PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
“Prey-stealers! This is our territory.”A gray tomcat spat out the words. His neck fur bristled and his lips were drawn back in a snarl. His gaze raked over the group of cats who crouched below him on the steep path. Their claws were unsheathed and their eyes were bright and hungry. One of them had a limp rabbit dangling from her jaws. “Ourterritory and ourprey.”
A silver tabby tom gave him an insolent stare. “If it’s your territory, why are there no border markings? The prey here belongs to every cat.”
“That’s not true and you know it.” A black she-cat stood close to the gray tom’s shoulder, her tail lashing. “Get out now!” From the side of her mouth she added in a low mutter, “Crag, we can’t fight them. Remember what happened last time.”
“I know, Night,” the gray tom replied. “But what else can we do?”
On Crag’s other side a huge brown tabby tom thrust his way forward, letting out a hiss of fury. “Take one more paw step and we’ll rip your fur off,” he growled.
Crag touched him on the shoulder with the tip of his tail. “Steady, Talon,” he warned. “Let’s get out of this without ripping fur if we can.”
More cats appeared around a curve in the path, filling the narrow space behind the silver tabby.
“Sheer.” Crag summoned a small tabby tom with a flick of his ears. “Get back to the cave, quickly. Tell them the invaders are back.”
“But—” Sheer was obviously reluctant to leave his friends when they were already outnumbered.
“Now!” Crag snapped.
Sheer turned and fled up the path.
The sun was going down. Rocks cast long shadows over the rough ground, stained red as blood. The faint sound of tumbling water broke the silence, and from the sky came the harsh cry of a hawk.
“This is as far as you go,” Crag meowed. “Turn back and find somewhere else to hunt.”
“Who’s going to make us?” the silver tabby sneered.
“Try staying here, and you’ll see,” Talon hissed.
Crag’s patrol pressed up beside him, blocking the path. But the intruders began fanning out, scrambling onto the boulders on either side. Crag crouched, tensing his muscles. He would fight if he had to, in spite of what had happened last time.
“Stop!”
A brown tabby tom shouldered his way through Crag’s patrol to stand in front of the invaders. Though his muzzle was gray with age, his muscles were still wiry and powerful and he held his head high.
“I am Stoneteller, Tribe-Healer of the Tribe of Rushing Water,” he announced, his voice echoing hoarsely off the rocks. “This is our territory, and you are not welcome here.”
“Territory only belongs to cats who can defend it,” the silver tabby retorted.
“Remember how we drove you out, before the time of frozen water?” Stoneteller growled. “We will do the same again, unless you leave now.”
The silver tabby narrowed his eyes. “Drove us out? That’s not how I remember it.”
“We choseto leave,” a brown-and-white she-cat added from where she crouched on top of a boulder. “We found a better place to spend leaf-bare, with more prey.”
“And now we chooseto come back.” The tabby tom lashed his tail. “A few scrawny, flea-ridden excuses for cats aren’t going to stop us.” He flexed his claws, scraping the stones.
“The Tribe of Rushing Water has always made its home in these mountains,” Stoneteller meowed. “We—”
His words were lost in a yowl of fury as the brown-and-white she-cat launched herself from the boulder and fastened her claws in Night’s shoulder. The tabby tom let out a fearsome screech and hurled himself at Crag. As Crag rolled over and over, clawing at his attacker, the air filled with the shrieks of battling cats.
Far above, the Tribe of Endless Hunting looked on helplessly.
CHAPTER1
CHAPTER1
Jaypaw stretched, feeling the sun beatdown on his fur. A warm breeze whispered around him, full of the scents of green, growing things. Somewhere above his head a bird was trilling, and he could hear the muffled slap of lake water on the shore.
“Jaypaw!”
Light paw steps ruffled the sound of the waves. Jaypaw pictured his mentor, Leafpool, splashing through the shallow water at the edge of the lake.
“Jaypaw!” she repeated, her voice sounding closer. “Come join me. The cool water feels wonderful.”
“No, thanks,” Jaypaw muttered.
For him, water was more than the gentle lapping of the lake against his paws. Instead, the sound of the waves brought back memories of cold water surging around him, the weight of soaked fur dragging him down, water filling his mouth and nose and choking the life out of him. He had drowned once in his dreams, lost in the underground tunnels with the ancient warrior Fallen Leaves, and had almost drowned for real when he and his Clanmates rescued the missing WindClan kits.
I’ve had enough water to last for the rest of my life
“Okay.” Leafpool’s paw steps retreated, faster now as if she was bounding through the shallows, carefree as a kit.
Jaypaw padded on along the shoreline. He was supposed to be looking for mallow, but when he tasted the breeze he couldn’t pick up any of the familiar pungent scent. As soon as the sound of Leafpool’s paw steps faded, he veered away from the water and scrambled up the bank. He had something more important than herbs to find. He prowled forward, nose close to the ground as he sniffed his way through clumps of grass and around shrubs until he came to the gnarled roots of a tree.
Here it is!
He dug his teeth into one end of the stick and pulled it out from behind the root that held it fast to the bank, away from the hungry waves. Crouching beside it, he ran his paw over the scratches, finding the group of five long and three short that stood for the five apprentices and three kits who had been trapped in the tunnels as the waters rose. All of them were scored through: Every cat had made it out alive. Jaypaw remembered making the scratches with Rock’s scent wreathing around him; he had almost felt as though the hairless paw of the ancient spirit was guiding his claws.
But Jaypaw could also feel the single unscored scratch. Fallen Leaves, the ancient cat who had guided them, still walked the tunnels alone.
He closed his eyes and listened for the voices that used to whisper to him, but he could hear nothing except the wind in the trees and the ripple of the lake. “Fallen Leaves? Rock?” he murmured. “Where are you? Why won’t you talk to me anymore?”
There was no reply. Jaypaw dragged the stick farther into the open, rolling it down the bank until the lake water could wash over it. He sniffed along its length, but all echoes of the past had vanished.
Jaypaw swallowed hard, almost ready to start wailing like a kit that had lost its mother. He wanted to speak to Rock, to find out more about the cats who had lived around the lake so long ago. He wanted to know why Fallen Leaves had been left to walk the caves when all the other ancient cats, even the others who had died down there, had passed on somewhere else.
He was convinced these were the same cats he had felt around him at the Moonpool, whose paw prints dimpled the spiral path that led down to the water. They were far older than the Clans, older even than StarClan. What wisdom they would be able to share with him! They might even be able to explain the prophecy to him, the mysterious words he had heard in Firestar’s dream.
There will be three, kin of your kin, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws.
“Jaypaw, what do you think you’re doing?”
Jaypaw started. He had been so intent on the stick and his thoughts of the ancient cats that he hadn’t heard Leafpool approaching. Now he could scent her close to him and pick up the irritation that flowed off her.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“We need more mallow, Jaypaw. Just because we aren’t on the brink of battle now doesn’t mean that cats won’t get sick or injured. Medicine cats have to be ready.”
“I know, okay?” Jaypaw retorted. And who stopped the battle?he demanded silently. WindClan and ThunderClan would have ripped each other apart if it wasn’t for me and the others finding those lost kits
He didn’t want to explain himself to his mentor. He could sense her looking on severely while he rolled the stick back up the bank and hid it again under the tree root. Then he padded away from her, along the top of the bank, jaws parted to pick up the scents of growing things.
Before he had covered many fox-lengths he paused, staring sightlessly out across the lake. Wind buffeted his fur, pressing it close to his body.
Where are you?His mind called out to those long-ago cats.
Speak to me, please!
“Jaypaw! Hey, Jaypaw!”
That wasn’t the voice he wanted to hear. Biting back a hiss of irritation, Jaypaw turned to face Hazelpaw; he could pick up her scent and hear her paw steps as she bounded up to him.Blundering through the bracken like a fox in a fit!
“Look what I’ve got!” Hazelpaw’s voice sounded gleeful and also half stifled, as if she was speaking around a piece of prey gripped in her jaws.
Jaypaw didn’t bother to point out that he couldn’t lookat anything. Besides, the strong scent of vole told him what Hazelpaw was carrying.
“This is my last hunting assessment.” The apprentice’s voice was clearer now; she must have put down her prey. “If we do well, Berrypaw, Mousepaw, and I will be made warriors today.”
“Great.” Jaypaw tried to sound enthusiastic, but he was still annoyed at her for distracting him from ancient cats.
“I’m sure Dustpelt will be pleased with me,” Hazelpaw went on. “This vole is huge! It’s enough to feed both of Daisy’s new kits.”
“Daisy’s new kits can’t eat vole yet,” Jaypaw reminded her. Is she completely mouse-brained?“They were only born four sunrises ago.”
“Well, it’ll do for Daisy, then.” Hazelpaw still sounded excited. “She’ll need to eat well now that she’s feeding kits. Have you visited them yet? They’re the sweetest things I’ve ever seen! Daisy told me she’s named them Rosekit and Toadkit.”
“I know,” Jaypaw mewed shortly.
“I can’t wait until they’re old enough to come out of the nursery and play,” Hazelpaw went on. “Do you think Firestar might let me mentor one of them? I’ll have warrior experience by the time they’re ready.”
“They’re your half brother and sister,” Jaypaw meowed discouragingly. “Firestar probably won’t—”
“Hazelpaw!” A sharp voice interrupted, and Jaypaw heard the rustle of Hazelpaw’s mentor, Dustpelt, pushing his way through bracken. Annoyance was rolling off him in waves. “Are you hunting or gossiping?” he demanded.
“Sorry. Have you seen my vole, Dustpelt? It’s enormous!”
Jaypaw heard Dustpelt pad up and sniff the vole.
“Very good,” the warrior mewed. “But that doesn’t mean you can sit back and wash your tail. There’s lots more prey in the forest. I’ll take this back to camp, and you can carry on.”
“Okay. See you later, Jaypaw!”
Jaypaw remembered to call out, “Good luck!” as Hazelpaw bounded away, but his mind was already drifting back to the ancient cats. Their silence troubled him. Have I done something wrong? Are Rock and Fallen Leaves angry with me?His mind gnawed at the problem while he found a clump of mallow and bit off the stems to carry back to camp.
“Well done, Jaypaw.” Leafpool’s voice came from behind him as he was finishing the task. “Let’s go.”
Jaypaw gathered up the bundle of stems in his jaws. It was a good excuse not to talk. As he padded back through the forest behind his mentor he was still absentminded, hardly noticing the scents of prey or the scuffling of small creatures in the undergrowth. He was far away, trying to walk in the paw steps of those ancient cats.
Then a bird let out a sudden alarm call. Jaypaw started at the fierce beating of wings right in front of his nose, dropping his mallow as he jumped back.
“Hey!” Berrypaw’s indignant yowl came from a few tail-lengths away. “That was my thrush you just scared off. Couldn’t you see I was stalking it?”
“No, I couldn’t seethat.” Guilt and annoyance at his own clumsiness made Jaypaw savage. “I’m blind, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“But you can do better than that,” Leafpool meowed crossly. “Keep your mind on what you’re doing, Jaypaw. You’ve been scattier than a rabbit all morning.”
“Well, I hope he hasn’t messed up my assessment,” Berrypaw muttered. “I’d have had that thrush if it wasn’t for him.”
“I know,” Brambleclaw meowed.
Jaypaw picked up the ThunderClan deputy’s scent a little farther away. Mousepaw and his mentor, Spiderleg, were nearby, too. Oh, no! Has all of ThunderClan been watching?
“There’s no point in wailing over lost prey,” Brambleclaw went on, padding closer. “And a warrior doesn’t get worked up over one little setback. Come on, Berrypaw, see if you can find a mouse among the tree roots over there.”
“Okay.” Jaypaw could tell that Berrypaw was still angry, in spite of what his mentor had said. “Jaypaw, just keep out of my way, will you?”
“No problem,” Jaypaw shot back at him.
“Yes, it’s time we got back to the clearing.” Leafpool gave Jaypaw a nudge with her shoulder. “This way.”
I know where the camp is, thanks!
Jaypaw collected his herbs and padded behind his mentor through the thorn tunnel and into the stone hollow. Brushing past the screen of brambles in front of the medicine cats’ den, he deposited his bundle in the cave at the back.
“I’m going to get some fresh-kill, okay?” he mewed.
“Just a moment, Jaypaw.” Leafpool set her own herbs down and sat in front of him. Jaypaw could sense her impatience and frustration. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately,” she began. “Ever since you and the others found the WindClan kits by the edge of the lake…”
There was a question in her voice, and Jaypaw could taste a powerful scent of curiosity coming from her. Leafpool clearly knew there was more to the story of the lost kits than he and his littermates were telling. But there was no way he would reveal that the kits had actually been wandering in the network of tunnels that lay beneath ThunderClan and WindClan territory. He knew that Lionpaw and Hollypaw, as well as the WindClan apprentices Heatherpaw and Breezepaw, would keep quiet too. No cat wanted to admit that Lionpaw and Heatherpaw had been playing in the tunnels for moons.
So they couldn’t tell the story of how nearly they had drowned, along with the missing kits, as rain filled the tunnels and swelled the underground stream into a terrifying flood. Jaypaw still had nightmares about the surging, suffocating river.
“Jaypaw, are you all right?” Leafpool went on. Her irritation was fading, giving way to concern, a sticky flood that threatened to overwhelm Jaypaw just like the water in the tunnels. “You would tell me, wouldn’t you, if anything was wrong?”
“Sure,” he muttered, hoping his mentor wouldn’t detect the lie. “Everything’s fine.”
Leafpool hesitated. Jaypaw felt his fur begin to prickle defensively. But the medicine cat only sighed and mewed, “Go and eat, then. Later, when it’s a bit cooler, we’ll go up to the old Twoleg nest and collect some catmint.”
Before she had finished speaking, Jaypaw was on his paws and pushing his way out past the brambles. He padded over to the fresh-kill pile, sniffed out a plump mouse, and carried it back to a sunny spot outside his den to eat it. Sunhigh was just past, and the stone hollow was filled with warmth. His belly comfortably full, Jaypaw lay on his side and cleaned his whiskers with one paw.
Cinderpaw and Hollypaw had just pushed their way in through the thorn tunnel. Even at a distance Jaypaw could pick up the mossy scent of the training hollow clinging to their fur.
“I’m sorry I beat you every time,” Hollypaw meowed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” Cinderpaw insisted. “I wouldn’tbe okay if you let me win by not fighting your best.”
Her voice sounded brave, but Jaypaw could tell from her paw steps that Cinderpaw’s injured leg was troubling her. There was nothing more the medicine cats could do; only time could strengthen the leg. Or was Cinderpaw destined never to be a warrior, like Cinderpelt before her?
Jaypaw was distracted from Cinderpaw’s problem by the sound of shrill squeals coming from the nursery. He winced. Daisy’s kits were only four sunrises old, but they had huge voices. Their father, Spiderleg, had insisted on taking Mousepaw out for his assessment, even though Dustpelt had offered to take his place so he could spend more time in the nursery. Jaypaw thought Spiderleg seemed awkward around his kits, as if he couldn’t adjust to the idea of being a father.
In any case, Jaypaw thought, the nursery was pretty crowded. Icekit and Foxkit, Ferncloud’s latest litter, were still there, though they were nearly old enough to become apprentices. And Millie, who was expecting Graystripe’s kits, had just moved in. Jaypaw knew that Firestar was proud of how strong ThunderClan was becoming, though he sometimes worried about how they would all be fed.
More rustling came from the thorn tunnel and Lionpaw staggered into the camp with his mentor, Ashfur, just behind him.
“Two mice and a squirrel!” Ashfur meowed. “Well done, Lionpaw. That’s the sort of hunting I expect from you.”
In spite of the words of praise, Ashfur didn’t sound enthusiastic. Jaypaw thought that his brother and Ashfur had never gotten on as well as mentor and apprentice should. There was something there that puzzled him, and something in Ashfur that he couldn’t read.
But it was probably unimportant. Jaypaw dismissed the question from his mind as his brother flopped down beside him, a mouse in his jaws.
“I’m worn out!” Lionpaw announced. “I thought I’d have to chase that squirrel all the way to ShadowClan.”
“Why bother?” Jaypaw asked. “It’s not yourassessment today.”
“I know,” Lionpaw mumbled around a mouthful of fresh-kill. “But that’s not the point. A good warrior will always do as much as he can to feed the Clan.”
And Lionpaw wanted to be the best warrior he could. Jaypaw knew that, and he knew how tense and determined his brother had been ever since they found the kits in the tunnels. He knew the reason, too, even without reading Lionpaw’s mind: His brother had decided to concentrate on his training to make up for meeting the WindClan apprentice Heatherpaw in secret.
Jaypaw’s whiskers twitched in sympathy. As a medicine cat, he was allowed to have friends outside his Clan, though he couldn’t imagine wanting to. How could anyone trust a cat from a different Clan?
The patter of a falling pebble alerted him that Firestar was bounding down from the Highledge. His voice came from close to the warriors’ den.
“We need a border patrol. Which of you—”
Beside Jaypaw, Lionpaw leaped to his feet. “I’ll go!”
For a moment Jaypaw wondered why Firestar was organizing a patrol, until he remembered that the Clan deputy, Brambleclaw, was out in the forest giving Berrypaw his assessment.
“Thanks, Lionpaw,” Firestar meowed, “but I can see you’ve been working hard today.”
Lionpaw sat down again; Jaypaw could tell he was disappointed
“I’ll go.” Graystripe spoke as he pushed his way out of the warriors’ den.
“So will I.” Squirrelflight was just behind him.
“And I’ll come with Honeypaw.” Jaypaw heard Sandstorm padding up from the direction of the apprentices’ den, with her apprentice at her side.
“Good,” meowed Firestar. “I think you should take a look at the border with WindClan. Everything’s been quiet since the kits were found, but you never know.”
“We’ll make sure the scent marks are fresh,” Graystripe promised. “And if we see—”
He broke off at the sound of excited meows and loud rustling from the thorn tunnel. Jaypaw sat up, jaws parted to distinguish the different scents of the newcomers. Berrypaw was first into the clearing, with Hazelpaw and Mousepaw bundling just behind him. They were followed by their mentors, Brambleclaw, Dustpelt, and Spiderleg.
“We did it!” Berrypaw’s triumphant yowl echoed around the stone hollow. “We all passed our assessment, and now we’ll be warriors!”
“Berrypaw.” Brambleclaw sounded stern. “That’s for Firestar to decide.”
“Sorry.” Jaypaw could feel Berrypaw’s sudden dejection and pictured him with head and tail drooping. “But we will get to be warriors, won’t we?”
“Maybe we should assess how well you can keep your mouth shut,” Dustpelt snapped.
“It’s okay.” Firestar sounded amused. “If the mentors will come and speak to me, we’ll arrange the warrior ceremony.”
“What about the border patrol?” Graystripe asked.
“It can wait till dusk. We’re not expecting trouble, after all.”
All the apprentices were gathering in an excited cluster near their den. Lionpaw pelted across to join them. Jaypaw rose, stretched, and followed more slowly.
“…and twovoles,” Berrypaw was meowing as Jaypaw came into earshot. “I’d have had a thrush as well if hehadn’t frightened it away.”
Jaypaw’s neck fur bristled, but before he could speak Hollypaw jumped to his defense. “What does it matter? You passed the assessment.”
Jaypaw’s tail tip twitched. I can look after myself, thanks
“I got a humongous vole.” Hazelpaw was too excited to notice the hostility between Berrypaw and Jaypaw. “And I brought down a blackbird just as it was flying away. Dustpelt said he’d never seen such a good leap.”
“That’s great!” mewed Honeypaw.
“I caught a squirrel,” Mousepaw boasted. Jaypaw remembered how the apprentice had climbed the Sky Oak in pursuit of a squirrel, and then was too scared to climb down again. Cinderpaw had broken her leg going up to fetch him when a branch gave way and she fell. Jaypaw would have bet a moon of searching the elders’ fur for ticks that the squirrel Mousepaw caught had been on the ground.
“I wish wewere being assessed, don’t you?” Hollypaw murmured to Lionpaw. “Sometimes I think we’ll never be warriors.”
“I know.” Lionpaw sounded just as envious; then a jolt of determination shot through him. “We’ll just have to work harder, that’s all.”
Jaypaw didn’t join in the conversation. His paws were set on a different path. He wouldn’t finish his medicine cat training for a long, long time, and when he received his proper name he would still be Leafpool’s apprentice. He wouldn’t be a full medicine cat until she died. Even though his fur prickled at the thought of his littermates moving on without him, he didn’t want his mentor to die.
Besides, the prophecy said that he and the others would have the power of the stars in their paws as soon as they were born. It didn’t say that they had to be warriors first.
Firestar’s voice rang out from the Highledge. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!”
The clearing flooded with different scents as the Clan began to emerge. Jaypaw could make out Mousefur and Longtail, the elders, as they left the shelter of their den under the hazel bush. Leafpool came out of the medicine cats’ den and sat in front of the screen of brambles.
Then the other scents were overwhelmed by Daisy’s, as she bounded over to the group of apprentices.
“Berrypaw, just look at you!” she exclaimed. “Your fur is sticking out all over the place. And Hazelpaw—have you collected every single burr between here and the lake?”
Jaypaw heard the sound of fierce licking.
“It’s okay, I can do it,” Berrypaw protested.
“Nonsense,” Daisy scolded. “You can’t go to your warrior ceremony looking like some scruffy band of rogue kits. Any cat would think I hadn’t brought you up properly.” She began licking Berrypaw again, then broke off to add, “Mousepaw, you’re just as bad! Have you seen the state of your tail?”
“I hope Firestar has forgotten about mytail,” Berrypaw mewed anxiously. “He might use it to give me my warrior name.”
Berrypaw’s tail was just a short stump. When he was a kit he had snuck out of the camp to go hunting and caught his tail in a fox trap.
“What, Berrystumpytail?” Poppypaw suggested. “That would be a mouthful!”
“Oh, no!” Berrypaw wailed. “Firestar wouldn’t, would he?”
“Don’t be silly,” Daisy mewed.
“I’m sure you don’t have to worry.” Brightheart’s voice joined the conversation. Among all the different scents, Jaypaw hadn’t noticed her approach. “When the dog pack attacked me, Bluestar gave me Lostface as my warrior name. But when Firestar became leader, he changed it. I’m sure he wouldn’t give any cat a cruel name.”
“I hope not!” Berrypaw still sounded doubtful.
Suddenly alarmed, Jaypaw thought over what Brightheart had said. “You don’t think Leafpool might mention that I’m blind when she gives me my full medicine cat name?” he muttered into Hollypaw’s ear.
“Like, Jayno-eyes? That’s just as stupid as Berrystumpytail,” his sister replied.
“Youthink it’s stupid, but will Leafpool—”
“Be quiet, all of you,” Graystripe interrupted. “The ceremony is about to start.”
Lionpaw gave Jaypaw a nudge. “Come on. Let’s get a good place at the front. I want to see everything that happens.”
“Yes, it’ll be our turn soon,” Hollypaw meowed enthusiastically.
Jaypaw followed his littermates and the other apprentices to the front of the crowd that had gathered around Firestar. He could sense fizzing pride in the three who were to be made warriors. He pictured them sleek-furred and shiny after their mother’s frantic licking. Daisy felt just as proud, though Jaypaw picked up anxiety, too, for the two tiny kits she had left in the nursery.
Then he located Ferncloud, sitting just outside the nursery with Icekit and Foxkit. The gentle queen would make sure no harm came to the two newborns while their mother watched her first litter become warriors.
“This is a good day for ThunderClan.” The excited murmuring of the Clan cats died into silence as Firestar began to speak. “No Clan can survive without new warriors. Brambleclaw, is your apprentice Berrypaw ready for his warrior ceremony?”
“He has trained well,” Brambleclaw replied.
Jaypaw could feel the excitement of the three apprentices building as Firestar addressed the other two mentors, Dustpelt and Spiderleg. Then he heard their paw steps as they padded forward to stand in front of Firestar.
“I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices.” The Clan leader’s voice rang out above the rustle of trees at the top of the hollow. “They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Berrypaw, Hazelpaw, Mousepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?”
“I do!” the three young cats replied, Berrypaw loudest of all.
For a few heartbeats Jaypaw felt his fur prickle with envy. One day he would have his own naming ceremony as a medicine cat, but he would never stand before his Clan and make the promise to defend it with his life.
“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names,” Firestar went on. “Berrypaw, from this moment you will be known as Berrynose.”
“Oh, thank you!” the new warrior exclaimed, interrupting his Clan leader.
A ripple of amusement passed through the Clan, though Jaypaw caught a hiss of annoyance from Berrynose’s former mentor, Brambleclaw.
Firestar waited for the noise to die down before continuing. “StarClan honors your bravery and your enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”
There was a pause; Jaypaw knew that Firestar would rest his muzzle on the top of Berrynose’s head, and Berrynose would lick his leader’s shoulder. Then Firestar went on to give Hazelpaw the name of Hazeltail, and Mousepaw became Mousewhisker.
“ThunderClan is proud of you all,” Firestar finished. “Mayyou serve your Clan faithfully.”
“Mousewhisker! Hazeltail! Berrynose!” The Clan welcomed the three new warriors with enthusiastic yowls.
Jaypaw sensed their pride in their new responsibilities, and a renewed confidence in every cat that the Clan was growing in strength and numbers, the hardships of the Great Journey now a fading memory.
But there was something more lingering in the hollow like mist—traditions that stretched back beyond ThunderClan to the ancient cats who had walked the forest long ago. If Fallen Leaves had made it alive out of the tunnels, would he have been greeted like this?
What happened to those cats?Jaypaw wondered. Where did they go?
CHAPTER2
CHAPTER2
Lionpaw pushed his way through clumpsof long grass wet with dew; he shivered as the moisture soaked his fur, and blinked sleep from his eyes. Clouds lay low over the forest, though a growing brightness above the trees showed where the sun was rising.
The dawn patrol was heading toward WindClan territory. Ashfur and Berrynose had drawn slightly ahead, discussing something in voices too low for Lionpaw to catch. After a few moments Berrynose glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t lag behind, Lionpaw,” he meowed loudly. “And watch out for fox traps.”
“Watch out yourself,” Lionpaw muttered. The cream-colored tom had been a warrior for three whole days, and already he was acting like a mentor. But he needn’t think I’m going to obey his orders!
Lionpaw let himself drop even farther behind. His paws were tingling with memory as he rounded a bramble thicket and saw the entrance to the tunnels. It looked like a disused rabbit hole, half-hidden by bracken, but once it had led down to a cave with an underground river and then up again into WindClan territory. Pain stabbed Lionpaw’s heart as heremembered how he used to plunge into the tunnels at night and meet Heatherpaw in the cave. He wished they could go back to the time when she had been Heatherstar, leader of DarkClan, and he was her loyal deputy.
He hesitated outside the entrance for a heartbeat, then couldn’t resist squeezing through it and crawling along the tunnel until he came to the avalanche of mud left behind when the tunnels flooded. He opened his mouth, but all he could taste was wet soil and worms.
“Lionpaw! I know you’re in there!” Berrynose called. “Come out now!”
For a moment Lionpaw felt like ignoring him, but he realized how stupid that would be. He didn’t want to stay in this damp, stifling hole. Slowly he wriggled backward until he could stand up and shake the mud out of his fur.
Berrynose was standing in front of him, cream-colored fur bristling. Ashfur was a couple of tail-lengths away; his blue eyes were calm and unreadable.
“What do you think you’re doing, exploring in a dangerous place like that?” Berrynose demanded. “What if the roof had fallen in? You’d expect us to dig you out, I suppose, like last time.”
Lionpaw had almost suffocated when he fell into an old badger set during the daylight Gathering. But that was completely different. And anyway, Berrynose hadn’t been the one to dig him out.
“Stop ordering me around,” he snapped. “You’re not my mentor.”
“Then stop behaving like a stupid kit!”
Lionpaw dug his claws into the ground to stop himself from taking a swipe at the arrogant tom. “Don’t call me a kit,” he growled. “Your scent hasn’t faded out of the apprentice den, and you’re already—”
“That’s enough,” Ashfur interrupted. “Berrynose, I’ll do the mentoring, thanks. But he’s right, Lionpaw. There’s no point in sticking your nose down every hole between here and WindClan. Unless there were any suspicious scents down there.”
“No. But there might have been!” Lionpaw defended himself.
Ashfur made no comment, except for an impatient twitch of the tail. “Let’s get moving.”
Lionpaw gave Berrynose a final glare and padded after his mentor. He could still feel a tug of longing for Heatherpaw, drawing him down into the caves. But he knew he would never walk there again—and not just because mud had blocked the tunnels.
He wanted to be the greatest ThunderClan warrior ever. And he couldn’t be that if his best friend was a cat from another Clan.
“Jump! High as you can—now!”
Lionpaw leaped into the air, twisting as he landed so that he was facing his opponent. He managed to land a blow on Poppypaw’s haunches before she scrambled around to face him. Flashing a glance toward the edge of the clearing, he could just make out the shadow of a tabby-striped pelt and the gleam of amber eyes.
Thanks, Tigerstar!
Poppypaw sprang at him, and Lionpaw launched himself forward, slipping underneath her with his belly brushing the moss. Hooking her hind legs out from under her, he planted his forepaws on her belly as she rolled over.
“Well done, Lionpaw.” Ashfur gave him a nod of approval, though there was no warmth in his blue eyes.
What am I doing wrong now?Lionpaw wondered. He had understood Ashfur’s annoyance with him when he was spending every night in the caves with Heatherpaw. Then he’d been almost too tired to put one paw in front of another during the day. But I’m training well now. I’m working really hard!
“I’ve never seen that last move before.” Thornclaw, Poppypaw’s mentor, padded up to the two apprentices. “Where did you learn it?”
“Er…I just figured it out, I suppose,” Lionpaw mumbled.
He had learned the move from Tigerstar, during a training bout with Hawkfrost. The two shadowy cats visited him so often, he felt as if he always had voices in his ears, telling him to jump higher, strike harder, twist out of the way. The constant practice had made his muscles harder and stronger. He knew without any cat telling him that his battle skills had improved faster than any other apprentice’s. But it was difficult sometimes to explain where the skills came from.
“You can let me up now,” Poppypaw mewed.
“Oh, sorry.”
Lionpaw stepped away from her and she bounced to her paws, shaking scraps of moss from her fur. “Will you teach me how to do that?”
“Sure. When a cat leaps at you, you need to flatten yourself, but keep moving forward.”
“Like this?” Poppypaw tried to imitate the move.
“Yes, but a bit faster.”
While the young tortoiseshell she-cat practiced, Lionpaw glanced toward the edge of the clearing again. But the ghostly presence of Tigerstar was gone.
Lionpaw maneuvered a long tendril of bramble through the tunnel into the stone hollow, tugging hard as it snagged on the thorns. His paws were aching with tiredness. First the dawn patrol, then the training session, then, after a short break for a few mouthfuls of fresh-kill, Ashfur had set him to repairing the elders’ den. And it was only just past sunhigh!
As he dragged the bramble across the clearing, something heavy landed on the other end of it, bringing him up short and making him stumble. Dropping his end, Lionpaw glanced back to see Foxkit. The reddish tabby tom had sunk his teeth into the other end of the tendril and was battering it with his paws. A low growl came from his throat.
“ShadowClan are invading!” Icekit squealed, dashing up beside her brother and leaping onto the bramble. “Get out of our camp!”
Whitewing halted on her way across the clearing, her neck fur beginning to bristle, then carried on with a flick of her tail. Cloudtail thrust his head out of the warriors’ den, blue eyes wide with alarm. When he spotted the two kits he twitched his ears in disgust and disappeared.
“Hey, you’re disturbing every cat,” Lionpaw meowed. “And I need this to patch the elders’ den.”
“Can we help?” Icekit asked.
“Yes, we’ll be apprentices soon,” Foxkit added, letting go of the bramble.
“Okay, but be careful you don’t get thorns in your pads.”
Lionpaw went on dragging the tendril across the clearing. The two kits tried to help him tug it along, but they mostly got under his paws and made the task harder.
When they drew closer to the elders’ den, Foxkit and Icekit seemed to forget about helping. Instead they dashed across to Mousefur and Longtail, who were sunning themselves at the entrance to the den.
“Tell us a story!” Foxkit demanded. “Tell us about the Great Journey. Tell us how the Twolegs—”
“No, I want to hear about the old forest,” Icekit interrupted.
Mousefur yawned. “You tell them something,” she mewed to Longtail. “Then maybe they’ll settle down and some cats can get a bit of sleep.” She closed her eyes and wrapped her tail over her nose.
Longtail sighed, then settled into a comfortable crouch with his paws tucked under his chest. He turned his face toward the kits, even though he couldn’t see them. “Okay, what do you want to hear about?”
“Tigerstar!” Foxkit’s fur bristled with excitement.
“Yes, Tigerstar!” Icekit added. “Tell us how he tried to take over the forest.”
Lionpaw saw Longtail’s tail tip flick as the blind cat hesitated. Curiosity clawed at him as he began weaving the length of bramble to block up a hole in the honeysuckle fronds that sheltered the den. He wanted to hear about Tigerstar as much as the kits did.
“Tigerstar was a great warrior,” Longtail began at last. “He was the strongest cat in the forest and the best fighter. When I was a young cat, I thought he would be the next leader of ThunderClan. I wanted to be just like him,” the pale tabby added awkwardly.
“But he was evil!” Foxkit burst out, round-eyed.
“We didn’t know that back then,” Longtail explained. “He killed Redtail, the ThunderClan deputy, but every cat believed that Redtail had died in battle….”
Lionpaw’s belly churned as he listened to the tale of blood and conspiracy. It was hard to keep his paws moving, fixing the bramble into place, and to pretend that this was just a story to him, no more than it was to the kits. This was the cat who padded beside him through the forest, teaching him how to be a warrior!
“It was Tigerstar’s ambition that destroyed him,” Longtail concluded. “If he’d been willing to wait for power to come to him, he would have been the greatest leader in the forest.”
Lionpaw relaxed. There was no reason for him to avoid Tigerstar. The dark tabby couldn’t be ambitious now. He was dead; there was nothing left to plan for.
And he had never suggested that Lionpaw should break the warrior code. He had been angry when he discovered the meetings with Heatherpaw in the cave. All he wanted was to make Lionpaw a really good warrior. Perhaps Tigerstar was sorry for what he had done and was trying to make up for it by helping ThunderClan.
Lionpaw left the kits pestering Longtail with questions and padded thoughtfully out of the camp to fetch more brambles.
CHAPTER3
CHAPTER3
Hollypaw pushed through the brambles intothe nursery and set down a blackbird in front of Daisy. Rosekit and Toadkit lay in the curve of their mother’s belly, suckling with their tiny tails stretched out behind them.
“Thank you,” Daisy mewed, reaching out one paw to drag the blackbird closer. “That feels like a good plump one.”
“Can we have some?” Foxkit sat up from where he was wrestling with his sister. “I’m starving!”
“Certainly not,” their mother, Ferncloud, replied. “You’re old enough to fetch your own fresh-kill.”
“Can we?” Icekit’s head popped up out of the bracken. “I could eat a whole rabbit.”
“All right,” Ferncloud meowed. “Fetch some for Millie, too!” she called after them as the two kits shot out through the opening in the brambles.
Millie blinked sleepily from where she lay in a mossy nest. Her belly looked huge; Hollypaw guessed that it wouldn’t be long before her kits were born.
“Thank you,” Millie purred to Ferncloud.
Ferncloud sighed. “It’s time those two were apprenticed. They need mentors to keep an eye on them.”
Hollypaw silently agreed as she left the nursery and padded across to the fresh-kill pile to fetch prey for the elders. Foxkit and Icekit were already there, play fighting over a chaffinch.
“What about some prey for Millie?” Hollypaw reminded them.
“Oh, sorry.” Foxkit scrambled up, grabbed a couple of mice by their tails, and scampered off across the clearing with the prey swinging from his jaws.
Icekit let out a little purr of triumph and settled down to eat the chaffinch.
Hollypaw began nosing through the fresh-kill pile to find something for the elders. The scents of the nursery still clung to her fur. She felt as if the whole camp was full of kits and mothers expecting kits.
Will the Clan expect me to have kits?she wondered. She knew that kits were the future of the Clan, but when she thought about becoming a mother herself, she felt as if she were carrying the weight of the whole forest on her shoulders.
She was beginning to drag a rabbit out of the pile when Honeypaw came bounding up to her. “Who’s that for?” Honeypaw asked.
“The elders.”
“I just took them a squirrel,” Honeypaw told her. “If they’re okay in the nursery, then we’re done.”
Hollypaw let the rabbit drop back onto the pile. “There’s not much fresh-kill left,” she meowed. “I’m going to ask Brackenfur if we can go hunting.”
Though there had been a heavy shower at dawn, the clouds had cleared away and the sun was shining. Every leaf and blade of grass sparkled. A stiff breeze carried prey-scent from the forest; Hollypaw’s paws itched with longing to get out of the camp.
“There’s a hunting patrol just coming back,” Honeypaw pointed out, flicking her tail toward the camp entrance.
Graystripe emerged, carrying a squirrel and two mice in his jaws, followed by Brightheart with a couple of voles and Berrynose with a rabbit.
“Oh, look!” Honeypaw’s eyes stretched wide. “Berrynose has caught a hugerabbit. He’s amazing!”
“Berrynose?” Hollypaw couldn’t stop her voice from squeaking in surprise. Ever since he had become a warrior five days earlier, the cream-colored tom had been the bossiest cat in the Clan.
Honeypaw blinked in embarrassment and scuffled at the sandy floor of the clearing with her forepaws. “I really like him,” she confessed. “But I don’t suppose he’ll look at me, not now that he’s a warrior.”
Hollypaw privately thought Berrynose’s nose was so high in the air he wouldn’t be able to look at any cat. And if he knew that Honeypaw liked him, he would become even more unbearable.
“You’re good enough for—” she began, only to break off as Honeypaw dashed away to meet Berrynose in the middle of the clearing.
Hollypaw sighed. They were only apprentices; surely it was too early to think about taking a mate? She wanted to prove herself as a warrior first, to show courage in defending her Clan and skill in hunting to feed her Clanmates. She wanted to take responsibility for how her Clan was run, to make ThunderClan great for season after season….
Hollypaw stood rigid, paws frozen to the ground. Yes!she thought. I’d much rather be Clan leader than a nursing queen
For a heartbeat the strength of her ambition frightened her. Then she calmed down. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be Clan leader, if it meant she would serve her Clan with every muscle in her body and every hair on her pelt. Turning away from the fresh-kill pile, fed up with the sight of Honeypaw hanging adoringly around Berrynose, she saw her mother, Squirrelflight, emerging from the warriors’ den.
Hollypaw bounded over to her. “Squirrelflight, can I ask you something?”
Her mother’s ears twitched. “Sure.”
“You had kits,” Hollypaw meowed, “but you manage to be a warrior as well. How do you do it?”
Squirrelflight narrowed her eyes, and for a moment Hollypaw thought she saw something flash in their green depths, some emotion she couldn’t understand. But her mother’s voice was even as she asked, “Why do you want to know that?”
“I was just wondering….” Hollypaw felt awkward. “I just feel like every cat expects she-cats to have kits, and I’m not sure I want that. I want to be a warrior.”
To her annoyance, Squirrelflight’s tail curled up in amusement. “Don’t try to plan so far ahead!” her mother meowed. “StarClan already has your path marked out, and there’ll be twists and turns in it that you can’t possibly expect.”
“But—”
“Look around you,” Squirrelflight went on. “Plenty of she-cats have kits and then return to the warriors’ den.”
But do they become Clan leader?
“Don’t worry about it,” Squirrelflight finished, resting her tail tip on her daughter’s shoulder. “Just concentrate on your training.”
That doesn’t help,Hollypaw thought frustratedly. That doesn’t help me at all.
Hollypaw returned from hunting to find the Clan beginning to gather in the middle of the clearing. Firestar was standing on the Highledge, his flame-colored pelt blazing in a ray of sunlight.
Hollypaw carried her prey across to the fresh-kill pile. “What’s going on?” she asked Cloudtail, who was sharing a thrush with his mate, Brightheart.
“Icekit and Foxkit are going to be apprenticed,” Brightheart replied.
“And about time, too,” Cloudtail muttered. “They frightened my fur off the other day, yowling that ShadowClan was attacking us.”
His mate gave him a gentle prod with one forepaw. “Kits are kits, Cloudtail. You know they’ll be good warriors one day.”
His only reply was a snort.
Hollypaw looked around for the other apprentices. Honeypaw was sitting close to Berrynose, who was ignoring her and talking to Birchfall instead. Jaypaw appeared from behind the bramble screen at the entrance to the medicine cats’ den, and a heartbeat later Leafpool joined him. Hollypaw took a paw step toward them, but she felt awkward about joining them in case they were discussing medicine cat business.
Poppypaw and Cinderpaw were sitting near Sandstorm and Graystripe, and as Hollypaw glanced around she spotted Lionpaw emerging from the apprentices’ den to find a place next to them. Hollypaw bounded across.
Ferncloud emerged from the nursery with Foxkit and Icekit. Dustpelt followed; the brown tabby warrior looked ready to burst with pride.
The kits’ eyes were bright with excitement, and their glossy pelts shone in the sunlight. Both of them were trying hard to be dignified, but halfway across the clearing Icekit gave a little bounce; her father caught up to her and flicked her over the ear with his tail. After that she managed to walk calmly until she and her brother reached the front.
Firestar bounded down the tumbled rocks from the Highledge and called both kits to stand in front of him. “Squirrelflight,” he began, “your time for an apprentice is long overdue. You will be mentor to Foxpaw.”
Squirrelflight stepped out of the crowd, her head and tail held high. As she padded toward Firestar, Foxkit ran up to meet her.
“Squirrelflight, the whole Clan knows your courage and loyalty,” Firestar continued. “Do your best to pass these qualities on to Foxpaw.”
Foxpaw reached up to touch noses with Squirrelflight, and the two cats withdrew to the side of the hollow.
Squirrelflight’s a mentor now,Hollypaw told herself. And she had kits. It is possible to do both.
Firestar’s gaze rested on a young white she-cat. “Whitewing, you too are ready for your first apprentice. You will be mentor to Icepaw.”
Eyes glowing with happiness, Whitewing padded over to her apprentice. They touched noses and followed the other new apprentice and his mentor to the side of the clearing. The rest of the Clan began to crowd around, congratulating them and calling the apprentices by their new names.
Hollypaw noticed that Berrynose and Birchfall stayed where they were.
“Huh!” Birchfall exclaimed, loud enough for the cats around him to hear. “I don’t know why Firestar picked Whitewing. I’d be just as good as her at mentoring.”
“Firestar picks the best cat for the job,” Sandstorm told him as she walked past. “Whitewing is older than you. And don’t forget she could have been made a warrior much sooner, but she asked to put it off so youwouldn’t be the only apprentice.”
Birchfall muttered something Hollypaw didn’t catch.
“You’ll have an apprentice soon,” Sandstorm assured him. “For once the Clan has plenty of kits.”
Birchfall didn’t dare complain any more, but he still looked discontented. Berrynose whispered something in his ear, and the two young toms moved away with their heads close together
Hollypaw sighed. She didn’t know what had gotten into Birchfall lately. He used to be good fun; he had been made a warrior so recently that he still remembered what it was like to be an apprentice. Now he’s being as much of a pain in the tail as Berrynose,she thought.
By the time Hollypaw got close enough to congratulate the apprentices, the cats were drifting away to get on with their duties. Hollypaw felt a touch on her shoulder and turned to see her mentor, Brackenfur.
“Firestar wants us to do the evening patrol with him,” the golden tabby tom mewed. “Are you ready?”
“Sure.”
Hollypaw’s heart began to race and she felt every hair on her pelt rise with excitement. Apprentices didn’t often go on patrol with the Clan leader. This was her chance to show Firestar what she had learned! Twisting her neck, she gave her shoulders a few swift licks. She would have liked to give herself a thorough grooming, but there wasn’t enough time. As Firestar padded over to join her and Brackenfur, she just hoped her fur wasn’t sticking up and she hadn’t collected any burrs in her pelt.
“Let’s go,” the Clan leader meowed. “We need to renew the scent markers along the ShadowClan border.”
The sun was going down as Hollypaw followed the two toms through the thorn tunnel and into the forest. Scarlet light washed over the ground, barred with the long shadows of trees. Only the wind rustling in the branches broke the silence, along with the faint scuffling of prey in the undergrowth.
Hollypaw ignored the enticing prey-scents; this wasn’t a hunting patrol. She concentrated on looking and listening, and when she tasted the air it was to make sure that there were no unusual scents—especially not the scent of ShadowClan warriors on ThunderClan territory.
Firestar halted. “Listen!”
Hollypaw froze, ears straining. Her neck fur bristled when she heard, faint in the distance, the yowls and shrieks of fighting cats.
“That way!” Firestar mewed, sweeping his tail around to point. “Come on!”
He bounded off through the ferns with Brackenfur hard on his paws. Hollypaw raced after them. Grass brushed her belly fur and brambles clawed at her pelt as she sped past. The noise of squalling and spitting grew louder.
For a heartbeat she lost sight of her leader as the cats rounded a hazel thicket. She heard Firestar yowl, “Stop!” Bursting into the open, she halted at the top of a bank. Below, in a hollow lined with bracken, five cats writhed viciously. Powerful scents of ShadowClan and ThunderClan flooded over her. Horrified, Hollypaw spotted Berrynose’s cream-colored pelt and Birchfall’s tabby one. The two ThunderClan warriors were clearly outmatched by the three hefty ShadowClan cats.
Hollypaw sprang forward, eager to help her Clanmates, only to find Firestar’s tail barring her way.
“No,” he mewed. “That’s ShadowClan territory.”
Hollypaw dug her claws into the ground as she stared down at her Clanmates. What were Berrynose and Birchfall doing in another Clan’s territory? Opening her jaws to draw in air, she picked out both ThunderClan and ShadowClan scent markings, faint and mingled together. She realized she was standing right on the border.
Raising his voice again, Firestar repeated, “Stop!”
To Hollypaw’s relief, the cats sprang apart. She recognized Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy, with warriors Oakfur and Rowanclaw, who gave Birchfall a last cuff around the ear before facing Firestar.
“What’s going on here?” Firestar demanded.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Russetfur retorted. “Why are your warriors trespassing on our territory?”
“We knowwhy,” Oakfur added, with a lash of his tail. “ThunderClan never cared about boundaries.”
“That’s not—” Hollypaw began to protest, but Brackenfur slapped his tail across her mouth to keep her quiet.
Firestar’s gaze raked over Berrynose and Birchfall. Though his voice was quiet, it was cold as the lake in leaf-bare, and Hollypaw realized that he was furious. “Well?” he asked.
Berrynose scrambled to his paws and gave his pelt a shake. He was bleeding from one ear, and several clumps of his fur had been clawed out. “We didn’t know it was ShadowClan territory,” he defended himself. “You should tell these warriors to renew their scent markers.”
“I don’t tell warriors of another Clan to do anything,” Firestar responded, while Russetfur bristled with rage. “Berrynose, Birchfall, if you had checked carefully, you would have noticed the scent markers up here.”
Berrynose looked furious; he couldn’t excuse himself by contradicting his Clan leader.
“We’re sorry, Firestar,” Birchfall meowed, hanging his head.
“The markers are faint,” Firestar acknowledged. He glanced at the other cats. “Ours and ShadowClan’s.”
“We’re the evening patrol,” Oakfur put in. “We’re here to renew the scent markers.”
“And then we found ThunderClan warriors on this side of the border,” Rowanclaw added. “They were stealing prey.”
“Is that true?” Firestar demanded.
Birchfall nodded; Hollypaw was glad to see he looked thoroughly ashamed of himself.
But Berrynose didn’t seem to realize how much trouble he was in. “I was stalking a mouse,” he explained, “until theycame along and frightened it off.”
“A good thing they did,” Firestar commented. “Russetfur, I’m very sorry this has happened. They are inexperienced warriors, and I’m sure they’ll be more careful from now on.”
“I hope you’ll punish them,” Rowanclaw mewed sharply.
“Of course I will,” Firestar replied.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Hollypaw jumped as another voice joined the conversation. A few fox-lengths deeper into ShadowClan territory, fronds of bracken parted to let Blackstar push his way into the open. The powerful white tom stalked past the trespassing warriors and up the bank to confront Firestar. His neck fur bristled and one of his huge black forepaws tore at the grass.
“Greetings, Blackstar.” Firestar dipped his head. “I’ll make sure my warriors understand they must never cross your border again.”
“It was a mistake!” Berrynose protested.
A low growl came from deep in Blackstar’s throat. Hollypaw half expected him to attack Firestar.
But when he spoke, he sounded tired and despondent rather than hostile. “We never should have come here, Firestar. StarClan were wrong to bring us, when it’s so hard to tell where one territory ends and the next begins. It was a lot simpler back in the forest.”
Firestar’s eyes clouded. “But the forest is gone, Blackstar,” he meowed softly, and suddenly they were like two old friends sharing memories rather than leaders of rival Clans. “I miss it as much as any cat, but we have to make our life here now. Besides, StarClan brought cats to the old forest, just as they brought us to the lake.”
“No, they didn’t!” Blackstar’s neck fur, which had begun to lie flat, bristled up again. Hollypaw wondered what was making him so edgy; it seemed like something more than finding another Clan’s cats on his territory. “All the cats of StarClan once lived in the forest, so there must have been a group of ancient cats living there before they divided up into Clans.”
Ancient cats!Hollypaw’s paws began to tingle. Where had those cats come from, to settle in the forest? And what about the cats who settled here by the lake? Cats whose paw prints had left marks at the Moonpool and who had something to do with the underground tunnels where they found the WindClan kits. She knew that Jaypaw hadn’t told them everything when they escaped from the flooding river. She shivered, suddenly aware of seasons beyond seasons leading up to this moment, raining down like leaves in leaf-fall and stretching back into an unfathomable darkness.
“Are you okay?” Brackenfur murmured into her ear. “This is going to end without any more clawed fur, don’t worry.”
Hollypaw straightened up. “I’m fine!”
Blackstar stepped back with a curt nod to Firestar. “Take your warriors away,” he growled. “And don’t think they’ll get off so lightly if we catch them on our territory again.”
“Believe me, they’re not getting off lightly.” Firestar’s voice was grim. He beckoned with his tail for Birchfall and Berrynose to climb the slope. Berrynose stalked across the border, his eyes narrowed in fury, but Birchfall paused and dipped his head respectfully to Blackstar.
“We’re very sorry,” he meowed. “I promise we won’t do it again.”
“See that you don’t,” the ShadowClan leader retorted. He turned to his own warriors. “Carry on with your patrol,” he snapped, before vanishing back into the bracken.
While the ShadowClan cats renewed their scent markers, Firestar led the two young warriors a couple of tail-lengths from the border.
“Go back to camp. Wait for me underneath the Highledge.”
“Yes, Firestar,” Birchfall mewed.
He and Berrynose disappeared around the hazel thicket. Berrynose cast an angry glance back at his Clan leader, but Firestar had turned away and didn’t see.
“Let’s finish this patrol,” Firestar meowed. “And make sure the scent markers are clear this time.”
Hollypaw followed as he led the way into the bracken along the top of the hollow. She thought of the strange, almost nostalgic mood between the two leaders when they had talked about the forest. Blackstar felt they didn’t belong here because it wasn’t where their ancestors had lived. But some cats had lived here, a long time ago—so where were they now?
CHAPTER4
CHAPTER4
Hollypaw slipped out under the bramblesthat sheltered the apprentice den. Gray clouds moved sluggishly across the sky and she could scent rain on the breeze. Shivering, she sat down, licking one paw and rubbing it over her face.
The dawn patrol was just leaving; Dustpelt was in the lead, with Mousewhisker, Sandstorm, and Honeypaw. Ferncloud popped her head out of the nursery, sniffed the air, and disappeared inside again. A heartbeat later, Birchfall and Berrynose appeared from the elders’ den, each carrying a huge wad of moss.
Hollypaw’s tail curled up in amusement. Good! Firestar put them back on apprentice duties. She watched them cross the camp and vanish into the thorn tunnel. “Make sure you squeeze all the water out of the fresh moss!” she called mischievously. “Mousefur will claw you if her pelt gets damp!” Berrynose lashed his tail as he entered the tunnel, but neither of them stopped to reply.
A thin drizzle set in as the rest of the camp began to stir. Lionpaw scrabbled out of the apprentice den behind Hollypaw, still looking half asleep, and blundered across the camp to the dirtplace tunnel. Brackenfur and Stormfur emerged from the warriors’ den and headed for the fresh-kill pile.
Hollypaw jumped up and bounded over to her mentor. “Are we going hunting?”
Brackenfur shook his head. “All the prey will be in their holes. Maybe later.”
But Hollypaw’s paws were itching to be doing something. She didn’t want to spend the morning hanging around the camp. “Can I go out by myself, then?” she asked.
“If you want,” her mentor replied. “Stay away from the borders, though. We don’t want any more trouble like yesterday.”
“I’ll be careful,” Hollypaw promised.
“And be back by sunhigh,” her mentor added. “We’ll have a training session.”
“Sure.” Hollypaw dashed off.
As she prowled away from the stone hollow, senses straining for any sign of prey, the rain grew steadily heavier, pattering on the leaves, filling every dip in the ground with water. Each branch and tussock of grass was loaded with droplets that soaked Hollypaw’s fur as she brushed past. She started to think that Brackenfur had been right, and she wouldn’t catch anything, but for once that didn’t bother her too much. She wanted to be out of the camp, and she wanted to think.
Everything seemed to be getting much more complicated. She needed to concentrate on her training, but her mind was continually tugging her one way or the other—to the future and wondering if she could ever be Clan leader, or to the past and the traces of those ancient cats. She saw herself standing on the Highledge, calling a summons to her Clan….
Hollypaw realized she had stopped concentrating on prey. She was just standing in the forest, getting wetter and wetter. Flicking drops from her ears, she dived into a hole in a sandy bank and crouched there, watching the hissing screen of rain a mouse-length from her nose. Her tongue rasped over her fur in an effort to dry herself off and get warm. She froze when she heard a scuffling from farther down the hole where she was sheltering. Something big—at least as big as she was—was coming up the tunnel behind her. Stupid!she scolded herself. She had been so wet, she hadn’t bothered to check if she had the burrow to herself.
She tensed her muscles and took a gulp of air, expecting to taste fox or even worse, badger. Instead, the scent of cat flooded into her jaws. And it was a familiar scent, too. Limp with relief, Hollypaw twisted around in the entrance to the hole.
“Jaypaw! What are you doing down there?”
Her brother squeezed into the sheltered space beside her. His pelt smelled of earth and stale fox. “Nothing,” he mumbled. “Sheltering.”
“No, you’re not!” Hollypaw was annoyed that he was so obviously lying. “Your fur is dry. You must have been here since before the rain started.” When Jaypaw didn’t reply, she added, “You’ve been trying to get down into the tunnels again, haven’t you?”
Jaypaw’s paws scuffled the sandy earth. “What if I have?”
“It’s dangerous!” Hollypaw protested. “Think what happened to Lionpaw when the roof of that badger set fell in. And remember what it was like in the cave. We nearly drowned. And—”
“I know all that,” Jaypaw interrupted.
“You’re not acting as if you do. It’s raining hard now. The tunnels will flood again. And you just stroll down there as if you were strolling into camp! Honestly, Jaypaw, I don’t know how you can be so mouse-brained.”
“You don’t have to go on,” her brother grumbled. “Anyway, I couldn’t get in. This is just an old foxhole. It doesn’t lead anywhere.”
“But you tried.” Why couldn’t Jaypaw see the trouble he was getting into? “I don’t see what’s so special about the caves. There’s nothing down there.”
“Yes, there is!” He crouched in front of her; his blue eyes gazed up at her so intensely that Hollypaw could hardly believe he was blind. He hesitated, twitching his ears, then went on. “The ancient cats spoke to me. When I go to the Moonpool my paws slip into their paw prints. And I used to hear their voices on the wind. But since we rescued the kits, I haven’t heard them. That’s why I haveto get back into the tunnels.”
Hollypaw stretched her neck forward and gave Jaypaw a sympathetic lick on his ear. She couldn’t bear to hear the sorrow in his voice; he sounded as if he had lost something precious.
Jaypaw jerked his head away. “You don’t understand.”
“Explain it to me, then.”
Jaypaw hesitated. His forepaws traced spirals in the earth. “There were other cats in the caves,” he mewed at last.
Hollypaw was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Spirits of the ancient cats who lived here seasons ago. One of them is called Fallen Leaves. He went down there in the ceremony to make him a warrior, and he never came out. He showed me where to find the lost kits.”
Every hair on Hollypaw’s pelt rose. The ordeal in the caves had been bad enough without the thought of invisible cats watching them.
“The other cat is called Rock,” Jaypaw went on. “He’s old—I mean, reallyold. He was in the cave. He showed me that we would escape, and he helped me think of the way to do it.”
Hollypaw took a deep breath. Perhaps there was nothing to be afraid of. If Jaypaw was right, then neither they nor the kits would be alive if it weren’t for the help of the ancient cats.
“Why do you want to go back now?” she asked.
“I want to know why they don’t talk to me anymore,” Jaypaw mewed miserably. “Besides, they lived here once, too. They might be able to tell us the best places to hunt or shelter.”
“We can find those things for ourselves.” Hollypaw looked out of the mouth of the burrow. The rain had stopped; above the trees ragged patches of blue were opening up as the last of the clouds scudded across the sky. Sunlight sparkled on raindrops, making the whole forest shimmer. “We should get back to camp,” she added.
“But don’t you understand?” Jaypaw’s voice rose. “It’s important, I know it is.”
For a moment Hollypaw was tempted to agree with him. When Blackstar had mentioned the ancient cats, she too had felt their fascination. She would like to know more about them—but not enough to risk her life or Jaypaw’s.
“You’re important too,” she mewed. “Your Clan needs you, Jaypaw. You shouldn’t put yourself in danger when there’s no need.”
“All right,” Jaypaw muttered. He had a mutinous look on his face. Hollypaw stifled a sigh; she knew that look well. Jaypaw might agree with her now, but he would go on doing exactly what he wanted. She gave him a nudge. “Let’s go.”
Jaypaw rose to his paws and shook loose earth off his pelt. Hollypaw led the way into the open, setting down her paws carefully to avoid the worst of the wet grass.
“Hollypaw?”
She halted and glanced over her shoulder. “What?”
“You won’t tell any cat what I just told you?”
Hollypaw wasn’t sure how to reply. She wanted to go straight to Firestar or Leafpool and tell them about his crazy obsession with cats that died out long ago. If any cat could stop Jaypaw from risking his life, it would be his Clan leader or his mentor. But Jaypaw was her brother, and she would always be loyal to him first.
“No, I won’t.” She sighed. “I promise.”
“Mouse dung!” Hollypaw let out a cry of frustration as she leaped for the mouse, only to see it dart away from her claws and slip into safety down a hole. That was the second piece of prey she’d lost; she was starting to feel as if her paws didn’t belong to her anymore.
“Hollypaw, you’ve got to put your paws down lightly.” Brackenfur never lost his temper with her, but even he was sounding impatient. “Remember that a mouse will feel your paw steps before it hears you or scents you.”
“Yes, I know,” Hollypaw mewed. That’s the first thing an apprentice learns about hunting. “I’m sorry.”
Brackenfur, Brook, and Stormfur had taken all the apprentices into the forest for a hunting session. Hollypaw wasn’t sure which of them had suggested making it into a competition. Lionpaw was winning, with one of the biggest squirrels Hollypaw had ever seen, but all the others had amassed a good pile of fresh-kill. All she had managed to catch was one miserable shrew.
“Is there anything bothering you?” Brackenfur asked. “You’re just not concentrating today.”
“No,” Hollypaw lied. “I’m fine.”
I would be, she told herself, if I wasn’t worrying about wanting to be Clan leader. Just because that’s what Tigerstar wanted doesn’t mean it’s wrong, does it? I know I’m his kin, but I’d never do what he did to gain power. And what about Jaypaw? If he gets himself killed looking for those ancient cats, it’ll be my fault!
Brook touched her nose sympathetically to Hollypaw’s ear. “I had a lot of trouble when I first came here,” she admitted. “I was used to hunting on bare mountain slopes, and I couldn’t get the hang of how to hunt in the forest. One thing Stormfur taught me is that sometimes it helps to slide your paws forward while you’re stalking. That way a mouse can’t feel your paw steps. Like this,” she added, rubbing her paws softly over the moss.
“I never thought of that,” Hollypaw meowed. “I’ll give it a try.”
“It’s important to stay away from long grasses and fern, too,” Brook went on. “If you brush against them, the moving shadow will scare off the prey.”
Hollypaw nodded; she had known that, but with everything else on her mind she had forgotten.
“You’ll soon get the hang of it again,” the tabby she-cat assured her. “You’d be a great hunter in the mountains, because you have strong back legs for leaping.”
“You need to leap when you’re hunting?” Cinderpaw asked, padding up to listen.
“Yes. Here in ThunderClan, you mostly catch birds on the ground. But in the Tribe, we jump up to catch them when they’re taking off or landing.” A hint of pride tinged Brook’s voice. “We catch hawks like that, and sometimes even eagles.”
“How big are the eagles?” Lionpaw joined them. “Do they ever carry cats away?”
“Most of them aren’t strong enough to take a full-grown cat.” Brook sat down with her tail wrapped over her paws, while the rest of the apprentices clustered around to listen. “They might be able to take kits or to-bes, but kits stay in the cave with their mothers, where it’s safe. And all the hunting patrols have at least one cave-guard with them.”
“What’s a to-be?” Poppypaw demanded.
“And what’s a cave-guard?” Honeypaw added.
“You’re to-bes,” Brook explained, sweeping her tail around to indicate all the apprentices. “Young cats who are learning the skills you need to be warriors. Cave-guards are, well, cats who guard the cave. They’re strong and trained to fight off hawks and eagles. Stormfur was a cave-guard when he lived with the Tribe, and I was a prey-hunter.”
Hollypaw was puzzled. “Do you mean that cats have separate duties? You don’t hunt andfight, like Clan cats?”
“No,” Brook replied. “When kits are born, our leader chooses what they’ll be. The biggest and strongest become cave-guards, and the fast, nimble ones become prey-hunters.”
“So you can’t choose for yourself? I wouldn’t like that,” Lionpaw mewed.
“It feels different when you grow up with it,” Brook assured him.
Lionpaw didn’t look convinced, but before he could say any more, Poppypaw broke in. “Tell us about your leader, and your medicine cat. Do StarClan choose them?”
Brook shook her head. “The Tribe of Rushing Water doesn’t know StarClan,” she explained. She waited until the shocked gasps had died down. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting walks our skies. We don’t have a leader anda medicine cat. In the Tribe, one cat is both. He’s called the Healer, and his name is Teller of the Pointed Stones.”
“Or Stoneteller,” Stormfur put in, padding up to sit beside his mate.
“What a weird name!” Poppypaw exclaimed.
Her sister Honeypaw gave her a nudge. “Don’t be so rude! Tribe names are different from ours, that’s all.”
“Stoneteller has his den just off the main cave behind the waterfall,” Stormfur explained. “It’s full of pointed stones, rising up from the cave floor and hanging from the roof. There’s a hole in the roof, and when it rains the floor is covered with pools of water. Stoneteller looks at the reflections in the water and reads signs there.”
“And he’s a medicine cat as well?” Hollypaw meowed. That’s a lot of power for one cat!“Does he have a deputy?”
“No, but eventually he’ll have a to-be—an apprentice,” Brook told her. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting will send him a sign so that he can choose a tiny kit who will become Stoneteller after him.”
Hollypaw felt a pang of envy. How much simpler it would be to have your life planned out! She wouldn’t have made her earlier mistake of choosing to be a medicine cat when she was really best suited to be a warrior. Sometimes her head had ached with the effort of learning all the different herbs. Training to be a warrior was tough as well, but it didn’t feel like such an impossible task. There were fighting moves and hunting moves and all the details of the warrior code that had to be memorized. And if she wanted to be Clan leader she would have to learn the intricate relations between Clan and Clan, how to be diplomatic with her own warriors and the cats of other Clans, and how to react in a crisis.
She remembered watching Firestar on the border the day before. She had been impressed by how calm the ThunderClan leader had stayed, even when his own warriors were clearly at fault. That was the kind of leader Hollypaw wanted to be, one who relied on the warrior code to keep the peace instead of dragging her Clan into an unnecessary battle. A leader who wasn’t selfish or greedy, who put the good of her own Clan above everything, but still remembered the rights of the other Clans in the forest.
“I think there’s a mouse under the roots over there.” Stormfur broke into her thoughts, pointing with his ears to the bottom of a nearby beech tree. “Why don’t you see if you can catch it?”
“Okay.”
The other apprentices scattered, keeping well away from the beech tree to give Hollypaw the best chance. Whiskers quivering, she tasted the air. Vole, not mouse,she decided. A heartbeat later she spotted it, a plump creature scuffling among the debris under the tree. She began to creep forward, sliding her paws over the moss in the way Brook had shown her. The vole seemed not to notice her at first, but as she dropped into a crouch, ready to pounce, it froze for a heartbeat, then darted away.
Hollypaw let out a yowl. Her first pounce brought her to the spot where the vole had been; instantly she leaped again and trapped it between her front paws just before it slipped into the safety of a crack between two rocks. She killed it with one blow of her paw.
“Well done!” Brackenfur meowed.
A warm feeling of triumph flooded Hollypaw from ears to tail tip. She picked up her prey and turned back to her mentor.
“See what I said about your strong back legs?” Brook reminded her, touching Hollypaw’s shoulder with the tip of her tail. “That was a great leap!”
“I think that’s enough for one day,” Brackenfur added. “Let’s carry the prey back to camp. The Clan will eat well tonight.”
As Hollypaw followed him back to the clearing, carrying her vole and the shrew, she kept casting sidelong glances at Brook. She must love Stormfur a lot to give up everything she knew and come with him to a strange place and a strange way of life.
Curiosity bit at her, sharp as a fox’s fangs. She wanted to visit the Tribe and see how cats lived when they knew right from the start what kind of life they would have and what their responsibilities would be.
But they’re so far away!Hollypaw let out a sigh. I don’t suppose I’ll ever travel as far as the mountains
引子
引子
“盗猎贼，竟敢到我们的领地上来！”一只深灰色公猫呼噜着说道。他后颈上的毛竖了起来，眼睛扫视着下方陡峭小径上蹲伏着的那群猫——他们爪尖弹出，一双双眼睛闪烁着饥饿的光，其中一只猫的嘴里还叼着一只死兔子。“这是我们的领地，猎物也是我们的！”
一只银色虎斑公猫傲慢地看着他：“如果这儿是你们的领地，为什么没有边界标记呢？可见这里的猎物属于任何一只猫。”
“不是这样的，而且你自己也心知肚明。”一只黑色母猫突然出现在深灰色公猫的身边，尾巴不停地甩着，“马上滚开！”她同时又用嘴角低声向同伴嘟哝道，“鹰崖，我们不能跟他们开战，记住上次的教训。”
“我明白，黑夜。”灰色公猫回答道，“可是我们还能怎么办呢？”
一只巨大的暗棕色虎斑公猫把鹰崖挤到一边，冲上前来，发出嘶嘶的低吼。“你要是再敢往前一爪子，我们就把你撕成碎片！”他怒吼道。
鹰崖用尾巴尖儿碰了碰他的肩膀。“别冲动，鹰爪。”他警告道，“不到万不得已，我们不能同他们发生冲突。”
更多的猫出现在银色虎斑猫的周围，把狭窄的小径拐弯处挤得满满当当。
“陡径，”鹰崖轻轻弹了弹耳朵，把一只小虎斑公猫叫上前来，“赶快回山洞通知大家，入侵猫又回来了。”
“可是……”陡径有点儿不情愿离开，要知道他们数量本来就比对方少。
“快去！”鹰崖呵斥道。
陡径转过身，顺着小径狂奔而去。
太阳正在西下，被夕阳染成血红的岩石，在粗糙的地面上投下了长长的影子。远处流水微弱的声音打破了四周的沉寂。天空中，一只老鹰正在凄厉地鸣叫着。
“你们不能再往前走了。”鹰崖说道，“马上掉头，另外找块地方狩猎吧！”
“谁能让我们离开呢？”银色虎斑猫讥笑道。
“你们再赖着不走，会有你们好看！”鹰爪嘶嘶地吼道。
鹰崖的巡逻队已经围在他的身边，把小径堵住了。但是入侵者却开始散开，爬到两边的大石头上。鹰崖蹲伏下来，绷紧了身体。不管上次发生过什么，如果需要，他会毫不犹豫地投入战斗。
“停下！”
一只棕色虎斑公猫穿过鹰崖的巡逻队，站在入略者面前。尽管他鼻子上的毛已经花白，但他的肌肉依旧结实而有力，脑袋也高高地抬着。
“我是尖石巫师，急水部落的治疗者。”他大声说道，嘶哑的声音在岩石间回荡，“这里是我们的领地，你们在这里不受欢迎。”
“领地只属于能守护它的猫。”银色虎斑猫驳斥道。
“还记得溪水上冻之前，我们是怎么把你们赶出去的吗？”尖石巫师大吼道，“如果你们不马上离开，我们会再次把你们赶出去。”
银色虎斑猫眯了眯眼睛：“把我们赶出去？我怎么记得不是这样的。”
“是我们自己要离开的。”一只白棕相间皮毛的母猫蹲伏在一块石头上，补充道，“我们找到了更好的地方度过秃叶季，那里的猎物更多。”
“现在，我们又回来了。”虎斑公猫甩了甩尾巴，“你们这几只骨瘦如柴、满身跳蚤的猫休想阻止我们。”他弹出爪尖，抓挠着爪子下的石头。
“这里一直就是急水部落的家园，”尖石巫师咆哮道，“我们……”
他的话被一声愤怒的吼叫声打断了——那只白棕相间的母猫突然从石头上一跃而起，将爪子牢牢地钉在黑夜的肩膀上。虎斑公猫也发出一声恐怖的尖叫，向鹰崖猛扑过去。鹰崖翻滚着，奋力抓向虎斑猫。空气里充满了猫们打斗的吼叫声。
高高的天空上，杀无尽部落只能无助地观望着。
CHAPTER5
CHAPTER5
Cool night air whispered through Jaypaw’sfur. Up above, he knew the half moon would be floating in a clear sky. His mentor, Leafpool, padded beside him, following the stream that divided WindClan’s territory from ThunderClan’s.
Jaypaw’s belly was churning with anticipation. Would Rock speak to him at the Moonpool? The thought that he might encounter only the cats of StarClan made his tail twitch with impatience. StarClan wasn’t important, after all. They were only Clan cats who had moved on to a different place. The prophecy had said he would have the power of the stars in his paws. That must mean that he would be more powerful than StarClan, so why should he waste time walking with them in his dreams?
He needed to go further back, to find the ancient cats who had once gathered at the Moonpool. They must be the truly powerful cats, who would help him find his destiny.
It’s Lionpaw’s and Hollypaw’s destiny, too. Jaypaw did his best to ignore the small voice niggling at the back of his mind. His brother and sister would have to find their own source of power. He had been chosen to be a medicine cat, so this must be the right way for him alone.
“Leafpool, wait for us!”
The distant call came from WindClan territory. Leafpool halted, and Jaypaw waited by her side. Tasting the air, he picked up the scents of three cats: Barkface and Kestrelpaw, and Willowpaw, who must have met up with the WindClan cats on her way from RiverClan.
“Where’s Mothwing?” Leafpool asked anxiously as the other medicine cats caught up. “She’s not ill, is she?”
“No, she’s fine,” Willowpaw replied. “But Beechfur has an infected beesting, so Mothwing thought she’d better stay in camp and look after him.”
Huh!Jaypaw thought. And hedgehogs fly!He could guess why Mothwing wasn’t with her apprentice. The infected warrior was just an excuse. Mothwing didn’t have any connection with StarClan. She must have decided that she could get a good night’s sleep in her own den instead of trekking all the way up to the Moonpool to have it there.
“Hello, Jaypaw,” Willowpaw mewed. Her voice was cool and polite.
“Hi, Willowpaw.” Okay, I know you don’t like me. I’m not all that besotted with you, either
“Hi, Jaypaw.” Kestrelpaw sounded more friendly. “How’s the prey running in ThunderClan?”
“Fine, thanks,” Jaypaw replied.
Before he had to think of anything else to say, he caught the strong ShadowClan scent of another cat bounding up behind them.
“I thought I’d missed you,” Littlecloud panted.
“We would have waited for you,” Leafpool mewed.
The cats set off for the Moonpool. Jaypaw felt Kestrelpaw padding along at his side. “Hey, Jaypaw,” he began, “what’s it like, being blind?”
Well, you can’t see, mouse-brain!Jaypaw felt his neck fur bristling at the stupid question. “Everything’s dark. But I can hear and scent okay, so that’s how I find my way around.”
“That’s really tough.”
The other apprentice’s sympathy made Jaypaw flex his claws. From the sound of his voice and the whisper of his paws on the moorland turf, he had a pretty good idea where Kestrelpaw’s ear was. How would you like it slashed, huh?
“I manage,” he retorted.
Quickening his pace, he caught up to Littlecloud; his paws itched to run on ahead but that would draw too much attention to the fact that he walked here in his dreams—when he could see. He couldn’t wait to get to the Moonpool.
But after he had paced down the spiral track, feeling his paws slip into the paw prints of those long-ago cats, after he had touched his nose to the water and settled himself comfortably, Jaypaw found it hard to sleep. All around the pool he could hear the other cats’ breathing sink into the rhythmic patterns of dream-sleep, while he stayed obstinately awake.
“Come on,” he muttered. “What’s the matter with you?” For once he didn’t want to enter the others’ dreams. He wanted a dream of his own: to wake underneath the hill, in the tunnels where he had met Rock and Fallen Leaves. If he didn’t manage it now, it would be a whole moon before he had another chance to visit the Moonpool.
He closed his eyes, willing sleep to come, but he could still feel the damp rock under his paws and hear the sound of the waterfall and the breathing of the cats around him. Stretching his jaws in a yawn, he opened his eyes again. His fur prickled with excitement as he realized that he could see.
Instantly his ears twitched in frustration. He wasn’t in the underground cave. Instead, he had never left the Moonpool. He could see the curled-up bodies of his companions and reflected starlight glimmering in the water.
“Now what?” he demanded.
A quiet voice spoke behind him. “You wanted to speak with me?”
Jaypaw spun around, almost tripping over his own paws. Rock stood in front of him. His long, twisted claws scraped on the bare rock. Here in the open, out of the shadows of his cave, his bare skin looked raw and painful, and his bulging eyes glowed silver in his disfigured face. With an unexpected quiver of fear, Jaypaw wondered if Rock could see him or if he only sensed his presence.
“Why did you stop talking to me?” Jaypaw asked. “I tried and tried, but you wouldn’t answer.”
Rock dismissed the question with a flick of his ratlike tail. “I’m here now,” he rasped. “Say what you have to say.”
“Are you part of StarClan?”
Rock blinked. “No. I share tongues with the ones who came before.”
“You mean the cats like Fallen Leaves, who went into the tunnels to prove themselves?”
“No.” Rock’s voice grated like shifting stones. “More ancient even than those.”
“Then where did they come from?” Jaypaw meowed, exasperated. “Is there a set of ancestors who are older than all the others? Did we all come from them—Fallen Leaves’s cats, and the Tribe cats, and the Clans?”
Rock turned his silver gaze on Jaypaw. “There will always be stories older than any cat remembers,” he rumbled.
That’s not an answer!“Then where did youcome from?”
The old cat stood silent for many heartbeats, staring out across the Moonpool as if he could look back across the abyss of time that separated Jaypaw from those ancient cats.
“You will find your answers in the mountains,” he murmured at last. “Though they may not be the ones you most want to hear.”
“What do you mean? Tell me now!” Jaypaw insisted.
But Rock was beginning to fade. The patches of reflected moonlight on his skin, the silver gleam of his bulging eyes, thinned out like mist until Jaypaw could see nothing but the shimmer of starlight on rock and water. He shivered in a sudden cold breeze.
“Come back!” he yowled.
There was no reply. The starshine faded, and scents of tree and bracken filled his mouth. He was standing in a dusky forest, in the midst of fern and grasses. Moonlight dappled the ground as it shone through gaps in the branches above his head. The air was warm, full of the tempting scents of prey.
Just ahead of him, Leafpool was following a narrow path that wound between clumps of bracken. She paused and glanced back over her shoulder. “I wondered if you’d join me,” she mewed.
Jaypaw was about to reply when the bushes just ahead of Leafpool rustled and a group of StarClan cats burst out into the open. Jaypaw spotted prey scurrying away from their claws.
A blue-furred she-cat halted briefly to mew, “Greetings, Leafpool.” Leafpool dipped her head, but the she-cat bounded onward before she could speak. Another cat, a powerful white tom, gave Jaypaw a friendly flick over the ear with his tail as he sped past.
Most of the StarClan warriors were intent on their prey. Their eyes were bright with delight in the hunt; their pelts gleamed and their muscles rippled in the moonlight. Jaypaw watched as each cat pounced on its prey and turned to race away with the limp body dangling from its jaws. He supposed they were taking it to some starry fresh-kill pile.
Leafpool padded up to him and touched her nose to his shoulder. “You see the silver tabby over there?” She pointed with her tail to where a beautiful she-cat was leaping to catch a plump vole. “That’s Feathertail. She was Stormfur’s sister. She died in the mountains.”
Jaypaw gazed curiously at the cat, wondering if she knew anything about the mountain cats’ ancestors.
“Can we talk to her?”
“She might not wait for us,” Leafpool replied. “She’ll want to take her prey back to the StarClan camp.”
“I want to ask her—” Jaypaw broke off as Feathertail bounded away. But she didn’t follow the other StarClan cats; she headed in a different direction, where the trees and bushes were thicker. “Where is she going?”
“I don’t know.” Leafpool looked troubled. “Feathertail, wait!”
She set off after the silver tabby, and Jaypaw raced along at her side. They plunged through dense undergrowth and came out into a clearing. A stream ran through it, and on the other side the trees gave way to rocky slopes covered in stunted bushes.
“Feathertail!” Leafpool called again.
The she-cat paused on the bank of the stream and looked over her shoulder at them.
“Where are you going?” Leafpool panted, dashing up to her.
Feathertail set down her vole. “This fresh-kill is not for StarClan,” she explained. “I bear a responsibility to other cats, ones who still need the help of the Clans, even though many moons have passed.”
Other cats?
Leafpool touched her nose to Feathertail’s ear. “Are you talking about the Tribe of Rushing Water? Haven’t you done enough for them? You gave your life to save them from Sharptooth!”
“A shared past counts for a lot,” Feathertail replied, her blue eyes glowing with emotion. “Even if it was brief.”
She pressed her muzzle against Leafpool’s, then picked up her prey, leaped lightly across the stream, and was swallowed up in the shadows under the bushes.
Mouse dung!Jaypaw thought. I never got to ask her anything.
Letting out a faint sigh, Leafpool headed back into the trees. As Jaypaw followed her, he picked up a silver glimmer in the corner of his eye. Glancing around, he spotted Rock, crouched under a bush. The ancient cat’s sightless eyes gazed straight at him; then he heaved himself to his paws and padded off in the direction Feathertail had taken.
Jaypaw shivered. Somehow, StarClan, the ancient cats, and the Tribe of Rushing Water all seemed to be merging to shape the destiny of the cats by the lake. It made sense to Jaypaw. To have the power of the stars in his paws, he would need to have power over all the ancestors, past and present. Shadows pressed around him as he plunged into the undergrowth again. The lush forest scents faded away, and he felt rock beneath his paws. He could hear the gentle splash of the waterfall and knew he was crouching once again beside the Moonpool. He opened his eyes on darkness.
Around him he could hear the other cats waking from their dreams. They said little, and Leafpool didn’t speak to him at all as they climbed the spiral path and set off across the moorland, back toward the lake. Jaypaw could feel her anxiety like a swarm of stinging insects.
He waited impatiently for the other cats to say their good-byes and head off toward their own territories. As soon as he and Leafpool were alone, he demanded, “What do you think your dream meant? Are you going to tell Firestar?”
Leafpool hesitated, and when she spoke her voice was troubled. “It sounds as if the Tribe of Rushing Water is in some sort of trouble,” she replied. “I’m not sure whether I should tell Firestar. Whatever’s happening, it doesn’t seem as if ThunderClan cats will be affected.”
Jaypaw twitched his tail in frustration. How could he discover his destiny if his mentor was going to pretend she never had the dream? “What about Stormfur and Brook? If there’s something wrong in the mountains, they should be told.”
“I don’t know.” Her mew was soft and uncertain. “You could be right. Yes, perhaps I should tell Firestar. But ThunderClan isn’t involved, so I don’t think he’ll do anything.”
ThunderClan might be more involved than Leafpool realized, Jaypaw thought, as he followed his mentor along the border stream toward the camp.
At leastI’m involved!
He bared his teeth as if he were about to snap up a juicy piece of prey. There was only one way to discover the truth about his power. Somehow, he would have to find a way to go to the mountains.
第一章
第一章
松鸦爪伸了伸懒腰，感受着洒在皮毛上的阳光。和煦的微风在他的耳边低语，空气中弥漫着植物蓬勃生长的气息。他能听到一只鸟儿在他的头顶鸣唱，以及湖水轻拍湖岸的声音。
“松鸦爪！”
轻盈的爪子落地声，伴着波涛声传了过来。松鸦爪在脑子里想象着老师叶池蹚过湖边浅水区的样子。
“松鸦爪！”她又喊了一声——这次声音已经近了很多，“快到我这儿来，水里很清凉，舒服极了！”
“不用了，谢谢。”松鸦爪喃喃道。
对他来说，水可不是只会轻轻地拍打他的爪子，还带给他恐怖的记忆：冰冷的湖水撕扯着身体，湿透的皮毛如石头一般，将他朝水下拖去。水灌入他的嘴巴和鼻孔，几乎使他窒息而死。松鸦爪曾在梦中被水淹过一次——那时他与远古时代的武士落叶，在地下隧道中迷失了方向。还有一次是在现实中，那次他和同窝猫为了救出风族失踪的幼崽，差点儿真淹死。
我受够了，此生都不打算再碰水啦！
“好吧。”叶池的脚步声渐渐远去，轻快得像是一只自由自在的幼崽正蹦跳着穿过山谷。
松鸦爪沿着湖岸走着。他来这里，本来是寻找锦葵的。可当他仔细嗅闻时，才发觉这里根本就没有锦葵熟悉的气味。叶池爪子蹚水的声音一消失，松鸦爪就马上离开水边，爬上了岸——他要找到一个比草药更重要的东西。松鸦爪小心地匍匐前行，鼻子一直紧贴着地面嗅着。他穿过一片片草地和一丛丛灌木，来到了一片盘根错节的树根下。
它在这儿呢！
松鸦爪用牙齿衔起树棍的一端，把它从树根后面拽出来，飞快地拖到岸上，离开了随时可能吞掉它的水波。松鸦爪蜷伏在它的旁边，用爪子抚摸着它，摸到了五条长划痕和三条短划痕。它们代表着上次水位暴涨时，被困在山洞里的五位学徒和三只幼崽。所有的划痕都是相交的，表明每只猫都成功逃脱了危险。松鸦爪依然记得做这些标记时，岩石身上的气味萦绕在身边的情景。此刻他似乎仍能感觉到，远古神灵的无毛爪子，正在引导着自己的爪子。
但松鸦爪也能摸到那条没有相交的划痕。远古猫落叶——曾经指引过他们的那只猫——此时仍然孤单地在隧道里游走。
松鸦爪闭上眼睛，想听到之前曾在耳边回响的低语声。可是除了森林里的风声和湖水的浪涛，他什么都听不见。“落叶？岩石？”他低声呼唤着，“你们在哪儿？为什么不跟我说话了啊？”
仍然没有任何回应。松鸦爪把树棍拖到开阔的地方，把它滚下湖岸，直到湖水浸湿了它。他又从头到尾闻了一遍树棍，却再也听不到来自远古时代的任何回声。
松鸦爪艰难地吞咽着口水，就像找不到母亲的幼崽，马上就要号啕大哭。他想跟岩石说说话，想知道很久以前生活在湖边的猫是怎样的；还想知道其他远古时代的猫——包括在隧道中身亡的猫们——都已经去了别处，为什么落叶还要独自在里面坚守。
松鸦爪相信，这些远古猫就是在月亮池时，围在他身边的那些猫。那条通往池水的弯弯曲曲的小径上，布满了它们的爪印。它们比所有的族群，甚至比星族都还要早。它们那么聪明，一定可以教给松鸦爪很多东西！或许它们可以解释，那个自己在火星的梦中听到的预言。
“你的族群里有三只猫，是你的至亲，他们掌握着群星的力量。”
“松鸦爪，你到底在干什么？”
松鸦爪吓了一跳。他的思绪完全被树棍和远古猫占据了，没注意到叶池已经来到了身旁。现在他能嗅到叶池就在自己的身边，还感觉到了叶池内心的不悦。
“对不起。”他咕哝道。
“松鸦爪，我们需要更多的锦葵。虽然现在没发生战斗，但并不意味着没有猫生病或受伤。巫医必须随时做好准备。”
“我知道了，行了吗？”松鸦爪反驳道。是谁阻止了那场战斗？松鸦爪心中默默地问道。如果不是我和其他猫及时找到了幼崽，风族和雷族早把对方撕成碎片了！
他不想在老师面前为自己做解释。他把树棍拖到岸上，又重新藏在树根下时，能感到叶池一直在盯着自己。然后松鸦爪转过身，沿着湖岸往前走去。他张大嘴巴，仔细分辨着植物的气息。
沿着湖岸没走几只狐狸身长的距离，他突然停了下来，眼睛茫然地凝视着湖面。风把他的皮毛吹得紧紧地贴在身上。
你们在哪里？松鸦爪在脑海中呼唤着远古猫，请跟我说几句话啊！
“松鸦爪！喂，松鸦爪！”
这可不是他期待听到的声音。松鸦爪强忍着恼怒，没有发出嘶嘶声，转身看着榛爪。他能闻到榛爪的气息，能听到她朝自己跑过来时爪子的落地声。她跌跌撞撞穿过蕨丛的样子，真的像一只狐狸！
“看我抓到了什么！”榛爪听起来很兴奋，但声音有些含糊不清，像是嘴里叼着猎物。
松鸦爪实在懒得跟她解释自己看不见东西。另外从猎物浓烈的气息，他也能轻而易举地猜到，榛爪抓住的是一只田鼠。
“这是我最后一次狩猎技能考评。”现在这位学徒的声音清晰了许多——她一定是把猎物放下了，“如果莓爪和鼠爪的表现也不错，我们三只猫今天就会成为武士啦。”
“太好了！”松鸦爪努力装出高兴的样子，心里却因为她干扰了自己与远古猫的沟通而感到气恼。
“我相信，尘毛一定会满意我的表现。”榛爪接着说道，“这只田鼠很大，够黛西新出生的两只幼崽吃了！”
“黛西新出生的幼崽还不能吃田鼠！”松鸦爪提醒她。她是不是彻头彻尾的鼠脑子啊！“他们四天前才出生。”
“好吧，那就给黛西吃吧，”榛爪的声音依然兴奋不已，“我想，她要给幼崽喂奶，一定要吃点儿好的。你去看过那些幼崽了吗？他们真是我见过的最可爱的小家伙！黛西告诉我，她管他们叫小玫瑰和小蟾蜍。”
“我知道。”松鸦爪简短地说道。
“我都等不及了，恨不得他俩现在就长大，离开育婴室，跟我一起玩儿。”榛爪继续说道，“你猜火星会让我当他俩的老师吗？等他们要成为学徒的时候，我肯定已经是经验丰富的武士了！”
“他俩是你同母异父的弟弟妹妹！”松鸦爪给她泼了盆冷水，“火星可能不会让……”
“榛爪！”一个严厉的叫声打断了松鸦爪的话。松鸦爪听到榛爪的老师尘毛穿过蕨丛，朝她走过来。这位虎斑武士浑身涌动着一波波恼怒。“你是在狩猎，还是在闲聊呢？”他大声呵斥。
“对不起。可是尘毛，你看到我抓的田鼠了吗？它可真大呀！”
松鸦爪听到尘毛走上前来，嗅着田鼠。
“非常好。”武士说道，“但这不是你无所事事的理由。森林里还有更多的猎物呢！我会把它带回营地的，你可以继续去抓了。”
“好的。一会儿见啊，松鸦爪！”
当榛爪跳着离开时，松鸦爪跟她说：“祝你好运！”但是他的思绪已跟着远古猫飘远了——它们依旧默不作声，令他感到心烦意乱。难道我做错了什么吗？岩石和落叶生我的气了？他脑子里在想这些的时候，突然发现了一丛锦葵，他将茎秆咬断，准备带回营地。
“干得不错，松鸦爪。”他刚完成任务，叶池的声音就从身后传来，“我们走吧！”
松鸦爪把采摘下来的锦葵收集到一起，用嘴巴叼起来——这样一来，他就不必开口说话了。他跟在老师身后，穿过森林，依然有些心不在焉。森林里充满猎物的气息，还有灌木丛里蠢蠢欲动的小生命发出的声响，但他都无心顾及。他的思绪已经飘远，追随着那些远古猫的爪子，一起走远了。
突然一只鸟发出了惊叫——松鸦爪惊动了它。接着那只鸟猛烈地拍打着翅膀，擦着松鸦爪的鼻子，从他面前飞过去。他吓得跳了起来，锦葵全掉在了地上。
“喂！”莓爪气愤的吼叫从松鸦爪身后几条尾巴处传来，“你把我的画眉吓跑啦！你难道没看到，我正在跟踪它！”
“对，我就是看不见。”他对自己的笨拙又气又恼，说话也粗鲁起来，“我是只瞎猫，只是你还没注意到。”
“但是你可以做得更好的。”叶池生气地说道，“松鸦爪，把心思放在正事上。整个早上你都稀里糊涂的，像只傻兔子！”
“算了，我只希望他没把我的技能考核搅黄了。”莓爪低声嘟哝着，“要不是他，我早就抓到那只画眉了。”
“我知道。”黑莓掌说道。
松鸦爪嗅到雷族副族长正在稍远些的地方。鼠爪和他的老师蛛足也在附近。啊，不会吧！难道所有的雷族猫都在观看这场考核吗？
“为跑掉的猎物哭泣，是毫无意义的，”黑莓掌继续说着，他走得更近了，“而且真正的武士也不会因为一点儿挫折就气急败坏。来吧，莓爪，让我看看，你能不能在那边的树根下找到老鼠。”
“好的。”虽然老师说了那么多安慰的话，但松鸦爪感觉莓爪的气还没消，“松鸦爪，你离我远点儿，可以吗？”
“没问题。”松鸦爪没好气地回道。
“好啦，我们也该回营地了。”叶池用肩膀推推松鸦爪，“走这边。”
我知道营地在哪儿，谢谢！
松鸦爪拾起锦葵，跟着老师穿过荆棘通道，走进了石头山谷，钻过巫医巢穴前面的黑莓屏风，把锦葵放在洞穴深处的岩缝里。
“我去找些猎物吃，好吗？”松鸦爪说道。
“稍等一下，松鸦爪！”叶池把自己采的草药放下来，坐在他的身前。松鸦爪感到叶池有些烦躁和生气。“我真不知道你最近到底在想些什么，”她开口说道，“自从你和其他猫在湖边找到了风族的幼崽之后……”
叶池的话里充满着疑问。另外松鸦爪还感觉，叶池心中生出了一股强烈的好奇。叶池显然知道，关于失踪的风族幼崽的事，松鸦爪和他的同窝猫隐瞒了一些内情。不过松鸦爪绝不会说幼崽们是在雷族和风族领地下的隧道里迷路的。他知道狮爪、冬青爪，还有风族的学徒石楠爪和风爪，都不会说出去的。没有猫愿意承认，狮爪和石楠爪曾在那些隧道里玩耍了好几个月。
因此，他们也都不会跟其他猫讲述雨水灌入隧道，让地下河的水位上涨，引发了可怕的洪水，最终使他们自己和幼崽们差点儿被淹死的可怕故事。松鸦爪对此至今仍心有余悸——他依然时常梦到那条咆哮着的令他感到窒息的河流。
“松鸦爪，你还好吗？”叶池问道。她内心的愤怒似乎已开始消减，取而代之的是一种关切。这种感觉，就好像隧道里的洪水一样，几乎将松鸦爪吞噬，令他无法逃避。“要是你有什么事，你会跟我说的，对吧？”
“当然，”松鸦爪嘟囔着，希望老师没察觉到自己在撒谎，“可是，真的没什么事！”
叶池迟疑了一下。松鸦爪感觉自己身上的毛不由自主地竖了起来。但巫医只是叹了口气，然后说道：“那你去吃东西吧。回头等天气凉爽一些时，我们再去废弃的两脚兽巢穴那儿，采些猫薄荷回来。”
没等她说完，松鸦爪迈步走出了黑莓屏风。他走到猎物堆前，嗅到了一只肥硕的老鼠，把它拽出来，拖到巢穴外有阳光的地方，开始慢慢享用。太阳刚过最高点，整个山谷都暖洋洋的。松鸦爪吃饱了，侧躺下来，用爪子清理着胡须。
炭爪和冬青爪刚刚穿过荆棘通道走进来。即使离得很远，松鸦爪也能闻到她俩皮毛上残留的训练谷地的苔藓气息。
“我很抱歉，我每次都打疼你，”冬青爪说道，“你确定自己没事？”
“我很好。”炭爪语气坚决地说，“如果你不使出全力就让我赢了，我的心情才不会好呢！”
炭爪听上去的确很勇敢，不过松鸦爪从她的爪子落地声判断，那条伤腿依然在困扰着她。在现在这个阶段，巫医已经帮不上什么忙了，只有时间才能让她的腿变得强壮。或者炭爪就像之前的炭毛，注定成不了武士？
这时，育婴室里突然传来了尖叫声，打断了松鸦爪的思绪，一下子忘了炭爪的问题。黛西的幼崽虽然刚出生四天，可是发出的声音却很大。他们的父亲蛛足坚持要带鼠爪外出，进行技能考核。尘毛原本要替他去，好让他多在育婴室里陪陪幼崽，却被他拒绝了。松鸦爪认为蛛足照顾幼崽非常笨拙，似乎还不适应父亲的新身份。
不管怎样，松鸦爪想，现在育婴室已经变得拥挤不堪了。尽管香薇云的幼崽小冰和小狐已经到了成为学徒的年龄，可他们依然住在育婴室里。还有米莉，她怀着灰条的幼崽，也刚搬进来。松鸦爪很清楚，火星对雷族的日益强大非常自豪——尽管他偶尔也会担忧怎么才能喂饱他们。
荆棘通道再次沙沙作响。狮爪踉踉跄跄地走进营地，后面紧跟着他的老师蜡毛。
“两只老鼠，一只松鼠！”蜡毛说道，“干得漂亮，狮爪。这就是我期望看到的你的狩猎水平。”
蜡毛虽然口头表扬着狮爪，可听上去没有一点热情。松鸦爪觉得，哥哥和蜡毛的关系并不像一般的师徒那样和谐。他心中有些疑惑，总感觉蜡毛身上有些他理解不了的东西。
不过这并不重要。当他的哥哥叼着那只老鼠瘫倒在自己身边时，松鸦爪一下子就把刚才琢磨的问题抛到了一边。
“累死我了！”狮爪喊着，“我还以为，我要一直追着那只松鼠，跑到影族领地上去呢！”
“你这是何苦呢？”松鸦爪问道，“今天又不是你参加技能考核。”
“我知道。”狮爪含着满嘴的猎物嘟囔着，“但这不是重点。一位优秀的武士，总要竭尽全力为族群提供食物。”
狮爪竭尽所能想要成为最优秀的武士。松鸦爪知道这一点，而且他还知道，自从他们在山洞里发现了风族幼崽后，他的哥哥训练得有多刻苦，决心有多大。即使不去解读狮爪的心思，松鸦爪也明白其中的原因：他要把全部的精力集中在训练上，以弥补自己跟风族学徒石楠爪私下见面所造成的损失。
松鸦爪的胡须同情地抽动了起来。作为巫医，他可以与其他族群的猫交朋友，尽管他并不想这么做——怎么可以相信外族的猫呢？
一颗鹅卵石掉下来的啪嗒声，让松鸦爪吃了一惊。火星正从高石台上跳下来，他的声音也从武士巢穴入口传过来。
“我们要派遣一支边界巡逻队。你们谁要去……”
正躺在松鸦爪身旁的狮爪马上跳了起来：“我要去！”
松鸦爪想了好半天，不明白为什么是火星组织巡逻队，最后他终于想起，雷族副族长黑莓掌到森林里给莓爪做技能考核去了。
“谢谢你，狮爪。”火星说道，“但是我知道，你已经忙了一整天了。”
狮爪无奈地又坐了下去。松鸦爪察觉到，狮爪的心里非常失望。
“我去吧。”灰条钻出武士巢穴说道。
“我也去。”松鼠飞出现在他的身后。
“我跟蜜爪也去。”松鸦爪听到，沙风跟蜜爪一起从学徒巢穴走了过来。
“很好。”火星说道，“我想你们应该查看一下风族边界。自从风族幼崽被找到后，边界非常平静，但你永远不知道接下来会发生什么。”
“我们会确保气味标记新鲜的，”灰条承诺道，“还有，如果我们看到……”
听到荆棘通道里传来的兴奋的叫声和响亮的窸窣声，灰条停了下来。松鸦爪站起来，张大嘴巴，辨认着新来的猫身上不同的气息：莓爪第一个冲进了空地，榛爪和鼠爪紧随其后。他们后面还跟着老师们：黑莓掌、尘毛和蛛足。
“我们做到啦！”莓爪胜利的呐喊，在石头山谷里回荡着，“我们全都通过了技能考核，马上就要成为武士啦！”
“莓爪，”黑莓掌的声音很严肃，“能否成为武士，是由火星决定的。”
“对不起。”松鸦爪感到，莓爪的心情突然变得沮丧起来，眼前也浮现出了他低着头、耷拉着尾巴的样子。“不过我们会成为武士的，不是吗？”
“或许我们还要再考核一项——你们如何才能保持安静。”尘毛突然说道。
“好了！”火星似乎被逗乐了，“只要你们的老师来跟我沟通一下，我们就可以安排武士命名仪式。”
“那边界巡逻怎么办？”灰条问道。
“没关系，黄昏时出发也来得及。想必也不会有什么麻烦。”
所有的学徒都兴奋地聚集在武士巢穴旁。狮爪飞跑过去，加入众猫之中。松鸦爪站起来，伸了伸懒腰，也慢悠悠地跟了过去。
“……还有两只田鼠。”走到能听见众猫说话的地方时，松鸦爪听见莓爪正在嘀咕，“要不是他把我的画眉吓跑了，我还能多抓一只猎物呢。”
松鸦爪后颈的毛竖了起来。不过还没等他开口说话，冬青爪就跳着为他辩护道：“那有什么关系？你已经通过技能考核了！”
松鸦爪抽了抽尾巴尖儿。我能自己照顾自己，谢谢了。
“我抓到一只硕大无比的田鼠。”榛爪太兴奋，都没察觉到莓爪和松鸦爪之间的敌意，“还有，一只画眉刚飞起来，我跳起来，一下子就把它扑到地上了。尘毛说，他从没见过如此漂亮的飞扑呢。”
“你太棒了！”蜜爪说道。
“我抓到了一只松鼠。”鼠爪炫耀着。松鸦爪想起上次他为了追赶一只松鼠，爬上了天空橡树，后来因为过于恐惧，没法下来。炭爪为了救他，爬了上去，结果从树上跌落下来摔断了腿。松鸦爪敢跟别的猫打赌，鼠爪一定是在地上抓到的松鼠，如果赌输了，他愿意给长老们清理一个月的虱子。
“我真希望这次参加考核的是我们，你觉得呢？”冬青爪低声对狮爪说道，“有时我真觉得，我们可能永远当不上武士了。”
“我知道。”狮爪听起来有些嫉妒，接着，他似乎是下定了决心，“我们只能加倍努力。嗯，就这样。”
松鸦爪没有加入他们的谈话。他已经走上一条不同的路。他的巫医训练要经历很长很长时间，就算他取得了正式的名号，也依然是叶池的学徒。只有等叶池去世后，他才会成为一名正式的巫医。他一想到同窝猫都在奋力向前，唯独他落后，他的皮毛就开始刺痛起来。但就算这样，他也不想看到自己的老师死去。
更何况，那个预言说，他和其余两只猫一出生，就掌握着群星的力量，却并未说明他们一定要先成为武士。
火星的声音从高石台上响起：“所有能够独自狩猎的猫集合，参加族群会议！”
当族猫们聚集起来的时候，空地上涌满了各种不同的气息。松鸦爪认出了长老猫鼠毛和长尾，他们穿过榛树下的长老巢穴入口，来到了空地上。叶池从巫医巢穴里走出来，坐在黑莓屏风前面。
紧接着黛西的气息传了过来——她飞也似的跑到了学徒们中间。
“莓爪，看看你自己！”她抱怨道，“你的皮毛怎么一绺一绺的！还有榛爪，你是不是把从湖边到这里，沿途的所有刺都带回来了啊？”
松鸦爪听到了一阵急促的舔舐声。
“好了，我能自己弄的。”莓爪抗议道。
“别废话。”黛西斥责道，“你看起来像只肮脏的泼皮猫，怎么去参加武士命名仪式？任何猫都会以为，我没有把你教好。”她又开始舔着莓爪，然后，停下来补充道，“鼠爪，你跟莓爪没什么两样！你就没睁眼瞧瞧，你的尾巴是什么样子吗？”
“我真希望火星已经忘掉了我的尾巴，”莓爪焦虑地说道，“他一会儿给我起武士名号时，没准儿还会用到它呢！”
莓爪的尾巴只有很短的一截儿。他还是只幼崽时，曾经偷偷溜出营地去狩猎，没想到尾巴卡在捕狐狸的圆圈里。
“什么名字？莓短尾吗？”罂粟爪建议道，“这名字再恰当不过了！”
“不要！”莓爪哀号道，“火星不会这样的，是吗？”
“你别傻了！”黛西说道。
“你没必要担心名字。”亮心的声音响了起来。这里的气味太多太杂，松鸦爪没注意到她的到来。“我被狗群袭击后，蓝星给我的武士名号是‘夺面’。可是后来火星成了族长，他就把这个名字换了。我相信，他绝不会把这么残酷的名字赐给一只猫的。”
“但愿如此吧！”莓爪将信将疑。
松鸦爪回想着亮心的话，突然紧张起来。“你说，叶池赐给我巫医名号的时候，该不会拿我的盲眼说事吧？”他轻声在冬青爪的耳畔问道。
“叫什么松盲眼吗？那岂不是跟莓短尾一样蠢！”他姐姐回答道。
“你认为这名字很蠢，可叶池会不会……”
“安静，大家都安静一下！”灰条打断了他们，“命名仪式马上就要开始了。”
狮爪推了推松鸦爪：“走吧，我们去前面找个好位置。我想看清楚仪式上的每件事。”
“是啊，很快就会轮到我们了。”冬青爪兴奋地说道。
松鸦爪跟着他俩和其他学徒来到猫群最前面。大家都聚拢在火星周围。他察觉到，这三位即将成为武士的学徒，心里都洋溢着满满的自豪感。他能想象到，他们经过母亲的一顿疯舔后，个个皮毛顺滑的样子。松鸦爪感到此时黛西既骄傲又焦虑——她还在牵挂育婴室里自己新生的两只幼崽。
接着他又嗅到了香薇云，她和小冰、小狐就坐在育婴室外面。这只性格温顺的母猫，正守护着黛西的两只新生的幼崽。在黛西观看她的第一窝小猫成为武士的时候，香薇云要确保黛西新生的幼崽的安全。
“对雷族来说，今天是个好日子。”火星开口说话，族猫们兴奋的低语声慢慢停止，整片空地一片寂静，“如果没有新武士诞生，任何族群都无法延续下去。黑莓掌，你的学徒莓爪准备好参加武士命名仪式了吗？”
“是的，他已经训练得很好了。”黑莓掌回答道。
当火星向另外两位老师——尘毛和蛛足——问话时，松鸦爪感到那三位学徒正变得无比激动。当他们走过去站在火星面前时，他听到了他们爪子落地的声音。
“我，火星，雷族族长，恳请武士祖灵俯瞰这三位学徒。”族长的声音盖过了山谷上方树木的沙沙声，在山谷里回响，“他们刻苦训练，已经充分理解了祖灵们高贵的武士守则，现在，我将他们作为武士推荐给你们。莓爪、榛爪、鼠爪，你们是否愿意维护武士守则，保卫雷族，即使牺牲生命也在所不惜呢？”
“我愿意！”三只年轻猫异口同声地回答道，莓爪的声音最响亮。
有几个心跳的时间，松鸦爪感觉自己全身的毛嫉妒得竖了起来。总有一天，他自己也会迎来巫医命名仪式。可是他永远不能站在族猫面前，许下用生命保卫族群的承诺。
“接下来，我以星族的名义，授予你们武士名号，”火星接着说道，“莓爪，从现在开始，你的名字就是‘莓鼻’了。”
“哦，谢谢你！”这位新武士欢叫起来，打断了火星的话。
雷族猫们发出一阵嬉笑。松鸦爪却听到莓鼻的老师黑莓掌发出恼怒的嘶嘶声。
火星等到众猫的声音停止之后，继续说道：“星族以你的勇气和热情为荣，我们非常欢迎你成为雷族的正式武士。”
接下来是一阵短暂的停顿。松鸦爪知道，火星正将自己的鼻子放在莓鼻头上，然后莓鼻会舔舔火星的肩膀。接着，火星又给榛爪赐名为“榛尾”，给鼠爪赐名为“鼠须”。
“雷族为你们感到骄傲。”火星最后说道，“希望你们永远效忠雷族。”
“鼠须！榛尾！莓鼻！”雷族猫们欢呼着，迎接着三位新武士的诞生。
松鸦爪察觉到，被赋予新使命的三位武士都无比自豪，并且每只猫的心里都充满了新产生的自信——随着雷族猫数量的不断增长，力量也壮大起来。大迁徙时的重重磨难，已经慢慢变成了一种回忆。
然而，此刻依然有什么东西如薄雾一般，笼罩在山谷的上空——这就是在雷族诞生之前的漫长历史中，统治过整片森林的远古猫们所遵循的惯例与规矩。如果落叶真的活着走出了隧道，他会像今天这样得到所有猫的欢迎吗？
这些猫究竟发生了什么？松鸦爪很想知道：它们最后又去了哪里？
CHAPTER6
CHAPTER6
Poppypaw dived forward; Lionpaw could seeshe was trying to use the move he had taught her in their earlier training session, the one Tigerstar had shown him. But when she tried to hook out Honeypaw’s legs from under her, Honeypaw was too fast. Leaping backward, she met Poppypaw head-on and delivered two blows to her nose before darting away.
“You’ll need to be quicker than that,” Berrynose meowed.
Lionpaw bristled. Firestar had released the two young warriors from their apprentice duties, but didn’t Berrynose have anything better to do than interfere in the training session? He was sprawled on a rock at the edge of the clearing, making loud comments on the apprentices’ performance.
“That was very good,” he remarked condescendingly to Honeypaw. “Your moves are coming along nicely.”
“Thanks, Berrynose!” Honeypaw blinked adoringly at the cream-colored warrior.
Lionpaw stifled a twinge of jealousy. Not long ago, Honeypaw had seemed to like him best. It was hard to lose her admiration so soon after he had been forced to give up his friendship with Heatherpaw.
“Your turn, Lionpaw!” Berrynose broke into his thoughts. “Let’s see what you can do.”
Who made you my mentor?Lionpaw glanced around the clearing for Ashfur, who should have been in charge of the training session, but he was several fox-lengths away, demonstrating a move to Hollypaw.
“Come on, you lazy lump,” Berrynose urged him. “You’ll never get to be a warrior sitting on your tail all day.”
No?Lionpaw gritted his teeth. If I looked at you, I’d think that’s all warriors do!
“Come on, Cinderpaw,” he meowed, beckoning with his tail to the gray apprentice who sat at the side of the clearing. “Let’s practice.”
Cinderpaw bounced up to him, her fur bristling with eagerness and her tail fluffed out. She was moving confidently, Lionpaw thought, as if the leg she had injured felt fine. As she approached, she aimed a blow at his ear with sheathed claws. He dodged to one side and tried to unbalance her by butting his head into her shoulder, but Cinderpaw stayed on her feet and wrapped her forepaws around his neck, thrusting him to the ground. Lionpaw battered at her belly with his hind paws. After a few heartbeats Cinderpaw let go and sprang away from him, waiting for him to get up again.
“That was great!” he panted. He knew he would have won eventually.
Cinderpaw was glowing with pride that she was getting her fighting skill back again. “Let’s try again!”
“You know, Lionpaw, you got that move all wrong,” Berrynose interrupted. “You should never have let her knock you over. If that had been a real fight, she could have bitten your throat out.”
Lionpaw spun around to face him; hot fury flooded through him from ears to tail tip. “I suppose you found that out when you were fighting ShadowClan,” he taunted.
Berrynose sprang off the rock, his ears flattened and his neck fur standing on end. “Don’t talk to a warrior like that!” he spat.
“Then stop being such a know-it-all!” Lionpaw retorted. “You’re not my mentor, so stay out of my fur.”
For two mouse tails he would have hurled himself at Berrynose and raked his claws across the cream warrior’s muzzle. But he knew he would be in big trouble if he attacked a Clanmate for real, not as part of a training bout. Turning his back on Berrynose, he stormed off to the side of the clearing, where he stood with his flanks heaving, trying to control the waves of rage that surged through him.
“Just wait till I’m a warrior,” he vowed under his breath. “Then I’ll show you who’s best at fighting.”
“Take it easy, Lionpaw.” The calm voice felt like a draft of cool water. At first Lionpaw thought it must be Tigerstar, and he looked around for the shadowy tabby figure. Instead, he spotted Stormfur sunning himself in a quiet patch of sunlight at the foot of an oak tree.
Awkwardly Lionpaw dipped his head to him. “Sorry,” he mewed. “But I can’t stand it when Berrynose acts like he’s Clan leader.”
Stormfur let out a sympathetic murmur.
“I know I shouldn’t let him get to me, but I can’t help it,” Lionpaw confessed. “Sometimes it’s the other apprentices too. Well, not Hollypaw, but the rest of them. I feel like I have to be the best all the time.”
Part of him was horrified that he’d blurted all that out to a senior warrior. There was no reason for Stormfur to care about his problems.
“Why?” the gray-furred tom asked.
“I don’t know why!” Lionpaw hesitated, thoughts battering his mind like a storm, then added, “I suppose I doknow, really. It’s because I’m Firestar’s kin. There’s never been a leader like him, and every cat will expect me to be just as good because I’m related to him.”
“And Tigerstar?” Stormfur prompted.
Lionpaw dug his claws into the ground. How could Stormfur possibly know about his meetings with Tigerstar and Hawkfrost? “T-Tigerstar?” he gulped.
Stormfur blinked at him. “I know what problems your father had. Brambleclaw was always afraid the Clan would never trust him, because they hated Tigerstar so much.”
Lionpaw had never thought of that before. It was hard to imagine his father as a young cat, uncertain of his place in the Clan.
“What was my father like?” he asked, padding up to Stormfur and sitting beside him in the comforting splash of sunlight. The fur on his shoulders began to lie flat again; he had almost forgotten the quarrel with Berrynose. “What was it like when you went on the quest together?”
“Terrifying.” Memory glowed in Stormfur’s amber eyes, fear and courage, humor and friendship, all at once. “I don’t know what was harder—traveling through unfamiliar, dangerous territory, or trying to get along with cats from other Clans. We all came back changed.” He paused to rasp his tongue over his shoulder, and then went on. “At first we seemed to argue all the time. But it was usually your father who had the best ideas, and pretty soon we realized that he was the natural leader among us.”
“Tell me what happened,” Lionpaw prompted.
“Four cats, one in each Clan, had a dream telling them to go to the sun-drown-place,” Stormfur began. “They were supposed to listen to what midnight told them. None of us realized that Midnight was a badger.”
Lionpaw nodded; he and his littermates had never met the badger who helped the Clans find their new home, but his mother had told them stories about her.
“It must have been really hard,” Lionpaw mewed, trying to imagine getting along with cats from other Clans. Okay, he’d been friendly with Heatherpaw, but suppose he’d had to cooperate with Breezepaw or warriors from ShadowClan?
“It wasn’t all bad,” Stormfur replied. His tail curled in amusement. “There was the time your mother got stuck in a Twoleg fence. She was spitting with fury, and she couldn’t move!”
Lionpaw let out a little mrrowof laughter, imagining Squirrelflight stuck and furious. “Did my father rescue her?”
Stormfur shook his head. “No. Brambleclaw was thinking about digging up the fence post, and I thought we might bite through the shiny fence stuff. Meanwhile Tawnypelt and Feathertail smoothed down your mother’s fur with some dock leaves and got her out that way.”
“I wish I’d been there,” Lionpaw mewed.
“I wouldn’t have missed it. Even though we were scared a lot of the time, or tired, or hungry, we all knew we were doing our best to help our Clans.”
“And you became really good friends with my father.”
Stormfur twitched his whiskers. “We weren’t all that friendly to begin with. I was jealous of Brambleclaw.”
“Why?” Lionpaw asked, surprised.
“Because I liked your mother too much. But a blind rabbit could have seen that Brambleclaw was the cat she liked best, even though they spent most of their time arguing.”
“You liked Squirrelflight?” Lionpaw blinked in astonishment. Suppose Stormfur had been his father instead of Brambleclaw? I would have been a different cat….
“I’d never met a cat like her,” Stormfur admitted. “So bright and brave and determined, even though she was only an apprentice then. But then we stayed with the Tribe in the mountains, and when I met Brook I knew that she was the right cat for me.”
His amber eyes clouded and he fell silent. Lionpaw couldn’t understand why he should look like that, when he’d been talking about finding Brook. “What’s the matter?”
Stormfur let out a long sigh. “My sister, Feathertail, was with us on the journey,” he explained. “She was a beautiful,warm-hearted cat. She died in the mountains.”
Lionpaw dared to reach out with his tail and rest it on the gray warrior’s shoulder. “What happened?”
“The Tribe was being hunted by a mountain lion. There was a prophecy that a silver cat would come to save them. At first they thought it was me, but it was Feathertail. She died saving them.” His voice shook. “I had to leave her there, buried in the mountains.”
“I’m so sorry,” Lionpaw mewed, trying to imagine what he would feel like if Hollypaw died.
Stormfur licked his chest fur a few times and jerked his head as if he was shaking off a fly. “Moons pass, and you have to carry on.”
“I hope you didn’t mind my asking.”
“Of course not.” Stormfur sounded more like himself again. “You can ask me anything you like. If I can help at all, I’ll be glad to.”
“Thanks.” Lionpaw felt as warm and comforted as if he’d just eaten a plump piece of fresh-kill. “It’s easier talking to you than to a ThunderClan cat—oh, sorry.” He broke off, scuffling his paws with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean—”
“That’s okay,” Stormfur meowed. “I know what you meant. It’s true that I’m only a visitor here, however loyal I feel toward Firestar and your father and the other ThunderClan cats.”
“Where do you feel most at home?” Lionpaw mewed curiously. “In RiverClan, or with the Tribe of Rushing Water, or in ThunderClan?”
Stormfur didn’t reply at once. His eyes grew thoughtful; he licked one paw and drew it over his ear a few times. “I’m a RiverClan cat at heart,” he replied at last. “That’s where I grew up and where I became a warrior. But that was back in the forest, and no cat has a home there now. Right now I feel loyal to ThunderClan, because you welcomed me and Brook. And it’s good to live in the same Clan as Graystripe and get to know him better.”
“Will you stay here forever?”
“I don’t know. This isn’t Brook’s home, and if she doesn’t want to stay, I won’t force her.”
“Why don’t you go back to the mountains, then?”
A somber look crept into Stormfur’s eyes. “It’s not that easy.”
“You could go for a visit,” Lionpaw suggested.
“No, it’s too far,” Stormfur mewed briskly. He rose to his paws and gave his fur a shake. “Come on, it’s time we were going back to camp.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Lionpaw saw that the training session was over. Ashfur and the other apprentices were heading toward the stone hollow. There was no sign of Berrynose.
“You go ahead,” he meowed to Stormfur. “I’ll be back in a while.”
“Okay.” Stormfur bounded off to catch up with Ashfur and the others.
“Thanks, Stormfur!” Lionpaw called after him.
Stormfur waved his tail in reply as he vanished into the bushes.
Lionpaw turned and padded into the trees in the opposite direction from the camp. He paused to make sure that Stormfur really had gone, then picked up the pace until he was racing toward the WindClan border. Panting, he halted at the edge of the stream, looking across the open moorland. The sun was going down, washing the surface of the lake with scarlet and throwing his long shadow to one side. Lionpaw enjoyed the warmth of its rays and the gentle breeze that ruffled his fur.
But the landscape ahead of him looked bleak and unwelcoming. There was no cover, no soft moss, no undergrowth where prey could hide. Lionpaw knew he could never live in WindClan. He would miss the trees: He could hear them now, just behind him, the faint creak of branches and the rustle of their leaves in the wind. He could never have given that up, however much he loved Heatherpaw.
And she could never have lived in ThunderClan, he realized. She felt trapped under the trees; she loved the open moorland, the tough, springy grass and the wild dash across the slopes in pursuit of rabbits. Stormfur must really have loved Brook, to give up his home and stay with her in the mountains.
Lionpaw raised his head and gazed into the distance. He could just make out a dark, misty band on the horizon, where the mountains lay. Brook had pointed it out to him once, on a border patrol; he wondered if she felt her paws tugging her toward it.
What do the mountains look like?he wondered. All his life he had heard about the Great Journey and the territories the Clans had crossed to find their new home by the lake.
Lionpaw felt his paws itching to explore. He longed to discover what lay beyond ThunderClan’s borders, beyond all the Clans’ borders. The world was so wide, and he had seen so little of it. There was so much out there, beyond the reach of the warrior code, beyond the knowledge even of the medicine cats and elders.
It was hard to wrench his paws away from the border and start padding back toward the camp. It’s as though the mountains are calling me….
But how could he ever answer the call?
第二章
第二章
狮爪奋力穿过被露水打湿的一丛丛长草，因为皮毛被浸湿了，不由得打着寒战。他眨着眼睛，试图赶走浓浓的睡意。乌云压在森林上空，只有树冠上方正在变亮的光芒说明，太阳正在升起。
黎明巡逻队正朝风族领地进发。蜡毛和莓鼻走在队伍的稍前方，正商量着什么，不过声音太小，狮爪听不见。过了一会儿，莓鼻回头望了望。“别掉队了，狮爪！”他大声说道，“而且要注意捉狐狸的陷阱。”
“你还是自己小心些吧！”狮爪低声嘟哝着。这只奶油色公猫只当了三天武士，却表现得已然像老师了。哼，别指望我会听他的！
狮爪故意让自己落得更远。当他绕过一片荆棘丛，看到通往地下隧道的入口时，爪子因为往事刺痛起来。那里像是一处废弃的兔子洞，在蕨丛中若隐若现。但是它曾经通往一个有地下暗河的洞穴，然后向上可以直达风族领地。狮爪一想起自己曾经在很多个夜晚进入洞穴，和石楠爪见面，疼痛就刺伤了他的心。他真希望他俩还能回到那段时光——她是石楠星，暗族的族长，而自己是她忠诚的副族长。
狮爪在入口处犹豫了一个心跳的时间，然后情不自禁地钻了进去。他顺着通道向前爬，一直来到隧道被洪水淹没时，留下的那摊淤泥前。狮爪张开嘴巴，却只闻到了湿润的土壤和蚯蚓的气息。
“狮爪，我知道你在里面！”莓鼻大喊，“马上出来！”
有一段时间，狮爪想装作没听见莓鼻的话，可是他猛然意识到，那么做是非常愚蠢的。他并不想待在既潮湿又憋闷的洞里，于是慢慢扭动身子向后退去，直到能站起身的时候，才把皮毛上的泥土抖落干净。
莓鼻正站在他的面前，奶油色的毛全都竖了起来。蜡毛站在几条尾巴远的地方，深蓝色的眼睛看起来很平静却又难以捉摸。
“你知道你在做什么吗？在如此危险的地方探险吗？”莓鼻斥问道，“要是里面塌了怎么办？我想，你是在指望我们把你挖出来，就像上次那样？”
在那次日间森林大会上，狮爪不慎掉进了一处废旧的獾巢，差点儿窒息而死。但那完全是两码事。更何况，上次也不是莓鼻将他挖出来的。
“不要再不停地命令我，”狮爪吼道，“你不是我的老师。”
“那你就不要像愚蠢的幼崽一样，四处乱窜！”
狮爪使劲把爪子插进泥土里，勉力控制自己没有扑向这只自大的公猫。“不要叫我幼崽，”他低声咆哮道，“你的气息还没有完全从学徒巢穴里消失呢，就已经……”
“够了！”蜡毛打断了狮爪，“莓鼻，谢谢你，我会教导他的。狮爪，莓鼻说得对，现在你没必要把鼻子伸进从这里到风族边界的每个洞穴，除非洞里有一些可疑的气息。”
“是的，洞里确实有疑点！”狮爪为自己辩解。
蜡毛没再回应，只是不耐烦地甩了甩尾巴，说道：“我们继续前进。”
狮爪又狠狠地瞪了莓鼻一眼，然后跟在老师身后向前走去。他能感到，自己依然非常想念石楠爪，正是这种思念把自己拖入了洞穴。但是他知道，自己永远无法再去那里了——并不只是因为淤泥堵住了山洞。
他想成为雷族最伟大的武士。但是如果自己最好的朋友是一只来自其他族群的猫，他的这个梦想就永远实现不了。
“跳啊！越高越好——快！”
狮爪跃向半空，又翻身落地，好让自己能看见自己的对手。他趁罂粟爪还没转过身来，便已朝罂粟爪的臀部猛击一掌。就在这时，他朝空地边缘扫了一眼，依稀看到一只虎斑猫的身影，那双琥珀色的眼睛熠熠闪光。
谢谢你，虎星！
罂粟爪朝他扑了过去。狮爪也飞扑过去，肚皮滑过地面的苔藓，冲到罂粟爪的身下。他一把钩住罂粟爪的后爪，朝外一拽，罂粟爪一下子摔了个四爪朝天。狮爪立刻把前爪插在罂粟爪的肚子上，完成了整套动作。
“干得漂亮，狮爪！”蜡毛赞许地点点头。可他深蓝色的眼睛里，仍然没有一丝暖意。
难道我什么地方做得不对？狮爪有些不解。他曾经每晚在洞穴里跟石楠爪相会，结果第二天疲倦得几乎连脚爪都挪不动时，蜡毛生气，他可以理解。可现在我训练得很刻苦，我也训练得很好！
“我以前从没见过你最后那个动作。”罂粟爪的老师刺掌朝两位学徒走过来，“你是从哪里学到它的？”
“哦，我自己悟出来的。”狮爪低声咕哝着。
实际上，他的那个动作来自虎星，是虎星在黑森林里对他和鹰霜进行训练时学到的。这两只幽灵般的猫经常来找狮爪，以至于他总感觉虎星的声音在耳边回响，指导自己跳得更高，击打得更猛，并及时转身逃脱。持续的训练，让狮爪的肌肉更加结实了。不用别的猫说，狮爪自己也很清楚，他的战斗技能比其他任何学徒都提高得快。但是有时候很难解释，他是从哪里学到了这些技能的。
“你现在可以让我起身了吧？”罂粟爪说道。
“哎呀，对不起。”
狮爪从她的身上退到一边。罂粟爪跳起来，抖掉皮毛上的苔藓碎屑，问道：“你可以教我怎么做那个动作吗？”
“当然可以。当一只猫朝你扑过来时，你立刻把身子紧贴地面，但同时要一直向前移动身体。”
“像这样吗？”罂粟爪试着做出那个动作。
“对，不过再快一点儿。”
在这只年轻的玳瑁色母猫练习时，狮爪又用余光瞥了一眼空地边缘。但是虎星幽灵一般的身影，早已消失不见了。
狮爪拖着一长串卷曲的黑莓藤，费力地穿过通道，进入石头山谷。一不小心黑莓藤挂在了荆棘上，他只好更加使劲地拽着。他的爪子又酸又痛。先是参加了黎明巡逻队，接下来是训练，然后他匆匆地吃了几口食物，休息了一会儿，又被蜡毛派去整修长老巢穴。现在，太阳刚刚偏西！
狮爪拖着黑莓藤穿过空地时，一个东西重重地落在黑莓藤的另一端，把狮爪一下子弹了起来，差点儿摔倒。狮爪放下黑莓藤，回头一看，原来是小狐。这只棕色的虎斑公猫把牙齿咬进黑莓藤的另一边，用爪子使劲击打着它，喉咙里发出低沉的吼声。
“影族猫入侵啦！”小冰尖叫着，从弟弟的身边猛冲出去，跳到黑莓藤上，“快从我们的营地滚出去！”
正穿过空地的白翅停住了，后颈上的毛竖了起来，接着又甩甩尾巴，继续往前走。云尾从武士巢穴里探出头来，警惕地睁大蓝色的眼睛。当他看到是两只幼崽胡闹时，便厌恶地抖了抖耳朵，然后缩回了脑袋。
“嗨，你们吵到每只猫了！”狮爪说道，“而且我要用这些黑莓藤修补长老巢穴。”
“我们能帮忙吗？”小冰问道。
“是啊，我们马上就成为学徒啦。”小狐补充着，放下了黑莓藤。
“好吧！不过你们要小心，别让刺扎到脚垫。”
狮爪继续拖着黑莓藤穿过空地。两只幼崽试图帮他使劲拉，不过他俩经常跑到他的爪子下，反而让他更费劲了。
当他们离长老巢穴越来越近时，小狐和小冰好像都忘了帮忙的事情。他俩径直跑到正在巢穴入口晒太阳的鼠毛和长尾身边。
“给我们讲个故事吧！”小狐恳求道，“跟我们说说大迁徙吧，给我们讲讲两脚兽是怎么……”
“不！我想听旧森林的故事。”小冰插话道。
鼠毛打了个哈欠。“你给他俩讲点什么吧。”她对长尾说道，“这样他们就会消停一会儿，我也能好好睡一觉了。”说完，她闭上了眼睛，把尾巴盖在鼻子上。
长尾叹了口气，将爪子放在胸口下面，舒服地蜷伏着。尽管看不见幼崽们，但他依然转过身，面对着他们说道：“好吧，你俩想听什么故事呢？”
“虎星的！”小狐的皮毛兴奋得奓了起来。
“对，虎星的故事！”小冰补充道，“给我们讲讲，他是如何试图统治整片森林的。”
狮爪看到盲眼猫有些犹豫，尾巴尖不住地动着。狮爪开始把那串黑莓藤填在巢穴外的金银花屏障上的一处缺口里，好奇心顿时涌动起来。跟两只幼崽一样，他也很想听听虎星的故事。
“虎星是一位伟大的武士，”长尾终于开口说道，“他是那片森林里最强壮的猫，也是最厉害的武士。我还是一只年轻猫时，以为他会成为雷族的下任族长。我自己也想成为他那样的猫。”说到这儿时，淡棕色虎斑老猫有些尴尬。
“但是他很坏！”小狐脱口而出，眼睛睁得圆圆的。
“我们当时不知道后来发生的事。”长尾解释道，“后来他杀死了雷族的副族长红尾，但是所有猫都以为红尾是战死的……”
狮爪听到这个充满血腥和阴谋的故事时，心里不由翻腾起来。他几乎没法移动爪子把黑莓藤填补在合适的位置上，他也不能假装这只是个故事，只是讲给幼崽听的。这就是那只猫，那只陪着自己穿过森林，教他如何做武士的猫。
“虎星是被他的野心毁掉的，”长尾最后说道，“如果他愿意等待权力降临到自己身上，那么他就会成为森林里最伟大的族长了。”
狮爪终于放下心来。他没有理由去回避虎星。现在那只深色虎斑猫不会像当初那么野心勃勃了。他已经死了，没办法再谋划什么了。
而且他也从未建议狮爪去做违反武士守则的事情。当他发现狮爪在洞穴里跟石楠爪约会时，他是很生气的。他所做的一切，都是为了让狮爪成为一位真正优秀的武士。或许虎星这么做，是因为心有愧疚，想通过帮助雷族来进行一些补偿。
幼崽们仍缠着长尾问问题，狮爪则若有所思地走出营地，继续去拿更多的黑莓藤。
CHAPTER7
CHAPTER7
“I’ve got a plan,” Hollypaw announced.She and Cinderpaw had cleared the old bedding out of the elders’ den and were clawing fresh moss from around the roots of an oak tree. Shreds of mist drifted among the trees, while overhead the sun was struggling to break through a covering of cloud.
Cinderpaw stopped with her claws deep in the soft green covering. “What plan?”
“It’s about becoming a warrior.” Hollypaw left the ball of moss she was gathering and padded over to sit on a twisted root beside her friend. “It’s so confusing, learning about fighting and hunting and all the stuff about the warrior code. I can’t think of everything at once, so I’m going to concentrate on one thing at a time.”
Cinderpaw blinked. “I don’t get it.”
Hollypaw sighed; it seemed straightforward enough to her. “I’m going to start with hunting. If a Clan isn’t well fed, it can’t defend its borders and fight battles. I’ll practice and practice until I’m really good at it. Then I’ll go on to something else.”
Her friend started clawing up the moss again. “I think that sounds mouse-brained,” she mewed. “I mean, you can’t stop doing everything else, can you? Are you going to leave me to finish the bedding while you go off looking for prey?”
Hollypaw swiped out a paw, claws sheathed, just missing Cinderpaw’s ear. “No, of course I’m not. I know I’ll have to do duties and training sessions and all that. But I’m going to concentrateon hunting.”
Cinderpaw let out a faint snort of amusement. “I’d like to hear what Brackenfur has to say if he thinks you’re not concentratingon fighting.”
Exasperated, Hollypaw snagged up a bit of moss and tossed it at her friend. She expected Cinderpaw to toss some back at her, but instead the young she-cat stopped what she was doing and looked up at her, blue eyes serious.
“Honestly, Hollypaw, I don’t think this is a good idea. Being a warrior means you have to do everything together. You can’t put stuff in order. I know I’m not explaining it very well, but—”
“No, you’re not,” Hollypaw snapped, then stopped herself. Cinderpaw was her best friend, and she didn’t want to quarrel with her. “Sorry, Cinderpaw,” she went on. “I just think this will be a way that will work for me. You don’t have to join in if you don’t want to.”
Cinderpaw reached up to touch Hollypaw’s nose with her ear. “It’s okay. And you know I’ll help if I can.”
By the time Hollypaw and Cinderpaw had finished refreshing the elders’ bedding, Thornclaw and Brackenfur were gathering the apprentices together in the middle of the clearing.
“Are we hunting?” Hollypaw asked eagerly.
It was Thornclaw who replied. “No, Cloudtail and I are taking our apprentices to the mossy clearing for some advanced battle training. You and Lionpaw can come along and watch.”
“And join in if you want to,” Brackenfur added.
Cinderpaw gave an excited little bounce. “Let’s go!”
Her mentor, Cloudtail, padded up behind her and flicked her on the shoulder with his tail. “You be careful of that leg. If I’m asking too much of you, I want to know.”
Cinderpaw’s excitement faded. “My leg’s fine, Cloudtail. It won’t hold me back from being a warrior, will it?”
“I hope not. We’ll have to see,” was Cloudtail’s discouraging response.
Hollypaw pressed her muzzle against Cinderpaw’s. “Don’t worry. You willbe a warrior. I just know it.”
Ashfur came padding over with Lionpaw from the apprentices’ den. “Are we all ready?” the gray warrior asked. “Where’s Honeypaw?”
“Sandstorm took her on a hunting patrol,” Brackenfur replied. “She’ll join us later.”
The clouds had cleared away and the sun was burning up the mist. In the shadow of the trees the grass was still laden with dew. Hollypaw brushed past a clump of fern and flicked her ears as droplets fell on her head. The undergrowth was full of exciting scents and sounds; she longed to put her plan into practice on a hunting patrol, instead of going to a training session when she would have to spend most of her time watching.
With four apprentices and their mentors, the clearing was crowded. Hollypaw sat in a sunny spot at one side with Brackenfur. Lionpaw and Ashfur were a couple of tail-lengths away. Hollypaw tried to hide a yawn as Cloudtail and Thornclaw demonstrated a move to the two older apprentices: Cloudtail leaped into the air with a twist so that he came down on Thornclaw’s shoulders.
“Now you try,” he invited Cinderpaw.
Cinderpaw crouched to face her mentor and launched herself into the air. She got the twist right, but she hadn’t leaped high enough, so that instead of landing on Cloudtail’s shoulders she blundered clumsily into his side, and he pinned her down with one paw on her chest.
“Not bad for a first try,” he commented, letting her get up, “but you need more strength in that leap. Is your leg bothering you?”
Cinderpaw blinked. “No, it’s fine. I’ll get it right next time.”
“And don’t forget,” Thornclaw added, “in a real fight your enemy won’t stand still and wait for you to land on him. You’ve got to anticipate his next move.”
“Let me have a try,” Poppypaw meowed.
As the training session went on, Hollypaw noticed that Lionpaw was fidgeting. “Ican do that,” he told Ashfur. “Can I try it?”
Ashfur hesitated. “It’s advanced stuff,” he pointed out. “There’s no point in trying before you’re ready.”
“I amready,” Lionpaw insisted, his fur starting to fluff up.
Ashfur shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Hollypaw watched nervously as Lionpaw and his mentor moved out into the clearing, well away from the other practice session.
“Go on, then, show me,” Ashfur mewed.
Lionpaw leaped into the air, sunlight turning his golden pelt to flame. With all four paws off the ground he twisted and came down perfectly balanced on Ashfur’s shoulders. Ashfur let out a grunt of surprise, while Hollypaw stared in astonishment. How had Lionpaw learned how to do that move so perfectly?
“See?” Lionpaw challenged his mentor as he leaped to the ground. “Nowwill you be a bit tougher on me?”
“You want tough?” There was the hint of a growl in Ashfur’s voice, and his blue eyes gleamed. “Be careful what you wish for, Lionpaw.”
Hollypaw felt the fur on her shoulder begin to rise. Was Ashfur joking?
“I can cope with anything,” Lionpaw insisted.
Ashfur leaped on Lionpaw, landing a hard blow on his ear. Lionpaw rolled to one side, raking his hind paws down Ashfur’s flank. A heartbeat later he was back on his paws, leaping into the air and landing on his mentor’s shoulders in the move Cloudtail had just demonstrated. Ashfur reared up on his hind paws, shaking off Lionpaw; Hollypaw winced at the thud as her brother hit the ground. Instantly his mentor jumped on top of him and the two cats wrestled together in a screeching tangle of fur, rolling closer to the other apprentices.
Poppypaw had to dodge to one side to avoid them. Thornclaw curled his tail around her shoulders and drew her to the side of the clearing. Cloudtail and Cinderpaw joined them, their training session forgotten as they stared at the furious battle
Ashfur was fighting as if Lionpaw was a warrior—but so was Lionpaw! Hollypaw watched in amazement as he bit down on Ashfur’s tail, then jerked it hard so that Ashfur was unbalanced and fell on his side. She’d seen Berrynose and his littermates practicing that move just before they were made warriors; she hadn’t expected to learn it for at least another moon.
Hollypaw stiffened as she saw flecks of scarlet on Ashfur’s gray pelt. Lionpaw would get into big trouble for fighting with claws unsheathed! Then she noticed that her brother was bleeding, too. Ashfur’s blue eyes were blazing with fury, as if he’d forgotten this wasn’t a real battle.
“They’re hurting each other!” She turned to Brackenfur. “Can’t you make them stop?”
Before Brackenfur could do anything, Ashfur launched himself on top of Lionpaw and held him down with both forepaws on his chest. “Was that tough enough for you?” he panted.
But Lionpaw wouldn’t give in. He went on battering at Ashfur’s belly with his hind paws, twisting from side to side in an effort to throw off the heavier cat. Ashfur raised his paw, aiming a blow at Lionpaw’s ear.
“That’s enough.” Brackenfur bounded forward, his voice sharp with shock. “Ashfur, let him up. Lionpaw, sheathe your claws. This bout is over.”
Ashfur turned his head to glare at Brackenfur. The blaze in his blue eyes faded and he stepped back. Lionpaw scrambled to his paws, while Brackenfur thrust himself between them in case the fight broke out all over again. Lionpaw’s chest heaved as he fought for breath. The fur on one shoulder was torn and blood was welling out of the scratches; Hollypaw could see the marks of Ashfur’s claws down his side.
But Ashfur was bleeding too, from one ear and a hind leg. After a heartbeat to catch his breath, he meowed loudly, “Well done, Lionpaw. You fought like a warrior.” Looking around, he added, “I hope the rest of you were watching. You should all be trying to be as good as Lionpaw.”
Cinderpaw and Poppypaw exchanged glances; they both looked too shocked to say anything. Even Hollypaw couldn’t bring herself to congratulate her brother. The way the practice session had turned savage had disturbed her.
“Come on.” Ashfur beckoned to Lionpaw with his tail. “That was so good, you don’t have to do any more training. We’ll go back to camp, and you can have first pick of the fresh-kill pile.”
“Thanks, Ashfur!” Lionpaw was recovering now, his breathing easier and his fur beginning to lie flat again.
“I’ll tell Firestar, too,” his mentor added. “ThunderClan will have a warrior to be proud of when you finish your apprenticeship.”
Lionpaw’s amber eyes glowed. He padded off beside Ashfur with his head and tail held high. No cat spoke until they had disappeared into the undergrowth, heading for the camp.
Then Cloudtail puffed out his breath as if he’d been holding it. “Right. Let’s see what the rest of you can do.”
“Are you going to fight us like that?” Poppypaw asked nervously.
It was Brackenfur who replied. “Certainly not.” His fur was still ruffled, Hollypaw could tell, either by the ferocity of the fight or by how well her brother had fought. “We’ll just go on practicing the techniques. And we’ll allkeep our claws sheathed.”
Hollypaw joined in, but she found it hard to concentrate. She could still see in her mind the blaze of rage in Ashfur’s eyes, as if he’d forgotten he was fighting his own apprentice
When the training session was over, Hollypaw ran back to camp ahead of the other apprentices. She wanted to make sure her brother was okay.
She found Lionpaw asleep in their den, half buried in a nest of moss and bracken. He was breathing deeply and didn’t stir when Hollypaw padded up and sniffed the wound on his shoulder. The bleeding had stopped; dried blood was crusted around the scratches and the fur was torn loose and bloodstained. Obviously he hadn’t been to Leafpool to have the wound checked out.
“Mouse-brain,” Hollypaw murmured affectionately.
Lionpaw still didn’t stir as she rasped her tongue over his shoulder until the wound was clean. It wasn’t surprising that he was exhausted. Hollypaw touched her nose gently to his ear and left him to sleep. Pushing her way out through the brambles, she spotted her father by the fresh-kill pile.
“Hi,” Brambleclaw meowed. “I’m getting a hunting patrol together. Do you want to come?”
Earlier that morning Hollypaw would have jumped at the chance, but now she had more important things on her mind. “There’s something I have to tell you,” she began, launching into the story of Lionpaw’s fight with Ashfur. “I don’t think Ashfur should have pushed Lionpaw that hard,” she finished. “I thought they were going to tear each other apart!”
Brambleclaw let out a soothing purr. “You don’t need to worry. I met Ashfur in the forest, and he told me all about it. He’s really pleased with Lionpaw.” His eyes narrowed, half in amusement, half embarrassment. “He told me Lionpaw’s going to make a warrior like his father. I assume that was a compliment.”
Hollypaw raked her claws in the ground in frustration. “But you didn’t see it,” she protested. “It was really scary.”
Brambleclaw’s tail tip flicked. “Fighting isscary,” he pointed out. “If we have to fight another Clan, they won’t sheathe their claws.”
“But we’re not fighting another Clan now.”
“Sooner or later there will be a battle, and we have to be ready for it. One day Lionpaw will need all his skills. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of all my kits: Lionpaw is a brilliant fighter, Leafpool tells me Jaypaw knows all the herbs already….”
“And what about me?” Hollypaw asked, trying to push down a pang of jealousy. Aren’t I special too?
Brambleclaw leaned over to give her ear a comforting lick. “You’re my little thinker,” he purred. “I rely on you to make the best decisions—and to keep your brothers in line!”
Hollypaw brightened. That was a skill she would need if she was ever to be Clan leader.
“Good,” Brambleclaw mewed. “Now, what about this hunting patrol?”
“But whycan’t Berrynose come?” Honeypaw complained.
“Because he’s the most annoying furball in the forest,” Hollypaw muttered through gritted teeth, though not loud enough for her friend to hear her.
Sandstorm and Honeypaw had joined Brambleclaw and Hollypaw on the hunting patrol. Honeypaw hadn’t arrived at the training session until it was almost over, and she had kept trying to tell every cat how much better Berrynose could perform the fighting techniques. Now Hollypaw was finding it hard to sense prey, because her fellow apprentice was still meowing on about the cream-colored warrior.
“Berrynose was on the dawn patrol,” Sandstorm explained, with more patience than Hollypaw could have mustered. “He deserves a rest.”
“But we’d catch much more if he was with us,” Honeypaw insisted. “He’s a brillianthunter.”
“Well, we’ll just have to do the best we can without him,” Sandstorm mewed.
Hollypaw thought that Honeypaw must have missed the sarcastic edge to the ginger she-cat’s tone. She just kept on babbling about Berrynose until Hollypaw wanted to wrap her tail around her friend’s muzzle to keep it shut. Exasperated, she ran ahead a little way, trying to get out of range of Honeypaw’s voice.
Sunhigh was just past. Golden rays warmed Hollypaw’s fur, while her paws padded through cool, lush grass. The trees were thick with birdsong and the air was laden with fresh green scents. She bounded forward until the sound of the patrol had faded behind her. At the top of a rise, she halted. Ahead of her, trees grew closer together, the spaces between them choked by bracken and briar, and for a few heartbeats she wasn’t sure where she was. She was a long way past the entrance to the tunnels, and she couldn’t spot any other familiar landmarks. Then she picked up the faint sound of running water and realized that she stood at the very edge of ThunderClan’s hunting territory, not far from the WindClan border.
Everything around her was peaceful, but something made Hollypaw’s fur prickle with apprehension. Her paws were tugging her to run back and find the rest of the patrol. You’re not a kit!she scolded herself. This is ThunderClan territory. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
She would go back, she decided, but she would catch a piece of prey first, just to prove to herself that she wasn’t a coward who ran away from nothing. She raised her head and opened her jaws to draw in a long breath.
Cat scent!Hollypaw tasted it carefully, wondering if WindClan was trespassing on ThunderClan territory again. But it wasn’t WindClan scent. It wasn’t any cat scent Hollypaw had encountered before. Had a group of rogues invaded the territory?
“Are you okay?”
Hollypaw let out a long breath of relief at the sound of her father’s voice. She turned to see Brambleclaw padding up to her, his powerful shoulders brushing through the bracken. Sandstorm and Honeypaw followed a little way behind.
“I’m fine,” Hollypaw replied, trying to hide how the strange scent had spooked her. “I can scent cats, but it’s not any scent I know.”
Brambleclaw tasted the air, then glanced sharply at Sandstorm, who was doing the same. The ginger she-cat took a pace toward him and murmured something in his ear; Brambleclaw nodded. His amber eyes looked troubled.
“Run back to camp, as fast as you can,” he meowed to both apprentices. “Tell Firestar to send more warriors.”
“But not Stormfur or Brook,” Sandstorm added.
Hollypaw couldn’t understand the urgency in the warriors’ voices. The tension in their fur crackled like greenleaf lightning.
“What is it?” Honeypaw asked. “What’s the matter?”
“We can’t leave you here if there’s danger,” Hollypaw protested.
“Just do as you’re told!” Sandstorm snapped.
“There’s no danger,” Brambleclaw added quietly. “But we need more warriors. Go now.”
Hollypaw and Honeypaw exchanged one scared glance and pelted back through the forest toward the camp. Fear made Hollypaw’s fur stand on end, and her heart thudded with more than the speed of her running.
“Firestar!” she yowled as she thrust her way through the thorn tunnel. “Firestar, come quickly!”
As Hollypaw skidded to a stop beneath the Highledge, she spotted Mousefur jerk awake from her place outside the elders’ den and leap to her paws, tail lashing. Cloudtail erupted from the warriors’ den, his fur bristling and his claws scraping the ground. Behind him, Brightheart and Sorreltail popped their heads through the branches, eyes wide with alarm. Daisy swept her tail protectively around her two tiny kits, who were playing in a patch of sunlight near the nursery, and herded them back inside.
Firestar emerged from his den on the Highledge. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
“Strange cats…” Hollypaw gasped, still trying to catch her breath.
“Near the WindClan border,” Honeypaw added.
“Brambleclaw said—” Hollypaw whirled around as yowling broke out behind her. More cats were tumbling through the thorn tunnel into the camp: Graystripe was in the lead, with Birchfall and Whitewing just behind.
But that wasn’t what made Hollypaw arch her back while every hair on her pelt rose and tingled. With the three ThunderClan cats were two others that she didn’t recognize: a massive dark brown tabby tom and a pure black she-cat, who was smaller and skinnier than the cats of ThunderClan. Graystripe and the two younger warriors stood close around them, not allowing them any farther into the camp. As the she-cat opened her jaws to speak, Graystripe silenced her with a threatening hiss.
Hollypaw flexed her claws and let her tail tip flick to and fro. The scent coming from the two strange cats was the same one she had picked up near the WindClan border. The scent of intruders!
第三章
第三章
冬青爪穿过黑莓丛，走进育婴室，把一只画眉放在黛西身前。小玫瑰和小蟾蜍正伏在母亲的肚皮上吃着奶，他们短短的尾巴从身后伸了出来。
“谢谢你，”黛西说着伸出一只爪子，把画眉拉到跟前，“这只鸟真是又大又肥！”
“我们能吃点儿吗？”小狐本来正跟姐姐打闹着，这时站了起来，“我快饿死啦！”
“当然不能，”他俩的母亲香薇云回答道，“你们已经长大了，应该自己去取猎物了。”
“真的吗？”小冰的脑袋从蕨丛里探出来，“我能吃下一整只兔子。”
“好吧，”香薇云说道，“给米莉也带些吃的回来！”还没等她说完，两只幼崽就已经冲出巢穴。
米莉睡在自己铺满苔藓的窝中，睡意蒙眬地眨了眨眼睛。她的肚子特别大，冬青爪猜测，她的幼崽很快就会降生了。
“谢谢你。”米莉对香薇云喃喃道。
香薇云叹了口气：“是时候让这两个小家伙去当学徒了。他们需要有老师好好地盯着。”
冬青爪心里默默表示赞同。然后她离开育婴室，来到猎物堆旁，开始给长老们挑食物。小狐和小冰已经在那儿了，正在玩抢夺苍头燕雀的游戏。
“你们可以给米莉送些吃的吗？”冬青爪提醒他们。
“哦，对不起。”小狐爬起来，叼起两只老鼠的尾巴，蹦蹦跳跳跑过空地。
小冰发出一阵胜利的欢呼，坐下来，开始独自享用那只苍头燕雀。
冬青爪开始在猎物堆里翻检着，给长老们找猎物。育婴室里的各种气息依然残留在她的皮毛上。她感到整个营地都是幼崽和即将生产的母亲们。
雷族会希望我也有幼崽吗？冬青爪想着。她清楚，幼崽是雷族的希望，不过一想到自己也会成为母亲，顿时觉得整个森林的重量，都压在了自己的肩头。
冬青爪用力把一只兔子往外拽。蜜爪蹦跳着来到了她的身边。“这是给谁的猎物？”蜜爪问道。
“长老的。”
“我刚给他们送了一只松鼠。”蜜爪告诉她，“如果育婴室里没什么事，我们就可以歇歇了。”
冬青爪把那只兔子重新扔回猎物堆。“这里没有多少猎物了，”她说道，“我要去问问蕨毛，我们可不可以去狩猎。”
尽管黎明时分下了一场大雨，但乌云已经消散，太阳正照耀着大地。每一片树叶和草叶上都闪着亮光。一阵大风从森林里吹来，也吹来了猎物的气息。冬青爪感觉爪子发痒，恨不得赶快冲出营地。
“巡逻队刚回来。”蜜爪提醒道，她用尾巴指了指营地的入口。
灰条叼着一只松鼠和两只老鼠出现了。亮心叼着两只田鼠紧随其后，她的身后是衔着一只兔子的莓鼻。
“啊，快看！”蜜爪的眼睛睁得大大的，“莓鼻抓到好大一只兔子！他真的是太厉害了！”
“莓鼻？”冬青爪忍不住发出一声惊呼。他不过才当了五天的武士，就已经被公认是雷族最傲慢的猫了。
蜜爪有些不好意思地眨了眨眼睛，前爪慢慢划过沙土地面，对冬青爪坦白道：“我真的喜欢他，不过我并没有指望他能看我一眼。现在他成为武士了，估计更不会看我了。”
冬青爪心想，莓鼻总把鼻子高高地仰在空中，肯定看不见其他猫。如果他知道蜜爪喜欢自己，岂不是会更嚣张了？
“你已经够优秀了，不必……”冬青爪刚一开口，就突然停住了。她看到蜜爪突然已经冲到了空地中央，去迎接莓鼻了。
冬青爪叹了口气。他们只是学徒而已，现在就考虑伴侣的事，是不是太早了？对她来说，她首先要做的，就是证明自己是真正的武士，展现出保卫雷族的勇气以及为雷族狩猎的高超技能。她想为整个族群负起自己应尽的职责，让雷族一季更比一季强……
冬青爪僵硬地站在那里，好像爪子被冻在了地面上。是啊！她想，我更想成为雷族的族长，而不是抚育幼崽的猫后！
有一个心跳的时间，她的野心让自己不寒而栗。很快她就冷静了下来。如果她准备将自己的一切都奉献给雷族，那么想成为雷族族长并没有错。冬青爪转身离开了猎物堆，她已经看够了蜜爪围在莓鼻周围讨好的样子。这时，她看见母亲松鼠飞从武士巢穴走了出来。
冬青爪跑到她的身边：“松鼠飞，我能问你一些事情吗？”
母亲的耳朵动了动，回答道：“当然可以。”
“你生了好几只幼崽，”冬青爪说道，“可你仍然成为了武士。你是怎么做到的？”
松鼠飞眯起了眼睛。冬青爪看到她深邃的绿色眼睛里，有什么东西一闪而过，似乎是一种她无法理解的情感。但母亲声音平静地问：“你为什么想知道这些？”
“我只是想……”冬青爪感到有些难以启齿，“好像所有的猫都认为，母猫是一定要生幼崽的。可我不想这样，我只想做一位武士。”
可是令她气恼的是，松鼠飞居然戏谑地卷起尾巴。“你不用做那么遥远的计划！”她的母亲说道，“星族已经为你指明了未来的道路，而且路上可能还会有无法预知的曲折和坎坷。”
“可是……”
“你看看周围，”松鼠飞接着说道，“很多母猫生了幼崽，然后又回到了武士巢穴。”
可她们当中有谁成了雷族族长呢？
“别再想这些啦，”松鼠飞结束了谈话，把尾巴尖儿放在女儿的肩膀上，“把精力集中在训练上吧。”
这不是我想要的答案！冬青爪沮丧地想，你刚才的话，对我毫无用处！
冬青爪狩猎归来，发现雷族猫们正向空地中央聚集。火星站在高石台上，他火焰色的皮毛在阳光下发出夺目的光彩。
冬青爪把捉来的猎物放到了猎物堆上，发现云尾正跟自己的伴侣亮心分享一只画眉。“发生了什么事？”她问云尾。
“小冰和小狐要成为学徒啦！”亮心回答。
“也该是时候了。”云尾低声喃喃道，“他们那天说什么影族来袭击我们了，把我的皮毛都吓飞了。”
亮心用一只前爪轻轻地戳了戳他：“云尾，幼崽就是幼崽。而且你也知道，他们总有一天会成为优秀的武士的。”
但云尾只是轻蔑地哼了一声。
冬青爪看了看周围的学徒。蜜爪紧靠着莓鼻坐着，苺鼻却没有理她，只顾着跟桦落说话。松鸦爪从巫医巢穴入口处的黑莓丛后钻出来。一个心跳过后，叶池也出来了。冬青爪朝他们的方向迈了一步，但又觉得有些不妥，万一他俩在谈论一些巫医的事情呢。
罂粟爪和炭爪坐在沙风和灰条旁边。当冬青爪四下张望时，她看到狮爪走出了学徒巢穴，在罂粟爪和炭爪身边坐下来。她蹦跳着向他们跑去。
香薇云跟小狐和小冰一起走出了育婴室，尘毛紧随其后。暗棕色虎斑武士的自豪之情一览无余。
幼崽们的眼睛里闪着兴奋的光芒，顺滑的皮毛在阳光下闪闪发亮。他俩都努力装出一副严肃的样子，朝空地走去。可是刚走到半路，小冰突然难掩兴奋地跳了起来。她的父亲急忙追上去，用尾巴拂了拂她的耳朵。她这才又一脸镇静地往前走去，跟自己的弟弟走到了猫群的最前面。
火星从高石台下的落石堆上蹦跳了下来，招呼他俩来到自己跟前。“松鼠飞，”他开口说道，“你早该带学徒了，我想让你做狐爪的老师。”
松鼠飞高高扬起脑袋和尾巴，穿过猫群，朝火星走去。小狐也跑过去，跟她见面。
“松鼠飞，你的勇气和忠诚整个雷族有目共睹。”火星接着说道，“你要竭尽全力，把这些都教给狐爪。”
狐爪走上前去，跟松鼠飞碰了碰鼻子，然后两只猫退到了旁边。
松鼠飞现在当上老师了。冬青爪自言自语着，她生过幼崽，看来两者兼顾是可能的。
火星的目光落在了一只白色的年轻母猫身上：“白翅，我相信你已经准备好迎接自己的第一位学徒了。你将成为冰爪的老师。”
白翅的眼睛里流露出喜悦的光，走向自己的学徒。师徒俩也碰了碰鼻子，来到松鼠飞的身边。雷族的其他猫围过来，高喊着学徒们的新名字，对他们表示热烈祝贺。
冬青爪注意到，莓鼻和桦落待在原地，一动不动。
“哼！”桦落惊叫一声，声音大得周围的猫都能听见，“我不明白，为什么火星让白翅当老师！我绝对不会比她教得差！”
“火星选择的是最能胜任这份工作的猫，”沙风经过桦落身边时告诉他，“白翅比你年龄大。而且你别忘了，她本该更早成为武士的，可她却请求推迟，因为她不想让你成为雷族当时唯一的学徒。”
桦落嘟囔着什么，但冬青爪没有听见。
“你马上就会有一位学徒的，”沙风向他保证，“雷族还从来没有过这么多幼崽呢。”
桦落不敢再继续抱怨什么，不过他看起来仍旧很不满意。莓鼻在他的耳边轻声说了些什么，然后这两只年轻的公猫脑袋紧紧地靠在一起，走开了。
冬青爪叹了口气。她真想不明白，桦落最近是怎么回事。他以前是一只很有趣的猫，而且他成为武士的时间很短，甚至对自己的学徒生活还记忆犹新。现在他简直跟莓鼻一样，让其他猫一想起来就尾巴疼。
冬青爪走上前去，向新晋学徒表示祝贺时，雷族猫已四散开去，继续去忙各自的工作。冬青爪感到谁碰了自己的肩膀一下，回头一看，原来是自己的老师蕨毛。
“火星让我们跟他一起进行黄昏巡逻，”金棕色虎斑公猫说道，“你准备好了吗？”
“准备好了。”
冬青爪感觉自己的毛都兴奋得直竖起来，心跳也开始加速。学徒很少有机会和族长一起外出巡逻。这是她向火星展示所学技能的绝佳机会。冬青爪扭动着脖子，飞快地舔了舔自己的肩膀。她本想彻底梳理一下，可时间已经来不及了。火星来到了她和蕨毛身边。冬青爪祈祷着，自己的毛千万不要竖起来，皮毛上也别出现什么刺。
“我们出发吧！”族长说道，“我们需要更新影族边界线上的气味标记。”
太阳正在西沉，冬青爪跟着这两只公猫穿过荆棘通道，走进了森林。猩红色的阳光洒遍大地，上面点缀着树木长长的倒影。森林里一片寂静，只能听到树枝间呼啸的风声，还有低矮的灌木丛里猎物微弱的窸窣声。
冬青爪没去理会猎物的诱惑。她清楚，自己参加的并不是狩猎队。她集中精力，仔细地观察着，嗅着空中的气息，随时准备应对异常情况——尤其要关注领地上是否有影族武士出没。
火星突然停了下来：“快听！”
冬青爪身体一僵，伸长了耳朵。当她听到远处传来猫战斗时发出的微弱的怒吼声和尖叫声时，脖子上的毛顿时竖了起来。
“那边！”火星甩了甩尾巴，指着声音传来的方向，说道：“走！”
火星跳过了蕨丛，蕨毛紧随其后。冬青爪快步跟在他们身后，草叶和荆棘不停地剐着她的肚子和皮毛。号叫声和咒骂声越来越响了。
他们绕过一片榛树林。有一个心跳的时间，冬青爪看不到火星的身影，只听到他喊道：“停！”冬青爪冲出开阔地，在坡顶上停了下来。在下方，一个蕨丛围绕的山谷里有五只猫，正激烈地厮打着。空气中充斥着浓烈的影族猫和雷族猫的气息。冬青爪惊呆了，她看到了莓鼻的奶油色皮毛和桦落的虎斑皮毛。很显然，两位雷族武士不是三只健壮的影族猫的对手！
冬青爪想要扑上前去帮助自己的同伴，却被火星的尾巴拦住了。
“不行，”他说道，“那里是影族的领地。”
冬青爪盯着下方的族猫，爪子深深地插进了泥土里。莓鼻和桦落在外族群的领地上干什么呢？冬青爪张开嘴巴，嗅闻着空气，发现了微弱的雷族和影族气味标记交叠在一起。她这才意识到，自己正站在边界线上。
火星提高声音，再次喊道：“停下！”
看到那几只猫分开了，冬青爪顿时松了口气。她认出了影族的副族长黄毛，以及武士橡毛和花楸掌。花楸掌又在桦落的耳朵上狠狠抓了一下，才转过身来望着火星。
“到底是怎么回事？”火星问道。
“我还想问你呢。”黄毛反驳道，“你们的武士为什么要擅自闯入我们的领地？”
“我们知道为什么。”橡毛猛地抽了一下尾巴，补充道，“因为雷族猫从来就不把边界线当回事儿。”
“不是这样的……”冬青爪开口刚要反驳，蕨毛立刻伸出尾巴拍了一下她的嘴巴，让她住嘴。
火星的目光扫视着莓鼻和桦落。他的声音依旧平静，却冰冷得如同秃叶季的湖水，而且冬青爪听得出来，他十分气恼。“怎么回事？”他询问道。
莓鼻爬起来抖了抖皮毛。他的一只耳朵正在流血，被扯掉了好几块皮毛。“我们不知道这里是影族的领地。”他为自己辩解道，“你应该告诉那几位武士，让他们更新一下气味标记。”
“我不会命令其他族群的武士做任何事。”火星反驳道。黄毛气得竖起了毛：“莓鼻，桦落，如果你们仔细观察，就会注意到这儿的气味标记。”
莓鼻看起来怒气冲冲，但他不能顶撞族长为自己辩解。
“对不起，火星。”桦落垂下头说道。
“这些标记的气息都很弱。”火星承认道。他瞥了一眼在场的其他猫，说道：“我们的和影族的标记都很弱。”
“我们正在黄昏巡逻，”橡毛插话说道，“我们来这里，就是想要更新气味标记。”
“但是我们发现雷族武士在我们边界的一侧，”花楸掌补充道，“他们正在偷猎物。”
“这是真的吗？”火星问道。
桦落点点头。冬青爪非常高兴地看到，桦落看起来一脸的羞愧。
但莓鼻似乎并没有意识到自己已经闯下了多大的祸。“我正在追一只老鼠，”他解释道，“结果他们过来把老鼠吓跑了。”
“幸好他们把老鼠吓跑了！”火星说道，“黄毛，我非常抱歉发生了这样的事情。这两位武士都没什么经验。我确信从现在开始，他们一定会加倍注意的。”
“我希望你会惩罚他们。”花楸掌严厉地说道。
“我当然会的。”火星回应道。
“我很高兴听到你这么说。”
这时，另一个声音响了起来，冬青爪吓了一跳。在深入影族领地几只狐狸身长的地方，黑星从一片蕨丛中走了出来。这只强壮的白色公猫走过擅入影族领地的雷族武士身边，爬上坡顶，面对火星站住了。他巨大的黑色前爪死死地抓住一丛草，脖子上的毛竖了起来。
“你好，黑星。”火星朝他点头致意，“我会让雷族武士们知道，他们绝对不能擅自闯入你们的领地。”
“那只是一个失误！”莓鼻说道。
一阵低沉的怒吼从黑星的喉咙深处发出来。冬青爪有些担心他会对火星发起攻击。
但是当他开口说话时，声音里似乎少了一分敌意，多了一丝疲惫和沮丧：“我们本不该来到这里，火星。星族把我们带到这里是错误的，这里很难分辨哪里才是一个领地与另一个领地的分界。在旧森林里，那就容易多了。”
火星的眼睛里充满了哀伤。“可是旧森林已经消失了，黑星。”他轻轻地说道。突然，他们俩似乎变成了共同回忆过去的老朋友，而不是敌对族群的族长。“跟许多猫一样，我也时常怀念那段过去的时光。可是我们现在必须在这里生活。另外，星族已经把别的猫带进了那片森林，就像它们指引我们来到湖边一样。”
“不，星族不能这样！”黑星后颈上开始平顺下来的毛，又竖了起来。冬青爪不明白，黑星为什么会变得如此暴躁，似乎除了在自己领地上发现了外族的猫，好像还有其他什么事情正困扰着他。“星族的所有猫都曾生活在森林里，所以在猫群形成族群之前，那里一定还生活过一群远古猫。”
远古猫！冬青爪的爪子开始发痒。那些猫是从哪里来的，然后定居在森林里？从前那群定居在湖边的猫，又是来自何处？在月亮池留下爪印的猫，一定与他们找到风族幼崽的地下隧道有着某种联系。冬青爪知道，当他们几个从洪水泛滥的地下河逃出来后，松鸦爪并没有告诉他们所有的事情。她突然意识到，正是季节的轮回形成了现在，现在也会像落叶季的叶子一般纷纷飘落，堕入深不可测的黑暗之中。
“你没事吧？”蕨毛的低语声传入她的耳朵里，“别担心，这次我们不会打起来的。”
冬青爪挺直了身体：“我很好！”
黑星冷冷地向火星点了一下头，向后退去。“把你的武士带走！”他咆哮道，“如果再让我们在我们的领地上抓到他们，他们可就别想这么容易离开。”
“相信我，他们不会被轻饶的。”火星的语气很严厉。他甩了甩尾巴，示意桦落和莓鼻爬上斜坡。莓鼻愤怒地眯起眼睛，走到边界的另一侧。桦落却停了一下，恭敬地朝黑星低头致意。
“我们非常抱歉，”他说道，“我向你保证，我们再也不会这么做了。”
“希望如此。”影族族长说道。然后，他转身看着自己的武士。“你们继续巡逻！”他突然说道，接着就消失在了蕨丛后。
当影族猫重新给边界做标记的时候，在边界的另一侧，火星已经领着两位年轻的武士，离开边界有好几条尾巴远了。
“你们回营地，然后在高石台下等我。”
“是，火星。”桦落说道。
桦落和莓鼻消失在榛树丛中。莓鼻愤愤不平地瞥了自己的族长一眼，但是火星已经转过身去，并没看见他的神情。
“我们继续巡逻，”火星说道，“这次我们一定要将气味标记弄得很清晰。”
冬青爪跟着火星，钻进了山谷上方的蕨丛，心里想着两位族长交谈时，那种奇怪的怀旧气氛。黑星感觉自己并不属于这里，因为这里不是他们的祖先居住的地方。可是很久以前，的确有猫在这里生活过——那么，那些猫现在在哪里呢？
CHAPTER8
CHAPTER8
Jaypaw stiffened at the sound ofscreeching from the entrance to the camp. He paused with one paw raised, a stem of watermint still snagged in his claws. “What’s that?” he meowed.
Leafpool didn’t reply. Thornclaw had come to see her, complaining about bellyache, and Jaypaw guessed she wouldn’t notice a whole herd of badgers trampling through the stone hollow until she had finished treating her patient.
“Jaypaw, where’s that watermint?” she called.
“Here.” Jaypaw grabbed up more of the stems and thrust them at his mentor as he darted past the bramble screen and into the main clearing. He could hear the rustling of leaves as warriors came out of their den and the swift pattering of paws as apprentices bounded up to see what was going on. Whispers of alarm came from every corner of the clearing, and from beneath the Highledge, Jaypaw detected powerful fear-scent from Hollypaw and Honeypaw.
Graystripe was speaking, his voice raised in a fierce growl. “Not another paw step, until you tell us what you’re doing on our territory.”
Jaypaw’s fur began to bristle as he picked up the scent of two strange cats. It seemed as if Graystripe and his patrol had caught a couple of rogues trespassing on ThunderClan territory. Jaypaw tasted the air carefully. The scent was strong, but with a bitter tinge that seemed familiar, though he couldn’t remember where he had smelled it before.
Concentrating fiercely, Jaypaw tried to pull the newcomers’ feelings into himself as if he was drawing in their scent. He could sense fear, suspicion, and an overwhelming desperation. It had been difficult for them to come here, yet they’d had no choice.
They need something from ThunderClan!
Before any cat spoke, there was the sound of more cats approaching through the tunnel. It was Stormfur and Brook, with fresh-kill in their jaws.
“Talon! Night!” Brook exclaimed, dropping the vole. “What are you doing here?”
Cloudtail spoke first, his voice sharp with suspicion. “You mean you knowthese cats?”
“Firestar, these are the cats we scented near the WindClan border,” Hollypaw broke in, before either of the strangers could reply. “Brambleclaw sent us to warn you about intruders.”
“They’re not intruders.” Leafpool spoke calmly as she emerged from her den, her pelt brushing Jaypaw’s. “They come from the Tribe of Rushing Water.”
Firestar bounded down the rocks that led to his den. “Of course! It’s Talon of Swooping Eagle, isn’t it, and Night of No Stars?”
“That’s right,” a quiet, accented voice replied.
Jaypaw sensed the tension in the clearing begin to relax. He could make out a few murmurs of recognition coming from the older ThunderClan cats, the ones who had made the Great Journey and stayed with the Tribe of Rushing Water in the mountains
“I knew I’d seen that black she-cat somewhere before,” Dustpelt muttered.
“I wonder what they want?” Sorreltail asked; she sounded puzzled rather than hostile.
“I suppose we’ll soon find out,” Brackenfur replied. “It must be important, for them to come all this way.”
“Stormfur, Brook.” Firestar spoke again. “Bring your prey over to the fresh-kill pile. You must want to catch up with old friends.”
“It doesn’t look much like it,” Hollypaw whispered into Jaypaw’s ear; she had bounded up to him while he was concentrating on the voices. “Brook seems really upset, and Stormfur looks as if he’s got a bit of crow-food under his nose.”
“He just gave Brook a nudge,” Lionpaw added, padding up in his turn. “She doesn’t want to go near them.”
Jaypaw could tell from his littermate’s paw steps that he was still stiff from his wounds from the fight with Ashfur. Yet he sensed pride coming from Lionpaw, too, as if he knew he had fought well.
“They’re touching noses now,” Hollypaw reported softly. “But they still look as if—”
Jaypaw didn’t hear the rest of what she said. Suddenly the ground lurched beneath his paws and he felt blood pounding in his ears. The stench of blood was in his nose. Scarlet light washed over him and he realized that he could see.
On every side he was jostled by fighting cats. He could hear their screeching and the slash of claws through fur. Blood spattered against his pelt, hot and sticky. Underpaw the ground was hard stone; Jaypaw’s claws scrabbled on it as he tried to keep his balance. His paws were splayed across a tilted boulder, sliding slowly downward. He scrambled across a narrow crevice, barely saving himself from being trapped, then caught a glimpse of a sheer drop beneath him and nothing ahead but the open sky, stained bloodred as the sun went down.
Dizzy from the height and the fierceness of the battle, Jaypaw felt as though his paws were frozen to the rock. Where was he? This was no dream, and yet the clearing by the lake had vanished as if it had never been. He bit back a yowl of terror as the scene flickered; darkness returned, but not the unbroken night of his blindness. He was in a cave, where the noise of falling water echoed from the rocks. Moonlight shone through a glittering screen of water that covered the entrance.
Cats were sitting all around him, talking to one another in quiet, serious voices. Jaypaw could pick up their scents and recognized those that belonged to the intruders who had just arrived at the camp. They were sitting opposite him: a huge tabby tom and a smaller black she-cat. Movement at the far side of the cave caught his eye, and he spotted a muscular gray warrior rising to his paws. Scent told him that he was looking at Stormfur. So the tabby she-cat with him must be Brook
Stormfur addressed a stone-gray cat who sat on a boulder at the head of a cave. “It’s no use expecting these cats to leave,” he meowed. “They want to settle here, and they don’t care how much trouble they’re giving us. We have to show them that they must respect our territory.”
“And how do we do that?” another cat asked.
“Hang on, we don’t wantany other cats living near us.” It was the tabby tom who spoke. “The mountains are ours.”
“Not anymore, Talon,” Stormfur mewed regretfully.
“We’ll just have to get used to it,” Brook added.
Stormfur dipped his head in agreement. “I suggest—” he began.
The stone-colored cat on the rock twitched his tail. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting has shown me nothing about this,” he protested.
“Then perhaps the ancestors of these new cats walk in different skies.” Stormfur’s tone was respectful, but Jaypaw could sense his frustration, sharp as thorns. “The Tribe is used to driving off stray loners,” the gray warrior continued, “but this is different. We have to find a different way of dealing with them.”
Night, the black she-cat, leaned forward, stretching her neck to look at Stormfur. “What do you suggest?”
“Why ask him?” The question came from a skinny, speckled brown cat crouched near the rippling screen of water. His muzzle was white with age and he had lost an eye. “He’s only just set paw in the mountains. What does he know about our ways?”
“That’s just why we should listen,” Talon snapped back at him. “Stormfur lived where there are many other cats. He must know better than us how to deal with these strangers.”
“That’s right!” a cat called from the shadows.
More cats joined in, some protesting, some encouraging Stormfur, until the whole cave was filled with caterwauling. Stormfur mewed something softly to Brook, and she touched his shoulder with her nose.
Jaypaw flicked his ears. “Get on with it,” he muttered. “Let him speak.”
Eventually the gray cat on the rock raised his tail for silence. “We will hear what Stormfur has to say,” he announced.
“Thank you, Stoneteller.” Stormfur dipped his head. Turning to the rest of the Tribe, he hesitated for a heartbeat. “Where I lived in the forest,” he began at last, “all four Clans knew that they had to stay out of one another’s territory. Cats who trespassed would be driven out.”
“And how do we do that?” the skinny elder demanded. “These intruders go where they like.”
“We need a show of strength, Rain,” Stormfur explained. His blue eyes glowed. “One battle should be all it takes. After that, these newcomers will either go away for good, or they’ll stay well away from us.”
To Jaypaw’s surprise, Brook stepped forward to stand beside her mate. In the hollow by the lake, she was always quiet, but now her eyes shone and she held her tail high as she looked around at her Tribemates.
“Stormfur will teach us what to do,” she meowed. “He knows battle moves these strangers can’t even imagine.”
“He’ll likely get us all killed,” the elder called Rain grumbled.
“The Tribe has lived in these mountains for seasons upon seasons,” Brook insisted. “Are we going to leave, just like that?”
Several cries of “No!” came from around the cave. Almost every cat in the Tribe had risen to its paws, its pelt bristling and its teeth bared. Only a few, like the gray elder, stayed where they were, glaring at their Tribemates. Amid the uproar, Stoneteller sat unmoving on his rock. Jaypaw could not read his expression or sense anything of what he felt.
Suddenly Jaypaw realized the moonlight was fading. The enthusiastic yowls of the Tribe changed to screeches of terror and fury. Icy wind ruffled his fur and he was knocked off his paws as another cat charged past him. The air was filled with the reek of blood.
Blinking, Jaypaw found himself out on the bare mountainside again. The faint light of dawn drizzled into the sky; clouds hung low over the peaks. He lay on his side on the very edge of a stream, his tail dangling in the gushing water. With a hiss of annoyance he scrambled to his paws, shaking off the icy droplets and struggling to keep his balance on the slick, wet rock.
Around him the narrow valley heaved with the bodies of fighting cats. Close by he spotted Talon, rolling over and over in the grip of a powerful silver tom, battering at the intruder’s belly with his hind paws. For a heartbeat the intruder’s throat was exposed, but Talon was too slow to sink his teeth in.
An apprentice could do better than that!Jaypaw thought.
A few fox-lengths farther down the valley, Stormfur jumped onto a boulder. “Leap onto their shoulders!” he yowled. “Don’t let them pin you down!”
He flung himself back into the battle, raking his claws across the pelt of a tabby she-cat, then whirling to confront a muscular black tom who was shaking a small Tribe cat in his jaws as if she were a piece of prey.
Brook was close by, with Night a paw step behind her, stalking around the side of a boulder to creep up on a couple of the attackers as they would have crept up on their prey. Jaypaw gritted his teeth. The slender she-cats had never been trained to fight. They sprang bravely at their enemies, but the two invaders were almost twice their size and fought back with slashing claws.
Jaypaw was jostled aside by another pair of fighting cats, snagging his pelt on a thorny bush that grew in the crevice between two rocks. One cat fell on top of him; pushing vainly at the weight of fur and muscle, his jaws flooding with the stench of blood, Jaypaw thought at first that it was dead. Then it jerked convulsively, pulled itself to its paws, and dragged itself into the shadows behind a boulder.
Jaypaw staggered to his paws, ripping his fur as he tore himself free of the bush. Another Tribe cat fled past him, a powerful gray-black tom, his fur ripped and one shoulder soaked in blood. A black-and-white cat caught up with him, crashing into his side and flinging him to the ground.
“Slit its belly open!” Jaypaw hissed.
The Tribe cat didn’t hear him. He fought with courage, refusing to give up even when the invader slashed open a wound down the length of his flank, but he had none of the skills that would let him throw off his attacker. The invading tom bit down hard on his throat, then sprang away, leaving the limp body of the Tribe cat half in and half out of the water. His gray fur darkened as blood soaked into it.
Jaypaw caught sight of Stormfur again, at the center of a group of Tribe cats, including Talon. The gray warrior was yowling encouragement, trying to force a way through the crowd of intruders and drive them back, but the attackers flowed over them like floodwater.
“Knock them off balance!” Stormfur yowled. “Don’t let them—” Whatever orders he was trying to give were lost as two of the attackers leaped at him from opposite sides; Stormfur vanished in a whirl of teeth and claws.
One by one the Tribe cats broke away, fleeing upstream toward the steeper slopes. One of them halted beside the body of the gray tom and let out a wail of grief and despair, before pelting onward and disappearing into the shadows.
“That’s right, run!” The silver tabby tom bounded to the top of a boulder, jeering at the Tribe cats as they fled. “Run and don’t come back!”
“Rabbits!” a brown-and-white she-cat added, leaping up to the silver tom’s side. “This is our place now!”
“No—stop!” Stormfur screeched, shaking off his attackers with a spatter of blood. “We can still drive them back!”
No cat listened to him except for Brook, standing at his shoulder and begging her Tribemates to come back. Then she glanced over her shoulder and her neck fur bristled as she saw a fresh wave of intruders hurtling up the slope.
“Stormfur! It’s no use!” Brook wailed. “We can’t fight them all.”
“You go.” Stormfur’s voice was a hoarse growl; he touched his mate’s shoulder with his tail tip.
“Not without you.” Brook’s eyes were wide with fear, but she dug her claws into the thin soil.
Stormfur let out a hiss of frustration. “Go!” He gave Brook a hefty shove with one shoulder. “Go on—I’m coming.” Letting out one last snarl at the invaders, who were now barely a tail-length away, he raced upstream behind Brook.
The attackers didn’t bother to chase them. They just stood watching, their eyes gleaming with triumph, until the last Tribe cat had disappeared.
Jaypaw staggered, and when his vision cleared he found himself in the Tribe’s cave again. His pelt was still sticky with blood, but the noise of the battle had faded away. Silver light trembled on the cave walls as the moon shone through the falling water. The rushing of the river was the only sound.
Stoneteller was sitting on his rock, his fur ruffled and one ear dark with crusted blood. The rest of the Tribe was huddled around him. Jaypaw couldn’t see one of them who didn’t bear wounds from the battle. In the center of the cave several limp bodies were lying; Stormfur was stooping over one of them, and Jaypaw recognized the dark gray tom whose death he had witnessed.
“Jag,” Stormfur murmured. “You were a good friend. May you walk the mountains forever with the Tribe of Endless Hunting.” He bent his head and touched his nose to the matted gray fur. Quietly Brook padded up beside him.
“Come and rest,” she mewed.
But before the gray warrior could move, Stoneteller’s voice rang out from the other end of the cave. “Stormfur!”
The gray tom looked up.
“Stormfur, what have you to say?”
Stormfur’s eyes clouded. “What do you want me to say? The Tribe fought as well as it could have done. I couldn’t hope to stand beside braver warriors. We must make another plan, so that—”
“No.” Stoneteller’s voice was cold. “No more plans. Not from you. We took your advice, and we were defeated. Many good cats are dead.” His tail flicked once toward the bodies lying on the cave floor.
“I told you what would happen.” Rain was crouched at the foot of Stoneteller’s rock. “But would any cat listen?”
“I’m sorry—” Stormfur tried again.
“There is no place here for the ways of the Clans,” Stoneteller interrupted. “There is no place for Clan cats in the mountains. You will bring only more death and bad luck if you stay here. You must go and never return.”
“What?” Stormfur stared at him in disbelief. “You’re blaming mefor this, when I—”
“Enough!” Stoneteller snarled. “Go now.”
Brook stepped forward. “Stoneteller, this isn’t right. Stormfur did his best to help us. He took the same risks as every cat. He could be lying there now, with Jag and the others.”
“If we hadn’t listened to him, those cats would still be alive.” Stoneteller’s gaze was colder than ice.
“He’s right, Brook.” Talon, standing beside Stoneteller’s boulder, flicked his ears uneasily. “Clan ways aren’t for us.”
Brook’s eyes widened; Jaypaw could feel the distress flooding through her as if it was his own. “But, Talon, you’re my brother.” Her voice quivered. “Can’t you understand?”
Talon scraped at the cave floor with his forepaws. “It’s what’s best for the Tribe.”
“Night?” Brook turned to appeal to the black she-cat. “We’ve been friends since before we were to-bes. We’ve hunted together. We fought together. Can’t you see that the Tribe needs Stormfur?”
Night’s green eyes narrowed. “I can see that youneed Stormfur.”
Brook’s ears flattened and her jaws parted in the beginning of a snarl. “Are you saying I’m no longer loyal to my Tribe?”
Night turned her head away without answering.
“Enough of this,” Stoneteller meowed. “Stormfur, you are no longer welcome among the Tribe. You must leave at once.”
Brook’s tail fluffed up. “If he goes, I go!” she hissed.
“Brook, be careful,” Stormfur murmured.
The gentle prey-hunter’s eyes were blazing. “Do you think I could stay here, after this?”
“Stormfur is right when he says you should think about what you say.” Stoneteller rose to his paws, towering over the other cats from the top of his boulder. “Do you truly want to abandon your fate to this cat and his Clan? Can you trust him?”
“With my life,” Brook mewed.
Stoneteller’s contempt was obvious in the flick of his tail. “You have no more sense than a kit, after what this Clancat has done to our Tribe.”
Stormfur arched his back and hissed. “You seem to have forgotten that my sister diedfor the Tribe. If it weren’t for Clan cats, every last one of you would have been eaten by Sharptooth.”
Jaypaw noticed that some of the Tribe cats—Talon included—looked uneasy, but none of them spoke.
“Come on, Brook.” Stormfur urged his mate toward the cave opening where the glittering water fell. “We’ll go and find the Clans.”
“Brook, if you leave now, you leave forever,” Stoneteller warned.
Brook didn’t even look at him as she and Stormfur padded away.
“Very well,” Stoneteller called after them. “I shall tell the Tribe of Endless Hunting that you are both dead to the cats you leave behind.”
第四章
第四章
冬青爪从遮蔽着学徒巢穴的黑莓丛下溜了出来。灰色的云朵在天空中慢慢地移动着，风中能嗅到即将下雨的气息。她忍不住打了个寒战，坐下来舔着自己的一只爪子，又拿它在脸上搓了搓。
黎明巡逻队刚刚出发。带队的是尘毛，队员有鼠须、沙风和蜜爪。香薇云从育婴室里探出头，嗅了嗅空中的气息，又把头缩了回去。一个心跳过后，桦落和莓鼻走出了长老巢穴，嘴里叼着一大团苔藓。
冬青爪兴奋地卷起了尾巴。太好了！火星罚他们做学徒做的工作！她看着他们穿过营地，消失在荆棘通道中。“你们一定要把鲜苔藓里的水挤干净啊！”她淘气地喊着，“要是把鼠毛的皮毛弄湿了，她可会把你们的脸抓破的！”莓鼻钻进通道时猛地抽动了一下尾巴，不过他俩都没停下来回应冬青爪。
天空下起毛毛雨，营地巢穴里的其他猫也开始陆续醒来。狮爪第二个爬出学徒巢穴，似乎没完全睡醒，踉踉跄跄地穿过营地，走进了排便处通道。蕨毛和暴毛也走出武士巢穴，径直奔向猎物堆。
冬青爪蹦跳着奔向自己的老师：“我们要去狩猎吗？”
蕨毛摇摇头：“现在所有的猎物还都在洞里待着呢。也许待会儿可以。”
但是冬青爪的爪子痒痒得总想做点儿什么。她可不想一个早晨都无所事事地待在营地里。“那我可以自己出去吗？”她问道。
“你想去就去吧。”她的老师回答道，“不过一定要离边界远点儿。我们可不想再惹上昨天那样的麻烦。”
“我会注意的。”冬青爪保证道。
“还有，日到中天之前一定要回来，”她的老师补充说道，“我们还有一次训练呢。”
“好的。”冬青爪快步跑掉了。
一跑出石头山谷，冬青爪就开始警觉地四处嗅着，不放过一丝的猎物踪迹。雨越下越大，打在叶子上发出啪啪的声响，填满了地上一个个小坑。所有的小草上都挂满水珠，冬青爪的皮毛被浸湿了。她突然想起蕨毛说的话，老师是对的，她不会抓到什么猎物的。但这对她来说，已经无所谓了。冬青爪只想离开营地，自己静下来想些事情。
一切似乎都变得越来越复杂。她需要全神贯注地训练，可她的心里却总是想东想西的。一会儿想到未来，想着自己能否成为雷族族长，一会儿又想到过去，想找寻远古猫们的行踪。她仿佛看到自己正站在高石台上，高声召唤着自己族群的成员……
冬青爪意识到，自己的注意力早就不在猎物上了。她呆呆地站在森林里，任凭雨水浸湿了自己的皮毛。她猛地甩掉耳朵上的雨滴，冲进了一个沙堤下的洞穴里，蜷伏在那里，望着距离自己鼻子一只老鼠身长的地方，沙沙地落下来的雨帘。她伸出舌头，把全身的皮毛都舔了一遍，让身子尽快变得干燥、温暖起来。突然她听到藏身的洞穴深处，传来爪子落地的声音，吓得身子都僵硬了。一个大家伙——至少跟她的身体一样大——正顺着她身后的洞穴，慢慢走过来。我真是愚蠢！她咒骂自己。她那时候浑身湿透了，根本顾不得检查一下，就钻进来了。
冬青爪浑身的肌肉都绷得紧紧的，深吸了一口气。这次她会不会闻到狐狸，甚至獾的气味呢？但是她却嗅到了猫的气息，而且还非常熟悉。冬青爪放松下来，转过身看向洞内。
“松鸦爪！你在这里做什么啊？”
她的弟弟钻到她的身旁，皮毛上还带着泥土和很陈旧的狐狸的气息。“没什么，”他低声嘟哝道，“我只是避雨。”
“不，你不是。”很显然松鸦爪在撒谎，冬青爪气得大喊起来，“你的皮毛都是干的！没下雨之前，你就待在这儿了！”不等松鸦爪回答，冬青爪继续说道，“你还想到那些隧道里看看，对吧？”
松鸦爪的爪子划过沙质地面：“就算是，又怎么样？”
“那里有危险！”冬青爪大叫着，“你忘了上次獾巢坍塌后，狮爪差点儿被埋在里面了吗？你想想洞穴里的情形，我们差点儿被淹死了！还有……”
“我知道，都知道。”松鸦爪打断了她。
“你的所作所为看起来不像！雨下得这么大，隧道里随时会再次发洪水，你居然在这里闲逛，就像在营地散步一样！松鸦爪，我真的不知道，你竟然会这么鼠脑子！”
“你没必要再说下去了。”弟弟咕哝道，“不管怎样，我都没法进去了。这儿只是一个废弃的狐狸洞，通不到任何别的地方。”
“但是你去试了。”松鸦爪难道不明白，他差点儿就惹上麻烦了吗？“我看不出这些洞穴有什么特别之处，里面根本就没什么东西。”
“不，有东西！”松鸦爪在冬青爪的面前蹲伏下来，蓝色的眼睛紧盯着她，冬青爪一时几乎不敢相信，他看不见东西。他迟疑着，抽动了几下耳朵，接着说道：“远古猫跟我说话了。我在去月亮池的路上，发现了它们的爪印，还听到了它们随风飘来的说话声。不过自从我们救了风族幼崽后，我就再也没听到过它们的声音。这就是我为什么必须回到隧道里的原因。”
冬青爪伸长脖子，同情地舔了一下松鸦爪的耳朵。松鸦爪的声音里透着忧伤，就像失去了什么珍贵的东西一样，让她听着难受。
松鸦爪猛地把头转向一边：“你是不会明白的。”
“那你跟我解释一下。”
松鸦爪迟疑了好一会儿，前爪在地面上来回画着圈儿。“在这些洞穴里，还有一些别的猫。”最后，他终于开口了。
冬青爪疑惑不解：“你的话是什么意思？”
“就是很久以前，住在这里的远古猫的精灵。有一只叫落叶。为了通过成为武士的考验，他走进那里，但再也没有出来——就是他告诉我风族幼崽们的位置的。”
冬青爪身上的每根毛都竖了起来。他们在洞穴中的旅程称得上糟糕透顶，可没想到，里面还有看不见的猫在注视着他们。
“还有一只猫叫岩石，”松鸦爪接着说道，“他的岁数很大——我是说，他已经特别老。当时他暗示，我们会成功逃出去的。后来在他的帮助下，我才想出了方法。”
冬青爪又深吸了一口气。或许这些事情并没有什么好怕的。如果真像松鸦爪所说的，没有这些远古猫的帮忙，包括那些幼崽在内，他们谁都活不了。
“那你现在为什么还想回到那里？”她问道。
“我想知道，它们为什么不再和我说话了。”松鸦爪难过地说道，“另外它们也在这里生活过，或许它们可以告诉我们，哪里最适合狩猎或躲避风雨。”
“我们自己可以找到这两种地方。”冬青爪望着洞口外面说道。雨已经停了，天空中的最后一点儿残云也已经散了，树丛上方被遮蔽的蓝天又出现了。阳光反射在雨滴上熠熠闪光，也给整片森林镀上了一层光晕。“我们该回营地了。”冬青爪又说了一句。
“可是你还没明白吗？”松鸦爪的声音一下子变高了，“这很重要，我知道的。”
有那么一刻，冬青爪差点就要赞同他的意见。上次黑星提到远古猫时，她就对它们十分好奇，很想知道更多它们的事。不过她可不想为了这个，把自己或松鸦爪的命搭进去。
“你也很重要！”冬青爪说道，“你的族群需要你，松鸦爪。你不能把自己置于没必要的危险境地。”
“好吧！”松鸦爪低声嘟囔着，脸上露出不服气的表情。冬青爪强忍着才没叹气。这个表情，她再熟悉不过了。松鸦爪表面上答应了她，可他肯定还会做自己想做的事情。冬青爪推了他一下，说道：“走吧！”
松鸦爪站了起来，抖掉沾在毛皮上的土。冬青爪率先进入开阔地，小心翼翼地走着，避开被雨水淋得最湿的草丛。
“冬青爪？”
她停下来，回头看着松鸦爪：“怎么了？”
“你不会把我刚才告诉你的事讲给别的猫吧？”
冬青爪不知该怎么回答。她想直接去找火星或叶池，告诉他们松鸦爪疯狂地迷上了和死去很久的猫沟通。如果说还有猫能阻止松鸦爪的话，那肯定非雷族族长或他的老师莫属。不过松鸦爪是她的弟弟，她必须先对他忠诚。
“不，我不会的，”她叹了口气，“我向你保证。”
“老鼠屎！”冬青爪失望地叫道。她扑向一只老鼠，却眼睁睁地看着它从自己的爪子下逃开，安全地钻进了一个洞里。这已经是她今天第二只跟丢的猎物了。冬青爪甚至开始怀疑，那双不听使唤的爪子，是否还属于自己。
“冬青爪，你的爪子落下去的时候，动作一定要轻。”蕨毛以往从未对冬青爪发过火，此刻也有点儿不耐烦了，“记住，老鼠是先察觉你的爪子落地声，然后才听见你的声音或者闻到你的气息。”
“是的，我知道。”冬青爪说道。这是狩猎时的常识！“对不起。”
蕨毛、溪儿和暴毛把学徒们都带到森林里来上狩猎课了。冬青爪不确定究竟是谁提议，把狩猎变成了一场比赛。狮爪就要赢了——他抓到了一只松鼠，冬青爪以前都没见过这么肥硕的松鼠。其他猫也都战果颇丰，猎物堆像小山一样高。至于她，全部的收获就是费尽力气才捕到的一只鼩鼱。
“你有什么烦心的事吗？”蕨毛问道，“一整天都心不在焉的。”
“没有，”冬青爪撒谎道，“我很好。”
我很好，她告诉自己，如果我没有想着当族长的事情的话。只因为虎星想要权力，就能说它不好吗？我知道我是虎星的至亲，可如果我想获得权力，我是绝对不会学他的。那松鸦爪呢？如果他在寻找远古猫的过程中出了意外，那一定就是我的错了！
溪儿用鼻子关切地碰了碰冬青爪的耳朵。“我刚刚来到这儿时，也遇到了很多烦心事。”她承认道，“之前我常在光秃秃的山坡上狩猎，根本不知道怎么在森林里狩猎。后来暴毛教我，当你悄悄接近老鼠的时候，爪子向前滑行就很有好处。这样一来，老鼠就感觉不到你正在靠近它了。就像这样。”说着，她在苔藓上轻轻地滑动脚掌。
“我怎么从来没想到这种方法。”冬青爪说道，“我会试试的。”
“最重要的是，要避开长草和香薇。”溪儿接着说道，“如果你触碰了它们，晃动的影子会把猎物吓跑的。”
冬青爪点点头。这个要领她以前学过，可现在脑子里的其他事情让她忘记了这一点。
“你很快就会掌握的。”虎斑母猫鼓励道，“如果是在山里，你一定会是个优秀的狩猎者，因为你强壮的后腿善于跳跃。”
“你们捕捉猎物时，需要跳跃吗？”炭爪问道，她走过来听到了她们的对话。
“是的。这里的雷族猫，大多都是在地面上捉鸟。但是在部落里，我们是在它们即将起飞或落地时，跳起来抓住它们的。”溪儿的声音里透着一丝自豪，“我们用这种办法捉隼，有时候甚至是鹰。”
“鹰有多大呢？”狮爪也加入了进来，“它们不会把猫带到天上去吗？”
“大多数的鹰，都没有强壮到能带着一只成年猫飞上天。”溪儿将尾巴缠绕在爪子周围，坐了下来。学徒们都好奇地围在她的身边，听她讲。“鹰可以带走幼崽和预备猫，但这些没成年的猫会待在洞穴里，跟妈妈在一起。而且狩猎巡逻队出去的时候，至少会有一只山洞卫士留下来。”
“预备猫是什么？”罂粟爪追问道。
“山洞卫士又是什么？”蜜爪也问着。
“你们都是预备猫。”溪儿解释着，用尾巴在所有学徒的身上扫了一圈儿，“就是正在学习武士技能的年轻猫。山洞卫士，就是守卫洞穴的猫。他们都很强壮，而且训练有素，可以跟鹰和隼作战。暴毛在急水部落时就是山洞卫士，我是狩猎者。”
冬青爪有点儿困惑：“你是说，你们那儿的猫都有不同的分工吗？你们不像族群猫这样，既要狩猎，又要作战？”
“是的。”溪儿回答道，“幼崽们出生的时候，族长就会替他们选择将来的职责。个头最大、最强壮的猫就当山洞卫士，行动快速、思维敏捷的猫，就当狩猎者。”
“那你们就无法自己做选择了是吗？我可不想这样。”狮爪说道。
“选择？如果你是在那种环境中长大的，你就不会有那样的想法。”溪儿反驳道。
狮爪并不信她的话，不过还没等他继续说下去，罂粟爪却开了口：“那给我们讲讲你们的族长和巫医。他们是由星族指定的吗？”
溪儿摇了摇头。“急水部落并不信仰星族。”她解释道。学徒们顿时发出一阵惊讶的喘息声。等大家安静下来时，溪儿才接着说道，“在我们头顶的天空上游走的，是杀无尽部落。我们没有族长和巫医。在部落里，一只猫做这两件事，他被称为治疗者。他的名字叫尖石巫师。”
“或者叫尖石治疗者。”这时，暴毛走到伴侣身边，坐了下来。
“好奇怪的名字！”罂粟爪惊叫道。
她的姐姐蜜爪推了她一下：“别这么无礼！部落的命名方式，跟我们族群本来就不一样。”
“尖石巫师有自己的巢穴，就在瀑布后面的主洞穴下方。”暴毛解释道，“那里布满了尖尖的石头，它们拔地而起，或者从洞顶垂下来。洞顶上有一个小洞，下雨的时候，地面全是一个个小水坑。尖石巫师会观察水面的倒影，解读那些征兆。”
“他还是巫医？”冬青爪说道。这只猫的力量，真的好强大啊！“那你们有没有副族长呢？”
“没有。不过他会收一只预备猫做学徒，”溪儿告诉她，“杀无尽部落会给他一个征兆，让他选择一只小猫做下一任尖石巫师。”
冬青爪的心里莫名地感到一阵嫉妒。如果她的一生早就被安排妥当，那该多轻松啊！她一开始就会选择成为最适合自己的武士，而不是错误地选择做巫医。有时候还要无比头疼地学习各种草药的知识。成为武士的训练也同样艰苦，但却不会让她感觉是在做不可能完成的任务。还有，如果她立志要成为族长，就必须学会处理族群之间的复杂关系，解决自己的武士和其他族群之间的冲突，知道怎样应对危机。
她想起了火星前天在影族边界处理冲突的一幕。即使已经知道自己的武士错了，火星依旧那么镇定。这给她留下了深刻的印象。这正是她向往的族长形象——依照武士守则维护和平，而不是让族群卷入无谓的战争。一个不自私不贪婪的族长，才能将自己的族群利益放在首位，同时又尊重森林中其他族群的权利。
“我发觉那边的树根处有只老鼠。”暴毛打断了冬青爪的思绪，他用耳朵指着附近的山毛榉树根部，“你为什么不去试试，看能不能抓住它？”
“好的。”
其他学徒们都各自散开，离开了山毛榉树，给冬青爪让出最好的位置。她抖动着胡须，嗅着空气里的气息。她确定那不是一只老鼠，而是一只田鼠。很快，她就发现了它——一只在树下的碎屑中蠢蠢欲动的肥家伙。她开始向前潜行，按照溪儿的方法让爪子在苔藓上滑动。一开始田鼠似乎并没有注意到她，可是就在她蹲伏下来，准备向前跃起时，它愣了一个心跳的时间，然后就猛地逃跑了。
冬青爪发出一声怒吼，一个猛扑，就跳到了田鼠被发现的位置。紧接着她向前跳去，在田鼠的两只前爪刚好溜进两块岩石间之前，成功地将它夹在两只前掌之间，然后一掌杀死了它。
“干得漂亮！”蕨毛说道。
胜利的喜悦像一股热流从冬青爪的耳朵涌到尾巴尖。她叼起自己的战利品，回到老师身边。
“瞧瞧，我就说你的后腿很强壮，没错吧？”溪儿用尾巴尖儿碰着冬青爪的肩膀，“真是完美的一跃！”
“今天就到这儿吧！”蕨毛说道，“我们把猎物带回营地吧，族猫今晚一定会饱餐一顿。”
当冬青爪跟着蕨毛，叼着抓获的田鼠和鼩鼱，朝空地走去时，不时地用余光瞥着溪儿。她一定深深地爱着暴毛，要不然她绝对不会放弃熟悉的一切，跟暴毛来到一个完全陌生的地方，过一种截然不同的生活。
好奇心像狐狸的利齿一样啃噬着她。她想去拜访急水部落，看看那些猫到底是怎样生活的。因为他们从一开始就知道，自己将来会过哪种生活，要履行什么责任。
可他们离这儿太远了！冬青爪发出一声叹息。我可能永远都去不了那么远的山地。
CHAPTER9
CHAPTER9
“Jaypaw! Hey, Jaypaw!” Jaypaw felt asharp nudge in his side; Hollypaw’s scent drifted over him, tinged with exasperation.
He lurched on his paws, confused at the sudden return to blindness and the scents and sounds of the stone hollow. Every hair on his pelt still quivered with the feelings of grief and anger and betrayal he had felt in the cave.
Brook!he thought. I was feeling what she felt! And it wasn’t a dream; I’ve been awake all the time. Could I have found a way into her memories?
He drew in his breath sharply, full of excitement at the thought of a new and different power, but there was no time to explore it now.
“Jaypaw, I don’t know how you can daydream at a time like this,” Lionpaw mewed. “We need to listen to find out why these strange cats have come here.”
Jaypaw realized that while he felt as if he had spent several days with the Tribe, here in the clearing only a few heartbeats had passed. The newcomers were still crouched beside the fresh-kill pile, along with Stormfur, Brook, and Firestar.
“I think I know why,” he murmured. “And I don’t think Stormfur and Brook will be too pleased to see them.”
“What do you mean?” Hollypaw asked curiously. “Why wouldn’t they want to see their Tribemates?”
Before Jaypaw could explain—telling the story of his experience would have taken until moonhigh—he heard the harsh voice of Talon.
“Firestar, we have come to ask Stormfur and Brook to return to the mountains. The Tribe of Rushing Water needs them.”
Jaypaw felt his pelt prickling with excitement. The Tribe’s rejection of Brook and Stormfur still rang in his ears. But from the ThunderClan cats he picked up nothing but a cautious interest.
“What?”Stormfur’s voice was a low snarl of outrage. “How dareyou come here and ask that? As far as the Tribe is concerned, Brook and I are dead!”
Jaypaw heard gasps of astonishment from the ThunderClan cats. “Told you,” he muttered to his littermates with a shrug.
“Stormfur, I think you’d better explain.” Firestar’s voice was calm, but Jaypaw could tell he was concerned for the two cats who had come to make their lives with ThunderClan.
Stormfur began to tell the story of the invading cats, but Jaypaw didn’t bother to listen. He had lived through it all, and he was far more interested in finding out how he had done it. Imust have been inside Brook’s memories.He tried do it again, but the tabby she-cat was concentrating on what her mate was saying and on the reactions of the other cats. Her memories were a blank.
Stormfur stopped at the sound of cats pushing their way through the thorn tunnel.
“Firestar!” Brambleclaw called out. “We scented intruders!”
“The intruders are here,” Firestar replied.
Jaypaw realized that Sandstorm and Squirrelflight were with Brambleclaw.
“Talon! Night!” Squirrelflight meowed. “I thought I recognized Tribe scent.”
“It’s strange to think that our mother and father spent so much time with the Tribe,” Lionpaw murmured.
“Well, we’re not the only ones who can have adventures,” Hollypaw purred.
“It’s great to see you both again,” Squirrelflight went on. “Why are you here?” She paused, then added, “And why is every cat looking as if the sky has fallen in?”
“I think you’d better hear what Stormfur has to tell us,” Firestar mewed.
The gray warrior began to speak again. Having seen him in Brook’s memories, Jaypaw could picture him now, strong and sleek-furred with anger smoldering in his blue eyes.
“Not long after the Clans left on the Great Journey,” Stormfur meowed, “another group of strange cats came to the mountains.”
“We thought at first they were only passing through,” Brook explained. “We would have welcomed them as guests for a while…”
“But they made it clear they wanted to settle,” Stormfur went on. “They took prey from the Tribe, even hunting close to the cave behind the waterfall.”
“Flea-bitten thieves,” Talon growled.
“We’d never had to share our territory before,” Brook meowed. “We drove out loners now and then, but we didn’t know what to do about such a large group of cats.”
Stormfur took up the story again. “I thought we needed a show of strength to defend our territory. And I led the Tribe cats into battle to make sure the strangers would know not to bother us or steal our prey.”
“They tore us to pieces,” Night mewed angrily.
“Tribe cats aren’t trained to fight like Clan warriors,” Stormfur explained. “We lost the battle and several cats died.” He hesitated, and when he spoke again his voice was filled with sorrow. “Jag was one of them.”
“Jag dead?” Squirrelflight exclaimed. “Oh, no—he helped us when we were stuck in the snow on the Great Journey.”
“We’ll all miss him,” Brambleclaw added. “Every cat who knew him.”
“Stoneteller blamed me for the deaths.” Stormfur’s voice sounded bitter as deathberries. “He banished me from the Tribe. Brook insisted on coming with me.”
“What else could I do?” Brook murmured, as if her words were meant for Stormfur alone. Jaypaw remembered seeing them together in the cave, their pelts brushing as they defied the leader of the Tribe.
“And what else could Stoneteller do?” Talon countered. “Cats were dead; something had to be done.”
“He told us we were dead!” Brook’s voice, so gentle a heartbeat ago, became a furious hiss.
“I can’t believe those Tribe cats dared to come here,” Hollypaw whispered into Jaypaw’s ear. “Not after what they did!”
“I’m so sorry, Stormfur.” Brambleclaw’s meow rumbled deep in his chest. “You should have told us before.”
“What good would it have done?” Stormfur demanded. “You made us welcome. We’re ThunderClan cats now.”
Jaypaw picked up a murmur from Brook, too low for him to make out what she said. She’s not a ThunderClan cat, he thought. She’s a Tribe cat and always will be. She’s never felt at home here
Reaching out to her, he couldn’t enter her memory again, but he sensed that her mind was full of rock and wind, of cascading water and screeching birds high in the air, the shadow of their wings big enough to cover a whole patrol.
His attention snapped back to the clearing as Talon began to speak. “We have come to ask for your help.”
A swift intake of breath came from Stormfur, but he didn’t interrupt.
“Stoneteller was wrong.” Talon sounded awkward. “The other cats are stealing all our prey, and the Tribe is dying of hunger.”
“And how is that my problem?” Stormfur asked icily.
“I understand how you feel,” Talon meowed. “I was banished once, when I failed to kill Sharptooth, and I know. But—”
“It was only because of Stormfur and the other Clan cats that you were able to come back to the Tribe,” Brook reminded him.
“That’s true. But I was able to forgive the Tribe when I knew I could do something to help them. Besides, Brook, you’re my sister, and I miss you. I want you to come home. You may live under the shadow of trees here, with grass under your paws, but you still belong to the Tribe.”
Jaypaw heard a long sigh from Brook. “I will come back with you. I cannot let my Tribemates suffer, not if there is something I can do for them. Stormfur…” There was a catch in her voice. “You do not have to come. You are not a Tribe cat.”
“Where you go, so do I,” Stormfur told her. “That’s what you said when Stoneteller banished me. Do you think I would do any less for you? I will never forgive Stoneteller for killing me in the eyes of the Tribe, but that is no reason to let your kin suffer.”
“I’ll go too.” Jaypaw’s ears pricked up in astonishment at the sound of Brambleclaw’s voice. “My paw steps have been entwined with the Tribe’s before. I will honor our friendship.”
Jaypaw sensed Stormfur’s surprise. “You don’t have to do this,” the gray warrior meowed.
“Yes, I do. What the Tribe needs now are strong, fit warriors. How can they defend themselves when they’re weakened by hunger and constant fighting?”
“I’m coming too!” Squirrelflight sounded as if her mind was made up. “You didn’t manage to leave me behind last time, and I wasn’t even a warrior then.”
“Firestar?” Brambleclaw asked. “What do you think? May we go?”
Jaypaw’s belly tightened as he waited for Firestar’s answer. He hadn’t had the chance to work out what this might mean for him, yet he knew it was really important for ThunderClan warriors to go to the mountains. But Brambleclaw was Clan deputy; would Firestar let him leave the Clan?
“Yes, you may,” Firestar meowed. “The Tribe gave the Clans food and shelter on the Great Journey. It is our turn to help them. It’s for Stormfur and Brook, too,” he added. “You’ve been loyal ThunderClan cats. We owe you for your help after the badgers attacked.”
“Thank you.” Talon’s voice was husky with relief. “All the Tribe of Rushing Water thanks you for this.”
Jaypaw was aware of excitement and shared purpose surging from the warriors. His paws itched to share it. But even if ThunderClan warriors were traveling to the mountains, would they ever let an apprentice join them?
第五章
第五章
凉爽的夜风轻拂着松鸦爪的皮毛。他知道，在自己的头顶，半月一定正在明净的天空悬挂着。他的老师叶池正走在他身边，沿着雷族和风族领地交界处的溪流往前走着。
松鸦爪心里充满了期待。岩石会在月亮池和他说话吗？可是一想到有可能只遇见星族猫，他的尾巴就烦躁地抽动起来。星族对他来说，已经不那么重要了，毕竟它们只是迁徙到天上某个地方的族群猫。那个预言说过，松鸦爪的爪子上会拥有群星的力量。这肯定意味着，他会比星族更强大。如此一来，自己浪费那么多时间，跟星族在梦境里交流，又有什么意义呢？
他需要回到遥远的过去，找到曾聚在月亮池边的那些远古猫。它们才是拥有真正强大力量的猫，它们一定会帮他弄清楚自己的真正使命。
这也是狮爪和冬青爪的使命！松鸦爪竭力不去理会脑海里回荡着的微弱的低语声。他的哥哥和姐姐必须找到属于他们的力量源泉。他已经被选为巫医，所以就必须踏上为他铺设的孤独而又正确的路。
“叶池，等等我们！”
远远地，从风族领地传来了一阵呼唤。叶池停了下来，松鸦爪站在了她的身边。松鸦爪嗅了嗅空气，闻到了青面、隼爪和柳爪的气息。柳爪一定是在从河族领地过来的路上，跟这两只风族猫会合的。
“蛾翅在哪儿？”当其他巫医赶上来的时候，叶池焦急地问道，“她该不会是病了吧？”
“没有，她很好。”柳爪回答道，“榉毛被蜜蜂蜇了，所以蛾翅觉得，她今晚最好还是留在营地照顾他。”
哼！松鸦爪想，要真是那样，刺猬都会飞了。他已经猜到，蛾翅为什么没有和自己的学徒一起来。被蜜蜂蜇了的武士只是一个借口。蛾翅和星族没有任何联系。她一定是想，与其长途跋涉到月亮池边躺着，还不如在自己的窝里美美地睡一觉！
“你好啊，松鸦爪！”柳爪跟他礼貌地打着招呼，语气却很冷漠。
“嗨，柳爪。”松鸦爪想，好吧，我知道你不喜欢我，我对你也不感兴趣。
“你好，松鸦爪。”隼爪的声音显得更友善些，“雷族领地上的猎物还好抓吧？”
“还行吧，谢谢。”松鸦爪回答道。
松鸦爪还没想好接下来该说些什么，就闻到了一股浓烈的气味。一只影族猫从他们身后追了上来，是小云。
“我还以为赶不上你们了呢。”小云喘着粗气。
“我们应该等着你的。”叶池说道。
众猫一起朝月亮池进发。松鸦爪感觉隼爪来到了自己的身边。“嗨，松鸦爪，”隼爪开口道，“看不见东西是什么感觉？”
你当然不会明白了，鼠脑子！松鸦爪听到这个愚蠢至极的问题，气得后颈上的皮毛都竖了起来：“一切都是黑暗的。但是我的听觉和嗅觉都很好，所以我可以找到路。”
“可真够难的。”
其他学徒的同情让松鸦爪曲起了爪子。从隼爪声音传来的方向，以及爪子在荒原上的踩踏声，松鸦爪能准确地判断出隼爪耳朵的位置。你想不想尝尝耳朵被撕裂的滋味呢，嗯？
“我能应付。”他不客气地说。
他加快步子，追上了小云。他的爪子发痒，很想跑到前面去。但是这会让其他猫更加注意到，他在梦中来过这里的秘密——那时候他看得见。松鸦爪恨不得马上就到月亮池。
可没想到，等到他走过了蜿蜒盘旋的小径，触摸过了远古猫们留下的爪印，用鼻子碰了碰水面，让自己舒服地躺下来以后，却发觉自己怎么也睡不着。他听到月亮池周围别的猫都发出有节奏的呼吸声，进入了深深的梦乡，只有他独自醒着。
“你倒是睡啊！”他喃喃道，“你这是怎么了？”突然，他不愿意再进入其他猫的梦中了，他只想做一个完全属于自己的梦：在小山下醒来，就在当初遇见岩石和落叶的地方醒来，看看会发生什么。如果他现在睡不着，就只能等到下次再来月亮池的时候了，而这中间有整整一个月的时间！
松鸦爪闭上眼睛，期待睡意尽快降临，可是他依然能感到爪子下的石头散发出的阵阵凉意，听到瀑布和周围猫呼吸的声音。他无奈地打了个哈欠，再次睁开眼睛。他身上的毛兴奋得竖了起来，因为他的眼睛又能看见了。
但是很快，他的耳朵便失望地抽动起来。他并不在那个地下隧道里，而是在月亮池！松鸦爪看到同伴们蜷缩着的身体，还有水面上倒映着的点点星光。
“现在该怎么办呢？”松鸦爪问道。
一个平静的声音在他的身后响了起来：“你要跟我说话吗？”
松鸦爪猛地转过身，差点儿摔了一跤。岩石就站在他的面前，他那长而弯曲的爪子正抓在光秃秃的岩石上。在开阔的空地上，没有了洞穴里阴影的笼罩，岩石无毛的皮肤显得十分粗糙，还泛着红肿。在他丑陋变形的脸上，两颗凸出来的眼球闪出银色的微光。松鸦爪不由得打了个冷战，心里暗自猜测岩石是真的能看见自己，还是仅仅察觉到了自己在这里。
“你为什么不再和我说话了？”松鸦爪问道，“我试了好多次，可你都没有任何回音。”
岩石甩了甩像老鼠一样无毛的尾巴，没有理会他的问题。“我现在来了，”他嘶哑地说道，“你想问什么就问吧！”
“你是星族猫吗？”
岩石眨了眨眼睛：“不是。我是跟远古猫一起来的。”
“你指的是像落叶那样的猫吗？那些进入山洞，想要证明自己的猫？”
“不是。”岩石的嗓音听起来像石头摩擦的声音，“是比那些猫还要古老的猫。”
“那它们究竟是从哪里来的？”松鸦爪说道，显得有些恼怒，“是一群比所有其他猫更古老的祖灵吗？我们——落叶所在的猫群、急水部落的猫、族群猫——都是它们的后代？”
岩石白色的眼睛看着松鸦爪。“总有比所有猫能记得的最古老的故事还要古老的故事。”他低沉地说。
这算什么答案！“那你是从哪儿来的？”
这只老猫静静地站了好一会儿，目光凝视着月亮池，好像能穿越那道把松鸦爪和远古猫隔开的时光隧道。
“你会在山里找到问题的答案。”最后，岩石低声说，“但可能不是你最想得到的答案。”
“你这话是什么意思啊？现在就告诉我吧！”松鸦爪继续问道。
但是岩石已经开始消失。他皮肤上反射的月光以及凸出来的眼球发出的银光，都像薄雾一般逐渐飘散了。不一会儿，除了石头和水面上的点点星光，松鸦爪什么都看不见了。一阵寒风突然刮过，松鸦爪的身体颤抖起来。
“你回来！”他大吼道。
但是没有回应。星光逐渐暗了下来，树木和蕨丛的气息涌满了他的嘴巴。松鸦爪发现自己正站在一片昏暗的森林里，四周长满了蕨叶和草丛。月光透过树枝间的缝隙，在地上投下点点光斑。温暖湿润的空气中，充满了猎物诱人的气息。
叶池就在他的前方，正沿着一条狭窄的小径，在蕨丛中跳跃穿行。她停下来，回头看着。“我想知道你是否和我一起走。”她说道。
松鸦爪刚想回答，叶池正上方的树叶开始沙沙作响，一群星族猫冲进了空地。松鸦爪看到，猎物在他们的爪子下仓皇逃窜。
一只蓝色皮毛的母猫停下来，简短地说道：“你好啊，叶池。”叶池低头向她致意。可还没等她开口，母猫就向前跳去。一只强健的白色公猫，友好地用尾巴蹭了蹭松鸦爪的耳朵，从他身边一闪而过。
大部分星族武士都把精力放在猎物身上。他们的眼睛里闪着兴奋的亮光，皮毛和肌肉在月光下泛着诱惑的光泽。松鸦爪看着他们扑向猎物，然后叼着猎物瘫软的身体跑开。他想，星族武士一定是要把猎物带回自己的猎物堆吧。
叶池走到他的身边，用鼻子碰了碰他的肩膀。“你看到那只银色虎斑猫了吗？”她用尾巴指了指一只美丽的母猫——那只母猫正跃起去抓一只肥硕的田鼠，“她叫羽尾，是暴毛的妹妹，她死在了山地。”
松鸦爪好奇地望着那只猫，心想，她会不会知道一些山地猫祖灵的事情。
“我们能去跟她说说话吗？”
“她可能没时间等我们，”叶池回答道，“她急着把猎物带回星族的营地去。”
“我想问问她……”松鸦爪的声音未落，羽尾就跑开了。可是她并没跟在其他星族猫身后，而是朝不同的方向奔去——那里有更茂盛的树木和灌木丛。“她要去哪里啊？”
“我不知道。”叶池看起来有些疑惑，“羽尾，等一下！”
她立刻跟在银色虎斑猫的身后跑起来，松鸦爪也跟了上去。他们跳着穿过茂密的灌木丛，跑进一片空地。一条溪流从空地中间流过，溪岸的另一侧，是一个山坡，山坡上长满了矮小的灌木丛。
“羽尾！”叶池再次大声喊道。
母猫在溪岸上停下爪子，回头看着他们。
“你要去哪里？”叶池喘着粗气，冲到了她的身边。
羽尾把田鼠放在地上。“这只猎物不是给星族的。”她解释道，“我还对其他一些猫负有责任。虽然已经过去了好久，那些猫依然需要族群的帮助。”
其他猫？
叶池用鼻子蹭了蹭羽尾的耳朵：“你是在说急水部落吗？难道你为它们做的还不够吗？你为了保护它们，被尖牙兽夺去了生命！”
“我跟它们一起度过的日子虽然很短，却是弥足珍贵。”羽尾回答道，她蓝色的眼睛涌动着温情。
她和叶池蹭了蹭鼻子，然后叼起猎物，轻盈地越过溪流，消失在灌木丛的重重阴影中。
老鼠屎！松鸦爪心想，我还没来得及问她话呢。
叶池轻轻地叹了口气，转身走回了森林。松鸦爪跟在她的身后，突然瞥见一道银色的微光。仔细一看，他发现岩石正在一片灌木丛下蹲伏着。远古猫那无神的盲眼直直地盯着自己，随后他起身朝羽尾的方向走去。
松鸦爪身体一阵战栗。不知怎么的，星族猫、远古猫和急水部落的猫似乎走到了一起，共同塑造着湖边族群的命运。松鸦爪感到，如果他想拥有群星的力量，就要拥有掌控所有祖灵的力量，不管这些猫来自过去，还是现在。
松鸦爪再次钻进低矮的灌木丛，四周的阴影已将他团团包围。青葱茂密的森林气息已经逐渐消散，他感到爪子下的地面变成了石头。松鸦爪听到了瀑布轻轻的飞溅声，意识到自己又回到了月亮池。他睁开眼睛，四周重新陷入一片黑暗。
他听到周围传来其他猫从梦中苏醒的声音。他们几乎没有说话。当他们爬上蜿蜒的小径，穿过荒原，向湖边进发的时候，叶池一句话都没说。松鸦爪能觉察到叶池非常焦虑，就像心底有一窝虫子在爬。
松鸦爪不耐烦地等着和其他猫道别，然后分开朝他们各自的领地进发。等周围只剩下他和叶池了，松鸦爪问道：“你觉得你的梦是什么寓意？你会告诉火星吗？”
叶池迟疑了一会儿，她开口的时候，声音里充满了忧虑。“听起来似乎是急水部落遇到麻烦了。”她回答道，“我不知道该不该把这件事告诉火星。不管他们发生了什么事，似乎雷族都不会受到什么影响。”
松鸦爪烦躁地抽动着尾巴。如果老师一直假装没做过这个梦，他又如何弄清楚自己的使命呢？“那暴毛和溪儿怎么办？如果山里发生了不测，应该告诉他们。”
“我也不知道。”叶池的声音很轻，却又疑惑不定，“或许你说得对。嗯，我也许应该告诉火星。但是雷族与这件事无关，所以我认为，火星不会采取任何行动的。”
松鸦爪跟着老师，沿着边界上的溪流朝营地走去。他想，叶池说得不对，雷族肯定会受到它的影响，并卷入其中的。
至少这与我有关！
想到这里，松鸦爪龇出牙齿，就像要吃掉一片美味的猎物。他要想发现自己能力背后隐藏的真相，只有一条途径。无论如何，他都要想个办法，去山里走一趟。
CHAPTER10
CHAPTER10
Every hair on Lionpaw’s pelt prickledwith excitement. The moment he’d longed for had come—the chance to go to the mountains! Four ThunderClan cats wouldn’t be enough to deal with the invaders, not if they were as strong as Stormfur and Talon said. Surely StarClan had arranged this, so that he could go visit the Tribe and find out about them, and show them how real warriors lived.
His claws scratched the earth floor of the hollow as the walls loomed overhead, closing him in. He had never felt so confined before. The weight of stone seemed to press on his fur. He wanted to race up the nearest cliff and run through the forest, across the hills, all the way to the mountains, with the wind in his fur.
“Calm down,” Jaypaw mewed. “They’re hardly going to take apprentices along!”
Lionpaw rolled his eyes. “Jaypaw, I wish you wouldn’t keep reading my mind.”
“You mean youwant to go to the mountains?” Hollypaw asked.
“They’ll need more cats,” Lionpaw pointed out, ready to defend himself. “Four’s not enough. But Jaypaw’s probably right,” he added, his excitement fading as he realized that what the Tribe needed was help from experienced warriors. “They won’t take apprentices.”
“Hollypaw wants to go, and so do I,” Jaypaw announced unexpectedly. “Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight are going, so why shouldn’t we see if we can go too? Even if they say no, they can’t claw us just for asking.”
“You really want to go?” Lionpaw meowed to Hollypaw.
She bounced to her paws, her tail fluffed out and her whiskers quivering. “I want to find out how the Tribe cats live. I’ve never met cats who are different from us. We could learn a lot.”
Jaypaw murmured agreement, though he said nothing about his own reasons for wanting to go. But that was Jaypaw, Lionpaw reflected; he always buried his thoughts deeper than hidden prey.
“I want to know what else there is besides the forest, too,” he confessed. “I know this is ThunderClan’s home, but there are loads of other territories out there. What are they like?”
“Well, then, we should—” Hollypaw began, breaking off as Firestar rose to his paws.
“We need to discuss this,” he meowed, “but my den is too small for all the cats who are going. Let’s go into the forest.” Glancing at the other cats who stood listening, he added, “Graystripe, Sandstorm, Leafpool, you come too.”
Lionpaw watched as the cats headed toward the thorn tunnel. The rest of the Clan seemed reluctant to go back to their dens or return to their duties. They huddled together, their eyes doubtful.
“There’s no way we should risk our own warriors to help the Tribe,” Spiderleg complained, loud enough for the departing cats to hear him. “Haven’t we got enough problems of our own?”
Firestar’s ears flicked as if he had heard what the young warrior said, but he didn’t stop to reply before vanishing down the tunnel.
“Things are pretty peaceful right now,” Whitewing pointed out.
“Whitewing’s right.” Ashfur rose from where he was sitting between Cloudtail and Brightheart. “We can easily spare a few warriors. Brambleclaw’s doing the right thing by helping the Tribe. Remember what they did for us when we made the Great Journey? We would have died in the snow if they hadn’t found us.”
“Well, Ithink that’s all nonsense!” Mousefur stalked up to Ashfur, her skinny brown tail lashing. “If the Tribe cats can’t defend their own borders, that’s their problem, not ours.”
Longtail padded up beside her and touched her shoulder briefly with his tail tip. “I’d love to go back to the mountains.” His voice was wistful. “I know I couldn’t see where the Tribe lived, but I could feel the wide open spaces and the wind in my fur, and all the scents the wind carried from far away.”
“I’d like to go back, too!” Birchfall’s eyes glowed with memories. “The Great Journey was fun! I had three good friends in ShadowClan: Toadkit, Applekit, and Marshkit. I wonder how they are now.”
“Who cares?” Berrynose flicked his tail; Lionpaw thought he could see jealousy in the cream warrior’s eyes. “ShadowClan cats can’t be your friends anymore. Have you forgotten how you nearly got your fur clawed off on the border?”
And whose fault was that?Lionpaw asked silently, while Birchfall looked downcast, his tail drooping.
“Anyway,” Berrynose went on, “I don’t see what’s so great about the mountains. It sounds bare and cold up there, with no prey.”
“You know nothing about it,” Dustpelt rasped, narrowing his eyes. “You weren’t there.”
As Berrynose rudely turned his back on the senior warrior, Lionpaw beckoned with his tail for his littermates to follow him out of earshot of the group.
“That does it!” he exclaimed. “If Birchfall could travel through the mountains and survive when he was just a kit, why shouldn’t apprentices go? You’d be okay too,” he added to Jaypaw. “Longtail coped, after all.”
He saw Jaypaw’s neck fur begin to fluff up, but Lionpaw was too excited to fret about offending his brother. If Jaypaw wanted to be prickly every time some cat mentioned his blindness, that was his problem.
“We’ve got to find Firestar and ask him right now,” he meowed. “Before Brambleclaw and the others leave.” He glanced around to see if any cat was paying attention to them. By now the group of cats was beginning to break up. Cloudtail called Sorreltail and Dustpelt to go out on a hunting patrol, while the elders returned to their den. Two or three of the other warriors padded over to the fresh-kill pile and picked out prey. Outside the nursery, Daisy and Millie stretched out in the sunshine and began sharing tongues, with Daisy’s kits skipping around them.
“Quick, while our mentors aren’t looking!” Hollypaw urged, angling her ears to where Ashfur and Brackenfur were talking together in the middle of the clearing.
Lionpaw dived after her as she bounded across the clearing and thrust her way through the thorn tunnel. When all three apprentices were out in the forest, she turned to Jaypaw.
“Come on, you’re best at scenting. Which way did Firestar go?”
The scent trail left by the Clan leader and the other cats had begun to fade, but Lionpaw could still distinguish it among the competing scents of the forest, especially the unfamiliar scent of the Tribe cats.
“You know,” he mewed to Hollypaw as they followed Jaypaw through the trees, “I’ve just realized that Brook smells like a ThunderClan cat now. Do you think she’ll be able to settle in when she goes back to her Tribemates?”
Hollypaw flashed him a brief glance. “That’s for Stoneteller to say. He seems to speak for the Tribe.”
“Stoneteller speaks too much, by the sound of it,” Jaypaw mewed. “I’m glad Firestar isn’t like that.”
He led the way through the forest until Lionpaw could hear the ripple of waves on the lakeshore. The scent of cats was very strong here. Jaypaw crept quietly up to the top of a gentle rise and parted a clump of bracken carefully with one paw. Without speaking, he signaled with his tail for his brother and sister to join him.
Beyond the bracken, the ground fell away into a sunlit clearing with a soft covering of moss and leaf-mold. On the opposite side the lake was just visible between the trees. A breeze rustled through the leaves, blowing toward the three apprentices, so the group of warriors would be unlikely to pick up their scents.
Firestar was sitting in the middle of the clearing with his paws tucked under him. “Squirrelflight, you’ll need to find a temporary mentor for Foxpaw,” he was saying.
Squirrelflight dipped her head in agreement. “I’d like to ask Sorreltail, if that’s okay with you. She’s never had an apprentice, so it would be good experience for her as well.”
“Sorreltail would be great,” Leafpool added warmly.
“Fine, I’ll have a word with her when we get back to camp.” Firestar turned to Brambleclaw. “I’m not sure that four extra cats are going to be enough to help the Tribe. But I daren’t weaken ThunderClan by sending more warriors with you.”
Hollypaw nudged Lionpaw. “Maybe that’s a chance for us,” she whispered.
“I thought of that,” Brambleclaw replied to Firestar. “I’d like to take cats from all four Clans with us. The ones who went with us on the first journey to find Midnight at the sun-drown-place.”
Lionpaw pushed Jaypaw and beckoned Hollypaw with a flick of his ears to creep along the top of the rise as far as a holly bush, where they could hide and still see and hear everything that was going on. Firestar began to speak again as they settled among the debris under the branches, their pelts brushing.
“That makes sense,” Firestar meowed in reply to Brambleclaw. “The cats who’ve known the Tribe longest should be the ones most willing to go.”
“It would be good to see Crowfeather and Tawnypelt again,” Talon murmured.
“This isn’t part of the warrior code,” Firestar went on. “I can’t ask any cat to go unless he or she already wants to—and of course I can’t speak for cats in other Clans. But I believe that helping the Tribe is the right thing to do.”
Lionpaw was puzzled. “If it’s the right thing, why isn’t it in the warrior code?”
“It isin the code,” Hollypaw insisted. “The warrior code says that we’re allowed to help other Clans in trouble. Firestar’s obviously thinking of the Tribe as another Clan.”
“That’s decided, then,” Firestar meowed. “Squirrelflight, you’ll go to WindClan to ask Crowfeather, and Brambleclaw can go to ShadowClan to ask Tawnypelt.”
“There’s no need to go to RiverClan.” Lionpaw’s pelt prickled with sympathy at the sorrow in Stormfur’s eyes. “Feathertail was the chosen cat, and she died in the mountains. I went with her, so I shall stand for RiverClan now.”
The cats in the clearing were silent for a moment. Squirrelflight rested her tail comfortingly on Stormfur’s shoulder.
“The Tribe will always honor Feathertail’s memory,” Night mewed softly.
Jaypaw twitched.
“This is a good plan.” Talon broke the silence at last. “Stoneteller knows the five of you better than any other Clan cats, so he’s more likely to trust you.”
“What?” Brook’s ears flattened, and she turned her head to stare at her brother. “Stoneteller did send you to fetch us, didn’t he?”
Night and Talon looked at their paws; Talon’s tail flicked uncomfortably. “Not exactly,” he mumbled, then added, “but I’m sure he’ll be glad when he knows you’ve come to help.”
“Great.” Stormfur’s voice was bitter. “I get to be told I’m dead all over again.”
Brook pressed her muzzle to her mate’s. “Please, Stormfur, we have to do this. Stoneteller won’t be the Healer forever, but the Tribe deserves to last beyond his lifespan.”
“From what Talon and Night say, we don’t have much time,” Firestar meowed. “Brambleclaw, you can leave for ShadowClan right away.”
“And you three can come out now.” Squirrelflight rose to her paws and stared straight at the holly bush.
“Fox dung,” Hollypaw muttered. “We’ll end up searching the elders for ticks instead of going to the mountains.”
“Come on,” Squirrelflight repeated. “If you don’t want to be seen, Lionpaw, don’t leave your tail sticking out.”
His fur hot with embarrassment, Lionpaw emerged from the bush and padded down the slope toward his mother. “Mouse-brain!” Hollypaw hissed as she followed him with Jaypaw.
“You shouldn’t have been spying,” Squirrelflight mewed severely when the three apprentices were standing in front of her. “Cats who listen uninvited might hear things they don’t want to.”
“But we had to listen!” Lionpaw burst out. “We want to go with you!”
Squirrelflight’s green eyes stretched wide in astonishment, while Brambleclaw’s neck fur was fluffing up ominously. But to Lionpaw’s relief Firestar blinked in amusement.
“Don’t be angry with them,” he told Squirrelflight. “They remind me of a certain ginger apprentice who also insisted on going on a journey when she hadn’t been invited.”
Squirrelflight huffed, making her whiskers flutter, and gave a single lash of her tail.
“Why do you want to go?” Firestar prompted.
Lionpaw was opening his jaws to reply when Hollypaw gave him a nudge. “We want to help the Tribe cats, too,” she announced. “Lionpaw and I are good fighters, and Jaypaw…well, Jaypaw can help heal cats who are injured.”
“Thanks a bunch,” Jaypaw muttered.
“Jaypaw can do more than that,” Leafpool meowed calmly. Jaypaw jumped as if he was surprised to find the medicine cat on his side.
“For what it’s worth,” Leafpool went on, “I think they should be allowed to go. When we lived in the forest, all the apprentices made the journey to Mothermouth, to visit the Moonstone, before they became warriors. We seem to have left that tradition behind, but I think there’s value in apprentices making a long journey, to see what lies beyond their territories.”
Warmth spread through Lionpaw from whiskers to tail tip as he heard Leafpool putting words to the longing in his own mind. “Pleasecan we go?” he begged.
“I agree with Leafpool,” Sandstorm mewed. “There’s nothing to be lost in meeting other cats and seeing how they live.” Her gaze held Firestar’s for a moment as if she and the Clan leader were sharing memories.
“Brambleclaw, what do you think?” Firestar asked. “They’ll be an extra responsibility, and it could be very tough for them. A long, hard journey, and fighting at the end of it.”
“I’m sure my kits can manage it.” There was a glow of approval in Brambleclaw’s amber eyes as his gaze swept over the three apprentices. “I’d be proud to take them to meet the Tribe of Rushing Water.”
“Even if we’re not sure of our reception?” Stormfur reminded him softly.
No cat answered him. Instead, Brambleclaw rose to his paws. “Are you ready?” he asked Lionpaw.
“For what?” Lionpaw meowed, his paws tingling with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
“We must go to ShadowClan and see if Tawnypelt will come with us,” his father replied.
“Great!” Lionpaw couldn’t stop himself from bouncing eagerly, then froze, cross that he was behaving like a stupid kit. “I’m looking forward to seeing Tawnypelt’s kits. They’re my kin,” he added, trying to sound more dignified.
Squirrelflight glanced briefly at Leafpool. “Hollypaw, you can come with me to WindClan to find out if Crowfeather will come with us,” she meowed.
“What about me?” Jaypaw asked.
“Come back to the clearing with me,” Leafpool told him. “We’ll need to prepare traveling herbs.”
“If the other cats agree to go,” Firestar mewed, “bring them back to the hollow. You can leave in the morning.”
“Fine. Let’s go, Hollypaw.” Squirrelflight waved her tail and set off through the trees toward the WindClan border. Hollypaw darted after her, almost stumbling over her paws in her haste.
“All set, Lionpaw?” Brambleclaw asked.
Lionpaw nodded; his chest felt tight at the thought of crossing the border into another Clan’s territory.
“Good luck, all of you!” Firestar called.
Lionpaw waited until Hollypaw’s black pelt had vanished among the rustling bracken. Then he turned and plunged into the undergrowth, following his father.
第六章
第六章
罂粟爪向前冲去。狮爪发现，她正试图使用之前的训练中自己教给她的战斗动作，这个动作还是虎星教给自己的。可是当她钻到蜜爪身下准备钩住蜜爪的腿时，蜜爪的速度太快了，猛地朝后跳去，结果和罂粟爪的脑袋撞在了一起。蜜爪飞快地冲罂粟爪的鼻子抓了两下，然后跑开了。
“你需要再快些。”莓鼻说道。
狮爪身上的毛竖了起来。火星已经不让莓鼻和桦落继续履行学徒的职责了。可是莓鼻除了干扰训练就没别的事情可做了吗？此刻他四肢摊开，躺在空地边缘的一块石头上，大声评论着学徒们的表现。
“那个动作非常好。”莓鼻傲慢地评论着蜜爪，“刚才你这套动作，完成得很漂亮。”
“谢谢你，莓鼻！”蜜爪一脸崇拜地望着奶油色武士。
狮爪的心里升起一股嫉妒。不久之前，蜜爪最喜欢的猫似乎是自己。当他被迫斩断了与石楠爪的情谊之后，又很快失去了蜜爪的爱慕。这对狮爪来说，真是不好受。
“该你了，狮爪！”莓鼻打断了他的思绪，“让我们看看你表现得怎么样。”
你是我的老师吗？狮爪环视着空地，寻找着蜡毛的影子——他本应该负责自己的训练。可是他却在几只狐狸身长的地方，给冬青爪示范战斗动作。
“快点儿啊，你这只懒猫！”莓鼻催促他，“整天坐在尾巴上，你永远当不上武士！”
是吗？狮爪牙齿咬得咯吱响，照你的标准，我觉得我早就是武士了！
“来吧，炭爪！”狮爪用尾巴示意坐在空地边缘的灰色学徒，“我们一起练习吧！”
炭爪跳着朝他走来，全身的毛兴奋得竖了起来，尾巴快活地摇晃着。狮爪想，她的动作如此自信，似乎伤腿已经痊愈了。炭爪靠近他，瞄准狮爪的耳朵，缩着爪子就是一击。狮爪迅速闪开，脑袋撞向她的肩膀，想使她的身体失去平衡。但炭爪竟没有动，伸出收着的前爪，钳住了狮爪的脖子，把他摔在地上。狮爪毫不示弱，用后爪不停击打着炭爪的肚子。过了几个心跳的时间，炭爪放开狮爪，跳到一边，等他再次站起来。
“你可真棒！”狮爪气喘吁吁地说道，但他知道自己最终肯定能获胜。
炭爪的作战技能正在恢复，眼中流露出自豪的神色：“我们再来一次！”
“你知道吗？狮爪，你的动作根本就不对，”莓鼻突然插话说道，“你不应该让她击倒你。如果这是实战，她可能会咬破你的喉咙。”
狮爪转过身，看着他，全身上下的毛都在发烫。“我想，那是你上次跟影族作战时发现的窍门！”他讥笑道。
莓鼻跳下岩石，紧贴着耳朵，后颈上的毛全都竖了起来。“不要对武士这样讲话！”他厉声说道。
“那就别在这里装无所不知！”狮爪反驳道，“你又不是我的老师，不要对我指指点点！离我远点儿！”
看着两条老鼠尾巴之外的莓鼻，狮爪真想冲过去把他扑倒在地，用爪子撕烂这位奶油色武士的鼻子。可狮爪心里清楚，如果他真的在训练中打了族猫，就会给自己惹上大麻烦。狮爪转身背对着莓鼻，冲到空地边缘。他的侧腹重重地起伏着，竭尽全力才克制住了满腔怒火。
“等我成为武士之后，”狮爪咬牙切齿地说道，“我要让你看看，谁才是最善战的武士！”
“别这么生气，狮爪。”那个平静的声音，好似清凉的水，让他的怒气顿时消失。狮爪一开始还以为是虎星。他四下张望，寻找着那只如阴影一般神秘的虎斑猫。但是他看到的，却是站在橡树下晒太阳的暴毛。
狮爪有些不好意思地向他低头致意。“对不起。”他说道，“不过我真受不了莓鼻，他的所作所为，就好像他是族长似的。”
暴毛发出一声同情的嘟哝。
“我知道，不能让他影响我，可我就是忍不住。”狮爪坦白道，“有时其他学徒也是这样……哦，不，不包括冬青爪，是其他学徒。我感觉，我一定要成为他们当中最棒的猫。”
他不禁有些担心，自己怎么把心里想的全说给了一位资深的武士。暴毛没有理由关心他在想什么。
“为什么呢？”深灰色公猫问道。
“我不知道为什么！”狮爪犹豫着，思绪如风暴一般在他的脑海里翻腾着，然后他又说道，“我想，我的确知道为什么。因为我是火星的至亲。他是有史以来最优秀的族长。所有的雷族猫都希望，我能和他一样优秀，因为我和他有血缘关系。”
“还有虎星的原因？”暴毛问道。
狮爪的爪子深深插进了地面。暴毛是怎么知道他跟虎星和鹰霜见面的事呢？“虎……虎星？”他深吸了一口气。
暴毛朝他眨了眨眼睛：“我知道你父亲以前遇到过什么问题。黑莓掌怕雷族猫不信任他，因为大家都特别憎恨虎星。”
狮爪以前从没想过这一点。他想象不出，自己的父亲年轻时居然在雷族处境艰难。
“我父亲是什么样的猫啊？”他走到正舒服地晒着太阳的暴毛身边，坐了下来。他肩上的皮毛开始变得平顺，几乎忘了跟莓鼻的争吵。“当年你们是一起踏上旅程的，那种感觉怎么样？”
“太可怕了！”暴毛琥珀色的眼睛里浮现出回忆的神情，恐惧与勇气，迁就与友谊，所有的一切都出现在他的瞳孔中，“我不知道，是穿越陌生而危险的领地困难，还是和其他族群的猫相处更难。旅途结束时，我们都改变了。”暴毛停顿片刻，用舌头在肩膀上舔了几下，又接着说下去，“开始的时候，我们好像一直在争论。但通常都是你父亲的主意最好，没过多久，我们就意识到，他是我们当中天生的领袖。”
“告诉我发生了什么事。”狮爪催促道。
“四大族群，每个族群有一只猫，做了相同的一个梦，星族要求他们前往太阳沉没之地。”暴毛开口说道，“他们被要求按午夜的话去做。可我们都没料到，午夜居然是一只獾。”
狮爪点了点头。他和同窝猫们都从未见过这只帮助族群找到新家园的獾，不过母亲给他们讲过它的故事。
“那段旅程一定非常艰苦。”狮爪说道，他尽力想象着自己跟其他族群的猫相处的情形。没错，他一直和石楠爪十分友好，可是如果要让他跟风爪或者影族的武士们合作，又会是怎么样呢？
“也不全是那么糟糕。”暴毛回答道，他戏谑地卷起尾巴，“那次你母亲卡在了两脚兽搭建的栅栏里，她生气地呼噜着，却又动弹不得。”
狮爪在脑海中想象着松鼠飞被困住时狂怒的样子，忍不住笑出声来：“是我父亲救了她吗？”
暴毛摇摇头。“不是。黑莓掌想要把栅栏挖出来。而我则想试着把那块亮闪闪的栅栏咬穿。但是褐皮和羽尾，居然用羊蹄叶，擦在你母亲的皮毛上，把她弄了出来。”
“我真希望自己也在现场！”狮爪说道。
“我也庆幸自己能参与其中。尽管旅程中经常会感到恐惧、疲劳和饥饿，但我们都明白，我们在做对族群最有利的事。”
“所以，你和我父亲成了真正的好朋友？”
暴毛抖动着胡须：“其实一开始，我们之间并不那么友好。我还很嫉妒黑莓掌。”
“为什么呢？”狮爪惊讶地问道。
“因为当时我特别喜欢你母亲。不过就连瞎兔子都知道，尽管他俩从未停止争吵，黑莓掌才是你母亲最喜欢的猫。”
“你喜欢过松鼠飞？”狮爪吃惊地眨着眼睛，心想，如果暴毛取代黑莓掌，成了我的父亲，那我就是一只不同的猫……
“我从未见过像她那样的猫，”暴毛承认道，“尽管当时她还只是个学徒，但她性格开朗，勇气可嘉，意志坚定。但是后来我们在山里留在了急水部落，然后我就遇见了溪儿，知道她才是最适合我的猫。”
他琥珀色的眼睛里一下子布满了愁云，然后沉默了下来。狮爪不太明白，为什么提到溪儿时，他的表情就突然变了。“怎么了？”
暴毛长长地叹了一口气。“我的妹妹羽尾，也跟着我们一起踏上了那次旅途，”他解释道，“她是那么美丽，那么善良，可她却死在了大山里。”
狮爪大着胆子，伸出尾巴，放在深灰色皮毛武士的肩膀上，安慰道：“究竟发生了什么事？”
“急水部落的猫正在被一只叫尖牙兽的野兽猎食。之前有一个预言，说一只银色的猫会来到他们那里，并拯救他们。他们一开始还以为是我，可实际上却是羽尾。她为救他们，结果丢了性命。”他的声音颤抖起来，“我不得不留下她，把她埋葬在那里。”
“对不起。”狮爪想象着，如果冬青爪死了，他该有多难受。
暴毛舔了舔胸部的皮毛，又使劲晃了晃脑袋，就像是在驱赶苍蝇似的：“已经过去了那么久，我们必须往前看。”
“我希望你别介意刚才的问题。”
“当然不介意了。”暴毛的声音似乎又恢复了正常，“你可以问我任何你想问的，如果最终可以帮你，我也很乐意。”
“谢谢。”狮爪心里感到既温暖又轻松，就好像吃了一口新鲜的猎物。“我感觉跟你谈话比跟雷族猫都容易——啊，对不起。”狮爪的声音戛然而止，突然尴尬地动了动爪子，“我不是……”
“没关系的。”暴毛说道，“我知道你想说什么。尽管我自己觉得对火星、你父亲和其他雷族猫很忠诚，但实际上，我真的只是一个来访者。”
“那你觉得在哪儿更有家的感觉呢？”狮爪好奇地问道，“是在河族、急水部落，还是雷族？”
暴毛没有立刻回答，眼里流露出若有所思的神情。然后，他舔了舔爪子，抬起那只爪子挠了好几次耳朵。“其实我内心深处还是一只河族猫，”他终于开口说道，“因为那里是我长大并成为武士的地方。那时我们还生活在森林里，可是现在那里已经没有猫居住了。现在我忠于雷族，是因为你们对我和溪儿的到来表示了欢迎，而且跟灰条在一个族群生活真的很好，我可以多了解他一些。”
“你会一直待在这儿吗？”
“我不知道。这里不是溪儿的家乡，如果她不想待在这儿，我不会勉强她的。”
“那你们为什么不回山地呢？”
暴毛的眼神忽然严峻起来：“没那么容易的。”
“你可以去做一次旅行。”狮爪建议道。
“不行，太远了。”暴毛迅速说道，接着他站了起来，抖了抖皮毛，“走吧，我们该回营地了。”
狮爪回过头，这才发现训练已经结束了。蜡毛和其他学徒已经朝营地走去，莓鼻已经消失得无影无踪。
“你先走吧。”狮爪对暴毛说道，“我一会儿就回来。”
“好的。”暴毛跳着朝蜡毛和其他猫追去。
“谢谢你，暴毛！”狮爪在他的身后喊着。
暴毛摇了摇尾巴以示回应，随即消失在了灌木丛中。
狮爪转身，沿着相反方向的小路走进了森林。他停了一会儿，确认暴毛的确已经走开，才加快了步子，朝风族边界的方向奔去。狮爪喘着粗气，在溪岸边停下来，望着远处开阔的荒野。太阳即将落下，湖面洒满了深红色的光，也将他长长的影子投在湖面上。狮爪很喜欢阳光的暖意和微风轻抚皮毛的感觉。
但眼前的景象却是一片荒凉，让他望而却步。地面上没有遮蔽物，没有绵软的苔藓，也没有可供猎物藏匿的灌木丛。他知道，自己绝对不可能在风族的领地上生活。无论走到哪里，他都会想念自己领地上的树木。现在他还能听见树枝微弱的咯吱声，还有风中传来的树叶的沙沙声。无论他有多爱石楠爪，他都永远不会放弃这一切。
同样地，他也知道，石楠爪绝对不会在雷族生活。她一来到森林里，就会变得无所适从；她喜欢开阔的荒原，质地粗糙却富有弹性的草叶，还有在斜坡上追逐兔子的感觉。狮爪想，暴毛一定深爱着溪儿，否则他不会毅然选择留在山地陪伴她。
狮爪抬头朝远处望去，他只能依稀辨认出地平线上被薄雾笼罩的灰暗地带，那里就是溪儿的家乡。那天巡逻边界时，溪儿曾跟他说过那里。狮爪想，当时她是不是有点儿想家了呢？
山地究竟是怎样的呢？狮爪很想知道。从小时候起，他就经常听到大迁徙的故事，以及四个猫族是怎样翻山越岭，历经千辛万苦，在湖边找到新家园的。
狮爪觉得爪子痒痒的，他很想去探险，他真想去看看雷族，甚至所有族群领地以外的世界。世界如此广阔，可他能够感知的只有这么小。那些未知的世界，是武士守则无法解释的，甚至巫医和长老都没有听说过。
狮爪发现，他很难转身离开边界，迈步返回山谷里的营地。山地好像正在呼唤我！
但是他该怎么回应这呼唤呢？
CHAPTER11
CHAPTER11
Wind whipped through Lionpaw’s pelt ashe raced toward the ShadowClan border. He couldn’t think of anywhere he would rather be than running beside his father, with an important mission ahead and the chance to prove himself. He was proud of how he kept up with Brambleclaw; he wasn’t as big, but his legs were nearly as long.
“Watch out,” Brambleclaw warned. “Fallen tree ahead.”
Lionpaw had already spotted it, a beech with smooth gray bark, brought down in the storms of the previous leaf-bare. A few dead leaves still clung to its branches, rustling in the breeze. Brambleclaw skirted the roots, but Lionpaw sprang upward, scrabbling with his hind paws to drag himself on top of the trunk, and pushed his way through the branches until he could leap down on the other side.
He wanted to show Brambleclaw just how fast and powerful he could be, so when a small stream crossed their path he gathered his muscles for an enormous leap and launched himself across the water. His paws stretched for a smooth flat stone on the opposite side, but just before he landed a blackbird erupted from a hazel bush just ahead, giving a raucous alarm call.
Startled, Lionpaw landed awkwardly; his hind paws slipped and cold water surged over his haunches and his tail. “Mouse dung!” he spat, his claws scoring the stone as he dragged himself out.
Brambleclaw was waiting for him on the bank, amusement glimmering in his amber eyes. “Steady on,” he purred. “You’re not a RiverClan cat, and we haven’t time for fishing.”
“Sorry,” Lionpaw muttered. Glittering drops of water spun away from his pelt as he tried to shake himself dry.
As they drew closer to ShadowClan territory, Brambleclaw’s pace slowed, until he came to a halt on the border not far from the dead tree.
“What are we waiting for?” Lionpaw mewed.
“A ShadowClan patrol,” his father replied. “They’ll escort us to their camp.”
“But you knowwhere the camp is,” Lionpaw protested, flexing his claws in frustration. “It’s not as if we’re attacking them! Why can’t we just go?”
“Because Blackstar won’t see it like that.” Brambleclaw looked down at him, serious now. “We’re coming to take one of his warriors away on a long, dangerous journey, to help a completely different group of cats. He won’t like it, and I can’t say I blame him. Besides, the warrior code forbids us to trespass on another Clan’s territory, whether we’re friendly or not. We’ll wait.” He sat down just on the ThunderClan side of the border and wrapped his tail over his paws. “If you want something to do, you can groom that wet fur. I don’t want ShadowClan thinking that ThunderClan apprentices can’t look after themselves.”
Lionpaw’s pelt had begun to dry, the hairs clumping together in untidy tufts. He sat down and gave himself a thorough washing, stretching his neck over his back to reach every last scrap of fur. When he had finished there were still no ShadowClan warriors in sight.
“Don’t they ever patrol their borders?” he grumbled, batting at a beetle that was climbing a grass stem near his nose.
Brambleclaw had settled into a crouch, his paws tucked comfortably under him and his eyes slitted, enjoying the sun. “They’ll be along soon. You can hunt if you want, but make sure you stay on thisside of the border.”
Lionpaw sprang up, but before he could pinpoint any prey he heard the sound of pelts swishing through the bracken a few fox-lengths away. A ShadowClan patrol appeared from the arching fronds and stalked toward the border. Lionpaw recognized Russetfur, the ShadowClan deputy, but the other two—a young dark brown tom and a tortoiseshell she-cat—were strangers to him.
As soon as he spotted Brambleclaw and Lionpaw waiting by the border, the young tom exclaimed, “Intruders! I knewI’d scented them.” He bounded forward, his fur bristling.
“Toadfoot, wait!” Russetfur overtook her Clanmate and padded up to Brambleclaw. “What do you want?”
“Greetings.” Brambleclaw dipped his head, ignoring the deputy’s hostile tone. “We’re not intruding, Russetfur, just waiting for an escort to your camp. We need to speak to Blackstar.”
Russetfur’s whiskers twitched suspiciously. “What’s so important that it can’t wait until the Gathering?”
“A decision that Blackstar must make now.”
The ShadowClan deputy lashed her tail; Lionpaw guessed she was furious that Brambleclaw wouldn’t tell her what his business was. Reluctantly she stepped back, jerking her head to invite Brambleclaw and Lionpaw across the border.
“Ivytail, run back to the camp and warn Blackstar,” she ordered. “Toadfoot, keep an eye out behind. We need to be sure that there aren’t any more ThunderClan warriors lurking about.”
She turned and stalked off, with Brambleclaw padding quietly at her shoulder, while Toadfoot drew close to Lionpaw, fixing him with a fierce glare. “Don’t even thinkabout unsheathing your claws,” he hissed.
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Lionpaw retorted. He remembered Birchfall, back in camp, talking about his friendship with ShadowClan kits during the Great Journey. Toadkit was one of the names he mentioned; this young warrior must be the same cat.
“Do you remember Birchkit?” he asked, trying to be more friendly. “He’s Birchfall now.”
“So?” Toadfoot sounded just as hostile.
“He was telling us about you earlier today. He said what good friends he was with you and your littermates.”
For a heartbeat he thought he saw a shadow of sadness in Toadfoot’s eyes, but it was gone before he could be sure.
“That was on the Great Journey,” Toadfoot meowed. “Things were different then. I’m a ShadowClan warrior now.”
Lionpaw stifled a sigh. Why couldn’t you be a loyal warrior and still have friends in other Clans? He wondered if things had been better on the Great Journey, when there were no borders, so you didn’t have to be enemies with other cats just because of where they lived.
But he couldn’t go on thinking about that now, not when Russetfur was leading them deeper into ShadowClan territory. Lionpaw’s whiskers twitched as they skirted the empty stretch of grass where Twolegs came in greenleaf. He had seen the flat green pelts they put there when he was on border patrols, but he had never set paw anywhere near them. He tasted Twoleg scent as Russetfur led them past, creeping close to the ground in the shadow of the ferns, but there was no noise of Twoleg yowling or any sign of the Twolegs themselves.
As they left the clearing behind, Lionpaw was surprised to find that the woodland on the other side looked just like ThunderClan territory. But gradually the familiar oaks and beeches gave way to tall, dark pines, with spiky shadows trapped in their branches. Birdsong echoed strangely from the narrow, leafless trunks. The undergrowth of fern and bramble thinned out until the cats were padding across ground that was bare except for a thick covering of brown pine needles.
Suppressing a shiver, Lionpaw hurried so he could catch up to Brambleclaw and walk at his side. His father flashed him a sympathetic glance and brushed his tail comfortingly across his shoulder.
At last Lionpaw began to pick up the mingled scents of many cats, coming from just ahead. Russetfur led them up a short slope and through a barrier of bushes that grew along the top.
“Wait here,” she ordered.
She headed down a shallower slope into a wide hollow, while Toadfoot stayed to guard the two ThunderClan cats, glaring through narrowed eyes from a couple of tail-lengths away.
“Is this the ShadowClan camp?” Lionpaw whispered to Brambleclaw. “It looks so open.”
“We’re lucky to have the hollow to shelter us,” Brambleclaw replied.
When he looked closer, Lionpaw began to see that this was a Clan camp very like his own, even though it looked so different. Russetfur had vanished into a gap behind a huge boulder, which he guessed was the Clan leader’s den. Not far away from it was a straggly bramble thicket that was probably the apprentices’ den; there was a dead log just outside it, thickly scored with scratch marks, which would be the place where the apprentices sharpened their claws.
He started at a yowl from a yew bush on the slope just below him. “This moss is dripping wet! I’ll scratchthat apprentice when I catch him!”
“The elders’ den,” Lionpaw muttered to his father. “I guess they’re just the same everywhere.”
He was distracted from his study of the camp by the reappearance of Russetfur. Blackstar followed her out of the gap behind the boulder and leaped onto a tree stump in the middle of the hollow. Russetfur gestured to Toadfoot with her tail, and the brown tom escorted Brambleclaw and Lionpaw down the slope until they stood in front of the ShadowClan leader. Lionpaw felt curious stares from the ShadowClan warriors scorch his pelt and heard the cats muttering to one another. They didn’t sound friendly.
He had seen Blackstar before at Gatherings, but he had never been so close to him. Swallowing nervously, he realized that the white tom was a very powerful warrior. One swat from those huge black paws could shred a cat’s ear. He wondered what Brambleclaw would do if Blackstar attacked him. Was he strong and skillful enough to fight him off and escape from the rival Clan’s territory?
But for the moment Blackstar seemed calm, if not exactly welcoming. “Brambleclaw,” he meowed. “What are you doing in our territory?”
“I’ve come to speak to my sister, Tawnypelt.”
“What if she doesn’t want to speak to you?” Russetfur’s tone was sharp.
Blackstar raised his tail, warning his deputy to be quiet. “What do you want with her?”
Lionpaw’s belly churned as Brambleclaw told the ShadowClan cats about the appearance of Talon and Night and the trouble that had come upon the Tribe of Rushing Water. “Firestar has agreed to let me and Squirrelflight go back to the mountains to help the Tribe cats,” he finished. “We thought we should invite Tawnypelt and Crowfeather to come too. They know the Tribe well from the first journey we made together.”
“What!” Russetfur exclaimed, before Blackstar could respond. “You dare to come here and expect to take one of our warriors away? Of course Tawnypelt’s not going. She has kits, for StarClan’s sake!”
Once again Blackstar gestured with his tail. “You’ll make these ThunderClan cats think we don’t want to cooperate,” he told her. “Suppose we ask Tawnypelt what she wants to do? It’s her decision.”
Lionpaw flashed a glance at his father, but Brambleclaw avoided his gaze. It was clear that Blackstar expected Tawnypelt would decide to stay with her Clanmates and her kits.
Blackstar leaped down from the stump and led the way across the camp to a bramble thicket on the far side. “This is our nursery,” he meowed. “Go in and see her.”
Brambleclaw nodded in thanks and lowered his head to creep through the narrow entrance. Lionpaw followed; to his relief Blackstar remained outside.
ShadowClan’s nursery was bigger than the one in the stone hollow, but it had the same cozy covering of moss on the floor and the same warm, milky smell. As Lionpaw’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, he made out the glimmering shape of a white queen with a huge swollen belly, curled in a mossy nest. Her ears pricked anxiously as the two ThunderClan cats entered.
“Brambleclaw!” The exclamation came from farther inside the nursery. Lionpaw spotted Tawnypelt, her head raised and her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to see you,” Brambleclaw replied. “I’ve got something to ask you.”
Before he could say any more, Tawnypelt’s kits scrambled out of their nest and bounced over to Brambleclaw and Lionpaw.
“Who are you?” The biggest kit, a tiger-striped tom, stretched up until his whiskers tickled Lionpaw’s nose.
Lionpaw edged back, stifling a sneeze. “My name’s Lionpaw. I’m an apprentice from—”
His father gave him a warning nudge. “We’re ThunderClan cats,” he replied.
“Oh, that’s why you smell all yucky!” A tiny tom with dark ginger fur wrinkled his nose.
Not half as yucky as you do
The third kit, a gray she-cat, bounded up to Lionpaw and flung herself at him; he was so surprised that he lost his balance and landed on his side in the moss.
“We’re the best fighters!” the gray kit yowled. “Come on, let’s defend the camp!”
Instantly the other two kits bundled on top of Lionpaw. For a heartbeat he wondered if ShadowClan was so hostile that even the kits tried to drive out intruders; then he realized that it was only a game. The kits’ claws were sheathed, and their eyes gleamed with mischief, not anger. He fought back, pushing the kits off him and managing to get to his paws again, spitting out moss.
“That’s no way to welcome a visitor,” Tawnypelt scolded them. “Brambleclaw, these are my kits—the striped one is Tigerkit, the ginger is Flamekit, and the one who’s asking for a cuff around the ear is Dawnkit.” She glared at the she-cat, who was creeping up on Lionpaw’s tail as if it were a piece of prey.
Tigerkit!Lionpaw stiffened. Did Tawnypelt hope that her son would become as great a warrior as Tigerstar? Would this kit receive the same training from their ancestor as Lionpaw did?
“Kits!” Tawnypelt warned her litter to behave. “Come over here, Brambleclaw, and tell me what all this is about.”
Absorbed in trying to keep his tail out of reach of Dawnkit, who clearly hadn’t listened to her mother’s warning, Lionpaw didn’t hear his father’s explanation. But he stopped, fur tingling with excitement, when he heard Tawnypelt mew, “I will come.”
The tortoiseshell she-cat’s eyes were shining as she clambered out of her nest. All three kits gave up chasing Lionpaw and stared at their mother.
“What do you mean?” Tigerkit asked.
“You’re not going to leave us?” Dawnkit wailed.
“I have to go with Brambleclaw for a while,” Tawnypelt told them. “You remember the stories I’ve told you, about the cats who live in the mountains behind a wall of tumbling water? Well, those cats need my help, so I have to go.”
“Then can we come with you?” Flamekit asked. “Please.”
“We’d be really helpful,” Tigerkit added.
“No, you’re too young.” Tawnypelt padded over to the three kits and touched her nose to each one in turn. “Be good, and eat your fresh-kill, and expect me back when the moon has been the same shape twice.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them,” the white she-cat promised from the shadows.
“Thanks, Snowbird. There, you see,” Tawnypelt added to her kits, “Snowbird will take care of you, and she’ll tell me if you’ve been naughty.”
“We won’t,” Tigerkit promised.
“Even if we never get to have any fun,” Dawnkit muttered.
Tawnypelt gave her daughter a gentle flick over the ear with her tail. “Good-bye then,” she purred.
“Good-bye,” the kits chorused, their eyes wide.
Tawnypelt led the way out of the nursery, with Brambleclaw hard on her paws. Lionpaw paused to look back at the kits. Good-bye, kin, he whispered to himself as he followed his father into the clearing.
Outside the nursery, Blackstar and Tawnypelt were confronting each other.
“What do you mean, you want to go?” the Clan leader demanded.
“You said it was her decision,” Brambleclaw reminded him.
Blackstar lashed his tail but said nothing.
“We might have known,” Russetfur spat. “It just goes to show that she’s not a loyal ShadowClan cat.”
Tawnypelt arched her back. “Don’t you dare call me disloyal!”
“Tawnypelt.” The warrior called Rowanclaw padded up beside Tawnypelt and pressed his ginger muzzle against her shoulder. She leaned against him, her fur beginning to lie flat again. Lionpaw remembered that Rowanclaw was her mate, the father of her kits.
“It’s nonsense to say that Tawnypelt isn’t loyal,” he meowed to Russetfur. “I haven’t forgotten all the Tribe cats did for us, even if you have. They deserve our help.” He bent his head to give Tawnypelt a gentle lick between the ears. “I’m proud of you for going,” he mewed. “And don’t worry about the kits. I’ll look after them.”
Tawnypelt let out a soft purr. “Thanks, Rowanclaw.” Turning to Brambleclaw, she meowed more briskly, “Shall we go?”
Lionpaw thought his father looked stunned, as if he hadn’t expected to get her agreement so easily.
“There’s no time to lose,” Tawnypelt pointed out. “Not when we still have to make the long journey to the mountains.”
“True,” Brambleclaw murmured. “Thank you, Blackstar,” he added to the ShadowClan leader. “I’m sure StarClan will approve of what you have done today.”
Blackstar nodded, looking awkward; Lionpaw knew very well he hadn’t intended things to turn out like this. Russetfur just let out an annoyed hiss and turned away, lashing her tail.
Excitement flooded through him once more as he raced back through the forest with Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt.He felt sure that Squirrelflight and Hollypaw must have had the same success in WindClan. Cats from all Clans were uniting to help the Tribe! This was even better than just going to visit the mountains. Maybe he would be part of another incredible story, and one day the Clans would tell it to their kits, just as they told the story of the Great Journey.
第七章
第七章
“我有个计划。”冬青爪说道。她和炭爪已经把长老巢穴里陈旧的苔藓全清理了出去，这时候正在一棵橡树旁，用爪子收集新鲜苔藓。森林里薄雾弥漫，头顶上空，太阳正慢慢钻出阴云。
炭爪正在收集柔软的绿色苔藓，停了下来问：“什么计划啊？”
“跟我们成为武士有关。”冬青爪把采到的苔藓球丢到一边，走到炭爪身边，在一个扭曲的树根上坐了下来，“我们要掌握的东西太多了，既要学习战斗和狩猎技能，又要记住武士守则，我的脑子已经一片混乱了。我没法同时考虑所有的问题，所以我决定一次只专注干一件事情。”
炭爪眨眨眼睛：“我还是不明白。”
冬青爪叹了口气，觉得自己已经给她说得够明白了！“我先练习狩猎。如果雷族猫们吃不好，又怎么能保卫边界，参加战斗呢？我会一直训练，直到完全熟练为止。接下来我再做别的事情。”
她的朋友又开始收集苔藓。“我觉得，这个听起来有点鼠脑子。”炭爪说道，“我的意思是，你不可能停下其他所有事情，对吗？你跑出去寻找猎物的时候，就让我独自清理窝垫吗？”
冬青爪一只爪子猛地一挥，险些擦到炭爪的耳朵，但她的爪尖并没弹出：“不，当然不是。我知道我要履行职责，还要参加训练，完成其他所有的任务。我只是想把注意力放在狩猎上。”
炭爪打趣道：“如果蕨毛觉得你没把注意力放在战斗训练上，我很想听听，他会怎么说呢。”
冬青爪气得抓起一块苔藓，朝她的朋友扔去。她本以为炭爪也会用苔藓丢她，但与此相反，年轻的母猫却再次停下来，抬起头，用深蓝色眼睛严肃地看着她。
“说实话，冬青爪，我不认为这是个好主意。作为武士，就必须同时做好所有的事情。你没办法按顺序做事。我知道，我解释得不够好，不过……”
“不，你说得对。”冬青爪猛地说道，然后便沉默了下来。炭爪是她最好的朋友，冬青爪不愿意和她争吵。“对不起，炭爪。”她又接着说道，“我想，这种方法只适合我。如果你不想这么做，就不做好了。”
炭爪走上前去，用耳朵蹭了蹭冬青爪的鼻子：“没关系的。你知道，只要我能够帮忙，我就一定会帮助你的。”
等到冬青爪和炭爪完成了更换苔藓的工作，刺掌和蕨毛正召唤全体学徒，到空地中央集合。
“我们要去狩猎吗？”冬青爪急切地问着。
回答她的是刺掌：“不是。云尾和我要带学徒去那块苔藓地，进行高级战斗训练。你和狮爪可以来看看。”
“如果你们愿意，也可以一起训练。”蕨毛补充道。
炭爪激动得跳了起来：“我们一起去吧！”
她的老师云尾来到她的身后，用尾巴蹭了蹭她的肩膀：“你要小心自己的腿。如果我的要求太高，你一定要告诉我。”
炭爪的兴奋劲儿一下子没了：“云尾，我的腿没事了。它不会阻碍我成为武士的，对吧？”
“我希望不会。我们要看情况而定。”云尾的回答让炭爪有些沮丧。
冬青爪凑上前去，鼻子靠在炭爪的鼻子上：“别担心，你一定会成为武士的，我保证。”
这时，蜡毛和狮爪从学徒巢穴走了出来。“大家都准备好了吗？”淡灰色皮毛的武士问道，“蜜爪去哪儿了？”
“沙风带她去狩猎了，”蕨毛回答道，“她一会儿再来找我们。”
乌云已经彻底散去，太阳正在驱散薄雾。树丛的阴影里，草叶上依然挂着一颗颗晶莹的露珠。穿过一片蕨丛时，冬青爪弹了弹耳朵，将掉在头上的露珠抖落在地。四周低矮的灌木丛里，到处都是令她兴奋的气息和声响。她渴望参加狩猎巡逻队，实施自己的计划，而不是去进行战斗训练，更何况大多数时间只是观看。
随着四位学徒和他们的老师的到来，空地里变得有些拥挤。冬青爪和蕨毛坐在有阳光的地方，狮爪和蜡毛则坐在距离他俩两三条尾巴的地方。云尾和刺掌向两位较大的学徒示范战斗动作时，冬青爪偷偷打了个哈欠。云尾旋转着跳向空中，又平稳地落在刺掌的肩膀上。
“现在你来试一下！”云尾招呼着炭爪。
炭爪对着老师蹲伏下来，猛地跃向空中，然后正确地转身。可惜她跳得不够高，没有落在云尾的肩膀上，而是笨拙地撞向云尾的侧腹。云尾用一只爪子将她按住了。
“第一次尝试，表现还不错。”云尾评价着，让她站了起来，“但是你跳起来的时候，要多用些力。是腿的问题吗？”
炭爪眨了眨眼睛：“不是，腿没问题。我下次一定会做好的。”
“而且别忘了，”刺掌补充道，“在实战中，敌方绝对不会傻站着，等你落在他身上的。你必须预判对方的下个动作是什么。”
“让我来试试。”罂粟爪说道。
就在训练继续进行的时候，冬青爪注意到，狮爪有些坐立不安。“我能做这个动作，”他对蜡毛说，“我能试试吗？”
蜡毛有些犹豫。“这个动作难度很高，”他提醒道，“你如果没有准备好，尝试没什么意义。”
“我已经准备好了。”狮爪坚持说道，身上的毛奓开了。
蜡毛耸了耸肩：“别说我没警告过你啊。”
冬青爪紧张地看着狮爪和他的老师走进了空地，与训练场上的其他猫拉开一段距离。
“那么，来吧，让我看看你的动作。”蜡毛说道。
狮爪跳向空中，阳光将他金棕色的皮毛照耀得如同火焰一般。他的四肢离开地面，旋转着，完美地落在蜡毛的肩膀上。蜡毛发出一声惊讶的呼噜，冬青爪也惊呆了：狮爪是怎么把这套动作学得如此完美呢？
“看到了吧？”狮爪跳回地面，挑战似的地问老师，“现在你应该对我再严格一些了吧？”
“你想要更严格的训练？”蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛闪闪发光，声音中带着低吼，“狮爪，你提要求时可要小心点儿。”
冬青爪感觉肩膀上的毛开始竖了起来。蜡毛是在开玩笑吧？
“我什么都能应付。”狮爪坚持道。
蜡毛扑向狮爪，狠狠地抓向狮爪的耳朵。狮爪滚到一边，用后爪抓向蜡毛的肚子。一个心跳过后，狮爪爬起来，像云尾演示的那样一跃而起，再次落到老师的肩膀上。蜡毛的后爪使劲撑地，站立起来，甩掉了狮爪。当狮爪砰的一声摔到地上的时候，冬青爪心里不由一紧。蜡毛迅速跳到他的身上。两只猫就像一团尖叫的皮毛，扭打在一起，滚向其他学徒。
罂粟爪不得不闪到一旁，避开了他俩。刺掌用尾巴圈住她的肩膀，将她拉到空地的另一边。云尾和炭爪也躲到了他们旁边。他们全神贯注地观看着这场激烈的战斗，完全忘记了训练的事。
蜡毛战斗着，完全把狮爪当成了武士。而狮爪的表现也的确像位武士！看到狮爪咬住了蜡毛的尾巴，冬青爪一脸的惊愕。狮爪咬得太狠了，一下子让蜡毛失去了平衡，摔倒在地上。莓鼻和他的同窝猫成为武士前，冬青爪见过他们练习这个动作。她一直觉得，自己要学会这个动作，至少还要再用一个月的时间。
冬青爪发现蜡毛的皮毛上现出几点殷红色的血迹时，顿时僵住了。狮爪弹出爪尖战斗，一定会惹来大麻烦的！接着她看到哥哥的身上也开始流血了。蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛里闪着凶光，他似乎已经忘记这并不是真正的战斗。
“他们伤着对方了！”她转向蕨毛，“你能让他们停下来吗？”
还没等蕨毛做出反应，蜡毛已经跳到了狮爪身上，伸出两只前爪，抓住狮爪的前胸，把他压倒在地。“这样够不够严格呢？”蜡毛喘着粗气问道。
但是狮爪仍然没有放弃，他继续用后爪击打着蜡毛的肚子，身子来回扭动，想挣脱蜡毛沉重的身体。蜡毛再次抬起爪子，对准狮爪的耳朵打去。
“够了！住手！”蕨毛跳了过去，震惊地尖叫着，“蜡毛，让他起来！狮爪，收起爪尖。一切到此为止！”
蜡毛扭头望着蕨毛，深蓝色眼睛中的凶光消退了。他后退了一步，狮爪翻身站了起来。蕨毛立刻冲到他俩之间，防止他俩再打起来。狮爪大口喘气的时候，胸部剧烈地起伏着，一侧肩膀上的皮毛被扯掉了，鲜血正从抓痕处渗出来。冬青爪看到，在狮爪的侧腹也有蜡毛的抓痕。
但是蜡毛也同样狼狈，一只耳朵和一条后腿也在流血。他喘了一个心跳的时间，大声说道：“打得漂亮，狮爪，你战斗起来简直就如同武士。”他环视着四周，补充道，“刚才你们也看到了，我希望你们都要像狮爪一样优秀。”
炭爪和罂粟爪震惊地相互看了一眼，一句话都说不出来。冬青爪甚至都不敢上前对哥哥表示祝贺。训练变得如此残酷，着实令她不安。
“走吧。”蜡毛用尾巴招呼狮爪，“今天你的表现非常好，已经不必再训练了。我们回营地去，你可以第一个挑猎物，犒赏一下自己！”
“谢谢你，蜡毛！”狮爪已经恢复了自然，呼吸开始平缓，皮毛也开始平顺下来。
“我会把你的表现告诉火星，”他的老师补充道，“当你完成了学徒职责后，雷族就会迎来一位值得自豪的武士！”
狮爪琥珀色的眼睛闪着亮光。他高昂着脑袋，尾巴翘得高高的，在蜡毛身边大步地走着。在他俩钻入灌木丛，踏上通往营地的小径之前，众猫谁都没说一句话。
这时，云尾终于呼出了一口气，就好像他一直把它憋在喉咙里：“好吧，让我们看看，你们的表现如何。”
“你会像刚才那样，跟我们打起来吗？”罂粟爪神情紧张地问。
这次回答她的是蕨毛：“当然不会。”但是冬青爪看到，蕨毛的毛依旧竖着——不知是被刚才惨烈的战斗吓到了，还是被狮爪出色的表现惊到了。“我们只是训练战斗技能，而且我们都会把爪尖收着的。”
冬青爪加入了训练，但是她发现自己很难集中注意力。蜡毛眼中的凶光依然在脑海中闪现，似乎刚才他真的忘了，他的对手是自己的学徒。
训练结束以后，冬青爪赶在其他学徒之前返回了营地——她想确认她的哥哥没什么事。
她发现狮爪将身体埋在窝里厚实的苔藓和蕨叶中，已经睡熟了。狮爪睡得很沉，连冬青爪走过去嗅闻他肩膀上的伤口，他都纹丝未动。伤口的血已经止住了，干了的血已经结痂，被血染红的皮毛仍旧很凌乱。很显然，他并没去找叶池给自己检查伤口。
“真是个鼠脑子。”冬青爪温柔地嘟哝着。
冬青爪伸出舌头，舔干净狮爪肩膀上的伤口。狮爪依然一动不动。不过这并不奇怪，今天他实在太疲劳了。冬青爪轻轻用鼻子碰了碰他的耳朵，让他继续睡觉。走出黑莓丛时，冬青爪看到父亲正站在猎物堆边。
“嗨，”黑莓掌打着招呼，“我正在组织狩猎巡逻队。你想去吗？”
如果是那天早上，冬青爪会毫不犹豫地答应，可现在，有比这更重要的事等着她去做。“有件事我必须告诉你。”冬青爪一五一十地把狮爪和蜡毛战斗的经过讲了一遍。“我认为，蜡毛不应该对狮爪那么狠，”她最后说道，“我当时差点以为，他俩要把对方撕成碎片呢！”
黑莓掌发出了一声宽慰的呼噜。“你不用担心这个了。我刚才在森林里遇见了蜡毛，他把事情的经过都跟我讲了。他对狮爪的表现十分满意。”他眯起了眼睛，看起来既高兴，又有些难为情，“他还说，狮爪一定会成为跟他父亲一样优秀的武士。我想这应该是一种赞美。”
冬青爪气得不停地抓着地面。“但是你没有看到当时的情形！”她不满地说道，“真是太可怕了。”
黑莓掌甩了甩尾巴尖儿。“战斗就是可怕的，”他提醒道，“我们跟另一个族群作战的时候，他们是不会收回爪尖的。”
“可我们现在不是跟其他族群战斗！”
“迟早会爆发战斗的，我们必须时刻做好准备。总有一天，狮爪需要用到所有这些技能。我为他感到骄傲，我为我所有的孩子们感到骄傲。狮爪是一位伟大的战士，叶池还告诉我，松鸦爪已经认识了所有草药……”
“那我呢？”冬青爪问道，她强忍着自己心中的嫉妒。我不也是一只特别的猫吗？
黑莓掌探过身子，轻轻地舔了一下她的耳朵。“你是我的小思想家，”他呼噜着说，“我依靠你，才能做出最好的决定。还有，你会让你的兄弟们守规矩！”
冬青爪高兴起来。如果她要成为族长，这种技能是必需的。
“好了。”黑莓掌说道，“现在，一起去狩猎吧？”
“为什么莓鼻没来呢？”蜜爪抱怨着。
“因为他是森林里最讨厌的毛球，”冬青爪咬着牙嘀咕道。她的声音很小，蜜爪并未听见。
沙风和蜜爪一起加入了黑莓掌和冬青爪的狩猎巡逻队。战斗训练快结束的时候，蜜爪才赶过去，而且她一直跟每只猫讲，莓鼻的战斗技能有多厉害。冬青爪感觉自己现在很难嗅到猎物的气息，因为她身边的学徒一直在喋喋不休地谈论着那只奶油色皮毛武士的事情。
“莓鼻参加了黎明巡逻队，”沙风解释着——她的声音里多了些耐心，这正是冬青爪最缺少的，“他应该歇一歇。”
“可是如果他跟我们一起来了，我们一定会抓到更多猎物的。”蜜爪坚持说道，“他是一位优秀的猎手。”
“哦，他不在，我们也会尽力做到最好的。”沙风说道。
冬青爪想，蜜爪一定没听出来，淡姜黄色母猫说话时带着一丝讽刺。蜜爪还在说着莓鼻的事，冬青爪真想用尾巴堵住朋友的嘴，让她开不了口。冬青爪实在受不了了，便向前快跑了几步，不想再听到蜜爪的声音。
刚刚过了日中时分。冬青爪在清爽而茂密的草丛中穿行着，太阳金色的光线温暖地洒在身上。鸟儿在林间鸣唱，空气中充满了清新的植物气息。她向前跳着，狩猎队的声音在她的身后慢慢消失了。在一个斜坡的最高处，她停下了爪子。在她的前方，树木更密了，树木中间长满了蕨叶和荆棘。她一时不太确定自己身在何处。她已经离地下隧道的入口很远，已经看不到任何其他熟悉的标记。这时，她听到了微弱的流水的声音，这才意识到她站的地方是雷族领地的边缘，已经离风族边界不远了。
她周围静悄悄的，但是有什么东西让她身上的毛不安地竖了起来。她的爪子想把她拖回去，跟巡逻队的其他猫在一起。你已经不是幼崽了！她责备自己，这里是雷族自己的领地，没什么可怕的。
她决定，先抓住一只猎物再回去会合，以证明自己不是遇事就会逃跑的胆小鬼。她抬起头，张大嘴巴，长长地吸了一口气。
有猫的气息！冬青爪又仔细嗅了嗅，想知道是不是风族猫又擅闯雷族领地了。但这不是风族的气息，也不是冬青爪接触过的任何猫的气息！难道是泼皮猫闯进来了？
“你还好吗？”
听到父亲的声音，冬青爪长舒了一口气。她转过身，看到黑莓掌正朝自己走来，他那强健有力的肩膀在蕨叶中时隐时现，沙风和蜜爪跟在他身后不远的地方。
“我没事儿。”冬青爪极力掩饰着那种奇怪的气息给她带来的惊恐，“我闻到了猫的气息，但不是我熟悉的。”
黑莓掌闻了闻空气，紧张地看向沙风。沙风同样一脸的紧张。淡姜黄色母猫走上前来，在他的耳边嘟哝了几句。黑莓掌点了点头，琥珀色的眼睛里流露着忧虑的神色。
“赶快跑回营地，越快越好，”他对两位学徒说道，“你们告诉火星，要多派些武士过来。”
“但不要叫暴毛或溪儿来。”沙风补充了一句。
冬青爪不明白，武士们为什么这么着急。因为紧张，他们的皮毛上就像有绿叶季的闪电在噼啪作响。
“怎么了？”蜜爪问道，“出什么事了？”
“如果这儿有危险，我们绝不能把你们留下。”冬青爪抗议道。
“按他的要求做！”沙风大吼道。
“这儿没有危险。”黑莓掌平静地补充道，“不过我们需要更多的武士做支援。马上去！”
冬青爪和蜜爪惊恐地对望了一眼，立刻穿过森林，朝营地跑去。冬青爪身上的毛恐惧得直竖着，心跳得比奔跑的速度还快。
“火星！”冬青爪刚穿过荆棘通道，便高喊着，“火星，快来！”
冬青爪在高石台下滑动着停了下来。她发现长老巢穴外面的鼠毛被惊醒了，跳了起来，不安地抽动着尾巴。云尾从武士巢穴里冲了出来，毛紧张得竖了起来，爪子不停地抓挠着地面。亮心和栗尾从荆棘丛中探出脑袋，警觉地睁大了双眼。黛西伸出尾巴，把在育婴室外的阳光下玩耍的两只幼崽赶了回去。
火星从高石台上的洞穴里走了出来，问道：“出什么事了？”
“有一群陌生猫……”冬青爪喘着粗气说道。
“在风族边界线附近。”蜜爪补充道。
“黑莓掌说……”冬青爪还没把气喘匀，身后就爆发出了一阵怒吼。更多的猫穿过荆棘通道，涌进营地里——灰条走在前面，后面紧跟着桦落和白翅。
但是冬青爪却拱起了后背，身上的每一根毛都竖了起来，因为除了这三只雷族猫，还有两只她不认识的猫：一只是体形巨大的暗棕色虎斑公猫，还有一只是纯黑色的母猫，她比雷族猫的体形小，也更瘦一些。灰条、桦落和白翅将他俩包围起来，不让他们再靠近营地一步。那只母猫张开嘴刚想说话，灰条发出了恐吓的嘶嘶声，让她住嘴。
冬青爪活动着爪子，来回甩着尾巴尖儿。这两只陌生猫身上的气息，跟自己在风族边界附近闻到的气息一模一样！是入侵者的气息！
CHAPTER12
CHAPTER12
Hollypaw stood on the bank ofthe stream that formed the border with WindClan, not far from the stepping stones. Wind from the moor slicked her fur to her sides, bringing the scent of cats and rabbits and the tough moorland grass.
Beside her, Squirrelflight waited, the tip of her tail twitching. Hollypaw could understand why her mother was uneasy. The WindClan border was still a sensitive area, after all the trouble when the WindClan kits went missing.
Her thoughts fled back to the tunnels and the surging underground river. She and the other apprentices had barely made it out alive with the kits. Hollypaw hoped that the tunnels would stay hidden for a long time, so there would be no more chance of misunderstandings.
“They’re coming.” Squirrelflight was tasting the air.
A couple of heartbeats later a WindClan patrol appeared over the brow of the hill and headed toward them: Tornear, Whitetail, and Breezepaw. Hollypaw’s belly began to churn as the apprentice charged toward her, streaking past his Clanmates. His pelt bristled; he was obviously ready for a border skirmish, but his stride faltered when he recognized Hollypaw.
“Oh, it’s you,” he muttered, coming to a halt on the opposite bank of the stream.
“That’s right.” Hollypaw couldn’t forget what a pain he’d been in the tunnels, complaining and arguing the whole time. “I just can’t keep away.”
She flinched as Squirrelflight flicked her ear with her tail.
“Breezepaw!” Whitetail called, as she and Tornear caught up to the apprentice. “Come away from there.”
Breezepaw bared his teeth in the beginning of a snarl, then lowered his head and padded away, muttering something under his breath.
“Why are you here?” Tornear asked; his voice was cool but not hostile.
“We need to speak to Crowfeather,” Squirrelflight explained
Both Tornear and Whitetail bristled, their neck fur fluffing up as they exchanged suspicious glances.
“It’s about the journey we made to the sun-drown-place,” Squirrelflight added quickly.
“That was a long time ago,” Tornear growled.
“Crowfeather’s memory isn’t that bad,” Squirrelflight retorted tartly. “He’ll hardly have forgotten about it.”
Hollypaw couldn’t understand why the WindClan cats had switched from reserve to hostility, or why her mother was being so sharp in return. Why should the WindClan cats be so tense when Crowfeather was mentioned?
“I can’t just go and fetch Crowfeather,” Whitetail meowed. “You’ll have to talk to Onestar first.”
“That’s fine. I understand.” Squirrelflight bounded lightly across the stepping stones and into WindClan territory, giving Tornear a glare as she passed him. Hollypaw crossed more carefully, the swift-flowing stream bubbling past a mouse tail away from her paws.
As she followed her mother and the WindClan warriors up the hill, Breezepaw hung back until he was padding beside her. “What are you doing here?” he muttered into her ear. “Have you come to spy on our camp?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hollypaw replied. “What would we want with your stupid camp? We need to speak to Crowfeather, that’s all.”
“What about?” Breezepaw demanded.
“That’s none of your business, mouse-brain!”
Breezepaw’s eyes narrowed in anger. “But he’s my father,” he began. “He—”
“Breezepaw.” Tornear glanced over his shoulder and flicked his tail to beckon the apprentice. “Come here and walk beside me.”
Breezepaw let out a hiss of annoyance, but he quickened his pace and caught up to the senior warriors.
“How’s your training going, Breezepaw?” Squirrelflight asked.
“Not well.” Whitetail didn’t wait for her apprentice to reply. “He led out a patrol of apprentices to see if the dogs had come back to the far corner of our territory. Without asking permission, of course, and without even a single warrior for backup.”
“We were only trying to—”
“To get yourselves killed,” Tornear interrupted.
Hollypaw had heard the stories of how dogs had killed Swiftpaw back in the forest, and she’d seen the terrible injuries they had given Brightheart. Breezepaw must be even more stupid than she thought if he imagined that a few apprentices could take on a pack of dogs and survive.
“And then there was the fight you provoked with the RiverClan patrol,” Tornear continued, his voice sharp with annoyance. “They were nottrespassing, they were notstealing prey, and Onestar didn’t appreciate having to apologize to Mistyfoot for the trouble youcaused.” He let out a long sigh and added to Squirrelflight, “Breezepaw has many lessons to learn before he becomes a warrior.”
Breezepaw glared at the senior warriors as they turned away and muttered something Hollypaw didn’t catch.
Whitetail and Tornear led the way up a long slope to a barrier of gorse bushes. Hollypaw followed as they pushed their way through, feeling the thorns snag on her pelt. On the other side she found herself looking out over the WindClan camp.
A steep slope led down into a natural dip, dotted with gorse and bramble. Blinking, Hollypaw tried to guess the layout. The camp was more exposed than she was used to, though toward the bottom of the dip there were hollows where cats could shelter. She tasted the air, trying to work out from the scents where each group of cats lived. A pungent smell of mouse bile was coming from a deep hole that looked like an abandoned badger set. That must be the elders’ den. They’re always needing mouse bile to get rid of their ticks. From a crack in a huge boulder she picked up the aromatic scent of herbs and realized that must be Barkface’s den. And warm, milky scents came from a gorse thicket; that would be the nursery.
“Go and take some fresh-kill to the elders,” Whitetail ordered Breezepaw, interrupting Hollypaw’s thoughts. Waving her tail to Squirrelflight she added, “Follow me. We’ll see if Onestar is in his den.”
Hollypaw bounded down the slope behind her mother, while Whitetail raced ahead. But before the ThunderClan cats reached the bottom of the hollow, Crowfeather appeared from the bushes at the other side, a rabbit dangling from his jaws. He spotted the visitors, froze for a heartbeat, then ran lightly down to deposit his prey on the fresh-kill pile.
As Squirrelflight padded up to him he turned to face her, his gray-black fur bristling. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Squirrelflight replied, while Hollypaw wondered what was bothering Crowfeather. Did he have ants in his pelt? “At least, yes, but not with the Clans.”
Squirrelflight seemed to have gotten herself into a tangle, so Hollypaw stepped forward. “The Tribe of Rushing Water need our help,” she explained. “The cats who went to the sun-drown-place must go to the mountains.”
Crowfeather looked surprised, and Hollypaw thought maybe she had been too outspoken. “And they want apprentices to come too, do they?” he growled.
Squirrelflight gave his shoulder an affectionate flick with her tail. “Crowfeather, neither of us can complain about apprentices making the journey.” When Crowfeather didn’t respond, she went on. “Talon and Night—do you remember them?—came to our camp to fetch Stormfur and Brook. The Tribe is being threatened by a group of invading cats who are trying to take over its hunting grounds. We—I mean Brambleclaw and I—thought we would go and help too.”
Crowfeather paused before replying; Hollypaw couldn’t read anything from his expression. “What’s it got to do with us?” he asked eventually.
“They helped us on the Great Journey,” Squirrelflight mewed
“And Feathertail diedfor them!” Crowfeather spat, his blue eyes blazing. “We owe them nothing.”
Feathertail had been a RiverClan cat, Stormfur’s sister, who had died on the first journey. None of the other cats seemed to think her death was a reason not to help the Tribe now. Why should Crowfeather take it so personally? Feathertail hadn’t even been his Clanmate.
“Feathertail was willing to help the Tribe before,” Squirrelflight replied calmly. “She would help them again. It wasn’t the Tribe’s fault she died. You can blame Sharptooth for that.”
A shiver ran through Hollypaw and she dug her claws hard into the tough moorland grass. Squirrelflight was talking so matter-of-factly about stories Hollypaw had heard since she was in the nursery! It was as if her mother and father belonged in a legend. Crowfeather, too, though it was hard for Hollypaw to reconcile the brave warrior, StarClan’s chosen, with the suspicious, bad-tempered, skinny cat who stood in front of her. No wonder Breezepaw is so grumpy. He got it from his father!
“Squirrelflight, greetings.”
Hollypaw whirled to see Whitetail returning with Onestar and Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy. It was Onestar who had spoken; he padded up to Squirrelflight with his head and tail held high.
“Greetings, Onestar.” Squirrelflight dipped her head.
“You’re welcome to our camp.” The WindClan leader sounded friendly, though there was surprise in his amber eyes. “What can we do for you?”
Squirrelflight launched into a more detailed explanation of how the Tribe cats had come to ThunderClan looking for help. Crowfeather listened with the same disgruntled expression, while other WindClan cats gathered around. Hollypaw spotted Heatherpaw, and gave her a nod; Breezepaw had reappeared too, standing beside his fellow apprentice.
“So Brambleclaw and I thought that all the cats who went on the first journey should go now and help the Tribe,” Squirrelflight finished. “Brambleclaw has gone to ShadowClan to speak to Tawnypelt, and I came here to tell Crowfeather.”
Onestar narrowed his eyes. “He would be away for a long time, perhaps a moon or more.”
“And I have an apprentice,” Crowfeather reminded him.
“True. All the same, I think you should go,” Onestar meowed. “The Tribe of Rushing Water gave us food and shelter on the Great Journey. Without their help, many cats would have died, and we might never have found this home by the lake. Besides,” he went on, ignoring Crowfeather as he tried to interrupt, “the mountain cats were kind to Tallstar when he was on his last life. We would honor him by helping them now.”
Crowfeather looked taken aback. “But what about Heatherpaw’s training?”
“Whitetail can take over as her mentor,” Onestar decided. “She will be without an apprentice, since I think it would be a good idea if Breezepaw went along with you.”
Oh, no!Hollypaw thought. You might be fed up with him, but we don’t want him either, thanks.
“What?” Breezepaw exclaimed. His eyes stretched wide with dismay.
“You’re so lucky!” Heatherpaw put in, with a sigh of envy. “I’d give my tail to go.”
“Well, I don’t want to!”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be coming back,” Hollypaw snapped.
“How do you know that?” Breezepaw’s ears flattened and his tail drooped. “I think my Clanmates just want to get rid of me.”
He sounded so miserable that Hollypaw felt a rush of pity for him, but it lasted no more than a couple of heartbeats. Breezepaw had broken the warrior code twice in the last moon; it was time he was taken down a tree branch or two.
Crowfeather padded forward a couple of paces to stand beside Squirrelflight. “It is my choice if I go,” he meowed, with a glance at Onestar. Hollypaw wondered if he was defying his leader, but Onestar didn’t rise to the challenge. “And I—I will go. I would like to stand again in the place where Feathertail lies.”
“What about Breezepaw?” Squirrelflight asked.
Crowfeather sighed. “Yes, I suppose he must come too, if Onestar orders it.”
Breezepaw shot his father a sulky look and started tearing up the grass with his claws. Hollypaw thought of her own mother and father; she was glad that they supported her when she wanted to try new things. It didn’t look as if Crowfeather and Breezepaw got along at all. And I can under stand that, sort of, she thought, now that I’ve seen Crowfeather a few times. He’s just…weird.
“Do you want Crowfeather and Breezepaw to come with you now?” Onestar asked.
“Yes, please,” Squirrelflight replied. “We thought we would all stay in the ThunderClan camp tonight and set off in the morning. Leafpool is preparing traveling herbs.”
“I want to say good-bye to my friends first,” Breezepaw objected.
“There isn’t time!” Crowfeather snapped.
“I’ll say good-bye for you.” Heatherpaw darted forward and touched her nose to Breezepaw’s shoulder. “And don’t worry. You’ll have some amazing stories to tell us when you come back.”
Breezepaw didn’t look as if the idea cheered him up.
A black she-cat emerged from the group of WindClan cats; Hollypaw recognized Crowfeather’s mate, Nightcloud. She brushed her pelt against Crowfeather’s. “Take care,” she meowed.
Crowfeather gave her ear a quick lick, but Hollypaw noticed that his eyes were gazing into the distance.
Squirrelflight dipped her head to Onestar and thanked him. Then Crowfeather led the way up the slope and out of the WindClan camp. As they trekked across the moor he still looked sour, and Breezepaw sulked all the way, refusing to talk to Hollypaw even when she tried to be friendly.
I don’t think this journey is going to be much fun after all, Hollypaw thought gloomily.
第八章
第八章
松鸦爪听到营地入口处传来了一阵尖叫，身体僵住了。他抬起一只爪子，停下来，爪子里还握着一截水薄荷。“发生什么事了？”他说道。
叶池没有回答。刺掌来找她，抱怨肚子疼。松鸦爪想，叶池治疗完病猫之前，就算是一大群獾攻占了石头山谷，她也不会注意到。
“松鸦爪，水薄荷在哪儿？”叶池喊道。
“在这儿呢。”松鸦爪又抓起一些草药，递给自己的老师，然后穿过黑莓屏风，冲进了空地。松鸦爪听到武士们从巢穴中跑出来时，弄得树叶沙沙作响；学徒们飞快地迈着爪子，想看看发生了什么。惊慌的低语声充斥着空地的各个角落。松鸦爪来到高石台下方，察觉到冬青爪和蜜爪身上都散发着强烈的恐惧气息。
灰条正在说话，声音高得像是在吼：“告诉我们，你们在我们的领地上做什么？否则休想再向前走一步！”
松鸦爪闻到了两只陌生猫的气味，浑身的毛开始竖了起来：灰条和他带领的巡逻队似乎抓到了擅闯雷族领地的两只泼皮猫。松鸦爪又仔细地嗅了嗅，这种气味很浓烈，但是似乎又有一点熟悉——尽管他也想不起来自己在哪儿闻到过。
松鸦爪集中精力，尝试将他俩的感觉放入自己的脑海，就像在吸进他们的气味。他察觉到了恐惧、怀疑和无法抑制的绝望。他们来到这里的旅途上，一定吃了很多苦，不过他们别无选择。
他们需要雷族的帮助！
还没等在场的猫开口，又有两只猫穿过通道，来到了空地中央。是暴毛和溪儿，他们的嘴里还叼着刚捕捉到的猎物。
“鹰爪！黑夜！”溪儿放下口中的田鼠，惊呼道：“你们在这儿做什么？”
云尾开口了，他尖刻的声音中带着一丝怀疑：“这么说，你认识这些猫？”
“火星，这就是我们刚才在风族边界附近闻到的猫的气味，”还没等两只陌生猫回答，冬青爪插话道，“黑莓掌派我们回来就是要提醒你这个。”
“他们不是入侵者。”叶池走出巢穴，皮毛拂过松鸦爪的身子，平静地说道，“他们是急水部落的猫。”
火星从通往自己洞穴的落石堆上跳了下来：“的确如此！他是扑击之鹰爪，对吧？还有无星之夜？”
“你说得对。”一个沉静的山地口音回应道。
松鸦爪察觉，空地上的气氛开始缓和下来。他听到几只年长些的雷族猫小声嘀咕着，他们都参加过大迁徙，而且在山里的时候，跟急水部落一起生活过。
“我就觉得我以前在什么地方见过那只黑色母猫。”尘毛喃喃道。
“我想知道，他们想干什么？”栗尾问道。她的声音里，困惑多过了敌意。
“我想我们很快就知道了，”蕨毛回答道，“他们走了这么远的路，一定是因为很重要的事情。”
“暴毛，溪儿，”火星再次开口了，“把你们的猎物放到猎物堆上。你们肯定想要跟老朋友们叙叙旧了。”
“看起来好像不是那样的。”冬青爪来到正专心致志地听着他们说话的松鸦爪旁边，在他耳边轻声说着，“溪儿看上去非常不安，暴毛的表情更难看，好像是吃了一堆腐臭的鸦食。”
“暴毛轻轻推了溪儿一下，”狮爪也跑过来补充道，“她好像不大愿意靠近他们。”
松鸦爪从狮爪的爪子落地声判断出，狮爪与蜡毛打斗中留下的伤疤还没好利索。可他察觉到狮爪的心里非常自豪，他似乎知道自己昨天表现得非常优异。
“他们现在在互相碰鼻子呢，”冬青爪轻声汇报着，“可他们看起来仍然有点儿……”
松鸦爪没听冬青爪接下来的话。突然，爪子下的地面开始剧烈摇晃，他感到血冲进了耳朵里。血腥味儿充满了他的鼻子，深红色的光芒淹没了他。松鸦爪意识到，他又能看见了。
他的周围挤满了正激烈战斗的猫。他能听到他们凄惨的尖叫声和爪子撕裂皮毛的声音。鲜血溅满了他的皮毛，又热又黏。爪子下是粗糙的石头，他的爪子在石头上乱挠着，极力维持着身体平衡。他张开爪子，站在一块倾斜的大石头上，石头正在慢慢地向下滑动。他爬过一条狭窄的裂缝，差点儿被卡在里面，然后瞥见身下是一片陡崖，头顶只有一片开阔的天空，此时被染成了血红色，太阳正在落山。
站在这么高的地方，看着这场残酷的战争，松鸦爪觉得头晕目眩，爪子似乎被冻在了岩石上。这是在哪里呀？这不是在梦里，但湖边的那块空地消失了，好像就从未出现过。当画面闪过的时候，他强忍着才没有发出恐怖的叫声。黑暗又回来了，但并不是独属于盲眼猫的那种无法打破的永夜。他在一个洞穴里，岩石间回响着水流倾泻下来的巨响。皎洁的月光透过洞穴入口闪亮的水帘，照射进来。
众猫都坐在他的周围，彼此安静地交谈着，声音很严肃。他能闻到他们的气味，就是已经来到营地的闯入者：体形硕大的虎斑公猫和小一些的黑色母猫。此刻，他们就坐在松鸦爪的对面。洞穴深处的响动，吸引了松鸦爪的目光。他看到一位肌肉发达的深灰色皮毛武士站了起来。他身上的气息告诉松鸦爪，他就是暴毛。松鸦爪想，那旁边跟他一起的虎斑母猫一定就是溪儿。
暴毛对一只坐在洞穴尽头岩石上的棕色虎斑猫说道：“期待这些猫自己离开，看来是不行了，”他说道，“他们想留在这儿！而且他们并不在乎给我们添了多少麻烦！我们必须告诉他们，他们必须尊重我们的领地！”
“那我们该怎么做呢？”另一只猫问道。
“坚持下去，我们不想让别的猫住在我们附近。”那只虎斑公猫说话了，“整个山地都是我们的。”
“已经不是了，鹰爪。”暴毛的声音里透着一丝遗憾。
“我们不得不接受这个现实。”溪儿补充道。
暴毛点点头表示赞同。“我建议……”他开始说道。
坐在岩石上的棕色虎斑猫甩了甩尾巴。“关于这件事，杀无尽部落没给我任何征兆。”他抗议道。
“如此说来，这些新来的猫的祖灵们，是行走在另外的天空的。”暴毛的语气很礼貌，但松鸦爪却能察觉到，他的失望简直像刺一般尖锐。“部落通常会把流浪的独行猫驱逐出去，”这位深灰色武士接着说道，“但是现在的情况有所不同。我们必须找到不同的办法来处理这件事。”
黑夜，就是那只黑色母猫，凑上前去，伸长脖子看着暴毛：“你的建议是什么？”
“为什么要问他？”问话的是蹲在水帘附近的一只瘦削的棕色斑点猫。他的鼻子带着沧桑的白色，一只眼睛也没了。“他刚来山地，怎么会知道我们的处事方式？”
“这才是我们要仔细听他说的原因。”鹰爪高声反驳道，“暴毛生活在有很多族群的地方，他一定比我们更清楚，该如何对待那些陌生猫。”
“说得对！”阴影中一只猫喊道。
更多的猫加入了进来，有些猫反对暴毛，有些猫给暴毛加油，最后整个洞穴里充满了猫叫声。暴毛轻轻地对溪儿说了些什么，溪儿用鼻子碰碰他的肩膀。
松鸦爪抽了抽耳朵。“没错，”他喃喃道，“应该听听暴毛怎么说。”
最后，岩石上的棕色猫竖起了尾巴，示意大家安静。“我们来听听暴毛是怎么说的吧。”他宣布道。
“谢谢你，尖石巫师。”暴毛向他低头致敬。他转向其他的部落猫，犹豫了一个心跳的时间。“在我居住的森林中，”他最后开口道，“四大族群都知道，他们的成员必须远离另一个族群的领地。任何擅闯其他族群领地的猫，都会被驱逐。”
“那我们该怎么做呢？”那只瘦削的长老问道，“这些闯入者想去哪儿就去哪儿！”
“雨水，我们需要向他们展示强大的实力。”暴毛解释道，他琥珀色的眼睛闪着微光，“一场战斗就能解决所有的问题。有了这样的教训，新来的猫要么永远消失，要么就离我们远远的。”
让松鸦爪惊讶的是，溪儿走上前去，站到了她的伴侣旁边。在湖边那块属于雷族的山谷中，她总是保持沉默，现在溪儿的眼睛却闪着坚定的光芒。她环视着周围的同伴，把尾巴竖得高高的。
“暴毛会告诉我们怎么做的，”她说道，“他会很多战斗动作，这些陌生猫根本就想不到。”
“他可能害死我们这些猫。”叫雨水的老猫嘟哝着。
“部落已经在这片山地里生活了无数个季节，”溪儿坚持说道，“我们打算就这样离开吗？”
好几个来自洞穴里不同地方的声音喊道：“不！”几乎部落里的每只猫都举起了爪子，竖起了毛发，龇出尖牙。只有身上长着斑点的棕色老猫等几只猫仍站在原地，看着自己的部落猫。嘈杂声中，尖石巫师仍然一动不动地坐在石头上。松鸦爪无法解读他的心理，也感知不到他的任何感受。
突然间，松鸦爪察觉到月光消失了。急水部落猫狂热的呐喊声变成了恐惧而愤怒的尖叫。刺骨的风吹乱了他的皮毛。一只猫从松鸦爪身边飞奔过去，将他撞倒在地。空气中弥漫着浓重的血腥味儿。
松鸦爪眨了眨眼睛，发现自己又回到了那片光秃秃的山坡。薄薄的云朵低低地悬在山顶。松鸦爪躺在一条湍急的溪流边，尾巴垂到了急流里。他发出恼怒的嘶嘶声，站了起来，抖落冰冷的水珠，挣扎着在湿滑的石头上站稳。
他周围狭窄的山谷中，激战正酣的猫的身影此起彼伏。他看到，鹰爪就在自己附近，与一只强壮的银色公猫打在一起，在地上滚来滚去，又用后爪击打着入侵者的肚子。有一个心跳的时间，公猫的喉咙就暴露在鹰爪面前，但他的反应太慢了，没能咬住对方的脖子。
一个学徒都能做得比他好！松鸦爪恨恨地想道。
在山谷下几只狐狸身长之外，暴毛跳上了一块大石头。“跳到他们的肩膀上，”他大吼着，“别让他们把你们按倒！”
他随即投入到战斗中，挥动着爪子，撕扯着一只虎斑母猫的皮毛，又飞快地转过身体，去对付一只肌肉发达的黑色公猫。那只公猫摇晃着嘴里的部落小母猫，就像是抓到了一个猎物。
溪儿也在附近，身后一个爪子远的地方是黑夜，她们潜伏在大石头的两侧，像在围捕猎物一般悄悄靠近两个入侵者。松鸦爪紧咬着牙齿。这两只瘦弱的母猫从没受过战斗训练，但她们勇猛地扑向敌猫。那两只猫几乎是她们的两倍大，立刻挥动爪子反击回来。
松鸦爪被另一对战斗着的猫撞进了两块岩石间的石缝里，石缝里长满了带刺的灌木。一只猫突然从头顶上掉到他的身上，松鸦爪使尽全身力气，徒劳地推着大猫沉重的身躯。大猫的嘴里冒出一股血腥味儿，松鸦爪起初还以为他已经死了。但这只猫抽搐着站了起来，蹒跚着走进了石头后面的阴影中。
松鸦爪挣扎着站起身，从荆棘丛上挣脱的时候，撕掉了不少皮毛。另一只部落猫从他的身边飞奔过去，这是一只强壮的深灰色猫，他皮毛蓬乱，一侧的肩膀上已被血浸透。一只黑白相间的猫追上了他，把他撞翻在地。
“划开他的肚子！”松鸦爪嘶嘶地吼道。
部落猫没听到他的话。他勇敢地战斗着，甚至敌猫将他侧腹划开了一条大口子，他依然没有放弃。可惜他没有任何技能可以将对方击倒。入侵者朝他的喉咙狠狠咬了一口，然后跳开了。部落猫的身体瘫软下来，一半留在岸上，一半沉入水下。他的深灰色皮毛被鲜血浸没，变成了紫黑色。
松鸦爪又看到了暴毛，他正在一群部落猫中间，其中也包括鹰爪。这位深灰色皮毛的武士长啸一声，鼓励着同伴，试图从入侵者中杀出一条路，将他们打退。可敌猫一拥而上，如同洪水一般，将部落猫们团团围住。
“撞倒他们！”暴毛大喊着，“别让他们……”他竭尽全力发出的命令，在对面两个入侵者猛扑过去时消失了。暴毛消失在一团牙齿和爪子中。
部落猫一只接一只地停止战斗，朝溪流上游陡峭的山崖狼狈奔逃。一只猫在那只深灰色公猫的尸体旁停下爪子，发出一声绝望而凄惨的号叫，然后又向前跑去，消失在阴影中。
“这就对了！跑啊！”那只银色虎斑猫跳到一块大石头上，讥笑着四散逃命的部落猫们，“快跑吧！别再回来啦！”
“胆小的兔子！”一只棕白相间的母猫跳到银色虎斑猫身边，补充道，“现在这里是我们的啦！”
“不——停下！”浑身是血的暴毛奋力甩开包围他的入侵者，尖叫着，“我们能把他们击退！”
除了溪儿，没有猫听他的话。溪儿站在他的身边，乞求部落猫回来战斗。等她回头看时，后颈上的毛顿时竖了起来，她看到一群入侵者正气势汹汹地涌上斜坡。
“暴毛，没用的！”溪儿哭喊道，“我们实在寡不敌众啊！”
“你走吧。”暴毛嘶哑着嗓子大吼着，用尾巴尖儿碰了一下伴侣的肩膀。
“你不一起走，我就不走！”溪儿恐惧得眼睛都睁大了，但是爪子依然坚定地扎在贫瘠的泥土中。
暴毛发出一声绝望的嘶叫。“走！”他用一边的肩膀使劲推着溪儿，“走吧——我很快就来！”暴毛对距离一条尾巴外的敌猫发出最后一声怒吼，然后跟着溪儿朝溪流上游飞奔而去。
入侵者们没有去追赶他们。他们只是站在原地看着，眼睛里闪耀着胜利的光芒，直到最后一只部落猫消失在远处。
松鸦爪打了个趔趄，当他的视线再次清晰的时候，发现自己又在急水部落的洞穴里了。他的皮毛上仍然血淋淋的，但是战斗的喧嚣声已经消失了。当月光透过瀑布的时候，银色的光在洞壁上颤动着。除了溪水流淌的声音，整个洞穴里一片寂静。
尖石巫师依然坐在岩石上，皮毛蓬乱，一只耳朵上沾着褐色的血迹。急水部落的其他猫，都聚集在他的身旁。松鸦爪没找到一只完好无伤的猫。洞穴的中间躺着几具猫的尸体。暴毛正俯身在一具尸体上。松鸦爪认出，那正是刚才他亲眼看着死去的深灰色公猫。
“锯齿，”暴毛喃喃道，“你是一个好朋友，希望你跟杀无尽部落永远行走在山里。”他低下头，用鼻子碰了碰锯齿那血迹斑斑的皮毛。溪儿走到他身旁，静静地站着。
“过来休息一下吧。”她说道。
可是深灰色皮毛的武士还没有动，尖石巫师的声音从洞穴的另一端传了过来：“暴毛！”
深灰色公猫抬起了头。
“暴毛，你不说点什么吗？”
暴毛的眼睛里布满了哀伤：“你想让我说些什么呢？部落猫在战斗中已经竭尽全力，他们是最勇猛的武士。我们必须制订新的计划，以便……”
“不，”尖石巫师的声音非常冰冷，“再没有计划了。我们执行了你的建议，因此我们被打败了，许多优秀的猫都战死了。”他的尾巴朝躺在洞穴地面的尸体弹了一下。
“我告诉过你们会发生什么事。”雨水蹲坐在尖石巫师所在的石头下方，“但是有猫听吗？”
“对不起……”暴毛再次试图说话。
“在这里，族群猫的方法是行不通的。”尖石巫师打断了他，“在山里，也没有族群猫容身的地方！你待在这里，只会带给我们更多的伤亡和厄运！你必须离开，永远别再回来了！”
“什么？”暴毛难以置信地盯着他，“你把这次失败归咎于我！我当时……”
“够了！”尖石巫师怒吼道，“现在就走。”
溪儿走上前去。“尖石巫师，这么做不对。暴毛尽其所能帮助我们。他冒的风险和其他猫一样大。他也有可能躺在那里，就像锯齿和其他部落猫一样。”
“如果我们没听他的建议，这些猫可能还活着。”尖石巫师的目光比冰还要冷。
“他说得对，溪儿。”鹰爪站在石头旁边，不自在地抽了抽耳朵，“族群猫的做法，不适合我们。”
溪儿的眼睛睁大了，松鸦爪感到，她的心里痛苦至极。“可是鹰爪，你是我的哥哥！”她的声音颤抖着，“难道你也不懂吗？”
鹰爪用前爪抓着洞穴的地面：“这是对部落最好的办法。”
“黑夜？”溪儿转身恳求这只黑色母猫，“我们从小就是好朋友，我们一起狩猎，我们一起战斗。难道你也不明白，部落需要暴毛吗？”
黑夜眯起了绿眼睛：“我只看出你需要他。”
溪儿的耳朵平贴了起来，开口吼了起来：“你的意思是说，我对部落不够忠诚？”
黑夜转过头去，没有回答。
“别说那么多了，”尖石巫师说道，“暴毛，部落不欢迎你再待在这里，你必须立刻离开！”
溪儿的尾巴直竖起来。“如果他离开了，我也离开！”她嘶嘶地叫道。
“溪儿，说话小心些！”暴毛喃喃低语。
温柔的狩猎者的眼睛闪闪发亮：“你认为，我还能在这儿待下去吗？尤其在发生了这样的事情之后？”
“暴毛说得对。溪儿，你应该好好想想自己说过的话。”尖石巫师站了起来，在石头上俯视着部落猫，“你真的决定跟随这只猫，并加入他的族群吗？你能信任他吗？”
“我的生命都可以交给他。”溪儿回答道。
尖石巫师轻蔑地甩了甩尾巴：“你幼稚得就像只幼崽。这只族群猫几乎毁了我们的部落，你还要跟着他！”
暴毛立刻弓起后背，嘶嘶地叫道：“你可能已经忘了，我的妹妹就是为了急水部落而死的。如果不是族群猫，你们这些剩下的部落猫，都已经全被尖牙兽吃掉了！”
松鸦爪注意到一些部落猫，包括鹰爪在内，看起来有些难过，可是他们都没说话。
“走吧，溪儿！”暴毛催促自己的伴侣，朝洞口闪着微光的水帘走去，“我们去找族群！”
“溪儿，如果你现在走了，就永远别回来了！”尖石巫师警告道。
溪儿看都没看他一看，就跟着暴毛走了。
“非常好，”尖石巫师在他们身后喊道，“我要告诉杀无尽部落，在你们身后这些猫的眼里，你们俩都已经死了。”
CHAPTER13
CHAPTER13
Jaypaw shivered in the dawn chill.The sharp scent of the traveling herbs wreathed around him, almost masking the scent of Leafpool as she worked beside him in the medicine cat’s den. Stifling a yawn, he thought back to his dreams of the night before, full of strange scents, jagged rocks, and unfamiliar cats, and the screech of warriors meeting in battle. He had lost count of the number of times he had jerked awake, his heart pounding until he realized that he was curled up in his own nest of ferns. Nothing in the dreams made any sense to him, and he flicked his tail impatiently. What’s the point of dreaming if I don’t learn anything?
Soft sounds filtered through the bramble screen as the cats in the clearing began to wake up. Jaypaw couldn’t remember the hollow ever being so full, with the WindClan and ShadowClan cats as well as the visitors from the Tribe. It was just as well the night had been warm enough for some of them to sleep in the open; the WindClan cats especially were used to that. Jaypaw’s claws slid out as he remembered his dismay when he discovered that Breezepaw had come along with his father.
I can’tstand that arrogant, mange-ridden excuse for a cat!
He would never forget how useless Breezepaw had been when they were trapped underground. It was no wonder that the tunnels had been sealed up, so Jaypaw couldn’t reach Rock and Fallen Leaves anymore. What could you expect when Breezepaw hadn’t shown any sense or respect?
“Jaypaw, what are you daydreaming about?” Leafpool’s voice broke into Jaypaw’s thoughts. “You can start taking these herbs out to the cats who are leaving.”
“Don’t you want to do that?” Jaypaw was surprised; the Tribe cats would probably want a medicine cat to explain to them what they were eating.
“No.” Leafpool sounded agitated. “I’ve got to check these herbs one more time.”
Rubbish!Jaypaw thought. It doesn’t take all this fuss to make up a few traveling herbs.But he just picked up the first portion of herbs and padded out into the clearing.
The scent of the herbs in his jaws made it harder to locate the cats, but after a couple of heartbeats he pinpointed a group of them just outside the warriors’ den: Crowfeather, Breezepaw, Squirrelflight, and Tawnypelt.
Jaypaw padded up to them and dropped the herbs at Crowfeather’s paws. “Traveling herbs,” he mewed.
“Thank you.” There was a tension about Crowfeather that Jaypaw didn’t understand; it felt like more than the natural anticipation of the journey. Who knows what goes on in the minds of
those weird WindClan cats?
Returning to his den, he was tempted by the thought of sneaking something disgusting into Breezepaw’s traveling herbs. A few yarrow leaves, maybe. The first part of their journey would be around the lake on WindClan territory; if Breezepaw started being sick, they would have to leave him behind.
Or maybe he’d just delay the rest of us. Jaypaw considered the punishment he’d receive if any cat found out what he’d done. He’d be made to stay at home, for sure. The risk wasn’t worth it.
He went on dividing up the herbs. Soon the Tribe cats appeared with Stormfur and Brook and joined the others by the warriors’ den.
“What’s this?” Talon queried when Jaypaw put down his share of the herbs.
“Traveling herbs,” Jaypaw replied. “They’ll make you stronger, and you won’t feel so hungry.”
“Are you sure?” Jaypaw pictured the cave-guard prodding the herbs suspiciously with one paw. “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“Stoneteller never heard of them, either,” Night agreed. Jaypaw heard her sniffing at the little pile of leaves.
“For StarClan’s sake!” he snapped. “Just eat them. We’re not trying to poison you.”
“They’re okay,” Stormfur meowed. Jaypaw felt the gray warrior’s tail flick lightly across his muzzle. “They’ll make the journey a lot easier.”
“If you’re sure…” Talon’s voice was still dubious, but he licked up the herbs. “They taste bitter,” he complained.
Stifling a sigh, Jaypaw carried on until he’d taken herbs toevery cat except his father.
“Where’s Brambleclaw?” he asked Squirrelflight, mumbling around his mouthful of leaves.
“I think he went to talk to Firestar,” Squirrelflight replied. “I’ll take those up to him, if you like.”
“No, I’ll do it.” Jaypaw’s fur bristled as he bounded across the camp. I can climb up to the Highledge without falling!He scrambled up the tumbled stones, making sure that his pelt brushed the cliff wall at every paw step. As he reached the Highledge, he heard Firestar’s voice from inside the den.
“You’ll be away for at least a moon, Brambleclaw. We need to decide who should be deputy while you’re gone.”
Jaypaw halted outside the den, drawing close against the rock wall so that the cats inside wouldn’t see him.
“Graystripe is the obvious cat to choose,” Brambleclaw answered. “He knows the deputy’s duties, after all.”
Jaypaw’s whiskers twitched in dismay. His father had only become Clan deputy because every cat thought that Graystripe was dead. After the gray warrior’s unexpected return, some cats had thought that Brambleclaw would step down. Graystripe hadn’t wanted that; he said he didn’t have enough experience of the Clan’s new home, and he was tired after his journey. But none of that was true anymore. If Graystripe took over as deputy now, what would happen when Brambleclaw came home? Jaypaw gritted his teeth. Couldn’t his father see that he might be giving up his position in the Clan?
“Fine, if you’re happy with that.” Firestar sounded relieved. “I’ll tell him.”
There was movement inside the den as if the cats were rising to their paws. Quickly Jaypaw found a loose pebble and flicked it with his paw so they would think he had just arrived. Stepping into the mouth of the den he meowed, “Firestar?”
“Come in,” his leader responded.
“Are those my traveling herbs?” Brambleclaw asked. “Thanks, Jaypaw. Is every cat ready?”
“Nearly,” Jaypaw replied. “I’d better find Leafpool and see if she wants me to do anything else.”
He withdrew from the den with a quick dip of his head. As he hurried down the rocks again he tried to scent Lionpaw and Hollypaw. He wanted to tell them about Graystripe taking over as deputy while they could still talk in private. But as he reached the floor of the clearing, his littermates passed him with fresh-kill in their jaws, heading for the elders’ den. Hollypaw called out, “Hi, Jaypaw,” as they went by but they were too busy to stop.
Frustrated, Jaypaw went back to his own den. Leafpool was still there, fiddling with some leaves, though all the traveling herbs had been distributed now, except for Jaypaw’s own.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “Do you want me to take some herbs with me?”
“What?” Leafpool sounded surprised, as if she hadn’t realized he had come back. “Oh, no—there’s no point in doing that. They’d be a nuisance to carry every day, and you don’t know what you’ll need.”
“But I have no idea which herbs grow in the mountains,” Jaypaw objected.
Leafpool scraped the ground with one paw; she was trying to hide it, but Jaypaw could feel she was on edge for some reason. “You won’t bein the mountains for most of the way,” she told him. “And when you get to the Tribe, Stoneteller will be able to show you the mountain herbs. You’ll learn a lot from him.”
I hope so, and not just about herbs
“Come on, Jaypaw, don’t just stand there. Eat your own herbs.” Jaypaw felt his mentor’s paw brush his as she pushed the remaining herbs toward him. “Brambleclaw will want to leave soon.”
Jaypaw licked up the mouthful of herbs. “Yuck,” he muttered
“You’ll be glad of them once you get going,” Leafpool mewed sharply. “You’re lucky to be going on this journey at all.”
Lucky because I’m blind and shouldn’t be allowed to go?Jaypaw thought mutinously. He said nothing, trying to swallow the last of the bitter leaves.
“You’ll find the mountains fascinating,” Leafpool went on, sounding more like her normal self. “You should take the chance to learn all you can about them.”
That’s just what I mean to do, Jaypaw told himself, though he suspected he meant something different from what his mentor was suggesting. Oh, he would learn about new herbs and new ways of living, but what he really wanted to know was how the Tribe came to settle in the mountains, and how they were connected to Rock and the ancient cats who had left their paw prints around the Moonpool. But he knew better than to say any of that to Leafpool.
“Jaypaw?” Brambleclaw’s voice came from the clearing. “Are you ready?”
“Coming!” Jaypaw called back. He whisked around the bramble screen, then turned back to ask Leafpool, “Aren’t you coming to say good-bye?”
Leafpool let out a long sigh. Tension was crackling off her like a storm in greenleaf. “I—I’ve said it already,” she murmured.
“Okay. Good-bye then.” Jaypaw knew he should leave, but something held his paws back. He found Leafpool incredibly annoying when she fussed, but he couldn’t ignore her feelings of misery, even if he didn’t understand them. He darted across to her and buried his nose in the fur on her shoulder. “Good-bye. I’ll have lots to tell you when I get back.”
“Good-bye, Jaypaw.” Leafpool’s voice quivered. He felt her tongue rasp over his ear. “Take care.”
“Jaypaw!” Brambleclaw’s voice came again from the clearing
“Gotta go,” Jaypaw meowed, dashing out past the brambles with a sigh of relief to be away from Leafpool’s strange intensity. As he emerged he smelled Squirrelflight’s scent and felt her pelt brush his as she slipped into the medicine cat’s den to talk to her sister.
I hope she knows what’s going on, because I sure don’t, Jaypaw thought.
The cats who were leaving had gathered together in the middle of the stone hollow. Jaypaw found Hollypaw and Lionpaw and bounded over to stand beside them.
“What kept you?” Hollypaw asked. “We’re all waiting.”
“I’m here now,” Jaypaw retorted. “And I’ve got stuff to tell you two.”
The chilly air of dawn had vanished as the sun rose. Jaypaw could feel the beams slicing down through the trees, falling across his pelt. It was a perfect morning to travel: cool and clear, with warm sunshine later on.
He heard rustling from the warriors’ den as several of his Clanmates emerged to see the travelers off. There was a rapid patter of paws from the apprentices’ den, and Jaypaw heard Icepaw mew, “It’s not fair! I want to go too.”
“Maybe your turn will come another time,” Whitewing told her kindly.
The sound of a huge yawn came close to Jaypaw’s ear, and Cloudtail’s scent wafted over him. “Why don’t you get moving?” he mumbled. “Then every cat can get a bit more sleep.”
“No chance.” Dustpelt spoke sharply nearby. “You’re coming with me and Sandstorm on the dawn patrol.”
“Mouse dung!” Cloudtail muttered.
Jaypaw picked up Firestar’s scent and heard his paw steps as he padded across to join the traveling cats. Graystripe was just behind him; Jaypaw could picture the gray warrior standing at his leader’s shoulder with a glow in his amber eyes.
As if he’s deputy already!
“Farewell, all of you,” Firestar meowed. “May StarClan light your path—and may you all come home safe.”
A sudden tension sprang up between the departing cats, as if Clan warriors and Tribe cats were facing one another, gathering their courage for the first paw steps of their journey. Squirrelflight had returned, slipping up to Brambleclaw’s side
“Ready?” Brambleclaw asked.
“Yes, ready,” Stormfur replied.
Jaypaw stood still and let all the scents and sounds of the stone hollow—the herbs from the den he had just left, the milky scents of the nursery and the dusty smell of the ground, the voices of his Clanmates and the rustle of wind in the trees—soak into his pelt.
What if I never come back? StarClan would have warned me, wouldn’t they? Isn’t that something they do, tell cats when they’re going to die?
“Jaypaw!” Hollypaw’s voice sounded from the thorn tunnel. “Wake up! Every cat is leaving.”
Jaypaw jumped. Dashing across the clearing, he followed his sister into the tunnel and out into the forest.
第九章
第九章
“松鸦爪！嗨，松鸦爪！”松鸦爪感到有猫正在旁边使劲地推自己。冬青爪的气息淹没了他，还带着一些恼怒。
他摇晃着站起来，突然回归到盲眼状态，感受到石头山谷的气息和声音，让他的意识有些混乱。他的皮毛还在随着在洞穴中感受过的悲伤、愤怒和背叛不住地颤抖。
溪儿！他想，我经历的正是她的感受。而且这不是在做梦，我一直都是清醒的。我是不是找到了进入她的记忆的方法了？
松鸦爪猛地吸了口气。他想到自己有了一种新的能力，心里充满了兴奋。不过现在他没时间研究它。
“松鸦爪，我真不明白，你怎么能在这种时候做白日梦呢！”狮爪说道，“我们要仔细听他们说话，弄清楚这些陌生猫为什么来这儿！”
松鸦爪意识到，当他感觉自己已经在急水部落待了好几天时，可在空地上只是过了几次心跳的时间。那几只新来的猫依然蹲坐在猎物堆旁，和暴毛、溪儿和火星说着话。
“我想我知道他们为什么而来了，”他低声说道，“而且我想，暴毛和溪儿并不愿意看到他们。”
“你这话是什么意思啊？”冬青爪好奇地问道，“他们为什么不愿意见到他们的部落猫？”
松鸦爪还没有解释——因为要将自己在急水部落的经历讲一遍，恐怕要说到月上中天的时候——就听到了鹰爪刺耳的说话声。
“火星，我们来到这里，是想让暴毛和溪儿返回山地。急水部落需要他们。”
松鸦爪感到自己的毛兴奋得竖了起来。暴毛和溪儿被急水部落驱逐的场景，依然在他的脑海中闪现。他察觉到，雷族猫们听了这个消息，除了一点点好奇，并没有其他反应。
“什么？”暴毛低沉的咆哮声充满了怒气，“你们还敢到这儿让我们回去？在急水部落的眼中，我和溪儿都已经死了！”
松鸦爪听到雷族猫们发出一阵惊叹。“我告诉你们……”他耸了耸肩，轻声对他的同窝猫说。
“暴毛，我想你最好能解释一下。”火星的声音依然镇定，但是松鸦爪却感觉到，他已经开始担忧这两只猫了——毕竟他们跟雷族猫共同生活了相当长的时间。
暴毛开始讲述上次入侵急水部落的猫的故事，但是松鸦爪不想再听了。他已经亲历了整个事件，而且现在他更感兴趣的是，自己究竟是怎么做到的。松鸦爪想，我一定是进入了溪儿的记忆。他又试了一次，但是虎斑母猫正专注聆听着伴侣的话，观察着周围猫的反应，记忆里一片空白。
暴毛听到有猫穿过荆棘通道，于是停了下来。
“火星！”黑莓掌大喊着，“我们闻到了入侵者的气息！”
“他们在这儿呢。”火星回答道。
松鸦爪察觉沙风和松鼠飞也跟着黑莓掌回来了。
“鹰爪！黑夜！”松鼠飞喊道，“我就觉得，我嗅到的是急水部落的气息。”
“真的好奇怪呀！我们的父母居然和急水部落在一起住过那么长时间。”狮爪喃喃说道。
“哦，看来我们可不是唯一一群爱探险的猫！”冬青爪嘟囔道。
“很高兴能再次见到你俩。”松鼠飞接着说道，“你们怎么来这儿了？”她停了停，然后又问道，“为什么每只猫的表情都很严峻，好像天塌了一样？”
“我想你最好听听暴毛讲的事情。”火星说道。
这位深灰色皮毛的武士又讲了起来。松鸦爪曾在溪儿的记忆中见过他，因此可以轻易地在脑海中勾勒出暴毛的样子——身材强健，皮毛光滑，琥珀色眼睛里燃烧着怒火。
“在族群踏上大迁徙的旅途后不久，”暴毛说道，“另一群陌生的猫来到了山地。”
“我们一开始还以为，他们只是路过，”溪儿解释道，“有一段时间，我们还把他们当贵客招待……”
“可他们明确表示，他们想住下来，”暴毛接着说道，“他们掠夺急水部落的猎物，甚至在瀑布后面的山洞附近狩猎。
“满身跳蚤的贼！”鹰爪咆哮道。
“我们以前从未被侵占过领地。”溪儿说道，“我们时不时会赶跑独行猫。但是我们不知道该把这么一大群猫怎么办。”
暴毛继续讲那个故事：“我认为，我们应该展示力量，来保卫我们的领地。而且我也带领着急水部落的猫跟他们打了一仗，想让这些陌生猫知道，不准骚扰我们，也不准偷窃我们的猎物。”
“他们把我们打了个稀里哗啦。”黑夜生气地说道。
“急水部落的猫不像族群猫这样训练有素，”暴毛解释道，“我们败下阵来，还有几只猫战死了。”暴毛犹豫着，当他再次开口时，声音里充满了忧伤，“其中就有锯齿。”
“锯齿死了？”松鼠飞惊呼道，“啊，不！我们在大迁徙的路上，被雪困住时，是他帮助了我们。”
“我们都怀念他，”黑莓掌补充道，“认识他的每只猫都会怀念他！”
“尖石巫师把部落猫死亡的罪过，全都归咎于我。”暴毛的声音像死亡浆果一般苦涩，“于是他把我逐出了部落，溪儿坚持跟我一起走。”
“我还能有别的选择吗？”溪儿低声喃喃着，就像只是说给暴毛听。松鸦爪还记得自己看到他俩在洞穴中皮毛相擦，共同面对部落首领的场景。
“尖石巫师还能怎么办？”鹰爪反驳道，“那么多猫死了，他必须做些什么！”
“他告诉我们，就当我们已经死了！”一个心跳之前，溪儿的声音还是那么轻柔，此刻却变成了愤怒的嘶嘶。
“我真不敢相信，部落猫还敢到这儿来！”冬青爪悄悄地对松鸦爪说。
“我很抱歉，暴毛！”黑莓掌低沉的嗓音在他的胸前回荡着，“你应该早点儿告诉我们这些事情。”
“说了又有什么用？”暴毛问道，“你们热情地欢迎我们，现在我们已经是雷族猫了。”
松鸦爪听到溪儿发出一阵低语声，声音太小，他听不清楚她在说什么。她不是雷族猫！他想，她一直都是部落猫，永远都是的。在这里，她不会有家的感觉。
松鸦爪只能探查到这里，却无法进入她更深处的记忆。但他依然察觉到，她的脑海中充满了岩石、山风，以及从高处倾泻而下的瀑布，空中鸣叫的鸟儿——它们的翅膀投在地面的阴影，大得可以盖住一整支巡逻队。
他的思绪又回到空地上，鹰爪开始说话了：“我们这次来，是请求你们的帮助的。”
暴毛猛地吸了一口气，但却没有开口。
“尖石巫师错了。”鹰爪的声音中透着一丝尴尬，“其他猫偷走了我们的猎物，急水部落的猫都快饿死了。”
“这是我造成的吗？”暴毛冷冰冰地问道。
“我知道你现在的感受，”鹰爪说道，“我也曾被驱逐过，因为我尝试杀掉尖牙兽却最终失败了。我理解，可是……”
“多亏了暴毛和其他雷族猫的帮助，你才能返回急水部落。”溪儿提醒道。
“没错。不过，当我知道自己有能力帮助部落时，我就原谅了部落的错误。另外，溪儿，你是我的妹妹，我想你了，我想让你回家。你可以选择在这里树丛的阴影下，在草地上奔跑，可你依然是急水部落的猫。”
松鸦爪听到溪儿发出了一声长叹。“我会跟你回去的。只要我能做些什么，我就绝不会眼睁睁地看着部落猫受苦。暴毛……”她的声音有些哽咽，“你没必要跟我一起去，毕竟你不是部落猫。”
“你去哪里，我就会去哪里。”暴毛告诉她，“尖石巫师驱逐我时，你就是这样对我说的。你难道认为我不会这么做吗？我永远不会原谅尖石巫师的做法——他宣布我在部落猫的眼中已经死了。可我也不能无视你的至亲受苦受难。”
“我也去。”松鸦爪听到黑莓掌的声音，惊讶得竖起了耳朵，“我曾经跟急水部落的猫共进退，我以这段友谊为荣。”
松鸦爪察觉到暴毛非常吃惊。这位深灰色皮毛的武士说道：“你没必要这么做。”
“不，我要这样做。急水部落现在需要强壮、勇猛的武士。长期的战斗和饥饿大大削弱了他们的力量，他们怎么能保护自己呢？”
“我也去！”松鼠飞听起来已经下定了决心，“上次你没有抛下我，当时我可连武士都不是。”
“火星，”黑莓掌问道，“你怎么想的？我们可以去吗？”
松鸦爪心里一紧，焦急地等待着火星的回答。松鸦爪根本没时间想，这对他意味着什么，但是他心里清楚，去山地对雷族武士有着非常重要的意义。可是黑莓掌是雷族的副族长，火星会让他离开吗？
“是的，你可以去。”火星说道，“在大迁徙的过程中，急水部落给族群提供过食物和居所。现在是我们帮助他们的时候了。这也是为了暴毛和溪儿，”他又补充道，“你们一直都是忠诚的雷族猫。在我们遭受獾的攻击后，你们帮了很大的忙，我们感谢你们。”
“谢谢你。”鹰爪沙哑的声音中透着一些轻松，“急水部落的猫对此深表感谢。”
松鸦爪察觉到，在场的武士都非常兴奋，心中充满了强烈的使命感。他的脚爪也痒痒的，可是他们会让一个小小的学徒，跟他们一起踏上前往山地的漫漫旅途吗？
CHAPTER14
CHAPTER14
Jaypaw could feel dappled sunlight andshade on his pelt as he padded beneath the trees. Lionpaw flanked him on one side, while Hollypaw bounded ahead for a few paw steps, then returned to join her littermates. The air was full of birdsong and the rustling of leaves, and the scents of prey were sharp in the undergrowth.
The three apprentices brought up the rear of the group of traveling cats. Brambleclaw had taken the lead, with Stormfur and Brook, closely followed by Talon and Night. Just ahead of Jaypaw he could scent Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt.
“…and Tigerkit has already learned the hunter’s crouch,” Tawnypelt was meowing. “But I think Dawnkit will be the best fighter, if only she listens to what her mentor tells her once she’s apprenticed. Right now she doesn’t listen to anycat.”
“All kits can be deaf when they choose,” Squirrelflight told her. “They’ll grow into fine warriors, you’ll see.”
Kits!Jaypaw thought. Boring!
He angled his ears, trying to pick up more interesting snippets of conversation, but all he could hear was Crowfeather telling Breezepaw about the best way to catch prey in the mountains. The two WindClan cats were padding side by side a few tail-lengths from the rest; Jaypaw could feel Breezepaw’s resentment at being forced to come on the journey. I don’t think he and his father evenlike each other, Jaypaw decided.
“Hey, look!” Lionpaw exclaimed. “Bet you I can catch that butterfly!”
“Bet you can’t,” Hollypaw returned.
“Just watch!” Lionpaw took off in an enormous leap, then crashed back to the forest floor.
“Missed it!” Hollypaw let out a mrrowof laughter. “Told you!”
Jaypaw heard heavier paw steps in the bracken and his mother’s scent drifted over him.
“Just whatdo you three think you’re doing?” she scolded them. “Are you kits, let out of camp for the first time? This is a serious journey, and you need to save your strength. You’ll need it later.”
“Sorry,” Lionpaw muttered.
Jaypaw drew his lips back in the beginning of a snarl as he imagined Breezepaw’s smug expression; he knew the WindClan apprentice was listening.
If he says one word, I’ll claw his ear off!
But Breezepaw had the sense to keep his jaws shut.
Soon Jaypaw began to pick up the clean scent of water. Stronger sunlight on his pelt told him they had left the shelter of the trees. He realized they had emerged beside the lake, and for a moment his paws itched to search for the stick with the marks Rock had made. But he couldn’t carry the stick all the way to the mountains.
I’ll have to leave it behind. But I’m not leavingyou behind, Rock. When
I get to the mountains, I know I’ll find you there
“We’re near the WindClan border,” Hollypaw whispered into his ear. “We have to cross the stream.”
For a couple of heartbeats Jaypaw froze, remembering the smothering water in the tunnels. He hatedgetting his paws wet!
Lionpaw butted him gently in the shoulder. “It’ll be okay. The water’s really shallow.”
Jaypaw bit back an indignant retort, though it was really himself he was angry with. Would he always have to fight this terror of drowning?
He could hear splashing as the other cats crossed the stream. Hollypaw guided him to the bank with her tail across his shoulders. Jaypaw tensed when he felt the current swirling around his paws. The stream bed shelved down until the water brushed his belly fur. He could feel Hollypaw and Lionpaw close on either side; Lionpaw murmured, “This way a bit; there’s a deeper place just there.” Then the stream grew shallower again, and Jaypaw could scramble up the bank on the other side. He halted a tail-length away and shook himself to hide his tremors of relief.
“Hey, do you mind?” Breezepaw’s unfriendly voice came from just behind him. “You’re making my fur wet!”
“Sor-ree,” Jaypaw muttered.
The cats continued along the lakeshore, across WindClan territory and past the horseplace. Jaypaw could just pick up the scent of the horseplace cats beneath the overwhelming scent of horse, but neither Smoky nor Floss appeared to greet them. He pricked his ears at distant barking and decided that the dog who lived near the horseplace was too far away to be a nuisance.
Once past the horseplace, Brambleclaw led the way uphill. Jaypaw’s paws tingled as he realized he was setting them down on unfamiliar ground. This was the real beginning of the adventure! The scents of home were fading behind him, and a stiff breeze brought new scents to him, wild and strange. His paws faltered briefly. Stupid cat!he berated himself. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?He felt his littermates’ pelts touching his on either side, and sensed that they too were daunted by the unknown path where they had set their paws.
The ground underfoot was growing wetter and more uneven. Jaypaw brushed past a clump of reeds and heard a splash accompanied by a strong scent of frog. A moment later, one of his paws slipped on a tussock of wet grass and water surged over his hindquarters.
“Fox dung!” he spat, clawing with his forepaws to heave himself out again.
“Are you okay?” Lionpaw asked.
“Fine.” Jaypaw spoke through gritted teeth.
Just beyond his brother, he heard Talon murmur to Night, “This is crazy. Taking a blind to-be all the way to the mountains!”
“I know,” Night replied. “He’ll never keep up.”
A sharp retort bubbled up inside Jaypaw, but before he could speak he felt his mother’s tail laid firmly over his mouth. “Jaypaw will manage just fine,” she meowed. “He’s as good at tackling new territory as any cat. Have younever put a paw in the wrong place, Talon?” she added.
When the big Tribe tabby didn’t reply, she moved her tail from Jaypaw’s mouth to his shoulder. “Come this way. It’s drier over here.”
Jaypaw followed her, thankful to feel more solid ground beneath his paws. He was surprised that Breezepaw hadn’t made some sarcastic comment about his misstep. But Breezepaw was a Clan cat; maybe he felt a kind of loyalty to support any Clan cat against the Tribe.
Not that he stood up for me, Jaypaw thought sourly. That would be too much to expect
Wind buffeted Jaypaw in the face, telling him they had reached the top of the ridge. There were so many new scents that he couldn’t begin to sort them all out.
“This is awesome!” Hollypaw gasped. “I can see the whole of the lake and all the territories from here.” She bounced up to Jaypaw and gave him a nudge with her head. “Down there is a stream with trees growing around it, where RiverClan has its camp. And beyond that is dark pine forest—that’s ShadowClan’s territory. I can even see the Gathering island, and the tree-bridge…It looks so tiny from up here!”
“Over this way are the woods where we live.” Lionpaw joined Jaypaw on his other side. “I bet we could see the hollow if we were here in leaf-bare. And then there’s open moorland where WindClan live. We can see everything!”
“WindClan look at this all the time.” Breezepaw had padded up behind them. “Our territory has loads of great views.”
Annoying furball, Jaypaw thought.
“Do you remember the first time we stood here?” Jaypaw scented Brambleclaw a little way away, with Squirrelflight, Crowfeather, and Tawnypelt.
“I’ll never forget it,” Squirrelflight replied. “It was night, and all the cats of StarClan were reflected in the lake.”
“I can’t believe how brave you were,” Night put in. “You traveled so far to find a new home, without even knowing where you were going.”
“StarClan helped us,” Squirrelflight murmured.
“And the Tribe of Endless Hunting would do the same for you,” Tawnypelt pointed out, “if the Tribe of Rushing Water ever had to leave the mountains.”
“Leave?” Night sounded alarmed. “We could never leave and nor could the spirits of our ancestors. We belong too much to the mountains.”
Jaypaw wasn’t sure she was right. If the Clan cats failed to drive out the intruders, the Tribe, and the spirits of its ancestors, might have to face a journey of their own.
第十章
第十章
狮爪皮毛上的每根毛发都激动得竖了起来。他一直期待的时刻终于到来了——去山地的机会终于来了！就算入侵者不像暴毛和鹰爪描述的那么强壮，可是只靠雷族的四只猫对付他们，肯定远远不够。这一定是星族事先安排好的，让他去拜访并了解急水部落，并向部落猫展示一下，真正的武士是怎么生活的。
他用爪子刨着山谷地上的泥土。山壁高高耸立，像是就要压下来的样子。他以前从未感觉如此憋闷。石头的重量似乎就压在他的皮毛上。狮爪真想爬上最近的崖壁，穿过山峦，任凭风吹拂着他的皮毛，跑进大山里。
“别那么激动！”松鸦爪说道，“他们可能不会让学徒去的！”
狮爪转了转眼珠：“松鸦爪，我希望你不要总是解读我的想法！”
“你是说你想去山里？”冬青爪问道。
“他们需要更多的猫，”狮爪提醒着，也是在为自己辩护，“四只猫肯定不够。但是也许松鸦爪说得对。”他又补充道。当他意识到，急水部落最需要的是经验丰富的武士们的帮助时，他的兴奋感顿时消退了。
“冬青爪想去，我也想去呢。”松鸦爪出乎意料地说道，“黑莓掌和松鼠飞可以去，为什么我们不去问问他们，我们能不能也去呢？就算他们不同意，也不会因为我们的请求，就给我们一爪子吧。”
“你真的想去？”狮爪问冬青爪。
冬青爪跳了起来，抖抖尾巴和胡须，说道：“我想弄清楚急水部落是怎样生活的。我还从没见过和我们不同的猫。我们可以从中学到很多。”
松鸦爪低声嘟囔着表示赞同，但并没有说出他想去的原因。狮爪转念一想，松鸦爪一向这样，他总把自己真实的想法，像藏猎物一样暗暗地埋在心底。
“我也想知道森林外面的世界，到底是什么样子。”狮爪坦白道，“我知道这里是雷族猫的家。但外面的世界很大，还有很多未知的领地。它们究竟是什么样子呢？”
“噢，好啦，我们该……”冬青爪刚开口，声音就戛然而止了，因为她看到，火星站了起来。
“我们需要讨论一下，”火星说道，“可是我的洞穴太小，装不下这么多猫。我们还是去森林里吧。”他扫视着周围聆听自己说话的其他猫，“灰条、沙风、叶池，你们也跟着去。”
狮爪看着这些猫朝荆棘通道跑去。雷族的其他猫似乎都不愿意马上回去做自己的事，而是聚集在一起，目光中满是疑虑。
“我们没理由让自己的武士冒险去帮助急水部落。”蛛足抱怨着，声音大得足够让正向外走的猫们听到，“我们自己的麻烦还不够多吗？”
火星的耳朵抽动了一下，似乎听见了年轻武士的话，但他没有停下来回应，而是消失在通道里。
“现在这里很和平啊！”白翅提醒道。
“白翅说得对，”蜡毛从云尾和亮心中间坐着的地方站起身来，“我们可以抽调一些武士。黑莓掌帮助急水部落是对的。还记得我们大迁徙时，他们为我们做过的事吗？如果不是他们找到我们，我们很可能就冻死在雪地里了。”
“哼，我觉得这全是无稽之谈！”鼠毛甩着精瘦的棕色尾巴，朝蜡毛走去，“急水部落的猫守不住自己的领地，那是他们的问题，跟我们没关系！”
长尾走到她的身边，用尾巴尖儿碰了碰她的肩膀。“我真想再次回到山里！”他的声音里充满了渴望。“我知道我看不见部落猫居住的地方，但我能感觉到那里开阔的野地，能感觉到微风吹动皮毛，还有被风带来的远方的各种气息。”
“我也想回去！”桦落的眼睛也充满了回忆的神情，“大迁徙太有趣了！我在影族交了三个好朋友——小蟾、小苹果和小沼泽。我真想知道，他们现在怎么样了。”
“谁会在乎这些？”莓鼻甩了甩尾巴。狮爪觉得自己能在奶油色皮毛的武士眼中看到嫉妒。“影族猫不再是你的朋友了。你难道忘了，上次在边界上，你差点儿就被他们撕烂了！”
这又是谁的错？狮爪默默地问着。他发现桦落垂下了头，尾巴也耷拉着。
“不管怎样，”莓鼻继续说道，“我看不出山里有什么好的。那里听起来既贫瘠又寒冷，也没什么猎物。”
“你知道什么！”尘毛眯着眼睛，哑着嗓子道，“你根本就没去过！”
莓鼻粗鲁地转身，背对着资深武士。狮爪用尾巴示意同窝猫跟自己离开了这群猫。
“看到了吧！”狮爪高兴地说道，“桦落还是幼崽时都能穿过山地活了下来，我们为什么不能去呢？你也能行的。”他对松鸦爪说道，“长尾当年不是也去了吗？”
他看到松鸦爪后颈上的毛竖了起来。但是狮爪太兴奋了，根本没把冒犯了弟弟的事放在心上。如果别的猫一提起他眼瞎的事他就动怒，那是他自己的问题。
“我们得去找火星，问问这件事。”狮爪说道，“而且要在黑莓掌和其他猫离开之前。”他环视四周，想看看是否有猫注意他们，却发现留在营地的猫群已经开始散开。云尾正召集栗尾和尘毛一起去狩猎，长老们都回到了巢穴里，两三个武士走向猎物堆去挑选猎物。在育婴室外面，黛西和米莉在阳光下趴着，相互梳理着皮毛。黛西的幼崽正在她们身边蹦来跳去。
“快点！趁我们的老师们没看到我们时赶紧去。”冬青爪催促着，她抽动着耳朵，听着空地中央蜡毛和蕨毛交谈的声音。
冬青爪穿过空地，钻进了荆棘通道，狮爪也紧随其后。当三个学徒来到森林里时，冬青爪转向松鸦爪。
“来吧，你最擅长辨别气息，火星去了哪里？”
雷族族长和其他猫留下的气息已开始减弱，不过松鸦爪依然能在森林里的各种气味中，分辨出雷族猫的气息，还有他并不熟悉的部落猫的气息。
“你知道的，”当他们跟在松鸦爪身后穿过树林时，狮爪对冬青爪说道，“我刚刚意识到，现在溪儿身上的气息已经完全是雷族的了。你认为她回到急水部落，能受到欢迎吗？”
冬青爪瞟了他一眼：“这要看尖石巫师怎么说了。急水部落好像他说了算。”
“听起来，尖石巫师独断专行啊！”松鸦爪说道，“幸好火星不像他。”
他带头穿过森林，直到听到了湖水拍击湖岸的声音。这儿猫的气息非常浓烈。松鸦爪悄悄爬到一个小山坡上，用一只爪子小心地拨开一丛蕨叶。他没有说话，挥着尾巴示意狮爪和冬青爪过来。
在蕨丛另一边的山坡下是一片洒满阳光的空地，上面覆盖着苔藓和腐叶。透过空地另一边的树丛，大湖清晰可见。微风透过蕨叶朝三位学徒吹来，因此那群雷族武士不可能嗅到他们的气息。
火星正坐在空地中央，爪子放在自己的身下。“松鼠飞，你要为狐爪找个临时的老师。”他说道。
松鼠飞点点头，说道：“如果你同意，我想问问栗尾愿不愿意。她从来没带过学徒，对她来说，这是一次很好的锻炼机会。”
“栗尾很合适。”叶池热心地补充道。
“好的，回到营地后，我会找她谈谈。”火星转向黑莓掌，“我不知道你们四个是不是足够帮急水部落的忙。不过我也怕派出太多的武士，会削弱雷族的战斗力。”
冬青爪推推狮爪。“也许这就是我们的机会。”她耳语道。
“我想过这个问题。”黑莓掌对火星说道，“我想找那些曾和我们一起出发，去太阳沉没之地寻找午夜的其他族群的猫。”
狮爪推了推松鸦爪，又抽抽耳朵，示意冬青爪，跟他沿着坡顶，爬进一片冬青丛里，在树枝下面的残叶中蜷伏下来。他们躲在这儿，既不会被发现，还能听清楚他们说的每一句话。
“这是一个办法。”火星对黑莓掌说道，“那些最了解急水部落猫的猫，应该都愿意去。”
“如果能再次见到鸦羽和褐皮，那就太好了。”鹰爪低声说道。
“这不是武士守则的规定，”火星继续说道，“我是不能命令某只猫去山里的，除非她或者他真的想去。而且我也无法替别的族群做主。不过我相信，帮助急水部落是正确的。”
狮爪听得有些困惑：“如果这样做是对的，为什么武士守则里没有呢？”
“武士守则里有。”冬青爪反驳道，“武士守则说过，我们应该在别的族群有困难时施以援手。很显然，火星是把急水部落排除在族群之外了。”
“那就这么决定了。”火星说道，“松鼠飞，你去风族请鸦羽。黑莓掌，你去影族找褐皮。”
“没必要去找河族了。”暴毛眼中流露出了忧伤，狮爪的毛同情地竖了起来，“羽尾就是河族猫，她已经死在山地了。我当时跟她一起去的，所以这次我就代表河族吧。”
空地上的猫都沉默了一会儿。松鼠飞轻轻地把尾巴放在暴毛的肩膀上。
“急水部落会永远铭记羽尾的。”黑夜轻声说道。
松鸦爪的身子抽搐了一下。
“你们制订的计划不错，”最后，鹰爪打破了寂静，“比起其他族群成员，尖石巫师更熟悉你们这五只猫，所以他可能会更信任你们。”
“什么？”溪儿的耳朵突然平贴了起来，转头直视着哥哥，“究竟是不是尖石巫师派你来找我们帮忙的？”
黑夜和鹰爪低头看着爪子，鹰爪的尾巴不安地甩着。“不完全是。”他嘟哝着，然后补充道，“不过我确信，如果他知道你们去帮忙，一定会非常高兴的。”
“太好了！”暴毛显得愤愤不平，“我会被告知，我又死了一次。”
溪儿将鼻子紧贴着自己的伴侣：“求你了，暴毛，我们必须回去。尖石巫师不会永远是尖石巫师，但是急水部落却要继续生存。”
“从鹰爪和黑夜说的话看，我们没有多少时间了。”火星说道，“黑莓掌，你马上去影族！”
“还有你们仨，现在可以出来了。”松鼠飞突然站了起来，眼睛直直地盯着那片冬青丛。
“狐狸屎！”冬青爪嘟哝着，“我们去不成山地了，只能留在营地给长老们抓虱子了！”
“出来吧！”松鼠飞重复道，“狮爪，如果不想被发现，就得把尾巴收好。”
狮爪尴尬得皮毛发烫，只得从冬青丛中钻出来，走下斜坡，向母亲身边走去。“鼠脑子！”冬青爪带着松鸦爪跟在他的身后，嘶嘶地叫道。
“你们不该偷听别的猫说话。”当三位学徒来到松鼠飞跟前时，松鼠飞十分严厉地说道，“未经允许偷听的猫，可能会听到不该听的事情。”
“可是我们必须要听！”狮爪脱口而出，“我们想跟你们一起去！”
松鼠飞的绿眼睛惊讶地睁大了，黑莓掌脖子上的毛也不安地蓬松起来，但是火星却打趣地眨了眨眼。狮爪这才放轻松下来。
“不要生他们的气！”他告诉松鼠飞，“他们让我想起当年某位暗姜黄色皮毛的学徒，未经允许，偷偷踏上了前往太阳沉没之地的旅程。”
松鼠飞气恼地抽动着胡须，甩了一下尾巴。
“你们为什么想去呢？”火星问道。
狮爪张开嘴刚准备回答，冬青爪推了他一下。“我们也想去帮助急水部落，”她大声说道，“狮爪和我都是很优秀的战士，松鸦爪呢……他可以治疗受伤的猫。”
“非常感谢。”松鸦爪嘟囔道。
“松鸦爪可以做更多的事。”叶池平静地说道。松鸦爪吃惊地跳了起来，似乎刚刚才发现巫医就在他的身边。
“我说说我的想法吧。”叶池接着说道，“我认为，他们应该去。我们住在旧森林时，所有学徒成为武士之前，都要去母亲嘴拜访月亮石。虽然现在我们已经丢掉了这个传统，不过让学徒们踏上漫长的旅程，去看看领地外面的世界，还是很有意义的。”
狮爪觉得，叶池的这番话说出了他的心声，让他浑身上下都暖融融的。“那……我们可以跟你们一起去吗？”他再次恳求道。
“我同意叶池的话。”沙风说道，“让他们去认识其他猫，看他们是如何生活的，我们也并不会失去什么。”她和火星对视了一会儿，似乎正在分享一段共同的记忆。
“黑莓掌，你觉得呢？”火星问道，“他们可能会带来一些麻烦，旅途对于他们来说还是太难了。漫长而艰苦的旅途结束后，还有战斗等着。”
“我相信我的孩子们能行。”黑莓掌的眼睛扫过三位学徒，琥珀色的眼睛里流露出赞许的目光，“能带他们去见急水部落的猫，我很自豪。”
“即使在我们不确定他们是否发出了邀请的时候吗？”暴毛轻轻提醒道。
黑莓掌没有回答，相反，他站起来问狮爪：“你准备好了吗？”
“准备好什么？”狮爪说道。他的爪子因为兴奋和紧张颤抖着。
“我们要去影族领地，看看褐皮是否愿意跟我们一起去。”他的父亲说道。
“太好啦！”狮爪按捺不住兴奋跳了起来，但很快又停了下来，觉得自己就像一只傻傻的幼崽，“我想看看褐皮的孩子，他们还是我的亲戚呢。”他补充道，竭力让自己的声音听起来更庄重些。
松鼠飞快速地瞟了一眼叶池。“冬青爪，你可以跟我去风族，看看鸦羽愿不愿意跟我们一起出发。”她说道。
“那我呢？”松鸦爪问道。
“你跟我回营地，”叶池告诉他，“我们要准备些旅行用的草药。”
“如果那些猫愿意去，”火星说道，“就带他们回石头山谷歇息。早晨你们就出发。”
“好的。我们走吧，冬青爪。”松鼠飞晃晃尾巴，穿过森林朝风族边界走去。冬青爪赶紧跟在她身后，匆忙之间差点儿摔了一跤。
“准备好了吗，狮爪？”黑莓掌问。
狮爪点点头。他想到要穿过边界，进入到另一个族群的领地，就感觉心中一紧。
“祝你们好运！”火星喊着。
狮爪看着冬青爪黑色的皮毛消失在沙沙作响的蕨丛间之后，也转过身，跟着自己的父亲，钻进了低矮的灌木丛。
CHAPTER15
CHAPTER15
Lionpaw stood beside his sister, gazingdown at the lake and the familiar Clan territories. A ripple of excitement pulsed through him as he turned his back on his home and saw for the first time a wide stretch of unknown country.
“What are we waiting for?” he complained to Hollypaw. “Why can’t we keep going?”
“Didn’t you hear Brambleclaw?” his sister meowed. “He told us all to rest, and he said we could hunt if we want to eat.”
Lionpaw had been so focused on their journey that he hadn’t noticed his father giving the order. His forepaws tore up the short grass of the ridge. “I don’t want to sit around. We’ve hardly started.”
“It’s the traveling herbs giving you all that energy,” Hollypaw mewed practically. “The mountains won’t go away.” She turned with a flick of her tail and began to stalk toward a gorse bush, her ears and whiskers alert for signs of prey.
Lionpaw’s paws were sore from the stiff climb up the ridge, but he had never felt so alive, so eager to keep traveling. In front of him, dark forest covered the downward slope, and beyond it Lionpaw could see flat green stretches like the grass at the horseplace. It was sliced through by Thunderpaths and dotted with Twoleg nests—some of them close together, whole clusters of red stone dens.
Lionpaw bounded over the short, springy grass to a rocky outcrop, the highest part of the ridge. At the top of the rocks, wind flattened his fur along his sides. He felt as powerful as a warrior of LionClan! If he stretched out a paw, he could blot out whole Twoleg nests. The biggest Thunderpath looked as thin as a strand of bramble or a twig that he could snap with his teeth.
I could run farther than a hare! I could fight the fiercest fox that ever lived. Spotting the dark gray stain that hovered on the horizon, he added, I could climb the highest mountain faster than an eagle could fly.
He wondered if the other cats felt like this. When he looked down at his traveling companions dozing peacefully below him, he suspected that they didn’t.
Lionpaw strained his ears to pick up Tigerstar’s voice in the sighing of the wind and looked for the dark tabby shape in the shadows cast by rocks and bushes. This was exactly how Tigerstar had told him he should feel, as if his enemies were no bigger than beetles. But there was no trace of the former warrior. All these turbulent feelings seemed to come from inside Lionpaw himself.
“Lionpaw! We’re waiting for you.”
His father’s voice made him jump. The other cats had finished resting and were getting to their paws.
“Coming!” he called.
He leaped down from the outcrop and joined his littermates as the cats began to make their way into the trees. His father and mother took the lead with Tawnypelt and Crowfeather.
“Remember how we felt when we first climbed up here?” Tawnypelt meowed.
“I remember how sore my paws were,” Squirrelflight replied with a twitch of her tail.
Brambleclaw skirted a huge clump of bracken. “Tallpoppy’s kit fell over here. Ferncloud picked her up and carried her. We all helped one another then.”
“But it can’t be like that anymore.” Lionpaw thought Crowfeather sounded wistful, the familiar edge missing from his voice. “It’s natural for Clans to be rivals.”
Lionpaw thought sadly about Heatherpaw; he guessed that all four of the senior warriors missed the friendships they had forged on their journeys. He was relieved that they seemed to know the way. Now that he couldn’t see his home anymore he was daunted by the vast stretches of unknown territory. His pelt grew hot with embarrassment when he remembered his dreams of power on the hilltop, and he was thankful that no other cat knew what he’d been thinking.
Unless Jaypaw knows. Lionpaw’s pelt grew hotter still at the idea that his brother might have been eavesdropping on his thoughts.
“Come on, pick up your paws,” Brambleclaw called back. “I want to be out of these trees by nightfall.”
Lionpaw stifled a sigh. His paws were dragging already and his belly was yowling with hunger. The energy from the traveling herbs seemed to have worn off. He wished he’d taken the chance to rest and eat after all.
“Here.” Squirrelflight’s voice was muffled; Lionpaw glanced back to see her padding up to him with a mouse hanging from her jaws. “Eat as quickly as you can,” she added, dropping her prey at his paws.
“Thank you!” Lionpaw touched his nose gratefully to his mother’s shoulder.
“I was tired of listening to your belly growling,” Squirrelflight mewed, her tail curling up in amusement. “I reckon they could hear it back in ThunderClan.”
She ran ahead to join Brambleclaw, while Lionpaw crouched over the mouse and devoured it in a few famished bites.
By the time he had finished his companions were out of sight, but he could hear their voices ahead and followed their scent trail until he caught up. Strength had flooded back into his paws. Passing the rest of the group, he bounded up to his father.
“What do you know about these invading cats?” Brambleclaw was asking Talon. “How many are there?”
“Too many,” Talon replied.
Brambleclaw twitched his ears. Lionpaw guessed that he didn’t find the Tribe cat’s answer much use in planning what they would do when they reached the mountains.
“Well, what have you done so far?” Brambleclaw went on. “Have you worked out their ways of hunting and fighting? And what about regular patrols—”
“We’re not Clan cats, you know.” Talon’s neck fur bristled. “We need help, but that doesn’t mean we want to be treated like a bunch of to-bes.”
“Calm down, Talon.” Night touched her Tribemate’s shoulder with the tip of her tail. “Brambleclaw’s only trying to work out the best way of helping us.”
For a heartbeat Lionpaw thought that the tabby cave-guard would snap at her too, but then his fur lay flat again and he gave Brambleclaw an awkward nod as if he was trying to apologize.
“We’ve never needed to set boundaries before,” he explained. “We just chose some rocks around our cave and set guards to keep watch for the intruders. Stoneteller said…”
Growing bored with this talk of strategy, Lionpaw let his father and the others go ahead and waited for his littermates to catch up.
“The Tribe cats seem really tense,” he meowed as he fell in beside Hollypaw. “I thought Talon was going to claw Brambleclaw’s ear off.”
Hollypaw blinked thoughtfully. “I think it’s because they never told Stoneteller what they planned to do. He might be angry when a bunch of Clan cats turn up in his territory.”
“Angry?” Lionpaw’s pelt grew hot with outrage. “He should be grateful to us!”
His sister let out a snort. “Maybe his pride would be hurt. Leaders ought to be able to deal with problems without asking for help from outside. How do you think Firestar would feel if we were having trouble and you went to ask for help from WindClan?”
“He would probably line his nest with my pelt,” Lionpaw admitted.
“So what would youdo if you were Stoneteller?” Jaypaw’s voice was curious as he flicked his sister’s shoulder with his tail tip.
Hollypaw paused for a few heartbeats before she replied. “I’d set up border patrols—”
“But they don’t have borders,” Lionpaw reminded her.
“Then I’d mark some.” Hollypaw’s ears twitched. “I’d make sure they were patrolled regularly, and I’d teach all my cats to fight. That would keep the intruders out.”
Jaypaw shook his head. “You’re thinking like a Clan cat. The Tribe’s ways are different. I’m not sure we should try to change them.”
“We should if they’re being driven out of their territory and starved to death,” Lionpaw argued. “What the Tribe needs is the warrior code, and we’re going to teach it to them!”
The setting sun cast long shadows in front of them as they came to the edge of the trees. Lionpaw fluffed out his pelt against the breeze that whispered through the undergrowth. Ahead he could see a stretch of dusty grass sloping down into a narrow valley. More trees stretched up the far side, and beyond them hung the gray smudge of the mountains. Over to one side Lionpaw spotted the reddish stone of Twoleg nests, just visible through the trees.
“We’ll stop here for the night,” Brambleclaw announced. “It’s sheltered, and there’ll be plenty of prey.”
Before he had finished speaking, Crowfeather broke away from the group, streaking across the open ground with his belly fur brushing the grass. Breezepaw raced after him. Lionpaw didn’t spot the rabbit they were chasing until it broke for cover. The two WindClan cats separated, and as the rabbit dodged away from Crowfeather, it practically threw itself under Breezepaw’s paws. The WindClan apprentice dispatched it with a swift bite to the neck.
“Great catch!” Lionpaw meowed as he came back dragging his prey.
Breezepaw ignored him, but Crowfeather gave him a nod as the two WindClan cats settled down to share their prey.
Lionpaw turned back into the woodland to find some prey of his own. Tasting the air, he found a mouse scrabbling among the debris at the edge of a bramble thicket. He leaped with paws outstretched, but as he sank his claws into the little creature he felt a tendril of bramble wrap itself around his shoulders. He pulled away, leaving a tuft of orange fur behind. His pelt prickled with embarrassment at the clumsy kill, and as he padded back to the edge of the trees with his prey he hoped that Breezepaw hadn’t been watching.
Hollypaw and Jaypaw were already crouching in the shelter of a clump of bracken with their fresh-kill; Hollypaw was devouring a plump vole, while Jaypaw gulped down a sparrow.
“I wish we could stay here a bit longer,” Hollypaw mumbled with her mouth full. “This place is crawling with prey!”
“Well, we can’t,” Jaypaw mewed unsympathetically. “And I don’t think some of us would be happy if we did.”
He flicked his tail toward Talon and Night, who had finished eating and were trying to settle down for the night between two gnarled tree roots. They were turning around uneasily, as if they couldn’t get comfortable.
Night stiffened as the hoot of an owl sounded from somewhere close by. “What was that?”
“Only an owl.” Brook padded up to her Tribemate and touched her nose to the black she-cat’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Squirrelflight is going to keep watch, then Stormfur.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” Talon grumbled, whipping his head around at the sound of a creaking tree. “I’d rather be out in the open, where I can see if something is sneaking up on me.”
“We will be soon,” Brook promised. “And that noise was only a branch.” She let out a soft mrrow, a mixture of sympathy and amusement. “Trees don’t sneak up on you.”
Lionpaw stretched his jaws in a huge yawn before curling up nose to tail with his littermates in a nest of long grass. He was warm and comfortable, and his belly was full. His eyes closed and the crisp mountain voices of the Tribe cats began to blur together with the hooting of the owls, like rain falling into a pool.
Then his ears pricked as he heard the complaining tones of Breezepaw, coming from a dip in the ground just beyond the outlying branches of the trees. “I don’t see why we have to come at all. What can wedo to help these weird cats—and why does it matter anyway? What has the Tribe ever done for us?”
“Feathertail gave her life saving them from Sharptooth. If they were worthy of our help then, they deserve it now. Otherwise she died for nothing,” Crowfeather murmured.
Lionpaw raised his head to see the skinny WindClan cat sitting with his back to the trees, his shape outlined against the darkening sky. Breezepaw was a sprawled heap in the grass.
“Well, from the sounds of it we’ve helped them enough,” Breezepaw objected.
Crowfeather sighed; Lionpaw thought he had never heard a cat sound so bone-weary. “You’ll never understand loyalty,” the gray-black tom meowed.
Lionpaw was puzzled. Feathertail had been a RiverClan cat, so why should Crowfeather be especially loyal to her?
He wrapped his tail over his nose. There were so many memories clinging to these warriors, so much that he found hard to understand. He pressed up against his littermates and the forest sounds around him faded as he slipped into sleep.
A paw prodding his shoulder woke Lionpaw. He jumped up at once, claws flexing as he scrambled out of his grassy nest.
Brambleclaw was standing over him. His tail flicked across Lionpaw’s mouth to warn him to stay quiet. Beside him, Jaypaw and Hollypaw were crouching down with their fur bristling. Hollypaw’s tail tip twitched as she gazed out from the shelter of the trees, and Jaypaw’s ears were pricked.
“There’s another cat close by,” Brambleclaw murmured.
Lionpaw tasted the air. At first he couldn’t pick up anything beyond the mingled scents of the other Clan cats. Talon was on his paws, braced for a fight, and Squirrelflight bounded across to stand by Brambleclaw’s side. The forest and the hillside beyond seemed peaceful. Early morning sunlight sliced through the trees, turning Lionpaw’s pelt to flame. Dew glittered on the grass and on cobwebs strung across the nearby bramble thicket.
Lionpaw had begun to relax when a breeze sprang up, bringing a new scent with it. “That’s a kittypet!” he exclaimed. “I’m not afraid of kittypets!”
“Shh!”Brambleclaw hissed. “We might have strayed into a kittypet’s territory, and we don’t want to fight unless we have to.”
“We don’t have to fight kittypets,” Hollypaw mewed scornfully. “I bet if we show it our teeth it’ll go wailing back to its Twolegs.”
“And maybe it won’t.” Squirrelflight’s voice was low but stern. “I’ve known kittypets who could fight, and one bad wound out here would be a problem for all of us. Now do as Brambleclaw says and be quiet.”
Lionpaw stiffened as he heard a rustling in the undergrowth. The fronds of a nearby clump of bracken waved wildly and parted. A plump tabby tom stepped through them into the open. His fur was rumpled and covered with burrs, and his muzzle was gray with age. He halted just beyond the bracken and stared at the journeying cats.
Brambleclaw was staring back, his amber eyes wide with shock. Beside him, Squirrelflight bounced on her paws and let out a little cry of welcome.
“Purdy!”
第十一章
第十一章
狮爪朝影族边界的方向飞奔，任凭风儿吹拂着自己的皮毛。他觉得，待在哪儿都不能与此刻跟在父亲身旁奔跑相提并论，何况前面还有艰巨的任务，让他有机会证明自己。能跟上黑莓掌的步伐让狮爪非常骄傲，虽然他的体形不大，但腿却和黑莓掌一样长了。
“小心点儿！”黑莓掌警告道，“前面有棵倒伏的树。”
狮爪已经看到了，那是一棵树皮光滑的灰色山毛榉，是上个秃叶季的大风将它吹倒的。现在树枝上依然挂着几片枯死的叶子，在风中沙沙作响。黑莓掌绕开了树根，狮爪却直接跳上去，使劲扑腾着后爪爬到树干上，穿过密密的树枝，从另一边跳下。
狮爪想让黑莓掌看看自己的速度有多快，力量有多强。所以，当他发现一条小溪横在路上时，他绷紧肌肉，跳了起来，越过了溪流。但是他的爪子刚触到对岸一块平滑的石头，还没有站稳的一刹那，一只画眉从头顶的榛树丛中飞出来，发出一声刺耳的警报。
狮爪大吃一惊，落地时趔趄了一下，后爪一滑，尾巴和腰部以下都掉进了冰冷的溪水里。“老鼠屎！”他骂了一句，紧紧抓住石头，使劲儿把自己拽上岸。
黑莓掌在岸上等着狮爪，琥珀色的眼睛里露出一丝戏谑。“站稳了，”他呼噜着说道，“你可不是河族猫，我们也没时间在这儿捕鱼。”
“对不起。”狮爪小声说着，抖动身子想甩干自己，闪光的水珠四溅开来。
当他俩靠近影族领地的时候，黑莓掌放慢了爪子，然后在距离边界不远处的枯树下停下来。
“我们在等什么？”狮爪问道。
“影族巡逻队，”他的父亲回答道，“他们会护送我们去影族营地。”
“可是你知道营地在哪里。”狮爪不满地伸缩着爪子，抗议道，“我们又不是来攻击他们的，为什么就不能直接去他们营地呢？”
“因为黑星不会这样想。”黑莓掌看着狮爪，语气严肃起来，“我们来到这里，是要带走他们的一位武士，跟我们一起踏上一段漫长而危险的旅程，去帮助与我们截然不同的一群猫。黑星一定不会愿意的，我也不能因此责备他。另外，武士守则也禁止我们擅闯其他族群的领地，无论目的是否友善。所以，我们还是等吧。”他在雷族边界一侧坐了下来，把尾巴绕在爪子上，“如果你没事干，就把身上湿了的皮毛舔梳一下。我不想让影族觉得，雷族的学徒连自己都照顾不了。”
狮爪的皮毛已经开始变干了，脏兮兮的皮毛缠在一起。他坐下来，扭过头去，开始舔梳皮毛，把自己浑身上下都彻底清理了一遍。但他都已经清理完毕了，仍然没看见影族武士的影子。
“他们从来不巡查边界吗？”狮爪嘟哝着，拍打着在他鼻子附近叶秆上爬行的一只甲虫。
黑莓掌蹲伏下来，爪子舒服地垫在身下，眯起眼睛，享受着阳光的温暖。“他们马上就会来的。”他说道，“如果你想狩猎，就尽管去吧。不过记住，一定不要越过边界。”
狮爪跳了起来，可还没等他发现任何猎物，就听到几只狐狸身长外的地方，传来了皮毛蹭过蕨丛的沙沙声。一支影族巡逻队从蕨丛中走出来，阔步朝边界走来。狮爪认出了影族副族长黄毛，可其他两只猫——一只年轻的深棕色公猫和一只玳瑁色母猫——却不认识。
公猫看到等在边界处的黑莓掌和狮爪，马上大叫起来：“有入侵者！我就知道，我早就闻出他们的气息了！”他身上的毛竖着，向前扑去。
“蟾足，等一下！”黄毛叫住她的族猫，朝黑莓掌走去，“你们在这儿干什么？”
“你们好！”黑莓掌低下头打着招呼，并没理会黄毛充满敌意的口吻，“黄毛，我们不是入侵，是在等你们护送我们去你们营地。我们想找黑星谈谈。”
黄毛怀疑地抽了抽胡须：“什么事情这么重要，都不能等到森林大会时再说？”
“黑星现在必须做出一个决定。”
影族副族长甩了甩尾巴。狮爪猜黑莓掌不告诉黄毛此行的真正目的，她心里一定很恼火。黄毛不情愿地后退了几步，扭过头去，示意黑莓掌和狮爪越过边界。
“藤尾，回营地通知黑星。”黄毛命令道，“蟾足，你在后面观察，确保附近没有雷族武士的埋伏。”
说完，黄毛转过身，迈开大步向前走去。黑莓掌安静地走在她身旁。这时蟾足走近狮爪，恶狠狠地瞪着他，低声吼道：“最好别妄想伸出爪子！”
“别担心，我不会的。”狮爪反驳道。他想起桦落曾讲的，在大迁徙期间，他与影族幼崽结下友谊的故事。他曾提到过一只叫小蟾的幼崽，看来就是眼前的这位年轻武士了。
“你还记得桦爪吗？”他问道，尽量让自己的语气更友善一些，“他现在的名字叫桦落。”
“所以呢？”蟾足依然充满敌意。
“今天早些时候，他和我们提起了你。他说，他跟你、你的同窝猫曾是很好的朋友。”
有一个心跳的时间，狮爪觉得，他看到蟾足的眼里闪过一丝忧伤。但是还没等他反应过来，这种忧伤就消失了。
“那是大迁徙时候的事了。”蟾足说道，“现在一切都变了。我已经是一位影族武士了。”
狮爪叹了口气。你为什么就不能成为一名既忠于自己的族群，又在其他族群拥有朋友的武士呢？他不知道大迁徙的时候，是不是情况能更好一些。那时候没有边界，因此他们不会因为居住地，对其他猫充满敌意。
但是现在狮爪不能继续想这些事了，黄毛已经领着他们到了影族领地的腹地。他们穿过空荡荡的草地向前走，狮爪抽了抽胡须。绿叶季时，两脚兽会来到这里。他参加边界巡逻队的时候，见过两脚兽铺在这儿的一块块平坦的绿色皮毛。不过他从未靠近两脚兽看过。当黄毛领着他们爬过荆棘下的阴影时，他闻到了两脚兽的气息。但是这里没有两脚兽发出的吵闹声，也没有看到它们的任何踪迹。
当他们走过草地后，狮爪惊讶地发现，在空地的另一边有一片森林，看起来跟雷族领地中的森林一模一样。然而走着走着，那熟悉的橡树和山毛榉树，逐渐变成了又高又密的松树。树枝又长又尖，在地上投下摇曳的黑影。又窄又秃的树干上，传来奇怪的鸟鸣。香薇和黑莓丛也慢慢稀疏，最后，这些猫走过的地面上只剩下了厚厚的棕色松针。
狮爪不禁打了一个寒战，快跑几步，跟上了黑莓掌，和他并肩前行。他的父亲慈爱地望了望他，又用尾巴轻触了他的肩膀几下。
最后，狮爪开始闻到许多猫混合在一起的气息从前面飘来。黄毛带着他们爬上一片小山坡，又穿过了坡顶的荆棘屏障。
“在这儿等着！”她命令道。
她跑下一条缓坡，进入一片宽阔的山谷。蟾足则留下来，在几条尾巴外看着两只雷族猫。他眯着眼睛，死死地盯着他们。
“这就是影族的营地吗？”狮爪悄悄地问黑莓掌，“它看起来太开阔了。”
“我们很幸运，有山谷可以保护我们。”黑莓掌回答道。
狮爪凑上前去望了望，才发现尽管看上去截然不同，但实际上这个营地跟雷族的营地非常像。黄毛钻进了一块大石头后面的缝隙。狮爪猜，那里应该是影族族长的巢穴。不远处有一片散乱的荆棘丛，里面可能是学徒巢穴。一块枯死的木头伸出来，上面布满了深深的抓痕，应该是学徒们磨爪子的地方。
这时，从狮爪下方斜坡上的紫杉丛里传来一声吼叫，把他吓了一跳。“这块苔藓正在滴水！湿漉漉的！等我把那个学徒抓住，看不扒了他的皮！”
“那边一定是长老巢穴。”狮爪低声说道，“我猜影族的长老和我们雷族的长老一模一样。”
这时黄毛回来了，狮爪不再东张西望了。黑星跟在黄毛身后，从石头后面的缝隙中钻了出来，跳到山谷中央的一截树桩上。黄毛用尾巴朝蟾足示意。棕色公猫护送黑莓掌和狮爪走下斜坡，来到影族族长的面前。周围的影族武士低声议论着，好奇地看着他们，眼神中充满了敌意。狮爪觉得浑身都不自在。
狮爪在森林大会上见过黑星，不过他还从来没有这么近地看过他。他知道这只白色公猫是一位非常强壮的武士，心里顿时紧张起来。白色公猫黑色的爪子只需一个猛拍，就可以削掉猫的耳朵。狮爪不知道，如果黑星攻击黑莓掌，黑莓掌会怎么办。黑莓掌的体力和作战技能，可以将黑星击退，并让他们安全逃离这片领地吗？
不过，黑星的表情虽然不友善，却依旧很平静。“黑莓掌，”他开口说道，“你来我们的领地做什么？”
“我来这儿，是想找我的妹妹褐皮谈谈。”
“她要是不想跟你说话怎么办？”黄毛的语气异常尖锐。
黑星抬高尾巴，警告这位副族长别再说话：“你找她想说什么？”
黑莓掌向影族猫讲述了鹰爪和黑夜出现在雷族营地，以及急水部落遇到麻烦的遭遇。狮爪思绪万千。“火星已经同意我和松鼠飞回到山里，帮助部落猫。”黑莓掌最后说道，“我们觉得，我们应该邀请褐皮和鸦羽一起去。他们曾和我们一起经历过第一次旅行，很熟悉急水部落。”
“什么？”还没等黑星开口，黄毛惊呼道，“你竟敢来到这里，要带走我们的一位武士？褐皮当然不会跟你走的。看在星族的分上，她还有幼崽要照顾！”
黑星再次抬起尾巴示意。“你这么说会让雷族猫们觉得，我们有意不想配合，”他告诉黄毛，“还是问问褐皮吧，看她想怎么做，这得由她决定。”
狮爪瞄了一眼自己的父亲，但是黑莓掌却避开了他的目光。很显然，黑星觉得褐皮肯定会决定继续跟族猫和幼崽们待在一起。
黑星从树桩上跳下来，带领他俩穿过营地，来到一片黑莓丛旁。“这里是我们的育婴室，”他说道，“你们进去看看她怎么说吧。”
黑莓掌感激地点点头，然后低下头，爬进了狭窄的入口。狮爪也紧随其后。令他感到宽慰的是，黑星并没有跟进来。
影族的育婴室比雷族的大，不过地面上铺的同样是舒适的苔藓，同样温暖，同样充满奶水的气味。昏暗的光线下，狮爪依稀看到了一位白色猫后的身影——她正躺在窝里，挺着鼓鼓的肚子。她也看到了这两只雷族猫，耳朵立刻紧张地竖了起来。
“黑莓掌！”育婴室深处传来了一声惊呼。狮爪看到了褐皮。她抬起头，眯起了眼睛：“你来这儿做什么？”
“我们是来看你的，”黑莓掌回答道，“我有些事情要问你。”
还没等黑莓掌继续说下去，褐皮的幼崽就从窝里爬了出来，朝他和狮爪的方向跑来。
“你是谁？”体形最大的虎斑幼崽站起来，胡须蹭到了狮爪的鼻子。
狮爪躲到一边，差点儿打了个喷嚏：“我叫狮爪。我是一位学徒，来自……”
他的父亲悄悄地推了他一下。“我们来自雷族。”黑莓掌回答道。
“啊，怪不得你们这么难闻！”一只深姜黄色的小公猫皱起了鼻子。
没有你们一半难闻！
第三只幼崽是一只灰色母猫。她跳到狮爪跟前，扑到了他的身上。狮爪大吃一惊，身体失去了平衡，摔倒在苔藓上。
“我们是最优秀的战士！”灰色幼崽咆哮道，“来啊，我们来保卫营地！”
另外两只幼崽马上跳到狮爪的背上。有一个心跳的时间，他想知道影族是不是很不好惹，就连幼崽都发誓要驱逐入侵者。很快他就意识到这只是游戏，幼崽的爪子都没有伸出来，眼里也流露出调皮的神情，一点儿也看不到愤怒。想到这里，狮爪把他们推到一旁，挣扎着站起身，把嘴里的苔藓吐出来。
“不能这样对待来访者！”褐皮责备他们，“黑莓掌，他们是我的孩子，带条纹的叫小虎，姜黄色的叫小焰，那只想要耳朵上挨一爪子的叫小曙。”她注视着这只小母猫——她正趴在狮爪尾巴上，好像那就是她的猎物。
小虎！狮爪怔住了。褐皮是不是希望自己的儿子成为跟虎星一样伟大的武士呢？难道这只幼崽像自己一样，也要接受来自祖先的训练？
“孩子们！”褐皮警告他们别再闹了，“快过来，黑莓掌！告诉我，究竟是什么事。”
小曙显然并不听母亲的话，依然试着去抓狮爪的尾巴。狮爪只顾着不让幼崽抓住尾巴，根本没听到父亲说了些什么。但是当他听到褐皮说“我会去的”时，狮爪感到自己的皮毛兴奋得刺痛起来。
这只玳瑁色的母猫爬出窝，眼里放着光。三只幼崽终于不再追逐狮爪，停下来齐刷刷地望着他们的母亲。
“你这是什么意思啊？”小虎问道。
“你不会离开我们吧？”小曙哭号起来。
“我要跟黑莓掌离开一段时间。”褐皮告诉他们，“还记得我给你们讲过的住在大山里的猫吗？他们就住在一道湍急的瀑布后面的山洞里。现在这些猫需要我的帮助，所以我必须去。”
“那……我们能跟你一起去吗？”小焰问道，“求你了！”
“我们真的能帮上忙。”小虎赶紧补充道。
“不行，你们太小了。”褐皮朝三只幼崽走过去，用鼻子挨个儿碰了碰他们。“要做好孩子，好好吃东西。你们看着天上的月亮，等它第二次变成现在这个形状，我就会回来了。”
“我会照看他们的。”阴影里的白色母猫向褐皮承诺道。
“谢谢你，雪鸟。喂，你们听到了吧？”褐皮又对幼崽们说道，“雪鸟会照顾你们的。如果你们调皮了，她也会告诉我的。”
“我们不会的。”小虎发誓。
“就算一点也不好玩，我们也不会淘气的。”小曙喃喃说道。
褐皮用尾巴轻轻拂了一下女儿的耳朵。“那么，再见了！”她呼噜着说。
“再见了！”他们齐声说着，眼睛瞪得大大的。
褐皮走出了育婴室，黑莓掌紧随其后。狮爪停下爪子，回头看着这些幼崽。再见了，我的至亲。他在心里默默地跟他们道别，然后跟着父亲回到了空地上。
育婴室的外面，黑星和褐皮正面对面地站着。
“你是什么意思？你要走吗？”族长问道。
“你说过，由她自己决定。”黑莓掌提醒道。
黑星抽动着尾巴，但没说什么。
“我们早就应该猜到了，”黄毛厉声说道，“这只能表明，她并不是一只忠诚的影族猫。”
褐皮弓起了背，怒吼道：“你敢说我不忠诚！”
“褐皮。”那位叫花楸掌的武士走到褐皮身边，用暗姜黄色的鼻子蹭了蹭她的肩膀。褐皮靠在他的身上，皮毛再次变得平顺下来。狮爪知道，花楸掌是褐皮的伴侣，也是刚才那几只幼崽的父亲。
“说褐皮对影族不忠诚，完全是无稽之谈。”花楸掌对黄毛说道，“可能你已经忘了，但是我没忘，部落的所有猫都帮过我们。现在是我们回报他们的时候了。”他低下头，轻轻地舔着褐皮两耳之间的部位。“你能去，我很为你骄傲。”他说道，“别担心孩子们，我会照顾他们的。”
褐皮发出一阵温柔的呼噜。“谢谢你，花楸掌。”她又转向黑莓掌，很快地说道，“我们可以走了吗？”
狮爪发觉父亲非常震惊，好像他从未料到，褐皮会答应得这么爽快。
“既然要踏上去山地的漫漫长路，”褐皮说道，“我们就别在这儿浪费时间了。”
“的确如此。”黑莓掌低声喃喃着，又转身对影族族长说，“谢谢你，黑星！我敢肯定，星族会为你今天的做法感到骄傲的。”
黑星点了点头，看上去有些尴尬。狮爪十分清楚，黑星根本就没料到事情会变成这样。黄毛也什么都没说，只是发出生气的嘶嘶声，然后狠狠地抽了一下尾巴，转身走开了。
狮爪跟着黑莓掌和褐皮穿过森林时，兴奋再次袭遍了他的全身。他确信，松鼠飞和冬青爪在风族的行动，也同样取得了成功。所有族群的猫正团结起来，准备去帮助急水部落！这比单纯造访山地有意义多了。或许，他会成为另一个不可思议的故事的一部分。有一天，族群也会将这个故事，讲给幼崽听，就像流传已久的大迁徙的故事一样。
CHAPTER16
CHAPTER16
Hollypaw turned to stare at hermother. “You knowthis kittypet?”
Squirrelflight’s eyes were bright. “We met him on our first journey,” she explained. “He helped us find the way to the sun-drown-place.”
Tawnypelt sprang up from where she had been sleeping in the shelter of the bramble thicket. “Hey, Purdy!” she called, bounding across the grass to touch noses with the old tabby. “How’s the prey running?”
Stormfur padded up after her. “Greetings, Purdy. I’m glad that StarClan has joined our paths again.”
“A friend o’ mine told me there were strange cats in the woods, an’ I reckoned they might be you,” the old tom meowed. “But where’s the rest of you? Where’s that scrawny young apprentice who was always arguin’?”
“Here.” Crowfeather stalked up to stand with the others.
“Are you going to let him talk to you like that?” Breezepaw demanded, gazing at the tabby tom with undisguised hostility. “I could rip his fur off with one paw.”
Crowfeather’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t understand, Breezepaw. Purdy was part of our journey. That’s important.”
Breezepaw gave a disdainful sniff.
“Crowfeather’s a warrior now,” Brambleclaw mewed hurriedly. Hollypaw guessed he was trying to distract Purdy from Breezepaw’s rudeness.
“So am I,” Squirrelflight added. “My warrior name is Squirrelflight.”
“Well I never!” Purdy’s amber eyes gleamed. “But there were six of you,” he added, glancing from side to side. “Where’s the silver cat—Feathersomethin’?”
“She died,” Crowfeather rasped, before any other cat could speak.
“I’m sorry to hear it.” Purdy’s tail drooped, but after a couple of heartbeats his eyes grew bright again. “I never thought I’d see Clan cats again, an’ now here you all are.”
“We’re not all Clan cats,” Stormfur pointed out. He waved his tail, beckoning Brook and the other Tribe cats to come closer. “This is Brook, and this is Night and Talon. They all come from the mountains.”
“Wha’?” Purdy’s neck fur bristled. “So there really are cats livin’ in the mountains?” He inspected the three Tribe cats with narrowed eyes. “I thought you were just a tale queens told their kits to stop ’em from strayin’.”
“No, we’re real, all right,” Talon mewed.
“So I see.” Purdy gave his chest fur a couple of licks, casting sidelong glances at the mountain cats as if he expected them to leap on him with claws out and teeth bared.
“And these are my kits.” Squirrelflight swept her tail around Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Jaypaw, urging them closer to the old tabby. “Mine and Brambleclaw’s.”
“Kits!” Purdy’s whiskers quivered in surprise. “And you hardly more’n kits yourselves. Come here, young ’uns, and let me look at you.”
“This is my son, Breezepaw,” Crowfeather added, shoving Breezepaw up with the others.
The three littermates padded up to Purdy. As Hollypaw dipped her head politely she caught a whiff of his sour breath and had to make an effort not to flinch away.
“He’s way old!” Breezepaw muttered into her ear. “Older than any of our elders. Why isn’t he dead yet?”
“Shut up, stupid furball,” Hollypaw whispered. “Kittypets get looked after by their Twolegs. They don’t have to catch their own food.”
Purdy said nothing, but he flicked up one ragged ear, and Hollypaw knew he had heard Breezepaw’s comment.
“I bet this old mangepelt couldn’t catch a mouse if he tried from now to leaf-bare,” Breezepaw scoffed.
Purdy looked at him. “You’re right, I don’t catch prey no more. I get my food from Upwalkers. But I reckon just this once I might try eatin’ ill-mannered kits.”
“I’m not a—” Breezepaw began indignantly, only to clamp his jaws shut as his father lashed out a paw at his ear—a hard blow, though with his claws sheathed.
“Don’t listen to Breezepaw,” Jaypaw mewed to the old tom. “Every cat knows he’s mouse-brained.”
A purr rumbled in Purdy’s chest. “Don’t worry, young ’un. I’ve met more nuisancy young cats than you’ve had rabbits.”
He lowered his head to inspect the three littermates. Close up, he looked as if he hadn’t groomed his pelt in seasons. Hollypaw spotted a tick on the side of his neck and a few fleas hopping among the matted fur and tangled burrs.
Yuck, fleas! I don’t want any of them hopping onto me, thanks
In a Clan, apprentices would groom the elders’ fur and get rid of ticks and fleas. Maybe Purdy wasn’t as well looked after as Clan cats after all.
“So what are you doin’ here?” Purdy asked, when he had given Hollypaw and her littermates a good sniff. “Not off to the sun-drown-place again?”
“Not this time,” Brambleclaw replied. “We’re going to the mountains. The Tribe cats need our help.”
Purdy’s eyes stretched wide with alarm. “That’s no place for cats!” he protested. “Are you tellin’ me you haven’t found a better place than that to live?”
“We’ve found a greatplace,” Squirrelflight assured him.
“It’s beside a lake,” Tawnypelt added. “There’s enough territory for all four Clans and not much trouble from Twolegs.”
“Then why don’t you stay there?” Purdy asked.
“We’ll be going back, but right now the Tribe cats need us,” Brambleclaw meowed.
Hollypaw missed Purdy’s reply as Lionpaw hissed into her ear, “Why don’t we get going? This kittypet is holding us all up.”
“I guess he’s an old friend,” Hollypaw meowed, though privately she agreed with Lionpaw. Cats in the mountains could be dying while the rescue party stood here meowing about old times.
To her relief, Brambleclaw dipped his head to the old cat. “We’d better be going. It’s been great seeing you again, Purdy.”
“No need to say good-bye just yet,” Purdy meowed. “I reckon I’ll come with you.”
Hollypaw saw her own dismay reflected in the faces of the Tribe cats. Night muttered something urgently into Talon’s ear.
“Brambleclaw—” Talon began.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Brambleclaw told Purdy; Hollypaw couldn’t understand the regret in her father’s amber eyes. “It’s a tough journey, and there’ll be fighting at the end of it.”
Purdy fluffed out his pelt. “You sayin’ I can’t fight? Too old and fat, is that it?” Before any of the other cats could reply, he broke into a rusty mrrowof laughter. “Mebbe you’re right, but I can come with you as far as the woods.” He waved his tail at the trees on the opposite side of the valley. “I know a thing or two that might help you.”
“Mouse dung!” Breezepaw muttered, loud enough for Purdy to hear him. “Now we’re stuck with the stupid mangepelt.”
Purdy just flicked his tail and turned his back on the WindClan apprentice, padding beside Brambleclaw to the edge of the trees and down the hillside. Squirrelflight bounded forward to join them on Purdy’s other side.
Hollypaw didn’t like Breezepaw’s rudeness, but she found herself agreeing with him. This old cat was bound to slow them down, when every moment counted.
“Brambleclaw and the others have been here before,” she murmured to Lionpaw. “What can Purdy tell them that they don’t already know?”
Lionpaw shrugged. “Like Breezepaw says, we’re stuck with him.”
As they headed into the valley, Hollypaw could hear Purdy rambling on about the Twolegplace that she could see in the distance.
“Remember those rats?” he asked.
“Will I ever forget?” Tawnypelt growled. “I thought I’d die of that bite.” She swiped her tongue around her jaws and added with satisfaction, “The rat that gave it to me didn’t have long to regret it.”
A purr rumbled deep inside Purdy’s chest. “Well, they’re not there no more. Upwalkers came and put up a nest there and cleared out all the rats.”
“Good!” Tawnypelt’s tail lashed.
“And that open space where the monsters were sleepin’…”
Hollypaw stopped listening. They weren’t going anywhere near the Twolegplace, so why did Purdy need to tell them about it? Her paws itched to race down into the valley, but she was forced to match her pace with Purdy’s slow amble.
“Why is Brambleclaw doing this?” she muttered. “The Tribe of Rushing Water could be wiped out while we’re hanging around here.”
“The Tribe cats feel the same,” Jaypaw mewed. “Talon’s boiling under his fur.”
Hollypaw didn’t need her brother’s perceptiveness to tell her that. Brook just looked unhappy, but Night and Talon were whispering fiercely together, their neck fur bristling. If Brambleclaw didn’t pick up the pace soon, there would be a quarrel.
The sun rose above the trees and Hollypaw was grateful for the cool grass brushing against her flanks. Bees buzzed among the clover while birds swooped and cried in the clear blue sky. A little way ahead, a cluster of grayish-white animals cropped the grass.
“Look—sheep.” Breezepaw pointed to them with a flick of his tail. “That means there must be a Twoleg farm near here.”
“We know,” Hollypaw retorted. She wasn’t going to be friendly with Breezepaw, even if she did agree with him about Purdy. “We’ve seen sheep before, thanks.”
“In WindClan—” Breezepaw began in superior tones.
“There’s something else,” Lionpaw interrupted. “Another animal scent, but I’ve never smelled it before.”
Hollypaw halted to taste the air. Lionpaw was right; apart from the cats around her, the sheep, and a distant trace of dog, she picked up something different. She couldn’t see anything, but her paws prickled with apprehension.
Brambleclaw led the way around the flank of a hill, and the valley opened up below them. At the bottom of the slope was a cluster of Twoleg nests, surrounded by a fence. The strange scent grew stronger; Hollypaw felt her pelt begin to bristle as she spotted where it was coming from. Between the nests and the journeying cats was a group of big black-and-white animals. They had feet like pointed stones and long tails that swished through the air with a reedy hiss.
“What are those?” Lionpaw asked, and for once Breezepaw had no reply.
“They’re huge,” Hollypaw meowed, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. “And they’re looking at us. Do you think they’re going to attack?”
She was poised to flee when she heard Purdy’s rusty laughter. “Don’t you worry none,” he rasped. “They’re only cows.”
“It’s okay.” Squirrelflight glanced over her shoulder. “We’ve seen cows before. They won’t do you any harm so long as you stay away from their huge feet.”
Even so, Hollypaw was relieved that Brambleclaw circled around to stay well away from the cows as they padded downhill, and happier still when the unfamiliar creatures were left behind.
“I can smell mice,” Lionpaw announced as they drew near the Twoleg nests. He raced to catch up to Brambleclaw and ask, “Can we stop and hunt? I’m starving.”
Hollypaw’s jaws flooded as she picked up the tempting scent. It seemed to be coming from the two biggest nests, set a little way away from the others. She scampered forward to join her littermate. “Please, Brambleclaw. I’m hungry, too.”
Brambleclaw hesitated, and it was Purdy who replied. “You don’t want nothin’ to do wi’ that place, young ’uns. It’s dangerous. Can’t you smell dogs as well as mice?”
Brambleclaw nodded. “I can. Thanks, Purdy. We’ll carry on until we find somewhere a bit safer.”
Lionpaw let out a hiss of annoyance. “I’m not scared of dogs,” he muttered.
“Neither am I,” Breezepaw agreed. “We see them all the time on WindClan territory. They’re not dangerous if you know how to deal with them.”
“The Twolegs probably keep the stupid things shut up anyway,” added Lionpaw. “Purdy’s just making a fuss about nothing.”
“Yeah,” meowed Breezepaw. “He’s only a kittypet, so he’s bound to be scared.”
Toms!Hollypaw thought, shaking her head as she listened to her brother and the WindClan apprentice, on the same side for once. They went on muttering together as Brambleclaw led them into the shadow of a hedge.
Hollypaw kept her ears pricked for the sound of prey. She thought she spotted movement in the thickest part of the hedge, but when she turned to look more closely a hawthorn branch snagged her fur and the small creature, whatever it was, vanished. Spitting crossly, she stopped to give her shoulder a quick groom, and spotted Lionpaw and Breezepaw, their bellies flat to the ground, creeping away in the direction of the farm.
“Hey!” she called. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Lionpaw signaled to her with his tail. “Quiet, for StarClan’s sake!”
Hollypaw cast a glance at the others; they had drawn ahead by a few fox-lengths, and no cat had heard anything. Jaypaw was walking between Stormfur and Brook and hadn’t noticed the others leave.
Hollypaw darted over to her brother and Breezepaw. “Where are you going?”
“Keep your fur on,” Lionpaw hissed. “We’re just going back to the farm. Every cat’s going so slowly that we can catch a few mice and be back before they miss us.”
“Come on,” Breezepaw urged, nudging Lionpaw’s shoulder. “I can taste those mice now.”
“Are you mouse-brained?” Hollypaw demanded. “What if you get left behind? We ought to stay together.”
“We won’t get left behind,” Lionpaw mewed.
“That cat’s only a kittypet andan elder,” Breezepaw put in. “He’s probably never caught a mouse in his life. Why should he tell us what to do?”
“Brambleclawtold us what to do,” Hollypaw pointed out. “He’ll have your tails for fresh-kill if he catches you.”
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t catch us.” Lionpaw’s amber eyes glowed with a strange light. A shiver ran through Hollypaw from her ears to her tail tip. She didn’t want to let her brother go off in this mood, especially with Breezepaw, who’d already shown he couldn’t be trusted in a crisis. But she knew that she couldn’t stop him, unless she told the senior warriors what he was planning.
“Okay,” she meowed. “I’m coming with you.”
Breezepaw glared at her. “No cat invited you.”
“Let her come.” Lionpaw rested the tip of his tail on Hollypaw’s shoulder. “Three will be better than two when we’re searching for prey. And Hollypaw is one of the best hunters in the Clan. She’s nearly as good as Sandstorm!”
“Okay, then,” Breezepaw meowed ungraciously.
Hollypaw cast another glance up the line of the hedge. The other cats had disappeared, though their scent told her they weren’t far away.
“Come on,” Lionpaw whispered.
He spun around and raced across a stretch of open ground toward the Twoleg fence. Hollypaw and Breezepaw followed, the grass brushing their belly fur and their tails streaming out. Hollypaw pricked her ears for yowls of anger behind them, but all was quiet.
The fence was made of the same shiny stuff as the fence around the horseplace. Lionpaw flattened himself to the ground and wriggled underneath the lowest strand, springing to his paws as soon as he reached the other side.
“Hurry up!” he urged.
Hollypaw wriggled underneath, feeling the shiny fence-stuff scrape against her back, and remembering her mother’s story of getting stuck on a fence like this during her first journey. Her paws tingled with the fear that she would get stuck too
Then she was safely through, and Breezepaw was scrabbling under the fence after her. Lionpaw was already racing down a narrow gap between the Twoleg nests. Water flooded Hollypaw’s mouth again at the overwhelming scent of mice. Following her brother, she halted briefly at the edge of another open space, this one covered with stone.
Opposite where the three apprentices were standing was one of the big Twoleg nests. Across the entrance was a wooden barrier that stood slightly ajar; inside, the nest was dark. Lionpaw glanced around. Although Hollypaw could scent both dogs and Twolegs, there was no sign of either.
“Get on with it!” Breezepaw muttered.
Lionpaw signaled with his tail, and the three young cats bounded across the open space and slipped through the gap into the nest.
Once inside, Hollypaw stood still, panting from exertion and fear, until her eyes got used to the dim light. The walls of the nest were made of rough stone. Light angled in from the entrance and from a few narrow gaps high in the walls. Dust motes danced golden in the greenish rays, but the rest of the nest lay in shadow. The scent of mouse was stronger still, but Hollypaw was too edgy to hunt. She turned and looked back the way they had come.
Behind her she heard the scamper of paws, and a thin shriek that cut off abruptly.
“First kill!” Breezepaw declared with glee. Hollypaw glanced back to see him crouched over the body of a plump mouse.
Lionpaw had dropped into the hunter’s crouch, his haunches waggling from side to side and his eyes fixed on something in the shadows. Hollypaw bit back a gasp as she made out the shape of an enormous rat. It was nearly as big as Lionpaw.
Lionpaw pounced; there was a brief flurry of movement and a squeal from the rat that broke off a heartbeat later as Lionpaw bit down hard on its neck. He stood over his prey, his eyes glowing with pride.
“Brilliant catch!” Hollypaw exclaimed.
“Not bad,” Breezepaw mumbled around a mouthful of mouse.
Lionpaw started dragging his prey by its tail into the center of the nest. “Come and share,” he invited Hollypaw. “I can’t possibly eat all this by myself.”
“Thanks, I—” Hollypaw broke off at the sound of movement from outside and a sudden sharp scent.
For a couple of heartbeats she stared, frozen, at the gap leading out into the open. She couldn’t see anything, but she heard snuffling at the bottom of the wooden barrier, the thud of heavy paws, and a low-pitched growling.
Breezepaw’s eyes stretched wide. “Dogs!”
第十二章
第十二章
冬青爪站在风族边界的溪流边，不远处就是垫脚石的位置。从荒原上刮来的风，将她身上的毛吹得倒向一边，也带来了猫、兔子以及荒原韧草的气息。
松鼠飞站在她的身边等待着，尾巴尖儿不停地抽动。冬青爪能明白母亲心中为何焦虑不安——尽管上次风族幼崽丢失的事情已经过去了，但风族的边界依然是敏感区域。
冬青爪的思绪又飘回地下隧道，想起了汹涌的地下河。她和其他学徒为了将幼崽们安全救出来，差点儿送了命。冬青爪真希望隧道在很长时间不会被别的猫发现，免得再引起大家的误会。
“他们过来了。”松鼠飞嗅了嗅空中的气息。
过了两三个心跳的时间，一支风族巡逻队出现在山坡上，朝她俩所在的方向行进。三只风族猫是裂耳、白尾和风爪。看到风爪越过族猫，向自己猛冲过来时，冬青爪不由心里紧张起来——风爪的毛竖着，显然已经准备投入一场边境冲突。不过当他辨认出冬青爪时，爪子却突然放缓了。
“啊，原来是你啊！”风爪嘟囔着，在溪流的对岸停下了爪子。
“是啊。”冬青爪忘不了上次风爪在隧道里有多讨厌，他一直在抱怨，一直和她争吵，“我又回来了。”
这时松鼠飞用尾巴轻轻弹了一下冬青爪的耳朵，她立即后退了一步。
“风爪！”白尾喊着，和裂耳追上了学徒，“别在那儿站着！”
风爪龇起牙，正准备吼一声，这时却低下头走开了，嘴里不住地嘟囔着。
“你们为什么在这里？”裂耳问道。他的声音很冰冷，但却没有敌意。
“我们需要和鸦羽谈谈。”松鼠飞解释道。
裂耳和白尾的毛都竖了起来，颈毛都奓开了。他俩相互交换了一个怀疑的眼神。
“是关于我们去太阳沉没之地的事。”松鼠飞飞快地补充道。
“那是很久以前的事了。”裂耳咆哮道。
“鸦羽的记性应该没那么差。”松鼠飞刻薄地反驳着，“他不会那么快就忘记的。”
冬青爪不明白，为什么这几只风族猫突然由保持克制变得敌意满满；另外，母亲的话为什么变得如此刻薄；为什么一提到鸦羽，他们就这么紧张呢？
“我不能就这样把鸦羽找来，”白尾说道，“你必须先跟一星谈谈。”
“好的，我明白。”松鼠飞轻巧地跳过垫脚石，进入了风族领地。她走过裂耳身边时，狠狠地瞪了他一眼。冬青爪过溪时，则小心得多，爪子下奔涌的溪流，离她只有一条老鼠尾巴远。
当她跟着母亲和风族武士向山坡上爬去时，风爪稍等了片刻，然后跟她并肩前行。“你们来这里做什么？”他在她的耳朵边轻轻地问，“你们是来侦查我们营地的吗？”
“别开玩笑了。”冬青爪回应道，“我们侦查你们这么糟糕的营地干什么？我们需要和鸦羽谈谈，仅此而已。”
“谈什么？”风爪盘问道。
“那跟你没关系，鼠脑子！”
风爪气得眯起了眼睛。“但他是我父亲！”他开口说道，“他……”
“风爪！”裂耳回过头甩甩尾巴，招呼着学徒，“过来跟我一起走。”
风爪发出一声恼怒的嘶嘶声，然后加快脚步，跟上了资深武士。
“风爪，你的训练进展得怎么样？”松鼠飞问道。
“不太好。”白尾不等学徒回答，就回应道，“他召集了一个学徒巡逻队，去查看狗有没有回到风族领地的边缘。当然了，他根本就没有请求批准，甚至连一位提供支援的武士都没有！”
“我们只是……”
“只是去自杀。”裂耳打断了他的话。
冬青爪听过雷族在旧森林时，迅爪被狗群杀死的事，也见过狗群在亮心身上留下的恐怖伤痕。如果风爪认为，几位学徒就能对付狗群，而且还会毫发无损，那他就比冬青爪之前想象的还要愚蠢。
“接着，你又挑起了跟河族巡逻队的战斗。”裂耳继续说着，声音里带着恼怒，“他们并没闯入我们的领地，也没偷窃我们的猎物，一星替你向雾脚道歉时，心里可不会感激你给了他这个机会。”裂耳发出一声长长的叹息，又对松鼠飞说道，“风爪在成为武士之前，还有很多东西要学习。”
当几位高级武士刚背过身，风爪便怒视着他们的背影，嘴里嘀咕着什么，不过冬青爪并没有听到。
白尾和裂耳带着她们爬上一条长长的斜坡，来到一处金雀花丛屏障前。冬青爪跟着钻进去的时候，感到荆棘的刺剐着她的皮毛。钻出通道时，她发现自己正俯瞰着整个风族营地。
一条陡峭的斜坡向下延伸，通往一个自然形成的洼地，里面点缀着一些金雀花和荆棘。冬青爪猜测着整个营地的格局。尽管在洼地下方有几处谷地可以让猫栖身，但是这片营地比她所习惯的要裸露。冬青爪嗅着空气，想通过气息判断各种猫的居住地。一阵刺鼻的老鼠胆汁气息，正从一处看起来就像废弃的獾窝的深洞里传出来。那里一定是长老的巢穴，因为他们经常需要老鼠胆汁来驱赶虱子。她从一个石头缝隙里闻到了草药的芬芳，意识到那儿一定是青面的巢穴。另外，一股温暖的奶味儿从金雀花丛中传来，那里肯定是育婴室。
“去给长老们拿些猎物！”白尾命令风爪的声音，打断了冬青爪的思绪。白尾又朝松鼠飞摇了摇尾巴：“跟着我，我们去看看一星在不在他的巢穴里。”
白尾跑在前面，冬青爪跟在妈妈后面，飞快地朝坡下奔去。但是还没等雷族猫抵达山谷的底部，鸦羽从山谷另一边的灌木丛里钻了出来，嘴里叼着一只兔子。他看到来访者，愣了一个心跳的时间，然后轻快地朝猎物堆跑去，把猎物放好。
当松鼠飞走到鸦羽身边时，他转过身看着松鼠飞，深灰色的毛全奓了起来。“你来这里做什么？”他问道，“出什么事了吗？”
“没有。”松鼠飞回答道。冬青爪很想知道是什么困扰着鸦羽。是他的皮毛里有蚂蚁吗？“的确是有些事，但和族群无关。”
松鼠飞似乎有些纠结，因此冬青爪走上前去。“急水部落需要我们的帮助。”她解释道，“曾前往太阳沉没之地的猫们，现在必须去山地。”
鸦羽看起来很惊讶。冬青爪意识到，也许是自己太心急口快了。“他们甚至连学徒都需要，是吗？”鸦羽低吼道。
松鼠飞友善地用尾巴弹了一下鸦羽的肩膀。“鸦羽，我们就别抱怨有学徒参加这次旅行了。”见他没有回应，松鼠飞又接着说道，“鹰爪和黑夜，你还记得他们吧？他们来到雷族营地，来找暴毛和溪儿。急水部落正遭受一群入侵者的威胁。入侵者想要抢走他们的狩猎场。我们——我是指黑莓掌和我——认为我们应该去山地帮他们。”
鸦羽沉默不语。冬青爪从他的表情里，读不出任何信息。“这件事跟我们有什么关系呢？”他终于问道。
“在大迁徙的时候，他们帮过我们。”松鼠飞说道。
“但羽尾已经为他们死了！”鸦羽呼噜着，蓝色的眼睛闪烁着，“我们不欠他们什么。”
羽尾曾经是河族猫，是暴毛的妹妹，她在第一次的旅程中死了。可是现在其他猫似乎都认为，她的死并不能成为不帮急水部落的理由。为什么鸦羽的想法不一样？羽尾甚至都不是他的族猫！
“羽尾以前一直都想去帮助急水部落。”松鼠飞平静地说道，“她一定还会帮助他们。她的死不是急水部落的错。你如果要怪，就怪尖牙兽吧！”
一阵战栗传遍了冬青爪的身体，她忍不住把爪子深深地插进粗糙的草丛里。松鼠飞正实事求是地谈论冬青爪在育婴室就听过的故事。好像松鼠飞和黑莓掌已经成为那段传奇的一部分。鸦羽也是如此。尽管冬青爪很难将那位勇猛的武士——还是星族挑选的——与站在眼前的这只狐疑、暴躁的瘦猫联系在一起。难怪风爪脾气那么暴躁，原来是继承了他的父亲！
“你好，松鼠飞。”
冬青爪猛地转过身，发现白尾已经回来，身后跟着一星和风族副族长灰脚。刚才打招呼的是一星。他扬起脑袋，高高地翘起尾巴，向松鼠飞走来。
“一星，你好。”松鼠飞向他低头致意。
“欢迎来到我们的营地。”虽然风族族长琥珀色的眼睛里流露出惊讶的神情，但语气依旧很友好，“我们能为你做些什么呢？”
松鼠飞一五一十地给他解释了急水部落来到雷族营地寻求帮助的事。鸦羽带着一成不变的不快的表情听着。这时其他风族猫也围了上来。在猫群中，冬青爪发现了石楠爪，向她点点头。风爪再次出现在猫群里，就站在石楠爪的旁边。
“所以黑莓掌和我认为，参加过第一次旅程的猫应该去帮助急水部落。”松鼠飞最后说道，“黑莓掌已经去影族找褐皮了。我到这里来，是想把这件事告诉鸦羽。”
一星眯起了眼睛：“他可能会离开很长时间，也许是一个月亮圆缺，或者更长。”
“我还要带学徒！”鸦羽提醒一星。
“这倒是真的。不管怎样，我想你都应该去。”一星说道，“在大迁徙的时候，急水部落给我们提供了食物和住所，没有他们的帮助，许多猫可能都已经死了，而且我们也可能永远找不到湖边的家园。此外，”鸦羽想插嘴，但一星没有理会，接着说道，“在高星生命的最后阶段，山地猫对他非常友善。我们帮助他们，也是对高星的怀念。”
鸦羽看起来吓了一跳：“那石楠爪的训练怎么办？”
“白尾可以暂时当她的老师，”一星做出了决定：“我想，最好让风爪跟你一起去。这样一来，白尾也不用担心没有学徒可教。”
啊，不要啊！冬青爪想，你们可能已经受够他了，可我们也同样不需要他！拜托啦！
“什么？”风爪大叫道，他的眼睛因为沮丧睁得大大的。
“你可真幸运！”石楠爪插话道，她发出一声嫉妒的叹息，“如果可以让我去，我献出尾巴都行！”
“唉，我不想去！”
“别担心，你会回来的！”冬青爪厉声说道。
“你怎么知道？”风爪的耳朵耷拉着，尾巴也沮丧地垂下来，“我想，我的族猫们恨不得我走得越远越好。”
他的话听起来如此凄惨，冬青爪都不由得泛起一股同情。不过这只持续了几个心跳的时间。在上个月亮圆缺之间，风爪就两次违反了武士守则。也是时候让他尝尝树枝敲在身上的滋味了！
鸦羽向前走了两三步，站到松鼠飞旁边。“如果我去，那一定是我自己的决定。”他说着瞥了一眼一星。冬青爪不知道他是不是在挑战族长，然而一星却未做出什么回应。“我……我会去的。”鸦羽接着说道，“我想再次站在羽尾牺牲的地方。”
“那风爪呢？”松鼠飞问道。
鸦羽叹了口气：“是的，我想，如果一星下了命令，他也必须跟我一起走。”
风爪狠狠地瞪了父亲一眼，开始用爪子撕扯草地。冬青爪想到了自己的父母，她非常高兴，当她想尝试新事物时，他们总是支持她。看起来鸦羽和风爪之间似乎一点儿也不融洽。我多少能理解为什么会这样，冬青爪想，我已经接触鸦羽几次了，他看上去确实……有些奇怪。
“你要让鸦羽和风爪现在就跟你一起走吗？”一星问道。
“是的，请你允许。”松鼠飞回答道，“我们计划今晚都在雷族营地休息，明天早晨就出发。叶池会给大家准备旅行草药的。”
“我想先跟朋友们道个别。”风爪有些不愿意。
“没时间了！”鸦羽呵斥道。
“我会替你跟大家道别的。”石楠爪走上去，用鼻子触碰着风爪的肩膀，“你也不要担心。等你回来的时候，你一定会有很多不可思议的故事告诉我们。”
风爪看起来并没有被这个愿景打动。
一只黑色母猫从风族猫群中走了出来。冬青爪认出，她就是鸦羽的伴侣夜云。她上前蹭着鸦羽的皮毛。“多加小心！”她说道。
鸦羽飞快地舔了她一下。但是冬青爪注意到，他的眼神其实正凝视着远方。
松鼠飞朝一星低头致意，对他深表感谢。接着鸦羽就率先冲上斜坡，跑出了风族营地。当他们艰难地穿过荒原时，鸦羽看起来仍然满脸怒容。而且风爪也依然在生气，不管冬青爪怎么向他示好，他都不肯跟她说话。
我觉得这次旅程一定会非常无趣的。冬青爪沮丧地想。
CHAPTER17
CHAPTER17
“We’ve got to get out!”The WindClan apprentice abandoned the remains of his mouse and bounded toward the entrance, only to skid to a halt a couple of fox-lengths away. Three skinny black-and-white shapes had appeared in the gap, their jaws hanging open and their eyes shining as they surveyed the cats.
“One each.” Lionpaw’s voice was dry with fear. “Great.”
Hollypaw looked around. There were no other entrances to the nest and no gaps in the stone walls, except for those where the light came in, too high for a cat to leap.
The dogs began to creep forward, their heads lowered and their legs bent, ready to sprint after the cats. Now I know what prey feels like, Hollypaw thought. She and the two toms backed away nervously.
“Try to dodge around them,” Lionpaw mewed quietly. “If we can get out, we can outrun them.”
The first dog leaped forward. Hollypaw spun around and fled, imagining she could feel its breath hot on her hind paws. Her muscles flexed as she tried to make her legs move faster, but she was tired from journeying, and her paws slipped on the dusty stone floor. Ahead of her, at the far end of the nest, was an enormous pile of dried grass. Despairingly Hollypaw wondered if they could hide in it, but she knew the dogs would be able to plunge into it and drag them out. Beyond it was the bare wall.
Why did we let ourselves get trapped? I can’t believe we were so stupid!“StarClan, help us!” she panted, but at the same time she hoped the starry warriors weren’t watching and didn’t know how disobedient they’d been.
“Up here!”
The yowl came from above her. Glancing up, she spotted a cat’s head and shoulders in one of the narrow slits high in the wall. Her jaws gaped in astonishment. It was Purdy!
“Climb the hay!” the old cat urged. “D’you want to stay and be eaten?”
Lionpaw flung himself at the pile of dried grass and began to claw his way up it. Hollypaw plunged after him, just as she heard the snap of teeth a mouse-length from her hind paws. Behind her she heard a shriek. Glancing back she saw Breezepaw trying to climb, only to be dragged back by a dog with its teeth fastened in his tail.
Hollypaw tensed. She would have to go back and help. She didn’t like Breezepaw, but he was a Clan cat, and she couldn’t abandon him to be torn apart. But before she could scramble down Breezepaw gave a panic-stricken heave, tore his tail free, and struggled upward, away from the gaping jaws.
The dogs tried to follow him, but they were too heavy for the piled grass to bear their weight. They floundered around in it, snuffling and slavering over the trail of Breezepaw’s blood.
Hollypaw fought her way up again, half buried in the grass. It caught in her pelt; seeds got into her nose and made her sneeze. Just ahead of her, Lionpaw reached the slit where Purdy waited. The old tabby grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him through, then dropped him somewhere out of Hollypaw’s sight.
He reached for Hollypaw, grabbed her, and swung her off all four of her paws into the air. In a blur of fear she thought she would fall all the way to the ground. She tensed herself for the impact, only to drop, juddering, onto a sloping red roof a couple of tail-lengths below the slit in the wall. Caught off-balance, she felt herself slipping to the edge, until Lionpaw thrust himself in front of her and brought her to a halt.
“Thanks!” she gasped.
Looking back, she saw Purdy hauling Breezepaw through the gap
“What about my tail?” the WindClan cat complained as Purdy dropped him to join the others. “It’s bleeding!”
“Shut up and follow me,” Purdy meowed, leaping down beside them with a thump. “Or you’ll have more to worry about than your tail. This way,” he added, creeping to the edge of the roof.
He jumped down onto the edge of a container filled with water, and from there to the ground, gesturing urgently for them to follow. Lionpaw went first, leaping down easily. Hollypaw followed him with more caution, imagining the cold shock of a plunge into the water. Breezepaw landed beside her and immediately flicked his tail forward to examine the ragged and bleeding end.
“Stop that,” Purdy hissed. “We’ve got to run!”
A flurry of yelping sounded from inside the nest, followed by the thunder of paws breaking out into the open. Purdy took off, running as fast as any warrior, back the way the apprentices had come. The apprentices raced after him. Hollypaw’s heart pounded even harder as they approached the fence; would they be able to squeeze through before the dogs caught them?
But Purdy led them to a different part of the fence and shoved Lionpaw roughly through a hole. Hollypaw scrambled through after him; it was easier and faster than squeezing underneath. Breezepaw followed, and last of all Purdy, who turned to face the dogs as they came bounding up, barking fit to wake StarClan.
“Get back to your Upwalkers,” he taunted them. “Ask them to feed you. You won’t get no cat today.”
Hollypaw didn’t think the dogs understood him. They flung themselves at the fence, but it didn’t give way, and the hole was too small for them to get through. A moment later a Twoleg appeared around the corner of the nearest nest and yowled at them. The dogs’ barking changed to whines and they slunk away, casting furious glances back at the cats.
“Right, let’s go,” Purdy meowed.
He led them back to the shelter of the hedge, where all three of them collapsed in the long grass. Hollypaw closed her eyes. When she opened them again Purdy had gone. Instead, Brambleclaw and Crowfeather were standing over her.
“Are the three of you completely mouse-brained?” Brambleclaw’s voice was icy. “You were told there were dogs at the farm. Yet you still go putting yourselves in danger. And for what? A few mice!”
“Sorry,” Hollypaw muttered, unable to meet her father’s gaze.
“We weren’t thinking,” Lionpaw confessed.
“Obviously,” Brambleclaw retorted.
“It’s not all our fault, though.” Breezepaw looked up from licking his tail. “If you hadn’t let us get so hungry—”
“None of you has ever known what it means to be really hungry,” Crowfeather spat.
“And I hope all three of you have thanked Purdy,” Brambleclaw continued. “You’re lucky he guessed where you’d gone. If he hadn’t—”
“We could have found our own way up the hay,” Breezepaw interrupted. “We don’t owe anything to that crazy old cat.”
Hollypaw gaped at him. Okay, maybe they could have found their own way out if they hadn’t been so terrified, and if they had known which slit offered an easy way to the ground. But she was sure that if it hadn’t been for Purdy, they would all three be lying dead in the Twoleg nest, torn apart by the dogs.
Crowfeather let out an irritable hiss and turned his back. Hollypaw felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for Breezepaw. She would rather be scolded by Brambleclaw than face Crowfeather’s coldness. Did he even likeBreezepaw? She and her littermates couldn’t stand the WindClan apprentice, but Crowfeather was his father, for StarClan’s sake!
I’m glad he’s notmy father, she thought.
A rustling along the hedgerow made her jump, but it was only Jaypaw, padding up with a mouthful of herbs. “Chervil,” he announced, dropping the leaves beside Breezepaw. “I’d rather use horsetail, but I can’t find any. Chew it up and put the pulp on your tail,” he told Breezepaw. He turned to Hollypaw and Lionpaw. “Are you hurt?”
“No, we’re fine,” Lionpaw assured him.
“I’d better check.” Jaypaw nosed Lionpaw thoroughly from ears to tail tip, then went on to Hollypaw.
“We’re really okay,” she meowed, realizing that her brother was quivering with tension. “I’m sorry we couldn’t bring you back a mouse.”
“You shouldn’t be sorry for that.” Hollypaw was shocked at the fear and anger in her brother’s voice. “Be sorry you went off and did something so mouse-brained. You didn’t think about me, did you? What would I do if I lost you?”
Hollypaw swallowed hard. She hadn’tthought about Jaypaw, except to check that he didn’t know they were leaving. She’d forgotten how much Jaypaw needed her and Lionpaw, and how much harder it would be for him to lead a normal life if they weren’t there.
“We aresorry,” she mewed, touching her nose to her brother’s shoulder. “We—”
“‘Sorry’ catches no prey.” Jaypaw pulled away from her, gave a quick sniff at the pulped chervil on Breezepaw’s tail, and stalked off down the line of the hedge. “They’re fine, we can carry on.” He tossed the words at Brambleclaw over his shoulder as he went.
“Come on,” Brambleclaw meowed. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”
He led the way back to the other cats, who were waiting in the shadow of the hedge. Purdy was curled up, apparently asleep. Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt were keeping watch, while Stormfur and Brook shared tongues and the two Tribe cats crouched close together, muttering.
“About time,” Tawnypelt grunted, rising to her paws.
“Are you all okay?” Squirrelflight asked. Her voice was stern, but Hollypaw could sense her anxiety.
“We’re fine,” Lionpaw mewed quietly. “We won’t do it again.”
Brambleclaw’s voice was grim. “You’d better not.”
Stormfur prodded Purdy awake, and the journeying cats set off again. Hollypaw’s pads stung from where they had scraped on the stone floor of the nest. Her fur felt hot and uncomfortable from the seeds and dried grasses still caught up in it. Soon they had to leave the shade of the hedge and trek across an open field. The sun beat down; thirst clawed at her throat and her belly was yowling with hunger. Her legs were trembling with exhaustion by the time they reached the forest on the other side of the valley.
Brambleclaw stopped under the trees. “We’ll stay here for the night,” he announced.
“But it’s still daylight,” Talon objected. “We can go farther before it’s too dark to travel.”
“I hope you’re not stopping because of these apprentices,” Crowfeather added, giving his son an unfriendly glare. “If they’re tired, it’s their own fault.”
“No, I’m not.” Brambleclaw spoke quietly. “Though none of us will get very far if they collapse. But if we rest here now we can get an early start tomorrow and reach the mountains before nightfall.”
The warriors went off to hunt among the ferns and brambles at the edge of the wood. Lionpaw and Breezepaw flopped down side by side on the moss between some tree roots and fell instantly asleep.
Hollypaw would have liked to join them, but there was something else she had to do first. Tottering on exhausted legs, she forced herself farther into the wood until she spotted a mouse scuttling across the open space between two bushes. As she pounced, it darted under a heap of dead leaves; she scrambled after it and managed to trap it between her claws.
That was a really messy kill, she thought, though she was almost too tired to care.
Picking up the limp body, she padded back to the edge of the wood where Purdy was crouching, his paws tucked under him as he gazed with slitted eyes across the valley.
One amber eye opened wider as she approached. “What d’you want?” he asked. Hollypaw had expected him to be hostile, but his voice was gentle, even friendly.
“I brought you this.” She dropped the mouse in front of him. “Food, and something else.” She scraped the grass with one forepaw, suddenly embarrassed. “I…er…I couldn’t help noticing you’ve got lots of ticks,” she stumbled. “I’ll get them off, if you like.”
Purdy raised one hind leg and scratched vigorously behind his ear. “I wouldn’t say no.”
Carefully Hollypaw extracted the mouse bile, trying not to gag at the dreadful smell. Fetching a scrap of moss to soak it up, she explained to Purdy, “This is what medicine cats do in the Clans. I was a medicine cat apprentice for a while, so I learned how.”
“That’s certainly some smell,” Purdy meowed, turning his face away as Hollypaw began dabbing the bile on the ticks that swelled among his rumpled tabby fur. But he kept still and let out a sigh of relief as the creatures started to drop off.
“Don’t your Twolegs take care of your ticks?” Hollypaw asked as she worked.
Purdy shook his head. “My Upwalker died. I’ve found a few others who feed me now an’ then, but they don’t mess with my pelt. It don’t bother me none,” he added unconvincingly.
Pity for him clawed Hollypaw’s belly. So he’s not even a kittypet anymore! Just a loner who’s getting old.“There, I’m done,” she told him.
A rumbling purr started up in Purdy’s chest. “Thanks, that feels a whole lot better,” he meowed. “So that’s what you learn when you’re a medicine cat, eh? At least the Clan cats get one thing right.”
“We’re all sorry about today,” Hollypaw mewed quietly. “We’re really grateful for what you did, coming to rescue us like that.”
“’T’weren’t nothin’,” the old cat responded. “Takin’ on them dogs, it made me feel young again.”
“I think there’s a lot we could learn from you,” Hollypaw told him.
The old cat just gave an amused snort and bent his head to devour the remains of the mouse. Hollypaw curled up beside him in the long grass, and the sound of his contented purr filled her ears as she slept.
第十三章
第十三章
松鸦爪在黎明的寒风中打着冷战。旅行草药刺鼻的气息，笼罩在松鸦爪的周围，害得他连叶池的气息都闻不到了。实际上，叶池正在他的身边忙碌着。松鸦爪把哈欠憋回去，又回到了前晚做过的梦里——到处充斥着奇怪的气息、嶙峋的岩石和陌生的猫，以及战场上武士们的厮杀声。松鸦爪已经不记得自己被这个噩梦惊醒了多少次，醒来后，他心惊肉跳地发觉，原来他还躺在自己铺满了蕨叶的窝里。梦中没有任何对他有用的信息，他焦躁地甩着尾巴。如果我什么都弄不明白，那么做梦有什么意义呢？
空地上的众猫已经陆陆续续醒了过来，轻柔的声音透过黑莓屏风传了进来。松鸦爪从没感受过山谷里如此拥挤，到处睡满了风族猫、影族猫，还有急水部落的来访者。好在这个夜晚已经足够暖和，可以让他们睡在露天，尤其是风族猫早就适应了这种方式。当松鸦爪想起风爪和他父亲鸦羽一起到来时，自己的心情有多沮丧，他的爪子突然滑了出去。
我受不了那只傲慢的、满身虱子的猫！
松鸦爪可能永远也忘不了，他们被困在地下隧道时，风爪有多么无用。现在这些隧道肯定都被封死了，松鸦爪也无法再跟岩石和落叶交流了。风爪既不讲道理，又不懂礼貌，自己还能指望他什么呢？
“松鸦爪，你又在做什么白日梦呢？”叶池的声音打断了松鸦爪的思绪，“你可以开始把这些草药分发给即将出发的猫了。”
“你自己不能去吗？”松鸦爪很惊讶。急水部落的猫可能需要巫医解释他们吃的都是什么。
“不行，”叶池看起来有些烦躁，“我要再检查一遍这些草药。”
撒谎！松鸦爪想，只是准备几包旅行草药，至于这么大惊小怪吗？但他只是叼起草药，走进了营地。
松鸦爪嘴巴里的草药气息，让他很难辨识猫的位置。但是两三个心跳过后，他还是认出了躺在武士巢穴外面的几只猫——鸦羽、风爪、松鼠飞和褐皮。
松鸦爪朝他们走了过去，将草药放在鸦羽的爪子边。“这是旅行草药。”他说道。
“谢谢你。”鸦羽有种松鸦爪无法理解的不安——这似乎超出了对即将开始的旅程的期待。谁知道这些风族猫心里究竟在想些什么！
松鸦爪返回巢穴，突然特别想往风爪的草药里塞些恶心的东西，比如几片蓍草的叶子。旅程最初的一段会是风族领地的湖边。如果那时候风爪开始感觉不舒服，大家就不得不让他留下来。
否则，他或许会耽误其他猫的时间。松鸦爪转念又想，如果有猫发现是自己搞的鬼，他会受到什么样的惩罚。他肯定会被留在营地的。这个险不值得冒。
他开始继续整理草药。不一会儿，急水部落的猫跟暴毛和溪儿走出来，加入武士巢穴旁的猫群里。
“这是什么？”当松鸦爪把草药扔在鹰爪身旁时，他问道。
“旅行草药。”松鸦爪回答道，“它会让你变得更有力气，而且不会觉得饥饿。”
“你确定？”松鸦爪想象着山洞卫士疑惑地用爪子戳着草药的画面，“我从没听说过这种东西。”
“尖石巫师也没有听说过。”黑夜表示赞同。松鸦爪听到她嗅草药的声音。
“看在星族的分上！”松鸦爪严厉地说，“吃下去就行了，我们不会给你们下毒的！”
“它们很有效果。”暴毛说道。松鸦爪察觉到，深灰色皮毛的武士的尾巴轻轻拂过自己的鼻子。“它们会让旅途轻松很多。”
“如果你确定……”鹰爪听起来依旧犹豫不决，不过还是舔了舔草药。“好苦啊！”他抱怨道。
松鸦爪发出一声叹息，继续自己的工作，最后，除了父亲黑莓掌，每只猫都领到了草药。
“黑莓掌去哪儿了？”松鸦爪问松鼠飞，叼着满嘴的草药，声音含混不清。
“我想他应该是去找火星谈话了。”松鼠飞回答道，“如果你同意，我把他的那份带给他。”
“不了，我还是亲自给他吧。”当松鸦爪跳跃着穿过营地时，不由得竖起了毛。他给自己鼓劲：我能爬上高石台的，而且绝对不会摔下来！松鸦爪爬上了落石堆，每走一步，他都让皮毛紧贴在崖壁上。他刚攀上高石台，火星的声音就从巢穴里传来。
“黑莓掌，你至少得离开一个月亮圆缺的时间。我们需要决定，你走的这段时间，谁来履行副族长的职责。”
松鸦爪在巢穴外停下爪子，将身子紧紧地靠在石壁上，免得里面的猫发现了自己。
“很显然，灰条很适合，”黑莓掌回答道，“毕竟他最清楚副族长的职责。”
松鸦爪沮丧地抽了抽胡须。父亲之所以成为族群的副族长，就是因为那个时候，所有的猫都认为灰条已经死了。当这位灰色皮毛的武士意外地回到雷族时，有些猫认为黑莓掌应该把副族长的职位让给灰条。但灰条却说他对雷族的新家园并不熟悉，而且经过长途跋涉，他已经非常疲累了。可现在，这些情况都不存在了。如果灰条现在成了副族长，黑莓掌回来的时候，会发生什么事呢？松鸦爪紧紧地咬着牙齿。难道父亲不明白，他可能会失去他在族群中的位置吗？
“好吧，如果你没什么意见，”火星的语气变得轻松了，“我会告诉他的。”
洞穴里传来一阵响动，似乎两只猫正在站起来。松鸦爪很快找到了一颗松动的岩石，用尾巴扫了下去，好让他们以为自己刚到这儿。他走到洞口，说道：“火星？”
“进来吧。”他的族长回应道。
“这是我的旅行草药吧？”黑莓掌问道，“谢谢你，松鸦爪。每只猫都准备好了吗？”
“差不多了，”松鸦爪回答道，“我现在要去找叶池，看她是否需要我做些别的事情。”
松鸦爪飞快地点了一下头，退出了洞穴。他急匆匆爬下岩石，想寻找到狮爪和冬青爪的气息。他想趁他们几个私下聊天的机会，把灰条将成为代理副族长的事情告诉他们。但是当他回到空地上时，却察觉他俩嘴里叼着猎物，正朝长老巢穴走去。冬青爪叫道：“嗨，松鸦爪！”他俩从他的身边走过，但是他们太忙了，根本就没停下来。
松鸦爪沮丧地回到了自己的巢穴。叶池还在那里忙着整理草药——所有的旅行草药都已经分发完了，但是松鸦爪自己的还没准备好。
“你在做什么？”松鸦爪问道，“你要让我带些草药吗？”
“什么？”叶池听起来非常惊异，好像根本没意识到他回来了，“哦，不……不必那么做。每天都带着那些东西，实在是太麻烦了，而且你都不知道你需要用什么草药。”
“可是我根本不知道山里都长着什么草药。”松鸦爪反驳道。
叶池用一只爪子抓着地面。尽管她极力隐藏这个动作，但松鸦爪依然察觉到，她此刻正因为某些事而紧张。“旅途上的大部分时间，你们都不是在山里行走。”叶池告诉他，“你们抵达急水部落后，尖石巫师也会把山地里的草药告诉给你。你会跟他学到很多知识。”
希望如此吧，而且最好别只是草药。
“过来，松鸦爪！别傻站在那里了，把你自己这份草药吃了。”松鸦爪察觉，当老师把草药推给自己的时候，用爪子碰了碰他的爪子，“黑莓掌想尽快出发。”
松鸦爪嚼着满嘴的草药。“真难吃！”他嘟囔道。
“走在路上时，你会很高兴自己曾经吃过它们。”叶池严肃地说道，“你很幸运，能踏上这段旅程。”
幸运？是因为我是瞎猫，本来就不该去吗？松鸦爪气鼓鼓地想着。他没说什么，只是勉强咽下最后一点儿苦涩的叶子。
“你会发现那片山地特别有魅力。”叶池继续说着，语气已经恢复到常态了，“你应该好好利用这次机会，尽可能把那些猫的知识都学会。”
这正是我想做的事情。松鸦爪告诉自己，尽管他怀疑自己想知道的事情，跟他的老师所建议的并不一样。哦，或许，松鸦爪可能会学到新的草药知识，以及截然不同的生活方式，不过他真正想知道的，还是急水部落当初是怎样在山地定居下来的。还有他们与岩石，以及其他在月亮池旁留下爪印的远古猫，到底有着怎样的联系。他心里早就打算好了，却不想跟叶池提起。
“松鸦爪？”黑莓掌的声音从空地上传来，“你准备好了吗？”
“就来了！”松鸦爪回应道。他朝黑莓屏风外看了一眼，然后又转回去问叶池，“你难道不来跟大家道别吗？”
叶池长叹了一口气。她心里的不安如同绿叶季的风暴，几乎要将她撕成碎片。“我……我已经道过别了。”她低声喃喃着。
“好吧，那再见。”松鸦爪知道自己该走了，但是有种东西正在试图将他的爪子拉回来。他发现叶池大惊小怪的时候，真的让他非常恼火，可他仍然无法忽视她内心的失落，虽然他不知道这究竟意味着什么。松鸦爪跑回她的身边，把鼻子深深地埋在叶池肩头的皮毛里，说道：“再见。我回来的时候，一定会有趣事可以讲给你听。”
“再见，松鸦爪。”叶池的声音颤抖着。松鸦爪感到她的舌头舔着自己的耳朵，听到她轻轻说道：“多保重！”
“松鸦爪！”黑莓掌的喊声再次从空地上传来。
“我必须走了。”松鸦爪说完冲出了黑莓丛。他叹了一口气，为自己终于摆脱了叶池的古怪情绪而感到轻松。他钻出巫医巢穴的时候，嗅到了松鼠飞的气息，发觉她的皮毛从身边擦过。松鼠飞跑进了巫医巢穴，要跟她的姐姐聊上几句。
我希望她知道发生了什么事，因为我不知道。他想。
即将出发的猫都已经在山谷中央集合完毕了。松鸦爪找到了冬青爪和狮爪，跳过去，站在他俩的身旁。
“你干吗去了？”冬青爪问道，“我们都等着你呢！”
“我现在已经来了，”松鸦爪反驳道，“而且我有事情要告诉你们。”
太阳已经升起来的时候，黎明的寒意已经消失。松鸦爪感到和煦的阳光透过树丛，照在自己的皮毛上。这个早晨真的太适合旅行了：空气既清新又干爽，温暖的阳光也会继续洒在大地上。
松鸦爪听到从武士巢穴传来的沙沙声，几位族猫走进空地，来送他们出发。学徒巢穴里也传来一阵急促的爪子落地声，他听到了冰爪的喊声：“这太不公平了！我也想去！”
“也许你下次就有机会啦。”白翅慈爱地对她说道。
巨大的哈欠声在松鸦爪的耳朵边响起来，接着云尾的气息淹没了他。“你们为什么不赶紧出发呢？”他不耐烦地嘟囔着，“然后大家都可以再多睡一会儿。”
“没有这种机会的。”不远处响起了尘毛尖刻的声音，“你和我要跟着沙风去参加黎明巡逻队。”
“老鼠屎！”云尾嘟囔着。
松鸦爪嗅到了火星的气息，听到他走向准备出发的猫身边。灰条紧随其后。松鸦爪想象着灰毛武士与族长肩并肩地站着，琥珀色的双眼闪着光的画面。
就像他真的当上了副族长似的！
“再见了，各位！”火星说道，“愿星族照亮你们前行的道路！希望你们都能平安归来。”
一种紧张感突然从即将出发的猫的心中升起。族群的武士和急水部落的猫都相互注视着，似乎都在积攒迈出旅程第一步的勇气。不一会儿，松鼠飞回到了空地上，站在了黑莓掌身边。
“准备好了吗？”黑莓掌问道。
“是的。”暴毛回答道。
松鸦爪仍然站在那里，让山谷上所有的气息和声音——自己刚刚离开的巢穴里飘出的草药味，育婴室的奶味儿，地面上的泥土味儿，同伴们的说话声，还有风吹树叶的沙沙声——都深深地浸入自己的皮毛。
要是我永远都不能回来了，该怎么办？星族会事先警示我的，是吗？它们存在的意义，不就是预告猫的死期吗？
“松鸦爪！”冬青爪的声音从荆棘通道里传来，“醒醒！大家都走了！”
松鸦爪跳了起来，冲过空地，跟着姐姐钻出了荆棘通道，走进了森林。
CHAPTER18
CHAPTER18
Jaypaw tried to sink his clawsinto the bare rock. The wind buffeted him, threatening to hurl him off the narrow ridge of stone where he clung, terrified. Above his head were the stars, cold and glittering; around his paws nothing but shadows, blotting out everything but a few tail-lengths of rock, sharp as a cat’s spine.
Somewhere in front of him the shadows parted and a cat paced toward him. Jaypaw recognized the lumpy, hairless body and sightless eyes of Rock. The ancient cat drew closer, balancing as easily on the thin claw of stone as if the forest stretched all around him.
“I’m here, just like you said.” Jaypaw tried not to let his voice quiver. “You told me to come to the mountains, remember?”
Rock shook his head. “There should be three of you.”
“There arethree of us,” Jaypaw protested, glancing back over his shoulder to see if he could spot Lionpaw and Hollypaw. “I must have left them behind on the climb. They can’t—”
His last word rose into a terrified yowl as his paws slipped on the rocky ridge. He clawed frantically, but he couldn’t get a grip on the smooth stone. He felt himself plunging into the shadows, down and down…
“Wake up!” Jaypaw felt a paw jabbing him in the ribs. It was Lionpaw. “For StarClan’s sake, you’re thrashing around like a dying fish.”
Relief flooded over him. He was safe in his makeshift nest at the edge of the forest, and Lionpaw was with him. Tasting the air, he picked up Hollypaw’s scent nearby and relaxed even more, shaking off the last clinging cobwebs of the dream. He struggled to his paws and arched his back in a long stretch. The chill of dawn crept into his pelt, and he could hear the other cats stirring around him.
“Brambleclaw says we can hunt,” Lionpaw mewed, “but we have to be quick. There’s a long way to go if we’re going to reach the mountains by nightfall.”
Jaypaw was crouched on the dewy grass devouring a vole when he heard Tawnypelt’s paw steps. “It’s time to leave,” she announced.
He gulped down the last couple of mouthfuls and padded over to join the other cats.
“Purdy, it’s been great traveling with you again,” Brambleclaw was meowing. “And we’re especially grateful to you for rescuing those mouse-brained apprentices. But we can’t ask you to go any farther from your home.”
Calling out last good-byes to Purdy, the cats set off through the trees. Lionpaw and Hollypaw came to pad along beside Jaypaw, their pelts brushing his on either side. In contrast to the days before, they padded on in tense silence as the sun climbed above the trees.
Suddenly Hollypaw’s tail on his shoulder brought Jaypaw to a halt. He could feel the sun warmer on his pelt and a whisper of breeze stirring his whiskers. They must have reached the other side of the forest.
“It’s amazing!” Hollypaw whispered.
“What?” Irritation pricked at Jaypaw’s pelt, annoyance that he couldn’t see whatever it was Hollypaw was mewing about.
“The mountains.” It was Lionpaw who replied, his voice awestruck. “They’re vast!”
“It’s this huge wall of stone,” Hollypaw explained. “All gray and steep and bare, apart from a few cracks with grass growing in them. Jaypaw, I wish you could see. It goes up forever!”
“I can’t even see the top,” Lionpaw added. “It’s hidden in the clouds.”
“Home.” Brook’s whisper came from just in front of Jaypaw. He sensed her mingled longing and fear; the same tension came from the other Tribe cats. They must be scared of what lay ahead, facing intruders in the place they had always thought of as theirs and theirs alone.
“Tribe of Endless Hunting.” The low murmur came from Night. “Watch over us and guide our paw steps.”
Jaypaw shivered. Can StarClan still see us here?Even though he knew that one day he would have more power than StarClan, he felt exposed and vulnerable under an indifferent sky.
“We’ve made good time,” Talon meowed. “We can climb up to our cave before dark.”
“Are you sure?” Squirrelflight’s voice was doubtful. “Remember the apprentices aren’t experienced climbers. We don’t want to be stuck out on the mountain overnight.”
“Are we going to be held up by the apprentices again?” Talon retorted.
Jaypaw bristled at the anger in his tone, especially as he knew it was justified. What had Lionpaw and Hollypaw been thinking of, going into the barn like that and risking everything?
“The apprentices will be fine,” Stormfur stated calmly. “We can help them. What do you think, Brambleclaw?”
There was a pause before Brambleclaw replied. “Okay, let’s go.”
Jaypaw bounded beside his littermates as they crossed an open space. Gradually the ground began to slope upward; the grass beneath his paws grew thinner, and there were patches of loose soil mixed with grit that caught between his claws. Soon the slope was so steep that his paws started to slip.
“Mouse dung!” he muttered, clawing for a grip.
“Here.” Squirrelflight’s scent wreathed around him and he felt her tail guiding him to one side. His paws met solid rock.
“There’s a path we can follow,” his mother mewed. “There’s a drop on this side, so make sure your pelt keeps brushing the rock on the other.”
Jaypaw padded behind Tawnypelt with Squirrelflight just behind him. He could scent his littermates a short way ahead. He began to feel more confident; this was a bit like climbing to the Highledge or making the journey to the Moonpool.
I can do those without any trouble. I’ll be fine here
But as the path twisted higher into the mountains his confidence began to ebb. He kept picturing the long drop his mother had warned him about, and knew that a single misstep would send him plummeting into the depths. Cold wind buffeted him, threatening to carry him off his paws. The rock was hard, and he couldn’t see to avoid the sharp stones that cut his pads.
A harsh screech sounded from somewhere above. Startled, Jaypaw stumbled and only Squirrelflight’s shoulder, pushing up against his side, kept him on his paws.
“What was that?” he gasped.
“An eagle,” his mother replied. “They can be dangerous, but that one is far away. It won’t bother us.”
“I wish it would,” Stormfur called from behind. “We’d all have a good meal then.”
Squirrelflight gently nudged Jaypaw forward again, but before he’d gone more than a few paw steps, he heard Night’s voice from somewhere above his head. “Wait! Stop, all of you!”
Jaypaw halted, his nose bumping Tawnypelt’s tail. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“There’s a gap here,” Brambleclaw called, his voice echoing from the rocks. “We’ll have to jump.”
Jaypaw’s paws tingled with fear but he held his head high, refusing to show the Tribe cats he was scared. Squirrelflight pressed against his flank, and he was glad of her silent support.
“Come on, Lionpaw.” Brambleclaw’s voice came again, warm and encouraging. “You’ve leaped the stream on the WindClan border, and this is no farther.” There was a brief silence, then he meowed, “Well done! Breezepaw next.”
Jaypaw flexed his claws, scraping them on the hard stone of the path as he waited for his turn. He hated this place and couldn’t think why he had ever wanted to come. He had expected to discover the landscape of his dreams; instead, the wind wafted unfamiliar scents to him, and he had no sense of Rock’s presence or any warrior ancestors. His helplessness made him angry, too.
His fear mounted as he heard Tawnypelt encouraging Hollypaw to make the leap. “Don’t look down,” the ShadowClan she-cat meowed. “Keep your eyes on Brambleclaw.”
“I’ll be okay.” Hollypaw sounded tense.
A moment later Jaypaw heard a yowl of congratulations from Lionpaw and knew that his sister had made the leap safely. Tawnypelt’s scent suddenly faded, telling him that she too had jumped across the gap. Now there was no cat between him and the yawning abyss that he could imagine in front of his paws. The fur on his shoulders began to bristle.
“Now listen.” Squirrelflight was close beside him. “The gap is a couple of fox-lengths ahead and about three tail-lengths wide. You’ve jumped that far before. Take three paw steps for a run-up, then jump.”
“I’m right here, Jaypaw,” Brambleclaw called. “I’ll grab you as soon as you’re across.”
“Okay,” Jaypaw called back, proud that his voice didn’t shake. All his muscles tensed. “I’m coming now.”
Not giving himself a chance to hesitate, he launched himself forward, his paws skimming the rock before his hind legs thrust him into the air. His heart pounded in a moment’s wild panic; then his paws hit rock with a thud. He staggered and felt Lionpaw’s shoulder steadying him.
“Great leap!” his brother mewed. “Practice a bit more and you’ll be a flying cat.”
“No way,” Jaypaw muttered. He stood still, forcing his breathing to steady and his pelt to lie flat again.
By the time the rest of the cats had leaped across the gap, he was ready to go on, even beginning to feel pleased with himself. That would show the Tribe cats whether a blind apprentice could make the journey!
Now he sensed that their path led between towering walls of stone. The air around them was still, though he could hear wind whining among the rocks above. Their voices echoed and the rattle of loose stones dislodged by their paw steps sounded unnaturally loud.
“Best keep quiet,” Talon meowed. “We’re getting closer, and there might be intruders around.”
The path seemed to wind and curl back on itself. Once Jaypaw heard the gurgle of falling water and his paws splashed through a shallow stream. His belly rumbled as he picked up the scents of prey. They were faint and sparse, and he wondered why any cats would want to live in such an unfriendly place, much less fight over it.
He heard Breezepaw ask if they could stop and hunt, and Crowfeather snapped at him that there was no time. “You might want to spend the night out here, but I don’t!”
“There’ll be fresh-kill when we get to the cave,” Brook mewed.
Jaypaw wondered if she was right. Wasn’t part of the Tribe’s problem that the intruders were taking all their prey? He tried to sense the passage of time. Was the sun going down, filling the cleft where they walked with shadows? Back in the forest, there was so much to tell him when sunset was approaching: changes in wind and scent, the fading of birdsong, the cool touch of grass blades as twilight covered them. Here there was nothing to guide him.
The rocky path began to slope upward and the breeze picked up again, as if they were climbing out of the valley. Suddenly Jaypaw heard a yowl from above his head.
“Lionpaw, come up here! I can see forever!” Hollypaw’s voice was full of excitement.
Night gave a furious hiss. Talon growled, “I said quiet.”
“Hollypaw, get down at once,” Squirrelflight ordered.
The cats halted. A couple of heartbeats later came the patter of paws and Hollypaw’s voice again. “Sorry, I forgot.” But Jaypaw didn’t think she was sorry; excitement was still rushing through her like a river in flood. “But it’s awesome. You can see the whole world!”
“If you’ve warned the intruders—” Talon began and broke off.
Jaypaw was aware of something approaching. There was no sound, only a disturbance in the air that told him of swift movement. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered.
“It’s them,” Talon mewed tersely.
“Then we’d better get out of here,” Brambleclaw began.
“Too late,” Night interrupted him. “Keep together. Put the apprentices in the center.”
Jaypaw was almost jostled off his paws as Crowfeather shoved him against the others.
“We can fight!” Lionpaw insisted.
“Yes, you don’t have to protect us,” Hollypaw added.
Breezepaw said nothing, only let out a defiant snarl.
None of the older cats paid them any attention. Jaypaw found himself crushed against Hollypaw on one side and Breezepaw on the other, with the experienced fighters in a circle around them. Hollypaw was muttering curses under her breath.
Now Jaypaw could hear the beat of paws on rock and pick up unfamiliar cat scent: three or four of them, he guessed. He heard aggressive hisses from the warriors around him.
Then a strange voice spoke. “What have we here?”
第十四章
第十四章
松鸦爪穿过森林的时候，感觉太阳照耀在皮毛上。狮爪在他的身边走着，冬青爪则在前方几个爪子远的地方蹦跳着走了一会儿，又回到他俩的身边。鸟儿在歌唱，树叶沙沙响，灌木丛下传来猎物的浓烈气息。
三位学徒走在队伍的最后，黑莓掌、暴毛和溪儿领头，后面紧跟着鹰爪和黑夜。松鸦爪闻到自己的前方是松鼠飞和褐皮。
“……小虎已经学会了狩猎蹲伏动作，”褐皮说道，“但是我认为小曙才会成为最棒的武士，只要她在训练的时候，多听听老师的话就好了。可现在她谁的话都不听。”
“孩子们任性起来，谁的话都听不进去。”松鼠飞告诉她，“他们会成为优秀的武士的，你放心吧！”
幼崽！松鸦爪心想，真是无聊！
他支棱起耳朵，想听到更多有趣的对话，可他只听到鸦羽在教风爪山里狩猎的最佳方法。这两只风族猫跟其他猫保持着几条尾巴的距离，肩并肩地走着。松鸦爪能察觉到，风爪仍在为自己被逼着踏上去山地的旅程而感到愤愤不平。我觉得他和他父亲都不喜欢对方。松鸦爪断定。
“喂，快看！”狮爪大喊道，“我跟你打赌，我能抓到那只蝴蝶！”
“我赌你抓不到。”冬青爪回应道。
“等着瞧！”狮爪使劲跳了起来，然后重重地摔在森林下的地面上。
“没抓住吧！”冬青爪大笑起来，“我早就说了！”
松鸦爪听到蕨丛里传来重重的爪子落地声，母亲的气息朝他飘过来。
“你们三个究竟在这儿做什么呢？”松鼠飞责备道，“你们是幼崽，是第一次离开营地吗？这次旅程非常艰苦，你们要节省体力，随后的旅程会需要它的。”
“对不起。”狮爪低声说道。
一想到风爪幸灾乐祸的样子，松鸦爪的嘴唇往后一缩，差点就骂出声来。他知道风族学徒正在听着他们挨训。
要是他再敢多说一句，我就把他的耳朵扯下来！
但是风爪很识趣地一直闭着嘴巴。
没过多久，松鸦爪开始闻到了清新的水的气息。更强烈的阳光照在皮毛上，这说明他们已经离开了森林的遮蔽。他意识到他们正沿着湖边前进。有一段时间，他觉得爪子痒痒，想去寻找岩石留下划痕的树棍。但想到他不可能在前往山地的路上一直都带着它，便放弃了。
我只好把树棍留在这里了。但是我绝不会把你丢下的，岩石。我知道，等我抵达山里时，我会找到你的。
“现在我们已经靠近风族边界了。”冬青爪在他的耳边轻声说着，“我们必须跨过小溪了。”
有两三个心跳的时间，松鸦爪都僵在那里，想着隧道里令他窒息的水流。他讨厌爪子被弄湿的感觉。
狮爪轻轻戳了戳松鸦爪的肩膀：“没事儿的。水真的很浅。”
松鸦爪强忍着才没发脾气，但他明白，他真正恼恨的是他自己。他难道永远都忘不了溺水的恐惧感吗？
松鸦爪听到其他猫蹚过小溪时发出的哗啦声。冬青爪把尾巴搭在他的肩膀上，指引他来到岸边。松鸦爪感到爪子下奔流的溪水，心里顿时紧张起来。水下的地面朝下倾斜，水流冲刷着他肚子上的皮毛。他感到冬青爪和狮爪紧贴在他的身体两侧，狮爪低声说道：“往这边走点儿，那有一个深坑。”然后溪水又变浅了，松鸦爪爬上了另一边的溪岸。他在离溪水一条尾巴远的地方停下，抖着皮毛，掩饰着如释重负后的颤抖。
“嗨，你看着点儿！”风爪不友好的声音从他的身后响起，“你把我的皮毛弄湿了！”
“对……对不起。”松鸦爪低声嘟囔着。
众猫继续沿着湖岸行进，穿过了风族领地，走过了马场。马的气息非常浓烈，松鸦爪只能隐约辨析出马场猫的气息，但是小灰和丝儿没有出来迎接他们。松鸦爪竖起耳朵听着远处的狗吠声，知道住在马场附近的那只狗离他们很远，构不成什么威胁。
过了马场，黑莓掌带领大家向山上攀登。当松鸦爪意识到自己的爪子踏上了陌生的领地时，顿时感觉爪子疼痛起来。探险之旅正式开始了。家园的气息在他的身后越来越远，一阵疾风吹过，为松鸦爪带来了新的气息，蛮荒而陌生。真是一只笨猫啊！松鸦爪痛斥自己。这就是你想要的，不是吗？他感到同窝猫的皮毛正从身体两侧摩擦着自己的皮毛，这才意识到他俩也被爪子下的陌生道路吓到了。
爪子下的地面越发泥泞，越发坑洼不平。松鸦爪钻过一丛芦苇，听到水花四溅的声音，接着闻到了青蛙的浓烈气息。过了一会儿，他的一只爪子在湿漉漉的草叶上滑了一下，水一下子淹没了他的臀部。
“狐狸屎！”松鸦爪骂着，用前爪使劲把自己拽出了水面。
“你还好吧？”狮爪问道。
“还行。”松鸦爪咬着牙说。
他听到，他哥哥前方一点，鹰爪和黑夜正在小声说道：“这也太疯狂了，竟然带着一只瞎眼的预备猫到山里去！”
“我知道，”黑夜回答道，“他肯定跟不上的。”
松鸦爪怒不可遏，但是他还没来得及反驳，就感到母亲的尾巴封住了自己的嘴巴。“松鸦爪能管好他自己，”她说道，“他能跟其他猫一样，很好地适应新的领地。鹰爪，你就从没走错过路吗？”
这只部落猫没有回答。松鼠飞又把尾巴移到松鸦爪的肩膀上，“走这边，这里干燥一些。”
松鸦爪跟着松鼠飞往前走，觉得爪子下的地面变得坚实起来，心里不由暗暗感激。他也很惊讶，风爪居然没有嘲笑自己的失足。风爪毕竟是一只族群猫，可能认为在部落猫面前，他应该忠诚地维护每只族群猫的尊严。
我可不指望他会替我说话，松鸦爪酸溜溜地想，这根本就不可能嘛。
风吹着松鸦爪的脸，他知道他们已经抵达了山顶。周围有这么多新的气息，他已经无法一一分辨出来。
“太壮观了！”冬青爪深吸一口气，“我从这儿可以看到整个湖面，还有全部的领地。”她跳到松鸦爪身边，用脑袋推了一下他，“下方是一条溪流，两岸长满了树木，河族的营地就在那里。再往远处是深色的松树林，那里是影族的领地。我甚至能看到召开森林大会的岛，还有那座倒伏的树桥……从这上面望过去，它真的特别小！”
“那个方向就是我们居住的森林。”狮爪走到松鸦爪的另一侧，“我敢打赌，如果我们在秃叶季来到这里，还可以看到我们雷族的石头山谷。那边那片开阔的荒原，就是风族生活的地方。整个湖区尽收眼底！”
“风族领地看上去永远都很美。”风爪来到了他们身后，“在我们的领地上有许多壮观的景色。”
真是讨厌的小毛球！松鸦爪想。
“你还记得我们第一次站在这里的情景吗？”松鸦爪嗅到黑莓掌就在不远处，和松鼠飞、鸦羽、褐皮站在一起。
“我永远都不会忘记。”松鼠飞回答道，“那是一个晚上，所有星族猫的身影都倒映在湖面上。”
“我真的不敢相信，你们竟然那么勇敢！”黑夜插话道，“为了寻找一个新家，你们跋涉了那么远，甚至事先都不知道自己要往哪里去。”
“星族帮助了我们。”松鼠飞低声说道。
“而且杀无尽部落也会做同样的事情，”褐皮提醒道，“如果急水部落不得不离开山里的话。”
“离开？”黑夜的声音中透着一丝忧虑，“我们绝不会离开山里，我们祖先的灵魂也是。我们已经深深地融入了大山。”
松鸦爪不知道，她说的话是否正确。如果族群猫不能将入侵者赶出去，那么急水部落和他们祖先的灵魂，可能就不得不踏上一段属于他们自己的旅途了。
CHAPTER19
CHAPTER19
Hollypaw slid out her claws, musclestensed to spring into battle. If she hadn’t yowled like that, they might have been able to sneak past the trespassers. At least there were only four strange cats confronting them. If it came to a fight, there was no way the newcomers would win. They might have had an easy time with the Tribe, but they would soon find out what it was like to mess with trained Clan warriors!
The cat who had spoken was a large tom; dark stripes rippled on his silver tabby fur and his insolent amber eyes traveled lazily from cat to cat. His three companions pressed up close behind him: a skinny light brown tom with large pointed ears that swiveled alertly back and forth, a dark-brown-and-white she-cat with green eyes, and a young tortoiseshell with white streaks like lightning on her face.
“I’ve seen youbefore,” the silver tabby taunted Talon. “What are you doing, so far away from the waterfall? I didn’t think you hunted in these parts anymore.”
The skinny brown cat gave him a nudge in the shoulder. “Do you think they’re scared, Stripes?”
Stripes blinked slowly. “Flick, you could be right. I reckonthey’ve realized that the prey around here belongs to us.” His tongue swiped across his jaws. “That was a great rabbit I had this morning. Good and fat, more than I could eat.”
“You should show more respect for prey!” Crowfeather snapped.
Flick spat. “Who are you to tell us what to do?”
Crowfeather’s lip curled to bare his teeth in a snarl. “Want to find out?”
Brambleclaw touched the WindClan warrior’s shoulder with his tail tip, a warning gesture. “We’re not looking for a fight,” he murmured.
Crowfeather cast him an angry glance but said no more, though his claws scraped the hard ground and his tail twitched.
“What are you going to do with them, Stripes?” the skinny cat asked.
Before the silver tabby could answer, Night took a pace forward. She was stiff-legged with fury, her pelt bristling. “You’ve no right to do anything with us!” she hissed. “You’ve no right to come here and steal our prey.”
“Rights?” The brown-and-white she-cat spoke for the first time. “Who gave you the right in the first place?”
“Well said, Flora,” the skinny cat snickered.
The brown-and-white cat’s question cut across Hollypaw’s fury. She had been ready to fight on behalf of the Tribe. This was their territory, watched over by their warrior ancestors! But Flora’s question didn’t have an answer. Maybe the Tribe cats didn’thave the right to drive out the intruders.
“We’re not looking for trouble,” Brambleclaw mewed quietly, resting his tail on Night’s bristling shoulders. “We’re just traveling to the waterfall. You should let us go in peace.”
Stripes and Flick glanced at each other, then Stripes took a pace back, gesturing up the valley with his tail. “We’re not trying to stop you.”
Oh, no?Hollypaw thought. Their approach had been aggressive, bounding over the rocks with lashing tails and pelts fluffed out, until they realized that they had encountered too many cats to fight with any hope of winning. They could pretend all they liked, but she knew they would have attacked if they had met the Tribe cats on their own.
Brambleclaw dipped his head with cold politeness and led his group onward up the valley. The intruders watched them go, mockery in the eyes of the two toms. For a heartbeat Hollypaw met the gaze of the young tortoiseshell, who had waited a little way behind the others, watching but not speaking. If she had been a Clan cat, she would have been an apprentice. She might have been my friend
Breezepaw was clearly seeing nothing but enemies. As he stalked past the intruders he lashed his tail, letting out a furious spit.
Instantly his father nudged his haunches, thrusting him ahead. “Are you mouse-brained? Do you wantto cause a fight?”
“They’re asking for it,” Breezepaw mumbled.
Hollypaw noticed that Lionpaw still had his claws unsheathed, as if for a couple of mouse tails he would have sprung at the newcomers, but he didn’t make his hostility as obvious as Breezepaw.
All the way up the valley Hollypaw felt the eyes of the intruders boring into her back. She let out a sigh of relief when she rounded a jutting spur of rock and they were left behind. Around her she could feel the other cats beginning to relax, too.
“This is dreadful!” Brook exclaimed. “Do these cats think they can tell you where you can go? Are the Tribe cats prisoners in their own cave?”
“It’s not quite as bad as that,” Night replied.
“But they thought they could order us around! Can you still get out to hunt?”
Talon padded up to Brook’s side. “It’s true, the intruders are getting more and more confident. They come right up to the waterfall to take prey now.”
“They know we can’t stop them,” Night added bitterly.
“What does Stoneteller think?” Brook asked.
Talon shrugged. “He says we shouldn’t challenge them, for our own safety.”
What good is that?Hollypaw wondered. Stoneteller is the Tribe’s leader. He shoulddo something!
Brook shook her head, dropping back a few paces so that she could brush pelts with Stormfur as they continued up the valley. The gray warrior had been silent through the encounter with the intruders. His eyes were full of sorrow; Hollypaw guessed he was remembering the battle he had led the Tribe into, and the cats who had lost their lives.
Scarlet streaked the sky as the sun went down. The jutting mountain peaks cast deep shadows; in the open the rocks looked as if they were bathed with blood. Hollypaw shivered, imagining she could hear the shrieks of cats dying in battle.
A ridge of broken rock blocked the entrance to the valley. Hollypaw reached the top after a hard scramble and stood looking out across a range of bare rock and plunging precipices, as far as she could see in all directions. A stiff breeze ruffled her fur, and she tried to dig her claws into the rock to keep her balance. She couldn’t imagine where cats might live in this stony wilderness.
Talon padded toward one end of the ridge, overlooking a shelf of flat rock. “This way,” he called.
The other cats began to follow him, except for Breezepaw, who bounded off to one side. “This way looks quicker!”
Hollypaw rolled her eyes. You don’t know where you’re going, mouse-brain!
Almost at once a terrified yowl burst from the WindClan apprentice. He was sliding forward, scrabbling frantically to stop himself. Hollypaw saw that a chasm split the top of the ridge, hidden from sight in the shadows.
She darted across to help Breezepaw, but Crowfeather raced past her. He fastened his teeth in Breezepaw’s tail and dragged him backward until he could stand safely on the flat top of the ridge.
Breezepaw let out a screech of pain. “My sore tail!”
“Tough,” Crowfeather snarled. “Next time, think before you start showing off, and do what the Tribe cats tell you.”
Breezepaw glared at his father, then padded after the others with his head and tail drooping.
“Pity,” Lionpaw commented as the WindClan apprentice caught up to him. “I was looking forward to seeing you bounce all the way to the bottom of the mountain.”
“Shut up, stupid furball!”
“That’s enough.” Tawnypelt thrust her way between the two apprentices. “For StarClan’s sake, stop bickering.”
Lionpaw muttered, “Sorry,” and gave his chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks, while Breezepaw just ignored her. They were all tired and hungry, Hollypaw thought, and more tempers were likely to snap if they didn’t reach the Tribe’s home soon.
Talon led the cats to the far end of the ridge where a narrow trail led downward, only wide enough for one cat to follow at a time. As Hollypaw waited for her turn she heard the beating of wings overhead. A black shadow passed over her. With a startled yowl she flattened herself against the rock. She saw her mother throw herself on top of Jaypaw.
Daring to lift her head, Hollypaw saw an enormous brown bird with its wings spread wide as it skimmed the ridge and headed for the rocks below. Cruel, hooked talons stretched to seize the body of a mouse that lay a few tail-lengths farther down. Hollypaw’s belly rumbled. Though Clan cats didn’t eat crow-food, she was so hungry that she wouldn’t have said no to that mouse.
As the eagle’s talons closed around the limp body, four cats erupted from the shadows among the rocks. Hollypaw’s jaws gaped and her eyes stretched wide with amazement as they seized the huge bird. It let out a harsh screech and its wings beat frantically as it tried to take off. It managed to rise a tail-length above the ground, but the weight of cats dragging it down was too much. It flopped back onto the rock in a flurry of wings. The thin, gray-brown cats swarmed all over it. One of them pounced on its neck and bit down. There was a last spasm of struggling and then the eagle went limp.
“Great catch!” Talon yowled.
All four cats froze, looking upward. One of them called out, “Talon!” They sounded astonished, staring at one another and the group of cats on the ridge.
Stormfur came to stand beside Hollypaw. “Welcome to the Tribe of Rushing Water,” he meowed.
第十五章
第十五章
狮爪站在妹妹身边，俯视着湖泊和熟悉的族群领地。当他转身背对着家园，第一次看着广袤的未知世界时，心里涌起一阵兴奋。
“我们在等什么啊？”他向冬青爪抱怨道，“为什么不继续前进了？”
“你没听见黑莓掌的话吗？”他的妹妹说道，“他让所有猫都休息一下。他还说，如果我们想吃点儿东西，也可以去狩猎。”
狮爪太专注于他们的旅程了，没听见父亲下达的命令。他用前爪撕扯着山脊上的矮草，说道：“我不想在这儿闲坐着。我们的旅程才刚刚开始。”
“是旅行草药给了你所有的力气。”冬青爪认真地说道，“别那么心急，山地是不会跑掉的。”她甩甩尾巴，转身朝一片金雀花丛悄悄靠近，用耳朵和胡须警觉地探寻着猎物的踪迹。
爬上陡峭的山坡，让狮爪感到爪子酸痛。但他从未感觉自己如此有力，因此迫切希望继续前行。他的眼前，黑色的森林覆盖了下方的山坡。再往远处看，狮爪看到平坦的绿色向远方延伸着，就像马场所在的绿色原野——它被雷鬼路一分为二，上面点缀着许多两脚兽巢穴。有些红石头巢穴紧紧地靠在一起，组成了一个巢穴群。
狮爪跳过那片富有弹性的短草，站在一块凸起的岩石上——这是山的最高处。他站在岩石顶上，山风吹来，他感觉皮毛贴在了身体上。狮爪觉得自己像狮族武士一样强大！他只要伸出一只爪子，就可以毁掉两脚兽的巢穴。那条最大的雷鬼路，看起来就像一根深色的刺棘，或者像一根只用牙齿就可以咬断的细枝。
我能跑得比兔子还远！我可以打败最凶残的狐狸！望着地平线上隆起的深灰色斑块，狮爪又想道，我可以爬到最高山峰的顶端，比老鹰飞上去还要快！
他不知道，其他猫会不会也有这种感受。他低头看到旅伴都在平静地睡觉，才意识到他们的想法并非如此。
狮爪伸长了耳朵，在呼啸的风中搜索虎星的声音，在岩石和灌木的阴影间搜寻着深色虎斑的身影。这正是虎星教他的：视敌猫如甲虫。然而他没有找到这位武士的踪迹。所有这些澎湃的感受，似乎都来自狮爪自己的内心。
“狮爪！我们都在等你呢！”
父亲的声音吓了他一跳。其他猫都已经结束休息了，正在站起来。
“我来啦！”他喊道。
狮爪从岩石上跳下来，加入同窝猫之中，跟着群猫开始在树林里前进。他的父母与褐皮、鸦羽在前面带路。
“还记得我们第一次爬到这里时，是什么感受吗？”
“我只记得当时我的爪子有多么酸痛。”松鼠飞摇了摇尾巴，回答道。
黑莓掌绕过一大片蕨丛，说道：“高罂的幼崽在这里摔倒了，是香薇云把她拉起来，又背着她走。那时候，我们一路上互相帮助。”
“但是我们再也回不去了。”狮爪感觉鸦羽的声音里充满怀念，那种熟悉的尖刻语气也不见了，“族群之间互相对抗是自然而然的事情。”
狮爪伤心地想着石楠爪。他猜想，所有四个族群中的资深武士都非常怀念他们在旅途中建立的友谊。让狮爪感到欣慰的是，他们似乎还记得路。现在他已经看不见自己的家了，看着无限延伸开去的陌生领地，他吓得迈不开步子。他想起自己在山顶上时觉得自己力量无穷，突然感到无比尴尬。接着他又庆幸起来，因为没有猫知道他当时在想些什么。
或许松鸦爪知道。一想到弟弟可能在偷窥自己的内心，狮爪顿时觉得浑身的皮毛在发热。
“来吧，大家加快速度！”黑莓掌回头喊，“我想在天黑之前，离开这片森林。”
狮爪发出一声叹息，他的爪子已经拖在地上，肚子也饿得咕咕叫。旅行草药提供的能量似乎已经用完了，他真希望自己当时能抓住机会，好好休息，再吃点儿东西。
“给你。”松鼠飞的声音含混不清。他回头看到她正朝自己走来，嘴里叼着一只老鼠。“赶紧吃掉。”她把猎物扔在他的爪子下，说道。
“谢谢你！”狮爪感激地用鼻子蹭了蹭母亲的肩膀。
“我讨厌听到你的肚子咕咕叫。”松鼠飞说着，卷起尾巴，露出一副戏谑的表情，“我猜雷族营地的猫都听到了。”
然后，松鼠飞跑向前，又回到黑莓掌身边。狮爪蹲伏下来，几口就把老鼠吞了下去。
他吃完的时候，同伴们都不见了，但他能听到他们从前方传来的声音。他循着他们的气息向前追，终于赶上了他们。他觉得身体里再次充满了力量。他超过他们，来到父亲的身边。
“你对那些入侵的猫了解多少？”黑莓掌正在问鹰爪，“他们有多少只猫？”
“太多了。”鹰爪回答。
黑莓掌抽了抽耳朵。狮爪猜想，黑莓掌是想搜集情报，在到达山里之前制订出计划，可是部落猫的回答对他没有什么帮助。
“那么，你们都采取了什么措施呢？”黑莓掌继续问道，“你们弄明白他们狩猎和作战的方式了吗？还有，你们有没有进行日常的巡逻……”
“你知道的，我们不是族群猫，”鹰爪后颈上的毛竖了起来，“我们是需要帮助，但是这并不意味着，我们想要被当成预备猫来训练。”
“冷静点，鹰爪。”黑夜用尾巴尖儿碰了碰他的肩膀，“黑莓掌只是想找到最合适的办法来帮我们。”
有一个心跳的时间，狮爪还以为虎斑山洞卫士也会对她大喊，但是鹰爪的皮毛再次平顺下来，有些不好意思地朝黑莓掌点点头，好像是在表达自己的歉意。
“我们之前从不需要设立边界。”鹰爪解释道，“我们只是在山洞周围选一些岩石，派山洞卫士守在那里，以免有入侵者进入。尖石巫师说……”
狮爪觉得这种对话太无聊了，于是他停在原地让黑莓掌和其他猫先走，自己等着冬青爪和松鸦爪赶上来。
“部落猫好像真的很紧张，”冬青爪来到他身边时，狮爪说道，“我还以为鹰爪没准儿会把黑莓掌的耳朵抓掉呢。”
冬青爪若有所思地眨着眼睛：“我想，这是因为，他们并没把计划做的事告诉尖石巫师。尖石巫师看到一大群族群猫出现在自己的领地上，可能会发怒的。”
“发怒？”狮爪气得皮毛发热，“他应该感激我们才对！”
他的妹妹哼了一声：“或许他会觉得伤了自尊。领导者本该不依靠外界帮助，自己解决问题。如果我们有麻烦了，你去风族寻求帮助，你觉得火星会怎么想呢？”
“他可能会扒掉我的皮毛垫窝用。”狮爪承认道。
“所以如果你是尖石巫师，你会怎么做呢？”松鸦爪用尾巴尖儿碰了碰姐姐的肩膀，好奇地问道。
冬青爪停顿了两三个心跳的时间，才回答道：“我会组建边界巡逻队……”
“可他们根本就没有边界。”狮爪提醒道。
“那我就标记边界。”冬青爪抽动了一下耳朵，“我要确保他们定期去巡逻，还要教所有猫作战技巧。这样就能把入侵者赶出去了。”
松鸦爪摇摇头：“你还是在用族群猫的方式思考问题。部落猫跟我们完全不同。我不确定，我们是否应该改变他们。”
“如果他们正被敌猫驱逐出领地，活活饿死，我们就应该这样做。”狮爪争辩道，“急水部落需要的是武士守则，我们应该教他们！”
他们走到森林边缘的时候，夕阳在他们前方投下长长的影子。风低语着穿过灌木丛，吹皱了狮爪的皮毛。他看到前方满是灰尘的草坡向下一直延伸到一个狭窄的山谷。山谷的远处是更多的树木，再远的地方是灰色的连成一片的群山。透过树丛，狮爪依稀看到了山谷一侧两脚兽巢穴泛红的石块。
“我们就停在这里过夜，”黑莓掌下令道，“这里有遮蔽物，而且猎物也很丰富。”
还没等他说完，鸦羽就离开了猫群。他肚子上的皮毛擦着地上的草叶，飞快地跃过开阔地。风爪在他后面跑着。狮爪一开始并没看到他俩追着的兔子，直到兔子探出头来搜寻避难所，他才恍然大悟。两只风族猫分开，兔子躲开了鸦羽的攻击，却恰好撞到了风爪的爪子下。风族学徒飞快地朝它的脖子一咬，抓住了它。
“好完美的扑击！”狮爪看到风爪拖着猎物归来，说道。
风爪没搭理他，但是鸦羽朝他点了一下头。两只风族猫蹲坐下来，开始享用猎物。
狮爪转身走进了森林，去给自己找猎物。他嗅着空气中的气息，发现一只老鼠正在荆棘丛旁边的落叶堆里寻找食物。他弹出爪尖，扑了过去，但是当狮爪将爪子深深地扎入老鼠的身体时，感觉一团荆棘挂在了肩膀上。他一使劲挣脱了，但是却留下了一块金棕色的皮毛。他的毛尴尬得竖了起来。他叼着猎物回到树林的边缘，心中暗暗希望风爪没有看到那一幕。
冬青爪和松鸦爪已经带着猎物，在一片蕨丛下面蹲伏了下来。冬青爪正在大口吃着一只肥硕的田鼠，松鸦爪则吃着一只麻雀。
“我真希望我们能在这儿待的时间长一点儿，”冬青爪含着满嘴的猎物嘟哝道，“这里到处都是猎物！”
“哦，我们不能这样。”松鸦爪冷漠地说道，“如果我们这样做了，我想某些猫就该不乐意了。”
他朝鹰爪和黑夜的方向甩了甩尾巴。他们已经吃完食物，正在两条缠在一起的树根间躺下来，准备休息。他俩不安地翻着身子，好像怎么躺都不舒服。
附近传来猫头鹰的鸣叫，黑夜吓得僵住了：“那是什么？”
“只是一只猫头鹰。”溪儿走向她的部落猫，用鼻子碰了碰黑色母猫的肩膀，“没事儿的。松鼠飞正准备去值夜，接下来是暴毛。”
“哦，我不喜欢这样。”鹰爪咕哝着，将头转向发出吱嘎声的那棵树，“我更喜欢待在外面的开阔地上，如果有东西正悄悄朝我靠近，我能看得清清楚楚。”
“我们很快就会到的，”溪儿保证道，“刚才的声音是树枝发出的。”她发出一阵温柔的喵叫，声音里充满着同情和戏谑，“树不可能悄悄靠近你的。”
狮爪张开嘴，打了个大大的哈欠，然后蜷缩起来，跟同窝猫一起睡在长草中的窝里。他感到既温暖又舒适，而且肚子已经吃得饱饱的。他闭上眼睛，部落猫带有浓重山地口音的谈话声，开始和猫头鹰的叫声交织在一起，就像雨水滴落在池塘的声音。
然后狮爪听到风爪抱怨的声音，从树丛外的一个凹坑里传过来，他把耳朵竖了起来。“我真不明白，我们究竟为什么要来这里！我们能帮那些古怪的猫做什么呢？这跟我们有什么关系？急水部落为我们做过什么？”
“羽尾献出生命，就为了从尖牙兽的爪子下救出他们。如果他们当时值得我们帮助，那现在也是如此。否则羽尾的牺牲就变得毫无意义了。”鸦羽低声说道。
狮爪抬起头，看到这只精瘦的风族猫，正靠着树坐着。他的身影在逐渐变暗的天空下模糊不清，风爪则像草地上隆起的一个鼓包。
“哦，照这么说，我们已经帮他们够多的了。”风爪反驳道。
鸦羽叹了口气。狮爪想，他还从没听过哪只猫的叹息如此疲惫不堪。“你永远不理解‘忠诚’的意义。”深灰色的公猫说道。
狮爪感到十分困惑。羽尾是一只河族猫，是什么让鸦羽如此忠诚于她呢？
他把尾巴盖在自己的鼻子上。武士们有那么多的记忆，多得让他觉得难以理解。他把身子往同窝猫身体上靠了靠，周围森林里的各种声音慢慢远去，他进入深深的梦乡。
一只爪子戳了戳狮爪的肩膀，把他弄醒了。他立即跳起来，伸缩着爪子，爬出草丛里的窝。
黑莓掌正站在他的身旁。他的尾巴扫过狮爪的嘴，提醒他保持安静。松鸦爪和冬青爪蹲伏在黑莓掌旁边，浑身的毛都竖了起来。冬青爪凝视着树林外面，尾巴尖儿不停地抽动着。松鸦爪的耳朵也竖了起来。
“这附近还有一只猫。”黑莓掌低声说道。
狮爪嗅了嗅空气中的气息。一开始，除了族群猫混合在一起的气息外，他什么其他气味也没闻到。鹰爪站起身，打起精神准备战斗。松鼠飞跑到黑莓掌身边。然而整片森林和山坡，似乎都很平静。清晨的阳光透过树丛，照在狮爪的皮毛上，给它涂抹上了如火焰一般的色彩。草叶和荆棘丛上的蛛网上，露珠闪闪发光。
一阵微风吹过，带来了一种新气息。狮爪开始放松下来。“是一只宠物猫！”他喊道，“我不害怕宠物猫！”
“嘘，别出声！”黑莓掌嘶嘶道，“我们可能正待在某只宠物猫的领地上。若能避免，我们最好还是不要和他发生冲突。”
“我们根本就不会跟宠物猫发生冲突！”冬青爪轻蔑地说道，“我敢打赌，我们一露出牙齿，宠物猫就会哭喊着逃回到两脚兽的巢穴。”
“也有可能不是这样的，”松鼠飞低沉的声音中透着一丝严肃，“我就认识很能打的宠物猫。如果有谁在这种地方受了重伤，那对我们所有猫来说，都是一个灾难。从现在起，你们都要按照黑莓掌的话做，还要保持安静。”
听到灌木丛里传来一阵沙沙声，狮爪顿时怔住了。附近一片蕨丛的叶子剧烈摇晃起来，一只肥胖的虎斑公猫分开叶子，穿过蕨丛，来到了空地上。他的皮毛乱糟糟的，上面挂满了荆棘，灰白色的鼻子显示他已经很老了。他在蕨丛的那边停下了爪子，凝视着旅途中的这群猫。
黑莓掌也凝视着他，琥珀色的眼睛一下子睁大了，露出惊讶的神色。他身边的松鼠飞跳了起来，发出一声友好的欢呼：
“波弟！”
第十六章
第十六章
冬青爪转身望着母亲：“你认识这只宠物猫？”
松鼠飞的眼睛闪闪发亮。“我们在第一次旅程中遇见过他。”她解释道，“他帮我们找到了通往太阳沉没之地的路。”
褐皮也跳出了自己睡觉的荆棘丛。“嗨，波弟！”她跑过草地，跟这只年长的虎斑猫碰了碰鼻子，叫道，“最近猎物情况怎么样？”
暴毛紧跟在褐皮的后面：“你好啊，波弟。很高兴星族让我们再次相见。”
“我的一个朋友告诉我，森林里有一群奇怪的猫。我猜可能就是你们。”这只老公猫说道，“可是你们其他的猫去哪儿了？那个体形瘦削总是不停抱怨的学徒在哪儿？”
“我在这儿。”鸦羽走上前，跟大家站在一起。
“你就准备让他这样跟你说话吗？”风爪问着，双眼死死盯着那只虎斑公猫，毫不掩饰目光里的敌意，“我用一只爪子，就能把他的皮毛给扒掉！”
鸦羽的眼睛眯了起来：“风爪，你不明白的。波弟曾经是我们旅途的一部分，这对我们非常重要。”
风爪不屑地哼了一声。
“鸦羽现在是武士了。”黑莓掌急忙说道。冬青爪猜他这么说，是想转移波弟的注意力，不想让他因为风爪的无礼而感到不快。
“我也是武士了。”松鼠飞补充道，“我的武士名字是松鼠飞。”
“哇，我可从没当过武士！”波弟琥珀色的眼睛闪闪发光，“可是你们有六只猫。”他来回扫视着他们，又说道，“那只银色猫去哪儿了？叫羽什么吧？”
“她死了。”还没等别的猫开口，鸦羽就嘶哑着嗓子回答道。
“很抱歉听到这个消息。”波弟垂下尾巴。但是两三个心跳过后，他的眼睛又亮了起来：“我从没想到，我还能再见到族群猫，现在你们居然出现了！”
“我们不全是族群猫。”暴毛摇了摇尾巴，示意溪儿和两只急水部落的猫走上前来，“这是溪儿，这两位是鹰爪和黑夜。他们都来自山里。”
“什么？”波弟后颈上的毛竖了起来。“这么说，真的有猫住在山里啊？”他眯起了眼睛，打量着三只部落猫，“我还以为你们只存在于猫后给幼崽讲的故事里，目的是不让他们到处乱跑。”
“不，我们是真实存在的。”鹰爪说道。
“我明白了。”波弟舔了几下胸前的皮毛，斜眼瞥着山地猫，好像觉得他们会张开爪子，龇起牙，扑向自己。
“这些是我的孩子。”松鼠飞朝冬青爪、狮爪和松鸦爪挥挥尾巴，示意他们到年长的虎斑猫跟前来，“是我跟黑莓掌的孩子。”
“你们的孩子！”波弟吃惊地抽动着胡须，“你们自己还都和孩子差不多大呢！过来，小家伙们，让我仔细看看。”
“这是我的儿子风爪。”鸦羽补充了一句，把风爪推到前边。
三只同窝猫来到波弟跟前。当冬青爪礼貌地低下头时，她闻到了波弟酸臭的口气，差点就忍不住躲开了。
“他看起来好老啊！”风爪在冬青爪的耳边嘟囔着，“他比我们所有的长老岁数都大，为什么他还没死呢？”
“闭嘴，你个蠢毛球！”冬青爪小声说道，“宠物猫是两脚兽照顾的，他们不必自己狩猎。”
波弟什么都没说，只是抽了抽一只残缺不全的耳朵。冬青爪知道，他已经听到了风爪的话。
“我敢打赌，这只满身疥疮的老家伙，如果从现在开始尝试抓老鼠，那么直到秃叶季，他一只都抓不到。”风爪嘲笑着。
波弟看着他：“你说得对，我已经不再捕捉猎物了。直行兽会给我食物。不过我偶尔也可以换一换口味，试试缺乏教养的幼崽的味道！”
“我不是……”风爪心中升起一团火，刚想回嘴，他父亲就在他耳朵上抓了一把，他只好闭上了嘴。虽然鸦羽没有弹出爪尖，但这一击仍然很重。
“别听风爪胡说八道！”松鸦爪对年老的公猫说道，“每只猫都知道他是鼠脑子。”
波弟从胸腔里发出一阵开心的呼噜声：“别担心，小年轻。我见过的讨厌小猫，比你们吃过的兔子还多。”
波弟低下头，观察着三只同窝猫。他靠近时，冬青爪感觉老猫似乎已经好几个季节没有梳理过皮毛了。冬青爪还发现他的脖子上爬着一只虱子，在那满是芒刺的蓬乱皮毛中，还有几只跳蚤正来回蹦跳着。
恶心，还有跳蚤！星族保佑，我可不想让跳蚤跳到我的身上！冬青爪心想。
在族群里，学徒会帮长老们梳理皮毛，清除虱子和跳蚤。或许波弟根本不像族群猫那样，能得到很好的照顾。
“那你们在这儿干什么呢？”波弟仔细地闻了闻冬青爪和她的同窝猫，问道，“该不会又要去太阳沉没之地吧？”
“这次不是，”黑莓掌回答道，“我们要去山里。急水部落的猫需要我们的帮助。”
波弟的眼睛警觉地睁得大大的。“山地不适合猫居住！”他大喊着，“你们不会告诉我，你们找不到比那儿更好的居住地了？”
“我们已经找到了一个非常好的地方。”松鼠飞让他放心。
“就在一个湖边。”褐皮补充道，“那里的地盘足够四个族群生活，而且也不会受到两脚兽太多的干扰。”
“那你们为什么不在那儿待着呢？”波弟问道。
“我们会回去的，不过现在急水部落的猫需要我们。”黑莓掌说道。
冬青爪没有听到波弟的回答，因为这时，狮爪凑到她耳边说道：“我们为什么还不出发？宠物猫在耽误我们的时间！”
“我猜他是一个老朋友。”冬青爪说道，其实她心里完全赞同狮爪的话。也许这支救援队站在这儿闲聊旧时光的时候，山里的猫可能正在死去！
让她高兴的是，黑莓掌正朝老猫低头致敬：“我们必须走了，波弟。能再次见到你，我们真的很高兴。”
“没必要现在跟我说再见，”波弟说道，“我正打算跟你们一起去呢。”
冬青爪在部落猫的脸上，看到了和自己一样的诧异。黑夜焦急地在鹰爪耳畔低声嘟囔着什么。
“黑莓掌……”鹰爪开口了。
“我不认为这是个好主意。”黑莓掌告诉波弟。冬青爪不明白为什么父亲琥珀色的眼睛里流露出抱歉的神情。“这次的旅程会非常艰苦，而且最后，还要进行一场激烈的战斗。”
波弟抖了抖皮毛。“你是说我打不了仗？我又老又胖，对吗？”还没等其他猫回答，他突然发出一阵开心的笑声，“或许你说得对，不过我可以陪你们走到那边的森林。”他用尾巴指了指山谷另一边的树林，“我对此地略知一二，或许可以帮到你们。”
“老鼠屎！”风爪嘟哝着，他的声音很大，波弟肯定听得到，“现在，我们甩不掉这只又老又蠢的疥疮猫了！”
波弟只是甩了甩尾巴，背对着风族学徒，跟黑莓掌一起走到森林边缘，又爬下了山腰。松鼠飞飞快地跑了过去，在波弟的另一侧走着。
尽管冬青爪不喜欢风爪的无礼，不过她发现自己也同意他的意见。眼下每分每秒都很关键，可这只老猫正在拖慢他们的行程。
“黑莓掌和其他猫以前都去过山地。”冬青爪低声对狮爪说道，“波弟到底能提供些什么他们不知道的信息呢？”
狮爪无奈地耸了耸肩：“就像风爪说的，我们甩不掉他了。”
当他们走进山谷的时候，冬青爪听到，波弟正在聊她在远处能看到的两脚兽地盘。
“你还记得那些大老鼠吗？”波弟问道。
“我怎么可能忘了？”褐皮低声吼道，“我想，要是能让我咬他们一口，我愿意去死！”她的舌头在嘴巴周围舔了一圈，然后满足地补充道，“要是那只老鼠送到我的嘴边，我不会让它有时间去后悔的！”
波弟的胸腔中发出一阵低沉的呼噜声：“噢，它们现在都不在了。直行兽来了后，在那里建了一个巢穴，把大老鼠们全都赶了出去。”
“太好了！”褐皮甩甩尾巴。
“那块怪物们睡觉的开阔地……”
冬青爪没有继续往下听。他们没打算去任何两脚兽巢穴附近的地方，为什么波弟还要讲这些呢？她的爪子发痒，真想直接跑下山谷，可她还是控制住了，强迫自己的步伐跟波弟的一样缓慢。
“黑莓掌为什么要这么做呢？”冬青爪嘀咕道，“我们在这里磨蹭的时候，急水部落的猫可能已经被杀光了！”
“部落猫们肯定也这么想，”松鸦爪说道，“鹰爪早已心急如焚了。”
松鸦爪不说，冬青爪也看得出来。溪儿看起来很不高兴，黑夜和鹰爪正激烈地低声交谈着，后颈上的毛全都直竖起来。如果黑莓掌不马上加快行进速度，一场争吵随时都可能爆发。
太阳已经升到了树林的上方，凉凉的草叶擦过冬青爪的身体，她感觉很舒服。蜜蜂们在三叶草之间嗡嗡飞舞，鸟儿在清澈的蓝天上鸣叫，前方不远处，一大群灰白色的动物正在吃草。
“看，是绵羊，”风爪甩了甩尾巴，指给他们，“这说明附近有两脚兽的农场。”
“我们知道。”冬青爪反驳着，即使在对待波弟的看法上，她和风抓一致，她依然不想给他好脸色，“我们都见过绵羊，多谢你的提醒。”
“在风族……”风爪开始用高傲的口气说道。
“这儿还有别的东西，”狮爪打断了他，“另一种动物的气息。不过我之前从来没闻过这种气息。”
冬青爪停下来，嗅着空中的气息。狮爪说得对，除了周围的猫、绵羊和远处的狗的气息，她还闻到了别的气味。虽然她没看到任何东西，但她的爪子却因为担心变得刺痛起来。
黑莓掌带领众猫绕过一座小山，山谷在下方变得开阔起来。山坡底部是一片两脚兽巢穴，四周被栅栏环绕着。那种奇怪的气息变得更加浓烈了。当冬青爪发现这气息来自何处时，她的毛开始竖了起来。在两脚兽巢穴和旅行的群猫之间，有一群巨大的黑白相间的动物。它们有尖石头一样的爪子，长长的尾巴在空中甩动着，发出急促的嘶嘶声。
“那是什么啊？”狮爪问道。风爪这次没有说话。
“它们好大啊！”冬青爪说道，她极力想掩饰自己内心的不安，“而且它们正看着我们。你觉得它们会对我们发动进攻吗？”
冬青爪正要跑开，却听到波弟用嘶哑的声音笑着说：“你们别害怕，它们是奶牛。”
“没事的，”松鼠飞回头看着他们，“我们以前见过奶牛。只要你们远离它们的大爪子，它们就不会伤到你们。”
即便是这样，当冬青爪看到黑莓掌下山时，带领大家远远避开了奶牛，心里才感到一阵轻松。当这种陌生的动物被远远地抛在身后，她又高兴起来。
当他们走近两脚兽的巢穴时，狮爪大声说道：“我闻到了老鼠的气息。”接着他跑到黑莓掌身边，问道：“我们可以停下来狩猎吗？我饿了。”
冬青爪也馋得直流口水，她也闻到了充满诱惑的气息。气息是从最大的两个两脚兽巢穴里飘出来的，这两个巢穴与其他巢穴有一段距离。冬青爪急忙跑到哥哥的身边，说道：“求你了，黑莓掌，我也饿了。”
黑莓掌有些犹豫。回应他们的却是波弟：“你们不会在那里找到任何东西的，年轻猫。那里太危险了。你们闻到了老鼠的气息，就没闻到狗的气息吗？”
黑莓掌点点头：“我闻到了。谢谢你，波弟。我们继续前进，找个更安全的地方再说。”
狮爪发出一阵恼怒的嘶嘶声。“我不怕狗。”他不服气地嘟囔着。
“我也不怕。”风爪表示赞同，“在风族的领地上，我们总能看到狗。如果你知道怎么对付它们，它们就不危险。”
“两脚兽可能会让那些蠢东西闭嘴，”狮爪补充道，“波弟也太大惊小怪了。”
“是啊，”风爪说道，“他是一只宠物猫，所以看到什么都会害怕。”
这些公猫！听到哥哥和风族学徒竟然意见一致，冬青爪不由摇了摇头。黑莓掌率先走进一片树篱的阴影里。狮爪和风爪继续低声交谈着。
冬青爪一直竖着耳朵，听着猎物的动静。她似乎在树篱深处发现了什么，但当她转身想看个仔细时，却被一根山楂树枝钩住了皮毛。远处那个不知是什么的小动物立刻消失了。冬青爪气得呸了一下，停下爪子，飞快地整理了一下肩膀上的皮毛。这时她发现狮爪和风爪肚子紧紧地贴在地面上，正悄悄朝农场爬去。
“嗨！”冬青爪喊，“你们知道自己正往哪儿去吗？”
狮爪朝她甩甩尾巴：“看在星族的分上，安静！”
冬青爪飞快地瞥了一眼其他猫，大家已经走到前方几只狐狸身长的地方，没有猫听到他们说话。松鸦爪在暴毛和溪儿中间走着，也没注意到他们已经离开了。
冬青爪冲到哥哥和风爪身边：“你们要去哪儿？”
“别紧张。”狮爪嘶嘶地说道，“我们只是想回到农场那里。每只猫都走得很慢，我们抓几只老鼠回来，他们也不会发现我们不见了。”
“走吧！”风爪催促着，推了推狮爪的肩膀，“我都能闻到老鼠的气息了。”
“你们是鼠脑子吗？”冬青爪质问道，“你们要是掉队了怎么办？我们应该待在一起。”
“我们不会掉队的。”狮爪说道。
“那只猫只是一只宠物猫，而且又那么老了，”风爪插话道，“他很可能一辈子都没抓过老鼠。为什么要让他告诉我们该怎么做呢？”
“是黑莓掌告诉我们怎么做，”冬青爪提醒道，“如果你们被他抓住了，他会把你们的尾巴当猎物吃掉。”
“我们不会让他发现的。”狮爪琥珀色的眼睛里泛出一道怪异的光芒。一阵战栗顺着冬青爪的耳朵尖传到了尾巴尖。她不想让哥哥带着这种情绪离开，尤其还是跟风爪一起，事实证明风爪在危险来临时不值得信任。然而冬青爪也清楚，自己阻止不了狮爪，除非马上把他的计划告诉资深武士。
“好吧，”冬青爪说道，“我跟你们一起去。”
风爪转身瞪着她：“没有猫邀请你。”
“让她来吧。”狮爪把尾巴尖儿压在了冬青爪的肩膀上，“搜寻猎物的时候，三只猫总好过两只猫。况且冬青爪是雷族最优秀的狩猎者，她差不多跟沙风一样厉害！”
“那，好吧。”风爪的语气让冬青爪很恼火。
冬青爪又朝树篱扫了一眼。尽管其他猫的气息告诉她，他们还没离开太远，但她已经完全看不见他们了。
“走吧。”狮爪轻声说道。
他转过身，飞快地穿过一片开阔地，朝两脚兽巢穴的栅栏跑去。冬青爪和风爪紧随其后。草叶刷着他们肚子上的皮毛，他们的尾巴在身后高高竖着。冬青爪竖起耳朵，希望听到身后传来愤怒的吼声，但周围静悄悄的。
这里的栅栏和马场周围的栅栏一样，都是用一种亮闪闪的东西制作的。狮爪压低身子，肚子紧贴着地面，从最矮的横条下钻了过去。一钻到另一边，他就立刻跳了起来。
“快点儿！”他催促着。
冬青爪匍匐着钻到了栅栏下，感到亮闪闪的栅栏横条蹭着她的背部。她想起了母亲第一次踏上旅程的故事，她曾被栅栏卡住了身子。她害怕得爪子都疼痛起来，担心自己也会被卡住。
不过她还是顺利地钻了过去。这时风爪也在栅栏下扭着身子，狮爪已踏上两处巢穴间狭窄的小路。冬青爪又闻到了老鼠的气息，口水忍不住直往下流。她跟在哥哥的后面，在另一片铺满石头的开阔地的边缘停了下来。
三个学徒的面前是一个两脚兽最大的巢穴。穿过入口，是一个半开着的细长条木质屏障，巢穴里面很黑。狮爪扫视着周围的情况。尽管冬青爪能闻到狗和两脚兽的气息，却连它们的影子都看不到。
“继续前进！”风爪小声说道。
狮爪用尾巴示意着，三只年轻猫跳着穿过开阔地，溜过了巢穴之间的缺口。
一进到里面，冬青爪就一动不动地站住了。她又累又怕，几乎喘不过气来，直到双眼适应了昏暗的光线。巢穴的墙壁是由质地粗糙的石头砌成的，光线从巢穴入口和墙壁上方的几条窄缝中射进来。灰尘颗粒在绿色的光束中飞舞，反射出金色的光点。巢穴的其他部分都隐藏在重重的黑影里。老鼠的气息变得愈发浓烈了，但是冬青爪太紧张了，几乎完全忘了狩猎的事。她转身看着他们来时的路。
冬青爪听到身后传来爪子急促的落地声，接着细细的尖叫声响了起来。
“第一个猎物！”风爪高兴地说道。冬青爪回过头，看到风爪正蹲伏在一只肥大的老鼠旁边。
狮爪摆出了一个狩猎姿势。他左右摆动着臀部，眼睛盯着阴影中的某个东西。冬青爪定睛细看，认出那是一只巨大的老鼠——它差不多跟狮爪一样大！
狮爪猛冲过去，接着传来了一阵骚动。一个心跳过后，狮爪用力咬住了它的脖子，老鼠发出一声凄惨的尖叫。狮爪站在猎物身上，眼睛里闪着自豪的光。
“完美的扑击！”冬青爪欢呼道。
“确实不赖。”风爪从塞满老鼠肉的嘴里挤出一句话。
狮爪咬住大老鼠的尾巴，把它拖到巢穴的中央。“过来，我们一起吃掉它。”他邀请冬青爪，“我自己吃不完。”
“谢谢了！我……”冬青爪的话没说完，就被外面传来的动静打断了，一股刺鼻的气息突然飘过来。
有两三个心跳的时间，冬青爪全身僵硬，凝视着通往开阔地的缺口。她没有看见任何东西，但是却能听到木质屏障底部响起的鼻息声和爪子重重的落地声，还有低沉的咆哮声。
风爪瞪大了眼睛：“狗！”
CHAPTER21
CHAPTER21
Lionpaw stared in disbelief. Stoneteller didn’twant them here? Was he completely mouse-brained?
The Tribe’s leader whipped around to face Talon and Night. “What have you done?” he spat.
Lionpaw saw Talon swallow. “We…we went to find the Clans,” he stammered, one paw raking nervously at the cave floor. “We’ve brought help….”
“We thought it was best,” Night added.
“You thought wrong!” Stoneteller’s voice was soft, vibrating with fury. “You abandoned your Tribemates when we needed you to hunt for food. You told the Clans of our weakness. And you have brought all these extra mouths to feed. How dare you set paw in our cave? None of you is welcome here.”
Stormfur and Brook, who had followed Lionpaw and the other apprentices into the cave, padded forward until they stood in front of Stoneteller. The old cat’s eyes narrowed. “Youare dead!”
Stormfur didn’t flinch. “No, we are not. And we are still loyal to the Tribe of Rushing Water, whatever you might think.”
“We haveto help you,” Brook pleaded.
But Stoneteller’s eyes were cold as the stone around him. “I banished you from the mountains with good reason. Do you think I did it lightly? No. But our ancestors willed it so.”
“Then our ancestors were wrong.” Brook’s amber eyes glowed. “The Tribe is suffering even more than when we left. The trespassers are even more arrogant. We met a group of them on our way here. They behaved as if the mountains were their territory and they could drive us off if they wanted.”
“We have come to help,” Stormfur insisted. “You need us.”
“Need you!” Stoneteller echoed scornfully. “What do you think you can do? Too many lives have been lost already, too much blood spilled—and that was your doing. You told us we needed a show of strength to defend our territory, but it didn’t work.”
“But there was no territory,” Brambleclaw pointed out, taking a pace forward to stand beside Stormfur. “You need to mark your borders.”
“We have never done that!” Stoneteller snapped. “That is not the way of the Tribe, and Stormfur knows it.”
Stormfur bowed his head. Lionpaw exchanged a glance with Hollypaw, seeing his own anger reflected in his sister’s eyes. How stupid could this old cat be, not only to banish Stormfur from the Tribe but then to refuse the help he offered when he came back?
“Stormfur did what he thought was best,” Squirrelflight broke in, her green gaze sparkling with annoyance. “So did Talon and Night. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in asking for help. Or would you rather let the Tribe die because you were too proud?”
Stoneteller took a pace toward the ginger she-cat, his neck fur bristling. Lionpaw tensed his muscles to spring if the Tribe’s leader tried to attack his mother.
Then the old cat’s tail drooped and the fur on his shoulders began to lie flat again. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting has sent me no signs about accepting help from the Clans.” Turning to Brambleclaw, he added, “I mean no disrespect to you or your Clanmates. I know how much we owed you in the past, and I believe you mean well now.”
Brambleclaw opened his jaws to speak, but Stoneteller raised his tail for silence. “You should not have come,” he continued. “This is not your battle. You may stay here for tonight, but in the morning you will be escorted to the edge of the mountains, and you must not return.”
“And how do you mean to stop us?” Breezepaw growled from just behind Lionpaw.
For once, Lionpaw agreed with the WindClan apprentice. The Tribe didn’t have the strength to back up Stoneteller’s orders. But he guessed that Brambleclaw wouldn’t stay where the Clans weren’t wanted.
“And what about us?” Brook demanded.
Stoneteller turned his amber gaze on her. “We cannot feed two more hungry bellies.”
Is that it?Shock froze Lionpaw’s paws in place and shivered through every hair on his pelt. Do we just turn around and go home without lifting a claw to help?He opened his jaws to protest, only to close them again when he caught Brambleclaw’s warning glance.
“We’re guests of the Tribe.” Brambleclaw padded over and fixed all four apprentices with a stern gaze. “We mustn’t cause trouble.”
“Not even when that stupid—”
“No.”Brambleclaw sighed. “I’m as disappointed as you are, but we mustn’t make things worse. Do you all understand that?”
“If you say so…” Lionpaw mewed reluctantly. Hollypaw and Jaypaw nodded agreement, and even Breezepaw growled, “Suppose so.”
A gray-brown Tribe she-cat trotted across the cave toward them. “Hi, Brambleclaw,” she greeted him. “Remember me?”
Brambleclaw put his head on one side. “Bird That Rides the Wind. You were with Talon when we first met.”
“That’s right,” Bird purred. “It’s good to see you again. Stoneteller asked me to find you somewhere to sleep for the night. You and your warriors can come with me to the cave-guards’ place”—she flicked her tail toward one side of the cave—“and your apprentices can sleep with our to-bes.”
Lionpaw stiffened, wondering if Stoneteller wanted to split up the Clan cats so they could be attacked more easily. But Brambleclaw agreed calmly, and common sense told Lionpaw that the Clans would have done exactly the same if a large group of cats had arrived to stay in their camps.
As Bird led the apprentices farther into the cave, Lionpaw craned his neck to look around. By now night had fallen and the moon had risen, turning the waterfall to a sheet of tumbling silver and shedding a soft, wavering light throughout the cave. He could see scattered rocks around the edges of the cave, and here and there cracks in the walls that led up to narrow ledges. From the roof, high above his head, talons of stone pointed down to the cave floor.
His belly rumbled as the scent of fresh-kill tickled his nostrils. At one side of the cave, Gray and his hunting party had brought in their eagle and were tearing it apart. I hope they give us some, Lionpaw thought. His last meal had been in the forest, which seemed like seasons ago now. There wasn’t much else on the fresh-kill pile: a couple of mice and a rabbit. No wonder they’re all so skinny!
Bird took them to the back of the cave, where a pair of tunnels led off into darkness. A few tail-lengths away two young cats were wrestling while three or four others looked on.
“These are our to-bes,” Bird announced.
The wrestling cats broke apart and sat up to stare at the newcomers. “Who are they?” a pale gray she-cat asked. “Are they prisoners?”
“No, Pebble, they’re guests,” Bird replied. “They’ll be staying with us tonight. Look after them and find them somewhere to sleep.”
“What, all four of them?” a black tom exclaimed. “There isn’t room.”
The gray she-cat gave him a hefty shove. “Don’t be so rude!” To the Clan apprentices she added, “Don’t pay any attention to Screech. He’s beetle-brained.”
“Beetle-brained yourself!” Screech muttered.
“You’ll be fine for one night,” Bird mewed briskly. With a friendly nod to the Clan cats she bounded back across the cave to where Brambleclaw and the others were waiting for her.
Lionpaw felt embarrassed as the to-bes crowded around him and the others, sniffing at them curiously. “I’m Lionpaw,” he meowed, trying to sound confident. “This is my sister, Hollypaw, and my brother, Jaypaw, and that’s Breezepaw.”
The gray she-cat dipped her head and stretched out one paw. The gesture surprised Lionpaw, though he had to admit it looked polite. “I am Pebble That Rolls Down Mountain,” she told them, “and this annoying furball is my brother, Screech of Angry Owl.”
Screech curled his lip at his sister, before extending his paw in the same polite gesture. Lionpaw dipped his head in return, hoping the Tribe to-bes wouldn’t think he and the others hadn’t been mentored properly.
“I’m Splash When Fish Leaps,” a small tabby she-cat added, bouncing up with her stubby tail sticking straight up. The other to-bes hung back, giving the newcomers doubtful looks.
“You’ve come a long way,” Pebble commented. “I’ve never scented cats like you before.”
Hollypaw began to tell the story of how Talon and Night had come to fetch them, but before she had reached the start of their journey she was interrupted by the prey-hunters, who padded over carrying pieces of the eagle in their jaws.
“There.” Gray dropped his prey in front of the to-bes. “Plenty for all of you.”
“Thanks.” Screech swiped his tongue around his lips. “This’ll be the first decent meal we’ve had in ages,” he added quietly to the visitors.
“The intruders take all our prey,” Pebble explained sadly. “They watched us to see how we hunt, and now they’ve learned to do it themselves. There aren’t enough eagles to go around.”
“Wait till I’m a prey-hunter,” Screech boasted. “I’ll soon find enough prey to feed all the Tribe.”
“Yes, when eagles learn to talk!” his sister snapped.
Lionpaw was afraid they would all have to wait to eat until the brother and sister had finished arguing. “It seems really strange to us,” he began, hoping to distract them. “We don’t split up the duties like that. We all hunt andfight.”
“It can’t come naturally to you,” Splash mewed. “Learning all that must be really tough.”
“It is,” Hollypaw agreed, to Lionpaw’s surprise. “But it’s fun, too.”
“Stoneteller chooses what we’ll be,” Pebble told her. “Kits who look big and strong get to be cave-guards, and ones that look like they’ll run fast and leap high become prey-hunters. I’m going to be a cave-guard.”
Yes, fine, but when do we get to eat?Lionpaw’s belly was yowling in protest. He knew all this stuff anyway, from what Brook had told them back in ThunderClan territory.
To his relief, Pebble and the other to-bes began dividing up the fresh-kill. The Tribe to-bes split into pairs; each cat took a bite out of its own piece of prey, then exchanged the food with its partner.
“Maybe we’d better do that,” Hollypaw whispered. “Or they’ll think we’re really rude.”
“Okay,” Lionpaw mewed. “You share with Jaypaw, I’ll have Breezepaw’s piece.”
“Do what?” Jaypaw asked irritably. “Prey’s prey. Let’s eat.”
Hollypaw crouched close to Jaypaw’s ear to explain to him what was happening, while Lionpaw tried not to make a face at the thought of eating prey that Breezepaw had bitten into.
“Why’s she telling your brother what to do?” Pebble asked, raising her head from the fresh-kill she was devouring. “Why can’t he just copy us?”
Lionpaw glanced uneasily at his brother, knowing how much Jaypaw hated it when cats talked about him as if he weren’t there. “Well, because he’s blind.”
Pebble’s eyes stretched wide. “Wow, that’s really weird.”
“How does he manage?” Screech asked curiously. “Do you have to lead him around by the tail?”
Lionpaw saw his brother’s ears flatten. His jaws opened for a stinging retort, but Hollypaw slapped her tail across his muzzle. Jaypaw furiously spat out a mouthful of fur.
“He may be blind, but he’s not deaf,” Lionpaw meowed, feeling annoyed for his brother but not wanting to start a quarrel. “And he manages just fine. Haven’t you ever seen a blind cat before?”
“No,” Pebble replied, as if Lionpaw was foolish even to ask. “How can your Clan ever let him out on his own?”
Lionpaw saw what she meant and shuddered. A blind cat wouldn’t last long in this rocky place. Even if it managed to avoid an eagle’s talons, it would probably fall over a precipice
“Jaypaw’s training to be a medicine cat,” Hollypaw put in, a touch of defensiveness in her tone.
Pebble looked even more astonished at that, and most of the other to-bes pricked up their ears to listen.
“That’s impossible!” Splash exclaimed. “How could a blind cat lead your Clan?”
What?Lionpaw exchanged a glance with Hollypaw. “He won’t be leader.”
“But you…oh, I see!” The puzzled look in Pebble’s eyes cleared. “In the Tribe Stoneteller is our Healer. And he picks out the cat who will be Healer after him. But I suppose you do things differently.”
“We have a leader anda medicine cat,” Breezepaw explained, in a superior tone.
“Weird…” murmured Screech.
Privately Lionpaw thought the Tribe’s way was even more weird. How could Stoneteller make good decisions when he didn’t have a medicine cat to advise him? It didn’t look as if he even had a deputy. Maybe the Tribe could have come up with a solution to the problem of the intruders if every cat wasn’t so convinced that they had to do exactly what Stoneteller told them.
“Hi. How are you getting on?”
Lionpaw jumped when he heard Squirrelflight’s voice; she had padded up unseen behind him. “Fine, thanks.” He tried to sound convincing.
“Great. But I think it’s time you settled down to get a good night’s sleep. It looks like we’ll have a long journey tomorrow.”
Lionpaw gulped his last bite of eagle and glanced up at his mother. She didn’t look like her normal cheerful self; her tail trailed on the ground and her eyes were anxious. He guessed she felt they had made a huge mistake by coming so far, only to be turned away. Reaching up to brush his muzzle against hers, he wished he could comfort her and tell her that these stupid Tribe cats should be glad of their help, but it was impossible in front of all the to-bes.
“Okay,” he meowed. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
Squirrelflight brushed his shoulder with her tail, bent over to give Hollypaw and Jaypaw a swift lick around the ear, and padded softly away. Lionpaw’s gaze followed her as she headed across the cave to the other warriors, wishing he could be with them instead of a bunch of strange to-bes.
“Come on,” Pebble mewed, flicking his ear with her tail. “I’ll show you where to sleep.”
She led the apprentices to a place where several shallow dips had been scooped out of the cave floor. They were warmly lined with moss and feathers.
“Choose any,” Pebble invited them.
Lionpaw curled up in one of the larger hollows with Hollypaw and Jaypaw. At least the sleeping place was comfortable; for a moment he could almost believe they were back in the ThunderClan nursery. But in the nursery he had never had so many worries to keep him awake.
He lay with his eyes slitted, watching the constantly changing light flickering over the cave walls and listening to the endless rumble of the waterfall. So much for standing on the hill overlooking the lake and feeling as if he could do anything. Their journey had come to nothing; these strange, proud cats were turning them away without even giving them the chance to help.
Lionpaw let out a sigh. He had been desperate to make this journey for so long, to see the mountains for himself, and now that he was here, he just wanted to go home.
CHAPTER20
CHAPTER20
Lionpaw followed Talon as he pickedhis way down the trail to the rocks below. The cats who had killed the eagle were waiting for them, their eyes guarded and their tails twitching.
A pale gray tom stepped forward to touch noses with Talon. “It’s good to see you again,” he mewed. There was warmth in his voice. “And you, Night,” he added, as the black she-cat padded up to join them.
“Thank you, Gray,” Talon replied.
Lionpaw eyed the Tribe cats doubtfully. They were smaller and skinnier than most Clan cats, and their gray-brown pelts were smeared with mud so that they almost faded into the rocky background. Their eyes glowed strangely, reflecting the red light of the setting sun. As one of them turned to look at him, he took a step toward Squirrelflight. She bent her head and licked his ear, and for a heartbeat he felt ashamed.
I’m not a kit anymore.
Besides, he told himself, they were there to helpthese cats.
The cat Talon had called Gray was staring at the other cats who had descended the trail behind Night. “Stormfur!” he exclaimed, his eyes stretched wide. “Brook! What are you doing here? You’re…you’re supposed to be dead.”
The Tribe cats edged closer together, their fur bristling. Lionpaw felt a flash of irritation. Just because Stoneteller had said Stormfur and Brook were dead to the Tribe didn’t mean they were actually dead. Did these cats believe everything their leader told them?
Stormfur looked at Brook, and there was weariness in his expression. “No, we’re not dead,” he meowed, turning back to the Tribe cats. “We were outcasts for a while, that’s all.”
The cats stepped forward, stretching their necks to sniff at Stormfur’s pelt. Their questions came slowly at first, then faster, like rain in greenleaf.
“Are you okay?”
“Where did you go?”
“Why have you come back?”
“Talon and Night came to fetch us.” Brook spoke for the first time. “They said you needed us.”
The Tribe cats exchanged uncertain glances. Lionpaw waited for them to say, Yes, thank you, we hoped you’d come back to help.But they didn’t. Instead, they turned their attention to the Clan cats.
Gray stepped forward to give Brambleclaw a cautious sniff. “Hey, I’ve met you before. You’re one of those cats who traveled through here a few seasons ago.”
“That’s right.” Brambleclaw dipped his head. “And I remember you…you’re Gray Sky Before Dawn, right?”
“Right!” Gray looked surprised that Brambleclaw had remembered his name. “Did…did you find the home you were looking for?”
“We did, thanks,” Brambleclaw replied. “A good place, by a lake.”
Gray put his head on one side. “Then why are you here now? And what have you done with all the others?”
“We came because—” Tawnypelt began to speak, then fell silent as Brook shot her a warning glance. Her tail tip twitched irritably.
“They’re just passing through,” Brook explained.
Lionpaw bristled; Hollypaw leaned closer to him and murmured in his ear, “She doesn’t want to offend the Tribe cats by telling them they need help from outsiders. It’s enough of a shock that she and Stormfur have come back from the dead, by the look of it.”
But they obviously need our help!These cats were so skinny he could count their ribs. They were no match for the trespassers. Lionpaw’s fur felt hot with anger as he remembered the mocking looks of Stripes and Flick and the insolent way they’d spoken.
They think they can do what they want, and no cat will stop them!
By now the red sunset light was beginning to fade, leaving the mountains wrapped in twilight. Talon waved his tail as a signal for the journeying cats to move off again.
“See you later in the cave, Gray,” he meowed. His tone was decisive, making it clear that he wasn’t going to answer any more questions now.
The Tribe cats went back to their prey and began dragging it across the rocks. The eagle’s feathers made a soft rustling sound on the stone. Lionpaw skirted the bird at a safe distance as he passed. Even though it was dead, he didn’t like the look of the sharp, crooked talons or the bright beady eye that seemed to stare at him.
As he padded across the rocky plateau beside his littermates, Lionpaw heard a noise like thunder. He looked up, but the sky was clear, with stars beginning to shine above the peaks. The roaring noise grew louder and the air grew damp until beads of moisture hung on Lionpaw’s fur.
They were close to the edge of the plateau. Hollypaw ran forward to peer over the edge. “Come and look at this!” she called.
Lionpaw bounded over to join her. He stopped with a jerk and looked back to check that Jaypaw wasn’t too close to the edge. Just in front of his paws, the rocks fell away into a narrow, winding valley, leading steeply downward. A stream foamed along the bottom, throwing up spray where it dashed against rocks and swirling around the roots of straggling bushes that clung to the banks. The thundering noise came from farther down the valley, where the stream vanished over a lip of rock.
“That’s the waterfall.” Squirrelflight raised her voice and pointed with her tail. “We’re almost there.”
Still in the lead, Talon picked his way down the rocks to the stream. There was a tiny path, narrow as a bramble, clinging to the edge of the water. “Watch where you’re putting your paws,” he called.
“Do you remember when we first came here?” Squirrelflight asked Brambleclaw.
The tabby tom’s whiskers twitched. “Will I ever forget it?”
“It was on the way back from the sun-drown-place,” Squirrelflight explained to the apprentices. “It had been raining hard and a surge of floodwater swept us into the stream. We went right over the waterfall and ended up in the pool below.”
“I thought I’d joined StarClan for sure,” Stormfur added, pausing to gaze down at the stream before setting his paws cautiously on the rocky slope.
Squirrelflight began to follow Stormfur, then glanced back to add, “Let’s see if we can all do it dry-pawed this time. Come, Jaypaw, hold my tail and follow exactly where I walk.”
In single file and silence, the cats crept along the edge of the stream as far as the top of the waterfall. Even Breezepaw paid attention to the directions from the experienced Tribe cats at the front of the line.
When he reached the end of the valley, Lionpaw paused, looking down to where the pounding water hurtled into the pool. The air was misty with spray; the rocks were slick with it.
“How’s Jaypaw going to get down?” he murmured to Hollypaw.
His sister shook her head worriedly. “He’ll never make it.”
Then Lionpaw heard a yowl of protest. Brambleclaw had picked up Jaypaw by the scruff and was edging downward with the young cat dangling from his jaws like a kit.
“I can do it by myself!” Jaypaw hissed, furious.
Squirrelflight, already safely down, watched with her tail tip twitching. “Keep still, or I’ll throw you in the pool,” she warned him.
Lionpaw leaned close to whisper into Hollypaw’s ear. “Don’t say a word about this to Jaypaw. He’d turn us into crow-food.”
His sister gave him a quick nod before beginning to pick her own way down. Lionpaw followed her, last of all the cats except for Tawnypelt. His heart beat uncomfortably fast as he tried to find a firm paw hold on the wet stones. Once he slipped, his hind paws dangling helplessly over the thundering water, while he struggled to pull himself up. Tawnypelt fastened her teeth in his shoulder and dragged him back to safety.
“Thanks,” he gasped.
Tawnypelt flicked her ears but said nothing.
Lionpaw had never been so thankful as when he leaped down the last tail-length and stood on level ground beside the pool. His legs were trembling and his pelt was sodden with spray, but inside he felt proud and strong. Nothing could stop the Clan cats, not even having to climb down a waterfall. They would soon sort out those wretched, crow-food-eating trespassers and show them who deserved to hunt in the mountains. No wonder the Tribe cats hadn’t been able to cope; from what he’d seen they were too small and skinny to have real fighting strength. Talon and Night had done the right thing by asking the Clans for help. They were the Tribe of Rushing Water’s only chance.
Several Tribe cats were lurking behind the rocks around the pool and peeping out nervously to watch the newcomers. Lionpaw tried to pretend he hadn’t noticed them. He didn’t like being studied as if he were an unusual bug, with suspicion as well as curiosity. These cats should be acting a lot more grateful that the Clan cats had come all this way to help!
Crowfeather had wandered away from the rest of the group and was sitting with his head bowed beside a heap of stones on the other side of the pool, underneath a twisted tree.
“What’s Crowfeather doing?” Lionpaw asked.
“That’s where Feathertail is buried,” Tawnypelt explained.
Lionpaw stared at the small gray-black cat crouched beside the pile of stones. “Why is Crowfeather so upset? They weren’t even in the same Clan…”
“Crowfeather loved her.” Tawnypelt’s tone was gentle. “She died saving him from Sharptooth, and she saved the Tribe as well.”
Understanding stirred in Lionpaw’s mind like a mouse in a drift of leaves. Maybe losing Feathertail was what had made the WindClan cat so bad-tempered all the time. He noticed Breezepaw watching his father with a jealous glint in his narrowed eyes. For once Lionpaw felt a pang of sympathy for him. He wasn’t sure how he’d feel if Brambleclaw got so upset over a cat that died ages ago, not when he had Squirrelflight now.
“Come on.” Talon’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “It’s time to walk the Path of Rushing Water.” He padded around the edge of the pool and leaped up the first few rocks.
Lionpaw’s eyes stretched wide with astonishment when Talon vanished behind the sheet of tumbling water. “Where did he go?”
Tawnypelt touched her tail to his shoulder. “You’ll see.”
Lionpaw scrambled up the slippery rocks to join Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Squirrelflight at the point where Talon had disappeared. They were standing on a narrow ledge of rock that led behind the waterfall. A dark hole gaped menacingly at the far end. Lionpaw’s fur prickled.
“Follow me,” Squirrelflight mewed to Jaypaw. “And keep your pelt pressed up against the rock.”
Jaypaw, still sulking about being carried down the waterfall, muttered something Lionpaw couldn’t catch.
Squirrelflight went first, placing her paws precisely in a straight line, her fur brushing the rock wall. Jaypaw followed, and Lionpaw fell in behind him, ready to grab his brother if he slipped.
The water pounded past, filling his ears with thunder and loading his pelt with icy drops. Lionpaw was sure that it would snatch him up and toss him into the pool below. In the faint light of evening he could scarcely make out Jaypaw’s black fur against the wet rock. The moist air damped down the scents of his companions; he could have been alone, pacing into the darkness beneath the earth, never to return.
“This is it,” he heard Jaypaw murmur. “This is where we’re supposed to be.”
Lionpaw wasn’t sure what he meant—he’d never been more convinced that he belonged under trees with grass beneath his paws. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the gaping hole and found himself at the entrance to a cave. Faint watery light filtered through the waterfall behind him, revealing steep rock walls that soared up on either side, vanishing into shadows.
Blinking, Lionpaw padded forward. As he left the narrow entrance behind, the thunder of the waterfall faded. Hollypaw and Jaypaw paced beside him, Hollypaw gazing around in astonishment, while Jaypaw quivered with tension.
Brambleclaw, Talon, and Squirrelflight were already standing farther into the cave. Around them were groups of the Tribe cats, wiry gray-brown shapes that crouched, staring, as if they hardly dared come forward to greet the newcomers. All of them looked thin and anxious.
Don’t worry, Lionpaw thought. Everything will be okay, now that we’re here
Then a brown tabby tom appeared from the shadows at the back of the cave. He was stick-thin, as if his pelt were stretched over his bare bones, and his muzzle was grizzled with age. His amber eyes glowed in the faint light.
Brambleclaw dipped his head respectfully. “Greetings, Stoneteller.”
Lionpaw’s paws worked impatiently against the hard floor of the cave as he waited for the old cat to welcome them. They needed to start planning right away to get rid of the intruders.
Stoneteller halted, his amber gaze raking across the newcomers. The thin fur on his neck and shoulders began to bristle.
“How dare you come here?” he snarled.
第十七章
第十七章
“我们必须出去！”风族学徒丢掉剩下的老鼠，跳着朝入口飞奔而去，最后停在离入口几只狐狸身长的地方。三个黑白相间皮毛的瘦削身影出现在入口处，它们嘴巴大张着，眼睛恶狠狠地盯着几只猫。
“一对一。”狮爪的声音恐惧得发干，“太妙了！”
冬青爪扫视四周。巢穴里没有别的出入口，石头墙上除了那几道猫根本没法跃上去的透光缝隙，根本就没别的缝隙。
狗开始缓慢前进，它们把头俯得更低了，腿向下弯着，做好了追赶猫的准备。这下我知道猎物们是什么感受了。冬青爪心里想道。她和另两只猫神情紧张地朝后退去。
“一定要绕开它们，”狮爪平静地说道，“如果我们要逃出去，就一定要比它们跑得快。”
第一只狗向前跃起。冬青爪转身就逃，狗滚烫的呼吸喷在她的后爪上。她跑得更快的时候，腿上的肌肉绷紧了，但是因为旅程，她已经疲惫不堪，爪子在布满灰尘的石头地面上不停地打滑。在她前方的巢穴的远处，有一个巨大的干草堆。她绝望地想，他们是否能躲在里面。但是她知道，狗也可以钻到里面，把他们拖出来。干草堆的后面，是一堵光秃秃的墙。
为什么我们要让自己陷于绝境？我简直无法相信我们会这么愚蠢！冬青爪喘着粗气，同时又希望星族武士没看到自己，不知道他们是这么的不守规矩。“星族，救救我们吧！”
“到上面来！”
一阵吼声从冬青爪的头顶传来。她抬起头，看到一只猫的脑袋和肩膀从墙壁高处的窄缝中伸了进来。她吃惊得张大了嘴巴。是波弟！
“爬上干草堆！”老猫催促着，“你们想留在那里被吃掉吗？”
狮爪跳上干草堆，开始朝上方爬去，冬青爪也跟着冲了上去。就在这时，她听到离自己后爪一只老鼠身长的地方，传来了牙齿咬合的声音，紧接着，身后传来一声尖叫。冬青爪回过头去，发现风爪刚想爬上来，就被一只狗咬住尾巴拽了回去。
冬青爪紧张起来。她本该回去帮忙的，但她不喜欢风爪，可他毕竟是一只族群猫，她不能眼睁睁看着他被撕成碎片。但是还没等她跳下去，风爪猛地一跳，拽出了尾巴，然后拼命向上爬去，离开了狗那狂叫的嘴巴。
狗企图跟上他，可是它们太重了，堆起来的干草无法承受它们的体重。它们在里面挣扎着，抽动鼻子，嗅着风爪尾巴上的血迹，嘴里口水直流。
冬青爪再次挣扎着向上攀爬，一半身子淹没在干草堆里，草梗扎进了她的皮毛，草籽进入了她的鼻孔，她不住地打着喷嚏。上方，狮爪已经到达波弟等着的缝隙。虎斑老猫抓住他脖子上的皮毛，将他拉了出去，接着把他丢在了冬青爪看不见的某个地方。
波弟又够到了冬青爪，抓住她，将她四只爪子都提到了空中。冬青爪既害怕又紧张，还以为自己会摔到地上。她绷紧肌肉，做好了掉在地上的准备，却发现自己落在两三条尾巴长的距离之外的红色窝顶上。冬青爪失去了平衡，感到自己正快速地朝窝顶的边缘滑去。她前面的狮爪猛地推了她一下，她这才停下来。
“谢谢了！”冬青爪长舒了一口气。
她回头望去，看到波弟正在把风爪从缝隙里拽出来。
“我的尾巴怎么办？”当波弟把风族猫扔在其他猫身边时，他还不住地抱怨，“它正在流血！”
“闭上嘴，跟着我！”波弟“咚”的一声跳到他们身边，“否则你要担心的就不只是尾巴了。这边走。”他说着爬到了窝顶的边缘。
波弟跳到一个装满水的容器边缘，接着又从那里跳到地上，回头急促地示意他们跟上。狮爪第一个跳，很容易就跳了下去。冬青爪谨慎地跟着他跳下去，担心自己扎进冰冷的水中。风爪落在她的身边，赶紧把尾巴伸到前面，检查着鲜血淋漓的尾巴根儿。
“别看了，”波弟嘶嘶地叫道，“我们必须快跑！”
狗的狂叫声从两脚兽巢穴里传来，接着是雷鸣般的爪子落地的声音。波弟沿着三个学徒来时的路跑开了，速度简直跟族群武士一样快，三个学徒紧随其后。当他们来到栅栏附近时，冬青爪的心跳得更快了。在被狗抓到前，他们能顺利地钻出栅栏吗？
可是波弟却带着他们来到了栅栏的另一个地方，然后使劲把狮爪从一个洞口推了出去。冬青爪跟在狮爪后面爬了出去，这里比从栅栏下面钻出去更快，也更容易。接下来钻过去的是风爪，最后钻过去的是波弟。波弟转身看着追上来的狗，它们的叫声简直都要把星族吵醒了。
“滚回到你们的直行兽那里去！”他讥讽它们道，“让它们喂你们吃的，你们今天一只猫也抓不到。”
冬青爪觉得狗根本听不懂他的话。它们猛地朝栅栏撞去，可栅栏没有被撞开。那个洞口又太小，它们根本钻不过去。不一会儿，一只两脚兽出现在附近一个巢穴的角落，朝狗大吼着。狗的狂吠变成了哀鸣，随后就灰溜溜地走开了。它们还不时回头，向猫们投来愤怒的目光。
“好啦，我们走吧。”波弟说道。
于是，他领着学徒们来到树篱下的遮蔽处，三个学徒瘫倒在长草中。冬青爪闭上了眼睛。她再次睁开眼睛时，发现波弟已经离开了，黑莓掌和鸦羽正站在她的身边。
“你们三个是彻头彻尾的鼠脑子吗？”黑莓掌的声音异常冰冷，“已经告诉过你们农场里有狗，可你们还是把自己置于危险之中。到底为了什么呢？为了几只老鼠吗？”
“对不起。”冬青爪低声说道，不敢看父亲的眼睛。
“我们没想过。”狮爪坦白道。
“这还用想！”黑莓掌反驳道。
“这不全是我们的错，”本来正在舔自己尾巴的风爪抬起了头，“如果你们不让我们饿得……”
“你们根本就不知道真正的饥饿感觉是什么。”鸦羽愤怒地低吼道。
“而且我希望你们三只猫已经感谢过波弟了，”黑莓掌继续说道，“你们很幸运，他猜到你们去了哪里。如果他没有……”
“我们也可以爬上干草堆的，”风爪打断了他的话，“我们不欠那只老疯猫什么。”
冬青爪张大嘴巴望着他。是的，如果他们当时没有被吓慌，如果他们知道那道缝隙可以方便地通到地面，他们自己可能也会找到出去的路。然而她确信，如果不是波弟的帮助，他们三个已经死在两脚兽的巢穴里，被狗撕成碎片了。
鸦羽生气地嘶嘶叫着，转身背对着风爪。冬青爪不由得同情起风爪来。她宁愿受到黑莓掌的斥责，也不愿面对鸦羽的冷漠。鸦羽是不是从没喜欢过风爪？冬青爪和她的同窝猫虽然无法忍受这个风族学徒，但星族在上，鸦羽可是他的父亲啊！
冬青爪想，真庆幸他不是我的父亲。
树篱方向传来的沙沙声，吓了冬青爪一跳。原来是松鸦爪衔着满嘴的草药走了过来。“山萝卜。”他把叶子扔在风爪身边，说道，“我本想采些马尾草的，可是没找到。把这些叶子咀嚼成糊状，涂在尾巴上。”接着松鸦爪又转身问冬青爪和狮爪：“你们受伤了吗？”
“没有，我们都没事。”狮爪向他保证。
“我最好还是检查一下。”松鸦爪先把狮爪从耳朵到尾巴嗅了一边，然后又嗅了嗅冬青爪。
“我们真的没事。”看到弟弟紧张得身子直发抖，冬青爪急忙说道，“我很抱歉，我们没能给你带回老鼠。”
“你们不用为这个抱歉！”松鸦爪声音中的恐惧和愤怒，让冬青爪震惊不已，“你们应该抱歉自己溜出去，做了那么鼠脑子的事。你们没有想过我，对吧？如果失去了你们，我该怎么办？”
冬青爪艰难地吞咽了一口唾沫。是的，除了出发前想确认不让松鸦爪知道，她的确没有想到松鸦爪。她已经忘了，松鸦爪有多需要自己和狮爪。如果他俩不在了，松鸦爪要想过上正常的生活，将会有多艰难！
“我们很抱歉，”冬青爪说道，用鼻子碰了碰弟弟的肩膀，“我们……”
“道歉并不能抓到猎物。”松鸦爪躲开了她，飞快地闻了闻敷在风爪尾巴上的山萝卜糊，然后沿着树篱走了下去。“他们没事儿了，我们可以继续赶路了。”他一边走，一边扭头和黑莓掌说道。
“继续前进，”黑莓掌说道，“我们已经耽误很长时间了。”
他带头向等在树篱阴影里的其他猫走过去。波弟在地上蜷成一团，显然已经睡熟了。松鼠飞和褐皮正观察着周围的动静，暴毛和溪儿互相舔梳皮毛，两只部落猫正靠在一起，嘀咕着什么。
“出发的时间到了。”褐皮站了起来，低声说道。
“你们都还好吧？”松鼠飞问道。她的声音很平静，但冬青爪能察觉到她的担心。
“我们都没事，”狮爪平静地说道，“我们不会再这么做了。”
黑莓掌的声音很冷酷：“这样最好了。”
暴毛推醒了波弟，众猫们再次踏上了旅程。冬青爪的爪子被两脚兽巢穴的石头地面蹭得生疼，皮毛里还夹着草籽和干草叶，感到火辣辣的，十分难受。不一会儿，他们不得不离开树篱的阴影，来到了开阔地上。阳光直射下来，冬青爪的嗓子都快冒烟了，肚子饿得咕咕叫。当他们抵达山谷另一边的森林时，她早已筋疲力竭，腿不停地颤抖着。
黑莓掌在森林中停下来，说道：“我们就在这儿过夜。”
“可现在还是白天！”鹰爪反对道，“在天彻底黑下来之前，我们还可以走更远的。”
“我希望你不是因为这几个学徒才停下来的，”鸦羽生气地瞟了儿子一眼，说道，“要是他们累了，也是活该。”
“不，不是因为这个。”黑莓掌平静地说道，“不过要是他们真累得走不动了，我们也没法走得太远。如果我们现在就在这儿休息，明天就可以早些出发，明晚之前就可以抵达山地。”
武士们各自分散开去，开始在森林边缘的香薇丛和黑莓丛中狩猎。狮爪和风爪肩并肩瘫倒在树根间的苔藓上，开始呼呼大睡。
冬青爪本想和他们一样睡上一觉，不过眼下自己还有一件事要办。她拖着疲惫的腿，逼迫自己踉跄着朝森林深处走去，直到看到远处灌木间的空地上，有一只老鼠正在奔跑。当她猛扑过去的时候，老鼠钻进了一个枯叶堆。她踉踉跄跄追了过去，将它困在了两只爪子中间。
这真是一次拙劣的狩猎！她想，但她已经累得顾不上在意这些了。
冬青爪叼起老鼠瘫软的身体，走回森林边缘波弟躺着的地方。此时波弟把爪子藏在身下，眯着眼睛，凝视着山谷。
当她走过去的时候，一只琥珀色的眼睛立刻睁大了。“你想干什么？”他问道。冬青爪本以为他对自己怀着敌意，但是他的声音却很温和，甚至很友善。
“我给你带了这个，”冬青爪把老鼠放在他的面前，“食物。还有……”她用一只前爪撕扯着地上的草，突然变得有些害羞，“我……我注意到你的皮毛上有很多虱子。”她结结巴巴地说道，“如果你愿意，我可以帮你清理一下。”
波弟抬起一条后腿，使劲搔了搔耳朵后面：“我没法拒绝你。”
冬青爪强忍着令她作呕的难闻气息，小心翼翼地把老鼠胆汁挤出来。她又取来一小块苔藓，把它放在胆汁里润湿。冬青爪对波弟解释道：“在我们族群，巫医都是这样清理皮毛的。我当过一阵子巫医学徒，所以我知道怎么做。”
“这味道可真难闻。”波弟转过脸去，身子静止不动，让冬青爪把胆汁涂抹在游走于乱蓬蓬的虎斑皮毛中的虱子身上。不一会儿，这些小东西开始一个接一个地掉落下来。波弟发出了一声舒服的叹息。
“你的两脚兽主人不帮你清理虱子吗？”冬青爪一边忙着一边问道。
波弟摇了摇头。“我的直行兽去世了。后来我又有过几个时不时会来喂养我的直行兽，不过它们从不打理我的皮毛。我自己感觉也无所谓了。”他口是心非地补充道。
冬青爪对他产生了深深的同情。这么说，他早就不是宠物猫了，而是一只逐渐变老的独行猫！“好啦，都清理完了。”她告诉他。
一阵低沉的呼噜从波弟的胸部爆发出来。“谢谢你，我现在整个身体感觉舒服多了，”他说道，“这就是你当巫医学徒时学会的东西吗？至少族群猫在这件事上，做得还是对的。”
“对今天的事，我们实在抱歉，”冬青爪平静地说道，“你救了我们的命，我们对此真的感激不尽。”
“这没什么大不了的，”这只老猫回答道，“跟狗较量，让我觉得自己又变年轻了。”
“我想，我们可以从你这里学到很多东西。”冬青爪告诉他。
老猫只是发出一声戏谑的哼唧，然后低头吃起老鼠来。冬青爪在他身边的长草中蜷起身子，伴着波弟心满意足的呼噜，进入了梦乡。
第十八章
第十八章
松鸦爪试着用爪子牢牢地抓住光秃秃的岩石。一阵风吹过，几乎要把他从狭窄的石壁上吹落。松鸦爪感到非常害怕。头顶的天空上，星星正冰冷地闪烁着。爪子周围只有阴影，笼罩了一切。只有一块几条尾巴长的岩石刺破阴影，尖锐得犹如猫脊骨。
突然，他前方的阴影散开了，一只猫朝他飞奔而来。松鸦爪认出，这个粗糙无毛、两眼无神的身影正是岩石！这只远古猫渐渐靠近他，走在一只爪子宽的石头上，轻松地保持着平衡，就像是走在广阔的森林里。
“就像你说的那样，我来了。”松鸦爪尽力不让自己的声音颤抖，“你还记得吗？是你让我到山地来的。”
岩石摇摇头：“你们三只猫都应该来这里。”
“我们三只猫都来了。”松鸦爪抗议着，回头看去，像是想看看狮爪和冬青爪在不在。“我爬上来的时候，一定是把他们甩得太远了。他们不能……”
松鸦爪的爪子忽然在岩石边缘打滑，他最后的那句话变成了一声恐惧的号叫。松鸦爪拼命地乱抓，但却无法抓住光滑的石头表面。他感觉自己像是一头扎进了阴影之中，不断地下坠，下坠……
“醒醒啊！”松鸦爪感到一只爪子正戳着他的肋骨。是狮爪。“看在星族的分上，你简直就像一条垂死的鱼，扑腾个不停。”
轻松的感觉像潮水般淹没了他。他正安全地躺在森林边缘临时搭建的窝里。他闻了闻空气，闻到冬青爪就在附近，更加放松下来，彻底摆脱了噩梦。他站起来，伸了伸懒腰，弓了弓后背。黎明的寒意逐渐浸入松鸦爪的皮毛，他听到其他伙伴正从睡梦中醒来。
“黑莓掌说，我们可以去狩猎了，”狮爪说道，“不过我们必须快一点。如果我们要在天黑前抵达山地，就要抓紧时间，还有很长一段路要走呢。”
松鸦爪正蹲在挂满露水的草丛上，享用着一只田鼠。这时，他听到了褐皮爪子落地的声音。“该出发了。”她大声说道。
松鸦爪赶忙吞下最后几口老鼠肉，跑过去加入了猫群。
“波弟，能够再次跟你一起旅行，感觉真是太棒了！”黑莓掌说道，“我们尤其要感谢你救了那些鼠脑子学徒。不过，我们不能让你离家更远了。”
众猫跟波弟道过再见，然后进入了森林。狮爪和冬青爪放轻爪子，走在松鸦爪的身边，他们的皮毛擦着他的身体两边。太阳正从森林上方升起。跟前几天不同的是，虽然他们依旧是在默默前行，但气氛却越来越紧张。
突然，冬青爪把尾巴搭在松鸦爪的肩膀上，示意他停下来。他感到温暖的阳光洒在皮毛上，微风轻拂着他的胡须。此刻，他们一定是来到了森林的另一边。
“太不可思议了！”冬青爪轻声说道。
“什么？”松鸦爪的皮毛上泛起一股恼怒，因为他看不见冬青爪感慨的东西。
“山！”这次回答的是狮爪，他的声音中充满了敬畏，“广阔无垠！”
“就是非常庞大的岩石壁，”冬青爪解释道，“全都是灰色的陡峭的光秃秃的山岩，只有少数几个岩石缝隙里长着野草。松鸦爪，真希望你能看见，这些山实在是太高啦！”
“我甚至都看不到山顶，”狮爪补充道，“被云遮住了。”
“我的家乡！”溪儿的低语从松鸦爪的前方传来。他察觉到她的语气里混杂着渴望与恐惧。其他部落猫的感受，也跟她一样。他们一定是在害怕等在前方的难题：他们要在他们认为一直属于他们——而且只属于他们——的地方，面对入侵者。
“杀无尽部落，”黑夜的喃喃低语传了过来，“请你们照看着我们，指引我们的爪子踏上正确的道路。”
松鸦爪战栗起来。星族在这里也能看见我们吗？尽管他知道，总有一天他会拥有比星族还要强大的力量，但此刻站在这广袤的天空下，松鸦爪还是感觉自己毫无遮蔽，显得十分脆弱。
“我们的时间掌握得很好。”鹰爪说道，“天黑前我们就能赶到我们的山洞。”
“你确定吗？”松鼠飞的声音里充满怀疑，“你可别忘了，这些学徒可都是未经训练的攀登者。我们可不想在山间过夜。”
“我们又要被这些学徒拖后腿？”鹰爪反问道。
听到他的话，松鸦爪气得竖起了毛，尤其是在他知道鹰爪说得一点儿没错的时候。狮爪和冬青爪当时究竟在想什么，就那样进入了两脚兽的巢穴，什么险都敢冒？
“学徒们没什么问题，”暴毛平静地说道，“我们可以帮他们。你觉得呢，黑莓掌？”
黑莓掌停顿了一会儿，才回答道：“好吧，我们走。”
松鸦爪蹦跳着走在同窝猫身边，穿过一片开阔地。地势开始逐渐向上倾斜，爪子下的草也变得愈发稀疏，松软的土块里混杂着砂砾，卡进了爪尖之间。很快，山坡就变得陡峭起来，他的爪子开始不停地打滑。
“老鼠屎！”松鸦爪嘟哝着，使劲抓牢了地面。
“走这边。”松鼠飞的气息环绕在他的身边。在松鼠飞尾巴的引导下，他的爪子踩到了坚硬的岩石。
“我们可以沿着这条小路走，”他的母亲说道，“那边是个深渊，所以皮毛要紧贴另一侧的岩石。”
松鸦爪跟着褐皮，松鼠飞紧跟其后。他能闻到同窝猫的气息从前方不远处传来，他开始变得更加自信了。这有点像是爬高石台，或者前往月亮池的旅程。
我抵达那些地方毫无问题，在这里我也一定会没事儿的。
可是当小路继续向上，不断盘旋时，他的信心开始减少，脑海里反复出现母亲警告他可能落下深渊的画面。他心里清楚，只要一步踩空，就会让他坠入万丈深渊。冰冷的风拍打着他的皮毛，似乎马上要将他吹翻在地。身侧的岩石十分僵硬，松鸦爪看不见它们，尖石头扎得他的爪垫疼痛不堪。
一声刺耳的尖叫从头顶上方传来。松鸦爪吓得身子摇晃起来，幸好松鼠飞用肩膀顶着他的侧腹，他这才稳住了身体。
“发生什么事了？”松鸦爪喘着气问道。
“一只鹰。”母亲回答道，“它们可能很危险，不过现在离我们很远，不会给我们带来麻烦的。”
“我倒是希望它能来，”暴毛的声音从后面传来，“那样的话，我们就都能美餐一顿。”
松鼠飞又轻轻推了一下松鸦爪，示意他继续往前。不过他还没走出几爪子远，就听到头顶传来了黑夜的声音：“等一会儿！停下，都停下！”
松鸦爪停下来，鼻子撞到了褐皮的尾巴。“出什么事了？”他问道。
“这里有一道裂缝，”黑莓掌的声音在岩石间回荡着，“我们必须跳过去。”
松鸦爪害怕极了，四肢开始颤抖，但他把头抬得高高的，不让部落猫看出自己的恐惧。松鼠飞蹭了蹭他的身体，这种默默的鼓励，让他感到十分高兴。
“来吧，狮爪。”黑莓掌的声音再次传来，既温暖，又充满鼓励，“你曾经跨过了风族边界的溪流，这里还没那么宽。”沉默片刻后，他又说道：“干得不错！轮到风爪了。”
松鸦爪弯曲着爪子，紧紧抓住小路上坚硬的石头，等着轮到自己去跳。他讨厌这个地方，他甚至想不起来，自己为什么要来这里。他原本期待着找到梦中的场景，但相反，风中吹来的却是陌生的气息。除此之外，他感觉不到岩石或者任何武士祖灵的踪迹。内心的无助让他很生气。
他听到褐皮鼓励冬青爪跳过裂缝的话，恐惧感不由加剧了。“不要往下看，”影族母猫说道，“眼睛盯着黑莓掌！”
“我没事儿。”冬青爪听起来有些紧张。
过了不一会儿，松鸦爪听到狮爪发出一阵祝贺的吼叫——知道姐姐已经安全跳过去了。褐皮的气息突然变淡了，这说明她也成功地跨过了那处裂缝。现在他和张着嘴巴的裂缝之间，已经没有猫了。想到裂缝就在自己脚下不远处，他肩膀上的毛开始竖了起来。
“现在仔细听着，”松鼠飞紧靠着他说道，“裂缝就在你前方两只狐狸身长的地方，大约有三条尾巴宽。你以前跳过这么远的距离。助跑三个爪子的距离，然后跳过去。”
“我就在这儿，松鸦爪！”黑莓掌喊道，“你跳过来时，我会抓牢你的。”
“好的，”松鸦爪回应着，为自己的声音没有颤抖感到自豪，他绷紧浑身的肌肉，“我来了！”
他没有给自己犹豫的机会，立刻开始向前冲去，爪子掠过岩石，后腿使劲儿一蹬，跃向空中。这一刻，他的心跳快得难以承受。接着他的爪子咚的一声落在岩石上，身体摇晃着。他感到狮爪用肩膀稳住了他。
“完美的一跳！”哥哥说道，“再练习几次，你就会成为一只飞猫了！”
“别想。”松鸦爪低声喃喃着。他站稳身子，舒缓着呼吸，让全身的皮毛都平顺下来。
等剩余的猫都跳过了裂缝，松鸦爪已经做好了再次上路的准备，他对自己感到很满意。这已经向急水部落的猫证明，看不见的学徒也可以与他们同行！
这时松鸦爪察觉到，他们已经到了一个两边石壁高耸的地方。四周十分静寂，只能听到风吹过岩石的呼啸声。众猫的声音在石壁中回荡，碎石被爪子踩得互相碰撞着，听起来异常怪异。
“大家最好保持安静，”鹰爪说道，“我们马上就要到了，周围可能有入侵者。”
小路在山间蜿蜒缠绕。忽然，松鸦爪听到瀑布落下来的汩汩声。接着，他的爪子踩过浅浅的溪流。他嗅到了猎物的气息，肚子开始咕咕直叫。不过猎物的气息很微弱。他寻思着，为什么有猫愿意生活在如此艰苦的地方，更别提为了争夺它而战斗了。
松鸦爪听到风爪在问，他们是否可以停下来狩猎。接着是鸦羽呵斥他的声音，说没有时间狩猎。“或许你想在这里过夜，可我不想！”
“等我们到了山洞，就会有猎物吃啦。”溪儿说道。
松鸦爪不知道她说的是不是真的。急水部落遇到的麻烦不就是入侵者把猎物抢走了吗？他想弄清楚今天过去了多少时间。太阳是不是正在下山，阳光是否洒满了他们经过的山口？过去在森林中时，有很多东西可以告诉他太阳正在落山：风和气息的变化，逐渐消散的鸟鸣，染上暮色的草叶上的凉意。但是这里没有任何东西能指引他。
石头小路逐渐朝高处延伸，风又吹了起来，他们似乎爬出了山谷。突然，松鸦爪听到头顶上方传来一声吼叫。
“狮爪，快上来，我可以看到很远！”冬青爪的声音里充满了兴奋。
黑夜生气地发出一阵嘶嘶声，鹰爪吼道：“我说过了要安静！”
“冬青爪，赶紧下来！”松鼠飞命令道。
众猫都停了下来。过了两三个心跳的时间后，上面又传来了爪子落地声和冬青爪的说话声：“对不起，我忘了！”但是松鸦爪认为她的道歉并非出自真心，因为她整个心里都被惊喜、震撼的情绪所占据。“但是真的太震撼了！你可以看到整个世界！”
“如果你想提醒入侵者……”鹰爪刚开口就停住了。
松鸦爪察觉到有东西正在靠近。他没有听到任何声音，而是空气中传来的微弱的骚动告诉他，有什么东西在动。“有猫来了。”他轻声说道。
“就是他们。”鹰爪简短地说道。
“那我们最好离开这儿。”黑莓掌开口说道。
“太晚了，”黑夜打断了他的话，“靠在一起，把学徒们围在中间！”
鸦羽把松鸦爪推到其他猫身边的时候，差点儿将他推倒在地。
“我们可以战斗！”狮爪执拗地说道。
“没错，你们没必要保护我们。”冬青爪附和道。
风爪没说什么，只是发出了一声不服气的咆哮。
年龄大的猫都没有理他们。松鸦爪发现，他被冬青爪和风爪夹在中间，经验丰富的武士们将他们紧密地围了起来。冬青爪仍在小声地抱怨着。
现在松鸦爪已经可以听到爪子拍打在岩石上的声音了，闻到了陌生猫的气息。他估计，大概有三四只猫。他听到周围的武士发出了威胁的嘶嘶声。
然后一个奇怪的声音响了起来：“瞧瞧，我们遇到了什么？”
CHAPTER23
CHAPTER23
Lionpaw watched as the Tribe catsbroke up into small, quarrelsome groups.
They might as well save their breath, he thought. Stoneteller has made up his mind, and now Brambleclaw’s in charge
Even so, he was impressed by Crag’s courage in speaking up and glad of the respect he could see between the cave-guard and his father. Crag was a strong, brave cat, and with the right training he would make a great warrior.
“At least we haven’t come all this way for nothing,” Breezepaw remarked, strolling over. “We’ll soon lick this lot into shape. We might as well start calling them MountainClan right now.”
“Say that in the hearing of a Tribe cat, and you’ll be looking for your ears,” Hollypaw hissed.
“Ignore him,” Lionpaw told her. “If he wants to be stupid—”
He broke off as he saw Brambleclaw padding toward them. “I’ve got a job for you,” the dark tabby meowed.
Lionpaw sprang to his paws, his tail straight up in the air. Action at last!
“Do you think you three could train the to-bes in some fighting moves?” Brambleclaw asked.
Lionpaw started a little as he realized that “you three” included Breezepaw and not Jaypaw. The three apprentices glanced at one another, the argument with Breezepaw forgotten.
“Sure.” Lionpaw nodded. “We’ll be glad to help.”
He touched his tail tip to Jaypaw’s shoulder in farewell as he followed his father across to the to-bes’ part of the cave. Jaypaw didn’t seem to notice; he was staring at the wall of the cave, lost in thought.
“Every cat, even the prey-hunters, will be trained in basic fighting,” Brambleclaw explained. “But we’ll give the cave-guards the responsibility of border patrols. They’re the strongest cats, and they have some fighting techniques, though they still need battle training.”
“There aren’t any borders yet,” Hollypaw pointed out.
Brambleclaw gave her a friendly flick on the ear with his tail. “There will be soon.”
The to-bes were gathered in a tight cluster in their own part of the cave. They all turned to look at Brambleclaw and the apprentices as they approached.
“Greetings,” Pebble meowed, dipping her head to Brambleclaw and extending a paw.
“Greetings,” Brambleclaw replied. “I think you’ve met Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Breezepaw. They’re going to give you some training in fighting techniques.”
To Lionpaw’s dismay, none of the to-bes looked pleased at the prospect. They muttered together; Lionpaw caught the words “…only to-bes like us.”
“Splash and I are prey-hunters.” Screech spoke up boldly, flicking his tail at the light brown tabby she-cat beside him. “We don’t do that stuff.”
“The whole Tribe will be doing ‘that stuff,’” Brambleclaw told him.
“It’s for your own good,” Lionpaw added.
Screech glared at him.
“Come on,” Hollypaw mewed persuasively. “It’ll be fun. And if the intruders attack you, you’ll need to defend yourselves.”
To Lionpaw’s relief, he saw that Pebble and one or two others were looking interested. His paws tingled with anticipation. This would be good practice for when he was a mentor with an apprentice of his own.
Brambleclaw gave an approving nod. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, and I are going to explore the territory and see if we can set the borders.” He turned away, then glanced over his shoulder. “Lionpaw, would you like to come with us? Hollypaw and Breezepaw can handle the training for now.”
For a heartbeat Lionpaw felt disappointed. Then he reminded himself that he had wanted to explore the world beyond the lake, and here was a chance to see more of it. “Okay,” he mewed, waving his tail in farewell to the others and following Brambleclaw to the cavern entrance.
Tawnypelt and Crowfeather were waiting there, with Talon, Bird, and Gray.
“We’ll come with you,” Talon meowed. “You might need backup if the trespassers are around.”
“Thank you.” Brambleclaw gestured with his tail to let the big cave-guard take the lead.
Lionpaw fell in behind his father to walk the Path of Rushing Water behind the waterfall. With sunlight dazzling through the sheet of foaming water, it didn’t seem as frightening as in twilight the night before. When he emerged into the open he leaped down onto the ground beside the pool and shook drops of water from his pelt. The sky was blue, with a few white clouds scudding across it, driven by a stiff breeze. The sun was just grazing the topmost peaks, bathing the mountain slopes in light. High up, a single bird flew in lazy circles.
“Eagle,” Bird murmured. “We’ll need to keep an eye on it.”
“This way,” Talon mewed. He bounded over to the rocks opposite the pool and clawed his way up until he stood on a flat overhang of stone. Lionpaw and the other cats followed. Lionpaw stood panting on the edge and looked out across an empty forest of jutting rock. Only a few clumps of green foliage here and there interrupted the vast gray-brown landscape. There was no sign of movement.
“It’s empty.” He crouched to peer down at the rocks below the overhang. “It feels like there’s no cat here but us.”
“Don’t you believe it,” Talon growled, padding up behind him. “The trespassers aren’t as good at hiding as we are, but they’re getting better at it all the time.”
“So you’ll have to get better still,” Brambleclaw mewed briskly. “Then you can fight back.”
Talon gave a doubtful snort and began climbing a steep slope of scree that led to a ridge. When Lionpaw set paw on the shifting stones he thought he would never be able to climb it. For every paw step he took, he felt as if he was slipping back two. He watched the Tribe cats setting their paws sideways on the slope and gradually began to make better progress. At last he was able to haul himself up the last tail-length and stand on the top.
Wind buffeted his pelt and made his eyes water. Blinking, he made out an even wider landscape of jutting crags and narrow valleys, with streams that looked narrow as grass stems weaving their way among the rocks. Far away he could see a blur of green, and he realized that he was looking at the edge of the mountains, perhaps the forest they had crossed on their way
“I feel like a bird!” he cried.
The words were hardly out of his mouth before he felt his paws slipping. For a heart-stopping moment he thought the wind would bowl him over to plummet down to the rocks below. The landscape whirled sickeningly around him. Then teeth fastened in his scruff and yanked him back to safety. He looked up to see Crowfeather.
“Thanks,” he gasped.
“Just remember you’re not a bird,” the WindClan cat growled.
Lionpaw sat down for a few heartbeats until the dizziness passed and his heart stopped pounding. When he looked up, he saw Talon, Tawnypelt, and Brambleclaw standing a few paw steps away. The Tribe cat waved his tail to point at something below the ridge.
“That’s where Stormfur led us into battle,” he meowed.
More cautiously this time, Lionpaw padded up to the edge and peered over. The ground fell away into a steep valley, with jagged rocks on either side. At the bottom a narrow stream wound its way among boulders. He shivered, imagining that he could see the slopes running with the blood of cats and hear their screeches as they hurled themselves into the fight.
“We don’t go that way anymore,” Talon continued. “The intruders think it belongs to them now.”
“Maybe we need to teach them they’re wrong,” Tawnypelt suggested with a lash of her tail.
Talon shook his head. “It’s not worth it. We never found much prey there. If we go a bit farther along this ridge, we come to another valley with a stream. There’s grass growing there and a few bushes, and you can generally pick up a mouse or two, or even a rabbit if you’re lucky. We get moss for bedding from there, too.”
Lionpaw looked in the direction he pointed. A few fox-lengths farther along the ridge there was a twisted spike of stone like a lightning-blasted tree. “That would make a good border marker,” he suggested to Brambleclaw.
Brambleclaw nodded. “Good thinking. And the valley with the stream should be part of the Tribe’s territory.”
The Tribe cats made no comment, though they exchanged doubtful glances. With a flash of sympathy Lionpaw guessed that they might feel they were losing their territory anyway, to the Clan cats who were telling them what to do.
“Can you take us there, Talon?” Brambleclaw asked.
“Sure.” The big cave-guard set out along the ridge and Lionpaw followed with the other Clan cats, being very careful where he put his paws. The eagle, he was relieved to see, had disappeared.
The next valley, when they came to it, looked more inviting for hunting, with plenty of cover for prey. Talon would have turned down into it, but Brambleclaw urged them on, following the top of the ridge.
“We need to walk all the way around the border,” he meowed, “or at least where we think the border might be.”
“What?” Bird looked startled. “We can’t possibly go all that way in a single day.”
“It takes longer here, you know,” Gray added. “It’s not like traveling on flat ground.”
“I know that,” Brambleclaw responded, understanding in his amber eyes. “But time isn’t on your side. The intruders aren’t going to wait for you.”
Talon let out a low growl. “You’re right. Let’s get going.”
He led the group of cats along the top of the valley, taking in the spike of stone as a border marker. The ridge dipped at the point where it crossed the head of the valley, where the stream poured out from a cleft between two rocks.
“This is another good place for a marker,” Brambleclaw explained. “Once the border is decided, you’ll need to place scent markers every day, and it’s best to choose places that are easy to remember.”
Talon nodded, but Lionpaw thought he still didn’t look convinced that marking the territory was what the Tribe wanted to do.
From here their route lay across a plateau covered by loose, sharp stones, then over several steep ridges where there were no paths to guide them. The sun climbed high in the sky. Lionpaw’s legs ached, and he lost count of the number of times he scraped his pads on rough stone. He left smudges of blood behind him as he walked. Even the Tribe cats began to look exhausted.
Brambleclaw halted abruptly as he rounded a huge boulder and Lionpaw almost crashed into him. The dark tabby’s fur was bristling and Lionpaw picked up the scent of anger. Alert for danger, he stretched up to look over his father’s shoulder.
He was overlooking a hollow with a pool at the bottom and a few straggly bushes. Three cats were just emerging from the shelter of the branches; the first one had a mouse dangling from his jaws. All three of them paused and looked up curiously.
“What’s going on?” a black tom asked. “What do you want?”
“We could ask you the same question,” Brambleclaw replied, taking a few paces forward to stand on the lip of the hollow.
Talon stalked up to stand beside him, and Tawnypelt joined him on the other side. Lionpaw noticed Bird and Gray taking up positions where they could spot any other intruders approaching, while Crowfeather skirted the top of the hollow until he could keep watch on the bushes from the other side.
The black tom who had spoken narrowed his eyes. “If you’re looking for a fight, you can have one.”
“We’re not looking for a fight.” Brambleclaw’s voice was calm, though Lionpaw saw his neck fur still fluffed out and knew he was poised to launch himself into battle if he had to. “We’re setting boundaries. This will be the Tribe’s territory, but you and your friends can have the rest of the mountains. When we’ve finished, it will be clear which parts are which.”
Lionpaw thought that sounded fair, but the trespassers obviously didn’t agree. The third of the party, a pale gray she-cat, looked up at Brambleclaw with cold blue eyes. “Who are you to tell us where we can’t go?” she asked scornfully. “We have a right to hunt where we like.”
“This is our place,” Talon growled.
“Then stop us,” the she-cat challenged him. “You haven’t managed it so far.”
“And your borders won’t stop us, either,” the black tom added.
Talon’s tail lashed and he crouched down, ready to spring. Across the hollow, Crowfeather let out an earsplitting yowl. The three intruders drew closer together, their claws out and their ears flattened.
“Stop!” Brambleclaw raised his tail. “There’ll be no blood shed today. Go back to your leader, if you have one,” he told the trespassing cats. “Tell all your cats that the borders will be in place from tomorrow and must not be crossed.” He stepped back from the edge of the hollow and gestured to Talon with his tail. “Let them go.”
The big cave-guard let out a snarl as the intruders stalked past him, but he didn’t lift a paw to stop them. “Next time you won’t be so lucky,” he spat.
The only reply was an insolent tail wave from the gray she-cat as the intruders disappeared between two boulders. Tawnypelt bounded after them, halting at the spot where they had vanished.
“They’ve gone,” she reported after a few heartbeats.
But they’ll be back. Lionpaw didn’t speak the thought aloud, but he guessed that every cat there shared it.
“What’s the point of all this?” Gray asked despondently. “Those cats will never respect our borders.”
“We might as well go back to the cave,” Bird agreed.
“No, you mustn’t give up,” Brambleclaw urged them. “Once the borders are in place, you can keep reinforcing the scent markers until the trespassers finally get the message.”
Lionpaw wasn’t sure his father was right. Surely borders depended on agreement from both sides? And if one side didn’t agree, the scent markers had to be backed up by teeth and claws. Were the Tribe cats capable of fighting to protect their territory?
Talon led the way around the hollow, enclosing it within the Tribe’s territory, then headed between the boulders and through a narrow split in the rock wall, a twisting path just wide enough for one cat at a time. The fur on Talon’s broad shoulders brushed the rock on either side.
They had traveled down this trail for several fox-lengths when they came to a place where it grew a little wider, with tumbled stones at the foot of the cliff face. A wild screech sounded from above their heads. A heartbeat later a body landed on top of Lionpaw, knocking him off his paws. He rolled onto his side to find he was facing a young tortoiseshell with lightning streaks on her face.
“I know you!” he gasped. “I saw you yesterday.”
The tortoiseshell lashed out with one paw and batted him over the head. Lionpaw barely registered that she hadn’t unsheathed her claws. After the exhausting, frustrating day, all he wanted was to stretch his muscles in a fight. He sprang up and hurled himself on top of the young cat.
As he battered her with his hind paws he caught a glimpse of Tawnypelt rolling over and over with a gray cat clinging to her fur. Another young cat was riding on Talon’s shoulders, screeching and digging in his claws. More scuffling noises came from farther up the path; the air was filled with shrieks and caterwauls.
There was hardly enough room on the narrow trail to fight effectively. The tortoiseshell threw Lionpaw off, scrambled up onto a boulder, and spat defiance at him, her back arched and her tail fluffed out.
Spinning around, Lionpaw saw Brambleclaw with a huge paw planted on the neck of a young ginger tom, while just beyond him a pair of identical tabbies had Bird down on her side, raking their claws through her fur. With a yowl of rage, Lionpaw leaped right over Brambleclaw and flung himself on the nearest tabby.
“Don’t shed any more blood than you must!” Brambleclaw hissed at him.
Lionpaw was almost too furious to listen. But he kept his claws sheathed as he knocked one tabby aside and bared his teeth at the other while he helped Bird regain her paws.
Almost as soon as it had begun, the fight was over. The trespassing cats scattered, fleeing down the path in one direction or the other, or leaping back up the rocks and disappearing.
Brambleclaw padded up to Lionpaw and pushed his muzzle into the fur on his shoulder. “Well fought,” he meowed. “Are you okay?”
Warmth spread through Lionpaw from ears to tail tip at his father’s praise. “I’m fine,” he replied. “They weren’t fighting hard.”
“They looked like apprentices to me.” Crowfeather padded up, spitting out a mouthful of gray fur.
“Maybe they were having a bit of fun,” Brambleclaw suggested.
“Fun!” Crowfeather rolled his eyes.
“They were just trying to scare us.” Tawnypelt leaped down from the boulder where she had sprung to chase off her attacker. “They weren’t hunting or protecting their camp.”
“You Clan cats fought well.” Talon staggered back along the path. He hesitated and added almost to himself, “Won’t these battles ever end?”
Gray and Bird were exchanging uneasy glances. Bird murmured, “I don’t think we’ll ever have our home to ourselves again.”
The Tribe cats had come off worst in the battle, Lionpaw realized. Gray’s ear was bleeding, while Bird had scratches down one side and Talon had lost fur from his shoulders. They really needed to learn warrior fighting techniques.
But instead, they seemed to be giving up. What hope was there for the Clan cats to help them, if the Tribe cats wouldn’t even help themselves?
第十九章
第十九章
冬青爪弹出爪尖，绷紧肌肉，准备投入战斗。如果不是她那样大喊，他们可能已经从入侵者身边偷偷溜走了。好在眼前只有四只陌生猫，如果真的打起来，这些入侵者也没办法获胜。他们可能轻而易举打败了急水部落的猫，但是他们很快就会明白，和训练有素的族群武士作战会是什么下场！
刚才说话的是一只身形巨大的公猫，他的银色虎斑皮毛上长着深色的条纹，一双不可一世的琥珀色眼睛不停地来回打量着这群猫。三个同伴紧紧地跟在他的身后，一只是瘦削的浅棕色公猫，大而尖的耳朵警觉地前后抽动着；一只是深棕色和白色相间的母猫，眼睛是绿色的；还有一只是年轻的玳瑁色母猫，脸上有着一道道像闪电般的条纹。
“我以前见过你，”银色虎斑猫嘲笑鹰爪，“你们在干什么呢，离开瀑布这么远？我还以为，你们早就不在这一带狩猎了。”
瘦削的浅棕色猫推了一下他的肩膀：“银斑，你认为他们害怕了吗？”
银斑缓缓地眨了眨眼睛。“弗里克，也许你是对的。我猜他们已经意识到，这里的猎物是我们的了。”他舔了舔嘴巴，“今天早晨我吃的那只兔子，味道真是太棒了！又肥又大，我都快吃不了了。”
“你们应该对猎物放尊重些！”鸦羽吼道。
弗里克呸了一声：“你是谁，竟敢告诉我们怎么做？”
鸦羽皱起嘴巴，龇着牙怒吼道：“你想知道吗？”
黑莓掌用尾巴尖儿碰了碰风族武士的肩膀，提示他不要轻举妄动。“我们不是来打架的。”他低声说道。
鸦羽生气地瞪了他一眼，但没再说话，只是用爪子抓挠了几下坚硬的地面，抽了抽尾巴。
“银斑，你打算怎么处置他们？”那只瘦削的猫问道。
没等银色虎斑猫回答，黑夜就向前迈了一步——她气得蹬直了腿，全身的毛都竖了起来。“你们没有权利对我们做任何事情！”她低吼道，“你们没有权利来到这儿，偷窃属于我们的猎物！”
“权利？”棕白相间的母猫第一次开口说话，“那最初是谁把这些权利给你们的呢？”
“问得好，弗洛拉。”瘦削的猫窃笑着说道。
听了棕白相间母猫提出的这个问题，原本愤怒不已的冬青爪不禁一愣。她一直准备为部落而战，因为这里是他们的领地，并被他们的武士祖灵们守护着。可是弗洛拉的这个问题是没有答案的。或许急水部落的猫的确没权利赶走这群入侵者。
“我们不是来找麻烦的。”黑莓掌镇静地说道，把尾巴搭在黑夜奓着毛的肩膀上，“我们只是想去瀑布那儿。你们应该让我们顺利通过。”
银斑和弗里克相互看了一眼。接着银斑后退一步，用尾巴指了指上方的山谷说道：“我们没打算阻止你们。”
哦，不阻止？冬青爪想，他们刚才靠近时，气势汹汹的，甩着尾巴跳下岩石，毛也都竖了起来。只不过他们意识到，他们要面对这么多猫，毫无胜算。他们当然可以说好听的话，如果今天遇见的只是急水部落的猫，他们一定会发起进攻的。
黑莓掌冷漠地朝他们低头致意，然后就带领大家爬上了山谷。入侵者看着他们走开，其中两只公猫的眼睛里流露出讥讽的神情。冬青爪的目光与那只站在一旁的年轻玳瑁色母猫的目光相遇，然后对视了一个心跳的时间。年轻的玳瑁色母猫在其他猫身后一点儿的地方看着，但没有说话。冬青爪心想，如果她生活在族群，没准儿现在就是学徒了。她很可能会成为我的朋友。
风爪眼里只看到了敌猫，他走过入侵者的身边时，甩了甩尾巴，发出一声愤怒的低吼。
他的父亲推着他的后腰，把他向前推去：“你是鼠脑子吗？你想挑起战争吗？”
“那也是他们自找的。”风爪嘟哝道。
冬青爪注意到，狮爪的爪尖依然伸着，似乎再走近两三条老鼠尾巴远，他就会朝这群新来的猫猛扑过去。只不过他并没有像风爪那样，把敌意表现得那么明显罢了。
顺着山谷往上爬的一路上，她都能感到入侵者一直盯着自己的背影。直到绕过一块凸起的岩石，离开了他们的视线，她悬着的心才放了下来。她能感觉到，猫群的其他成员也都跟着长舒了一口气。
“这太可怕了！”溪儿大叫道，“那些猫真的认为，他们让我们去哪儿，我们就去哪儿吗？急水部落的猫是被囚禁在自己的领地内了吗？”
“情况没你说得那么糟糕。”黑夜回答道。
“可是他们就是认为，他们可以命令我们！你们现在还能外出狩猎吗？”
鹰爪走到溪儿身边：“是的，入侵者愈发嚣张了，他们甚至开始在瀑布附近抓猎物了！”
“他们知道我们阻止不了他们。”黑夜一脸无奈地补充道。
“那尖石巫师是怎么想的呢？”溪儿问道。
鹰爪耸了耸肩，回答道：“他说，为了我们自身的安全，我们不能挑起任何事端。”
这有什么用呢？冬青爪想着，尖石巫师是急水部落的首领，他应该做些什么！
溪儿摇了摇头，后退了几步，跟暴毛肩并肩继续朝山谷深处走去。自打遇见那群入侵者后，这位深灰色皮毛的武士就一直沉默着，他的眼睛里充满了悲伤。冬青爪猜想，暴毛一定是想起了那场他带领着部落猫进行的战斗，还有那些在战斗中牺牲的猫。
当夕阳西下的时候，天空布满了一道道红色的条纹，远处嶙峋的山峰投下长长的阴影，空地上的岩石就像沐浴在鲜血之中。冬青爪想象自己听到了战死的猫凄厉的尖叫，身子不禁颤抖起来。
一道破碎的石头山梁堵住了山谷的入口。冬青爪费尽力气，终于爬到了山梁的顶端。站在那里，目光所到之处，只看到一片片光秃秃的岩石和一道道陡峭的崖壁。一阵寒风吹拂着她的皮毛，她连忙将爪子插入岩石，才稳住了身子。冬青爪真的想象不出，在这片布满石头的荒原上，猫究竟能住在哪里。
鹰爪朝山梁的一端走去。他眺望着远方一块平坦的岩石的顶部，“往这边走。”他喊道。
其他猫开始跟在他的身后。只有风爪没有这样做，他蹦跳着走向另一端：“走这边看起来会更快些！”
冬青爪眼珠一转，心想，你都不知道你要去哪里，鼠脑子！
就在这时，风族学徒发出一声恐怖的吼叫。他的身子向前滑去，他的爪子拼命地抓着地面，想停下来。冬青爪发现，山梁上有一条被阴影遮住的巨大裂缝。
冬青爪冲过去想帮风爪，可鸦羽早已从她的身边越过。他用牙齿咬住风爪的尾巴，使劲将他向后拖着，直到风爪安全地在平坦的岩脊上站稳了。
风爪发出一声痛苦的尖叫：“我的尾巴好痛啊！”
“忍着！”鸦羽吼叫道，“你下次嘚瑟之前，一定要多想想，要按照部落猫说的做。”
风爪看着父亲，然后低着头，耷拉着尾巴，跟着其他猫走开了。
“真可怜！”当风族学徒赶上来的时候，狮爪说道，“我还以为能看到你一路蹦跳着到山下呢。”
“闭嘴，蠢毛球！”
“够了！”褐皮走到两个学徒中间，“看在星族的分上，别再吵架了！”
狮爪小声道：“对不起。”他尴尬地低头舔了几下胸部的皮毛，风爪则干脆没搭理褐皮。他们全都又累又饿了！冬青爪想，如果他们不能很快抵达急水部落，谁知道他们会闹出什么事呢！
鹰爪带领众猫来到山梁的尽头。那里有一条小路朝山下蜿蜒而去，小路很窄，一次只能容下一只猫行走。冬青爪等待着通过的时候，听到头顶上方传来了翅膀拍打的声音。一个黑影从她的头顶掠过，她吓得大叫一声，将身体紧紧地贴住旁边的岩石。她发现，母亲飞扑到了松鸦爪身上。
冬青爪壮着胆子抬起头，看到一只棕色的大鸟，正伸展宽大的翅膀，掠过山梁，冲向下方的岩石。它张开带钩的锋利的爪子，抓向离它只有几条尾巴远的老鼠的尸体。冬青爪的肚子咕咕作响。虽然族群猫不吃这种鸦食，但她实在太饿了，如果让她去吃老鼠尸体，她不会说不的。
就在老鹰抓向老鼠瘫软的身体的同时，四只猫从岩石下的阴影中冲了出来，抓住了那只大鸟。冬青爪嘴巴张开，眼睛瞪得溜圆，看着眼前的这一幕。老鹰发出刺耳的尖叫，疯狂地扇动翅膀，竭力想要挣脱。它总算飞到离地面一条尾巴高的空中，但拖拽它的猫的体重太沉了，它扑腾着翅膀，最后掉回到岩石上。精瘦的暗棕色的众猫扑到了老鹰身上。一只猫扑到老鹰的脖子上，咬了下去。老鹰最后挣扎一阵，终于一动不动了。
“完美的狩猎！”鹰爪大叫道。
四只猫怔住了，全都抬头向上看。一只猫叫道：“鹰爪！”他们的声音听起来非常吃惊。他们面面相觑，然后又看着山脊上的猫群。
暴毛走过来，站在冬青爪身边。“欢迎来到急水部落。”他说道。
CHAPTER24
CHAPTER24
Hollypaw led the to-bes outof the cave in time to see Lionpaw and the rest of Brambleclaw’s patrol disappear across the rocks. For a heartbeat she wished she could go with them. But she knew it was equally important to give the Tribe to-bes some practice in warrior fighting techniques.
“Sit there and watch,” Breezepaw ordered when every cat had emerged from the cave and leaped down to the open space beside the pool. “Hollypaw and I will show you how to fight.”
Hollypaw’s pelt prickled. Even if they were acting as mentors, he didn’t have to sound so bossy! “Why don’t we let them show us what they know already?” she suggested. “We might be able to build on that.”
“Well…okay.” Breezepaw gave an ungracious shrug.
“Only the cave-guards learn this stuff,” Pebble explained, stepping forward to face Hollypaw. “We’re taught how to fight off eagles if they try to attack the prey-hunters.”
Hollypaw sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. “Fine. Show me what you do.”
Pebble crouched down, then used her powerful hind legs to thrust herself into the air. At the top of her leap she lashed out with both forepaws, then landed neatly and dropped right away into another crouch.
Hollypaw was impressed; the leap was beautifully timed to fight off a flying enemy. How could she adapt it to attack one on the ground?
“That was great,” she meowed. “Can you all do it?”
A couple of the other to-bes stepped forward. “We can. We’re going to be cave-guards like Pebble.”
Three to-bes, including Screech and Splash, remained standing by the pool. All three of them were giving Hollypaw and Breezepaw hostile looks.
“I don’t see why we have to do what you tell us,” Screech muttered. “You’re not warriors yet.”
“We know more than you about fighting,” Breezepaw shot back at him.
Hollypaw stifled a sigh. Breezepaw was right, but being so obnoxious about it was only going to ruffle Screech’s fur. “We’re doing it because Brambleclaw asked us to.”
“So what?” Screech turned his back rudely, then glanced over his shoulder to add, “He’s not ourleader. We don’t have to do what he says.”
“Besides, we’re prey-hunters.” At least Splash was being more polite than her Tribemate. “We’re trained to hunt.”
“Okay, pretend Breezepaw over there is a rabbit.”
“Hey!” Breezepaw protested.
Before he could say any more, Splash had dropped into something similar to the hunter’s crouch and gave an enormous leap to land on top of him. The WindClan apprentice threw her off and scrambled to his paws, shaking his ruffled fur.
“Well done!” Hollypaw mewed. “That would be great in a battle, but you’d need to follow it up with some claw work, or sink your teeth into your opponent’s throat.”
Splash nodded; to Hollypaw’s relief she was looking interested rather than hostile. “I’d do that to the rabbit,” she pointed out, “but I thought I’d better not do it to him.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Breezepaw growled.
“Your leap would be good, too.” Hollypaw turned back to the cave-guard group. “But instead of clawing at the top of the leap, land on your enemy’s back, and then use your claws.” That was quite an advanced move, and the trespassing cats might not be expecting it. “Now Breezepaw and I will show you some more basic skills,” she added.
They ran through some of the techniques a new apprentice would learn: dashing past an enemy to rake its side with their claws, and rolling over to claw an opponent’s belly with their hind paws.
“Now let’s see you try,” Breezepaw ordered. “In pairs, a cave-guard with a prey-hunter.”
“And remember, claws sheathed for practice,” Hollypaw added
She and Breezepaw sat side by side to watch the to-bes. To her surprise, the prey-hunters were picking up the new techniques faster. They were more agile, and she guessed it helped that they didn’t have to unlearn the moves the cave-guards already knew.
On the other side of the pool, Squirrelflight and Stormfur were training some of the older Tribe cats. Hollypaw heard one of them meow, “Whydo we have to do this? We’ve stuck to our ways for season after season and we’ve been fine until now.”
Hollypaw felt a stab of sympathy. She could understand why the Tribe cats wanted to continue in the ways of their ancestors, and she hated forcing them to change. But they have to learn, she told herself. It’s the only way they’re going to survive.She comforted herself with the thought that once the borders were properly established, less blood would be spilled. The trespassers would think twice before attacking cats who knew how to defend themselves.
When the practice was over, she let Breezepaw take the prey-hunters to learn one or two more advanced moves, while she worked with the cave-guards, trying to adapt some of their own techniques.
Sunhigh came and went. Hollypaw’s belly was rumbling, but none of the to-bes suggested stopping to eat, and she guessed that they only had one meal a day. For a couple of heartbeats she longed to be back in ThunderClan, where she could take a piece of fresh-kill from the pile any time she liked, provided she had done all her apprentice duties.
Finally she signaled the to-bes to rest by the side of the pool. “That was great,” she mewed. “I’m surprised Stoneteller hasn’t been out to watch you. I think he’d be proud to see how much you’ve learned.”
“Stoneteller hardly ever leaves the cave,” Pebble told her.
Hollypaw’s eyes stretched wide in shock. “Really?”
“He only comes out for ceremonies at the top of the waterfall, like when a to-be becomes a full Tribe cat,” Splash meowed.
“And sometimes for emergencies,” Pebble added.
“I suppose that’s different in the Clans, too,” Screech sneered. Eventually he’d started to work at the training, but Hollypaw could tell he didn’t like it.
“Yes, a Clan leader hunts and patrols with his warriors,” Breezepaw explained. “And fights if he has to.”
“Doesn’t that mean there’s a danger he’ll be killed?” Pebble asked, just as shocked as Hollypaw had been a moment before.
“Sort of.” Hollypaw didn’t want to get started on how a Clan leader had nine lives. She wasn’t sure if the Tribe of Endless Hunting had given nine lives to Stoneteller, and the Tribe cats might feel resentful if not. Besides, the forest was a much safer place to live than the mountains; it was easier to shelter from hawks, and there weren’t many places where a cat might fall to its death. She looked around at the cold gray rocks that surrounded her, and homesickness stabbed her again, sharp as a claw.
“I think we should keep going,” she began, rising to her paws to begin another training session.
She broke off as something landed on her from behind, bowling her over until she finished up sprawling on the very edge of the pool, with her tail in the water. Breezepaw had pinned her down with both paws on her chest. His amber eyes shone gleefully.
“That’s the best way to tackle an enemy!” he boasted. “When they’re not expecting you.”
He stepped back; Hollypaw heard mrrows of laughter from the to-bes as she scrambled to her paws.
“Stupid furball!” she meowed, flicking water from her tail into his face. But she couldn’t really be angry. That was exactly the sort of thing she and Lionpaw might have done to each other, back in ThunderClan territory. “Breezepaw’s right,” she went on. “And hunting techniques are good for creeping up on an enemy who doesn’t know you’re there. Let’s practice some.”
But when the practice session started, Hollypaw felt too hollow with hunger to do it well. Her paws were clumsy; she couldn’t set them down as lightly as she wanted. She was relieved when the scent of cats announced the return of Lionpaw with Brambleclaw and the rest of the border patrol.
Her brother was limping badly as he picked his way down the rocks toward the pool. Hollypaw quickly dismissed the to-bes; they were all getting too tired to go on much longer anyway. Breezepaw accompanied them back into the cave, telling them a story about battling a fox on WindClan territory.
Like there’ll ever be foxes up here, Hollypaw thought. She padded up to Lionpaw and gave him her shoulder to lean on over the sharp stones to the pool. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Fine.” Lionpaw sighed wearily and crouched by the water to drink. Then he looked up, flicking droplets from his whiskers. “Today was hopeless. We couldn’t get around the whole of the border. The route was just too difficult.”
Hollypaw wished she could cheer him up with news of the to-be training, but she was still unhappy about teaching them Clan ways, and there were one or two like Screech who made it clear they didn’t want to learn. She glanced at the warriors and Tribe cats, who were making their way slowly and dispiritedly along the path into the cave. For the first time she noticed that Jaypaw had emerged and was sitting on a rock by the waterfall with his paws tucked under him. When the full-grown cats had passed him, he leaped down and bounded across to his littermates.
“I’m sick of that cave,” he announced as he came up. “I’m so bored I could claw my own fur off. I’ve been stuck in there all day, listening to she-cats moaning on about their sickly kits.”
“Couldn’t you help them?” Hollypaw asked.
“I’m not theirmedicine cat,” he snapped. “Can you imagine what Stoneteller would say if I trod on his tail?”
“Well, you’re ourmedicine cat.” Hollypaw’s frustrations were making her cross. “What about doing something for Lionpaw?”
“Why, what’s the matter?” Jaypaw asked, giving Lionpaw a curious sniff.
Lionpaw was dipping his sore pads into the pool and then licking them. “I’m okay, honestly.”
Hollypaw wasn’t convinced. He sounded exhausted, and his pads were raw and bleeding. “His paws are sore. Can’t you do anything?” she prompted Jaypaw.
Jaypaw twitched his ears irritably. “Where am I supposed to find herbs in this StarClan-forsaken place?” But he stood up, tasting the air, then padded over to the rock wall, where a few scrubby bushes and a narrow patch of grass were struggling to survive. A moment later he returned with a couple of dock leaves in his jaws. “Chew these up and rub the pulp into your pads,” he told Lionpaw.
“Thanks.” Lionpaw sighed with relief as the cooling juices soothed the pain.
Hollypaw heard the pad of paws on stone and looked up to see Squirrelflight walking toward them around the edge of the pool. “How did your training session go?” she asked.
“Okay, I think,” Hollypaw replied. “Some of them learn really quickly. But I’m not sure…”
“What?”
“Whether we’re doing the right thing. They’ve followed their traditions for so long. It feels wrong to be teaching them something different.”
“It’s the same with the border,” Lionpaw meowed. “I don’t think it’s going to work, treating the mountains like Clan territory. The trespassers don’t want borders, that’s for sure, and I don’t think the Tribe does, either. They want things the way they’ve always been.”
“I don’t know why you’re getting your tails in a twist.” Jaypaw still sounded sour. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting isn’t helping the Tribe, and they don’t want ourhelp. So why should we try to make them do stuff they don’t want?”
“Because they’ll die without us,” Squirrelflight snapped, then touched Jaypaw’s shoulder with her tail to show that she hadn’t meant to be harsh. “I’m sorry, I’m just as frustrated as you. But I don’t think we should give up yet. We havegot valuable lessons to teach the Tribe, and sooner or later they’ll realize it.”
Hollypaw wasn’t so sure. There are too many battles going on around here, she thought. And not just the kind that spill blood
第二十章
第二十章
狮爪跟在鹰爪身后，小心地择路向下方的岩石走去。刚才捕杀了老鹰的猫正在那里等着他们，眼睛里闪烁着警惕的光芒，尾巴不停地甩着。
一只淡灰色的公猫走上前，跟鹰爪碰了碰鼻子。“很高兴再次见到你。”他说道，声音里充满了暖意。“还有你，黑夜。”当这只黑色的母猫走到自己身边时，他补充道。
“谢谢你，灰濛。”鹰爪回应道。
狮爪疑惑地盯着这群部落猫。他们比绝大多数的族群猫要小，也更瘦，灰棕色的皮毛上涂满了泥点儿，因此几乎跟四周的岩石融为了一体。他们的眼睛奇怪地闪烁着，反射着夕阳的红色光芒。当其中一只猫转过身，看着狮爪的时候，他朝松鼠飞身边迈了一步。松鼠飞低下头，舔了舔他的耳朵。有那么一瞬间，狮爪感到有些害羞。
我已经不是幼崽了！
他告诉自己，他们是来帮助这些部落猫的。
那只被鹰爪称作灰濛的猫，正注视着从黑夜身后的小路上走下来的猫。“暴毛！”他大喊着，眼睛一下子睁大了，“溪儿，你们在这儿干什么？你们……你们不是已经死了吗？”
部落猫慢慢地聚在一起，身上的毛竖了起来。狮爪感到怒火在胸中燃烧。尖石巫师对部落猫宣布，暴毛和溪儿死了，可并不意味着他们真的死了！难道这些猫对他们首领告诉他们的任何事都深信不疑吗？
暴毛看着溪儿，一脸的疲惫。“不，我们没有死。”他转身对部落猫说道，“我们只是被驱逐一段时间，仅此而已。”
那些猫向前走了几步，伸长脖子，闻了闻暴毛的皮毛。开始的时候，他们的问题不多，但很快就一个问题接着一个问题，简直像绿叶季的雨水。
“你们还好吗？”
“你们去哪里了？”
“你们为什么要回来？”
“鹰爪和黑夜去找我们了，”溪儿先开口说道，“他们说，你们需要我们。”
部落猫半信半疑地相互看着。狮爪期待着他们说：“是的，谢谢你，我们真心希望你们回来帮我们。”然而他们没有，相反的，他们把注意力转向了族群猫。
灰濛走到黑莓掌跟前，警觉地闻了闻他的气息：“嗨，我之前见过你。几个季节前，你跟着一群旅行猫路过过这里。”
“你说得没错。”黑莓掌向他低头致意，“而且我记得你……你的全名是黎明之灰穹，对吧？”
“是的！”灰濛露出惊讶的表情，很显然，他没想到黑莓掌居然记得他的名字，“你……你们找到了一直寻找的那个家园了吗？”
“我们找到了，谢谢。”黑莓掌回答道，“是一个好地方，就在湖边。”
灰濛将脑袋歪了歪：“既然如此，你们为什么来这里呢？还有，你们带来这么多猫干什么？”
“我们来这儿是因为……”褐皮刚开口说话，溪儿就朝她警告地瞥了一眼。褐皮立刻不说话了，尾巴不安地甩着。
“他们只是路过。”溪儿解释道。
狮爪身上的毛顿时直立起来。冬青爪走到他的身旁，在他的耳边低语道：“她不想刺激部落猫，说他们需要外来猫的帮助。况且她和暴毛能死而复生，已经够让他们震惊的了。”
可是他们真的需要我们的帮助！这些猫瘦成这样，他甚至能数得清每只猫身上有几根肋骨。他们肯定不是入侵者的对手。狮爪想起刚才银斑和弗里克嘲讽他们的神情，还有那些傲慢无礼的话，气得皮毛开始发烫。
那些猫认为，他们能为所欲为，而且没有猫能阻挡他们！
这时，殷红的夕阳已经开始逐渐褪去光彩，整片山地都笼罩在夜幕中。鹰爪摇摇尾巴，示意旅行猫继续行进。
“灰濛，待会儿在山洞里见。”他说道。他的声音异常坚定，显然是想告诉他们，他不打算再回答部落猫的任何问题了。
部落猫回到他们的猎物跟前，拖着它从岩石上走过。老鹰的皮毛蹭着石头地面，发出轻柔的沙沙声。狮爪走过这只鹰身边的时候，躲得远远的。虽然这只鹰已经死了，狮爪依然不喜欢它有着锋利钩子的鹰爪和那双明亮的似乎仍盯着自己的眼睛。
当他走在同窝猫的身边，经过一处高岩时，听到了一阵雷鸣般的巨响。他抬起头，但是天空依旧晴朗，群星已经开始在群山之巅升起。巨响越来越近，空气也变得愈发潮湿，终于，湿气在狮爪的皮毛上，凝结成一颗颗小水珠。
他们靠近高岩的边缘。冬青爪跑到前面，俯身看着下方。“快来看！”她喊道。
狮爪跳向她的身边，但是突然停住了，回头确认松鸦爪没有离悬崖边太近。就在他的爪子前方，岩石消失了，变成了一处陡峭狭窄的山谷。谷底有一条溪流。溪水哗哗地拍打着岩石，在紧靠着溪岸的零星灌木丛根部形成一个个旋涡。那雷鸣般的声音就是从山谷下方传来的。在那儿，溪流流过一块岩石的边缘，然后就消失了。
“那就是瀑布了。”松鼠飞抬高声音，用尾巴指着说道，“我们很快就到了。”
鹰爪仍然走在前面，小心翼翼地走下岩石，向溪岸边走去。一条只有黑莓枝条那么宽的小路，贴着溪流的岸边向前延伸着。“看清楚了再往下踩。”他喊道。
“还记得我们第一次来这儿时的情景吗？”松鼠飞问黑莓掌。
虎斑公猫抽了抽胡须：“我怎么会忘呢？”
“那是从太阳沉没之地回来的路上。”松鼠飞对学徒们解释道，“当时雨下得很大，一股洪水把我们卷进了小溪里。水流正好把我们冲到了瀑布，最终又把我们带到底下的水潭里。”
“我当时还以为，我们肯定要加入星族了。”暴毛补充道。他停下爪子，望着溪流，然后小心翼翼地将爪子踩在石坡上。
松鼠飞开始跟上暴毛往前走去，又回过头说道：“这次我们要看看，能否不弄湿爪子。松鸦爪，过来，抓住我的尾巴，紧跟着我走。”
众猫排成一列纵队，静悄悄地沿着溪岸一路前进，一直来到了瀑布顶端。就连风爪也认真地听着部落猫的指示，他们经验丰富，正走在纵队最前面。
抵达山谷尽头时，狮爪停了下来，俯视着溪流奔涌着注入潭底的地方。空气中雾气蒙蒙，水花四溅开去，岩石因此非常湿滑。
“松鸦爪该怎么走下去呀？”狮爪轻声问冬青爪。
妹妹一脸忧虑地摇摇头：“他无论如何都下不去。”
接着狮爪听到一阵不满的低吼声。他看到黑莓掌已经叼着松鸦爪的后颈，开始朝下方走去。松鸦爪在黑莓掌的嘴巴下左右摇晃着，像一只无助的幼崽。
“我自己能下去！”松鸦爪气恼地低声嘶吼着。
松鼠飞已经安全地走了下去，尾巴尖儿来回抽动着，注视着黑莓掌和松鸦爪。“安静！否则我就把你扔进水潭里。”她警告道。
狮爪斜过身子，在冬青爪的耳边低语道：“以后千万别在松鸦爪面前提起这件事，不然他会把我们变成鸦食的。”
妹妹冲他飞快地点了一下头，开始小心翼翼地朝下面走去。狮爪紧随其后。他是猫群里除了褐皮外，最后一个走下山谷的猫。狮爪努力在湿漉漉的石头上，找到放稳爪子的地方，此时心飞快地跳动着，让他觉得很不舒服。突然，他打了个滑，后爪在雷鸣的水面上方无助地摇晃着，挣扎着想将自己的身体拉上去。褐皮急忙牢牢咬住了狮爪的肩膀，将他拽到了安全的地方。
“谢谢你。”狮爪大口喘着气。
褐皮动了动耳朵，但是没说什么。
狮爪冲下最后一条尾巴远的路程，站在水潭边的平地上，心里涌起从未有过的感激。他的腿仍不停地颤抖着，皮毛被小水珠弄得湿漉漉的，可是他的内心却充满了骄傲和强大的感觉。没有什么能难倒族群猫，更不用说爬下一条瀑布。他们很快就要解决那群无耻的只配吃鸦食的入侵者，让他们看看，谁才是更适合在山地狩猎的猫。难怪急水部落的猫对付不了入侵者，在他看来，他们体形太小，身体太瘦弱，根本没有力气战斗。鹰爪和黑夜请求族猫的帮助，做得简直太对了。他们是急水部落唯一的希望。
几只部落猫躲在水潭边的石头后面，紧张地窥视着新来者。狮爪故意装作没看见他们。他不喜欢被充满怀疑和好奇的目光窥视，就好像自己是一只稀有的虫子。这些猫应该表现出更多的感激，毕竟族群猫一路跋山涉水，是来帮助他们的。
鸦羽已经离开了猫群，来到水潭的另一边。他在一棵歪脖子树下的石堆旁坐下，低垂着头。
“鸦羽在干吗？”狮爪问道。
“那是埋葬羽尾的地方。”褐皮回答道。
狮爪看着蹲坐在石堆旁的深灰色公猫的小小身影，不解地问道：“为什么鸦羽那么难过？他和羽尾并不是同一个族群的……”
“鸦羽深爱着她。”褐皮声音十分轻柔，“她是为了救他才死的，同时也救了整个急水部落。”
狮爪顿时明白了，就好像在一片落叶下，突然发现了一只老鼠。也许是因为失去了羽尾，这只风族猫才总是如此暴躁。他注意到风爪眯起眼睛，一脸猜疑地看着父亲。狮爪不禁可怜起风爪来。如果黑莓掌为一只去世很久的母猫如此悲伤，而不是为松鼠飞，他不知道自己会怎么想。
“来吧，”鹰爪的声音打断了他的思绪，“是时候踏上急流小路了。”他绕过水潭边缘，爬上了第一个小石堆。
当鹰爪消失在湍急的水帘后，狮爪惊讶得睁大了眼睛：“他去哪里了？”
褐皮用尾巴碰了碰他的肩膀，回答道：“你很快就知道了。”
狮爪爬上了湿滑的岩石，来到冬青爪、松鸦爪和松鼠飞身旁，来到了鹰爪消失的地方。他们正站在一条通向瀑布后方的狭窄石台上，远处是一个可怕的黑漆漆的洞。狮爪的毛一下子竖了起来。
“跟着我，”松鼠飞对松鸦爪说道，“一定要让你的皮毛紧贴着岩石。”
松鸦爪还在为被叼下瀑布闷闷不乐，嘴里不停嘟哝着什么，但狮爪没有听清。
松鼠飞走在前头，皮毛紧贴着石壁，然后沿着一条直线往前走去。松鸦爪紧随其后，狮爪紧跟在他的后面，随时准备在弟弟滑倒的时候抓住他。
水流从他们身边落下去。雷鸣般的水声，充满了狮爪的耳朵，冰冷的水珠落在了他的皮毛上。狮爪确信，这水流可以把他冲入身下的水潭中。在夜晚微弱的光线中，他只能依稀看到松鸦爪灰色的皮毛紧紧地贴在潮湿的石壁上。湿润的空气冲淡了同伴的气息，狮爪觉得自己正独自走进地底的黑暗中，也许再也无法回来了。
“就是这里了，”他听到松鸦爪喃喃道，“这儿就是我们要到的地方。”
狮爪并不确定松鸦爪说的是什么意思，但他从未像现在这样坚信，他属于头顶有树，爪下有草的地方。狮爪深吸一口气，走进裂开的黑洞，发现他正站在洞穴的入口。一道如水波般闪动的微光，透过他身后的瀑布射进来，照亮了两侧高耸陡峭的石壁，然后被前方的阴影所吞没。
狮爪眨了眨眼睛，朝前方走去。当他穿过狭窄的入口后，瀑布雷鸣般的声音逐渐消失了。冬青爪和松鸦爪走在他的身边。冬青爪正震惊地四下张望着，松鸦爪则紧张得直发抖。
黑莓掌、鹰爪和松鼠飞已经站在了远处的洞穴深处。他们周围全是急水部落的猫，一个个瘦小的灰棕色身影蹲伏在地上，看着族群猫，似乎不敢上前去迎接新来者。他们看起来既瘦弱又焦虑。
别担心！狮爪心想，一切都会好起来的，因为我们来了！
这时，一只棕色的虎斑公猫从洞穴深处的阴影中现出身来。他骨瘦如柴，就像他的骨头上只包着一层皮毛。他的口鼻处一片花白，透露出他的岁数很大了。他那绿色的眼睛在昏暗的光线中放射出光芒。
黑莓掌恭敬地朝他低头致意：“尖石巫师，你好。”
狮爪等着这只老猫欢迎他们，爪子不耐烦地在坚硬的地面上抓挠着。他们需要赶紧制订计划，赶走那些入侵者！
尖石巫师犹豫着，绿色的眼睛挨个扫过这群新来的猫，脖子和肩膀上稀疏的毛逐渐竖了起来。
“你们竟然还敢到这儿来！”他咆哮道。
第二十一章
第二十一章
狮爪难以置信地盯着他。尖石巫师不需要我们帮忙吗？他完全是个鼠脑子吗？
这位部落首领忽然转过身，面对着鹰爪和黑夜。“你们到底做了什么？”他厉声问道。
狮爪看到鹰爪咽了一下口水。“我们……我们去找族群猫，”他结结巴巴地说着，一只爪子紧张地抓着洞穴的地面，“我们找来了援兵……”
“我们认为，这是最好的办法。”黑夜补充道。
“你们想错了！”尖石巫师的声音很轻柔，但却因为愤怒而颤抖着，“当部落猫需要你们去狩猎的时候，你们却抛弃了他们。而且你们还把我们的弱点告诉了族群猫，还把这么多需要喂的嘴带到这儿来！你们怎么敢踏进我们的洞穴？你们在这儿不受欢迎！”
暴毛和溪儿——他们原来一直跟在狮爪和其他学徒后面的——走到前面去，站在了尖石巫师面前。这只老猫眯起了眼睛：“你们已经死了！”
暴毛毫不畏惧：“不，我们没死。而且不管你怎么想，我们依然对急水部落忠心耿耿。”
“我们必须来帮你。”溪儿恳求道。
然而尖石巫师的眼睛就像他周围的石头一般冰冷：“我把你们从山地驱逐出去，是有充分的理由的。你们真的认为，我这个决定很轻率吗？不，是我们的祖灵要这么做的！”
“那么就是我们的祖灵错了。”溪儿琥珀色的眼睛闪闪发光，“急水部落现在遭受着比我们刚刚离开时更多的苦难。入侵者更加肆无忌惮了。我们在来这儿的路上，就遇见了他们。他们表现得就像山地是他们的领地。而且如果他们愿意，随时都可以把我们驱逐出去。”
“我们是来帮忙的，”暴毛继续道，“你们需要我们。”
“需要你？”尖石巫师不屑地回应道，“你认为自己能做些什么呢？正是因为你，我们失去了很多猫，流了很多血。你告诉我们，我们需要展示力量，保卫自己的领地。可实际上，这根本行不通。”
“但是你们并没有领地！”黑莓掌提醒道，他走上前去，站在暴毛身边，“你们需要标记你们的边界。”
“我们从来没那么做过！”尖石巫师呵斥道，“暴毛非常清楚，我们从不那么做的。”
暴毛低下了头。狮爪和冬青爪交换了一下眼神。狮爪在妹妹的眼睛里，看到了自己发怒的样子。这只老猫有多愚蠢呀！他不仅把暴毛从急水部落驱逐出去，还在他回来提供帮助时拒绝了！
“暴毛做了他认为最应该做的事，”松鼠飞插话了，她绿色的眼睛里闪着怒火，“鹰爪和黑夜也一样。请求帮助很正常，没有什么可羞耻的。难道你更愿意因为自己的自大，把急水部落引向灭亡？”
尖石巫师朝这只暗姜黄色母猫迈了一步，后颈的毛竖了起来。狮爪绷紧全身的肌肉。如果尖石巫师试图攻击自己的母亲，他马上就会扑上去。
但是老猫的尾巴却垂了下来，肩上竖起的毛也平顺了。“是否接受族群的帮助，杀无尽部落并没有给我任何提示。”他转向黑莓掌，又说道，“我无意冒犯你和你的同伴。我心里很清楚，过去多亏了你们，而且我也相信，你们此番前来是出于善意。”
黑莓掌刚想张嘴说话，尖石巫师却抬起尾巴，示意他不要开口。“你们本就不该来。”他接着说道，“这不是你们的战斗。你们可以在这儿待一晚上，不过明早你们将会被护送到山地的边缘。你们也不要再回来了。”
“那你如何能阻止我们回来呢？”风爪在狮爪身后低声咆哮。
狮爪这次也非常赞同风族学徒的话。急水部落的猫已经无力按尖石巫师的命令行事了。不过他猜，黑莓掌也不会留在不欢迎族群猫的地方。
“那我们俩呢？”溪儿追问道。
尖石巫师转过身，用绿色的眼睛看着她：“我们无力再喂饱两只饥肠辘辘的猫。”
就这样了？狮爪惊呆了，他抓着地面，身体不由得颤抖起来。我们连一爪子的忙也不帮，就要转身回家了？他张开嘴巴，刚准备抗议，却看到黑莓掌警告地瞥了他一眼，于是只好闭上了嘴。
“我们是部落的客人，”黑莓掌走到四位学徒面前，用严厉的眼神盯着他们，“我们绝对不能惹麻烦。”
“即使那只愚蠢的……”
“是的！”黑莓掌叹了一口气，“我跟你们一样失望。但是我们不能让事态恶化。你们都明白吗？”
“如果你这么说的话……”狮爪不情愿地说道。冬青爪和松鸦爪也点头赞同，甚至连风爪也低声咆哮道：“那就这么办。”
一只棕灰色的部落母猫朝他们走来。“嗨，黑莓掌，”她向他打着招呼，“还记得我吗？”
黑莓掌脑袋歪向一边：“你是御风的飞鸟吧？我们第一次见面的时候，你正跟鹰爪在一起。”
“没错。”飞鸟说道，“很高兴再见到你。尖石巫师让我给你们安排今晚的住处。你和你的武士们可以跟我到山洞卫士睡觉的地方，”她用尾巴指了指洞穴的一边，“你的学徒们，可以跟我们的预备猫睡在一起。”
狮爪愣住了，他很想知道，尖石巫师将他们分开，是不是为了更方便攻击他们呢？但黑莓掌平静地同意了。而且常识也告诉狮爪，如果一大群猫来到他们的营地，族群也会采取同样的做法。
当飞鸟领着学徒朝洞穴深处走去时，狮爪伸长脖子，四处观望着。现在夜幕已经降临，月亮已经升起，瀑布变成了闪着银光的帘子，柔和闪动的光线流进了洞穴。洞穴的边上布满了石块，不时可以看到石壁上有裂缝，通往一些狭窄的石台。上方的洞穴顶部，爪子般尖尖的石头一直悬垂到洞穴地面。
一阵猎物的气息涌进了狮爪的鼻孔，他的肚子咕咕地叫了起来。在洞穴的一边，灰濛和他的狩猎队正在将带回来的老鹰撕成碎片。我希望他们也能分我们一点儿。狮爪心想。他上次吃东西还是在森林里的事情，现在想想，像是已经过了许多个季节。猎物堆上，除了几只老鼠和一只兔子，已经没有更多的东西了。怪不得他们都骨瘦如柴呢！
飞鸟带他们来到洞穴的后部。那里有两条通道，一直伸向黑暗之中。几条尾巴远的地方，两只年轻的猫正扭打着，还有三四只猫正在围观。
“这就是我们的预备猫了。”飞鸟说道。
那两只猫停止扭打，站了起来，看着新来的猫。“他们是谁啊？”一只灰色的母猫问道，“是俘虏吗？”
“不是。滚石，他们是客人，”飞鸟回答道，“今晚他们要跟我们住在一起。你们要照顾好他们，给他们找地方睡下。”
“什么？有四只猫？”一只黑色公猫大叫道，“这里没这么大地方！”
灰色母猫使劲儿推了他一下。“别这么粗鲁！”然后她对几个族群学徒补充道，“你们别理怒枭，他是个甲壳虫脑子。”
“你才是甲壳虫脑子！”怒枭嘟囔道。
“他们就住一晚！”飞鸟飞快地说着，然后对族群学徒们友善地点点头，就回到黑莓掌和其他武士等着她的地方去了。
当预备猫围着狮爪和其他猫，好奇地嗅着他们的气息时，狮爪感到十分尴尬。“我是狮爪，”他说道，试图尽量显得自信一些，“这个是我妹妹冬青爪，那个是我弟弟松鸦爪，那边的是风爪。”
灰色母猫朝他们低头致意，然后伸出了一只爪子。这个动作令狮爪感到惊讶，尽管他心里承认，这个动作看上去很有礼貌。“我是滚石。”她告诉他们，“那个讨厌的毛球是我弟弟怒枭。”
怒枭朝自己的姐姐噘了噘嘴，接着他伸出爪子，做了个同样的礼貌动作。狮爪也朝他们低头致意，生怕急水部落的预备猫们以为他和同伴没有教养。
“我是鱼跃斑。”一只虎斑小母猫也说道，她又短又粗的尾巴竖得直直的。其他预备猫犹豫不前，迟疑地看着新来的猫。
“你们一定是从很远的地方来的。”滚石说道，“我以前从没闻过你们身上的气息。”
冬青爪开始讲述鹰爪和黑夜如何求救的故事，不过还没等她讲到他们踏上旅途，就被迫中断了。那群部落狩猎者来到他们的身边，嘴里叼着一块块老鹰肉。
“给你们。”灰濛把猎物扔在预备猫的面前，“够你们所有猫吃了。”
“谢谢。”怒枭用舌头舔着嘴巴周围，“这是我们很久以来第一次吃到像样的东西。”他轻声对客人们说道。
“入侵者把我们的猎物都偷光了。”滚石难过地解释道，“他们偷看我们如何狩猎，现在他们已经学会了。现在周围的老鹰已经不够吃了。”
“等再长大点儿，我要成为优秀的狩猎者。”怒枭吹嘘道，“我很快就会抓到足够养活整个部落的猎物！”
“是啊，那个时候，老鹰都学会说话了！”他姐姐斥责道。
狮爪生怕要等到这对姐弟吵完才能吃东西，于是急忙开口说道：“对我们来说，这儿有点儿奇怪。”他希望能分散他们的注意力，“我们不像你们分工那么明确，我们所有猫都是既为族群狩猎，又要战斗。”
“你们不可能天生就是那样吧？”鱼跃斑说道，“同时学习狩猎和打仗，一定很辛苦。”
“的确如此，”令狮爪惊讶的是，冬青爪居然对鱼跃斑的话表示赞同，“不过也挺有意思的。”
“尖石巫师决定我们的职责，”滚石告诉冬青爪，“体形大、身体健壮的，就去当山洞卫士；跑得快、跳得高的，就去当狩猎者。所以我将来会成为山洞卫士。”
是的，很好。可我们什么时候能吃东西呢？狮爪的肚子又咕咕地抗议起来。他知道这些，因为溪儿之前在雷族就跟他们讲过。
让狮爪高兴的是，滚石和其他预备猫已经开始吃猎物。预备猫每两只一组，每只猫从属于他们的猎物上咬一口，然后再传递给同伴。
“我们最好也这么做，”冬青爪轻声说道，“免得他们以为我们很粗鲁。”
“好的。”狮爪说道，“你跟松鸦爪一组，我跟风爪一组。”
“干什么？”松鸦爪生气地问道，“猎物就是猎物，开始吃吧。”
冬青爪凑到松鸦爪耳边，跟他解释部落猫分吃猎物的事情。狮爪想到自己待会儿要吃风爪咬过的猎物，好不容易才忍住没让脸变色。
“她为什么跟你弟弟解释该做什么呢？”滚石从正吃着的老鹰肉上抬起头来，问狮爪，“他为什么不直接学我们呢？”
狮爪不安地看了一眼弟弟，狮爪知道松鸦爪有多讨厌其他猫谈论他，就好像他不存在似的。“哦，他的眼睛看不见。”但狮爪还是开口了。
滚石的眼睛睁大了：“啊，这真是太不可思议了。”
“他平时怎么办呢？”怒枭好奇地问道，“你要让他拽着尾巴吗？”
狮爪看到弟弟的耳朵平贴了起来，他张开嘴巴，想狠狠地反驳。但是冬青爪的尾巴拍在松鸦爪的口鼻上，松鸦爪气呼呼地吐出了一嘴皮毛。
“他的确是看不见，但是他的听力非常好。”狮爪解释道。松鸦爪的反应让他有些生气，可他并不想跟弟弟吵架。“而且他做得很好。你们以前从没看见过盲眼猫吗？”
“没见过。”滚石回答道，似乎觉得狮爪的问题很愚蠢，“你们族群怎么能让他独自外出呢？”
狮爪明白了她话里的意思，身体颤抖起来。一只盲猫在满是岩石的山区是活不长的。即便他能躲过老鹰的利爪，也很有可能会坠下山崖。
“松鸦爪正在接受成为巫医的训练。”冬青爪插话道，她的声音里有替弟弟辩护的味道。
滚石看起来更加惊讶了，大部分预备猫都竖起耳朵听着。
“这不可能！”鱼跃斑大叫道，“一只瞎猫怎么能当猫群的族长呢？”
什么？狮爪和冬青爪对视了一眼：“他不会当族长的。”
“可是你们……啊，我明白了！”滚石眼睛里的疑惑消失了，“在急水部落，尖石巫师是我们的治疗者，而且他会在合适的时候选出下一任治疗者。但是我猜，你们的做法跟我们不一样。”
“我们有一位族长，还有一位巫医。”风爪高傲地解释道。
“真奇怪……”怒枭低声喃喃着。
狮爪心里想，急水部落的做法更奇怪。尖石巫师没有巫医提出建议，怎么能做出明智的决定呢？而且看上去，他们也没有副族长。如果急水部落的猫们不再迷信，自己必须依照尖石巫师的指示做事，他们或许就能制订出对付入侵者的策略。
“嗨，你们怎么样啊？”
听到松鼠飞的声音，狮爪顿时跳了起来。他根本没注意到母亲已经走到了身后。“很好，谢谢。”他努力让自己的声音听起来有说服力。
“太好了。不过我认为，你们是该躺下来好好睡一晚上了。看起来明天我们还有很长的路要走。”
狮爪吞下最后一片老鹰肉，抬头望了望松鼠飞。她看起来不像平常那样兴奋，尾巴在地上拖着，眼睛里满是焦虑。他猜母亲肯定认为，他们来到这么远的地方，现在却只能转身返回，是犯了一个巨大的错误。他走上前，蹭着母亲的皮毛，希望自己能安慰她，真想对她说，这些愚笨的部落猫应该为能得到族群的帮助而感到高兴。可是当着预备猫的面，这是不可能的。
“好的，”他说道，“我们明天早上见。”
松鼠飞用尾巴蹭了一下狮爪的肩膀，又俯身飞快地舔了舔冬青爪和松鸦爪的耳朵，就轻轻地走开了。狮爪的目光跟随着她的身影，穿过洞穴，来到其他武士跟前。他真希望自己和他们在一起，而不是和一群陌生的预备猫。
“来吧！”滚石说着，用尾巴扫了扫狮爪的耳朵，“我给你看看睡觉的地方。”
她领着学徒们来到一个地方，那里的地面上有几个浅浅的坑，铺着苔藓和羽毛，看上去就很暖和。
“随便挑！”滚石邀请他们。
狮爪和冬青爪、松鸦爪在一处较大的坑里蜷起身子。至少睡觉的地方还是很舒适的。有一会儿时间，他几乎要相信，他们已经回到了雷族的育婴室里。但是，在育婴室里，他可没有这么多让他睡不着的烦心事。
狮爪睁着眼睛躺在那里，望着洞壁上不断变化的摇曳光线，听着瀑布无休止的轰鸣。他曾无数次站在山上，俯视整个湖面，觉得自己无所不能。他们的旅程已经失败了，这些陌生而又高傲的猫，甚至不给他们帮忙的机会，就让他们离开！
狮爪发出一声叹息。他很久以前就渴望着这次旅程，希望自己能看看山地——以前，他做梦都想亲眼看看山地到底是什么样子，但现在，他已经在这里了，但却只想回家。
CHAPTER22
CHAPTER22
Jaypaw heard his brother’s sigh andfelt disappointment rolling off him like the waves on the lakeshore. He had picked up the same feeling from Hollypaw before she fell asleep, but he couldn’t share it. They had made it as far as the mountains, which was the main thing that mattered to him. His only worry was that he would be forced to go home before he had learned the secrets that awaited him here
He lay quietly in the warm nest, trying to build up a picture of the cave. He could locate the waterfall from the sound it made and identify where the cats were from their scent. There was a difference between cave-guards and prey-hunters, he discovered, just as there was between Clan and Tribe.
Beneath their scents, he felt battered by the Tribe’s emotions, their sense of fear and vulnerability in a situation they could not control. And in addition, a desperate weariness, as if they were ready to give up their claim to live in the mountains.
Where are their ancestors?Jaypaw wondered. Why aren’t the Tribe of Endless Hunting doing something to help?
The image of Stoneteller rose in his mind, the grizzled tabby he had seen when he shared Brook’s memory of the battle and Stormfur’s banishment. The roaring of the waterfall grew louder, pulsing in his ears, until suddenly his eyes flicked open. He was standing on the exposed rocky outcrop where he had confronted Rock before. Stars glittered frostily above his head and an icy wind ruffled his fur. Stoneteller stood barely a tail-length away, with his back to him.
Jaypaw darted into the shadow of a rock and peered out. Along the spine of stone another cat was approaching, a slender tabby like most of the Tribe cats, but with the shimmer of stars in his fur. Jaypaw pressed himself farther into the shadows. This must be one of the Tribe’s ancestors, from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Curiously he wondered why Rock had brought him here in his earlier dream, if it was a place sacred to the Tribe.
Stoneteller waited until the ancestor stood a fox-length away from him, then dipped his head. “Greetings,” he meowed. “What guidance have you come to give me?”
For a moment the ancestor did not reply. Jaypaw thought there was an air of defeat about him, as if even the Tribe of Endless Hunting was sick of the fighting and ready to give up.
“I have no guidance,” the ancestor replied at last. “Never in the Tribe’s history have we tried to fight an endless battle. Until now, the mountains have been protection enough.” His sigh was like the whisper of wind over the rock. “We can see no end to it.”
“There must be an end!” Stoneteller protested. “My Tribe is dying. There must be something we can do.”
The ancestor shook his head. “Not this time,” he mewed sadly. “We thought this was a place of safety, but it is not.” He turned and began to pace away, fading into the shadows.
“Wait!” Stoneteller took a step forward, lashing his tail, then halted, his head lowered in defeat. As if he was too exhausted to stay on his paws, he staggered to the shelter of a rocky overhang, flopped down, and closed his eyes.
Instantly Jaypaw sprang out of hiding and raced along the stony ridge, ignoring the precipices on either side. After a few pounding heartbeats, the shape of the ancestor reappeared from the shadows, still pacing slowly away.
“Wait for me!” Jaypaw called.
The ancestor halted and glanced back over his shoulder. When his gaze fell on Jaypaw his ears flicked up and his eyes widened in shock. “You have come,” he whispered.
Jaypaw stared at him. What did he mean? How could a cat from the Tribe of Endless Hunting recognize a Clan cat who had never set paw in the mountains until now?
Before he could say anything, the cat spoke again. “Follow.”
Jaypaw gulped. This wasn’t what he had imagined. But he was here now—and there were so many questions he wanted answers to. His paws carried him on almost against his will, as the ancestor crossed the last few fox-lengths of the ridge and set paw on a trail that led down into thick shadow.
The narrow path, faint against the surface of the rocks, zigzagged across the face of a cliff. In the dim starshine Jaypaw couldn’t see the bottom. But at least Ican see. This couldn’t be as bad as that awful journey yesterday, and it wouldn’t end in the humiliation of being carried like a kit. He pressed himself close to the rock face and tried not to think of how far he might have to fall.
The ancestor padded on steadily, his pace never varying; now and again he glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Jaypaw was still following. Eventually he halted, beckoned Jaypaw with his tail, then leaped off the cliff and disappeared.
Jaypaw’s claws scraped the stony surface of the ledge. Was he expected to launch himself into the shadows? If he didn’t kill himself, it would still break his dream, and he couldn’t bear to wake up until he’d had a chance to talk to the ancestor. But when he peered over the edge he saw the ground was only a couple of tail-lengths below. He jumped down easily and looked around.
The ancestor had brought him to the bottom of a stone hollow, a little like the ThunderClan camp, except that the sides were sheer and much, much taller. The only way up or down seemed to be by the trail that they had followed. In the center of the hollow, almost filling it, was a pool. Starlight shimmered on its surface. It reminded Jaypaw of the Moonpool, except it was much bigger, and instead of the constant plashing of the waterfall, the water was still and the hollow was utterly silent.
Jaypaw blinked. What he had thought was the reflection of starshine in the pool was a light that came from the ranks of starry cats sitting around it—or had they only just shown themselves? He shivered as he gazed around. He was used to StarClan now, but he had never imagined that one day he would confront ancestors who were not his own.
Some of the cat shapes were barely visible, as if the spirits were so old that they had almost faded away. Others shone more strongly, and some still bore the wounds of battle, seeping blood, as if they had only just come to join the Tribe of Endless Hunting.
Jaypaw stayed frozen in place as one of the ancient cats rose to its paws and came close enough to sniff him. Jaypaw could see the water of the pool through the outline of his fur. “We heard you would come,” the ancestor murmured. His voice was muffled, as if he spoke through season upon season of dust. “But we did not expect you to come so soon.”
Soon?Jaypaw could hardly imagine what “soon” meant to these old spirits. Surely they must have been waiting for a moon of lifetimes?
“Are you talking about the prophecy?” he asked.
“Yes.” The old cat breathed out the word. “Three will come, kin of the cat with fire in his pelt, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.”
Jaypaw’s heart began to thud. They knew! They knew, and so did StarClan! How long have they been waiting for us?
“Where are the other two?” the ancient spirit asked.
“In the cave.” Jaypaw wasn’t going to admit that he hadn’t told his littermates about the prophecy yet. “Where did the prophecy come from?” he whispered.
The ancient cat did not reply; instead, one of the brighter spirits spoke from farther around the pool. “Why did you bring him here?” she demanded, addressing the tabby cat who had led Jaypaw down the cliff. “He doesn’t belong with us.”
There was a murmur of agreement from some of the other cats. Their glowing eyes were hostile as their gaze raked across him. Jaypaw suppressed an impulse to make a dash for the trail that led back to the ridge.
I can walk where I like, he told himself, defiantly raising his head. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t belongAnd maybe I can do more than Stoneteller to help the Tribe….
“You need to take a message to the Tribe of Rushing Water,” he meowed. “Tell them that the Clan cats have come to help them with the trespassers.”
The ancestral spirits glanced at one another, then shook their heads. The bright she-cat who had spoken before rose to her paws. “The Tribe does not need help.”
“How can you say that?” Jaypaw gasped. “The Tribe is starving to death.”
“There is nothing we can do.” The ancestor who had led Jaypaw down from the ridge bowed his head in shame. “We have failed.”
“The mountains are not safe anymore,” another cat murmured. “We trusted them to protect us, and they have let us down.”
For a moment Jaypaw could not speak through the wave of shame and betrayal that surged from the starry cats. He struggled to shake it off and clear his mind again.
“The Tribe doesn’t have to give in so easily,” he insisted. “They mustfight to defend themselves.”
Two of the cats who bore recent wounds rose from their places and padded around the pool until they stood in front of Jaypaw. “We died in battle,” the first of them mewed, glancing down at the deep slashes along his side. “No more blood must be spilled. The Tribe does not believe in fighting.”
Jaypaw twitched his tail. “But the trespassers do. My Clanmates willhelp the Tribe cats, whether they want it or not.”
The other wounded cat took a pace forward, his neck fur bristling. “The only way to do that is to make the Tribe more like a Clan. And that is not what they want. It is not the way of the Tribe to fight and kill other cats.”
“Things change,” Jaypaw pointed out with a flick of his ears.
“Not always for the better,” the spirit cat retorted.
The words echoed in Jaypaw’s ears. A mist seemed to be rising from the pool, swirling around him until he couldn’t see the Tribe of Endless Hunting any longer. The mist gradually grew darker, until Jaypaw realized he was back in the cave, with Hollypaw nudging him awake.
“Come on,” she urged him. “Stoneteller has called a meeting. All the cats are gathering in the middle of the cave.”
Jaypaw scrambled groggily to his paws. The hollow in the mountains and the pool surrounded by shining cats seemed more real to him than this cave.
“Okay, keep your fur on,” he grumbled. “I’m coming.”
Tracking Hollypaw and Lionpaw by their scent, he followed them out of the sleeping hollow and across the floor of the cave. They joined the other Clan cats and found a place to sit beside them. Jaypaw shifted uncomfortably on the cold stone, the murmur of voices, Clan and Tribe, in his ears.
Suddenly the voices grew quiet. Jaypaw imagined the skinny old cat he had seen in his dreams appearing in front of the cats, perhaps leaping onto the boulder from where he had banished Stormfur. So this is it, he thought. We’re going to be made outcasts, too. I don’t suppose they’ll feed us before they throw us out, either
“Cats of the Tribe of Rushing Water,” Stoneteller began. “Last night I read the signs in water and starlight, and the Tribe of Endless Hunting spoke to me. They do not want us to be driven out of our mountain home, so I have decided to let the Clan cats help us.”
Jaypaw felt his mouth drop open. Stoneteller was lying! That wasn’t what the Tribe of Endless Hunting had said at all. Stoneteller must have changed his own mind overnight, and decided to ignore his ancestors.
A babble of comment had broken out as soon as Stoneteller finished speaking. Jaypaw could hear some protests, but most cats sounded eager to hear what the Clan cats would suggest. Just as he suspected, the Tribe cats did whatever Stoneteller said. Yesterday he hadn’t wanted the Clan cats to stay, so neither did his Tribe, and today he said they should accept their help. Didn’t these cats ever think for themselves?
“Silence!” Stoneteller raised his voice. “We will listen to what Brambleclaw has to say.”
There was a brief pause; Jaypaw heard his father’s paw steps as he emerged from the group of cats and went to stand beside Stoneteller.
“What should we do first?” the Tribe’s Healer asked him.
“Assess the situation.” Brambleclaw’s tone was crisp and positive; Jaypaw knew that his father would have worked out what he would say long before. “We need to know what the real threat is. Where are these trespassers taking prey? Where are they clashing with the Tribe? And we must discover where they’ve made their camp.”
“We should work out how much territory the Tribe needs to survive, too,” Tawnypelt called out from somewhere near Jaypaw
“That’s right,” Stormfur put in, his voice deep but tense with excitement. “We can’t sit here and wait to be attacked. We should establish borders and make sure they’re properly defended.”
An eager chorus broke out again, but a new voice cut across it. “Wait.”
As the noise died down, Brambleclaw meowed, “Yes, Crag. What do you want to say?”
“We have known each other a long time, Brambleclaw,” the new speaker began. “I was the first Tribe cat you met when you dragged yourselves out of the pool, all those moons ago. I’m a cave-guard, and I fought in the great battle beside Stormfur. No cat can say that I’m afraid to fight. But I’m telling you now that you’re wrong.”
“Why?” Even in the single word, Jaypaw could tell how much respect his father felt for this cat.
“Because you’re trying to turn us into a Clan,” Crag replied. “We’re not. We are the Tribe.”
“But this is the only way to survive!” Brambleclaw insisted“You’ve never had to share your hunting grounds with other cats before. You can’t live here like prisoners, afraid to venture out in search of food.”
“That’s right!” some cat called. “We need our own territory.”
“We need to defend it!” another added.
“But think what we risk losing.” Crag’s strong meow rose above the voices of his Tribe. “All our traditions, everything that makes us who we are. Instead, we’ll spend all our time running around trying to remember which rocks belong to us.”
“What do you think?” Hollypaw whispered as the argument rumbled on above their heads.
“Brambleclaw’s right,” Lionpaw asserted without hesitation. “What choice do they have?”
“But then, Crag’s right, too.” Hollypaw sounded uncertain. “How would we like it if cats came into our territory and started telling us to do everything differently?”
“We’re not starving to death,” Lionpaw pointed out. “What’s the matter, Hollypaw? On the way here you were planning how to organize the Tribe like a Clan.”
“I know. But it’s different when you see how they do things.” Hollypaw’s worry soaked into Jaypaw’s fur like rain. “What about you, Jaypaw?” she prompted. “Do you think the Tribe should give up all its traditions because of these trespassing cats?”
Jaypaw shrugged. “It’s not our decision. They’re not our traditions.”
He heard a hiss of annoyance from Hollypaw, as if she’d expected him to back her up. But the problem was more complicated than she or Lionpaw understood. Jaypaw was reluctant to talk about his dream. He had always relished the extra knowledge he gained through his connection with StarClan, but now he was thoroughly unnerved, knowing that the Tribe of Endless Hunting did not want the Tribe to become a Clan.
He remembered the feelings of shame he had picked up by the pool, the regret of the Tribe of Endless Hunting that they had failed their descendants, that they had not found a place of safety for the cats who looked to them for protection. He remembered their belief that the mountains had betrayed them.
Then something struck him. If the Tribe had tried to find a place of safety in the mountains, that meant they must have come from somewhere else—somewhere that was no longer safe.
So where did they come from? And what brought them here in the first place?
第二十三章
第二十三章

急水部落的猫们分成了一个个小组，继续不停地吵嚷着，狮爪则在一旁看着。
他们还是不要再浪费口舌了，狮爪心想，现在，尖石巫师已经下定决心，让黑莓掌统领全局了。
即便如此，他依然对刚才鹰崖说出真话的勇气印象深刻，并且，看到他和自己父亲相互敬重的场景，他心里也非常高兴。鹰崖是一只强壮而勇敢的猫，要是经过正确的训练，他一定能成为优秀的武士。
“至少，我们这次吃了这么多苦，总算没白来。”风爪慢慢走过来，说道，“不久，我们就会解决这里的麻烦！我们给急水部落起个新名字，叫‘山族’怎么样？”
“这话要是让部落猫们听见，你的耳朵就要没了。”冬青爪低声警告道。
“别理他，”狮爪告诉她，“如果他想一直这么愚蠢下去……”
这时，狮爪看到黑莓掌朝他们走了过来，立马闭上了嘴。“我有任务要交给你们。”这只暗棕色虎斑猫说道。
狮爪兴奋得跳了起来，直竖起尾巴。他们几个终于有事做啦！
“你们仨能否训练一下那些预备猫，让他们学习几个战斗动作？”黑莓掌问道。
狮爪打了一个激灵——他意识到，“你们仨”包括了风爪，却把松鸦爪排除在外了。这三位学徒互相看了一眼，接着，狮爪和冬青爪谈论了一小会儿，把风爪晾在一旁。
“好的。”狮爪点点头，“我们很高兴能够帮上忙。”
狮爪又用尾巴尖儿蹭了蹭松鸦爪的肩膀，向他道别，然后就跟着父亲朝预备猫待着的地方走过去。此时，松鸦爪正盯着洞穴的墙壁，沉思着什么，似乎没留意到他们的举动。
“所有的猫，包括狩猎者在内，都要参加基础战斗训练。”黑莓掌解释道，“不过，我们会将巡逻边界线的责任，交给山洞卫士们。他们是体格最强健的猫，虽说他们仍需要进行战斗训练，却已经具备了一定的作战技能。”
“可现在，急水部落还没有边界线呢！”冬青爪说道。
黑莓掌伸出尾巴，亲切地弹了弹她的耳朵：“马上就会有的。”
预备猫们在洞穴里自己的地方，紧紧地凑到一起。当黑莓掌和学徒们走过来时，他们转过身看着。
“你们好。”滚石朝黑莓掌低头致意，伸出了一只爪子。
“你们好，”黑莓掌回应着，“我想，你们已经认识了狮爪、冬青爪和风爪了吧。他们会带你们训练作战技巧的。”
预备猫们听了，似乎都不怎么高兴，这令狮爪感到有些气馁。接着，他们开始低声交谈起来，狮爪听到了一些只言片语：“……我们只是预备猫……”
“鱼跃斑和我是狩猎者。”怒枭突然毫不畏惧地一边大喊着，一边朝身旁那只浅棕色虎斑母猫抽了抽尾巴，“我们可不去训练什么作战技巧。”
“整个急水部落都要参加训练。”黑莓掌告诉他。
“你们参加这个训练，没有任何坏处。”狮爪补充道。
怒枭盯着狮爪，双目圆睁。
“别这样，”冬青爪劝说着他们，“这种训练很有趣的。如果入侵者对你们发动攻击，你们进行自卫时，会用得上。”
这时，狮爪终于看到滚石和其他一两只预备猫露出了兴致盎然的神情，顿时倍感欣慰，心中开始满怀期待。他会从中吸取经验，得到锻炼，为将来自己成为老师打好基础。
黑莓掌赞许地点了点头：“你们现在可以开始了。我要跟褐皮和鸦羽去视察一下这片领地，看看是否适合设立边界线。”
说完，他又回过头说道：“狮爪，你愿意跟我们一起去吗？冬青爪和风爪可以暂时负责训练。”
一时间狮爪感到有些失望。可不一会儿，他又转念一想，一直以来，他都梦想着探索湖区以外的世界，而这次，不就是一个很好的机会吗！于是，他一边回答“好的”，一边朝大家挥挥尾巴道别，跟着黑莓掌走到了山洞入口。
褐皮和鸦羽已经在那里等着了，旁边还站着鹰爪、飞鸟和灰濛。
“我们跟你们一起去，”鹰爪说道，“如果路上遇到了入侵者，我们会支援你们的。”
“谢谢你。”黑莓掌一边说，一边用尾巴示意着，请这位高大的山洞卫士领路。
狮爪跟着自己的父亲走上了瀑布后面的急水小径。刺眼的阳光透过溅起层层泡沫的水帘，照射到地面上，让这里变得不再像昨晚夜幕降临时那样令他胆战心惊了。当狮爪走近开阔的空地时，他纵身一跃，跳到池塘旁边的地面上，抖掉皮毛上的水珠。蓝蓝的天空中，几朵白云被一阵劲风吹得四散飘去。太阳掠过最高的几处山峰，点亮了每一座山坡。远方的天幕中，一只孤单的大鸟慵懒地绕着圈儿飞来飞去。
“那是老鹰，”飞鸟低声说道，“我们要特别留意它。”
“走这边吧。”鹰爪一边说，一边跳到池塘对面的岩石丛，向上攀爬，来到一处平坦的石台上。狮爪和其他猫紧随其后。不一会儿，狮爪上气不接下气地爬了上来。他停住脚步，抬头望去，眼前是一片空荡荡的石林，只有零星几处绿色的植被，散落在那广袤的棕灰色大地上，没有任何活物的踪迹。
“这儿什么都没有啊。”狮爪蹲伏下来，俯视着石台下方的岩石丛，“好像这里除了我们，没有别的猫了。”
“说起来，你们可能不信，”鹰爪一边跟着狮爪往上爬，一边说道，“那帮入侵者并不像我们那样擅长躲藏，不过他们这方面的技能一直都在进步。”
“所以说，你们就更得加把劲儿，多加训练了，”黑莓掌马上说道，“这样你们才能发起反击啊。”
鹰爪将信将疑地哼了一声，接着，转身走上通往山脊的一处陡峭的碎石坡。当狮爪也想跟上去时，发觉自己怎么也上不去——爪下细碎的石头不停地往下滑，每走一步，就会后退两步。接着他发现，急水部落的猫们都是侧着爪子走上斜坡的，而且他们都爬得很稳。于是他也跟着学了起来，终于，狮爪越过了碎石坡的最后一段，来到了坡顶。
一阵强风猛烈地掀起狮爪的皮毛，吹得他眼泪直流。他眨眨眼，看见眼前是一片更广阔的嶙峋峭壁和陡狭山谷，条条溪流贯穿其间，从高处看上去，像是一条条窄带；丛丛草叶在岩石间随风摇曳。狮爪朝更远处望去，发现了一抹模糊的绿色，突然意识到，那里应该是山地的边缘地带了，或许就是他们在旅途中穿越的那片森林吧。
“我感觉自己像鸟一样要飞起来啦！”狮爪大喊着。
话音未落，狮爪忽然惊觉自己的爪子又朝下滑去了，吓得心怦怦直跳。有那么一瞬间，他觉得狂风似乎马上就会把他吹落到石坡下。四周的景象开始天旋地转，令他头晕目眩。这时，不知是谁咬住了狮爪的后颈，将他拉回了安全地带。狮爪抬头一看，原来是鸦羽。
“谢谢。”狮爪大口喘着气。
“记住，你是猫，不是鸟！”这只风族猫咆哮着说。
狮爪在地上坐了一会儿，眩晕感终于消失，心脏也不再剧烈地跳动了。当他坐起来时，发现鹰爪、褐皮和黑莓掌就站在离自己几步远的地方。
鹰爪用尾巴指了指斜坡下方，说道：“那里就是暴毛带领我们作战的地方。”
狮爪小心翼翼地走到坡顶的边缘，朝那里望去。那是一处陡峭的山谷，两侧布满犬牙般的岩石。山谷底部，一条狭窄的小溪在石丛间蜿蜒流过。狮爪的身体突然战栗起来，脑海中顿时浮现出了一幅惨烈的画面：猫们的鲜血在斜坡上流淌，可他们依旧奋勇作战，杀声震天。
“那场战斗过后，我们就再也没去过那里了。”鹰爪接着说道，“现在，入侵者们已经把那里当成自己的领地了。”
“或许我们应该给他们一个教训，告诉他们，这是痴心妄想。”褐皮甩甩尾巴说道。
鹰爪摇了摇头：“那里没有多少猎物，不值得这么做。如果我们沿着这条斜坡，往前再走一小段，就会发现另一处山谷，那里也有溪流、草地和几处灌木丛，偶尔可以抓到一两只老鼠，幸运的话，还可以逮到兔子。另外，我们窝里的苔藓，也是从那里采来的。”
狮爪顺着他指的方向望去。在离斜坡大约几只狐狸身长的地方，有一块歪歪扭扭的尖石头，远远看去，像是一棵被闪电劈开的树。“那块石头，做边界线的标记很合适嘛。”他对黑莓掌说道。
黑莓掌点点头：“好主意。那处有溪流的山谷，应该成为急水部落领地的一部分。”
部落猫们疑惑地相互望着，却都没有说话。狮爪忽然开始同情起他们来，心想，他们可能觉得，他们的部落迟早是保不住了，因为族群猫正在对他们发号施令。
“鹰爪，你能把我们带到那里吗？”黑莓掌问道。
“当然可以。”这位体形硕大的山洞卫士说完，就沿着斜坡走了下去，狮爪和其他族群猫紧随其后，小心谨慎地迈着每一步。当他发现刚才看到的那只老鹰已经无影无踪时，心里终于放松下来。
过了一会儿，他们来到了下一座山谷。这里有很多可供猎物躲藏的地方，似乎更适合狩猎。鹰爪本想一头钻进里面，去找些吃的，可黑莓掌一直催促着他们赶路，没办法，他只得朝山脊的顶端爬去。
“我们要绕着边界走整整一圈儿，”黑莓掌说道，“或者，至少我们要看看，边界线应该划在哪些地方。”
“你说什么？”飞鸟大吃一惊，“我们一天根本就走不完啊。”
“在山地行走，花费的时间要长得多，”灰濛补充道，“这里可不像平原地区，走一遍那么容易。”
“我知道，”黑莓掌眨眨琥珀色的眼睛，表示理解，“不过，现在你们的时间并不多了，入侵者们不会等着你们做好准备的。”
鹰爪发出一阵低吼：“你说得对，我们抓紧时间吧。”
于是，他带领着大部队，沿着山谷顶部行走着。接着，他们把那块尖石头标记成为边界线的一段。这处山脊在与山谷顶端交会的地方，陡然直降。那条溪流在两块巨石间的缝隙中，倾泻而下。
“这里也适合标记边界线，”黑莓掌说道，“边界线划定之后，你们每天都要在上面添加气味标记。所以，最好选择有显著标志物、容易被记住的地方。”
鹰爪点了点头，然而狮爪看得出，他心里依然认为，急水部落用不着划定领地的边界线。
不一会儿，他们来到了一片高地上。这里到处都是零零散散的尖石块。接着，又翻越了几处陡坡——那里已经没有任何能指引方向的小路了。这时，太阳早已爬到了高高的天空中。狮爪的四肢疼痛不已——他已经记不清楚，自己的爪垫被粗糙的石块蹭破了几次。他走过的地方，都留下了斑斑血迹。就连部落猫，此刻也变得筋疲力尽。
黑莓掌在绕过一处巨大的石头时，突然停下了脚步，狮爪差一点儿撞到了他。这只暗棕色虎斑猫的毛倒竖了起来，狮爪随即闻到了一股危险的气息。他神情警觉地抻长脖子，朝父亲的身前望去。
黑莓掌正在俯视着前方的山谷，山谷的底部有一处池塘和几丛杂乱的灌木。有三只猫从灌木后面蹿了出来。第一只猫的嘴里衔着一只老鼠。这时他们好像听到了什么，都停下来，好奇地向上看着。
“发生什么事了？”其中一只黑猫问道，“你们想干什么？”
“我们还想问你们呢。”黑莓掌一边回答，一边朝前迈了几步，站在山谷的边缘上。
这时，鹰爪和褐皮也走过来，站在黑莓掌身体两侧。狮爪注意到，飞鸟和灰濛来到了一处可以看到其他入侵者活动情况的位置，鸦羽也走到了山谷顶部一个可以从另一侧观察灌木丛动静的地方。
刚才说话的那只黑猫眯起了眼睛：“如果你们想打一仗，我们会奉陪到底。”
“我们不是来打仗的。”黑莓掌的话音异常平静，可狮爪发现，他脖子上的毛依然直竖着，随时准备必要时扑上去，投入战斗。“我们是在划定边界线。这里将会是急水部落的领地。不过，尽管如此，你和你的朋友们依然可以拥有山地的剩余领地。等这项任务完成后，每处领地的归属权，就会非常清楚了。”
狮爪知道，他的话很有道理，不过显然，入侵者们绝不会同意。其中一只浅灰色母猫，抬起自己冷酷的蓝色眼睛，望着黑莓掌，一脸不屑地问道：“你算个什么东西？竟敢限制我们的活动范围？我们想去哪儿狩猎就去哪儿狩猎。”
“这里是我们的领地。”鹰爪咆哮起来。
“有本事就赶走我们啊！”这只母猫向他投来挑衅的目光，“可惜你们至今对我们仍无可奈何。”
“就算你们设立了边界线，也绝对挡不住我们。”那只黑猫补充道。
鹰爪抽动着尾巴，蹲伏下来，准备扑上前去。站在山谷另一边的鸦羽发出一阵震耳欲聋的怒吼。这三位入侵者立刻张开爪子，平贴起耳朵，紧紧地靠在一起。
“大家冷静！”黑莓掌抬起了尾巴喊道，“今天我们不打仗。如果你们有头领的话，赶快滚回他那儿去，”他对入侵者们说道，“告诉你们的同伴，从明天开始，急水部落的边界线就会设立完毕，从此以后，你们都不许擅自闯入。”说完，他后退了几步，离开山谷边缘，又甩甩尾巴，朝鹰爪示意着，“让他们走吧。”
这位体形庞大的山洞卫士看着入侵者们经过他身边，突然发出一声怒吼，却没有伸出爪子拦住他们，而是咒骂道：“下次要是再让我遇上，我一定不会放过你们！”
入侵者们听了，都一声不吭，只有那只灰色母猫傲慢地摇了摇尾巴，就跟同伴们消失在石丛之间。褐皮追了上去，却又在他们消失的位置，停下了脚步。
“他们走了。”不一会儿，褐皮返回来，向黑莓掌报告。
他们不久就会回来的。狮爪心里想着，却没有说出来。不过他明白，在场所有的猫，都跟自己的想法一样。
“我们这么做，有什么意义呢？”灰濛一脸沮丧地问道，“不管怎样，那些猫都不会尊重我们设立的边界线的。”
“我看还是算了，我们回洞穴吧。”飞鸟表示同意。
“不行，你们绝对不能中途放弃。”黑莓掌急了，“边界线设立完毕之后，你们就可以持续不断地更新气味标记，直到入侵者们知道，这里是你们的领地为止。”
狮爪不知道自己父亲的话是否正确。必须要经过双方的同意，边界线才可能稳固下来吧？如果一方不同意，那么只有靠尖牙利爪硬拼一仗，才能守住气味标记了。难道急水部落的猫现在已经具有使用武力保卫自己领地的能力了吗？
接下来，鹰爪带领着大家，在山谷周围做上了标记，把这片区域圈在了急水部落的领地范围内，又来到石丛间，穿过石壁上一处狭窄的缝隙——那里有一处弯弯曲曲的小径，一次只能容一只猫通行。鹰爪宽大肩膀上的皮毛，紧贴着两侧高大的岩石。
大家沿着这条小径，走了几只狐狸身长的距离后，来到了悬崖下方一处较为宽阔的地点，这里到处都是滚落下来的碎石。突然，一声尖叫从他们头顶传来。紧接着，一只猫掉落在狮爪身上，将他撞翻在地。狮爪滚到一旁，站起来后发现，这是一只年轻的玳瑁色母猫，脸上有闪电般的条纹。
“我认识你！”狮爪深吸一口气，大喊道，“我昨天见过你。”
这只玳瑁色母猫突然伸出爪子，拍向狮爪的脑袋。狮爪注意到她并未收起自己的爪尖。经过了一整天的疲乏又糟心的旅途，狮爪此刻只想打上一架，活动活动筋骨，于是他纵身跃起，扑到这只年轻母猫身上。
狮爪用后爪猛击着她，这时他用余光瞄见，一只灰猫紧紧拽住褐皮的皮毛，他俩在地上翻滚厮打着。另一只年轻的猫号叫着跳到鹰爪的肩膀上，将爪子深深扎进他的皮毛里。更多的打斗声从小径那边传来，空气中，尖叫声和厮杀声此起彼伏。
这条狭窄的小径，根本不适合展开大规模的战斗。玳瑁色母猫将狮爪甩到一旁，跳上一块大石头，又开始弓起背，抖着尾巴，用一种挑衅的姿态，咒骂了狮爪几句。
狮爪回转过身，看到黑莓掌的一只巨大的爪子，扎进了一只年轻的姜黄色公猫的脖子上。旁边，两只几乎一模一样的虎斑猫将飞鸟放倒在地，又伸出爪子，使劲撕扯着她的皮毛。狮爪顿时发出一阵怒吼，飞身一跃，越过黑莓掌，落在那只离自己最近的虎斑猫身上。
“教训他们一下就行了，不要太过了！”黑莓掌低声警告着他。
狮爪虽然已经气得什么都听不进去了——他猛地击倒了一只虎斑猫，把飞鸟扶了起来，又冲着另一只恶狠狠地龇起牙来——但他却始终将自己的利爪收着。
这场战斗刚刚开始，就进入了尾声。入侵者们四散逃去，有的顺着小径，有的跳上岩石，很快消失了。
黑莓掌走到狮爪身边，用鼻子蹭了蹭他肩膀上的皮毛，夸赞道：“刚才你的表现真不错。怎么样，没受伤吧？”
听到父亲的表扬，狮爪顿时觉得浑身上下都暖意融融的。“我没事，”他回答道，“打他们根本就不怎么费劲。”
“对我来说，他们的作战水平跟学徒没什么两样。”鸦羽走过来，把满嘴的灰色皮毛吐了出来。
“或许，他们刚才只是玩玩而已吧。”黑莓掌说道。
“玩玩？”鸦羽转转眼珠，不解地问。
“他们只是想吓唬吓唬我们罢了。”褐皮从刚才与入侵者作战的石头上跳了下来，说道，“他们既不是在狩猎，又没有为保护营地而战。”
“你们族群猫的表现，真是太棒了！”鹰爪沿着小径，一瘸一拐地走了过来。接着他又犹豫了一下，自言自语道：“唉，难道战斗真的要永无休止地一直持续下去吗？”
灰濛和飞鸟不安地相互看了一眼，飞鸟低声说道：“我想，我们再也要不回失去的家园了。”
狮爪这才意识到，在这次遭遇战中，这几只部落猫表现得都很糟。灰濛的耳朵流着血，飞鸟的身体一侧布满了抓伤，鹰爪肩膀上的皮毛被撕掉了好几块。看来，他们真的需要认真学习族群武士的作战技巧了。
可眼下，他们似乎已经想自暴自弃了。如果部落猫们自己不努力、不争气，族群猫们提供再多帮助，也将无济于事。
第二十二章
第二十二章
松鸦爪听到了哥哥的叹息，感觉他的失落就像拍打湖岸的水波一样翻滚着。在冬青爪睡着之前，他从她那里也感受到了同样的情绪，但是他什么都没说。他们经过长途跋涉来到了山地，对他来说，这才是最重要的事情。他唯一担心的是，他还没有弄明白这里隐藏的秘密，就被迫回家了。
他安静地躺在温暖的巢穴里，试着想象洞穴的画面。松鸦爪根据瀑布的声音弄清了它的位置，根据众猫的气息，知道他们在哪里。他发现，山洞卫士和狩猎者的不同，就像族群和部落的不同一样。
在这些气息里，最令他震惊的是部落猫的情绪，他们恐惧和脆弱的气息表露无遗，另外还有绝望的气息，好像他们已经准备放弃他们一直生活的山地。
他们的祖灵在哪儿呢？松鸦爪寻思着，为什么杀无尽部落不做些什么来帮他们呢？
这时，尖石巫师的身影出现在松鸦爪的脑海中。他曾进入过溪儿的记忆，目睹了那场战斗和暴毛被驱逐的经过，见过这只皮毛已经斑白的虎斑猫。瀑布的轰鸣声变大了，在他的耳朵里回响着。松鸦爪的眼睛突然睁开了。他正站在一块光秃秃的突出地面的岩石上，他就是在这里见到岩石的。头顶的繁星闪着冰冷的光，一阵冷风吹乱了他的皮毛。尖石巫师背对着他，站在一条尾巴外的地方。
松鸦爪冲进一块岩石的阴影中，朝外面窥探着。沿着石梁又走来了一只猫。这是一只又高又瘦的虎斑猫，长得很像大多数的急水部落猫，只是他的皮毛上闪着星光。松鸦爪的身体朝阴影深处移去。这只猫肯定是急水部落的祖灵，来自杀无尽部落。松鸦爪好奇地想，如果这个地方是急水部落的圣地，那为什么在自己之前的梦里，岩石会把他带到这儿呢？
尖石巫师等待着，直到这位祖灵来到离他一只狐狸身长的地方。尖石巫师向他低头致敬。“你好，”尖石巫师道，“你来到这儿，要给我什么指示呢？”
这位祖灵猫并没有马上做出回答。松鸦爪感到他的心里充满了挫败感，似乎杀无尽部落也厌倦了频繁的战事，准备放弃了。
“我没有指示。”这位祖灵最终开口说道，“在急水部落的历史上，我们从未想过要打一场永无休止的战争。以前，山地一直被保护得很好。”他叹了一口气，就像岩层上的风发出的低语，“我们看不到这场战争终结的那一天。”
“一定会结束的！”尖石巫师反对道，“我的部落正在死亡边缘，有些事情一定是我们可以做的！”
这位祖灵猫摇了摇头。“这次不行了。”他悲伤地说道，“我们本以为这里很安全，可现在已经不是了。”他转身离开，逐渐消失在阴影中。
“等一下！”尖石巫师向前迈了一步，猛抽了几下尾巴，然后停下来，沮丧地垂下了头。他似乎累得有些站不稳了，他踉跄地走到一块悬空的岩石下方，扑通一下倒在地上，然后闭上了眼睛。
松鸦爪飞快地冲出藏身处，沿着石梁奔跑起来。他已经忘了身体两侧的悬崖。几个重重的心跳过后，祖灵猫的身影又从阴影中出现了，依然慢慢地向远处走着。
“等等我！”松鸦爪大喊道。
祖灵猫停下爪子，回头望着。当他的目光落在松鸦爪身上时，他的耳朵竖了起来，眼睛也惊愕地睁大了。“你来了。”他低声说道。
松鸦爪凝视着他。他是什么意思？来自杀无尽部落的猫，怎么会认出一只从没有来过山地的族群猫呢？
还没等他说什么，祖灵猫又说道：“跟我来。”
松鸦爪紧张得喘不过气来。这不是他想象过的画面。但他现在已经在这里了，有那么多问题等着他寻找答案。他的爪子不顾他的意愿，拖着他向前走去。祖灵猫沿着石梁走完了最后几只狐狸身长的距离，踏上了通往浓重阴影的小路。
岩石间的这条狭窄的小路非常昏暗，呈之字形穿过悬崖。在昏暗的星光下，松鸦爪看不见底部。但是我至少能看见点别的。这不可能像昨天的旅行那么坏，而且我也不会像幼崽那样，丢脸地被别的猫叼着走。他用脸紧贴在岩石上，尽量不去想摔下去会摔多远。
祖灵猫步伐稳健地朝前走着，步幅也没有什么变化。他时不时回头望望跟在身后的松鸦爪，生怕他没有跟上去。终于，他停了下来，用尾巴召唤松鸦爪，然后纵身跳下悬崖，消失了。
松鸦爪的爪子抓着悬崖边缘的石头。难道他希望自己跳入下方的阴影里？就算他跳下去摔不死，这也会打破他的梦境。在没找到机会和这位祖灵猫谈谈前，他可不能打破梦境醒来。但是他朝下方一望才发现，地面离自己只有两三条尾巴远。他轻松地跳了下去，四下张望着。
祖灵猫领着松鸦爪来到一个石头山谷的底部。这里有点儿像雷族的营地，不过四周的石壁更高更陡。唯一的一条上下通道，似乎就是他们走过来的这条小路。山谷中央，是一个巨大的池塘，几乎占满了山谷，水面映着点点星光。松鸦爪想起了月亮池，只不过这里比月亮池更大。与瀑布的喧哗相比，这里的水面十分平静，山谷也一片沉寂。
松鸦爪眨了眨眼睛。他本以为是池塘上闪烁的星光，但实际上，那些光来自坐在池塘周围的一排满身星光的猫。又或者水面上的光，其实就是它们的倒影？松鸦爪环顾四周，身体颤抖起来。现在，松鸦爪已经习惯了星族的做事方式，可他从未想过，有一天他会面对并非自己祖先的祖灵猫。
有些猫的身影几乎不可辨——它们的灵魂好像太久远了，已经开始逐渐隐去了痕迹。其他的猫发出的光芒更强烈些，还有几只猫的身上依然带着战斗留下的伤痕，还渗着血，他们好像是刚刚加入杀无尽部落的。
松鸦爪一动不动地僵在原地。一只祖灵猫站了起来，走到他身边，嗅了嗅他的气息。松鸦爪能穿透他皮毛的轮廓，看见池塘泛起波纹的水面。“我们听说你要来了，”这只祖灵猫低声说道，话音含混不清，好像是从一层又一层的厚厚灰尘那边传过来的，“可没想到，你居然这么快就到了。”
快？松鸦爪想不明白，对于这些年老的猫来说，“快”到底是什么意思。或许，他们已经等待了好几个世代？
“你说的是有关预言的事吗？”松鸦爪问道。
“是的。”这只老猫张张嘴，说出了这两个字，“那三只猫，也就是那只火焰色皮毛的猫的至亲，他们爪中掌握着群星的力量！”
松鸦爪的心顿时激动得怦怦直跳。原来，它们知道那个预言啊！星族也知道的！它们到底等了我们多长时间啊？
“其他两只猫在哪儿？”这只老猫又问道。
“他俩在山洞里。”松鸦爪不想承认自己还没把这个预言告诉冬青爪和狮爪，“这个预言，究竟是怎么来的？”松鸦爪轻声问道。
这只远古猫没有回答。池塘另一头，一个较为明亮的猫说话了。“你为什么把他带到这儿来？”她质问着那只把松鸦爪带来的虎斑猫，“他根本不属于这个地方啊。”
其他几只猫都发出了赞同的低语声。它们上下打量着松鸦爪，眼中投来敌视的目光。此刻，松鸦爪真想飞奔到来时的小路上，立刻跑回去，可他还是抑制住了这种冲动。
我想去哪里，就去哪里。他一边在心里自言自语，一边勇敢地昂起头。如果我不属于这里，就不会来了。或许，我能帮助急水部落做的事，比尖石巫师还要多呢……
“你需要给急水部落传个信息，”松鸦爪开口说道，“告诉他们，族群猫们会来帮忙，赶走入侵者的。”
祖灵猫你看看我，我看看你，又摇了摇头。刚才说话的那只明亮的母猫站了起来，说道：“急水部落不需要帮忙。”
“你怎么能这么说呢？”松鸦爪深吸一口气，说道，“急水部落的猫都快要饿死了！”
“我们实在做不了什么。”那只把松鸦爪领来的祖灵猫，羞愧地低下了头，“我们已经彻底失败了。”
“山地已经不再安全了，”另一只猫低声喃喃着，“我们将全部信任托付给他们，指望他们能够保护我们，可他们太令我们失望了。”
这些闪闪发光的猫身上涌动着各种情绪，有无能为力的羞愧，也有被辜负的无奈，惊得松鸦爪一时间说不出话来。他努力甩开这些消极的情绪，重新清理着自己的脑子。
“急水部落不会轻言放弃的，”松鸦爪的语气很坚定，“他们一定会投入战斗，进行自卫的。”
两只新伤未愈的猫站了起来，绕过池塘，来到松鸦爪面前。“我们就是战死的，”其中一只猫一边说，一边低下头，望着身上那一道道深深的伤口，“猫们不能再流血了！急水部落不相信战斗能解决问题。”
松鸦爪抽动着尾巴：“可入侵者们却不这么认为啊。不管部落猫们愿不愿意，我和我的族群同伴都一定会帮助他们的。”
另外一只负伤的猫向前迈了一步，后颈的毛倒竖着：“要想这么做，唯一的办法就是让急水部落变得更像族群猫。可他们都不愿意这样。打打杀杀不是急水部落的风格啊。”
“事情总会变化的。”松鸦爪抽抽耳朵说道。
“并不总是越变越好。”一只祖灵猫反驳道。
这些话在松鸦爪的耳边回响着。此时池塘的水面上，隐约升腾起一片薄雾，把他团团包围。渐渐地，他看不到杀无尽部落的猫了。接着，这团雾越来越昏暗，不一会儿，松鸦爪意识到，自己又回到了急水部落的洞穴，原来是冬青爪把他推醒了。
“快起来吧，”冬青爪催促着他，“尖石巫师召集我们开会了。所有猫都要在洞穴中央集合。”
松鸦爪摇摇晃晃地站了起来。恍惚间，他觉得，刚才山里的那块山谷，和闪光的猫们围绕着的那片池塘的景象，甚至比自己此刻身处的这处洞穴，还要清晰真实。
“好的，你先去吧，”松鸦爪低声咕哝着，“我马上就来。”
松鸦爪嗅闻着冬青爪和狮爪的气息，跟着他们离开睡觉的地方，来到洞穴中央。他们跟其他同伴会合，找地方坐了下来。坐在冰冷的石头地面上，松鸦爪不自在地动来动去，耳边充斥着族群猫和部落猫们七嘴八舌的低语声。
突然，说话声戛然而止。松鸦爪在梦中见过的那只精瘦的老猫，出现在了大家面前，接着，又跳到了那块对暴毛发出驱逐令的大石头上。好吧，这就是我们的宿命了。松鸦爪心想，看来这次，我们也要被他赶出去了。而且，在走之前，他们也绝对不会给我们任何吃的了。
“急水部落的猫们，”尖石巫师开口了，“昨晚我夜观流水与星光，跟杀无尽部落对话——它们不愿看到我们被其他猫驱逐出山地的家园，所以我决定，接受族群猫的帮助。”
松鸦爪惊得张大了嘴巴。尖石巫师在撒谎！杀无尽部落根本没说过这种话！昨晚，尖石巫师一定是改变了主意，下定决心，无视祖灵们的态度了。
尖石巫师刚说完，部落猫群中顿时爆发出一阵激烈的讨论声。松鸦爪听到有猫开始高声反对，而绝大多数部落猫似乎都想听听族群猫们会提出什么样的建议。正像松鸦爪所想象的一样，尖石巫师说什么，这群部落猫就听什么。昨天，他还不想让族群猫们待在这里，于是部落猫们也跟着照做；而今天，尖石巫师又改口说，他们要接受援助。这帮部落猫，难道都没有一点儿自己的想法吗？
“安静！”尖石巫师提高了声音，“我们来听听黑莓掌怎么说吧！”
一阵沉寂过后，松鸦爪听到黑莓掌从猫群中走出的脚步声。黑莓掌爬到大石头上，站在尖石巫师身边。
“我们第一步应该做什么呢？”急水部落的治疗者问他。
“我们先要分析一下眼下的局势。”黑莓掌干脆利落的话音中充满了自信。松鸦爪知道，自己父亲早就为这次的发言做好了准备。“我们需要知道，现在对急水部落来说，真正的威胁是什么。入侵者们在哪里捕捉猎物？他们与部落猫们经常发生冲突的地方在哪里？等等。我们还必须找到他们的营地。”
“我们还要清楚，急水部落需要多大的领地才能养活自己。”坐在松鸦爪身边的褐皮大声说着。
“没错，”暴毛也插起话来，他深沉的话音中透着一丝兴奋，“我们不能傻乎乎地待在这里，坐以待毙，应该立起一道道边界线，并守住它们。”
猫群再次发出一阵激烈的议论声，就在这时，一个新的声音响了起来：“等一等！”
众猫的说话声顿时停止了。黑莓掌说道：“鹰崖，你想说什么？”
“黑莓掌，我们俩已经认识很长时间了。”鹰崖开口了，“很久以前，当你们从池塘里爬出来时，第一只见到的部落猫，就是我。我是一位山洞卫士，我跟暴毛一起，参加了那次伟大的战斗。没有猫会说我害怕打仗，不过，现在我要告诉你，你说得并不对。”
“为什么？”虽然黑莓掌只说了这三个字，但松鸦爪心里十分清楚，自己父亲对这只猫非常敬重。
“因为你想把急水部落变成一个族群，”鹰崖回答道，“可我们不是，我们是一个部落。”
“可这是你们生存下去的唯一途径啊！”黑莓掌坚持说道，“一直以来，你们从不需要跟其他猫分享狩猎场。你们绝对不能因为害怕，就像囚犯一样住在这里，而应该到外面更广阔的世界去搜寻猎物。”
“说得对！”一些猫喊道：“我们需要属于自己的领地！”
“我们要保卫领地！”另一些猫补充道。
“你们想想，如果这么做，我们可能会失去很多。”鹰崖响亮的话音，盖过了所有部落猫的说话声，“比如我们所有的传统，以及一切让我们成为部落猫的东西。如果按照黑莓掌说的去做，我们就会将大把的时间花在到处乱跑，确认哪块石头属于我们的事情上！”
大家又开始七嘴八舌地大声讨论起来。“你怎么看呢？”冬青爪轻声问狮爪。
“黑莓掌说得对，”狮爪毫不犹豫地回答，“他们别无选择。”
“可我觉得，鹰崖的话也有道理。”冬青爪有些犹豫，“如果一群猫来到我们的领地大放厥词，让我们推倒过去的一切从头再来，我们又会是怎样的感觉？”
“可我们没挣扎在饥饿和死亡线上啊，”狮爪说道，“冬青爪，你到底在想什么？在路上，你不是还一个劲地讲，如何把急水部落重组成另外一个族群吗？这会儿又变卦了？”
“我知道啊。不过当看到他们处事的方式后，我的想法又变得不同了。”冬青爪的担忧，如同一阵瓢泼大雨，将松鸦爪的皮毛打得透湿。“松鸦爪，你怎么想呢？”她问道，“你认为，急水部落应不应该为了对付入侵者，把自己过去的传统都抛弃呢？”
松鸦爪耸了耸肩：“说得再热闹也没用，我们没有决定权。他们的传统跟我们无关。”
这时松鸦爪听到冬青爪发出一阵愤怒的嘶嘶声，听起来她原本期盼着松鸦爪能支持她的。然而实际上，这个问题远比她和狮爪所想象的复杂。松鸦爪犹豫着，要不要把自己昨晚的梦告诉他俩——一直以来，松鸦爪在梦中与星族沟通，获取了不少秘密的消息，这让他特别欣喜。可这次，当他知道杀无尽部落并不想让急水部落变成另一个族群时，却感到非常气馁。
松鸦爪想起，自己在池塘边察觉到的杀无尽部落的猫们散发出的阵阵羞愧，以及没能为后代们找到安全之所避难、未尽到保护义务的无尽懊悔之情。而且它们还相信，这片山地再也无法待下去了。
紧接着，松鸦爪的内心又突然想起了另一件事：既然急水部落急于在山地里找到安全之所，这就说明，很久以前他们一定是从别的地方迁来的，而那个地方一定充满了危险。
那么，他们究竟是从哪里来的？又是谁，将他们带到山地的呢？

CHAPTER26
CHAPTER26
Once the injured cats had beentreated and were resting in their sleeping hollows, Stoneteller padded wearily toward the mouth of the cave. He beckoned with his tail for Brambleclaw to join him, and Lionpaw followed, eager to hear what their next move would be.
The light that came through the waterfall was dim and gray. Stoneteller sat down, a small, dark figure in the midst of the watery radiance, and tucked his paws underneath him.
“The Tribe cannot survive here,” he sighed, his voice almost drowned out by the pounding of the water. “We must leave the mountains and find a home somewhere else.”
Brambleclaw’s eyes widened in dismay. “That’s your decision to make, Stoneteller, but is it wise? It’s dangerous for a large group of cats to move around together. The Clans lost cats on the Great Journey. Besides, where would you go?”
Stoneteller shook his head; he had no answer to that question
Maybe they could come to the lake with us, Lionpaw thought. But there are too many to join one Clan. They would have to split up, and they wouldn’t like that. Anyway, the Clans would never accept them
“Even if you found a new home,” Brambleclaw went on, “you would have to learn new ways of living, new hunting techniques. It would be better to find a way of surviving here, where you belong.”
Stoneteller turned his head to look up at the dark tabby. “And how do you suggest we do that?”
“Give the border patrols a try,” Brambleclaw meowed.
“Patrols?” Stoneteller’s voice was disapproving. “Spend all our time scrambling over rocks?”
“Yes, it’s hard,” Brambleclaw admitted, an edge of annoyance in his voice. “But your cats are used to moving around in this terrain. That gives you a big advantage over the intruders.”
The Healer blinked, his eyes on the eternally falling water. After several heartbeats, he asked, “Are you saying that the Tribe must restrict itself to one area?”
“It would be a big area,” Brambleclaw promised. “Plenty of space for you to support yourselves. And isn’t keeping part of your territory better than losing it all?” When Stoneteller didn’t respond, he added, “Why don’t you come and see for yourself, to make sure you’ll have enough?”
“The Healer does not leave the cave, except for ceremonies above the waterfall,” Stoneteller responded. “That is the will of the Tribe of Endless Hunting.”
Brambleclaw looked frustrated, the tip of his tail twitching back and forth. Lionpaw was afraid he was going to give up the argument.
Then Stoneteller spoke again. “But perhaps the time is right to break with some of our traditions, so that we can preserve the rest. I will come with you.”
“Great!” Brambleclaw’s tail went straight up. “I’ll get a patrol together right away. Lionpaw, you can come.” He flicked his tail at him as he raced back into the main part of the cave.
Lionpaw wasn’t sure he wanted to clamber all the way around the territory again. His paws were still sore from the previous day. But he did want to help establish the border and to see what Stoneteller’s reaction would be. He waited beside the Healer until Brambleclaw returned. Talon, Breezepaw, and Pebble were with him; Crowfeather followed a little way behind with Crag, Night, and a couple of the other Tribe to-bes.
“Crowfeather will take his patrol in one direction, and we’ll take the other,” Brambleclaw meowed to Stoneteller. “That way, we can get around the whole territory by nightfall. We won’t try to explore every corner, just find landmarks along the way so that we all know where the border is.”
Stoneteller nodded. “Very well.”
He let Brambleclaw take the lead along the Path of Rushing Water and out into the open. Lionpaw paused briefly before leaping from the rocks to the flat ground around the pool. The sky was covered with gray clouds, so low that they rested on the mountain peaks. The air was heavy, with a taste of rain to come. The blue skies and warm sun of greenleaf could have been moons away.
Crowfeather’s patrol climbed the path beside the waterfall and vanished, while Brambleclaw led his cats over the rocks opposite, the same route they had followed the day before. He set a brisk pace until they reached the twisted spike of rock that Lionpaw had picked out as the first border marker.
“We’ll set a scent marker here,” Brambleclaw announced. “Lionpaw, would you like to demonstrate?”
“Shouldn’t it be Tribe scent?” Talon asked.
“Of course,” mewed Brambleclaw. “You and Pebble can do the rest, once Lionpaw has shown you how.”
The three Tribe cats glanced at one another. Lionpaw could see that they weren’t sure that marking a border would make any difference to the aggressive intruders. He couldn’t help agreeing; scent markers were useless unless they were reinforced with teeth and claws when it was needed.
“I don’t know why we bother,” Breezepaw muttered in his ear. “They just don’t think like Clan cats. They have no idea how to make a border work.”
When Lionpaw had set the marker the patrol continued along the ridge to the head of the valley with the stream, and then on across the plateau. Brambleclaw chose a stack of loose rocks as another vantage point for a marker. Water dripped over them from a narrow crack, leaving them slick and green with a thin covering of moss.
“What use is this in our territory?” Stoneteller objected, as Talon prepared to set the marker. “These rocks are always so wet that no prey can survive here.”
“That’s not the point,” Brambleclaw explained. “Markers need to be seen and easily identified. It’s great if they’re useful as well, but they don’t need to be.”
Stoneteller gave a doubtful snort but didn’t object anymore as Talon set the marker. He was silent as they continued around the pool where they had clashed with the three intruders and along the narrow valley where the young trespassers had ambushed them.
When they had climbed out of the valley, Pebble set a scent marker at the base of a huge boulder overlooking a craggy slope that led down to a clump of scrubby, windblown trees.
“What about those?” Stoneteller asked, pointing with his tail. “We need that place in our territory.”
Brambleclaw surveyed the terrain with narrowed eyes. “It’s not worth it,” he decided. “They’re too hard to reach from here.”
“But Tribe cats have hunted there for seasons. The trees bear our claw marks.”
Lionpaw saw the slight bristling of his father’s neck fur that told him Brambleclaw was trying not to show his annoyance.
“Your border has to be manageable if you’re to stand any chance of defending it,” he explained. “Your main aim must be to enclose enough territory to support the Tribe. And you must leave the trespassers enough space for themselves; otherwise you’re asking them to attack you.”
Lionpaw saw Talon nodding as if he understood, but Stoneteller lashed his tail and hissed through bared teeth. “Suit yourself, Clan cat.”
Brambleclaw just dipped his head and motioned to Talon to take the lead again.
Their route lay over the shoulder of a hill and down a boulder-covered slope to a stream in the valley below. Before they reached the bottom, icy rain began to fall, stinging as the wind drove it into the cats’ faces. Within a few heartbeats, Lionpaw’s pelt was soaked. Shivering, he longed for the shelter of thick, leafy branches.
“How do you Tribe cats stand it?” he asked Pebble. “Even when the sun shines, it’s so windy up here. And this rain is just—”
“I’ll show you,” Pebble interrupted.
She quickened her pace, bounding down among the boulders until she reached the side of the stream. Curious, Lionpaw followed her. He found her rolling in the mud on the bank until her pelt was thoroughly plastered with it.
“Try it,” she invited, springing up. “It keeps the warmth in and the cold wind out. And prey-hunters do it when they’re stalking prey so that they don’t stand out against the rocks.”
Lionpaw recalled seeing Tribe cats with mud-covered fur. He’d just assumed that they hadn’t bothered to groom. Now he could see the advantages. Gingerly he lowered himself into a muddy hollow and rolled over and over until the brown mud covered his golden fur.
Hearing a snort of laughter, he looked up to see Breezepaw standing over him. “You’ll have fun licking thatoff,” the WindClan apprentice sniggered.
“So will you!” Before Breezepaw could react, Lionpaw leaped up and bowled him over, dragging him down into the mud with him. Breezepaw let out a startled yowl, scrambling to get out, but Lionpaw wrestled with him until his pelt was just as thoroughly mud-soaked.
“Stupid furball!” Breezepaw spat, hauling himself onto a nearby rock and surveying his filthy fur with a disgusted look.
Pebble was watching both of them, her tail curled up in amusement. “Fair’s fair,” she meowed. “You teach us Clan ways, and now you’re learning Tribe ways.”
Lionpaw clambered out of the hollow and shook himself. He hated the smell of the mud and the way it stuck his fur together, but he had to admit Pebble had been right. The muddy covering did keep the wind out.
“Okay,” he muttered. “Let’s keep going.”
Talon jumped across the stream and led the way up the slope beyond. Lionpaw had only just begun to climb when he heard a yowl from somewhere above and looked up to see cat shapes outlined against the sky. Briefly he froze, expecting intruders. Then mingled Clan and Tribe scents reached him and he recognized Crowfeather’s patrol.
“Great!” he exclaimed. “That’s the whole border marked.”
The two groups of cats met on top of the ridge. Crowfeather reported an encounter with a couple of intruders, who had slunk rapidly away when they realized they were outnumbered. Otherwise they had set their scent markers with no trouble.
“Then let’s return to the cave,” Stoneteller meowed.
To Lionpaw’s relief, Talon led them back by a much quicker route. The rain eased off on the way, and when they reached the pool by the waterfall Hollypaw was in the middle of a training session with the to-bes who had stayed behind.
“Lionpaw!” She paused in the middle of demonstrating a fighting move, her green eyes wide with astonishment. “I hardly recognized you. You look just like a Tribe cat!”
Lionpaw shrugged uncomfortably, still hating the feeling of the mud on his fur. “I can’t wait to get it off.”
“Why? Doesn’t it work?”
“Yes, it works fine,” Lionpaw replied, “but it’s yucky.”
Hollypaw rolled her eyes. “Your golden fur really stands out against the rocks,” she pointed out. “You’ll catch much more prey the way you are now.”
“I suppose so.” Lionpaw sighed. He wished he was back in the forest, where his pelt blended with the dappled sunlight through the leaves.
The other cats had taken the path behind the waterfall, back into the cave. Only Brambleclaw was left, poised on the rocks above the pool. “Come on!” He beckoned the younger cats with his tail. “Stoneteller is going to call a meeting.”
Lionpaw sprang up the rocks to follow him, with Hollypaw and the Tribe to-bes close behind. Wavering scarlet light from the setting sun outside shone into the cave like rivulets of blood. Lionpaw shivered, almost imagining that he could feel a sticky tide washing around his paws.
Stoneteller was seated on a boulder at the far end of the cave, near the passage that led to the Cave of Pointed Stones. The Tribe cats and the Clan cats mingled together, gathering around him; Lionpaw spotted Jaypaw with Squirrelflight. He and Hollypaw joined Breezepaw and the Tribe to-bes.
“Cats of Tribe and Clan,” Stoneteller began. “Our borders have been marked. It remains to be seen whether the intruders will respect them.”
Lionpaw could tell that Stoneteller didn’t believe that the border would make any difference, and there were doubtful murmurs from the Tribe cats.
A skinny white she-cat spoke up. “Those mangepelts don’t respect anything.”
“Cloud With Storm in Belly.” Stoneteller dipped his head toward her. “I fear your seasons of wisdom speak true.”
“Then what do we do now?” Night meowed, her forepaws working nervously on the cave floor. “Has all this been for nothing?”
“No.” Brambleclaw rose to his paws and spoke commandingly, his head and tail held high. Lionpaw’s pelt felt warm with pride that this noble cat was his father. “But the job’s not finished yet. Now we must go to the intruders and tell them to stay on their own side of the border.”
“And you think they’ll listen?” Cloud asked scornfully.
“I don’t know,” Brambleclaw replied. “But they should be given the chance. We will seek out their camp under truce and ask to speak to their leader.”
“Truce!” Screech, sitting between Lionpaw and Pebble, let out a snort of contempt. “He’s beetle-brained if he thinks the trespassers will honor a truce.”
“They might,” Hollypaw mewed. “Back home, there’s a truce every moon among the Clans.”
When Screech didn’t look convinced, Lionpaw added, “Yes, StarClan would be angry if any cat fought during the full moon.”
Pebble blinked, more curious than disbelieving. “Do you think these trespassers know about StarClan? Or the Tribe of Endless Hunting?”
Lionpaw exchanged a glance with his sister, seeing his own confusion reflected in her green eyes. Didthe intruders share tongues with the spirits of their ancestors like the Tribe and the Clans?
“I don’t know,” Hollypaw replied. “But it’s got to be worth a try.”
While they were talking, the discussion had continued among the full-grown cats. Suddenly Stoneteller signaled with his tail for silence. “Enough! We will try Brambleclaw’s plan. He and I will choose the cats to seek out the intruders tomorrow. But if the plan fails, then…” His voice trailed off, and he bowed his head. Lionpaw had to strain to hear his last few words. “If it fails, then the Tribe can no longer make its home in these mountains.”
The milky light of dawn was in the sky as Lionpaw emerged from behind the waterfall. Dew misted the rocks and dripped from the leaves of bushes around the pool, but the heavy cloud cover of the day before was gone. He wondered if that was a good omen.
His paws tingled with a mixture of fear and excitement as the rest of the patrol left the cave and sprang down to cluster together by the pool. All the Clan cats were there except forSquirrelflight and Jaypaw; from the Tribe, Stoneteller had chosen Crag, Night, and Talon, and Pebble and Splash from the to-bes.
“I never thought we’dbe chosen,” Pebble mewed, bouncing on her paws. “Do you think we’ll have to fight?”
“I hope not,” Hollypaw replied. “If we do, remember those moves I taught you. You should be fine.”
Brambleclaw called his cats together with a wave of his tail. “We’ll head for the pool where we met the trespassers,” he announced. “We should be able to pick up their trail from there.”
“Good luck!” Squirrelflight’s voice called.
Lionpaw turned. His mother had appeared from the cave and was crouching on a boulder beside the sheet of thundering water. Her flame-colored pelt glowed in the strengthening light.
“Thanks,” Brambleclaw replied. “Keep an eye on things while we’re away.”
Squirrelflight’s ears flicked up. “I will, don’t worry.”
So that’s why she’s staying,Lionpaw thought. Just in case the intruders come visiting while all these cats are gone
The journey across the new territory to the pool didn’t seem as far today. Lionpaw realized that his muscles were getting used to clambering up and down rocks, and even his pads were tougher.
“There’s intruder scent,” Tawnypelt meowed when they arrived. “But it’s stale. I don’t think they’ve been this way since the day we saw them.”
“They went that way.” Crowfeather angled his ears toward the boulders that led to the narrow cleft in the rock. “Maybe they were taking prey back to their camp.”
“It’s worth a try,” Brambleclaw agreed, leading the way between the boulders and into the gap.
Lionpaw kept tasting the air as he followed, but the intruder scent was hard to follow, mingled with their own scent from the previous patrols. It grew stronger as they passed the place where they had fought the young cats, then seemed to fade away altogether by the time they reached the head of the valley.
“Mouse dung,” Tawnypelt muttered. “Don’t say we’ve lost them.”
Every cat stood silent, tasting the air, then cast about over the rocks for any trace of the elusive scent. Lionpaw’s belly growled as he detected the scent of mouse, and he had to remind himself sharply that they weren’t hunting now. But there was no sign of the trespassers.
“Over here!” Lionpaw turned to see Hollypaw waving her tail urgently from beneath a huge, jutting boulder. “I think they went this way.”
Brambleclaw padded up and drew in a long breath of air. “You’re right.” He touched his nose to his daughter’s ear. “That was well scented. You’d better take the lead.”
Hollypaw’s eyes glowed with pride. She led the way beneath the overhang and up a slope so steep it was hard to find a paw hold. At the top she paused for a few heartbeats, then began to pick her way down the other side. Lionpaw’s feet skidded as loose rock shifted beneath them. He hoped Hollypaw was right; he had lost all scent of the intruders.
“Your sister’s great, isn’t she?” Pebble murmured, catching up to him. “I don’t think even our prey-hunters could follow this scent.”
“She’s the best,” Lionpaw meowed proudly. “Back home, she always brings back the most prey.”
At the foot of the slope the scent grew stronger again. Lionpaw could detect traces of many cats, and his pelt prickled. They must be getting close to the trespassers’ camp!
The trail crossed a dried-up watercourse, then led to a narrow cleft between two sheer rocks that tilted together so that they almost touched at the top. The gap led back into darkness; the intruders’ scent was overpowering.
“I think this is it,” Brambleclaw murmured.
“Do we go in?” Crag asked.
“No. We’ve got no idea how many cats we’d be facing. Besides, we’d just be asking them to attack us if we set paw in their camp uninvited. We’ll wait.”
The cats spread out into a loose semicircle. Lionpaw saw Tawnypelt staring at the cleft with as much concentration as if she were waiting for a mouse to come out of its hole. Crowfeather looked nervous, his ears flattened as he cast glances over his shoulder, keeping watch behind. Stormfur and Brook sat close together, quietly murmuring, while Crag paced restlessly back and forth.
Lionpaw padded over to Hollypaw until his pelt brushed hers. “Well done. You found it.”
Hollypaw’s whiskers twitched. “Let’s hope they’ll talk to us now that we’re here.”
Suddenly there was movement inside the cleft. A cat’s head poked out; Lionpaw recognized the young tortoiseshell he had encountered twice before. Her eyes stretched wide in horror when she saw the waiting cats, and she darted back at once into the shadow of the cleft. Lionpaw heard a panic-stricken yowling as she withdrew.
“It shouldn’t be long now,” Brambleclaw commented.
Every heartbeat felt like a season. Then Lionpaw spotted a pale pelt inside the cleft. Stripes, the silver-furred tom they had met when they first reached the mountains, stepped out of the cleft and faced Brambleclaw.
More of the trespassers crept out behind him. Lionpaw recognized Flora, the brown-and-white she-cat, and Flick, the skinny brown tom who had been with Stripes. The black tom was there, too, who had led the hunting patrol they met by the pool. They all looked thin, and some of them were limping. Lionpaw could tell that they weren’t finding mountain life easy. But he couldn’t ignore the glow of determination in their eyes.
“What do you want?” Stripes demanded.
Brambleclaw glanced at Crag, flicking his ears for the Tribe cat to speak.
“We need to talk to you,” Crag meowed. “We want an end to this conflict. The mountains are big enough to support every cat, but we need to divide up the territory so that we all have an equal chance at prey.”
He paused as if he expected Stripes to comment, but the silver tom just jerked his head and muttered, “Go on.”
“The Tribe has marked borders closing in our territory,” Crag explained. “Our scent will show you where they are. You are free to hunt in the rest of the mountains, but not to cross those borders. We—”
Outraged yowling drowned him out. The trespassers’ fur was bristling and their eyes blazed with anger.
Stripes took a pace forward until he was barely a tail-length away from Crag. “You have no right to any part of the mountains,” he growled. “You have no right to set borders. Any cat can take prey from where it likes.”
“That’s not fair!” Tawnypelt protested. “Can’t you see, we’re trying to—”
“This is about life or death,” Stripes interrupted. His claws slid out. “If necessary, our life and your death.”
CHAPTER27
CHAPTER27
Horror slashed through Hollypaw like theclaws of fighting cats. “They haven’t any code at all!” she gasped, turning to her brother. “Even the Tribe understands about duty and being fair. These cats just don’t care!”
Her muscles tensed, ready to leap into battle. The patrol had come in peace, wanting only to talk, but now it looked as if the truce would be shattered. StarClan, help us, she prayed, not even knowing if StarClan could hear her under these strange skies. Show us what to do
Beckoning with her tail, she gathered the Tribe to-bes close to her. Lionpaw and Breezepaw flanked them on either side.
“Do we fight now?” Splash asked nervously.
“Let’s hope not,” Lionpaw replied. Hollypaw was grateful for the reassurance in his voice. “But Hollypaw will give you a signal if we have to.”
She didn’t have much hope that they could avoid a battle now. Stripes had made it clear that the trespassers had no intention of respecting the borders the Tribe had worked so hard to set in place. The Tribe were no better off than when they started.
At Stripes’s challenge, Crag had stepped forward until the two cats stood nose to nose. His neck fur bristled and his eyes were narrowed menacingly. “If you’re looking for a fight—”
Brambleclaw stopped him with a touch of his tail on his shoulder and motioned him back. “This isn’t the right time,” he murmured. “They outnumber us, for one thing. Best go back to the cave and see what happens.”
“I knowwhat’s going to happen,” Crag snarled.
For a couple of heartbeats Hollypaw thought that he would defy Brambleclaw and leap into battle. Then the rest of them would have to fight to back him up.
At last Crag let out a long sigh, bowing his head. “Have it your way,” he mewed to Brambleclaw.
Brambleclaw touched his tail to the cave-guard’s shoulder once again, a silent gesture of gratitude. Facing Stripes, he meowed, “We will defend our borders. It’s your choice if you cross them.”
“Fine.” Stripes flicked his tail. “We’ll bear that in mind. Not forgetting that some of you don’t belong here.”
“He means us,” Lionpaw whispered. “He knows we’ll go home sooner or later. Then the Tribe will be weaker….”
He didn’t need to go on. It was obvious to Hollypaw that Stripes meant to attack the Tribe as soon as the Clan cats left them defenseless. But we can’t stay here forever, she thought, struggling against a pang of homesickness for the forest and the camp in the stone hollow.
Brambleclaw turned and led his cats away. Mocking caterwauls followed them. “Don’t bother coming back!” Flick yowled.
The sun was well above the mountains as the patrol made its way back to the cave. Golden rays warmed the rocks, but Hollypaw felt as cold as if she were padding through a bitter leaf-bare.
“Do you think that was okay?” Splash fretted. “They know about our borders now, so they should leave us alone.”
“I hope I’ll be on the first patrol!” Pebble added.
“Let’s wait and see,” Hollypaw mewed. She wasn’t sure if the Tribe to-bes really hadn’t understood what had just happened, or whether they were forcing themselves to be optimistic. She couldn’t bring herself to tell them that borders didn’t exist unless they were seen from both sides. The trespassers had shown that they had no honor, not a scrap of respect for their rivals, so it was only a matter of time before they crossed the boundaries and stole more prey from the Tribe.
The warrior code has failed, she thought. She had built her life on it, and now she felt as though she had stepped off a precipice and was plummeting down into darkness. Even the Tribe doesn’t really understand it
She gave herself a shake. The Tribe might not have the warrior code, but they had traditions just as ancient and important. Perhaps the Tribe of Endless Hunting would come to their aid at last.
The patrol had reached the boulder-covered slope that led down to the stream when Brambleclaw paused suddenly, raising his tail to bring the other cats to a halt behind him. “Intruder scent!” he hissed.
Hollypaw felt the fur on her shoulders begin to bristle. Tasting the air, she picked up a strong, fresh scent, carried on the breeze that swept across the bare rock. She couldn’t see the intruders, but she realized that they must be very close
“I don’t believe this,” Lionpaw muttered into her ear. His fur was fluffed up with anger and his tail tip twitched back and forth. “We only just told them about the borders, and they’re already trespassing.”
“Look—down there!” Pebble angled her ears toward the stream.
Down below, the skinny brown intruder, Flick, emerged from behind a spur of rock, following the course of the stream. Four more of the intruders followed him; one of them, the black tom they had encountered before, had the body of a mouse hanging from his jaws. They padded along confidently, as if they had every right to be there.
I knew it, Hollypaw thought. Everything we’ve done has been for nothing
“They’re useless hunters,” she commented, trying to push down the cold sense of failure that sat in her belly like a stone. “They can’t even scent us. They have no idea that we’re here.”
“Or they don’t care,” Lionpaw added.
Brambleclaw, Crag, and Stormfur exchanged a few quick words, speaking too low for Hollypaw to catch what they said. Then Brambleclaw leaped up onto the nearest boulder so that his figure was outlined against the sky. “Trespassers!” he yowled.
The invaders halted. In the same heartbeat, Brambleclaw let out a fearsome screech and launched himself down from the boulder. The rest of the patrol poured down the slope after him; Hollypaw felt as if a rushing torrent were sweeping her on.
After one terrified glance, Flick’s patrol spun around and fled downstream. Flick clawed his way up a steep rockslide until he reached a ledge. He glared down at the Clan and Tribe cats, his ears flattened and his lips drawn back in a snarl.
Brambleclaw bounded up to the foot of the rockslide. “You have crossed the Tribe’s border,” he meowed. Hollypaw could tell that he was trying to remain calm, though his voice vibrated with fury. “You are trespassing and stealing prey.”
“Why shouldn’t we?” Flick spat. “There’s nothing to stop us.”
“We explained the scent marks,” Crag began, pacing forward to stand at Brambleclaw’s shoulder.
“Oh, the scent marks!” Flick sneered. “I’m frightened out of my fur. So what are you going to do now, set stronger marks? We’ll hunt where we please, and you can’t stop us.” Before any cat could reply he leaped upward and vanished over the top of the rock.
“We should follow him,” Talon growled. “Maybe he’ll listen if we rip his fur off.”
“No point.” Brambleclaw sounded despondent. “It’s obvious that explaining the boundaries hasn’t worked. The intruders crossed the border as soon as our backs were turned. No, we have to teach them a lesson, once and for all.”
When Hollypaw entered the cave she was aware of a buzz of excitement. The Tribe cats who had stayed behind were clamoring to hear what had happened when the patrol met the intruders.
“So they know about the borders?” Bird asked, her eyes gleaming hopefully. “Does that mean they’ll leave us alone?”
“Maybe we can hunt in peace now,” Gray added.
Brambleclaw shouldered his way into the cluster of excited cats. “No,” he meowed. “The battle is not over. There are no borders.”
“But there are!” Screech slipped between two older cats to confront Brambleclaw, his neck fur bristling. “You helped set them yourself!”
“And the intruders have already crossed them,” Stormfur meowed.
Gasps of astonishment and snarls of fury rose from the cats gathered around as the gray warrior quickly described their encounter with Flick’s patrol. “They can’t do that!” some cat exclaimed.
“They have,” Talon replied flatly.
“There are no borders if the other side won’t recognize them,” Squirrelflight pointed out.
“That is true.” Hollypaw whipped around to see that Stoneteller had taken his place on the boulder. The old cat’s fur was fluffed up with anger and he glared at Brambleclaw. “So all our efforts have been wasted. What do you suggest that we do now?”
“There’s only one thing left to do,” Brambleclaw meowed, dipping his head respectfully to the old cat. “We must take the battle to the trespassers and defeat them once and for all.”
Stoneteller drew back his lips in the beginnings of a snarl. Every cat in the cave fell silent as his amber eyes searched out Stormfur. “No,” he mewed. His voice was soft but charged with fury. “We tried that once, and too many lives were lost. Too many cats will never walk these mountains again.”
“But this time will be different,” Brambleclaw promised. “Your cats have been training to fight. And this time they will fight with a clear purpose—to defend their territory, instead of trying to drive out the intruders.” He hesitated, drawing a deep breath, then added, “It’s your choice. You can fight, or be driven from your home.”
A babble of conflicting voices rose from the Tribe cats. Stoneteller silenced it with a single lash of his tail.
“Very well,” he hissed. “The Tribe shall choose—and prove once and for all that we are not a Clan.”
Hollypaw caught a startled glance from Lionpaw.
“What’s he meowing about?” her brother asked. “Of coursethey’re not a Clan.”
“He doesn’t want them to fight,” Hollypaw mewed. “But perhaps he thinks it’s fairer to let the Tribe decide. After all, they’ll have to live with the decision.”
The Tribe cats were looking at one another with bewilderment in their eyes. Confused murmurs came from them; eventually Crag spoke up. “Stoneteller, we don’t understand. What do you want us to do?”
“I should have thought that was clear enough.” Stoneteller’s voice was icy. “I want you to choose what we should do—find a new place to live, or stay and fight. The Tribe of Endless Hunting does not want me to influence your decision.”
“I bet they don’t.” The furious mutter startled Hollypaw. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Jaypaw had joined them, sitting with his tail curled neatly over his paws.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Her brother twitched his ears. “Don’t you get it? Stoneteller can say what he likes about the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Who’s to know any different?”
Hollypaw stared at him in alarm. How could Jaypaw say that? No Clan cat would dare tell lies about StarClan—how could it be so different for the Tribe?
Stoneteller began to speak again. “All cats who wish to fight should go to that side of the cave.” He waved his tail. “Those who wish to flee, go to the other side. Remember that you choose the future of your Tribe.”
“Let’s hope they have a future,” Lionpaw murmured.
For a few heartbeats no cat moved. Hollypaw thought that the Tribe cats were too bewildered by what Stoneteller was telling them to do. Then she spotted the skinny white elder, Cloud, muttering to another old cat, a speckled brown tom.
“What do you think, Rain?” Cloud asked him. “Fight or flee?”
The old tom let out a disgusted snort. “I never wanted to fight, but I’m too old to flee far.”
Just beyond the elders, two she-cats had their heads together, murmuring anxiously to each other.
“Swoop, what should we do? I can’t fight while I’m suckling my kits. But they can’t flee; their eyes are barely open! And I won’tleave them.”
“Don’t worry, Flight,” the other she-cat mewed soothingly. “No cat expects you to abandon your kits. I won’t leave mine, either.”
Talon loomed over them; both she-cats looked up at him uncertainly.
“Choose to fight,” the huge cave-guard growled. “That way, the Tribe will protect you as it protects all kit-mothers and their litters.” He encircled both she-cats with his tail and drew them over to the “fight” side of the cave, where he stood beside them as if he was already protecting them from danger.
By now Hollypaw could see that the Tribe was beginning to divide into two groups. Pebble and Splash bounded quickly over to choose fighting. Screech spat something after them that Hollypaw couldn’t catch and withdrew to the far side with the other to-be prey-hunter. Night joined Talon, but to Hollypaw’s surprise Gray chose to flee and Bird, after a brief hesitation, chose that too.
Hollypaw found that her heart was pounding and her muscles were tense. She didn’t know why it should matter so much to her that the Tribe should keep its home in the mountains; she only knew that it didmatter, desperately. If they left their home they would have to suffer the hardships and dangers of a long journey, and they would leave all their traditions, everything that was familiar, behind them. They would no longer be the Tribe.
Now very few cats remained to choose. Crag still stood in the center of the cave, his eyes troubled. Eventually, with a curt nod to Brambleclaw, he padded over to join the cats who had chosen to fight. Talon welcomed him with a tail tip on his shoulder.
All this time Stormfur and Brook had stood silent, their pelts brushing. At last Brook glanced up at Stormfur, pleading in her eyes. He touched his nose to her ear, then laid his tail across her back and led her over to her brother, Talon.
“Do they get to choose?” Lionpaw asked in a whisper. “Are they Tribe or Clan?”
“I don’t think even they know,” Hollypaw replied.
The Clan cats remained in the middle of the cave, drawing closer together as the Tribe moved away. At last they were alone. Hollypaw’s heart raced when she realized that there were more cats on the “fight” side of the cave.
“They’ve chosen to fight,” she murmured to Jaypaw.
Her brother flicked his tail. “Good.”
Brambleclaw glanced from side to side, then dipped his head to Stoneteller. “Healer, the choice seems clear,” he announced. “Your Tribe wishes to fight.”
Stoneteller’s fur bristled. Hollypaw could see that he hadn’t expected this. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Brambleclaw. “So be it,” he hissed. “And may you sleep well at night, Clan cat. This battle will destroy my Tribe.”
Brambleclaw waited until the Healer had leaped down from the boulder and vanished, with a final lash of his tail, into the passage that led to the Cave of Pointed Stones. Then he turned to face the rest of the cats in the cave. The Tribe, even those who had chosen to fight, looked nervous, as if they realized what a huge decision they had just made
“Right, time to get ready.” Brambleclaw’s voice was brisk and confident. “We must strike at once, before the intruders have the chance to attack first. There’s a full moon tonight, so that will help.”
Hollypaw flinched, every hair on her pelt rising in protest. The full moon was a time of peace! Back beside the lake, the Clans would be Gathering on the island. Though she knew it was impossible, her paws wanted to carry her out of the cave and back down the mountain to be with them. But the full moon’s not special for the Tribe, she reminded herself.
“Any cats who would like more battle training, go to Squirrelflight and Hollypaw,” Brambleclaw continued. “Crag and Talon, I want you to help me plan our strategy. Jaypaw, see whether you can find some healing herbs for when we get back.”
“Sure,” Jaypaw muttered. “We’ll get no help from Stoneteller.”
“Remember,” Brambleclaw meowed, glancing solemnly around the cave. “This isn’t about the warrior code or the Tribe’s code. It’s about life or death, just like the trespassers said. And you—the Tribe—you will be the ones who live!”
He stood motionless, amber eyes glowing, as the Tribe cats yowled their approval.
Moonlight shimmered through the falling water, shedding silver light across the cave. The cats who were heading into battle gathered near the cave mouth, waiting for their turn to walk the Path of Rushing Water. Standing beside Lionpaw, Hollypaw sensed her brother’s quivering excitement at the thought of fighting in a real battle. His tail was fluffed up to twice its size and his amber eyes glittered.
“Here.” Hollypaw jumped as a tail touched her shoulder; she spun around to see Jaypaw. “Come over here,” he repeated, beckoning with his tail. “There’s something I want to say.” There was a suppressed tension about him, too, as if he was facing a battle of his own.
“What is it?” Lionpaw asked, glancing back at where the cats were vanishing along the path. “We have to go.”
“This won’t take a heartbeat,” Jaypaw promised, as he drew them into a quiet corner of the cave, sheltered by a boulder. “You have to take care,” he went on, when both his littermates were crouched beside him. “Remember that you don’t have StarClan to watch over you here.”
“We have the Tribe of Endless Hunting,” Hollypaw reminded him.
“Oh, no.” Jaypaw flicked his ears. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting has given up. They won’t lift a claw to help you.”
How can he possibly know that?Hollypaw wondered. But there was no time to question him. In any case, she had learned not to ask how Jaypaw discovered the things he knew.
“Look, there’s no need to worry about us—” Lionpaw began.
“I’m not worried.” Jaypaw’s sightless blue eyes were oddly serious. “You mustcome back, whatever happens. It’s more important than you realize.”
“We’re not going to run away, you know,” Lionpaw meowed.
Jaypaw let out a furious hiss. “Will you listen…”
His intensity scared Hollypaw. She wanted to know whatever it was that he wasn’t telling them. But just then she heard her name called from the direction of the waterfall.
“Hollypaw! Lionpaw!” Brambleclaw was waiting, his tail twitching.
“Coming!” she called.
She and Lionpaw scrambled to their paws and shot across the cave floor to head out along the path. As she padded underneath the arch of thundering water, she thought she heard Jaypaw’s voice raised in one last yowl.
“You mustcome back!”
CHAPTER25
CHAPTER25
Jaypaw lay in the moss-linednest beside Lionpaw and Hollypaw, listening to the endless thunder of the waterfall. There seemed to be voices in it, too faint for him to catch, however hard he strained his ears. Nearby, he could hear the murmuring of tired cats as they settled down for the night.
Hollypaw and Lionpaw were sleeping like hedgehogs in leaf-bare, exhausted from working so hard. Curled up with his tail over his nose, Jaypaw tried to sleep too, but it was no good. His paws itched to be up and doing something. Careful not to disturb his littermates, he slid out of the nest and padded into the center of the cave.
He was beginning to learn his way around. He could distinguish the sleeping places of the cave-guards and prey-hunters and scent his own Clanmates who were sharing their space. Creeping across the cave floor with the waterfall behind him, he heard an echoing tinkle of water drops falling and discovered a trickle spilling into a pool. He crouched down to lap; the water was ice cold and tasted of the wind.
He found it hard to believe that the Clan cats would stay here in the mountains for much longer. They weren’t welcome here, whatever Stoneteller said, and it didn’t look as if forcing the Tribe to learn Clan skills would solve anything. But before they left he was determined to discover more about the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Rising to his paws again, he licked the last drops of water from his jaws and tasted the air.
Stoneteller’s scent! Jaypaw picked up the faint trace on the cave floor and followed it toward the back of the cave, where a gap opened up. He slid through it and along a narrow tunnel until the movement of air and the faint echoes of his paw steps told him that he had emerged into another cave.
A wisp of chill wind told him that it was open to the sky, at least partly. Padding forward, his paw splashed in a puddle of water and he drew back sharply, shaking it in disgust. He brushed against stone and explored it with one paw; it jutted from the cave floor like a tree trunk. The air was filled with strange, whispering echoes, voices that were too faint to make out, like those he had heard in the waterfall.
Then a clearer voice spoke. “Jaypaw, welcome to the Cave of Pointed Stones.”
Jaypaw froze. He had been too intent on his investigations to wonder what would happen if Stoneteller found him here. This was the Healer’s private place, he could tell, like a Clan leader’s den. But there was no point in pretending he wasn’t there.
“Thank you, Stoneteller.”
He heard the sound of paw steps and imagined the old tabby padding toward him. When Stoneteller’s voice came again it was close to his ear.
“This is where I share tongues with the Tribe of Endless Hunting. They send me signs through the shimmer of stars and moon in the water, the dance of light and shadow on the stones that rise from the floor and jut down from the roof, the echoes of wind, water, and paw steps.” His voice rose and fell, unlike normal speech, then dropped to a low murmur. “Yet now they send no signs that promise relief for my Tribe.”
Jaypaw had lost respect for Stoneteller when the old cat had lied about the message from the Tribe of Endless Hunting. But he couldn’t ignore the Healer’s age and wisdom or the sharp sense of betrayal Stoneteller felt as he faced the destruction of his Tribe.
“Our ancestors have no help to offer,” Stoneteller went on. “It is as though they don’t care that we are dying.”
Jaypaw wasn’t sure if Stoneteller was really talking to him. He was speaking as if to a much older cat, one who might have wisdom to share with him.
“Clan cats look to StarClan,” Jaypaw began hesitantly. “Yet not even StarClan is all-powerful. Perhaps the Tribe of Endless Hunting doesn’t know how to help you.”
“Then why did they bring us here?” Stoneteller rasped. “They promised us we would be safe.”
Jaypaw’s ears pricked. What did Stoneteller know about the beginnings of the Tribe?
“Where did you live before?” he asked. “Why did you have to leave and come here?”
Stoneteller sighed, his breath riffling Jaypaw’s whiskers. “I do not know. It was many seasons, many lifetimes ago. TheTribe of Endless Hunting has not told me this.”
Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt prickled. So the Tribe hadn’t always lived in the mountains! Perhaps the Tribe of Endless Hunting was so helpless because they were convinced they had been wrong, and the mountains were not the right place to bring these cats. He clawed the damp floor with his forepaws. If only he knew the whole truth, not just these tantalizing scraps!
“What do the signs say tonight?” he asked Stoneteller.
“Very little,” the Healer replied. “The moon shines on the water, but—there!—a cloud drifts over it, as if all our hopes are blotted out. The echoes tell me nothing, but over there wind ruffles the surface of a puddle, and that means change.” He sighed again, sounding unutterably weary. “What the change may be, I do not know. I will sleep now. Good night, Jaypaw.”
“Good night.” Jaypaw heard the old cat’s paw steps retreating, and then a scuffling sound as if he was making himself comfortable in a mossy nest. He stood listening as the sounds died away, trying to make some sense of the echoes in the cave, but they told him nothing.
Padding to the side of the cave, he found a dip in the ground. It was bare stone, with no comfortable lining, but he curled up in it, knowing that only in dreams would he find the answers to his questions.
Jaypaw closed his eyes and woke once more on the jutting outcrop of rock with the wind flattening his fur along his sides. Rock sat on a boulder facing him. Moonlight glistened on his hairless body and his bulging sightless eyes seemed fixed on Jaypaw.
“These are not your ancestors,” he mewed, before Jaypaw could speak. “Be careful.”
“I amcareful,” Jaypaw retorted. “And I have to do something! The Tribe of Endless Hunting has given up on the Tribe. They’re not doing anything to help.”
“But your Clanmates are,” Rock replied.
“But that’s not right!” Jaypaw protested, twitching his tail tip in confusion. “Isn’t it the responsibility of warrior ancestors to look after their descendants? Otherwise what use are they?”
Rock said nothing, but Jaypaw sensed great sadness coming from him. Curiosity clawed at him again. Why should Rock feel so concerned about the Tribe cats? And why will no cat tell me anything?
He let out a yowl of frustration as he saw Rock’s figure beginning to fade. For a heartbeat Jaypaw saw him as a shimmer against the rocks; then he was gone, dissolved into wind and starlight. He bounded forward and found himself scrabbling in the hollow in the Cave of Pointed Stones, where he had fallen asleep.
“Mouse dung!” he spat.
Scent told him that time had passed and Stoneteller had left the cave. Jaypaw rose to his paws and gave himself a quick grooming. His dreams still clung to his mind like stubborn cobwebs, and he felt that he might be able to find his own answers once he had time to think.
But the time was not now. He could hear faint caterwauling in the distance; his muscles tensing with the anticipation of disaster, he located the passage and pattered down it until he reached the main cave. The noise grew louder, wails and yowling that almost drowned out the noise of the waterfall. As Jaypaw stepped into the cavern, the stench of blood slapped him in the face like a damp wind.
“What’s going on?” he meowed in alarm.
He tasted the air; the first familiar scent he encountered was Tawnypelt’s. Bounding over to her, he asked, “What happened? Has there been a battle?”
“A fight.” The ShadowClan cat’s voice was terse. “The prey-hunters went out at dawn and brought down an eagle. Then the trespassers spotted them on their way home and fought them for it.”
“And we lost!” an unfamiliar voice snarled. “Those mange-ridden fleapelts took our prey. It’s all the fault of you Clan cats. You kept the cave-guards here, learning battle techniques.” The Tribe cat spat out the last words as if they were a curse.
“The techniques you use now wouldn’t help you fight other cats.” Brambleclaw’s voice came from behind Jaypaw and his father’s scent wreathed around him.
“They’d be better than nothing!” the Tribe cat yowled. “My mate was injured today.” His voice shook suddenly. “I don’t even know if she’ll live.”
“I’m sorry,” Brambleclaw murmured. “Jaypaw, will you go and help Stoneteller? He could use another medicine cat.”
“Sure.” Thankful to have something to do at last, Jaypaw located Stoneteller’s scent among all the others and padded across to him, weaving his way among the bodies of injured cats screeching in pain.
“Honestly,” he muttered to himself. “There can’t be more than about six of them, but they’re making enough racket for a whole Clan!”
“Jaypaw.” Stoneteller’s voice was calm and in control. He seemed a lifetime away from the weary, confused cat of the night before. “Chew up this tormentil root and put it on Gray’s wound.”
Jaypaw sniffed curiously at the root Stoneteller pushed against his paws. “I’ve never come across this before. What did you call it?”
“Tormentil,” Stoneteller replied. “Good for all wounds and for poison.”
“Hey, do you mind?” Gray’s voice, tight with pain, came from just beside Jaypaw. “Talk about it afterward, okay?”
“Okay.” Jaypaw sighed. “Have you given the wound a good lick?”
“No…” Gray sounded startled, as if the thought of licking his own wound had never occurred to him.
“Then do it,” Jaypaw snapped. “What’s the good of putting a poultice on a load of drying blood and messy fur?”
He crouched down to chew up the tormentil, hearing the steady rasp of Gray’s tongue. The root had a strong aromatic scent and a sharp taste.
“We use wintergreen, too,” Stoneteller meowed as he worked. “And tansy. Have you heard of those?”
Jaypaw spat out the last of the chewed-up root and scooped up a pawful to put on Gray’s wound. “We have tansy, but mostly for coughs. Right, Gray, is that wound clean now?”
“Yes, it’s okay,” the prey-hunter replied.
“About time,” Jaypaw muttered. “It’s like dealing with kits!”
“Hey, calm down.” Hollypaw pushed her muzzle into Jaypaw’s neck fur. “Tell me what to do. I’ve come to help.”
“The Tribe cats need to start helping themselves,” Jaypaw snapped at her, then felt sorry for being sharp. Hollypaw didn’t know that the Tribe’s ancestors had given up on them, and he didn’t want to tell her. But he knew that if the Tribe cats didn’tstart helping themselves, there was no hope left for them.
第二十四章
第二十四章
冬青爪带着预备猫走出洞穴时，看到狮爪和黑莓掌巡逻队的其他成员，消失在了石头丛中。此刻，她真想跟他们一起去。然而她心里明白，自己留下来，帮助急水部落的预备猫训练作战技巧，跟狮爪他们做的事同样重要。
等所有猫都从洞穴中走出来，跳到池塘边的空地上后，风爪开口说道：“你们都老老实实坐着，好好看啊！冬青爪和我会给你们展示一下如何战斗。”
冬青爪听了，身上的毛不禁竖了起来。就算现在，他俩事实上已经变成预备猫的老师，风爪说起话来也没必要如此专横吧！“我们应该先看看，他们自己作战的功底如何啊！”她建议道，“这样的话，我们就能做到心中有数，训练起来才更有效率啊！”
“嗯……好吧。”风爪很没礼貌地耸了耸肩。
“这些东西，只有山洞卫士才有必要学啊。”滚石走上前，对冬青爪说道，“我们狩猎者只需知道，在遭遇老鹰的袭击时，如何对付它们。”
冬青爪坐了下来，把尾巴绕在爪子旁边，回答道：“好的。让我看看，你们怎么赶走老鹰吧。”
滚石蹲伏着身子，那双强有力的后腿猛地一蹬，跃向半空中。跳到最高点时，她张开前爪，然后干脆利落地着陆，又低伏着蹲了下来。
冬青爪看呆了。滚石这一跳，时机掌握得非常好，最适合赶走会飞的天敌。可是，到底该怎么做才能让她用这种动作对付地面上的敌人呢？
“太棒了，”冬青爪称赞道，“你们都会吗？”
几只预备猫站了出来，回答道：“我们会。将来，我们会像滚石一样，成为山洞卫士。”
而包括怒枭和鱼跃斑在内的三只预备猫，依然站在池塘边，一动不动。他们都朝冬青爪和风爪投来了敌视的目光。
“我们为什么非要按你们说的做呢？”怒枭低声说道，“你们连武士都不是呢。”
“关于打仗，我们比你们了解得多。”风爪立刻做出了回击。
冬青爪叹了口气。风爪说得对，可他的语气实在太讨厌了，这只会让怒枭产生更强烈的逆反心理。于是她补充道：“是黑莓掌让我们这么做的。”
“那又如何？”怒枭粗鲁地转过身，然后又猛然回过头说道，“他又不是我们的首领，我们没必要听他的话。”
“还有，我们只是狩猎者而已。”鱼跃斑说起话来，比怒枭有礼貌，“我们只需要掌握狩猎技能就够了。”
“好吧，那就开始训练狩猎——我们假设风爪是一只兔子。”
“喂喂！凭什么！”风爪抗议道。
还没等他继续说下去，鱼跃斑就做出了一个类似狩猎蹲伏的动作，然后猛地一跳，落在了风爪身上。风族学徒一下子把她甩到地上，爬了起来，抖了抖凌乱的皮毛。
“漂亮！”冬青爪喊道，“在实战中，你刚才的表现的确够好。不过，你还要充分利用自己的利爪，还有尖牙，要寻找机会，把它们扎进对手的喉咙里。”
鱼跃斑点了点头，脸上的敌意已经被兴致勃勃的表情所替代，这令冬青爪倍感欣慰。“我在狩猎兔子时会那么做，”她说道，“不过我想，还是别在他身上尝试了吧。”
“我倒是很想让你试试呢！”风爪不服气地大吼道。
“你们的跳跃做得也都不错。”冬青爪转过身，对山洞卫士说道，“不过，你们不应该在跳到最高点时就张开爪子，而是要在落到敌人身上之后。”这个动作难度很高，不过可能会让入侵者们措手不及。“接下来，我和风爪会给大家展示几种基本技能的要领。”冬青爪接着说道。
他俩把族群新学徒需要掌握的几种作战技巧，全都演示了一遍：比如冲到敌人身边，用爪子抓挠他们的侧腹，以及翻转身体，用后爪攻击敌人的肚皮，等等。
“好啦，现在你们来试一下吧！”风爪命令道，“大家两两一组，保证每组有一位山洞卫士和一位狩猎者。”
“记住，现在是战斗练习，所以要收起你们的爪子。”冬青爪补充道。
接着，她和风爪并排坐在一起，观看着预备卫士的练习。过了一会儿，她惊讶地发现，狩猎者们掌握作战技巧的速度更快些，而且他们的动作比山洞卫士更敏捷。她想，同狩猎者相比，山洞卫士还得忘掉学过的动作，才能学会新的。
池塘另一边，松鼠飞和暴毛正在训练年长一些的部落猫。冬青爪听到了其中一只部落猫的声音：“我们为什么要训练这个？自古以来，我们都一直按照自己的方式做事，以前也一直很好啊！”
冬青爪突然开始同情起他们来——她现在终于理解，为什么部落猫们如此眷恋老祖宗们流传下来的做事方式了，其实，她心里也不愿意逼迫他们做出改变。不过，冬青爪还是在心里告诉自己，急水部落要想继续生存下去，唯一的办法，就是多多学习族群猫的经验。当边界线最终划定之后，流血事件发生的频率就会小很多了。想到这里，冬青爪的心里舒服了很多。下次，如果入侵者们再想进犯，面对一群通晓自卫手段的猫，他们也一定会三思而后行的。
训练结束后，冬青爪让风爪继续教狩猎者们几个更高级的战斗动作，她则继续训练山洞卫士，纠正他们的战斗动作。
转眼就到了午后，冬青爪的肚子开始咕咕叫了起来，可没有一只预备猫开口说要吃东西，仍在专心练习着。她猜，现在，他们可能一天只吃一顿饭吧。一时间，冬青爪突然想回雷族了——在家里，她只要完成了学徒必须履行的职责，就可以随时随地从猎物堆里挑选自己喜爱的食物。
最后，她还是朝预备猫们挥了挥尾巴，示意他们到池塘边休息一下。“你们练习得不错，”她说道，“我很奇怪，尖石巫师怎么没出来观看你们训练啊？我想，他要是看到你们掌握了这么多本领，一定会非常自豪的。”
“尖石巫师几乎从不离开洞穴的。”滚石告诉她。
冬青爪大吃一惊，眼睛睁得大大的：“真的吗？”
“只有在瀑布顶上举行重大仪式，比如预备猫成为正式部落猫的典礼，这时候他才会出来。”鱼跃斑回答道。
“还有，紧急事件发生时，他也会出来。”滚石补充道。
“我想，这一点也跟族群猫不一样吧。”怒枭讥讽道。虽然他最终还是把心思都用在了训练上，但冬青爪看得出，怒枭还是很不情愿。
“是的，族群的族长会跟自己的武士们一起狩猎，一起巡逻，”风爪解释道，“如果有必要，他们也会上战场。”
“那他们岂不是要冒着被杀死的危险吗？”滚石惊讶地问道——她脸上的表情，跟冬青爪刚才的表情一模一样。
“这么说也对。”冬青爪不想告诉他们，族长有九条命的事。她不清楚，杀无尽部落是否也给了尖石巫师九条命，如果不是这样，那部落猫们又该恨得牙痒痒了。另外，与山地相比，居住在森林更加安全；那里有天然的遮蔽处，可以避开老鹰的视线，而且猫们也不用担心会在森林里坠落而亡。想到这里，冬青爪环视着周围那一片片冰冷的灰色岩石，一股浓浓的思乡之情涌上心头，像利爪一样，刺得自己疼痛难忍。
“好啦，我们继续练习吧，”冬青爪一边说，一边站了起来，开始进行下一个训练任务。
突然，有东西从身后冲来，落在了冬青爪的背上。冬青爪顿时一怔，还没等她反应过来，就被猛然击倒在地，身体高速翻滚着，到了池塘边才停了下来，尾巴也落进了水里——这一切，都是风爪捣的鬼。他的前爪放在冬青爪的胸脯上，将她死死按在地上，琥珀色的双眼开心地闪动着。
“对付敌人，这一招最见效啦！”风爪又向预备猫吹嘘起来，“这就叫‘出其不意，攻其不备’！”
说完，风爪向后退了一步，冬青爪爬起来，听到预备猫们发出阵阵大笑声。
“愚蠢的毛球！”冬青爪一边咒骂着风爪，一边把尾巴上的水花甩到他的脸上。然而，她并没有真生气。这种开玩笑的事情，她和狮爪之间在雷族领地上也会经常做。“风爪说得对，”她接着说道，“偷袭敌猫时，一些狩猎技巧很有用。我们来练习一下几个动作。”
可是，当这段训练开始后，冬青爪却感觉有些无力，因为她几乎要饿扁了——爪子也变得笨拙起来，她甚至都无法随心所欲地操控它们了。不一会儿，她闻到了族群猫的气息，知道狮爪和黑莓掌的巡逻队回来了，心里顿时感觉轻松了许多。哥哥狮爪的腿受伤了——他一瘸一拐地穿过乱石，奔着池塘而来。冬青爪立刻解散了预备猫——他们此刻也早已疲惫不堪，无法再继续训练了。风爪陪着他们回到洞穴，一边走，一边讲述着自己在风族领地上与狐狸作战的英勇事迹。
哼，又开始吹上了，好像风族领地上一直都有狐狸似的。冬青爪一边想，一边朝狮爪走过去，让他靠着自己的肩膀，倚在池塘边的尖石丛旁。“你没事吧？”她关心地问道。
“没事。”狮爪疲倦地叹了口气，蹲在池塘边喝了几口水。接着，他抖掉胡须上的水珠，抬头看着妹妹，说道，“今天真是不顺。我们没能绕着急水部落的边界转一圈。路实在太难走了。”
冬青爪真想把训练预备猫的事情告诉狮爪，让他高兴一下，可是她对于将族群猫的做法强加给部落猫依然感到不安，况且还有几只像怒枭一样的猫，明显地表现出了对这种做法的不满。冬青爪一边想着，一边望着武士和部落猫们垂头丧气地沿着小径慢慢走回了洞穴里。她今天第一次注意到了松鸦爪——他正坐在瀑布旁边的一块大石头上，爪子收在身子底下。当这些成年猫从松鸦爪身边走过后，他跳了下来，朝冬青爪和狮爪跑过来。
“这个洞穴，我真是不想再待了，”松鸦爪走过来后抱怨道，“简直无聊至极，我恨不得把身上的毛扯掉。今天一整天我都被困在那儿，听母猫们唠叨着自己生病的幼崽。”
“你就不能帮帮她们吗？”冬青爪问道。
“我又不是她们部落的巫医，”松鸦爪大喊着，“再说了，要是尖石巫师知道我多管闲事，谁知道他会说出什么难听的话来！”
“是啊，你是我们自己的巫医啊，”松鸦爪烦躁的情绪，让冬青爪也有点儿生气了，“你还不快给狮爪看看病啊？”
“什么，他怎么了？”松鸦爪一边问，一边好奇地闻了闻狮爪身上的气息。
狮爪把自己酸痛的爪垫在池塘里蘸了一点儿水，又舔舐了几下，回答道：“别听她瞎说，我真没什么事儿。”
冬青爪可不信他的话——狮爪的声音十分疲惫，爪垫擦掉了皮，还流着血。“他的爪子肯定特别痛。你赶紧给他想想办法啊！”她不停地催促着松鸦爪。
松鸦爪气冲冲地抽了抽耳朵，高喊道：“在这块被星族遗忘的破地方，你让我上哪儿去找草药啊？”可是说完，他却站了起来，闻闻空气中的味道，又走到岩石墙旁边——那里，几处矮小的灌木丛和一小撮草在顽强生长着。很快，松鸦爪叼着一堆羊蹄叶子走了回来，对狮爪说道：“把这些叶子嚼烂，然后把草药糊抹在爪垫上。”
狮爪回答道：“谢谢你了。”过了一会儿，草药糊清凉的汁液，极大地缓解了狮爪爪垫的疼痛，他长舒了一口气。
这时，冬青爪听到了一阵脚步声，一抬头，看到松鼠飞正从池塘边朝他们走来。“你们的训练进行得怎么样了？”她问道。
“我想，还挺不错的，”冬青爪回答道，“有些猫学得非常快，不过，我不确定……”
“不确定什么？”
“我不确定，我们现在做的事是否正确。一直以来，急水部落的猫们都遵循着他们的老传统。我觉得，教他们跟自己的传统大相径庭的事情，是不对的。”
“关于边界的事情，也是如此。”狮爪接着说道，“我觉得，把族群猫领地的那一套照搬到这片山地来，是行不通的。入侵者们是不会理睬边界线的，我想，急水部落也不想设置什么边界线。他们不愿改变，只想循规蹈矩。”
“我实在不懂，你们为什么总做这种费力不讨好的事。”松鸦爪的语气依旧那么尖酸刻薄，“杀无尽部落不愿帮急水部落，急水部落也不愿我们帮忙，那我们何必还要费尽心思，让他们接受自己不想要的东西呢？”
“因为没有我们，他们谁都活不成！”松鼠飞突然大喊了一声。接着，她又用尾巴蹭了蹭松鸦爪的肩膀，告诉他自己本来不想那么凶。“对不起，我现在的心情有点烦躁，跟你一样。不过我认为，我们现在还不能放弃。我们有宝贵的经验可以传授给急水部落，总有一天，他们一定能体会到这一点的。”
冬青爪可没那么肯定，她想，急水部落经历的战斗本来就数不胜数，况且，还有看不见流血的那种“战斗”。
CHAPTER28
CHAPTER28
Beneath the full moon the mountainswere washed with silver, patched with the deep shadows of jutting rocks. Lionpaw padded at his father’s shoulder.
“Remember,” Brambleclaw mewed, glancing back at him and Hollypaw, “you’re not trying to prove anything. Don’t try to take on a cat you can’t handle. Not if you can help it.”
“We don’t wantto get our ears clawed off,” Hollypaw pointed out, with a whisk of her tail.
“Be careful you don’t, then.” Brambleclaw’s amber gaze was warm. “How would I face Firestar if I didn’t bring you all home safe?”
Anticipation shivered through Lionpaw from ears to tail tip. Every paw step was bringing him closer to his first real battle. He longed with every hair on his pelt to make his father and his Clan proud of him. Yet he wasn’t just fighting for his Clan and the warrior code. He was fighting for the Tribe, too, alongside Tribe cats who had become his friends. Their enemies had become his enemies, because the intruders had shown that they had no code of honor; they couldn’t admit the justice of dividing the mountains into separate territories.
A few tail-lengths away he spotted Breezepaw. The WindClan apprentice was ready for battle too, with bristling fur and his lips already drawn back in a fierce snarl. He was padding just behind Crowfeather, yet his father didn’t offer him any encouragement. Lionpaw felt a pang of sympathy. Maybe Breezepaw wouldn’t be such an annoying furball if he had Brambleclaw for a father instead of Crowfeather.
A shadow drifted over the rocks and Lionpaw looked up to see a cloud covering the moon. A chill crept through him, as though his pads had touched ice. Did that mean that StarClan was angry because they were breaking the full moon truce? But StarClan doesn’t walk these skies, he remembered. Jaypaw had warned them that they would be alone. Besides, a moment later the cloud had drifted away and the moon shone brightly again. Sometimes a cloud is just a cloud
The moon floated high in the sky by the time the battle-hungry cats reached the intruders’ camp. Everything was quiet. Lionpaw gazed at the narrow cleft between the tilted rocks, but he could make out nothing in the darkness inside.
“I can’t see any sign of guards,” Hollypaw whispered.
“They probably don’t think they need them,” Lionpaw murmured. “After all, Tribe cats are too weak to give any trouble, right?”
Hollypaw’s green eyes gleamed with amusement. “We’ll see about that!”
Brambleclaw gathered the cats around him with a gesture of his tail and led them into the shadow of a rock. “Crag and I will divide you into attacking patrols,” he mewed. “Tribe and Clan, apprentices and to-bes, in each group. That way we’ll have the best spread of skills. The plan is to lure the trespassers out here and then attack them, otherwise we’ll be fighting in the dark on enemy ground.”
Lionpaw glanced again at the dark cleft and then back at Brambleclaw. “That can’t be right,” he objected.
Brambleclaw cocked his head. “No?”
“No, because the cleft can’t be totally dark. Their dens are in there—they can’t be stumbling around blind, can they?”
Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. “You’re right. There must be a shaft that lets in light and air.”
“We should go look for it!” Lionpaw’s pads were tingling with excitement.
His father thought for a moment longer, then nodded. “Okay. We shouldn’t attack without knowing exactly what we’re up against. If there’s another entrance, they might be able to get out that way and attack us from behind.” He angled his ears toward the rocks. “Let’s go. Hollypaw, Breezepaw, you come too.”
“And me!” Pebble sprang up. “I know rocks,” she added. “I might be able to help.”
“Come on, then,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Crag, you start dividing up the patrols. And every cat keep as quiet as if you were stalking prey. This attack will start when we’re ready and not before.”
Cautiously the five cats crept across the open ground in front of the cleft and onto a narrow trail that led upward beside one of the tilted rocks. Lionpaw was poised to spring into battle if there was any movement from the cleft, but it remained dark and silent.
The tilted rocks were set against a boulder-strewn slope leading to a ridge. The trail wound between the boulders until it emerged at the top, close to where the two rocks joined. Lionpaw crept toward them, his belly fur brushing the ground.
“Breezepaw, keep watch below,” Brambleclaw whispered. “Tell me if there’s any sign of the intruders.”
Looking pleased to be singled out, Breezepaw wriggled forward on his belly until he could overlook the ground at the bottom of the slope. Brambleclaw and the apprentices spread out, examining the area around the tilted rocks.
Lionpaw sniffed around the boulders piled along the ridge. There was a strong scent of cat, the scent he was beginning to recognize as the intruders’. But he couldn’t see where it was coming from. Then he spotted a gap between two rocks; the scent was especially strong there.
“I think I’ve found something!” he called softly.
Brambleclaw, Hollypaw, and Pebble joined him, brushing against his flanks. Thrusting his head into the gap, Lionpaw saw a shaft leading down through the rock. At the very bottom was a circle of sand, with the shadow of his own head outlined on it in moonlight. There was no sign of cats, but the scent was stronger still.
“Let me look,” Pebble mewed impatiently.
Lionpaw stepped back to let the Tribe to-be into the gap. She stared down for a few heartbeats, then raised her head, her blue eyes glittering. “They’ll never be able to get out this way. But I could climb down.”
“Yes!” Lionpaw wanted to bounce up and down like an excited kit. “We could all go. We could chase the cats out into the open where our warriors are waiting.”
Brambleclaw shook his head. “Not a chance. It’s far too dangerous.”
“No, it isn’t.” Hollypaw butted his shoulder with her head. “They won’t be expecting us. They’ll be too scared to do anything but run.”
“Then I’ll go,” Brambleclaw countered.
Lionpaw let out a small mrrowof laughter. “Think you would get those shoulders through that hole? This is a job for small cats. Hey, Breezepaw!”
He beckoned the WindClan apprentice over and explained the plan. Breezepaw swallowed nervously. “I’m in.”
“I haven’t said you’re going yet,” Brambleclaw pointed out. “It’s a good plan, but you could fall and break your necks. Not to mention what the intruders might do to you.”
“I won’t fall,” Pebble meowed confidently. “And the others won’t, either, if they’re careful. There are plenty of cracks to dig your claws into,” she explained, “and you need to make sure your paw hold is safe before you move. It’s easy as eating prey.”
For you, maybe, Lionpaw thought. But he wasn’t going to back out now. “We’ve got to do it,” he argued. “It could make all the difference to the battle and the Tribe.”
Brambleclaw sighed. “You’re right. And you’re apprentices,not kits to be protected in the nursery. Very well, you can do it.”
Lionpaw gazed into Hollypaw’s glowing eyes and hoped that he looked as certain.
“I’ll go down and tell the others,” Brambleclaw went on. “Wait until you see me down there. Then go; we’ll be ready and waiting.”
His amber gaze rested for a heartbeat on Lionpaw, then Hollypaw, before he turned and vanished down the trail.
Breezepaw took up his lookout post again while Pebble quickly repeated her instructions about climbing down. “And don’t look down,” she finished. “If you get dizzy, you’ll fall.”
Breezepaw crept back. “He’s there.”
“Then let’s go,” mewed Lionpaw.
“I’ll go first.” Pebble was already turning to lower her hindquarters into the hole. “Watch what I do.”
There wasn’t much room for all three remaining apprentices to gather around and watch Pebble. Despite Breezepaw’s ear in the way, Lionpaw managed to spot how she crept cautiously down, testing each paw hold before she put her weight on it.
“I’m going next,” he murmured. “She shouldn’t be on her own down there.”
Hollypaw and Breezepaw moved back to give him room. As he slid backward through the gap, Lionpaw had a moment’s panic that he was too big to fit. His shoulders scraped the rocky sides of the hole, but then he was through, clinging with all four sets of claws to the inside of the shaft. Below him he heard Pebble mew softly, “That’s fine. Take it slowly.”
Remembering what she had said about not looking down, Lionpaw edged his way cautiously down the shaft, digging his claws deep into the cracks. Once the stone crumbled under his weight and he slipped, gasping with terror as he scrabbled against the rock face in a frantic search for another paw hold. When he found it, he had to rest for a few moments, his heart pounding at his rib cage so loudly that he thought it must wake every cat from here to the lake.
He heard Breezepaw’s annoyed whisper just above him. “Are you going to hang there all night?”
Lionpaw gritted his teeth. He wasn’t going to let the WindClan apprentice see that he was scared. He searched for the next paw hold to take him down safely. Sooner than he expected, Pebble’s voice came softly from just below him.
“You can let go now.”
Lionpaw tensed and pushed himself off the rock face to land on his paws on the sand a couple of tail-lengths below. Breezepaw thudded down beside him a moment later with Hollypaw just behind.
“Brilliant!” Pebble’s eyes shone in the moonlight. “Now what?”
Lionpaw shook the grit out of his pelt and looked around. A passage led off from the sandy area where they stood, curving so he couldn’t see what lay beyond the first few paw steps. The intruders’ scent was overwhelming.
“Wait here,” he whispered.
With paw steps as light as if he were stalking a mouse, Lionpaw crept up to the corner and peered around. Beyond the curve in the passage he saw a wider space, covered with sand, with moss piled along both walls. He could just make out the pricked ears of a cat lying in the moss and hear the squeaking of very young kits. Tasting the air, he detected the milky scent of a nursing queen. From farther down the passage came the sound of movement and murmuring voices, the noise of many cats settling down for the night.
Stealthily he drew back toward his companions. “There’s a nursery just here,” he reported in a low voice. “We don’t touch the queens or the kits, okay? The other cats are farther down, nearer to the entrance. I don’t think they know we’re here.”
“So what do we do?” Hollypaw asked.
“We don’t want to fight in here, just scare them out, so we dash through, yowling like a whole bunch of badgers is after us.”
Pebble looked confused. “What?”
Breezepaw rolled his eyes. “Big, scary animals with teeth.”
“Try not to get trapped in here.” Lionpaw crouched, tensing his muscles to spring. “Okay—go!”
He leaped forward, letting out an earsplitting screech. His companions sprang with him, yowling like a whole Clan of fighting cats. Wails of alarm answered them from the cats down the passage. Lionpaw caught a glimpse of a ginger-and-white queen cowering against the rock wall with her kits huddled against her belly. He swept past and into the middle of the intruders’ den.
The trespassing cats were blundering about, caterwauling in shock and terror as they scrambled for the entrance. Lionpaw was prepared to fight, but no cat tried to stop him as he bounded across the den. The narrow cleft that led outside was jammed with the writhing bodies of cats desperately trying to get through. Lionpaw spun around with the wall at his back, claws unsheathed, but the nearest cat, a rangy ginger tom, gave him a single horrified glance, then thrust himself into the cleft to escape. Within heartbeats the den was empty of all but the four apprentices.
Hollypaw let out a last fearsome screech and halted, panting. “It worked!”
The yowls of fighting cats came through the cleft; Brambleclaw was leading his warriors into battle outside. Lionpaw took a long breath and tasted blood on the air. “Come on!” he urged.
The way out of the den was clear now. Lionpaw hurled himself through the cleft and into the open. The wide space in front of the rocks seethed with knots of tussling cats as Tribe and Clan clashed with the intruders. Moonlight shone on mingled tabby, ginger, and white fur and glinted on sharp teeth and claws. Shrieks of pain and fury split the night.
Lionpaw’s ears pricked as he thought he heard a whisper behind him. “Lionpaw—now!” His head whipped around. Had he really heard Tigerstar? There was no dark tabby shape in the shadows, no gleam of amber eyes, but the call to battle was compelling.
Just in front of him, the brown intruder Flick had Screech pinned to the ground while he raked his claws through the to-be’s belly fur. Yowling in fury, Lionpaw leaped on top of him, biting down hard on his neck. Squalling in pain and shock, Flick reared up in an attempt to throw him off. Screech wriggled free and vanished into the darkness.
Lionpaw lost his balance but succeeded in pulling Flick down on top of him and battered at the intruder’s belly with his hind paws. Brown fur flew out and he caught the hot reek of blood. He lunged for Flick’s throat. Flick raked one paw across his ear and managed to stagger to his paws. Lionpaw let him go.
For a heartbeat he stood panting, looking for his next opponent, and he thought the whisper came again. “Lionpaw—look behind you!” He whipped around to confront a huge gray tom, whose pale pelt was already running with blood. Lionpaw just had time to dodge to one side, raking the intruder’s pelt as he slipped past him.
Scrambling onto a boulder, he surveyed the moon-washed battle and caught a glimpse of Hollypaw and Pebble, fighting side by side, thrusting their way through the press of cats to where Brambleclaw and Stripes fought together, rolling over and over in a screeching tangle of fur and claws. He spotted Squirrelflight, too, leaping forward to chase a black tom around the curve of a boulder and out of sight. Her ginger tail streamed out behind her and her teeth were bared in a snarl of fury.
Just below Lionpaw, Gray was struggling with a black-and-white she-cat, his paws flailing as he tried to dislodge her teeth from his shoulder. He looked as if he was rapidly tiring.
Lionpaw let out an exultant yowl as he dropped onto the trespasser’s shoulders, digging in his claws in the move he had practiced with Ashfur back in the forest. The she-cat released Gray and instantly rolled over, crushing Lionpaw beneath her bulk. The breath driven out of him, his nose buried in her fur, he fought to breathe and convulsed with pain as he felt her teeth meet in his ear. Think!The whisper came again, and this time Lionpaw could picture Hawkfrost’s ice-blue eyes.
He let every limb go limp. The she-cat relaxed her grip, and at once Lionpaw heaved upward, tearing his ear free and throwing her back onto the stony ground. She clambered to her paws and crouched to leap at him. He braced himself to meet her attack.
Suddenly Lionpaw spotted Hollypaw and Breezepaw dashing toward him. They split up, racing up on either side of the she-cat. The trespasser leaped, claws extended. Lionpaw dived beneath her belly and felt his fur ruffled as she overshot and landed just where Hollypaw and Breezepaw were waiting to slash her flanks with their claws. The she-cat wailed and fled.
“Great!” Lionpaw gasped, springing up again. “They must teach that move in WindClan, too!”
Battling cats were already separating him from the other two apprentices. He hurled himself into the fight again. He could hear the blood pounding inside him; he felt as if he had the strength of twenty cats. He felt alive, more than ever before. As one cat after another fled from his raking claws he knew this was what he had been born for.
There came a moment when no other cat leaped to confront him. Lionpaw spun around like a kit chasing its tail. Where are you? Come out and fight!
“Lionpaw.” No mysterious whisper now; the steady voice was his father’s. “Lionpaw, stop. It’s over.”
Lionpaw halted, staring at Brambleclaw, his teeth bared. “It’s not over,” he hissed. “Not until every last intruder has been defeated.”
“Calm down, Lionpaw,” Brambleclaw meowed. “They aredefeated. We’ve won.”
Lionpaw’s first reaction was disappointment. No more of that wonderful coordination of muscles, teeth, and claws? No more of the light of fear in his opponents’ eyes as they fled? He took several deep breaths and looked around. Cats of Clan and Tribe were watching him, impressed—and maybe scared? Why? What have I done?
“You fought well, Lionpaw,” Crag told him quietly. “Your skill and courage will be remembered as long as the Tribe exists.”
Lionpaw looked down at himself and saw his fur clumped together with drying blood. He felt hot and sticky, and his stomach heaved at the stench of it. He staggered; then Hollypaw was at his side, her green eyes horrified.
“Where are you hurt?” she asked anxiously.
Lionpaw shook his head in confusion. The only pain he felt was from his bitten ear, and in his paws, which had been sore for days from scrambling over rock. “I’m okay,” he mumbled.
Before Hollypaw could say any more, a few of the trespassers crept timidly out from among the rocks. Stripes was in the lead. He had lost most of the fur from one shoulder and his muzzle was bleeding. He limped up to Crag and Brambleclaw and dipped his head.
“You have won,” he rasped. “We will respect your borders from now on, if only you leave our queens and kits alone.”
Crag and Brambleclaw glanced at each other, as if they were considering what the silver tom had said. Part of Lionpaw wanted to yowl, No! Drive them out!But he kept silent.
“The Tribe has no quarrel with queens or kits,” Crag meowed at last. “We will leave you in peace so long as you stay on your own side of the border.”
Stripes dipped his head again and waved his tail to lead his battered companions back through the cleft into their camp.
Lionpaw watched them go. Had Tigerstar and Hawkfrost really fought beside him in the battle? Or did their shadows stalk the woods beside the lake, waiting for his return? There were no voices now, no praise for the way he had fought, nothing but Hollypaw trying to check him for wounds.
“Lie down and rest,” she begged. “Do you want me to fetch Jaypaw? I’ll get him here somehow.”
“I’m okay,” Lionpaw insisted. “I don’t need help.”
Brambleclaw was rounding up his warriors, Clan and Tribe, ready for the journey back to the cave. Lionpaw joined them, falling in beside Breezepaw and Pebble, trying to ignore Hollypaw’s fussing as she padded along on his other side, clearly expecting him to collapse at any moment.
Pebble’s eyes were gleaming. “Did you see them run?” she mewed.
“I always knew the Clans would sort out the Tribe’s problems,” Breezepaw told her loftily. “You’ll be grateful to us for ever!”
Catching Hollypaw’s troubled green gaze, Lionpaw could see that she wasn’t so sure. But the battle was won. Hehad won the battle. And he would fight it all over again in a heartbeat.
第二十五章
第二十五章
松鸦爪跟冬青爪和狮爪一起，躺在铺满苔藓的窝里，聆听着那永无穷尽、如雷贯耳的瀑布声。这声音里，似乎还混杂着猫的说话声，却十分微弱，任凭松鸦爪怎么伸长耳朵，都没法听清楚——夜已经深了，他只能听见附近已经躺下歇息的猫们，发出的疲惫不堪的低语声。
此时，冬青爪和狮爪已经像秃叶季的刺猬一样，酣然入睡了——忙碌了一整天，他俩都累坏了。松鸦爪把尾巴卷放在鼻子上，想要尽快入睡，可根本睡不着——他那颗不安分的心，又在想着要做些事情。于是，他小心翼翼地溜出窝外，走到洞穴中央，生怕打搅到哥哥姐姐。
松鸦爪逐渐开始熟悉周围的情况——他已经能分辨出山洞卫士和狩猎者睡觉的地方，也嗅到了跟他们睡在一起的族群猫的气息。他悄悄地来到瀑布后面，这时，他听到了水珠滴落，发出啪嗒作响的声音——这是一条注入池塘的涓涓细流。松鸦爪蹲下来，舔了几口；这水冰冷刺骨，有股风的气息。
松鸦爪觉得，族群猫们应该不会在这片山地待太久了——他们在这儿并不受待见。不管尖石巫师怎么说，逼迫部落猫们学习族群猫那一套的做法，似乎并不能解决任何问题。不过，松鸦爪已经下定决心，要在他们离开之前发现更多有关杀无尽部落的信息。想着想着，他站了起来，舔了舔嘴边残留的最后几滴水，又闻了闻空气。
洞穴地面上有一丝尖石巫师的微弱气息，于是他循着这股气息，朝洞穴的最深处走去——那里有一处裂缝，松鸦爪钻了过去，又继续沿着一条狭窄的山洞朝前走去。不一会儿，他感到四周的气流出现了变化，脚步的回音也跟刚才有所不同——这才意识到，自己进入另一处洞穴了。
这时，一小股冷风吹过，松鸦爪知道，这里是一处露天洞穴——洞顶部虽不是完全敞开，但至少能看见一点儿外面的天空。他继续向前，突然踩进了一个水坑，水花四溅，吓得他立马缩了回去，十分厌恶地抖着爪子。然后，他感觉自己碰到了石头，便用爪子探索着它。这块石头像树干一样，突兀地耸立在洞穴的地面上。空气中弥漫着许多奇怪的窃窃私语声，但太微弱，无法分辨，跟他刚刚在瀑布后面听到的声音差不多。
接着，一个清晰一点的声音响了起来：“松鸦爪，欢迎来到尖石洞。”
松鸦爪顿时呆住了。刚才他太专注于观察周遭的环境，都没来得及想，如果尖石巫师发现自己来到这里，会发生什么样的事情。松鸦爪清楚，这里是尖石巫师的独享之地，就像族群中族长的洞穴一样。但这时候已经用不着再假装是误入了。
“谢谢你，尖石巫师。”
松鸦爪听到了一阵脚步声传来，脑海中想象着这只年长的虎斑猫慢慢迫近自己的样子。当那个声音再次响起时，他已经离松鸦爪咫尺之遥了。
“这里是我与杀无尽部落交谈的地方。它们通过水中星月的倒影、投射在洞顶和地面石头上的跃动光影，以及风、水和脚步的回音，向我传递信息。”他此刻的声音，跟平常大不相同——时起时伏，又瞬间变成了一阵低声的轻语，“可是，到目前为止，它们还没有告诉我，急水部落会不会从苦难中解脱。”
当这只老猫谎传杀无尽部落的信息时，松鸦爪便失去了对他的尊敬，然而，松鸦爪不能无视这位年长的治疗者的成熟和智慧，以及面对部落分崩离析险境时的强烈负罪感。
“我们的祖灵不能提供什么帮助了，”尖石巫师继续说道，“它们似乎不在意我们的死活了。”
松鸦爪不清楚，尖石巫师的这番话，是不是说给他听的。听起来，他似乎在跟一位比自己更年长的猫说话——他或许想从“前辈”那里得到一些有用的经验。
“族群猫事事都寄希望于星族，”松鸦爪犹豫不决地开口说道，“可事实上，星族也不是万能的。我想，可能杀无尽部落也不知该如何帮助你们了。”
“那么，它们为什么要把我们带到这儿来呢？”尖石巫师恼怒地说道，“它们曾保证过，我们会一直平安无事的。”
松鸦爪的耳朵竖了起来，心想，关于急水部落的起源，尖石巫师都知道哪些呢？
“你们之前是在哪里生活的？”松鸦爪问道，“为什么离开那里，来到这儿了呢？”
尖石巫师叹了一声，呼出的气息拂动着松鸦爪的胡须：“我不知道。那已经是很久很久以前的事了。杀无尽部落从没跟我提起过这些。”
松鸦爪感到身上的每一根毛都刺痛起来。这么说来，急水部落并不是一直都住在山里的啊！或许，杀无尽部落不对急水部落提供帮助，就是因为它们坚信，当初的决定是错误的——山地并不是急水部落理想的居所。松鸦爪一边想着，一边用前爪抓着地上潮湿的泥土。如果他能知道全部真相，而不是这些支离破碎的信息，就好了！
“今晚，你收到什么信息了？”他问尖石巫师。
“几乎是什么都没有，”这只治疗猫回答道，“月亮照耀着水面，但是——唉！一片乌云飘了过来，遮住了月亮，好像在告诉我，我们已经失去了所有希望。回音并没有传递给我什么信息，但是，风吹皱了那边的水面，这意味着改变。”他又叹了口气，用极度疲惫的语气说道，“可是，这种改变究竟是怎样的呢？我一点儿也不清楚。我现在要去睡觉了。晚安，松鸦爪。”
“晚安。”松鸦爪听到老猫的脚步声逐渐消逝，接着又听到一阵窸窸窣窣的声音，他似乎已经在那铺满苔藓的窝里舒服地躺下了。松鸦爪站在原地，竖起耳朵仔细听着，想从洞中的回声中听出点什么，但什么也没听到。
松鸦爪走到洞穴一侧，发现地上有一个光秃秃的小石坑。虽然里面没有舒服的苔藓，但他还是走到里面，蜷缩起身子，躺了下来。松鸦爪心里清楚，只有在梦里，他才能找到问题的答案。
松鸦爪闭上眼睛，不一会儿，又睁开了眼睛，发现自己又站到了那块突起的岩石上，一阵风吹来，他的毛平贴在身体两侧。岩石坐在一块大石头上，皎洁的月光照亮了他那无毛的身体，他那双凸出来的瞎眼，好像正在注视着松鸦爪。
“你要小心点，”还没等松鸦爪开口，岩石就说道，“那些猫，可不是你的祖灵。”
“我已经很小心了，”松鸦爪反驳道，“我一定要做点儿什么才行！杀无尽部落已经放弃急水部落了，它们连一点儿忙都不愿意帮。”
“可你的同伴们还在帮他们啊！”岩石回答。
“可是，杀无尽部落不应该这么做啊！”松鸦爪一边抗议着，一边困惑地摆动着尾巴，“保护后代，难道不该是武士祖灵们的职责吗？否则，它们的存在还有什么意义？”
岩石没说什么，然而松鸦爪却察觉到，他沉浸在巨大的悲伤之中。松鸦爪又开始好奇起来——为什么岩石会这么担心急水部落的猫呢？还有，为什么直到现在，还没有猫告诉自己任何有用的消息呢？
松鸦爪突然看到岩石的身影开始隐退，急得他大吼了一声。片刻之后，他看到岩石逐渐缩成了石头旁的一个光点，随后就湮没在疾风和星光之间，不见了。松鸦爪一个猛扑上前，结果发现自己又置身于山洞中尖石巫师的洞穴里，就是他刚刚进入梦乡的地方。
“老鼠屎！”他气得咒骂起来。
松鸦爪突然闻到了一股气息，这才意识到时间已经过去了很久，尖石巫师早已离开了。他站起身，快速梳理了一下自己的皮毛。刚才的梦，依旧像沉积已久的蛛网一样，在他脑海中挥之不去。松鸦爪感觉，如果有时间静下心好好想想，他很可能就能找到问题的答案了。
可现在还不是时候。这时，他突然听到远处传来了猫微弱的尖叫声。一想到可能有糟糕的事情发生，松鸦爪就绷紧了身上的每寸肌肉。于是他找到了那条通道，快速向前走去，不一会儿就来到了主洞穴入口。噪声变得越来越大，同时，哭声和嘶吼声相互交织，几乎把瀑布的流水声都淹没了。松鸦爪走进洞穴，一股血腥味便像一阵潮湿的热风，扑面而来。
“发生了什么事啊？”松鸦爪警觉地喊道。
他仔细嗅嗅，首先闻到了褐皮的气息。松鸦爪来到她身边问道：“出什么事了？战争开始了吗？”
“刚刚发生了一场打斗。”这只影族猫轻描淡写地回答道，“黎明时分，狩猎者们出去狩猎，捉到了一只鹰。可在回来的路上，被入侵者们发现了，为了争夺猎物，他们打了起来。”
“我们输了！”一个陌生的声音忽然响了起来，“这帮天杀的浑蛋们抢走了我们的猎物。都怪你们族群猫，非要把山洞卫士留下训练什么战斗技能！”这只部落猫把最后几个字说得很重，好像这几个字会带来灾祸一样。
“你们现在掌握的战斗技能，根本无法打败其他猫。”黑莓掌的声音在松鸦爪身后响起，他的气息瞬间弥漫在松鸦爪的身边。
“要是我们什么都不学，可能会更好些！”那只部落猫大吼着，“我的伴侣今天受伤了，”突然，他的话音颤抖起来，“我甚至都不知道，她能不能活下去了。”
“对不起，”黑莓掌低声回答，“松鸦爪，你去给尖石巫师帮帮忙好吗？他可能需要巫医的帮忙。”
“好的。”松鸦爪心里很高兴，自己终于有事情做了。他很快便在混杂的气息中，嗅到了尖石巫师的气息，就马上小心翼翼地绕过正躺在地上痛得大叫的伤猫们，朝前走去。
松鸦爪一边走，一边低声自言自语着：“老实说，受伤的猫一共才不到六只。可他们这哭天抢地的号叫太夸张了，不知道的，还以为整个部落的猫都负伤了呢！”
“松鸦爪。”尖石巫师的话音很平静，毫无波澜，跟昨晚那疲惫而迷惘的猫，简直判若两猫。“你把这棵委陵菜根嚼成糊，抹在灰濛的伤口上吧。”
松鸦爪走上前，好奇地嗅了嗅尖石巫师推到自己面前的那堆草根：“我从没见过这些东西。你管这个叫什么？”
“委陵菜，”尖石巫师回答道，“能治各种伤，还能解毒。”
“喂喂，待会儿再闲聊好吗？”灰濛的声音从松鸦爪身边传来——剧烈的疼痛，让他的身体不停抽搐。
“好吧。”松鸦爪叹了口气说道，“你有没有好好舔过伤口啊？”
“没有……”灰濛一边说，一边露出惊异的表情，好像他从未想到过，在处理伤口之前，要先舔一舔。
“那就开始舔啊，”松鸦爪大喊着，“否则伤口上的血都凝干了，周围的皮毛乱七八糟的，就这样把草药糊抹上去，什么用都没有！”
说完，他蹲伏下来，一边听着灰濛刺耳的舔舐声，一边开始咀嚼起委陵菜根来——这菜根散发出一种强烈的芳香，而嚼上去却非常酸涩。
“我们有时也用冬青叶，”尖石巫师一边说，一边朝前走去，“偶尔也会用艾菊。这些草药你都听说过吗？”
松鸦爪把嘴里最后一点儿嚼烂的草根吐到地上，抓起一些草药糊，准备抹在灰濛的伤口上。“我们族群猫也会用艾菊，不过大多数情况下，用来治疗咳嗽。好啦，灰濛，你的伤口现在干净了吗？”
“嗯，干净了。”这只狩猎者回答道。
“也该干净了，”松鸦爪一边涂抹着，一边低声喃喃着，“我怎么感觉，像是在照顾幼崽呢！”
“喂喂，你还是少说点儿话吧。”冬青爪一边说，一边用口鼻蹭了蹭松鸦爪后颈的毛，“你告诉我该怎么做吧，我就是来给你帮忙的。”
“部落猫们要开始自救才行啊。”松鸦爪突然冲她大声喊起来，可话刚说完就马上后悔了——自己说话的确太尖刻。冬青爪并不知道急水部落的祖灵们已经放弃他们的事情，而且松鸦爪也不打算把这件事告诉她。不过他心里清楚，如果部落猫不立即采取自救措施，那么他们就只有死路一条了。
第二十六章
第二十六章
经过妥善治疗，此刻，受伤的猫们都已经在窝里躺下休息了。尖石巫师拖着疲惫的身躯，朝洞穴口走去。他朝黑莓掌摇摇尾巴，示意黑莓掌到自己身边来。狮爪也悄悄跟了过去——他很想听听，他们下一步准备采取什么行动。
一束暗淡的光，透过瀑布的水帘照射进来。尖石巫师坐了下来，把爪子收放在身下，水光下，出现了一个小小的深色身影。
“急水部落无法在这里生存下去了，”他叹了口气说道，话音几乎完全被瀑布湍急的水流声淹没，“看来，我们必须离开山地，到别的地方找个家了。”
黑莓掌的眼睛大睁着，流露出一丝哀伤的神情：“尖石巫师，这应该是由你自己决定的事情。不过这个决定，真的明智吗？一大群猫，扶老携幼，长途迁徙是很危险的事情。上次在大迁徙的旅途中，我们就失去了很多猫。还有，你们想好去哪里了吗？”
尖石巫师摇了摇头。这个问题，他也不知道答案。
狮爪听了，心想，或许，他们可以跟我们一起到湖边生活，不过这么多的猫，全都加入一个族群肯定不行。他们将不得不分开，但他们一定不喜欢那样。另外，族群猫也一定不会接受他们。
“就算找到了新的家园，”黑莓掌接着说道，“你们也需要学习新的生活方式，以及全新的狩猎技巧。所以，你们必须找到在这里生存的办法，你们属于这儿。”
尖石巫师转过头，望着这只暗棕色的虎斑猫，问道：“你认为，我们该怎么办呢？”
“首先，应该设立边界巡逻队，定期巡逻。”黑莓掌回答道。
“巡逻？”尖石巫师有些不满地反问着，“难道我们要花费大量时间来攀爬那些石头？”
“是的，这的确很艰苦，”黑莓掌承认道，话音中隐隐透着一丝恼怒，“可你们早就习惯了在大山里行走，这就是你们的巨大优势，入侵者们是完全比不上的。”
尖石巫师眨眨眼睛，目不转睛地注视着那条永无休止流淌着的水帘。过了一会儿，他又开口问道：“你的意思是说，急水部落必须要把活动范围限制在某个区域里吗？”
“是这样的，不过这个区域很大，”黑莓掌向他保证道，“足够养活你们。你想想，留住你们领地的大部分，总比把领地全丢了要好很多吧？”见尖石巫师没有回应，他又继续说道，“你为什么不亲自去看看，确认一下新领地的范围呢？”
“除非瀑布上方举行庆典活动，否则尖石巫师是不会离开洞穴一步的，”尖石巫师回答道，“这是杀无尽部落的意愿。”
黑莓掌露出失望的神情，尾巴尖儿来回抽动着。狮爪担心自己的父亲会放弃，不再劝说尖石巫师。
接着，尖石巫师又开口说话了：“不过，或许现在已经到了摒弃传统的糟粕，更好地保留它的精华的时候了。我决定跟你一起去。”
“太好了！”黑莓掌兴奋得竖起了尾巴，“我马上就会组织一支巡逻队。狮爪，你也可以来。”他朝狮爪甩了甩尾巴，然后立刻朝主洞口跑去。
狮爪不知道，自己还想不想再在急水部落的领地转上一大圈了。昨天走了那么长的距离，到现在，他的爪子依然酸痛无比。然而，狮爪还是想继续帮着部落设立边界线，而且他还想看看，尖石巫师到底会有什么反应。他在尖石巫师身边等着，不一会儿，黑莓掌带着鹰爪、风爪、滚石、鸦羽、鹰崖、黑夜和其他预备猫回来了。
“鸦羽会带着自己的巡逻队，朝这个方向行进，我们去相反的方向。”黑莓掌对尖石巫师说道，“这样的话，我们就会在天黑之前，绕整个部落领地转一圈。我们不会把边边角角都搜上一遍，只会沿途找出几处地标来，以便大家都清楚边界在什么位置。”
尖石巫师点了点头：“这个办法真好。”
他让黑莓掌带着大家，沿着急水小径，走到了开阔的空地上。狮爪一动不动地朝远方望了一会儿，才从岩石上跳到池塘边的平地上。灰色的云层笼罩着整片天空，低低地压在群山之巅。沉闷的空气中，夹杂着雨水即将降临的气息。绿叶季的碧蓝的天空和温暖的太阳可能要远离他们一段时间了。
鸦羽的巡逻队爬上瀑布旁边的一处小径后，就消失在视野中了。与此同时，黑莓掌带领队员们翻越了对面的岩石——跟前一天行进的路线一模一样。他们一路健步如飞，不一会儿，就抵达了狮爪昨天立下的第一处边界线标记——那块歪歪扭扭的尖石旁边。
“我们在这儿留下气味标记，”黑莓掌大声说道，“狮爪，你来示范一下，好吗？”
“不是应该留下部落猫的气味吗？”鹰爪问道。
“当然了，”黑莓掌回答，“狮爪先教你们怎么做，然后你和滚石再按照他的方法来。”
三只部落猫听了，望了望彼此——狮爪看得出，他们并不相信，在边界线上做标记，会对来势汹汹的入侵者起到什么作用。此刻，就连狮爪自己也觉得，除非用尖牙和利爪做后盾，否则气味标记的确没什么大用。
“我就不明白了，我们为什么要费尽周章地帮他们，”风爪在狮爪耳边低声说道，“他们的思维方式跟我们族群猫根本不一样。他们甚至都不知道为什么要标记边界。”
狮爪做完气味标记后，这支巡逻队继续沿着山脊，走到那处溪流经过的山谷入口，又攀爬上高地。随后，黑莓掌选择了一座松散的石头堆，作为另外一处边界线的标记——因为这里的地形十分有利。滴滴清水从上方一处狭窄的缝隙中流淌下来，不停地拍打在那些石头上，光滑的石头表面长出了一层薄薄的绿色苔藓。
“在我们的领地上，搞这种东西有什么用啊？”当鹰爪准备做下标记时，尖石巫师突然不乐意了，“这些石头一直都这么潮湿，根本就不会有猎物来这里的！”
“话不能这么说啊，”黑莓掌解释道，“边界标记要易于辨认，如果真能派上用场，那当然再好不过了，但也不一定非得派上用场。”
尖石巫师满腹疑惑地哼了一声，但没阻止鹰爪。随后，大部队继续行进，来到昨日与三个入侵者遭遇的池塘边，又经过曾被三位年轻的入侵者伏击的狭窄山谷。这段旅途中，尖石巫师一直都沉默不语。
在他们离开这片山谷之前，看到了一块巨大的石头——这里可以俯瞰到一处崎岖的石坡，坡底长着一丛被狂风吹歪的矮小树木。滚石在石头底部留下了标记。
“为什么不在那边做标记呢？”尖石巫师用尾巴指了指，“那处地方对我们很有用。”
黑莓掌眯起眼睛，仔细观察了一下四周的地形，最后做出了决定：“这地方不值得要。从这里走到那边太费劲了！”
“可是，急水部落的猫们已经在那边狩猎了好多年。树上还有我们的爪子留下的抓痕呢。”
狮爪发现父亲后颈上的毛开始微微竖起来，他明白，黑莓掌正在极力掩饰着内心的怒火。
“如果你们想守住边界线，那么它必须便于管理和控制。”黑莓掌耐心地解释着，“眼下你们所要做的，就是一定要圈住足够的领地给自己，以养活整个急水部落。同时，还必须给入侵者留下足够的领地。否则，你们就等于是邀请入侵者来进攻你们。”
狮爪看到鹰爪点了点头，似乎是明白了，不过尖石巫师却抽抽尾巴，龇起牙低声说道：“随你便吧，族群猫！”
黑莓掌只是低下头，示意鹰爪带队继续前行。
接下来，众猫翻越了一座小山，又沿着一处通往山谷溪流的石坡，向下方走去。可还没等他们走到坡底，冰冷的雨水噼里啪啦地倾泻下来，狂风将雨滴吹打在众猫的脸上，钻心地疼。不一会儿，狮爪的皮毛就全湿透了。此刻，他的身体不由自主地颤抖着，真想找个茂密的树丛避会儿雨啊！
“你们急水部落怎么受得了这么恶劣的气候啊！”狮爪问滚石，“就算艳阳高照，这里的风也很大。这场雨一来……”
“看我的。”滚石打断了他的话。
话音刚落，她就加快了脚步，穿过石堆，跑到了坡底的溪流边。狮爪顿时好奇起来，赶忙紧随其后，飞跑起来。他发现，滚石在溪岸的淤泥里来回翻滚着，直到皮毛上全都裹满了泥巴。
“你来试试吧，”滚石说着跳了起来，“这层泥巴，既可以保持体温，又可以抵御风寒。而且，狩猎者们在跟踪猎物时，也会这么做。这样他们就会与周围的岩石融为一体，就不容易被猎物发现了。”
狮爪突然想起自己曾见过部落猫们浑身泥巴的样子。那时候，他还以为他们从不想梳理皮毛，不注重卫生呢。现在狮爪终于明白，此举的好处还真多，于是他小心翼翼地俯下身子，贴在一处泥坑里，然后不停地翻滚着身子，直到棕黑色的淤泥将他金棕色的皮毛全部覆盖。
这时，狮爪突然听到一阵讥笑声。他抬起头，望见风爪正站在自己上方，偷笑道：“待会儿，我倒要看看你怎么把这身臭泥巴弄掉。”
“你也来体验一下吧！”不等风爪反应过来，狮爪突然猛扑过去，一下子将他扑倒在地，又迅速把他也拖进了泥坑里。风爪吃了一惊，立刻叫了一声，不停挣扎着，想爬出来，可狮爪却死死地按住他，最后，风爪也成了一只彻彻底底的泥猫。
“你这愚蠢的毛球！”风爪一边咒骂着，一边抓住旁边的一处岩石，使尽全力爬了上去。望着一身肮脏的皮毛，他一脸嫌弃和厌恶的表情。
滚石望着他们俩，开心地卷起了尾巴。“看看，很公平吧！”她说道，“现在急水部落和族群开始互帮互学啦。”
狮爪也爬出了泥坑，使劲甩了甩皮毛。说实话，他十分讨厌这泥巴腥臭的味道，讨厌泥巴将他的毛粘在一起。不过，他不得不承认，滚石说得对，这层泥巴的确可以抵御冷风。
“好吧，”他低声喃喃着，“我们接着上路吧。”
鹰爪纵身一跳，越过溪流，又爬上了溪岸另一边的斜坡。狮爪也跟着过去了，刚开始攀爬，就听到坡顶传来了一声吼叫。他一抬头，看到天空中映出了好几只猫的身影，顿时愣住了：会不会又是入侵者呢？接着，他嗅到了族群猫和急水部落猫的气息，这才认出原来是鸦羽的巡逻队员！
“太棒啦！”狮爪大喊起来，“部落的边界都标记出来了！”
紧接着，两支队伍在坡顶胜利会师。鸦羽向黑莓掌报告，在巡逻的路上，他们遇到了一伙入侵者，可当入侵者们发现自己寡不敌众时，就马上灰溜溜地逃走了。除此之外，他们没遇到什么麻烦，顺利地设好了气味标记。
“好啦，我们一起回洞穴吧！”尖石巫师说道。
鹰爪带领大家，走上一条更快速便捷的路线，这让狮爪感到十分欣慰。走着走着，雨也逐渐停了下来。抵达瀑布旁边的池塘时，他发现，冬青爪还在训练着那些留下来的预备猫。
“狮爪！”正在示范战斗动作的冬青爪停了下来，那双绿色的眼睛大睁着，露出惊异的神情，“我差点儿没认出你来！你怎么看起来像急水部落的猫啊！”
狮爪很不自在地耸了耸肩，那一身的臭泥依旧让他心烦不已：“我真想赶紧把这身脏东西弄掉啊！”
“为什么？这泥巴没用吗？”
“相当有用，”狮爪回答，“就是感觉很恶心。”
冬青爪转了转眼珠，说道：“你一身金棕色的皮毛，在灰色的岩石里太惹眼了！现在好啦，你可以抓到更多猎物了。”
“可能吧。”狮爪叹了口气。此刻，他真希望再次回到森林里，阳光透过茂密的枝叶，在他的皮毛上打下斑驳的亮斑，那会令他倍感舒服——好怀念这种感觉啊！
这时，其他猫已经沿着瀑布后方的小径回到了洞穴里，只有黑莓掌停在池塘边的一处岩石上。“你们过来！”他一边喊，一边用尾巴朝年轻的猫们示意着，“尖石巫师要召集大家开个会。”
狮爪跳上岩石，来到黑莓掌身边，冬青爪和预备猫们也跟了过去。此刻，外面天空中的夕阳，朝洞穴中投下一束束猩红色的光波，好似一条条鲜血流成的小溪。狮爪不禁身子一阵战栗，仿佛感觉黏黏的血色潮水正漫过脚掌。
尖石巫师正坐在洞穴另一头的巨石上，那里紧挨着通往尖石洞的通道。他身边围满了猫——部落猫跟族群猫全都不分彼此地坐在一起；狮爪看到松鸦爪和松鼠飞坐在一起。他和冬青爪也来到风爪和其他预备猫身边，坐了下来。
“部落猫和族群猫们，”尖石巫师开口说道，“我们领地的边界已全部标记完毕。不过，入侵者们究竟会不会尊重边界，只能等着瞧了。”
狮爪听得出，尖石巫师其实依旧不相信边界会起什么作用，身边的部落猫们也都发出了阵阵低语声，他们也对此深表怀疑。
这时，一只瘦削的白色母猫说起话来：“那些泼皮猫不会尊重任何东西。”
“暴肚云，”尖石巫师朝她低头致意，“我觉得，你用多年来积累的经验和智慧，告诉了我们实情啊。”
“那我们到底该怎么做啊？”黑夜一边说，一边紧张地用前爪抓挠着洞穴地面，“我们辛辛苦苦地做了这么多，难道都是无用的吗？”
“绝对不是。”黑莓掌站起身，抬起头，竖起尾巴，十分肯定地说道——看到父亲正气凛然的样子，狮爪打心底感到温暖和自豪——“不过，我们的工作尚未完成。现在，我们必须去找入侵者，通知他们边界已经划定，今后要老老实实待在自己的那边。”
“你认为，他们会听我们的吗？”暴肚云不屑地问道。
“我不知道，”黑莓掌回答道，“不过我们该给他们一个机会。我们会在休战时到他们的营地去，请求他们的头领跟我们谈一谈。”
“什么？休战？”坐在狮爪和滚石中间的怒枭突然轻蔑地哼了一声，“如果他相信那帮入侵者会同意休战，那他就是个甲虫脑袋！”
“这不是没有可能。”冬青爪说道，“在我们那里，每个满月时，族群间都会休战的。”
看到怒枭似乎并不相信，狮爪又张口补充道：“她说得没错。如果在满月期间，族群之间爆发了战斗，星族会发怒的。”
滚石眨眨眼睛，露出好奇的神情——尽管她还是不太相信，世上有休战这一说。“你们说，这群入侵者会知道星族或者杀无尽部落吗？”
狮爪和冬青爪相互看了一眼。从妹妹绿色的双眼中，狮爪看到了跟自己一样困惑的表情。入侵者们会像急水部落和族群猫一样，经常跟自己的祖灵们交流吗？
“我不清楚，”冬青爪回答，“不过试一试，总归还是值得的。”
他们说话的同时，成年猫之间的热烈讨论依然继续着。突然，尖石巫师伸出尾巴，示意大家安静。“够了！别再吵了！我们会尝试一下黑莓掌提出的计划。我和他会选出几只猫，明天一起去会会入侵者们。不过，如果这个计划失败了，那么……”他低下了头，声音越来越小，狮爪不得不伸长了耳朵，才听到后半句，“如果计划失败，急水部落就会永远失去这片山地的家园了。”
狮爪从瀑布后面走到外面，看到黎明的天空中，已经泛出白蒙蒙的晨光。雾气氤氲的岩石上，挂满了露水。池塘边，灌木丛的叶子上也时不时地滴着水珠。然而前一天出现的那片压抑的黑云已经不见了踪影。狮爪心想，这会不会是个好兆头呢？
巡逻队队员们陆续离开洞穴，跳到池塘边集合。此刻，狮爪的心情很复杂——既害怕，又兴奋。除了松鼠飞和松鸦爪之外，所有族群猫都会去；部落猫那边，尖石巫师挑选了鹰崖、黑夜和鹰爪，还有两只预备猫——滚石和鱼跃斑。
“我真没想到，我们会被选上。”滚石一边说，一边跳了起来，“你说，我们会跟他们打起来吗？”
“我希望不会，”冬青爪回答道，“要是真打起来了，只要记住我教的那些战斗动作，应该没事的。”
黑莓掌挥动尾巴，将族群猫们召集在一起，大声说道：“我们要到上次遇见入侵者的那处池塘去，或许可以在那儿搜寻到他们的气息踪迹。”
“祝大家好运！”松鼠飞的声音响了起来。
狮爪转过身去，发现自己的母亲走出洞口，蹲坐在那震耳欲聋的水帘旁边的一块大石头上。她那暗姜黄色的皮毛，在愈发明亮的晨光里闪耀着。
“谢谢你，”黑莓掌回答道，“我们离开的这段时间，你要多留意周围的动静。”
松鼠飞抽抽耳朵，说道：“我会的，别担心。”
原来，这就是她留下的原因啊，狮爪心想，为了防止入侵者趁着没有猫看守洞穴，前来这里捣乱。
今天，再次踏上旅途穿过新划定的部落领地前往池塘，大家都感觉没有上次那么艰难了。狮爪也发觉，自己的肌肉已经开始慢慢适应在岩石上爬上爬下了，就连爪垫也变得厚实耐磨了许多。
“这儿有入侵者的气息，”当大部队抵达池塘时，褐皮说道，“不过已经很陈旧了。我认为，自从我们上次在这儿遇见他们后，他们就再也没来过这里了。”
“他们朝那个方向离开了。”鸦羽伸伸耳朵，指向一个巨大的石堆，里面有一处狭窄的缝隙，“他们可能把猎物带回自己营地去了。”
“好，那我们走这条路试试。”黑莓掌表示同意，带领大家走入石堆，钻进缝隙里。
狮爪跟了上去，嗅闻着空中的气息，却很难发现入侵者的气息，因为空气中已经混杂了上次巡逻时，他们自己留下的气息。当他们经过上次跟那群年轻猫打斗过的地方时，入侵者气息逐渐变得浓烈起来，而当他们再次来到那片山谷尽头时，气息又消失得无影无踪了。
“老鼠屎，”褐皮低声喃喃着，“可千万别找不到他们！”
大家都一言不发地站在原地，不停嗅闻着，然后又纷纷在岩石堆上探下身子开始摸索入侵者可能留下的任何不易觉察的踪迹。这时，狮爪闻到了老鼠的气息，肚子咕咕咕地响起来。他不住地提醒着自己，他们现在不是在狩猎。但是，他们依然没发现入侵者的影子。
“大家快到这儿来！”狮爪转过身，看到一块庞大的嶙峋巨石下方，冬青爪焦急地朝他们挥动着尾巴，高喊着，“我想，他们应该是从这条路走了。”
黑莓掌走了过去，深深吸了一口空气。“你说得对，”他一边说，一边用鼻子蹭了蹭自己女儿的耳朵，“这里的气息还挺浓的。冬青爪，你在前面带路。”
冬青爪的双眼里顿时闪出自豪的光。接着她领着大家走过悬空的石头下方，朝一处石坡走去——石坡异常陡峭，很费力才能将爪子固定住。冬青爪费了很大力气，才爬到坡顶，停了一会儿，又开始从另一侧往下走。狮爪正在爬着，突然下方一块石头开始松动，他爪子一滑，差点摔了下去。此刻，他真希望冬青爪的判断没错——入侵者的气息，他是一丁点儿也没闻出来。
“你妹妹真是非常厉害啊！”滚石赶上狮爪，在他耳边低声说道，“我想现在，就连狩猎者都搜不到他们的气息了。”
“对，她是雷族最优秀的猫，”狮爪骄傲地回答道，“在我们那里，她狩猎带回的猎物总是最多的。”
当他们抵达斜坡底部时，入侵者的气息又变得浓烈了。狮爪觉察到了许多猫的踪迹，毛渐渐竖了起来——他们一定离入侵者的营地越来越近了！
循着气息踪迹，他们穿过一条干涸的小溪，又挤进了一处位于两块险峻岩石之间的狭窄缝隙——两块石头往中间倾斜着，顶端几乎碰在了一起，缝隙深处一片黑暗。入侵者的气息扑面而来。
“我想，他们的营地就在这儿。”黑莓掌低声说道。
“我们进去吗？”鹰崖问道。
“不。我们还不清楚他们到底有多少只猫呢。另外，如果我们贸然闯进他们的营地，就等于向他们宣战了，他们铁定会发动攻击的。还是等等吧。”
众猫分散开来，在缝隙周围形成一个松散的半圆形。狮爪看到褐皮全神贯注地盯着那个缝隙——那聚精会神的样子，简直像是在盯着老鼠出洞。鸦羽的表情很紧张，他耷拉着耳朵，时不时警觉地回头望几眼。暴毛和溪儿紧紧靠着坐在一起，低声说着什么，而鹰崖则不停地来回走着。
狮爪走到冬青爪身边，蹭了蹭她的皮毛：“干得漂亮。你已经找到营地入口了。”
冬青爪的胡须颤了颤：“我们费了这么大气力到了这儿，但愿他们能跟我们谈谈。”
突然缝隙深处传来了一阵动静，接着，一只猫突然探出头来。狮爪立刻认出，这就是自己见过两次面的那只玳瑁色年轻母猫。当年轻的母猫看到外面一大群等待着的猫时，眼睛惊恐地睁大了，然后立刻掉转头，飞奔回缝隙的阴影中。狮爪听到她逃跑时，发出一声惊恐的号叫。
“看来，我们应该不会等太久。”黑莓掌说道。
时间过得很慢，每一个心跳都像一个季节般漫长。过了好一会儿，狮爪才看到，缝隙里面出现了一个浅色的身影——原来是他们刚刚抵达山地时，遇见的那只叫银斑的银色公猫。他钻出缝隙，来到黑莓掌面前。
接着，他身后出现了一大群入侵者——狮爪辨认出了那只深棕色和白色相间的母猫弗洛拉，还有上次跟银斑一起出现的瘦削的浅棕色公猫弗里克。还有一只黑色公猫——狮爪虽然不知道他的名字，不过他记得上次在池塘边曾遇见过他，当时他是狩猎巡逻队的领头猫。每只猫都瘦得皮包骨，还有些猫的腿一瘸一拐的。狮爪看得出，他们在山地的生活也是异常艰难。不过他们的眼中，却露出了坚毅的目光。
“你们来这里干什么？”银斑大声问道。
黑莓掌看看鹰崖，抽了抽耳朵，示意这只部落猫开口回答。
“我们想跟你谈谈，”鹰崖回答道，“我们是想尽快结束当前的冲突。这片山地很大，足以养活所有猫，但我们需要将这片领地分成几部分，这样一来，我们捕捉猎物的机会就均等了，这对大家都公平。”
鹰崖停顿了一下，像是在等待银斑的意见，然而这只银色公猫只是猛然抬起头，低声说着：“接着说。”
“急水部落已经设立了边界标记，划定了我们自己领地的范围，”鹰崖解释道，“我们留下的气息，会提醒你们边界的位置。你们可以在边界线外的任何地方狩猎，不过你们绝对不能越过边界。我们——”
刹那间，一阵愤怒的巨大吼声将他的声音淹没。入侵者的毛全都倒竖起来，眼里都放出团团怒火。
银斑向前迈了一步，走到离鹰崖仅一条尾巴远的地方。“你们无权在山地这么做，”他大吼道，“你们无权设立边界。我们想去哪里狩猎，就去哪里！”
“这不公平！”褐皮抗议道，“你难道看不出，我们是想……”
“这事关生死，”银斑打断了她的话，“如果有必要，我们不在意生死，当然，是我们生，你们死！”他一边说，一边慢慢伸出了爪子。
第二十七章
第二十七章
一股憎恶的感觉袭遍冬青爪的全身。这感觉，像是在战场上被猫爪狠狠抓了一下。“他们办事根本不讲规则！”她一边喊着，一边对狮爪说道，“连急水部落都有职责的概念，明白公平的道理。可这些猫呢，什么都不在乎！”
冬青爪绷紧全身的肌肉，随时准备进入战斗状态。他们巡逻队此行的目的，只是来和平谈判。可现在看，休战协定一定会被打破了。冬青爪在心中祈祷着：星族，快救救我们，告诉我们，该怎么做啊！其实她也不知道，星族能否听见身处异乡的自己发出的呼唤。
冬青爪挥挥尾巴，示意急水部落的预备猫聚到自己身边，狮爪和风爪分别站在他们两侧。
“现在要开战了吗？”鱼跃斑神情紧张地问道。
“但愿不会。如果一定要打仗，冬青爪会向大家发出信号的。”狮爪回应道——他轻柔的话音，听上去好似在安慰大家，冬青爪听了，感激之情满溢心间。
然而冬青爪依然感觉，战斗在所难免。银斑的态度已经很明确，这群入侵者并不打算尊重急水部落费尽心力设立的边界。现在，急水部落的处境，跟设立边界线前没什么两样。
面对银斑的挑衅，鹰崖站了出来，走到他跟前——他俩的鼻子几乎贴到了一块儿。鹰崖后颈上的毛竖了起来，眯起双眼，露出恶狠狠的目光，接着开口道：“如果你们想打仗的话……”
黑莓掌立刻用尾巴碰了碰鹰崖的肩膀，示意他往后退。“现在，开战的时机还不成熟，”他低声说道，“再有，他们的数量比我们多。我们最好还是先回洞穴，看看会发生什么。”
“我知道会发生什么事。”鹰崖大吼起来。
一时间，冬青爪以为，鹰崖不会把黑莓掌的话当回事，他一定会挑起战斗。这样一来，大家为了帮他，想不开战都不行了。
但最后，鹰崖长叹一声，低下头对黑莓掌说：“算了，还是听你的吧。”
黑莓掌再次用尾巴蹭了蹭这位山洞卫士的肩膀，默默地表示感激。接着他转过头，对银斑说道：“我们会捍卫部落边界的，如果你们仍要来犯，就别怪我们不客气了。”
“很好，”银斑一边回答，一边甩甩尾巴，“我们会记住的。可也别忘了，你们当中，有些猫并不属于这里。”
“他是说我们族群猫呢，”狮爪轻声说道，“他知道，我们早晚会回去的。然后，急水部落的实力就又变弱了……”
狮爪突然觉得，自己没必要再说下去了——冬青爪很清楚，等族群猫们离开后，急水部落就失去了强援，银斑便会进攻他们。冬青爪想，我们总不可能一直在这儿待下去啊。与此同时，她拼命压抑着内心强烈的思乡之情，森林和石头山谷中的雷族营地又在冬青爪脑海中隐隐浮现了。
黑莓掌转过身，带领大家走开了。这时，他们身后传来一阵讥笑声。“别再回来烦我们了！”弗里克大喊着。
当巡逻队一行返回洞穴时，太阳已经高挂在群山之上，金色的阳光温暖着岩石，然而此刻冬青爪却感到冰冷得如同身处秃叶季。
“你觉得，我们这么做有用吗？”鱼跃斑一脸愁云，“入侵者们现在知道我们设立边界了，他们不会再骚扰我们了吧？”
“我希望自己能参加第一支边界巡逻队！”滚石说道。
“我们静观其变吧！”冬青爪说道。她并不确定，这些急水部落的预备猫是否理解刚才发生的事，或者他们是在故作镇定，逼着自己不往坏处想呢？冬青爪实在不想告诉他们，只有边界线两侧双方都承认“边界”的存在，它才是有意义的。入侵者们的态度已经表明，他们不会尊重边界，不会给急水部落留任何面子。所以，他们早晚会越过边界，到部落的领地上偷猎物的。
冬青爪心想，武士守则在这里不起作用。这可是她发誓毕生都要坚守的信条啊！现在她感觉，自己似乎从悬崖上跌落，跌入了黑暗之中。即使是急水部落也根本不理解武士守则的深意。
冬青爪转念一想，急水部落或许从没有过类似武士守则的制度，但他们却有着跟武士守则同样重要的古老的传统。或许，杀无尽部落最终会帮助他们吧。
巡逻队来到了那处通往溪流的石头坡。黑莓掌突然停住了，抬起尾巴，示意身后的猫也停下来。“这里有入侵者的气息！”他低声喊道。
冬青爪感觉自己肩膀上的毛开始直竖起来。她立刻嗅了嗅——一阵微风从光秃秃的岩石上吹过来，夹带着一股浓烈的气息。虽然她看不见入侵者的影子，但是感觉他们就在不远处。
“我简直不敢相信，咱们不是刚跟他们讲了边界线的事吗？他们这会儿就闯进来了！”狮爪轻声在冬青爪耳边说道——此时，他的毛气得全都奓开了，尾巴尖儿扫来扫去。
“快看下面！”滚石用耳朵指了指下方的溪流。
那只叫弗里克的浅棕色瘦猫，从溪流旁边的岩石后面走了出来。紧接着，他身后又出现了四只入侵者，其中就有那只他们之前碰见的黑色公猫，嘴里还叼着一只老鼠。他们一行沿着溪边，肆无忌惮地行进着，仿佛在这里狩猎是理所当然的事。
我就知道会这样。冬青爪心想，我们所做的一切努力，没起一点作用。
“这些狩猎者真够没用的，”冬青爪一边尽力掩饰心中那如岩石般冰冷的挫败感，一边佯装平静地说道，“他们连我们的气息都没闻到，他们可能都不知道我们在这儿吧。”
“或许他们只是不屑于搭理我们而已！”狮爪回应道。
黑莓掌、鹰崖和暴毛简单地交流了几句，可他们的声音太小，冬青爪听不清他们在说什么。不一会儿，黑莓掌跳到最近的一块石头上，蓝天顿时勾勒出了他身形的轮廓。“入侵者！”他突然怒吼道。
那些入侵的猫忽然停了下来。与此同时，黑莓掌发出一阵可怕的尖叫声，从石头上猛地跃下。巡逻队其他成员也都跟着黑莓掌，顺着石坡飞速奔跑起来。冬青爪感觉，自己像是被一股汹涌咆哮的急流裹挟着前进一样。
弗里克的巡逻队队员吓得抬头看了一眼，接着突然转过身，朝溪流下游逃窜起来。弗里克使劲爬上一处陡峭的岩壁，来到一处石台。他俯视着下方的族群猫和部落猫，平贴起耳朵，嘴唇往后缩着，咆哮起来。
黑莓掌向上跳到了岩壁下，朝弗里克喊道：“你们已经擅自越过急水部落的边界，而且还在偷猎物。”冬青爪发觉，此时黑莓掌的话音虽然依旧平静，但却因胸中的怒气而微微有些颤抖。
“为什么不能越界？”弗里克骂道，“我们战无不胜，什么也挡不住我们。”
“我们已经跟你们解释了气味标记的事。”鹰崖一边说，一边走上前，站到了黑莓掌身边。
“啊，气味标记！”弗里克嘲笑着，“我真的好害怕呀！那你们现在要做什么？再设立几处更浓烈的气味标记吗？我们想在哪儿狩猎，就在哪儿狩猎，你们无法阻止我们。”不等其他猫开口回应，他就纵身向上一跃，消失在岩石顶部。
“我们应该追他，”鹰爪咆哮道，“也许我们教训他一顿，他今后就会听话了呢。”
“没这个必要。”黑莓掌的话音有些沮丧，“显然，我们跟他们解释边界的事没什么用。我们刚走，他们就越过了边界。看来，我们必须给他们一次教训，一劳永逸。”
当冬青爪走进洞穴时，感觉洞中气氛十分热烈，留在这里的部落猫得知了巡逻队遭遇入侵者的事情，都在七嘴八舌地议论着。
“所以说，他们知道边界的事了？”飞鸟问着，双眼闪耀着希望的光，“这是不是意味着，他们不会再来骚扰我们了？”
“或许从现在开始，我们就能平安无事地狩猎了。”灰濛补充道。
黑莓掌费力地从激动的猫群中挤过，说道：“不，战斗还远未结束，边界线实际上没有生效！”
“可边界真的存在啊！”怒枭从两只年长一些的猫之间钻了过来，身上的毛竖着，冲黑莓掌大喊道：“你们不是已经立下气味标记了吗？”
“事实上，入侵者现在已经越过边界线了。”暴毛说道。
接着，这位深灰色皮毛的武士跟大家简单讲述了他们与弗里克的巡逻队相遇的过程，猫们听了，先是发出一阵诧异的惊叫声，随即又气得怒吼了好几阵，有些猫还大喊着：“他们不能那么做！”
“可他们已经越过边界了。”鹰爪干脆地回应着。
“如果另一侧的一方不承认，那边界就不存在。”松鼠飞说道。
“的确是这样。”冬青爪一边说，一边转过身去，发现尖石巫师站在了那块大石头上。这只老猫的毛也气得直竖了起来，他的目光紧紧盯着黑莓掌：“这么一来，我们所有的努力都白费了。那你说，接下来我们该怎么办呢？”
“能做的只有一件事了，”黑莓掌一边说，一边毕恭毕敬地朝他低头致意着，“我们向入侵者宣战，将他们彻底打败，一劳永逸地解决这件事。”
尖石巫师刚想大吼一声，却又忍住了，他那双绿色眼睛落在了暴毛身上，洞穴里的所有猫都陷入了沉默。“不，”他的话音很轻，却隐隐透着一股怒气，“我们已经试过用武力了，可代价太惨重了——许多猫失去了生命，还有些猫，今生再也无法在山地行走了。”
“可这次的情况，已经截然不同了，”黑莓掌对他承诺道，“你们的猫现在已经参加了战斗训练，而且，这次他们有了一个明确的作战目标——保卫领地，而不是单纯地赶走入侵者。”他停顿了一下，深吸了一口气，又接着说道，“你们是要奋起作战，还是要被入侵者赶出家园，自己选择吧！”
部落猫们爆发出一波波针锋相对的议论声浪。尖石巫师挥挥尾巴，示意安静。
“很好，”他嘶嘶说道，“急水部落会做出选择，证明我们不是族群猫。”
冬青爪看到狮爪的眼神里闪过一丝惊讶。
“他到底在讲什么？”狮爪问道，“他们当然不是族群猫啦！”
“他不想打仗，”冬青爪回答道，“不过，他或许认为，让部落猫们做决定，这样更公平些。他们要对这个决定负责。”
部落猫们一脸迷惑地你望望我，我望望你，然后窃窃私语起来。终于，鹰崖开口说话了：“尖石巫师，我们不太明白，你到底要我们做什么呢？”
“我想，我已经说得很清楚了，”尖石巫师冷冷地回答着，“是找一个新家园，还是留在这里与入侵者作战——我把选择的权利交给大家。杀无尽部落不想让我影响你们的决定。”
“我敢说，他们不是这么想的。”一声愤怒的低语，把冬青爪吓了一跳。她回过头，看到松鸦爪也来了。他已经坐了下来，尾巴整齐地卷放在爪子上。
“你刚才的话，是什么意思？”她问道。
松鸦爪抽抽耳朵，回答道：“你还不明白吗？杀无尽部落的谕示，尖石巫师想说成什么样，就说成什么样。别的猫又怎么知道实情呢？”
冬青爪警觉地注视着弟弟。他怎么会说出这种话？没有哪只族群猫敢编造跟星族有关的谎言，急水部落难道不是这样？
尖石巫师接着说道：“希望跟入侵者们作战的猫，请站到洞穴那边。”他说着挥了挥尾巴，“希望逃离这里的，站到另一边去。记住，你们的选择，决定急水部落的未来。”
“希望他们还有未来。”狮爪低声喃喃着。
一时间，众猫都一动不动。冬青爪想，已经习惯尖石巫师对自己发号施令的他们，此刻要自己做出决定，肯定都不知如何是好了。她看到那位叫暴肚云的白色老瘦猫，正跟另一只带有斑纹的棕色老猫，低声交谈着。
“你怎么想呢，雨水，”暴肚云问他，“是留下来战斗，还是逃往别处？”
这只年老的公猫发出一阵厌烦的哼声：“我不想打仗，可我年纪又太大，逃不了多远。”
不远处，两只母猫把脑袋靠在一起，也在神情焦虑地低声说着话。
“栗鹰爪，我们该怎么办啊？我现在正给幼崽们喂奶呢，没法参战，而且他们的眼睛还没完全睁开，不能逃跑！反正我是不会留下他们的。”
“别担心，鹭翔，”另一只母猫劝慰着她，“没有猫会逼你抛弃你的幼崽的。我也不会离开我的宝贝们。”
鹰爪朝她们走了过去，两只母猫不安地抬起头，望着他。
“选择战斗吧，”这位体形庞大的山洞卫士大吼着，“急水部落会把所有幼崽和他们的母亲都保护起来的。”他一边说，一边用尾巴将两只母猫圈住，将她们朝同意开战的一侧拖去，然后站在她们身边——他似乎已经准备好保卫猫后和幼崽们的安全了。
过了一会儿，冬青爪发现，部落猫们已分成了两个阵营。滚石和鱼跃斑迅速做出了开战的抉择。怒枭骂了她俩几句什么，冬青爪没听清楚。接着怒枭跟另外一只预备狩猎者一起，退到了洞穴另一侧。黑夜走到了鹰爪身边。令冬青爪惊讶的是，灰濛选择了逃跑，经过短暂的犹豫之后，飞鸟也做出了跟灰濛相同的选择。
冬青爪感觉心脏开始怦怦直跳，全身的肌肉也开始紧张起来。她不清楚，自己为什么如此殷切地期望，急水部落能够坚守住山地的家园；她只知道，这对她来说，是异乎寻常地重要。如果他们离开了家园，就不得不承受漫长旅途的种种劳顿和凶险。而且，他们也会丧失所有从祖先处继承下来的一切熟悉的传统，这样一来，他们将失去急水部落的所有特质了。
此时尚未做出选择的，只剩下寥寥数只猫了。鹰崖依然站在洞穴中央，眼神里满是痛苦。最终，他朝黑莓掌微微点点头，走到了赞成开战的一边。鹰爪用尾巴尖儿蹭蹭他的肩膀表示欢迎。
暴毛和溪儿一直都依偎着，站在那里默默不语。最后，溪儿用恳求的目光深情地望着暴毛。暴毛用鼻子蹭蹭溪儿的耳朵，又将尾巴放在她的背上，一起朝她哥哥鹰爪的方向走去。
“他俩还要选择吗？”狮爪轻声问道，“他俩到底是急水部落的，还是族群的啊？”
“我想，他俩自己也不清楚吧。”冬青爪回答道。
部落猫们都已选择完毕，而族群猫们依然站在洞穴中央，紧紧地靠在一起。渐渐地，整个洞穴只剩下他们未做选择。当冬青爪发现赞成开战的猫数量更多时，她的心跳再次加快了。
“多数猫选择了开战。”她轻声对松鸦爪说道。
松鸦爪弹动了一下尾巴：“很好。”
黑莓掌看了看分别站在两侧的部落猫，朝尖石巫师低头致意，高声说道：“尊敬的尖石巫师，大家已经做出了选择。你的部落想要拼死一战。”
猛然间，尖石巫师的毛倒竖了起来。冬青爪发觉，这个结果显然出乎他的预料。他凝视着黑莓掌，眯起了眼睛。“那就这样吧，”他嘶嘶地说道，“族群猫，祝你们晚上睡个好觉。这场战争，会将我的部落彻底毁掉。”
黑莓掌站在原地，一直看着尖石巫师跳下石头，摇摇尾巴，消失在通往尖石洞的通道中。然后，他转过身，望着洞穴中的众猫。部落猫的脸上都露出了慌张的神色，就连选择了开战的猫也是如此，好像他们此刻才意识到，刚才的决定有多么重大。
“好了，现在是为战斗进行准备的时候了。”黑莓掌的声音既干脆利落，又充满自信，“我们必须立即出击，绝对不能让入侵者抢在前头。今晚是满月，这会对我们大有帮助。”
冬青爪听了顿时一怔，身上的每一根毛都抗议地竖了起来，心想，不该这样！满月之夜是休战的时间！生活在湖边的族群猫们，会在这时来到湖心岛上，召开森林大会！冬青爪真想立刻离开洞穴，跑下山去参加森林大会，尽管她清楚这根本不可能。满月之夜对急水部落来说，没有什么特殊的含义。她提醒自己。
“有谁想学习更多战斗动作的，请找松鼠飞和冬青爪。”黑莓掌继续说道，“鹰崖、鹰爪，你们俩要帮我谋划作战策略。松鸦爪，你去找找草药，我们打完仗回来，肯定用得上。”
“好吧，”松鸦爪低声说道，“尖石巫师一定不会帮我们了。”
“大家要记住，”黑莓掌神情庄严地扫视着洞穴中的众猫，说道，“我们不是为了维护武士守则，或者什么部落守则而战。正如入侵者们所说，这是事关生死的行动。你们——急水部落——将获得最终的胜利！”
部落猫爆发出一阵赞同的欢呼声。黑莓掌站在那里，岿然不动，琥珀色的眼睛闪着别样的光芒。
月亮透过水帘，将银色的微光洒向整个洞穴。此刻，将要奔赴战场的众猫已在洞口附近聚集起来，等待着依次通过急水小径。冬青爪站在狮爪身旁，察觉到狮爪此刻的心情异常地兴奋——他终于能在实战中一展身手了！他尾巴蓬松，看上去有平时的两倍那么大，琥珀色的双眼也放出激动的光芒。
“过来。”一条尾巴突然碰了碰冬青爪的肩膀，吓了她一跳——她一回头，发现是松鸦爪。“来这儿。”他一边重复着，一边挥挥尾巴，示意他俩过来。“我想跟你俩说件事。”冬青爪听得出，松鸦爪也在强压着内心的紧张情绪，仿佛他也要准备去参战一样。
“怎么了？”狮爪一边问，一边回头望着渐渐消失在小径远方的大部队，“我们还要抓紧时间赶路呢。”
“不会耽误很久的，”松鸦爪一边承诺着，一边领着他俩来到洞穴中一处有石头遮蔽的安静角落。当他俩在自己身边蹲坐下来时，松鸦爪说道：“你俩一定要小心。要记住，在这里，星族是无法保佑你们的。”
“还有杀无尽部落嘛。”冬青爪提醒道。
“哦，不是这样的，”松鸦爪动动耳朵说道，“杀无尽部落已经放弃了。它们一点儿忙都不会帮的。”
松鸦爪怎么会知道呢？冬青爪想不通。不过，眼下已经没时间问他这些了。无论如何，她都不会问松鸦爪是如何知道这些事情的。
“你听我说，你不必担心我们俩……”狮爪开口道。
“我没担心你们。”松鸦爪那双无神的盲眼，突然诡异地放出严肃的光，“无论如何，你们一定要回到这里。这比你们想象的，要重要得多。”
“你是知道的，我们俩绝不会临阵脱逃的。”狮爪说道。
松鸦爪突然气得大吼起来：“你们能不能听我说……”
他那副严肃的样子把冬青爪吓坏了。她真想知道，松鸦爪到底有什么事情瞒着他俩。可就在这时，她听到有猫在瀑布那边呼唤着自己的名字。
“冬青爪！冬青爪！”黑莓掌甩动着尾巴，等待着她。
“我来了！”她回应着。
冬青爪和狮爪马上爬起来，飞速跑出洞穴，朝小径的方向奔去。当跑到那震耳欲聋的水帘下方时，冬青爪依稀听到，松鸦爪抬高声音，最后高喊了一声：
“你们一定要回来啊！”
第二十八章
第二十八章
满月之夜，皎洁的月光给这片山地涂上一抹银色，嶙峋的山石在地面上投下斑驳的阴影。狮爪追上了自己的父亲。
“记住，”黑莓掌回头望着狮爪和冬青爪说道，“你们不要试着去证明什么，如果可能，尽量不要试图攻击自己无法对付的敌猫。”
“我们可不想耳朵被撕掉。”冬青爪一边甩甩尾巴，一边回答。
“你们还是自己多留点神吧，”黑莓掌琥珀色的目光中透着一股暖意，“如果我不能把你们安全带回雷族，我还有什么脸去见火星？”
狮爪此刻的心情兴奋无比，恨不得让战斗打响那一刻早点儿到来——这可是他参加的第一次实战啊！他真心希望，自己的表现能够让父亲和全体雷族同伴们感到自豪。他不只是为维护雷族的名声以及武士守则的尊严而战，更是为了守住急水部落家园，跟刚刚成为朋友的部落猫们并肩战斗。他们的敌人，因此也成了他的敌人，因为这群不守信用的入侵者，不接受将山地分割成各自独立的领地这种公平而公正的做法。
在离自己几条尾巴远的地方，狮爪看到了风爪。这位风族学徒也毛发倒立，龇着牙咆哮着，做好了迎战准备。此刻，他正走在鸦羽身后。然而他的父亲并没有给他任何形式的鼓励。狮爪顿时同情起风爪来，心想，如果风爪的父亲不是鸦羽，而是黑莓掌，他可能就不会变成现在这个讨厌的毛球了。
这时，一大团阴影从石丛上空飘过。狮爪抬起头，原来是一片乌云遮蔽了月亮。他顿时感觉像是踩到了冰面，身体禁不住打了个冷战。他们现在的做法，已经违反了满月停战协定。那这个迹象，会不会是在提示他们，星族已经发火了呢？可他又转念一想，星族不可能在这片山地的天空出现的。松鸦爪已经警告过他们，他们不会得到帮助。另外，不一会儿，那云就飘向了别处，月亮再次露出面孔。看来我是想多了，狮爪心想，就是一片普通的云而已。
当这群对战斗满怀期待的猫抵达入侵者的营地时，月亮已经高高地悬在空中了。深夜时分，这里已是一片沉寂。狮爪目不转睛地注视着两块倾斜的巨石间那处狭窄的缝隙，可里面一团漆黑，他什么也看不见。
“我看不到有猫在把守啊。”冬青爪轻声说道。
“他们很可能觉得自己的营地不需要把守吧，”狮爪小声说道，“毕竟，部落猫的力量很弱，对他们构不成什么威胁，对吧？”
冬青爪绿色的双眼闪出戏谑的光：“对他们有无威胁，待会儿就知道啦！”
黑莓掌挥挥尾巴，把大家召集到自己身边，带领他们藏到一处岩石的阴影里。“我和鹰崖会把你们分为几支作战小分队，”他说道，“我们将部落猫和族群猫，还有学徒和预备猫，都混编进每个小分队里。这样一来，我们的作战实力就会非常均衡。我们的计划是，将入侵者引诱到这儿，然后再发起全面攻击。否则，我们就会在入侵者的地盘上摸黑作战，那样对我们不利。”
狮爪又朝那黑乎乎的缝隙里仔细地望了望，接着回到黑莓掌身边。“你说得不对。”他反驳着。
黑莓掌歪了歪脑袋：“为什么？”
“因为这处缝隙里面，不可能是全黑的。他们的巢穴在里面啊——他们怎么可能在完全黑暗的环境下生活呢？”
黑莓掌眯起了眼睛：“你说得对。这里一定还有什么地方，可以把亮光和空气透进去。”
“我们应该去搜索一下！”狮爪兴奋地喊了起来。
黑莓掌思索了一会儿，接着点了点头。“好的。我们应该搞清楚情况，然后再攻击。如果另有出口，他们一定会从那里出来，从背后攻击我们。”他一边说，一边用耳朵指了指巨石，“我们走！冬青爪、风爪，你俩也跟我来。”
“还有我！”滚石一下子跳了起来，说道，“我对这里的石头的情况很了解，能帮到你们的。”
“好，一起走吧！”黑莓掌说道，“鹰崖，你来分组。大家的动作一定要静，就像跟踪猎物一样。我们要随时迎战，绝不打无准备之仗。”
说完，这五只猫小心谨慎地穿过缝隙前方的一处开阔地，爬上一条狭窄的小径，小径向上通到两块倾斜巨石其中之一的旁边。狮爪低伏着身体——如果缝隙中有任何响动，他随时准备一跃而起，投入战斗。可是，那里却依旧又黑暗又安静。
这两块倾斜巨石就在一个乱石林立的石头斜坡上，石头斜坡又通往一道山梁。这条小径在石头间蜿蜒穿行，直通两巨石相接处附近的坡顶。狮爪压低身体，朝那里爬去，肚皮上的皮毛紧紧贴着地面。
“风爪，注意观察下方的情况，”黑莓掌轻声说道，“如果发现了入侵者的踪迹，赶紧告诉我。”
风爪被单独挑了出来，他顿时露出高兴的神情，小心翼翼地贴着地面，向前爬去，来到了坡底一处能俯瞰下方地面的地方。黑莓掌和其他学徒们四散开来，检查着两块巨石周围。
狮爪仔细嗅闻着山梁两侧的石头——这里有浓烈的猫的气味儿，他辨识出这就是入侵者身上的味道，但他却分辨不出这气味来自什么地方。接着，他发现了一道石缝，那儿的气息比任何地方都更刺鼻。
“我想我找到他们了！”他轻声喊起来。
黑莓掌、冬青爪和滚石一听，马上跑了过来，紧紧贴着他的身体。狮爪使劲把脑袋伸进石缝中，发现里面有一条垂直的通道，底部是一圈沙子，月光将他脑袋的黑影映照在上面。这里没有猫的踪迹，然而，那股猫味儿却更加浓烈。
“让我看看。”滚石迫不及待地说道。
狮爪向后退了退，给这只预备猫让出地方。她朝下方看了一会儿，又抬起头，那双蓝色的眼睛闪着光芒：“入侵者们肯定不会从这里出来的。不过，我倒是可以从这儿爬进去。”
“对啊！”狮爪兴奋得差点儿像幼崽一样在这儿蹦上几下，“我们都可以进去，把入侵者赶到开阔地上。我们的武士们已经在那儿恭候多时了。”
黑莓掌摇了摇头：“不能这么做，太危险了！”
“不危险。”冬青爪用脑袋顶了一下他的肩膀，“他们想不到我们会这么做的。到时候，他们一定会惊慌失措，吓得四散逃窜的。”
“那好吧，我会去的。”黑莓掌回答道。
狮爪轻轻地笑了起来：“喂，你的肩膀那么宽，还想钻进里面去啊？只有体形小的猫才进得去！喂，风爪！”
他示意风族学徒来到身边，跟他解释了这个计划。风爪听了，神情紧张地回答道：“好吧，算我一个。”
“我还没说你们可以这么干呢！”黑莓掌说道，“计划本身很不错，不过我担心你们会掉下去摔断脖子。而且谁知道入侵者会怎么对付你们呢！”
“我可不会摔下去，”滚石自信满满地回答道，“只要大家都小心一些，就不会有危险。石头上的裂缝很多，我们可以用爪子牢牢抓住它们，”她解释道，“只要多留心，每走一下都稳住自己的步伐，简直就像吃东西一样简单！”
或许只是对你们部落猫来说简单吧。狮爪心想。不过此刻，他可不想打退堂鼓，给族群猫丢脸。“我们就这么做吧，”他大声说道，“没准儿我们这么做，可以改变最终的战局，从而决定整个急水部落的命运。”
黑莓掌叹了口气：“没错。你们已经是学徒了，再也不是育婴室中需要保护的幼崽了。很好，你们可以那么做！”
狮爪盯着冬青爪闪闪发亮的双眼，希望自己的神情足够坚毅。
“我现在要下去通知其他猫，”黑莓掌接着说道，“你们在这里等一会儿，看到我下到了那里，你们就马上下去。我们会在那里做好迎战准备。”
黑莓掌琥珀色的双眼，关切地望着狮爪，又注视了一会儿冬青爪，然后转过身，沿着小径朝下方奔去。
滚石在复述攀爬的技巧和注意事项时，风爪又回到了警戒位置。“对了，千万不要向下看，”滚石最后说道，“否则你会头晕目眩，很容易就摔下去了。”
风爪回过头说道：“黑莓掌到下面了。”
“那我们就开始吧！”狮爪回答。
“我先来。”话音刚落，滚石已经转过身，将自己的后腿伸进洞里，“你们仔细看我是怎么做的。”
缝隙太狭窄，他们三个无法同时凑上去看。尽管风爪的耳朵挡住了视线，狮爪依然看到滚石是如何小心翼翼往下爬的。每爬一步，都仔细确认自己的爪子是否抓牢。
“下一个我来，”狮爪低声说道，“不能让滚石自己在下面！”
冬青爪和风爪挪到一边，给他腾出地方来。当身体滑进石缝中时，狮爪还担心自己体形太大会被卡住——他的肩膀被洞穴两侧的石壁蹭得生疼。不过他最终还是成功地钻了进去，用自己的四只爪子使劲抓牢这条垂直通道的内壁。这时，下方传来了滚石轻柔的声音：“对，就是这样，慢一点儿！”
狮爪心里想着滚石说过的话，没有向下看。他谨慎地挪动着步子，将爪子紧紧嵌在经过的每一处缝隙里。突然，一块石头在他身体的重压下碎裂开来，他的身体猛地滑了一下，几乎悬空。狮爪吓得叫了一声，慌乱地在石头表面寻找着下一个落脚处。找到后，他停顿了一会儿，怦怦直跳的心脏猛烈地敲击着他的胸腔。声音大得甚至让狮爪担心，从这儿到湖边的所有猫都会被惊醒。
这时，他听到上方传来了风爪气恼的话音：“你今晚要一直挂在那儿吗？”
狮爪气得牙根痒痒，他可不想让风族学徒看出自己害怕。他稳住情绪，一点一点稳稳地向下爬去。很快——比他预想的快，他就听到了滚石轻柔的声音。
“现在可以松开爪子啦。”
狮爪绷紧肌肉，纵身一跳，平稳地落在距离自己下方几条尾巴远的沙地上。又过了一会儿，风爪和冬青爪也都“砰”的一声落在他旁边的地上。
“你们都太棒了！”滚石的双眼在月光中闪烁着，“现在，我们该怎么办呢？”
狮爪抖掉皮毛中的沙砾，环视着四周。一处通道连接着这处沙地，通道是弯的，狮爪看不远，不过这里的空气中，却到处充斥着入侵者的气息。
“你们在这儿等一下。”他轻声对大家说。
接着，狮爪蹑手蹑脚地迈着步子向前爬去，就像是在跟踪一只老鼠。他来到拐角处，小心翼翼地四下张望着。弯道的另一边，是一处更为开阔的沙地，两侧的墙底堆满了苔藓。隐约间，狮爪看到一只猫躺在远处的苔藓上，伸长了耳朵，还听到了幼崽的叫声。他嗅了嗅，从空中的奶味儿断定，这是一只正在哺乳的猫后。通道更远处，又传来一阵猫的活动声和轻语声——似乎，他们正在准备就寝休息。
狮爪悄悄地回到自己同伴身边。“那边有一处育婴室，”他压低声音汇报着，“我们还是别对猫后或幼崽下手了，好吗？其他猫都待在更远的地方，离入口更近。我想，他们还不知道我们已经到这儿了。”
“那我们该做些什么？”冬青爪问道。
“我们不想在这儿开战，只要把他们吓出洞外就行。所以，我们冲过去，边冲边喊，就像身后有一大群獾在追我们一样。”
滚石一脸困惑：“獾是什么啊？”
风爪转了转眼珠：“一种体形庞大、满口尖牙的可怕动物。”
“大家要使劲儿跑，千万别困在这里啊。”狮爪一边说，一边蹲伏下来，绷紧全身肌肉，做出起跑的姿势，“预备——跑！”
话音刚落，狮爪就猛跑起来，同时发出震耳欲聋的尖叫声。同伴们也跟着冲上前去，一齐号叫起来，好似一群冲锋陷阵的战士。接着，通道那边传来惊恐的号叫声。狮爪瞥见，一只姜黄色和白色相间的猫后，靠着石墙不住地发抖，她的幼崽都蜷缩在她的肚皮下。他没理会，飞速冲过他们身边，来到了入侵者巢穴的正中央。
入侵者们四散开来，个个都惊恐地尖叫着，朝巢穴入口的方向没命地逃去。狮爪时刻准备投入战斗，可他几乎穿过了整个巢穴，却没有一只猫敢迎上去，挡住他的去路。通往巢穴外面的那条狭窄缝隙，被争先恐后挤来挤去的猫给堵死了——他们都拼命地来回推搡着，想要抢先逃出去。狮爪转过身，贴在墙壁上，张开了爪子。然而，离他最近的一只四肢修长的姜黄色公猫，只是极度恐惧地望了他一眼，然后猛地钻进了石缝里，逃之夭夭。不一会儿，整个巢穴就变得空荡荡的，只剩下了他们四个。
冬青爪发出了最后一阵令人心惊胆战的吼叫，然后停了下来，气喘吁吁地喊道：“这个方法真有效！”
这时，猫们的尖叫声和厮杀声，从石缝那边传了过来；巢穴外面，黑莓掌带领着武士们，跟入侵者展开了战斗。狮爪长吸了一口气，嗅到了空气中弥漫的血腥味儿。“我们快出去吧！”他催促着同伴们。
现在，通往巢穴外的路已经畅通无阻。狮爪穿过那道缝隙，跑到外面的空地上。巨石前方的开阔地上，到处都是滚作一团的猫——族群猫和部落猫们已经跟入侵者们打在一起。月光洒在猫们各色各样的皮毛上，也将他们的尖牙利爪都照得雪亮，疼痛或愤怒的尖叫声此起彼伏，打破了夜晚的静谧。
狮爪突然感觉，自己隐约听到身后传来了一阵轻语声，耳朵不由得竖了起来。“狮爪——快冲啊！”他猛地回过头去。难道真的听到虎星的声音了？他环视着周围，这重重黑影间，并没有那只深色虎斑猫的身影，也没见到那琥珀色的双眼发出的凶光。可刚才那催促自己参战的喊声，却是那么真切。
他的正前方，那只叫弗里克的浅棕色公猫，把怒枭按在地上，举起爪子，狠劲朝预备猫的肚子抓去。狮爪见了，怒吼着一个飞跃，跳到弗里克的后背上，朝他的脖子猛地咬了下去。弗里克瞬间一惊，疼得嗷嗷直叫，忽然站起身来，想把狮爪甩掉。怒枭趁机挣脱出来，一溜烟儿消失在黑暗中。
狮爪失去了平衡，却成功将弗里克推倒在地，用后爪连续猛击他的肚子。弗里克浅棕色的皮毛散落一地，温热的鲜血飞溅了出来。狮爪再次扑向他的脖子，弗里克伸出爪子，狠命抓着狮爪的耳朵，这才踉踉跄跄地站了起来。狮爪一松劲儿，把他放跑了。
狮爪站在原地，一边喘息着，一边继续寻找着下一个对手。这时刚才的轻语声又响了起来，“狮爪，注意你的身后！”他猛地一回头，看到一只体形巨大的灰色公猫朝自己扑来，那身凌乱的皮毛已是血迹斑斑。狮爪立刻闪到一旁，正巧躲过了攻击。在入侵者冲过身边的瞬间，狮爪顺势用爪子划破了他的皮毛。
接着，他爬上了一块巨石，俯视着这片洒满月光的战场——他瞄到了冬青爪和滚石正拼尽全力，并肩作战着，试图冲破敌猫的包围。另一边，黑莓掌正和银斑在地上滚来滚去——他俩不停地吼叫着，都挥舞着利爪，激烈地战斗着。同时，狮爪也看到了松鼠飞的身影。她正追赶着一只黑色公猫，公猫绕过一处岩石，消失不见了。松鼠飞甩甩暗姜黄色的尾巴，龇着牙齿怒吼起来。
此刻，就在狮爪下方，灰濛正和一只黑白相间的母猫扭打在一起。母猫咬住了他的肩膀，灰濛近乎绝望地挥动着爪子，想摆脱母猫。他看上去已经筋疲力尽了。
狮爪发出一声疯狂的怒吼，纵身一跃，跳到母猫的肩膀上，用蜡毛跟自己反复练习过的动作，猛地将爪子戳进了她的身体。这只母猫疼得放开了灰濛，立刻在地上翻滚起来，把狮爪死死压在她庞大的身躯之下。狮爪的鼻子也被她厚重的皮毛盖住，喘不过气来。他拼命挣扎着想呼吸，同时身体却突然疼得抽搐起来——他的耳朵被这只母猫咬住了。“好好想想，该怎么应对吧！”轻语声突然又响了起来。这次，狮爪仿佛看见了鹰霜那双冰冷的蓝色眼睛。
狮爪故意让自己的四肢都瘫软下来。母猫见状，松开了爪子。就在这时，狮爪忽然出其不意地跳起来，把耳朵从她的口中挣脱出来，将母猫重重砸在光秃秃的石头地面上。母猫挣扎着爬起来，俯身蹲伏，做好了朝狮爪进攻的准备。狮爪也同样迅速重整旗鼓，继续应战。
突然，狮爪望见冬青爪和风爪朝自己冲了过来。接着他俩又快速分成两路，瞬间将母猫围住。母猫见状，立刻张开爪子，跳了起来。狮爪立即从母猫的身下冲过，皮毛擦着母猫的皮毛。他刚要发起攻击时，却发现她犯了个错误——居然落在了冬青爪和风爪的中间。两位学徒齐刷刷地举起爪子，狠狠地抓向母猫，母猫哀号着，逃跑了。
“太棒了！”狮爪喘息了一会儿，又高兴地跳了起来，“原来，风族的老师们也教过这个动作啊！”
然而紧接着，鏖战正酣的猫们再次把狮爪同其他两位学徒分隔开来。狮爪集中精力，继续投入新一轮战斗。他能听到自己胸口热血翻滚的声音，体内似乎积蓄了二十只猫的力量，他比从前任何时候都精力充沛，活力无限。他已经用利爪连续击退了数量众多的入侵者。狮爪此刻终于明白，自己就是为战斗而生的。
一时间，没有猫敢上前跟狮爪对峙了。他像一只追逐自己尾巴的幼崽一样，在原地来回打着转。入侵者们，你们都哪儿去了？快来啊，跟我打一仗！
“狮爪，”一个声音响了起来——这次不是刚才那神秘的轻语声，而是父亲真切而沉稳的话音，“狮爪，快停止吧。战斗结束了！”
狮爪停下来，注视着黑莓掌，龇起牙齿，嘶嘶说道：“还没有结束！入侵者还没被全部打败啊！”
“狮爪，你冷静一下吧，”黑莓掌说道，“他们已经被打败了，我们胜利了。”
狮爪的第一反应，居然是失望。打仗可以充分锻炼自己的肌肉、牙齿和爪子之间的协调性，这种感觉简直太美妙了！还有，看到对手逃跑时眼中露出的恐惧的目光，狮爪心中也会无比畅快。狮爪喘了好几口气，环视着四周。所有族群猫和部落猫都看着他，是佩服呢，还是害怕？为什么这么看着我？我到底做了什么？
“狮爪，你打得太棒了，”鹰崖轻声告诉他，“你高超的作战技巧，以及勇猛的气概，急水部落会一直铭记，永世不忘。”
狮爪低头看了看自己的身子。他浑身蓬乱的皮毛都粘连在一起，上面还挂满了依然温热却已凝干的血迹，散发出阵阵腥气。他嗅了嗅，顿时感觉肚子开始翻江倒海起来。他踉跄了一下，冬青爪立刻冲上前撑着他，绿色的眼睛里充满了担心。
“你哪里受伤了？”冬青爪焦急地问道。
狮爪糊里糊涂地摇摇头。他感觉自己身上只有两处地方疼，一处是被那只母猫咬伤的耳朵，另一处是爪子——几天来翻了无数石头山，越过无数石头坡，磨得酸痛难忍。“我没事儿。”他低声喃喃道。
还没等冬青爪再说些什么，有几个入侵者瑟缩着身子，小心翼翼地从岩石间探出头来。领头的猫正是银斑，他肩膀上的皮毛几乎被全部撕掉，口鼻也在流血。他一瘸一拐地走到鹰崖和黑莓掌跟前，朝他们低下了头。
“你们赢了，”他嘶哑着嗓子说道，“从现在开始，我们会尊重你们设立的边界。不过，我恳请你们，放过我们的猫后和幼崽。”
鹰崖和黑莓掌你望望我，我望望你——似乎在交换着对这只银色公猫的话的看法。狮爪感觉自己心里有个声音，开始高喊着：“不行，将他们赶走！”可他依然保持着沉默。
“急水部落不会伤害猫后和幼崽，”鹰崖最后开口回答道，“只要你们老老实实地待在边界另一边，我们绝不会侵扰你们。”
银斑再次向他俩低头致意，然后挥了挥尾巴，领着残兵败将穿过石缝，灰溜溜地返回了营地。
狮爪望着他们的背影，心想，刚才虎星和鹰霜真的在跟自己一起作战吗？或者，他们的身影还在湖边的森林里，期盼着他回去？此刻，狮爪已经听不到声音了，也听不到猫赞扬他杰出的战斗技能了，有的只是冬青爪检查他伤口的声音。
“你快躺下，休息一会儿吧，”她恳求道，“你想让我把松鸦爪叫来给你看看吗？我有办法把他带到这儿来。”
“我没事儿，”狮爪执拗地回答道，“我不需要任何帮助。”
这时，黑莓掌已将族群猫和急水部落的勇士们召集在一起，准备返回山洞。狮爪也走到风爪和滚石旁边，跟大家会合，丝毫不理会自己身边喋喋不休的冬青爪，但冬青爪仍走到了他的一侧，显然担心他随时倒下。
滚石的眼睛闪着兴奋的光芒。“你看到他们逃跑的样子了吗？”她问风爪。
“我一直坚信，族群猫一定能解决急水部落的问题，”风爪神气十足地告诉她，“你们会永远感激我们的！”
看到冬青爪绿色的双眼里流露出担忧的神色，狮爪心里明白，冬青爪心里仍不踏实。可是他们取得了战斗的胜利，狮爪自己也是所向披靡，打了一场大胜仗！如果需要，他能即刻投身于一场全新的战斗！
CHAPTER29
CHAPTER29
Jaypaw lay in the sleeping hollowwhere the scents of his littermates still lingered. He did not try to sleep; his ears were pricked for the first sounds of the returning warriors. His belly churned with apprehension. What if Hollypaw or Lionpaw died in the battle? What would happen to the prophecy then, if three suddenly became two—or even one? How could he bear to be without them?
The endless thunder of the waterfall sounded different, hollow and echoing, with the cave almost empty. The two kit-mothers were with their litters in the nursery. The elders, Cloud With Storm in Belly and Rain That Rattles on Stones, had retreated to their sleeping places at the other side of the cave. Wing Shadow Over Water, the prey-hunter who had been badly injured in the fight over the eagle, was sleeping nearby. Every other cat had gone to fight, for there was no point in leaving guards to protect the cave when all the intruders would be caught up in the battle.
Eventually Jaypaw couldn’t bear to keep still any longer. He rose to his paws and padded across the cave, pausing to lick up a few icy drops where they trickled from the rock into the pool of fresh water. Then he slipped down the passage that led to the Cave of Pointed Stones.
Inside, all was silent. Jaypaw felt the faint stir of wind against his face and drew in the scent of the Tribe’s Healer, strong and fresh.
“Stoneteller?” he mewed.
“I am here, Jaypaw.” The old cat’s voice came from the far end of the cave; it sounded sad and defeated. “What do you want?”
“Is there any word from the Tribe of Endless Hunting?” Jaypaw asked.
“None. I stare into the puddle, and I see nothing but moonlight upon water.”
A pang tore through Jaypaw’s belly, sharp as thorns. He knew that Stoneteller had lied to his Tribe about the Tribe of Endless Hunting. He had tried to manipulate the Tribe into choosing to flee, to show Brambleclaw and the Clan cats how little influence they had. But his plan had failed. The Tribe had chosen to fight, and left him here to face the knowledge that if they survived it would be without the support of their ancestors. The Healer’s pain flowed through the cave like a river; Jaypaw couldn’t help pitying him.
“I’m sorry,” he mewed.
“Perhaps they have lost faith in us,” Stoneteller responded, his voice flat.
“I’m sure it’s not that.” Jaypaw pictured the pool among the sheer crags, where he had confronted the Tribe of Endless Hunting. He had revisited the dream over and over in his waking mind, and he thought he understood what it meant. But what use the knowledge would be to him, he wasn’t sure.
“Jaypaw.” The rasping voice spoke behind him.
Jaypaw spun around. Every hair on his pelt rose as he saw the sagging, hairless body and sightless eyes of Rock. But I’m not asleep!The ancient cat glimmered as if he stood in moonlight, though all around him was dark; he seemed to float in shadow.
His heart beginning to race, Jaypaw reached out all his senses to Stoneteller, but there was no change in the old cat’s scent or the dull pain that came from him. He made no sound.
“Stoneteller cannot hear or see me,” Rock mewed. “Only you can.”
“Why have you come?” Jaypaw’s voice shook.
“The battle has been won. You can go home now—all of you.”
Jaypaw forced down his delight. Hollypaw and Lionpaw were safe! But he was sure that Rock hadn’t come just to tell him something that he would discover for himself before morning. There had to be another reason.
“The Tribe must have fought well,” he meowed. “Perhaps now the Tribe of Endless Hunting will have more faith in them.”
“Why should they?” Rock retorted. His voice was sour. “It was the Clans who saved the Tribe of Rushing Water.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Jaypaw demanded. Back at the lake, he had longed to speak with Rock again, but each time he encountered the ancient cat was more frustrating than the last.
“StarClan did not send you,” Rock replied, “and the Tribe of Endless Hunting did not summon you.”
“But—”
“Silence!” Rock hissed with a sweep of his bare tendril of a tail. “You came and won—for this battle, at least. But do you think the borders will hold? The Tribe is not a Clan, with experience of defending its territory, and the trespassers have no code of honor that will make them keep their word.”
“Then we came for nothing?” Jaypaw asked, dismayed.
Rock shook his head. “No. You have learned much. And the Tribe will eat well, for a while at least.” His bulging eyes seemed to gaze into the shadows at something hidden from Jaypaw
Jaypaw took a deep breath. “You knew the Tribe cats before they came here, didn’t you? They came from the lake.”
He had the satisfaction of seeing Rock’s start of surprise. “Yes. How did you know?”
“It was the pool in the mountains that the Tribe spirit showed me,” Jaypaw explained. “They found another Moonpool, just like the one near the lake.”
“They turned their back on so many of their old ways.” There was pain in the ancient cat’s voice. “Yet they still sought for peace beside the water.”
Jaypaw’s heart thumped harder, but he had to continue. “The Tribe knew me, just as you did. The prophecy comes from when you all lived together, doesn’t it?”
Rock bowed his head. “Yes. We have been expecting you for a long time. And now you have come.” A shiver of mingled fear and delight passed through Jaypaw as he returned the stare of the old cat’s sightless eyes. “The others deserve to know,” Rock continued. “This is not just your destiny, and you cannot walk this path alone.”
“Jaypaw! Jaypaw, where are you?” Hollypaw’s voice echoed from the main cave. “Come quickly!”
As if a dark wing had folded over him, Rock was gone. Jaypaw was left alone in the Cave of Pointed Stones, except for the silent presence of Stoneteller. He found the entrance to the passage and raced out to meet his sister.
“It’s Lionpaw!” she gasped, bounding up to meet him and giving his ear a hurried lick. “He’s covered in blood. He says he’s not hurt, but the blood must have come from somewhere. You’ve got to help him.”
“Where is he?”
“Outside, by the pool,” Hollypaw mewed. “I told him to rest.”
Jaypaw followed her across the cave to the waterfall. Clan and Tribe cats poured past them, yowling the good news to those who had stayed behind. Jaypaw detected Crag’s scent and heard the big cave-guard meow, “I’ll go and tell Stoneteller.”
Hollypaw dashed along the path beneath the tumbling water, for once not worrying about whether Jaypaw could manage it on his own. Jaypaw followed hard on her paw steps, his pelt pressed against the rock, feeling the cold spray on his exposed flank.
His heart had begun to pound again. After believing that both Hollypaw and Lionpaw had come back safe, was his brother’s life to be snatched away from him after all?
Reaching the pool, he nosed at Lionpaw’s fur. Shock clawed at him as he realized how thickly it was clotted with drying blood. “We’ve got to get this off him,” he mewed crossly, trying to hide his fear. “How can I tell what’s underneath all that?”
“Come closer to the waterfall,” Hollypaw suggested. “The spray will help us clean off the blood.”
All three cats moved around the edge of the pool until Jaypaw could feel the spray soaking into his fur.
“I wish you wouldn’t fuss,” Lionpaw protested, raising his voice to make himself heard above the thunder of the falls. “I keep telling you, I’m perfectly all right.”
His voice sent another shiver of fear through Jaypaw. His brother sounded distant, stunned, as if the battle had affected not only his body but his mind. “You’re all right when I say you are,” he snapped.
“I’m not hurt….” Lionpaw sounded almost puzzled. “No cat could touch me.”
“Shut up and let me lick,” Hollypaw scolded him.
As he and Hollypaw cleaned the blood from Lionpaw’s fur, Jaypaw began to realize that his brother was right. He wasn’thurt, except for a bitten ear and sore pads.
“I don’t think you need any herbs,” Jaypaw mewed, trying to hide that his paws were shaking with relief. “Just keep that ear clean. I’ll give it a sniff every day until it heals.”
“You’re really okay!” Hollypaw’s voice was unsteady. “All that blood came from other cats! Jaypaw, I wish you could have been there. Lionpaw fought like a whole Clan of cats!”
“We won the battle.” Lionpaw was beginning to sound more like his usual self, as if the licking of his brother and sister had brought him back from some distant place.
“For what it’s worth”—Hollypaw sounded troubled—“I don’t trust the trespassers. And I don’t know if the Tribe will be able to defend its new borders.”
Jaypaw’s belly lurched to hear his sister echoing the warning that Rock had given him in the Cave of Pointed Stones.
“I don’t know why we came here if we weren’t going to succeed,” she continued, sounding a little desolate. “Did the Tribe of Endless Hunting get it wrong?”
Jaypaw reached out with his tail to touch her shoulder. “The Tribe’s ancestors didn’t want us here,” he mewed. “And StarClan did not send us. We came so that we could win the battle, and because we needed answers to our questions.” When neither Hollypaw nor Lionpaw responded, he added, “We all wanted to come to the mountains, didn’t we?” There was a murmur of agreement from his brother and sister. “Then don’t you understand? That’s why things happened so that we came. This is all about us, the three of us. Without us the Tribe might survive, or it might not, but that doesn’t matter now. They’ve all been waiting for us—StarClan, the Tribe of Endless Hunting, Rock—”
“Who?” Hollypaw asked.
“What are you talking about?” Lionpaw meowed. “Have you got bees in your brain?”
Jaypaw crouched on the edge of the pool and motioned with his tail for his brother and sister to draw closer. “Listen,” he murmured. “There’s something I have to tell you….”
第二十九章
第二十九章
松鸦爪躺在那处睡坑里，此刻，睡坑里面还残留着自己哥哥姐姐的气息。还不想睡觉的他，竖起耳朵，聆听着战士们是否归来。松鸦爪的心忽然有些不安起来。要是冬青爪和狮爪战死了怎么办？如果他们三个变成了两个，甚至只剩下了他一个，那个预言又会怎样？他怎么能承受失去他们的痛苦？
此刻，瀑布那永无休止的轰隆声，听上去跟以往有些不同——变得更单调、空洞。整个洞穴空荡荡的，只剩下育婴室里两只陪伴着幼崽的母猫。两只长老猫暴肚云和雨水已经回到他们洞穴另一侧的睡坑中准备休息了。上次在与老鹰的遭遇战中受了重伤的翅影也已睡下了。其他所有猫都去打仗了。因为入侵者一定会全部投入这场战斗，所以没必要留下山洞卫士守卫洞穴了。
最后，松鸦爪实在无法忍受再一动不动地待着了，于是他站起来，穿过山洞，来到岩石上滴落的水滴汇成的小水坑前，他停下脚步，伸出舌头舔了舔冰冷的坑水。接着，他沿着那处通往尖石洞的通道，向前走去。
尖石洞里一片沉寂。松鸦爪察觉到一丝微弱的气流迎面而来，混杂着急水部落尖石巫师身上那强烈的气息。
“尖石巫师，你在吗？”松鸦爪说道。
“我在这儿，松鸦爪。”这只老猫的话音从洞穴最深处传了出来，声音里，透着一丝凄凉与失意，“你来干什么？”
“杀无尽部落那里，有什么新消息吗？”松鸦爪问道。
“没有。我刚才一直目不转睛地看着水坑，可除了水面上倒映着的月光之外，什么都看不到。”
松鸦爪突然感觉一阵剧痛如荆棘的尖刺一样，猛戳着自己的心脏。他很清楚，尖石巫师撒了谎——他没有将杀无尽部落的决定原原本本地说出来。他这么做，是想逼着部落猫们逃离山地，让黑莓掌和所有族群猫无法对部落施加影响。然而，他的计划落空了。大家最终选择了战斗，将他独自留在了洞中面对这样一个局面——如果在这场战斗后他们得以幸存，那么，他们将再也得不到祖灵们的支持了。尖石巫师内心的痛楚，像小溪一样在洞穴中缓缓流淌着，松鸦爪不禁同情起他来。
“我很抱歉。”他说道。
“或许，杀无尽部落已经不再信任我了。”尖石巫师的声音有气无力。
“我相信不是这样的。”松鸦爪说着，脑海中同时浮现出陡峭崖壁间的那片池塘，他在那里遇见过杀无尽部落的猫们。这段时间里，松鸦爪一直在反复回想着那个梦，现在他觉得自己明白了梦中的所有含义。然而，松鸦爪依然不清楚，这个梦对他自己来说，究竟有什么作用。
“松鸦爪。”突然，一个嘶哑的声音在他身后响起。
松鸦爪猛地回过头去，惊得每根毛都直竖起来。他望见了岩石那光秃秃的松弛身体，还有那双鼓出来的盲眼。发生了什么？我还没睡着啊！松鸦爪十分纳闷儿。虽然周围漆黑一片，然而这只远古猫依旧像从前在月光下一样，浑身发亮。此刻的岩石，似乎飘浮在阴影中。
松鸦爪的心跳突然加快了，他将所有感官都汇聚在尖石巫师身上，探知着他的反应。可无论他身上的气息，还是心中那隐隐的痛，都没有任何变化。松鸦爪没有出声。
“尖石巫师既看不到我，也听不见我说话，”岩石说道，“只有你能。”
“你为什么来这里了？”松鸦爪的话音颤抖着。
“你们已经赢了这场战斗，你们大家，现在都可以回家了。”
松鸦爪的内心一阵狂喜，可他却并未表露出来。冬青爪和狮爪总算平安无事了！不过他心里清楚，就算岩石不来通知，自己也会在黎明来临之前知道大家的消息。他这次出现，肯定还有其他的原因。
“急水部落一定表现得非常好，”松鸦爪说道，“或许从现在开始，杀无尽部落会更信任他们了。”
“跟它们有什么关系？”岩石反驳道，话音中带着一丝讥讽，“挽救了急水部落的，是族群猫。”
“是族群猫又有什么关系？”松鸦爪大声问道——在湖边时，他一直想跟岩石好好地谈谈。但现在，每次见面，这只远古猫好像都比上次更沮丧。
岩石开口回答道：“无论星族还是杀无尽部落，都没让你们这么做。”
“可是……”
“别说了！”岩石甩甩那只剩下几根毛的尾巴，突然低吼起来，“你们前来帮助部落猫，而且获胜了——至少这次战斗，你们赢了。不过你真的认为，急水部落能守住自己的边界吗？他们可不像你们族群猫，有着保卫领地的丰富经验，而且那帮不守信用的入侵者，绝不会说话算数的。”
“那这么说，我们这趟白来了？”松鸦爪一脸沮丧地问道。
岩石摇了摇头：“不是。你们从中学到了很多东西，积累了很多经验；而对于急水部落来说，至少一段时间内，他们都不会再发愁找不到食物了。”岩石讲话时，那鼓出的双眼似乎盯着松鸦爪身后隐藏在阴影中的什么东西。
松鸦爪深吸了一口气，说道：“你知道急水部落的猫们来到山地之前的事情，对吧？其实他们也在湖边生活过。”
看到此时岩石开始露出惊异的表情来，松鸦爪的心里忽然涌起一种满足感。“是的。你怎么知道？”岩石问道。
“在山地中一处池塘边，急水部落祖灵让我知道的，”松鸦爪解释着，“它们找到了另一个‘月亮池’，跟湖边的那一个差不多。”
“它们已经放弃了好多曾长期恪守的传统，”这只远古猫的声音里透着痛苦，“可实际上，它们依旧想在水边，寻求宁静的生活啊。”
松鸦爪的心脏跳得愈发急促，可他仍然故作镇定，继续说道：“急水部落跟你一样，很久以前就知道我。还有那个预言，你和急水部落的祖灵还活着时，就已经存在了，对吧？”
岩石垂下头，回答道：“是的。我们等了好久，现在你们终于来了。”松鸦爪一脸迷惑地望着这只老猫浑浊的盲眼，身子不禁颤抖起来；此刻他的心情很复杂，既高兴又害怕。“是时候让其他几只猫，也知道这个预言了，”岩石继续说道，“因为这不仅仅是你自己的使命，你不能独自踏上这条道路。”
“松鸦爪！松鸦爪！你在哪儿？”冬青爪的声音在主洞口那里回响着，“快点儿出来啊！”
顷刻间，岩石像是被一只黑暗的翅膀卷走了一样，消失不见。松鸦爪孤零零地站在尖石洞里，尖石巫师依旧一言不发地立在旁边。松鸦爪摸索着来到通道入口，飞奔着去见姐姐。
“狮爪出事了！”她喘着粗气，跑到松鸦爪身边，匆匆舔了舔他的耳朵，“他现在浑身都是血。他口口声声说自己没受伤，可那些血肯定是从哪儿流出来的。你快救救他！”
“他在哪儿？”
“外面的池塘边上，”冬青爪回答，“我让他在那儿休息一下。”
松鸦爪跟着她奔出洞穴，来到瀑布下。此时，族群猫和部落猫们如潮水般从他俩身边奔涌而过，大声地将获胜的捷报传达给每只留守在此的猫。松鸦爪嗅到了鹰崖的气息，还听到了这位大个子山洞卫士的叫声：“我去告诉尖石巫师。”
隆隆作响的水帘底部的小径上，冬青爪狂奔着，她第一次没担心松鸦爪会跟不上自己了。他紧跟在她身后，岩石不断剐蹭着他的皮毛，冰冷的水流冲刷着他的肚皮。
松鸦爪的心又怦怦跳了起来。他确信冬青爪和狮爪已经平安归来了，可为什么又变成这样了？难道狮爪的生命注定会这么早被夺去吗？
不一会儿，松鸦爪抵达池塘边，立刻嗅了嗅狮爪的皮毛。当他察觉到狮爪的身子已被厚重的凝血所覆盖时，突然惊得打了个冷战。“我们快把这层血弄掉！”松鸦爪生气地喊着，试图掩饰住内心的恐惧，“不然，我怎会知道他的身体怎么样了啊！”
“把他挪到瀑布下面吧，”冬青爪建议道，“那里的水流会把血迹冲掉。”
他俩搀扶着狮爪，沿着池塘边缓缓走着。不一会儿，松鸦爪就察觉到，瀑布激起的水花，打湿了自己的皮毛。
“我希望你俩别大惊小怪，”狮爪抬高声音，生怕自己的话音被巨大的水流声淹没，“我跟你们说过多少遍了，我的身体没事儿！”
狮爪的话，让松鸦爪又感到一阵恐惧：哥哥的声音，听上去如此模糊不清，好像这场战斗不仅伤到了他的身体，还让他的头脑变得紊乱起来。“只有我亲口说你没事儿，你才真正没事儿！”松鸦爪厉声说道。
“我没受伤……”狮爪听起来有些迷惑，“没有一只猫敢碰我！”
“快住口！让我舔舔你吧。”冬青爪大声呵斥着他。
当冬青爪和松鸦爪把狮爪皮毛上的血迹都清理干净后，松鸦爪才意识到，哥哥说得没错，他真的没有受伤，只是耳朵被咬了一下，四个爪垫肿胀了而已。
“我想，你不需要草药的治疗了，”松鸦爪悬着的一颗心终于放松了下来，“只需保持那只耳朵干净就可以了。我每天都会来嗅闻它，直到完全愈合为止。”
“你真的没事儿啦！”冬青爪的声音激动得颤抖起来，“原来你身上的所有血迹，都是其他猫的啊！松鸦爪，当时你要在场就好啦！狮爪的战斗力，抵得上整个族群的猫！”
“我们赢了。”此时，狮爪的声音终于听起来正常了。经过刚才弟弟妹妹一番彻底的舔舐，他感觉自己像是从一个遥远的地方被拉回来一样，浑身舒畅了许多。
冬青爪一脸忧虑地说道：“不管怎么样，我都没法信任那些入侵者。而且我也不知道，今后急水部落能否守得住边界。”
冬青爪的话，跟岩石刚刚在尖石洞里对松鸦爪发出的警告几乎一样。松鸦爪心里一阵翻滚。
“我不明白，如果我们不能取胜，我们为什么还要到这儿来呢？”冬青爪问道，话音隐隐透着一丝哀伤，“会不会是杀无尽部落搞错了啊？”
松鸦爪伸出尾巴，蹭了蹭她的肩膀。“急水部落的祖灵本不想让我们来这里的，”他说道，“星族也没派我们来。而我们最终来了，所以才有机会赢得胜利。另外，我们来这儿还有一个目的，就是为了寻找一些问题的答案。”见冬青爪和狮爪都没说话，松鸦爪又接着解释起来，“我们仨都想来山地，对吧？”说到这儿时，狮爪和冬青爪都低声表示同意。“那么，你俩到现在还不明白吗？正是因为发生了这些事，所以我们才会来到这里。所有这一切，都跟我们三个的命运息息相关。没有我们，急水部落可能会生存下去，也可能不会。不过现在，这些都已经不重要了。星族、杀无尽部落，还有岩石一直都在等着我们……”
“你说谁？”冬青爪问道。
“你到底在胡说些什么？”狮爪也糊涂了，“是不是脑子进蜜蜂了？”
松鸦爪蹲在池塘岸边，挥挥尾巴，示意他俩来到自己身旁。“听好了，”他压低声音说道，“我要告诉你们一件事……”
特别感谢基立•鲍德卓