么消息吗？”
“关于叶池的吗？”松鼠飞把田鼠放在炭毛的面前，“没有。什么消息都没有。我给你带了一些吃的。”
巫医把头扭开说：“谢谢，但是我不饿。”
“你必须吃点东西！”松鼠飞着急地说道。她不知道炭毛是不是因为叶池的消失而自责。但炭毛看起来既没有了勇气，也没有了活力。“现在叶池不在了，我们比以往更需要你。”松鼠飞说道。
炭毛长叹一口气说：“可是我失败了，彻底失败了。”
“这不是你的错！”说着，松鼠飞挤到炭毛身边窄窄的缝隙中，想紧贴着炭毛的身体安慰她，“你是一位伟大的巫医。真不敢想象，雷族没了你会怎么样？”
炭毛的目光在松鼠飞身上打量着，松鼠飞觉得，自己马上要被她深邃的眼神给淹没了。炭毛似乎想要向松鼠飞敞开心扉，但最后却说道：“我真希望一切都没有改变。”
“现在不会变，将来也不会。叶池会回来的。我们必须相信这一点。”
炭毛摇摇头，闭上了眼睛。
松鼠飞伸出一只爪子，把田鼠往炭毛跟前推了推说：“好了，吃点东西吧，这样你会感觉好些。”
炭毛犹豫了一下，低头嗅了嗅猎物。“松鼠飞，你能去看看栗尾吗？”过了一会儿，炭毛说道，“我很担心她。你知道，她和叶池一直是非常要好的朋友。”
“栗尾知道了？”因为临近产期，栗尾整天不离育婴室半步，不知道这个消息也是很有可能的。
“她知道了，我昨天晚上告诉她了。她很难过，我只好给她吃罂粟籽来帮助她睡眠。”松鼠飞松了一口气，炭毛已经开始恢复过来。
“好，我这就去看她。但是有一个条件，我要看着你把这只田鼠吃了。”
炭毛的眼睛里闪出一丝微弱的笑意。“你永不放弃，是吧？好吧，如果栗尾有什么需要，就赶紧叫我。”
炭毛再次嗅了嗅田鼠，咬了一口，很快便大口吞咽起来，似乎突然发觉自己很饿。松鼠飞轻轻走出了巫医巢穴。
松鼠飞离开炭毛，朝育婴室走去。在育婴室外面，亮心正俯身和小莓说话。看到松鼠飞过来了，她直起了身。
“好了！”亮心说道，“荆棘的刺已经拔掉了，现在好好舔舔脚掌。”
“谢谢！”从马场来的小莓羡慕地抬头看着这只白色皮毛上带着姜黄色斑块的母猫，似乎不再在意她脸上的伤疤了，“你是最好的巫医！”
“我不是巫医，”亮心说着扭头看了松鼠飞一眼，“雷族已经有两位巫医了。我永远都不会成为巫医的。”
“哦，我觉得你就是。”小莓说着，开始起劲地舔起自己的脚掌。
遗憾的是，亮心没有在叶池还在的时候说这些话。松鼠飞心里说道。她冲亮心说道：“你好，炭毛派我来看看栗尾。”
“栗尾很好，”亮心告诉松鼠飞，“刚才她和黛西分吃了一只兔子，现在又睡着了。伟大的星族，她的肚子很大，”接着她又补充了一句：“等不了多久，栗尾就会生了。”
“很好。”来到新的家园后的第一窝幼崽就要出生了，松鼠飞想让自己显得高兴些，但她的心里放不下叶池和炭毛，怎么也提不起精神。
她把头伸进育婴室，看见栗尾正在苔藓和蕨叶中安详地睡着。黛西和香薇云在附近，轻声说着话。看见松鼠飞，她们抬起了头，抖了抖胡须，表示问候。
等松鼠飞从育婴室出来时，亮心已经走远了。松鼠飞刚好瞥见她穿过炭毛巢穴前的荆棘屏风的尾巴。松鼠飞相信她会把栗尾的情况告诉炭毛，于是就往猎物堆走去想找些吃的。
火星正在猎物堆前和沙风分享一只松鼠，黑莓掌在一只狐狸尾巴远的地方吃一只画眉。
“我想让你明天率领黎明巡逻队。”松鼠飞过来时，听见火星正对黑莓掌说，“沿着风族边界好好找找，也许能找到更多的叶池踪迹。”
黑莓掌把满嘴的东西吞咽下去。“我想带上云尾。他是我们雷族最好的追踪者之一。”犹豫了一下，他接着说，“但是我们曾跟踪叶池一直跟到大山里。我觉得现在应该找不到什么踪迹了。”
“没准能找到。”火星坚持着，似乎不愿接受再也见不到叶池的事实。
就像不能接受灰条离去那样吗？松鼠飞突然心中闪过这个念头。
沙风抬起了头。“你们没准能碰见她正往回赶。”沙风说道，“如果碰上了，不要生她的气。”
黑莓掌点点头说：“不用担心。如果能看见她，我会让她安心回家的。”
松鼠飞听得出来，对于找到叶池，黑莓掌并不抱太大的希望。她自己也开始理解他的想法了。尽管她心里也希望叶池能回来，但是她知道，叶池一旦下定决心离开，想要让她回来是非常困难的。
她从猎物堆上挑了一只喜鹊吃了起来。
“你还好吗？”黑莓掌轻声问道。
“不怎么好。”松鼠飞回答。
“你不应该责备自己。”沙风安慰她。
“可这就是我的错！”松鼠飞所有的担心倾泻而出，她努力控制着，才没有像个迷路的幼崽那样痛哭起来，“我明明知道叶池老是晚上出去，却没有阻止她。”
火星俯下身，安慰地舔着她的耳朵说：“我们本来都应该知道她有心事。”
“是的，”黑莓掌突然插嘴道，“如果你阻止了她，或许只会让她走得更快。没有猫能预料到这件事。”
他的目光越过松鼠飞，投向营地入口，蜡毛和他的学徒刚刚从那里出现，他们朝猎物堆走过来。黑莓掌吃完猎物，用舌头舔着爪子，不等淡灰色公猫走到跟前，就踱步走开了。
“干得好！”他们靠近猎物堆时，蜡毛对桦爪说，“给长老们送些猎物，你这一天的训练就算结束了。”
桦爪从猎物堆上叼起几只猎物，飞快地跑过空地。蜡毛则过来找松鼠飞。火星和沙风站起身，让他们俩独自待着。
“我刚才训练桦爪去了。”蜡毛告诉松鼠飞，“他学得很快。”
“很好。”松鼠飞应道，蜡毛这个老师当得很顺利，她努力想表现出高兴的样子。
“你看起来很累！”蜡毛用鼻子蹭了蹭她的耳朵，“趁这会儿你休息一下，不要再和我争辩了。”
松鼠飞觉得好像有蚂蚁在身上，她最怕的就是躺着却睡不着。但是看见蜡毛眼里的关切，她不由叹口气，屈服了。于是吃完猎物后，她走到荆棘围篱边有阳光的角落里，舒展四肢，侧身躺下，让阳光照透皮毛。
蜡毛蜷伏在她的旁边，抚慰地舔着她的肩膀。尽管脑子里各种想法嗡嗡作响，但松鼠飞还是慢慢进入了梦乡。但是那种嗡嗡声越来越大，蒙眬中，她觉得这个声音并不是来自脑中，一阵低沉的轰隆隆的咆哮声正从树林里传来。
松鼠飞烦躁地抬起头问：“星族啊，那到底是什么声音？”
她的话还没有说完，就听见空地外面传来一只猫惊恐的哀号。随着荆棘一阵猛烈摇动，白爪连滚带爬从通道入口钻了出来，她的耳朵紧紧贴着脑袋，一双睁得溜圆的眼睛里满是恐惧。她的身后，蕨毛紧紧跟着。
松鼠飞连忙跳了起来。咆哮声越来越清晰，那是很多动物的怒吼和嚎叫。那个声音越来越大，最后响彻整座森林。接着传来树枝断裂的咔嚓声，好像有什么东西踩踏着入口处的荆棘屏障，闯进了石头山谷。突然，松鼠飞看见一个庞大的身躯在树枝间快速穿行着。在太阳余晖的映照下，她看见一个硕大的脑袋，脑袋上的嘴巴窄窄的，还带着条纹。这个家伙有着宽宽的强壮肩膀，还有钝钝的爪子。
“獾！”松鼠飞大叫起来。
雷族猫从空地四周跑过来。火星从他位于高石台的巢穴里探出身，沿着落石堆冲了下来。黑莓掌也从武士巢穴里冲出来，后面紧跟着沙风和云尾。炭毛和亮心从巫医巢穴前的荆棘屏风里钻了出来；亮心的那只好眼睛眯了起来，冲着入侵者不住怒吼着。
那只獾冲过荆棘屏障后停了下来，来回摆动着脑袋，发亮的小眼睛扫视着空地。松鼠飞正要扑上去，却听见更多踩踏的声音，不由吓得僵在了原地。又有獾强行闯入了营地，踩踏荆棘丛时，就如同踩踏草丛一般。它们的数量很多，多得松鼠飞都数不过来了。
一声似乎是所有獾一起从喉咙里发出的咆哮过后，它们开始往前冲去。很快，山谷里到处都是大张着的嘴巴和舞动的爪子。松鼠飞瞥见雨须被抓住一条腿，扔到半空中。随着咚的一声，雨须落在了一只狐狸身长之外的地方，再也没有起来。
突然，一张带着条纹的脸出现在松鼠飞的面前。她连忙后退，一直退到一片荆棘丛前，她嘴里嘶吼着，挥出两只前掌。獾的臭气刺得她的喉咙一阵刺痛。“滚开，否则我就把你的皮扒下来！”她厉声说道。
接着，她就发现自己被挤到了一旁，身子不由晃动几下，才没有摔倒。只见一个淡灰色的身影快速从自己旁边闪过，蜡毛横到了她和獾之间。
“我能照顾好自己！”松鼠飞低声吼道。可是蜡毛已经扑了上去，爪子狠狠地抓进入侵者的身体，牙紧紧地咬住对方的耳朵。那只獾凄厉地吼叫一声，来回晃着脑袋，想把蜡毛甩下来。
“松鼠飞！”一个声音在她的耳边响起。是黑莓掌，他的肩膀上被抓了一道很长的口子，鲜血直流。“快帮帮我——我们得把黛西和她的孩子弄出去。还有栗尾。”
没等她回答，黑莓掌便转过身，沿着空地边缘朝育婴室跑去。松鼠飞跟在黑莓掌的身后猛追了上去，中途还躲开两只尖叫的猫——蛛足和烟毛——他们分别从两侧夹击着一只体形硕大的母獾。只见母獾的头来回摆动，嘴乱咬着，却始终抓不着两只猫，很是恼怒。
黑莓掌一头扎进育婴室，松鼠飞则守在育婴室入口处。空地上，众猫为了活命而奋战，獾们为了杀死猫而奋战，嚎叫声此起彼伏。松鼠飞发现，被认为是天然屏障的崖壁，现在却困住了众猫。他们无处可逃，甚至不能爬上树躲开攻击。松鼠飞看见桦爪往崖壁上爬了几尾远，但在獾的大掌的威胁下，这位学徒挤进了崖壁脚下的一条狭窄的石缝中。獾那黑色的大爪够不着，他这才躲过一劫。
黛西、栗尾和幼崽们该怎么逃生？黛西根本对付不了獾这样的庞然大物，栗尾临近生产，也无法战斗。
他们能不能爬上高石台，躲在火星的巢穴里？松鼠飞心想。但是他们能顺着落石堆非常轻松地爬上去，獾也能够。所以，如果爬进火星的巢穴，很有可能让他们困在上面。
更多的獾试图从被毁坏的荆棘通道闯进来。那是进入雷族营地的唯一通途。火星朝荆棘丛扑了过去，勇猛地搏斗着。尘毛、沙风和刺掌与他并肩作战。刺掌被一只巨型的爪子抓住，扔了出去，在空中翻滚着，落进了一片荨麻丛。荨麻茎秆猛烈摇动着闭合了，把他围了起来，他再也没有出现。
松鼠飞瞥见父亲死死地咬住一只獾的肩膀，还用爪子抓它的眼睛。就在这时，又有一只庞然大物冲了过来。接下来的情景，松鼠飞就看不到了。
“黛西在哪里？”一个沙哑的声音问道。松鼠飞扭过头，看见云尾一瘸一拐地走了过来。这位白色皮毛的武士满身尘土，但是蓝色的眼睛里仍然充满了斗志。
“在这里，”松鼠飞说着，冲身后的荆棘丛一指，“黑莓掌去接她了。”
说话间，黑莓掌出来了，黛西跟在后面。小莓被黑莓掌叼在嘴里，不住扭动着，哀号着。
黛西吓得眼睛睁得大大的。“它们会把我们全部杀死的！”她大声喊道，“我的孩子们怎么办？”
“我们会救你的孩子的。”让松鼠飞感到惊讶的是，亮心正从巫医巢穴出来，穿过空地走过来，“他们是被母亲带过来的，这不是他们的错误。”她愤怒地说着，钻进了育婴室。云尾也跟着她进去叼剩下的幼崽。
“可是我们逃不出去啊！”黛西哀号着，眼睛盯着激战正酣的荆棘通道入口处。
“不，你们可以逃出去的。”松鼠飞突然想起叶池偷偷溜出去找鸦羽时走的那条路，“我知道还有一条路可以出去。”
“那你赶紧带路。”黑莓掌的嘴里叼着幼崽，含混不清地说着。
松鼠飞扫了一眼育婴室，喊道：“快点！”这时，亮心跑了出来，但是她的嘴里没有叼着幼崽。“赶紧去找炭毛，”她着急地说道，“栗尾要生了，快点！”
恐惧传遍了松鼠飞的全身。伟大的星族，不要啊！她扫了一眼空地没看到炭毛，但是在几尾远的地方，看见了栗尾的伴侣蕨毛，他正跟一只獾激烈地打斗着。很显然，他正想往育婴室这边来。
“蕨毛，快跑！”她大吼着冲那只獾扑了过去，挥爪攻击它的屁股。
獾往旁边一闪，躲了过去，蕨毛趁机脱身了。
松鼠飞不再理会那只獾，飞快地往育婴室跑。“栗尾要生了！”她气喘吁吁地说。“不！”她挡住正准备冲进荆棘丛的蕨毛说道，“赶紧去找炭毛！”
蕨毛惊慌地看了她一眼，然后转身，穿过空地往炭毛的巢穴跑去。对战的双方之间留下了一道缝，松鼠飞刚好顺着这道缝看到蕨毛找到了炭毛。只见蕨毛慌乱地比画着，然后和炭毛朝育婴室跑了过来。等他们赶过来时，云尾和亮心已经从荆棘丛中出来了，嘴里各叼着一只幼崽。
“如果栗尾真的快生了，那就不能移动她！”炭毛说，“你们必须留下一个守着入口。其他猫尽可能保护好自己和幼崽们。”不等其他猫应声，炭毛已经钻进了育婴室。
“我留下！”蕨毛赶紧说。
“我会回来帮你。”松鼠飞说，“我要先领着他们看看怎么出去。往这边走。”
松鼠飞来回看着，判断走哪儿才能安全到达叶池走的那条路。走空地对面的那条路要安全些！幸运的是，夜幕已经降临，尽管空地中央洒下新月的暗淡光亮，边缘处却阴影浓重。尽管獾在夜里视力很好，但是松鼠飞还是希望它们激战正酣，没工夫搭理几只沿着崖壁溜走的猫。
“跟我紧点！”她警告黛西。
她沿着山谷的边缘前行，尽可能躲在荆棘丛和蕨丛的下面。她听见身后黛西因受惊吓而急促起来的呼吸声，以及黛西身后的幼崽们微弱的叫声。不远处，交战双方的怒吼声、尖叫声，几乎盖住了幼崽的声音。
“发生什么事了？”小鼠害怕地问道，“那些响声是怎么回事啊？”
“就是啊。为什么要叼着我们？”小莓也抱怨连连，“我已经长大了，可以自己走路！”
“叼着你们，是因为这些獾很大，很笨重。”黛西回头给他们说道，“在黑暗中，它们或许会踩上你们。”在孩子面前，她把自己的恐惧隐藏了起来，这不由让松鼠飞生出一丝敬意。
“要是有獾踩住我，我就咬它！”小榛吹起牛来。
“你不会有机会的，”她的母亲说，“现在不要说话，不要扭动，这样我们很快就安全了。”说这话时，她看着松鼠飞的眼睛，似乎在暗示她不要反驳。
一只笨重的獾缓缓地走过，吓得他们赶紧贴到崖壁上。这只獾愤怒地咆哮着，想把趴在它肩膀上抓扯它耳朵的刺掌给甩下来。经过长老巢穴所在的榛子林时，松鼠飞看见鼠毛正蹲伏在一片树枝下面，利爪弹出，眼睛里喷射着怒火。她的身后是金花和长尾。
“跟我来！”松鼠飞轻声喊道，“我知道一条上崖壁的路。”
鼠毛摇摇头。“一只盲眼的猫爬不了崖壁。”说着她扫了长尾一眼。
“你们赶紧走吧！”长尾对他们说，“要是有獾过来，我还可以用爪子抓它们。”
鼠毛冲他嘶嘶叫道：“我们不会丢下你的，不要再说了。”
松鼠飞没有时间和他们争论。身旁的黛西吓得直发抖，几乎控制不住自己的慌张。黑莓掌、云尾和亮心已经赶了上来，嘴里叼着幼崽，正不安地移动着。松鼠飞听见小莓问：“我们怎么停下了？”
“你们可以藏在高石台上，”松鼠飞向鼠毛建议，“有你领着，长尾应该能爬上去。”虽然她仍然怀疑火星的巢穴不是那么安全，但是，那里至少比下面要安全些。
“好吧，”鼠毛点点头，“长尾，用牙咬住我的尾巴。”
松鼠飞带领大家跑过武士巢穴，黛西和其他猫紧随其后。突然，从树丛中冲出一只獾，松鼠飞被迫停了下来。那只獾腹部流着血，看样子准备放弃进攻了。沙风在它身后追了过来，大吼道：“滚出去，再也不要回来了！”那只獾仓皇而逃。松鼠飞冲母亲弹动了一下耳朵，但没有时间停下来说话了。
他们沿着山谷跑到一半多一点的时候，一个淡灰色的身影从阴影中溜了出来。是蜡毛。他的一只耳朵被撕裂了，身体一侧有一道深深的口子，正往外流血。他大口喘着气，不过伤势似乎并不严重。
“松鼠飞，你还好吧？”他大声说道。
“是的，我很好。我要领黛西和她的孩子们出去。”
“我和你一起去。”
松鼠飞不耐烦地抽动着胡须说：“不，你赶紧去育婴室帮蕨毛。”
蜡毛犹豫了片刻，松鼠飞还以为他会拒绝。接着，蜡毛从她和众猫身边跑过，很快便消失在黑暗之中。一只獾发现了他，咆哮一声，就追了上去。但是松鼠飞不能停下来帮忙。
“走吧，”她轻声说道，“现在离那条路已经不远了。”
喧闹声中传来一只猫痛苦的尖叫，松鼠飞心里一紧。空地上一片混乱，獾那庞大的身躯乱扑着，体形矮小、灵活的族猫们穿行在它们之间，左突右闪地击打着它们。此刻，松鼠飞已经看不见荆棘屏障了，但是她能感觉到有更多的入侵者正闯进来。
伟大的星族啊，难道这就是我们的最终命运吗？
第二十二章
第二十二章
松鼠飞晃了晃脑袋，想把自己心中的恐惧赶走。她首先要做的是帮助族猫逃离，然后才是加入山谷入口处的战斗。她尾巴一甩，领着众猫继续前行，不再理会不断传进耳中的打斗声。
遮蔽那个外逃出口的荆棘丛并没有被踩踏，还勉强够他们藏身，这让松鼠飞松了一口气。猫们挤在荆棘丛围起来的缺口处，迟疑地盯着头顶上方陡峭的崖壁。
“要爬上去并不难！”松鼠飞鼓励着大家，“我来爬给你们看。来，黑莓掌，把幼崽给我。如果有獾发现了我们，务必要缠住它。”说完这话，松鼠飞心里不由一阵刺痛：当他们撤退的时候，她竟然百分百地相信这位虎斑武士会竭力保护族猫的。
黑莓掌用尾巴轻轻拂过松鼠飞的耳朵，把小莓放了下来。松鼠飞用牙咬住幼崽的颈部。小东西已经停止了抱怨，看样子是吓呆了。
松鼠飞咬紧牙关，猛地往上一跃。她摸索着从荆棘丛中爬出来，爪子紧紧抓住崖壁上方几尾处的灌木。她不小心让小莓撞在了岩石上，小东西尖叫了一声。
“对不起。”松鼠飞含糊不清地说道。
她后腿用劲蹬着，终于爬上一个岩石塌陷后留下的石台。之后，她又开始攀住草丛往上爬，最后终于爬到山谷的顶部。
她低头钻进跟踪叶池时藏身的蕨丛，放下小莓，快速地舔了他一下说：“好了，小东西，你现在安全了。”
她小心地把头抬到蕨丛上方。空地上打斗的咆哮声听得并不十分清楚，獾的气息也弱了很多。她断定那些凶恶的动物还没有来过这片森林。于是，她压低身体，肚皮紧贴着草地，爬出蕨丛，从山谷边缘往下看。
“这里很安全！”她喊道，“你们可以上来了！”
云尾叼着小榛开始往上爬。他用力弓起身子，注意不让那条受伤的前腿用劲。松鼠飞示意他把小榛放在小莓的旁边。云尾把幼崽放在松软的蕨叶上，松了一口气。亮心也紧跟着上来了，嘴里叼着小鼠。
“你待在这里，”云尾对亮心说道，“如果有獾来了，黛西和她的幼崽需要照顾。”
“那么你就待在这里吧！”亮心盯着云尾说，“我要回去参加战斗。你已经受伤了。”
“看在星族的分上，现在还不是争论的时候！”松鼠飞厉声说道，“我们全都回去。如果有危险，黛西也只能自己应付了，雷族需要所有的武士参加战斗。”
亮心转身消失在悬崖的边缘。云尾嘟哝了一句：“这只母猫！”然后也跟了下去。松鼠飞又把幼崽们检查了一遍，看到他们在蕨丛中缩成一团，很安全，便转身往山谷跑去，正好看到黛西爬了上来，正站在崖边大口喘着气。
“我的孩子在哪里？”她气喘吁吁地问道。
松鼠飞用尾巴指了指，这位马场来的母猫立刻冲向了蕨丛。
“谢谢你。”钻进蕨丛前，她又回过头补充了一句，“祝你好运！”
“我们的确需要好的运气。”松鼠飞沉重地回了一句，然后振作精神，爬下悬崖，回到空地上。
悬崖低下，黑莓掌还在警戒着，和他一起的有香薇云和桦爪。桦爪虽然从獾的攻击下逃脱了，可是臀部的部分皮毛已经被扯掉了，一只眼睛几乎睁不开了。香薇云被抓伤的侧腹正往外流着血。
“看，香薇云，你可以从这里爬出去。”当松鼠飞跳完最后几尾远的距离，敏捷地站在黑莓掌的身边时，听见他说道，“你和桦爪一起爬出去。”
桦爪一脸疑惑，看不清逃生的小路。香薇云轻轻地推着他朝崖壁走去。
“跟紧他！”松鼠飞提醒，“黛西和她的孩子们已经在上面了。看到有武士可以保护他们，她会很高兴的。”
香薇云感激地点点头，紧跟着桦爪，开始穿过荆棘丛往上爬。
黑莓掌躲在荆棘树丛后面往外观望着。“我要去帮着火星保护通道入口。”他说道。
松鼠飞痛苦地吸了一口气说道：“火星还活着吗？”
“我刚才还看见他了。”黑莓掌安慰道，“战斗还没有结束，我待会儿再来找你。”说着，他尾巴抽动了一下，就冲了出去。
看着黑莓掌冲向战斗最激烈的地方，松鼠飞心里突然一紧。真的还可以见面吗？真的已经没有时间来纠正和他之间的错误了吗？
松鼠飞无法忍受失去黑莓掌的念头，所以也准备跟着他加入战斗。就在这时，她听见附近有猫在哀号。她往四下里看看，发现了躲在阴影中的烟毛，他那浅灰色的身影很不容易被发现。松鼠飞感觉烟毛受了重伤，因为他的后腿拖在身后，似乎使不上劲。
“烟毛，到这边来！”她喊道。
烟毛抬起头，因为疼痛，他分辨不出声音的方向。松鼠飞冲到他的跟前，努力拱着他站起来，让他倚靠着自己的肩膀，然后领着他回到了荆棘丛后面。
“你可以从这里出去。”她用尾巴指了指崖壁上的那条小路说道。
烟毛眨掉眼睛里的血滴。“我不能……不能爬……”他喘着粗气说道。
“你必须爬上去！”
松鼠飞把他推到崖壁跟前。烟毛拼命地抓挠着，但他的两条后腿都断了，一点力也使不上，根本无法把他身子往上送。烟毛努力让自己的身体往上爬了几尾高的距离，接着就痛苦地尖叫一声，摔了下来。
就在此时，一只獾毁掉了荆棘丛，朝烟毛冲了过来。松鼠飞看到獾的身上有一块已经愈合的伤疤，她的爪子本能地伸了出来，想要扯烂獾那身粗糙的黑色皮毛。这一定就是他们之前从雷族领地里驱赶出去的那只母獾。松鼠飞和这只愤怒的獾对视着。我还曾经为你感到抱歉呢！她心里想道，当初真不该对你心慈手软！
烟毛抬起头，咆哮一声，举着一只前掌挥了过去。松鼠飞从后面跳到獾身上，狠狠地咬住獾的后腿。獾身子猛地一抖，松鼠飞就像苍蝇一般被甩飞了。她一下子撞到一堆岩石上，几个心跳的时间，都动弹不得。等她挣扎着再爬起来时，看到獾正在慢吞吞地走进黑影里，只留下一动不动的黑魆魆的武士。
“烟毛，不！”松鼠飞跌跌撞撞地跑到烟毛身边。烟毛的喉咙处多了一道很深的口子，眼睛无神地瞪着天空。
“伟大的星族啊！”松鼠飞大叫一声，“为什么要让这种事情发生？”
但是她没时间为族猫难过，她必须马上赶回育婴室。她没有选择走来时的路，而是冒险从空地中间穿过，身边满是尖叫声和挥动的爪子。
我们怎么赢得了！一个尖厉的声音在她的脑海里响起，獾实在太多了！
她不想听这个声音，于是挥爪狠命攻击一只试图拦住自己去路的獾的眼睛，嘶嘶地叫着，直至那只獾让开。等跑到育婴室的时候，她发现蕨毛蜷伏在入口处，正对着一只年轻的獾龇着牙吼叫。那只獾迟疑不决，似乎感觉里面有容易得手的猎物。
几只狐狸身长之外的地方，蜡毛正跟一只岁数大一些、块头也比较大的獾打斗着。松鼠飞看见蜡毛的头部挨了一下，倒在了地上，心里不由一惊。
松鼠飞发出一声尖叫，纵身一跃，撞向了那只獾的身子。那只獾失去了平衡，侧身倒在了地上，露出了防护薄弱的腹部。松鼠飞从獾的爪间冲了过去，前爪狠狠地抓进獾的身体。獾愤怒地号叫着。突然，一阵疼痛传遍了松鼠飞的全身，她这才感觉长长的爪子抓进了自己的肩膀，接着自己就被摔翻在地。獾的身子猛地压在了松鼠飞的身上，獾的重压让松鼠飞喘不过气来，她感觉自己就要被压进到地底下去了，似乎能听到自己骨头碎裂的声音。她的嘴里似乎被热乎乎的皮毛给堵住了，都喘不过气了，意识渐渐模糊了起来。
突然，松鼠飞感觉身体一轻，又可以呼吸了。她大口喘着气，摇摇晃晃站起身，发现蜡毛正用牙咬獾的前腿。獾晃动着身体，想甩掉蜡毛，蜡毛的身子左右摇晃着。松鼠飞愤怒地大叫一声，从另一侧冲了过去。獾扭过头，张开大嘴咬了过来。松鼠飞一低头，躲开了，开始猛烈击打獾的咽喉部位，然后在獾挥动爪子前逃开了。
此时，蜡毛已经跳到了地上，向前方冲去，想把这个庞然大物的注意力从松鼠飞身上引开，好给松鼠飞赢取时间，再次冲上去攻击獾的肩膀。獾左击右打，却怎么都打不中。它的怒吼变成懊恼的咆哮，然后转过身，朝入口处逃去。
松鼠飞与蜡毛交换了一个胜利的眼神，然后转身看向育婴室。蕨毛还在和那只年轻的獾缠斗着，他的牙齿狠狠地咬住了獾的耳朵。没等松鼠飞和蜡毛冲上来帮忙，那只獾的巨掌劈向蕨毛，把他逼开，然后一头冲进了育婴室。
一阵可怕的尖叫声从荆棘丛里传出，松鼠飞顿时呆住了。
“星族啊，请帮帮我！”
第二十三章
第二十三章
叶池和鸦羽在垫脚石边上站住了。沿着垫脚石，可以越过小溪，通向雷族领地。夜幕已经降临，一轮新月高高挂在天空。他们俩已经走了一整天，只在日高时分短暂停留，吃了一只鸦羽在荒原上抓到的兔子。现在，叶池的脚垫又酸又痛，逐渐增强的恐惧让她的心咚咚直跳。
“再见，”她把鼻子放在鸦羽身上说，“等一切结束了，我再去找你。”
“你这是什么意思？是要说‘再见吗？’”鸦羽问道，“附近都是凶恶的獾，我是不会丢下你的。”
“可是你需要给风族报信。”
“我知道，我会去的。但是我要先把你送回到雷族营地。这用不了多少时间的。”
看着他固执的眼神，叶池知道再争论下去只是浪费时间。于是她轻盈地踩着垫脚石，越过小溪，带头走下山坡，消失在树林中。
在没有遮挡的天空下走了那么长时间之后，再次进入树林时，叶池不由长舒了一口气。但是这种回家的喜悦并没有持续太长时间。几乎立刻就有一股恶臭味弥漫在他们周围，遮蔽住了森林里的其他气息。
“是獾！”鸦羽咆哮道。
叶池吓得说不出话来。虽然经过荒原上的长途跋涉，她已经很累了，但还是加快了步伐，最后在树林里跑了起来。鸦羽则不离她的左右。快靠近雷族营地的时候，叶池听见了一路上一直梦到的那种声音：猫搏斗时的怒吼声，以及混杂其中的对手的咆哮声。獾已经闯入了营地！
等她赶到山谷边缘时，听到蕨丛中沙沙直响，有猫在哀号：“千万可别再来了！哦，救命啊！”
叶池猛地转过身，看到香薇云和黛西正躲在蕨丛下往外张望。刚刚呼喊的是黛西。
“叶池！”香薇云高兴地叫了起来，“你怎么……”她突然停住了，然后接着说，“不，不要停下来！快去帮助族猫！”
叶池和鸦羽继续向前，跑下斜坡来到了入口处。原本用来保护族猫的荆棘屏障已经被獾那可怕的脚掌所践踏，完全毁掉了，树枝四处散落着。空地上，到处都是獾的身影，它们长满厚实皮毛的肩膀，随着每一次扑击上下起伏着。叶池一眼就瞥见父亲正用力挥动尾巴，把全族的猫聚集到一起，他那绿色的眼睛里喷射出愤怒的光。
“大家跟我来！把它们赶出去！”他咆哮着，朝身边一只鼻子上有伤疤的巨大公獾扑了过去。
尘毛和黑莓掌紧随其后。尘毛扑向那只獾的肩膀，伸出利爪，狠狠抓在獾的身上。黑莓掌则咆哮着朝离自己仅有一尾巴远的另一只獾扑了过去，趁对方低头的机会，一跃而起，狠狠咬住了它的耳朵。
空地边缘处刚刚建成两个月的巢穴全被毁掉了，枝条散落一路，叶池几乎都认不出自己的家园了。一只体形硕大的獾肆意践踏着武士巢穴，正追赶着雨须。在离叶池一尾远的地方，另一只獾正跟蛛足战成一团，沙风则狠狠地咬住了它的后腿。
我回来得太晚了！叶池惊恐地想着。她在獾群里并没有看到午夜。没准一心复仇的族獾把它堵在了路上，不让它给猫族报信。没准它们已经把它给杀死了！
叶池抛开恐惧，迈开脚步，穿过被摧毁的荆棘丛，冲到空地上。她必须做些什么来帮助族猫，而不是站在一边等死。她正要冲过去参加战斗，却忽然听到一声可怕的尖叫声从喧闹声中升起。声音是从育婴室方向传出来的，只有那里的荆棘丛还挺立着。
“是炭毛！”她对鸦羽惊呼道。
她的脚掌似乎生出了翅膀，飞快地跑过空地，根本没有注意到一只獾正朝她扑过来。鸦羽急忙迎了上去，又是嘶吼，又是猛击，才让那只獾退后几步。等叶池朝育婴室跑去时，鸦羽也紧跟了过来。
在育婴室外面，一只暗姜黄色的猫正躺在尘土里，一只獾正向她逼近。
“松鼠飞！”叶池大喊一声。
她的爪子狠狠抓进了獾的腿中。獾来回摆动脑袋，乱咬着。鸦羽挡在叶池身前，双爪挥向獾的眼睛。那只獾痛苦地嚎叫一声，向后退了几步，一瘸一拐地跑掉了。
叶池扑到妹妹身旁。只有她俩之间的神秘感应让她感觉到，妹妹没有死。“叶池……你回来了！”看到松鼠飞抬起了头，困惑地眨巴着眼睛，叶池感到一阵轻松从耳朵一直传到了尾巴尖。
“是的，我回来了。你受伤了？”
松鼠飞大口喘着粗气。“只是……有些喘不过气。叶池，那里面……”她的目光转向育婴室，“炭毛……还有栗尾……要生了。獾……闯进去了。”
恐惧再次传遍叶池的全身：我来得太晚了！
她跃过松鼠飞，进入了育婴室。幽暗的育婴室里，回荡着邪恶的咆哮声，一声惊恐的哀号传了出来。叶池听出那是栗尾的声音。“栗尾，我是叶池。炭毛在哪里？”叶池忙问道。
黑暗中，叶池只能勉强辨认出一个庞大的身躯。獾的恶臭充斥着整个育婴室。她扑了过去，立刻与那个披着粗糙皮毛的坚硬身体战在了一起。叶池伸出利爪猛抓獾的身体，喘着粗气怒吼道：“出去！滚出去！”入侵者头扭向了她。看到獾那闪着凶光的眼睛，叶池立刻意识到，自己正在经历那个黑雾滚动的噩梦。
她挥出一爪，抓在了獾的鼻子上，獾的血一下子就喷涌了出来，那股腥热的气味和獾的恶臭顿时混合在了一起。一只爪子朝她劈了过来，但还没等爪子落下，鸦羽就出现在她的身边，对着獾的脸就是一阵猛击。
獾痛苦地嚎叫起来，转过身，把叶池挤到一边，直接朝育婴室的入口处蹿了出去，一路踩断了更多的荆棘。如水的月光透过荆棘的缝隙照射进来，洒在松鼠飞和蜡毛惊恐的脸上。
“怎么了？是不是炭毛受伤了？”松鼠飞声音沙哑地问道。
“我还不知道。”叶池吓得身子直发抖，“我会去照看她。你们留下警戒。”
松鼠飞点点头，和蜡毛回到入口处。鸦羽的鼻子匆匆蹭了一下叶池的鼻子。“有事就喊我。”说完他跟着他们走了。
育婴室的地面上铺着一层厚厚的苔藓和蕨叶。栗尾躺在最里面，她抬着头，眼睛惊恐地瞪着前方。她的肚子剧烈地起伏着，叶池知道她马上就要生了。于是，叶池朝栗尾身边跑去，不料脚爪却碰到了一个静止的伤痕累累的身体。
是炭毛。只见她蜷伏在苔藓铺的窝里，爪子和尾巴软绵绵的，眼睛闭着，鲜血正慢慢从她腹侧的一道口子里往出流。
“炭毛……”叶池小声喊道，“炭毛，我是叶池！醒一醒！”
炭毛猛地睁开了眼睛，向上凝视着叶池。“叶池，”炭毛的声音非常沙哑，“我一直在向星族祈祷，希望你回来。”
“我不该离开你。”叶池在炭毛身边蜷伏下来，呼吸着她熟悉的气息，“对不起，对不起！炭毛，请不要死！”
她从地上抓起一爪苔藓，摁到炭毛腹侧的伤口上。“你会没事的，”她说道，“等止住血了，我就去找些金盏花来，确保伤口不会发炎。然后，我给你再吃些罂粟籽止痛，这样你就可以好好地睡上一大觉了，醒来时就会好多了。”
“不用了，叶池！”炭毛低声说，“没有用的。”阴影中，叶池看到炭毛的眼神变得暗淡起来。“我就要加入星族了。”炭毛说。
“不要这样说！”叶池哭喊着，抓起更多的苔藓往炭毛的伤口上按。但是炭毛身上的血仍不断地往外流淌着，一点也没有停下的迹象。
炭毛挣扎着想抬起头，但已经没有太多的力气，只得作罢。“没事的！”她轻声说，“星族说它们很快就来接我。这是它们给我安排的命运之路。”
“你早就知道了？”叶池觉得自己的爪前出现了一道黑色的裂口，而她正无助地往里面坠落，“你知道自己快要死了，却没有告诉我？”
“这是我的命运，不是你的。”
“但你知道我在跟鸦羽约会！你知道如果我离开了，雷族就没有巫医了！你应该强迫我留下来！”
她的老师慢慢地眨了一下眼睛，那双蓝色的眼睛一下子变得非常明亮：“叶池，我绝不强迫你做任何事情。如果你不高兴，我不会让你留下来。你必须要发自内心地想当巫医。”
“我想当。”叶池低声说，“我想当。”要追随自己的内心。斑叶也这么说过的。
“你是一位很棒的巫医。”炭毛对她说。
“不，我不是。我抛下了你和族群，离开了。哦，炭毛，对不起！”
炭毛的尾巴尖轻轻晃动一下：“没有什么对不起的。知道雷族有巫医照顾了，我就能开心地加入星族了。”
“不！”叶池哭泣了起来，似乎觉得仅凭希望的力量就能让时光倒转，阻止老师的死亡，“这都是我的错。我应该留在这里，我应该……”
炭毛摇了摇头。“没有用的，”她说道，“我们无法改变命运。我们必须有知道命运和接受命运的勇气。”然后，她发出一声长长的叹息：“星族在等着我了。再见，叶池。”
她的眼睛闭上了，身体抖动了一下，然后就再也不动弹了。
“炭毛！”叶池的鼻子深深埋进老师的皮毛中，似乎秃叶季的所有冰霜都聚集在自己的身上了。
过了一会儿，她感觉有个温暖的身体蹭着自己，这才意识到鸦羽在自己身边蜷伏了下来。“对不起，叶池，”他低声说道，“我知道她对你有多重要。”
“她教会了我一切，现在她死了。”叶池哀号着，“我不知道该怎么办！我信任斑叶，她告诉我要遵从自己的内心，但是她明知道炭毛就要死了，怎么就不告诉我呢？”
鸦羽紧紧地贴着她，用舌头轻轻舔着她的脸和耳朵，抚慰着。“你确实遵从了你的内心，”他说道，“你的心告诉你要回家。离开了你的族群，你永远也不会高兴。”
叶池扭头看着他，发现他蓝色的眼睛里满是痛苦。“可是你该怎么办呢？”叶池轻声说道。
鸦羽低下了头，说道：“你的心在这里，不在我身上，从来就没有真正和我在一起。”
叶池感觉自己似乎被分成了两半，但她知道鸦羽说得对。她的确爱他，但是爱得还不够。她靠向他，最后一次感受着他的温暖和力量。然后，她用鼻子碰碰炭毛的身体。
“好了，”她轻声说道，“我会留下来照顾雷族，我发誓。终有一天，我们还会相见，一起在星光下散步。”
有那么一阵子，她感觉到有两只猫来到自己身边，她嗅到两股熟悉的气息——斑叶和炭毛正围绕着自己。
“愿星族保佑你，叶池！”斑叶轻声说道。炭毛又加了一句：“我们会永远照看你。”
然后，她们就消失了。叶池仍蜷伏在育婴室的地上，外面战斗的咆哮声仍然没有停息，而栗尾在远远的角落里正大口地喘着气，她的孩子正挣扎着要来到这个世界。
“你的朋友需要帮忙，”鸦羽说道，“我能做些什么？”
“去帮其他猫把獾赶走。”叶池很惊讶自己的声音竟然如此镇静，“如果有机会，请让哪只猫带你去炭毛的巢穴取一些水薄荷来。如果实在没有机会，也没关系。最重要的是，把獾赶出去。”
深烟灰色武士点了一下头，迅速离开了。叶池小心翼翼地绕过炭毛的身体，走过铺满苔藓的地面，来到栗尾的身边。
“不要担心。”她安慰着栗尾，“有我在，不会有事的。”
第二十四章
第二十四章
松鼠飞听到身后有爪子落地的声音，猛地转过身来。鸦羽正从育婴室里走了出来。
“里面的情况怎么样了？”她急忙问道。
风族武士呆呆地盯着她，目光似乎都要穿透松鼠飞的身体。“炭毛死了。”他声音沙哑地说道。
松鼠飞的肚子一紧。这不可能！星族不会这么残酷！她想冲进育婴室亲眼看看，安慰安慰姐姐。但是她知道自己必须待在原地，要为栗尾守着入口，直到她把孩子生下来。
她前方的山谷逐渐空旷起来，似乎已经有獾被赶了出去，但是族猫还没有取得这场战斗的胜利。地上有太多一动不动的毛茸茸的尸体，太多的鲜血流进备受践踏的土地。
松鼠飞看到，在几尾远的地方，火星和蕨毛正在和一只长腿的公獾战斗在一起。在他俩的轮番攻击下，獾有些难以招架。獾不住地抡起巨大的爪子还击着，密度很大，力道很足，足以把猫的头盖骨击碎，把四肢打断。她四处找寻着黑莓掌，却没有看到，不由心里一阵紧张。
鸦羽蜷伏在她的身边，他那蓝色的眼睛越过空地，喷射着怒火。
“你觉得他会不会是在为我们死去的巫医难过？”蜡毛对着松鼠飞的耳朵轻声说。
松鼠飞什么都没有说。她知道这位深烟灰色武士不仅仅是因为炭毛的事而难过。
又有一只獾慢慢地移出阴影，大张着嘴巴，露出两排尖尖的黄色牙齿。它的一个肩膀受了重伤，鲜血直流。一想到能把獾伤成这样的武士，不知道会受多么严重的伤，松鼠飞心里不由一颤。蜡毛跳到这个庞然大物前，不让它靠近育婴室。松鼠飞也一个跳跃，跟了过去。“鸦羽，守住入口！”她大喊一声。
但是还没等她赶上蜡毛，就听见一声惊恐的哀号。她回过头，看见白爪平躺在被踏平的荆棘屏障旁边，一只獾正在逼近，白爪吓得不敢动弹了。松鼠飞急忙转身冲到这位学徒身边。她瞄准獾，伸出爪子，但没有攻击又马上收了回来，难以置信地盯着它。
“白爪，别怕！”过了一会儿，她好不容易才磕磕巴巴地挤出了几个字，“这就是午夜。”
“你好，小武士。”午夜粗声粗气地说道。
松鼠飞本能地松了一口气，但是转念一想，疑心又起：午夜到这里来，会不会是为它的族獾助战的？想到这里，松鼠飞不由后退一步，护在白爪前面。
“你在这里做什么？”松鼠飞问道。
“不必害怕，”午夜安慰道，“我可不是来战斗的，我带来了援兵。”
说着午夜脑袋一歪，似乎在听着什么，然后身体突然闪到一边，潮水般的猫群冲进了雷族营地。一大群强壮、士气高昂的武士们愤怒地号叫着朝着獾冲了过去，有裂耳、灰脚、白尾、一星……
风族来帮忙了！
一直和火星、蕨毛战斗着的獾踉踉跄跄后退着，然后一转身逃跑了。火星和网脚在后面追着，发出嘶嘶的叫声。夜云、一星与蜡毛一起赶走了那只在育婴室附近游荡的獾。松鼠飞也冲过去想帮忙，却发现所有的入侵者已经逃出了空地。她猛地停下来，看着獾慌里慌张地踏着入口处散落一地的荆棘丛逃走了。
这时，松鼠飞看见黑莓掌正站在不远处，腹部剧烈地起伏着，不由大大松了一口气。她迎上黑莓掌的目光，他的眼睛里有着和她一样的惊讶：不久前还拒绝他们友谊的风族竟然来支援了！
一直跟蜡毛战斗的那只獾一瘸一拐地从松鼠飞的身边逃走，夜云和一星紧紧追在后边。当那只獾仓皇跑过残存的荆棘屏障，最后消失在树林里后，一星停在了黑莓掌面前。
“你来了。”黑莓掌说道。
“我们当然来了。”一星的眼睛里洋溢着自豪的神色，“虽然森林分属四个猫族，但是我们依然可以互相帮助。”
蜡毛摇摇晃晃地站到松鼠飞身边。松鼠飞扭过身去舔他身上的伤口。蜡毛肩膀和鼻子上的皮毛都被抓掉了，前腿上还有一个深深的大口子。即使是在照顾蜡毛的时候，松鼠飞一直在想，自己似乎更担心黑莓掌的安危。
“你最好还是让叶池看看那个伤口。”她对蜡毛说道。刚刚，她差点就说成“炭毛”。
“一会儿吧！”蜡毛说道，“我的伤并不严重。看到一星和他的武士们时，我简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。”他又补充了一句：“我还以为我们都要加入星族了。”
“还没到那个时候。”松鼠飞安慰着他。但刚才所发生的一切，让她不由得想放声大哭。除了炭毛和烟毛，还死了多少猫？还有多少猫会因为伤势过重而死？
最后一批獾也被风族赶跑了。精疲力竭的雷族武士开始在营地中央聚集起来，站在午夜周围。他们的眼睛里依然透着恐惧，似乎不敢相信战斗已经结束。
白爪爬起来，朝云尾和亮心跑了过去，他俩正从长老巢穴慢慢走过来。云尾的白色皮毛上沾满了血迹和泥土，他重重地靠在亮心的肩膀上。鼠毛领着长尾走下高石台，眯起眼睛四处张望着，似乎不敢相信入侵者已经离开了。不久，金花也跟了过来，黑莓掌、刺掌和沙风也来到了营地中央。
尘毛一瘸一拐地走上前来，满眼惊恐地扫了一眼空地。“香薇云呢？”他急切地问道，“桦爪呢？”
“他们没事，”松鼠飞安慰道，“他们在营地外照看黛西和她的孩子们。”
这位暗棕色武士显然大大松了口气，一下子趴在地上，开始舔肩膀上的伤口。
火星摇摇晃晃地走过来，站在午夜面前，一脸疑惑地看着，似乎很纳闷这只獾为什么没有逃跑。他的肌肉慢慢紧绷了起来，随时准备发动攻击。松鼠飞赶紧走上前去。
“火星，这位就是午夜，”她介绍道，“就是我们在太阳沉没之地遇到的那只獾。午夜，这位是我们的族长，火星。”
火星绿色的眼睛瞬间变得轻松起来。“就是那只警告我们要离开森林的獾吗？”他低头向午夜表示敬意，“欢迎你来这里。”
“我很高兴来到这里，”午夜告诉他，“又看到了在旅途中认识的朋友。但我希望大家能高兴点。”
“我们也一样。”火星疲惫地叹了一口气，“你知道这次袭击是吧？你是过来警告我们的？”
“不，它是来警告我们的。”一星走到火星身边说，“并请求我们来帮忙。”
“进攻比我预想得要早，”午夜解释着，“我独自跑到雷族警告已经没什么用了，我只好去找更多能战斗的猫。”
火星感激地眨眨眼说：“很高兴你这么做。感谢星族让你发现了獾族的阴谋。”
“我一始是从星星中看到了獾的意图的，”这只老獾对他说道，“然后我去找族獾，劝它们要和平相处，但是它们不肯听，什么也不给我说。它们喊我‘猫友’，有的说得更难听。”
松鼠飞活动着爪子说：“真希望刚才多扯些獾毛，帮你出出气，午夜。”
午夜耸耸肩。“那不重要。要是我能早些赶过来就好了。它们最恨的是河族，”它又加了一句，“是那里的武士最先把它们赶走的。”
“我们最好马上通知豹星，”火星说道，“獾群仍有可能去进攻河族的。”
一想到要绕过大湖，长途跋涉才能到达河族，松鼠飞顿时就觉得肩膀一沉。
“没必要，”午夜粗哑的声音说道，“我的族獾们已经没有力气再战了，下次它们攻击猫群前，一定会三思的。”
“感谢星族！”松鼠飞轻声说道。她正心里在想还要多久，才能爬回已经残破的武士巢穴去睡一觉，这时，姐姐的声音突然从身后响起：“蕨毛？蕨毛在吗？”
这位金棕色武士正躺在空地边缘的一小束蕨丛中，身上的血慢慢滴进了土中，看起来似乎已经昏过去了。叶池走到他跟前时，蕨毛抬起了头。
“栗尾？”他摇摇晃晃着站了起来，“是栗尾，对吧？她还好吗？”
叶池蹭着蕨毛的皮毛，看起来已经疲惫不堪：“她很好，生了四只健康幼崽。”
“四只？”蕨毛的尾巴卷了起来，“太好了！谢谢你，叶池。”他跑过营地，冲进了育婴室。
松鼠飞看着他离去的身影。感谢风族让他们赢得了这场战斗。雷族经历过比这次还要严重的灾难，迟早有一天还会和以往一样强大。育婴室里四条新生命，似乎就是星族所给的承诺。
然而，也有生命结束了。炭毛的死，会让雷族哀悼很长一段时间。但是如果叶池没有回来，情况会更糟糕。
松鼠飞用舌头舔着姐姐的耳朵说：“你能回来，我真是太高兴了。”
叶池回头看了一眼鸦羽，他正一动不动地蜷伏在育婴室外面，然后把头又扭向妹妹说：“我也很高兴自己回来了。”
风族猫回到营地时，鸦羽站了起来。
“看，是鸦羽！”白尾惊叫起来，“他在这里干什么？”
一星迈开大步，站到这位深烟灰色的武士面前说：“鸦羽，你回来了……但是你却没有回自己的族群。”
鸦羽坚定地看着一星，说道：“我想先把叶池安全地送回雷族营地。现在我已经准备好回家了。”
“我们需要好好谈一谈，但不是现在。”一星说道。
鸦羽点点头，跟在一星后面，走向火星。
“一星，雷族每只猫都要感谢你，”火星说道，“没有你，雷族就会有更多的武士加入星族了。”
“你过去也曾帮过风族。”一星回答道，“我们过来帮助你们，也是应该的。”
“我们不会忘记……”火星说道。
这时，火星突然被刺掌的惊呼声给打断了。刺掌离营地的入口最近，难道獾又回来了？想到这里，松鼠飞一下子僵住了，她觉得自己现在连一只爪子都抬不起来了，更不用说去保护自己了。
但当她看见在散得到处都是的荆棘条中，有两只猫正小心翼翼地走过来时，所有的疲惫一扫而空。走在前面的是一位强壮的武士，一身浓密的深灰色皮毛，他在空地边缘停了下来，四下里观望着。
“真没想到营地里会变成这样，”他说道，“发生什么事了？”
松鼠飞难以置信地看着他。在经历了獾的袭击之后，她本以为，再也不会有什么事能惊到她了。但有一个心跳的时间，她完全忘记了呼吸。
两只猫好奇地打量着疲惫不堪的众猫，他们的皮毛光亮，气定神闲。他们正是暴毛和溪儿。
特别感谢基立•鲍德卓