PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
Wind swept across bleak moorland, carryingwith it flurries of rain. The tough grass was sodden and water had burst the banks of a stream, spreading out in a wide pool; its surface bubbled as raindrops splashed into it.
At the edge of the pool a badger crouched, apparently oblivious to the icy wind and rain. For a long time she gazed into the water as if she could see something there, beyond the broken reflection of gray cloud; then she raised her head and looked around.
“I have come,” she announced.
A black she-cat emerged from behind an outcrop of rocks. She was barely more than a shadow; starlight flickered at her paws. She was followed by a silvery gray tom whose green eyes stretched wide as he approached the badger. The starlight that shone around him made him seem a cat formed out of rain.
“Why are we here?” The silver tom’s voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t used it for a long time. “On a day like this we should be curled up in a warm den.”
“True, River,” the black she-cat meowed. “Whose idea was it to drag us out here in weather not even fit for foxes?”
“Mine.” A third cat appeared from behind a gorse bush, a broad-shouldered ginger tom with white paws. Starlight gleamed in his amber eyes, yet he seemed as insubstantial as a flame. “As you know very well, Shadow. We have to meet.”
Shadow snorted. “I don’t haveto do anything you tell me, Thunder.”
Thunder dipped his head. “Of course not. But we have been summoned by the danger to our Clans. They are on the brink of being lost forever—and it’s your fault, Midnight.” His voice sharpened.
Before Midnight could reply, River spoke. “Where is Wind? We can’t discuss this without her.”
“I’m here.” The voice came from farther up the stream. The wiry brown she-cat was barely visible against the drenched moorland grass; only the shimmer of silvery light around her revealed her outline. She sprang down the slope toward the pool, her paws scarcely touching the ground. “Why are you all huddling here like lost kits?” she asked, a hint of mockery in her tone. “It’s only a bit of rain and wind.”
Shadow opened her jaws, but Thunder interrupted her. “We’re not all used to living in the open, Wind. But that doesn’t matter now. We need to know why Midnight has revealed the secrets of the Clans.”
“But why us?” River complained, shivering. “There are younger cats than us in StarClan. Why call us back from the very beginning?”
Wind nodded. “Haven’t we done enough? We formed the Clans and guided them through their first seasons. They have owed us a debt in all the moons since we walked the forest.”
“We must still watch over our Clans,” Thunder murmured. “This is a danger like none they have ever faced before.” He turned to the badger. “Midnight, why did you tell our secrets?”
“Yes, and tell them to that mange-ridden, crow-food-eating loner?” Shadow spat, tearing at the grass with her claws. “My Clan have abandoned their warrior ancestors since he forced his way among them.”
“On sandy cliffs I met Sol,” Midnight began calmly. “First time of meeting, that was.”
“And do you give away secrets to every stranger who happens to pad by?” Wind growled.
“Can’t you see that you gave him power over the Clans when you told him so much about us?” Thunder pressed.
“Knowledge not always power,” Midnight replied. “Clans not need secrecy to protect themselves. Rogues and loners stay away; they know Clan life is not for them.”
“This loner didn’t stay away,” River pointed out.
“Clans not need to hide,” Midnight insisted. “If did, not strong enough to meet challenges from outside.”
“My warriors can meet anychallenge,” Wind snapped.
“Challenges not always from teeth and sharpened claws,” the badger commented.
Wind let out a hiss. Her neck fur bristled as she unsheathed her claws. “Don’t talk to me as if I’m stupid! You’re only trying to avoid admitting that you made a huge mistake. The warriors of StarClan revealed their secrets to you, and you told them to a stranger! There wouldn’t be any trouble in ShadowClan right now if it wasn’t for you.”
Midnight rose to her paws. “Sheathe your claws, small warrior.” Her voice was a rumbling growl. “Stupid is to pick a fight with someone not your enemy.”
For a few heartbeats, Wind stood her ground, only stepping back and sheathing her claws when Thunder rested his tail on her shoulder.
“Quarreling won’t help,” the first-ever ThunderClan leader meowed. “The secrets are out. We have to decide what we can do now to help our Clans.”
River shook his head. “Well, I don’t know.”
“Nor do I.” Shadow lashed her tail in frustration. “I’d like to rip the throat out of this ungrateful badger, but it’s too late to change anything.”
“We don’t understand,” Thunder meowed, meeting Midnight’s gaze. “We shared our secrets with you, and you have done so much for our Clans. Why would you want to destroy them like this?”
Before he had finished speaking, the wind picked up and the starry cats began to fade, blown away like mist. Midnight watched them with berry-bright eyes until their frail forms were gone and the glimmer of starlight had died away.
A cat emerged from behind a windblown bush a few tail-lengths away: a hairless cat with bulging, sightless eyes.
“You heard, Rock?” Midnight asked.
Rock nodded. “I knew the Clan leaders would be unhappy that you confided in Sol,” he rasped. “But you had no choice. The power of three is coming, and the Clans mustbe ready.”
引子
引子
疾风挟着骤雨掠过裸露的荒原。高草已被雨水淋得湿透。溪水冲破堤岸，汇聚成很大的水塘。雨点砸在水面上，溅起朵朵水花。
在水塘边伏着一只獾，任凭冰冷的风雨吹打着。它已经静静地盯着水面很长时间了，似乎除了乌云在水面上破碎的倒影，还想发现些别的什么。终于，它抬起头环顾四周。
“我已经来了。”它大声说道。
一只黑色的母猫从一块岩石后走了出来。她看起来跟影子差不多，爪子上闪耀着星光。一只银灰色的公猫紧随其后，瞪着一双绿色的眼睛向獾走来。公猫周身闪耀着的星光，使他看起来仿佛完全没有受到大雨的影响。
“我们为什么要来这儿？”银灰色公猫的声音非常刺耳，听起来就像很久没有说过话了，“像这种天气，我们本应该蜷缩在温暖的窝里睡觉。”
“你说得对，河族猫，”黑色母猫说道，“在这种连狐狸都不喜欢的天气里，把我们都拖到这儿来，是谁的主意？”
“是我。”第三只猫从金雀花丛后出现了。这是一只姜黄色的公猫，宽宽的肩膀，白色的爪子，琥珀色的眼睛里闪烁着点点星光，就像一团燃烧着的火焰。“你心里清楚这是为什么，影族猫，我们几个必须见一面。”
影族猫哼了一声，说道：“雷族猫，我不需要对你言听计从。”
雷族猫点了点头。“当然不用。但四大族群面临的危险正在召唤我们，它们已经处在濒临灭亡的边缘。而现在的这一切都是你的错，午夜。”他的声音非常严厉。
还没等午夜开口，河族猫说道：“风族猫在哪里呢？没有她，我们没办法讨论这件事。”
“我在这儿。”一个声音从小溪上游远远地传来。一只精瘦的棕色母猫在湿漉漉的草丛中若隐若现，只有银色的星光反射出她的轮廓。她沿着斜坡跳跃着来到水塘边，爪子几乎没有着地。“你们为什么要像一群迷路的幼崽一样挤在一起？”她问道，言语中充满讥讽，“这才多大点儿风雨！”
影族猫刚要张嘴说话，雷族猫拦住她说：“风族猫，不是所有的猫都习惯在旷野生活。但现在没空说这个。我们需要弄清楚，为什么午夜要把族群的秘密泄露出去。”
河族猫打着寒战抱怨道：“可是为什么要把我们几个找来？星族有的是比我们年轻的猫，怎么从一开始就把我们叫回来？”
风族猫点了点头说：“难道我们做的还不够吗？我们建立起了各个族群，并指导他们度过了最初的几个季节。从步入这片森林算起，他们已经欠我们很多了。”
“不管怎么说，我们都得继续守护族群。”雷族猫喃喃地说，“这次危机是前所未有的。”他转过身质问那只獾，“午夜，你为什么要说出我们的秘密？”
“是啊，而且还是泄露给一只满身长疮、专捡烂肉吃的独行猫。呸！”影族猫撕扯着脚边的草叶，骂道，“他到影族之后，影族的猫就受了他的教唆，已经抛弃了对武士先祖的信仰。”
“我是在沙崖遇到日神的，”午夜平静地开始说道，“那是我们的第一次见面。”
“你是不是已经把我们的秘密告诉了从你身边经过的每一只陌生猫？”风族猫低吼道。
“你难道不明白吗？当你把我们的秘密告诉他的时候，就等于给了他凌驾于各个族群的力量？”雷族猫逼问道。
“知识并不一定就是力量。”午夜答道，“族群不需要用保守秘密的手段来保护自己。泼皮猫和独行猫都跟族群保持着距离。他们知道，族群的生活并不适合自己。”
“这只独行猫可没保持距离。”河族猫指出。
“族群没必要隐瞒什么，”午夜坚持道，“如果真的需要，那就说明，族群的力量还不够强大，无法应对外来的挑战。”
“我的武士可以面对任何挑战。”风族猫厉声说道。
“挑战不仅仅来自尖牙和利爪。”獾指出。
风族猫发出一声怒吼，她颈毛竖起，随即亮出了利爪：“你说得就像我是傻子一样！你不过是在竭力逃避自己犯下的大错。星族的武士跟你分享秘密，你却泄露给一只陌生的猫！如果不是你，影族现在就不会有这么大的麻烦。”
午夜站起了身。“收起你的爪子，小武士。”它的声音如雷鸣般隆隆作响，“搞不清楚该和谁战斗，才是真的傻。”
双方僵持了一会儿，雷族猫过来用尾巴拍了拍风族猫的肩膀，风族猫这才收起爪子，退后几步。
“争吵是没用的。”雷族曾经的第一任族长说道，“秘密已经泄露出去了。眼下我们要做的是想想，看怎么样才能帮助我们的族群。”
河族猫摇摇头：“呃，我不知道。”
“我也没办法。”影族猫沮丧地甩着尾巴，“这只讨厌的獾，我想撕开它的喉咙，但是为时已晚，即使杀了它也改变不了什么。”
“我们不明白，”雷族猫说着，迎向午夜看过来的目光，“我们跟你分享秘密，你也给族群帮了很多忙。可这次你为什么要用这种方式，来摧毁这一切？”
话音未落，突然刮起了一阵风，这些闪耀着星光的猫像雾气一样被风吹散。午夜亮闪闪的双眼一直看着他们，直到他们支离破碎的身影消失得无影无踪。星光也消失了。
不远的地方，一只猫从随风摇曳的灌木中现出身来：他全身无毛，一双盲眼向外凸出。
“岩石，你都听见了？”午夜问道。
岩石点点头。“我已料到，你向日神透露族群的秘密必然使族群的领袖们不满。”他尖声说道，“但是你别无他法。三力量正在显示锋芒，族群必须做好准备。”
CHAPTER1
CHAPTER1
The moon was huge, a goldencircle resting on a dark ridge of hills. Stars blazed above Hollyleaf’s head, reminding her that the spirits of her ancestors were watching over her. Her fur prickled as something stirred on the ridge. A cat had appeared there, outlined against the moon. She recognized the broad head and tufted ears, and the tail with its bushy tip; even though the shape was black against the light, she knew the colors of its pelt: white with brown, black, and ginger blotches.
“Sol!”she hissed.
The outlined shape arched its back, then reared up on its hind paws, its forepaws stretched out as if it was about to rake its claws across the sky. It leaped upward, and as it leaped it swelled until it was so huge that it blotted out the moon and the blazing stars. Hollyleaf crouched, shivering, in darkness thicker than the deepest places of the forest.
Screeches of alarm rose up around her, a whole Clan of hidden cats wailing their fear of the shadow cutting them off from the protective gaze of StarClan. Above the noise, a single voice rang out: “Hollyleaf! Hollyleaf! Come out!”
Hollyleaf thrashed in terror and found her paws tangled in soft moss and bracken. Pale gray light was filtering through the branches of the warriors’ den. A couple of foxlengths away, Hazeltail was scrambling out of her nest, shaking scraps of moss from her pelt.
“Hollyleaf!” The call came again, and this time Hollyleaf recognized Birchfall’s voice, meowing irritably outside the den. “Are you going to sleep all day? We’re supposed to be hunting.”
“Coming.” Groggy with sleep, every hair on her pelt still quivering from her nightmare, Hollyleaf headed toward the nearest gap between the branches. Before she reached it, her paws stumbled over the haunches of a sleeping cat, half hidden under the bracken.
Cloudtail’s head popped up. “Great StarClan!” he grumbled. “Can’t a cat get any sleep around here?”
“S-sorry,” Hollyleaf stammered, remembering that Cloudtail had been out on a late patrol the night before; she had seen him return to camp with Dustpelt and Sorreltail while she was keeping her warrior’s vigil.
Just my luckMy first day, and I manage to annoy one of the senior warriors!
Cloudtail snorted and curled up again, his blue eyes closing as he buried his nose in his fur.
“It’s okay,” Hazeltail murmured, brushing her muzzle against Hollyleaf’s shoulder. “Cloudtail’s mew is worse than his scratch. And don’t let Birchfall ruffle your fur. He’s bossy with the new warriors, but you’ll soon get used to it.”
Hollyleaf nodded gratefully, though she didn’t tell Hazeltail the real reason she was thrown off balance. Birchfall didn’t bother her; it was the memory of the dream that throbbed through her from ears to tail-tip, making her paws clumsy and her thoughts troubled.
Her gaze drifted to the nest where her brother Lionpaw—no, Lionblazenow—had curled up at the end of his vigil. She wanted to talk to him more than anything. But the nest was empty; Lionblaze must have gone out on the dawn patrol.
Careful where she put her paws, Hollyleaf pushed her way out of the den behind Hazeltail. Outside, Birchfall was scraping the ground impatiently.
“At last!” he snapped. “What kept you?”
“Take it easy, Birchfall.” Brambleclaw, the ThunderClan deputy and Hollyleaf’s father, was sitting a tail-length away with his tail wrapped neatly around his paws. His amber eyes were calm. “The prey won’t run away.”
“Not till they see us, anyway,” Sandstorm added as she bounded across from the fresh-kill pile.
“If there is any prey.” Birchfall lashed his tail. “Ever since the battle, fresh-kill’s been much harder to find.”
Hollyleaf’s grumbling belly told her that Birchfall was right. Several sunrises ago all four Clans had battled in ThunderClan territory; their screeching and trampling had frightened off all the prey, or driven them deep underground.
“Maybe the prey will start to come back now,” she suggested
“Maybe,” Brambleclaw agreed. “We’ll head toward the ShadowClan border. There wasn’t as much fighting over there.”
Hollyleaf stiffened at the mention of ShadowClan. Will I see Sol again?she wondered.
“I wonder if we’ll see any ShadowClan cats,” Birchfall meowed, echoing her thought. “I’d like to know if they’re all going to turn their back on StarClan, and follow that weirdo loner instead.”
Hollyleaf felt as if stones were dragging in her belly, weighing her down. ShadowClan had not appeared at the last Gathering, two nights before. Instead, their leader Blackstar had come alone except for Sol, the loner who had recently arrived by the lake, and explained that his cats no longer believed in the power of their warrior ancestors.
But that can’t be right! How can a Clan survive without StarClan? Without the warrior code?
“Sol’s not such a weirdo,” Hazeltail pointed out to Birchfall with a flick of her ears. “He predicted that the sun would vanish, and it did. None of the medicine cats knew that was going to happen.”
Birchfall shrugged. “The sun came back, didn’t it? It’s not that big a deal.”
“In any case,” Brambleclaw interrupted, rising to his paws, “this is a hunting patrol. We’re not going to pay a friendly visit to ShadowClan.”
“But they fought beside us,” Birchfall objected. “WindClan and RiverClan would have turned us into crow-food without the ShadowClan warriors. We can’t be enemies again so soon, can we?”
“Not enemies,” Sandstorm corrected. “But they’re still a different Clan. Besides, I’m not sure we can be friends with cats who reject StarClan.”
What about our own cats, then?Hollyleaf didn’t dare to ask the question out loud. Cloudtail has never believed in StarClan. But she knew without question Cloudtail was a loyal warrior who would die for any of his Clanmates.
Brambleclaw said nothing, just gave his pelt a shake and kinked his tail to beckon the rest of the patrol. As they headed toward the thorn tunnel they met Brackenfur pushing his way into the hollow with Sorreltail and Lionblaze behind him. The dawn patrol had returned. As all three cats headed for the fresh-kill pile, Hollyleaf darted across and intercepted her brother.
“How did it go? Is there anything to report?”
Lionblaze’s jaws parted in a huge yawn. He must be exhausted,Hollyleaf thought, after keeping his warrior vigil and then being chosen for the dawn patrol.
“Not a thing,” he mewed, shaking his head. “All’s quiet on the WindClan border.”
“We’re going over toward ShadowClan territory.” Alone with her brother, Hollyleaf could confess how worried she was. “I’m scared we’ll meet Sol. What if he tells the other cats about the prophecy?”
Lionblaze pressed his muzzle into her shoulder. “Come on! Is it likely that Sol will be doing border patrols? He’ll be lying around the ShadowClan camp, stuffing himself with fresh-kill.”
Hollyleaf shook her head. “I don’t know…. I just wish we’d never told him anything.”
“So do I.” Lionblaze’s eyes narrowed and his tone was bitter as he went on. “But it’s not like Sol is bothered about us. He decided to stay with Blackstar, didn’t he? He promised to help us after we told him about the prophecy, but he soon changed his mind.”
“We’re better off without him.” Hollyleaf swiped her tongue over her brother’s ear.
“Hollyleaf!”
She spun around to see Brambleclaw waiting beside the entrance to the thorn tunnel, the tip of his tail twitching impatiently.
“I’ve got to go,” she meowed to Lionblaze, and raced across the clearing to join Brambleclaw. “Sorry,” she gasped, and plunged into the tunnel.
The morning had been raw and cold, but as Hollyleaf padded through the forest with her Clanmates the clouds began to clear away. Long claws of sunlight pierced the branches, tipping the leaves with fire where they had changed from green to red and gold. Leaf-fall was almost upon them.
Brambleclaw led his patrol away from the lake toward the ShadowClan border, keeping well clear of the old Twoleg path and the abandoned nest where the Clans had fought their battle.
Tasting the air in the hope of finding a squirrel or a plump mouse, Hollyleaf caught a stale trace of her own and her littermates’ scents, lingering from their trek across the forest to find Sol. She hoped that none of the patrol would notice,especially not Brambleclaw or Sandstorm, because that would mean awkward questions she wasn’t sure she could answer.
To her relief, the other cats seemed too intent on tracking prey to notice. Sandstorm raised her tail for silence, and Hollyleaf could hear the crisp sounds of a thrush knocking a snail shell against a stone. Peering over a clump of bracken, she spotted the bird: a fine fat one with its back turned to the group of cats, too intent on its own prey to realize that hunters were creeping up on it.
Sandstorm dropped into the hunter’s crouch and glided over the forest floor, pausing to waggle her haunches before the final pounce. The movement alerted the thrush; dropping the snail, it let out a loud alarm call and launched itself into the air.
But Sandstorm was too fast for it. With an enormous leap she clawed it out of the air in a flurry of wings; it went limp as she bit down hard on its neck.
“Brilliant catch!” Hazeltail mewed.
“Not bad,” Sandstorm purred, scratching earth over her prey until she could collect it later.
Hollyleaf picked up the scent of mouse and followed it along a bramble thicket until she spotted the little creature scuffling among the debris beneath the outer branches. A couple of heartbeats later she had her own prey to bury beside Sandstorm’s.
Brambleclaw was clawing earth over a vole; he gave her an approving nod. “Well done, Hollyleaf. Carry on like this and the Clan will soon be full-fed.” He stalked off into a hazel thicket, his jaws parted to pick up the faintest trace of prey
For a few heartbeats Hollyleaf stood looking after her father, his praise warming her. Casting about for more prey, she picked up the trail of a squirrel, but as she rounded the trunk of a huge oak she spotted Hazeltail ahead of her, following the same scent. There was no sign of the squirrel, but the trail led straight toward the ShadowClan border. Hollyleaf could already make out the scent of the border markings, but Hazeltail seemed too preoccupied with her hunt to notice.
“Hey, Hazeltail, don’t—”
Hollyleaf broke off as three cats emerged from a clump of bracken on the other side of the border. Hazeltail was only a couple of tail-lengths away; startled, she halted, her ears flicking up in surprise.
Relief surged through Hollyleaf as she recognized the newcomers: Ivytail, Snaketail, and his apprentice, Scorchpaw. All three of them had fought on ThunderClan’s side in the battle; Hollyleaf could still see gashes along Ivytail’s side, and Scorchpaw’s ear was torn. They surely wouldn’t be angry with Hazeltail for coming right up to the border.
“Hi,” she meowed as she bounded up to stand beside Hazeltail. “How’s the prey running in ShadowClan?”
“Keep back!” Ivytail spat. “You’ve no right to come into ShadowClan territory. Just because we helped you in the battle doesn’t make us allies.”
“Typical ThunderClan,” Snaketail added, his voice a low snarl. “Thinking every Clan is their friend.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Hollyleaf demanded, stung by their hostility.
No cat answered her question. Instead, Ivytail stalked up to the border until she was nose-to-nose with Hazeltail. “What do you think you’re doing, this close to the border?”
“I was tracking a squirrel.” Hazeltail sounded bewildered. “But—”
“Prey-stealing!” Snaketail interrupted, the fur on his shoulders fluffing up in anger and his striped tail lashing.
“We were not!” Hollyleaf mewed indignantly. “We’re still on ThunderClan territory, in case you hadn’t noticed. Hazeltail hasn’t crossed your border.”
“Only because we turned up in time to stop her,” Snaketail growled.
Rustling sounded from the undergrowth behind Hollyleaf; she whipped around to see Brambleclaw and Sandstorm approaching, with Birchfall just behind. “Thank StarClan!” she murmured.
Brambleclaw padded forward until he stood beside Hollyleaf and Hazeltail. “Greetings,” he mewed, dipping his head to the three ShadowClan cats. “What’s going on here?”
“We had to stop these warriors of yours,” the ShadowClan cat explained. “Another couple of heartbeats and they would have crossed our border.”
“That’s not true!” Hollyleaf exclaimed hotly.
“I was tracking a squirrel.” Hazeltail faced the ThunderClan deputy with an apologetic look in her eyes. “I did forget where I was for a moment, but Hollyleaf warned me, and then the ShadowClan patrol appeared. I promise, I never set paw over the border.”
Brambleclaw nodded. “You’re as close to the border on your side as we are on ours,” he pointed out to the ShadowClan cats. “But no cat is accusing you of trying to cross.”
“We’re a border patrol!” Snaketail flashed back at him. “And it’s just as well we came along when we did.”
“No cat can trust ThunderClan,” Scorchpaw added, padding up beside his mentor.
Birchfall let out a hiss of fury; thrusting his way through the long grass he halted beside the ThunderClan deputy. “Brambleclaw, are you going to stand there and let an apprentice insult our Clan? When we haven’t even done anything?”
Sandstorm flicked his shoulder with her tail. “That’s enough, Birchfall. Let Brambleclaw handle this.”
The younger warrior let out a snort of disgust; he said nothing more, but stood glaring at the ShadowClan patrol.
“Birchfall’s right!” Hollyleaf protested. “These cats are just trying to make trouble. We haven’t broken the warrior code.”
“Oh, the precious warrior code!” Ivytail’s voice was full of scorn. “You think it’s the answer to everything, but you’re wrong. The warrior code didn’t stop the sun from vanishing, did it?”
“Right.” Snaketail supported his Clanmate. “Maybe it’s time the Clans stopped being so obsessed with dead cats, and started looking for other answers instead.”
Hollyleaf stared at them in dismay. She knew that these thoughts came from Sol. Was this what the strange cat had wanted all along—to destroy the warrior code from inside the Clans?
He meant to start with us. Hollyleaf remembered how friendly and helpful Sol had seemed. But maybe ShadowClan had been an easier prospect; Hollyleaf couldn’t imagine Firestar abandoning his beliefs as easily as Blackstar.
I have to save ShadowClan!In her desperation Hollyleaf was scarcely aware of the cats around her any longer. They can’t turn their backs on StarClan and the warrior code! There have to be four Clans!
“Hollyleaf, calm down,” Brambleclaw murmured beside her.
Hollyleaf realized that her pelt was fluffed out and her claws were digging into the damp earth. The three ShadowClan cats were staring at her, fur bristling as if they expected her to leap on them. Taking a deep breath she sheathed her claws and tried to make her fur lie flat again.
“I’m okay,” she muttered to her father.
“This is Sol talking, isn’t it?” Birchfall jeered, taking a pace forward so that he stood right on the border. “You’re all crazier than a fox in a fit! It’s mouse-brained to listen to a cat that no Clan cat has ever met before.”
“We listen because Sol talks sense,” Snaketail retorted, stepping forward until he faced Birchfall. “He knows what to do to give ShadowClan a better life for the future. Maybe if ThunderClan listened they would be able to fight their own battles. Maybe that’s why the sun vanished, to tell us that the time of the Clans is over, and cats have to work out how to live on their own. If ThunderClan is too cowardly to face that—”
With a screech of fury, Birchfall leaped on Snaketail.
The two cats rolled over in a spitting knot of fur. Scorchpaw jumped on top of them, clawing at Birchfall’s shoulder. Hazeltail launched himself onto the apprentice, trying to thrust him away from Birchfall.
“Birchfall, Hazeltail, get back here now.” Sandstorm took a pace forward, only to find her way blocked by Ivytail.
“Can’t your young warriors fight their own battles?” the ShadowClan warrior sneered. “A battle theystarted?” She unsheathed her claws and drew back her lips in a snarl.
Brambleclaw bounded forward to stand at Sandstorm’s side. “No. This battle was provoked by ShadowClan.”
Another yowl split the air from the fighting cats. Hollyleaf cringed at the sound of ripping fur, as if the claws were raking her own pelt. “Stop!” she screeched. “What are you doing?”
To her surprise, the battling cats fell apart, panting. At once Brambleclaw stepped forward and thrust Birchfall and Hazeltail back across the border onto their own territory.
“There’s been enough fighting,” he meowed. “Come on, ThunderClan.” As they started to leave, he paused and looked back over his shoulder at the ShadowClan patrol. “You can believe what you want, so long as you stay on your own side of the border.”
“We weren’t the ones who crossed it in the first place,” Ivytail hissed.
Brambleclaw turned his back on her and bounded ahead to lead the patrol away.
“Are you okay?” Hollyleaf murmured to Hazeltail; her Clanmate was blundering through the woods, stumbling over branches and letting trailing brambles rake her pelt.
“I’m a little dizzy,” Hazeltail confessed. “I hit my head on a branch when I was trying to pull Scorchpaw off Birchfall.”
“Here, I’ll guide you.” Hollyleaf rested her tail on Hazeltail’s shoulder. “We’ll let Leafpool take a look at you when we get back to camp. Birchfall was lucky that you did help him,” she added. “He would have got an even worse clawing without you.”
The young ThunderClan warrior was limping along with blood oozing from a gash on his shoulder. When the patrol paused by the bramble thicket to collect Sandstorm’s thrush and their other prey, he sat down and began to wash the wound with vigorous strokes of his tongue.
“Birchfall, you asked for that.” Brambleclaw paused in digging up his vole. “ShadowClan shouldn’t have accused us of trying to cross the border, but you put us in the wrong when you started the fight. Warriors should know how to control themselves.”
“Sorry,” Birchfall mumbled.
“So you should be.”
When the patrol set off again, Brambleclaw and Sandstorm remained grimly silent. Birchfall padded after them with his head down.
Hazeltail was beginning to recover. “Thanks, Hollyleaf,” she mewed, shaking off her friend’s tail. “I can manage now. Don’t you think Brambleclaw was hard on Birchfall?” she went on. “ShadowClan was asking for a fight.”
“That doesn’t mean we were right to give them one,” Hollyleaf replied absently. She was finding it hard to pay attention to anything. Horror gripped her like an extra pelt, thick enough to choke her. ShadowClan believed that Sol held the answers to a better future, but they were wrong.
He’ll destroy the Clans,she thought, terror freezing her limbs until she could barely set one paw in front of another. Somehow, we have to find a way to stop him
第一章
第一章
月亮又大又亮，它边缘金色的圆环倚靠在昏暗的山脊上。星星在冬青叶的头顶闪烁，这让她想起祖先们的灵魂正守护着她。这时山脊上有什么东西一闪，她吓得身上的毛全都竖了起来。一只猫在那里出现了，月光照出了他身体的轮廓。冬青叶认出了那宽阔的额头和毛茸茸的耳朵，以及皮毛浓密的尾巴尖。尽管背着光，只能看到一个剪影，她还是认出了那只猫的皮毛：白棕相间，夹杂着黑色和姜黄色的斑点。
“日神！”她嘶声叫道。
那个身影弓起后背，用后爪支撑着站起身来，前爪伸直，就像是要撕破苍穹。它向上一跃，跳了起来，身形开始不断地变大，最后一直遮住了月亮和闪烁的繁星。冬青叶蜷缩在地，看着眼前比森林最深处的黑暗还要可怕的景象，吓得瑟瑟发抖。
示警的尖叫声突然响起，整个族群的猫都藏了起来，发出惊恐的叫声，生怕这个黑影切断了星族对族群的守护。嘈杂声中，一个声音响了起来：“冬青叶！冬青叶！快出来！”
冬青叶在恐惧中扑打着，却发现自己的爪子被苔藓和蕨草缠住了。灰白色的光穿透武士巢穴上方的枝条照进来。在离她两个狐狸身长的地方，榛尾正爬出窝，抖了抖皮毛上沾着的苔藓球。
“冬青叶！”喊声再次传来，这次冬青叶听出了桦落的声音，他正气呼呼地在武士巢穴外叫道，“你是打算睡一整天吗？我们说好要去狩猎的！”
“来了。”冬青叶带着睡意，摇晃着走出来，全身的毛都因为刚才的噩梦颤抖着。她向最近的枝条缺口走去。她还没走到缺口，竟绊倒在一只正睡觉的猫身上——这只猫的半个身子都埋在蕨丛中。
云尾的头突然探了出来。“伟大的星族啊！”他抱怨道，“就不能让一只猫好好睡一会儿吗？”
“对……对不起！”冬青叶结结巴巴地向云尾道歉。她想起昨天夜里云尾参加了最后一班巡逻，她在执行武士守夜职责时，看见他和尘毛、栗尾一同返回了营地。
真不走运！搬进武士巢穴的第一天，就惹恼了一位资深武士。
云尾哼了一声，再次蜷起身子，把鼻子埋进皮毛里，闭上了他的蓝眼睛。
“没事儿！”榛尾嘟哝着，用鼻子碰了碰冬青叶肩膀上的皮毛，“云尾就是那种臭脾气。还有，你也不用太在意桦落的态度。他对所有的新武士都很专横，但是用不了多久，你就会习惯的。”
冬青叶感激地点点头，没有告诉榛尾她刚才失去平衡的真正原因。困扰她的并不是桦落，而是那个让她从耳朵到尾巴尖全都疼痛的梦。那个梦让她爪子僵硬，思维混乱。
她看着哥哥狮爪——不，现在叫狮焰——守夜结束后休息的窝。她现在什么都不想做，只想跟哥哥说说话。可是他的窝是空的，他一定是跟着黎明巡逻队出去了。
冬青叶小心地迈着爪子，跟在榛尾身后走出了武士巢穴。桦落正在外面不耐烦地抓挠着地面。
“终于来了啊！”他呵斥道，“你在磨蹭什么呢？”
“别着急，桦落。”雷族副族长、冬青叶的父亲黑莓掌正坐在不远处，尾巴全都覆盖在爪子上，琥珀色的眼睛显得非常平静，“猎物不会跑掉的。”
“看见你们之前不会跑掉的。”沙风从猎物堆旁边跳过来，补充道。
“那也得有猎物才行。”桦落甩了甩尾巴，“那场战斗之后，猎物就变得越来越难找了。”
咕噜噜叫着的肚子告诉冬青叶，桦落说得没错。几次太阳升起之前，所有的四大族群都在雷族的领地上战斗，他们的呐喊声和踩踏声已经吓走了所有的猎物，有些猎物也可能是躲到了更深的地下。
“也许猎物正在陆续回来呢！”冬青叶说道。
“有可能。”黑莓掌表示赞同，“我们往影族的边界走。那里没怎么发生战斗。”
听到“影族”，冬青叶的身体顿时僵住了。我还会再次遇到日神吗？她心里想道。
“我在想，我们会不会碰见影族猫，”桦落说出了冬青叶的想法，“我想知道，他们是不是全都抛弃了对星族的信仰，而追随那只古怪的独行猫。”
冬青叶觉得，肚子里像是有一块大石头，压得她迈不动步子。两天前，影族猫没来参加森林大会，只有族长黑星和最近才来到湖边的独行猫日神到场了。黑星在森林大会上宣布，以后他的猫将不再相信武士祖灵的力量。
但是那不可能是正确的！没有星族，没有武士守则，一个族群该怎么生存呢？
“日神可不古怪。”榛尾抖了抖耳朵对桦落说，“他曾预言太阳会消失，最后太阳确实消失了——所有的巫医都不知道会发生这种事。”
桦落不屑地耸耸肩说：“太阳又回来了，不是吗？这根本就不算什么。”
“不管怎么样，”黑莓掌打断了他们，站起身说道，“我们是去狩猎的，又不是去影族做友好访问的。”
“可是他们与我们并肩作战过。”桦落争辩道，“如果没有影族的武士，我们早就被风族与河族变成鸦食了。我们不能这么快就与他们为敌，不是吗？”
“不是成为敌人。”沙风纠正道，“不过我们和他们毕竟是两个不同的族群。而且我也不确定，我们还能不能跟背弃星族的猫做朋友。”
如果换成我们不相信星族呢？这句话冬青叶不敢问出口。云尾就从来没相信过星族。不过她知道，云尾毫无疑问是一位忠诚的武士，他能为族群里的任何一只猫牺牲自己。
黑莓掌没说话，只是抖了抖身体，弯了弯尾巴，招呼着其他巡逻队向荆棘通道走去。他们正碰上蕨毛、栗尾和狮焰回来。冬青叶看见三只猫向猎物堆走去，飞奔过去拦住了哥哥。
“巡逻怎么样？有什么需要汇报的吗？”
狮焰张嘴打了个大哈欠。他一定是精疲力竭了，冬青叶想，他刚完成武士守夜仪式，然后就被叫去参加了黎明巡逻。
“没什么事。”狮焰摇了摇头，“风族边界一切平静。”
“我们正要去影族边界。”单独和哥哥待在一块儿时，冬青叶才说出了她的担心，“我担心我们会遇见日神。如果他把那个预言告诉其他猫，该怎么办？”
狮焰把鼻子靠在冬青叶肩膀上，安慰道：“别瞎想了！日神会去边界巡逻吗？他只会在营地里躺着，享用现成的猎物。”
冬青叶摇摇头说：“我不知道……真希望，我们什么都没跟他说过。”
“我也是。”狮焰眯起眼睛，愤愤不平地继续说道，“但是日神好像并不关心我们的事。他已经决定和黑星在一起了，不是吗？我们说了那个预言之后，他答应会帮助我们，可是他很快就改变了主意。”
“没有他，我们的处境会好许多。”冬青叶舔了舔哥哥的耳朵。
“冬青叶！”
冬青叶转过身，看到黑莓掌正在荆棘通道入口等她，不耐烦地甩着尾巴。
“我得走了。”她对狮焰说着，赶紧跑过空地，来到黑莓掌跟前。“抱歉。”她急忙说了一声，然后一头钻进了通道。
早晨的天气非常寒冷，天上阴云密布。不过当冬青叶和族猫穿过森林时，天空的云朵消散了。阳光的长爪子刺过树枝，温暖地抚摩着树叶。树叶现在已经变成了金色或者红色，落叶季马上就要来了。
黑莓掌带领巡逻队离开湖边，向影族边界走去。他们尽量避开了旧的两脚兽小道和废弃的两脚兽巢穴，之前的战斗就发生在这两个地方。
冬青叶仔细闻嗅着空气中的气息，希望能找到一只松鼠，或者是一只肥美的老鼠，但她只闻到了自己和族猫的气息，那是上次他们穿越森林，去寻找日神时留下来的。冬青叶祈祷这些气息不会被巡逻队的众猫，尤其是黑莓掌和沙风发现，否则她就会面临一堆不知道该如何回答的可怕问题。
让她松了一口气的是，其他猫似乎正专注地搜寻猎物，并没注意到这些。这时沙风抬起尾巴示意大家安静，接着冬青叶就听到画眉正在把蜗牛壳摔在石头上发出的脆响。她凝望着蕨丛，终于发现了那只鸟——它很肥美，此时正背对着群猫，专心地撞击着蜗牛壳，完全没注意到身后悄悄靠近的猎手。
沙风立刻摆出狩猎姿势，贴着地皮匍匐前行，最后停下来调整了一下姿势，准备纵身扑上去。谁知这个动作惊动了画眉，它丢下蜗牛壳，发出一声很大的示警声，振翅飞向空中。
但是沙风的动作更快。她高高跳起来，从空中将它抓了回来。那只鸟扑扇着翅膀，拼命挣扎。沙风冲着它的脖子猛咬一口，它才渐渐不动了。
“好漂亮的扑击！”榛尾说道。
“还行吧！”沙风发出一声满意的呼噜，刨了些土把猎物埋起来，准备稍后再一起带回去。
冬青叶追踪着老鼠的气息，来到一片茂密的荆棘丛，发现那只小动物正躲在树枝遮蔽着的砂岩上。只用了几个心跳的时间，冬青叶就将她的猎物埋到了沙风的猎物旁边。
黑莓掌正在用土盖住一只田鼠。他对冬青叶赞许地点了点头：“干得漂亮，冬青叶。照这个势头下去，族群很快就有足够的猎物吃了。”他钻进一片榛树，张大嘴巴，继续追踪着猎物微弱的气息。
冬青叶在那里蹲坐了好几个心跳的时间，呆呆地看着父亲的背影，他的赞扬让冬青叶心里感到暖洋洋的。冬青叶开始搜寻其他猎物，很快就发现了一只松鼠的踪迹。可是她绕过一棵大橡树后，才发现榛尾正在前面，她们追踪的是同一个目标。她们并没有看到松鼠的身影，但猎物的气味径直奔向影族边界。冬青叶已经嗅到了边界标记的气味，榛尾只顾追踪猎物，并没有注意到。
“喂，榛尾，别过去……”
冬青叶的话还没说完，三只猫从边界另一侧的蕨丛中跳了出来。榛尾看着两条尾巴远的地方，吓了一跳。她停下爪子，吃惊地抖动着耳朵。
冬青叶顿时放松下来，她认识这三只猫，他们是藤尾、蛇尾和蛇尾的学徒焦爪。他们都曾在那场战斗中与雷族并肩作战，现在冬青叶还能看到藤尾肋下的伤口，焦爪的耳朵也被撕破了。冬青叶想，他们一定不会对榛尾靠近边界怒火万丈。
“嗨，”冬青叶跳过去站在榛尾身边，说道，“影族领地上的猎物怎么样啊？”
“退回去！”藤尾厉声喝道，“你们无权踏入影族的领地。不要以为我们在战斗中帮过你们，你们就可以把我们看作盟友。”
“真是典型的雷族猫！”蛇尾低声咆哮着补充道，“总认为每个族群都是他们的朋友。”
“那有什么错吗？”冬青叶反问道，她已经被对方的敌意激怒了。
没有猫回答她的问题。相反的，藤尾走到边界附近，直到碰上榛尾的鼻子。她质问道：“你知道自己在干什么吗？离边界这么近！”
“我正在追一只松鼠。”榛尾听起来有些困惑，“但是……”
“偷猎者！”蛇尾打断了她的话，气得肩膀上的毛直竖了起来，长着斑纹的尾巴不停地甩动着。
“我们不是偷猎者。”冬青叶愤愤不平地说道，“你们刚才应该看清楚了，我们还在雷族的领地上。榛尾并没有越过边界。”
“那是因为我们及时出现，阻止了她。”蛇尾吼道。
冬青叶听到灌木丛里沙沙作响。她转过身，看见黑莓掌和沙风正朝他们走来，桦落紧跟在他们身后。“感谢星族！”她小声说道。
黑莓掌走上前来，站在冬青叶和榛尾身边。“你们好！”他对三只影族猫点点头说，“怎么回事？”
“刚才我们不得不制止你的武士。”影族猫解释说，“只需要两个心跳，她们就要越过边界了。”
“不是这样的！”冬青叶气冲冲地大喊着。
“刚才我正在追一只松鼠。”榛尾看着副族长，眼中充满了歉意，“有那么一会儿，我确实忘记自己走到哪里了，但是冬青叶已经提醒了我。这时候影族的巡逻队就出现了。我发誓，我绝对没有把爪子放在边界线上。”
黑莓掌点了点头。“在我们靠近边界的时候，你们距离边界也够近了。”他提醒三只影族猫，“但是我们谁都没有指责你们试图越界。”
“因为我们是边界巡逻队！”蛇尾立即反驳，“而且我们走过来，也正是为了履行职责。”
“没有猫会相信雷族。”焦爪走到老师身旁，补充道。
桦落愤怒地嘶吼着，冲过高草来到雷族副族长身边：“黑莓掌，难道你打算站在那里一动不动，任凭一个学徒羞辱雷族吗？况且我们没做错任何事情！”
沙风用尾巴弹了一下他的肩膀说：“行了，桦落，就让黑莓掌处理这件事吧。”
年轻武士生气地哼了一声。他没有再说话，但是仍站在一旁，瞪着影族巡逻队。
“桦落说得没错！”冬青叶抗议道，“这些猫在故意找麻烦。我们并没有触犯武士守则。”
“噢，多可爱的武士守则呀！”藤尾的声音中满是不屑，“你觉得它能解决所有的问题吗？你错了！武士守则并没有阻止太阳消失，不是吗？”
“就是。”蛇尾支持他的同伴，“也许是时候放下对死去的猫的迷信，寻找其他答案了。”
冬青叶惊愕地看着他们。她知道这种想法来自日神。难道这就是那只奇怪的猫想得到的结果——从族群内部摧毁武士守则？
他本打算从我们身上下手的。她想起日神当时是多么友好和乐意帮忙。也许他的目的在影族更容易实现。冬青叶无法想象，火星会像黑星那样轻易地放弃自己的信仰。
我必须拯救影族！冬青叶是如此绝望，完全忘记了周围的其他猫。他们不能背弃星族和武士守则。四个族群都得存在。
“冬青叶，放松点！”黑莓掌在她身边低声说道。
冬青叶这才意识到自己的毛都竖了起来，爪子插进了潮湿的泥土。三只影族猫正盯着她，他们的毛也竖了起来，似乎正期待着她扑过去。冬青叶深吸了一口气，缩回爪尖，努力让自己的毛平顺下去。
“我没事。”她对父亲轻声说道。
“这是日神说的，是吧？”桦落嘲笑着，向前跨了一步，刚好站到边界线上，“你们真是比狐狸还疯狂。只有鼠脑子才会轻信一只完全陌生的族群外的猫。”
“我们听从日神的话，是因为他有智慧。”蛇尾反驳着，他上前一步，看着桦落，“他知道影族该怎么做，才能拥有更美好的未来。雷族如果能听得进日神的话，说不定就不用从别的族群借兵了。也许太阳消失，就是为了告诉我们，族群的时代结束了，所有猫都必须决定自己如何生活。如果雷族太懦弱，不敢面对现实……”
桦落发出一声愤怒的嘶吼，扑向蛇尾。
两只猫翻滚在一起，就像一堆嘶叫的皮毛。焦爪跳到他们身上，朝桦落的肩膀抓去。榛尾立刻跳到这位影族学徒的身上，想把他从桦落身上弄开。
“桦落、榛尾，马上退回来！”沙风刚向前一步，就被藤尾挡住了。
“你们的年轻武士都不敢打架了吗？”影族武士讥笑道，“他们挑起的战斗，都不敢打下去？”她亮出利爪，愤怒地露出牙齿。
黑莓掌跳上前，站在沙风身边：“你错了。这场战斗是影族猫引发的。”
又一声痛苦的号叫从战斗中的猫中间传来。皮毛撕裂的声音把冬青叶吓得缩成一团，好像是自己的皮毛被利爪撕开了。“停下！”她嘶叫道，“你们这是干什么？”
令她吃惊的是，战斗中的猫竟然都听话地分开了，喘着粗气。黑莓掌立刻走上前去，用力地把桦落和榛尾拉回雷族领地。
“我们的战斗已经够多了。”他说道，“走吧，雷族猫。”当众猫准备离开的时候，黑莓掌顿了一下，回过头看着影族武士说道：“你们愿意相信什么就去相信什么，只要你们能待在边界的另一边。”
“我们不是首先越界的猫！”藤尾嘶声说道。
黑莓掌没有再理她，跳回到巡逻队的前面去了。
“你没事吧？”冬青叶小声地问榛尾。她的族猫正跌跌撞撞地在树林中前进，黑莓枝划开了她的皮毛都不理会。
“我有一点头晕。”榛尾承认道，“刚才把焦爪从桦落身上往下拉的时候，我撞到一根树枝上了。”
“来，我领着你。”冬青叶把尾巴搭在榛尾的肩头，“我们回到营地后，就让叶池给你看看。算桦落运气好，是你帮了他。”她补充道，“否则他可能被抓得更惨。”
年轻的雷族武士一瘸一拐地走着，肩头的伤口还淌着血。当巡逻队在黑莓丛中停下来，收集之前埋下的猎物时，桦落趁机坐下来，用舌头舔着伤口。
“桦落，这都是你自找的。”黑莓掌说着，把之前掩埋在那里的田鼠挖了出来，“影族的确不应该冤枉我们试图越界，但是你开始挑起战斗的时候，我们就理亏了。武士应该知道怎样控制自己。”
“对不起。”桦落低声说道。
“是该好好反省反省。”
巡逻队再次出发，黑莓掌和沙风表情严肃，一句话也没说。桦落低头跟在他们后面。
榛尾已经慢慢缓过来了。“谢谢你，冬青叶。”她抖掉了朋友的尾巴，“我可以自己走了。你有没有觉得黑莓掌对桦落太严厉了？”她继续说道，“影族刚才分明是在挑衅。”
“那也并不意味着我们可以动爪子打他们。”冬青叶心不在焉地回答道。她现在很难把精力集中在任何事情上。恐惧像一身厚厚的皮毛，把她裹得紧紧的，让她几乎就要窒息了。影族相信日神对未来有更好的想法，但是他们错了。
他会毁掉族群的！冬青叶暗想。随之而来的恐惧感使她四肢僵硬，已经迈不开步子。无论如何，我们都得想个办法来阻止他。
CHAPTER2
CHAPTER2
Jaypaw slid into the nursery witha bunch of catmint clamped in his jaws. The sharp scent of the herbs didn’t disguise the warm, milky scent of the nursing queens, or the underlying sourness that made Jaypaw’s fur prickle uneasily.
Daisy’s sleepy voice greeted him. “Hi, Jaypaw.”
“Hi, Daisy,” Jaypaw mumbled around the mouthful of herbs. “Hey, Millie.”
Millie’s only reply was a cough. Jaypaw padded over to her, across the thick layer of moss and bracken that covered the nursery floor, and dropped the herbs beside her. “Leafpool sent you those.”
“Thanks, Jaypaw.” Millie’s voice was hoarse. “Will you take a look at Briarkit? Her pelt feels really hot.”
Jaypaw nuzzled among the kits, who were sleeping pressed up close to their mother’s belly, until he identified Briarkit by her scent. The little kit was restless, letting out faint mews in her sleep and shifting about in the moss as if she couldn’t get comfortable. Jaypaw sniffed her all over, catching a whiff of the same sour scent that came from Millie. Her pelt was hot, just as Millie said, and her nose was dry.
Briarkit might have caught her mother’s cough!he thought worriedly. Aloud he said, “I’ll get Leafpool to send her some borage leaves for the fever. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” I hope I sound more confident than I feel, he added to himself.
As he listened to Millie chewing up the catmint, Jaypaw wondered whether it would be better to move her and Briarkit out of the nursery, so that the infection wouldn’t spread any further. It would be easier to look after them in Leafpool’s den.
But then Millie wouldn’t be able to feed Blossomkit and Bumblekit
He could sense sharp pangs of anxiety coming from Daisy, the fear that Rosekit and Toadkit would start coughing, too. There was nothing Jaypaw could say to reassure her. His claws worked impatiently in the mossy bedding. If I’ve got the power of the stars in my paws, why can’t I cure a cough?
The nursery felt hot and stifling, cramped with all five kits and the two mothers in there. Jaypaw was eager to be out in the open again, but he needed to wait and see if the catmint had helped Millie at all.
He heard a scuffling from Daisy’s direction, and Toadkit’s voice. “I’m a WindClan warrior, and I’m coming to get you!”
“I’ll get you first!” Rosekit mewed back.
The two kits started to wrestle; one flailing paw hit Jaypaw on the shoulder.
“That’s enough!” Daisy scolded. “If you want to play, go outside.”
The two kits bundled past Jaypaw and he heard their excited mews dying away as they dashed out into the clearing.
The long-furred she-cat sighed. “Sometimes I can’t wait for them to be apprenticed.”
“It won’t be long now,” Jaypaw meowed. “They’re strong kits.”
Daisy sighed again; Jaypaw could still sense that she was worrying, but she didn’t try to put her fears into words.
“My throat feels better now,” Millie announced, swallowing the last of the herbs. “Thanks, Jaypaw.”
Another loud bout of coughing interrupted her. Jaypaw flinched as a ball of sticky spit caught him on the ear. “I’ll go and talk to Leafpool,” he mewed hurriedly, backing toward the entrance to the den.
On his way out he clawed up a pawful of moss and rolled over on it to clean his ear. I wonder what happens if a medicine cat gets sick. Who looks after the Clan then?Shrugging, he headed across the clearing toward the den he shared with Leafpool.
As he brushed past the bramble screen, Jaypaw picked up the scents of other cats as well as Leafpool; sniffing, he distinguished Birchfall and Hazeltail. There was a tang of blood in the air.
“Who’s hurt?” he demanded, his neck fur rising at the thought of another battle.
“Birchfall has a wounded shoulder,” Leafpool explained. “Picking a fight with ShadowClan cats, by the sound of it.”
“Theypicked a fight with us,” Birchfall protested.
“And whose claws came out first?” the ThunderClan medicine cat retorted. “Brambleclaw told me all about it. You’re lucky it’s no worse. That cobweb should stop the bleeding,” she went on, “but come back if it starts again. And I want to see you tomorrow in any case, to make sure the gash is healing well.”
“Okay.” Birchfall sounded disgruntled, then added, “Thanks, Leafpool.”
“You too, Hazeltail,” Leafpool continued. “If the dizziness comes back, I want you in here straightaway. Now both of you take these poppy seeds and go and have a good sleep in the warriors’ den. No more duties until tomorrow.”
Hazeltail and Birchfall brushed past Jaypaw on their way out of the den. As their scents faded, Leafpool asked, “How’s Millie?”
“She says her throat feels better,” Jaypaw replied, “but she’s still coughing. And Briarkit is feverish. I think she might have caught the cough too.”
“Oh, no!” Jaypaw picked up Leafpool’s sudden spurt of anxiety. “I’ll go over there and take a look,” she meowed. “And then I’ll have to go into the forest—we’re low on borage leaves for fevers. Can you check the elders?”
Jaypaw stifled a groan. “Sure.” He would much rather go out into the forest; he could find borage by scent just as well as Leafpool could by sight.
“I’m worried Mousefur might still be stiff after scrambling up to the Highledge during the battle,” Leafpool went on. “And they’ll both need checking for ticks.”
That’s an apprentice job,Jaypaw thought resentfully as his mentor padded past him on her way to the nursery. He answered himself: So? That’s what you are, an apprentice. Get on with it
He had been proud of his littermates when Firestar had made them warriors, but Jaypaw had no idea when Leafpool would give him his name as a full medicine cat, and he would walk in her shadow until she died. He didn’t want her to die, and yet…Can’t I haveanything for myself? How long before the prophecy is fulfilled?
Trying to banish the thoughts clawing at his belly, he found a twig and collected a ball of moss soaked in mouse bile from the cave where Leafpool kept her supplies. Wrinkling his nose against the acrid smell, he stalked across the clearing to the elders’ den under the hazel bush.
“Hi, Jaypaw,” Longtail meowed drowsily as he approached; Jaypaw was surprised that the blind elder could pick out his scent even with the tang of mouse bile in the air.
“It’s good to see you,” Mousefur added. “I’ve got a tick on my shoulder that feels as big as a blackberry.”
“Let me look,” Jaypaw mumbled around the twig. At least Mousefur sounded in a good mood today. If she was in a bad temper she could claw with her tongue almost as harshly as Yellowfang, the former ThunderClan medicine cat whom Jaypaw met in his dreams.
He soon found the tick—not as big as Mousefur said, but swollen enough to make her uncomfortable—and dabbed mouse bile on it until it dropped off.
Mousefur flexed her shoulder. “Thanks, Jaypaw. That’s a whole lot better.”
Jaypaw set the twig aside and began searching the skinny elder’s fur to see if she had picked up any more ticks. “Leafpool wondered if you were stiff after climbing to the Highledge.”
Mousefur snorted. “Tell young Leafpool that I may be an elder but I’m not completely helpless. Why would I be stiff after a little climb like that?”
“Good,” Jaypaw muttered. “Now, do you want your ticks fixed? ’Cause if you do, keep still.”
“Is that how you talk to an elder?” Mousefur’s voice was tart, but Jaypaw could feel her amusement. She settled herself comfortably and went on, “You were at the Gathering, weren’t you? What happened? I know there was trouble, but no cat tells us anything. Was it WindClan again?”
“No…” Jaypaw hesitated. He didn’t want to discuss Sol with any cat.
“Well?” Mousefur snapped. “Badger got your tongue?”
“ShadowClan didn’t come,” Jaypaw began, choosing his words carefully. “Just Blackstar. He had Sol with him.”
“Sol? That tricky lump of fur who told us the sun would disappear?”
“Yes.” Jaypaw was surprised that Mousefur seemed so hostile. “You didn’t like Sol, then?”
“I don’t trust any cat who knows things that StarClan hasn’t told our medicine cat,” Mousefur replied. “There’s something wrong there, or I’m a rabbit.”
“Blackstar spoke to the Gathering,” Jaypaw went on, relieved that Mousefur didn’t know Sol had almost become his mentor for fulfilling the secret prophecy. “He said that Sol had persuaded him and ShadowClan not to listen to StarClan anymore.”
“What?” Jaypaw felt Mousefur’s pelt begin to bristle. “But every Clan cat listens to StarClan. What else are they supposed to do?”
Jaypaw shrugged. “Blackstar thinks living cats can look after themselves.”
Mousefur snorted. “No more than I’d expect from that flea-brain. So what did StarClan have to say about it?”
“Nothing,” Jaypaw admitted. “The moon kept on shining, bright and clear.”
He felt Mousefur’s muscles tense under his paws. “That doesn’t make sense,” she muttered.
Though Jaypaw agreed, he didn’t reply, just retrieved the ball of mouse bile to deal with another tick near the old cat’s tail. “There, you’re done,” he mewed when the tick plopped onto the floor.
Mousefur grunted her thanks, and Jaypaw turned to Longtail. The blind elder had remained silent as Jaypaw passed on the news of the Gathering; Jaypaw could pick up mingled feelings of guilt and confusion. He guessed that Longtail was still feeling bad that he hadn’t been able to fight beside his Clan in the battle. There wasn’t much Jaypaw could say to comfort him. He was blind, too, but at least he had been able to use his medicine cat skills to help.
“Keep still,” he meowed, parting Longtail’s fur gently and making sure his claws were sheathed. “I’ll soon check you for ticks.”
“Thanks, Jaypaw.” Longtail relaxed a little. “Could you check my pad, too?” he added, holding out one forepaw. “I think it got scraped on the stones when I climbed up to the Highledge.”
“Sure.” Jaypaw didn’t find any ticks, and set the mouse bile on one side to run his paws over Longtail’s pad. There was no sign of blood, but he could feel grit embedded in the roughened skin.
Bending his head, Jaypaw rasped his tongue over Longtail’s paw until it felt smooth again. “I don’t think you need any yarrow, but I’ll check it again tomorrow. Keep it clean, and give it a good lick now and again.”
“I’ll do that,” Longtail meowed. “It feels better already.”
Jaypaw picked up the twig and squeezed his way out of the elders’ den. I wish we could sort out Sol and ShadowClan as easily as I can sort out a scraped pad.
He picked up Hollyleaf’s scent close by. A blast of anxiety hit him, like walking into the teeth of a gale; he could almost feel his fur flattened by it.
“I thought you’d never finish!” his sister exclaimed.
“What’s the matter?” Jaypaw asked her.
“We’ve got to talk.” Hollyleaf’s voice was low and tense. “There was a fight on the ShadowClan border this morning.”
“I know,” Jaypaw replied. “So what? There are border skirmishes all the time.”
“This wasn’tjust a border skirmish,” Hollyleaf hissed. “It’s all about Sol. He’s telling the ShadowClan cats to ignore the warrior code.”
“We already knew that,” Jaypaw pointed out.
Hollyleaf’s anxiety crackled like lightning. “Look, we can’t talk now. We need Lionblaze here. Sandstorm and Cloudtail are waiting for me to go on another hunting patrol, so we’ll meet when I get back, okay?”
“Okay.” Jaypaw knew that Hollyleaf wouldn’t give up until he agreed.
“Hollyleaf!” Cloudtail’s voice came from the other side of the camp.
“Coming!” Hollyleaf called back. “I’ll catch you later,” she mewed to Jaypaw, and bounded off.
Shaking his head, half irritated and half worried by his sister’s distress, Jaypaw padded back to his own den.
Jaypaw was tidying the supply of yarrow when Leafpool returned from the forest with a huge bunch of borage leaves. “I was lucky to find these,” she meowed, dropping the stems at Jaypaw’s paws. “It’s time we started stocking up getting ready for leaf-bare.”
“I can go out and start collecting stuff,” Jaypaw suggested hopefully. Anything to get out of camp!
“In a day or two, maybe,” Leafpool replied. “We should go through the stores first, and check on what we need. Meanwhile, you can shred some of these leaves and chew them into pulp for Briarkit.”
Boring!But Jaypaw knew better than to object. He pushed the yarrow to the back of the cleft where they stored herbs and began tearing the borage leaves apart with his claws. He’d gotten through less than half the pile when he heard paw steps outside the den and caught a whiff of fresh-kill. He picked up Hollyleaf’s scent, too; the hunting patrol had returned.
“Sorry,” he mewed to Leafpool, springing to his paws. “There’s something I’ve got to do.”
He brushed past the bramble screen and tracked his sister by her scent. He bounded forward and felt her muzzle brush his shoulder as she ran to meet him.
“Come on,” she urged breathlessly. “Lionblaze is waiting for us behind the warriors’ den.”
Jaypaw followed her, squeezing into the space where they used to play when they were kits. “It’s a bit more squashed in here than I remember,” he muttered as he edged between his two littermates.
“Because we’re bigger, mouse-brain,” Hollyleaf snapped.
“And they extended the warriors’ den,” Lionblaze added. “There’s still not enough room in there, though. I kind of envy Foxpaw and Icepaw, now they’ve got the apprentices’ den all to themselves.”
“Not for long,” Jaypaw replied. “Rosekit and Toadkit will be in there pretty soon.” He winced as Hollyleaf stuck her paw into his side. “Hey, watch it!”
“There’s a thorn stuck between my toes and I can’t reach it,” Hollyleaf explained.
“Okay.” Jaypaw felt around his sister’s paw until he located the thorn, digging in deep between the beds of her claws.
“Hollyleaf, tell us what’s on your mind,” Lionblaze suggested; Jaypaw could feel his impatience like a cloud of stinging flies. “We can’t stay stuck behind here all day.”
“I’m worried about what Sol is teaching the ShadowClan cats,” Hollyleaf began. “Ivytail said he told them not to listen to StarClan anymore.”
Jaypaw drew back from Hollyleaf’s paw with the thorn gripped between his teeth. He spat it out. “We heard that at the Gathering,” he pointed out. “Is it such a bad thing?”
“What?” Hollyleaf sounded outraged.
“I don’t mean about ignoring StarClan. But it’s good for cats to question things instead of just accepting them.”
“There are some things you just don’t question.” Hollyleaf spoke with utter certainty. “Sol doesn’t think we should follow the warrior code. And without that, what are we? Just a band of rogues.”
“This still isn’t anything new,” Lionblaze meowed. “Why are you getting so upset?”
“What’s new is that now we know the whole of ShadowClan is agreeing with Sol, not just Blackstar. Honestly, are you both mouse-brained? Do you wanta Clan on our borders who doesn’t follow the warrior code? What’s to stop them from crossing the border and stealing our prey? Or maybe even raiding our camp and stealing our kits?”
“I’d like to see them try,” Lionblaze growled; squashed up against him, Jaypaw could feel his brother’s muscles flex as he extended his claws and dug them into the ground.
“The Clans will be destroyed if we don’t stick together and believe in the same things,” Hollyleaf went on, her anger rising. “We have to dosomething.”
“I’d like to tear that mange-ridden rogue apart.” Lionblaze’s irritation was deepening into anger as fierce as his sister’s; Jaypaw struggled not to feel overwhelmed by the force of their fury surging over him from both sides. “Sol promisedto help us with the prophecy, and then he left us and went to ShadowClan.” After a heartbeat’s pause Lionblaze added, “Do you think there’s a prophecy about ShadowClan, too?”
“I’m sure there isn’t,” Jaypaw meowed. “Weare the three. I know we are.”
He hoped that neither of his littermates would ask him how he could be so sure. He couldn’t imagine how he would tell them about his dreams in the mountains when he had visited the Tribe of Endless Hunting.
“I still think Sol knows more about the prophecy than he’s telling us,” he went on. “And if he won’t come to us, then we’ll have to cross the border and find him.”
“Trespass in ShadowClan territory?” Hollyleaf’s shock struck Jaypaw like a blow. “We can’t do that! We’dbe breaking the warrior code.”
“That’s just what I was saying,” Jaypaw meowed. “Sure, we can’t do without the warrior code. But there are times when it’s right to break it. Great StarClan!” he went on, as he sensed that his sister was rejecting his idea. “When we were kits, didn’t we hear stories about how Firestar sometimes broke the warrior code if he thought it was right? We can’t do anything about the prophecy until we know whatever Sol knows. Whether he’s right or not about StarClan, he knew the sun was going to disappear, and StarClan didn’t. And we’re not going to learn anything from him by staying here.”
“I’m up for it,” Lionblaze snarled. “I’ll makeSol tell us the answers. Hollyleaf, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
Hollyleaf’s shock was fading into uncertainty. “No, we’re in this together. Besides,” she went on, more determined, “maybe the prophecy means that we’re the only cats who have the power to saveShadowClan.”
Jaypaw didn’t say anything. If the only way Hollyleaf could bring herself to trespass was by thinking she was doing it for ShadowClan’s sake, he’d let her go on thinking that. But he and Lionblaze were doing this for the three of them, to find out what the prophecy really meant and how they could achieve the power they had been promised.
“Jaypaw? Are you there?”
Jaypaw’s ears flicked at the sound of Lionblaze calling softly from the other side of the bramble screen. He listened a moment longer, until he picked up regular breathing that told him Leafpool was soundly asleep. Then he climbed out of his nest and slid out of his den into the clearing.
The scents of Lionblaze and Hollyleaf wreathed around him. “Follow closely,” Lionblaze whispered. “The moon is shining and we have to keep to the shadows. Cloudtail is on guard at the entrance.”
“We’re going to sneak out through the dirtplace tunnel,” Hollyleaf added.
“Oh, great.” Jaypaw wrinkled his nose.
“You can crawl out underneath the brambles if you’d rather,” Lionblaze muttered. “Come on.”
Jaypaw’s pelt prickled as he crept after his brother around the edge of the stone hollow. But when he felt the tunnel walls closing around him, the thorns snagging his pelt, there had been no yowl from Cloudtail. He relaxed slightly when he emerged from the other end and picked his way across the dirtplace. As they headed into the forest he tried sniffing out clumps of herbs and brushing through them to get rid of the nasty smell.
The forest was silent except for the gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional scuttling of prey in the undergrowth.
“We need to keep together, and keep quiet,” Lionblaze murmured. “There might be ThunderClan cats out for some night hunting, and we don’t want any cat asking questions.”
“Okay,” Hollyleaf replied. Jaypaw could tell she was scared, not by the thought of a fight with ShadowClan warriors, but because she didn’t want to be caught breaking the warrior code. I wish she’d lighten up. If we’ve got the power of the stars in our paws, we’re more powerful than the code, right?
Lionblaze led them to the stream that marked part of the border. “Keep right behind me,” he instructed Jaypaw. “It’s not deep.”
Jaypaw bristled. “I’m fine, thanks,” he muttered. He didn’t want any cat to know how scared he was of water, even after teaching Cinderheart to swim. His belly churned when he felt the water lapping around his paws, then rising up his legs as he waded deeper. But before the water lapped his belly fur he felt it sink again, and soon he was scrambling out onto the bank in ShadowClan territory, the reek of ShadowClan scent all around him.
“We should roll in their scent marks,” Hollyleaf suggested. “That way we’ll disguise our ThunderClan scent.”
“Wonderful,” Jaypaw grumbled, even though his sister’s idea was a good one. “The dirtplace, and now ShadowClan. I won’t be able to lick my fur for a moon.”
Thoroughly covered in ShadowClan scent, the three cats headed deeper into the rival Clan’s territory. Jaypaw’s ears were pricked for the sound of approaching patrols, his jaws parted to pick up the stronger scent that would warn him of approaching warriors. But the forest was eerily silent.
“Where are they all?” Hollyleaf whispered. It was unusual for no cats to be out at night, not even a few hunters, especially when there was a bright moon.
No cat answered her. They went on until Jaypaw felt the fallen leaves under his pads give way to sharp pine needles. “We must be getting close to the camp,” he whispered.
Lionblaze took the lead again, guiding Jaypaw in short dashes; Jaypaw understood that they were flitting from shadow to shadow. At last he could taste an overwhelming surge of ShadowClan scent from somewhere ahead. The ground underpaw began to rise, and became broken up, with rocks poking out of the pine-needle covering.
Soon Jaypaw felt Lionblaze’s tail barring his way. “Keep down!” his brother hissed. “Then creep forward about a tail-length.”
Jaypaw did as he was told, feeling the prickle of thorns raking the fur on his back. Sniffing, he caught the scent of gorse, and realized they must be hiding under a bush. His littermates’ pelts were pressed against his, one on either side.
“What can you see?” he demanded.
“We’re looking down into the camp. Sol is there,” Hollyleaf breathed into his ear. “Standing on top of a rock. The whole Clan is listening to him—even the kits! I can see Blackstar, and Russetfur, and…oh, there’s Tawnypelt!”
“Shut up!” Lionblaze growled. “I want to hear what Sol’s saying.”
Jaypaw flicked his ears forward. He could already make out Sol’s voice rising from the hollow, and as the others fell silent he heard what the loner was saying.
“…no cat should just accept what has gone before,” Sol meowed, his voice ringing above the faint sounds of the forest. “StarClan’s time is over. These cats are dead, and their spirits have no power over you.”
Jaypaw suppressed a shiver. No cat who had met with StarClan at the Moonpool would agree that StarClan had no power. We will havemore power, he thought. But we’re the three in the prophecy. Ordinary cats should still look to StarClan
“I’ve shared tongues with StarClan.” Jaypaw recognized the voice of Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat. He sounded worried. “I can’t believe that our warrior ancestors are powerless. Or has everything I’ve experienced been a lie?”
“StarClan is good at deceiving,” Sol replied smoothly. “Ask yourselves, did they warn you that the sun would vanish? No! That means either they didn’t know about it, or they don’t care about you enough to warn you. Why should any cat go on trusting them?”
Murmurs of agreement rose up to where the three ThunderClan cats were hiding. Littlecloud didn’t protest again.
“When the sun vanished, everything you believe in changed,” Sol continued. His voice was so powerful and persuasive that Jaypaw could understand how ordinary cats would be influenced by him. “What you must ask yourselves is what should you do about it? Where will you find your answers now?”
“In ourselves.” Blackstar spoke, a deeper, rougher voice than Sol’s. “What this cat says is true,” he added, addressing his Clan. “StarClan led us to live beside this lake, and I’ve always had my doubts that it was the right decision. There are too many Twolegs, for a start.”
“And too much has gone wrong,” Cedarheart growled. “The two kittypets in the Twoleg nest—”
“Arguments about borders,” Toadfoot put in.
“Hang on a moment.” Jaypaw stiffened as he heard Tawnypelt speak up. “Things went wrong in the old forest, too. You can’t expect life to be all mice and moonlight.”
“That just goes to prove what Sol is saying.” Blackstar’s voice was harsh. “StarClan couldn’t help us there, either. They couldn’t even stop the Twolegs from driving us out.”
“What does Blackstar mean?” Lionblaze whispered, pressing closer to Jaypaw. “Does he want to lead ShadowClan away from the lake? He must have bees in his brain! One Clan alone, and leaf-bare not far off?”
“He can’t!” Hollyleaf’s voice shook. “There haveto be four Clans.”
“Shhh!” Jaypaw hissed, trying to concentrate on what was happening in the hollow. But before he could hear any more, jagged lines of silver flashed across his vision. He seemed to be looking down a long forest path; moonlight silvered the forest floor, barred with black where the shadows of trees lay across it. Lumbering toward him was a badger, the white stripe down its face glowing like a silver flame. Jaypaw had barely caught his breath with shock when the creature was gone, and the familiar night of his blindness swallowed up his vision.
“What’s the matter?” Lionblaze murmured.
Jaypaw realized that all the muscles in his body were tense; he was crouching with his claws dug into the earth and every hair on his pelt bristling.
“I saw a badger!” Jaypaw remembered just in time to keep his voice low.
“You saw…?” Hollyleaf sounded bewildered.
“I had a vision.” Jaypaw was too spooked to explain in detail. “We’re in danger here.”
He heard Lionblaze draw in a long breath, and pictured his brother with his jaws gaping, tasting the air.
“There’s no badger here,” Lionblaze reported. “Are you sure you saw it?”
Jaypaw lashed his tail. “No,” he snapped. “I’m just making it up for fun. What do you think, mouse-brain?”
He paused to taste the air himself, and listened for the sound of the huge, clumsy creature trampling through the undergrowth. But the forest was still and silent, except for the sound of voices coming from the ShadowClan camp, and he couldn’tpick up the slightest trace of badger scent.
“It’s got to be a sign of something,” he mewed. “I don’t understand it yet, but I don’t think we’re safe here anymore. We should get back to the stone hollow as quickly as we can.”
“But we haven’t spoken to Sol yet,” Lionblaze protested.
“And we won’t, tonight,” Hollyleaf pointed out. “Not with all ShadowClan listening to him. I think Jaypaw’s right. We should go while we have the chance.”
Jaypaw could feel that Lionblaze was unhappy with the decision, a sullen anger with Sol churning away inside him, but his brother didn’t argue when Hollyleaf led the way down the slope away from the camp and back toward the border.
Jaypaw’s pelt didn’t lie flat again until they had waded back across the stream and were creeping through the tunnel into the ThunderClan camp. He slipped back into his den and flopped down beside the sleeping Leafpool.
Badgers,he thought as he slid into an exhausted sleep. Star-
Clan, what are you trying to tell me?
Jaypaw woke with a paw prodding him sharply in the side. The sun warmed his fur, and Leafpool’s scent swirled around him.
“Wake up, Jaypaw! What do you think you are, a dormouse?”
Jaypaw blinked drowsily. “Wha…”
“There’s work to be done. I need you to check on Millie and Briarkit.”
“Oh…okay.” Jaypaw staggered to his paws, flinching at a scuffling sound outside the den until he realized it was only Icepaw and Foxpaw dashing past.
He didn’t feel that he had slept at all after the previous night’s expedition. It took an effort to pull his mind away from Sol and the ShadowClan cats, and the terrifying vision of the badger. “What do you want me to do?” he asked.
“I’ve been across to the nursery to check on Millie and Briarkit. Millie needs more catmint. And I’ve made a leafwrap of borage for Briarkit. You can take them over there when—”
Jaypaw stopped listening and flattened himself to the ground at the sound of a throaty bark somewhere out in the forest.
“Jaypaw, what’s the matter with you?” Concern replaced Leafpool’s irritation. “Are you ill?” He heard her sniffing as her nose touched his fur. “You smell a bit funny.”
Jaypaw cringed inside. He didn’t want to discuss his scent, in case it led to more awkward questions. “I’m fine,” he asserted. “That barking startled me, that’s all.”
“But you’ve heard a fox bark before. It was a long way off, and if it comes any closer the patrols will spot it.”
“I know.” Jaypaw scrambled into a sitting position, giving his chest fur an awkward lick. “It’s just…I had this dream last night.” No need to saywhere I had it. “I saw a badger. I…I wondered if it meant danger.”
“One badger on its own?” Leafpool checked. “Not a whole horde of them?”
Jaypaw shook his head.
Leafpool sat down beside him. He could sense her uncertainty, but she didn’t seem to be afraid. “I think the badger you saw might have been Midnight,” she told him.
“Who’s Midnight?”
Leafpool settled herself more comfortably among the bracken stalks. “Back in the old forest, StarClan called four cats, one from each Clan, to make a long journey to the sun-drown-place to find a badger called Midnight.”
Jaypaw’s ears pricked. “Was that how they knew the Clans would have to leave the forest?”
“That’s right,” Leafpool meowed. “Brambleclaw was chosen from ThunderClan, and Squirrelflight went with him. Midnight warned them that the old forest would be destroyed, and then helped all the Clans to find this home beside the lake.”
Jaypaw felt his neck fur beginning to rise. “StarClan gave a message to a badger? But badgers kill cats!”
“Not Midnight,” Leafpool assured him. “She’s no ordinary badger. Later, when we had settled here by the lake, a horde of hostile badgers invaded our camp and tried to kill us all and drive us out. And Midnight…”
She trailed off. Jaypaw felt a rush of mingled emotions surge through her, fear and regret and grief. He wondered why she should feel so strongly about a battle that had been over and done with before he was born, but he was too curious about Midnight to try to make sense of what she was feeling.
“What happened with the badgers?” he prompted.
“We tried to fight them off.” Jaypaw realized that his mentor was making a great effort to keep her voice steady. “But there were too many. They would have destroyed ThunderClan ifMidnight hadn’t brought WindClan to help.”
“A badgerhelped cats, against her own kin?”
“Yes.” Leafpool drew in a long breath and let it out again. “There is nothing to fear from her. But she may have been trying to warn us of some other danger. You will tell me if she comes to you again?”
“Of course.” Maybe. Jaypaw knew that if this strange badger appeared again he would find out what she had to say before he decided whether to tell any cat.
“Why do we have to sit around waiting for her?” he asked. “Brambleclaw knows where she lives, so why can’t we go and visit her?”
“It’s too far,” Leafpool replied firmly. She seemed calmer now that they had stopped talking about the badgers’ invasion. “There’s a lot of tension between the Clans right now, so Firestar would never spare warriors for that sort of journey. Especially not Brambleclaw. He’s deputy now; he’s needed here.”
“What about—” Jaypaw stopped himself. He had been about to suggest Squirrelflight, but she had only just left Leafpool’s den after being so badly wounded in the battle against WindClan. She wasn’t even back on warrior duties yet; there was no way she could make a long journey. “I guess you’re right,” he muttered.
So, Midnight, if you want me, you’ll have to come and find me
第二章
第二章
松鸦爪的嘴巴里叼着猫薄荷钻进了育婴室。草药的气味虽浓，但是仍然遮不住猫后暖暖的奶水气息，以及让松鸦爪皮毛刺痛的酸臭味。
黛西睡眼惺忪地打了声招呼：“嗨，松鸦爪。”
“嗨，黛西，”松鸦爪嘴里叼着草药，说话有些含混不清，“你好，米莉。”
米莉的回答是一声咳嗽。松鸦爪踏着育婴室厚厚的苔藓和蕨叶，走到米莉身边。他把猫薄荷放在她身边说：“这是叶池让我带给你的。”
“谢谢你，松鸦爪。”米莉嗓子嘶哑地说道，“你能看一眼小荆棘吗？她的身上很烫。”
松鸦爪闻了闻幼崽们，知道他们在米莉的怀里睡得正香。他嗅着气味，找到了小荆棘。这只幼崽睡得很不安稳，时不时在睡梦中无力地喵一声，频繁地在苔藓上翻滚，似乎怎么躺都不舒服。松鸦爪把她从上到下嗅了一遍，闻到了和米莉一样的酸臭味。正如米莉所说，小荆棘的身子很烫，鼻子也很干。
小荆棘被母亲染上咳嗽了！松鸦爪忧心忡忡地想着。但他仍大声说道：“我让叶池拿些琉璃苣叶子给小荆棘退烧。我敢肯定，她一定会好起来的。”他说完在心里补充道：希望我的声音听起来比心里想的更有信心。
松鸦爪听到米莉开始咀嚼猫薄荷，心想是不是让米莉和小荆棘搬出育婴室比较好。这样一来，就可以避免咳嗽传染给其他猫了。在叶池的巢穴里，照料她们也会更加方便。
可是这样一来，米莉就不能给小梅花和小黄蜂喂奶了。
他能感觉到黛西现在已经非常焦虑，担心小玫瑰和小蟾蜍也被传染了。他不知道怎样安慰黛西，只能焦躁地整理着窝里的苔藓。如果我已经获得星族的力量，为什么就治不好咳嗽呢？
育婴室里又热又闷，里面住着五只幼崽和两位猫后。松鸦爪非常想再次出去透透气，但他现在还得待在里面，他必须弄明白，猫薄荷对米莉是否有效。
这时，他听到一阵扭打声从黛西那里传来，然后听到了小蟾蜍的声音：“我是风族武士，我来收拾你了！”
“我先收拾了你！”小玫瑰回应道。
这两只幼崽开始扭打在一起，松鸦爪的肩膀被失控的爪子打了一下。
“够了！”黛西呵斥道，“要玩就到外面去。”
两只幼崽推搡着从松鸦爪身边跳了出去。松鸦爪听见他们冲到了空地里，兴奋的叫声消失了。
这只长毛母猫叹息道：“有时我真恨不得他们早点成为学徒。”
“不会太久的。”松鸦爪说道，“他们都是健壮的幼崽。”
黛西又叹了口气。松鸦爪能感到她正在担心着什么，只是没有说出来。
“我感到嗓子好些了，”米莉吞下最后一口草药后告诉他，“谢谢你，松鸦爪！”
一声大声的咳嗽打断了她的话。一块浓痰溅到了松鸦爪的耳朵上，他不由得退后几步。“我这就去告诉叶池。”他飞快地说完，后退着向育婴室入口走去。
他出了育婴室，抓了满满一爪子苔藓，在耳朵上反复揉搓着清理耳朵。我真想知道，如果巫医生病了该怎么办。还有谁能照料族猫？他耸了耸肩膀，穿过空地，向他和叶池共同居住的巫医巢穴走去。
松鸦爪钻过巫医巢穴入口的黑莓丛，立即嗅到，这里除了叶池，还有其他猫的气息。他仔细地闻了闻，是桦落和榛尾，空气中还有一股血腥味。
“谁受伤了？”松鸦爪问道，一想到又发生了战斗，他脖子上的毛都竖了起来。
“桦落的肩膀受伤了。”叶池解释说，“说是跟影族猫发生了战斗。”
桦落抗议道：“是他们挑衅我们的。”
“那是谁的爪子先伸出去的？”雷族的巫医反驳道，“黑莓掌跟我说了所有的事情。你很幸运，伤得不重。那束蛛丝应该可以止住血了。”她继续说着，“但是如果伤口还在流血，就要过来找我。而且，明天无论怎样你都要来见我，我要确认伤口有没有愈合。”
“好的。”桦落听起来很不高兴，然后补了一句，“谢谢你，叶池。”
“榛尾，你也一样。”叶池继续说道，“如果头晕又开始了，我希望你直接来这里。现在，你俩拿着这些罂粟籽，回到武士巢穴好好睡上一觉。明天之前都不要再工作了。”
榛尾和桦落与松鸦爪擦肩而过，走出了巫医巢穴。等他们的气息消失了，叶池问道：“米莉怎么样了？”
“她说喉咙感觉好点了，”松鸦爪回答道，“不过还在咳嗽。而且小荆棘发烧了，我觉得她可能也染上了咳嗽。”
“哎呀，不好！”松鸦爪感觉叶池突然变得非常焦虑。“我要过去看看。”叶池说道，“然后我要去一趟森林，退烧用的琉璃苣叶子剩得不多了。你能去看看两位长老吗？”
松鸦爪忍住了抱怨。“当然可以。”其实他更想到森林里去，他能凭借气味，像叶池一样找到琉璃苣。
“我担心鼠毛，她在那场大战中爬上高石台可能会弄得肌肉僵硬。”叶池继续说道，“而且也该检查一下他们身上有没有虱子。”
这就是学徒的工作！当老师走过他的身边，向育婴室走去的时候，松鸦爪愤愤地想着。他自问自答着：是这样的吧？这就是你，学徒。继续忍着吧。
当初火星授予自己的同窝猫武士名号时，松鸦爪为此感到非常骄傲。但是他不知道什么时候叶池才会给他巫医名号，让他成为一位正式的巫医。而且只要叶池健在，他就会一直待在她的阴影中。他不想叶池死去，然而……难道我不能为自己做点什么吗？要过多久，那个预言才能成真？
他竭力抛开满肚子的思绪。他找到一根树枝，从叶池贮存老鼠胆汁的洞里，取了一个被浸透的苔藓球。他皱起鼻子，忍着刺鼻的味道，大步穿过空地，来到榛树丛下的长老巢穴。
“你好，松鸦爪。”长尾看到他走过来，慵懒地打了声招呼。空气中充满了老鼠胆汁的味道，但是这只失明的长老猫还能嗅出他的气息，这让松鸦爪非常惊讶。
“很高兴见到你。”鼠毛补充道，“我的肩膀上生了一只虱子，我觉得有黑莓那么大。”
“让我看看。”松鸦爪从树枝中挤出模糊的声音。至少听起来鼠毛今天的心情不错。她要是心情不好，那张嘴就跟黄牙一样尖酸刻薄——雷族前任巫医黄牙经常光临松鸦爪的梦境。
松鸦爪很快就找到了那只虱子，虽然没有鼠毛说的那么大，可是已经吸饱了血，肯定弄得她很不舒服。他往上面不停地涂抹老鼠胆汁，最后虱子终于掉了下来。
鼠毛活动着肩膀说：“谢谢你，松鸦爪，这下总算是好多了。”
松鸦爪放下树枝，开始检查这位长老干瘦的皮毛，想弄明白是不是还藏着虱子。“叶池想知道，你爬过高石台之后，肌肉有没有感到僵硬。”
鼠毛哼了一声：“告诉年轻的叶池，我可能是上了年纪，但我并不是毫无用处。就爬了那么两步，怎么会让我肌肉僵硬？”
“好吧。”松鸦爪轻声嘟哝道，“喂，你还想不想检查身上的虱子？想的话，就不要乱动。”
“你就是这么跟长老说话的吗？”鼠毛的声音很严厉，但松鸦爪却感到她内心愉悦。她换了个舒服的姿势，接着说道：“你参加了森林大会，是吗？发生了什么事？我就知道肯定有麻烦，可是谁都不跟我说。风族是不是又出事儿了？”
“不是的……”松鸦爪犹豫着。他不想和任何猫讨论日神。
“怎么了？”鼠毛讥讽道，“你的舌头被獾咬掉了？”
“影族猫没来。”松鸦爪开始小心翼翼地挑选着词语，“只有黑星来了，他是和日神一起来的。”
“日神？就是那个告诉我们太阳会消失的皮毛浓密的滑头吗？”
“是的。”鼠毛充满敌意的话让松鸦爪有点惊讶，“听起来你不喜欢日神？”
“我从不相信那些把星族没有告诉巫医的事情到处宣扬的猫。”鼠毛回答道，“肯定有什么不对的地方，否则我就是一只兔子。”
“黑星在森林大会上说话了。”松鸦爪继续往下说着，心里庆幸鼠毛并不知道日神差点成为他的老师，就因为他能解释那个神秘的预言。“他说日神说服了他，影族以后不再听从星族的任何指示。”
“什么？！”松鸦爪感到鼠毛身上的毛竖了起来，“但是每只族猫都要听从星族的指示。他们究竟想干什么？”
松鸦爪耸了耸肩：“黑星认为，活着的猫可以照顾好自己。”
鼠毛轻蔑地说：“我希望他们只是变成了虱子脑袋。那星族一定对此说了什么吧？”
“没有。”松鸦爪说道，“月亮依旧在天空闪耀，又明亮又清晰。”
松鸦爪感到，鼠毛浑身的肌肉在他的爪子下紧绷起来。“事情不应该是这样的啊！”她咕哝着。
松鸦爪尽管很同意鼠毛的话，但却没有说出来，只是默默地用老鼠胆汁处理老猫尾巴附近的另一只虱子。“看，已经弄好了。”他指着掉到地上的虱子，嘴里说道。
鼠毛呼噜着道了谢，松鸦爪转身去看长尾。松鸦爪说到森林大会上发生的事情时，这位失明的长老一直保持着沉默。松鸦爪感到他心里既内疚又迷茫。他猜想，长尾依旧为自己没能在那场战斗中与族猫并肩作战而难过。松鸦爪没有用更多的话来宽慰长尾，毕竟虽然他的眼睛也看不见，但至少他的巫医技能可以帮上族群。
“不要动！”他说道，等确认爪尖已经收起，这才轻轻拨开长尾的皮毛，“我要给你稍微检查一下，看你有没有生虱子。”
“谢谢你，松鸦爪。”长尾放松了些，“你也可以给我检查一下脚垫吗？”他补充道，然后伸出了前爪，“我觉得爬高石台的时候，它好像被石头划伤了。”
“好的。”松鸦爪并没有发现虱子，就把老鼠胆汁放到一边，把爪子放在长尾的脚垫上摩挲。脚垫没有流血，但他感觉到沙砾嵌入了粗糙的皮肤里。
松鸦爪低下头，用舌头舔着长尾的脚垫，直到它再次变得平滑。“我认为你不需要服用蓍草。但是明天我会再给你检查一次。注意保持清洁，多舔几遍。”
“我会的。”长尾说道，“现在已经感觉好多了。”
松鸦爪叼起树枝，钻出长老巢穴。多希望处理日神和影族的事情，也可以像清理脚垫上的伤口一样简单！他心里想着。
他感到冬青叶的气息正在靠近，突如其来的焦虑立刻淹没了他，就像冲入了暴风之中，他身上的每一根毛都不由自主地竖立起来。
“我还以为你的工作永远做不完呢！”姐姐抱怨道。
“有什么事吗？”松鸦爪问。
“我们得谈谈。”冬青叶的声音神秘而又紧张，“今天早晨，我们与影族巡逻队在边界上打了一仗。”
“我知道。”松鸦爪回应道，“那又怎么样？边界上时不时就会发生冲突。”
“这次不仅仅是边界冲突的问题，”冬青叶嘶声说道，“这都是因为日神。他告诉影族猫，不用再遵守武士守则。”
“这个我们已经知道了。”松鸦爪提醒道。
冬青叶内心的焦虑像闪电一样噼啪作响：“不过现在没时间。我们需要和狮焰一起讨论。沙风和云尾正等着我去参加另一个巡逻队。等我回来之后，我们再碰面，行吗？”
“行。”松鸦爪知道，如果他不答应，冬青叶是不会罢休的。
“冬青叶！”云尾的喊声从营地的另一边传来。
“来啦！”冬青叶回应道。“我稍后再来找你。”她对松鸦爪说着，然后跑开了。
松鸦爪摇摇头，走回到自己的巢穴。对姐姐的烦恼，他既恼火，又担心。
松鸦爪正在整理一堆蓍草叶子，叶池从森林里回来，采集了一大捆琉璃苣的叶子。“我发现了这些东西，真是太幸运了。”她说着，把琉璃苣叶子放在松鸦爪的爪子边，“是时候开始为秃叶季储备草药了。”
“我可以出去收集草药。”松鸦爪满怀期待地建议道。只要能走出营地，无论干什么都好。
“过一两天再说吧，”叶池回应道，“我们需要先盘点一下储备，弄明白我们需要什么。在此期间，你可以把这些叶子撕碎，然后嚼成糊，给小荆棘预备着。”
无聊！但松鸦爪明白最好不要拒绝。他把蓍草放进后面存放草药的岩缝里，然后开始用爪子撕琉璃苣叶子。撕到差不多一半的时候，他听到巫医巢穴外传来爪子落地的声音，嗅到了新鲜猎物的气息。他也嗅到了冬青叶的气息。是巡逻队回来了。
“抱歉。”松鸦爪跳起身，对叶池说道，“我有点事要出去一趟。”
他掠过黑莓丛，循着气味找到了姐姐的位置。他跑上前去，感到她也向他跑来，然后用鼻子蹭了蹭他的肩膀。
“走吧，”她喘着气劝他，“狮焰正在武士巢穴后面等我们呢。”
松鸦爪跟着她，钻到了他们仨还是幼崽时玩耍的地方。“我印象中这儿好像要大得多。”松鸦爪挤到哥哥和姐姐中间，轻轻地嘟哝着。
“那是因为我们都长大了，鼠脑子。”冬青叶嘲笑道。
“而且武士巢穴也扩大了。”狮焰补充道。“尽管如此，里面的空间还是不够用。我都有点嫉妒狐爪和冰爪了，现在他们可以一直单独享用学徒巢穴。”
“不会享受多久的。”松鸦爪回应道，“小玫瑰和小蟾蜍很快就要搬进去了。”当冬青叶把爪子放在他的身侧时，他向后缩了一下。“嘿，你小心一点！”
“我的爪子中间扎了一根刺，我弄不出来。”冬青叶解释道。
“好吧。”松鸦爪摸了摸姐姐的爪子，找到了那根刺。它的确深深地扎进了她的趾缝里。
“冬青叶，告诉我们，你到底在担心什么？”狮焰建议道。从他的话里，松鸦爪能感觉到狮焰的不耐烦，仿佛他的头顶有一群嗡嗡乱叫的苍蝇。“我们不能一整天都挤在这儿。”
“我很担心日神教给影族的东西。”冬青叶开口道，“藤尾说，日神告诉他们，以后不用再听从星族的指引。”
松鸦爪用牙齿把冬青叶爪垫里的刺拔出来，吐在地上。“我们在森林大会上已经听说了。”他提醒道，“这没什么糟糕的吧？”
“什么？”冬青叶听起来已经非常愤怒了。
“我指的不是不信仰星族。对猫来说，能动脑筋思考问题，而不是盲目地接受，这不是件好事吗？”
“有些事情是毋庸置疑的。”冬青叶坚定地说，“日神认为我们不需要遵守武士守则。没有武士守则，我们算什么呢？不就是一群泼皮猫吗？”
“这也不算什么新消息了，”狮焰说道，“你干吗这么忐忑不安呢？”
“新的消息就是，我们知道现在不仅是黑星，而是整个影族，都认同日神的想法。你们俩是不是鼠脑子？你们希望跟我们相邻的族群不遵守武士守则吗？那还有什么办法阻止他们越界，或者偷走我们的猎物呢？说不定他们甚至会潜入我们的营地，偷走我们的幼崽。”
“我倒想看看他们敢不敢。”狮焰嘶吼道。松鸦爪挤在狮焰身边，能感受到哥哥说话时伸出了爪尖，并插进了泥土，浑身的肌肉也都紧绷着。
“如果大家没团结在一起，不坚持相同的信仰，四大族群就会分崩离析的。”冬青叶继续说着，怒火正在熊熊燃烧，“我们必须做点什么。”
“真想把那只满身长癣的泼皮猫撕碎。”狮焰的情绪也变得像冬青叶一样愤怒。松鸦爪夹在狮焰与冬青叶中间，不断地被他们愤怒的热浪侵袭，他挣扎着，不想被淹没在其中。“日神曾答应帮助我们实现预言，但随即却离开我们，去了影族。”狮焰停顿了一个心跳的时间，“你们认为会不会影族也有某个预言呢？”
“我肯定那里没有。”松鸦爪说道，“我们才是预言里的那三只猫，这一点我很确信。”
他希望两只同窝猫不要问他为什么这么确信。他无法向他们说明自己在山里的时候，梦到杀无尽部落的情形。
“对于那个预言，我依然认为日神隐瞒了一些事情。”松鸦爪继续说道，“如果他不来找我们，我们就必须越过边界去找他。”
“我们要擅闯影族的领地吗？”冬青叶的震惊像风一样，差点将松鸦爪吹飞，“我们不能这么干。这样做违反了武士守则。”
“这恰好就是我要说的事情。”松鸦爪说道，“的确，没有武士守则，我们什么都不能做。但有时候，违反它才是正确的。伟大的星族啊！”他接着说道，尽管他感觉到姐姐非常排斥他的想法，“我们还是幼崽的时候，不是听过火星有时也违反武士守则的故事吗？他认为对的，就去做了。除非我们知道日神对那个预言了解了多少，否则我们什么都做不了。不管他对待星族的态度是对是错，他确实知道太阳即将消失，而星族不知道。如果还等在这里，我们就没办法从他那儿得到任何情报。”
“我同意去找他。”狮焰愤愤地说，“我要让日神直接告诉我们答案。冬青叶，如果你不想去，你可以不用去。”
冬青叶的震惊渐渐变成了迟疑。“不，我们必须一起行动。而且，”她继续说着，语气更加坚定了，“可能预言的真正含义就是，只有我们才拥有拯救影族的力量。”
松鸦爪没说什么。如果让冬青叶越过边界的唯一的方法，就是让她觉得这样做是为了影族，那么松鸦爪宁愿她继续这样想。但是松鸦爪和狮焰这么做完全是为了他们三个，他们是为了弄清楚预言的真正意义，以及怎样才能让他们获得预言中预示给他们的力量。
“松鸦爪？你在吗？”
松鸦爪的耳朵抽动着，听着狮焰从黑莓丛另一边传来的轻轻的叫声。他又听了一会儿，从叶池均匀的呼吸声判断，她确实已经睡熟了。他爬出了自己的窝，溜出巫医巢穴，走向空地。
狮焰和冬青叶的气息立即淹没了他。“跟紧我！”狮焰耳语道，“今晚的月亮很亮，我们必须走在暗处。今夜是云尾在入口警戒。”
“我们得从排便处通道溜出去。”冬青叶补充道。
“啊，太好了！”松鸦爪皱了皱鼻子。
“你要是愿意，也可以从黑莓丛下面爬出去。”狮焰小声嘟哝着，“走吧。”
松鸦爪跟在哥哥身后沿着石头山谷边缘匍匐潜行时，紧张得皮毛微微刺痛。他感到通道越来越窄，两边的荆棘不停地划着他的毛皮，但云尾的吼叫并没有传来。他爬出通道的另一端，又穿过了排便处，这才稍微松了口气。他们走进森林之后，松鸦爪终于找到了一大片草药，他从中间穿过去，这才去掉了身上的臭味。
森林里很安静，只有树叶沙沙作响，间或听到小猎物在灌木丛里穿行的声音。
“我们得走在一起，并且不要发出声音。”狮焰低声说，“这里可能会有雷族猫晚上出来狩猎，我们可不能被盘问。”
“知道了。”冬青叶答应道。松鸦爪感觉到她有些害怕——不是怕跟影族武士打上一仗，而是担心被别的猫发现她违反了武士守则。我希望她可以放松些。等爪子上掌握了群星的力量，我们就会比武士守则更有力，没错吧？
狮焰领着他们俩来到标记边界的小溪边。“紧跟在我身后！”他对松鸦爪说，“溪水不深。”
松鸦爪全身的毛都竖了起来。“我没事，谢谢。”他嘟囔道。他不想让任何猫知道他很怕水，即便他已经教会了炭心游泳。他感到溪水轻轻地拍打着他的爪子，肚子里不由得翻腾起来。他蹚到更深的地方时，水上升到了他的腿部。就在水快要到达腹部，打湿他肚子上的皮毛时，水却突然变浅了。他很快就走出了小溪，进入了影族的领地，影族猫的气息顿时将他淹没了。
“我们在他们的气味标记上打个滚。”冬青叶建议道，“这样我们身上的雷族气味就不容易被察觉了。”
“真精彩！”松鸦爪虽然知道姐姐的想法很好，可还是发着牢骚，“先是排便处的臭气，现在又是影族的猫尿。接下来的一个月，我都不能舔自己的皮毛了。”
三只猫全身都弄上影族的气息，便向外族领地深处走去。松鸦爪的耳朵竖着，仔细听着巡逻队走近的声音。他张开嘴巴，以便在影族武士靠近时，能捕捉到他们身上的气息。但森林里只有可怕的寂静。
“他们都上哪儿去了？”冬青叶小声地问。这太不正常了，没有猫在晚上出来，甚至没有出来狩猎的，特别是在月亮这么明亮的夜晚。
谁也没回答她的问题。他们继续往前走着，松鸦爪感到爪子下的落叶渐渐变成了尖锐的针状。“我们肯定靠近他们的营地了。”他悄声说道。
狮焰再次走到最前面，引导着松鸦爪一次次地快跑。松鸦爪知道，他们正从一片阴影冲向另一片阴影。最后他闻到了前方某处传来的浓烈的影族猫气息。爪子下的地面开始升高，到处坑坑洼洼，石块从覆盖在地面的松针中露出来。
松鸦爪很快就感到狮焰用尾巴挡住了他。“趴下！”他的哥哥嘶声道，“然后向前爬大约一尾巴远。”
松鸦爪按照哥哥的吩咐做了，感到荆棘上的刺剐着他背上的皮毛。伸出鼻子嗅了嗅，他还闻到金雀花的香气，意识到他们正藏在灌木丛下。哥哥和姐姐分别在两边，紧紧地挨着他。
“你们看到什么了？”松鸦爪问。
“我们正俯瞰着他们的营地。日神也在那里。”冬青叶的呼吸传到松鸦爪耳边，“他正站在一块石头上。整个影族的猫都在听他说话——居然连幼崽都在！我能看到黑星、黄毛，还有……还有褐皮！”
“别说话了！”狮焰小声吼道，“我想听听日神在说什么。”
松鸦爪也向前竖起耳朵。他终于听到了从山谷里传来的日神的声音，其他猫已经安静下来，他可以听清这只独行猫的话。
“……不应该要求猫遵照以前的传统行事。”日神说道，他的声音盖过了森林里传来的窸窣，“星族的时代已经结束了。那些猫已经死了，它们的灵魂对你们毫无影响。”
松鸦爪不禁打了个冷战。只要是在月亮池见过星族的猫，都不会同意星族没有力量的说法。我们将拥有更强大的力量，他想，但那是因为我们是预言中的三只猫。普通的猫还是得仰望星族。
“我跟星族交谈过。”松鸦爪听出是小云在说话，他是影族的巫医。听上去，他心里充满了困惑。“我不相信我们的武士祖灵没有力量，要不然我经历过的所有事情，不就是谎言了吗？”
“星族很善于欺骗我们。”日神平静地回答道，“扪心自问，星族提醒过你们太阳会消失吗？没有！这表示它们并不知道这件事，或者是它们对你们关心不够，所以才没有给你们发出预警。所以，猫们为什么要去相信它们呢？”
赞同的嘟哝声一直传到了三只猫躲藏的地方。小云也没有再反驳。
“当太阳消失的时候，你们所信仰的一切都变了。”日神接着说。他的声音铿锵有力，极具说服性，松鸦爪现在终于明白了，为什么普通猫会被他影响。“你们必须问自己的是，你们应该做些什么吗？你们现在要上哪儿去寻找答案？”
“答案就在我们自己身上。”黑星说话了，和日神相比，他的声音更加低沉、粗犷。“这只猫说的是对的，”他向他的族猫们继续说道，“星族指引我们迁徙到湖边生活，我却一直在想，这到底是不是正确的决定。对我们来说，这儿的两脚兽太多了。”
“而且已经出过很多错了。”杉心嘶吼道，“两脚兽巢穴里的那两只宠物猫……”
“还有边界之争。”蟾足插话道。
“稍等一下。”听到褐皮的声音，松鸦爪顿时身子一僵，“以前在森林里也出过很多事。你不能指望生活中，一直只有老鼠和月光。”
“这正印证了日神的观点。”黑星声音严厉地说，“即使以前在森林里星族也没能帮助我们。他们甚至没能阻止两脚兽把我们赶出来。”
“黑星是什么意思？”狮焰小声说着，往松鸦爪的身边靠了靠，“他该不是想把影族从湖边带走吧？他的脑袋里一定钻进了蜜蜂！让一个族群单独生活吗？就在秃叶季要来的时候？”
“他不能这么做！”冬青叶的声音颤抖着，“四个族群必须在一起。”
“嘘！”松鸦爪嘶嘶地说道。他想把注意力集中在山谷那边发生的事情上。但是没等他再听到什么，锯齿状的银光开始在他的眼前闪烁。他似乎正在向下看着一条长长的林间小路，月亮照亮森林下的地面，树木在地面投下黑色的影子。一只獾向他缓缓地走来，它脸上白色的条纹仿佛银色的火焰。松鸦爪震惊得几乎不能呼吸。就在这时，画面消失了，他的眼前又是一片熟悉的盲眼无法穿透的黑暗。
“你怎么了？”狮焰低声问道。
松鸦爪这才发现自己全身的肌肉都绷得紧紧的，爪子深深地插进地面，身上的每根毛都竖了起来。
“我刚看见了一只獾。”松鸦爪压低声音说道。
“你看见……”冬青叶听起来似乎一头雾水。
“我眼前出现了一个影像。”松鸦爪太害怕了，所以没办法解释细节，“我们在这儿很危险。”
他听到狮焰长长地吸了口气。他似乎能看到哥哥正张着嘴巴，嗅探着空气中可疑的气息。
“这里没有獾。”狮焰断言，“你确定你看见了吗？”
松鸦爪甩了甩尾巴。“不！”他呵斥道，“我刚才只是在开玩笑。你觉得呢，鼠脑子？”
他停下来，自己嗅着空气里的气息，希望听到那只庞大、笨重的动物穿过灌木丛的声音。但是森林里一片安静，根本没有任何声音，只有从影族营地里传出些许嘈杂，那只獾的气息也完全闻不到了。
“它很可能是某种预兆，”松鸦爪说道，“我现在还不明白是怎么回事，但是我觉得我们继续待在这儿不安全。我们应该回石头山谷去，有多快跑多快。”
“但是我们还没和日神说上话呢！”狮焰反驳道。
“我们今晚就算了。”冬青叶提醒道，“现在整个影族都在听他演讲。我认为松鸦爪是对的。以后还有机会，现在我们该走了。”
松鸦爪感到狮焰对这个决定很不高兴，对日神的怒火在他的胸中燃烧。但是当冬青叶带头下坡，从影族营地返回边界时，哥哥也没再争执。
松鸦爪身上的毛一直没有平顺下来，直到蹚过小溪，爬过通道回到雷族营地后，松鸦爪才放松下来。他溜回巢穴，疲惫地躺下来。叶池仍在身边熟睡着。
那只獾！当松鸦爪精疲力竭要睡着的时候，他仍然在想着，星族啊，你们到底要告诉我什么呢？
随着肋下被狠狠戳了一下，松鸦爪终于醒了过来。阳光温暖地照在他的皮毛上，叶池的气息在他的身边打转。
“起来了，松鸦爪！你以为自己是什么？一只睡鼠吗？”
松鸦爪睡眼惺忪地眨了眨眼睛：“什……”
“有工作要马上去做。你去看一下米莉和小荆棘。”
“哦……好的。”松鸦爪摇摇晃晃站起来，立即被巢穴外打斗的声音吓了一跳。但是很快他就意识到，那只不过是冰爪和狐爪在虚张声势地打闹。
经过了昨夜的历险，他就像根本没有睡觉一样累。日神、影族猫，还有那只獾的可怕样子，一直都在他的脑海里翻涌。“你想让我干什么？”松鸦爪问。
“我已经去育婴室看过米莉和小荆棘了。米莉还需要更多的猫薄荷。我还给小荆棘包了一捆琉璃苣叶子。你可以把它们带过去……”
突然，松鸦爪不听她说话了，一声嘶哑的恐怖号叫从森林里的某处传来，吓得他立即趴在了地上。
“松鸦爪，你怎么了？”叶池的恼怒立刻变成了关心，“你生病了吗？”当叶池用鼻尖触摸着松鸦爪的皮毛时，他听到她发出闻嗅的声音。“你身上闻起来有点古怪。”
松鸦爪心虚起来。他不想谈论他的气息，那样会引出更多令他无从回答的问题。“我挺好的。”他坚持道，“就是被刚才的叫声吓了一跳。”
“但是你以前听过狐狸的叫声啊！那只狐狸离这儿很远，如果它走近了，巡逻队很快就会发现的。”
“我知道。”松鸦爪翻身坐起，尴尬地舔着胸口的皮毛，“只是……昨晚我做了个梦。”没必要说我是在哪儿做的。“我看见了一只獾。我……我不知道这是不是预示着危险。”
“只有一只獾吗？”叶池仔细问道，“不是一大群獾吧？”
松鸦爪摇了摇头。
叶池在他的身边坐下。他能感觉到她的心里充满疑惑，但她似乎并不害怕。“我想，你梦到的獾很可能就是午夜。”叶池告诉他。
“午夜是谁？”
叶池在蕨丛中找了个更舒适的位置坐下，说道：“我们还在旧森林里时，星族召唤了四个族群，每个族群有一只猫，让他们踏上漫漫的旅途，到太阳沉没之地寻找一只叫午夜的獾。”
松鸦爪的耳朵竖了起来：“他们就是这样得知了族群必须离开森林的吗？”
“对。”叶池说道，“雷族被选出来的是黑莓掌，松鼠飞和他一起去了。午夜警告他们，那座森林将要被毁，然后还帮助所有的族群在湖边安顿下来。”
松鸦爪感到脖子上的毛再次竖了起来：“星族把消息告诉了一只獾？但是獾会杀了猫的！”
“午夜不会。”叶池自信地说，“它不是一只普通的獾。后来，我们在湖边安定下来之后，有一群心怀歹意的獾闯入了营地，试图杀掉我们，并把我们永远驱逐出去。午夜……”
她的声音越来越低。松鸦爪感到，一种复杂的情绪正萦绕在她的心里，有害怕，有后悔，也有悲伤。一场发生在他出生前并且早已结束的战斗，叶池现在说起来，怎么还有这么强烈而复杂的情感？松鸦爪很想知道其中的缘由，但是他对午夜更加好奇，所以没有多想。
“那些獾后来怎么样了？”他催促叶池讲下去。
“我们试图击退它们。”松鸦爪意识到，他的老师正在费力地使自己的声音听起来平稳一些。“但是它们的数量太多了，如果不是午夜带着风族过来帮忙，雷族早就被它们灭了。”
“一只獾帮助了猫，还跟自己的同类战斗？”
“是啊。”叶池深深地吸口气，然后吐出来，“所以没有必要害怕它。不过它很可能是要提醒我们，这里有别的危险。如果它再来找你，你会告诉我吗？”
“当然了。”可能吧。松鸦爪知道，如果这只奇怪的獾再次出现了，他会先弄清楚它到底想说什么，然后再决定是否告诉别的猫。
“我们为什么要坐在这里等它来呢？”他问道，“既然黑莓掌知道它的住处，我们为什么不去找它呢？”
“它住得太远了。”叶池飞快地回答道。比起谈论獾群入侵的时候，她已经平静多了。“而且现在族群间的关系很紧张，火星派不出武士去那么远的地方找它。特别是黑莓掌，他现在是副族长，这里需要他。”
“那……”松鸦爪没有把话说完。他本来想推荐松鼠飞去，但是松鼠飞在跟风族的战斗中受了重伤，才离开叶池的巫医巢穴不久。她现在甚至还不能跟其他武士一样正常狩猎，一定没办法走很远的路。“我想你是对的。”他喃喃地说。
所以，午夜，你想要见我，就只能亲自来找我了。
CHAPTER3
CHAPTER3
A scarlet leaf spiraled lazily downfrom a branch above Lionblaze’s head. He sprang up, batting at it with his forepaws, then dropped to the ground again, his pelt hot with embarrassment. Had any cat seen him behaving like a kit?
The dawn patrol was heading back to the stone hollow. The sun had climbed above the trees, but in the shadows the leaves and grasses were still rimmed with frost. Leaf-fall was creeping over the forest, and the harsh days of leaf-bare were not far away.
Ashfur was leading the patrol; he had drawn a few fox-lengths ahead with Thornclaw and Brightheart. Lionblaze drew a breath of relief as he realized none of them had been watching him. He stood still for a couple of heartbeats, jaws parted and ears pricked for any sign of WindClan trespassers. But the faint traces of their scent all came from their own side of the border.
“Lionblaze!” Ashfur had halted, looking back over his shoulder. “Are you going to stand there until you take root?”
“Coming!” Lionblaze called back, bounding forward to catch up with his former mentor. “I was just checking for WindClan.”
Ashfur gave him an approving nod. “That’s good, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
“We can’t be too careful,” Lionblaze meowed, falling in beside the older warrior as they set off again.
Brightheart and Thornclaw had disappeared through the thick clumps of bracken; Lionblaze realized he had the chance he had been waiting for, to talk to Ashfur alone. Giving him a sidelong glance, he began, “Can I ask you something?”
Ashfur’s whiskers twitched. “Sure.”
“I feel like I need some extra battle training. Will you work with me?”
His former mentor stopped and faced him, his blue eyes stretched wide in surprise. “You’re a warrior now, Lionblaze,” he reminded him. “And one of the best fighters in the Clan. Do you really think you have any more to learn?”
Ashfur’s praise warmed Lionblaze like a ray of sunlight; sometimes, when he was an apprentice, he had despaired of ever pleasing the gray warrior.
“There’s alwayssomething more to learn,” he declared. “I want to stay as strong and fit as I can, so I’ll be ready for the next battle.”
Ashfur blinked thoughtfully. “I’m not sure there’ll be another battle. Not for a while, anyway.”
“WindClan might cause more trouble. And anyway, I still need the practice,” Lionblaze insisted. He flexed his claws, ready to tear frustratedly at the grass, then stopped himself. He didn’t want Ashfur to know how much this meant to him. “Please.”
“Okay.” Ashfur still looked unconvinced, but to Lionblaze’s relief he didn’t object anymore. “We could have a session now. I’ll just catch up to Brightheart and tell her to report to Firestar. Meet you at the training hollow.”
He bounded off, leaving Lionblaze to head to the training hollow by himself. The sunlight suddenly seemed brighter, and he relished the cool touch of the breeze in his fur and the dew on his pads. He knew that he had to keep training, to make the best use of his powers that he could, but he didn’t want Tigerstar to act as his mentor anymore.
Lionblaze shivered, as if thinking of the dark warrior could summon him; he glanced around but there was no sign of the striped shadow and burning amber eyes.
At first he had felt special, honored to be chosen by Tigerstar for extra training, and delighted to be able to beat the other apprentices with a move the dark warrior had shown him. But in the last few moons Tigerstar had changed, showing a hostile side and trying to control Lionblaze.
Or maybe he hasn’t changedMaybe I’m just seeing what Tigerstar has been like all along
He remembered Ferncloud scolding Foxkit and Icekit before they became apprentices: “If you don’t behave, Tigerstar will come and get you!”
The two kits had squeaked in terror, and burrowed close to their mother’s belly.
Was I completely mouse-brained?Lionblaze wondered. Did I think he was helping me when all the time he was using me?
If he practiced with Ashfur, he wouldn’t need Tigerstar anymore. And if Tigerstar kept visiting him, he would be strong enough to fight him off.
Maybe he’ll leave me alone if I can prove I’m a good enough warrior without him
The training hollow was empty this early in the day, with a few wisps of mist still clinging to the grass. Lionblaze padded into the center and began practicing his battle moves, leaping and twisting in the air, imagining how he would land on Tigerstar’s broad shoulders and dig his claws into the dark tabby pelt.
“Pretty good.” Ashfur’s voice came from the other side of the hollow.
“Thanks,” Lionblaze panted.
He was turning to face his former mentor when Ashfur crashed into his side, knocking him off his paws. Furious that he hadn’t been ready, Lionblaze let out a screech. He battered at Ashfur with his hind paws, while Ashfur tried to sink his teeth into his neck fur. The gray warrior’s heavier weight pinned Lionblaze down, driving all the breath out of him.
“Still want to fight?” Ashfur taunted him.
With a tremendous effort, Lionblaze rolled over, thrusting Ashfur away. He scrambled to his paws, breathing heavily, and sprang on top of Ashfur before his opponent could recover. He gave the gray warrior two quick blows from his forepaws, then tried to leap away.
But Ashfur was too quick for him. Flashing out a paw, he hooked Lionblaze’s hind legs from under him, and the two cats wrestled together on the ground. Lionblaze’s ear stung as Ashfur cuffed him. He pummeled his opponent with his forepaws, finding it hard to keep his claws sheathed as the red haze of battle threatened to engulf him.
“Stop!” Lionblaze hardly heard the yowl, but Ashfur rolled off him right away and sprang to his paws. Lionblaze was left scrabbling on the ground, shaking his head to clear it.
“What in StarClan’s name are you doing?”
Now Lionblaze recognized Firestar’s voice. He struggled to stand, blinking grit from his eyes, and spotted Firestar on the edge of the hollow with Whitewing, Icepaw, and Birchfall just behind him. The ThunderClan leader’s eyes flashed green fire.
“Warriors fighting? Why?” he demanded.
Ashfur shook scraps of debris out of his fur. “It was just a practice bout, Firestar.”
“But Lionblaze is a warrior now,” Firestar pointed out. “Not your apprentice any longer.”
“It was my idea, Firestar,” Lionblaze meowed. “I asked Ashfur to practice with me. We were just trying to—”
“I don’t want to listen to excuses.” Firestar’s voice was cold. “What I saw just now was far more vicious than a practice bout. At a time like this, with trouble on both sides of our territory, we can’t afford to have warriors injured. And with leaf-bare coming on, Leafpool can’t afford to waste her herbs on unnecessary wounds. Are you both mouse-brained?”
“I’m sorry, Firestar.” Lionblaze hung his head. “It’s my fault. Don’t blame Ashfur.” But how are we supposed to fight well if we aren’t allowed to practice?
“Ashfur is an experienced warrior. He should have more sense,” Firestar retorted with a flick of his tail. Then he relaxed slightly. “I know you’re keen, Lionblaze, and that’s good, but try to think ahead, will you? This isn’t a good time to be taking risks.”
His pelt crackling with shame and frustration, Lionblaze muttered agreement.
“Whitewing, Birchfall, and Icepaw are going hunting,” Firestar continued. “You had better go with them, Lionblaze. Work off some of that energy on prey instead of another warrior. Ashfur, come with me.” With a flick of his tail, he padded out of the glade, followed by the gray warrior.
“We thought we’d try down by the lake,” Whitewing mewed to Lionblaze.
“Whatever.” Lionblaze let Birchfall and Whitewing take the lead; they padded close together through the undergrowth, with Icepaw bouncing excitedly at the back.
The heat of battle was still pulsing through Lionblaze’s body. He wanted to sink his claws into something; he hoped a squirrel or a rabbit would cross his path soon.
He couldn’t stifle the feeling that Firestar had been unfair. Surely this was the righttime to practice fighting moves? There could be another battle any day with WindClan or ShadowClan. And how was he going to fulfill the prophecy if he never had the chance to work on his skills, to be the best warrior any Clan had ever seen?
Lionblaze pushed his way through the thorn tunnel, two mice and a vole dangling from his jaws, the scent of the prey flooding his senses. When he reached the clearing he spotted his brother and sister together outside the medicine cats’ den. Hollyleaf signaled to him with her tail, so when he had dropped his fresh-kill on the pile, he bounded over to them.
“What’s this I hear about you and Ashfur fighting?” Hollyleaf demanded.
“What?” Lionblaze gaped at her. “How did you know?”
Jaypaw twitched his ears. “News runs through this camp faster than a rabbit. Don’t you know that yet?”
“Berrynose told me.” Hollyleaf sounded defensive. “He heard you when he was out with a hunting patrol. He said you sounded really vicious.”
“Berrynose!” Lionblaze spat with a single lash of his tail. “Hasn’t he got anything better to do than gossip about other warriors?”
“Anyway, is it true?” Hollyleaf persisted. “What were you fighting about?”
Lionblaze felt his neck fur rising. His claws slid out and his muscles tensed; he wanted a real enemy to fight, not just gossip and unnecessary questions.
“We weren’t fighting,” he snapped. “We were training. Just leave it, will you? I’ve already had Firestar clawing my ears over it, and I think he’s wrong! I needmore practice. How can I defend my Clan if I forget what to do?”
By the time he had finished speaking he was spitting out the words, his claws raking the ground in frustration.
After a heartbeat Hollyleaf took a pace toward him and gently laid the tip of her tail on his shoulder. Lionblaze shivered, trying to push down the surge of fury that had nearly spilled over.
“You won’t lose your fighting skills,” Hollyleaf mewed. “Don’t you see? That’s the special power the prophecy gave you, to fight better than any other warrior in the Clans.”
“You don’t understand,” Lionblaze muttered. “It doesn’t feel like that. It feels like I have to keep practicing.”
“Well, you’d better not let Firestar catch you again. Cats are already starting to talk,” Hollyleaf warned. “We can’t let the rest of the Clan know about the prophecy, not until we’re sure what it means.”
“I’ll do my best,” Lionblaze promised, letting his shoulders sag. “I won’t get into any fights with other warriors.”At least, not where Firestar can hear us
Thick darkness surrounded Lionblaze; the shrieks of battling cats echoed in his ears. He could taste the reek of blood and felt it clogging his paws and plastered in his pelt. His chest heaved as though he had been fighting all night. A gleam of moonlight pierced the clouds that churned across the sky; a single ray shed pale light on the ground at his paws. Lionblaze caught his breath in horror as he made out the body of Heatherpaw splayed out in the mud in front of him.
A gash ran down her body from her neck to her tail. Her light tabby fur was soaked with blood, black in the silver light. Her lips were drawn back in a frozen snarl and her blue eyes stared sightlessly at the sky.
“No…no…” he whimpered.
He started at the touch of a tail on his shoulder and whirled around to face Tigerstar’s intense amber gaze.
“Well done,” the huge tabby purred. “That was a battle well fought.”
“But this—this isn’t what I wanted!” Lionblaze protested.
“Isn’t it?” There was the hint of a growl in Tigerstar’s voice, and his eyes blazed. “Remember how she betrayed you! She nearly destroyed your whole Clan by telling WindClan about the tunnels.”
“But…” Lionblaze reached out a paw and laid it gently on Heatherpaw’s flank. Her fur was cold. “She didn’t deserve to die like this,” he murmured.
“All traitors deserve to die!” The fire in Tigerstar’s eyes flared up until Lionblaze was smothered in it; he let out a yowl of terror, expecting to feel his fur being scorched. His paws thrashed on the blood-soaked ground, but he couldn’t move.
Another cat thrust a paw into his shoulder from behind. Lionblaze turned and unsheathed his claws, ready to spring on his enemy.
Dustpelt stood in front of him, his gaze glittering with annoyance. Sunlight was pouring through the branches of the warriors’ den.
“Great StarClan, I thought WindClan was invading,” he snapped. “Do you have to make such a racket?”
“Sorry,” Lionblaze muttered. The moss and bracken from his nest was scattered from his thrashing around, and several other cats were looking up drowsily to see what the noise was about.
“I should think so.” Dustpelt turned away and went to curl up beside Ferncloud again.
Lionblaze was still shaking from his dream, his blood pounding with the heat of battle. He rose to his paws and pushed his way out of the den. Sandstorm and Spiderleg, over by the fresh-kill pile, turned to look at him curiously.
The vision of Heatherpaw’s broken body hovered in Lionblaze’s mind, clearer than the clearing in front of him. Is that what I’m becoming? A cat who slaughters? A cat like Tigerstar?
He wished he had never heard of the prophecy, and could be just an ordinary warrior with the same fighting skills as all his Clanmates.
But the words of the prophecy had been spoken, and Lionblaze knew there was no escape from the destiny it would bring down upon him and his littermates.
第三章
第三章
一片绯红的树叶从狮焰头顶的树枝上缓缓飘落。他跃起身子，伸出前爪，瞄准那片叶子猛地一击，然后稳稳地落在地上。他尴尬得身上微微发烫。不知道有没有被其他的猫看到他像幼崽一样幼稚的举动呢？
黎明巡逻队正走回山谷。太阳已经爬上树梢，阴凉处的树叶和小草表面依旧覆着一层薄雾。落叶季的风悄悄地扫过森林，秃叶季严酷的日子也即将到来。
蜡毛走在队伍的最前面，在他身后几个狐狸身长的地方跟着刺掌和亮心。狮焰意识到他们几个都没朝他这儿看，顿时长长地出了一口气。他静静地站了几个心跳的时间，嘴巴微张，耳朵竖起，探测是否有风族入侵的迹象。但是他只闻到了微弱的风族猫气息，而且是从他们自己的领地飘过来的。
“狮焰！”蜡毛停下爪子，回头叫道，“你是不是想一直站在那里，等自己生根发芽呢？”
“来了！”狮焰大声回答着，跑向前去追赶他以前的老师，“我在探查有没有风族的动静。”
蜡毛向他赞许地点点头：“做得好，不过我认为对风族没什么可担心的。”
“谨慎点总是没错的。”狮焰说道，然后和这名年长的武士肩并肩地走向营地。
亮心和刺掌穿过厚厚的蕨丛，消失不见了。狮焰意识到这就是他一直想找的机会。他瞥了蜡毛一眼，开始说道：“能问你些事情吗？”
蜡毛抽了抽胡须：“当然可以。”
“我认为，我需要一些额外的战斗特训。你能帮我吗？”
他以前的老师停下爪子，转身看着他，蓝色的眼睛因为惊讶而睁得很大。“你现在已经是一位武士了，狮焰。”他以前的老师提醒道，“而且在雷族，你算得上是最好的战士了。你当真认为，你还有什么需要学习的吗？”
蜡毛的赞扬像阳光一样，让狮焰感到浑身都暖洋洋的。他还是一位学徒的时候，有时候觉得要让这个淡灰色皮毛的武士高兴是件很难的事。
“总有更多的事情需要学习。”狮焰宣称道，“我想尽可能地保持最强和最佳的状态，这样我就能为下一场战斗做好准备。”
蜡毛若有所思地眨了眨眼睛：“我认为不大可能有另一场战斗了。不管怎么说，至少近期内不会。”
“风族可能会制造更多麻烦。不管怎样，我都需要加强训练。”狮焰坚持道。他伸缩着爪尖，准备撕碎地上的草叶，但是他没有。他不想让蜡毛看出这些训练对他有多么重要，他只是恳求道：“拜托了。”
“好吧。”尽管蜡毛仍然充满了疑惑，但是让狮焰松了一口气的是，他也没再拒绝，“我们现在就可以练习一会儿。但是我得先追上亮心，让她去向火星报告巡逻的情况。我们待会儿训练山谷见。”
他跳跃着跑开了，留下狮焰独自向训练山谷走去。阳光好像突然明亮起来。他渴望有凉爽的风吹动皮毛，露水打湿了他的爪子。他知道自己必须坚持训练，才能让能力发挥到极致。但是他不愿再让虎星当他的老师了。
狮焰不由得打了一个激灵，仿佛那位黑暗武士马上就要召唤他了。他环顾四周，还好，并没有看到那虎斑身影和燃烧着的琥珀色眼睛。
能被虎星选中做特殊训练，狮焰一开始觉得既特别又光荣，而且用黑暗武士教他的一招半式，就能轻而易举地打败其他学徒。但是在随后的几个月里，虎星变了，他开始充满敌意，并试图控制狮焰。
或许他并未改变。或许我只是看到了虎星的真面目。
狮焰还记得冰爪和狐爪还没成为学徒时，香薇云责骂他们的话：“如果你们再不听话，虎星就会来抓走你们。”
两只幼崽吓得尖叫着，赶紧躲到母亲的肚子下面。
我是不是鼠脑子？狮焰自问道，我以为他在帮我，但他是不是一直都在利用我？
如果能和蜡毛一起训练，他就不再需要虎星了。就算虎星还要来找他，他可能已经足够强壮，可以将虎星赶走了。
或许虎星发现没有他，我也能成为一名足够优秀的武士，他就会自行离开了。
这么早，训练山谷里还没有猫，草地上还残留着一缕缕薄雾。狮焰走到空地中央，开始练习他的战斗动作，一遍遍地在空中跳跃、转身。他想象自己正骑在虎星宽阔的肩膀上，把爪子插进他深色的虎斑皮毛里。
“非常精彩。”蜡毛的声音从训练山谷的另一边传过来。
“谢谢。”狮焰气喘吁吁地说。
蜡毛突然冲到他的身边，把他一下子撞倒在地。狮焰赶紧转身，面对着自己以前的老师。他猝不及防，顿时被激怒了，发出了一声大吼。他用后腿向蜡毛发出几记猛踢，蜡毛则瞄准机会，张嘴咬住了狮焰脖子上的皮毛。灰毛武士依靠体重将狮焰压倒在地，狮焰几乎无法呼吸。
“还要继续吗？”蜡毛奚落道。
狮焰费尽全身力气翻滚着，终于把蜡毛甩了出去，自己站了起来。他大口喘息着，趁对手还没缓过来，跳上蜡毛的头顶。他迅速地用前爪对着灰毛武士就是两个重击，然后就试图跳开。
但是蜡毛的速度真是太快了。他如同闪电一般伸出爪子，从狮焰的身下钩住了他的后腿，两只猫一起摔倒在地。被蜡毛摔倒在地的时候，狮爪感到耳朵火辣辣的疼。他用前爪不断击打着对手，很快他便意识到，只要战斗的红雾威胁到他，快要将他吞噬的时候，他就会不由自主地弹出爪尖。
“停！”狮焰几乎没有听见那声怒吼，但是蜡毛迅速从狮焰身上翻滚下来，跳起了身，只留下狮焰在地上乱扒，摇摇脑袋把灰尘抖掉。
“看在星族的分上，你们这是干什么？”
狮焰这才辨认出了火星的声音。他挣扎着站起来，眨了眨眼睛，弄出了里边的沙子。他这才看到火星正站在山谷的边缘，身后还跟着白翅、冰爪和桦落。雷族族长的眼里正冒着绿色的火光。
“武士决斗吗？为什么？”他质问道。
蜡毛甩掉了皮毛上的土灰：“我们只是在训练，火星。”
“但狮焰已经是一位武士了。”火星提醒蜡毛道，“他不再是你的学徒了。”
“这是我的主意，火星。”狮焰说道，“是我请蜡毛跟我一块儿练习的。我们只是想试试……”
“我不想听任何借口。”火星的声音非常严厉，“我刚才看到的打斗远远超出了练习的程度。在现在这个时间，两个边界都有麻烦，所以不能让任何一位武士受伤。而且秃叶季就要到了，叶池那儿也没有草药可以浪费在无谓的伤口上。你们两个是不是鼠脑子？”
“对不起，火星。”狮焰低着头说，“都是我的错，请不要责怪蜡毛。”但是不让我们练习，我们怎么能在战斗中取胜呢？
“蜡毛是经验丰富的武士，他应该更明白这些道理。”火星甩着尾巴驳斥着。接着他神情缓和下来：“狮焰，我知道你很上进，这是好事。但凡事都要三思而后行，知道吗？现在这种时候，不适合冒险。”
狮焰羞愧和失望得皮毛噼啪作响，小声嘟囔着表示同意。
“白翅、桦落、冰爪正准备去狩猎。”火星接着说，“你最好跟他们一块儿去，狮焰，把你旺盛的精力用在狩猎上，而不是另一位武士身上。蜡毛，你跟我来。”他说着，甩了甩尾巴走出空地，淡灰皮毛的武士也跟着他走了。
“我们想到湖边试试。”白翅对狮焰说道。
“怎么都行。”狮焰让桦落和白翅带队，他们一起钻过灌木丛。冰爪则跟在队伍的最后面，兴奋地蹦跶着。
战斗的渴望仍然在狮焰的身体里涌动。他一心想把爪子插进什么东西里面。他特别希望有一只松鼠或一只野兔从眼前经过。
他禁不住想道，火星刚才说得不公平。现在真的不是练习战斗技巧的好时机吗？与风族或影族的另一场战斗随时都可能打响。如果一直没机会练习战斗的技巧，他该怎么实现预言里的事情？
狮焰钻过荆棘通道的时候，两只老鼠和一只田鼠正挂在他的下巴上，猎物的气息溢满他的口鼻。他来到空地时，看见弟弟和妹妹正一起待在巫医巢穴外面。冬青叶用尾巴示意了他一下。狮焰把刚捕获的猎物丢到猎物堆上，就蹦跳着去找他们。
“我听说你跟蜡毛打起来了？”冬青叶迫不及待地问道。
“什么？”狮焰吃惊地看着她，“你怎么知道的？”
松鸦爪抽动着耳朵：“你不知道吗？消息在营地里散播的速度比兔子跑得还快。”
“是莓鼻告诉我的。”冬青叶辩解道，“他跟随狩猎巡逻队出去时看到你们了。他说你们的打斗非常凶狠。”
“莓鼻！”狮焰使劲抽了一下尾巴，厉声说道，“他除了对其他武士说三道四，就没有别的事可做了？”
“不管怎么说，这是真的吗？”冬青叶追问道，“你们为什么打架？”
狮焰觉得脖子上的毛都奓开了。他弹出爪尖，肌肉也紧绷起来。他倒希望眼前真的有个敌人，能让自己好好打上一场，而不是只有这些流言蜚语和毫无用处的质疑。
“我们不是打架。”他狠狠地说道，“我们是在训练。别再问了，行吗？火星已经把我的耳朵吵聋了，但我仍然认为他说得不对！我需要更多的练习。如果我忘记了战斗技巧，还怎么保卫我们的族群？”
他无意中把心里想说的话都说了出来，顿时懊恼地用爪子刨着地面。
只过了一个心跳的时间，冬青叶就走到了他的身边，把尾尖温柔地放在他的肩头。狮焰不由得颤抖了一下，竭力压下几乎要爆发出来的怒火。
“你不会忘记战斗技巧的。”冬青叶说道，“你还不明白吗？这就是预言提到的特殊力量，你具有比任何武士都出色的战斗能力。”
“你不明白。”狮焰咕哝着，“我认为不是那样的，我得更加勤奋地练习，才能保持那种状态。”
“好吧，你最好别再被火星知道，族猫已经议论纷纷了。”冬青叶提醒他，“我们在弄明白预言的真正含义之前，不能让其他猫知道。”
“我会尽力的。”狮焰垂下肩膀，保证道，“我不会再和其他武士战斗了。”至少，不在火星能得到消息的地方。
狮焰的四周一片漆黑，厮杀的号叫在他的耳边回响。他能闻到血腥的味道，感到血黏住了他的爪子。他的胸脯剧烈地起伏着，仿佛一整夜都在战斗。一道月光穿透在空中翻腾的乌云，一丝微弱的光线照亮了他放在地上的爪子。狮焰恐惧得几乎忘记了呼吸，他看到石楠爪就倒在面前的淤泥里。
一道长长的伤口从石楠爪的脖子延伸到尾巴。她那光亮的浅棕色皮毛被血染红了，斑纹在月光下也变成了黑色。她张大嘴巴，一动不动，蓝色的眼睛失神地盯着天空。
“不……不……”狮焰呜咽着。
他感到一条尾巴搭到了他的肩膀上，他猛地转过身，看到虎星那双琥珀色眼睛正一脸热切地盯着他。
“干得漂亮！”身材魁梧的虎斑猫满意地说，“这场仗打得漂亮。”
“但是这……这不是我想要的！”狮焰争辩道。
“不是吗？”虎星的声音里带着一丝恼怒，眼睛也闪着怒火，“不要忘了她是怎么背叛你的！是她把隧道的秘密告诉了风族，差点就毁掉了你的族群。”
“但是……”狮焰伸出一只爪子，轻轻地放在石楠爪的肋下。她的毛皮又湿又冷。他喃喃地说道：“但是她罪不至死。”
“所有的叛徒都该死！”怒火在虎星的眼底熊熊燃烧，这让狮焰几乎喘不过气来。他恐惧地发出一声吼叫，感觉自己的皮毛就要燃烧起来。他的爪子踩在浸满鲜血的地方，几乎寸步难行。
另一只猫用爪子从他的身后猛地推了一下他的肩膀。狮焰回过身，弹出爪尖，准备扑向他的敌人。
尘毛正站在他的面前，一脸的恼怒。阳光穿透枝条洒进了武士巢穴。
“伟大的星族啊，我还以为风族正在进攻营地呢！”尘毛呵斥道，“你为什么要弄出这么大的动静呢？”
“对不起！”狮焰小声嘟哝着。窝里的苔藓和蕨叶撒得到处都是。正在巢穴里睡觉的其他几只猫，都睡意蒙眬地抬起头来，想知道是哪里发出的吵闹声。
“你确实应该感到抱歉。”尘毛转身回到香薇云身边，再次躺了下去。
狮焰仍然对梦中的情形震惊不已，血液也因为梦中的战斗沸腾起来。他站起身，走出了武士巢穴。沙风和蛛足正站在猎物堆旁，好奇地回头看着他。
石楠爪被撕开身体的场景一直在狮焰的脑海萦绕，画面甚至比他面前的空地还要清晰。我会变成那样的猫吗？一只嗜血的猫，就像虎星那样？
他真希望自己没有听过那个预言，自己只是一位普通的武士，战斗技能也和族里的其他猫没有什么不同。
但是预言已经被说了出来。狮焰知道，他已经没办法逃脱命运的主宰，这一切终将降临到他和他的同窝猫身上。
CHAPTER4
CHAPTER4
Jaypaw turned away from counting poppyheads when he heard Leafpool brushing past the bramble screen into the den. Briarkit’s scent mingled with hers, and he heard a feeble cough from the young kit dangling from the medicine cat’s jaws.
“Briarkit’s worse?” he asked anxiously.
Leafpool set the kit down in a nest of bracken; Jaypaw heard the stems rustling as Briarkit tried to make herself comfortable.
“It’s what I was afraid of,” Leafpool meowed. “Briarkit has caught Millie’s cough. And Millie’s no better. I’d like to move her in here, too, but I don’t think Daisy could cope with feeding Bumblekit and Blossomkit as well as her own. And we’ve no room for all of them in here.”
Jaypaw felt steady waves of anxiety coming from his mentor like the surge of waves on the lakeshore. “Why are you so worried? It’s only whitecough.”
Leafpool sighed. “It could easily turn into greencough, especially with the cold weather coming.” Lowering her voice in case Briarkit was listening, she went on, “There are several kits in the Clan, and Mousefur is very frail. We could end up losing cats.”
She slid beside Jaypaw into the storage cave. “We’re almost out of catmint,” she murmured. “There’s enough for Briarkit now, and another dose for Millie, and that’s all.”
“I’ll go and fetch some more,” Jaypaw offered instantly.
“That would be a big help,” Leafpool mewed. “Take another cat with you—no, notbecause I think you can’t manage on your own,” she added as if she knew he would start bristling. “Two of you can carry twice as many stems.”
“Okay. Shall I take the other catmint to Millie first?”
“No, I’ll do that. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back with fresh supplies.”
When Jaypaw emerged into the clearing, the first cat he located was Poppyfrost, crouched by the fresh-kill pile. He hurried over to her.
“Are you busy?”
Poppyfrost gulped down a mouthful of vole. “Not very,” she replied. “Brightheart suggested I might help clear the bedding out of the warriors’ den—there’s so much of it now, and it’s a hard job when there are only two apprentices. But to be honest, I wouldn’t mind an excuse not to do it.” She swallowed the last of the prey and rose to her paws. “What do you want me to do?”
Jaypaw explained about Briarkit and the need to fetch more catmint.
“Poor little scrap,” Poppyfrost mewed sympathetically. “Of course I’ll help. Let’s go!”
She bounded across the clearing to the tunnel, leaving Jaypaw to follow. Once through the tunnel he caught up to her, and they headed for the abandoned Twoleg nest. Jaypaw felt his paws prickle at the memory of the battle; though the scents of blood and fear had faded, the screeches of fighting cats still echoed in his head. He steered Poppyfrost away from the tunnel where the WindClan cats had invaded ThunderClan territory; he didn’t want to think about what it meant if there was another entrance into the underground caves where he had first met Rock.
He began sniffing for catmint as they approached the Twoleg nest, but instead of the sharp, clean scent of the herb all he could pick up was a musty smell.
“Oh, no!” Poppyfrost halted abruptly.
“What’s the matter?”
“The catmint. Oh, Jaypaw, it’s almost all gone!”
“Gone? It can’t be!”
Poppyfrost bounded forward and Jaypaw followed. He felt soft, thick grass under his paws, then a strip of churned soil where the Twolegs had once grown plants. The musty smell was all around him now, mingled with the occasional hint of fresh leaves.
“What can you see?” he demanded.
“It’s all squashed,” Poppyfrost replied, her voice filled with distress. “The stems are broken down, all black and rotten.”
Jaypaw felt a dark space of fear open up inside him. “That won’t help the sick cats.”
“I know. It must have happened in the battle.”
Jaypaw lashed his tail. “I bet WindClan and RiverClan did this deliberately.”
“Surely no cat would be that cruel?” Poppyfrost meowed.
Jaypaw worked his claws furiously into the earth and felt torn stems beneath his claws. “We’ll have to tell Firestar. They can’t get away with this!”
“No—wait.” Jaypaw had been ready to dash back to camp, but Poppyfrost stopped him with her tail across his chest. “Cats were fighting all around here. The catmint probably just got trampled.”
Jaypaw grunted; she might be right, but that didn’t stop him from being suspicious. Still, it was more important to see if he could find any fresh catmint for Briarkit and Millie. Reporting to Firestar could wait.
Tasting the air carefully, he managed to identify a few new shoots of catmint poking through the ground, but they were very small, and there weren’t many of them. He began to bite carefully through each stem.
Poppyfrost was moving around close by, rustling among the leaves. “I’m pulling all the broken stems away,” she explained. “That way the new ones will have room to grow.”
“Good idea,” Jaypaw meowed. “I’ll help you. Pick any of the new stems you come across, and put them with mine.”
He began clawing away the dying stems and the fallen leaves that clogged up the new growth. He imagined the sun warming the battered plants, encouraging them to shoot up again. But soon it would be leaf-bare, when nothing grew. Could they wait until newleaf for fresh catmint?
At last there was nothing more they could do. Jaypaw and Poppyfrost divided their gleanings between them, though one cat could easily have carried all they had managed to find. Then they headed back to camp.
“What happened?” Leafpool’s voice, sharp with worry, greeted Jaypaw as soon as he rounded the bramble screen. “What took so long? Why haven’t you brought back more than that?”
Jaypaw dropped the herbs at her paws. “This is all there is.”
“What?”
Poppyfrost padded up beside him and added her stems to the pile. Quietly she explained what they had found near the Twoleg nest.
“This is terrible!” Leafpool exclaimed. “That’s the only catmint I know of in our territory.”
“Then you’ve got to give it all to Briarkit.” Jaypaw hardly recognized the cat who had spoken, the voice was so harsh. Then he detected Millie’s scent, and guessed that she had come to be with her kit. “I’ll be fine, Leafpool, honestly.” She broke off in a bout of coughing.
Jaypaw didn’t believe her. She sounded even sicker than the last time he had spoken to her, and he could sense Leafpool’s fear for her.
“I’ll go and report to Firestar,” Poppyfrost murmured, slipping out of the den.
“You’re notfine, Millie.” Leafpool’s worry made her sound sharp. “Look at all the stuff you’ve coughed up. You have greencough. You’ll have to stay here, where Jaypaw and I can look after you.”
“But what about Bumblekit and Blossomkit?” Millie’s voice rose to a wail that ended in another spasm of hacking coughs. “Daisy can’t manage to feed them as well as her own.”
“I’m not arguing with you,” Leafpool retorted. “Daisy will have to manage. Besides, Briarkit is already ill. Do you want to give greencough to the other kits as well?”
Before Millie could reply, paw steps sounded at the mouth of the den, and Jaypaw recognized Graystripe’s scent. “What’s going on?” the gray warrior demanded. “Millie, I could hear you coughing from the other side of the camp.”
“She has greencough,” Leafpool told him. “No—stay where you are!” She brushed past Jaypaw, who pictured her blocking Graystripe from hurrying to his mate’s side. “Do you want to catch it, and spread it to every cat in the camp?”
There was a pause in which Jaypaw picked up Graystripe’s swirling anger and fear for Millie. “All right,” the gray warrior meowed at last. “What can I do to help?”
“Go and talk to Daisy,” Leafpool replied. “She’ll have to feed all four kits in the nursery, because there’s no way I’m letting Millie out of here. Rosekit and Toadkit are eating fresh-kill, so that should help.”
“Okay.” Graystripe sounded relieved that there was something he could do. “I’ll make sure she gets enough prey—and I’ll fetch some for all of you, too. Just tell me if there’s anything else you want.”
“Thanks, Graystripe,” Leafpool mewed.
“I love you, Millie,” Graystripe called out to his mate. “Don’t worry about the kits. I’ll visit them every day.”
Millie’s only reply was an exhausted murmur; she was worn out by coughing. Jaypaw heard her draw Briarkit close to her belly. “Feed well, little one,” she whispered. “Get strong, and you’ll soon be better.”
“I could take some borage to Daisy to help her milk to come,” Jaypaw offered.
“Fine, but wait here first with Millie and Briarkit,” Leafpool instructed him. “I have to tell Firestar that we have greencough in the camp.” She whisked out of the den.
Jaypaw padded to the cleft to check the supply of borage leaves. They were running low, too, but he knew where he could find more. He set aside enough leaves to take to Daisy, and set to work chewing up their pitiful supply of catmint, ready for Millie and Briarkit.
We need more, but I don’t know where to find it. And if these are the only two cats we have to treat before newleaf, then I’m a mouse.
By the time Leafpool returned, a cool dusk breeze stirred the brambles at the entrance to the den. A crisp half-moon floated above the hollow, its tip just clear of the tallest trees.
“It’s time to go to the Moonpool,” she mewed fretfully. “If only the sky would cloud over! I don’t want to leave Millie and Briarkit.”
“You don’t have to go,” Jaypaw pointed out. “You’re right, you’re needed here. I can go by myself.”
“Oh, but…” Leafpool’s protest died away.
Jaypaw made himself stay still and quiet as he listened to her silence. He wanted to add that she was too tired to go; she had exhausted herself taking care of the sick cats, and if she insisted on making the journey she would probably fall off the mountain. But Jaypaw knew better than to tell his mentor that; if he suggested she wasn’t capable, Leafpool would be even more determined to prove she could do everything.
“Apprentices don’t usually go without their mentor,” Leafpool murmured, half to herself. “But I can’t see it would matter for once. You know the way…and I haveto stay with Millie and Briarkit.”
Yes!Jaypaw stopped his paws from pushing him up into a triumphant leap.
“All right,” Leafpool decided at last. “But be careful. And don’tget into an argument with Willowshine.”
Would I?Mothwing’s apprentice wasn’t Jaypaw’s favorite cat, but he had enough sense not to brush her fur the wrong way when he was the only cat representing ThunderClan.
“I’ll be off, then,” he mewed.
“Right…and Jaypaw, if you happen to scent any catmint—”
“I’ll bring it back with me,” Jaypaw promised, though he knew how empty the promise was. There was nowhere else in ThunderClan territory where catmint grew. Perhaps they would need to travel farther from the lake if they were to find enough of the herb to save the sick cats.
CHAPTER5
CHAPTER5
Jaypaw slid out through the thorntunnel and stalked into the forest. The night scents and noises seemed sharper than ever, just because he was on his own. There were no other cats to fuss over him, and if he tripped over a branch or put his paw into a hole, he could recover just fine by himself.
By now the territory was familiar, especially since he had taken part in the battle. Soon he had left ThunderClan territory behind and was climbing the rocky ridge. Ahead of him he scented other cats, and identified them as Willowshine from RiverClan and Barkface from WindClan with his apprentice, Kestrelpaw. Littlecloud wasn’t with them.
The scents quickly grew stronger, and Jaypaw realized that the other medicine cats were waiting for him to catch up. He halted in front of them, dipping his head. “Greetings.”
“Greetings, Jaypaw,” Barkface meowed. “How’s the prey running?” He sounded awkward, and Jaypaw picked up a strong sense of regret, as if the WindClan medicine cat wanted to apologize for the hostility between their Clans.
Jaypaw dipped his head in acknowledgment of what the older cat couldn’t say out loud. “Fine, thanks.”
“And where’s Leafpool?” Willowshine added.
“She couldn’t come,” Jaypaw replied. “She had stuff to do.” Even though medicine cats lived by different rules, he didn’t want to tell the other Clans that ThunderClan had greencough in the camp. It made them sound weak.
Surprise came from all three cats, with an edge of annoyance from Willowshine.
“Ihad to wait until I had my name before Mothwing allowed me to come here alone,” she mewed.
I bet Mothwing lets you come alone all the time nowIt’s a wasted journey for her. Jaypaw itched to make the retort, but he stopped himself. The RiverClan medicine cat didn’t believe in StarClan; she could spend the night of the half-moon in her den without all the trouble of the journey to the Moonpool.
“It doesn’t look as if Littlecloud is coming,” Barkface muttered. “I thought he at least would stay faithful to StarClan.”
He’s trying, Jaypaw wanted to tell him, but there was no way he could reveal his expedition into ShadowClan territory. Littlecloud had protested against what Sol was telling his Clan, but it hadn’t made any difference. ShadowClan had turned their back on their warrior ancestors, and Blackstar must have forbidden his medicine cat to come to the meeting.
“Perhaps he can share tongues with StarClan from his own territory,” Willowshine murmured.
“And maybe StarClan will show us what to do about Sol,” Jaypaw suggested, though privately he didn’t think it was likely.
Barkface grunted agreement. “We’d better go on without him. We’re wasting moonlight.”
Jaypaw could hear the sound of falling water and the soft pad of paw steps as he followed the others down the spiral path to the Moonpool. He felt very close to Rock and Fallen Leaves and the other ancient cats as he felt his paws slip into the hollows they had made so long ago.
I hope I get a good dream tonight, he thought. It’s about time
Ever since his vision in ShadowClan territory and his talk with Leafpool he had hoped to meet the strange badger Midnight again. If she didn’t come here, in this special place under the half-moon, then maybe she didn’t mean to come at all.
The other cats were settling down at the edge of the pool. Jaypaw took his place beside Barkface. Kestrelpaw crouched on the other side of his mentor, while Willowshine found a spot farther around the rim of the water.
Jaypaw stretched out his neck and dipped his nose into the Moonpool; its cold touch shivered through him. Curling up, he let sleep take him.
When he opened his eyes he found himself on a rough stretch of open ground; a precipice plunged down at his paws and he took a pace back, dizzy from his glimpse of the depths. Wind whined among the rocks, and Jaypaw dug his claws into the gritty soil, scared that he might be blown away. Dim light illuminated the mountaintop; peering around him, Jaypaw couldn’t decide whether it was twilight or early dawn. He thought at first he was alone until something moved on top of one of the boulders, and he recognized the bald, distorted body and unseeing eyes of Rock.
“You’re here!” Jaypaw gasped. “Do you have something to tell me?”
Rock shook his head. “I have brought someone who wishes to meet you.”
A black shape loomed up behind Rock, moving slowly into the open. Jaypaw gripped even harder with his claws, and his neck fur began to bristle. He was gazing into the berry-bright eyes of the badger.
“Midnight?” he meowed, furious that he couldn’t stop his voice from quivering. “You’re the badger who helped ThunderClan?”
The huge creature dipped her head; the pale stripe down her head gleamed in the half-light. “Is nothing to fear, small one. Speak with me you will?”
“Yes, I…I wanted to ask why you appeared to me the night we went to ShadowClan. It was you, wasn’t it?”
Midnight nodded. “I went that way, find out what Sol say to Clans.”
“You knowSol?” Jaypaw was astonished.
“Past my den near the sea he came. He had heard of cats by the lake, and many questions he asked.”
“And you answeredhim?” Was this how Sol had known so much about the Clans? “Why? Leafpool told me you were our friend!” Jaypaw protested
Midnight shrugged her heavy shoulders. “Is more than one way to be friend. True, I give Sol knowledge. But knowledge not always bring power.”
“It’s brought Sol enough power,” Jaypaw mewed bitterly. “He’s already convinced one Clan to give up their faith in StarClan.”
“Perhaps will be StarClan’s task to restore faith of ShadowClan.”
Jaypaw blinked. He thought Rock had been teaching him that StarClan didn’t have that kind of power. “How can they?”
Midnight’s eyes shone with black light. “Faith is strong enough, it achieve anything,” she assured him.
“That’s no answer!” Jaypaw cried, frustrated. “Why did you talk to Sol and not to me?”
There was no reply. Midnight’s bulky body was fading, melting into the shadows. Her white stripe glimmered for a heartbeat longer, and she was gone.
Jaypaw glanced wildly around. Rock had vanished as well, and he was alone on the bleak mountaintop. He struggled to wake up, blinking in the hope of opening his eyes to darkness, but it was no use. Am I stranded here?he wondered, beginning to panic.
Then he spotted two other cats approaching him across the open ground, the wind buffeting their fur. The first was a muscular tabby with one shredded ear; the cat who followed him was a small gray-and-white tom with a drop of moisture gleaming on his nose. The shimmer of stars at their paws was very faint; both of them were advancing nervously, casting swift glances into the shadows as if they expected enemies to leap out at them.
The tabby halted in front of Jaypaw and dipped his head. “Greetings, Jaypaw,” he meowed. “My name is Raggedstar; once I was leader of ShadowClan. And this is Runningnose, who was our medicine cat.”
Jaypaw stared at the two of them; Leafpool had told him about Runningnose, and it looked as if even in StarClan the former medicine cat couldn’t cure his own cold. “Why have you come to speak to me?”
“For the sake of our Clan,” Raggedstar replied, his voice hollow with sadness. “If no cat can help them, then Sol will tear them apart. They will scatter and become rogues! All their honor and pride will be gone!”
“I have spoken to Littlecloud in dreams,” Runningnose added, resting his tail-tip on his leader’s shoulder. “He keeps faith, but few cats will listen to him, and now Blackstar has forbidden him to speak of StarClan. He is not allowed to leave the camp to share tongues with us at the Moonpool.”
“But…what do you expect meto do about it?” Jaypaw asked, bewildered. “I can’t go into ShadowClan to talk to Blackstar, and if I did he wouldn’t listen. He would send me back to ThunderClan one piece at a time.”
“I can’t tell you what to do,” Raggedstar admitted. “I just know my heart tells me you might be the cat to save my Clan.”
He shared a look of despair with Runningnose. Seeing it, Jaypaw realized that not only had ShadowClan rejected StarClan, but their warrior ancestors were almost ready to give up on them, too.
Anger pierced his belly like a thorn, and set his neck fur bristling again. All right, he snarled silently. If they won’t do anything,I will! There must be some way to defeat Sol and restore ShadowClan’s faith in their warrior ancestors. And then Sol can keep his promise and help us fulfill our prophecy
“I’ll try,” he promised, not bothering to keep his fury and contempt out of his voice. “At least I’m not sitting back and wailing like a lost kit.”
“Thank you.” Raggedstar dipped his head once more. “Your warrior ancestors…”
His voice began to die away, as if the vision was fading, though Jaypaw could still see him and Runningnose clearly. Bewildered, he glanced around and down, and froze with terror; he could see the rough surface of the rock throughhis own paws.
I’m fading!
His eyes snapped open on darkness; he was curled up beside the Moonpool, with the gentle plash of falling water in his ears and the other medicine cats waking around him.
Following Barkface, Kestrelpaw, and Willowshine down the ridge once more, Jaypaw thought about what he had seen. Midnight had told him next to nothing, except that it was she who had given Sol his knowledge about the Clans. Had she told Sol that the sun would vanish, too? Jaypaw wouldn’t be surprised. But Midnight hadn’t said anything that would help him with the problem of ShadowClan now. She seemed to think that StarClan would be able to restore their faith, but StarClan obviously wasn’t going to do anything, except plead for help from a medicine cat apprentice.
Jaypaw paused to say good-bye to the other cats on the WindClan border. A soft breeze was blowing from the moor, bringing with it the scents of herbs and rabbits. Willowshine padded up to him and brushed his shoulder with her tail.
“StarClan walk with you, Jaypaw, until next time.”
“Thanks,” Jaypaw grunted. “You too.” She needn’t think he was going to start being friendly, not after that smart remark when they met. She was far too smug about receiving her name before him. Besides, he didn’t want to talk; he had to think.
The only way to defeat Sol was to make ShadowClan recover their belief in the power of their warrior ancestors.
How am I going to do that?
He thought back to when he had visited the Tribe of Rushing Water. He remembered how grief-stricken Stoneteller had been when he discovered that the Tribe of Endless Hunting had given up on the cats behind the waterfall. Jaypaw didn’t trust Stoneteller, but he had felt sorry for the old leader then.
Stoneteller had lied to the Tribe to persuade them to go on battling against the invaders. His lies had filled them with courage, and they had beaten the intruding cats. The Tribe of Rushing Water had been made stronger because they had faith in what their warrior ancestors wanted for them.
But there aren’t any easy lies that will convince ShadowClan, Jaypaw told himself. Or are there?
By the time he reached the stone hollow, Jaypaw could feel a freshening breeze that told him dawn was breaking, and hear birds beginning to twitter in the trees. I could do with a good fat blackbird, he thought hungrily.
His worries about Millie and Briarkit returned as he crossed the clearing, but when he entered his den he could hear the deep, regular breathing of all three cats. That’s good. They all need sleep
Instead of joining them, Jaypaw crept quietly out again. He didn’t feel tired; instead, he was quivering with excitement. On the way home the beginnings of a plan had come to him, and he needed to talk to his littermates. He tasted the air, trying to find his brother and sister, and quickly tracked down Hollyleaf crouched beside the fresh-kill pile with Mousewhisker and Berrynose.
“Hey, Hollyleaf!” he called; he didn’t want to go over to her and get stuck talking to the others.
Hollyleaf came bounding over to him; his belly rumbled as he caught the scent of fresh mouse clinging to her pelt. “Did something happen?” she asked; he could feel her urgency crackling like lightning.
“We’ve got to talk. Where’s Lionblaze?”
“Still asleep in the warriors’ den,” Hollyleaf mewed.
“Get him. I’ll meet you in back.”
Jaypaw slid into the gap behind the warriors’ den, his claws flexing impatiently until Hollyleaf and Lionblaze squeezed into the narrow space beside him.
“We’ve got to find a better place to meet,” Lionblaze grumbled. “If we get any bigger we’ll never fit in here.”
“Stop complaining,” Jaypaw snapped, wriggling to make sure he got his fair share of the space. “This is important.”
“Tell us, then!” Hollyleaf meowed.
Jaypaw told them about his dream at the Moonpool, his meeting with Midnight the badger and then with Raggedstar and Runningnose.
“StarClan asked youfor help?” Hollyleaf queried, awe in her voice. “That’s amazing!”
Jaypaw gave a faint hiss of annoyance. “You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
“Do you think you can do what they want?” Lionblaze asked. “We’ll help, you know that.”
“I had an idea,” Jaypaw began. “We have to make ShadowClan believe in their warrior ancestors, right? So what they need is a sign from StarClan—a clear sign that every cat can see.”
“If StarClan could do that, wouldn’t they have done it already?” Hollyleaf asked doubtfully.
“Yes, I think so.” Jaypaw’s pelt prickled with excitement. “So, if StarClan can’t do it, we’ll have to do it for them.”
There was a short silence. Then Lionblaze mewed, “Makea sign from StarClan?”
“Why not?”
“I dunno.” Lionblaze sounded puzzled. “It just seems…wrong, somehow. Besides, if we’re more powerful than StarClan, why does it matter that ShadowClan believe in their warrior ancestors?”
“Of course it matters, mouse-brain!” Hollyleaf spat. Jaypaw felt all her muscles bunch as if she would have leaped on her brother for a couple of mouse tails. “All four Clans haveto stick to the warrior code.”
“Okay, calm down,” Lionblaze muttered.
Hollyleaf ignored him. “Jaypaw, I don’t know how we’re going to do this, but I know we can. I’ll do whatever it takes to save ShadowClan from Sol!”
Her voice shook with intensity, and Jaypaw could imagine fire blazing in her green eyes. A shiver crept on mouse feet down his spine. It was clearer and clearer that nothingmattered to Hollyleaf more than the warrior code, and for the first time in his life he felt a little afraid of her.
CHAPTER6
CHAPTER6
The sound of coughing woke Hollyleaf.Raising her head, she peered across the warriors’ den. A few tail-lengths away, Thornclaw was sitting up, his head bent as he coughed.
His sister Brightheart pressed her muzzle into his shoulder fur. “Don’t worry,” she murmured. “I’ll fetch you something from Leafpool to make you feel better.”
“Get a move on,” Spiderleg rasped. “Then maybe the rest of us can get some sleep.”
“Yeah, it’s like trying to sleep with a monster in here,” Berrynose added.
Brightheart gave them a furious glare, her teeth drawn back in a snarl. “See if I help you if youget ill,” she snapped, and slid out between the branches.
Thornclaw coughed again. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to the stupid furballs,” Hollyleaf told him. “If they don’t like it, they can go out and do something useful.”
Both Spiderleg and Berrynose ignored her, curling up again and wrapping their tails over their ears. Thornclaw lay down, too, but a cough shook him every time he tried to breathe.
Hollyleaf was too anxious to go back to sleep. She curled up in her nest, listening to the rain beating steadily on the branches of the den. How many more cats would fall ill before Leafpool got the greencough outbreak under control?
Her thoughts jumped to what she and Lionblaze had discussed with Jaypaw the day before. Did they truly need to fake a sign to make ShadowClan believe in StarClan again? Wouldn’t that make StarClan angry with them? Perhaps they ought to find another way to show that Sol wasn’t a worthy leader.
Unwillingly, Hollyleaf remembered how she had felt when Sol talked to her; she had basked in the warmth of his gaze, and his calm, deep voice made her feel as if everything would be fine as long as she listened to him.
And yet he had taken a whole Clan away from StarClan. That couldn’t be right! StarClan has always been there! None of the Clans should turn away from them
Arguing with herself was making Hollyleaf dizzy. In spite of the pounding raindrops, she got up and squeezed out through the branches of the den. Rain had turned the floor of the clearing to mud; it splashed up over Hollyleaf’s legs and belly fur as she sprinted across to the thorn tunnel and stood shivering in its shelter. Her paws itched to race through the forest, as if she could find the answers she was looking for by tracking them down like prey.
Gray dawn light seeped reluctantly into the hollow. No other cat was stirring, until Brightheart emerged from Leafpool’s den and pelted back across the clearing with some leaves in her mouth. Soon after, movement on the Highledge caught Hollyleaf’s eye and she spotted Sandstorm leaping down the tumbled rocks. The ginger she-cat headed for the dirtplace tunnel, then swerved when she saw Hollyleaf and bounded over to join her.
“What are you doing up so early?” she meowed. “There won’t be any patrols until the sun is up.” Twitching her tail, she added, “With any luck, the rain will ease off by then.”
“Thornclaw was coughing,” Hollyleaf replied, aware that she wasn’t telling the whole truth.
Concern filled Sandstorm’s green eyes. “The last thing we need is illness in the camp. A lot of the cats are still weak from the battle—especially Squirrelflight.”
Hollyleaf flinched. Her mother had been terribly injured in the battle; her wound was only just beginning to heal. Although she wasn’t sleeping in Leafpool’s den anymore, she wasn’t allowed to leave the camp. If she caught a bad cough she wouldn’t have the strength to fight it.
Sandstorm bent down and nuzzled Hollyleaf’s head; for a heartbeat Hollyleaf felt like a kit again, safe and comforted. “Don’t look so worried,” the older cat purred. “There are plenty of warriors to take care of the Clan, and Leafpool’s a great medicine cat. You just need to concentrate on learning everything you can to serve ThunderClan.”
“That’s what I try to do,” Hollyleaf meowed, painfully aware of how far she fell short of what she would like to be.
“You made a great start in the battle,” Sandstorm encouraged her. “Firestar is very proud of you. But you mustn’t takeon more responsibility than you need to.”
Hollyleaf stifled a snort of bitter laughter. Sandstorm had no ideawhat responsibilities she had to cope with.
“Don’t forget what I said.” Sandstorm stroked her tail-tip gently over Hollyleaf’s shoulder, then pushed her way out of the tunnel and headed for the dirtplace.
The morning light was growing stronger, though clouds still covered the sky and rain still hissed down into the clearing. Hollyleaf saw Graystripe bound across the clearing to Leafpool’s den, though he didn’t go farther than the bramble screen.
Checking on Millie, Hollyleaf guessed.
A couple of heartbeats after Graystripe, Ashfur emerged from the warriors’ den, closely followed by Cloudtail and Cinderheart. All three cats headed for the tunnel.
Ashfur gave Hollyleaf a nod as they approached, curiosity in his blue eyes. “You look frozen,” he meowed. “Do you want to come on the border patrol to warm up?”
“Sure!” She didn’t want to go back to the warriors’ den, and she knew Jaypaw wouldn’t plan anything about the fake sign without her.
Ashfur led the way out into the forest, making for the old Twoleg path. The rest of the patrol followed him, the rain muffling their paw steps. Cinderheart fell in beside Hollyleaf. There was a hint of nervousness in her blue eyes. “I don’t like going this way,” she confessed. “It reminds me too much of the battle.”
Hollyleaf let out a murmur of agreement. Her memories disturbed her, too, especially when they came in sight of the abandoned Twoleg nest. The blood had been washed away from the stones, but it was easy to imagine that the stench still hung in the air, and the shrieks of battling cats still echoed from the crumbling walls. Hollyleaf’s neck fur rose as she eyed the moss-covered walls and thick clumps of bracken, half expecting WindClan warriors to leap out at them.
“Stop!” Cloudtail’s command jerked her back to the present. The white warrior was standing with his tail raised to halt the rest of the patrol. “There’s something up ahead.”
“Can you tell what it is?” Ashfur asked softly. “WindClan?”
Cloudtail shook his head; his jaws gaped as he tasted the air
Ashfur signaled with his tail for Hollyleaf and Cinderheart to fall back and let Cloudtail take the lead. Hollyleaf knew that the white tom was the best tracker in ThunderClan; he would soon find out what was waiting for them.
Cloudtail slunk along the edge of the Twoleg path, close to the rain-battered undergrowth, and slid under the overhanging stems to disguise his white pelt. Ashfur followed him, with Hollyleaf and Cinderheart in the rear. As she crept behind the senior warriors, Hollyleaf caught a trace of unfamiliar scent. She stiffened, her pelt beginning to bristle, and exchanged an alarmed glance with Cinderheart.
ShadowClan!
Hollyleaf tried to convince herself that the scent was left behind from the battle, but she knew that it was fresh, and it grew stronger as she padded forward. Her belly churned. Surely Sol wouldn’t have ordered ShadowClan to invade ThunderClan’s territory?
Wouldn’t he?Hollyleaf thought she could hear Jaypaw’s voice, drily sarcastic.
Cloudtail and Ashfur dropped into a crouch, ready to leap into battle; Hollyleaf and Cinderheart hastily copied them. The rain had almost stopped, though the wind still blew spatters into Hollyleaf’s face. She could hear sounds now, of cats pushing their way through the rain-soaked undergrowth, heading for the Twoleg path.
Then she heard a plaintive squeak. “Mother, that fern dripped water all the way down my neck!”
“Hush,” came the reply. “We’ll be there soon.”
“Tawnypelt! Flamepaw!” Hollyleaf bounded forward, ignoring Ashfur’s hiss of anger.
Fronds of bracken parted at the side of the path, and the ShadowClan she-cat pushed her way through. All three of her kits followed, shaking water from their pelts as they reached the open ground.
“It’s you!” Tawnypelt exclaimed in relief, touching noses with Hollyleaf. “Thank StarClan it’s some cat I know.” Turning away, she dipped her head to Cloudtail and Ashfur. “Greetings,” she meowed. “I’ve come to—”
“You’ve no right to be here,” Ashfur interrupted, the fur along his spine sticking straight up. “What do you want? Are you alone, or have you brought the rest of your Clan?”
“Hang on.” Cloudtail slapped his tail over the gray warrior’s mouth. “Let her get a word in edgewise.”
Tawnypelt blinked gratefully at Cloudtail. “I’ve brought my kits to ThunderClan.” Her voice was low, so that her kits couldn’t hear; all three of them were huddled together at the side of the path, staring around with huge eyes. “I don’t want to be part of a Clan that doesn’t listen to their warrior ancestors anymore.”
While she was speaking, Hollyleaf noticed how tired and hungry she looked. Her voice quivered; she was far from the tough, resourceful warrior Hollyleaf had known on their journey to the mountains.
“And what makes you think—” Ashfur began, still hostile.
“Try not to be more of a mouse-brain than you can help.” Cloudtail spoke over him. “What have we got to be afraid of? It’s only a queen and her kits.”
“We’re apprentices!” Flamepaw piped up indignantly.
Cloudtail twitched his ears. “Whatever. In any case, you can all come back to the camp. Firestar will be interested to hear about what’s going on in ShadowClan.” He shot a glance at Ashfur. “And it’s Firestar who’ll make the final decision.”
Fury still burned in Ashfur’s blue eyes. “All right,” he snapped. “We go back to camp. And if WindClan decides to cross the border because we didn’t finish our patrol, don’t blame me.”
He led the way back along the path, stalking ahead of Cloudtail and Tawnypelt. Cinderheart followed, while all three apprentices crowded around Hollyleaf.
“Hi, Hollypaw!” Tigerpaw mewed.
“I’m Hollyleaf now,” she told them.
“Wow, you’re a warrior!” Dawnpaw’s eyes stretched wide. “Congratulations.”
“Hollyleaf! Hollyleaf!” Flamepaw called out, and his brother and sister joined in.
Cinderheart glanced back, blue eyes brimming with amusement. “It sounds as if you’ve got three new apprentices,” she murmured.
“Stop that,” Hollyleaf mewed. Every hair on her pelt felt hot with embarrassment. “I can’t move without tripping over you. We’ll get left behind.”
The young apprentices stopped squeaking and began trotting along beside Hollyleaf with their tails stuck straight up in the air.
“What’s that?” Dawnpaw asked, as they passed the abandoned nest.
“Twolegs used to live there,” Hollyleaf explained. “But they haven’t been there for a long time,” she added, as the three apprentices exchanged anxious glances. “Can you scent any Twolegs here?”
All three of them opened their little mouths to taste the air, then shook their heads solemnly. “Not a thing!” Tigerpaw announced.
“Well done,” Hollyleaf meowed, wondering if this was how it felt to be a mentor.
“Where is the rest of your Clan?” Flamepaw asked as they hurried to catch up to the other cats.
“In camp, mostly,” Hollyleaf replied. “We were the dawn patrol. There might be patrols out hunting by now, but it’s still pretty early.”
“Can wehunt?” Dawnpaw asked. “We’re starving!”
“Don’t be such a stupid furball,” Tigerpaw scolded her, flicking her ear with the tip of his tail. “You don’t hunt in another Clan’s territory.”
“Well, I asked,” Dawnpaw retorted.
“There’s no time to hunt now,” Hollyleaf replied, wondering how skillful the apprentices would be. They were still very young; they couldn’t have had much training. “I expect you’ll be able to eat when we get to camp.”
Flamepaw’s eyes gleamed. “Thank you!”
Looking at them more closely, Hollyleaf realized that Dawnpaw might have really meant it when she said they were starving. They were all very thin; every one of their ribs was visible through their pelts. Tawnypelt, too, looked thin and hollow, and her fur looked as if it hadn’t been groomed for a moon. Was there a problem with the prey in ShadowClan?
“Do you think Sol knows we’re here?” Tigerpaw asked as they veered off the Twoleg path toward the stone hollow.
Hollyleaf wasn’t sure what to answer. Sol had known all about her and her littermates, and he had known that the sun would vanish. But Jaypaw had told her that he’d found out a lot of things from Midnight. Could he possibly know where Tawnypelt and her kits were now? And would he be angry that they had left for another Clan?
“I don’t know what Sol knows,” she admitted. “Your mother didn’t tell him you were leaving?”
“No way!” Dawnpaw shuddered, her eyes wide with fear. “He would never have let us go.”
Hollyleaf was saved from having to find a response, as they rounded a stand of hazel bushes to see the thorn barrier across the entrance to the camp. Brambleclaw was standing outside, tasting the air, his dark tabby fur still rumpled from sleep. When the patrol came into sight he stared at Tawnypelt for a heartbeat, then bounded over to her and pressed his muzzle into his sister’s shoulder.
“It’s good to see you,” he meowed. “Are you and your kits okay? How are things in ShadowClan?”
“Everything’s fine,” Tawnypelt replied with a cautious glance at Ashfur. “Prey is running well in ShadowClan territory.”
Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes and gave his sister a long look. Hollyleaf could see that he didn’t believe Tawnypelt was telling them everything. If there was plenty of prey, why did she and her kits look so thin? “You’d better come into camp,” he mewed eventually. “I’ll tell Firestar you’re here.”
He led the way through the barrier. The three apprentices dived eagerly after their mother, but when they stepped into the clearing they hesitated, their fur bristling as they gazed around.
“It’s okay,” Hollyleaf reassured them. “Brambleclaw said you could come in, so no cat will hurt you.”
The three young cats relaxed a little; Tigerpaw’s eyes gleamed as he spotted the fresh-kill pile. “Can we have some?” he asked Hollyleaf. “We’re sohungry!”
“You’d better ask Brambleclaw,” Hollyleaf replied.
Brambleclaw, who was talking to Tawnypelt a tail-length away, had heard the plaintive question. “Help yourselves,” he invited with a wave of his tail. “There’s plenty.”
Hollyleaf followed the three apprentices as they bounded across to the fresh-kill pile. “Don’t gulp your food or you’ll get bellyaches,” she warned them.
Flamepaw gave her a hasty nod and dived into the pile beside his brother and sister. They clawed away the soaking wet fresh-kill on top of the pile to find the drier, juicier pieces underneath, and crouched down to eat with purrs of enthusiasm.
Taking a mouse for herself, Hollyleaf was just starting to eat when Lionblaze emerged from the warriors’ den, followed by Jaypaw. Both her littermates padded across the clearing toward her; their ears flicked up in surprise when they noticed the ShadowClan apprentices.
“What’s going on?” Jaypaw asked. Hollyleaf picked up the tang of herbs from his pelt; he must have been to see Thornclaw. “ShadowClan cats?”
“Hi, Lionblaze!” Dawnpaw mumbled around a mouthful of vole. “It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” Lionblaze responded, surveying the scattered fresh-kill pile. “I can see you’re making yourselves at home.”
“Where’s our mother going?” Flamepaw asked as Tawnypelt padded past with Brambleclaw, heading for the Highledge.
“Brambleclaw is taking her to see Firestar,” Hollyleaf explained. “His den is up there on that ledge.”
“Right up there?” Tigerpaw exclaimed. “Cool!”
“But why are they here?” Jaypaw insisted, an edge to his voice.
Hollyleaf explained how the dawn patrol had met Tawnypelt and her kits in the forest, and brought them back to camp. “She said she didn’t want to be part of a Clan who didn’t look to their warrior ancestors anymore,” she finished.
Jaypaw said nothing, but looked thoughtful, his whiskers quivering as if he had scented prey. Hollyleaf guessed he was wondering how many more cats wanted to leave, and whether Tawnypelt and her kits would be any help in his plans to make a sign from StarClan.
More cats had begun to appear from the warriors’ den. Dustpelt padded across to the fresh-kill pile, followed by Mousewhisker and Honeyfern. Foxpaw and Icepaw bounded across from the apprentices’ den.
“In StarClan’s name, what’s going on here?” Dustpelt asked, his lip curling. “What has happened to the fresh-kill pile? It looks as if a horde of badgers has trampled through it.”
“Er…we’ve got visitors,” Hollyleaf mewed.
Dustpelt’s tail shot straight up as he stared at the apprentices. “ShadowClan cats?” He let out an irritated sigh. “Have they left anydry prey?”
Tigerpaw spoke up. “We didn’t want to eat the soggy pieces.”
“No other cat wants to eat them, either,” Honeyfern pointed out, pawing through the remains of the pile to see if she could find a drier piece.
“And what are we supposed to do?” Icepaw demanded, flicking a sodden rabbit with her tail. “Mousefur will claw our ears off if we take her that!”
Hollyleaf turned to the three ShadowClan apprentices. “That wasn’t a very polite thing to do, was it?”
All three young cats studied their paws, their tails drooping. “We’re sorry,” Flamepaw mumbled.
“Sol says we can only rely on ourselves to take the best care of us,” Dawnpaw explained. “He says we shouldn’t spend all our time thinking about fighting and marking the borders. Then there’d be time for every cat to catch enough prey for themselves, and there wouldn’t be any problem.”
Hollyleaf exchanged a shocked glance with Lionblaze. Where was the warrior code in the way of life Sol had imposed on ShadowClan?
“What about cats who can’t hunt for themselves?” she asked Dawnpaw.
The apprentice looked uncertain. “Well…we wouldn’t let any cat starve.”
You might not, but others would, if it kept them from going hungry,Hollyleaf thought. And you three look as if you’re pretty close to starving
“Dawnpaw, you shouldn’t listen to that dumb ol’ patchy cat,” Tigerpaw declared, giving his sister a shove. “He won’t let us train to be warriors anymore. I wantto fight for my Clan!”
“And I’d really like to be a medicine cat,” Flamepaw added, scoring his paw angrily through the wet earth. “But Sol says we wouldn’t need special cats if every cat knew about herbs and stuff. I was going to be Littlecloud’s apprentice, but now we don’t even have mentors anymore.”
“Blackstar says we have to call him Blackfoot,” Dawnpaw added, her tail drooping.
“It sounds as if ShadowClan is breaking up,” Dustpelt remarked, gulping down the last of a blackbird and swiping his tongue around his jaws. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’d be sorry to see it happen. Your Clan has some fine warriors.” He signaled to Mousewhisker and Honeyfern with a wave of his tail. “Come on—let’s get some patrols organized and see if we can find some prey that’s fit to eat.”
He stalked off toward the warriors’ den. Icepaw and Foxpaw picked up the rabbit and carried it between them toward the elders’ den.
“You can explain why it’s wet,” Icepaw meowed.
“No, youcan,” Foxpaw retorted.
Hollyleaf watched them go. Her paws were trembling, yet she felt rooted to the ground. “What can we do?” she asked, hardly expecting a reply. There wasnothing they could do to restore ShadowClan’s faith in their warrior ancestors. Even Jaypaw’s plan to fake a sign from StarClan didn’t hold out much hope now they’d heard how much Sol had poisoned ShadowClan against the code.
Lionblaze shook his head; his amber eyes were uneasy. “I don’t know.”
“Tell us more about Sol,” Jaypaw prompted. “Does he—”
“Hey, I look like you, don’t I?” Tigerpaw interrupted, stretching out a paw to compare his golden pelt with Lionblaze’s. “That must be because we share kin.”
“That’s right,” Lionblaze mewed, giving the smaller cat’s ear a friendly lick. “Your mother and our father were littermates.”
Tigerpaw nodded proudly. “Tigerstar was their father. I’m named after him. He was the greatest warrior ever!”
Lionblaze twitched his ears. “We should all try to be the greatest warriors ever.”
Dawnpaw was gazing up at the Highledge, as if she was waiting for her mother to reappear. “Are we going to join ThunderClan?” she asked; she didn’t sound enthusiastic. “After all, it’s where our mother was born.”
Flamepaw sighed. “I don’t want to. Leafpool already has an apprentice, and besides, I want to be the ShadowClanmedicine cat.”
Tigerpaw touched his nose to his brother’s ear. “I know. I want to fight for ShadowClan.”
Hollyleaf’s heart was torn with sympathy for the three young cats. Of course they all wanted to go home. ShadowClan still held their loyalties, even though everything had changed. A tiny flicker of warmth grew inside her. Sol had tried to destroy the warrior code, but he had failed. It lived on inside these apprentices. Sol couldn’t change every cat’s mind about what they had believed for so long.
She sank her claws into the wet earth. Somehow, they had to find a way to get rid of Sol and bring ShadowClan back to the way of the Clans.
CHAPTER7
CHAPTER7
From the corner of his eye,Lionblaze spotted movement on the Highledge. Firestar had appeared with Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting,” he yowled.
He ran nimbly down the tumbled rocks, halting on a boulder just above the heads of the assembling cats. Even on such a gray day, his flame-colored pelt gleamed. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt picked their way down more slowly, until they stood just behind him.
Mousefur and Longtail emerged from the elders’ den; Foxpaw and Icepaw followed them, each with a bundle of soiled bedding. Lionblaze noticed Mousefur’s bristling fur and suspicious gaze, and realized that the apprentices must have told her what was going on.
Graystripe appeared from the dirtplace tunnel and padded over to join the group around the fresh-kill pile, giving the ShadowClan apprentices a friendly nod. Leafpool came to sit outside the bramble screen in front of her den, while Daisy appeared at the entrance to the nursery with the four kits peering curiously from behind her. Whitewing and Birchfall pushed their way out of the warriors’ den, and bounded across the camp to sit at the foot of the boulder where Firestar stood. Lionblaze spotted Thornclaw poking his head out between the branches of the den. Sorreltail and Squirrelflight stood side by side, flicking the tips of their tails.
As the cats gathered, Lionblaze was aware of uneasy looks cast at Tawnypelt and the three apprentices. He could hear muttering, too, as if many of the warriors were unhappy at seeing ShadowClan cats in their camp.
Berrynose stalked over to the fresh-kill pile. “Surely Firestar’s not bringing moreoutsiders into the Clan?”
“I hope not,” Spiderleg agreed. “That’s what caused the battle with RiverClan and WindClan in the first place.”
“And where would you be, Berrynose,” Lionblaze asked, his neck fur beginning to rise with annoyance, “if Firestar hadn’t taken you in when you were a kit?”
Berrynose snorted and turned his back. “That’s different.”
Jaypaw leaned over to whisper into Lionblaze’s ear. “Yeah, he’s such a specialcat.”
“Cats of ThunderClan,” Firestar began when all the Clan had gathered around him, “you can see that Tawnypelt of ShadowClan has come here with her kits—”
“We’re apprentices,” Flamepaw muttered.
“—and she has asked for shelter because of the way her own Clan has changed.”
“And are you going to agree to that?” Mousefur called out from her place in front of the elders’ den. “Hasn’t there been enough trouble because of taking in other cats?”
Before Firestar could reply, Graystripe sprang to his paws. “These cats are part of ThunderClan,” he hissed. “They deserve to have a home here.”
“No cat forced Tawnypelt to leave,” Mousefur retorted. “If you ask me, cats should decide where they want to live and stay there.”
There was a murmur of agreement; Lionblaze saw dismay in the eyes of the three apprentices.
“They don’t want us here,” Tigerpaw muttered.
“Some cats don’t,” Lionblaze admitted, resting his tail-tip on the young cat’s shoulder. “But it’ll be okay. Firestar will talk them around, you’ll see.”
“I understand your worries,” Firestar went on. “But Tawnypelt isn’t asking for a permanent home in ThunderClan. She and her kits—”
Dawnpaw rolled her eyes. “How many moretimes?”
“—are only here while Sol holds sway in ShadowClan. If she has seen through his lies, others will too, and he won’t be allowed to stay for long.”
“Then we should take a patrol across the border and drive him out,” Cloudtail meowed. “The lake would be well rid of him.”
“Yes!” Birchfall agreed. “ShadowClan helped us, so we should—”
Yowls of protest drowned out his last few words. “There’s been enough fighting,” Sorreltail meowed, glancing at Squirrelflight. “Some cats are still recovering from their wounds.”
“ShadowClan should deal with their own problems,” Spiderleg added. “It’s no business of ours.”
Cloudtail whipped his head around to stare at the black warrior. “If ShadowClan cats are moving in here, then it’s nottheir own problem anymore.”
“That’s enough!” Firestar raised his tail for silence. “Tawnypelt is welcome to stay for as long as she wants. The apprentices—”
“At last!” Tigerpaw muttered.
“—will train and perform duties alongside Foxpaw and Icepaw.”
Lionblaze saw the two ThunderClan apprentices exchange delighted glances, and he heard some of the younger warriors let out sighs of relief at being freed from helping with the apprentice tasks.
“Tawnypelt will have a place in the warriors’ den, and take part in patrols,” Firestar went on.
“Can she be trusted?” Ashfur called out. “Especially along the ShadowClan border?”
Lionblaze saw Brambleclaw’s fur start to bristle, but Firestar raised his tail, warning him not to retaliate. “It’s time for the regular patrols,” he meowed, ignoring Ashfur’s comment. “The fresh-kill pile needs restocking, and we need to keep a close eye on the border with WindClan.”
Brambleclaw leaped down from the rocks and began calling cats to him, splitting them up into patrols. “Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, I want you on a hunting patrol with Dustpelt and Sorreltail. And you apprentices go over there and talk to Firestar.”
Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw sprang up, looking a bit daunted at the thought of meeting the Clan leader. “You’ll be fine,” Lionblaze promised them as he padded off to join Sorreltail and Dustpelt.
As Sorreltail led her patrol toward the camp entrance, Lionblaze glanced back to see Firestar arranging mentors for the three ShadowClan apprentices. Flamepaw was paired with Cloudtail, Tigerpaw with Brackenfur, and Dawnpaw with Spiderleg. Sandstorm and Whitewing beckoned their apprentices, Foxpaw and Icepaw.
“We’ll all go to the clearing for some hunting practice,” Sandstorm announced.
Following Sorreltail through the tunnel, Lionblaze couldn’t help feeling relieved that the ShadowClan apprentices weren’t receiving any battle training—at least, not yet. If they learned ThunderClan skills, wouldn’t that give them an unfair advantage in future battles?
Curiosity burned like a flame inside him. He wondered whether any of the three were being visited by Tigerstar in dreams. Tigerpaw would be an obvious choice; he was big and strong, and he seemed most interested in their shared kin, especially the warrior whose name he bore. Even though he wanted to be rid of Tigerstar’s menacing influence in his dreams, Lionblaze couldn’t suppress a flash of jealousy that the dark warrior might choose another cat to mentor, a cat in a different Clan.
Perhaps I should warn Tigerpaw,he thought. But then I would have to tell him that Tigerstar visits me. I can’t do that
Lionblaze shook his head in confusion. It seemed that since Sol came to the lake, nothing was simple anymore.
Sorreltail led them toward the top of the territory, where the border gave way to open moorland not claimed by any Clan. Although the rain had stopped, the ground was muddy and the undergrowth was soaked; all the scents were damped down and hard to detect. Lionblaze shivered as he plodded along; every fern or clump of grass that he brushed against released a shower of raindrops and his pelt was soon sodden, the fur plastered against his body.
Hunching his shoulders, he wished he could be training for battle instead of trying to track down soggy little mice. They’ll all be deep inside their burrows, hiding from the rainSometimes I think they have more sense than we do
Head down, he blundered into a clump of bracken, letting out a hiss of annoyance as it dumped its load of water drops all over him.
“Lionblaze!” The yowl came from Sorreltail. “Look where you’re going, won’t you? You just scared off the vole I was stalking.”
“Sorry.” Lionblaze’s paws tingled with frustration and embarrassment.
“Sorry fills no bellies,” Sorreltail retorted.
She stood still, head raised and jaws apart as she tried to locate the vole again. Lionblaze backed off to give her space, and spotted Hollyleaf appearing from behind a bramble thicket with a mouse hanging from her jaws.
“Well done,” he mewed as she padded up to him and dropped her prey at his paws.
“Lionblaze, we need to talk.” Hollyleaf ignored his praise; her eyes were wide and distraught. “We haveto stop what Sol is doing in ShadowClan. He’s destroying the warrior code!”
“Keep your fur on.” Lionblaze was startled by his sister’s intensity. “We—”
“We have to do what Jaypaw suggested, and make a fake sign from ShadowClan. And we have to do it soon! I’ll do anythingto remind ShadowClan cats of their warrior ancestors.”
Lionblaze’s surprise deepened to uneasiness; the passion in Hollyleaf’s eyes unnerved him. “Steady,” he murmured, pressing his muzzle against her shoulder. “Why does it matter so much? We have our own destinies, and they don’t have anything to do with the other Clans.”
“Of course it matters!” Hollyleaf flashed back at him. “Sol was supposed to be helping us, remember? And what will happen to the rest of us if ShadowClan abandons the warrior code?”
“I know,” Lionblaze responded. “But how can we fake a sign when ShadowClan is bound to be hostile? They’ll defend their beliefs because they won’t want to admit they’re wrong. Great StarClan, we don’t even know the territory!”
“We don’t.” Hollyleaf’s eyes narrowed. “But there are three new apprentices in ThunderClan who do.”
“Hollyleaf, that’s brilliant!” Lionblaze exclaimed. “But will they—”
An annoyed hiss interrupted him; he whirled around to see Dustpelt standing a tail-length away.
“Are you going to stand there gossiping all day?” the senior warrior inquired with a lash of his tail. “Or do you think that you might possibly find time to do some hunting?”
“Sorry,” Lionblaze muttered. I can’t do anything right today!
“It might have escaped your notice,” Dustpelt went on with biting sarcasm, “but we have four new mouths to feed. And several of our own cats are sick, so they can’t help with patrols.”
Lionblaze nodded. He realized that the tabby warrior was angry because he was worried. “I’m really sorry,” he repeated. “We’ll get going right away.”
“See that you do,” Dustpelt sniffed as he stalked off.
As he tasted the air, ears pricked for the sound of prey, Lionblaze knew Hollyleaf was right. They had to help ShadowClan so that Tawnypelt and the apprentices could go home, and ThunderClan could concentrate on making itself strong again.
Lionblaze worked hard for the rest of the hunt, but most of the prey was still hidden in their holes. By sunhigh, when the patrol returned to camp, he had only caught two mice and a shrew. He dropped the meager offering on the fresh-kill pile and padded off to find Jaypaw. After checking the medicine cats’ den and not finding him there, Lionblaze finally tracked him down in the elders’ den.
“Look, Mousefur,” Jaypaw was saying as Lionblaze ducked under the low branches of the hazel bush, “these tansy leaves should stop you getting greencough. Why don’t you want to eat them?”
Mousefur gave the leaves a push with one paw. “I told you, I don’t need them. Stop fussing over me and keep them for cats who are really sick.”
“Jaypaw doesn’t want you to get sick,” Longtail tried to explain.
Mousefur gave him an angry flick with her tail. “Since when were you a medicine cat?”
Jaypaw let out an exasperated sigh. “Mousefur, for the last time—”
“The last time?” Mousefur snapped. “Good. Go away.” She pointedly turned her back.
Jaypaw dug his claws into the floor of the den and spoke through gritted teeth. “Mousefur. I am not leaving this den until you eat these herbs.” He was obviously trying hard to hang on to his temper.
“Come on, Mousefur,” Lionblaze meowed cheerfully. “Stop being such a grump and just eat the stuff.”
Mousefur whipped around and glared at him. Lionblaze tensed, ready to feel her claws raking his pelt. He couldn’t fight back if an elder of his own Clan attacked him. Then Mousefur gave him an abrupt nod, bent her head, and licked up the leaves, chewing and swallowing with a disgusted expression on her face. “Satisfied?” she grunted, then curled up and wrapped her tail over her nose.
“I don’t believe it,” Jaypaw muttered, as Longtail let out a tiny snort of amusement and curled up beside the dusky brown elder. “Thanks for helping,” he added as he and his brother emerged from the den.
Lionblaze shrugged. “No problem. We need to talk about the fake sign.”
Jaypaw’s neck fur started to bristle. “I wish there were ten of me, I’ve got so much to do. Our den is full with Millie and Briarkit, but we really need to take Thornclaw out of the warriors’ den because he’s sick, too, and Foxpaw has started coughing. I don’t know how we’re going to cope.”
Anger surged through Lionblaze; he lashed his tail and dug his claws into the earth. He could fight an ordinary enemy, but there was no way he could protect his Clanmates against the sickness.
“It’ll be easier if we don’t have the extra ShadowClan mouths to feed,” he pointed out. And if Sol leaves ShadowClan so he can mentor us like he promised
Jaypaw gave a grudging nod. “True. Okay, what about the sign?”
Lionblaze padded beside his brother as he headed for the medicine cats’ den. “Hollyleaf had an idea. She thought the ShadowClan apprentices might help us make the sign, because they know the territory.”
Jaypaw looked dubious. “Help us fool their own Clan?”
“You heard them when they arrived,” Lionblaze persisted. “All they want is to go home—to the realShadowClan, not the mess that Sol has made of it. Don’t you think they would help any cat who could make that happen?”
Jaypaw hesitated outside the bramble screen, his head on one side. “Maybe you’re right,” he agreed. “Okay, we’ll talk to them later.” Then he whisked out of sight into the den.
As Lionblaze turned away, he noticed that the thorns blocking the entrance to the hollow were shaking. The apprentices and their mentors were returning from hunting practice. All three of the ShadowClan apprentices looked bedraggled, their fur clumped together and stuck with bits of leaf and moss. Dawnpaw carried a mouse; she padded across the clearing, her tail straight up in triumph, and laid it on the fresh-kill pile.
“But that can’t be right.” Tigerpaw was arguing with Foxpaw as they came up. “If you stalk the prey until you’re nearly on top of it, you give it the chance to know you’re thereWepounce when we’re a lot farther away.”
“That’s because there’s thick undergrowth in our territory,” Foxpaw explained. “That hides us and our scent until we get close, then it’s easier to pounce.”
“Oh.” Tigerpaw thought about that for a moment. “Well, it still seems mouse-brained to me,” he decided.
“Hey, Lionblaze!” Hollyleaf bounded out of the nursery, distracting Lionblaze from the apprentices’ chatter.
“How’s Daisy coping with all the kits?” he asked.
“Pretty well,” Hollyleaf replied. “Ferncloud is with her, helping to keep the kits amused. I just took them some fresh-kill.” Glancing around to make sure that no cat was listening, she added, “Did you have a word with Jaypaw?”
Lionblaze nodded. “He says we can talk to the apprentices.”
Hollyleaf’s whiskers twitched with satisfaction. “Good. I’ll get Foxpaw and Icepaw away, then you can take the others behind the warriors’ den. No cat will hear us there.”
The mentors and apprentices were standing in the middle of the clearing; Cloudtail was explaining something about following a scent trail. Hollyleaf bounded up to them. “Foxpaw, Icepaw, can you fetch some clean moss for the elders’ den?”
Foxpaw and Icepaw exchanged a sullen glance. “Why can’t theydo it?” Icepaw asked, flicking her ears toward the ShadowClan apprentices.
“Because they’re not here to do all the jobs that you don’t like,” Hollyleaf retorted. “Besides, the elders will appreciate having the respect of their ownClanmates.”
“Yes, when you’re warriors you get to decide who does what,” Sandstorm added. “Not before.”
“Okay, okay, we’ll do it,” Foxpaw muttered, stifling a cough as he headed back toward the thorn barrier. “It’ll all be wet through, you know that.”
“Like theyknow the best moss places anyway,” Icepaw mewed with a twitch of her tail-tip as she followed her brother.
Hollyleaf turned to the group of mentors. “Shall I take Flamepaw, Tigerpaw, and Dawnpaw to get cleaned up?” she asked. Lionblaze’s whiskers twitched at the helpful tone in her voice. “Any cat can see they’re not used to hunting in thick woodland.”
“Not thick soaking-wetwoodland,” Flamepaw agreed. He gave himself a thorough shake, scattering water drops and scraps of leaf, twigs, and moss. “I’d rather hunt in our own territory. It’s a lot cleaner there.”
Cloudtail leaped back as drops from Flamepaw’s fur spattered his white pelt. “You do that, Hollyleaf. The sooner the better.”
At the same moment, Lionblaze noticed that more cats had emerged from the tunnel: The border patrol was returning, led by Ashfur, with Honeyfern and Brackenfur.
“Yes, carry on, Hollyleaf,” Sandstorm meowed, heading toward the newcomers. “We need to find out what’s been happening along the ShadowClan border.” Whitewing, Cloudtail, Sorreltail, and Spiderleg crowded close behind her.
“Do you think any more cats will have crossed into our territory?” Spiderleg asked.
Lionblaze didn’t listen to Sandstorm’s reply. He padded over to meet his sister, who waved her tail at the three ShadowClan apprentices and led them across the clearing.
“Come with us,” Hollyleaf said. “We need to talk to you.”
Suspicion glimmered in Tigerpaw’s amber eyes. “This isn’t just about cleaning our pelts, right?”
“No, but it’s nothing to worry about,” Lionblaze assured him. “We’ve thought of a way to help your Clan.”
As they passed the entrance to the medicine cats’ den, Hollyleaf paused. “Hey, Jaypaw! Meet us in the usual place.”
The only reply was a bout of exhausted coughing.
“Is that the medicine cats’ den?” Flamepaw asked curiously. “Can I look inside? I really wanted to be a medicine cat,” he added.
“Not right now,” Lionblaze replied. “It’s a bit crowded in there.”
The sound of more coughing drifted through the bramble screen. Dawnpaw’s eyes stretched wide. “Gee, those cats sound sick!”
Lionblaze exchanged a glance with Hollyleaf. It was natural to hide problems from a rival Clan; if he told the apprentices there was greencough in the camp, it would make ThunderClan sound weak. Still, the young cats were hardly likely to launch an attack. That could only happen if ShadowClan started to believe in StarClan again. Lionblaze sighed. Everything led back to the fake sign….
“Jaypaw?” Hollyleaf called again.
“Okay!” Jaypaw sounded irritable. “I heard you the first time. I’ll come as soon as I can.”
Hollyleaf led the way to the space behind the warriors’ den. It was sheltered from the wind, but it felt even more cramped with the three apprentices in there. “You’ll manage better if you clean each other up,” she advised. “Get all the twigs and burrs out of your fur; then you can give yourselves a good wash.”
“This is sucha pain,” Dawnpaw sighed, tugging at a stubborn knot in Tigerpaw’s fur. “I wish we were back on nice soft pine needles.”
“With any luck you will be,” Lionblaze promised.
“What do you mean?” Flamepaw asked.
“Wait until Jaypaw comes,” Hollyleaf meowed.
“I’m here.” Jaypaw appeared around the edge of the warriors’ den. “Great StarClan, it’s more crowded than ever,” he added, shoving his way in beside Lionblaze and wriggling until he’d made himself a space.
“Lionblaze says we’ll be back in our own territory soon.” Dawnpaw was quivering with curiosity. “But I don’t see how we can be.”
“We’ve had an idea,” Jaypaw began, “but we haven’t much time. The longer Sol stays in ShadowClan, the harder it will be to get rid of him.”
“No cat can get rid of him,” Flamepaw mewed dejectedly.
Jaypaw tensed his muscles. “Wecan. We’re going to make a sign from StarClan to persuade ShadowClan that Sol is lying to him. Blackstar—I mean Blackfoot—will kick him out pretty quickly after that.”
All three apprentices stared at Jaypaw with baffled faces. After a few heartbeats, Flamepaw whispered, “Won’t that make StarClan angry?”
“I doubt it.” Jaypaw flicked his ears. “StarClan themselves askedme for help. They can’t object to how I go about it.”
The three young cats’ eyes stretched wide. “Wow!” Dawnpaw breathed.
“We want to know the best place to create a sign.” Lionblaze took up the explanation. “And we have to bring Blackfoot and Littlecloud to see it, so they’ll be convinced StarClan is still watching over them.”
“And don’t forget, your Clan will know by now that you’ve left,” Hollyleaf reminded the apprentices. “Any plan we make will have to take that into account.”
“I get it,” meowed Tigerpaw. “A place near the border would be best, so that you don’t have to trespass too far on our territory.”
“Maybe that marshy place near the edge of the territory,” Dawnpaw suggested. “Not many cats go there. We don’t want to be disturbed—”
“No, I think by the lake would be best,” Tigerpaw interrupted. “Then you could have a StarClan cat coming out of the water and—”
“Great,” Jaypaw grumbled. “And how do you suggest we do that?”
“And how do we get Blackfoot and Littlecloud to come and see it?” Dawnpaw added.
“We could tell them we saw cats trespassing,” Flamepaw suggested.
“Or a fox,” Tigerpaw put in. “We could lay a trail of fox scent.”
“What?” Dawnpaw’s neck fur fluffed up. “Are you mouse-brained? Are you just going to ask the fox nicely if—”
“We could use fox dung,” Flamepaw meowed.
Dawnpaw’s whiskers twitched in disgust. “Youcan. I’m not going near any fox dung, thanks very much.” Then her eyes sparkled mischievously and she added, “Why not feed them poppy seeds and carry them to the place?”
“No way!” Tigerpaw protested. “Blackfoot’s a seriously big cat. I’m not lugging him across half the territory.”
“There are useful herbs growing near the oak tree by the stream,” Flamepaw pointed out. “Littlecloud would come for those.” His tail curled up in amusement. “Then we could pelt Blackfoot with acorns, and he’d think they came from StarClan.”
“That’s stupid!” Dawnpaw exclaimed, leaping on her brother. They wrestled together; in the confined space one of Flamepaw’s hind legs jabbed Hollyleaf in the belly.
“Watch it!” she snarled. When the two apprentices sat up, she went on more calmly. “You’re not taking this seriously. This isn’t a game. It’s about preserving the warrior code. Do you wantyour Clan to break up and become a collection of rogues? Because that’s what will happen if we can’t make them believe in StarClan again.”
Serious now, wide-eyed with anxiety, all three apprentices exchanged uncomfortable glances. “Sorry,” Tigerpaw muttered.
“Well, what about that marshy place?” Dawnpaw went back to her original idea. “Not many cats will be anywhere near, especially after all this rain. We wouldn’t be disturbed there while we were setting up the sign. And Sol never goes that far; he doesn’t want to get his paws wet.”
“That sounds pretty good,” Lionblaze meowed. “What do you think?” he asked his littermates.
Hollyleaf nodded, and Jaypaw murmured, “It’s worth checking out.”
“But what will the sign be?” Flamepaw mewed eagerly.
“We’ll work that out when we get there,” Jaypaw replied. “We’d better go right away.”
Lionblaze stuck his head out into the open. Watery sunlight was gleaming through the clouds. Outside the warriors’ den, Sorreltail and Brackenfur were sharing tongues, with Squirrelflight drowsing in the sunlight nearby. The four remaining kits were playing at the entrance to the nursery, with Daisy and Ferncloud looking on. Otherwise, everything was quiet; Lionblaze guessed that most cats were sleeping in their dens, either sick with the cough or building strength for the next patrol.
“All clear,” he reported. “Let’s go.”
“But I’m hungry,” Flamepaw complained. “Can’t we eat first?”
“There’s barely enough for ThunderClan,” Jaypaw growled.
Seeing the guilty looks on the faces of the apprentices, Lionblaze rested his tail-tip on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s not their fault,” he murmured. “There’s no time to eat now,” he told Flamepaw, “but we’ll see if we can pick up some prey on the way back.”
Seeing the shock in Hollyleaf’s green eyes, he added, “Okay, I know, the Clan must be fed first. But faking a sign from StarClan isn’t exactly part of the warrior code, is it? Anyway, we’re not a hunting patrol. I reckon the territory can spare a few mice.”
Hollyleaf didn’t reply, just flicked her tail.
“I’ll go and tell Leafpool that I’m going to collect herbs,” Jaypaw meowed. “We’re low on almost everything, and I can pick some up on the way back.” He whisked out of their hiding place and behind the bramble screen into the medicine cats’ den.
Lionblaze waited for him to emerge, then took the lead as they headed out of the camp and into the damp forest.
CHAPTER8
CHAPTER8
Every hair on Dawnpaw’s pelt wasquivering. “This is like being sent on a real warrior mission!”
Hollyleaf could sympathize; she remembered very well how it felt to be a new apprentice, doing something to help her Clan.
“Do you think we’ll get to be warriors, after it’s all over?” Tigerpaw mewed. “Because we saved our Clan?”
“No,” Hollyleaf replied gently. “Don’t forget, no cat must know we’re doing this. Besides, you’re too young to be warriors yet. You still have a lot to learn.”
The six cats were heading toward the far end of ThunderClan territory, following the same route Hollyleaf and her littermates had taken when they went to find Sol. Already the ShadowClan scent marks were fading along the border, and there was no sign of cats from either Clan. The only sounds were the drip of water from leaves and the rustle of ferns and grasses as the cats brushed through them.
All three of the apprentices were bouncing with excitement, rushing off into the undergrowth or dabbing at one another in the beginnings of a play fight.
“That’s enough,” Lionblaze ordered, rounding up Flamepaw with his tail and nudging him forward. “Do you think warriors chase each other around like that?”
The young ShadowClan cats settled down and padded along quietly, but Hollyleaf could see that their paws were still itching. They were acting as if Blackfoot had already seen the sign and decided that his Clan would return to StarClan and the warrior code.
But it’s not as easy as that
Hollyleaf’s belly churned as she wondered what would happen if they failed. They would only get one chance. If Blackfoot realized he was being tricked, he would be twice as careful afterward. ShadowClan would be lost forever. Even worse, Blackfoot might decide to invade ThunderClan, to punish them for interfering.
What if cats die because of what we’re doing?
“Jaypaw, have you decided what—”
Her brother flicked his ears irritably. “I can’t decide anything until we get to where we’re going. Now keep your tail over your jaws and let me think.”
“This is where we should cross the border,” Tigerpaw announced, stopping and looking around. “The marshy place is only a few fox-lengths away.”
Even though she could hardly taste the ShadowClan scent marks, Hollyleaf still felt guilty as she crossed into the rival Clan’s territory.
I don’t know whyIf they cared about their border, they would mark it. They couldn’t care less about the warrior code.
But we do, she answered herself. Going into another Clan’s territory is wrong
Tigerpaw led them through some trees where brambles snagged their fur, then into a more open patch of ground. “Here we are,” he declared.
Water welled up around Hollyleaf’s paws as she gazed at the marsh ahead. Long-stemmed clusters of reeds grew around pools covered with bright green pondweed. Between them were tussocks of brittle grass and sedge, and a few spindly saplings grew with their roots in the water. There was a dank, musty scent, and the air was heavy with silence.
“What can you see?” Jaypaw mewed as the cats drew to a halt
“Marshy ground and water,” Lionblaze replied.
“Any cover?”
“Yes, reeds and long grass. And a few trees.”
“What are the trees like? How big are they?” Jaypaw was beginning to sound excited. “What are their roots like?”
“Small trees,” Hollyleaf replied, wondering what was going through her brother’s mind. “Their roots look quite long and shallow, at least as far as I can see.”
Jaypaw fell silent, motionless except for his whiskers quivering.
“I don’t see what we can do here,” Hollyleaf mewed anxiously, wondering if they should have chosen somewhere else. “There’s nothing to—”
“Shut up, I’m thinking,” Jaypaw snapped.
Hollyleaf exchanged a glance with Lionblaze.
“Leave him alone,” her brother whispered. “If any cat can work this out, he can.”
Hollyleaf hoped he was right. Trying to push down her impatience, she kept an eye on the three apprentices, who were stalking around the edge of the marshy ground, looking for prey.
“Nothing but pond flies!” Dawnpaw exclaimed indignantly.
“These trees.” Jaypaw broke his silence at last. “Do any of them look as if they could be knocked over?”
What? Has he gone completely mouse-brained?Hollyleaf flexed her claws and forced herself not to speak.
“I’ll check,” Lionblaze mewed. “There might be a few.”
He splashed off into the marsh with water brushing his belly fur and pondweed sticking to his golden pelt. The three apprentices left their hunt to watch, and Hollyleaf waited anxiously while Lionblaze circled several of the trees, giving their trunks a good sniff, then came splashing back.
“I think we could do it,” he reported. “I could feel roots under my paws, so we should be able to dig them up.”
“But why?” Hollyleaf only just stopped herself from wailing like a frustrated kit.
Jaypaw’s sightless blue eyes gleamed. “We’re going to make it look as if ShadowClan’s territory is falling down around them.”
Hollyleaf’s heart thumped harder. Only Jaypaw would have thought of digging up treesas a message from StarClan. If it worked, it should really convince Blackfoot that following Sol was wrong.
Under Jaypaw’s direction, Hollyleaf and Lionblaze chose two saplings, not too far from each other.
“I want them still upright, but ready to fall. And when I give the word, I want them to fall toward each other, so their branches are joined together,” Jaypaw explained. “Okay, get digging.”
Hollyleaf waded out into the marsh, flinching as cold mud and water soaked into her fur. Dawnpaw joined her at one of the trees, while Lionblaze and Tigerpaw tackled the other.
As Lionblaze had said, Hollyleaf found that she could easily feel the roots of the tree under her paws. She clawed at them vigorously, trying to dislodge them from the mud. At first she thought she wouldn’t be able to shift them at all.
“This is hopeless!” Dawnpaw gasped. She was belly deep in the thick mud, and drops of it were spattered over her head and shoulders. “We’ll never do it.”
“Yes, we will,” Hollyleaf growled, clawing even harder. “We’ve got to!”
She staggered as the root she was tugging at gave way, barely saving herself from sliding under the mud. Her pelt burned with urgency as she scrabbled around to find another root and dug her claws into it.
A few fox-lengths away, Lionblaze was struggling with the other tree. Tigerpaw worked alongside him, but Flamepaw was standing back with a troubled look in his eyes.
“What’s the matter with you?” Tigerpaw asked, flicking mud from his ears. “Come and help!”
“I still don’t know…” Flamepaw mewed doubtfully. “I’m not sure it’s right to fake a sign from StarClan.”
Dawnpaw glanced over her shoulder. “We’ve been through this,” she hissed in exasperation. “We already agreed to try anything. This might just work, and let us go back to our own Clan.”
Flamepaw hesitated, then took a deep breath. “Okay.” He floundered forward into the mud beside Lionblaze and his brother
Hollyleaf couldn’t shift the next root however hard she clawed. Growing desperate, she gulped in air, then plunged her head below the surface of the mud and bit down on the stubborn tendril. Mud oozed into her mouth as she gnawed at it. Her chest ached with the need to breathe, but at last the bitter strands parted. Hollyleaf resurfaced, coughing and spitting out mud. Her fur was plastered with it and a foul taste clung to her tongue, but she didn’t care. Triumph flared through her from ears to tail-tip. I’ll do whatever it takes to save ShadowClan!
“I think we’ve done it!” Dawnpaw exclaimed. “The trunk feels unsteady.”
Hollyleaf gave the sapling an experimental push. The trunk tilted and a sucking sound came from under the surface of the mud.
“Stop!” Jaypaw ordered. He had been sniffing at Lionblaze’s tree; now he splashed across to Hollyleaf and stretched out a paw to touch the trunk of her tree. Hollyleaf saw it wobble again.
“That’s it,” Jaypaw meowed. “You can stop now.”
“Thank StarClan!” Dawnpaw sighed.
Jaypaw splashed back to Lionblaze, while Hollyleaf and Dawnpaw headed for the nearest dry spot where they could crawl out and shake some of the mud from their pelts.
“I thought I was going to turn into a frog!” Dawnpaw gave her chest fur a couple of quick licks. “Ugh! It’ll take moons to get this stuff off.”
Lionblaze and the other two apprentices were still struggling with their tree, while Hollyleaf flexed her claws impatiently. Rays of weak sunlight slanted through the forest; if they didn’t manage to uproot the trees before nightfall, Jaypaw’s plan would fail. Several sunrises seemed to pass before Jaypaw announced, “That’ll do.”
“Now one of us has to fetch Blackfoot and Littlecloud,” Lionblaze meowed, hauling himself out onto dry ground.
“I’ll go,” Tigerpaw offered immediately.
“No, I will,” Dawnpaw protested.
“I’d be best at talking to Littlecloud,” Flamepaw pointed out.
“But I’m the strongest,” Tigerpaw insisted. “And the best fighter. If some cat attacks me I’m most likely to get out alive.”
Lionblaze nodded. “But you need a warrior for backup. I—”
“I’llgo,” Hollyleaf interrupted. She didn’t think she could stand waiting here wondering what was happening, while some other cat went deeper into ShadowClan territory to fetch Blackfoot. “You know I’m the best at stalking and keeping hidden. I’ve got light paws and a black pelt.”
“No, a mud-colored pelt.” Dawnpaw’s eyes glimmered with amusement.
“Whatever. The mud should help disguise my scent.” Hollyleaf sprang to her paws. “Let’s go, Tigerpaw.”
The ShadowClan apprentice led the way, skirting around the marsh and heading deeper into ShadowClan territory.
“I’ll be a few paces behind you,” Hollyleaf murmured. “Don’t expect to see me unless there’s trouble.”
Tigerpaw nodded. “I’m going to try for Littlecloud first. If he listens to me, he’ll help persuade Blackfoot.”
“Okay. Good luck.”
Hollyleaf fell back a few tail-lengths, keeping the apprentice in sight as he slid through the undergrowth in the direction of the ShadowClan camp. Her ears were pricked for the sound of other cats, and she paused now and again to taste the air. The silence of the forest raised the hairs on her pelt. Usually she would have expected to spot a patrol by now; her muscles were braced to leap into hiding, but the ShadowClan scent trails wandered faintly here and there, as if cats were hunting by themselves, and she caught a glimpse of only one tabby pelt, so far away that she couldn’t tell which cat it was.
This isn’t the way for warriors to live
Tigerpaw headed for the stream and leaped lightly across on stepping-stones. Hollyleaf followed, more cautious than ever as the trees she was familiar with on ThunderClan territory gave way to pines, and the undergrowth became sparser. Her paws made no sound on the soft covering of pine needles.
At last she began to pick up the mingled scents of herbs. Tigerpaw trotted briskly up a rise and paused at the top. Without looking back, he raised his tail to beckon before vanishing down the other side of the ridge.
Hollyleaf crept after him, then clawed her way up a tree that grew near the top of the slope and crouched on a branch from where she could look down. The ground fell away below her into a shallow bowl, thickly carpeted with bushes covered in bright green leaves. Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, was standing near the bottom, biting off some stems and laying them carefully to one side.
“Littlecloud!” Tigerpaw bounded toward him.
The small tabby tom leaped to his paws, his neck fur bristling in surprise. “Tigerpaw! Are you okay? And Tawnypelt and the others?”
“Yes, we’re all fine, thanks.” Tigerpaw halted in front of the medicine cat and dipped his head. “Littlecloud, I need to ask you something.”
The medicine cat bit off one more spray of leaves and laid it with the others. “Go ahead.”
“I brought Flamepaw and Dawnpaw to the border,” Tigerpaw began, gesturing with his tail. “We all want to come back to ShadowClan, but…well, we’re scared that we’ll get into trouble with Blackfoot.”
Littlecloud nodded. “I see.”
“Will you help us? Please?”
“What does Tawnypelt think about this?” Littlecloud asked.
“She doesn’t know we’re here. If Blackfoot will take us back, then we’ll talk to her about it. But she might not come. She’s really unhappy that ShadowClan doesn’t follow the warrior code anymore.”
Littlecloud heaved a deep sigh. “She’s not the only cat to feel like that.”
Hollyleaf tensed, digging her claws into the rough bark beneath her. Tigerpaw might be tempted to share the plan with Littlecloud, and that would ruin everything. But the apprentice said nothing about it, only repeating, “Please help us.”
“Of course I will,” Littlecloud purred. “Wait here. I’m not sure Blackfoot will listen to me, but I’ll do my best to bring him.” Picking up his bundle of stems, the medicine cat turned and bounded up the opposite side of the hollow.
“Don’t let Sol know what’s happening!” Tigerpaw called after him.
Littlecloud glanced back and nodded in acknowledgment, then trotted off among the pine trees.
Tigerpaw looked up into Hollyleaf’s tree and waved his tail excitedly.
Thank StarClan!Hollyleaf thought. The plan’s working!
CHAPTER9
CHAPTER9
Lionblaze and Jaypaw crouched with thetwo remaining apprentices in a clump of spiky grass. Dawnpaw kept wriggling and bobbing her head up to see over the top of the stems.
“For StarClan’s sake, keep still,” Jaypaw grumbled. “And keep your head down.”
“The grass is sticking into me,” she complained. “And I want to see if any cat is coming.”
Lionblaze laid his tail-tip on her shoulder. “We’ll hear and scent the cats before we see them,” he reminded her. “Keep still or you’ll give us all away.”
Dawnpaw settled down, though Lionblaze could feel excitement quivering through her as she pressed close to his side. His belly churned with better-hidden anticipation.
What’s taking so long?The sun was slowly sinking, and Blackfoot was unlikely to come after nightfall, if he came at all.
Suddenly Lionblaze heard rustling from the other side of the marsh. He pricked his ears and opened his jaws to taste the air. ShadowClan scent!
“Get to the trees,” Jaypaw whispered.
Lionblaze was just about to creep into position when Flamepaw hissed, “Wait! That’s not Blackfoot!”
Lionblaze froze. The lower branches of a bush at the edge of the marsh waved up and down; then a dark brown tom emerged, sniffing the air suspiciously.
Dawnpaw’s claws dug into the ground. “Toadfoot!”
“Fox dung!” Jaypaw spat.
Flamepaw’s eyes stretched wide with dismay. “Nowwhat do we do?”
For a few heartbeats Lionblaze felt as helpless as a piece of prey under a warrior’s claws. He guessed that the ShadowClan warrior was following the scent trail left by Tigerpaw and Hollyleaf. What would they do if Blackfoot turned up now? Then he gave himself a mental shake. This was no time to panic!
“Flamepaw,” he whispered, signaling with a twitch of his ears. “Creep around the marsh on that side, and make sure Toadfoot doesn’t see you. I’ll go this way. When I leap on him, you come and help.”
The apprentice gave him a tense nod and crept away, his belly flat to the ground. Lionblaze headed in the opposite direction, and took cover in a clump of bracken a couple of tail-lengths from Toadfoot. He caught a glimpse of Flamepaw’s ginger pelt under a bush opposite.
The ShadowClan warrior stalked forward, an aggressive light in his eyes. A low growl came from his throat. “I know you’re there. Come out!”
“Now!” Lionblaze yowled.
He leaped out of the clump of bracken and bowled over the astonished Toadfoot. At the same moment Flamepaw hurtled across the boggy ground and flung himself on top of his Clanmate. Lionblaze pinned Toadfoot down with both forepaws on his belly.
Toadfoot battered at Lionblaze with strong hindpaws. His forepaws flailed, scoring down Flamepaw’s neck and shoulder, but the apprentice held on, stretching himself across Toadfoot’s neck and shoulders.
“Get him into cover!” Lionblaze ordered.
Together he and Flamepaw dragged the struggling ShadowClan warrior behind the clump of bracken. Toadfoot lashed out with his claws, landing a painful blow on Lionblaze’s flank, but he couldn’t free himself. His screeches of fury were cut off when Flamepaw pushed his head to the ground and kept a paw over his jaws.
As soon as the thrashing and yowling stopped, Lionblaze heard the sounds of more cats approaching through the trees. Breathing heavily, he raised his head. Through the bracken fronds he could see Tigerpaw with Littlecloud pacing alongside him, and Blackfoot a tail-length or so behind.
The ShadowClan leader paused and looked suspiciously around him. “I heard something,” he growled.
“Some cat hunting, maybe,” Tigerpaw lied easily. “This way, Blackfoot. Flamepaw and Dawnpaw are waiting by the border.”
At the sound of his leader’s voice, Toadfoot heaved himself up in another attempt to escape. Lionblaze thrust him down again.
“Keep quiet if you want to save your Clan!” he hissed, planting a paw on Toadfoot’s neck.
Toadfoot glared at him furiously, but couldn’t move.
While Lionblaze and Flamepaw were fighting with Toadfoot, Jaypaw and Dawnpaw had slipped back into the marsh and taken up their positions by the saplings they had loosened. Almost covered by the mud, they were hardly visible to any cat who wasn’t looking for them.
The thin branches were waving as though the trees could fall at any moment. Tigerpaw led Blackfoot and Littlecloud forward as if he was going to skirt the marsh at the very edge. Lionblaze caught a glimpse of Hollyleaf creeping from behind a gorse bush and plunging into the mud to help Dawnpaw. His chest heaved. Now! Now!
Jaypaw raised his tail and slapped it down on the surface of the mud; then he thrust at the trunk of his tree with outstretched forepaws. Hollyleaf and Dawnpaw pushed their tree. Slowly the trunks tilted. There was a sucking noise and the surface of the marsh churned with brown bubbles.
Blackfoot let out a yowl of alarm, but it was too late to flee. The trees crashed down, their branches locking together as they fell, the roots rising out of the mud and lashing the air like enormous tails. Peering through the bracken, Lionblaze spotted Tigerpaw scrambling through the branches and taking refuge underneath one of the trunks. He could see Blackfoot, clawing vainly at a mesh of twigs; for a moment he was worried that Littlecloud was hurt, but then he heard the medicine cat’s voice.
“Blackfoot? Are you okay?”
“No, I feel as if my pelt’s torn off,” the ShadowClan leader growled. “What happened? Where’s Tigerpaw?”
“I can’t see him. Tigerpaw!”
Jaypaw hauled himself out of the mud and balanced among the roots of the nearest tree, out of sight of the trapped cats. “Tigerpaw has vanished…” he whispered, loud enough for the ShadowClan cats to hear.
“What? Who’s that?” Blackfoot demanded.
“I am one of the spirits you have denied. More cats than Tigerpaw will be lost if you go on rejecting your warrior ancestors.” Jaypaw’s whisper became more intense. “The forest will fall….”
“What do you mean?” Lionblaze could just make out Blackfoot’s face, his lips drawn back in a snarl, and Littlecloud peering out of the branches beside him. The medicine cat’s eyes were wide with awe.
“A StarClan warrior is speaking to us!” he meowed.
Toadfoot started struggling again; Lionblaze crouched down on top of him while Flamepaw lay across his neck and shoulders, keeping a paw over his jaws. Keeping the writhing cat pinned down, Lionblaze peered out from hiding.
Blackfoot was clawing furiously at the branches. “Superstitious nonsense!” he spat, though Lionblaze thought there was uncertainty in his voice.
“We must listen,” Littlecloud insisted. “StarClan has a message for us. What if they’ve taken Tigerpaw and we never see him again?”
Blackfoot let out a snort of contempt. “If that’s a StarClan warrior, let it show itself.”
Lionblaze’s belly churned. Jaypaw wasn’t a warrior with stars in his fur, just an undersized tabby apprentice, covered with mud. If Blackfoot wouldn’t believe him without seeing him, their plan would fail.
“The forest will fall…” Jaypaw repeated. Lionblaze could just see him, crouched among the roots, his muscles tensed and his claws digging into the bark. “The trees will die. Your warriors will be scattered, and when they die they will never find a place among the stars.”
It’s not working, Lionblaze thought hopelessly. Blackfoot still wasn’t listening, just making more and more frenzied efforts to claw his way into the open. “Show yourself!” he snarled.
“The forest will fall….” Jaypaw’s voice had an echoing quality, as if another voice had joined it. “The forest will fall….” Now there was a third, all the voices twining together.
Lionblaze thought he saw a shimmer on the surface of the marsh. He blinked; then every hair on his pelt stood on end. Two cats balanced on the surface of the mud: one a big tabby with a torn ear, the other a small gray-and-white tom. Frost sparkled at their paws and starlight was reflected in their eyes.
“Raggedstar! Runningnose!” Littlecloud exclaimed from among the uprooted trees.
Blackfoot stopped his frantic clawing and stared, his mouth dropping open.
“Sol’s time in ShadowClan must come to an end,” Raggedstar meowed, his gaze locked with Blackfoot’s. “He is like the darkness that covered the sun.”
“He seems to have taken over your Clan,” Runningnose put in, “but he will pass and be forgotten in the brightness that follows. Brightness that will shine on ShadowClan for countless moons.”
“I…I hear you,” Blackfoot stammered. “I’ll do as you say.”
Littlecloud dipped his head as respectfully as he could with twigs clutching at his pelt. “ShadowClan will return to our warrior ancestors,” he promised, and added, “What have you done with our apprentice?”
“He is safe,” Raggedstar replied.
The gaze of the StarClan warriors swept around to rest on Hollyleaf, Jaypaw, and finally Lionblaze, who forced himself not to flinch. Would these starry cats be angry at what he and his littermates had done?
The StarClan cats did not speak, just bent their heads in a dignified nod. Their glimmering forms began to fade until they were no more than wisps of starlight above the marsh. Then they were gone. Lionblaze let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
Blackfoot broke through the branches that held him without much trouble; Littlecloud followed him through the gap he had made, and both cats scrambled onto dry ground at the edge of the marsh. Their pelts were clumped with mud and bits of twigs and debris, and blood was trickling from one of Blackfoot’s ears.
“StarClan hasn’t abandoned us!” Littlecloud’s voice was shaken, but ecstatic.
Blackfoot shook his head. “They spoke to us,” he murmured. “You were right, Littlecloud. We can’t ignore the spirits of our warrior ancestors. Not when they’re still watching over us.”
“What will you do now?” Littlecloud asked.
“Get rid of Sol, to begin with.” Blackfoot flexed his claws until the tips disappeared into the wet ground. “I can’t believe I let myself listen to that mange-ridden trickster. He told me StarClan didn’t care what happened to us! But they brought us here, made the trees fall so that we had to hear them. I’ll make sure that no ShadowClan cat is led astray by Sol again. You don’t think I’ve left it too long?” he added anxiously.
“I know you haven’t,” Littlecloud reassured him, touching his leader’s shoulder with the tip of his tail. “The warrior code lives within every one of the cats born in ShadowClan. One cat alone cannot quench that flame.”
“Then let’s go,” Blackfoot meowed, turning toward the ShadowClan camp.
Littlecloud hesitated. “Tigerpaw, are you there?”
Lionblaze saw the apprentice clamber out of his hiding place under the trunk and splash his way through the mud to his Clanmates.
“Are you okay?” Littlecloud asked. “Did you see what happened?”
“Yes.” Tigerpaw’s amber eyes were shining. “I never thought I’d get to see real StarClan warriors!”
Nor did I, Lionblaze thought.
Tigerpaw dipped his head to Blackfoot. “Can we come back now?”
Blackfoot nodded. “Of course. ShadowClan needs you.”
Tigerpaw straightened proudly. “Then I’ll go and find Flamepaw and Dawnpaw.”
“Get back to camp as soon as you can,” Blackfoot ordered. Waving his tail to Littlecloud, he added, “Let’s go. I can’t wait to tell our Clan they can look to their warrior ancestors again.”
“I know they’ll all be glad to hear it, Blackfoot,” Littlecloud meowed.
The white cat drew himself to his full height, his muscles rippling beneath his ruffled pelt. “Blackstar,” he corrected. “My name is Blackstar.”
Raising his tail, the ShadowClan leader stalked off into the forest, with his medicine cat padding behind him.
From the moment when the StarClan warriors started to speak, Toadfoot had lain still as a stone under Lionblaze’s paws. When Lionblaze and Flamepaw let him get up, he sat staring at the marsh as if he couldn’t believe what had happened. “Were those really cats from StarClan?” he whispered.
“Yes, they were,” Flamepaw replied solemnly. “Our warrior ancestors are still watching over us. They want the warrior code to be preserved.”
Toadfoot blinked, still stunned.
“What are you going to do now?” Lionblaze asked him. If Blackstar knew what they had done, would he still want his Clan to look to their warrior ancestors?
Toadfoot’s glance flicked from Lionblaze to Flamepaw and back again, a low growl beginning to build in his throat. “You fakedthat sign!”
“Only to start with.” Flamepaw faced his Clanmate. “We made the trees fall and brought Blackstar here. But we didn’t make the StarClan cats appear. They came of their own accord, and that made it a real sign after all.”
Toadfoot shook bits of bracken off his dark brown pelt, his eyes still indecisive. “You’re lucky they did come,” he muttered. “Otherwise ShadowClan would have torn ThunderClan apart for interfering and lying.”
“You could try,” Lionblaze meowed, his fur bristling.
“But StarClan really did come,” Flamepaw persisted. “They proved that they are still watching over us, that we should still listen to them and live by the warrior code. They have the Clan’s best interests at heart; we have to believe what they say for our own sake.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” Lionblaze demanded.
Toadfoot paused, then nodded. “I suppose I should thank you,” he meowed grudgingly.
“No,” Lionblaze replied, “it’s StarClan you should thank.”
Hollyleaf padded up, mud dripping from her pelt, and gave Toadfoot a disapproving sniff. “What are we going to do about him?” she asked Lionblaze.
It was Toadfoot who answered. “I promise I won’t tell any cat what I saw.”
Hollyleaf’s ears flicked up. “Can we trust him?”
“It’s trust him or kill him.” Jaypaw joined them and sat down with a gusty sigh. “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t go through all this to start killing ShadowClan cats.”
“Then we have to trust you.” Lionblaze turned to Toadfoot. “Swear by StarClan that you’ll keep the secret.”
“Of course I will, mouse-brain.” Toadfoot lashed his tail. “I swear it. Unless keeping your secret will harm my Clan,” he added instantly.
“Which it won’t.” Lionblaze gave Toadfoot a brusque nod. “You can go.”
Toadfoot turned and stalked away, with a last fearful glance at the marsh where the two StarClan warriors had appeared.
“Come on.” Tigerpaw waved his tail at his two littermates. “We’ve got to get back, too.”
The apprentices dipped their heads to the ThunderClan cats.
“We’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Flamepaw mewed.
“We did this for ThunderClan, too. And we couldn’t have done it without you,” Lionblaze replied.
“What are we going to do about our mother?” Dawnpaw asked her brother and sister.
Tigerpaw and Flamepaw looked blankly at each other.
“Don’t worry about that now,” Lionblaze assured them. “We’ll tell Tawnypelt what happened. You need to get back to your camp right away, and we need to get off your territory.”
“Yeah.” Tigerpaw’s eyes gleamed. “Don’t you dare cross our borders once we renew the scent marks!”
The apprentices bounded off through the trees. Lionblaze watched them until they were out of sight, then headed back toward his own territory with Hollyleaf and Jaypaw at his side.
“I can’t believe our fake sign turned into a real message from StarClan!” Hollyleaf exclaimed. “Jaypaw, do you think that StarClan needed us to set the trap before they could appear?”
Jaypaw shrugged. “I don’t know, but I doubt it.”
“I think they wanted the apprentices to show them how desperate they were to save their Clan,” Lionblaze suggested. “Tigerpaw and the others wouldn’t have gone through all that if they didn’t want to bring ShadowClan back to StarClan and the warrior code.”
“We were desperate, too.” Hollyleaf lashed her tail. “Nothing matters more than preserving the warrior code.”
“And what in the name of StarClan are we going to tell Tawnypelt?” Jaypaw asked. “The truth would be a really bad idea—I can feel it in my pelt.”
“I don’t know.” Hollyleaf sounded worried. “I don’t want Firestar to know what we did, either. He would put me and Lionblaze back on apprentice duties before you could say ‘mouse.’”
Lionblaze drew ahead a few paw steps, his mind drifting from the conversation behind him. His paws were itching to know what Sol would do after Blackstar told him to leave ShadowClan.
Will he keep his promise?he wondered. Will he come to mentor the three of us to our true destiny?
CHAPTER10
CHAPTER10
Hollyleaf leaped, sinking her claws intothe vole and dispatching it with a quick nip to the neck. Straightening up with her prey in her jaws, she spotted Lionblaze approaching through the bracken, dragging the limp body of a rabbit.
“Hey, great catch!” she mumbled around the vole.
Twilight had fallen, and deep shadows lay on the forest floor. Hollyleaf and Lionblaze had stopped near the dead tree to hunt on their way back to camp, while Jaypaw looked for fresh herbs.
“Let’s get back,” he meowed, padding up with a bunch of tansy. “I’m worried about the sick cats. Leafpool can’t do everything, and if I’m any later she’ll have my pelt for bedding.”
“Okay.” Hollyleaf retrieved the mouse she had killed earlier and led the way back to camp, carrying her prey.
Every hair on her pelt was tingling with relief that they had been able to save ShadowClan. Only one problem remained: What were they going to tell Tawnypelt?
Lionblaze pushed through the thorn tunnel ahead of her, the hind legs of his rabbit leaving faint scars in the dust. As she emerged into the camp, Hollyleaf could see that the clearing was almost empty. Many cats would already be in their dens. She spotted Sandstorm and Squirrelflight sharing a thrush beside the fresh-kill pile, while Poppyfrost was padding toward the dirtplace tunnel.
“Hey, Poppyfrost!” Lionblaze bounded forward, letting his rabbit fall. “Have you seen Tawnypelt?”
Poppyfrost nodded. “She’s in Firestar’s den with Brambleclaw.”
“Hang on,” Hollyleaf meowed to her brother as he padded back to her. “We haven’t decided what to tell her yet.”
“We can’t talk now,” Jaypaw stated. “I have to check in with Leafpool. I’ll find you later.” Without waiting for a reply he bounded over to the medicine cats’ den and disappeared behind the brambles.
Lionblaze yawned and arched his back in a long stretch. “I’m worn out. Let’s drop off this prey and go to our den for a rest. We don’t need to worry about Tawnypelt right now; she’s busy.”
“Okay.”
The two young warriors picked up their prey and carried it over to the fresh-kill pile.
“You’ve been hunting,” Squirrelflight mewed approvingly. “Well done.”
“How did you get that mud all over you?” Sandstorm narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Were you hunting for frogs?”
“It’s just a bit wet out there,” Lionblaze mumbled, not looking at the older she-cat.
Amusement glimmered in Sandstorm’s green eyes; she opened her mouth to reply, only to be distracted by the sound of cats pushing their way through the barrier. Birchfall emerged; Hollyleaf’s fur tingled with surprise when she saw that Littlecloud was following him, with Whitewing and Icepaw bringing up the rear.
Sandstorm leaped to her paws. “What’s this?” She bounded across the clearing to confront the ShadowClan medicine cat.
Squirrelflight rose more slowly. “I’d better let Firestar know,” she murmured, and headed for the tumbled rocks that led to the Highledge.
Hollyleaf and Lionblaze followed Sandstorm across the clearing. More cats were appearing from the warriors’ den, Cloudtail loudly proclaiming that he would know ShadowClan scent anywhere. He and Brightheart joined the group around Littlecloud, followed by Berrynose, Hazeltail, and Mousewhisker. Mousefur poked her head out of the elders’ den but stayed where she was, her whiskers twitching in disapproval.
“What’s anotherShadowClan cat doing in ourcamp?” Berrynose demanded.
No cat answered him, though his littermate Hazeltail gave him a sharp nudge with her shoulder, nearly knocking him off his paws.
“Greetings.” Sandstorm gave Littlecloud a curt nod. “Birchfall, what’s going on here?”
Hollyleaf thought that Birchfall seemed embarrassed. “We were patrolling the ShadowClan border,” he began.
“Ispotted Littlecloud,” Icepaw broke in. “Birchfall and Whitewing were too busy gossiping.”
“That’s enough.” Whitewing scolded her apprentice; she looked flustered. “Littlecloud says he needs to talk to Tawnypelt.”
Littlecloud dipped his head respectfully to Sandstorm. “With Firestar’s permission. Things have happened in ShadowClan that she needs to know.”
Before Sandstorm could reply, Hollyleaf saw Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Tawnypelt appearing on the Highledge, with Squirrelflight just behind. Sandstorm waved her tail, inviting Littlecloud to follow her; she led him across the clearing to stand at the foot of the stones. Hollyleaf and Lionblaze padded after them with the rest of the ThunderClan cats; more were emerging from their dens and gathering around to listen. Rosekit and Toadkit frisked across the clearing from the nursery, their ears pricked curiously, while Daisy followed more slowly.
“Greetings, Littlecloud,” Firestar meowed. “Welcome to our camp. How can we help you?”
“Thank you, Firestar,” the medicine cat replied. “It’s Tawnypelt I need to speak to.”
The tortoiseshell warrior’s ears flicked up in surprise. “I’ve nothing to say to ShadowClan anymore.” There was the hint of a snarl in her voice. “They are not my Clan.”
“I’m sorry you feel like that.” Littlecloud blinked sympathetically. “But I think you might change your mind when you hear what I’ve come to tell you.”
“Go on, then.” Tawnypelt still sounded hostile.
“Blackstar wants you to come back,” the medicine cat went on. “Your three kits have already returned—”
“What!” Tawnypelt’s jaws gaped wide in shock. Hollyleaf could see she wanted to spill out a whole cascade of questions, but her gaze flickered around the listening ThunderClan cats, and she clamped her jaws shut again.
“Blackstar wants me to tell you that no cat will blame you for leaving.” Littlecloud gazed up at his Clanmate. “ShadowClan is returning to the warrior code, and to their faith in their warrior ancestors.”
Tawnypelt drew in a long breath. “If that’s true…what about Sol?”
“Sol has decided to leave ShadowClan,” Littlecloud replied.
“Decided?” Lionblaze whispered into Hollyleaf’s ear. “Look out for flying hedgehogs.”
“His place is not with us,” Littlecloud continued. “Blackstar bears him no ill will, but he is not a Clan cat.”
“This is good news,” Brambleclaw meowed to his sister. “I’d welcome you as my Clanmate again, but I know you’ll always be a loyal ShadowClan cat in your heart.”
Tawnypelt touched her nose to Brambleclaw’s ear, then nodded. “Okay, Littlecloud. I’ll come. But you’d better be telling me the truth.”
“A medicine cat doesn’t lie,” Littlecloud replied.
Tawnypelt turned to Firestar. “Thank you for everything, Firestar.”
“I’m just glad it’s ended so well,” Firestar meowed. “Good-bye, and good luck.”
The tortoiseshell warrior pressed her pelt against Brambleclaw’s, then leaped down the rocks to join Littlecloud. Together the two ShadowClan cats padded across the clearing and disappeared into the thorn barrier.
“I never thought that would happen!” Cloudtail burst out as soon as they were gone. “Do you think Blackstar really changed his mind just like that?”
Hollyleaf deliberately didn’t look at her brother.
“I’d bet a month of dawn patrols those apprentices had something to do with it,” Birchfall meowed. “Why else would they disappear back to ShadowClan without their mother?”
Dustpelt let out a snort of amusement. “I can just picture those three holding Blackstar down until he agreed.”
“Maybe losing them made Blackstar realize what he was doing to his Clan,” Hollyleaf suggested carefully.
Hazeltail nodded. “You could be right.”
“Well, whatever changed Blackstar’s mind, it’s a good thing for the rest of the Clans,” Sandstorm mewed. “No cat wants a Clan on their borders that doesn’t follow the warrior code.”
“True,” Ferncloud purred, brushing against the ginger she-cat’s side. “There should always be four Clans around the lake, all following the warrior code.”
“I just hope Tawnypelt won’t tell Blackstar too much about our camp,” Daisy murmured, with an anxious look at her kits.
Hollyleaf began to bristle at the suggestion that her kin would betray the Clan who had helped her, especially when it was her brother’s Clan. Before she could speak, Sandstorm touched her nose to Daisy’s ear. “I’m sure you don’t need to worry. Tawnypelt would never do that.”
“And what about Sol, that’s what I’d like to know.” Mousefur stalked up to join the group of cats. “Where will he go now?”
“Who cares?” Berrynose mewed.
“Because he might start causing more trouble, mouse-brain,” Dustpelt pointed out. “I just hope he’ll leave the Clans alone now.”
“He’d better.” Hollyleaf clawed fiercely at the ground. Even the thought of Sol made her pelt bristle. “He has no place here if he tries to destroy the warrior code.”
Lionblaze opened his jaws as if he was about to protest, then closed them again. Hollyleaf didn’t like the doubtful look in his eyes. Surely he wasn’t going to defend Sol, after what the loner had done to ShadowClan?
Hollyleaf jerked her head to draw her brother away from the excited cats. “You don’t still believe in that crow-food-eating menace, do you?” she hissed.
Lionblaze shrugged. “He’s not as bad as all that. I was hoping he’d come back to mentor us.”
Hollyleaf stared at him in disbelief. “Why should he help us? Why do you even want him to? Look at what he did to ShadowClan. He persuaded them to give up the warrior code!”
“But our destiny has nothing to do with the warrior code,” Lionblaze argued with a glance over his shoulder to make sure no cat was listening.
Hollyleaf snorted. “Sol is a dangerous cat. If he turns up again, you should stay away from him. Our destiny will come, whatever we do or don’t do. Isn’t that the point of a prophecy?”
Lionblaze looked away. He didn’t protest anymore, but as Hollyleaf padded over to the warriors’ den, she wasn’t sure she’d managed to convince him.
Hollyleaf stood on a steep bank overlooking the lake, and tasted the air for signs of prey. Behind her, Dustpelt and Sorreltail, the other members of the hunting patrol, were stalking through the undergrowth. A cool breeze was blowing the leaves from the trees; they whirled past Hollyleaf, fluttering scraps of scarlet and gold. Though the sun was up, the ground underpaw still crackled with frost.
Hollyleaf’s ears flicked up as she caught a trace of vole on the wind. Heartbeats later she spotted a good plump one, under a root halfway down the slope that led to the lake. She dropped into the hunter’s crouch and glided toward it, trying to keep her paw steps as light as a falling leaf.
She was sure that she hadn’t made a sound, but before she had covered half the distance, something spooked the vole and it scurried down the bank toward the lake. Mouse dung!Hollyleaf sprang after it, but when she reached the pebbly shore her prey had vanished.
Furious, she began sniffing at the holes in the bank; there was a strong scent of vole, but no way of getting at it.
“Hello, Hollyleaf.”
Hollyleaf froze at the sound of the quiet voice. She spun around to see Sol sitting on the pebbles with his tail wrapped neatly over his paws. His white pelt with its black, brown, and ginger patches was sleek and well groomed, and his pale yellow eyes gleamed.
“What are you doing here?” Hollyleaf demanded. She could feel every hair on her pelt bristling, her tail fluffing out to twice its size, and her belly churning with her distrust of this powerful cat. “I thought you’d gone.”
Fury flashed in the loner’s eyes, and his claws dug into the ground. Yet a heartbeat later he was cool and controlled again, so that Hollyleaf almost believed she had imagined the anger he had betrayed.
“I left ShadowClan, but I cannot leave the lake yet,” Sol meowed calmly. Hollyleaf had never met a cat, not even Firestar, who sounded so sure of himself. “The Clans need me. They just haven’t realized it yet. You need me, Hollyleaf.”
Hollyleaf swallowed, realizing that she was in danger of falling under the power of Sol’s voice once again. “You’re wrong,” she insisted. “I don’t need you, and neither do Lionblaze and Jaypaw.”
“Are you sure of that?” Sol’s amber gaze was fixed on her; for a heartbeat Hollyleaf felt like a piece of cowering prey, transfixed under a warrior’s claws.
“Quite sure.” She forced herself to sound certain. “We’ll achieve our destiny without your help, because the warrior code will set our paws in the right direction.”
She braced herself for Sol to argue, but the loner only dipped his head a little, acknowledging what she said. He rose to his paws and turned away without another word.
Hollyleaf stood watching him, determined to make sure that he left ThunderClan territory. Before he had gone more than a couple of tail-lengths, Sol glanced back over one shoulder.
“Are you sure you have found the three?”
“What do you mean?” Hollyleaf took a pace toward him, her vision blurring with anger. “Lionblaze, Jaypaw, and I are the three. We’re kin of Firestar’s kin, and there are three of us. And Jaypaw knows things that no other cat does.”
“But Jaypaw didn’t know about the vanishing sun.” Sol’s voice echoed around Hollyleaf, but when she focused her gaze again he was already far away, padding along the shore of the lake in the direction of WindClan territory.
“Good riddance,” she whispered, but her pelt still quivered and in her heart she knew that she had not seen the last of Sol.
Hollyleaf managed to track down another vole and carried it back to where the hunting patrol was gathering, ready to return to camp. She was determined not to say anything about meeting Sol, and she hoped no other cat had seen him; the sooner her Clanmates forgot about him, the better.
Dustpelt, who was leading the patrol, was scraping the earth off their cache of fresh-kill when Hollyleaf padded up. “The Clan will eat well today,” he meowed. “Let’s go.”
There was a rasp in his voice, and he ended with a cough. Hollyleaf gazed at him in dismay. There was a feverish glitter in the tabby warrior’s eyes; it sounded as though he had been coughing for some time.
“You should see Leafpool as soon as you get back,” Sorreltail told him.
“I’m fine,” Dustpelt retorted, with another painful cough.
“You are not fine, and you willsee Leafpool,” Sorreltail flashed back at him. Dustpelt had been her mentor for a while, when Sandstorm was away journeying with Firestar; Hollyleaf knew she wasn’t as apprehensive of the short-tempered warrior as many of the other ThunderClan cats.
“All right, no need to be so bossy,” Dustpelt grumbled, grabbing up a squirrel and stalking through the undergrowth toward the camp.
Hollyleaf exchanged an anxious glance with Sorreltail as the two she-cats followed.
Back in the stone hollow, she dropped her prey on the fresh-kill pile and bounded across to Leafpool’s den to tell her about Dustpelt. She wouldn’t put it past the tabby warrior to conveniently forget that he should visit the medicine cat.
“Don’t come in!” Leafpool’s voice came urgently from behind the brambles. A moment later she appeared, the scent of herbs clinging to her pelt. “Oh, it’s you, Hollyleaf. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing for me,” Hollyleaf replied, worried to see how tired the medicine cat was looking. “But I was out hunting with Dustpelt, and I heard him coughing. I thought you should know.”
“Oh, no—not another cat!” Leafpool’s eyes stretched wide with anxiety. “Longtail started coughing last night, and Daisy and Honeyfern this morning, and Rosekit is feverish.”
Fear gripped deep in Hollyleaf’s belly, not just because of the bad news, but because she had never seen Leafpool this distraught. “Are we all going to get sick, one by one?”
“I don’t know.” Leafpool shook her head. “I’m doing all I can, but what if it isn’t enough?”
Hollyleaf couldn’t remember ever seeing Leafpool so full of doubt, so frightened for her Clanmates. She pressed her muzzle into the fur on the medicine cat’s shoulder. “You’re a great medicine cat, Leafpool. I know every cat will be fine with you to take care of them.”
“It means a lot to me, hearing you say that.” Leafpool’s amber gaze was fixed on Hollyleaf. “I just wish it was true.” She straightened up and gave her pelt a little shake. “Go and get something to eat. You need to keep your strength up, or you’ll get sick, too.”
Hollyleaf dipped her head. “Okay.”
As she returned to the fresh-kill pile, she felt confidence gradually filling her up like rain in an upturned leaf. Sol had gone; she had watched him leave, and she had made it clear that he wouldn’t be welcome in ThunderClan. ShadowClan was keeping the warrior code once more, and looking for guidance from the spirits of their warrior ancestors. As for the sickness—it was bad, but Leafpool would cure it.
Crouching down to take the first bite of her vole, Hollyleaf felt some of her old excitement about the prophecy coming back.
I’m ready, StarClan! Just tell me what I have to do!
CHAPTER11
CHAPTER11
Jaypaw let out a sneeze asdust from the dried herbs got up his nose. Squeezing himself even farther into the storage cleft in the medicine cats’ den, he stretched out a paw and scrabbled at a few brittle stems that lay right at the back. The faint scent that lingered told him they were coltsfoot, collected the previous newleaf.
“Jaypaw!”
The apprentice started at the sound of Leafpool’s voice and bumped his head on the roof of the cleft. “Mouse dung!” he muttered, wriggling out backward with the dried coltsfoot leaves in his claws.
“What have you managed to find?” Leafpool asked.
“Coltsfoot, and a few juniper berries,” Jaypaw reported, dropping the stems at Leafpool’s paws.
“So little…” Leafpool murmured.
Jaypaw could hear her sorting through the pitiful collection. “Better than nothing,” he mewed, trying to sound optimistic.
“But it’s not enough. Jaypaw, we’re losing the battle.”
Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt prickled and he dug his claws into the packed earthen floor. “We can’t be!”
“We are.” Leafpool let out a despairing sigh. “There isn’t enough room to separate the sick cats from the rest of the Clan, and we can’t treat greencough without catmint.”
“I’ve been looking after the catmint plants at the old Twoleg nest,” Jaypaw meowed. “Shall I go and see if there are any new shoots?”
“No, there can’t possibly be enough.” Jaypaw felt his mentor’s hopelessness as if it were his own. “Besides, we need to let that supply grow for next season.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. Things will only get worse as the weather gets colder. Cats will get weaker as prey runs short. And if more cats get sick, there won’t be enough warriors left to hunt for the Clan.”
Jaypaw lifted his chin. “Then we need to find more catmint.”
“There is no more,” Leafpool insisted. “I know of one patch, just outside the RiverClan border, by a Twoleg nest, but I can’t leave the Clan long enough to fetch it, and—”
She broke off, but Jaypaw knew well enough what she had meant to say. You can’t go because you’re blind. He sensed Leafpool watching him in despair, and felt the strength of her desire that he could see. Briefly he struggled with a surge of bitterness. Because then I’d be more useful, right?
“No, Jaypaw.” Leafpool answered his unspoken resentment. “It’s not because you’re blind that you can’t go. If that was the problem, I could send you with a warrior.”
“Then why don’t you?”
Leafpool sighed. “Because you would need to cross ShadowClan territory, and go along the RiverClan border to get to the place. There has been too much fighting recently. We can’t risk you and a warrior when so many cats are sick. What if another Clan attacked us? We need all the paws we’ve got, here in our own territory.”
“Then what about asking the other medicine cats?” Jaypaw suggested. “If they’ve got catmint, they’d give us some.”
“Yes, they would.” Leafpool’s voice grew sharper, as if she was annoyed by his insistence. “But I can’t ask without the other Clans finding out how weak we are. Firestar would have my pelt if he found out I’d done that.”
Reluctantly Jaypaw had to admit she was right. “So what can I do to help?” he asked.
“I’ve sent Millie and Briarkit out for some fresh air and sun.” Leafpool sounded relieved to turn to something more practical. “They’re in that space between here and the warriors’ den. It’s sheltered there, and they should be far enough away from the other cats to stop the cough from spreading. Could you take out their old bedding, and bring in some fresh?”
“Sure.” Jaypaw padded to the side of the den and started scraping up the used moss and bracken, collecting it into a ball.
“Make sure you take it a long way from camp,” Leafpool reminded him. “And when you’ve finished, you can fetch Millie and Briarkit back in, before they get too tired and cold.”
Jaypaw rolled the ball of soiled bedding out through the thorn barrier, and dumped it several fox-lengths away from the hollow. Nearby he found more moss growing thickly around the roots of a tree. To his relief, it had dried out since the heavy rain of a few days before. Tearing off some fronds of bracken, he bundled the whole lot together and staggered with it back into camp.
When he went to fetch the sick cats, he found Millie lying stretched out in a sunny spot beside the wall of the stone hollow. Her breath rasped in her throat and when he rested a paw on her chest, Jaypaw could feel it heaving rapidly up and down. Briarkit pushed up beside him, nudging at her mother. “I want to play,” she whimpered. She had to catch her breath as she spoke, and Jaypaw could feel her legs wobbling. “Be a mouse, and I’ll catch you!”
Millie let out a weary sigh, and Briarkit’s pleading ended in a cough.
“Come on,” Jaypaw meowed, trying to sound cheerful. “I’ve put down some fresh bedding for you. You’ll be able to have a really good sleep.”
“Don’t want to sleep!” Briarkit protested.
“Yes, you do,” Jaypaw informed her. “Sleeping will make you feel better.”
He slipped his shoulder under Millie’s as she struggled to her paws; her chest wheezed with the effort and her coughs were weak, as if her strength was ebbing fast. Jaypaw’s belly twisted with frustration. The prophecy said he had the power of the stars in his paws, but what good was that if he had to witness the cats in his care die?
He helped Millie back into her nest, with Briarkit getting under his paws until he shooed her into the moss beside her mother. He straightened up and headed back to the cleft, wondering if he could have possibly missed any stores of herbs.
Suddenly his eyes filled with dazzling sunlight, so bright that he flinched and bent his head, trying to shut out the rays. When his vision cleared, he looked up again, blinking. He was standing in a glade, thick with rustling leaves. The warm air was heavy with the scent of growing herbs.
Is there catmint here?That was the first thought that jumped into his head.
As he tasted the air, the smell of cats flooded over him, drowning the scents of the herbs. Starlight glimmered in the undergrowth under the trees, and warriors of StarClan began to emerge into the clearing. Jaypaw recognized Bluestar, her tail twitching with anxiety; she glanced back at the muscular figure of Whitestorm, who followed her into the open.
“They are coming,” the old ThunderClan leader whispered. “So many of them…”
“Maybe not,” Whitestorm meowed reassuringly. “ThunderClan couldn’t have better medicine cats.”
Jaypaw heard a disgusted snort as yet another starry cat pushed her way through the ferns: Yellowfang with her ragged gray pelt and burning amber eyes. “Are you mouse-brained, Whitestorm? What can medicine cats do if there aren’t any healing herbs?”
“Is there no way we can guide them?” A soft mew announced the arrival of Spottedleaf, her tail waving gracefully as she padded out into the open. “No way to help?”
“You tell me,” Yellowfang snapped. “There’s no more catmint on ThunderClan territory, and that’s that. I’d give them my pelt if I could, but what use would that be?”
“Will sickness destroy my Clan?” Bluestar wailed, her claws working furiously, tearing up clumps of grass.
One last cat slipped into the clearing: the silver tabby whom Jaypaw had seen in Graystripe’s memory, her lifeblood gushing out onto stones as she gave birth to a pair of tiny kits.
“Millie is close to joining us,” she murmured. “What can we do? Graystripe doesn’t deserve to have his heart broken again.”
None of the other StarClan cats could answer her. They began to circle distractedly, their pelts quivering with distress. None of them seemed to have noticed Jaypaw.
Why am I here?he wondered. If there’s nothing useful in this vision, I’ve got sick cats to look after
A cool breeze swept over the clearing, ruffling the moon-colored fur of the restless cats. Starlight gleamed again in the shadows under the trees, and three more cats padded into the open. The first was a young she-cat—barely old enough to be a warrior—her silver tabby pelt glimmering with a pale light
The second cat was older, a silver tabby so like the first that Jaypaw guessed she was her mother, while the third was a broad-shouldered tabby tom.
“Brightspirit.” Bluestar dipped her head respectfully to the young she-cat. “It has been a long time.”
“Shiningheart. Braveheart,” Whitestorm greeted the two older cats. “Your presence honors us.”
Jaypaw stared at the three newcomers. Where had these cats come from? He had never seen them before, or heard their names in any of the Clans. Their scent was different too—faintly of StarClan, and of something else carried on wind and in starlight. He sensed that they had traveled a long distance. Is this why I’m here? To meet these cats?
The two older cats remained at the edge of the trees, their tails twined together, but Brightspirit bounded across the clearing and halted in front of Jaypaw. Her green eyes glowed with love and sympathy and her sweet scent wreathed around him.
“Greetings, Jaypaw,” she mewed. “You are troubled.”
Jaypaw crouched to the ground. This was no ordinary StarClan cat; he couldn’t imagine telling this cat she was merely a Clan cat in a different place. Something about her, the way she tipped her head to one side and studied him as if they were the only cats in the clearing, made him spill out the truth. “ThunderClan cats are dying. I don’t know what to do.”
Brightspirit stretched out her neck and rested her muzzle against her ear, warming him with her breath.
“Seek for the wind,” she whispered. “The wind holds what you seek.”
Jaypaw took a step back and stared at her. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
With a hiss, darkness slammed down over his eyes as if night had suddenly fallen, and he found himself surrounded by the scents of stale herbs and sick cats once more. He bit back a yowl of frustration.
She was going to tell me something!
For a few heartbeats he could still make out Brightspirit’s scent, and a distant echo of her voice. “Seek for the wind. And may StarClan light your path.” Then she was gone.
“Come on, Millie.” Leafpool’s voice sounded close by him. “Lie down here. Jaypaw fetched fresh bedding for you.”
“Thanks, Jaypaw,” Millie rasped.
Jaypaw tensed. Had the whole of his vision taken only a couple of heartbeats? He helped Leafpool settle Millie and Briarkit, longing all the while for a bit of peace so that he could think about Brightspirit and her mysterious words.
As the sick cats curled up in their nest, Jaypaw heard the sound of racing footsteps drawing closer. What now?He picked up Sandstorm’s scent as she halted by the bramble screen.
“Leafpool, come quickly!” she gasped. “Firestar’s ill!”
第四章
第四章
松鸦爪听到叶池穿过黑莓丛，走进了巢穴，停下清点罂粟籽库存的工作，转过身来。小荆棘的气息萦绕着她。他听到吊在叶池嘴下的幼崽发出一声虚弱的咳嗽。
“小荆棘的病情加重了？”松鸦爪忧心忡忡地问。
叶池把幼崽放在窝里的蕨叶上。松鸦爪听到小荆棘调整姿势的声音，知道她正在让自己躺得更舒服些。
“我担心的就是这个。”叶池说道，“小荆棘被米莉传染了咳嗽。而且米莉也不见好转。我想让她也搬过来。但是我又担心黛西不能像喂养自己的两个幼崽一样，好好喂养小梅花和小黄蜂。我们这里地方也不够大，不能让他们都住在这里。”
松鸦爪感到叶池的焦虑，就像湖面的浪花一波接着一波向他涌来。“你为什么这么担心？他们只是得了白咳症。”
叶池叹了一口气。“白咳症很容易就会转化成绿咳症，特别是在秃叶季即将到来的时节。”叶池压低音量，以免被小荆棘听见，“现在族群中有好些幼崽状况不佳，鼠毛的健康状况也不乐观。也许我们将会失去一些族猫。”
叶池从松鸦爪身边钻进储藏草药的岩洞查看了一番。“猫薄荷已经所剩无几了。”她喃喃自语道，“这些够给小荆棘用，还可以再分一些给米莉，然后就没有了。”
“我去采摘些回来。”松鸦爪马上提议道。
“那可真是帮了大忙了。”叶池说道，“找只猫陪你一块儿去吧——不，我不是说你照顾不好自己，”她急忙补充着，好像她知道松鸦爪会因此而毛发竖起，“你们两只猫一块儿去，就可以采集到更多的草药。”
“好的。要不要我先把其余的猫薄荷给米莉拿去呢？”
“不用了，我自己会去的。你要尽量早点把新鲜的猫薄荷带回来。”
松鸦爪来到空地上，首先闻到了罂粟霜的气息，她正蹲在猎物堆旁。松鸦爪快步向她走去。
“你忙吗？”松鸦爪问。
罂粟霜吞下一大口田鼠肉。“不是太忙。”她回答道，“亮心让我帮忙打扫武士们的窝——现在武士的窝太多了，只有两位学徒，工作起来太辛苦。不过老实说，我也想找个借口，不去做这种事情。”她咽下最后一口猎物，站起来问道，“你想要我干什么呢？”
松鸦爪解释了小荆棘的情况，告诉她，巫医需要采集更多的猫薄荷。
“可怜的小家伙。”罂粟霜同情地说道，“我当然愿意帮忙。我们走吧！”
罂粟霜穿过空地，向通道走去，让松鸦爪跟在她的后面。穿过通道后，松鸦爪赶上了她，一起向废弃的两脚兽巢穴走去。松鸦爪想起了那场战争，不由得感到脚掌一阵刺痛。尽管战争的血腥和恐惧已经被风吹散，但战斗时的呐喊声依然在他脑海回响。他领着罂粟霜避开风族猫曾经用来入侵的那条隧道。他也没有去想，如果还有别的入口通向他第一次遇见岩石的地下洞穴，那将会发生什么。
当他们渐渐靠近两脚兽巢穴时，松鸦爪开始嗅闻猫薄荷。但是他没闻到草药发出的刺鼻、清新的气息，与此相反，有一股发霉的味道扑鼻而来。
“哦，不！”罂粟霜突然停住了爪子。
“出什么事儿了？”
“猫薄荷！哦，松鸦爪，所有的猫薄荷都不见了！”
“不见了？不可能啊！”
罂粟霜跑上前去，松鸦爪匆忙跟在她的身后。他感到爪子下是松软、厚实的草地，接着是一块两脚兽曾经种过植物的长条形土地。现在他的四周全是发霉的味道，偶尔还有些新鲜树叶的气息。
“你看到了什么？”松鸦爪问道。
“猫薄荷全被压坏了！”罂粟霜回答道，声音里充满了悲伤，“茎都断了，全变成了黑色，也烂掉了。”
松鸦爪感到自己心里出现了一个恐怖的黑洞：“这样的猫薄荷不能用来治病了。”
“我知道。一定是打仗的时候被踩坏了。”
松鸦爪甩了甩尾巴：“我敢打赌，肯定是风族猫和河族猫故意这样干的。”
“真的有猫这么残忍吗？”罂粟霜说道。
松鸦爪愤怒地抓挠着泥土，感受着爪子下发霉的草药：“我们必须回去告诉火星。他们必须接受惩罚！”
“不……等等。”松鸦爪正准备冲回营地，但罂粟霜将尾巴伸到他的胸前，拦住了他，“当时所有的猫都在这儿战斗，猫薄荷很可能在当时就被毁掉了。”
松鸦爪哼了一下。也许罂粟霜说得对，但却不能阻止他怀疑河族和风族。而且眼下更重要的是，他能不能找到新鲜的猫薄荷来治疗小荆棘和米莉。向火星报告的事可以先缓缓。
松鸦爪在空气中仔细搜寻着，他设法找到了一些正要破土而出的新生猫薄荷。但是这些嫩芽都太小，数量也不够。松鸦爪开始小心翼翼地用牙收集每根猫薄荷叶子。
罂粟霜在旁边走来走去，踩得地上的叶子沙沙作响。“我正在拔掉所有发霉的叶子，”她解释道，“这样一来，就可以腾出空间让新的枝叶生长。”
“好主意。”松鸦爪说道，“我来帮你。如果发现任何新的叶子，都要采下来，和我采的这些放在一块儿。”
松鸦爪开始清理枯萎的枝干和落叶，给新芽留出足够的生长空间。他想象阳光正持续照射着这些饱受虐待的植物，给它们温暖，帮助它们迅速地生长。但是秃叶季已经近在眼前，到时候，一切都会停止生长的。族群里的病猫们能等到下个绿叶季新鲜的猫薄荷吗？
等到能做的事情都做完了，松鸦爪和罂粟霜将采集到的猫薄荷分成两份——其实一只猫就能很轻松地带走这点草药——然后他们回到了营地。
“发生了什么事？”松鸦爪刚钻过黑莓丛，就听到叶池带着焦虑的刺耳的声音，“怎么去了这么长时间？你们怎么没多采些回来？”
松鸦爪把草药放在她的爪子边：“就只有这么一点了。”
“什么？”
罂粟霜走到他的身边，把她带回来的那份放了上去。她静静地向叶池说明了他们在两脚兽巢穴附近看到的情形。
“这太可怕了！”叶池喊道，“这是我所知道的我们领地上唯一长着猫薄荷的地方。”
“就把这些都给小荆棘用吧。”松鸦爪几乎没有听出是谁在说话，这个声音非常沙哑。接着他就闻到米莉的气息，猜到她已经过来和她的幼崽住在一起了。“我会好起来的，叶池，真的。”接着她便剧烈地咳嗽起来。
松鸦爪不信她的话。她听起来比上次说话的时候更严重了。他能感觉到叶池正为她的病情感到揪心。
“我去向火星报告情况。”罂粟霜喃喃地说着，钻出了巫医巢穴。
“米莉，你的情况并不好。”内心的忧虑让叶池的语气非常严厉，“看看你咳出来的这些东西。你的病已经恶化成绿咳症了。你必须住在这里，让我和松鸦爪照顾你。”
“但是小黄蜂和小梅花该怎么办？”米莉提高了声音，又引起一阵猛烈的干咳，“黛西没办法像照顾自己的幼崽一样照顾他们。”
“我现在不是在跟你商量。”叶池反驳道，“黛西会想办法做好这件事的。而且小荆棘已经病了，你想把绿咳症传染给其他的幼崽吗？”
米莉还没开口说话，巢穴入口就响起了爪子落地的声音。松鸦爪认出是灰条来了。“怎么样了？”灰毛武士问道，“米莉，我在营地另一边就能听见你的咳嗽声。”
“她得了绿咳症。”叶池告诉他，“不——就待在原地！”她从松鸦爪的身边冲过去，松鸦爪想象她正把匆忙走向伴侣的灰条挡住的样子。“你也想被传染吗？然后再传染给营地里的每一只猫吗？”
巢穴里有片刻的沉默。松鸦爪感觉到灰条正在不停地踱步，对米莉的病情既生气又担心。“好吧，”灰毛武士最后说道，“有什么我能帮上忙的吗？”
“去告诉黛西。”叶池回答道，“她必须在育婴室里独自照顾所有的四只幼崽，因为我们没办法让米莉离开这里。好在小玫瑰和小蟾蜍可以吃肉了，这也许能减轻一点她的负担。”
“好的。”灰条得知能帮上忙，听起来轻松了些，“我会确保她有足够的猎物——我也给你们拿些猎物过来。如果你们还需要别的东西，请随时告诉我。”
“谢谢，灰条。”叶池说道。
“我爱你，米莉！”灰条冲自己的伴侣喊道，“别担心孩子，我每天都会去看望他们的。”
米莉只能精疲力竭地咕哝着回应他，咳嗽已经耗去了她全部的精力。松鸦爪听到，她把小荆棘往自己肚子边拉了拉。“多吃点，小宝贝儿。”她低声说道，“长得壮壮的，你的病很快就会好了。”
“我可以拿些琉璃苣叶给黛西，让她的奶水尽量充足一些。”松鸦爪提议。
“可以。但是你得先在这儿看着米莉和小荆棘。”叶池指示道，“我得去告诉火星，营地里出现了绿咳症。”说完她就飞快地走出了巫医巢穴。
松鸦爪走进岩缝，清点琉璃苣叶的数量。它们用完了，但是他知道哪里能采到更多的。他给黛西留下足够的琉璃苣叶子，开始咀嚼那些少得可怜的猫薄荷，准备给米莉和小荆棘用。
我们需要更多的猫薄荷，但我不知道上哪儿去找。假如我相信在绿叶季到来之前族群里只有这两只猫生病，那我简直蠢得就像一只老鼠。
叶池回来的时候，一阵冰冷的风吹乱了巫医巢穴入口的黑莓丛。冰冷的半月从山谷上方升起，月光照亮了最高处的树。
“是时候去月亮池了。”她焦急地说道，“但愿天空布满乌云，我不想这个时候离开米莉和小荆棘。”
“你不是非去不可。”松鸦爪提醒道，“你说得对，这里离不开你。我可以自己去。”
“哦，但是……”叶池反对的话没有说完。
听到叶池没再说下去，松鸦爪也站在那里没有说话。他想补充说，她太累了，没办法走那么远；照顾这些生病的猫，已经耗尽了她全部的精力，如果还强撑着去月亮池，她很有可能会在爬山的过程中摔下山谷。但是松鸦爪知道，这些建议不说出来更好，否则叶池会更加坚定自己的决心，来证明她什么都能行。
“学徒要跟着老师才能去那里。”叶池喃喃地说，似乎是说给她自己听的，“但是我知道，破例一次也无妨。你也认识路……而且我必须得留在这里照顾米莉和小荆棘。”
太好了！松鸦爪强忍住高兴得要跳起来的冲动。
“好吧！”叶池终于下定了决心，“但是一定要小心，而且不要跟柳光起争执。”
我会吗？虽然松鸦爪并不喜欢蛾翅的学徒，但他明白，他是雷族唯一的代表，还是不要惹恼柳光比较妥当。
“那我走了。”他说道。
“对了……松鸦爪，如果你碰巧发现了猫薄荷……”
“我会一起带回来的。”松鸦爪答应道，尽管他知道这个许诺有多么空洞。雷族的领地上再没有生长猫薄荷的地方了。也许他们需要到离湖更远的地方去寻找足够的猫薄荷，来治疗生病的族猫。
第五章
第五章
松鸦爪穿过荆棘通道，然后走进了森林。这次是他单独出行，晚上的气息和声响也显得比以往更加清晰。没有别的猫在旁边照料他，就算被树枝缠倒，或者爪子踩到坑里去，他也能自己应付得来。
现在他对雷族的领地已经非常熟悉，特别是在他参加了那场战斗以后。他很快就走出了雷族的领地，爬上满是石头的山脊。他能闻到前面有其他猫的气息，他辨认出了河族的柳光、风族的青面和他的学徒隼爪，但是没有小云的气味。
那些气息很快就变得非常浓烈。松鸦爪意识到其他巫医正在等着他赶上。他在他们面前停住，低头致意：“大家好。”
“你好，松鸦爪。”青面说道，“狩猎的情况怎么样？”他的声音听起来略带尴尬。松鸦爪感到他内心的深深歉意，似乎风族巫医很想为两个族群间的敌意说声抱歉。
松鸦爪点头致意，表示他已领会这位长者未曾说出的情感：“很好，谢谢关心。”
“叶池在哪里呢？”柳光追问道。
“她来不了了。”松鸦爪回答，“她有别的工作要做。”尽管巫医和其他猫所遵循的规则不同，他还是不想让其他族群知道雷族营地出现了绿咳症，因为这会让他们觉得雷族变弱了。
另外三只猫都很惊讶。柳光更是气呼呼地说：“我拥有了巫医名号后，蛾翅才允许我独自来月亮池。”
我敢打赌，蛾翅一直都愿意让你自己去。对她来说，去月亮池的旅程就是在浪费她的时间。松鸦爪很想反驳柳光，不过最终还是忍住了。河族的巫医从不信仰星族，对她而言，与其在月半的夜晚长途跋涉去月亮池，还不如待在自己的窝里打发时间。
“看来小云不会来了。”青面嘀咕着，“我还以为他至少会对星族保持忠诚。”
松鸦爪想告诉他小云一直在努力。但是这样一来，就难免要暴露他擅闯影族领地的事。小云曾竭力反驳日神教唆他的族猫的话，只是没有效果。影族已经背叛了他们的武士祖灵，黑星肯定会禁止他的巫医到月亮池来。
“或许他在影族领地内，也能与星族交流。”柳光喃喃道。
“而且星族也许能告诉我们，该拿日神怎么办。”松鸦爪提醒道，虽然他在心底认为这是不大可能的。
青面也同意松鸦爪的说法：“我们最好现在就出发，不用等他。我们正在浪费这个月夜。”
松鸦爪跟随另外的猫走在盘旋着通往月亮池的小路上，耳边能听到水向下流的声音，以及前进时发出的轻柔的爪子落地声。当爪子踏入祖灵们很久很久之前踩出的洼坑时，他感觉自己与岩石、落叶，还有其他先祖越来越近。
我希望今天能有个非常好的梦，他想，也该是时候了。
自从在影族看到了那个幻象，跟叶池谈论了相关的事情，松鸦爪就想再遇到那只奇怪的獾——午夜。如果在月半的时候、在月亮池这个特殊的地方它都不出现，那么它或许根本就不想现身吧。
其他猫依次在池边坐下。松鸦爪也挨着青面坐了下来。隼爪紧挨着老师的另一边。柳光则在距离水面稍远的地方找了个位置。
松鸦爪伸长脖子，用鼻子触碰着池水。从鼻尖传来冰冷的触感，使他浑身一个激灵。他蜷起身体，闭上眼睛，等待睡梦袭来。
松鸦爪睁开双眼时，发现自己正处在一个坑坑洼洼的空地内，一道悬崖突然出现在爪边，他赶紧往后退了一步，崖下的景象让他头晕目眩。风在岩石上方呼啸，松鸦爪紧紧地抓着混着沙砾的土壤，唯恐被风吹落下去。微微的亮光照亮山顶。松鸦爪看着他的周围，不知道现在是黄昏还是拂晓。他起初以为这儿只有他一个，但很快他就发现，一块巨石上有个身影正在移动。他认出了岩石浑身无毛、变形的身躯和失明的眼睛。
“你在这儿！”松鸦爪倒吸一口凉气，“你有什么事情要告诉我吗？”
岩石摇了摇头说：“我把想见你的那位给带过来了。”
一个影影绰绰的黑色身影从岩石身后站了起来，然后缓缓地走向空地。松鸦爪的爪子紧紧地抓住了地面，脖子上的毛开始竖立起来。他凝视着獾那双亮闪闪的眼睛。
“你就是午夜？”松鸦爪说道，难以抑制的兴奋使他的声音颤抖着，“你就是那只帮助过雷族的獾吗？”
这只体形庞大的动物低头致意，它的头上浅色的条纹在昏暗的光线中若隐若现：“别害怕，小家伙。你愿意跟我谈谈吗？”
“愿意。我……我想问你的是，我们去影族的那天，你为什么会出现？出现在那里的獾就是你，对吧？”
午夜点点头：“我去那儿，是想看看日神跟族群里的猫说了什么。”
“你认识日神？”松鸦爪感到非常吃惊。
“他来过我在海边的巢穴。那时他听说了居住在湖边的猫族，问了我许多问题。”
“你回答他了？”难道这就是日神得知那么多族群信息的原因？“为什么？叶池说你是我们的朋友！”松鸦爪激动地问道。
午夜耸了耸它巨大的肩膀说：“做朋友的方式多种多样。的确，我给日神传递了一些信息。但是知道得多，并不意味着会更强大。”
“日神已经有了足够大的力量。”松鸦爪悻悻地说道，“他已经说服一个族群，放弃了对星族的信仰。”
“也许星族应该尝试着重新获得影族的信任。”
松鸦爪眨了眨眼睛。他记得岩石以前告诉过他，星族并没有那种能力。“那星族要怎么做？”
一道黑色的光从午夜的眼里闪过。“如果忠诚足够坚定，它就能实现一切。”它安慰着松鸦爪。
“这算什么回答！”松鸦爪沮丧地喊道，“为什么你告诉了日神，却不告诉我？”
午夜没有回答。它巨大的身形开始褪色，渐渐消散在朦胧的昏暗中。它额头的白色条纹还在空中多停留了一个心跳的时间，然后才完全消失了。
松鸦爪向四周的荒野看了看。岩石也消失了，只剩下他自己孤零零地站在荒凉的山顶。他挣扎着想从梦中醒来，使劲地眨着眼睛，希望睁开眼睛后看到的依旧是熟悉的黑暗。但是这些并没有用。我怎么被困在这儿了？他想着，开始变得紧张起来。
接着，他发现有两只猫正穿过空地朝他走来，风吹着他们的皮毛。第一只虎斑猫身形健壮，一只耳朵少了一块。跟在他后面的是一只身材矮小的灰白相间的公猫，鼻尖垂着一滴亮闪闪的鼻涕。他俩的爪子上都闪烁着微弱的星光，神情紧张地往前走着，不停地扫视着暗处，好像觉得随时都会有敌人向他们跳出来。
虎斑猫走到松鸦爪面前，低头致意。“你好，松鸦爪。”他说道，“我叫残星，曾经是影族的族长。这位是奔鼻，是我们族群的巫医。”
松鸦爪看着这两只猫。叶池曾经跟他说过奔鼻，看起来即使到了星族，这位前任巫医也没能治好自己的感冒。“你们找我来，是想跟我说些什么吗？”
“为了我们的族群。”残星回答道，声音里带着些许悲伤，“如果没有猫帮助他们，那么日神最终会分裂影族。族猫们将散落四处，沦为泼皮猫！族群所有的荣誉和骄傲也将不复存在！”
“我已经在小云的梦境中跟他谈过了。”奔鼻把尾巴尖搭在族长的肩膀上补充道，“他还坚守着对星族的信仰，但听从他的猫为数不多。现在黑星禁止他谈及星族，并且不许他离开营地，不许他来月亮池跟我们对话。”
“但是……你们想要我做什么呢？”松鸦爪困惑地问道，“我又不能去影族和黑星谈话。即便我去了，他也不会听我的。他会立即把我送回雷族的。”
“我不能告诉你怎么做。”残星说道，“直觉告诉我，你很可能就是那只拯救影族的猫。”
他说完，和奔鼻绝望地对视了一眼。看到这里，松鸦爪意识到，不只是影族背叛了星族，影族的武士祖灵也做好了放弃影族的准备。
愤怒像一根荆棘刺痛了松鸦爪的肚子，他脖子上的毛再次竖立起来。好吧，他无声地咆哮着，如果他们什么都不做，那就让我来做吧！一定有什么办法可以打败日神，重新树立影族对武士祖灵的信仰。然后日神就可以履行他的承诺，帮助我们实现预言了。
“我会试试的。”松鸦爪应承道，并未刻意隐藏声音里的愤怒和鄙视，“至少我不会坐待结局，像迷路的幼崽一样只是哭鼻子。”
“谢谢。”残星再次点低头致意，“你的武士祖灵……”
他的声音开始逐渐消失，就像身体影像的消失一样，尽管松鸦爪还是可以清楚地看到他和奔鼻。松鸦爪不知所措地环顾四周，又看了看爪子。眼前的景象让他一怔——他能透过自己的爪子，看到地面的岩石。
是我正在消失！
松鸦爪的眼睛在黑暗中睁开了。他正蜷缩在月亮池边，耳边传来潺潺的流水声，其他的巫医也在他的身边醒了过来。
他跟着青面、隼爪和柳光再次走下山脊，回想着梦境中的情形。午夜几乎没有告诉他接下来应该怎么办，只是说是它告诉日神族群的信息的。太阳消失的事情会不会也是它告诉日神的呢？如果是，松鸦爪也不会有任何惊讶。午夜也没给出解决影族问题的建议。它似乎认为星族能够重拾影族对它们的信仰，但是显然星族也没打算做任何事情——除了向一位巫医学徒寻求帮助之外。
在风族边界，松鸦爪与其他的巫医道别。一阵轻柔的风从荒原的方向吹过来，带来了草药和兔子的气息。柳光走上前来，用她的尾巴扫了扫松鸦爪的肩膀：“愿星族伴你同行，松鸦爪，下次再见。”
“谢谢，”松鸦爪咕哝着，“你也一样。”柳光清楚地知道，松鸦爪不会对她有多少好感，毕竟他们初次见面的时候发生了那么激烈的争吵。她对自己比他先获得巫医名号非常得意。至于松鸦爪，他也不想多说什么，他现在必须好好想一想。
击败日神的唯一方法，就是让影族恢复对武士祖灵力量的信任。我该怎么做到这些呢？
松鸦爪回想着当初在急水部落的情形。他仍清晰地记得，尖石巫师发现杀无尽部落放弃了在瀑布后面生活的猫群时，心里是多么悲痛。松鸦爪并不相信尖石巫师，但他仍为那位年迈的领袖感到遗憾。
尖石巫师不得不说谎，来说服部落猫反抗入侵者。他的谎言让部落猫充满了勇气，成功地打败了入侵的猫。他们诚心诚意完成武士祖灵期望的事，急水部落也因此变得更强大了。
可是，简单地撒个谎是不能说服影族的呀，松鸦爪对自己说，得好好想想才行。
松鸦爪到达山谷的时候，感到清风正徐徐吹来，黎明的曙光微露，鸟儿在枝头喳喳鸣叫。真想吃一只肥美的画眉呀！他饥肠辘辘地想。
他穿过空地时，想到米莉和小荆棘，不由得一阵忧心。但是一走进巫医巢穴，他就听到三只猫均匀平稳的呼吸。太好了。他们都需要好好睡一觉。
松鸦爪并没有去睡觉，他再次悄悄地钻出巫医巢穴。他并不感觉累，相反的，他正兴奋得发抖。回营地的路上，一个计划浮现在了他的脑海中，现在他需要跟他的同窝猫商量。他嗅着空气，希望能找到哥哥和姐姐。他很快就顺着冬青叶的踪迹找到了猎物堆——她正和鼠须、莓鼻一起蹲坐在猎物堆旁边。
“嘿，冬青叶！”松鸦爪喊道。他不想走到她身边，跟其他猫闲聊。
冬青叶朝他跑来。松鸦爪嗅到了她身上的老鼠肉气息，肚子立即咕噜噜地响了起来。“发生什么事情了？”冬青叶问。他感到了冬青叶的急切，就像有闪电从眼前划过。
“我们需要谈谈。狮焰在哪儿？”
“还在武士巢穴睡觉。”冬青叶回答道。
“叫上他。我们在后边碰头。”
松鸦爪来到武士巢穴后面的空地等待冬青叶和狮焰。他紧张地伸缩着爪子，直到他俩也挤进这个狭小的空间。
“我们应该找个更好的地方见面。”狮焰抱怨地说，“等我们再长大点儿，就真的挤不进来了。”
“别抱怨了！”松鸦爪呵斥着，挪了挪让出更多的地方，“我要说的事情非常重要。”
“那就告诉我们吧！”冬青叶说道。
松鸦爪把在月亮池的梦告诉了他们，包括他跟獾午夜、星族猫残星和奔鼻的见面。
“星族请求你的帮助？”冬青叶问道，声音里充满敬畏，“真是不可思议啊！”
松鸦爪生气地小声嘶叫道：“你也没必要这么惊讶！”
“你认为你能完成它们的要求吗？”狮焰问，“你知道的，我们一定会帮你的。”
“我有个主意。”松鸦爪开始说道，“我们必须让影族猫相信他们的武士祖灵，对吗？因此他们需要的只是星族存在的证明——一个所有猫都能看到的明显的信息。”
“如果星族能够做到，它们不是应该早就行动吗？”冬青叶疑惑地问道。
“是的，我也这么认为。”松鸦爪激动得毛都竖了起来，“所以，如果星族做不到，我们就不得不代替它们来做了。”
一阵短暂的沉默后，狮焰说道：“制造一个来自星族的信息？”
“为什么不呢？”
“我不知道。”狮焰的声音里充满困惑，“不管怎么说，这听起来似乎……不大好。而且如果我们拥有比星族更强大的力量，影族信不信他们的武士祖灵，又有什么关系呢？”
“当然有关系了，鼠脑子！”冬青叶严厉地说。松鸦爪能感觉到，她的每一寸肌肉都绷紧了，似乎马上就要扑向哥哥，就像扑向一根老鼠尾巴：“四大族群都必须遵守武士守则。”
“好了，冷静点！”狮焰咕哝道。
冬青叶没有理会他，继续说道：“松鸦爪，我不知道我们该怎么做，但是我知道我们能做到的。我愿意做任何事情，从日神手里救出影族。”
她的声音因为紧张而颤抖着。松鸦爪似乎能看到火焰正在她绿色的眼睛里燃烧。一股寒意蹿过松鸦爪的背部。他越来越清晰地感受到，对冬青叶来说，没有什么比武士守则更重要了。松鸦爪第一次对自己的姐姐有些惧怕。
第六章
第六章
冬青叶被一阵咳嗽声吵醒了。她抬起头，在武士巢穴里四处张望。就在几条尾巴远的地方，刺掌正趴在窝里，低着头咳嗽。
他的同窝猫亮心用鼻子拱了拱他肩膀上的皮毛。“别担心。”她嘟哝道，“我去叶池那儿给你拿点草药，吃了你就会好受些了。”
“赶紧去吧！”蛛足不耐烦地说，“这样别的猫才有可能睡着。”
“是啊。现在就像睡在一头怪兽旁边。”莓鼻补充道。
亮心生气地瞪了他们一眼，从牙缝里挤出一声咆哮。“等你们病了，看我会不会帮你们。”她呵斥着，从入口的枝条间钻了出去。
刺掌又是一阵咳嗽：“抱歉。”
“用不着跟那两个蠢毛球道歉。”冬青叶对他说，“如果他们不喜欢听，可以出去做点有用的事。”
蛛足和莓鼻都没搭理她，重新蜷起身子，用尾巴盖住了耳朵。刺掌也躺下了，但是他每次呼吸，都咳得身体不住地晃动。
冬青叶心里着急，再也睡不着了。她缩在窝里，听着雨点滴滴答答地掉落在武士巢穴上面的树枝上。在叶池控制住绿咳症之前，还有多少族猫会被传染呢？
她的思绪又跳跃到前一天与狮焰、松鸦爪的谈话。他们真的需要制造一个假的信息，让影族重拾对星族的信仰吗？那样做会不会惹恼星族？或许他们应该另想方法，证明日神不是一个值得追随的领袖。
虽然很不情愿，但冬青叶仍旧回想起跟日神谈话时的感受，他温暖的目光使她陶醉，他冷静、深沉的声音也让她感觉，好像她只要听从他的建议，一切都会变好。
但是他怂恿一个完整的族群不再信仰星族，这绝对是错误的！星族永远与我们同在！任何族群都不该离星族而去。
与自己的辩论使得冬青叶有些头昏脑涨。她不顾外面仍然传来下雨声，爬起来，走出了武士巢穴。雨水让空地变得一片泥泞，冬青叶飞快地跑进荆棘通道，腿上和肚子上溅满了泥点，站在那里瑟瑟发抖。她的爪子发痒，真想在森林里奔跑，就像寻找猎物一样，去追寻她要的答案。
灰色的晨光勉强透过云层照在山谷。没有其他猫出来活动，只有亮心叼着一些草药，从叶池的巢穴里出来，向武士巢穴跑去。接着高石台上的动静吸引了冬青叶的目光——沙风沿着落石堆跳了下来。这只姜黄色的母猫正朝排便处通道走去，看到冬青叶，便转身跑了过来。
“这么早在这儿干什么呢？”她说道，“出太阳前没有巡逻队要出发。”她甩了甩尾巴，补充道，“运气好的话，到那时雨就会停了。”
“刺掌正在咳嗽。”冬青叶回答道，她意识到自己并没有说出全部实情。
沙风绿色的眼睛里满是关心：“现在我们最不希望看到的就是营地里有猫生病。经过了那场大战，很多猫的身体都很虚弱——尤其是松鼠飞。”
冬青叶的心一紧。她的母亲在战斗中受了重伤，伤势刚刚开始复原。尽管她现在已经搬出了叶池的巫医巢穴，但是仍不能离开营地。她要是也染上了咳嗽，是没有足够的体力抵抗病魔的。
沙风低下头，轻轻地蹭了蹭冬青叶的脑袋。有一个心跳的时间，冬青叶觉得自己还是一只幼崽，生活安全而又顺心。“不要这么担心！”沙风安慰道，“现在族群有足够的武士，叶池是一位出色的巫医。你只要专心学习一切能为雷族服务的知识和技能就好。”
“这也是我正在努力做的。”冬青叶说道，心里却痛苦地明白，自己与目标还相差甚远。
“你在上次的战争中表现得非常好。”沙风鼓励道，“火星很为你骄傲。但是你千万不要做超出你的职责的事情。”
冬青叶忍住了轻蔑的哼哼声。沙风并不知道她到底肩负着怎样的责任。
“不要忘记我跟你说的话。”沙风用尾尖温柔地拍拍冬青叶的肩膀，然后走出通道，向排便处走去。
晨光正在渐渐明亮起来，但是乌云依旧笼罩着天空，雨仍然沙沙地落在空地上。冬青叶看见灰条穿过空地走向巫医巢穴。但他没有进去，只是在黑莓丛前站着。
是去看望米莉的。冬青叶猜想。
过了两个心跳的时间，蜡毛走出了武士巢穴，身后跟着云尾和炭心。他们三个一起朝通道走来。
蜡毛路过冬青叶身边时，朝她点点头，蓝色的眼睛里充满好奇。“你看起来冻坏了。”他说道，“你想和我们一块儿去边界巡逻吗？这样可以暖和起来。”
“当然愿意！”冬青叶不想回到武士巢穴，而且她知道，松鸦爪离了她是不会轻举妄动的。
蜡毛带头走进森林，向旧的两脚兽小道进发。其余的巡逻队成员跟在他的身后，大雨遮掩了他们的爪子落地声。炭心走到冬青叶身边，蓝色的眼睛里流露出紧张的神色。“我不喜欢走这条路，”她坦白道，“它总是让我想起战斗中的很多事。”
冬青叶发出一声赞同的喃喃声。那些记忆也困扰着她，尤其是当他们走到废弃的两脚兽巢穴时。尽管石头上的鲜血已被冲刷殆尽，但是很容易让她想起空中飘荡着的臭气，战斗的呐喊仍然在断壁上回荡着。冬青叶看苔藓覆盖的墙壁和茂密的蕨丛时，脖子上的毛不由自主地竖了起来，有些担心那里会突然跳出几位风族武士。
“停！”云尾一声令下，把冬青叶的思绪拽回现实。白毛武士正站在那里，尾巴高高举起，示意巡逻队的其他成员停下爪子：“前面有情况。”
“你能分辨出是什么吗？”蜡毛轻轻地问，“风族猫？”
云尾摇摇头，他张开嘴巴，分辨着空中的气息。
蜡毛挥挥尾巴，示意冬青叶和炭心后退，让云尾站在队伍的最前方。冬青叶知道，这只白色公猫是雷族最优秀的追踪者，用不了多久他就能弄清楚前面发生了什么。
云尾沿着两脚兽小道悄悄地匍匐前进，他紧贴着雨水侵袭过的灌木丛，利用低垂的树枝掩盖着白色的皮毛。蜡毛跟在他的身后，冬青叶和炭心殿后。跟在高级武士身后匍匐前行时，冬青叶也捕捉到了一股不熟悉的气息。她仔细闻了闻，浑身的毛奓开了。她和炭心交换了一个警觉的眼神。
影族猫！
冬青叶试图说服自己，这些气息是之前的战争残留下来的。但她知道，这些气息还很新鲜，而且越往前进，气息就越浓。她的肚子抽搐起来。日神真的不会教唆影族入侵雷族领地吗？
他不会吗？冬青叶仿佛听到了松鸦爪的声音，充满了冷嘲热讽。
云尾和蜡毛立刻蹲伏在地上，做好了跳出去加入战斗的准备；冬青叶和炭心连忙照着做。雨差不多已经停了，但风依旧在不停地把树叶上的雨水摇下来，掉落在冬青叶的脸颊上。现在她听到动静，是几只猫穿过湿漉漉的灌木丛，朝着两脚兽小道推推搡搡地走过来。
接着她听到了尖细的抱怨声：“妈妈，香薇叶上的水都落到我的脖子上了！”
“别吵！”一只猫回答道，“我们马上就到了。”
“褐皮！焰爪！”冬青叶跳上前去，完全没注意到蜡毛正发出愤怒的嘶吼。
通道旁的蕨叶向两边分开，一只影族母猫钻了出来。她的三个孩子跟在后面，当他们来到空地的时候，立刻迫不及待地甩着身体上的雨水。
“是你啊！”褐皮松了口气，跟冬青叶碰了碰鼻子，“感谢星族！幸好碰见的是认识的猫。”她转身对云尾和蜡毛点点头。“你们好！”她说道，“我是来……”
“你没有权利来这儿。”蜡毛打断了她的话，脊背上的毛直直地竖了起来，“你想干什么？就你自己，还是你带了其他的影族猫？”
“少安毋躁。”云尾用尾巴挡在灰毛武士的嘴巴前，“让她先把话说完。”
褐皮对云尾眨眨眼睛表示感谢。“我把我的孩子们带到雷族。”她的声音很低，这样她的孩子就听不到了，三只小猫正在路边挤成一团，大大的眼睛不停地扫视周围的一切。“我不想再留在不信任武士祖灵的族群了。”
她说话的时候，冬青叶注意到褐皮看起来非常疲倦，也非常饥饿。她的声音都在颤抖。她不是以前的她了——当初去山里的时候，她是多么坚强和聪明的一只猫呀。
“那你凭什么认为……”蜡毛开口了，语气里仍然充满敌意。
“别再鼠脑子了，你应该帮帮她。”云尾对他喊道，“我们有必要害怕什么吗？只是一位猫后和几个幼崽。”
“我们已经是学徒了！”焰爪突然生气地喊道。
云尾弹了弹他的耳朵。“那无关紧要。放松些，你们可以去雷族营地。火星一定很想听听，影族到底发生了什么事。”他瞥了蜡毛一眼，“而且，他们的去留最终得由火星决定。”
蜡毛蓝色的眼睛里仍然燃烧着愤怒的火焰。“好吧，”他厉声说道，“我们回营地。如果因为我们没有完成巡逻，让风族钻空子穿越了边界，别把责任算在我头上。”
他带头顺着小路往回走，云尾和褐皮紧随其后，炭心跟在他俩后面，三只小学徒则围在冬青叶身边。
“你好，冬青爪！”虎爪说道。
“我现在叫冬青叶了。”冬青叶告诉他们。
“哇，你是武士啦！”曙爪的眼睛瞪大了，“恭喜你！”
“冬青叶！冬青叶！”焰爪欢呼起来，他的哥哥和妹妹也一起欢呼起来。
炭心回过头来，深蓝色眼睛饶有兴趣地看着他们：“听起来就像你新收了三个学徒。”
“别这么说！”冬青叶窘得皮毛都有些发烫，“我被你们几个缠得没法儿走了。我们快掉队了。”
年轻的学徒们停止吵闹，开始跟在冬青叶身边小跑起来，尾巴在空中高高地竖着。
“那是什么地方？”经过废弃的巢穴时，曙爪问道。
“两脚兽曾经住在里面。”冬青叶解释说，“但是它们搬走很久了。”她看到三位小学徒紧张地环顾四周，补充道，“你们能闻到两脚兽的气息吗？”
三个小家伙都张开小嘴，仔细地嗅着，然后郑重地摇摇头。虎爪宣布说：“一个都没有。”
“做得好。”冬青叶说道。她想，这是否就是当老师的感受？
“你们族群其他的猫呢？”在匆匆追赶其他猫时，焰爪问。
“绝大多数都在营地。”冬青叶回答道，“我们是黎明巡逻队。狩猎猫可能已经出发了，虽然现在天色还早。”
“我们能狩猎吗？”曙爪问，“我们好饿！”
“不要把自己当成愚蠢的毛球。”虎爪用尾巴尖弹了弹曙爪的耳朵，斥责道，“你不能在其他族群的领地上狩猎。”
“哼，我就是问问。”曙爪不服气地说道。
“现在还不到狩猎的时间。”冬青叶回答道。她在想，不知道这几位小学徒狩猎的技巧是否娴熟。他们还很年轻，应该没接受过多少训练。“我想，到了营地，你们应该就有吃的了。”
焰爪眼睛一亮，说道：“谢谢！”
冬青叶走近点看着他们，想起来曙爪曾经说他们很饿，看来她的话是真的。走近之后可以发现，他们几个都很瘦，肚子上的肋骨透过皮毛清晰可见。褐皮也是，看起来很瘦，肚子瘪瘪的。她的毛发看起来至少有一个月没有清理了。影族领地上的猎物是不是出问题了？
“你觉得日神知道我们来这儿了吗？”他们离开两脚兽小道，向山谷走的时候，虎爪问道。
冬青叶不知道该怎样回答。日神对于她和她的同窝猫都了如指掌，而且他还知道太阳会消失。可是松鸦爪已经告诉她，日神所知的很多事情都是午夜告诉他的。他会知道褐皮和她的孩子现在在哪儿吗？如果知道他们离开了影族，他会不会生气呢？
“我不知道日神到底知不知道，”她坦白道，“你们离开的时候，你们的母亲没告诉他吗？”
“才不会呢！”曙爪战栗着，恐惧得眼睛睁大了，“他绝对不会放我们走的。”
冬青叶不用再挖空心思回应他们的问题了，他们已经绕过榛树丛，来到营地入口的荆棘屏障前。黑莓掌正站在外面，感受着空中的气息。他凌乱的深色皮毛说明他刚睡醒。巡逻队一行出现在眼前时，他盯着褐皮愣了一会儿，然后跑上前来，把鼻子埋进妹妹的肩膀。
“见到你们真好！”黑莓掌说道，“你和孩子们都好吗？影族怎么样了？”
“一切都挺好，”褐皮谨慎地看了蜡毛一眼，回答道，“影族领地上的猎物也足够。”
黑莓掌眯起眼睛，久久地打量着妹妹。冬青叶看出黑莓掌并不相信褐皮的话。如果食物真的充足，她和幼崽们怎么可能如此消瘦？“你还是先进营地吧。”他最终开口说道，“我去告诉火星你们来了。”
他穿过了荆棘屏障。三位学徒急切地跟在母亲身后，但是当他们来到空地时，终于犹豫地停了下来，看着四周，身上的毛也竖了起来。
“别害怕。”冬青叶宽慰道，“黑莓掌说你们可以进来，所以没有猫会伤害你们的。”
三只年轻猫这才稍微放松了些。虎爪瞥见猎物堆时，眼睛开始放光了。“我们可以吃一点吗？”他问冬青叶，“我们实在太饿了！”
“最好先去问问黑莓掌。”冬青叶回答道。
黑莓掌正在一条尾巴远的地方和褐皮说话，听见了虎爪可怜的请求。“请便吧！”他用尾巴做了个邀请的动作说，“这里的猎物够你们吃了。”
三只年轻猫立刻奔向猎物堆。冬青叶跟在后面。“慢点儿吃，要不然肚子会痛的。”她警告他们。
焰爪对她匆匆地点点头，然后和哥哥妹妹一块儿扎进猎物堆。他们扒开上层那些被雨水打湿的猎物，找到几只干爽、美味的猎物，趴在地上呼噜呼噜地吃了起来。
冬青叶也给自己取了一只老鼠。她刚准备吃，就看见狮焰从武士巢穴走出来，身后还跟着松鸦爪。他俩穿过空地向她走来，发现影族学徒居然在这儿，不约而同地弹了弹耳朵。
“发生什么事了吗？”松鸦爪问道。冬青叶闻到他的皮毛上散发着草药的味道，他一定是去看过刺掌了。“这儿有影族猫吗？”
“嗨，狮焰！”曙爪嘴里咬着田鼠肉叫道，“能再次见到你真好。”
“我也很高兴见到你。”狮焰回应着，看了看凌乱的猎物堆说，“看起来，你们就像在自己营地一样自在。”
“妈妈要去哪儿？”焰爪发现褐皮跟着黑莓掌朝高石台的方向走去，问道。
“黑莓掌正要带着她去见火星，”冬青叶解释道，“火星的窝就在高石台那儿。”
“那么高？”虎爪欢呼着，“太酷了！”
“但是他们怎么会在我们营地里？”松鸦爪坚持问道，声音略显尖锐。
冬青叶向松鸦爪解释了黎明巡逻队是如何在森林里遇见褐皮和她的孩子们，然后把他们带回营地的经过。“她说，她不想留在不再信仰武士祖灵的族群里。”她最后说道。
松鸦爪什么也没说，但仿佛在思考着什么。他的胡须抖动着，像是正在搜寻猎物一般。冬青叶猜想，他应该正在想还有多少猫会离开影族，而且褐皮和她的孩子们以后能为他伪造星族信息出力。
越来越多的猫从武士巢穴走出来。尘毛走向猎物堆，后面跟着鼠须和蜜蕨。狐爪和冰爪也从学徒巢穴跑了出来。
“伟大的星族，这里怎么了？”尘毛说着皱了皱鼻子，“猎物堆是怎么了？看起来就像被一群獾劫掠过。”
“呃……我们来客人了。”冬青叶说道。
尘毛盯着三只学徒猫，尾巴直直地竖了起来。“这不是影族猫吗？”他生气地叹了口气，“他们把猎物全都弄湿了？”
虎爪大声说道：“我们不想吃那些湿乎乎的猎物。”
“别的猫也不想吃它们。”蜜蕨提醒道。她用爪子在剩下的猎物中翻找着，希望能找到干一点儿的猎物。
“那我们该怎么办啊？”冰爪说着，用尾巴拍着一只湿漉漉的兔子，“如果把这样的猎物拿给鼠毛，她肯定会把我们的耳朵扯下来的。”
冬青叶转向三位影族学徒说：“你们这样做很不礼貌，对不对？”
三只年轻猫垂下尾巴，盯着自己的爪子。“对不起。”焰爪小声地说。
“日神说我们只能靠自己来获得更好的生活。”曙爪解释道，“他还说我们不应该把所有的时间都花在考虑战斗和标记边界上。那样的话，所有的猫都有时间为自己狩猎，所有麻烦也都迎刃而解了。”
冬青叶惊讶地和狮焰对视了一眼。日神在影族所宣扬的生活，哪儿还有武士守则的影子？
“那些不能为自己狩猎的猫怎么办呢？”她问曙爪。
这位学徒看起来并不确定：“嗯……我们不会让任何一只猫饿着的。”
也许你不会，但是其他的猫呢？在他们只能勉强喂饱自己的时候？冬青叶想，而且你们三个看起来像是很久没有吃饱过了。
“曙爪，你不应该听信那只蠢猫的浑话，”虎爪直接说着，推了妹妹一把，“他不会再让我们接受训练成为武士。我想为自己的族群战斗！”
“而且我真的很想当一位巫医。”焰爪补充着，用爪子狠狠地挠着湿透的地面，“但是日神说，如果每只猫都懂些草药和医疗知识，就不再需要巫医了。我本来打算做小云的学徒，但是现在甚至连老师都不再有了。”
“黑星说，我们以后必须叫他黑脚。”曙爪垂着尾巴，补充道。
“听起来影族似乎已经分崩离析了。”尘毛吞下最后一口画眉肉，舔舔嘴巴评论道，“我也不想说这种话，但是很遗憾，我看到它居然发生了。你们族群还是有些不错的武士。”他用尾巴示意鼠须和蜜蕨：“走吧——我们去组织个巡逻队，看看能不能抓到新鲜一点的猎物吃。”
他说完便向武士巢穴走去。冰爪与狐爪叼起那只兔子，带着它走向长老巢穴。
“等会儿你要解释一下为什么它是湿的。”冰爪说道。
“不，你去解释。”狐爪抗议道。
冬青叶看着他们的背影，爪子颤抖着，像是在地上扎了根。“我们能做些什么呢？”她嘴里问着，却并不期待谁能给她一个答案。没有什么办法能够让影族恢复对武士祖灵的信仰了。即便松鸦爪的伪造计划，现在也没有多大希望，他们已经听日神讲了太多的反对武士守则的有毒言论。
狮焰摇摇头，琥珀色的眼睛里满是不安的神情：“我不知道。”
“再给我们讲讲日神！”松鸦爪请求道，“他……”
“嘿，我和你长得挺像的，不是吗？”虎爪插嘴了，他把一只爪子放在狮焰的身边，比较着他俩的金黄色皮毛，“我们一定是亲戚。”
“没错。”狮焰说着，友好地舔了一下小猫的耳朵，“你们的母亲和我们的父亲是兄妹。”
虎爪骄傲地点点头：“他们的父亲都是虎星。我就继承了他的名字。虎星永远都是最伟大的武士！”
狮焰抖动着耳朵：“我们都应该努力成为最伟大的武士。”
曙爪一直凝视着高石台，好像一直在等待母亲出现。“我们要加入雷族吗？”她问道，听起来并不情愿，“毕竟这里是母亲出生的族群。”
焰爪叹了口气：“我不想。叶池已经有一位学徒了，而且我想做影族的巫医。”
虎爪用鼻子蹭了蹭弟弟的耳朵说：“我明白。我也想为影族战斗。”
冬青叶同情地看着这三只年轻猫，心都碎了。他们当然想回到自己的营地。他们依然对影族忠诚，即使所有的事情都发生了变化。她的内心有一丝温暖的光芒在闪动。日神一直努力地破坏武士守则，但是他失败了。武士守则已经在这些学徒的心里生根。日神没办法改变每只猫内心长久以来的信仰。
冬青叶把爪子插进湿润的泥土。无论怎样，必须找到一个办法摆脱日神，让影族重新回到族群的正途上来。
CHAPTER12
CHAPTER12
Leafpool let out a yelp of horror.“I’m coming!” She slipped past Jaypaw and raced after Sandstorm.
Jaypaw snatched up a couple of the coltsfoot stalks and dashed after her, scrambling up the rocks leading to Firestar’s den without stopping to think about where to put his paws.
When he reached Highledge the smell of sickness struck him like a blow. Inside his den, Firestar was coughing, and as Jaypaw padded up to him he could feel the heat of fever pulsing from his body. Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt stood on end. What would happen to ThunderClan now that their leader was ill?
“Thanks, Jaypaw,” Leafpool mewed, taking the coltsfoot from him. “Here, Firestar, eat these.”
“I’m not that sick,” Firestar protested, his voice already roughened from coughing. “You should keep the herbs for cats who need them.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Leafpool snapped. “Youneed them. I’m your medicine cat now, and don’t you forget it.”
“You were so quiet when you were a kit.” Weary amusement crept into Firestar’s voice. “I never thought you would turn out this bossy.”
“Well, I did, so do as you’re told.” Leafpool sounded full of affection for her father. “Come on—you know the Clan needs you to be strong and fit.”
As Firestar chewed up the herbs, Jaypaw slipped out of the den and down into the clearing. Halting at the foot of the rocks, he tasted the air, hoping to find an apprentice to fetch fresh bedding for Firestar. At least the Clan leader could be kept apart in his den, so that he wouldn’t pass on the sickness to healthy cats.
But instead of an apprentice’s, the first scent Jaypaw picked up was Brambleclaw’s.
“What’s going on?” the deputy asked.
“You shouldn’t go up there.” Jaypaw blocked Brambleclaw from climbing the rocks. “Firestar has greencough.”
“Oh, great StarClan!” Brambleclaw’s voice was shocked. “You are helping him, aren’t you?”
“Leafpool’s with him,” Jaypaw meowed. “She’ll do her best.”
“I know.” His father sounded a little reassured. “Let me pass, Jaypaw. I’ve got to speak to Firestar about the patrols.”
“Okay.” Jaypaw moved out of the way. “Stay out on the Highledge, though, and talk to him from there. Don’t get too close.”
Jaypaw tasted the air again as Brambleclaw’s paw steps receded up the rocks, but he still couldn’t pick up Foxpaw’s or Icepaw’s scent. This time, it was Graystripe who padded up to him.
“Jaypaw, how is Millie?” he demanded. “She’s really sick, isn’t she?”
Jaypaw would have liked to find a comforting lie, but he knew that Graystripe would never believe it. He nodded, and was almost knocked off his paws by the strength of the agony that surged over him from the gray warrior. Is that love?he wondered. Does Graystripe care about Millie that much? It’s as if his own life was in danger!
“The silver cat who died,” he mewed. “You loved her, didn’t you?”
Graystripe caught his breath, startled. “Y-yes. Her name was Silverstream. She was Stormfur and Feathertail’s mother.” He fell silent, wreathed in sad memories.
“You couldn’t have done anything to save her,” Jaypaw told him. “She lives in StarClan, and she’s watching over Millie now. She doesn’t want Millie to join her in StarClan yet, not when she has your kits to care for.”
“You know all this?” Graystripe asked, shocked.
Jaypaw nodded. “I heard her in a vision.”
“It’s so like Silverstream to care,” Graystripe murmured, “but it’s not much comfort right now. StarClan can’t fight greencough any better than we can here.” He sounded defeated, as if he had made up his mind that he was going to lose Millie as he had lost Silverstream.
Anger scorched through Jaypaw like a devouring flame. Cats won’t die! I’ll do something!He wanted to battle the sickness, not only for the dying cats of his own Clan, and for warriors like Graystripe who loved them, but for all the cats of StarClan, who didn’t want any more cats in their ranks, not so many and so soon.
And for Brightspirit,he added. She came to help me. And somehow I’ll work out the meaning of what she said
Still looking for Foxpaw and Icepaw, Jaypaw padded over to the apprentices’ den. Before he reached it, he scented a hunting patrol returning through the thorn tunnel: Brackenfur, Lionblaze, Cloudtail, and Cinderheart. All four of them were carrying prey, but Jaypaw could sense their weariness and discouragement.
It’s happening just like Leafpool said, he thought. So many cats are sick, there aren’t enough for all the patrols
Jaypaw stuck his head through the bracken that grew against the entrance to the apprentices’ den. Little snuffling sounds told him Foxpaw was asleep. His breathing was even; the day before, Leafpool had given him a dose of tansy, and it seemed to have cleared up his cough.
One less cat to worry about
“Hey!” Jaypaw slipped inside the den and poked Foxpaw with one paw. “Wake up!”
“Wha…?” Foxpaw raised his head.
“I need you to fetch fresh bedding for Firestar.”
The ginger apprentice let out a huge noisy yawn. “Can’t some other cat do it? I did the dawn patrol, anda hunting patrol with Sandstorm. She said I could have a rest.”
Jaypaw couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sympathy. “Every cat is overworked,” he meowed. “Icepaw could help you if you can find her.”
“She’s out hunting with Whitewing,” Foxpaw told him, scrambling to his paws and grunting as he stretched. “Okay, I’m coming.”
“Make sure the bedding’s dry,” Jaypaw instructed as Foxpaw brushed past the ferns into the clearing. “And get rid of the old stuff well away from camp. Firestar’s sick.”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Foxpaw’s voice was full of dismay. His paw steps receded, racing toward the tunnel.
Jaypaw padded over to the fresh-kill pile and collected a squirrel for the elders. Before he reached their den under the hazel bush, he could hear Longtail coughing, and a comforting murmur from Mousefur.
“Here you are.” Jaypaw dragged the squirrel into the den and dropped it beside Mousefur. “How are you, Longtail?”
“His cough’s getting worse,” Mousefur snapped. “When are you going to fetch him some catmint?”
When hedgehogs fly. Jaypaw suppressed the sharp comment. “We haven’t got any,” he told Mousefur. “I’ll fetch him some tansy, though, and borage for the fever.”
Mousefur snorted. “A poor medicine cat you turned out to be, if you haven’t even got catmint.”
Once again Jaypaw stopped himself from snapping back at her. He knew that the cranky elder was worried about her denmate. At least the tansy leaves Mousefur had eaten had kept her from getting sick…so far.
“Longtail, try to eat some of the fresh-kill,” he urged. “You need to keep your strength up.”
“Okay,” Longtail croaked between bouts of coughing. “Thanks, Jaypaw.”
With a nod to Mousefur, Jaypaw left the den and padded back to the fresh-kill pile to fetch prey for the sick cats in the warriors’ den. When he pushed his way through the branches, he located Thornclaw and Dustpelt in nests to one side. Ferncloud was curled up close to her mate.
“This is ridiculous,” the tabby warrior was mewing. “I’m perfectly able to go out on patrol.”
“No, you’re not,” Ferncloud told him. “You’re staying here if I have to hold you down.” Jaypaw heard her tongue rasping affectionately over her mate’s pelt.
Jaypaw dropped a mouse in front of Dustpelt and another beside Thornclaw. The golden tabby had been ill for longer than any cat except Millie, and his breathing sounded fast and shallow. He lay on one side, and didn’t respond when Jaypaw checked him with a paw. His pelt was rough and Jaypaw could feel every one of his ribs. Jaypaw’s muscles tensed. Thornclaw could already be on his way to StarClan.
“Is there anything I can do?” Jaypaw felt Ferncloud’s breath warm against his ear.
“Not much, but thanks,” Jaypaw meowed. “Try to get him to eat that mouse when he wakes.”
“I will.” Ferncloud touched her nose to Jaypaw’s muzzle, then went to curl up again beside Dustpelt.
“Jaypaw.” Squirrelflight’s voice came from the other side of the den. “I want you to tell Leafpool that I’m fit enough to go hunting.” Her paw steps approached; Jaypaw could feel pain and stiffness in every movement.
“So you want me to lie to my mentor?”
“Lie? Nonsense! You can tell her my wound has healed.”
Jaypaw sniffed at his mother where claws had slashed down her side in the battle with WindClan and RiverClan. The wound had closed and there was no smell of infection, but her fur had yet to grow back and Jaypaw could tell that her muscles were still stiff.
“You’re not ready,” he growled. “And Leafpool would tell you the same. I’ll ask her to come and check you, and maybe you can start some gentle exercises, but that doesn’t include chasing squirrels.”
Squirrelflight snorted. “ThunderClan needs every warrior we have right now.”
“Yes, we do.” Jaypaw’s patience with his mother was rapidly running out. “But can’t you see you’ll make more work for us if you go back on patrol before you’re ready?”
Squirrelflight’s reply was cut off by the sound of another warrior pushing into the den; Jaypaw picked up Mousewhisker’s scent, which had an edge of urgency. “Foxpaw told me that Firestar’s ill!” he exclaimed.
There was a stir of movement among the other cats. “StarClan forbid!” Ferncloud wailed. “What will we do if our leader dies? WindClan and RiverClan will attack us again for sure.”
“He won’t die,” Jaypaw insisted, putting all the conviction he could into the words. “And if he does lose a life, he still has plenty more.”
“That doesn’t mean he can throw them away,” Squirrelflightsnapped. “And Brambleclaw will need to do even more patrols. What if our leader andour deputy get sick?”
“We’re doing everything we can to fight the sickness,” Jaypaw meowed. “And Firestar is a strong, fit cat.”
“I know, but…” Squirrelflight’s voice died away. Jaypaw could sense the same anguish coming from her as he had picked up from Graystripe earlier. Without another word she turned away and padded back to her nest.
Worry surged over Jaypaw again as he thrust through the branches of the warriors’ den and went to collect fresh-kill for the cats in the nursery. He was afraid Leafpool had been right when she said that they were losing the battle. Without catmint, there was nothing they could do.
I have to find someSomehow I must work out what Brightspirit was trying to tell me
By the time Jaypaw had finished reporting to Leafpool and taking what few herbs they had to the sick cats, night was falling. He curled up in his nest in the medicine cats’ den, wriggling deep into the moss to block out the sound of Millie and Briarkit snuffling and wheezing close by.
Maybe now I can figure out what I have to do
Jaypaw remembered his meeting with the beautiful silver tabby, and the warmth in her gaze as she spoke to him. Seek for the wind. But there was wind everywhere; you didn’t have to look for it. It rustled through the branches of the trees, swept over the lake, flattened the moorland grass on the way to the Moonpool. If only it was as easy to find catmint!
Seek for the wind…and you’ll find catmint. Was that what Brightspirit meant for him to understand? Excitement tingled through Jaypaw from ears to tail-tip; he flexed his claws, snagging the moss beneath him. Where did the wind blow harder than anywhere else? Of course! Over WindClan territory!
There was no catmint on ThunderClan territory; the RiverClan supply was too far away, and the sparse undergrowth under the pines of ShadowClan made it unlikely that there was any there. If there was more catmint around the lake, it must be in WindClan.
Jaypaw wanted to leap out of his nest and go charging through the forest, but he knew that would be totally mouse-brained. He didn’t know his way around WindClan territory, and even if he could see, he had no idea where to start looking for the herb.
You’re a medicine cat. You have powers. Use them
Curling into a tight ball, Jaypaw closed his eyes. He had never walked in the dreams of a cat who was so far away, but Kestrelpaw, the WindClan medicine cat apprentice, had always been open and friendly toward him. Dumb, but friendly…Maybe that would make it easier to step into his dreams.
Jaypaw pictured himself heading out of the camp and through the woods toward WindClan territory. Leaping the stream that marked the border, he swooped across the moorland on featherlight paws, until he reached the top of the hollow where WindClan had their camp. Letting the dream carry him onward, he padded among indistinct shapes of rocks and bushes, focusing on the wide crack in a boulder where Barkface and Kestrelpaw had their den.
Inside the crack, the medicine cat and his apprentice were curled up in nests of moorland grass and feathers that stirred with each breath. Jaypaw’s shadowy form curled up beside Kestrelpaw, touching his warm, soft fur. He slowed his breathing to match the other cat’s; heartbeats later he felt wind buffeting his fur and found himself in Kestrelpaw’s dream.
The young medicine cat was padding over the moor with the scents of grass and sheep all around him. Clouds scudded across a pale blue sky, and dew glittered under the rays of the early morning sun.
“Hi, Jaypaw!” Kestrelpaw sounded surprised but warm. “What are you doing here?”
“I just thought I’d visit you.” Jaypaw tensed, wondering if Kestrelpaw would realize how weird that was. If he was too disturbed he might wake, and Jaypaw would be thrown out of the dream and back into his own nest.
“Great.” Kestrelpaw flicked his ears in welcome. “Isn’t it a beautiful day? I thought I’d come out early and look for a few herbs.”
Jaypaw longed to ask Kestrelpaw what kind of herbs he hoped to find, but he was still wary of spooking the other apprentice. Instead, he just followed Kestrelpaw across the moor.
“Does this stream flow down toward ThunderClan?” he asked casually as they leaped across a trickle of brown, peaty water fringed by reeds.
“Yes, it joins the border stream,” Kestrelpaw replied.
He’s not suspicious at all,Jaypaw thought. After all, it’s just a dream, right?
“I don’t suppose you find much prey up here,” he went on, anxious to keep the WindClan cat talking.
“Then you suppose wrong!” Kestrelpaw’s tail shot up and he raised his head proudly. “Can’t you smell all the rabbits? And sometimes we catch birds; Crowfeather taught us how the Tribe hunts in the mountains.”
“I guess you’ve got to be fast,” Jaypaw commented.
Kestrelpaw gave his chest fur a couple of quick licks. “That’s what WindClan cats are best at.”
“So what about herbs?” Jaypaw went on, his belly churning as he asked the question that really mattered. “It looks pretty bleak up here. Not the right place for growing most kinds of plants.”
“Wrong again. We’ve got good stocks tucked away along the streams, and in that bit of woodland next to the ThunderClan border.”
“That must be good for water mint,” Jaypaw remarked. “What about catmint?”
“Oh, yes, we’ve got plenty of that.” Kestrelpaw pointed with his nose toward a spot where the moor dipped down sharply to a tumble of rocks. “Down there.”
“Really?” Jaypaw forced himself to sound mildly interested, when what he really wanted to do was bounce up and down caterwauling in triumph.
“Yes, there’s—”
Just in front of the two apprentices, a rabbit started up outof a gorse thicket and streaked away across the moor. Kestrelpaw broke off what he was saying and raced after it, his belly fur brushing the coarse grass.
“Thanks, rabbit,” Jaypaw murmured.
He waited until the WindClan apprentice had disappeared, then scrambled down the slope to the rocks. Sniffing the air, he picked up the scent of water and a strong smell of catmint. A few heartbeats later he found it: a spring welling up between two of the rocks, with thick clumps of catmint growing all around it.
For a moment Jaypaw stood still, breathing in the scent of the precious herb. He wished desperately that he could tear off a bundle of the stalks and carry them back to his Clan, but he was still dreaming. Some cat would have to come here in the waking world, and steal some of the herb from WindClan.
It’s not really stealing,he told himself. Not when we need it so badly. And WindClan has plenty
Gradually Jaypaw realized that the catmint was not all he could smell. A familiar scent clung around the rocks, the scent of caves and earth and deeply buried water. Scrambling among the stones, he tried to find where the scent was strongest. Finally he found it: a narrow gap between the rocks, leading down into darkness.
This must be an entrance to the underground tunnels! Maybe this is the way WindClan came when they raided our territory
In the mud in front of the gap he could see the traces of several paw prints. Taking a quick glance around, he padded forward and squeezed himself through the gap. The passage quickly grew wider, and Jaypaw could make out the scent of WindClan cats clinging to the stones.
“Jaypaw! Jaypaw!”
Jaypaw stiffened; had Kestrelpaw spotted him going into the tunnel and become suspicious?
“Jaypaw!” A paw prodded him sharply in the side. “Jaypaw, Millie’s fever is worse. Can you fetch her some moss soaked with water?”
Jaypaw opened his eyes on darkness and scrambled out of his nest, shaking himself to dislodge scraps of moss and bracken from his pelt. The chill of early dawn filled the den, together with Leafpool’s fear scent; at the other side he could hear Millie’s harsh breathing and Briarkit mewling pitifully.
“She’s going to die, isn’t she?” The little kit sounded terrified. “And I’ll never see her again, ’cause I don’t know the way to StarClan.”
“We’re doing all we can.” Leafpool moved away, and Jaypaw pictured her bending her head to comfort the frightened kit. “And even if she does die, you’ll see her again one day. When she’s in StarClan, she’ll know the right time to come and fetch you.”
“Are you sure?” Briarkit still sounded uncertain.
“I promise you,” Leafpool reassured her.
Jaypaw’s legs started to shake with fear. Leafpool was acting as if she was resigned to watching every one of her Clanmates die. We have to get that catmint now!“I’ll fetch the moss,” he mewed, and whisked out of the den.
As soon as he had delivered the dripping moss to Millie, he slipped out again and crept through the branches into the warriors’ den. The air was full of the warm scent of sleeping cats; it was so early that hardly any of them were stirring
Jaypaw located Lionblaze by his scent, and woke him with a sharp prod in the shoulder.
“Uhhh…?” Lionblaze’s muscles flexed and he raised his head. “Jaypaw? Is something wrong?”
Jaypaw bent his head to whisper in his brother’s ear. “I know where there’s a supply of catmint.”
“Really?” Jaypaw could sense Lionblaze’s excitement. “Where?”
“In WindClan, near the entrance to a tunnel. You have to go and fetch some.”
The excitement Jaypaw could feel in Lionblaze changed abruptly to horror and disgust. “No,” he mewed hoarsely. “I’ll never go to WindClan. Never!”
第七章
第七章
通过眼角的余光，狮焰瞥见高石台上有动静。火星和黑莓掌、褐皮一起出现了。
“请所有能够独自狩猎的猫到高石台下集合。”火星吼道。
他敏捷地从落石堆上跑下来，停在一块位于猫群上方的巨大圆石上。虽然天色灰蒙蒙的，他的皮毛仍像火焰一样闪耀着红光。黑莓掌和褐皮也慢慢从高石台上跳下来，站到了火星的身后。
鼠毛和长尾从长老巢穴走过来，狐爪和冰爪跟在他们身后，嘴里都叼着一块弄脏了的窝垫。狮焰发现鼠毛的毛竖着，目光里充满疑问。他意识到，一定是学徒们告诉了她正发生的事情。
灰条从排便处通道走到猎物堆旁边，和其他猫一起站在猎物堆周围，并对影族的学徒们友好地点点头。叶池走出巫医巢穴，坐在黑莓丛外面。黛西从育婴室走出来，身后跟着四只好奇地左顾右盼的幼崽。白翅和桦落走出武士巢穴，快步穿过空地，坐在火星站着的大圆石下。刺掌从武士巢穴入口的树枝中探出脑袋。栗尾和松鼠飞甩着尾巴并排站着。
随着族猫们慢慢聚集起来，狮焰发现，很多猫都向褐皮和三位学徒投来异样的目光。他也能听到窃窃私语，似乎许多武士都不愿意在雷族营地里看到影族猫。
莓鼻朝猎物堆走来：“火星不会真的让更多的外族猫加入族群吧？”
“我希望不是。”蛛足赞同道，“那本来就是与河族、风族战斗的原因。”
“那么你会在哪儿呢，莓鼻？”狮焰问道，脖子上的毛恼怒地竖了起来，“当你还是一只幼崽的时候，如果火星不让你加入族群呢？”
莓鼻哼了一声，转身说道：“那不一样。”
松鸦爪凑到狮焰耳朵边悄悄地说：“是啊，他就是如此特殊的一只猫。”
“雷族猫们！”火星看到所有的猫都聚集在他的周围，便开始讲话，“正如大家所见，影族的褐皮带着她的幼崽们来到这里……”
“我们是学徒。”焰爪嘟哝着。
“她来向我们寻求庇护，因为她自己的族群发生了变故。”
“那么你打算同意这件事吗？”鼠毛在长老巢穴入口大声问道，“收留外族猫给我们招来的麻烦还不够吗？”
没等火星回答，灰条站了起来。“这几只猫都有雷族的血统。”他嘶吼道，“他们有权利住在这里。”
“没有谁强迫褐皮离开影族。”鼠毛反驳道，“假如你问我的意见，我认为每只猫在选择了自己想要生活的地方之后，就应该一直留在那里。”
空地上响起一片赞同的低语声。狮焰看到三位影族学徒的眼里满是沮丧。
“他们不想让我们待在这儿。”虎爪小声说。
“是有一些猫不同意。”狮焰更正道，他把尾巴放在虎爪的肩膀上，“但是没关系。火星会说服他们的，等着瞧吧。”
“我明白你们在担心什么。”火星接着说道，“但是褐皮并没有要求一直住在雷族。她和幼崽们……”
曙爪翻了个白眼：“还要说多少次幼崽？”
“只打算在日神控制影族期间待在我们这儿。既然她能识破日神的谎言，其他猫也会的，那时候日神在影族就待不下去了。”
“看来我们应该派巡逻队越过边界，把他赶走。”云尾说道，“没有他，湖边又会好起来的。”
“是啊！”桦落赞同地说，“影族帮过我们，所以我们应该——”
抗议的声音淹没了他后面的话。“战斗已经够多了。”栗尾说着，看了松鼠飞一眼，“有些猫的伤还没好呢。”
“影族应该能处理好自己的问题。”蛛足补充道，“这不关我们的事。”
云尾转头盯着黑毛武士：“如果影族猫已经要搬进我们的营地，那就不再是他们自己的问题了。”
“够了！”火星竖起尾巴要求大家安静，“欢迎褐皮在这儿住到她想离开为止。学徒们……”
“终于叫我们学徒了！”虎爪悄声说道。
“可以与狐爪和冰爪一块接受训练，履行学徒职责。”
狮焰看见两位雷族学徒高兴地对视了一眼，也听到一些年轻武士因为不用再给学徒们帮忙，长出了一口气。
“在武士巢穴给褐皮准备一个窝，并且安排她加入巡逻队伍。”火星继续说道。
“我们能信任她吗？”蜡毛大声问道，“尤其是在影族边界巡逻的时候？”
狮焰看到黑莓掌身上的毛慢慢奓了起来。但是火星竖起了尾巴，警示他不要反驳。“是巡逻的时间了，”火星说着，没有理会蜡毛刚才的问题，“猎物堆需要补充些猎物，而且，我们需要时刻警惕着风族边界。”
黑莓掌从岩石上跳下来，开始把猫叫到他身边，安排他们加入巡逻队：“狮焰、冬青叶，我想让你们和尘毛、栗尾去狩猎。你们三位学徒去高石台，火星要和你们谈谈。”
虎爪、焰爪、曙爪站起来，得知要和族长谈话，他们都有些紧张。“没事儿的。”狮焰一边往栗尾和尘毛那里走，一边宽慰着三位学徒。
狮焰跟着栗尾带领的狩猎队向营地入口走去时，回头看见火星正给三位学徒安排老师。焰爪分配给云尾，虎爪跟随蕨毛，曙爪的老师是蛛足。沙风与白翅招呼着他们的学徒狐爪与冰爪。
“我们一起去空地进行狩猎训练。”沙风说道。
跟着栗尾穿过通道的时候，狮焰不由自主地想，还好影族学徒不用接受战斗训练——至少现在还不用。这让他放心许多。如果他们学会了雷族的打斗技能，那么在将来的战斗中，他们岂不是占有巨大的优势？
一个好奇的火苗在狮焰心里慢慢燃烧。他很想知道，虎星有没有造访过这三位学徒的梦境。如果有，那很可能就是虎爪。虎爪的个头儿大，身体壮，对血缘关系最在意。还有，虎爪是以虎星的名字命名的。尽管狮焰想要摆脱虎星在梦里对他的指导，但是一想到这位黑暗武士可能会选择其他族群的猫作为学徒，还是难以抑制内心的嫉妒。
也许我该警告虎爪，狮焰想，可那样一来，我就得告诉他，虎星来过我的梦境。我不能那样做。
他为难地摇摇头。自从日神来到湖边，所有的事情都变复杂了。
栗尾带着他们走向领地的最高处。那里的边界是一片开阔的森林，还不属于任何族群。尽管雨已经停了，但是地面依然泥泞，灌木丛也湿漉漉的。雨水已经冲淡了各种气息，变得难以分辨。狮焰爪子沉重地向前走着，不时地摇晃身体。他碰过的每片蕨叶或者每片小草，都会落下一大串水珠，很快他就湿透了，皮毛紧紧地贴在身上。
狮焰晃了晃肩膀，真希望自己是去进行战斗训练，而不是在这里寻找湿漉漉的小老鼠。现在它们都藏在深深的地洞里，躲避雨水的袭击。有时候它们的感觉比我们敏锐多了。
他低下头，走进了一丛蕨草，蕨叶上的雨水又倾泻在他的身上，他发出一声烦躁的嘶吼。
“狮焰！”栗尾冲他喊道，“看看你正往哪里走，好吗？你刚才弄出的动静把我正在追踪的田鼠吓跑了。”
“抱歉。”狮焰的爪子因为沮丧和尴尬刺痛起来。
“抱歉可填不饱肚子。”栗尾反驳道。
她静静地站在原地，抬起头，张开嘴巴，试图再次找到那只田鼠的踪迹。狮焰后退几步，腾出了位置，回头看见冬青叶叼着一只老鼠，正从后面的荆棘丛走来。
“干得好。”他说道。冬青叶走到他身边，把猎物放在狮焰的爪子旁。
“狮焰，我们得谈谈。”冬青叶没回应狮焰的夸奖，她的眼睛瞪得大大的，充满了忧虑，“我们必须阻止日神在影族的所作所为。他正在破坏武士守则。”
“别让毛竖起来。”狮焰对妹妹如此紧张，有些诧异，“我们……”
“我们不得不按照松鸦爪说的做，在影族冒充星族传递信息。而且我们必须要尽快行动！我愿意做任何事情，只要能让影族猫想起他们的武士祖灵。”
狮焰的惊讶变成了深深的不安，冬青叶眼睛里的情绪让他有些害怕。“你冷静一下！”他喃喃地说着，把鼻子放在冬青叶的肩膀上，“这件事有那么重要吗？我们有自己的命运，这与其他的族群并无关系。”
“当然有关系！”冬青叶马上反驳道，“日神本来应该帮助我们，还记得吗？而且，如果影族放弃武士守则，我们又将面临什么呢？”
“我明白，”狮焰回应道，“但现在影族跟我们的关系很紧张，我们怎么才能给他们传递一个信息呢？他们会坚持现在的想法，因为他们不愿意承认自己错了。伟大的星族啊，我们甚至都不熟悉他们的领地。”
“我们是不熟悉。”冬青叶的眼睛眯了起来，“但现在有三位影族学徒就在我们雷族。”
“冬青叶，你真是太聪明了！”狮焰喊道，“但是他们会……”
一声怒吼打断了狮焰的话。他转过身，看见尘毛正站在一条尾巴远的地方。
“你俩打算一整天都站在那里聊闲天儿吗？”这位资深武士甩着尾巴问道，“还是你们打算另外找时间狩猎？”
“对不起。”狮焰喃喃地说。我今天做不对任何事情！
“你们可能不小心忘记了一点，”尘毛讥讽地继续说道，“今天可是多了四张嘴要喂的。而且我们族里还有几只猫生病了，他们也不能出来狩猎。”
狮焰点点头。他意识到，这只虎斑猫生气只是因为他心里着急。“我真的很抱歉。”他再次道歉道，“我们马上就来。”
“知道就好。”尘毛嗅着猎物的气息，走开了。
狮焰开始嗅着空气，竖起耳朵倾听猎物的动静。他知道冬青叶说得对。他们必须帮助影族，只有这样，褐皮和小猫们才能回家，雷族才能集中精力，再次强大起来。
尽管狮焰很努力地寻找着猎物，但是大多数猎物还藏在洞里。太阳升到中天时，狩猎的队伍返回了营地，他只捉到两只老鼠和一只鼩鼱。他把这少得可怜的猎物丢进猎物堆，就去找松鸦爪。但松鸦爪并不在巫医巢穴，狮焰追寻着松鸦爪的气息，来到长老巢穴。
“你看，鼠毛，”还没钻出榛树丛，就听见松鸦爪说话的声音，“这些艾菊叶可以预防你的疾病转为绿咳症。你为什么不想吃呢？”
鼠毛用一只爪子将艾菊叶推到一边：“我告诉过你了，我不需要它们。别再烦我，把它们留给已经得病的猫用吧。”
“松鸦爪是不想你被传染。”云尾竭力解释道。
鼠毛生气地用尾巴拍了他一下：“你是什么时候当上巫医的？”
松鸦爪恼火地叹了口气：“鼠毛，我跟你说最后一次……”
“最后一次？”鼠毛打断他的话，“好吧，你随意吧。”她尖刻地说着，转过身离开了。
松鸦爪把爪子插进巢穴的地下，从牙缝里挤出一句话：“鼠毛，今天你不吃这些草药，我是决不会离开的。”他很明显正在努力控制自己的情绪。
“来吧，鼠毛，”狮焰愉快地说道，“别这么暴躁，只是吃些药而已。”
鼠毛猛地转身瞪着他。狮焰顿时紧张起来，准备迎接鼠毛的爪子。被族群里的长老攻击，他是不能还手的。然而鼠毛只是粗鲁地点点头，低下头，用舌头卷起艾菊叶嚼了嚼，然后吞了下去，脸上露出痛苦的表情。“满意了？”她嘟哝着，蜷起身子，用尾巴盖住了鼻子。
“简直不敢相信！”松鸦爪看着长尾做出一个好玩儿的表情，蜷缩在棕色皮毛的长老身边，“多谢帮忙。”他一走出长老巢穴，就对自己的哥哥又说了一句。
狮焰耸耸肩：“别客气。我们得谈谈制造假信息的事情。”
松鸦爪脖子上的毛竖立起来：“真希望我能把自己分成十只猫，要做的事情太多了。我们的巢穴已经被米莉和小荆棘住满了，但是刺掌也生病了，我们得让他从武士巢穴搬进来，而且狐爪也开始咳嗽了。我不知道我们还能怎么做。”
一股怒火从狮焰的心中腾起。他甩着尾巴，把利爪插进泥土里。他可以与普通的敌人开战，但却没办法让自己的族猫远离疾病。
他说：“如果我们不用喂饱多出来的影族猫，事情就会变得容易多了。”而且，如果日神离开影族，他就能履行承诺，指导我们了。
松鸦爪勉强地点点头：“确实如此。好了，假信息的事情怎么办？”
狮焰看到弟弟朝巫医巢穴走，就快步跟了上去：“冬青叶有个主意。她认为影族的学徒可以在这件事上帮到我们，因为他们对影族的领地很熟悉。”
松鸦爪看起来有些担心：“帮我们愚弄他们的族猫吗？”
“他们来的时候，你也听到了。”狮焰坚持道，“他们想要的就是回到影族——真正的影族，而不是现在日神控制的影族。你觉得他们会不会帮助我们实现这个目的呢？”
松鸦爪在黑莓丛外迟疑了一会儿，歪着脑袋说：“也许你是对的。”他同意了，“好吧，晚点我们找他们谈谈。”然后他转身走进了巫医巢穴。
狮焰转过身，正好发现石头山谷入口的荆棘正在晃动。学徒们和他们的老师结束了狩猎训练回来了。影族学徒又湿又脏，皮毛缠结在一起，上面还粘着一些树叶和苔藓。曙爪抓到一只老鼠，高高地竖起尾巴，得意扬扬地走过空地，把那只老鼠放进猎物堆。
“但那是不对的。”虎爪和狐爪争论着走进营地，“如果一直追到猎物身后，它就有机会发现你了。我们应该在一定的距离上扑过去。”
“我这么说，是因为我们的领地内灌木丛很茂密。”狐爪解释道，“我们可以隐蔽，并遮掩身体的气息。那样扑过去更容易。”
“哦。”虎爪想了想说，“嗯，但对我来说，那样做就是鼠脑子了。”
“嘿，狮焰！”冬青叶从育婴室叫了一声。狮焰没法儿再听虎爪和狐爪的争论。
“黛西照顾所有的四只幼崽，忙得过来吗？”
“挺好的。”冬青叶回答道。“香薇云和她在一起，可以帮她哄幼崽们。我刚给他们拿了些猎物。”她往四周看了看，确定没有猫听见他们说话，又补充道，“你跟松鸦爪说过了吗？”
狮焰点点头：“他说我们可以和影族学徒谈谈。”
冬青叶的胡须满意地抖了抖：“太好了。我会把狐爪和冰爪引开，然后你就可以把学徒们带到武士巢穴后面。那里没有别的猫偷听。”
几位老师和学徒们正站在空地中央，云尾正在讲授跟踪猎物气息的相关知识。冬青叶跑向他们。“狐爪、冰爪，你们能不能去给长老巢穴拿些干净的苔藓？”
狐爪和冰爪不高兴地对视了一眼。“为什么不让他们去？”冰爪问道，她把耳朵往影族学徒的方向弹了弹。
“因为他们来这儿，不是替你们干所有你们不喜欢的活儿的，”冬青叶反驳道，“另外，能得到自己族猫的尊重，长老们也会很欣慰。”
“对，你们成为武士后，才可以决定谁该干什么活儿，”沙风补充道，“但是现在不行。”
“好了，好了，我们这就去。”狐爪小声说着，郁闷地咳嗽一声，转身走向荆棘丛，“你知道的，苔藓现在肯定都是湿的。”
“就好像他们能变出干净的苔藓来一样。”冰爪说着，跟在狐爪身后，甩着尾巴尖。
冬青叶转向几位老师。“我能带焰爪、虎爪和曙爪去把他们身上弄干净吗？”她问道。狮焰听到她的话明显有讨好的意思，不由得抖了抖胡须：“谁都看得出来，他们几个还不习惯在茂密的森林里狩猎。”
“是不习惯这种湿漉漉的浓密灌木丛。”焰爪表示同意。他用力晃了晃身体，抖掉水滴、落叶、细枝和苔藓：“我还是喜欢在影族领地狩猎，那里要开阔得多。”
云尾连忙后退几步，躲过了焰爪甩出来的东西：“去吧，冬青叶，越快越好。”
就在这时，狮焰看到几只猫从通道走了出来。是边界巡逻队回来了，蜡毛带队，后面还跟着蜜蕨和蕨毛。
“可以的，去吧，冬青叶。”沙风说着，然后转向新到来的猫，“我们需要弄清楚影族边界有没有发生什么。”白翅、云尾、栗尾、蛛足很快便在她的身后集合。
“你认为会有更多的猫踏上我们的领地吗？”蛛足问道。
狮焰没听到沙风的回答。他走过去和妹妹会合。冬青叶正对三位影族学徒甩了甩尾巴，引导他们穿过空地。
“跟我们来，”冬青叶说，“我们需要和你们谈谈。”
虎爪琥珀色的眼眸里闪着疑惑：“你不是带我们去清理身体吗？”
“不是。但是没有什么可担心的，”狮焰宽慰他，“我们想到一个办法，可以帮助影族。”
他们走到巫医巢穴的入口时，冬青叶停了下来：“嗨，松鸦爪，我们老地方见。”
唯一的回复是一阵精疲力竭的咳嗽。
“这就是巫医巢穴吗？”焰爪好奇地问。“我能不能进去看看？我真的想成为一只巫医猫。”他补充道。
“现在不行，”狮焰回答道，“里面有些拥挤。”
这时从黑莓丛后传来更多的咳嗽声。曙爪瞪大了眼睛：“天哪，那些猫听起来都病了。”
狮焰和冬青叶对视了一眼。不让其他族群的猫知道本族群的情况，本来是理所当然的事情；如果他告诉学徒们，营地里爆发了绿咳症，这会让其他族群觉得雷族实力变弱了。当然，这些年轻猫不太可能发起攻击，要攻击也是影族重新信仰星族之后的事情。狮焰叹了口气。所有的事情又回到制造假信息上来……
“松鸦爪？”冬青叶回头喊道。
“听到了！”松鸦爪听起来很不耐烦，“你第一次叫的时候我就听到了。我会尽快赶过来。”
冬青叶带着众猫走到武士巢穴后面的空地。这里能避风，只是这次多了三名学徒，所以显得更加拥挤了。“如果你们互相帮忙，就会清理得更干净，”冬青叶建议道，“把身上所有的细枝和芒刺都弄掉，然后可以自己好好地舔干净。”
“这弄起来好痛！”曙爪叹了一口气，用力扯出虎爪皮毛中的一根刺，“我真希望我们是走在柔软的松针地面上。”
“运气好的话，你们很快就能回去了。”狮焰许诺道。
“你这话是什么意思？”曙爪问道。
“我们等松鸦爪来了再说。”冬青叶回答道。
“我来了。”松鸦爪从武士巢穴旁边闪身过来，“伟大的星族呀，这儿比以前更拥挤了。”他从狮焰身边挤进来，扭动着身体找到了位置。
“狮焰说，我们很快就能回影族的领地。”曙爪好奇地抖着身子，“但是我还不知道我们要怎么做。”
“我们已经有个办法了，”松鸦爪开口说道，“但是我们的时间不够。日神在影族待的时间越长，要赶走他就越难。”
“没有猫能赶走他。”焰爪沮丧地说道。
松鸦爪绷紧了全身的肌肉：“我们可以。我们打算制造一个来自星族的信息，让影族的猫相信，日神是在骗他们。黑星——我是说黑脚——看到了，很快就会把他赶走的。”
三位学徒都困惑地看着松鸦爪。过了几个心跳之后，焰爪才小声说：“这样不会激怒星族吗？”
“我想不会。”松鸦爪弹了弹耳朵，“是星族自己要我帮忙的。它们不会反对我的想法的。”
三只年轻的猫都睁大了双眼。“哇！”曙爪轻声说道。
“我们想知道制造假信息的最佳地点。”狮焰接着解释道，“而且我们还必须让黑脚和小云看到它，那样才能让他们相信，星族依然在守护着影族。”
“而且不要忘了，影族现在应该已经知道你们离开了，”冬青叶提醒学徒猫，“我们的计划中必须考虑到这一点。”
“我明白了。”虎爪说道，“边界附近有个地方比较合适，这样你们也不用在影族领地里走得太远。”
“也许领地边缘的沼泽地挺好的。”曙爪建议，“很少有猫去那里。我们不想被打扰……”
“不，我觉得湖边才是最合适的地方。”虎爪打断了她的话，“你可以让一只星族猫从水里现身，然后……”
“太好了！”松鸦爪咕哝道，“那你觉得我们怎么才能达到这种效果？”
“还有，我们怎么把黑脚和小云带过去看那个东西？”曙爪补充道。
“我们可以说，我们看到猫偷偷潜进了领地。”焰爪提议。
“或者是一只狐狸，”虎爪插话，“我们可以在那里弄一点狐狸的气味。”
“什么？”曙爪脖子上的毛竖了起来，“你是鼠脑子吗？你是想去请求某只狐狸，问它能不能……”
“我们可以使用狐狸大便。”焰爪说道。
曙爪恶心地抖抖胡须。“你去弄吧。我才不靠近狐狸的大便。”接着她眼里灵光一现，补充道，“为什么我们不喂他们些罂粟籽，然后把他们抬过去？”
“不行！”虎爪反对道，“黑脚是一只体形庞大的猫。抬着他穿过大半个领地，我可抬不动。”
“小溪边的橡树附近有些草药，”焰爪提出，“小云很可能要去采集草药。”他的尾巴高兴地蜷曲着，“然后我们向黑脚丢橡子，他就会认为这些东西是星族给他的。”
“这个办法真蠢！”曙爪把头伸向哥哥，大叫道。他俩在这个拥挤的地方扭打起来，焰爪的一只后爪猛戳在冬青叶的肚子上。
“当心！”冬青叶吼道。两位学徒停止了打闹，她也平复了情绪。“你们还没有认真对待这件事。这不是游戏。这关系到武士守则的存亡。难道你们想眼看着你们的族群四分五裂，族猫都沦为泼皮猫吗？如果不能让影族猫重拾对星族的信仰的话，结局就会是那样。”
现在三位学徒都变得凝重起来，焦虑得睁大了眼睛，不安地互相看了看。“对不起。”虎爪抱歉地说。
“那么沼泽地怎么样？”曙爪回到最初的提议，“没有多少猫会到那附近去，尤其是下了这么久的雨之后。我们不用担心被打扰，就可以安心地筹备这个行动。而且日神从来不会到那么远的地方去，他不想弄湿他的爪子。”
“嗯，听起来很不错，”狮焰说道，“你们觉得呢？”他问自己的同窝猫。
冬青叶点了点头。松鸦爪小声说：“这值得一试。”
“但是制造一个什么样的假信息呢？”焰爪急切地问道。
“我们到了那里，就会想出来的。”松鸦爪回答道，“我们最好马上出发。”
狮焰把头伸到外面看着。湿漉漉的日光透过云朵闪烁着。在武士巢穴外面，栗尾和蕨毛正在互相舔梳着，松鼠飞在不远处的太阳下打瞌睡。四只幼崽正在育婴室门口玩耍，黛西和香薇云在一旁照看着他们。除此之外，四周一片宁静。狮焰猜想，大多数猫和生病的猫都还在窝里睡觉，有的正为下一班巡逻养精蓄锐。
“一切都没问题。”他汇报道，“我们出发吧！”
“但是我饿了，”焰爪抱怨道，“我们不能先吃东西吗？”
“这里的猎物几乎都不够雷族猫吃。”松鸦爪咆哮道。
看到学徒脸上露出愧疚的神情，狮焰把尾巴搭在松鸦爪的肩膀上。“这也不是他们的错。”他小声说，“现在没时间吃东西了。”他又对焰爪说：“但是回来的路上，我们可以想办法抓点什么吃。”
看到冬青叶绿色的眼睛里满是惊讶，他补充道：“好了，我知道，猎物应该先带回到族群给大家分享。但是制造星族的假信息也违反了武士守则，不是吗？不管怎么样，我们不是狩猎队。我觉得领地里少几只老鼠也没关系。”
冬青叶没有说话，只是甩了甩尾巴。
“我先去告诉叶池，我要去采集草药。”松鸦爪说道，“我们的各种储备现在都很少了，我回来的时候，确实可以顺道带些。”他挤出了藏身处，穿过黑莓丛，进了巫医巢穴。
狮焰等他再回来后，带着众猫走出营地，向潮湿的森林走去。
CHAPTER13
CHAPTER13
Lionblaze felt cool grass brushing hisbelly fur as he crept forward. The scent of WindClan was in his nostrils. Leaves scraped his pelt and left raindrops on his ears and whiskers, but he was concentrating too hard to flick them away. Every muscle in his body was focused on what he could see in front of him.
Now!Pushing off with his powerful back legs, Lionblaze leaped. The squirrel fled, but it was too late. Lionblaze’s claws sank into its shoulders and he killed it with a swift bite to the throat.
As the squirrel went limp, Lionblaze’s vision blurred. A lake of scarlet, sticky blood spread out across the grass and leaves of the forest floor; he could taste the stench of it. The squirrel became a gray-furred she-cat. Lionblaze found himself looking down at Heatherpaw’s dead body; her blood clogged his paws.
“No…oh, no,” he whispered.
Ever since Jaypaw had asked him to fetch the catmint from WindClan, two sunrises before, Lionblaze had felt guilty. But he couldn’t do it. He was too scared that his dream would come true, and he would end up killing Heatherpaw.
He shuddered, staring at the dreadful vision of the dead cat he had once loved. Yet again, he wished that he could be an ordinary warrior, without the powers that terrified him more and more as they grew stronger.
If only I could tell Jaypaw how I feel…But he couldn’t show weakness to his brother, not when Jaypaw was depending on him to fulfill his part of the prophecy. He only knew that he couldn’t risk going into WindClan territory, especially not through the tunnels. Heatherpaw had betrayed him; Lionblaze desperately wanted to believe her story that it was the kits who had given away the secret of the tunnels, but he couldn’t be sure that was true. Heatherpaw was his enemy now, because he was completely committed to ThunderClan. Why should he trust a cat from another Clan? He would never forgive Heatherpaw, but he still didn’t want her blood on his paws.
As the vision faded, Lionblaze straightened up with his prey in his jaws. Ashfur was approaching through the bracken from the stream that marked the WindClan border, carrying a couple of voles by their tails. Spiderleg followed him with a mouse
“Well done.” Ashfur nodded at Lionblaze, dropping his prey nearby. “Have you seen Sorreltail? We’ve caught as much as we can manage.”
“Here.” Sorreltail staggered through the undergrowth, dragging a rabbit nearly as big as she was. “Whew!” Dropping her prey, she spat out a clump of fur. “Some other cat can carry that back.”
As they padded back to the stone hollow, Lionblaze’s worries started to creep back into his mind. So far leaf-fall had been mild and prey was running well, but there weren’t enough warriors fit to hunt. When he had left the camp that morning, Brightheart was coughing, and he had spotted Honeyfern heading toward the medicine cats’ den. How long before so many cats are sick that there aren’t enough of us left to take care of them?
The fresh-kill pile was ominously low when Lionblaze dropped his prey on it.
“We’ll go out again right away,” Ashfur announced, “but we should all eat something first, to keep our strength up.”
“I’m fine,” Sorreltail meowed. “One of the sick cats can have mine.”
Ashfur padded up to her. “You will eat. What good will you be to your Clan if you get sick too?”
Sorreltail stared back at him rebelliously for a heartbeat, then dropped her gaze. “Okay. You’re right.” But Lionblaze noticed that she chose the smallest mouse from the pile.
As he gulped down a vole, he spotted Jaypaw emerging from the warriors’ den. Swallowing the last mouthful, he bounded across to him.
“How’s Brightheart?” he asked. “I heard her coughing this morning. And Honeyfern was on her way to your den.”
“Like you care!” Jaypaw snapped at him.
“I do!” Guilt and indignation battled inside Lionblaze.
That’s not why I won’t go to WindClan!
“They both have greencough,” Jaypaw mewed curtly. “Cloudtail, too. I’ve told them not to leave their nests. Nowwill you go and fetch the catmint?”
“I can’t.” Lionblaze flinched from the fury in Jaypaw’s eyes. He wished that he could explain to Jaypaw about his dreams; then he would understand why it was impossible for him to go to WindClan. “Why can’t you send another cat instead?” he asked.
“You know why!” Jaypaw spat, his fur bristling up. “You know what it’s like in the tunnels.”
“So does Hollyleaf,” Lionblaze argued. “She could go—”
“Hollyleaf!” Jaypaw interrupted. “You know what she’s like about the warrior code. Do you think she’d agree to trespass on another Clan’s territory and steal their herbs? She’d claw our ears off if we even mentioned it. No, it has to be you. Besides, you’re the best fighter we’ve got, and if you get caught you’ll need your powers to escape.”
“Then why can’t Leafpool ask Barkface for some catmint?”
“Stupid furball!” Jaypaw hissed. “Which cats did we just fight? Barkface might give Leafpool catmint, but Onestar would have to know, and if he found out ThunderClan is weak, he’d attack again before you could say ‘mouse.’” Lashing his tail, he added, “It’s useless talking to you. I never thought my own brother would stand by and let his Clan die.” Spinning around, he stalked toward his den.
Lionblaze watched him go, then padded sadly back to the patrol by the fresh-kill pile. Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight had appeared, and Graystripe bounded up to choose a piece of fresh-kill and head for the medicine cats’ den.
“Take some for yourself as well,” Squirrelflight called after him, but Graystripe gave no sign that he’d heard her.
“Okay, Ashfur,” Brambleclaw meowed, “when you take your patrol out again, go along the ShadowClan border. You can combine the border patrol with some hunting. But when you get back, that’s it for today. You need to rest.”
“Take your own advice, then.” Squirrelflight gave her mate a flick on the shoulder with her tail. “You need to rest, too.”
“I can’t.” Lionblaze’s heart sank when he saw how bright Brambleclaw’s eyes were, and heard the rasp in his voice. “I need to fix up more patrols.”
Sorreltail leaned in to Lionblaze and murmured in his ear, “If your father gets ill…”
Lionblaze nodded, but didn’t reply. There was no need. With Firestar sick, ThunderClan depended on their deputy to protect them.
Oh, StarClan,Lionblaze thought, why are you letting this happen?
Gray clouds covered the sky, but the air was still mild; wind rustled through the trees above the hollow, but down below the cats were sheltered. Lionblaze had just returned from a hunting patrol with Brambleclaw, Hollyleaf, and Cinderheart. Brackenfur and Sorreltail were sprawled near the fresh-kill pile, sharing tongues, while Sandstorm crouched beside them, eating a thrush.
As Lionblaze and the others dropped their prey on the pile, Leafpool and Jaypaw appeared to choose fresh-kill for themselves.
“How is Millie?” Sandstorm asked, looking up from her thrush.
“If she doesn’t get some catmint soon, she’ll die,” Leafpool meowed flatly.
Jaypaw shot a furious glare at Lionblaze as he snatched a mouse from the pile; Lionblaze felt it like a claw raking across his pelt. Stop blaming me! I can’t go to WindClan!
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the flicker of a flame-colored pelt up on the Highledge. Looking up, he saw that Firestar had appeared. Every hair on his pelt tingled with shock. What was the Clan leader doing out of his nest? He looked unsteady on his paws, and when he opened his jaws to speak all that came out was a cough.
“Firestar!” Sandstorm leaped to her feet. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Go back to your nest right now!” Leafpool sprang up and raced for the rocks, closely followed by Sandstorm.
Firestar stretched out a paw to halt them. “Don’t come any closer,” he rasped. “The sickness spreads too easily. We have to get the sick cats out of the camp to keep the others healthy.”
“But we can’t do that,” Leafpool objected, halting at the foot of the tumbled rocks. “There’s nowhere for them to go.”
“Yes, there is,” Firestar told her, his too-bright eyes shining with triumph. “The old Twoleg nest has walls and a roof to shelter us, and there’s a stream nearby where we can drink.”
“But I can’t be in two places at once,” Leafpool pointed out; she sounded anguished, as if she hated to refuse the hope that Firestar offered.
“You won’t need to be,” Firestar meowed. “I shall look after the sick cats. You can tell me which herbs to use, and keep me supplied without coming too close.”
Sandstorm let out a gusty sigh, fluttering her whiskers. “This is ridiculous! You’re putting yourself in danger. You need rest just as much as the other sick cats.”
Firestar looked down at her, love glowing from his green eyes. “I have lives to lose; my Clanmates do not. I have to do this, for their sake.”
Murmurs of surprise came from the cats gathered around the fresh-kill pile. Brambleclaw looked up at his leader, then slowly nodded, as if he was making a promise.
“It might work,” Brackenfur remarked.
“I think it’s worth a try,” Cinderheart agreed. “If we don’t do something, every cat will get sick.”
The more Lionblaze thought about Firestar’s suggestion, the more sense he could see in it. The sick cats would have a safe, dry place to stay, and those who were left could look after them better. Leafpool and Jaypaw would have more chance of keeping well. And maybe Jaypaw’s catmint plants at the Twoleg nest would have grown enough to provide some healing leaves
“There aren’t enough yet,” Jaypaw growled as if Lionblaze had spoken aloud. “We need more! Half the Clan is sick.”
Lionblaze felt as if his littermate’s glare was scorching his pelt. Turning away, he padded over to Hollyleaf.
“Isn’t Firestar great?” she meowed. “I’m so proud he’s our kin. I wonder if I’d have the courage to do what he’s doing.”
Lionblaze touched his nose to her shoulder. “I’m sure you would.” And what aboutmy courage?he asked himself. I should be brave enough to fetch the catmint. But I can’t do it, I just can’t!
On the Highledge, Firestar straightened up and lifted his head. “Let all cats—” His attempt to raise his voice ended in a bout of coughing.
Brambleclaw bounded up to the Highledge and spoke rapidly to his leader. Lionblaze couldn’t hear what they said, and a moment later Firestar staggered back into his den. Brambleclaw looked down at the clearing.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting,” he yowled.
Foxpaw and Icepaw appeared from the elders’ den, each with a bundle of soiled bedding. Mousefur followed them and stalked across to where Sandstorm and Leafpool stood at the foot of the tumbled rocks.
Ferncloud and Squirrelflight emerged from the warriors’ den and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Berrynose and Graystripe pushed their way out after them, and stayed sitting just outside the den.
Lionblaze’s heart sank to see how few cats answered the summons. So many of the Clan were sick, and the rest of them must be out on patrol.
Brambleclaw began by explaining to the cats who hadn’t heard Firestar’s plan. “We’ll need to collect a lot of moss and bracken—and dried leaves and feathers, anything to keep the sick cats comfortable and warm,” he continued. “Lionblaze and Hollyleaf, you can do that, and take the apprentices with you.”
Lionblaze flicked his tail in acknowledgement of his father’s order.
“Brackenfur, you’re good at mending den walls,” Brambleclaw went on. “Find some warriors to help you, and block the holes in the Twoleg nest so that there aren’t any drafts.”
“Sure, Brambleclaw,” the ginger warrior replied.
“And there’ll need to be a new fresh-kill pile. Sandstorm, you’re best at hunting; can I put you in charge of that?”
Sandstorm gave him a tense nod, her green eyes narrowed as if she was already planning her hunt.
“Leafpool, you’ll need to transport herbs for Firestar to use. Get another warrior to help you if you have to collect more.”
“I’ll do that,” Leafpool replied. “And every cat should keep a lookout for catmint. It’s just possible there are a few clumps we’ve overlooked.”
Lionblaze could tell that the medicine cat didn’t believe what she was saying, but he knew that they couldn’t ignore even the smallest chance of discovering more of the precious herb. And if we did find some, I wouldn’t feel so guilty anymore
“Right,” Brambleclaw began. “Then—”
“What about me?” Squirrelflight interrupted, her green eyes blazing a challenge. “You don’t expect me to sit around in camp doing nothing?”
“You’re not fit to leave yet,” Leafpool retorted instantly
“You’ll leave when our medicine cat says you can,” Brambleclaw told his mate. “But you won’t be doing nothing. As the cats out on patrol come back, you can explain to them what’s happening, and give them jobs to do.”
Squirrelflight hesitated, as if she was going to argue, then gave a reluctant nod, muttering something under her breath as she scraped her claws in the earth.
“Okay, the meeting’s over,” Brambleclaw meowed crisply. “Let’s get moving.”
Lionblaze beckoned the apprentices with a wave of his tail and led the way to the thorn tunnel with Hollyleaf padding at his shoulder. His paws tingled with urgency; even the apprentices didn’t complain at the task.
“It feels weird.” Hollyleaf was looking worried as they headed deeper into the forest. “The Clan has never been split up like this before.”
“It’s the best way to save lives,” Lionblaze answered.
“There’s nothing about this in the warrior code. Except…we all swear to defend our Clan, so I guess this is one way of doing it.” Her anxious look faded.
Lionblaze led the other cats farther from camp, into a clearing where the moss lay deep and undisturbed.
“Thank StarClan it hasn’t rained lately,” Foxpaw muttered as he tugged a huge swath of moss away from a tree root and started to bundle it up.
“Be careful to squeeze all the water out,” Hollyleaf instructed him. “And dig as deep as you can to find the driest bits.”
“Hey, look what I’ve found!” Icepaw came bounding across the clearing with a bunch of gray-and-white feathers in her jaws. “There’s a whole lot more over there,” she added. “A fox must have killed a pigeon.”
“That’s good,” Lionblaze meowed. “They’ll be soft to lie on. Collect as many as you can.”
When they had as much bedding as they could carry, he and the other cats headed for the Twoleg den. Lionblaze pricked his ears in surprise as they approached. The place that had always been eerily quiet was now swarming with activity like a disturbed ants’ nest.
Poppyfrost bounded past him with a bundle of sticks in her jaws, followed by Birchfall, who was dragging a long tendril of bramble. When Lionblaze reached the entrance to the den, he saw Cinderheart stuffing more bramble into a gap between the stones.
“Great, Poppyfrost,” she meowed as the young tortoiseshell dropped the sticks at her paws. “That’s just what we need.”
“I’ll fetch some more.” Poppyfrost spun around and whisked past Lionblaze, back into the forest.
“Let’s have that moss over here!” Sorreltail called. She was helping Ashfur drag branches into place, separating the floor of the den into separate nests. “Put it there,” she continued, waving her tail toward a wide space at the back of the den, already surrounded by thorns woven together. “That’s going to be the nursery.”
Foxpaw and Icepaw followed Lionblaze and his sister and dropped their bundles in the place Sorreltail had shown them. Both the apprentices stared around uneasily, as if they expected something to leap out at them from the shadows in the corners of the nest. Lionblaze could understand how they felt. The straight lines and hard angles of the Twoleg nest were uncomfortably strange; the floor was hard and cold under his paws and it didn’t feel right to have a solid roof overhead, without gaps for sunlight or moonlight to shine through. That might be why Poppyfrost dashed off so quickly,he thought. Will the sick cats really be able to settle down here?
“Well, why are you standing there?” Sorreltail asked. “Go and fetch us some more moss.” She gave Lionblaze an affectionate prod with her muzzle, softening her sharp tone. “Make sure it’s good and dry, and we’ll need all you can find.”
When Lionblaze and the others returned the second time, he spotted Sandstorm approaching at the head of a hunting patrol. Berrynose and Whitewing followed her; all three cats had their jaws stuffed with prey.
Sandstorm headed for a hollow tree trunk a few fox-lengths from the entrance to the Twoleg nest, among thick growths of fern and long grass. She dropped her fresh-kill just inside the opening. “I’m glad I found this,” she commented. “The prey will keep dry here.”
“And we can stay away from the sick cats,” Berrynose added as he dumped his own catch.
“Foxes might come and steal it,” Whitewing mewed, adding her fresh-kill to the growing pile. “Would it help if we scent-marked the opening?”
“Good idea,” Sandstorm replied. “And we’ll set markers around the edges of the old Twoleg garden. If the foxes think a lot of cats are around here, they might stay away.”
They won’t know the cats are too sick to fight,Lionblaze thought as he led his patrol inside the den with their bundles of moss.
By now the Twoleg nest was looking much more welcoming. Ashfur had finished dividing up the area into nests separated by branches. The first load of bedding was spread neatly in the nursery area. Brackenfur and Cinderheart were sniffing along the walls, pushing twigs and leaves into any cracks they had missed. Leafpool was there, too, checking for drafts in the nursery area.
“Over here!” she called to Brackenfur. “The wind’s cutting through me like a claw.”
Brackenfur bounded over with a bundle of dry leaves and shoved them into the gap the medicine cat had pointed out.
“Much better.” Leafpool waved her tail approvingly.
Sorreltail showed Lionblaze and the others where to put their moss. “That’s great!” she meowed, flexing her claws into the fresh bedding. “But we still need more.”
“I know.” Lionblaze twitched his whiskers. “We’re on our way.”
Leaving the den, he saw Jaypaw and Mousewhisker approaching from the direction of the camp with bundles of herbs in their jaws. They laid them on a flat stone near the entrance to the den, and Jaypaw separated them neatly into piles.
“Pity there’s no catmint,” he commented to Mousewhisker, loudly enough for Lionblaze to hear. “The sick cats would stand a much better chance if we had some.”
“What about the plants growing here?” Mousewhisker asked.
“I’ve checked,” Jaypaw replied, swinging his head around to glare at Lionblaze from sightless blue eyes. “They’re starting to grow again, but only a tiny bit.”
Guilt stabbed Lionblaze again, sharp as thorns, but he said nothing. He couldn’t explain to Jaypaw why he’d refused to go through the tunnels into WindClan territory. But what if cats die because of your dreams?
Unable to answer the question, Lionblaze raced off into the forest as if a horde of badgers were hard on his paws. But as he headed for the moss place, he knew that he would never outrun his guilt.
The sun was going down, filling the forest with red light barred with dark shadows, as Lionblaze and his patrol returned to the old Twoleg nest once more. He had lost count of how many loads of moss he and his Clanmates had gathered and brought to the nest.
Crossing the hard stone path, Lionblaze saw Leafpool standing in the entrance to the nest with Brambleclaw beside her. They broke off their conversation when they spotted the patrol.
“Well done,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Take that inside, and then you can stop. Everything’s ready.”
Lionblaze led his Clanmates up to the nest, noticing that there was now a well-stocked fresh-kill pile inside the hollow tree. Inside, the nest felt warm and safe, with cozy dens big enough for two or three cats to sleep, and a bigger area for the nursery, lined with the softest moss and feathers. Ferncloud was patting the clumps into place.
Sorreltail waved Lionblaze over to the last space, and spreadout the moss and bracken he and the others were carrying.
“All done,” she declared, touching her nose to his. “Thanks, all of you.”
Looking around, Lionblaze saw that most of the healthy cats had gathered in the nest. Brackenfur and Cinderheart both had pelts snagged by thorns and brambles, but their eyes glowed with satisfaction. Poppyfrost was busily licking one of her pads, as if she had a thorn in it. Graystripe was flexing his claws in the moss; Lionblaze guessed he was impatient to get back to Millie. Berrynose had curled up for a snooze in one of the new nests; Hazeltail gave him a sharp prod with one paw.
“Get up, stupid furball!” she hissed. “These aren’t for us.”
“I’ve been working all day,” Berrynose grumbled, rising to his paws and giving his shoulder fur a quick lick to hide his embarrassment.
Leafpool appeared in the entrance, with Brambleclaw just behind her. “Everything’s ready,” she mewed. “We can go back to camp now. But no cat must go inside until our sick Clanmates come out. From now on, we have to stay away from them.”
“What?” Graystripe’s claws worked harder in the moss. “You mean we can’t help them?”
“Some of them are too weak to make the journey without us,” Brackenfur objected.
“The stronger ones will help the weaker,” Leafpool told him in a tone that warned every cat not to argue. “You know how fast the sickness spreads. We need to stay strong and healthy to provide for ourselves and the ones who are sick.”
“She’s right,” Brambleclaw added from where he stood at the medicine cat’s shoulder. “That’s why we’re doing this, remember?”
There were no more objections, but Lionblaze’s pelt prickled at the thought of sick Clanmates struggling along without help, and from the glances they exchanged he could see that most of the other cats felt the same.
Leafpool led the way back to the camp and vanished into the tunnel through the thorns. Brambleclaw waved his tail to set the rest of the Clan into position on either side, leaving a wide space between to let the sick cats through.
Lionblaze’s belly clenched in pity as they began to emerge: Firestar led the way, his head raised proudly even though he was shaken by a bout of coughing as he padded past. Cloudtail supported Thornclaw, while Dustpelt leaned on Brightheart’s shoulder. Hollow coughs came from the brown tabby; Lionblaze could see every one of his ribs, while his pelt was thin and dull. Ferncloud let out a piteous mew, instinctively starting forward; Birchfall raised his tail to bar her way.
Dustpelt turned his head, blinking eyes glazed with fever. “Keep back,” he meowed hoarsely. “I’ll be fine.”
Ferncloud looked away and buried her muzzle in Birchfall’s shoulder fur.
Daisy was the next cat to appear, carrying Rosekit, with Toadkit, Blossomkit, and Bumblekit behind her. The mischievous kits were unusually subdued, their gaze fixed on their paws as they padded quietly along.
“You can’t go with Rosekit,” Brambleclaw declared, stepping out to bar Daisy’s path. “You and the healthy kits have to stay in camp.”
“Nonsense!” Rosekit let out a feeble wail as Daisy set her down gently to confront the Clan deputy. “Who will feed Rosekit if I’m not there?”
“Rosekit can eat fresh-kill now,” Brambleclaw replied. “And Firestar will make sure she’s cared for. Do you want the other kits to get sick?”
For a couple of heartbeats Daisy stood glaring at him, then dropped her gaze and padded to one side, gathering the healthy kits to her with a sweep of her tail.
“I want to go with Rosekit!” Toadkit mewed fiercely.
“You can’t.” Daisy stooped to touch her remaining kit on the head with her nose. “You can help her best by keeping well and strong.”
Toadkit still looked rebellious, but he didn’t say any more. Honeyfern, emerging from the barrier, took in the situation at a glance and stood over Rosekit. “I promise I’ll look after her,” she told Daisy, who gave her a grateful nod.
Rosekit batted the air with her paws and went on wailing as her Clanmate carried her toward the Twoleg nest.
More movement in the tunnel signaled Millie’s approach. The gray she-cat was supported on either side by Leafpool and Jaypaw. Lionblaze caught his breath in horror when he saw her. Her paws barely moved; the medicine cats were all but carrying her. Her pelt clung to her ribs, and her sides heaved as she let out a rasping cough.
“No!” Graystripe yowled from just behind Lionblaze and Hollyleaf. He plunged forward; Lionblaze blocked him, and Hollyleaf sank her teeth into the loose fur on his shoulder. “Let me go!” Graystripe snarled as he struggled. “She’s dying! I have to go to her!”
Lionblaze braced himself; it went against everything he had learned to fight a Clanmate, but he knew that he couldn’t allow Graystripe to be near his sick mate.
“Keep back!” Leafpool ordered, raising her tail in warning.
Graystripe ignored her and kept struggling, lashing out a paw to rake his claws down Lionblaze’s shoulder.
“Stop!” Brambleclaw bounded up to help.
“Graystripe.” Firestar’s hoarse voice came from the head of the pitiful line of cats. The Clan leader had halted and turned to face his friend. “I know how you feel. But you must stay away from Millie.” His voice was full of sympathy; Lionblaze knew how deep the friendship was between the two cats. “Millie needs you to stay strong and healthy.”
Graystripe stopped struggling and took a long breath. “Firestar, my heart is clawed in pieces.”
“I know. But what you’re doing now doesn’t help. Graystripe, if Millie’s paws are truly set on the path to StarClan, then I’ll send for you to say good-bye. I promise you.”
Graystripe hesitated for a heartbeat, then bowed his head. “I’ll hold you to that, Firestar,” he choked out.
Lionblaze and Brambleclaw stood back, and Hollyleaf let go her grip on the gray warrior’s shoulder. Graystripe stood still, his head and tail drooping; Lionblaze was close enough to feel the shivers that were running through him.
Leafpool and Jaypaw moved on, with Millie supported between them. Her head hung; she didn’t seem to have heard her mate’s protests. Behind them came Longtail, guiding himself by the tip of Leafpool’s tail. Briarkit dangled limply from his jaws like a piece of fresh-kill.
Lionblaze tensed. Was the tiny kit dead? Then her tail twitched, and she let out an exhausted cough. Seeing she was still alive, Lionblaze relaxed, only to have his relief swallowed up in a wave of guilt. She needs catmint. They all do
When the sick cats had gone, Brambleclaw led the rest of the Clan back into the stone hollow. Mousefur and Squirrelflight, the only cats remaining, were sitting together near the fresh-kill pile; Mousefur rose and padded to meet them as they returned.
“I should be with them,” she snapped at Brambleclaw. “I could help. I’m an elder; it doesn’t weaken the Clan if I get sick.”
Brambleclaw dipped his head. “That’s an offer worthy of a warrior,” he replied. “But the Clan values every cat, from the newest kit to the most senior elder.” His amber eyes glinted. “I know you already asked Firestar, and he said no. Don’t think you can get around me.”
“Pesky young cat…thinks he knows everything,” Mousefur muttered, turning her back.
Instead of going to their dens, the remains of the Clan huddled together in the center of the clearing, as if they were waiting for something. Lionblaze crouched beside his sister, his fur standing on end. The camp felt strange, as if it wasn’t their home anymore. The stench of sickness still hung around it, and an eerie quiet covered everything.
“I don’t like this,” Hollyleaf whispered. “I wonder how many of the sick cats will ever come back.”
Don’t. Lionblaze dug his claws hard into the ground. “It’s in the paws of StarClan,” he muttered, knowing how hypocritical he was being.
It seemed a long time, though the shadows had crept no more than a mouse-length across the hollow, before Leafpool and Jaypaw returned.
“Good, you’re all here,” Leafpool meowed, padding toward the gathering of cats. “Jaypaw, fetch me those strengthening herbs from our den.” As Jaypaw bounded off, she continued, “Every scrap of bedding has to be taken out of the dens and into the forest, and fresh bedding brought in.”
“What?” Icepaw, who had been grooming herself drowsily, raised her head. “I’ve been dragging moss around all day. Do we really have to get more? I’m worn out!”
“Every cat is worn out,” Spiderleg added. “Can’t it wait until morning?”
“Sure it can, if you want more cats to get sick,” Leafpool retorted. Her tone softened as she added, “Every cat will be helping this time. It won’t take long.”
Jaypaw came back with the herbs, dropping a few leaves in front of every cat. Lionblaze felt his aching limbs fill with warmth as he swallowed them.
“Let’s get going,” he mewed to Hollyleaf. “The sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll be done.”
All the warriors headed out of the camp to fetch fresh moss and bracken, while Icepaw, helped by Mousefur and Squirrelflight, cleared the old bedding out of the dens and carried it as far as the barrier to be disposed of outside. Leafpool and Jaypaw checked the dens to make sure not a scrap of it remained behind. By the time it was all gone, and fresh bedding installed, the taint of sickness that had hung about the camp for so long had almost vanished.
“This is better,” Hollyleaf murmured as she settled down inside the warriors’ den beside Lionblaze. “Except it’s strange with so many cats missing. I hope Firestar’s plan works.”
Lionblaze was already sliding into sleep, his eyes closed and his tail wrapped over his nose. He was too exhausted for his worries to keep him awake, but as he slid into darkness his mind filled with a vision of catmint: thick, lush clumps of it, growing among rocks on the edge of the moor, just as Jaypaw had described. He leaped forward to bite off the stems, only to halt, trembling, on the bank of a river.
The stream that marked the border with WindClan had swollen into a rushing scarlet torrent. The air was filled with the stench of blood, and the grasses on the edge of the river where Lionblaze stood were spattered with it.
He took a step back, horrified at the thought of blood sticking to his paws, and stiffened as he heard a familiar voice behind him.
“Are you scared, little warrior?” Tigerstar taunted him. “Where’s this power of yours now?”
第八章
第八章
曙爪的皮毛兴奋地颤抖着：“这感觉像在执行真正的武士任务。”
冬青叶能理解她的心情。冬青叶还清楚地记得她刚当上学徒时，每当能为族群做点什么时，她有多么兴奋。
“你觉得在这件事结束后，我们能成为武士吗？”虎爪说道，“因为我们拯救了族群。”
“不，”冬青叶温柔地回答道，“别忘了，我们做的这件事不能被其他猫知道。而且你们还太小，还不能成为武士。你们还有很多东西要学。”
六只猫正朝雷族领地的尽头走去，他们走的正是上次冬青叶和她的同窝猫寻找日神的那条路。边界上，影族的气味标记已经消退，也没有其他两个族群的迹象。唯一的声音就是他们走过时，从树叶上蹭落的水滴声和爪子下的荆棘与草丛发出的沙沙声。
三位学徒都兴奋地跳跃着，不时地冲进灌木丛，或者跳到彼此的身上玩打仗游戏。
“够了！”狮焰命令道，用尾巴推着焰爪向前走，“你们认为武士会像你们刚才那样互相追逐吗？”
年轻的影族学徒这才安静下来，老实地各自往前走着。但是冬青叶发现他们的爪子依然在痒痒。他们又表演着黑脚看到假信息时的样子，模仿他宣布影族回归星族怀抱和重新遵守武士守则。
但不会这么容易的。
想到他们的计划失败后会发生什么，冬青叶肚子不由得抽搐起来。他们可能只有一次机会。假如黑脚发现他被骗了，接下来一定会加倍小心。影族可能会永远消失了。甚至更糟的是，黑脚也许会因为他们多管闲事，而对雷族发起进攻。
我们的所作所为会让其他猫丧命吗？
“松鸦爪，你决定做什么……”
弟弟的耳朵烦躁地抽动着：“没到预定地点，我没法做任何决定。现在就让你的尾巴带着爪子前进，让我好好想想。”
“我们应该从这里跨越边界，”虎爪说着，停下来环顾四周，“沼泽地就在几只狐狸身长之外的地方。”
尽管冬青叶几乎闻不到影族的气味标记，但是越过边界时，她依然觉得有些愧疚。
我不知道为什么。如果影族还在意他们的边界，他们就应该标记它。他们完全没把武士守则放在心上了。
但是我们会的，她对自己说，擅闯另一个族群的领地是不对的。
虎爪带领他们穿过了树林，他们不顾荆棘丛撕扯着他们的皮毛，来到了一片开阔地。“我们到了。”他说道。
冬青叶凝视着眼前的沼泽地，爪子下不断地有水渗出来。高高的芦苇从表面覆盖着浅绿色水草的水洼周围长出来。芦苇丛中是高高的很脆的草和一簇簇莎草，以及长在水里的细长的小树苗。空气里弥漫着潮湿、发霉的气息和死一般的凝重。
“你们看见了些什么？”当众猫都停下了爪子，松鸦爪问道。
“沼泽地和水。”狮焰回答道。
“有遮蔽物吗？”
“有的。有芦苇和莎草，还有几棵树。”
“这些树长什么样子？它们有多大？”松鸦爪开始兴奋起来，“它们的根茎是什么样的？”
“都是些小树。”冬青叶回答道，她很想知道弟弟到底是怎么想的，“根看起来挺长，但是埋得不深，至少我从远处看是这样的。”
“我没看出来，我们能在这里干些什么。”冬青叶着急地说道，她认为也许应该选别的地方，“这儿没什么……”
“别吵，我正在想办法。”松鸦爪打断了她的话。
冬青叶和狮焰交换了一个尴尬的眼神。
“让他自己待着，”哥哥小声说，“如果哪只猫能想出办法，那一定是松鸦爪了。”
冬青叶希望狮焰是对的。她努力压抑着内心的焦虑，盯着那三位学徒，他们正围在沼泽边缘，看起来是在寻找猎物。
“什么都没有，只有几只臭苍蝇！”曙爪气愤地叫道。
“这些树，”松鸦爪终于打破了沉默，“有没有哪棵看起来是能被撞倒的？”
什么？他是不是彻底变成了鼠脑子？冬青叶伸缩着爪子，强迫自己不要说话。
“我去看看，”狮焰说道，“应该有一些。”
他迅速跑进沼泽，水浸湿了他的肚皮，金色的皮毛还粘上了水洼里的水草。三位小学徒停止了狩猎，和冬青叶一起看着。狮焰绕着树来回跑动，仔细地嗅着，然后迅速地跑了回来。
“我觉得我们能办到，”狮焰汇报道，“我感到根就在我的爪子下，所以我们应该能把它们挖出来。”
“但是为什么要这么做呢？”冬青叶努力克制着自己，才没有像无助的幼崽一样哀号起来。
松鸦爪失明的蓝眼睛眨动着：“我们需要制造一个假象，看起来就像是影族的领地正在消失。”
冬青叶的心扑通扑通地跳着。只有松鸦爪能想出挖树的办法，来伪造星族的信息。如果计划成功了，它可能真的可以让黑脚明白，跟随日神是不对的。
在松鸦爪的指导下，冬青叶和狮焰选择了两棵小树，它们彼此离得不远。
“我需要它们保持着挺立的状态，但是随时都可以倒下。一旦我发出信号，这两棵树要彼此相对着倒下，这样一来，它们的枝叶就可以交错在一起。”松鸦爪详细说明道，“好了，开始挖吧！”
冬青叶蹚进沼泽。当冰冷的淤泥和水浸没了她的皮毛时，她下意识退缩了一下。曙爪走到她的身边，帮忙挖其中的一棵树。虎爪则帮狮焰挖另一棵。
正如狮焰所说，冬青叶发现，她可以清楚地感觉到树根就在她的爪子下。她奋力地挖着，试着把这些根须从泥里刨出来。开始的时候，她还以为根本就没法挖动它们。
“根本不可能！”曙爪喘着粗气，她的肚子已经陷入了黏稠的泥里，脑袋和肩膀上也溅到许多泥点，“我们永远也办不到。”
“不，我们可以的。”冬青叶大声吼道，更加卖力地挖起来，“我们必须做到！”
当树根露出来时，冬青叶一个踉跄，差点滑倒在淤泥里。她急忙爬起来，找到另一根树根，伸出爪子挖掘起来。她焦虑得皮毛都差点儿燃烧起来。
就在距离几个狐狸身长的地方，狮焰正在挖另一棵树，虎爪也在他的旁边忙碌着。只有焰爪站在后面，焦虑地看着大伙儿忙碌。
“你是怎么回事？”虎爪问道，顺便掸掉了耳朵上的泥，“过来帮忙啊！”
“我还不知道……”焰爪犹疑不定地说道，“我不知道制造一个来自星族的假信息是不是对的。”
曙爪回过头看着他。“我们已经开始行动了。”她生气地嘶吼道，“我们不是都同意要试试了吗？这也许能让我们回到自己的族群。”
焰爪犹豫着，然后深吸一口气说：“好吧。”他蹚进泥里，站在狮焰和哥哥身边。
不管冬青叶怎么努力，她都没办法挖出第二根树根。她渐渐绝望了，于是深吸一口气，然后把头伸进泥里，咬着那些坚韧的根须。淤泥涌入了她的口腔，让她不能呼吸，胸部憋得很疼。但是苦涩的树根终于被咬断了。冬青叶抬起头来，咳出泥巴。她满脸泥浆，嘴里也有一股难闻的臭味。但是她一点也不在乎，只感到心里充满了喜悦。只要能拯救影族，我做什么都行！
“我想我们弄好了！”曙爪喊道，“树干已经不稳了。”
冬青叶试着推了推面前的小树。树干开始倾斜，从淤泥下面传来扑哧扑哧的吸气声。
“停！”松鸦爪命令道。他刚才一直闻着狮焰挖的那棵树。现在他来到了冬青叶身边，伸出一只爪子，摸着她挖的那棵小树的树干。冬青叶发现小树又摇晃起来。
“就是这样。”松鸦爪说道，“现在你们可以停下来了。”
“感谢星族！”曙爪叹息道。
松鸦爪踏着泥水回到狮焰身边。冬青叶和曙爪则朝附近她们能找到的干爽的地面走去。她们从泥中拔出爪子，抖掉皮毛上的泥点。
“我还以为我要变成青蛙了！”曙爪快速地舔着胸口的皮毛，“呸！我需要几个月才能把这些泥弄干净。”
狮焰和另外两位学徒还在树下努力挖着，冬青叶则心急如焚地伸缩着爪子。太阳微弱的光线穿过森林，在沼泽上闪烁着。如果夜幕降临前还不能把树根挖出来，松鸦爪的计划就失败了。他们仿佛等待了几次日落，松鸦爪才宣布道：“可以了。”
“现在我们中的一只猫必须去把黑脚和小云叫过来。”狮焰说着，走出泥沼，来到干爽的地面上。
“我去。”虎爪立即自告奋勇道。
“不，我去。”曙爪反对道。
“还是我去叫小云最适合。”焰爪提醒道。
“但我是最强壮的，”虎爪坚持道，“而且我是最厉害的战士。如果遇到袭击，我是最有可能活着跑出来的那个。”
狮焰点头表示同意：“但是你需要一个武士支援你。我……”
“我去吧。”冬青叶抢先说道。她觉得，当其他猫深入影族领地去找黑脚的时候，她一定会等不及想知道发生了什么事。“你们都知道我最擅长追踪和隐蔽。我的爪子很轻快，还有黑色的皮毛。”
“不，现在是泥巴色。”曙爪的眼睛闪着玩笑的微光。
“听我的。这些泥巴可以掩盖我的气息。”冬青叶跳了起来，“虎爪，我们走。”
影族学徒带路，他们绕过沼泽，朝着影族领地深处前进。
“我会跟你保持一小段距离，”冬青叶小声地说，“除非你碰到麻烦，否则我不会现身。”
虎爪点点头：“我先去小云那里试试。如果他能听我的，他还可以帮忙劝说黑脚。”
“好的，祝你好运。”
冬青叶跟在虎爪身后几条尾巴的距离，但虎爪依然在她的视线范围内。影族学徒钻进灌木丛，朝影族营地的方向走去。冬青叶竖起耳朵，警惕着其他猫的动静，时不时地停下爪子，闻闻空气中的气息。森林里的寂静，让她身上的毛根根竖起。若是以前，这时候早该见到影族巡逻队了。她紧绷着肌肉，随时准备隐藏起来。但现在影族猫的气息淡淡的，似乎他们是在自行狩猎。她看见一只虎斑猫的身影，但是离得太远了，没认出来是谁。
这不是武士该有的生活方式。
虎爪向小溪走去，然后轻轻地跳上踏脚石。冬青叶跟在他的身后，此刻她比以往任何时候都谨慎。此时身边已经看不见她所熟悉的雷族领地上的树木，而是变成了影族的松树。树下的灌木也稀疏起来，她走在覆盖着松针的地面上，爪子没有发出一点声响。
终于，她开始在空气中闻到了草药的味道。虎爪跑上一处斜坡，在坡顶停了下来。他没有回头，只是抬起尾巴，示意冬青叶跟上，然后走下坡去。
冬青叶在他身后蹑手蹑脚地前进，然后爬上了长在坡顶附近的一棵大树，藏在一根树枝下面，在那里她可以俯瞰下方。前方地势陡降，形成了一个浅浅的盆地，周围覆盖着厚实的灌木丛，灌木上还长着青翠的叶子。影族的巫医小云正在坡底采集草药，并把采下来的根茎小心地放在一边。
“小云！”虎爪喊着朝他跑去。
小个头的虎斑公猫跳了起来，惊讶地竖起了脖子上的毛：“虎爪！你还好吗？褐皮和另外几只猫呢？”
“是的，我们都好，谢谢关心。”虎爪站在巫医面前，低头致意，“小云，我要问你点儿事。”
巫医又咬下一根草药，和其他的放在一块儿：“你问吧。”
“我把焰爪和曙爪带到了边界，”虎爪开始说话，并用尾巴示意着，“我们都想回到影族，但是……呃，我们担心黑脚会找我们的麻烦。”
小云点点头：“我明白。”
“你能帮帮我们吗？拜托了！”
“褐皮是怎么想的？”小云问道。
“她不知道我们来了这里。如果黑脚允许我们回来，我们再告诉她这件事。但是她可能不会回来。影族不再遵守武士守则，这一点真的让她很气愤。”
小云深深地叹了口气：“她不是唯一这么想的猫。”
冬青叶紧张起来，用力地抓着爪子下粗糙的树皮。虎爪似乎打算告诉小云他们的计划，这可能把一切都毁了。但学徒对这个计划只字未提，只是一再重复地哀求着：“请帮帮我们吧！”
“我当然会帮你们，”小云咕噜着说，“在这儿等着。我不确定黑脚会不会听我的，但我会想办法叫他过来一趟。”巫医叼起地上的那堆草药，转身朝山谷的另一边跑去。
“别让日神知道发生了什么事！”虎爪在他后面喊道。
小云回头冲虎爪点点头，表示知道，然后一溜烟消失在松树林里。
虎爪抬头看了看冬青叶藏身的大树，激动地晃动着尾巴。
感谢星族！冬青叶想，计划正式开始了！
CHAPTER14
CHAPTER14
Every muscle in Jaypaw’s body wasyowling with exhaustion as he finished sniffing around the elders’ den to make sure that every scrap of the tainted bedding had been removed. He stumbled back into the clearing and padded up to Leafpool. “It’s okay,” he reported.
“Why don’t you get some rest?” his mentor meowed. “Brambleclaw and Cinderheart have just brought us some fresh moss.”
Jaypaw opened his jaws to protest that he could keep going as long as any cat, then thought better of it. His job and Leafpool’s was finished for now; there was no reason why he couldn’t catch up on his sleep. But tired as he was, his paws were itching and his mind whirling; he knew his thoughts would keep him awake.
“Thanks,” he replied, “but I’d like to go out for a while.”
“Fine.” Leafpool sounded faintly surprised. “Be careful, won’t you?”
“Sure.” Jaypaw wished she wouldn’t keep trying to mother him. He had Squirrelflight for that; Leafpool was just his mentor. He took off at a trot through the tunnel, where he passed Whitewing and Birchfall returning with bundles of bedding, and headed for the lake.
Pushing through the last of the undergrowth, Jaypaw paused at the top of the bank overlooking the water. He could hear the soothing lap of waves on the shore, and the faint scrape of pebbles. Scenting carefully, he made his way to the hollow under the tree roots where he had hidden the stick.
As he laid his paws on the scratch marks, the whispers of the long-ago warriors rose up around him. He strained to hear them clearly, but just as before, they stayed out of his reach.
“Rock, don’t you have a message for me?” he meowed aloud.
His head spun with thoughts of everything that had happened: the mysterious appearance of Sol, and the fake sign that had become real and driven him from ShadowClan; the terrible sickness, and Firestar taking the sick cats away from the stone hollow…Jaypaw felt as if he were a leaf spinning in eddies of wind.
It’s all escaping from me, like prey running too fast. I’m supposed to have power, but I can’t control anything.
“Has it always been like this for the Clans?” he murmured. “Fighting one battle after another? And some battles no cat can win. I wonder if it was sickness that drove the first cats away from the lake?”
Yet again he ran his paws over the scratches, the record of the cats who had emerged victorious from their test in the tunnels, and of those who had never come out. The whispers wafted around him like faint puffs of breeze, but Jaypaw still couldn’t make out their meaning.
“What’s the use of you if I can’t hear you?” he protested. “Speak up a little, please. Tell me how to fight the sickness, or what I can say to Lionblaze to make him fetch the catmint.”
But the gentle whispering didn’t change. Sighing, Jaypaw lay down with his chin on the stick, and closed his eyes.
Damp soaking into his belly fur woke Jaypaw. His muscles felt stiff and cramped with cold as he raised his head and looked around. He was in the underground cave, lit by a trickle of daylight from the roof far above his head. The river flowed past him a couple of tail-lengths away.
Jaypaw staggered to his paws. He expected to see Rock, but the ledge where the ancient cat usually crouched was empty, and there was no sign of him anywhere in the cave.
Soft paw steps sounded behind Jaypaw; he spun around to see a ginger-and-white tom standing at the entrance to one of the tunnels. His green eyes looked haunted and somber, as if he couldn’t shake off the memory of drowning when rain flooded the tunnels.
“Fallen Leaves!” Jaypaw exclaimed.
“I didn’t think you would come back.” Aching loneliness vibrated in the ancient cat’s voice. “Are you going to stay with me this time?”
Sympathy stabbed Jaypaw, sharp as a thorn in his pad. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be trapped down here, alone, for countless seasons. The last time he had seen Fallen Leaves, the ancient cat had saved his life, and the lives of his littermates and WindClan cats, when floodwaters had risen while they were looking for the lost kits.
“What happened to your Clanmates?” Jaypaw asked. “Why did they leave the lake?”
Fallen Leaves looked down at his paws. “I don’t know. I only knew that they had gone. Sharpclaws stopped coming into the tunnels, and the only sound from the moor was the wind. I have been on my own here for so long, I have lost count of the moons.” He raised his head, his green eyes pleading. “You and your friends were the first cats I had seen down here since…since I came in.”
“I have to know why they left!” Jaypaw meowed; he couldn’t explain it, but he was certain that the fate of those long-ago cats was bound up with the prophecy. Meeting Rock, finding the stick, feeling the whispers of ancient cats around him when he went to the Moonpool: None of that had happened by chance, he was sure.
He bounded toward the tunnel that led up into ThunderClan territory, brushing aside Fallen Leaves, who stared after him in dismay.
“Wait!” Fallen Leaves called out. “I thought you were going to stay with me.”
“I have to know what happened,” Jaypaw insisted with a last glance over his shoulder. The drowned cat was standing at the end of the tunnel, his eyes wide and distressed.
Jaypaw forced anger to stifle his pity. “How can I stay with him?” he muttered as he padded forward into the thick blackness of the tunnel. “There are too many things I need to find out. I can’t spend all my time hanging out with a dead cat!”
He expected to emerge in the woods above the hollow, awake and blind once more, or perhaps find himself on the lakeshore with the stick. Instead, daylight began to gleam on the walls ahead of him, growing stronger as he padded on. He could hear the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
“I must be still dreaming,” he whispered.
His paws tingling, Jaypaw headed for the light. Rounding a curve in the tunnel, he saw a circle of daylight ahead of him. Excited voices broke the silence.
“Is it him?”
“He’s later than I thought he’d be.”
“Do you think he got lost?”
Jaypaw slowed his pace. Even if he was coming up inside WindClan, he should have known some of the voices, but they were all strange to him. And he didn’t recognize any of the scents drifting toward him from the tunnel mouth. Where was he, and who was waiting for him?
Then another voice reached him, making his paws freeze to the floor of the tunnel.
“Jay’s Wing? Jay’s Wing, is that you?”
第九章
第九章
狮焰和松鸦爪带着另两位学徒伏在一片高草中。曙爪时不时地扭动身体，把头从草堆中抬起来，向溪流的上方看去。
“看在星族的分上，不要乱动！”松鸦爪埋怨道，“也不要抬头。”
“这些草扎进我的皮毛里了，”曙爪抱怨道，“而且我还想看看有没有猫往我们这边走过来。”
狮焰把尾巴尖放在她的肩头。“我们会先听见猫的动静，闻到猫的气味，而不是先看到他们。”他按住她的肩膀，“不要动，要不我们全都会暴露的。”
曙爪安静下来，但狮焰仍然能感到她紧靠着自己的身体正兴奋地颤抖着。狮焰很想隐藏得更好些，可是肚子却开始抽搐起来。怎么会这么久？太阳正在缓慢地落山，天黑之后，即使黑脚愿意来，也没办法来了。
突然，狮焰听到沼泽地的另一边传来沙沙的响声。他竖起耳朵，张开嘴巴嗅着空中的气息。是影族猫！
“到树边去。”松鸦爪小声说。
狮焰刚要爬向指定位置，就听见焰爪在嘶嘶地叫道：“等等，那不是黑脚！”狮焰顿时僵住了。沼泽边的矮小灌木一阵摇动，一只深棕色的公猫从里面钻出来，警惕地四处闻着。
曙爪的爪子深深地插入了地下：“是蟾足！”
“狐狸屎！”松鸦爪呼噜着。
焰爪焦虑地瞪大了眼睛：“现在怎么办？”
有几个心跳的时间，狮焰感到自己就像武士爪子下的猎物一样无助。他猜测，影族武士一定是追踪着虎爪和冬青叶的气息找来的。如果黑脚这时候出现了，他们该怎么办？然后他安慰着自己：现在没时间惊慌失措！
“焰爪，”他低声说着，并用耳朵抽动着示意，“沿着沼泽边缘爬到另一边去，一定不要让蟾足发现你。我从这边走过去。等我跳起来扑向他的时候，你就过来帮忙。”
学徒紧张地点点头，匍匐着爬走了，他的肚子紧紧地贴在地面上。狮焰向另一个方向前进，埋伏在离蟾足几条尾巴远的蕨丛里。他瞥到对面的灌木丛中焰爪姜黄色的身影。
影族武士继续向前追踪，眼里闪烁着好斗的光芒。一声低沉的吼叫从他的喉咙里发出来：“我知道你在那儿。出来！”
“上！”狮焰大吼道。
他跳出灌木丛，扑向大吃一惊的蟾足。与此同时，焰爪纵身掠过沼泽地面，猛扑到族猫的身上。狮焰用两只前爪将蟾足压倒在地上。
蟾足用强壮的后腿对着狮焰一阵猛踢，前爪则对准焰爪的脖子和肩膀不停地击打。但学徒坚持着，尽量伸长身体，压着蟾足的脖子和肩膀丝毫不放松。
“把他拖进灌木丛！”狮焰命令道。
他和焰爪合力把不停挣扎的影族武士拖进蕨丛。蟾足伸出了他的爪子，在狮焰的肋下狠狠地击了一掌。但他仍旧无法挣脱束缚。他想尖声大叫，但焰爪把他的头按在地上，并用爪子捂住了他的嘴巴。
击打和吼叫刚一停止，狮焰就听到几只猫穿过树林走来的声音。他抬起头，重重地喘息着。他透过蕨丛看见了虎爪和他身旁的小云。在他俩身后一条尾巴远的地方跟着黑脚。
影族族长停下脚步，警惕地环顾着四周。“有动静！”他低声咆哮道。
“可能是有些猫在狩猎，”虎爪顺口撒谎道，“向这边走，黑脚。焰爪和曙爪正在边界上等待着。”
一听见族长的声音，蟾足再次试图奋力逃脱。狮焰再次用力把他压在地上。“你如果想要拯救你的族群，就要安静点儿！”他把一只爪子按在蟾足的脖子上，嘶嘶地叫道。
蟾足愤怒地瞪着他，但是却根本无法动弹。
就在狮焰和焰爪同蟾足搏斗的时候，松鸦爪和曙爪已经溜回了沼泽地，在挖好的小树边藏了起来。淤泥几乎完全掩盖了他们，如果不仔细寻找，根本发现不了。
树上的细枝正在晃动着，那两棵树随时都有倒下的可能。虎爪带着黑脚和小云向前走着，像是要从沼泽的边缘绕过去。狮焰瞥见冬青叶从金雀花丛后爬了出来，跳进泥里帮助曙爪。他的胸部剧烈地起伏着。快点！快点！
松鸦爪抬起尾巴，拍打在泥地的表面，然后用伸直的前爪猛推自己所在的树干。冬青叶和曙爪也用力推她们身旁的那棵树。树干缓缓地倾斜着，沼泽地里发出吸气的声音，冒出许多棕色的气泡。
黑脚警觉地发出一声吼叫，但是太迟了，根本无法逃开。两棵树面对面地倒下来，枝丫交叉着缠在一起，树根从泥沼中冒出来，像一条条巨大的尾巴直指天空。透过蕨丛，狮焰看到虎爪爬过树枝，躲到树干下的一个安全位置。他还看到黑脚正徒劳地拨着一些细枝。有那么一会儿，他担心小云是不是受伤了，但很快就听到那位巫医的说话声。
“黑脚，你还好吗？”
“不好，我感觉我的皮毛好像被划破了，”影族族长怒吼道，“发生什么事了？虎爪在哪儿呢？”
“我没看见他。虎爪！”
松鸦爪把自己从淤泥里拖出来，站在最近一棵树的树根上，众猫完全看不到他。“虎爪不见了……”他低声说道，但音量却足够让影族猫听见。
“什么？是谁在说话？”黑脚问道。
“我是一个被你背弃的武士祖灵。如果你继续不听从武士祖灵的命令，除了虎爪，还会有更多的猫消失。”松鸦爪的声音逐渐变大了，“森林即将毁灭……”
“你是什么意思？”狮焰刚好可以看见黑脚的脸，他张着嘴巴咆哮着。小云从他身边的树枝间向外张望，巫医瞪大的双眼中满是敬畏。
“一位星族武士在跟我们说话！”他说道。
蟾足再次开始挣扎起来；狮焰骑在他的身上，曙爪则骑在他的脖子和肩膀上，用一只爪子按住他的嘴巴。狮焰压住不停扭动着的影族猫，从隐蔽处往外看去。
黑脚正愤怒地抓着树枝。“无聊的迷信！”他厉声骂道。但是狮焰仍然从他的话语中听到了一丝迟疑。
“我们必须听着，”小云坚持道，“星族已经传给我们一个信息。如果它们真的抓走了虎爪，我们再也见不到他，那可怎么办？”
黑脚轻蔑地哼了一声：“如果真的是一位星族武士在说话，那就让他现身。”
狮焰感到肚子抽搐着。松鸦爪的皮毛上并没有星光，只是一只小个头的虎斑学徒，还满身淤泥。如果黑脚非要见到星族武士才能相信，他们的计划就失败了。
“森林即将毁灭……”松鸦爪重复着。狮焰可以看到他就伏在树根下，全身肌肉紧绷，爪子紧紧地抓着树皮。“树木即将枯萎，你的武士将四处流浪，他们死后，星空中也没有魂归之处。”
没起作用。狮焰无望地想着。黑脚仍然没有相信，只是用爪子不停地挖掘着，想找到一条路，走到空地上去。“让我看看你！”他吼道。
“森林即将毁灭……”松鸦爪的声音带着非常明显的回音，就像是有另一个声音在回应他的话。“森林即将毁灭……”仿佛还有第三个声音。现在所有的声音都汇集在了一起。
狮焰觉得他看见沼泽的表面正泛起粼粼微光。他眨眨眼睛，甚至他的每根毛都竖了起来。两只猫稳稳地站在沼泽上面——其中一只是个头较大的虎斑猫，他的一只耳朵破了；另一只是小个头的灰白相间的公猫。他们的爪子边环绕着雾气，眼里闪烁着星光。
“残星！奔鼻！”小云在倾倒的小树间大叫起来。
黑脚停下疯狂的挖掘，盯着他们，吃惊地张大了嘴巴。
“日神在影族的统治该结束了。”残星说道，他盯着黑脚的眼睛，“他就像遮蔽太阳的黑暗。”
“他好像已经接管了你的族群。”奔鼻插话道，“但是他将成为过去，并被遗忘在随后而来的光明里。光明将永远照耀着影族。”
“我……我知道了！”黑脚结结巴巴地说，“我会按你们说的去做的。”
小云低头表示敬意，不去理会压在他身上的小树的嫩枝。“影族会恢复对武士祖灵的信仰，”他承诺，然后补充道，“你把我们的学徒怎么样了？”
“他很安全。”残星回答道。
星族武士环顾四周，目光落在冬青叶、松鸦爪身上，最后落在狮焰身上。他努力控制着自己不动，他和同窝猫所做的这些，会激怒身披星光的武士吗？
星族猫没有说话，只是庄严地对他们点点头。他们闪耀的身形开始消退，最后变成沼泽地上的点点星光。然后他们离开了。狮焰长出了一口气，这才发现自己一直忘了呼吸。
黑脚冲开盖在他身上的树枝，没费多大力气就出来了。小云顺着他冲出的空隙走出来。两只猫迅速爬到沼泽旁边的干燥地面上。他们的皮毛上沾满了泥浆、树枝和脏东西，血正从黑脚的一只耳朵上流出来。
“星族没有放弃我们！”小云的声音颤抖着，但是充满了欣喜。
黑脚晃晃脑袋。“他们跟我们说话了。”他喃喃地说道，“你是对的，小云。我们不能忽视了我们的武士祖灵。他们依然在守护着我们。”
“你现在打算怎么做？”小云问道。
“赶走日神，从这里着手。”他伸缩着自己的爪子，直到爪尖插入潮湿的泥土里，“我真不敢相信，我居然听信了那只泼皮无赖的浑话。他告诉我，星族根本不在意我们发生了什么。但是星族把我们引到了这里，还弄倒这些树，让我们不得不听星族说话。我一定保证不会再让任何影族猫受到日神的误导。你有没有觉得我已经偏离正途太久了？”他焦虑地补充道。
“我知道你没有。”小云用尾巴尖拍了拍族长的肩膀，宽慰道，“武士守则深深地植根于在影族出生的每只猫的心中。仅凭一只猫的力量，是无法扑灭那如火焰般的信念的。”
“那我们走吧！”黑脚说着，转身朝影族营地走去。
小云犹豫了一下：“虎爪，你在那儿吗？”
狮焰看见虎爪从藏身的树干下爬出来，蹚过泥水，走向他的族猫。
“你没事儿吧？”小云问道，“你看到了刚才发生的事吗？”
“是的。”虎爪琥珀色的双眸闪烁着，“我从没想到，能见到真正的星族武士！”
我也没想到。狮焰心想。
虎爪朝黑脚点头表示敬意：“我们现在能回去了吗？”
黑脚点点头：“当然了，影族需要你们。”
虎爪自豪地伸展着身体：“那我去找焰爪和曙爪。”
“尽快回到营地。”黑脚命令着，他举起尾巴朝小云一挥，补充道，“我们走吧。我都等不及要告诉族猫们，他们又可以仰望自己的武士祖灵了。”
“我想他们听到这个消息，都会很高兴的，黑脚。”小云说道。
白猫挺起胸膛，蓬松的皮毛下可以看见那健壮的肌肉。“黑星！”他纠正小云，“请叫我黑星。”
影族族长高竖着尾巴，大步走进森林，他的巫医紧随在他的后面。
从星族武士现身说话的那刻开始，蟾足就静静地趴在狮焰的爪子下，如同一块石头。当狮焰和焰爪让他站起来时，他坐在那里盯着沼泽，似乎不敢相信他所见的一切。他低声问道：“那些猫真的是星族的武士吗？”
“是的，他们是的，”焰爪严肃地回答道，“我们的武士祖灵依然在守护着我们。他们希望武士守则得到遵守。”
蟾足眨巴着眼睛，依然感到震惊不已。
“你现在打算怎么办？”狮焰问他。如果黑星知道了他们做的事情，他还会让他的族群仰望武士祖灵吗？
蟾足的眼睛看看狮焰，又看看焰爪，最后转了回来。一声低吼开始从他的喉咙里跳出来：“刚才星族传递的信息是假的！”
“只有一开始是。”焰爪面对着他的族猫，“我们弄倒了小树，并把黑星带到沼泽。但是我们没有让星族现身。星族是自己出现的。总之，最后星族是真的出现了。”
蟾足摇了摇身体，抖落挂在深棕色皮毛上的蕨叶，他的眼里满是狐疑。“算你们运气好，他们真的现身了！”他咕哝着，“否则像你们这样多管闲事，还敢说谎，影族一定会把雷族毁灭的。”
“那你们就试试看。”狮焰说着，唰的一下竖起了毛。
“但是星族真的出现了！”焰爪坚持道，“它们的现身证明，星族依然守护着我们，我们也应该听从星族的指示，并要遵守武士守则。星族一直把族群的利益放在心上，我们也必须相信它们说的事情。”
“难道你不想这样吗？”狮焰问道。
蟾足略作停顿，点点头。“我想我应该谢谢你们。”他不情愿地说道。
“不用，”狮焰回答道，“你应该感谢的是星族。”
这时，冬青叶走了过来，泥水从皮毛上不断地滴下来。她不满地闻了闻蟾足。她问狮焰：“我们怎么处置他？”
回答的却是蟾足：“我发誓，我决不会把今天看到的事情告诉任何猫。”
冬青叶的耳朵竖了起来：“我们能相信他吗？”
“如果不相信他，就只能杀了他。”松鸦爪走过来，叹着气坐了下来，“我并不了解你，但是我们所做的这一切，并不是为了杀掉影族猫。”
“那么我们只能相信你了。”狮焰转向蟾足说，“以星族的名义发誓，说你永远会保守秘密。”
“我当然会的，鼠脑子。”蟾足甩了甩尾巴。“我发誓，除非会伤害到影族，否则我决不把秘密说出去。”他坚定地说。
“你的担心是多余的。”狮焰对蟾足不客气地点点头，“你可以走了。”
蟾足转身离开时，畏惧地朝星族武士现身的那片沼泽看了一眼。
“走吧。”虎爪对他的两只同窝猫甩了甩尾巴，“我们也得回去了。”
学徒们向几只雷族猫低头致意。
“我们真不知道该怎么感谢你们。”焰爪说道。
“我们这么做也是为了雷族。况且没有你们的帮忙，这件事也做不成。”狮焰说。
“那我们的妈妈怎么办？”曙爪问她的同窝猫。
虎爪和焰爪茫然地看着彼此。
“现在别担心这个。”狮焰安慰他们说，“我们会把事情的经过告诉褐皮的。你们现在回营地去，我们几个也得离开影族的领地了。”
“好。”虎爪的眼睛闪着光，“一旦我们重新标记好气味，看你们还敢不敢再越过边界。”
三位学徒跳跃着穿过树林。狮焰目送着他们离开，然后和冬青叶、松鸦爪并肩回到自己的领地。
“我真不敢相信，我们制造的假信息竟然成真了！”冬青叶兴奋地说着，“松鸦爪，你认为星族真的需要我们设置好陷阱，才会现身吗？”
松鸦爪耸了耸肩：“我不知道，我也有些怀疑。”
“我认为，星族是想看看学徒们在绝望中奋力拯救族群的决心。”狮焰提出了自己的看法，“如果虎爪和其他猫不是迫切地渴望影族回归星族，重拾武士守则，他们就不会做这些事情。”
“我们也很急切。”冬青叶甩甩尾巴，“没什么比捍卫武士守则更重要的了。”
“看在星族的分上，我们到底要怎么跟褐皮说这件事呢？”松鸦爪问道，“我的直觉告诉我，说出真相可不是个好主意。”
“不知道。”冬青叶听起来充满了担心，“我也不想让火星知道我们干的这些事。搞不好，他会让我和狮焰重新回到学徒巢穴了。”
狮焰往前走了几步，他已经把他俩的对话抛在脑后。他迫不及待地想知道，黑星回到营地后，让日神离开影族的时候，日神会怎么做。
他会信守承诺吗？他想，他会来指导我们三个完成我们的使命吗？
CHAPTER15
CHAPTER15
Jaypaw forced his legs to carryhim forward to the end of the tunnel. As he emerged, blinking, into brilliant sunlight, several cats crowded around him, mewing excitedly.
“Jay’s Wing! It isyou!”
“Well done! You’re a sharpclaw now.”
“Congratulations!”
At first Jaypaw couldn’t make out individual cats among the press of furry bodies. Then a ginger-and-white she-cat thrust her way through the crowd. Her fur stood on end as she danced on restless paws.
“You’re lucky Jay’s Wing survived the challenge!” she yowled. Her voice quivered with sorrow, and her amber eyes were full of bitterness. “Have you forgotten that Fallen Leaves never came out of the tunnels?”
A small gray-and-white she-cat, her belly heavy with kits, padded up to her side and pressed her muzzle into her shoulder. “Come on, Broken Shadow,” she murmured. “Let’s go find a patch of sunshine to rest in.”
“You don’t understand, Rising Moon!” Broken Shadow wailed, but she allowed the other she-cat to lead her away.
Jaypaw stared around him, his mind racing. He recognized the way the ground sloped down toward the entrance to the tunnels, but the trees were smaller, letting through the bright sunlight that had dazzled him. The spaces between the trees were mostly clear of undergrowth. It was like his home, yet not like it.
Where am I? And who are these strange cats? Has ThunderClan been invaded?
He spun around, looking for his Clanmates. Looking?Jaypaw shivered. This feels too real to be a dream.He could feel the wind in his fur and hear the voices of the other cats like birdsong in his ears; his belly was rumbling and his paws dragged as though he had truly been awake all night, searching for a way out of the tunnels in order to become a sharpclaw.
A pretty pale gray she-cat bounded up to him, her blue eyes sparkling with affection. She drew her tail down Jaypaw’s side.
“You’re a sharpclaw! It’s so exciting!” she meowed, bouncing gently on her paws. Suddenly her tail drooped. “I wish our mother could see you.”
Jaypaw stiffened. This she-cat was his sister?
Who does she think I am?
“Perhaps Falcon Swoop cansee you.” A silver-furred she-cat padded up to Jaypaw. She was slender and graceful, with long legs and brilliant blue eyes.
“Do you really think so, Whispering Breeze?” Jaypaw’s sister meowed hopefully.
“Precious Dove’s Wing, you know how much Falcon Swoop loved you and Jay’s Wing while she was alive. I’m sure she still loves you, wherever she may be.”
“I hope so,” Dove’s Wing murmured.
Jaypaw didn’t understand. Don’t these cats go to StarClan when they die? And why do they all seem to know me?
“Look, there’s been a mistake,” he began. “I’m not who you think I am. And where’s ThunderClan?”
Whispering Breeze stretched out her neck to give him a sniff. “Are you okay?” she queried. “I think your brain got scrambled down in the tunnels.”
“What’s ThunderClan?” Dove’s Wing asked, faintly anxious. “Did Rock tell you about it?”
Rock?Jaypaw’s belly lurched. Did Dove’s Wing know the sightless cat who lived in the tunnels?
He was about to ask her, when another cat loomed over him, a dark ginger tabby tom with muscular shoulders and amber eyes. “Don’t forget sharpclaws never talk about what goes on in the caves,” he warned. “That’s a secret they must keep for the rest of their lives.”
“It’s okay, Furled Bracken,” Dove’s Wing assured him. “Jay’s Wing is just a bit confused.”
Furled Bracken grunted. “Just so long as he remembers what he was told when he went into the tunnels two nights ago.”
“I haven’t been in the tunnels for two nights!” Jaypaw protested. “I—”
“We were so worried about you when you didn’t come out on the first sunrise,” Dove’s Wing interrupted. “We thought you’d been lost.”
“Like Fallen Leaves,” a new voice broke in. Jaypaw turned and saw a hefty dark gray tabby tom with glittering ice-blue eyes. Sadness radiated from his pelt. Jaypaw picked up such a strong image of Fallen Leaves from his mind that he guessed this cat must be the drowned cat’s father.
“Stone Song.” Furled Bracken touched the tabby tom’s ear with his nose. “I know how hard this is for you.”
Stone Song sighed. “We waited a moon of sunrises for Fallen Leaves to emerge,” he murmured. “But he never came.” He glanced across at Broken Shadow, who was lying under a tree not far off. Rising Moon crouched beside her, grooming her gently like a mother with her kit. “It is time to give up waiting,” Stone Song finished quietly.
Jaypaw stared at the dark gray tabby. How can it be only one moon since Fallen Leaves disappeared? If that’s true, it means this must be long ago!Somehow he had emerged from the tunnels during the time before the Clan cats came to the lake, maybe even as far back as when the ancient cats trod the path to the Moonpool.
The stick!Jaypaw felt every hair on his pelt rise. I’m among the cats who are marked on the stick!
He looked back at the mouth of the tunnel. It looked different now, because it was on exposed hillside rather than surrounded by thick undergrowth, but he had sensed its shape when he walked through it to find the WindClan kits, and he was sure it was the same tunnel. Turning, he looked down at the lake, its glinting surface clearly visible throughthe trees. The shape of the water was familiar, but when he looked across to the flank of WindClan territory, he spotted Twolegs swarming over a mound of pale brown earth, pushing it around with yellow monsters. Their roaring hung in the air like the buzzing of bumblebees.
Jaypaw padded forward to the edge of the slope to take a closer look. A moment later, Furled Bracken joined him. “The Twolegs are still moving the earth,” he meowed worriedly. “Chasing Clouds and I went down there to check it out, but we still don’t know what they’re doing.”
“They’re building nests,” Jaypaw replied without thinking.
Furled Bracken gave him a sharp look. “What, nests for Twolegs to live in? There are a few in the woods on the other side of the lake, but Twolegs have never tried to live any closer than that.”
“Yes, there’ll be four nests.” Jaypaw remembered Hollyleaf’s and Lionblaze’s description of the horseplace. “The Twolegs are going to keep horses there.”
He realized that Furled Bracken was looking at him with a strange expression in his eyes. “How do you know that?” he gasped.
Jaypaw gulped. Mouse-brain!Of course these cats had no way of knowing what the Twolegs were doing with their yellow monsters. Had he just made a prophecy that was going to come true?
Furled Bracken twitched his ears; he was still waiting for an answer.
Jaypaw shrugged. “I just figure that’s what Twolegs do when they dig holes in the ground.”
The ginger tom was still giving him a doubtful look. And I can’t say I blame him.Jaypaw was relieved to see Dove’s Wing bounding toward them.
“What are you doing, standing here?” she demanded as she gave him a shove back toward the deeper part of the forest. “You must be worn out and starving after being in the tunnels all that time. You need to rest. And I want Rising Moon to take a look at your pads. They’re bleeding from walking on stone for so long.”
Jaypaw looked down and saw spots of blood smeared on the grass where he had put his paws. Pain suddenly swept over him, and his head spun from the hunger that snarled in his belly. Maybe he really had been in the tunnels for two nights. He was glad to follow Dove’s Wing into the trees, where the long shadows of early morning striped the grass.
“Are we going to the camp?” he asked.
Dove’s Wing turned back, her blue eyes puzzled. “What do you mean? Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”
Okay, so these cats don’t have a camp,Jaypaw guessed. Think before you ask any more questions, stupid furball!
Looking worried, Dove’s Wing nosed aside some tendrils of ivy hanging from an oak tree, to reveal a cozy scoop among the roots. The bottom was lined with moss and feathers; warm scent clung about it.
This must be a den.Jaypaw bent his head to sniff, and felt every muscle in his body tense. That’s my own scent!
Dove’s Wing nudged him forward. “Lie down. I’m going to fetch Rising Moon.”
Rising Moon must be the medicine cat,Jaypaw thought, remembering how she had comforted Fallen Leaves’s mother. He watched Dove’s Wing as she trotted away, trying to spot more dens among the trees and scant undergrowth. He couldn’t see any, but the intensity of scent in the air suggested they were not far-off.
Worn out, Jaypaw crawled into the den, curled up, and closed his eyes. Anxiety clawed through him. Will I ever get back to ThunderClan?But he was so exhausted that he fell into a shallow, uneasy sleep.
“…these are good juicy dock leaves.” The voice roused Jaypaw from his doze. “Well done for finding that clump.”
Relief flooded through him. He was back in his nest in the medicine cats’ den, with Leafpool talking about herbs close by
Then he opened his eyes and saw tangled brown roots and soft feathers around his head. He could still see. The voice he could hear wasn’t Leafpool’s, and when the ivy tendrils twitched to one side, Dove’s Wing and Rising Moon looked down at him, their eyes huge with concern. Dove’s Wing had a bunch of dock leaves in her jaws. Jaypaw gave himself a tiny shake. If he wasn’t going to wake up back in his own Clan, in his own time, then he must be here for a reason. Maybe this was another place where he’d find answers to his questions about the prophecy—answers that StarClan couldn’t give him.
“Were you hurt while you were in the tunnels?” Rising Moon asked.
Jaypaw shook his head. “N-no. I’m not injured. My pads are sore, that’s all.”
“Were you scared down there?”
“A bit.” Jaypaw wondered if Rising Moon thought he was losing his mind. Dove’s Wing must have told her about the peculiar things he’d said. “I’m really tired, though,” he added, hoping she would believe that was the reason for his odd behavior. “And hungry. I…I guess that’s made me confused.”
He had to convince these cats that he really was Jay’s Wing. He wasn’t sure what they would do to him if they discovered he wasn’t. They certainly wouldn’t believe him if he told them the truth.
He had waited for so long to find out about the ancient cats, and now here he was, living among them! No other cat in the Clans or the Tribe of Rushing Water knew as much as this about the cats who once lived beside the lake. Jaypaw had always been conscious of them, felt their pelts brush against his, heard their whispers by the lake, and trodden in their paw steps on his way to the Moonpool.
And now I’m one of them!
Rising Moon blinked thoughtfully. “I guess there’s nothing wrong that food and rest won’t cure. Let’s look at your pads.” She crawled down into the den to crouch beside Jaypaw. “Have you licked them clean?”
“Uh…no.”
Rising Moon waited while Jaypaw’s tongue rasped busily at his pads, scraping off the mud and grit. Dove’s Wing dropped the mouthful of dock leaves down to her.
“Oh, are you using dock?” Jaypaw asked, looking up from his licking. “I always thought horsetail was best to stop bleeding.”
Rising Moon’s eyes widened in surprise. “Horsetail? I’ve never heard of that. I don’t think it grows around here. Where did you hear about it?”
Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt tingled. He’d done it again!
Think next time before you open your jaws, mouse-brain!“Er…I think one of the elders mentioned it,” he muttered, hoping that these cats hadelders.
“I’ll have a word with Running Horse later,” Rising Moon meowed. “He taught me so much about herbs, I’m sure he’ll know about it.”
“I saw Dawn River using yarrow the other day,” Dove’s Wing added helpfully. “We could ask her advice, too.”
So they don’t have a single medicine cat, Jaypaw thought as Rising Moon rubbed the cooling dock leaves on his pads. Just a few cats who share knowledge about herbs. And they don’t know as much as a Clan medicine cat.
Jaypaw remembered how uncertain Dove’s Wing had been that her mother might be watching her. If these cats had no medicine cat, that could explain why they weren’t aware of their ancestors. What do they think happens when a cat dies?
“There.” Rising Moon finished rubbing the last of Jaypaw’s pads. “Does that feel better?”
“It feels great, thanks.” Even though he knew that horsetail would have worked better, Jaypaw was still grateful for thecooling juices on his pads.
“You can rub your feet again later,” the she-cat went on, pushing the remaining dock leaves together into a pile. “But you’d better get some sleep now.”
“I’ll bring you something to eat,” Dove’s Wing promised.
Jaypaw’s jaws stretched in an enormous yawn. He was barely aware of Rising Moon scrambling out of the den. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift into sleep.
CHAPTER16
CHAPTER16
Scent tickled Jaypaw’s nose. Mouse!His belly growled, and his eyes flew open to see that dusk had fallen. Dove’s Wing’s pale gray shape stood on the edge of the den, peering down at him. A mouse dangled from her jaws
“You’re awake!” she exclaimed, dropping the mouse at her paws. “Are you feeling better?”
“I’m fine,” Jaypaw meowed, hauling himself out from underneath the tree roots.
“Hey, Jay’s Wing!” A young brown tabby tom was standing just behind Dove’s Wing, his amber eyes alight with curiosity. “What was it like, down in the tunnels?”
“Quiet, Fish Leap!” A white she-cat padded up on Dove’s Wing’s other side. “Don’t pester Jay’s Wing. He must be worn out already, without you asking questions.”
“And don’t tell me what to do, Half Moon,” Fish Leap retorted. “You want to know everything as much as I do.”
The white cat brushed her pelt against Jaypaw’s. Her green eyes shone up at him. “Of course I do,” she purred. “But I can wait while he eats.”
The scent of the mouse was making Jaypaw’s mouth water. “Thanks,” he meowed to Dove’s Wing, and took a bite. He was aware of Fish Leap tearing impatiently at the grass beside him.
“I don’t know why Furled Bracken is making us wait to go into the tunnels,” he grumbled. “We’re all ready to become sharpclaws. I want to get on with my challenge.”
“Furled Bracken will let us go when hethinks we’re ready,” Dove’s Wing meowed.
So they’re all apprentices, Jaypaw figured as he gulped down the mouse. If they call them apprentices here. It sounds as if Furled Bracken is their leader. But how can he have nine lives if they don’t know about StarClan?
“Well, come on.” Fish Leap sounded irritated. “Tell us.”
“I can’t,” Jaypaw mumbled around a mouthful of mouse, glad that he had an excuse for being mysterious. “You know sharpclaws can’t talk about what happens in the tunnels.”
Fish Leap grunted. “You think you’re better than us now you’re a sharpclaw.”
“He does not!” Half Moon exclaimed indignantly.
Jaypaw wasn’t sure how to defend himself. He didn’t know enough about what a sharpclaw was supposed to do. He guessed they were like warriors, but if he was wrong he might be in trouble again.
To his relief, Dove’s Wing nudged Fish Leap away. “Leave him alone,” she meowed. “He’s still tired; he needs to rest some more. We’ll all find out about the tunnels soon enough. I’m just glad Jay’s Wing got out safely.”
Half Moon’s green eyes clouded. “Not like Fallen Leaves,” she murmured.
Fish Leap and Dove’s Wing exchanged a sorrowful glance. Jaypaw felt hollow in his heart when he thought about how long Fallen Leaves was destined to wander through the tunnels, trying to find the way out. He wished there was a way to let these cats know that their friend was dead, drowned in a flood, and they would never see him again. It was clear that the waiting had already driven Broken Shadows mad.
Finishing the mouse, Jaypaw wriggled back into his den. He was falling back to sleep when he heard Fish Leap’s voice, raised in protest.
“One lost cat doesn’t mean that all the rest of us have to leave!”
“It’s not just one, as you well know,” Half Moon retorted. “How many cats have to die before we look for somewhere else to live? There must be other places with prey and shelter for all of us.”
Jaypaw pricked his ears, keeping his eyes shut so it would look as if he was asleep. These cats were debating whether to stay here by the lake, or to find a new home. Is that why we didn’t find any cats here when the Clans came to the lake?Fish Leap padded away, still muttering, with Half Moon arguing more and more heatedly. When he could no longer hear what they were saying, Jaypaw let the blackness of exhaustion fill his mind.
During the night he woke briefly to find Dove’s Wing curled up close beside him. He hadn’t slept so near another cat since he became Leafpool’s apprentice; her warmth was comforting, and her scent was already becoming familiar. He let out a faint purr as sleep washed over him again.
Gray light was filtering through the ivy tendrils when Jaypaw next opened his eyes. Dove’s Wing had disappeared, but two other cats were gazing down at him. One of them was Fish Leap; the other was an older tortoiseshell she-cat that Jaypaw remembered seeing when he came out of the tunnel the day before. Her amber eyes were the exact same shade as Fish Leap’s; Jaypaw guessed that she was his mother.
“Hey, Jay’s Wing! Come hunting!” Fish Leap exclaimed when he saw that Jaypaw was awake.
That seemed like a good chance to explore their—ThunderClan’s—territory. Jaypaw scrambled out of his nest and stretched. “Are we going on a patrol?” he asked.
To his dismay, Fish Leap and the tortoiseshell exchanged a baffled glance. “What’s a patrol?” the tortoiseshell meowed.
Mouse-dung! They don’t have patrols, either.
“Dawn River, I think Jay’s Wing banged his head when he was down in the tunnels.” Fish Leap shrugged. “He keeps talking nonsense.”
Jaypaw hid his awkwardness by licking a tufty piece of fur on his chest. “Never mind,” he mumbled.
“Let’s go,” Dawn River urged. “Remember to watch out for badgers.”
She took the lead as the three cats set off into the woods. Jaypaw shivered from ears to tail-tip when he saw how different the forest was from the territory he knew in the time of the Clans. It wasn’t just that the trees were smaller and there was so little undergrowth. The biggest difference was that now he could see.
“Watch it!” Fish Leap warned him.
The exclamation came just too late. Jaypaw was so busy gazing around at the trees, their leaves taking on colors of scarlet and gold at the beginning of leaf-fall, that he hadn’t noticed the rabbit hole right in front of his paws. He stumbled into it, paws flailing.
“Fox dung!” he spat.
He heard Fish Leap let out a mrrowof laughter, and felt the tabby tom’s teeth sink into his scruff as he hauled him out.
“Are you okay?” Dawn River checked.
Jaypaw shook loose earth out of his pelt. “I’m fine.”
As they padded on he made a determined effort to watch where he was putting his paws, but it was difficult. Light dazzled him, and he was distracted by the flickering of leaves and trees looming up in front of him. The senses of smell and hearing, and his awareness of nearby objects, that were usually so acute had grown dull, so that he felt as if he was blundering through a fog.
I’m never as clumsy as this, he thought crossly as he tripped over a branch.
“You’ll scare all the prey away if you go on like that,” Fish Leap pointed out. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he added. “Do you want to go back to your den?”
“I’m fine,” Jaypaw repeated through gritted teeth. But Fish Leap was right: Stumbling around like a blind badger would scare off all the prey. Jaypaw closed his eyes, and instantly felt more comfortable. His other senses grew sharp again, telling him which way to go. Scents and sounds swirled around him, calling up a far clearer picture of his surroundings than he could gain from his eyes.
“Jay’s Wing?” Dawn River sounded puzzled and concerned. “Have you gone to sleep on your paws?”
Startled, Jaypaw veered away from the sound of her voice. His eyes flicked open just in time to see the rough bark of a tree in front of his nose. There was no chance to stop before he crashed right into it.
“Wow!” Fish Leap exclaimed, his voice trembling with amusement. “You caught a tree!”
Jaypaw was relieved when Dawn River and Fish Leap set off alone, each of them sniffing for prey, and left him to recover. Grooming bits of bark out of his coat, he wondered what he was going to do. If he was a sharpclaw, these cats would expect him to know how to hunt. But back in his own Clan, he had never been trained for that. He had never caught his own prey.
I’ll just have to try. How hard can it be?
He began prowling through the trees with his eyes closed so that he could pick out the scents more clearly, and soon detected a trace of mouse. Pausing to listen, he heard the scuffling of tiny paws, and leaped in the direction of the sound. His paws thumped down on grass; there was no sign of his mouse.
“Bad luck!” Fish Leap meowed cheerfully behind him. Jaypaw opened his eyes and turned to see that the other cat was dragging a squirrel between his front paws. Dawn River stood behind him, a mouse clamped in her jaws.
“Haven’t you caught anything yet?” Fish Leap teased. “I thought sharpclaws were better than that.”
“I…er…I was looking for the horsetail that Running Horse mentioned,” Jaypaw mewed, improvising wildly. “He says it’s good for sore pads.”
Dawn River nodded. “It must be hard for you to hunt when your pads aren’t healed yet.”
“All the same, you’d better catch something,” Fish Leap told him. “Unless you want to go hungry.”
Jaypaw wasn’t surprised. He had already guessed that these cats had to hunt for themselves, even before they were sharpclaws; they didn’t have patrols, and he hadn’t seen any sign of a fresh-kill pile. “Should we catch something for the elders?” he suggested.
Fish Leap shrugged. “If we find something extra.”
Jaypaw felt a pang of homesickness for ThunderClan, where every cat was fed, even those who didn’t have the time or skill to hunt for themselves.
“I’m going to try down by the stream,” Dawn River declared. “I could just eat a yummy vole.”
So could I,Jaypaw thought,watching the tortoiseshell she-cat out of sight, but I don’t think I’m going to get one. What am I going to eat if I can’t tell them that I don’t hunt?
“I’ll see you later,” Fish Leap meowed. “Good hunting!”
He bounded off in the direction of the ShadowClan border. No,Jaypaw reminded himself. Where the ShadowClan border will be.
Keeping his eyes open in an attempt to get used to seeing, he headed toward the stone hollow. Fear drew icy claws down his spine. What if the hollow isn’t there?
Before many heartbeats had passed, the harsh tang of a Thunderpath crept into Jaypaw’s nostrils. He paused, bewildered. There’s no Thunderpath across our territory!
He pressed himself closer to the ground, creeping forward and taking advantage of what little cover there was. Eventually he came out beside the Thunderpath, its hard black surface snaking through the trees. Pricking his ears, he listened for the sound of monsters, but nothing disturbed the gentle rustling of the breeze among the branches.
Glancing up and down, Jaypaw spotted the walls of a Twoleg nest among the trees; more cautiously than ever he crept toward it, alert for the scent and sound of Twolegs or dogs. But everything was silent. The door of the nest was tight shut, and the shiny stuff in the windows was broken and scattered.
Jaypaw blinked in sudden understanding. This is the Twoleg nest where the sick cats are staying!There weren’t any holes in the walls, and the roof was still in one piece, but the size and shape were the same.
So the Thunderpath is the old Twoleg path.Jaypaw bounded back to it. He hadn’t recognized it with its black surface intact instead of broken up and covered with tiny creeping plants. Now I know where I am!
He trotted along beside the Thunderpath, still wary of monsters, though none of the smelly, roaring creatures appeared. Just as he knew it would, it led him to the entrance to the hollow.
Jaypaw stopped and looked around. Walls of stone stretched up around him, low near the entrance and rising to a height of many fox-lengths opposite him. There was a trace of Twoleg scent, but it was faint and stale. His gaze traveled around the hollow as he tried to imagine where the dens would be. It was hard to picture them because there was no undergrowth yet, no brambles, bracken, or hazel to soften the harsh lines of the walls. Only a few stems of willowherb had pushed their way through the earth, their feathery tops stirred by the breeze. Jaypaw thought he recognized the Highledge with the cave behind it where Firestar had his den, but there was no sign of the tumbled rocks that made a path up to it.
“Jay’s Wing!”
Jaypaw jumped, startled, and whirled around to see the white she-cat, Half Moon, staring at him with scared green eyes.
“What are you doing here?” she gasped. “The badgers will get you. Quick!”
She bounded away through the trees and up the side of the hollow, heading for the entrance to the underground tunnels. Jaypaw followed her, closing his eyes so that he could match her speed. So this is where the badgers lived,he thought, noticing strong badger scent for the first time; his mind had been so distracted by the changes to the Twoleg path and the stone hollow that he had missed it on the way there. The hollow must be out-of-bounds to the cats because it belonged to their enemies—not rival cats, but badgers. Maybe these were the ancestors of the badgers that came back to the forest, moons and moons later, and attacked ThunderClan, killing Cinder-pelt. Did those badgers know that this had been their home once?
Jaypaw was relieved when the badger scents faded and Half Moon finally slowed and flopped down on the cool grass. He wondered how she knew that they were safe here, when there were no border markings to separate their territory from the badgers’.
“I never thought so before,” he began carefully, “but isn’t it weird how the badgers never chase us here, when there’s nothing to stop them?”
Half Moon shrugged. “I guess there’s enough prey in the thicker part of the forest, so they don’t need to come out this far.” She glanced sideways at Jaypaw, clearly wanting to say something but not sure if she should. “I followed your scent,” she admitted. “I thought you might be in trouble. And I’ve got this for you.” She vanished under a bush and reappeared a heartbeat later with a blackbird in her jaws, which she dropped in front of Jaypaw. “I thought you might find it hard to hunt when your paws are sore.”
Jaypaw nodded, glad of the excuse but still feeling a bit guilty as he crouched in front of the blackbird. “Thanks. Do you want to share it with me?”
“I already ate, but I’ll have a mouthful, thanks.” Half Moon settled down on the opposite side of the prey.
While he ate, Jaypaw realized that he would need to learn how to hunt if he was going to stay here for any length of time. But that could be tricky, when he was supposed to be a sharpclaw already.
“Will Furled Bracken give me any duties?” he asked Half Moon.
The white she-cat had taken one bite of the blackbird, then began to clean her face and whiskers with her paws. “You might have to hunt for the elders if no cat has any spare,” she mewed. “Don’t you remember how hard it rained last moon? How Whispering Breeze had to catch prey for all of us because she’s the only cat who doesn’t mind getting her fur wet?”
“Oh, sure,” Jaypaw mumbled.
“I couldn’t believe it when she caught fish!” Half Moon purred. “I’d never tasted fish before.”
“Prey isn’t running well, is it?” Jaypaw thought that was a safe comment to make.
Half Moon shook her head. “Maybe Stone Song isn’t wrong when he says we should think about leaving.” Sadness clouded her eyes. “I remember you said the same.”
“Right,” Jaypaw meowed, relieved to know which side of the argument Jay’s Wing had taken. “There must be somewhere with more prey, and no Twolegs and badgers to bother us.”
“You really think there’s a place like that for us?”
Jaypaw nodded slowly. After all, the Clans found a new home for themselves when the Twolegs destroyed the old forest.
Except that the Clans camehere.
第十章
第十章
冬青叶一跃而起，利爪插进了田鼠的身体，迅速咬断了它的脖子。她叼着猎物站起来时，看到狮焰正从蕨丛里钻出来，拖着一只软塌塌的兔子。
“嘿，好厉害啊！”她叼着田鼠嘟哝道。
暮色已经降临，森林地面上被浓重的黑暗覆盖。在回营地的路上，狮焰和冬青叶在枯树附近停下来，开始狩猎，松鸦爪则去寻找新鲜的草药。
“我们回去吧！”松鸦爪说道，嘴里叼着一捆艾菊，“我一直惦记着那些病猫。叶池应付不了所有的事情。如果我回去得太晚了，她会扒了我的皮的。”
“好的。”冬青叶找到之前猎杀的老鼠，带着这些猎物，带头往营地走去。
他们拯救了影族，让她全身的每根毛都透着轻松。现在只剩一个问题——他们该怎么跟褐皮解释这件事呢？
狮焰越过冬青叶，首先走进了荆棘通道，嘴里的兔子的后腿拖在地上，留下一条长长的痕迹。冬青叶回到营地，发现空地上几乎没什么猫了。大多数猫应该已经回到自己的巢穴。沙风和松鼠飞正在猎物堆旁分享着一只画眉，罂粟霜正朝排便处通道走去。
“嘿，罂粟霜！”狮焰丢下兔子，跑了过去，“你看到褐皮了吗？”
罂粟霜点点头：“她和黑莓掌正在火星的洞穴里。”
“等等！”冬青叶看到哥哥走回来，对他说道，“我们还没商量好怎么跟她说。”
“我们现在不能商量这个。”松鸦爪说，“我要先去看看叶池那边的情况，晚点儿再来找你们。”没等他们回答，他就朝巫医巢穴跑去，消失在黑莓丛后面。
狮焰打了个哈欠，然后弓着后背，伸了个长长的懒腰：“我已经累死了。我们去把猎物放下，然后回巢穴休息一会儿吧。我们现在不用担心褐皮，她正忙着呢。”
“好吧。”
两位年轻的武士拾起猎物，带着它们走过去，放在了猎物堆上。
“你们一直都在狩猎！”松鼠飞赞许地说道，“做得好！”
“你们怎么弄得满身是泥？”沙风在一旁怀疑地眯着眼睛问，“你们去抓青蛙了吗？”
“只是因为地面有些泥泞。”狮焰咕哝着说，他根本不敢看这只年长的母猫。
沙风绿色的眼睛里闪着戏谑的光。她刚要张口说什么，只见几只猫穿过入口处的屏障走进了营地。第一个出现的是桦落。冬青叶吃惊得全身的毛都竖了起来，桦落的身后跟着小云，再后面还有白翅和冰爪。
沙风跳了起来：“怎么回事？”她快步跑过空地，来到影族巫医面前。
松鼠飞也慢慢地站了起来。“我最好去通知火星。”她低声说着，走向通往高石台的落石堆。
冬青叶和狮焰跟着沙风走过空地。武士们陆续从武士巢穴走了出来，云尾大声吹嘘，不论在什么地方，他都能闻到影族猫的气味。他和亮心一起站在小云周围的猫群中，他俩的身后站着莓鼻、榛尾和鼠须。鼠毛从长老巢穴探出脑袋，不满地抖动着胡须，但是并没有走出来。
“又来一只影族猫，他在我们的营地干什么？”莓鼻开口问道。
没有猫回答他。他的姐姐榛尾用肩膀撞了他一下，差点儿把他撞倒在地。
“你好。”沙风对小云微微地点了点头，“桦落，这儿发生什么事了？”
冬青叶发现桦落似乎有些窘迫。“我们在影族边界附近巡逻。”他开口说道。
“是我发现了小云。”冰爪插话道，“那时桦落和白翅正忙着闲聊呢。”
“够了。”白翅训斥她的学徒，她看起来有些不安，“小云说，他需要和褐皮谈谈。”
小云对沙风恭敬地低头致意：“希望火星能够允许。影族发生了一些事，褐皮需要知道。”
沙风还没开口回答，冬青叶就看见火星、黑莓掌和褐皮出现在高石台上，松鼠飞站在他们身后。沙风甩了甩尾巴，请小云跟上她。她带着他穿过空地，来到落石堆的下面。冬青叶和狮焰，还有其他的雷族猫也跟了过去。不断有猫从巢穴里聚集过来，想听听到底发生了什么事。小玫瑰和小蟾蜍从育婴室蹦蹦跳跳地跑出来，好奇地抖动着耳朵。黛西慢慢地跟在他们后面。
“你好，小云。”火星说道，“欢迎来到雷族营地。我们有什么能帮你吗？”
“谢谢，火星。”巫医猫回应道，“我有事要和褐皮说。”
玳瑁色皮毛的武士惊讶得竖起耳朵。“我已经跟影族没什么好说的了，”她的话语中带着一丝愤怒，“我已经不属于那个族群。”
“我很遗憾你会这么想。”小云同情地眨着眼睛，“但我想，你听了我要说的话之后，一定会改变你的想法。”
“那你说吧。”褐皮的声音里依然充满敌意。
“黑星想让你重新回影族。”巫医猫继续说道，“你的三个孩子已经回去了……”
“什么！”褐皮惊讶得嘴巴张得大大的。冬青叶能够看出她有一大串的问题要问，但是她看了看周围听他们交谈的雷族猫，又把嘴巴闭上了。
“黑星想让我转告你，没有猫会指责你的离开。”小云抬头看着他的族猫，“影族已经重新遵守武士守则，也会重新忠诚于武士祖灵。”
褐皮深深地吸了口气：“如果你说的是真的……那日神呢？”
“日神已经决定离开影族了。”小云回答道。
“他决定？”狮焰对着冬青叶的耳朵悄悄地说，“你见过刺猬会飞吗？”
“我们那里没有他的位置。”小云继续说道，“黑星无意伤害他，但他终究不是族群的一员。”
“这是个好消息。”黑莓掌对妹妹说道，“我很欢迎你再次成为雷族的一员。但是我知道，你内心里一直都是忠于影族的。”
褐皮用鼻子碰了碰黑莓掌的耳朵，然后点点头：“好吧，小云。我会回去的。但是你最好跟我说实情。”
“巫医是不说谎的。”小云回答道。
褐皮对火星说：“火星，谢谢你为我做的一切。”
“我很高兴结局如此圆满，”火星说道，“再见，祝你好运！”
玳瑁色武士蹭了蹭黑莓掌的皮毛，然后跳下落石堆，来到小云身边。两只猫一起穿过空地，消失在荆棘丛中。
“我从来没想过会发生这种事。”他们刚刚消失，云尾就喊起来，“你们觉得黑星是真的改变主意了吗？就像小云说的那样？”
冬青叶特意不看自己的哥哥。
“我拿一个月的黎明巡逻打赌，那些学徒肯定做了些什么。”桦落说道，“要不他们怎么会不跟着母亲，自己出现在了影族？”
尘毛开玩笑道：“我能想象那三只猫把黑星按在地上，逼迫他同意的场面。”
“也许失去他们使黑星认识到，自己的所作所为对族群有多大的影响。”冬青叶小心翼翼地猜测道。
榛尾点点头：“你说得有道理。”
“好了，不管黑星因为什么改变了主意，对于其他族群来说都是件好事。”沙风说道，“没有一只猫希望相邻的族群不遵守武士守则。”
“的确。”香薇云咕哝着，蹭着这只姜黄色母猫的腹部，“四个族群应该始终生活在湖边，而且遵循着武士守则。”
“我只是希望，褐皮不要把我们营地的情况，透露给黑星太多。”黛西担忧地看着孩子们喃喃自语。
听到族猫说褐皮可能背叛帮助过她的族群，冬青叶身上的毛开始竖立起来，要知道，这还是褐皮哥哥的族群。冬青叶刚想反驳，沙风用鼻子碰了碰黛西的耳朵：“不用担心，我可以肯定，褐皮不会那么做的。”
“那么日神呢？我想知道他会怎么样。”鼠毛走到猫群中，“他现在能去哪里？”
“谁在乎他啊？”莓鼻说道。
“因为他可能会弄出更多的麻烦，鼠脑子。”尘毛提醒道，“我只希望他现在就离开各个族群。”
“他最好那样。”冬青叶狠狠地抓挠着地面。一想到日神，冬青叶的毛就竖了起来：“假如他要想法毁灭武士守则，这儿就没有他的存身之所。”
狮焰张开嘴，似乎想反驳她的话，但是又闭上了。冬青叶不喜欢狮焰眼睛里流露出来的不坚定的神情。在这只独行猫对影族做了那些事后，狮焰难道还要为他申辩吗？
冬青叶咬住哥哥，把他从兴奋不已的群猫中拽出来。“你不会再相信那个吃鸦食的讨厌鬼了，对吗？”她嘶嘶地问道。
狮焰耸了耸肩：“他也没那么坏。我一直都希望他回来指导我们。”
冬青叶难以置信地看着他：“为什么他能帮我们？为什么你还想找他帮忙？看看他在影族干的好事，他甚至怂恿影族放弃武士守则！”
“但是我们的命运和武士守则毫不相干。”狮焰争论着，回过头看有没有猫听到他们的对话。
冬青叶喷着鼻息说：“日神是一只非常危险的猫。如果他再次出现了，你应该离他远点。不论我们做了什么或者没做什么，我们的使命都会到来。预言里不就是这么说的吗？”
狮焰转开了视线。他不再争辩什么，但是冬青叶朝武士巢穴走去时，仍然不确定自己是否说服了狮焰。
冬青叶站在陡峭的悬崖边俯视着湖面，在空气中搜寻猎物的气息。在她的身后，尘毛、栗尾和其他巡逻队的成员正在灌木丛中寻找猎物的踪迹。一阵冷风吹落了几片树叶，树叶在冬青叶的身边飞舞着。虽然太阳已经升起，但是爪子下的地面依然覆盖着白霜。
随着风中飘来一丝田鼠的气息，冬青叶立即竖起了耳朵。几个心跳过后，她便发现在向湖边延伸的斜坡上，一棵树的树根下藏着一只肥美的田鼠。冬青叶蹲伏下来，摆出狩猎的姿势，悄悄地向它前行，并竭力让爪子落地如落叶一般轻柔。
她确定她并没有弄出任何声响，但是她还没走过一半的距离，田鼠好像被什么东西惊到了，急匆匆地沿着湖岸逃跑了。老鼠屎！冬青叶紧追上去，但当她跑到铺满鹅卵石的湖岸时，猎物已经消失了。
冬青叶简直要气炸了，挨个儿嗅着湖岸上的地洞，里面有很浓烈的田鼠气息，但是冬青叶根本够不着它。
“你好，冬青叶。”
一个平静的声音惊得她一下子呆住了。她猛地转头，看见日神正坐在一片鹅卵石上，尾巴盖在爪子上。他白棕相间的皮毛上黑色、棕色、姜黄色的斑纹都光滑平整，淡黄色的眼睛闪着亮光。
“你在这儿干什么呢？”冬青叶问道。她感觉到自己的毛根根竖起，尾巴蓬松成平常的两倍粗，肚子抽搐着，对这只强大的猫的不信任感让她的心里异常紧张。“我还以为你已经走了。”
愤怒在独行猫的眼里闪过，他的爪子也深深地插入泥土。但只过了一个心跳的时间，他就冷静下来，重新控制了自己的情绪。因此冬青叶差点儿以为日神流露出的愤怒是她想象出来的。
“我离开了影族，但是还不能离开湖边。”日神平静地说道。冬青叶还从未见过这种猫，即便是火星也做不到——他听起来是如此自信。“族群需要我，只是他们现在还没意识到这一点。你也需要我，冬青叶。”
冬青叶咽了一口口水，意识到自己差点儿又陷入了被日神具有魅力的嗓音迷惑的危险之中。“你错了，”她坚持道，“我不需要你，狮焰和松鸦爪也不需要你。”
“你确定吗？”日神淡黄色的眼眸凝视着她。有一个心跳的时间，冬青叶感觉自己就像一只胆怯的猎物，正在武士的利爪下无法动弹。
“非常确定。”她强迫自己镇定起来，“没有你的帮助，我们也能完成预言中的使命。因为武士守则会让我们的爪子走向正确的方向。”
她振作精神，准备和日神辩论。但独行猫只是微微点头，表示已经明白她说的话。他站起来，转身离开了，没再多说一句话。
冬青叶站在原地看着他的背影，想确定他真的离开了雷族领地。日神走出两尾巴远，突然转过头来。
“你确定，你们已经找到了预言中的三只猫吗？”
“你什么意思？”冬青叶上前一步，气得眼睛都有些模糊，“狮焰、松鸦爪和我，就是预言所说的三只猫。我们跟火星是至亲，而且正好是三只猫。松鸦爪还知道别的猫不知道的事。”
“但是松鸦爪不知道太阳消失的事情。”日神的声音在冬青叶的耳边回响。但是当她再次凝神看去时，发现日神已经沿着湖岸走出了很远，朝着风族领地的方向去了。
“谢天谢地。”冬青叶小声说道。但是她的皮毛依然颤抖着，在内心深处，她知道，这绝不是她最后一次看到日神。
冬青叶设法捉到了另一只田鼠，带着它回到了巡逻队集合的地点，准备返回营地。她决心不把遇见日神的事情说出去。她希望其他猫都没碰到他，族猫们越快忘记他越好。
当冬青叶向巡逻队走去时，尘毛正带着众猫挖出之前埋下的猎物，他是巡逻队的领队。“族群今天可以美餐一顿啦，”他说道，“我们走吧。”
尘毛的声音有些嘶哑，说完话便咳嗽起来。冬青叶不安地看着他。从这只虎斑猫的眼睛来看，他似乎正在发烧；他的声音也说明，他的咳嗽已经有一段时间了。
“你回到营地，应该马上去找叶池看看。”栗尾对他说道。
“我很好。”尘毛辩解着，接着又是一阵痛苦的咳嗽。
“你生病了，而且必须让叶池看看。”栗尾反驳道。沙风跟着火星出去执行任务时，尘毛接替她指导过栗尾一段时间。冬青叶知道，栗尾不像雷族其他猫那样畏惧这位坏脾气的武士。
“好了，说话时别这么专横。”尘毛抱怨道，叼起一只松鼠，钻过灌木丛朝营地走去。
冬青叶和栗尾跟在他的身后，忧虑地对视了一眼。
冬青叶回到石头山谷，把自己的猎物丢到猎物堆上，然后跑向巫医巢穴，向叶池报告尘毛的情况。冬青叶很清楚，虎斑武士肯定会忘记去看巫医。
“不要进来！”叶池焦急的声音从黑莓丛后传来。过了一会儿，巫医出现了，浑身散发着草药味。“哦，是你啊，冬青叶。有什么需要我帮忙的吗？”
“不是我。”冬青叶回答道，巫医疲惫的样子让她更加忧心，“我和尘毛一块儿去狩猎了，我听见他在咳嗽。我想你应该知道这件事。”
“哦，不……不要再有猫病倒了！”叶池焦虑得瞪圆了眼睛，“长尾昨晚开始咳嗽，今天早晨，黛西和蜜蕨也开始咳嗽了，小玫瑰正在发烧。”
恐惧让冬青叶的肚子开始抽搐。这不仅是因为这些坏消息，还因为她从未见过叶池这么心急如焚。“我们会不会全都病倒呢，一个接一个？”她问道。
“我不知道。”叶池摇着头，“我正拼尽全力，但是如果还是不行又该怎么办？”
冬青叶想不起来叶池什么时候如此焦虑，如此害怕族猫生病。她把鼻子放在巫医的肩膀上说道：“你是一位伟大的巫医，叶池。我相信在你精心的照顾下，每只猫都会好起来的。”
“你的话对我来说，可谓意义非凡。”叶池用琥珀色的眼睛盯着冬青叶，“我真希望你说得对。”她站起来，微微抖了抖皮毛，“去吃点东西。你得保持体力，要不然你也会生病的。”
冬青叶点了点头：“好的。”
冬青叶向猎物堆走去，自信就像树叶上的雨水一般，一滴滴地填满了内心。日神走了，她是看着他离开的，而且她明确地表明雷族不欢迎他。影族重新服从武士守则，并接受武士祖灵的指引。至于疾病——情况虽然很糟，但是叶池一定能解决的。
冬青叶蹲伏下来，吃了一口田鼠肉，感到一种久违的、由预言带给她的冲动重新涌现出来。
我准备好了，伟大的星族！告诉我，我该怎么做！
CHAPTER17
CHAPTER17
By the time Jaypaw was full,there was still quite a lot of the blackbird left. “Do you want any more?” he asked Half Moon.
The white she-cat shook her head. “We could take it to Owl Feather,” she suggested. “Her kits are hungry, and growing fast.”
“Good idea.” Jaypaw wanted to see as much of these cats and where they lived before he went back to ThunderClan. Ifhe went back…
He and Half Moon picked up the remains of the blackbird and headed farther up the hill toward the tunnel entrance. It seemed to be a popular daytime gathering place, like the clearing in the center of a camp. Several cats were scattered around it, dozing or sharing tongues; Jaypaw waved his tail at Dove’s Wing and Fish Leap as he passed, hoping he looked as if he knew where he was going.
He dropped back to follow Half Moon as she climbed farther up the slope until they broke clear of the trees. On the ridge, she dropped her chunk of blackbird and stood gazing out across the moorland. She pointed her muzzle at a faint purple line in the far distance.
“Stone Song thinks we should go that way,” she mewed.
As he put down his fresh-kill, Jaypaw felt the hair on his pelt start to rise and his paws tremble. Those were the mountains! Could these cats possibly be the ancestors of the Tribe? Glancing sideways at Half Moon, he saw that she was compactly built, with strong haunches that looked as if they would be good for climbing trees. She didn’t have the wiry build of a Tribe cat.
“What do you think it would be like to travel so far?” Half Moon asked.
“Hard.” Jaypaw tried to choose his words carefully. “The land that way could be very, very different from the land here.”
“How?”
“Sharp hills of stone that stretch up into the sky,” Jaypaw replied, his mind filled with memories of the journey he had taken to the mountains. “Huge birds, bigger than badgers, that have to be dragged out of the sky by many cats at once. Tumbling water, filling the air with spray even when there aren’t any clouds…”
“You sound as if you’ve been there already,” a new voice meowed.
Jaypaw stiffened and turned his head to see the hefty gray figure of Stone Song standing behind them. His piercing blue eyes were fixed on Jaypaw.
“I…er…I had a dream,” Jaypaw stammered.
Stone Song’s ears flicked up, his interest intensifying. “Really? Did you dream anything else?”
“No.” Jaypaw could have told him a lot more, but he didn’t want to get any more tangled up in the gap between what he knew and what these cats thought he should know.
“But you think cats could live there?” Stone Song persisted
“It wouldn’t be easy,” Jaypaw warned, thinking of the harsh life of the Tribe. “But maybe.”
Stone Song began to pace to and fro along the ridge, the tip of his tail twitching. When he began to speak, Jaypaw could hardly hear him above the roar of the monsters on WindClan territory, which had just begun to move their piles of earth again. He could even feel them in his paws, thrumming through the ground.
“We can’t stay here!” Stone Song growled. “Listen to those monsters! What if they come here and tear up this place, too?”
Jaypaw wanted to say, They won’t, but he remembered in time that he wasn’t supposed to know that.
“It’s wrong,” Stone Song continued, his blue eyes clouded. “Cats are being lost and prey is disappearing. There must be a better place to live.” He stopped pacing and sat down facing the purple line of the distant mountains, the wind flattening his pelt against his sides. “Maybe that place is in the stone hills you speak of. When I was kitted, my mother said the wind cried over the stones like a birdcall, giving me my name. Perhaps this means I must find a place where the wind sings over stones, and that will be our home.” Sorrow crept into his voice. “My son is never coming back. I cannot wait in this place anymore.”
Half Moon glanced toward him, compassion in her eyes. Then she looked at Jaypaw with her head tipped on one side. “Did you really dream of the stone hills?” she meowed. “You seem to see them so clearly.”
Jaypaw shuffled his paws. “There must be lots of different places out there.”
Half Moon’s shining green gaze was still fixed on him. “You would go, wouldn’t you? To find a new home for us, with plenty of food and no Twolegs?”
“Well…” Jaypaw began.
“If you went, I’d come with you,” Half Moon mewed. “You know that.”
Jaypaw felt overwhelmed by the strength of her gaze; he wasn’t used to looking another cat right in the eyes. The emotion flowing from her pelt threatened to sweep him away. He had never felt it before, not like this, but he knew exactly what it was. She loves me—at least, she loves the cat she thinks I am!
For some reason a picture flickered into his mind of Lionblaze and Heatherpaw. Was this how they had felt? He had never understood before how much they had lost when Lionblaze decided they couldn’t see each other anymore.
Do I love Half Moon? he wondered. No…but maybe I could love her. I like the way she makes me feel.
Half Moon took a pace toward Jaypaw, who found himself taking a step back. We can’t do this! I’m a medicine cat!he wanted to wail aloud. I don’t belong here. You think I’m some other cat!
To his relief, whatever Half Moon wanted to say was interrupted by a big black tom who leaped up to the top of the ridge and halted beside Stone Song. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
Stone Song turned toward him, blinking as if he had to drag himself back from some distant place. “Oh, it’s you, Dark Whiskers. Jay’s Wing has had a dream about stone hills and falling water, where there are huge birds to be plucked from the sky, and where Twolegs cannot go. It sounds like a place where we could live safely, with prey and shelter and nothing to harm us.”
Dark Whiskers’s ears flicked up. “Do you believe him?”
Stone Song nodded.
“Then we must go!” Dark Whiskers exclaimed.
Rising to his paws, Stone Song turned to Jaypaw. “If we leave, will you guide us to this place? Will your dreams show you the way?”
Jaypaw was bewildered by how quickly everything was happening. How long had they been planning to move? Surely they couldn’t leave just like that? What about Furled Bracken? A decision like this was for their leader to make.
Before he could reply, a small, dusty-brown she-cat appeared on the ridge, padding in Dark Whiskers’s paw steps. “You aren’t talking about leaving again, are you?” she spat. “But this is our home! Why can’t you understand that?”
Stone Song and Dark Whiskers exchanged a glance. “Shy Fawn, it isn’t our home if we can’t live here,” Stone Song mewed quietly.
Shy Fawn’s tail lashed once. “You seem to have forgotten it’s not your decision to make. You know what has to happen: the casting of stones.”
“See, stones again!” Stone Song meowed. “We are linked always to stones; why shouldn’t we live among them, and feed from the sky?”
Shy Fawn glared at him. “I came to tell you Furled Bracken wants to have a meeting.”
“Then we can cast the stones now,” Dark Whiskers announced.
With an annoyed hiss, Shy Fawn headed down the slope toward the trees. Stone Song and Dark Whiskers followed; Jaypaw and Half Moon picked up their pieces of blackbird and brought up the rear.
Jaypaw could feel his companion’s nervousness and wasn’t surprised when she paused halfway down the slope and dropped her prey. “It’s really going to happen!” she exclaimed. “We’re going to cast the stones to decide whether to leave our home!”
Confusion eddied through Jaypaw. It sounded as if the cats used omens from stones to make their decisions. There was a moonfull of questions he wanted to ask, but he knew enough by now to keep his jaws shut and his ears open.
Is this happening because of me? How can I influence what happened all those seasons ago?He couldn’t even think straight because of the feelings that were crackling between him and Half Moon like lightning in greenleaf.
As they continued on down the slope, Dove’s Wing and Fish Leap came running out to meet them, their eyes alight and their tails waving.
“Is there going to be a meeting?” Dove’s Wing asked excitedly. “Will there be a casting of stones?”
Jaypaw nodded.
“About leaving?” his sister gasped, her neck fur beginning to rise.
“We’ll never leave,” Fish Leap declared. “This is our home. What about the Pool of Stars? And the tunnels where we become sharpclaws? How can we lose all that?”
Dove’s Wing’s excitement faded, but her voice was determined as she replied, “If it’s a choice between water and caves, and saving our own lives, then we have to go.”
Fish Leap led the way down the hill to a glade where the undergrowth grew more thickly than anywhere else Jaypaw had seen. He spotted a row of dens under a fallen tree and behind dense ferns. Several other cats were already there.
Half Moon beckoned him with a flick of her tail and led him behind a clump of spiny thistles to where a dark gap yawned at the foot of an oak tree. From inside Jaypaw could hear tiny sounds of mewling.
Half Moon poked her head inside the hollow tree. “Hi, Owl Feather. We brought you some prey.”
As Jaypaw stepped forward to drop his piece of blackbird inside the hollow, he saw a skinny she-cat with pale speckled brown fur, suckling three squirming kits. She looks just like Kestrelpaw,he thought.
“Thanks,” Owl Feather purred. “The kits are ready to try fresh-kill. Hey…” She nudged her kits gently. “Come have some of this blackbird. It’s really good.”
While the kits tasted blackbird for the first time, Half Moon told Owl Feather about the meeting.
“Not before time,” Owl Feather meowed.
“You mean you’d go?” Half Moon gasped. “With the kits?”
“Of course.” Owl Feather spoke as if her decision had been made for moons.
“But what about Jagged Lightning?” Half Moon blurted out, then looked as if she wished she hadn’t asked that.
“My kits will come with me,” Owl Feather replied in a tone that warned no cat should argue with her.
Half Moon gave her an embarrassed nod, and she and Jaypaw backed away from the hollow tree into the glade. By now more cats had arrived. Jaypaw spotted two whose graying muzzles and scant fur showed their age. One of them was a dark brown tom with long legs and knobbly joints; Jaypaw guessed he was Running Horse, who knew so much about herbs. He wondered whether Rising Moon had asked the elder about the horsetail yet; Jaypaw had meant to look for some in the forest, but he had been distracted by finding the Twoleg path and the stone hollow. The other elder was a pale ginger she-cat with green eyes; Jaypaw could see she had once been beautiful, but she was frail now, every rib showing through her pelt.
Opposite Jaypaw, Rising Moon padded into the clearing, nudging along Broken Shadow, who looked so dazed with grief that she didn’t know where she was. A large gray-and-white tom flanked her on the other side; he looked enough like Half Moon that Jaypaw guessed he must be her father, Chasing Clouds.
Furled Bracken was sitting in the center of the glade, waiting for the rest of the cats to appear. Jaypaw thought he looked patient and respectful, not at all like a Clan leader who had just summoned his cats to a meeting. Furled Bracken hadn’t even called to announce it; the news had spread from cat to cat, and they all seemed to be strolling in whenever they felt like it.
At last Stone Song stepped forward from where he had been standing at the side of the clearing beside Dark Whiskers. “We wish to cast the stones,” he meowed.
“About leaving?” Furled Bracken asked.
Stone Song nodded. “Yes.”
With a resigned look, Furled Bracken rose to his paws. “I wish it hadn’t come to this,” he sighed, “but I know there is only one way to decide. Before we cast the stones, I want to remind you all that this has been our home for as long as any cat can remember.”
Anyliving cat,Jaypaw corrected him. But where have all the dead cats gone? Are they here now, watching us without being able to speak?
“Yes,” Furled Bracken went on with a sad glance around the clearing, “prey is scarcer this greenleaf than it has ever been before, and yes, the Twolegs are coming closer. But are we really going to turn and flee like mice? We have found a way to survive alongside the badgers, and they have caused us far more trouble in the past than Twolegs. We should stay together and accept that we have to share the lake.”
Jaypaw was almost convinced by the deep emotion behind Furled Bracken’s speech. Several other cats were nodding in agreement, including Rising Moon and the frail old she-cat.
Half Moon nudged him. “Look, Jagged Lightning wants to stay.” She flicked her ears toward a long-legged black-and-white tom, whose amber eyes were glowing with approval of Furled Bracken’s plea. “Owl Feather won’t like that.”
A soft murmur of anticipation ran around the glade as Stone Song stepped forward. “What you say is true, Furled Bracken,” he began, dipping his head respectfully, “but it leaves out too much. What about the cats we have lost? Falcon Swoop died under the paws of a Twoleg monster.”
Jaypaw spotted Dove’s Wing with head and tail drooping miserably at the mention of their mother’s death; quickly he bent his own head.
“Then her mate Falling Rain left us, and no cat knows where he’s gone. And a moon ago”—his voice shook—“Fallen Leaves went into the tunnels and never came out.”
Broken Shadow let out a soft wail at the mention of their son, and Stone Song glanced at her for a heartbeat, his eyes full of love and pain.
“The trial in the caves isn’t supposed to take sharpclaws away from us,” he went on. “It’s supposed to be the making of them, the sign that they’re fully grown and the equal of any other cat. And that’s not all. Prey is disappearing, scared off by Twolegs or taken by foxes and badgers. Even the ground is being torn up by Twolegs, with endless noise and quaking. This isn’t our home now; it’s a place that doesn’t want us anymore.”
More nods and murmurs of agreement followed Stone Song’s speech. A black-and-white cat called out, “But where can we go?”
Jaypaw’s heart sank when he saw Stone Song turn toward him. He could guess what was coming next.
“Jay’s Wing has had a dream,” the tabby tom announced. “He saw a place where we can live: stone hills teeming with prey and shelter, and free from any enemies.”
Jaypaw bit back a protest. He hadn’t made the mountains sound as wonderful as that! But Stone Song had a point; the Clans had made the Great Journey when Twolegs made the forest impossible to live in. And cats hadsettled in the mountains, long, long ago. If these cats were the ancestors of the Tribe, then perhaps it was Jaypaw’s responsibility to encouragethem to go there.
“It sounds a lot better than here,” Dark Whiskers commented
Rising Moon nodded. “I don’t want to lose my kits down those dreadful tunnels.”
“And we’d be far away from Twoleg monsters,” Whispering Breeze added. “We wouldn’t lose any more cats like my sister was lost.”
Jaypaw saw that Dove’s Wing and Fish Leap were gazing at him expectantly; their glances scorched his fur. They were waiting for him to lead them! Then he realized that allthe cats were looking at him in the same way. For a heartbeat his head spun. I can’t do this! I want to go home to ThunderClan!
When his head cleared, Jaypaw saw that the cats had formed into a ragged line, leading up to Furled Bracken. Their gaze was fixed on the ground in front of the line. Jaypaw padded forward to see what they were looking at.
At Furled Bracken’s paws was a circular patch of bare ground, about the size of a tree stump. Beside it was a pile of small, round pebbles that looked as if they came from the lakeshore. Furled Bracken stretched out his claws and drew a line in the earth across the bare patch, dividing it into two halves. Then he pushed one of the stones into the center of one half.
“This side wishes to stay,” he announced. He stepped back to let the next cat choose.
Stone Song padded up. He pushed his stone into the opposite half of the bare patch. “This side wishes to leave.”
Jaypaw stared at the circle of ground in astonishment. These cats were casting the stones themselves! There were no omens, no sharing tongues with StarClan, no obeying the word of the leader. Furled Bracken was allowing the cats to make their own decision. “What sort of way is this to run a Clan?” he murmured under his breath.
And what’s going to happen when all the stones are cast?
The elder Running Horse stepped up and placed a stone in the “stay” half of the circle. “My bones are too old to climb stone hills,” he grunted. “Come on, Cloudy Sun, you know what to do.”
The frail she-cat padded up beside him. “The sun warms me here, and that’s all I want now,” she murmured, pushing a stone to rest beside Running Horse’s. She touched her nose to his ear. “We’ll stay together.”
Stone Song and Dark Whiskers led Broken Shadow up to the circle. Distractedly, as if she hardly knew what she was doing, she set a stone in the “leave” half, and Dark Whiskers added his own with it.
Jagged Lightning padded up, hesitating for a moment while he glanced at Owl Feather. But Owl Feather was absorbed in watching her kits, who were wrestling at her paws. Jagged Lightning voted to stay, and turned away.
Jaypaw realized that Owl Feather had been aware of her mate all the time. As soon as Jagged Lightning had moved off from the circle, she cast her own stone, to leave, without looking at him once.
His belly churning, Jaypaw stepped up to make his own choice, but Furled Bracken held him back with a flick of the tail. “As the newest sharpclaw, you cast the final stone,” he meowed.
Jaypaw’s belly churned when he saw that two straight lines of stones were forming in the half circles. They looked equal; what would happen if there was no clear decision?
Rising Moon was the next cat to step up; she paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and pushed her stone into the “stay” half. “I’ve reared kits here before,” she murmured, “and I’ll rear them again.”
Her mate Chasing Clouds gave her a long, sorrowful look, but cast his stone to leave. Whispering Breeze followed him. The line for leaving was growing longer, but then Fish Leap, Dawn River, and Shy Fawn all went up together and set their stones to stay.
Dove’s Wing padded up slowly, glanced at her friends’ stones, then at Jaypaw, and finally voted to leave. Only Half Moon and Jaypaw were left. Half Moon stepped forward, gazing straight at Jaypaw as she pushed her stone into the “leave” half of the circle.
The lines were equal! Now what do I do? Jaypaw wondered, aware that every cat was staring at him. How can it be fair that I have to make the decision? I don’t even belong here!
His paws trembled as he walked up to the edge of the bare patch and stretched out a paw to draw a stone toward him. It felt sun-warmed under his still-sore pad. “They have to go to the mountains,” he whispered. “They will become the Tribe of Rushing Water.” Closing his eyes, he pushed his stone to the end of the line that voted to leave.
第十一章
第十一章
干草药的碎屑飘进了松鸦爪的鼻子，他打了个喷嚏。他又往储藏草药的石缝里挤了挤，伸出一只爪子，在最里面扒了一点点干燥的草药。微弱的气息告诉他，这些是款冬，是上个绿叶季采集到的。
“松鸦爪！”
松鸦爪听到叶池的声音，头猛地撞到了储藏洞穴的顶部。“老鼠屎！”他抱怨着，抓着款冬的叶子从储藏处退了出来。
“你找到什么了？”叶池问。
“款冬，还有一些杜松果。”松鸦爪报告着，把收集到的草药放在叶池的爪子旁。
“这么少啊……”叶池嘀咕着。
松鸦爪听见她在整理那少得可怜的草药。“总比什么都没有强。”他说道，尽量让自己的语调显得乐观些。
“但是这远远不够。松鸦爪，我们要被疾病打败了。”
松鸦爪身上的每一根毛都竖立了起来，爪子深深地插进泥土里：“我们不会输的！”
“我们会的。”叶池绝望地叹了一口气，“这里已经没有足够的空间来安置剩余的病猫，而且我们也没有猫薄荷治疗绿咳症。”
“我一直在照料废弃的两脚兽巢穴附近的猫薄荷，”松鸦爪说道，“我再去看看有没有长新芽吧？”
“不用了。那些肯定也不够。”松鸦爪能真切地体会到老师的绝望，“而且我们不能用光所有的新芽，得留下一些为下个季节做准备。”
“那么我们现在怎么办？”
“我不知道。气温下降后，情况只会变得更加糟糕。猎物越来越难找，族猫的身体会越发虚弱。而且，如果生病的猫一直增多，能为族群狩猎的武士就不够了。”
松鸦爪抬起下巴说道：“看来我们还需要找更多的猫薄荷。”
“我们没有更多的了。”叶池坚持道，“我倒是知道一个地方，就在河族边界附近的一个两脚兽巢穴旁。但是我又不能离开这么久，而且……”
她住了口，但是松鸦爪非常清楚她本来想说什么。你不能去，因为你的眼睛看不见。他能感觉到叶池正失望地看着他，并且非常希望他不是一只失明的猫。松鸦爪的内心痛苦地挣扎着。只有那样我才更有用，是吗？
“不，松鸦爪。”叶池回答了他没说出口的愤恨，“不是因为你看不见，我才不让你去。如果是那样，我大可以叫一位武士陪你去。”
“那为什么你不这样做呢？”
叶池叹了口气：“因为你需要穿越影族领地，然后一直沿着河族的边界走，才能到达那个地方。最近那里发生了太多的战斗。我们已经有很多猫生病了，不能再让你和一位武士去冒险。万一其他族群进攻我们怎么办？我们需要所有猫都待在我们的领地上。”
“那请求别的巫医帮忙呢？”松鸦爪提议道，“如果他们有猫薄荷，很可能愿意分我们一些。”
“是的，他们也许会的。”叶池的语气越发严厉，似乎已经被他的固执惹恼了，“但是我不能向其他族群求助，因为那样会暴露我们的虚弱。如果火星知道我这么干了，一定会撕碎我的皮毛。”
松鸦爪虽然不情愿，但也不得不承认她是对的。“那么我能帮上什么忙吗？”他问道。
“我已经送米莉和小荆棘到外面透透气，晒晒太阳。”叶池听起来松了一口气，转到了更加切实可行的话题，“她们就在武士巢穴和巫医巢穴中间。那里有遮蔽物，可以让她们和其他猫保持距离，以免传播绿咳症。你能把她们用过的窝垫丢出去，再拿些新的来吗？”
“当然了。”松鸦爪走到巫医巢穴的一边，开始把米莉和小荆棘使用过的苔藓和蕨叶卷起来，揉成一个球。
“你一定要扔在离营地比较远的地方。”叶池提醒道，“你弄完的时候，就把米莉和小荆棘带回来，免得她们太累，而且可能会着凉。”
松鸦爪把苔藓球滚出营地的荆棘屏障，扔到距离石头山谷几只狐狸身长的地方。在距离那里不远的地方，他发现一棵树下长着许多厚厚的苔藓。他顿时觉得轻松不少，大雨已经过去了好几天，这些苔藓已经干了。松鸦爪扯下一些蕨草，把苔藓捆扎起来，拖回营地。
他去接病猫的时候，看见米莉伸展着四肢，躺在山谷围篱旁边的太阳下，喉咙传来刺耳的呼吸声。松鸦爪把爪子放在她的胸口，感到她的胸部正剧烈地起伏着。小荆棘在他的身边站起来，轻轻地推了推母亲，低声说：“我想玩一会儿。”她说话之前，不得不事先调整一下呼吸。而且，松鸦爪能感觉到她的腿正在颤抖。
“好吧，你假扮老鼠，我来抓你！”米莉疲倦地叹了一口气说。可惜小荆棘的愿望被一阵咳嗽阻止了。
“回去吧！”松鸦爪说道，他尽量让自己听起来很愉快，“我已经给你们的窝里铺了新草。你们可以真正地睡个好觉了。”
“我不想睡觉！”小荆棘抗议道。
“不，你一定要睡。”松鸦爪告诉她，“睡觉能让你感到好受些。”
米莉挣扎着站起来的时候，松鸦爪伏低身体，用肩膀支撑着她。她的胸部喘得厉害，咳嗽声也变得很微弱，就像所有的力气都耗尽了一般。松鸦爪沮丧得肚子抽搐。预言说他拥有群星的力量，但如果他只能看着自己医治的猫死去，那又有什么意义呢？
松鸦爪帮助米莉躺回窝里，哄着一直跟在他爪子边的小荆棘躺在母亲身边的苔藓上。他站起来，走向储藏草药的岩缝，幻想着那里会不会有遗漏的草药。
突然，他的眼睛里充满了明亮的阳光，他眨着眼睛，低下了头，躲避着强光的刺激。等视线变得清晰起来，他又抬起头。他发现自己正站在一片森林下的空地上，繁密的树叶正在沙沙作响。暖风送来浓浓的正在成长的草药的香气。
这里会不会有猫薄荷？松鸦爪的脑海里立即蹦出这样一个念头。
他闻了闻空气，猫的气息淹没了他，也遮盖了草药的味道。树下的灌木丛中泛起点点星光，星族武士开始出现在空地上。松鸦爪认出了前任雷族族长蓝星。她着急地甩着尾巴，回头看了一眼肌肉健壮的白风，他正跟在她的身后走进空地。
“他们要来了！”前任雷族族长耳语道，“那么多猫……”
“也许不会。”白风安慰着她，“雷族巫医是最优秀的。”
松鸦爪听到一声不耐烦的哼叫，另一只身披星光的猫穿过荆棘，走了过来。是黄牙，她那灰色的皮毛一片凌乱，琥珀色的眼睛炯炯有神。“白风，你是鼠脑子吗？如果没有治病的草药，巫医又能做什么呢？”
“我们没办法给他们一些指引吗？”一个温柔的声音宣布了斑叶的到来，她的尾巴优雅地摆动着，走进了空地，“就没办法帮助他们吗？”
“你告诉我怎么帮！”黄牙呵斥道，“雷族的领地上已经没有猫薄荷了。事情就是那样。如果可以帮上忙，我愿意把我的皮毛给他们，但是那有什么用呢？”
“疾病会毁了我的族群吗？”蓝星哭号着，她的爪子愤怒地撕扯着地上的草。
最后一只猫出现在空地上，松鸦爪曾经在灰条的记忆里看到过这个银色的身体。她在生一对幼崽时大出血，她的鲜血喷涌而出，染红了身边的石块。
“米莉很快就会加入星族了。”她喃喃细语道，“我们该怎么办？灰条不应该再次承受心碎的痛苦。”
没有猫回答她的问题。他们开始心烦意乱地转着圈，皮毛在悲伤的空气中颤动，似乎他们都没注意到松鸦爪。
我为什么在这儿？松鸦爪的心里充满了疑惑。如果待在这个幻境中没什么用，我得回去照料病猫了。
一阵冰凉的风刮过空地，吹乱了星族猫披着月光的皮毛。星光再次从黑暗中闪亮起来，又有三只猫来到了空地。最先走来的是一只年轻的虎斑母猫，勉强达到成为武士的年纪。她银色的皮毛上闪着淡淡的光。
第二只猫年纪稍大一些，皮毛和刚才那只很像，因此松鸦爪猜想，她是第一只猫的母亲。第三只则是一只宽肩膀的虎斑公猫。
“光灵。”蓝星向年轻的母猫点头致意，“好久不见。”
“光心，勇心。”白风向两只年长的猫打着招呼，“你们能来，真是我们的荣幸。”
松鸦爪盯着这三只新到的猫。那些猫是从哪里来的？他以前从没见过他们，甚至未曾听过他们的名字。他们的气息也非常不同——像星族一样若有若无，还掺杂着风和星光的气息。松鸦爪能感觉到，他们已经跋涉过了遥远的旅途。这就是我出现在这里的原因？就是为了见这三只猫？
两只年长的猫仍然站在树林边缘，他们的尾巴缠绕在一起。但是光灵走过空地，停到了松鸦爪的面前。她绿色的眼睛里充满爱与同情，她甜甜的气息将松鸦爪淹没了。
“你好，松鸦爪。”她说道，“你遇到麻烦了。”
松鸦爪吓得伏在地上。这不是一只寻常的星族猫。如果简单地把她当作一只因死去而移居星族的猫来看待，可能会大错特错的。当她把头歪向一旁观察着松鸦爪的时候，似乎整片空地只剩下了他们俩，这使得松鸦爪毫无戒备地说出了实情：“雷族的许多猫都快死了。我不知道该怎么办。”
光灵伸长脖子，将鼻子贴在松鸦爪的耳朵上，她的呼吸让他温暖起来。
“跟着风，”她轻声低语道，“风会告诉你答案。”
松鸦爪后退一步，看着她：“你的话是什么意思？我不明白。”
随着一声嘶叫，黑暗陡然充满了他的眼睛，就像突然夜幕降临一样。他发现自己再次被草药和病猫的气息包围。他失望地吼叫了一声。
等一等啊，她正要告诉我一些事情！
有几个心跳的时间，松鸦爪依旧可以闻到光灵的气息，她的声音在远处回荡着。“跟着风。而且星族会照亮你的路。”然后她便消失了。
“过来，米莉。”叶池的说话声在他身边响起来，“躺在这儿。松鸦爪给你的窝铺了新的苔藓。”
“谢谢你，松鸦爪。”米莉费力地说道。
松鸦爪身体一僵。难道刚才那些事的发生只用了两三个心跳的时间吗？他帮着叶池安顿好米莉和小荆棘，非常希望能安静地独处一会儿，这样他就可以静静地想想光灵和她神秘的话语了。
病猫刚在自己的窝里躺下，松鸦爪就听到爪子落地的声音。什么情况？松鸦爪辨认出是沙风的气息，她在黑莓丛外停住了。
“叶池，快点过来！”沙风大喊道，“火星病了！”
第十二章
第十二章
叶池慌忙答应一声：“来了！”她从松鸦爪身边跑过，然后跟着沙风跑开了。
松鸦爪胡乱抓了两三株款冬，紧跟在她的身后。他跌跌撞撞地爬上通往火星洞穴的落石堆，根本没来得及考虑应该在哪里落爪子。
一攀上高石台，疾病的气息就像暴风一样冲着松鸦爪袭来。火星正躺在窝里，不停地咳嗽。松鸦爪走近时，能感受到火星的身体上有阵阵热浪袭来。松鸦爪全身的毛都竖了起来。现在连族长都病倒了，雷族到底该怎么办？
“谢谢，松鸦爪！”叶池说着，从松鸦爪那里接过款冬，“给你，火星，把这些草药吃了。”
“我的病还没那么严重！”火星拒绝了，他的声音已经咳得嘶哑起来，“你应该把草药留给急需的族猫。”
“不要开玩笑！”叶池生气地说，“你需要它们。而且你不要忘了，现在我才是你的巫医。”
“你是幼崽的时候，一直都很文静的。”火星的声音里透出一点儿玩笑的意味，“我从没想到你会变得这么霸道。”
“是呀，你说得对，就像你说的那样。”叶池的声音里满是对父亲的爱，“来，把药吃了——你也知道，族群需要一位强壮、健康的族长。”
就在火星吃药的时候，松鸦爪钻出了族长的洞穴，来到了下面的空地上。他站到落石堆下，仔细地分辨着空气中的气息，想找学徒帮火星换些新鲜的垫草。好在族长可以单独待在自己的窝里，因此不会把疾病传染给其他健康的猫。
但松鸦爪没碰到学徒，却碰到了黑莓掌。
“出什么事了？”副族长问。
“你不要上去。”松鸦爪拦住正准备爬上高石台的黑莓掌，“火星得了绿咳症。”
“哦，伟大的星族！”黑莓掌的声音里充满了震惊，“你正在帮助他，对吗？”
“叶池和他在一起。”松鸦爪说道，“她会竭尽所能的。”
“我知道了。”父亲的声音听起来安心了一些，“松鸦爪，让我过去。我要跟火星谈谈巡逻的情况。”
“好的。”松鸦爪让到一边，“只能走到高石台边缘，就在那里和他说，不能太靠近了。”
黑莓掌向高石台上面爬去，松鸦爪重新开始搜寻学徒猫的气息。但他仍然没闻到狐爪和冰爪的气息。这次向他走过来的是灰条。
“松鸦爪，米莉怎么样了？”灰条问道，“她真的病得很重，是吗？”
松鸦爪很想编个谎话安慰灰条，但是他知道灰条不会相信的。他点了点头，瞬间一股无法遏制的悲伤情绪从灰毛武士那里传过来，震撼得松鸦爪的爪子都软了。这就是爱吗？他思量着。灰条有这么在乎米莉吗？就好像是他自己要死了一样。
“那只死了的银色猫，”松鸦爪说道，“你爱她，对吧？”
灰条不由得屏住了呼吸，他被吓了一跳。“是……是的。她叫银溪，是暴毛和羽尾的母亲。”他陷入了沉默，悲伤的回忆笼罩了他。
“她死的时候，你帮不上什么忙。”松鸦爪告诉他，“她现在生活在星族，并且正关注着米莉。她还不想米莉加入星族，她希望米莉能继续照顾你们的孩子。”
“这些你都知道？”灰条问道，他的心里充满了震惊。
松鸦爪点点头：“我在一个幻象中听到了她的话。”
“这确实像是银溪会担心的事，”灰条低语着，“但是这对目前的状况没有多大的帮助。面对绿咳症，星族也和我们一样束手无策。”他听起来已彻底灰心了，就像他已经知道他将失去米莉，就像他从前失去银溪一样。
愤怒就像贪婪的烈火，简直要将松鸦爪化为灰烬。一只猫都不能死！我得做些什么！松鸦爪想同病魔战斗，并不仅是为了雷族垂死的病猫，还是为了像灰条一样，深爱着病猫的武士们，也为了所有的星族——它们不想让别的猫加入它们的行列，尤其是在这么短的时间，死这么多的猫！
还有光灵。她来到我的梦里，是为了帮我。所以无论如何，我都要弄清楚她那些话的意义。松鸦爪心里说道。
松鸦爪走向学徒巢穴，继续寻找狐爪和冰爪。他还没走到学徒巢穴，就嗅到巡逻队正通过荆棘通道——蕨毛、狮焰、云尾和炭心回来了。他们四个都带着猎物，但松鸦爪还是能感到他们的疲倦和沮丧。
一切都像叶池说的一样。他想，生病的猫太多了，参加巡逻队的猫远远不够。
松鸦爪把头伸过学徒巢穴入口处的蕨丛，里面传来轻轻的鼻息声——是狐爪在睡觉，他的呼吸听起来很平稳。前一天，叶池给他吃了一份艾菊，看样子他的咳嗽已经好得差不多了。
可以少担一份心了。
“嗨！”松鸦爪钻进学徒巢穴，用一只爪子戳了戳狐爪，“醒醒！”
“啊？”狐爪抬起了头。
“我想让你给火星取些新鲜的垫草。”
棕色皮毛的学徒打了一个长长的响亮的哈欠：“没有别的猫可以去吗？我参加了黎明巡逻，然后又跟着沙风去狩猎。她说我可以休息了。”
松鸦爪的心里不由得泛起一阵同情。“现在每只猫都劳累过度，”他说道，“如果你能找到冰爪，可以让她帮忙。”
“她跟着白翅出去狩猎了。”狐爪站起来，伸了伸懒腰，“好吧，我就来。”
“看清楚，一定要找干燥的垫草。”狐爪钻过荆棘向空地走去时，松鸦爪叮嘱道，“还有，把用过的铺垫扔到离营地远些的地方。火星生病了。”
“你怎么不早说？”狐爪的声音里充满了焦虑。他绕过松鸦爪，冲向营地的荆棘通道。
松鸦爪来到猎物堆前，给长老们拿了一只松鼠。他向榛树丛下的长老巢穴走去时，听到长尾正在咳嗽，鼠毛则在一旁小声地安慰他。
“食物来了。”松鸦爪把松鼠拖进长老巢穴，放在鼠毛身边，“长尾，你感觉怎么样？”
“他咳嗽得更厉害了，”鼠毛呵斥道，“你准备什么时候才给他猫薄荷？”
等到刺猬飞上天吧！松鸦爪忍住了尖锐的评论。“猫薄荷已经没有了，”他告诉鼠毛，“但是我会给拿他些艾菊，还有治疗发热用的琉璃苣。”
鼠毛不满地哼着鼻子说：“没有了猫薄荷，你们巫医就变得这么无用了吗？”
松鸦爪再次忍耐住了怼回去的冲动。他知道，这位尖刻的长老只是在担心自己的伴侣。而且之前鼠毛服用的艾菊起了作用，她还没有生病——至少到目前为止。
“长尾，尽量吃些猎物。”松鸦爪敦促道，“你需要保持体力。”
“好的，”长尾在咳嗽的间隙，用沙哑的声音说，“谢谢你，松鸦爪。”
松鸦爪对鼠毛点点头，离开了长老巢穴。他折回猎物堆，为武士巢穴里生病的猫取猎物。他穿过武士巢穴入口处的枝条时，感到刺掌和尘毛正待在窝里，香薇云则躺在伴侣尘毛的身旁。
“真是荒谬！”虎斑武士说道，“我完全可以出去巡逻。”
“不，你不能去！”香薇云告诉他，“我就算是摁住你，也要你待在这里。”松鸦爪听到她正深情地舔着伴侣的毛发。
他在尘毛面前放了一只老鼠，另一只给了刺掌。除了米莉，这只金棕色的虎斑猫是最早生病的。他的呼吸听起来又急又浅，就连松鸦爪用爪子检查他的身体时，他也没做任何反应。松鸦爪能感到他的皮毛凌乱不堪，两边的肋骨根根凸出。松鸦爪紧张得肌肉紧绷。刺掌很可能已经踏上前往星族的旅途了。
“我可以做点什么吗？”松鸦爪感到香薇云温暖的气息喷到了耳朵上。
“没什么事，谢谢你。”松鸦爪说道，“等刺掌醒来，想办法让他把那只老鼠吃了。”
“我会的。”香薇云用鼻子碰了碰松鸦爪的鼻子，然后在尘毛身边蜷成一团。
“松鸦爪。”松鼠飞的喊声从武士巢穴的另一边传来，“我想请你转告叶池，我好得差不多了，可以出去狩猎了。”她走了过来。松鸦爪能在她的每个动作中感到疼痛和僵硬。
“你是想让我对老师撒谎吗？”
“撒谎？才不是！你告诉她，我的伤已经痊愈了。”
松鸦爪仔细地闻了闻，母亲与风族和河族战斗时留下的伤口已经愈合了，也没有感染的气味，但是那里的皮毛还未全部长出来。松鸦爪知道，她的肌肉一定还是僵硬的。
“你还不能参加巡逻。”他严肃地说道，“我想叶池也会对你说同样的话。我会叫她过来再给你看看，也许你可以开始做些适当的训练，但是绝对不包括狩猎松鼠。”
松鼠飞哼了一声：“雷族需要所有的武士都能出力。”
“是的，我们确实需要。”松鸦爪对母亲的耐心瞬间消失殆尽，“但是你有没有想过，如果你还没复原就出去巡逻，反而会给大家制造更多麻烦？”
松鼠飞正准备反驳，却被一只急忙跑进武士巢穴的猫打断了。松鸦爪闻出是鼠须。“狐爪告诉我，火星病了！”鼠须大叫道。
武士巢穴里顿时掀起一阵骚动。“但愿星族保佑！”香薇云哀号着，“如果族长没了，我们该怎么办啊？风族和河族一定会再次攻击我们的。”
“他不会死的。”松鸦爪的声音里充满了坚定，“就算他丢了一条命，他仍然有许多条命。”
“那并不表示，他可以轻易放弃任何一条命。”松鼠飞呵斥道，“而且火星病了，黑莓掌的巡逻次数就得增多。如果族长和副族长都生病了怎么办？”
“我们会想尽一切办法跟病魔斗争。”松鸦爪说道，“而且火星是一只强壮健康的猫。”
“我知道。但是……”松鼠飞的声音越来越小。松鸦爪能感受到，她内心的痛苦和早上见到灰条时所感受到的一模一样，但松鼠飞没再说一句话，转身进了她的窝。
忧虑再次湮没了松鸦爪。他钻出武士巢穴，走向猎物堆，为育婴室里的猫取猎物。叶池之前说过，这场同病魔的战斗，他们快要败下阵来了。松鸦爪很担心真的会被叶池言中——如果没有猫薄荷，他们什么都做不了。
我必须找到猫薄荷。无论如何，我都必须弄明白光灵说的那些话到底是什么意思。
松鸦爪向叶池汇报了一天的情况，拿了他们仅存的草药，分给生病的猫。这时夜幕已经降临，他在自己的窝里躺下来，挪动着身体，钻到了苔藓下面，以免被米莉和小荆棘发出的鼻音和喘息打扰。
也许现在我可以弄清楚，我应该做些什么。
松鸦爪想起与美丽的银色虎斑猫会面的经过，还有她说话时，注视着他的温暖的目光。跟着风。但是到处都有风，你根本不需要刻意寻找。它在林间的叶子上沙沙作响，让平静的湖泊泛起涟漪，将通往月亮池的小径旁的野草吹得低下了头。如果猫薄荷也能这么容易发现，那该有多好。
跟着风……你就会找到猫薄荷。光灵对他说的话是不是这个意思？一股热流从松鸦爪的耳朵一直流向尾巴尖。他伸缩着爪子，撕扯着身下的苔藓。哪个地方风比较多呢？当然是风族领地了。
雷族领地上已经没有猫薄荷，去河族的路太远了，影族的松林下面，灌木非常稀疏，应该也没有猫薄荷。如果湖的周围还有猫薄荷，那一定是在风族的领地上。
松鸦爪想钻出巫医巢穴，穿过森林去找草药，但他知道那样太鲁莽了。他不知道去风族领地的路怎么走，即便他的眼睛能看见，他也不知道该从哪里开始寻找。
你是一位巫医。你有力量。使用你的力量吧。
松鸦爪紧紧地蜷成球形，闭上了眼睛。他从没造访过距离这么遥远的猫的梦境，但是隼爪——风族巫医学徒——对他没有秘密，也很友好。话不多，但是友好……也许这会让他更容易进入他的梦境。
松鸦爪想象着自己走出营地，穿越树林，走向风族领地。他越过标记边界的小溪，然后迈着羽毛般轻盈的步伐，冲过荒原，一直来到山谷顶端的风族营地。他让梦境带着他前行，走在难以分辨形状的岩石和灌木中间，最后来到一块大圆石上的一条大裂缝前——那里面就是青面和隼爪的巢穴。
松鸦爪走进裂缝，风族巫医和他的学徒正蜷缩在窝里。铺在里面的荒原草叶和羽毛，正随着他们的呼吸轻轻摆动。松鸦爪的身影蜷缩在隼爪旁边，触碰着他温暖、柔软的毛发。他放慢呼吸，尽量与隼爪同步；几个心跳之后，松鸦爪感到风轻抚着自己的皮毛，他发现自己已经进入了隼爪的梦境。
年轻的巫医正走在荒原上，周围弥漫着草和羊的气息。云朵穿过灰蓝色的天空，露珠在清晨阳光的照耀下闪闪发光。
“嗨，松鸦爪！”隼爪听起来非常惊讶，但语气依然温和，“你在这里干什么呢？”
“我只是想，我应该拜访你。”松鸦爪有些紧张，担心隼爪觉得这种情形太奇怪。如果他太过惊讶，就会醒来，松鸦爪就会被抛出梦境，回到现实中的自己的窝里。
“太好了。”隼爪动动耳朵表示欢迎，“今天的天气很好吧？我想我应该早点出来，采集一些草药。”
松鸦爪很想问隼爪，他在找哪种草药，但是他担心会惊醒这位巫医学徒。所以，他只是静静地跟着隼爪走过荒原。
“这条小溪是流向雷族领地的吗？”他们跳过一条两旁长着芦苇、水里满是泥沙的深色溪流时，松鸦爪故作轻松地问道。
“是的，它会汇入边界的小溪。”隼爪回答道。
他没起一点疑心，松鸦爪想，毕竟这只是一个梦，对吧？
“我觉得你在这里找不到多少猎物。”他继续说道，心里迫切地希望风族猫一直就这样说话。
“那你就想错了！”隼爪的尾巴竖了起来，并且骄傲地昂着头，“难道你没闻到兔子的气息吗？而且有时候我们还抓鸟，鸦羽教过我们急水部落在山里狩猎的方法。”
“我猜你们的身手一定很敏捷。”松鸦爪评论道。
隼爪快速地舔了舔胸前的皮毛：“这正是风族猫最厉害的地方。”
“那草药呢？”松鸦爪继续说着，当他问到这个他最想讨论的重大问题时，肚子抽搐起来，“这里看起来非常荒凉，肯定不适合草药生长。”
“你又错了。沿着小溪的一段地方长满了草药，与雷族交界的森林里也有一些草药。”
“那里一定适合水薄荷生长，”松鸦爪谈论道，“那猫薄荷呢？”
“噢，是的，我们这儿有很多猫薄荷。”隼爪用鼻子指着一个地方，荒原在那里陡然下降，变成了一堆岩石，“就在那下面。”
“真的吗？”松鸦爪强迫自己不露出一丝兴趣，其实他知道，自己现在唯一想做的事就是跳起来，并且大声欢呼。
“是的，就是那里！”
就在两位学徒的面前，一只兔子从金雀花丛里探出脑袋，快速跑过荒原。隼爪停下正说的话，跳起来，冲过粗糙的草丛，去追赶那只兔子。
“谢谢你，小兔子！”松鸦爪自言自语道。
等到风族学徒跑得不见踪影了，他沿着斜坡爬到那堆岩石跟前。他闻了闻空气，闻到了水的气息和猫薄荷的气息。几个心跳过后，他发现了它：一眼泉水从岩石间喷涌出来，在泉水周围长着一片茂盛的猫薄荷。
有那么一会儿，松鸦爪静静地站着，嗅闻着这珍贵的草药的芬芳。他非常渴望自己能马上采一大捆带回营地。但他在梦中。必须有猫走到那个现实世界，去偷一些风族猫的草药。
这也不是真正意义上的偷，他对自己说，因为我们实在是太需要这些草药了。况且风族也有很多。
渐渐地，松鸦爪发觉，猫薄荷并不是他能在这里闻到的唯一气息。一股熟悉的感觉正从岩石周围冒出来，是洞穴、土壤和地下水的味道。松鸦爪爬上石堆，寻找着气息最浓烈的地方。最后他终于找到了：石头中间有一条窄窄的缝隙，一直通往漆黑的地方。
这一定是地下隧道的一个入口！也许这就是风族过来入侵我们领地的那条隧道。
在缝隙前的泥地上，松鸦爪能看到几个爪子印上去的痕迹。他迅速环顾四周，然后走上前去，挤入那条缝隙。隧道很快就变得开阔起来，松鸦爪能够清楚地闻到，石头上还残留着风族猫的气息。
“松鸦爪！松鸦爪！”
松鸦爪吓得僵住了：难道隼爪已经发现他走进了隧道，并开始怀疑他了吗？
“松鸦爪！”一只爪子猛地戳在他的侧腹，“松鸦爪，米莉烧得更厉害了。你能给她拿些浸过水的苔藓吗？”
松鸦爪在漆黑中睁开双眼，爬出了自己的窝，甩掉粘在身上的苔藓和蕨叶。清晨的寒冷充满了巢穴，里面还混杂着叶池身上散发出来的恐惧气息；他能听到，从巢穴另一边传来的米莉刺耳的呼吸和小荆棘可怜的呜咽声。
“她快死了，是吗？”幼崽听起来害怕极了，“那我再也见不到她了，因为我不知道去星族的路。”
“我们正全力救治她。”叶池走开了，松鸦爪能想象到她正低头安抚这只担惊受怕的幼崽的样子，“而且，就算她死了，总有一天你也会再见到她。等她去了星族，她就会知道什么时候可以过来接你。”
“你确定吗？”小荆棘听上去仍然有些不敢肯定。
“我向你保证。”叶池让她放心。
松鸦爪的腿害怕得颤抖起来。叶池正在做的事情，就像已经打算好了看着族群里的猫一只只死去。我们现在必须把那些猫薄荷采回来！“我去拿苔藓。”松鸦爪说着，匆忙走出了巫医巢穴。
他把带水的苔藓拿给米莉后，再次钻出去，来到了武士巢穴。空气里充满了熟睡猫的温暖气息，现在还太早，几乎所有的武士都还在睡觉。
松鸦爪顺着气息找到狮焰，在他的肩膀上用力推了一下，把把他弄醒了。
“干吗……”狮焰活动着肌肉，抬起了头，“松鸦爪？出什么事儿了吗？”
松鸦爪低下头，对着哥哥的耳朵悄悄地说：“我知道哪里可以采到猫薄荷。”
“真的吗？”松鸦爪能感觉到狮焰的激动，“哪里？”
“风族的领地上，就在一个隧道的入口附近。你必须去采些回来。”
松鸦爪感到狮焰刚燃起的激动，瞬间变成恐惧和抵触。“不行！”他嘶哑地喊道，“我永远都不去风族，永远！”
第十三章
第十三章
狮焰向前爬去，感到有冰冷的草正从他的肚子上的皮毛上划过。风族猫的气息扑鼻而来。树叶擦过他的皮毛，叶子上的雨滴落在他的耳朵和胡须上。但是他太害怕了，根本顾不上抖落它们。他身上的每块肌肉都因为眼前那个东西而紧绷着。
就是现在！狮焰强壮的后腿一蹬，跳起来，扑向一只松鼠。松鼠转身就逃，但已经太晚了，狮焰的利爪已经牢牢地扣住了它的肩膀。他快速地咬在它的喉咙上，杀死了它。
狮焰看松鼠的身体瘫软下去，视线渐渐变得模糊了。一片深红的、浓稠的血泊正在森林的草和树叶上蔓延，他能闻到血腥味。松鼠突然变成了一只灰色的母猫。狮焰发现自己正俯视着石楠爪的尸体，她的血已经糊住了他的爪子。
“不……噢，不！”他小声说道。
从两天前拒绝松鸦爪去风族采猫薄荷到现在，狮焰就一直愧疚不已。但是他不能去。他害怕那个梦会变成现实，他害怕自己最后真的会杀了石楠爪。
他发抖地看着曾经深爱的猫死去的恐怖景象。他再次希望自己只是一位普通的武士，没有随着成长而获得恐怖的力量。
如果我能告诉松鸦爪我的感受……但是他不能在弟弟面前表现出软弱，松鸦爪还要依靠他来实现预言。他知道，他不能冒险去风族，尤其不能穿过那些隧道。石楠爪背叛了他，她说是风族的幼崽泄露了隧道的秘密。狮焰很想相信她的话，但他无法确定她说的话是不是真的。石楠爪现在是他的敌人，因为他现在已经完全效忠于雷族。为什么要相信一只其他族群的猫呢？狮焰永远都不会原谅石楠爪，但他仍然不想让自己的爪子沾上她的鲜血。
眼前的景象渐渐消失，狮焰叼着猎物站起来。蜡毛从风族边界的小溪边穿过蕨丛，叼着两只田鼠的尾巴。蛛足叼着一只老鼠跟在他的后面。
“干得好。”蜡毛向狮焰点点头，把自己的猎物放在不远处，“你看见栗尾了吗？我们只能抓这么多猎物了，该回去了。”
“我在这儿。”栗尾从灌木丛里跌跌撞撞地钻出来，拖着一只跟她差不多大小的兔子。“呸！”她把猎物放下，吐出一团兔毛，“找只别的猫把它带回去吧。”
当他们走回石头山谷的时候，狮焰开始忧虑了。到目前为止，落叶季的天气还算不错，猎物也充足，但是能狩猎的武士已经不够了。他今天早上离开营地时，亮心也开始咳嗽，蜜蕨也正往巫医巢穴走。过不了多久，大多数猫都会生病倒下，那样一来，连照顾日常生活的猫都不够了！
狮焰把猎物丢上猎物堆的时候，发现猎物堆实在是小得可怜。
“我们得立即再出去一趟。”蜡毛说道，“但是我们都应该先吃点东西，这样才能恢复一些力气。”
“我很好，”栗尾说道，“把我的那份留给生病的猫吃吧。”
蜡毛走到她的面前：“你一定要吃一些。如果你也病倒了，这对族群有什么好处吗？”
栗尾不服气地回瞪着蜡毛，过了一个心跳的时间，就垂下了目光。“好吧，你说得对。”但是狮焰看到她从猎物堆里挑了一只最小的老鼠。
狮焰正狼吞虎咽地吃着一只田鼠，看见松鸦爪走出了武士巢穴。他赶紧吞下最后一口食物，跑到松鸦爪的面前。
“亮心怎么样了？”他问道，“今天早上我听见她在咳嗽，而且蜜蕨正走向巫医巢穴。”
“好像你很关心似的！”松鸦爪奚落道。
“我当然关心了！”狮焰的内心正与愧疚和愤怒作战。我不去风族，并不是因为我不关心族猫！
“她俩都得了绿咳症，”松鸦爪冷冰冰地说道，“云尾也是。我已经告诉他们，不要离开自己的窝。现在你可以去采猫薄荷了吗？”
“我不能去。”狮焰避开了松鸦爪眼中的怒火。他希望他可以向松鸦爪解释自己的梦，那样松鸦爪就能理解他为什么不能去风族了。“你为什么不让别的猫代替我去呢？”狮焰问道。
“你知道为什么！”松鸦爪大吼着，全身的毛都竖了起来，“你熟悉隧道里的情况！”
“冬青叶也清楚。”狮焰争辩道，“她可以去……”
“冬青叶！”松鸦爪打断了他的话，“你知道她对武士守则有多认真。你觉得她会同意擅闯其他族群的领地，还偷他们的草药吗？我们一提出这种想法，她就会撕烂我们的耳朵。不，一定得你去。而且，你是我们这儿最擅长战斗的武士，如果被抓了，你可以用你的力量逃脱。”
“那叶池为什么不向青面要一些猫薄荷呢？”
“愚蠢的毛球！”松鸦爪嘶吼道，“我们刚和谁打了一仗？青面可能会给叶池一些猫薄荷，但一星肯定会知道这件事。他一旦发现雷族现在很脆弱，就会再次发起进攻。”松鸦爪甩甩尾巴，接着说道，“跟你说这些也没用。我从没想过，我自己的哥哥居然会站在一边，看着族群灭亡。”他转过身，向巫医巢穴走去。
狮焰看着松鸦爪离开，然后伤心地走回到猎物堆旁的巡逻队当中。黑莓掌和松鼠飞也过来了，灰条跳了过来，挑选了一只新鲜的猎物，向巫医巢穴走去。
“最好给你自己也拿点儿！”松鼠飞在他身后喊道。但是灰条好像并没有听见她的话。
“好了，蜡毛！”黑莓掌说道，“你再带领巡逻队出去时，沿着影族的边界走。你可以一边巡逻边界一边狩猎。但是你回来之后，就结束今天的工作。你需要休息。”
“所以，你不要光说他们了。”松鼠飞用尾巴在伴侣的肩膀上轻轻地弹了一下，“你也需要休息。”
“我不能休息。我还得去组织更多的巡逻队。”狮焰看着黑莓掌的双眼，听着他略显嘶哑的声音，心不由得一沉。
栗尾凑到狮焰耳边，小声地说：“如果你父亲病了……”
狮焰点点头，但没有说话。也没必要多说。火星已经病倒了，雷族只能依靠他们的副族长来保护了。
噢，星族，狮焰想，为什么你们会让这种事情发生？
乌云布满了天空，但空气仍然很温暖；山谷上的树木虽然被吹得沙沙作响，但营地里并没有风。狮焰刚与黑莓掌、冬青叶和炭心狩猎回来。蕨毛和栗尾伸展四肢，正躺在猎物堆旁聊着天儿，沙风蹲伏在他们旁边，正在吃一只画眉。
看到狮焰和巡逻队的其他队员把猎物丢进猎物堆，叶池和松鸦爪来到猎物堆，给自己拿食物。
“米莉怎么样了？”沙风从猎物上抬起头来，问道。
“如果不能尽快找到猫薄荷，她就要死了。”叶池直截了当地说道。
松鸦爪从猎物堆上抓过一只老鼠，愤怒地看了一眼狮焰。狮焰觉得他的眼神就像利爪一样，几乎要撕碎自己的皮毛。不要责怪我了！我不能去风族！
透过眼角的余光，狮焰瞥见火焰般的皮毛在高石台上闪动。他抬起头，看到火星正出现在巢穴口。狮焰震惊得每根毛都剧烈地颤抖着。族长出来干什么呢？火星的爪子无力地挪动着，刚张开嘴巴准备说话，就发出一阵猛烈的咳嗽。
“火星！”沙风身体前倾，“你知道自己在干什么吗？”
“马上回到你的巢穴去！”叶池跳起来，跑上了高石台，沙风紧随其后。
火星伸出一只爪子阻止了她们。“不要再过来了！”他大喊道，“这种疾病很容易传染。我们必须让生病的猫搬出营地，以保证其他猫的安全。”
“但是我们不能这样做，”叶池拒绝了，她在落石堆下停住爪子，“他们无处可去。”
“不，有地方。”火星说着，明亮的双眼里闪着成竹在胸的光芒，“废弃的两脚兽巢穴有墙壁和屋顶，可以遮风避雨。旁边还有一条可以喝水的小溪。”
“但是我没法儿同时待在两个地方。”叶池提醒道，她听起来非常痛苦，似乎很讨厌拒绝火星提出的方案。
“你不需要那样做，”火星说道，“我可以照看这些生病的猫。你告诉我哪种草药有用，远远地把它们送给我就行了。”
沙风突然发出一声叹息，胡须抖动着：“这太荒唐了！你这样是要把自己置于危险之中。你和其他生病的猫一样，也需要更多的休息。”
火星低头看着她，绿色的眼睛里溢满爱意：“我有几条命可以失去，但是我的族猫没有。我必须这样做，这是为他们的安全着想。”
吃惊的低语声从猎物堆旁升起。黑莓掌抬头注视着族长，然后缓缓地点了点头，就像是在向他许下承诺。
“听起来似乎行得通。”蕨毛赞同道。
“我认为这值得一试。”炭心也赞同道，“如果我们什么都不做，最后每只猫都会生病的。”
狮焰越想，越觉得火星的建议有道理。患病的猫可以住在安全的地方，而且那里很干爽，留在营地的猫也能更好地得到照顾。叶池和松鸦爪也可以更好地掌控局势。而且，两脚兽巢穴附近的猫薄荷可能已经长出了一些，可以为大家治疗了。
“那里的猫薄荷根本就不够。”松鸦爪大吼道，就好像是在反驳狮焰心里的想法，“我们需要更多的草药！雷族一半的猫都病了！”
狮焰感到同窝猫的目光正在炙烤着他的皮毛。他转过身，走向冬青叶。
“火星很伟大吧？”冬青叶说道，“作为他的至亲，我非常骄傲。我不知道我是否有他那样的勇气。”
狮焰用鼻子摩擦着冬青叶的肩膀。“我相信你也会的。”那我的勇气呢？他问自己。我应该鼓起勇气，去风族采些猫薄荷。但是我不能去，我就是不能去！
在高石台上，火星站了起来，抬起了头。“所有的猫……”他试着提高声音，结果又被一阵咳嗽打断了。
黑莓掌跳上高石台，快速地跟族长说了几句。狮焰听不到他们说了什么，但是过了一会儿，火星就蹒跚着走回了巢穴。黑莓掌低头看着空地。
“所有可以独自狩猎的猫，请到高石台下集合，参加族群大会。”
狐爪和冰爪从长老巢穴里走出来，各自带着一束用过的垫草。鼠毛跟在他俩后面走过来，和落石堆下的沙风、叶池站在一起。
香薇云和松鼠飞走出武士巢穴，走向猎物堆。莓鼻和灰条跟在他们身后，在巢穴入口附近坐下。
狮焰看到响应号召的猫屈指可数，心不由得沉了下去。这么多的族猫都病了，剩下的一定是出去巡逻了。
黑莓掌开始向没有听到火星计划的猫解释。“我们需要收集大量的苔藓和蕨草，还有干燥的树叶和羽毛，以及任何能让生病的猫保持温暖和舒适的东西。”他接着说道，“狮焰、冬青叶，你们来负责这件事，让学徒们和你们一起去。”
狮焰甩了甩尾巴，表示明白了父亲的命令。
“蕨毛，你擅长修理巢穴的墙壁。”黑莓掌接着说道，“你去找几个武士帮忙，把两脚兽巢穴墙上的洞都堵上，这样就不会漏风了。”
“好的，黑莓掌。”金棕色的武士回答道。
“我们还需要一个新的猎物堆。沙风，你最擅长狩猎，能负责这项工作吗？”
沙风有些不安地点点头。她眯起绿色的眼睛，似乎已经为狩猎做好了准备。
“叶池，你需要送些草药给火星用。如果你需要采集更多的草药，可以找一位武士给你帮忙。”
“我会的，”叶池答道，“而且每只猫都要留意猫薄荷，也许哪里会有我们遗漏的一点儿。”
狮焰看出来巫医并不相信自己所说的话。但是他知道，他们不能忽视哪怕是最小的找到这种珍贵草药的机会。而且，如果我们真的能找到一些，我也不用这么愧疚了。
“当然。”黑莓掌开口道，“然后……”
“那我呢？”松鼠飞打断了黑莓掌的话，她的绿眼睛里闪烁着挑衅的光芒，“你不会打算让我待在营地里，什么都不做吧？”
“你现在还不适合离开营地。”叶池马上反驳道。
“你没有得到巫医的批准，是不能离开营地的。”黑莓掌对自己的伴侣说，“但是你也不能什么都不做。巡逻队狩猎回来后，你可以跟他们解释到底发生了什么，然后给他们分派工作。”
松鼠飞犹豫着，好像还想反驳。但她还是不情愿地点点头，用爪子抓着地面，小声说着什么。
“好了，会议结束。”黑莓掌干脆地说道，“大家行动起来。”
狮焰向学徒们甩了甩尾巴，带着他们走向荆棘通道，冬青叶和他肩并肩地走着。他感到爪子痒痒，非常渴望很快投入工作，学徒们也没有抱怨他们的工作。
“感觉真奇怪。”他们朝着森林深处走去时，冬青叶看起来有些担心，“族猫从没像现在这样分开过。”
“这是挽救族猫的最好方法。”狮焰回答道。
“武士守则里完全没提到这种情况。除了……我们都发誓保卫族群，所以我猜，这只是保卫族群的一种方式。”她的担心似乎消失了。
狮焰带着众猫走到离营地更远的地方，那片空地上覆盖着厚厚的苔藓，看起来没有猫来过。
“感谢星族，最近一直没有下雨。”狐爪嘟哝着，从一棵树的树根上扯下一大片苔藓，然后开始卷起来。
“要小心地把水都挤出来。”冬青叶指导他，“而且要尽量往下挖，我们需要的是最干燥的部分。”
“嘿，看我找到了什么！”冰爪跳跃着穿过空地，叼着许多黑白相间的羽毛跑过来，“那边还有很多，”她补充道，“有只狐狸在那里杀了只鸽子。”
“很好。”狮焰说道，“躺在它们上面会很柔软，能带多少就收集多少。”
狮焰带着其他几只猫，携带着尽可能多的垫窝的东西，朝两脚兽巢穴走去。等到抵达了那里，狮焰惊讶得竖起了耳朵。这个一直安静得有些神秘的地方，现在到处都是奔走的猫，看上去就像被惊扰的蚂蚁窝。
罂粟霜的嘴里叼着一束树枝从狮焰的面前跑过，桦落跟在她身后匆匆地走过去，身后拖着长长的荆棘。狮焰来到巢穴入口，看见炭心正在往石缝间塞荆棘。
“干得好，罂粟霜！”当年轻的浅玳瑁皮毛的猫把树枝放在她脚边时，炭心说道，“这正是我们需要的东西。”
“我再去找一些。”罂粟霜立即转过身，匆匆走过狮焰的身边，返回了森林。
“我们把苔藓放在这里！”栗尾喊道。她正在帮蜡毛把树枝拖进来，将巢穴里的地面隔成一个个的窝。“放在那儿，”她用尾巴指着巢穴后面一块宽敞的用荆棘围起来的地方，“那里要做育婴室。”
狐爪和冰爪跟着狮焰和冬青叶，把带来的东西放在栗尾指定的地方。两只学徒猫紧张得左顾右盼，就像有怪物会突然从巢穴的阴暗角落跳出来，扑向他们。狮焰理解他们现在的感受。两脚兽巢穴里笔直的线条和尖锐的转角有种说不明白的怪异感，爪子下的地面又硬又凉，头顶上坚实的顶部也很奇怪，没有一点可以让太阳或月光照进来的缝隙。罂粟霜跑得那么快，可能就是因为这个吧。狮焰想，病猫们真的能适应这里吗？
“喂，你们怎么还站在那里？”栗尾问道，“再去弄些苔藓。”她用鼻子温柔地碰了碰狮焰，缓解语气里的生硬，“记住，只要干燥的苔藓，你们能找到多少，我们就要多少。”
当狮焰和其他猫再次返回时，他看到沙风领着巡逻队正朝这边走来，莓鼻和白翅跟在她身后。三只猫的嘴里都叼着猎物。
沙风走向距离两脚兽巢穴入口有几只狐狸身长的空心树干，树干周围长满茂密的荆棘和长草。沙风把猎物放到树干里。“能找到这样的地方，真让我高兴。”她评论道，“猎物放在里面，可以保持干燥。”
“而且我们不需要与病猫接触。”莓鼻也把自己带来的猎物放进去，补充说道。
“狐狸可能会来偷猎物。”白翅说着，也放了猎物进去，“我们在开口处做些气味标记会不会好些？”
“好主意。”沙风回答道，“而且我们还可以在旧两脚兽花园的周围都做上记号。狐狸会认为这里面的猫很多，应该就不会靠近了。”
它们不会知道这些猫都病得不能战斗。狮焰想着，带着收集苔藓的巡逻队走进了巢穴。
现在两脚兽巢穴看起来舒适多了。蜡毛已经用枝条隔好了窝。育婴室的第一层窝垫也已经铺平，蕨毛和炭心正沿着墙壁探查，往漏掉的裂缝中塞细枝和树叶。叶池也到了，开始检查育婴室会不会漏风。
“那边！”她对蕨毛喊道，“从那里刮到我身上的风就像锋利的爪子。”
蕨毛叼着一束干树叶跑过去，把它们塞进巫医指出的墙缝里。
“这下就好多了。”叶池赞许地甩了甩尾巴。
栗尾告诉狮焰和其他带着苔藓的猫放苔藓的地点。“太好了！”她说着，将爪子伸进新铺好的窝里，“但是我们还需要更多的东西。”
“我知道了。”狮焰抖动胡须，“我们会继续去采集的。”
狮焰和其他猫离开巢穴时，看见松鸦爪和鼠须各叼着一捆草药，从营地的方向走来。他俩把草药放在入口旁一块平坦的石头上，然后松鸦爪把它们分成整齐的堆。
“可惜这里没有猫薄荷。”他故意对鼠须说，声音大到狮焰能听见，“如果有猫薄荷，治愈病猫的概率就会大大提高。”
“这里长着的猫薄荷怎么样了？”鼠须问道。
“我去查过了。”松鸦爪回答着转过头来，用失明的蓝色眼睛盯着狮焰说，“它们已经开始恢复生长了，但是只长了一点点。”
狮焰的心再次被愧疚刺伤了，就如同扎进了一根锋利的荆棘，但他什么也没说。他无法跟松鸦爪解释自己拒绝穿过隧道，走进风族领地的原因。可要是有猫真的因为自己的梦死了，那怎么办？
狮焰没法回答这个问题。他冲进森林，就像身后跟着一群獾。但是当他取苔藓的时候，他明白，他永远也摆脱不了这种愧疚。
夕阳西下，树林里遍布着被暗影分割的红光。狮焰和族猫再次回到旧两脚兽巢穴。他已经记不清到底搬运过多少趟苔藓了。
狮焰走过坚硬的石头小路，看见叶池和黑莓掌正站在巢穴入口。他们一见到巡逻队，就停下了对话。
“干得好。”黑莓掌说道，“把那些放进去，你们就可以停下来了。一切都准备好了。”
狮焰领着其他族猫向巢穴走去，看到那段空心树干里已经放了不少猎物。他走进去，巢穴内温暖而又安全，柔软的窝大得足够两三只猫睡觉。育婴处的面积更大些，里面铺着最柔软的苔藓和羽毛。香薇云正在整理着。
栗尾招呼狮焰来到最里面，放下带来的苔藓和蕨叶。
“都弄好了！”她说着，跟狮焰碰碰鼻子，“谢谢你们大家。”
狮焰环顾四周，看到族群里的健康猫几乎都在巢穴里。蕨毛和炭心身上沾满了荆棘和黑莓枝，但是眼里显露着满足。罂粟霜忙着舔一只爪子，好像里面扎了一根刺。灰条把爪子伸进苔藓里。狮焰猜想，他肯定已经迫不及待地想回到米莉身边。莓鼻在一个新铺的窝里蜷缩着打盹儿，榛尾用一只爪子猛地推了他一下。
“快起来，蠢毛球！”她嘶嘶地叫道，“这些窝不是给我们睡的。”
“我都忙了一整天了。”莓鼻抱怨着爬了起来，舔了舔肩膀上的皮毛掩饰尴尬。
叶池出现在入口处，后面紧跟着黑莓掌。“一切准备就绪了。”叶池说道，“我们现在可以返回营地。但是所有的猫必须等病猫出来后，才能进去。从现在开始，我们必须跟他们保持距离。”
“什么？”灰条用力地抓着苔藓，“你的意思是，我们不能帮助他们移动？”
“有些猫病情太严重，没有我们的帮助走不到这儿。”蕨毛反对道。
“身体强壮些的猫可以帮助病弱的猫，”叶池用警告的语气告诉在场的所有猫不要争辩，“你们也知道这种病传播得有多快。我们必须保持强壮和健康，这不仅是为了我们自己，更是为了那些已经病倒的族猫。”
“她说得对。”黑莓掌站在巫医的旁边补充道，“还记得吗？我们现在所做的就是为了这个。”
没有猫再提出异议。但是狮焰想到病猫毫无援助地孤军奋战，心里就像被荆棘扎了一样。其他猫也流露出同样的眼神。
叶池带头回到营地，消失在荆棘通道。黑莓掌甩着尾巴，示意其他猫在通道两边站好，给病猫留出一条宽敞的通道。
狮焰看着病猫们走出来，肚子因为怜悯而抽搐着。第一个走出来的是火星，尽管猛烈的咳嗽让他步履蹒跚，但他依旧骄傲地昂着头。在他后面，云尾扶着刺掌，尘毛依靠着亮心的肩膀。空洞的干咳声从暗棕色虎斑猫的喉咙里迸出来，狮焰看到他瘦削而黯淡的肚皮下突出一根根的肋骨。香薇云发出一声凄惨的呻吟，下意识地，向前走去。桦落抬起尾巴，挡住了她的步伐。
尘毛转过头，用因为高烧而有些呆滞的眼睛看着她。“别过来！”他声音嘶哑地说道，“我会没事的。”
香薇云扭过头，把鼻子埋进了桦落的肩膀。
接着黛西走了出来，她的嘴里叼着小玫瑰，小蟾蜍、小梅花和小黄蜂跟在她的身后。一向淘气的幼崽们这时候出奇地安静，低着头盯着自己的爪子，一声不吭地走着。
“你不能跟小玫瑰一块儿去。”黑莓掌走上去拦住黛西，宣布道，“你和健康的幼崽们必须留在营地。”
“不要！”当黛西温柔地放下小玫瑰，看着副族长时，小玫瑰虚弱地哀号着，“如果我不去，谁来喂小玫瑰？”
“小玫瑰现在可以吃猎物。”黑莓掌回答道，“而且火星会确保她得到照顾的。你想让其他几只幼崽也染上病吗？”
黛西盯着副族长，两次心跳的时间之后，她低下头，让到了路边，用尾巴把健康的孩子们拢到了身边。
“我想和小玫瑰一块儿去！”小蟾蜍坚决地说道。
“你不能去。”黛西弯下身子，用鼻子碰了碰小蟾蜍的脑袋，“你能保持健康和强壮，就是对小玫瑰最好的帮助。”
小蟾蜍看上去还想反抗，但没有再说什么。蜜蕨从荆棘屏障后面钻出来，扫视了一下，然后站在小玫瑰的身边。“我向你保证，我会照看好她的。”她告诉黛西。黛西感激地冲她点头。
小玫瑰的爪子在空中不停地挥动着，大声哭闹着，但族猫还是带着她向两脚兽的巢穴走去。
荆棘屏障再次晃动起来，米莉终于出现了。这只灰色的母猫由叶池和松鸦爪在身体两边支撑着。狮焰被她的模样吓得屏住了呼吸——米莉的爪子几乎一动不动，是被两位巫医抬过来的。她的肚皮紧紧地贴着肋骨，随着剧烈的咳嗽上下起伏着。
“不！”灰条从狮焰和冬青叶身后大喊一声，冲上前去。狮焰赶紧挡住他，冬青叶也用牙紧紧地咬住他肩膀上的皮毛。“让我过去！”灰条边挣扎边喊，“她快死了！我要陪着她！”
狮焰使劲地支撑着身体。他知道跟族猫打架是不可取的。但他也知道，他不能让灰条接近生病的伴侣。
“不要过来！”叶池命令着，竖起尾巴警告。
灰条没理会叶池的命令，继续挣扎着，伸出一个爪子去扒狮焰的肩膀。
“快停下！”黑莓掌跑过来帮忙。
“灰条！”火星的怒吼声从病猫队伍的最前方传来。族长停下爪子，回头看着自己的朋友：“我明白你现在的感受。但是你必须和米莉保持距离。”他的声音里满是同情。狮焰知道这两只猫间的感情有多么深厚。火星说：“米莉需要你保持健康和强壮。”
灰条停止了挣扎，长长地叹了一口气：“火星，我的心已经被撕碎了。”
“我明白。但是你现在这样做，一点用也没有。灰条，如果米莉真的要踏上前往星族的旅途，我会叫你过来和她好好道别的。我向你保证。”
灰条犹豫了一个心跳的时间，然后低下了头。“我会记住这句话的，火星。”他哽咽道。
狮焰和黑莓掌退后几步，冬青叶也松开灰毛武士的肩膀。灰条耷拉着脑袋，低垂着尾巴站在那里。狮焰站在他身边，感到他全身都在颤抖。
叶池和松鸦爪继续向前走去，米莉被支撑在他俩中间。米莉的头无力地晃动着，似乎根本没听到伴侣刚才的举动。长尾在叶池尾巴的指引下，跟在后面。他的嘴里叼着小荆棘，就像叼着一只被捕获的猎物。
狮焰绷紧了肌肉。这只幼崽死了吗？这时，小荆棘的尾巴晃动了一下，还虚弱地咳了几声。知道她还活着，狮焰松了口气。但是他马上又被愧疚吞没了。她需要猫薄荷……他们都需要。
病猫都走得不见了，黑莓掌带领其余的猫回到山谷。营地里只剩下了鼠毛和松鼠飞，她俩正一起坐在猎物堆旁。鼠毛站起来，迎接剩余的猫归来。
“我应该跟他们一块儿过去的。”她对黑莓掌说道，“我可以去帮忙。我年纪大了，即使病倒了，也不会削弱族群的实力。”
黑莓掌低头向她表示敬意。“这是一位武士的崇高请求。但族群尊重每个生命，不管是最年长的长老，还是刚出生的幼崽。”他琥珀色的眼睛闪烁着光芒，“我知道你已经问过火星，他也拒绝了你。你也别想能说服我。”
“讨厌的年轻猫……自以为什么都懂。”鼠毛嘟哝着，转过身去。
留下的猫都没回巢穴休息，而是聚集在空地中央，就像他们正在等待着什么。狮焰蜷缩在妹妹身边，身上的毛竖立着。现在的营地有一种陌生的感觉，好像已经不再是他们的家园。空地上空仍飘荡着疾病的气息，可怕的寂静笼罩着这里的一切。
“我不喜欢这样。”冬青叶小声说，“我想知道有多少只病猫能健康地回到营地。”
不要。狮焰把爪子深深地插进泥土。“这取决于星族。”他低声说道，知道自己这句话多么地虚伪。
叶池和松鸦爪返回营地时，影子在山谷里才移动了不到一只老鼠身长，时间却像已经过了好久。
“太好了，你们都在这儿。”叶池走向仍然聚在一起的猫群，说道，“松鸦爪，帮我从储藏室里拿些补充体力的草药。”等松鸦爪走了，她接着说，“所有的垫草都要从巢穴里取出来，然后丢进森林，再把新的垫草放进去。”
“什么？”冰爪正昏昏欲睡地整理着皮毛，听到叶池的话，立即抬起头，“我已经采了一整天的苔藓了。我们真的还需要更多垫草吗？我都累坏了！”
“每只猫都精疲力竭了。”蛛足补充道，“不能等到明天早晨再弄吗？”
“当然可以，如果你们想让更多的猫生病的话。”叶池反驳着，但她很快缓和语气补充道，“这次每只猫都能帮忙。不会花太长时间的。”
松鸦爪带着草药回来了，在每只猫面前都放了一些叶子。狮焰吞下草药，感觉一股暖流正在酸痛的四肢上涌动。
“开始干活儿吧！”他对冬青叶说道，“越快行动，就能越早结束。”
所有的武士都出了营地，寻找新鲜的苔藓和蕨草。冰爪在鼠毛和松鼠飞的帮助下，清理巢穴里使用过的垫草，并把它们远远地丢到营地外。叶池和松鸦爪负责核查，确保没有一根旧垫草留下来。等他们清理完毕后，新鲜的垫草被放了进来。长久以来萦绕在营地里的疾病的气息，终于慢慢消散了。
“这下好多了。”冬青叶嘟哝着，躺在狮焰的身边，“只是少了这么多猫，感觉有些奇怪。我希望火星的计划可以奏效。”
狮焰已经睡着了，他的眼睛紧闭着，尾巴盖在鼻子上。他内心的忧虑一直困扰着他，让他无法安睡。他太疲劳了，可是一闭上眼睛，脑海里就浮现出了猫薄荷的样子。它们就在森林边缘的石头周围，茂密而葱翠地生长着，和松鸦爪描述的一样。他纵身上前，想啃断它们的茎秆，但是又停了下来，看着小溪的对岸。
风族边界的小溪突然变成了一条红色的激流。空中弥漫着血腥的味道，狮焰爪子边的草上也染上了点点血迹。
他后退一步，爪子上的鲜血让他心生恐惧。这时他听到身后响起熟悉的声音。
“你害怕了吗，小武士？”虎星嘲讽道，“你的力量到哪里去了？”
第十四章
第十四章
松鸦爪身上的每块肌肉都疲惫地抗议着，但他仍然仔细地嗅着长老巢穴的每个角落，确认没有旧垫草被落下。他蹒跚地走回空地，向叶池报告：“没问题了。”
“你怎么不休息一会儿呢？”老师说道，“黑莓掌和炭心已经给我们拿了些新鲜的垫草。”
松鸦爪张了张嘴，想说他还可以像其他猫一样坚持工作。但他转念一想，还是不提了。他和叶池的工作已经告一段落，没有理由不去睡一会儿。但即便这么累，他的爪子还是痒痒的，思绪也在飞速旋转。他知道，是他心里的想法让他睡不着。
“谢谢。”他回答道，“但是我想出去一会儿。”
“好的。”叶池听起来有些惊讶，“小心点，知道吗？”
“知道了。”松鸦爪真希望叶池不要总像母亲一样絮叨。松鼠飞已经够唠叨了，叶池只是他的老师而已。他小跑着从带着苔藓往回走的白翅和桦落身边走过，穿过通道向湖边跑去。
松鸦爪穿过最后一片灌木丛，停在能俯瞰水面的最高处。他听到浪花均匀地拍打着湖岸，轻轻地冲刷着鹅卵石。松鸦爪仔细地嗅了嗅，找到了树根裂缝里藏着的树棍。
松鸦爪把爪子放在树棍的记号上，远古武士的低语在他的周围升起。他紧张地聆听着那些话语，但是和以前一样，远古武士们的话他仍然听不懂。
“岩石，你就没有信息要告诉我吗？”他大声说道。
他抬起头来，最近发生的所有事情都像走马灯一样，出现在他的脑海里：日神神秘地出现，假信息成真，日神被赶出影族；可怕的疫情，以及火星带着病猫们搬离山谷……松鸦爪感觉自己像一片树叶在旋风中飞舞。
所有的一切正在离开我，跑得就像猎物一样快。我拥有力量，但是我却无法掌控它。
“族群是否一贯如此？”他嘟哝着，“一场战斗接着另一场战斗？而且有些战斗根本没有赢家。我想知道，第一批居住在湖边的猫群，是不是因为疾病才被迫离开的？”
松鸦爪再次抬起爪子，抚摩着那些抓痕，这些记录，既包括那些成功地在隧道里经受住了考验的猫，也包括那些再也没能从隧道里走出来的猫。他们的低语就像微风在他的身边盘旋，但是他依旧不能分辨这些声音的真正意义。
“如果我听不清你们，那有什么用呢？”他抗议道，“再大声一点，拜托！告诉我怎样才能战胜病魔，或者怎样才能说服狮焰去采猫薄荷。”
但轻柔的低语没有任何变化。松鸦爪长叹一声，把下巴枕在树棍上，然后闭上了眼睛。
松鸦爪被透过皮毛的湿气弄醒了。他的肌肉已经冷得僵硬了。他抬起头朝四周望去。他正待在一个地下洞穴里，离他的头很远的洞顶照进来一缕阳光。一条小河在离他两条尾巴远的地方哗哗流过。
松鸦爪挣扎着站起来。他希望见到岩石，但是这只远古猫经常躺着的岩壁是空的，整个洞穴里都没有岩石存在的迹象。
轻柔的爪子落地声从松鸦爪的身后传来。他转身看去，只见一只有着黄白相间皮毛的公猫正站在一个隧道的入口，他的绿眼睛里充满忧郁和焦虑，仿佛仍然无法摆脱在大雨涌进隧道时溺水而亡的记忆。
“落叶！”松鸦爪喊道。
“我没想到你还会回来。”远古猫的声音里充满了痛苦和寂寞，“这次你是来和我待在一起的吗？”
怜悯刺痛了松鸦爪的心，痛得就像脚垫里扎了一根刺。他没法想象，被困在这里的感觉——孤独，而且没有尽头。上次他见到落叶时，他与同窝猫、风族猫正在寻找丢失的幼崽，正是这只远古猫从洪水中救了他们的性命。
“你的族猫呢？”松鸦爪问道，“他们为什么要离开湖边？”
落叶低下头看着自己的爪子。“我不知道。我只知道他们离开了。利爪们没再进入隧道，这里只有从荒原吹来的风。我已经独自在这里过了很久，久得我已经记不清有多少天了。”他抬起头，蓝眼睛里神情恳切，“你和你的朋友是我在这里看到的第一批猫……自从我留在这里。”
“我必须知道他们为什么离开！”松鸦爪说道。他不能详细地解释原因，但他很肯定，这些远古猫的命运与那个预言有关。遇见岩石，发现树棍，在去月亮池的路上听到的远古猫的低语——这一切不可能是巧合，他对此确信无疑。
松鸦爪擦过落叶的身体，朝通向雷族领地的通道跳去，没有看被他抛在身后的神情沮丧的落叶。
“等等！”落叶大喊道，“我还以为你会在这里陪着我。”
“我必须弄清楚发生了什么事。”松鸦爪回过头来，坚持道。那只溺死的猫正站在隧道的另一头，悲伤得睁大了双眼。
松鸦爪强忍着愤怒，也忘记了对落叶的同情。“我怎么能留在这里陪你？”他嘟哝着，走进了黑暗的隧道，“这里有太多事情需要我弄明白。我可不能把时间都浪费在与一只死去的猫闲聊上。”
松鸦爪希望自己出现在山谷上方的树林里，醒着，但仍然看不见；或者是握着树棍，躺在湖边。但是与此相反，日光渐渐地照在前方的洞壁上。他能听见树叶在风的吹拂下沙沙作响。
“我一定是还在梦中。”他低语道。
松鸦爪向着光亮走去，他感到爪子有些刺痛。拐过一个弯，他看到前面有一个光圈。激动的说话声打破了寂静。
“是他吗？”
“他出来得比我预料的要晚些。”
“你觉得他是不是迷路了？”
松鸦爪放慢爪子。即便是走进了风族领地，他也应该能认出其中一些猫的声音。但是耳边的说话声都很陌生。而且松鸦爪也辨不出隧道出口飘来的气息。他在哪里？谁又在等着他？
这时另一个声音传来，让松鸦爪的爪子僵硬得无法动弹。
“松鸦翅？松鸦翅，是你吗？”
第十五章
第十五章
松鸦爪强行迈开腿，往隧道尽头走去。他走了出去，外面明亮的光线刺得他直眨眼睛。几只猫兴奋地围拢过来，七嘴八舌地议论着。
“松鸦翅！真的是你！”
“干得好！你现在已经是一只利爪了。”
“恭喜！”
松鸦爪起初并没有认出这些皮毛挤在一起的猫。这时一只黄白相间的母猫挤进猫群。她焦躁不安地挥着爪子，周身的毛都竖了起来。
“松鸦翅，你幸运地通过了考验！”她号叫着，声音痛苦地颤抖着，琥珀色的眼睛里充满了痛苦，“你还记得落叶吗？他一直没能走出隧道。”
一只怀着幼崽的灰白相间的娇小母猫走到她的跟前，用鼻子蹭了蹭她的肩膀。“来吧，碎影！”灰白相间的母猫喃喃低语道，“我们到阳光下休息一下吧！”
“你不明白，升月！”碎影哀号着，但是任由母猫带着她走开了。
松鸦爪环顾四周，思绪快速飞驰着。他认出这条路是通向隧道入口的斜坡，但是路边的树木却要小得多，让他目眩的阳光可以从上面照过来。树下的灌木丛很少。这里看起来很像雷族的营地，但仔细看却又不像。
我在哪儿？这些陌生的猫又是谁？难道雷族被入侵了？
他四处张望，寻找自己的族猫。我是在看？松鸦爪打了个寒战。这种感觉太真实了，不像是在梦里。他感到微风吹拂着皮毛，耳边听到鸟鸣一般的猫的声音，肚子咕噜咕噜地响，爪子非常沉重，就好像他真的整晚都醒着，一直在搜索走出隧道的方法，以便成为一个利爪。
一只漂亮的浅灰色母猫跳到松鸦爪面前，她蓝色的眼睛里闪烁着深情。她伸出尾巴，轻抚着松鸦爪的侧腹。
“你成为利爪了，真让我激动！”她说着，优雅地跳动着，突然她的尾巴垂了下来，“我多么希望妈妈也能看到这一切。”
松鸦爪身体一僵。这只母猫是他的妹妹吗？
她把我当成谁了？
“也许鹰击真的可以看见你们。”一只银色皮毛的母猫走过来。她身材苗条，气质优雅，长着修长的四肢和明亮的蓝眼睛。
“你真的这么想吗，吟风？”松鸦爪的这位“妹妹”满怀期待地说道。
“亲爱的鸽翅，你知道鹰击活着的时候有多爱你和松鸦翅！我相信她依旧深爱着你们，无论她身处何处。”
“我也希望是这样。”鸽翅呢喃道。
松鸦爪一点儿也不明白。这些猫死后不是去了星族吗？而且他们为什么看起来都认识我呢？
“两位，这里可能有些误会。”松鸦爪开口说道，“我不是你们认为的那只猫。另外雷族营地怎么走？”
吟风伸长脖子，在松鸦爪的身上闻了闻。“你没事吧？”她不安地问道，“你的脑子是不是在隧道里受伤了？”
“什么是雷族？”鸽翅问道，看起来充满担忧，“这是岩石告诉你的吗？”
岩石？松鸦爪的肚子抽搐着。难道鸽翅认识隧道里那只盲眼猫？
松鸦爪正准备开口问她，这时另一只猫出现在他的面前。这是一只暗姜黄色皮毛的虎斑公猫，长着健壮的肩膀和琥珀色的眼睛。“别忘了，利爪不能谈论洞穴里发生的事情。”他警告道，“这是他们有生之年都应该保守的秘密。”
“好的，卷蕨。”鸽翅向他保证道，“松鸦翅只是有点迷糊。”
卷蕨咕哝一声：“他只要记得两个晚上前走进隧道时，他被警告过的事情就好。”
“我没有在隧道里待过两个晚上！”松鸦爪辩驳道，“我……”
“你进去后，第一次太阳升起的时候没出来，我们很担心。”鸽翅打断了他，“我们还以为你迷路了。”
“就像落叶一样。”又一个陌生的声音响了起来。松鸦爪转身看到一只深灰色的虎斑公猫，正眨着冰蓝色的眼睛，浑身的皮毛都散发着悲伤。松鸦爪的脑海中浮现出落叶强壮的样子，他猜想眼前这只猫应该就是落叶的父亲。
“石歌。”卷蕨用鼻子触碰着虎斑公猫的耳朵，“我知道这对你来说非常不容易。”
石歌叹了一口气。“我们足足等了一轮月亮圆缺。”他喃喃道，“但是落叶却没有出来。”他盯着碎影，碎影正躺在不远处的一棵树下，升月蜷缩在她的旁边，像母亲舔舐孩子一般，温柔地舔梳着她的皮毛。“是时候放弃等待了。”石歌平静地结束了谈话。
松鸦爪看着深灰色的虎斑猫。落叶失踪只有一个月的时间吗？如果真的是这样，那么他就是回到很久很久以前了！他竟然在无意中，从隧道穿越到了以前。这时族群还没有迁徙到湖边，甚至祖灵们还没踏出通往月亮池的路。
树棍！松鸦爪感觉自己的每根毛都竖了起来。我现在已经生活在那些在树棍上留下刻痕的猫中间！
他回头看向隧道的入口。它现在看起来有些不一样，就裸露在山边，四周已经没有茂密的灌木。但是他走过隧道去找风族的小猫时，感知过它的形状。他确定当时走的就是这一条隧道。他转过身，俯视着湖泊，波光粼粼的湖面透过树林清晰可见。水面的形状也是他熟悉的模样。但是当他望向风族的领地时，他看到两脚兽们聚集在一个浅褐色的土丘上，它们周围的黄色怪物正在忙碌，发出隆隆的吼叫，就像成群的黄蜂在空中飞舞。
松鸦爪走到山坡边缘，更近地看着。不一会儿，卷蕨也走了过来。“两脚兽一直在挖土。”他担忧地说道，“追云和我走到那里查看过，但是我们还是不明白它们正在干的事情。”
“它们正在修建巢穴。”松鸦爪不假思索地答道。
卷蕨向他投去犀利的一瞥：“什么？两脚兽居住的巢穴？湖对面的树林里也有些那样的巢穴，但是两脚兽们从来没有离得这么近。”
“是的，那里会建起四个巢穴。”松鸦爪记起冬青叶和狮焰对他描述的马场，“两脚兽要在那里养马。”
他意识到卷蕨正用一种奇怪的眼神盯着他。“你是怎么知道的？”卷蕨倒吸一口气。
松鸦爪一下子愣住了。鼠脑子！这些猫当然不知道两脚兽用黄色怪物干什么。他刚才是不是做了一个即将成真的预言？
卷蕨弹动着耳朵，他仍然在等待松鸦爪的回答。
松鸦爪耸了耸肩：“两脚兽在地上挖坑的时候，我就在猜测它们要干什么。”
暗姜黄色公猫依然用怀疑的眼神看着他。我不能怪他。看到鸽翅朝他们跑来，松鸦爪这才放松了一些。
“你们站在那里干什么？”她说着，就把松鸦爪往森林深处推，“在隧道里待了那么久，你肯定累坏了，也饿坏了。你需要休息。而且我想请升月给你检查一下脚垫。在石头上走了那么久，现在它们都流血了。”
松鸦爪低下头，果然看到在他的爪子踩过的地方，草叶上沾染着血迹。突然他感到疼痛袭来。因为肚子饿得咕咕叫，所以他觉得头也有些晕眩。也许他真的被困在隧道里过了两个夜晚。松鸦爪高兴地跟着鸽翅走进森林，黎明的光在草地上投下长长的影子。
“我们正在去营地吗？”他问。
鸽翅转过身，蓝色的眼睛里充满了迷惑：“你是什么意思？你确定你没事吗？”
好吧，看来这些猫没有营地，松鸦爪想到，下次提问前要三思，愚蠢的毛球。
鸽翅看起来有些担心，她用鼻子把挂在一棵橡树上的常春藤卷须拨开，树根下露出一个舒适的地穴。地穴的底部铺着苔藓和羽毛，散发出温暖的味道。
这显然是一个巢穴。松鸦爪低头一闻，紧张得所有的肌肉都紧绷起来。这是我自己的气息！
鸽翅把他往前推了推：“躺下吧，我去请升月过来。”
升月一定是巫医猫。松鸦爪心想。他还记得升月安慰落叶的母亲时说过的话。松鸦爪目送鸽翅离开后，试图在树林和灌木丛里发现更多的巢穴。他一个都没看见，但空气里飘荡着的气息告诉他，那些巢穴就在不远处。
松鸦爪确实累坏了，他爬进巢穴里，蜷缩着身体，闭上了眼睛。一丝焦灼突然从内心涌起。我还能回到雷族吗？但是他太累了，很快就进入心神不宁的浅睡中。
“……那是些新鲜多汁的羊蹄叶。”说话声将松鸦爪吵醒了，“做得好，找到了这么多。”
松鸦爪悬着的心放了下来。他已经回到了巫医巢穴，正躺在自己的窝里，听起来像是叶池正在他的身边谈论着草药。
然后他睁开眼睛，看见他的脑袋周围盘绕着棕色的根茎和柔软的羽毛。他仍然能看见。他听到的声音不是叶池的。常春藤的卷须被拨开了，鸽翅和升月向他投来关切的目光。鸽翅的嘴里叼着一束羊蹄叶。松鸦爪轻轻抖了抖身子。如果他没在自己族群醒来，看到自己生活的时代，那么一定是有什么事情让他留在了这里。也许这是另一个寻找预言答案的地方——他能找到星族也不能给他的答案。
“你在隧道里的时候受伤了吗？”升月问道。
松鸦爪摇了摇头：“没……没有。我没受伤，就是爪子有些疼，仅此而已。”
“在隧道里，你感到害怕吗？”
“有点儿。”松鸦爪猜想，升月是不是觉得他丢了魂。鸽翅一定把他说过的那些奇怪的事情告诉了升月。“我就是太累了。”他补充着，希望她能相信，他的古怪行为是因为太累了，“而且很饿。我……我想我是饿昏头了。”
他必须让这些猫相信他真的就是松鸦翅。他不知道大家发现他并不是松鸦翅时，会怎么对他。就算他说出实情，他们肯定也不会相信的。
松鸦爪很早就想弄明白远古猫的信息，现在他就在这里，就生活在他们身边。不论是族群，还是急水部落，都没有猫能这样详细地了解曾经居住在湖边的猫。松鸦爪一直都能感受到他们，感到他们的皮毛摩擦着身体，听到他们在湖边低语，跟随着他们前往月亮池。
现在我是他们中的一员！
升月若有所思地眨着眼睛。“我想，没有什么是食物和休息治愈不了的。现在让我看看你的爪子。”她爬到巢穴里，蹲伏在松鸦爪的身边，“你把爪子舔干净了吗？”
“呃……没有。”
当松鸦爪快速、刺耳地舔着爪子，弄掉上面的泥和沙子的时候，升月一直在旁边等着。鸽翅把满嘴的羊蹄叶放在她的爪子边。
“哦，你要使用羊蹄叶吗？”松鸦爪不再舔爪子，他抬起头问道，“我一直觉得马尾草才是最好的止血药。”
升月的眼睛惊讶得睁大了：“马尾草？我从没听说过。我想这附近不生长这种草药。你是从哪里听到这种草药的？”
松鸦爪的每一根毛都竖立起来。他又犯了这种错！你开口说话前，一定要想多想想，鼠脑子！“呃……我想肯定是哪位长老提起过它。”他小声嘀咕着，希望这里真的有长老。
“我晚点会去问问奔马。”升月说道，“他教给我这么多草药知识，我想他一定知道这种草药。”
“我曾经见过曙河使用蓍草。”鸽翅热心地补充道，“我们也可以听听她的建议。”
当升月把清凉的羊蹄叶敷在松鸦爪的爪子上时，松鸦爪想，看来他们并没有专职的巫医，只是有些猫在互相分享草药的使用方法，而且他们掌握的知识也没有巫医多。
松鸦爪想起来了，当鸽翅听说她母亲可能正看着她时，她显得特别吃惊。如果这里没有专职的巫医，就能解释为什么他们不知道祖灵的存在。那么他们认为一只猫死后会去哪里呢？
“好了。”升月给松鸦爪最后一只爪子敷好了药，“感觉好些了吗？”
“感觉好极了，谢谢。”虽然他知道使用马尾草的效果会更好些，但是他仍然对羊蹄叶带给他的清凉的感觉心怀感激。
“晚点你可以再给爪子擦一遍。”母猫继续说着，把剩下的羊蹄叶拢成一堆，“但是你现在最好睡一会儿。”
“我去给你带些吃的来。”鸽翅说道。
松鸦爪使劲张着嘴巴，打了个大大的哈欠。他几乎没觉察到升月爬出了他的巢穴。他闭上眼睛，让自己进入了梦乡。
第十六章
第十六章
香味在松鸦爪的鼻子前飘荡。是老鼠！松鸦爪的肚子咕咕地响起来。他飞快地睁开眼睛，才知道天已经快黑了。鸽翅浅灰色的身影正站在巢穴旁边，低头看着他。一只老鼠叼在她的嘴里。
“你醒了！”鸽翅把那只老鼠放在她的爪子旁边，大声说着，“你感觉好些了吗？”
“我好多了。”松鸦爪说着，强迫自己从树根下的巢穴里爬了出来。
“嗨，松鸦翅！”一只年轻的棕色虎斑公猫就站在鸽翅身后，琥珀色的眼睛闪着好奇的光芒，“它怎么样？就是隧道里？”
“安静点，鱼跃！”一只白色母猫从鸽翅的另一边走了过来，“别缠着松鸦翅了！即使你不问这些问题，他也已经很累了。”
“你不要告诉我该怎么做，半月。”鱼跃反驳道，“你和我一样，也想知道隧道里的情况。”
白猫让自己的皮毛与松鸦爪的皮毛摩擦在一起。她用绿眼睛看着他。“当然了，我肯定想知道。”她发出一阵呼噜声，“但是他吃东西的时候，我可以等着。”
老鼠的香味馋得松鸦爪直流口水。“谢谢。”他向鸽翅道过谢，然后咬了一口。他注意到鱼跃正在旁边不耐烦地扯着地上的草。
“我不知道卷蕨为什么让我们等一段时间再进隧道。”他抱怨道，“我们都已经准备好成为利爪了。我想进去接受挑战。”
“等卷蕨认为我们准备好了，他会让我们进去的。”鸽翅说道。
所以他们都还是学徒。松鸦爪狼吞虎咽吃着老鼠，心里想，如果这里把他们称为学徒的话，那么卷蕨就算是他们的族长。但是，既然他们都不知道星族的存在，卷蕨怎么获得九条命呢？
“好了，开始吧！”鱼跃听起来有些急躁，“跟我们说说吧。”
“我不能说。”松鸦爪嘴里含着老鼠肉嘟哝着，他很高兴能找到借口来保持神秘，“你也知道，利爪不能谈论隧道里发生的事情。”
鱼跃咕哝道：“你觉得你现在是利爪，所以比我们都厉害。”
“他不会那么想的！”半月愤愤不平地喊道。
松鸦爪不确定怎么才能保护自己。他不太了解利爪都应该做些什么。他猜利爪应该和武士一样。但是如果他猜错了，难免会产生新的麻烦。
这时，鸽翅把鱼跃推开了。松鸦爪松了口气。“让他自己待着。”她说道，“他现在还很累，需要更多的休息。我们很快就能知道隧道里的情况。我很高兴，松鸦翅安全地出来了。”
半月的绿眼睛里飘过一片愁云。“是的，不像落叶。”她嘟哝着。
鱼跃和鸽翅伤心地对视了一眼。松鸦爪想到落叶在隧道里徘徊了那么久，不断地寻找隧道出口，心里就觉得空荡荡的。他希望可以用合适的方式告诉这群猫，他们的朋友已经死了，溺死在一场洪水中，他们再也见不到他了。很明显，无尽的等待已经把碎影击垮了。
吃完老鼠，松鸦爪扭动着身体，爬回到窝里。他就要滑进梦乡的时候，听到了鱼跃的抗议声变高了。
“走丢了一只猫，并不表示其他的猫都得离开！”
“这不仅仅是一只猫的问题，你心里清楚。”半月反驳道，“还要死多少猫，我们才会开始寻找别的居住地？一定还有别的地方，既能捕捉到猎物，又能遮风挡雨。”
松鸦爪感到耳朵刺痛，闭上眼睛，让自己看起来就像睡着了。这些猫正在争论，他们是该继续留在湖边，还是另寻新的家园。这就是族群搬迁到湖边时，没有发现任何猫的原因吗？鱼跃走开了，嘴里还在嘟哝着，与半月的争论越发激烈。当他完全听不见他们的声音时，这才放松下来，任凭疲倦的黑影填满自己的脑袋。
在夜里，松鸦爪短暂地醒过一回，他发现鸽翅正蜷缩在他的身边。自从成为叶池的学徒后，他就再没和另外一只猫这么近地睡在一起。她温暖的气息让松鸦爪觉得很舒适，她的气息已经变得非常熟悉。他发出一声轻轻的咕噜，又沉沉地睡了过去。
当松鸦爪再次睁开眼睛时，灰白色的光线已经透过常春藤照射进来。鸽翅已经离开了，但是另外两只猫正看着他。一只是鱼跃，另一只是年纪较大的玳瑁色母猫，松鸦爪记得前天从隧道出来时见过她。她的眼睛形状和鱼跃一模一样。松鸦爪猜，她是鱼跃的母亲。
“嘿，松鸦翅，一起去狩猎吧！”鱼跃发现松鸦爪醒来了，便大声说道。
这听起来是个不错的机会，可以探索他们的领地——后来会变成雷族的领地。松鸦爪从窝里爬出来，伸了个懒腰。“我们要参加巡逻队吗？”他问道。
令他不安的是，鱼跃和玳瑁色的猫困惑地对视了一眼。“巡逻队是干什么的？”玳瑁色母猫问道。
鼠脑子！他们也没有巡逻队。
“曙河，我猜松鸦翅在隧道里撞到了脑袋。”鱼跃耸耸肩说，“他老是在说蠢话。”
松鸦爪舔了舔胸口的一片皮毛，掩饰着自己的尴尬。“别介意！”他含糊地说道。
“我们走吧。”曙河催促道，“记住要当心獾。”
曙河领头，三只猫朝森林走去。松鸦爪从耳朵到尾巴尖都哆嗦着，他看到的这片森林与他熟悉的族群年代的森林有很大不同。不仅仅是树木矮小些，灌木稀疏些。在这里，最大的不同是，他现在能用眼睛看了。
“当心！”鱼跃提醒他。
提醒来得太迟了。松鸦爪正忙着看周围的树木——落叶季已经到来，树叶纷纷染上红色和金色——没注意到脚下的兔子洞。他一下踩了进去，摔倒了。
“狐狸屎！”他骂道。
他听到鱼跃发出笑声，感到虎斑公猫咬住他的脖颈，把他从洞里拖了出来。
“你没事吧？”曙河问道。
松鸦爪甩了甩皮毛上的泥土：“没事。”
当他们再次出发时，松鸦爪决心每次迈步前，都要看清楚爪子要落下的地方，但这太难了。耀眼的阳光让他目眩，眼前的树木和沙沙作响的树叶也令他分心。他的味觉、听觉和对周围事物的感知，曾经非常准确，现在变得迟钝起来，以至于他感觉自己像在一团迷雾中蹒跚前行。
我从来没有像现在这样笨拙。松鸦爪被一根树枝绊倒时不高兴地想。
“如果你仍然这样做，会把所有的猎物吓跑的。”鱼跃提醒道，“你确定你没事吗？”他补充道，“你想回到你的巢穴吗？”
“我没事。”松鸦爪咬牙重复道。但是鱼跃是对的，像瞎眼獾一样四处乱撞，确实会吓跑所有的猎物。松鸦爪闭上眼睛，这样就立即觉得舒适了许多。其他的感官也变得敏锐起来，让他知道该在哪里放爪子。气味和声音环绕在身体周围，勾画出一幅比他用眼睛看都要清晰的图景。
“松鸦翅？”曙河的声音里充满困惑和担心，“你该不会是站着睡着了吧？”
松鸦爪吓了一跳，赶紧避开了她的声音传来的方向。他睁开眼睛，正好看到一棵粗糙的树就在鼻子前面。松鸦爪来不及停下，结果一头撞了上去。
“哇！”鱼跃喊了一声，他的声音里充满了玩笑的意味，“你抓到了一棵树！”
不过让松鸦爪松了一口气的是，曙河和鱼跃留下他，各自搜索猎物去了。松鸦爪清理着皮毛上的树皮碎屑，思量着接下来应该怎么办。既然他是一个利爪，这里的猫会认为他理所当然懂得怎样狩猎。但是在他自己的族群年代，松鸦爪从来没接受过狩猎训练。他从没独自捕捉过猎物。
我必须试试。这能有多难呢？
松鸦爪闭上眼睛，开始在树丛间小心翼翼地潜行，这样他的感觉更加清晰一些。而且很快他就嗅到了一只老鼠的踪迹。松鸦爪停下爪子，静静地聆听，然后朝声音传来的方向扑去。他只抓到一爪子草，老鼠已经不见了踪影。
“运气太坏了！”鱼跃在他身后幸灾乐祸地说道。松鸦爪睁开眼睛，回头看见他正用两只前爪拖着一只松鼠走过来。曙河跟在鱼跃身后，嘴里也叼着一只老鼠。
“你还什么都没有抓到吗？”鱼跃取笑道，“我还以为利爪比其他猫更厉害呢。”
“我……呃……我正在找奔马说过的马尾草。”松鸦爪尴尬地说道，“他说这种草对酸痛的爪垫疗效显著。”
曙河点了点头：“你的爪垫还没好，狩猎肯定很吃力。”
“说那些有什么用呢，你最好抓点什么。”鱼跃告诉他，“除非你想饿肚子。”
松鸦爪并不惊讶。他已经料想到这群猫只为自己狩猎，甚至在成为利爪之前也是如此。他们没有巡逻队，也看不到任何有猎物堆的迹象。“我们是不是应该给长老们抓点吃的？”他试探着问道。
鱼跃耸耸肩：“如果我们找到的食物足够多的话。”
松鸦爪感到自己很想念雷族，在那里，每只猫都有食物，甚至是那些没有时间狩猎或者失去狩猎能力的猫。
“我正准备顺着溪流向下游走，”曙河说道，“我可以吃一只美味的田鼠。”
我也想。松鸦爪想着，看着玳瑁色的母猫逐渐走出视线。但是我觉得我抓不到什么。我不能告诉他们我不会狩猎，那么我该吃什么呢？
“回头见。”鱼跃说道，“祝你好运！”
松鸦爪跳跃着，朝影族边界跑去。不对，松鸦爪提醒自己，那里只是将来会成为影族边界的地方。
松鸦爪睁开双眼向石头山谷走去，试图适应用眼睛看东西。一股冰冷的寒意直蹿脊背。假如山谷不在那里呢？
许多个心跳过后，一股浓烈的雷鬼路味道钻进了松鸦爪的鼻腔。他停下爪子，不知如何是好。雷族的领地里并没有雷鬼路啊！
松鸦爪将身体贴近地面，匍匐向前，并利用很少的植被隐蔽自己的行迹。最后，他终于来到雷鬼路旁，雷鬼路那坚硬的黑色路面像蛇一样穿过森林。松鸦爪竖起耳朵，倾听着怪物的声音。但是除了微风摇动树枝，没有任何动静。
松鸦爪四处张望着，在树丛间发现了两脚兽巢穴的高墙。他的好奇心增强了，驱使着他向前爬去。他警惕着两脚兽或者狗的气息和声音。但是周围一片寂静。两脚兽巢穴的入口紧紧地关着，窗子上亮晶晶的东西已经破了，散落在地上。
松鸦爪顿时恍然大悟。这就是族里的病猫们待着的那个两脚兽巢穴！只不过现在墙壁上还没有破，顶部也完好，只有形状和大小是一模一样的。
所以，刚才的雷鬼路就是废弃的两脚兽小道。松鸦爪跑回雷鬼路。他没有认出它，是因为现在这条路的表面是黑乎乎的，不像后来那样破败，还从缝隙中爬出许多藤蔓。现在我知道我在哪里了！
他沿着雷鬼路边缘小跑着。尽管没有难闻的臭气和怪物发出的吼声，松鸦爪依旧保持着警惕。和他想的一样，这条路一直通向山谷的入口。
松鸦爪停下爪子，环顾四周。石头岩壁在他的周围延伸着，入口附近较矮，对面变得有几只狐狸身长那么高。这里能闻到两脚兽残留的气息，但是已经很淡，也很陈旧了。松鸦爪打量着此时的石头山谷，想象着各个巢穴的位置。但是想象起来有些困难，因为现在这里还没有长出灌木，也没有黑莓、蕨丛、榛木等能让石壁的线条柔和一些的植物。只有一些柳兰破土而出，它们柔嫩的新芽在风中轻轻摇摆。松鸦爪觉得自己认出了高石台的位置，它后面的洞正是火星的巢穴。但高石台下没有落石堆，也就没有通往高石台的小路。
“松鸦翅！”
松鸦爪跳起来，大吃一惊，然后迅速转过身。原来是半月。白色母猫正盯着他，绿色的眼里满是惊恐。
“你在这里干什么？”她倒吸了一口气，“獾会把你抓走的。快走！”
半月跳跃着穿过树林，爬上了山谷的一边，朝地下隧道入口跑去。松鸦爪跟在她身后，闭上眼睛才能跟上她的速度。他想，原来这里是獾的居住地。他还是第一次闻到如此强烈的獾的气息，他被雷鬼路和山谷巨大的差异弄得心烦意乱，所以之前没有闻出来。现在的石头山谷一定是猫的禁区，因为这里正被敌人占据——不是猫群，而是獾。也许它们是返回森林的獾群的祖先，很多很多个月夜以后，它们袭击雷族，杀死了炭毛。那些獾知道这里曾是它们的家园吗？
獾的气味已经渐渐减弱，半月也终于放慢了脚步，松鸦爪这才松了口气，猛地蹲坐在清凉的草地上。松鸦爪想知道，半月怎么判断这个地方是否安全，这里也没有边界标记来划分他们和獾的领地。
“我以前从来没想过这一点。”松鸦爪谨慎地说道，“但是这不是很奇怪吗？为什么獾从来都不在这儿追赶我们？这里也没什么东西阻止它们这么做。”
半月耸耸肩。“我猜，可能在树林深处能抓到足够的猎物，所以它们不用跑这么远。”她瞥了一眼旁边的松鸦爪，明显是想说点什么，但又不确定该不该说。“我是跟着你的气息追过来的。”半月承认道，“我想你可能会有麻烦。而且我想把这个给你。”她钻进一片灌木丛，一个心跳的时间后钻了出来，嘴里叼着一只画眉，她把鸟放在松鸦爪面前，“我想，你的爪垫还很痛，你可能会发现自己很难抓到猎物。”
松鸦爪点点头，暗自庆幸还能用脚痛当借口，但也感到一些愧疚。他伏在画眉前面，说道：“谢谢，你想和我一起吃吗？”
“我吃过了，但我还想再来一大口。谢谢。”半月在猎物的另一边趴了下来。
松鸦爪吃着画眉，意识到不论还要在这里待多久，他都得学会狩猎。这件事真的很麻烦，他已经成为利爪了，怎么可能还不会狩猎呢？
“卷蕨会给我分配任务吗？”松鸦爪问半月。
白色母猫咬了一口画眉，然后开始用爪子清理脸颊和胡须。“如果其他猫没给长老们分食物，你可能不得不去给他们狩猎。”她说道，“你不记得上个月的雨下得多厉害吗？吟风不得不为我们所有的猫狩猎，因为她是唯一不介意弄湿皮毛的猫。”
“哦，当然记得。”松鸦爪嘟哝着。
“她抓到鱼的时候，我简直不敢相信！”半月轻快地说道，“我以前从来没尝过鱼的味道。”
“猎物不太多，是吧？”松鸦爪想，这话应该是不容易被拆穿的。
半月摇了摇头。“也许石歌说得不错，我们确实应该考虑搬走。”她的眼里满是悲伤，“我记得你也这么说过。”
“对。”松鸦爪说道，现在他知道松鸦翅在争论中的立场，心里松了一口气，“一定还有什么地方有更多的猎物，也没有两脚兽和獾骚扰我们。”
“你真的认为有这么一个地方吗？”
松鸦爪缓缓地点了点头。毕竟被两脚兽毁掉旧家园的时候，族群也找到了新的居住地。
而那个新的居住地，恰好正是这里。
第十七章
第十七章
松鸦爪吃饱的时候，还剩下许多画眉肉。“你还要再吃点吗？”他问半月。
白色母猫摇摇头。“我们可以把它拿给枭羽。”她建议道，“她的幼崽们正在长身体，饿得快。”
“好主意。”松鸦爪希望尽可能多地看看这些猫和他们居住的地方，然后再安心地回到雷族——如果他还能回去的话……
松鸦爪和半月叼起剩下的画眉肉，爬上远处的小山，往隧道入口方向走去。这个地方似乎就像雷族营地中央的空地，是猫们在白天很喜欢来的聚集场所。现在只有几只猫躺在那里，打盹儿或互相舔梳。经过鸽翅和鱼跃的身边时，松鸦爪对他们摇了摇尾巴，希望自己看上去像是知道要去哪里的样子。
他故意落在半月身后，跟着她爬向山坡更高处，一直走到树林的上方。半月在山脊上放下嘴里的画眉肉，然后站在那里，望向荒原。她用鼻子指着远处一个淡紫色的线条。
“石歌认为，我们应该往那个方向走。”她说道。
松鸦爪放下猎物以后，感到自己身上的每根毛都开始竖立起来，爪子微微颤抖着。那不就是山地吗？这些猫该不会是急水部落的祖先吧？松鸦爪瞥了一眼半月，她的身形结实，臀部健壮，看起来很善于爬树。她根本不是部落猫那种瘦长的身材。
“你觉得走这么遥远的路，可以吗？”半月问道。
“很艰难。”松鸦爪尽量小心地选择着用词，“那里的路与这里的非常不同。”
“怎么个不同法？”
“石头山峰陡峭地直插云霄，”松鸦爪回答着，脑海里回想着他前往山里的旅程，“很大的鸟，比獾还大，它们从空中冲下来，伸伸爪子就能抓住好几只猫；水从高处倾泻下来，即使在没有乌云的时候，空中也有水花飞舞……”
“你说得好像你已经去过那里一样。”一个新的声音说道。
松鸦爪一愣，转身看见石歌健壮的深灰色身影，正站在他们的身后，他锐利的冰蓝色眼睛正盯着松鸦爪。
“我……呃……我做过类似的梦。”松鸦爪结结巴巴地说。
石歌的耳朵竖了起来，他好奇地问道：“真的吗？你有没有梦到别的什么东西？”
“没有。”松鸦爪本可以告诉他更多。但是他只想说出这些猫认为他应该知道的，而不想说出他所知道的全部。
“那么你觉得猫可以在那里生存吗？”石歌追问道。
“那样的生活并不容易。”松鸦爪警告道，他想起了部落猫艰难的生活，“但也许可以。”
石歌开始在山脊上来回踱步，尾巴尖不停地摆动着。当他开口说话时，松鸦爪几乎听不到他的声音，因为风族领地上的怪物又开始移动土堆，并发出隆隆的吼叫。松鸦爪的脚垫能感到它们引起的震动。
“我们不能待在这儿！”石歌咆哮道，“听听那些怪物的声音！如果它们过来把这里也撕碎了怎么办？”
松鸦爪想说，它们不会过来的，但是他及时想到自己不应该知道这个情况。
“这样不对。”石歌继续说着，冰蓝色的眼睛愁云密布，“不断有猫走失，猎物也在逐渐减少。一定有更适合猫生活的地方。”他停下来，看向远方山脉上紫色的线条，迎面吹来的风抚平了他的皮毛，“也许那里就是你所说的石头山峰。当我还是幼崽的时候，母亲曾经说，风吹过那里的石头，会发出鸟鸣般的声音。这也是我名字的由来。也许这意味着，我必须找到一个地方，那里的风在石头上唱歌，那里就是我们的家园。”他的声音中含着悲伤，“我的儿子再也不会回来了。我不能再在这里等待了。”
半月看向石歌，眼睛里充满了同情。接着她歪头看着松鸦爪。“你真的梦见过石头山峰吗？”她说道，“听起来就像是你亲眼看见过。”
松鸦爪挪了挪爪子：“那里肯定和这里很不一样。”
半月用闪烁着绿色光芒的眼睛盯着松鸦爪。“你会去的，对吗？去为我们寻找一个新的家园，那里有充足的猎物，却没有两脚兽？”
“呃……”松鸦爪开口道。
“如果你去，我就跟你一起去。”半月说道，“你知道的。”
松鸦爪被半月目光中的热情淹没了，他还不习惯直视其他猫的眼睛。半月皮毛上散发出的热量几乎使他晕倒，松鸦爪以前从来没有这种感受。但是他很清楚这是什么。她爱我——至少，她爱着她心中想象出来的我。
不知怎么的，狮焰和石楠爪的身影在松鸦爪的脑海中浮现出来。那时他们就是这种感觉吗？之前，松鸦爪一直不懂，当狮焰下定决心，以后跟石楠爪再不见面时，他们为什么会那样的痛苦。
我爱半月吗？他想知道，不……但是也许我能爱上她。我喜欢她带给我的感受。
半月朝松鸦爪走了一步，他却发现自己后退了一步。我们不能这么做。我是一位巫医！他想大声呼喊，我不属于这儿。你把我当成了别的猫！
还好，半月想说的话被一只大块头的黑色公猫打断了。他跳上山脊，站在石歌身旁。“发生什么事了？”黑色公猫问道。
石歌转头看着他，眨着眼睛，似乎要把自己的思绪从远方拉回来。“哦，是你啊，黑须。松鸦翅做过一个关于石头山峰和瀑布的梦，那里有大鸟展翅高飞，并且没有两脚兽。这听起来就像是我们可以安全生活的地方，既有猎物和庇护所，也没有什么能伤害我们。”
黑须的耳朵弹了起来：“你相信他？”
石歌点点头。
“那我们就必须去！”黑须大叫道。
石歌站起来，转向松鸦爪：“如果我们离开了这里，你会带我们去那个地方吗？你梦到过去那里的路吗？”
松鸦爪被如此快的变故弄糊涂了。他们计划了多长时间了？就这样离开，真的可以吗？卷蕨是什么意见？这种重大决定是应该交由族长来做的。
松鸦爪还没回答，一只娇小的棕色母猫出现在山脊上，然后向黑须走来。“你们不是在商量离开这里的事，对吗？”她严肃地问，“这里是我们的家，你们怎么就不明白呢？”
石歌和黑须对视一眼。“惊鹿，如果这里不适合居住，那就不是我们的家。”石歌平静地说道。
惊鹿甩了甩尾巴：“你好像已经忘了，这不是你能决定的事。你知道该怎么做——投掷石头。”
“你看，又是石头！”石歌说道，“我们总是和石头有关。那我们为什么不住在石头中间，从空中获得食物？”
惊鹿看着他：“我过来是要告诉你，卷蕨希望召开一次会议。”
“那么我们现在就可以投掷石头了。”黑须宣布。
惊鹿发出一声厌烦的嘶吼，然后朝山坡下的树林走去。石歌和黑须跟在她的身后。松鸦爪和半月叼起剩余的画眉肉，也跟了上去。
松鸦爪感到了同伴的紧张，所以当她在半路停下时，他一点也不惊讶。“这件事真的要来了！”半月惊呼道，“我们要投掷石头，决定是否离开我们的家园！”
松鸦爪的心里充满疑惑，听起来这些猫似乎是通过石头显示的预兆来做决定的。他有整整一个月都问不完的问题，但他很清楚，现在他需要闭上嘴巴，竖起耳朵。
事情发展成这样，不会是因为我吧？我能影响这么久之前的事情吗？可是他没法儿冷静地思考这一切，他和半月之间的感情火花正在噼啪作响，如同绿叶季里闪耀的电光。
当他们继续走下山坡时，鸽翅和鱼跃跑过来迎接他们，他俩的眼睛里闪烁着兴奋的光芒，尾巴也不停地左右摇摆着。
“现在就要开会吗？”鸽翅激动地问道，“马上就要投石头了吗？”
松鸦爪点了点头。
“是关于搬家的事？”他的妹妹喘着气，脖子上的毛开始竖了起来。
“我们永远都不会离开这儿。”鱼跃宣布，“这儿是我们的家。星池怎么办呢？还有利爪测试用的隧道怎么办？我们怎么能把这些都丢掉呢？”
鸽翅的激动渐渐消退了，但是她回答的时候，语气仍然很坚定：“如果只是要在拯救大家的性命与水源和洞穴之间做出选择，那我们就必须离开了。”
鱼跃带头走下小山，来到一片林中空地，这里的灌木丛比松鸦爪在其他任何地方看到的都要茂盛。他在一棵倒伏的树和茂密的蕨丛后发现了一排巢穴，另外几只猫已经等在那里。
半月甩着尾巴，示意松鸦爪跟在她身后。他们走到了一片带刺的蓟丛后面。松鸦爪能听到细细的猫叫声从一棵橡树根部的裂缝中传来。
半月把头伸进了中空的树干里：“嗨，枭羽，我们给你带来一些猎物。”
当松鸦爪走上前去，把画眉肉放进树洞时，他看到里面有一只干瘦的母猫，浅棕色的皮毛上点缀着浅灰色的斑点，她正在给三只蠕动着的幼崽哺乳。她长得很像隼爪，他想。
“谢谢！”枭羽欣喜地说道，“孩子们已经可以尝尝猎物的味道了。嘿……”她温柔地推了推幼崽们，“过来吃点画眉肉，它真的很好吃。”
就在幼崽们第一次品尝画眉肉时，半月把要开会的消息告知了枭羽。
“早该这样了。”枭羽说道。
“你是说，你愿意离开？”半月吃惊地问道，“带着幼崽们？”
“当然了。”枭羽说道，就好像她很早之前就决心要离开了。
“但是闪电怎么办？”半月脱口而出，但接着她就露出后悔的表情，好像希望自己根本没有问过那句话。
“我的孩子们会和我一块儿离开。”枭羽回答道，用的是不容任何猫争辩的语气。
半月向她尴尬地点点头。她们和松鸦爪一起爬出树洞，来到了林地上。现在更多的猫聚集到了空地上。松鸦爪发现有两只鼻子泛灰、毛发稀少、看起来上了年纪的猫。其中一只是深棕色的公猫，四肢修长，关节凸起，松鸦爪猜想，他应该就是了解很多草药知识的奔马。不知道升月有没有问过他马尾草的事情。松鸦爪原本想在森林里采些马尾草，但是他一直忙着寻找两脚兽小道和石头山谷。另一位长老是只长着绿眼睛的浅姜黄色皮毛的母猫。松鸦爪看出来，她年轻时很漂亮，但现在却身形消瘦，肚子上的肋骨清晰可见。
在松鸦爪的对面，升月走进空地，轻轻推了推碎影。碎影看起来非常伤心，不知道自己身在何处。一只健壮的灰白相间的公猫站在她的身边。他看起来非常像半月，松鸦爪猜想，他一定是半月的父亲追云。
卷蕨坐在空地中间，等待着其他猫的到来。松鸦爪觉得，他有耐心，而且彬彬有礼，一点也不像召唤族猫参加会议的族长。卷蕨甚至没有大声宣布会议开始，消息正在群猫间口口相传，而且他们都悠闲地走来走去，似乎与平时没有什么两样。
终于，石歌走上前来，离开了他一直待着的黑须身边的空地边缘。“我们希望举行投石仪式。”他说道。
“是关于迁徙的事吗？”卷蕨问道。
石歌点点头：“是的。”
卷蕨有气无力地看了群猫一眼，然后站了起来。“我本来希望不会发生这样的事情。”他叹气道，“但是我知道这是决策的唯一办法。我们开始投石之前，我想提醒所有的猫，只要有一只猫还记得这里，这里永远都是我们的家园。”
是在每只活着的猫的记忆里。松鸦爪在心里纠正着他的话。但是那些死去的猫都去哪里了呢？现在他们会不会就在这里，默默地看着我们？
“是的。”卷蕨继续悲伤地环顾着空地，“在这个绿叶季，猎物比以往任何时候都少。而且，两脚兽靠得更近了。但是我们真的要像老鼠一样逃走吗？我们已经找到在獾群边生存的方法，以前它们给我们制造的麻烦，要远远大于两脚兽。大家应该待在一起，接受和两脚兽共享湖水的现实。”
松鸦爪几乎被卷蕨饱含深情的话语说服了。其他几只猫也点头表示赞同，其中就包括升月和那只瘦弱的年长母猫。
半月轻轻推了推松鸦爪。“你瞧，闪电想留在这里。”她朝一只黑白相间的长腿公猫轻轻弹了一下耳朵，公猫的眼睛里流露着对卷蕨刚才那番话语的赞同，“枭羽可不想留下来。”
当石歌走上前去时，猫群中立刻响起一阵低低的议论。“卷蕨，你说的是事实。”石歌恭敬地向卷蕨点点头，开口说道，“但是也有很多遗漏的地方。我们失去的那些伙伴呢？鹰击就是死在两脚兽的怪物爪子下。”
松鸦爪发现，提起母亲的死，鸽翅的头和尾巴都悲痛地垂了下去。松鸦爪也赶忙低下了头。
“接着她的伴侣落雨也离开了我们，没有猫知道他去了哪里。然后就是一个月前，”他的声音颤抖着，“落叶走进了隧道，就再也没有出来。”
碎影听到他提及儿子，发出了一声轻轻的哀号。石歌看了她一个心跳的时间，眼睛里充满爱怜与悲痛。
“洞穴测试的目的，并不是要把利爪从我们身边带走。”石歌继续说道，“是为了成就他们，象征着他们已经完全长大，取得与其他猫平等的权利。而且这还不是全部的问题。猎物正在减少，要么是被两脚兽吓跑了，要么是被狐狸和獾抓走了。甚至连大地都被两脚兽撕碎了，它们还带来了无休止的噪声和震动。这片土地已经不是我们的家园。它变成了一个无法再居住下去的地方。”
更多赞同的点头和低语随着石歌的话升了起来，一只黑白相间的猫大声说道：“但是我们该去哪里呢？”
松鸦爪看见石歌转向自己，心顿时沉了下去。他能猜到接下来会发生什么。
“松鸦翅做过一个梦。”虎斑公猫宣布道，“他在梦里看到了一个我们可以居住的地方——石头山峰上有充足的猎物和庇护所，并且没有敌人限制我们的自由。”
松鸦爪把反驳的话咽了回去。他并没有把山地说得这么美好，但是石歌抓住了关键。当森林被两脚兽破坏，不再适合居住的时候，族群猫就进行了伟大的迁徙。而且在很久、很久以前，猫就是在山地生活的。如果这些猫是急水部落的祖先，那么鼓励他们迁徙到那里，也许就是松鸦爪的责任。
“听起来比这里好多了。”黑须评论道。
升月点点头：“我不想让我的孩子死在那可怕的隧道里。”
“而且我们还可以远离两脚兽的怪物。”吟风补充道，“我们再也不会像失去我妹妹一样，再失去其他猫。”
松鸦爪看到鸽翅和鱼跃正充满期待地看着他，他俩的目光几乎要点着他的皮毛。他们正在等待他的指引。接着松鸦爪意识到，在场所有的猫都向自己投来同样的眼神。松鸦爪的大脑飞速地旋转着。我不能这么做！我想要回到雷族的营地！
当松鸦爪的头脑冷静下来时，他发现这些猫已经排成一列歪歪扭扭的队伍，排在最前方的是卷蕨。他们的目光都盯着队伍前方的一块地面。松鸦爪走上前去，想弄清楚他们在看什么。
在卷蕨的爪子旁边，有一块光秃秃的圆形地面，大概有一个树桩大小。在它的旁边，放着一堆小小的圆形鹅卵石，像是从湖岸上收集过来的。卷蕨伸出爪子，在圆形地面中央画了一条线，把地面分成两部分。接着他把一块鹅卵石放进一个半圆内。
“这一边代表留下。”他宣布道。他退后一步，让后面的猫上前投石。
石歌走上前去。他把他的石头放进另一个半圆。“这一边代表离开。”
松鸦爪惊讶地看着地上的圆形。这些猫正在自己举行投石仪式——没有星族发来的任何预兆，也没有和星族对话，不用遵从族长的命令。卷蕨正让这些猫做出自己的抉择。“这是一种什么样的族群管理方式啊？”松鸦爪屏住呼吸，小声地嘟囔着。
所有的猫都投完石头后，会有什么事发生呢？
长老奔马走上前来，把一块石头放在代表“留下”的半圆内。“我太老了，爬不动山了。”他嘟哝道，“来吧，云日，你知道怎么做。”
消瘦的母猫走上前来，站到奔马身边。“这儿的阳光很温暖，而现在我需要的也只是这些了。”她喃喃地说着，把一块石头放在奔马的石头旁边，她用鼻子蹭了蹭奔马的耳朵，“我们一起留下。”
石歌和黑须带着碎影来到圆形空地旁边。碎影看起来有些心神不宁，好像不知道自己在干什么。她把一块石头放在代表“离开”的那半儿。黑须也把自己的石头放在她的石头旁边。
闪电走上前来，看着枭羽，犹豫了一会儿。但枭羽正忙着照看爪子边打闹的幼崽们。闪电把石头投在代表留下的一边，然后转身离开了。
松鸦爪意识到，枭羽其实一直都知道伴侣的行动。闪电一离开投石的地方，枭羽便把自己的石头投进离开的那半儿，整个过程都没看闪电一眼。
松鸦爪的肚子抽搐着。他走上前去，准备做出自己的选择。但是卷蕨用尾巴拦住了他。“你是最年轻的利爪，你应该最后一个投石头。”
松鸦爪看着两个半圆中的两排鹅卵石，肚子又是一阵抽搐。这两列石头看起来一样长，如果投石头分不出结果怎么办？
紧接着升月走上前来。她停顿片刻，深深吸了口气，把石头放进“留下”的半圆里。“我以前是在这里养育孩子的。”她低声说道，“我以后也要在这里抚养他们。”
她的伴侣追云悲伤地久久凝视着她，但是将他的石头投在了离开的那一边。继追云之后，吟风也投了离开。离开的半圆里排列的石头越来越长，但是之后的鱼跃、曙河、惊鹿都把石头放进了留下的那一边。
鸽翅慢慢地走上前来，看了一眼朋友们的石头，然后又看了一眼松鸦爪，最后投到了离开的那排石头后面。现在只剩下半月和松鸦爪没有投票了。半月走上前去，直视着松鸦爪，把石头放进代表“离开”的半圆中。
两边的石头一样多！现在我该怎么办？松鸦爪踌躇着，他发现所有的猫都盯着他。我要怎么做才是公平的呢？即使我不属于这里！
松鸦爪的爪子颤抖着，走到圆形空地的边缘，伸出一只爪子，拿了一块石头。石头在他依旧疼痛的脚垫里，散发着太阳的余温。“他们必须到山里去，”松鸦爪轻声说，“他们将成为急水部落。”松鸦爪闭上眼睛，把石头推到代表离开的那一排石头的最后。
CHAPTER18
CHAPTER18
A gasp like the wind inthe trees rose from the cats around Jaypaw. “No! No!” Broken Shadow wailed. “Fallen Leaves, I didn’t mean it! I want to stay with you!”
Another wail of distress rose from some other cat; Jaypaw felt a claw of guilt tear briefly at his heart, but he did his best to ignore it. I know that this is the right decision for them
He padded away from the circle, aware of the glowing look in Half Moon’s eyes. “We’re going to travel together!” she whispered.
Furled Bracken stepped forward. “The stones have been cast,” he announced. “I can no longer be your leader. Stone Song, it is only fair that you lead us into the mountains.” His gaze traveled around the assembled cats. “If any cat thinks Stone Song should not be our leader, speak now.”
Theychoose their leaders?Jaypaw wondered, astonished. Leaders can retire, and become ordinary sharpclaws again?
Silence followed Furled Bracken’s words, except for the muffled wails of Broken Shadow. Rising Moon was beside her, comforting her by licking her ear. “Everything will be all right,” she encouraged the grief-stricken she-cat. “Fallen Leaves won’t know you’ve gone.”
You’re wrong,Jaypaw thought. Fallen Leaves will live in the tunnels for moons and moons and moons, in agony that he was abandoned
Stone Song dipped his head to Furled Bracken. “I will do my best to lead our cats to safety,” he promised. Then he glanced around at the others, meeting the expectation in their eyes. “We shall rest until dusk,” he ordered. “We will leave while the Twoleg monsters are sleeping.”
Cats looked at each other, a flurry of confusion arising even among those who had wanted to leave. “So soon?” Chasing Clouds asked.
“We have waited long enough,” Stone Song replied with a grief-filled glance at Broken Shadow. “There is nothing more to keep us here. Jay’s Wing has told us of the stone hills that are ready for us. They will be our home.”
Chasing Clouds straightened up. “Then let’s hunt,” he suggested. “We’ll make sure that every cat is full fed before we set out.”
Several cats bounded out of the glade as soon as he had finished speaking, looking relieved to have something to do. Chasing Clouds followed them, pausing beside Rising Moon to touch her ear with his nose. “We will raise strong, healthy kits in the mountains,” he promised her.
Rising Moon hesitated for a heartbeat, then twined her tail with his. “I know. I’ll look for some useful herbs,” she added. “Running Horse will help me.”
Memories flooded over Jaypaw of the preparations he and his Clanmates had made before their own journey into the mountains. He wondered if there was any more advice he ought to give these cats, like watching out for the dogs in the barn that had nearly torn Hollyleaf and Lionblaze to pieces.
Mouse-brain!he told himself. The barn probably isn’t even built yet.
Standing alone in the midst of the flurry of activity, Jaypaw couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something missing, something essential for the cats to find their new home and establish themselves securely in the mountains. He just couldn’t think what it was.
I’d better try to catch some prey,he decided. I’ll need strength for the journey. At least I’ll be able to see when I leap over the gaps in the mountains!
Before he reached the edge of the glade, he was intercepted by Stone Song. “Jay’s Wing, I need to talk to you.”
Puzzled, Jaypaw followed him into the shadow of the trees that fringed the glade. The dark gray tabby stood over him, an earnest expression in his blue eyes. “I need your help, Jay’s Wing,” he explained. “We’ve never had a cat like you before, who sees things in their dreams. Have you done it before? Do you think it will happen again?”
Jaypaw didn’t know what to answer; certainly he couldn’t tell the truth. In the end, he nodded awkwardly.
Relief crept into the new leader’s eyes. “This is unknown for all of us. I know your dreams may be wrong, but I am willing to trust you—and wherever your dreams came from.”
Understanding blazed down on Jaypaw like a burst of sunlight. Now he understood what these cats needed more than anything else. They needed StarClan, and a medicine cat to help them listen to the cats that had walked here before.
“Your…our ancestors,” he blurted out. “The dreams are sent by our ancestors.”
Stone Shadow looked startled. “You mean cats who have died?”
Jaypaw nodded. “They will guide us, if we’re prepared to listen. They’ll…they’ll speak to us in dreams, and send us signs that certain cats will understand.”
Stone Song’s eyes widened and his neck fur began to rise. “Do you mean they speak to you?”
“Yes, but they’ll speak to other cats, too—if they’re willing to hear what they have to say.”
Stone Song tipped his head on one side. “We have always wondered whether our lost cats can still see us and hear us. I know Broken Shadow wishes for that more than anything.” He hesitated, then added, “You’re sure it’s not just dreams of your mother?”
“I know it isn’t.”
The new leader’s blue eyes seemed more piercing than ever. “If we find the stone hills, I will know you are right.” Turning to leave, he glanced back over one shoulder. “Thank you, Jay’s Wing.”
When he had gone, Jaypaw flopped to the ground, his head spinning. Have I just made myself the first-ever medicine cat?He didn’t even know if these cats had the same sort of ancestors, in some kind of StarClan or Tribe of Endless Hunting. Have I just set myself an impossible task?
The sound of approaching paw steps roused him from his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Half Moon appearing from behind the nearest tree, a vole dangling from her jaws. She set it down in front of him.
“Here,” she mewed. “I know your paws are still too sore to hunt.” When Jaypaw hesitated, she pushed it closer with one paw. “Go ahead. I’ve had mine.”
“Thanks.” Jaypaw tore hungrily into the vole. “You’re a great hunter, Half Moon,” he mumbled around a huge mouthful.
“It looks as if we’ve a long journey ahead,” Half Moon went on. “Do you really believe there are stone hills where we can make our home?” Her green eyes were wide, shimmering in the half-light under the trees.
Jaypaw swallowed. “Yes. I promise, they are there.”
Half Moon gave him a long look, overwhelming him once more with the intensity in her gaze. “I believe you,” she murmured
Jaypaw shared the last of the vole with her and settled down to doze beside her, their tails curled around each other. Breathing in her sweet scent, he began to feel a little less homesick. A little more as if this was where—when—he belonged.
A paw prodded him in the side. Blinking, he looked up into the face of Whispering Breeze. “It’s time,” she mewed.
Half Moon was already on her paws. Jaypaw followed her through the clearing and out onto the hillside. The sun had set, leaving only a few streaks of scarlet in the sky. Jaypaw looked up to see if any of the warriors of StarClan had appeared, before he remembered that his warrior ancestors wouldn’t be born for many seasons.
So are they just stars?he wondered, gazing up at the glittering points of light.
Cats were padding anxiously among the trees as if their paws itched to leave, while their hearts still drew them back to their familiar home. Jaypaw watched Owl Feather’s kits tumbling around her paws. “Are we really going all the way to the top of the hill?” one of them asked, his eyes huge as moons.
“That’s right,” Owl Feather replied. “And even farther than that.”
The tiny kit bounced with delight. “Wow!”
Running Horse and Cloudy Sun were standing together under a tree. Running Horse brushed his tail along his denmate’s side. “The stones are cast, so we have to go,” he meowed.
“We’ll get there,” Cloudy Sun replied bravely. “We’ll help each other.”
Admiring the elders’ courage, Jaypaw hoped she was right. He was already planning the route to make it as easy as possible, hoping that now that he could see he could remember the way to the cave behind the waterfall.
“Are we ready?” Stone Song padded up, casting a glance at all the cats.
A murmur of agreement rose around him. Jaypaw noticed that Jagged Lightning and Shy Fawn were both looking unhappy, but they didn’t protest. Now that the decision had been made, every cat would stand by it. This was their code of honor, their version of the warrior code.
Stone Song flicked his ears at Jaypaw. “Ready, Jay’s Wing?”
Jaypaw nodded. Am I really doing this? Am I about to lead the Tribe of Rushing Water to their new home?
Stone Song set off up the hill, his cats following him in straggling groups. Jaypaw took his place near the back. When they reached the top of the ridge, the purple line of mountains had vanished in the gathering darkness; the land stretched flat and black in front of them as far as the horizon.
As they padded along the ridge, Half Moon hurried up, brushing against Jaypaw’s side. “Look, one of Owl Feather’s kits has fallen over,” she mewed. “I must go help her.”
She bounded on, then halted briefly and glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t look back,” she whispered. “It will only make it harder.”
Jaypaw watched her pale shape moving away from him in the dusk. Something swelled inside his chest as he realized how much courage she had—how much all the cats had—to set out on a journey like this on the strength of a dream. He just hoped he was right, for their sakes.
His paws slowed beneath him and he stopped to gaze down the hill at the black expanse of the lake, glittering here and there under the first stars to appear in the dark blue sky. As he watched, the moon slid out from behind a cloud, shedding its silver light over the water. The lake seemed so familiar, and yet it was not his home.
“Good-bye,” he whispered, wondering if he was saying good-bye to ThunderClan as well.
The rest of the cats had passed him, heading into what would become WindClan territory. As Jaypaw set out to catch up to them, he heard a cat calling his name.
“Jaypaw!”
His ThunderClan name.
He spun around. “Rock!”
The sightless cat stood close to a boulder on the hillside, his furless skin glowing in the moonlight.
“You do not belong with these cats,” he rasped. “You have done what you came here to do. It is time for you to go back to your Clan.”
The day before, Jaypaw would have been relieved. Now his first reaction was panic. “But—but what about Stone Song?” he stammered. “I promised him. And Half Moon…”
“Your time here is over,” Rock insisted.
Jaypaw knew he had to obey. His destiny lay here, by the lake, not in the mountains. Thanks to him, the Tribe of Rushing Water would find their new home, and the Tribe of Endless Hunting would be found.
Padding over to Rock, he cast one last glance at the plodding line of cats, straining his eyes to pick out Half Moon’s glimmering pelt. She’ll be so hurt that I left without saying good-bye. But she was not his future. ThunderClan was, where he was a medicine cat.
He turned back to Rock. “Will the real Jay’s Wing come back now?”
Rock shook his head. “No. He disappeared at the start of their journey to the mountains.”
The cats were vanishing one by one into the darkness. None of them had noticed that Jaypaw was gone. Jaypaw stood rigid for a moment, then gave his pelt a shake. “Okay, let’s go,” he muttered.
Rock led the way behind the boulder, where the narrow entrance to a tunnel opened up. The old cat squeezed his way inside and beckoned with his tail for Jaypaw to follow.
The tunnel was utterly dark; Jaypaw guided himself by the sound of Rock’s paw steps as they padded through the silent blackness. Cool air told him where other tunnels branched off, but Rock led him straight down into the hill. Jaypaw pricked his ears, alert for any sound of Fallen Leaves, but there was no sign of the lost cat. How long before he realized that the cats aboveground had gone? Would he know at once how many moons he would have to wait in the empty darkness, until cats returned to the lake? Jaypaw shuddered, hoping Fallen Leaves would have no idea of what lay ahead.
At last the tunnel began to slope upward again. The sound of Rock’s paw steps faded, but now Jaypaw could smell moss and leaves again, the damp scents of the forest. Soon he found himself stepping into open air with the familiar scents of ThunderClan swirling around him. He was blind again, but he knew exactly where he was.
Slowly he picked his way down the paths that led to the stone hollow. Had he found the answers he was looking for? Had he really been one of the cats that lived here once? And had those cats left to form the Tribe of Rushing Water? Was that where the prophecy came from?
At the last moment, when he could already taste the scent of the stone hollow, he veered away and headed for the lake. A soft breeze had sprung up; the broken twittering of birds overhead told him that dawn was approaching. Reaching the lakeshore, Jaypaw padded across the soft grass and found the stick hidden under tree roots on the bank. He pulled it out and ran his paws over the scratch marks, as he had done so often before.
This time the scratches spoke to him clearly: Names and images of the sharpclaws filled his mind, and he could remember many of them from meeting them face-to-face. Jagged Lightning, Cloudy Sun, Shy Fawn, Owl Feather…They walked beside him at the Moonpool because he was one of them, the one cat who had returned to where they had lived long, long ago. Is that what makes me more powerful than StarClan?
Jaypaw wondered if Lionblaze and Hollyleaf must have been part of the ancient Clan, too, even though he hadn’t met them in the past. He drew his paws down the stick again and a vision flashed into his mind: three cats standing together on the ridge, with the rising moon behind them and their shadows stretching out, vast and black, across the silver lake.
Three cats, kin of Firestar’s kin, with the power of the stars in their paws. And now Jaypaw could understand how they belonged together, even after the lapse of so many, many seasons.
“We have come back,” he murmured. “The three have come home.”
CHAPTER19
CHAPTER19
Lionblaze woke to the sound ofcoughing. For a moment he burrowed deeper into the moss, trying to remember the last time he’d had a good night’s sleep. His dreams were filled with Tigerstar, taunting him about his power, sneering at him for being revolted by the sight of Heatherpaw’s blood-soaked body. And when he wasn’t asleep, the warriors’ den was filled with choking, spluttering cats battling greencough. Then he stiffened. The sick cats had all gone to the Twoleg nest with Firestar! There shouldn’t be any coughing now.
Raising his head, Lionblaze saw Spiderleg in his nest a couple of tail-lengths away, his body shaken by another fit of coughing.
Oh, no! Firestar’s idea hasn’t worked
“Spiderleg,” he meowed, “you’d better get along to Leafpool. She’ll give you something for the cough, and then you can join the others in the Twoleg nest.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” the older warrior snapped. “I’ve just got a bit of moss in my throat, that’s all.”
Even in the dim light of the warriors’ den, Lionblaze could see that Spiderleg’s eyes were glazed with fever. “I don’t think so.”
At the same moment Brambleclaw raised his head from his nest nearer the center of the den. “Spiderleg, you’re ill. You know how fast the sickness spreads. Go and see Leafpool now. Lionblaze, go with him.”
“Sure.” Lionblaze hauled himself out of his nest and gave his pelt a quick grooming.
Spiderleg rose to his paws with an exaggerated sigh that ended in another bout of coughing. He pushed his way into the clearing, and Lionblaze followed, padding a few paw steps behind him as they headed for the medicine cats’ den. The chill of dawn still lay over the camp, and shadows crowded thickly around the sides of the hollow. A moisture-laden breeze held the promise of rain later.
Before they reached the den, Daisy came bounding over from the nursery. “Spiderleg, what’s the matter?” she fretted. “Are you ill?”
“I’m fine. I just wish—” More coughing interrupted Spiderleg. “I just wish every cat would stop fussing,” he finished when he could speak again.
Daisy’s eyes grew wide with dismay. “You areill!”
“Don’t worry, Daisy.” Lionblaze brushed his muzzle against the cream-colored she-cat’s shoulder. “I’m taking him to Leafpool now.”
He and Spiderleg headed off again, leaving Daisy to watch them after them, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Inside the den, Leafpool and Jaypaw were already awake. “This is the last of the tansy,” Leafpool was mewing. “You’d better see if you can find more, and take it straight to the Twoleg nest. Remember to put it on the flat stone outside the entrance.”
“Okay.” Jaypaw turned to go, then halted as he realized that Spiderleg and Lionblaze were there. “What now?” he asked.
Spiderleg answered with another fit of coughing.
“No!” For a heartbeat Lionblaze saw fear flicker in Leafpool’s eyes. Then she was the quietly efficient medicine cat again. “Spiderleg, eat this tansy. It’ll soothe your throat. Jaypaw, bring some more back here as well.”
Jaypaw gave her a brief nod, whisked past the bramble screen, and vanished.
While Spiderleg was chewing up the tansy, grumbling under his breath, Daisy poked her head into the den. “Can I come in?” she asked Leafpool, her words muffled by the plump vole she was carrying.
Leafpool looked uncertain; the fewer cats around Spiderleg the better. Then she nodded. “Of course, Daisy. What is it?”
Daisy dropped the vole at Spiderleg’s paws. “I brought you this. I thought you could do with a good meal before you go to the Twoleg nest.”
“Well, you needn’t have bothered,” Spiderleg meowed ungraciously. “I’m not hungry.”
Daisy took a step back, her neck fur bristling. “I chose it specially!”
Spiderleg didn’t reply, just swiped his tongue round his jaws for the last of the tansy juices.
“Our kits are worried about you, too,” Daisy went on. Her voice grew sharper. “It’s a wonder they remember you, because you never come to visit them.”
Spiderleg shrugged. “It’s not that I’m not interested…. I just know that you’ll do a great job of raising them without me.”
“Why?” Daisy challenged him. “Because I’ve raised kits on my own before? But that wasn’t my choice, Spiderleg, as you know very well.”
Lionblaze exchanged an embarrassed glance with Leafpool; he wished he could leave the den, but the two quarreling cats were blocking the entrance. Leafpool was listening with a strange look in her eyes that Lionblaze couldn’t interpret.
“Every kit is different,” Daisy went on. “And every kit deserves to know its father. You’re missing out, Spiderleg, and if you’re not careful it will be too late, and your own kits won’t know who you are!”
Not waiting for a reply, she spun around and stalked out of the den.
“She-cats!” Spiderleg exclaimed.
He turned to leave, but Leafpool slipped past him and blocked his way out. “Kits are a precious gift, Spiderleg,” she mewed quietly. “You should take every chance you can to be a good father. It’s even better than being a mentor.”
“How would you know?” Spiderleg demanded.
Leafpool just gazed at him, her amber eyes clear and calm.
“Sorry,” Spiderleg muttered after a heartbeat. “It’s just…I never planned to have kits with Daisy. I feel useless and clumsy around them. And I feel every cat is judging me because I’m not closer to Daisy. It didn’t work out, that’s all.”
“That’s not the point,” Leafpool replied. “Your kits still have a mother and a father, even if you and Daisy aren’t mates anymore. You’re punishing the kits by not being a better father. They won’t judge you because they don’t know any different. But in the end, they’re the only things that matter.”
“I don’t know what to do!” Spiderleg protested. “I can’t—” Another outbreak of coughing cut off what he was about to say.
“Then learn!” Leafpool’s amber eyes blazed. “You’ve seen Brambleclaw and Graystripe and Dustpelt around their kits. I can’t believe you don’t see how important this is! You should cherish your kits with every breath you take.”
As she spoke, Lionblaze felt a surge of warmth toward Brambleclaw. He was a great father, always ready to listen or to help if his kits had a problem. He’d spent a lot of time with the three kits, because Squirrelflight went back to being a warrior so quickly. Lionblaze trusted him completely; he couldn’t imagine a better father. If Spiderleg’s not careful, he thought, he and the kits are going to end up like Crowfeather and Breezepelt.They don’t even like each other!
“Lionblaze.” Leafpool had obviously realized that he was there, listening to every word she and Spiderleg were saying. “You can go now. Thanks for helping.”
Lionblaze dipped his head, and slipped past Spiderleg into the clearing. As he left, he heard Leafpool meow, “Before you go to the Twoleg nest, you willeat that vole. You need to keep your strength up if you’re going to get better.”
As he left Leafpool’s den, Lionblaze spotted Brambleclaw choosing a squirrel from the fresh-kill pile. Squirrelflight padded up, and her mate dropped the fresh-kill at her paws.
“This is for you,” he meowed. “I know how much you love young squirrel.”
“So do you,” Squirrelflight purred, touching her nose to his ear. “Let’s share it.”
Brambleclaw hesitated. “Okay, but you have as much as you want. The whole Clan wants you to get strong again.”
The two cats settled down side by side to share the squirrel.
A surge of warmth spread through Lionblaze as he watched themThank StarClan our parents are so close.
“Hey, Lionblaze!” Brambleclaw lifted his head from the squirrel. “Now that you’ve dealt with Spiderleg, what about a hunting patrol? Ashfur is waiting for you. The mice aren’t going to line up and come running into camp, you know.”
“Sure!” Lionblaze waved his tail and bounded across the clearing toward Ashfur. Yes, he loved his father, even if he was a bossy old furball!
Lionblaze padded along the old Twoleg path with a squirrel and two mice dangling from his jaws. It was his turn to take fresh-kill to the tree trunk outside the Twoleg nest. A thin drizzle was falling, misting on his pelt and turning the path to mud.
Two sunrises before, when Spiderleg had started coughing, the hopes of every cat in the Clan had plummeted, afraid that Firestar’s plan would come to nothing after all. But since then, no other cat had fallen ill. Lionblaze had begun to wonder if they had started to win the battle after all. He didn’t know much about the sick cats in the Twoleg nest except that all of them, even Millie, were still alive.
Everything was quiet as the walls of the Twoleg nest appeared through the trees. Lionblaze brushed through the wet grass to leave his prey in the hollow trunk. The trunk wasn’t empty as he had expected. A few pieces of fresh-kill, turning soggy from the rain, still lay at the bottom. The scent of cats around the tree stump was stale and faint.
Icy water, far colder than the rain, seemed to trickle down Lionblaze’s spine. Why aren’t the sick cats eating? Are they all too weak to fetch the prey?
With one paw he scraped the old prey—rapidly turning to crow-food—out of the tree trunk, and replaced it with the fresh, pushing his catch farther back into the hollow to keep it dry. Then he hesitated, looking around. He was meant to continue hunting, but he couldn’t leave until he found out why the cats in the Twoleg nest hadn’t collected all their fresh-kill.
Slowly he padded toward the entrance to the den. Leafpool and Firestar had both forbidden the hunters to go any closer than the tree trunk, but Lionblaze told himself that this was an emergency, and both would want him to break the rules. As he approached an eerie wailing rose from the Twoleg nest, the cry of a cat in deep distress.
Lionblaze stopped dead. “What’s happening?” he called out, hating the way his voice shook. Courage, he told himself fiercely.
For a heartbeat there was no response. Then Lionblaze leaped back as Cloudtail’s face loomed in front of him in the entrance, his white fur startling in the gloom.
“Firestar is dying,” the warrior rasped.
Lionblaze clenched his teeth on a wail of despair. Forgetting to be wary of the sickness, he brushed past Cloudtail and entered the nest.
Firestar was lying in a den on the far side. Most of the sick cats were sitting around him in a ragged circle; Brightheart and Honeyfern were bending over him, holding scraps of soaked moss to his lips. Lionblaze pushed through the line of cats and looked down at his Clan leader. Firestar’s breath was coming in hoarse gasps, his sides heaving with the effort of sucking in air. A stench of something more than sickness hung in the air.
As Lionblaze gazed at him, horrified, Brightheart looked up. “Firestar is losing a life,” she mewed gently.
Taking a step back, Lionblaze stood alongside the other sick cats and watched in silence as their leader struggled to breathe. Gradually the heaving of Firestar’s flanks slowed down; his breathing grew shallower, then stopped. His eyes closed and he lay still.
Lionblaze saw the faintest outline of a flame-colored cat rise from Firestar’s body and pad away, to be lost in the shadows in one corner of the den.
Is that what it’s like to lose a life?he wondered. How many does Firestar have left? What if that was his last one?
It seemed as if he stood beside his leader’s body for countless moons, or perhaps it was no more than a heartbeat. Then he saw Firestar’s sides give a convulsive heave. Bright green eyes blinked open, struggling to focus.
“Firestar.” Brightheart’s tone was soft as she bent over him again. “You’re back with us.”
Lionblaze felt his mouth drop open. Firestar really had died and come back!
Cloudtail padded up with a fresh bundle of soaked moss, which he gave to his mate. Brightheart held the moss to Firestar’s lips. “Drink this,” she murmured. “And then get some rest.”
“Go and fetch him some fresh-kill,” Cloudtail ordered Lionblaze. “He needs to keep his strength up.”
Lionblaze ran outside again, and came back with one of the freshly killed mice. By the time he returned, Firestar was sitting up, a confused look in his eyes that gradually died away.
“Thanks,” he murmured as Lionblaze dropped the mouse beside him. “But you shouldn’t be in here. You could catch the sickness.”
Lionblaze’s pelt stood on end. Firestar had come back, but he needed to leave the nest right away. If he stayed, how long would it be before the dreadful sickness killed him again?
Firestar took a bite of the mouse, glancing around while he chewed and swallowed it. “It’s okay,” he meowed, meeting the worried gazes of his Clanmates. “Everything’s fine now.”
“No, it’s not,” Brightheart mewed sharply. “You’re still weak, even if you haven’t got greencough anymore. What if you lose another life? You should go back to the camp and let Leafpool look after you.”
Firestar shook his head. “There’s nothing that Leafpool can do for me there that she can’t do while I’m here. I’ll stay with you all.”
A murmur of respect rose from the cats around him. Rosekit padded forward to the edge of Firestar’s nest. “Are you going to keep dying and coming back again?” she asked curiously.
“I hope not,” Firestar replied, while Honeyfern shooed Rosekit back into the nursery area.
“I knew you’d insist on staying,” Brightheart murmured, touching her nose to Firestar’s ear.
Firestar blinked at her. “I am not the cat with the most to lose,” he replied, his green gaze drifting toward the nest where Millie lay.
Lionblaze turned to look at the gray she-cat. She looked even thinner and more pitiful than when she had left the camp three sunrises before. She was lying sprawled on one side, her sides barely rising and falling with each faint breath.
Briarkit nuzzled into her belly, trying to feed and letting out pitiful mewling noises when she couldn’t find any milk. Honeyfern bent over her, gently nudging her away with one paw. “Come on,” she comforted the tiny kit. “I’ll find you a mouse to eat. They’re very tasty.”
“Don’t want mouse.” Briarkit’s voice was hoarse. “I want milk.” Her voice rose to a feeble wail. “I want my mother!”
Lionblaze turned away, unable to watch. Around him, the sick cats were stumbling back to their own nests, heads and tails drooping in defeat.
How long before they’re all dead like Firestar? And none of them have nine lives.
Guilt swamped him. He knew that he had the power to help his Clanmates—the power to do anything, he reminded himself—but he had refused to use it.
“I’m going,” he told Cloudtail roughly, desperate to get out of the nest and as far from the sickness as possible. “I’ll tell Brambleclaw about Firestar losing a life, and I’ll be back soon with more fresh-kill.”
“It’s not fresh-kill we need,” Cloudtail pointed out. “It’s catmint.”
“And the will of StarClan that we survive,” Brightheart added.
Their words echoed in Lionblaze’s ears as he ran back to the hollow, hardly feeling the stone path under his paws. StarClan did want the sick cats to survive. Otherwise they wouldn’t have sent Jaypaw the dream where he found the catmint.
“Even if it wasn’t StarClan who sent him the dream,” Lionblaze argued with himself, “the three of us have been given our powers for a reason. Perhaps this is it. Perhaps this is the start of the prophecy.”
When he pushed through the tunnel into the camp, he couldn’t see Brambleclaw. Checking the warriors’ den, he found it empty, but as he emerged he spotted the Clan deputy coming out of the tunnel with his jaws full of fresh-kill. Sandstorm and Berrynose followed him; Lionblaze met them by the fresh-kill pile where they dropped their prey.
“There’s news,” he meowed abruptly. “Firestar has lost a life.”
“No!” Sandstorm’s green eyes widened. She spun around as if she was going to dash out of the camp, but Brambleclaw laid his tail gently over her shoulders.
“You can’t help him,” he murmured.
Sandstorm sat down, her head bowed. “I know.” Her voice was so low Lionblaze could scarcely hear it. “But it’s hard.”
“Did you see Firestar die?” Berrynose meowed, his eyes wide. “What was it like?”
Lionblaze glared at him, and didn’t bother to answer. As he padded away, he heard Brambleclaw’s voice raised scathingly. “I might expect a question like that from a kit, Berrynose, but not from a warrior, especially one that Imentored.”
Forgetting the annoying cream-colored warrior, Lionblaze brushed past the brambles into the medicine cats’ den. To his relief, Leafpool wasn’t there, only Jaypaw, pawing through a pitiful collection of thin, shriveled herbs.
Jaypaw whipped around. “What do youwant?”
Lionblaze bowed his head. “I’m sorry,” he meowed. “I will go to WindClan.”
CHAPTER20
CHAPTER20
As soon as Lionblaze had caughtmore prey, he headed back toward the old Twoleg nest. Dropping the fresh-kill in the tree trunk, he noticed that the rest of the catch he had brought earlier had disappeared, and some cat had scratched earth over the soggy leavings. Slightly reassured that the sick cats were back to their normal routine, he doubled back and headed deeper into the forest toward the entrance to the tunnel.
Fear raised every hair on his pelt, but Lionblaze quickened his pace until he was racing through the trees. He felt sick at the thought of going through the tunnels in the dark. He wanted to do it while there was still some chance of daylight.
He halted a few fox-lengths away from the tunnel mouth, glancing around warily with his ears pricked and his mouth open to pick up any trace of his Clanmates. No cat must know what he was about to do. This was his and Jaypaw’s secret, because the tunnels between the Clans represented nothing but invasion and bloodshed. To his relief, the only ThunderClan scent was stale; he guessed that the dawn patrol had passed this spot earlier in the day.
Flattening himself to the ground until his belly fur brushed the grass, Lionblaze crept through the undergrowth and into the tunnel. A couple of tail-lengths down he encountered the thorn barrier he and his Clanmates had put there after the battle, to stop WindClan coming back that way. By the time he had scrabbled his way through the obstacle he had scratched shoulders and pricked pads, and left tufts of golden fur on the thorns behind him.
StarClan, please don’t let any cat come here to check before I get back
Darkness closed around Lionblaze as he walked along the passage. There was no sound except for his soft paw steps and rapid breathing, but his heart seemed to be thudding loudly enough to be heard in the WindClan camp. It wasn’t the WindClan warriors he was afraid of, though. If he met any of them, he would fight and take the consequences afterward when Onestar complained to Firestar. The vision of his dream was what scared him, and he seemed to smell the reek of Heatherpaw’s blood already.
At last Lionblaze realized that the darkness was giving way to a gray light. Ahead of him he could hear the sound of rushing water. Moments later he stepped out into the cave where the river flowed, its surface faintly reflecting the light from the gap in the roof. He glanced up at the ledge where Heatherpaw used to sit when she was Heatherstar, leader of DarkClan, but it was empty now.
Lionblaze felt a stabbing pain in his heart as if an enemy had sunk teeth into it. He couldn’twish for those days to come back again, when he was lying to his Clan and losing so much sleep that he couldn’t train properly. He didn’t want to remember them, either, not after Heatherpaw had betrayed him.
He shook himself vigorously as if he was scattering raindrops from his pelt, then headed for the tunnel that led up into WindClan territory. Soon he saw the crack ahead of him, a shaft of daylight breaking through it. Beyond he could see more rock and tough moorland grass.
Lionblaze paused, alert again, this time for the sound or scent of WindClan. But all he could hear was the faint whine of the wind as it brushed through the grass, and there was no scent of WindClan cats at all. Padding forward, he dared to poke his head out of the tunnel.
The place was just as Jaypaw had described it: a tumble of rough, lichen-covered rocks, with wiry moorland grass growing between them. A spring of water welling up between two rocks…Lionblaze’s ears pricked, and he made out the sound of a tiny trickle.
Checking once again for scent, he picked up a new trace of WindClan, but couldn’t see or hear any cats. Warily he emerged from the tunnel and crept toward the sound, pressing himself flat to the ground and taking advantage of all the cover the rocks offered him. Every hair on his pelt was bristling; he imagined his scent spreading all over WindClan territory, drawing every cat toward him, and the faint brush of his paws through the grass sounded as loud as an owl’s screech.
Lionblaze felt as if several moons had passed, but it was only a few moments before he crawled around the base of a rock and spotted the stream that Jaypaw had told him about. It welled up from a crack into a tiny pool; huge clumps of catmint grew around it. He felt a pang of envy that another Clan had so much, when ThunderClan cats were dying for need of it.
Padding forward, Lionblaze buried his nose in one of the clumps, resisting the temptation to roll in the herb and soak his pelt in the clean, sharp scent. That wasn’t why he had come. Working quickly, he bit off the stems until he had a massive bundle, as much as he could carry.
Gathering the herbs into his jaws, Lionblaze headed back to the tunnel. The catmint drowned any other scent, but he kept his ears pricked, and his gaze flickered all around him, alert for rival warriors.
He saw no cat. Slipping back through the crack into the tunnel, he relaxed, thankful to be away from the risk of the accusing gaze of WindClan cats.
Quickening his pace, Lionblaze bounded along as the tunnel grew wider, to halt abruptly when he burst into the cave. Standing in front of him, her light brown tabby pelt bristling and her blue eyes blazing, was Heatherpaw.
“Thief!”
Lionblaze’s jaws dropped open, letting the catmint fall. “Heatherpaw!”
“Heathertail,” the she-cat snarled. “You thought you’d got away with it,” she went on, her voice scathing. “But I spotted you, creeping among the rocks. I guessed you would use the tunnels to get back to your own territory.”
“Then…then why didn’t you call for a patrol?” Lionblaze stammered.
Heathertail’s eyes flashed and her lip curled. “You’re notworth it. You may think that you’re the best fighter in all the Clans, but you don’t scare me.”
The red glare of blood surged through Lionblaze’s mind, filling his eyes. “Traitor!” he yowled, leaping for Heathertail with his paws outstretched. He could feel his claws slicing through her throat, and the blood pouring out, soaking her fur and his own, pooling out on the cave floor. A rasping sound of horror came from his throat. The blood was hot and thick on his fur, the reek of it choking his nose.
Then as the red tide ebbed he saw Heathertail watching him, her fur unruffled and her gaze icy. Lionblaze shuddered. The vision had been so real, and yet he hadn’t moved a paw.
Heathertail padded past him and paused in the mouth of the tunnel that led up into WindClan. “Go, and don’t come back,” she hissed. “You can take the catmint. I’ve no quarrel with ThunderClan; I don’t want to see cats suffer, whatever you might think. Just be careful you don’t end up a bully like your kin, Tigerstar.”
Flicking her tail disdainfully, she vanished into the tunnel.
As he gathered up the scattered stems of catmint, her parting words echoed in Lionblaze’s mind, and his belly churned with fear that they might be true. His dream had nearly come true—he had nearly killed her—and Heathertail had known. The difference between him and Tigerstar was fading, and Lionblaze was more scared than he had ever been in his life.
CHAPTER21
CHAPTER21
Jaypaw delivered more tansy to theflat rock outside the Twoleg nest, then picked up Lionblaze’s scent and followed it to the mouth of the tunnel. Not many heartbeats had passed before he heard scrabbling sounds from inside, where the ThunderClan cats had built the thorn barrier. Lionblaze’s scent grew stronger, mingled with the smell of catmint.
“You found it!” Jaypaw exclaimed as his brother emerged into the open. “Did any WindClan cats spot you?”
Lionblaze hesitated; Jaypaw was aware of mingled fear and anger coming from him. “Would I be here if they had?” he demanded. “Can you smell any wounds on me?”
Jaypaw shrugged. He didn’t have time to figure out why Lionblaze sounded as if he had ants in his fur. “You’d better fix that barrier,” he mewed. “We don’t want any cat guessing what we did.”
Lionblaze retreated into the tunnel without a word, while Jaypaw picked up the bundle of catmint and headed for the Twoleg nest.
“Where did you get that?”
Jaypaw stiffened as he heard Leafpool’s voice. He hadn’t decided what story to tell her, and he’d hoped for time to treat the sick cats before she found out.
“Catmint!” There was joy in Leafpool’s voice as she padded up to him and buried her nose in the leafy stems. “And so fresh and well grown too! It can’t come from the old Twoleg nest.”
“No,” Jaypaw mumbled around the stems. “It came from way up there.” He waved his tail vaguely toward the deepest parts of the territory.
“Thank StarClan!” Leafpool whispered. “They must have shown you where to look.”
“Er…yes, they did.” It was true, Jaypaw realized. He would never have found the catmint if Brightspirit hadn’t guided him to WindClan. “This is all there is,” he added. “No point in looking for any more.”
“This should be more than enough.” Jaypaw could sense that Leafpool was too relieved to ask more searching questions. “Come on, let’s give it to the sick cats right now.”
As they crossed the scent markers around the Twoleg nest, she paused. “Tonight is the half-moon,” she meowed. “I think both of us can go to the Moonpool this time.”
Jaypaw nodded, his mouth too full of catmint to reply. He wondered if the StarClan cats would be waiting for him, to thank him for saving ShadowClan. He was tempted to walk in Littlecloud’s dreams, to see what explanation he gave to his Clan’s warrior ancestors for rejecting them in favor of Sol. But most of all, he wanted to walk in the paw prints on the path leading down to the Moonpool, and feel part of the ancient cats once more.
Though Jaypaw couldn’t see the moon, he could imagine its silvery light washing over his fur as his paws slipped into the paw-shaped hollows on the spiral path. Did I come here before, when I was Jay’s Wing? Are any of these paw prints mine?
He could feel deep satisfaction coming from all his fellow medicine cats, because Littlecloud had joined them again. Mothwing had made the journey with Willowshine this time, too. Well, I suppose cats would start asking questions if she missed every time.
He padded forward to the edge of the pool, and heard the other cats take their places around him. But as he was stretching forward to lap a few drops of the icy water, Leafpool meowed, “Wait.”
Surprised, Jaypaw sat up, aware of his mentor’s barely contained excitement.
“Before we share tongues with StarClan,” Leafpool continued, her voice coming from the other side of the pool near the waterfall, “I have a task to do. StarClan has shown me that it is time I gave Jaypaw his full name.”
Jaypaw couldn’t hide his astonishment. Leafpool must be referring to the catmint that he had found. For a heartbeat he felt ashamed that he had used Kestrelpaw and Lionblaze to get the herbs, and then lied to Leafpool about where he had found them.
But ThunderClan will survive, he reminded himself. He didn’t care what he had done to achieve that. Warmth spread through him from ears to tail-tip as he remembered the joy and relief of the sick cats when he and Leafpool had delivered the precious herbs. They were already sleeping more restfully, and there was plenty of catmint left to go on treating them.
“Well, Jaypaw?” Leafpool’s voice was full of amused affection. “Badger got your tongue?”
“I…no…thank you!” he stammered.
“Then come here to me.”
Jaypaw padded around the edge of the pool, setting his paws down carefully on the slippery surface. He didn’t want to begin his naming ceremony by falling into the Moonpool.
As he passed Barkface, the old medicine cat grunted, “Well done,” and Kestrelpaw rested his tail lightly on Jaypaw’s shoulder.
At last Jaypaw stood in front of his mentor, startled by the depth of the love and pride that flooded out of her. It was even stronger than the emotion he had felt coming from Half Moon. Did he really mean so much to Leafpool?
“I, Leafpool, medicine cat of ThunderClan,” she began, “call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his Clan for many moons.”
Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt pricked as he listened. He forgot about the watching cats; it was as if he stood in a high, remote place with no cat but Leafpool, and the endless voice of the falling water.
“Jaypaw,” Leafpool continued, “do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?”
“I do.” Jaypaw spoke the words clearly and confidently. For a moment, he caught a trace of movement behind him, a lingering scent that wasn’t quite Clan but carried hints of ThunderClan’s territory. Half Moon!Had she come to watch him become a full medicine cat? Jaypaw hoped she understood what this meant, how he could never have belonged to her in the way she had wanted. In the way they might both have wanted, if things had been different…
“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat.”
Jaypaw’s belly lurched. Don’t call me Jaywing. He could just about cope with the weight of knowledge his dream had brought him, but he didn’t want to go through the rest of his life sharing the name of his ancient counterpart.
“Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jayfeather.” Leafpool’s voice shook with feeling. “StarClan honors your skill and your thirst for knowledge. You have saved the lives of many cats.”
In the midst of his pride and relief, Jayfeather wondered whether his mentor would ever explain exactly what he had done to deserve this ceremony. With so much uneasiness between the Clans, he guessed she would prefer to keep quiet about the outbreak of greencough. Otherwise, as he had told Lionblaze, she could simply have asked Barkface for some catmint.
He felt Leafpool’s muzzle rest on his head, just as Clan leaders would do when they made a new warrior. In response, he rasped his tongue over his mentor’s shoulder.
“Jayfeather! Jayfeather!” Littlecloud called out. All the other medicine cats joined in, even Willowshine.
She hasn’t got anything to be snooty about now, Jayfeather thought.
“Now it’s time for you to share tongues with StarClan as a full medicine cat,” Leafpool told him.
“And may they send you a good dream,” Barkface rumbled.
Jayfeather felt slightly nervous as he padded back around the pool. Would the cats of StarClan claw his fur for the dubious way he had earned his name? Yellowfang wouldn’t be impressed, he was sure.
I don’t careI saved the Clan when no other cat could
He settled himself on the edge of the pool and stretched forward to lap the water. Around him he could hear the other medicine cats doing the same, then making themselves comfortable to sleep and receive the dreams StarClan would send them. Jayfeather curled up, too, closing his eyes and wrapping his tail over his nose.
He woke, blinking in the unaccustomed light, half prepared to find himself on the bleak mountaintop where he encountered Rock. Instead, he found himself in the lush forest clearing where Brightspirit had come to speak to him. A warm breeze, full of the green scents of growing herbs, caressed his pelt; his anxieties melted away like ice in newleaf.
At first Jayfeather thought he was alone, but as the breeze stirred the leaves he saw two cats crouched on a branch at the other side of the clearing; Shiningheart and Braveheart were looking down at him with gleaming eyes. At the same moment the bracken underneath their tree parted, and Brightspirit stepped into the open.
The beautiful silver tabby padded across the clearing until she could touch noses with him; her sweet scent mingled with the smell of herbs.
“Jayfeather,” she greeted him, her eyes alight with happiness. “Now you are a true medicine cat.”
“I owe it to you,” Jayfeather admitted. “You saved my Clan by telling me where to find the catmint.”
“I was glad to help.” Brightspirit’s green eyes shone with love and joy. “Once I thought to set my paws on the way of a medicine cat, but that was not the path StarClan laid down for me. Now I will do all I can to help those in need. Whichever Clan they belong to—or Tribe.”
Jayfeather bowed his head in deep respect. “Thank you. Thank you for traveling so far to help us.”
Once again Brightspirit touched her nose to his. “I think you have traveled even farther, my friend.”
Jayfeather shivered. Hesitantly he asked, “Will I see you again?”
“That is in the paws of the stars,” Brightspirit replied.
Her breath warmed his fur; Jayfeather was surrounded by a glittering cloud, as if the silver tabby was about to whirl him up into the sky to be a star alongside her. His paws tingled.
“Good-bye, Jayfeather,” Brightspirit whispered.
Jayfeather’s eyes snapped open on darkness. He was curled on the flat stones by the Moonpool, with the other medicine cats beginning to wake around him.
When he and Leafpool returned to the camp early the next morning, Jayfeather could hear his Clanmates talking loudly in the middle of the clearing. Brambleclaw’s voice rose above the noise.
“Settle down, and I’ll get everything sorted out, okay?”
Leafpool sighed. “Every cat is getting cranky and exhausted from all the hunting and border patrols. I’ll go and fetch them some strengthening herbs.” She padded toward her den.
“Jaypaw, can I have a word?” Brambleclaw called out as Jayfeather approached the cats, wondering what all the fuss was about.
“Sure, and it’s Jayfeathernow,” Jayfeather pointed out proudly. No cat took any notice. Stifling an irritated sigh, he asked, “What’s the problem?”
“Brackenfur says the dawn patrol spotted a fox in WindClan, not far from the border,” Brambleclaw replied. “Did you and Leafpool see anything on your way back?”
“I didn’t seeanything,” Jayfeather retorted. “I picked up a whiff of fox scent, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t come from our territory.”
“If it’s near the WindClan border it could soon come over here.” Daisy’s worried voice spoke from nearby. “Our kits could be in danger.”
“And the cats in the Twoleg nest.” Jayfeather could sense Graystripe’s anxiety. “What if the fox gets in there?”
“Okay, Graystripe and Brackenfur, go and check it out,” Brambleclaw ordered. “If you find any signs that the fox crossed the border, then follow the scent and see if you can find its den.”
“Right, let’s go.” Graystripe sounded relieved to be doing something about the threat.
Jayfeather intercepted the two warriors before they could leave. “Leafpool has some strengthening herbs for you.”
“Thanks, Jayfeather,” Brackenfur meowed; Jayfeather heard him and Graystripe bounding over to the medicine cats’ den.
“Right, hunting patrols,” Brambleclaw went on. “Ashfur, can you lead one for the camp? Take Sorreltail and Birchfall with you. And—”
“What about my bedding?” Mousefur interrupted. “It hasn’t been changed for days. Every cat is so busy that none of the regular jobs are being done.”
Jayfeather heard Brambleclaw suppress a sigh. “Okay, Mousefur. The apprentices can get right on to that.”
Mousefur snorted. “I should think so.”
“I don’t see why we should do that,” Foxpaw murmured to his littermate. Jayfeather realized that Foxpaw and Icepaw were right beside him.
“Mousefur’s as cranky as a badger with a sore paw,” Foxpaw went on. “We never get any thanks.”
“No, it’s always, ‘It’s too damp,’ or ‘There are thorns in there,’” Icepaw whispered back.
Jayfeather turned until he was looming over the two apprentices. “You should be making yourself useful by fetching clean bedding for Mousefur,” he snapped. “Show a bit of respect for your elders. How would you like to sleep in a dirty nest?”
“You’re not our mentor,” Foxpaw protested. “You can’t tell us what to do.”
Jayfeather bent his head until he was almost touching noses with Foxpaw. “Fetch Mousefur’s bedding now. Otherwise I’ll tell Daisy that you were planning to make Toadkit eat rabbit droppings by telling him they were a new kind of berry.”
He felt a jolt of shock from Foxpaw. “How did you know that?”
“Never mind how I know,” Jayfeather replied. “Just do it.”
“You wouldn’t really tell Daisy,” Foxpaw blustered.
Jayfeather bared his teeth. “Try me.”
“Okay, okay, we’re going. Come on, Icepaw, why are you standing around like that?”
Jayfeather heard Foxpaw push his sister, and both young cats scurried off toward the barrier. Icepaw’s bewildered voice drifted back. “Rabbit droppings? What’s he talking about?”
“Never mind,” Foxpaw meowed. “We have to fetch some moss now!”
Picking up the sharp tang of strengthening herbs, Jayfeather realized that Leafpool had reappeared from their den and was distributing the leaves to all the warriors.
“Thanks, Leafpool,” Brambleclaw mewed. “Have you enough for the sick cats as well?”
“Yes, plenty,” Leafpool replied. “I’ll send Jayfeather to the Twoleg nest with them. There’s something else,” she added. “Can you ask the hunting patrols to look out for young prey? That’s easier for the sick cats to eat, and now that we’ve got the catmint they’ll start to feel hungry again.”
“No problem,” Brambleclaw replied. “You all heard that, right? Sandstorm, will you lead a patrol for the Twoleg nest? Take Spiderleg, Berrynose and…er…Ashfur. Now, we need a border patrol to go over to the ShadowClan border. I’ll lead it, and—”
“You do realize,” Berrynose broke in, “that you’ve just assigned Ashfur to both those hunting patrols? Is he supposed to split himself in two?”
“Oh, mouse dung!” Brambleclaw exclaimed. “Sorry, Ashfur. You can—”
“Ashfur, for StarClan’s sake!” Squirrelflight broke in. Jayfeather winced at the fury spilling over from her. “Can’t you speak up, instead of standing there like a tree stump?”
“Sorry, but—” Ashfur sounded startled.
“‘Sorry’ catches no prey,” Squirrelflight snarled. “Why didn’t you say anything? Can’t you see how much pressure Brambleclaw is under? Does the Clan deputy have to sort everything out on his own?”
“Hey, Squirrelflight…” Brambleclaw sounded embarrassed by his mate’s fierce defense.
Squirrelflight ignored him. Jayfeather realized that her anger was fueled by frustration that she still wasn’t fit enough to hunt or patrol, as well as fear for her father and her Clanmates. “There’s more than one cat that would like to be deputy if anything happened to Brambleclaw,” she spat. “You’re all quick enough to blame Brambleclaw for his mistakes, but would any of you like to be in his position now?”
“Squirrelflight, be quiet,” Brambleclaw interrupted again, more forcefully. “It’s no big deal.”
Squirrelflight let out a furious hiss, spun around, and stalked off toward the warriors’ den. Jayfeather felt a glow of pride in her for speaking up. He was proud of his father, too, for taking on all the leadership responsibilities and holding ThunderClan together while Firestar was ill.
“Sorry about that, Ashfur,” Brambleclaw went on. “You go on leading the camp patrol. Sandstorm, you can have Mousewhisker instead.”
“Very well.” Ashfur’s voice was cold; he collected his patrol together and left.
For StarClan’s sake, get over it!Jayfeather thought. Brambleclaw made an honest mistake.
Padding with Leafpool back to his den, he couldn’t help wondering whether there was more to the quarrel than he realized. So much fury from Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw so quick to make amends, Ashfur clearly not forgiving him…Had Jayfeather missed something really obvious between these three cats?
He shook his head to clear it. Whatever the problem was, they could deal with it themselves. It had nothing to do with him, that was for sure.
CHAPTER22
CHAPTER22
Gray-green clouds hung low over theforest and the air felt thick and clammy. Hollyleaf’s pelt prickled with the warning of an approaching storm. As she padded through the forest at the rear of Ashfur’s hunting patrol, the looming storm clouds seemed to echo the uneasiness inside her. However much she tried to push her worries away, she couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was wrong.
Two nights before, Brambleclaw had chosen her to attend the Gathering. Blackstar had been there, but he had said nothing at all about Sol, or his decision to let ShadowClan live by the warrior code once more. Brambleclaw had taken Firestar’s place with the three Clan leaders, telling them briefly that Firestar was sorry he couldn’t come, but without explaining why.
What else are we hiding from one another?Hollyleaf wondered.
She was reminded of one secret as the patrol was passing the Twoleg nest. Lionblaze emerged from inside, along with Honeyfern and Rosekit. The tiny cream-colored kit bounced through the opening and hurled herself into a drift of dead leaves, squealing with excitement as they crackled around her, and batting them up into the air.
“Steady,” Lionblaze mewed. “You don’t want to wear yourself out before you get back to camp.”
Rosekit sat up, a dead leaf clinging to the top of her head. “I’m fine!” she announced. “I want to catch some prey for my mother.”
Purring, Honeyfern nudged her out of the pile of leaves and gave the tiny kit’s pelt a quick grooming. Lionblaze padded up to his sister.
“More cats going home?” Hollyleaf asked.
“That’s right,” Lionblaze replied. “There’s just Millie and Briarkit left now, and Firestar. He won’t leave until every cat is back in camp.”
“It was great that Jayfeather found that catmint,” Hollyleaf remarked, her eyes narrowing as she watched her brother’s reaction.
“Er…yeah.” Lionblaze looked uncomfortable.
His behavior convinced Hollyleaf of what she had suspected already: that there was some secret about the catmint, and both her brothers were involved in it.
Why won’t they tell me? We shouldn’t have secrets from one another.
“Everything will be fine now,” Lionblaze went on quickly as if he wanted to avoid any questions. “The catmint here is starting to sprout again, so there’s enough for Millie and Briarkit. They’re getting stronger every day.”
“That’s good. But what—”
“Hollyleaf!” Ashfur’s impatient yowl cut off her question. The gray warrior had turned back, and was waiting for her a few tail-lengths along the old Twoleg path.
“I’ve got to go,” she meowed to Lionblaze, certain that she spotted a flicker of relief in his eyes as she spoke.
“See you later,” he replied, and headed back to camp beside Honeyfern, with Rosekit frisking ahead of them.
Hollyleaf watched them go, then padded along the path to join Ashfur.
“You’re going to hunt today and not tomorrow?” he asked scathingly as she approached.
“Sorry,” she muttered. “I just wanted a word with Lionblaze.”
Not that it did me any good,she thought, as Ashfur snorted and led the way deeper into the forest, after the rest of the patrol. She was still no closer to finding out what Lionblaze and Jayfeather were hiding from her.
The air had grown heavier still by the time the patrol returned to camp. A hot breeze had sprung up, folding back the leaves that still remained on the trees. Hollyleaf’s pelt was fluffed the wrong way and the scents of the prey she was carrying choked her as if she had a mouthful of crow-food.
Huge, tepid raindrops began to fall as Ashfur led his patrol through the tunnel. One of them splashed onto Hollyleaf’s nose when she emerged into the camp; she twitched her whiskers irritably to shake it off. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Good,Hollyleaf thought as she carried her prey to the fresh-kill pile. The air will be fresh again after a storm.
She glanced up, only to squeeze her eyes tight shut as a jagged bolt of lightning split the sky. Thunder crashed right overhead and suddenly rain started to pound down, splattering on the earth floor of the hollow and plastering Hollyleaf’s pelt to her sides within a couple of heartbeats.
A wail went up from the warriors’ den, and Cloudtail stuck his head out. “What’s happening?”
Too terrified to run for shelter, Hollyleaf flattened herself to the ground. She caught a glimpse of Spiderleg streaking through the rain to the warriors’ den with Mousewhisker hard on his paws.
Another bolt of lightning crackled across the sky. Hollyleaf stared in shock as a tree on the edge of the hollow burst into flames, red tongues of fire roaring upward. Even the torrents of rain couldn’t quench it. Blackened leaves fell into the hollow; with a terrible groaning sound a blazing branch tore itself free and plummeted down to land with a crash a tail-length from Hollyleaf. Yowling in fright, she leaped to one side, cannoning into Thornclaw.
“The forest is on fire!” he screeched.
Yet another claw of lightning tore the sky apart. An earsplitting crack sounded above the roar of the thunder, and Hollyleaf saw a tree begin to topple, its roots ripped out of the earth as flames devoured its branches. Blazing leaves and twigs rained down into the clearing.
Panic-stricken caterwauling rose around Hollyleaf. She spotted Brambleclaw racing across to the nursery, and Sandstorm splashing water with her paws over a burning branch, trying to stop the flames from reaching the warriors’ den.
Graystripe yowled, “Millie!” and shot into the tunnel on his way to the Twoleg nest.
The moment his thick gray tail vanished, Firestar appeared at the mouth of the tunnel and raced into the center of the clearing. His flame-colored pelt was darkened by the rain and streaked with mud, but he held his head high and let out a commanding yowl.
“Get out! All of you get out! You’ll be trapped if you stay in here!”
Cats began to emerge from their dens. They splashed across the clearing, weaving or jumping aside to avoid the fiery debris that still rained down around them.
“Head for the Twoleg nest,” Firestar ordered. “We can shelter there.”
Brambleclaw emerged from the nursery, carrying Bumblekit; Daisy followed him with Blossomkit. Rosekit and Toadkit stumbled along beside their mother. Mousefur padded out of the elders’ den with her tail over Longtail’s shoulder to guide him. Icepaw and Foxpaw, their eyes wild with terror, were shoved toward the barrier of thorns by their mentors.
Hollyleaf looked around for Lionblaze and Jayfeather, but she couldn’t see either of them among the fleeing cats. Jayfeather would need help to get out, she thought, trying to control her fear. And what about Squirrelflight? Her wound was still hurting, and she hadn’t regained her full strength yet.
Struggling through the pelting rain, the glare of flame all around her, Hollyleaf splashed across to the medicine cats’ den. She met Leafpool by the bramble screen, her jaws full of herbs; Jayfeather was just behind her.
“Go and help the others!” Hollyleaf gasped to the medicine cat. “I’ll bring Jayfeather.”
Leafpool gave her a nod of acknowledgement and raced for the tunnel.
“I can bring myself, thanks,” Jayfeather muttered furiously
“Don’t be a mouse-brain!” Hollyleaf spat back at him. “There’s fire out there. Now stop complaining and grab my tail.”
Wincing as her brother’s jaws closed around her tail-tip, Hollyleaf turned toward the tunnel. Suddenly Lionblaze loomed up out of the rain.
“You’re here,” he panted with relief. “Let’s go.”
Together the three cats headed for the tunnel. By now the clearing was empty; it looked as if the rest of the Clan, even Firestar, had already left. Will they make it to the Twoleg nest?Hollyleaf wondered. Or will they scatter into the forest? Is Thunder-
Clan going to break up after all?
She and her brothers were halfway across the clearing when lightning clawed across the sky from top to bottom. The barrier across the entrance to the camp crackled and burst into flame. The tunnel vanished in a throat of fire.
Hollyleaf stopped, frozen in horror. “We’re trapped!”
Staring around wildly, she tried to think what to do. The camp was littered with blazing branches, and more were cascading down from the lightning-struck trees around the hollow. The warriors’ den was already smoldering; there was no shelter there.
“The apprentices’ cave…” she gasped, even though she knew it was too shallow to give any real protection if the fire spread.
“No. Over here.” Squirrelflight’s voice spoke behind her; Hollyleaf whirled around to see her mother waving her tail urgently toward the rock wall. “There’s another way out.”
Hollyleaf was ashamed of the relief that swept over her, as if she was still a kit who needed her mother to look after her. Leading Jayfeather, she followed Squirrelflight around a clump of brambles that grew against the wall of the hollow. Lionblaze brought up the rear.
To Hollyleaf’s surprise, the rock behind the brambles had crumbled away. Peering up through the rain, she saw straggling bushes and grass growing in cracks, all the way to the top.
“It’s a secret way out of the camp!” she exclaimed. “And we never knew about it!”
“Thank StarClan,” Squirrelflight retorted drily. “You were enough trouble as kits and apprentices, without this.” Then her voice changed, growing tense again. “Jayfeather, you come first. Follow my voice. It’s not a difficult climb.”
“We’ll come behind and catch you if you fall,” Lionblaze assured his brother.
“I’m not a kit!” Jayfeather snapped, though Hollyleaf could see he was shaking with fear.
Squirrelflight scrambled up through the bramble thicket and clung there, calling out to Jayfeather so he could follow. Jayfeather struggled up behind her, swinging out on a tendril of ivy when his hind paws lost their grip.
“Mouse dung!” he spat, scrabbling to get his balance again.
Squirrelflight went on guiding him upward, her voice calm now, even though she must have been terrified that one of them would fall as they climbed higher.
Hollyleaf and Lionblaze followed. Though Squirrelflight had said the climb was easy, Hollyleaf was convinced that the pounding rain was about to wash her off the rock face, or lightning would strike the thorns she clung to. Darkness, the glare of flame, and the crash of thunder surrounded her. She lost sight of her Clanmates, and thought she would never reach the top.
But at last she heard her mother’s voice again. “Well done!” Teeth met in her scruff as Squirrelflight dragged her onto the top of the cliff. She lay there panting for a moment, watching her mother helping Lionblaze to scramble up beside her. Jayfeather was lying on his side, his eyes closed and his sides heaving.
“Come away from the edge,” Squirrelflight warned. “The rock is crumbling.” She turned, leading the way through the bushes.
Hollyleaf nudged Jayfeather to his paws. “Just a bit farther and then you can rest.”
Her brother bared his teeth in a feeble snarl; she could see that he would never admit how hard he had found the climb.
“You can lean on my shoulder if you like,” Lionblaze offered, coming to stand on Jayfeather’s other side.
“Look, mouse-brain—”
Jayfeather’s annoyed hiss broke off as the whole sky was lit up by a crackling bolt of lightning, stabbing down as if it was going to impale all three cats on its claws. Thunder rolled overhead as the bushes burst into flame.
Hollyleaf let out a yowl of terror. Greedy scarlet tongues licked toward her and her littermates, blocking their path away from the edge of the cliff. Smoke billowed up as rain fell on the bushes; Hollyleaf choked on it and began to cough, but the downpour was easing off, and the remaining flurries weren’t enough to put the fire out.
A wave of heat rolled over Hollyleaf; instinctively she moved back, and felt the rock begin to crumble beneath her paws. Scrambling away, she glanced down, to see the clearing patched with flame and darkness. There was no escape that way, even if they could manage to climb down safely amid the fire and rain.
“What’s happening?” Jayfeather was cowering down under the searing heat. “Which way should we go?”
“We can’t go anywhere. We’re trapped.” Lionblaze’s voice was calm. Flame reflected from his golden pelt and shone in his eyes. “Squirrelflight!” he called. “Are you there? Help us!”
As he spoke a branch edged with flames crashed down from one of the bushes; Hollyleaf dragged Jayfeather out of its path just in time. The littermates huddled together at the very edge of the cliff.
“I’m here!” Squirrelflight’s voice was high-pitched with terror. “I’m going to push a branch through to you. You canrun along it to escape before it catches fire.”
“Right. We’ll be ready,” Lionblaze replied.
Hollyleaf felt a jolt of gratitude for her brother’s courage. Without him, she was certain she would have panicked, trapped between the fire and the long drop into the camp. But they would stick together, the three of them, protected by the prophecy as they had always been.
Hollyleaf could hear the sound of something heavy being dragged through the undergrowth beyond the flames. Her burst of confidence blew away like ash.
“She’ll never manage it,” she muttered to Lionblaze. “What about her wound? She’s not strong enough.”
“Squirrelflight will always do what she has to,” Lionblaze replied.
Small tongues of flame were creeping through the grass now; rain hissed down on them, leaving the ground blackened and smoking, but there were always more flames, and the acrid scent of burning filled the air. A blazing leaf floated down onto Jayfeather’s pelt; Lionblaze knocked it off with one paw, adding the reek of scorched fur to the smoke-filled air.
Beyond the red-and-orange flames, Hollyleaf caught a glimpse of Squirrelflight, struggling to drag a branch up to the fire. Already she looked exhausted. Lionblaze’s muscles tensed as if he was going to try leaping over the bush to help her.
“No!” Hollyleaf choked out. “It’s too far.”
Before Lionblaze could argue, another shape burst through the billowing smoke to stand beside Squirrelflight. His eyes glared; his gray fur was matted together and stuck with bits of burnt leaf and twig. Confused by the smoke and flames, Hollyleaf almost thought she was seeing one of her warrior ancestors, until she recognized Ashfur.
Squirrelflight dropped the branch. “Help me push it into the fire!” she yowled.
Grabbing the branch in strong jaws, Ashfur thrust it past the wall of flame and into the ever-narrowing patch of ground where Hollyleaf and her brothers huddled. But Hollyleaf didn’t feel any sense of relief. There was a look in Ashfur’s eyes that she didn’t understand: the look of a cat who had just spotted an unexpected juicy bit of prey.
The branch made a bridge through the flames, but Ashfur stood at the other end of it, blocking the way to safety. Lionblaze nudged Jayfeather to his paws; Hollyleaf took a step toward the branch, then paused. She felt a cold weight in her belly when she looked into Ashfur’s glittering blue eyes.
“Ashfur, get out of the way.” Squirrelflight’s voice was puzzled. “Let them get out!”
“Brambleclaw isn’t here to look after them now,” Ashfur sneered.
Hollyleaf felt her fur beginning to rise. What did Ashfur mean?
Lionblaze’s golden pelt was bristling, too. “What have you done with my father?” he howled through the flame.
Ashfur looked at him pityingly; his eyes were twin points of fire amid the burning forest. “Why would I waste my time with Brambleclaw?”
The main branch was too solid to catch fire easily, but the leaves on it had shriveled and the twigs were beginning to smoke. Hollyleaf realized that they didn’t have much time before their bridge to safety would be ablaze.
Squirrelflight staggered up to Ashfur. Hollyleaf had never seen her mother so angry. Her fur bristled with fury; she looked like a warrior of TigerClan. Yet it was obvious that the climb to the top of the cliff, followed by her struggle with the branch, had weakened her, and she was exhausted.
“Your quarrel with Brambleclaw has to stop,” she hissed. “Too many moons have passed. You have to accept that I’m Brambleclaw’s mate, not yours. You can’t keep trying to punish Brambleclaw for something that was always meant to be.”
Ashfur’s ears flicked up in surprise. “I have no quarrel with Brambleclaw.”
Hollyleaf exchanged a shocked glance with Lionblaze. “That’s not how it looks to me,” he muttered.
“I couldn’t care less about Brambleclaw,” Ashfur continued. “It’s not his fault he fell for a faithless she-cat.”
Faithless?A growl began to build in Hollyleaf’s throat, but then she stopped and watched the cats on the other side of the blazing branches. Something ominous was taking place in front of her, and even with flame roaring around them she felt a sudden chill. She shrank closer to Lionblaze and Jayfeather, whose head was up, his sightless eyes intent, as if he could see the confrontation between his mother and Ashfur.
“I know you think I’ve never forgiven Brambleclaw for stealing you from me, but you’re wrong, and so is every cat that thinks so. My quarrel is with you, Squirrelflight.” Ashfur’s voice shook with rage. “It always has been.”
Horrified, Hollyleaf took a step back and felt her hind paws begin to slip on the edge of the cliff. Her head spun as lightning stabbed out and thunder drowned all other sounds, even the roaring fire. For a heartbeat she dangled over empty air, and she let out a strangled yowl.
Then she felt firm teeth meet in her scruff; blinking against the smoke, she realized that Lionblaze was hauling her back to safety. But there was no safety: only the hungry flames, and Ashfur blocking the end of the branch with fury in his eyes. Fiery sparks floated down on all three young cats, scorching their fur, and flames licked the underside of the branch; fear flooded afresh through Hollyleaf when she saw that it was already beginning to smolder.
Ashfur has to let us get out!But Hollyleaf couldn’t find any words to plead with him. What was happening here didn’t have anything to do with them, even if they died because of it.
“All this was moons ago.” Squirrelflight sounded puzzled. “Ashfur, I had no idea you were still upset.”
“Upset?”Ashfur echoed. “I’m not upset. You have no idea how much pain I’m in. It’s like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones. I can’t understand how any of you failed to see the blood….”
His eyes clouded and his voice took on a wild, distant tone, as if he could see the blood spilling out of him now, sizzling on the burning ground. Terror burst through Hollyleaf and she pressed closer to her brothers. This cat was more dangerous than the storm or the fire, or the fall lurking perilously close to her hind paws.
Desperately she tried to step onto the end of the branch. At once Ashfur rounded on her, fully conscious again, his teeth bared in a snarl.
“Stay there!” Turning to face Squirrelflight but keeping one paw on the branch, he hissed, “I can’t believe you didn’t know how much you hurt me. You are the blind one, not Jayfeather. Who do you think sent Firestar the message to go down to the lake, where the fox trap was? I wanted him to die, to take your father away so you’d know the real meaning of pain.”
Hollyleaf’s shocked gaze met Lionblaze’s. “He tried to kill Firestar?” she gasped. “He’s mad!”
Determination glittered in Lionblaze’s eyes, and he bunched his muscles for a giant leap. “I’m going to fight him.”
“No!” Hollyleaf fastened her teeth in his shoulder fur. “You can’t!” Her words were muffled now. “He’ll just push you into the fire.”
“Brambleclaw saved Firestar then,” Ashfur went on to Squirrelflight. “But he’s not here now. He’s not here—but your kits are.”
Squirrelflight’s eyes blazed. For a heartbeat Hollyleaf thought she was going to pounce on the gray warrior, but she knew that exhausted and in pain, her mother would have no chance. Squirrelflight seemed to realize it, too. She drew herself up, head high; she was trembling, but her voice was clear and brave.
“Enough, Ashfur. Your quarrel is with me. These young cats have done nothing to hurt you. Do what you like with me, but let them out of the fire.”
“You don’t understand.” Ashfur looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time; his voice was puzzled and petulant. “This is the only way to make you feel the same pain that you caused me. You tore my heart out when you chose Brambleclaw over me. Anything I did to you would never hurt as much. But your kits…” He looked through the flames at Hollyleaf and her brothers, his eyes narrowing to dark blue slits. “If you watch them die, then you’ll know the pain I felt.”
The flames crackled threateningly closer; Hollyleaf felt as if the heat was about to sear her pelt into ashes. She edged backward, only to feel the edge of the hollow give way under her hind paws. The three of them were pressed tightly together, so close that if one of them lost their balance, all three would be dragged off the cliff. Hollyleaf couldn’t control the trembling that shook her whole body as her glance flickered between the cliff and the fire.
Jayfeather was crouched close to the ground, looking tinier than ever with his pelt slicked flat by the rain. Lionblaze’s claws were unsheathed, glinting as the lightning flashed out again, but the tension in his haunches didn’t come from preparing to leap at Ashfur; it came from the effort of keeping himself on the top of the cliff.
Squirrelflight raised her head, her gaze locked on Ashfur’s crazed eyes. “Kill them, then,” she meowed. “You won’t hurt me that way.”
Ashfur opened his jaws to reply, but said nothing. Hollyleaf and her brothers stared at their mother. What was Squirrelflight saying?
Squirrelflight took a step away from them, and glanced carelessly over her shoulder. Her green eyes were fiercer than Hollyleaf had ever seen them, with an expression she couldn’t read.
“If you really want to hurt me, you’ll have to find a better way than that,” Squirrelflight snarled. “They are not my kits.”
CHAPTER23
CHAPTER23
The noise of the storm andthe fire faded and the only sound Jayfeather could hear was the blood roaring in his ears. He shook his head, straining to hear what Squirrelflight and Ashfur said next, cursing the blindness that hid their expressions from him.
“You’re lying.” Ashfur’s voice was choked with disbelief.
“No, I’m not.” Squirrelflight spoke softly, but her intensity pierced through the crackle of the flames. “Did you see me give birth? Did I nurse them? Stay in the nursery until they were apprenticed? No.”
“But—I” Ashfur began, then fell silent. Jayfeather could almost hear the paws of memory racing through his mind.
“I fooled all of you, even Brambleclaw,” Squirrelflight went on scornfully. “They are not mine.”
“And no cat in the Clan knows?” Ashfur’s disbelief was changing to uncertainty.
“No. They’re all as blind as you are to the truth.”
Jayfeather sensed a shift in Ashfur’s thoughts, reaching out toward power once more. “What do you think will happen when I tell them?” he challenged. “Will your Clanmates let you stay in ThunderClan, knowing you have lied to them—to Firestar, to your sister, to Brambleclaw?”
“You’ll tell them?” Squirrelflight’s voice was sharp with pain.
“Do you really think I won’t? I can still make you lose what you love most. Brambleclaw will want nothing to do with you. You were a fool to think I would keep your secret. But you have always been a fool, Squirrelflight. I’ll let these cats—whomever they belong to—live. But your suffering has only just begun.”
There was a rustling in the undergrowth, and Ashfur’s scent faded as he stalked away.
“Jayfeather, here’s the branch.” Lionblaze’s voice was tense. Jayfeather felt his brother’s teeth sink into his scruff and lift him bodily until his paws felt the rough bark of the branch underneath them. Lionblaze kept hold of him until he had got his balance. “Straight ahead,” he ordered. “Hurry.”
Jayfeather forced his paws to move, trusting Lionblaze as he stumbled forward with the heat and roaring of the fire on either side. He let out a hiss as pain stabbed one of his pads, as if he had trodden on a burning twig. Then the worst of the heat died away behind him, and he half fell, half leaped off the branch. The ground beneath his paws was hot, but not burning. He was safe!
Heartbeats later he heard Hollyleaf and Lionblaze leap down beside him.
Thunder rumbled above them, but now it was farther off, as if the storm was moving away. Mercifully rain began to fall again, hissing onto the flames. The wind was dying down; there would be no more danger from falling trees. Jayfeather heard yowls from down in the hollow, as if the cats were returning to the camp, and had spotted the cats on the top of the cliff. But he and his littermates ignored them.
“Squirrelflight?” Hollyleaf’s voice quivered; Jayfeather could sense her disbelief warring with fear. “That’s not true, is it? We are your kits, aren’t we?”
There was a long pause, but Jayfeather already knew the answer. His mind was filled with Squirrelflight’s desperate sorrow and regret—and overwhelming love, the love of a mother for her kits. That much had been a lie among what she had told Ashfur; Squirrelflight didlove them. But she was not their mother.
“I’m so sorry,” Squirrelflight whispered. “I should have told you the truth a long time ago.”
“What do you mean?” Lionblaze demanded. Jayfeather reeled from the blast of his brother’s growing outrage.
“We thought it was for the best,” Squirrelflight pleaded. “I promise you, it was the hardest thing we’ve ever done.”
“We? Who’s we?” Lionblaze snapped.
Squirrelflight didn’t reply, and her mind was such a chaos of love and regret that Jayfeather couldn’t pick the answer out of it.
“Does Brambleclaw know?” Hollyleaf whimpered; Jayfeather heard her claws tearing at the ground.
“He has never lied to you,” Squirrelflight meowed. “He…he doesn’t know.”
“You let him believe that we were his?” Hollyleaf’s voice rose to a shrill squeak. “So you lied to him as well. But…if you’re not our mother and father, who is?”
Jayfeather reached out to Squirrelflight’s mind again, searching for memories, but all he could sense was a blur of snow, a long journey, brambles clawing at her pelt and the guilt of her terrible secret already weighing her down. He was aware of another cat with her, but so shadowy that he couldn’t make out who it was.
“I can’t tell you.” Squirrelflight’s murmur was barely loud enough to hear.
“You can, but you won’t!” Pain and anger filled Lionblaze’s voice. Jayfeather sensed the same feelings in Hollyleaf, too, but something inside him stayed icily calm, as if he had always known this would happen. If they were the three, with the power of the stars in their paws, then it made sense that there would be something extraordinary about where they came from. This was just one more truth to be discovered, something done long ago that had cast a shadow over all the moons since.
“I’m sorry.” Squirrelflight’s voice had grown stronger. “I know it won’t help, but I couldn’t have loved you more if you had really been mine. I’m so proud of all three of you.”
“Go away and leave us alone!” Hollyleaf hissed. “You have no right to be proud of us, no right to feel anythingtoward us! You let us believe you were our mother, and you’re not!”
“Please…” Squirrelflight begged.
Lionblaze’s voice was hard. “Just go.”
Misery rolled off Squirrelflight like a choking cloud, almost carrying Jayfeather off his paws. He heard her turn and go blundering through the undergrowth as if she didn’t care whether she burned her pads on still-smoldering leaves.
Left behind at the edge of the charred bushes, none of the three spoke. Jayfeather was numb with shock, and could sense that his littermates felt the same. They had almost died, and they had confronted Ashfur in his destructive madness, but most devastating of all was the secret that Squirrelflight had revealed.
“If they’re not our mother and father, then who are our real parents?” Hollyleaf quavered at last.
“We can worry about that later.” Cold anger still vibrated in Lionblaze’s voice. “First we have to decide what we’ll do when Ashfur tells the Clan.”
“Do you really think he will?” Hollyleaf asked.
“Do you think he won’t?” Lionblaze countered. “He doesn’t care what he does so long as he can hurt Squirrelflight, and that will hurt her more than anything.”
Jayfeather was strangely detached from his littermates’ anxious questions. The secret was out, and no cat could stop the consequences. All he felt was a mild curiosity to see what would happen next.
“We mustn’t say anything to our Clanmates,” Hollyleaf mewed worriedly. “What if they punish us, too? They might think we knew all along. We’ll have to go on just as usual. Maybe Ashfur won’t say anything after all.”
“And hedgehogs might fly,” Lionblaze retorted. “But I agree we shouldn’t tell any cat. Not until we find out the truth. If the Clan learns what happened, we need to be able to defend ourselves so they know we had nothing to do with this. Okay, Jayfeather?”
Jayfeather nodded. “Okay.”
“Then let’s get back to the camp,” Hollyleaf meowed. “There’ll be a lot to do there.”
The stone hollow smelled charred and bitter when Jayfeather scrambled over the remains of the thorn barrier. He started at the sound of his father’s—no, Brambleclaw’s—voice. “Are you all right?”
“We’re fine, thanks,” Lionblaze replied tightly.
“Then can you help Brackenfur patch up the nursery? You too, Hollyleaf. You’ll need to bring more brambles from the forest. And Jayfeather, I think Leafpool wants you. Spiderleg’s paws are burned and Longtail had a nasty bang on the head from a falling branch. And there may be others I don’t know about.”
“Okay, fine,” Jayfeather meowed. As he heard Brambleclaw bounding away, he turned to his littermates. “Don’t forget, we say nothing.”
But as he padded across to the medicine cats’ den, limping a little from his scorched pad, Jayfeather was aware of Ashfur standing at the edge of the clearing. He knew that the gray warrior’s eyes were fixed on him as clearly as if he could see the burning blue gaze.
Midnight said knowledge isn’t always power,he recalled. But some times it is. And Ashfur has the power to destroy us all
第十八章
第十八章
一阵如同在林间呼啸的风一样的惊呼从松鸦爪周围的猫群中响起。“不！不！”碎影哀号道，“落叶！我不是这个意思！我想和你待在一起！”
还有一些猫也发出痛苦的号叫。松鸦爪感到一只爪子正愧疚地抓挠着他的心。他努力让自己忽略它。我知道，对他们而言，这才是正确的选择。
他离开了投石的圆圈，却发现半月正炽热地看着他。“我们要一起旅行了！”半月小声说道。
卷蕨走上前去。“投石已经结束了。”他宣布道，“我不能再做你们的族长。石歌，由你带领我们进山，这样才显得公平。”他的目光环顾着在场的众猫，“如果有猫觉得石歌不应该担任族长，现在就提出来。”
他们竟然自己选族长吗？松鸦爪想着，心里充满了惊讶。族长居然可以退位，重新变成普通的利爪？
卷蕨的话使得众猫都沉默下来，只有碎影发出一阵阵低沉的哀号。升月在碎影的身边舔着她的耳朵。“一切都会好起来的。”她安慰着这只悲痛不已的母猫，“落叶不会知道你走了。”
你错了，松鸦爪想，落叶会一直被困在隧道里，一个月夜，一个月夜，又一个月夜，一直在被抛弃的悲痛中苦苦挣扎。
石歌向卷蕨低头致敬。“我会竭尽所能，带领大家安全抵达山里。”他承诺着，环顾众猫，看着他们期盼的眼神，“我们休息到黄昏。”石歌下令道，“等两脚兽的怪物睡着了，我们就出发。”
众猫面面相觑，就连提议离开的猫，心里也开始升起一种慌乱的情绪。“这么快？”追云问道。
“我们已经等待得够久了。”石歌悲伤地看着碎影，回答道，“已经没有什么能让我们继续留在这里。松鸦翅已经告诉我们，山地正在远方等待我们。那里将成为我们的新家。”
追云站了起来。“那么我们去狩猎吧！”他建议道，“我们必须确保每只猫出发的时候，都吃得饱饱的。”
追云的声音刚落地，就有几只猫跳了出来，他们有事可做，看起来都松了口气。追云跟在他们身后，经过升月身边时，他停下来，用鼻子碰了碰她的耳朵，承诺道：“即使在山里，我们也可以养育出健康、强壮的幼崽。”
升月犹豫了一个心跳的时间，然后用尾巴缠绕着追云的尾巴：“我知道。待会儿我会找些用得上的草药，奔马也会帮忙的。”
突然，往事如洪水般涌入松鸦爪的脑海，他想起他和族猫们在开始走进深山的旅程前所做的准备工作。松鸦爪想，是不是也给这些猫一些建议，比如小心谷仓里的狗——当时冬青叶和狮焰就差点儿被那些狗撕成碎片。
鼠脑子！他告诉自己，这个时候，谷仓还没搭建起来呢。
松鸦爪独自站在骚动的猫群中，总觉得自己好像遗漏了些什么，这对猫群寻找新家园和在山里的安全非常重要。只是他想不起来它到底是什么。
我最好去试着抓些猎物，松鸦爪暗自决定，我需要力气应对长途跋涉。至少我在跳过山间的沟壑时，眼睛能看见东西了。
松鸦爪还没走到林间的空地边缘，就碰见了石歌：“松鸦翅，我要和你谈谈。”
尽管心里充满了迷惑，松鸦爪还是跟着石歌，来到了空地边缘的树下。深灰色的虎斑猫站在他的面前，用冰蓝色的双眸认真地看着他。“我需要你的帮助，松鸦翅。”他解释道，“从来没有哪只猫能像你这样，在梦里看到东西。你以前就是这样的吗？你觉得还会发生什么事吗？”
松鸦爪不知道该怎么回答。他肯定不能说出实情。最后，他拘谨地点点头。
新领袖的眼里现出了如释重负的神情：“对我们所有猫来说，这都是一场未知的旅途。我知道，你的梦也可能是错的，但是我愿意相信你——不管你的梦来自哪里。”
松鸦爪突然觉得脑海中灵光一现，现在他终于明白这些猫最需要的是什么了。他们需要星族，需要巫医聆听此前生活在这里的猫的指引。
“你们的……我们的祖灵！”松鸦爪脱口而出，“那些梦来自我们的祖灵。”
石歌看起来大吃一惊：“你说的是那些死去的猫吗？”
松鸦爪点点头：“它们会指引我们……如果我们准备听从它们的建议，它们就会在梦境中跟我们对话，并传递信息，特定的猫能理解它们的意思……”
石歌的眼睛睁大了，脖子上的毛也竖了起来：“你是说，它们跟你说话了？”
“是的。但是将来它们也会跟其他猫对话——如果它们有话要说，而且又有猫愿意听的话。”
石歌的脑袋歪向一边。“我们常常想，那些死去的猫是否依然能看到我们，并听见我们的话。我知道碎影非常希望发生这样的事情。”他犹豫了一会儿，接着补充道，“你确定，那不是你的母亲给你的梦吗？”
“我知道它不是。”
这位新领袖的冰蓝色眼睛看起来比任何时候都要锐利。“如果我们找到石头山峰，我就知道你说的是对的了。”他转过身，但是又回过头来说，“谢谢你，松鸦翅。”
石歌走了以后，松鸦爪一下子坐到了地上。他的头就像一直在转圈儿。我是让自己成为有史以来的第一位巫医了吗？他甚至不清楚，这群猫是否有像星族或者杀无尽部落那样的祖灵。我是给自己揽了一个无法完成的任务吗？
一阵逐渐逼近的爪子落地声打断了松鸦爪的思绪。他抬起头，看见半月从最近的一棵树后面走来，一只田鼠叼在她的嘴里。她把田鼠放在松鸦爪面前。
“给你。”她说道，“我知道你的爪子还很疼，没法狩猎。”看见松鸦爪有些犹豫，半月把田鼠往他的身边推了推，“吃吧。我已经吃过了。”
“谢谢。”松鸦爪狼吞虎咽地吃了起来，“你真是个好猎手，半月。”他咬了一大口肉说道。
“看起来我们似乎有一段漫长的路要走，”半月继续说道，“你真的相信，那里有我们可以安家的石头山峰吗？”她绿色的眼睛睁得大大的，在昏暗的树影下闪闪发光。
松鸦爪咽下了嘴里的食物：“是的，我保证，一定有的。”
半月久久地凝视着松鸦爪，目光中的热切再次将他淹没。“我相信你。”她小声说道。
松鸦爪和半月分享着剩下的田鼠肉，然后躺在她的身边打盹儿。他把尾巴和半月的尾巴绕在一起，呼吸着半月身上甜甜的气息，他感觉没那么想家了，好像对这个时间和这个地点的归属感增加了那么一点儿。
一只爪子在松鸦爪的肚子上戳了戳。他眨眨眼睛，抬头看见了吟风的脸。“出发的时间到了！”她说道。
半月已经站了起来。松鸦爪跟着她走过空地，来到山坡上。夕阳已经西沉，天边仅有一些绯红的晚霞。松鸦爪抬起头，想看看是否有星族的武士出现。但是接着他便想起来了，他的武士祖灵在这么久远的时候还没出生呢。
所以它们只是普通的星星？他想着，凝视着空中闪烁的光点。
众猫在树丛间不安地来回走动，仿佛爪子已经按捺不住想要离开，但是心却把他们拉回到熟悉的家园。松鸦爪看见枭羽的孩子们在她的爪子边翻滚打闹。“我们真的要一直登上山顶吗？”其中一只幼崽问道，他的眼睛就像月亮一样大。
“对啊，”枭羽回答道，“而且比山顶还要远呢。”
这只小猫欢呼着跳起来：“哇哦！”
奔马和云日一同站在一棵树下。奔马用尾巴轻抚着伙伴的侧腹。“投石的结果已经出来了，所以我们必须离开。”他说道。
“我们会到达那里的。”云日勇敢地回答道，“我们可以相互帮助。”
松鸦爪很敬佩这位长老的勇气，希望她的话能够成真。他已经开始计划行走的路线，尽量选择好走的道路，希望自己可以在看得见的情况下，记起通往瀑布后的山洞的路。
“大家都准备好了吗？”石歌走上前来，看了所有猫一眼问道。
赞同的低语纷纷在他的周围响起。松鸦爪注意到，闪电和惊鹿看起来都很不开心，但是他们也没反对。现在已经做出了决定，每只猫都应该遵守。这是他们的荣耀守则，是他们时代的武士守则。
石歌对松鸦爪弹了弹耳朵：“松鸦翅，准备好了吗？”
松鸦爪点点头。我真的要这么做吗？我要带领急水部落，前往他们的新家园吗？
石歌开始朝山顶进发。其他选择离开的猫浩浩荡荡地跟在他的身后。松鸦爪走在靠后的地方。当他们到达山脊的时候，远山紫色的线条已经被愈来愈浓的夜色吞没，大地和黑暗在他们眼前展开，一直通向遥远的地平线。
当他们沿着山脊行进的时候，半月加快步伐走到松鸦爪身边。“你看，枭羽的一只小猫已经掉队了。”她说道，“我必须去帮忙。”
她跳着走开了，然后又停下爪子，回过头来。“不要回头看！”她小声说，“那样只会让旅途更加艰难。”
松鸦爪目送着半月白色的身影走进了暮色中。当他意识到半月是多么勇敢，某种东西充满了心胸。这群猫也同样勇敢，仅凭一个梦就开始这样的一个旅程。现在他只希望自己是对的——为了这群勇敢的猫。
松鸦爪放慢了爪子，然后他停下来，俯瞰着山脚黑漆漆的湖面。星星稀疏地分布在深蓝色的天空中，它们的倒影在湖面反射出点点光芒。月亮从一片云后悄悄露出来，也把银色的光辉洒向水面。对于松鸦爪而言，这个湖泊是多么熟悉啊，虽然此时它还不是他的家。
“再见！”他小声说道，就像在跟雷族道别一样。
其他猫都从松鸦爪的身边走过，朝着将来属于风族的领地走去。当松鸦爪重新出发，准备赶上队伍时，他听到一只猫正在叫他的名字。
“松鸦爪！”
是他的雷族名字。
他猛地回过头：“岩石！”
这只失明的猫正站在山坡上的一块巨石边，他没有毛的皮肤在月光下闪着光。
“你不属于这里，”他厉声说道，“你已经完成了来到这里的使命，是时候回到你自己的族群了。”
如果在一天前，松鸦爪一定会如释重负，但现在他的第一反应却是惶恐。“但……但是石歌怎么办？”松鸦爪结结巴巴地说，“我答应过他，还有半月……”
“你在这儿的时间已经到了。”岩石坚决地说。
松鸦爪知道自己必须服从命运的安排。他的使命在这里，在湖边，而不是山地。多亏他，急水部落才会找到他们新的家园，杀无尽部落才会被发现。
松鸦爪向岩石走去，回头看了朝前行进的猫最后一眼，睁大眼睛，试图认出半月闪亮的皮毛。我这样不辞而别，她一定会伤心的。但是松鸦爪的未来里没有半月。他的未来在雷族，他是雷族的巫医。
松鸦爪回头对岩石说道：“现在，真正的松鸦翅会回来吗？”
岩石摇摇头：“不会。走向山地的旅程一开始，他就已经消失了。”
那些猫一个接着一个地消失在黑暗中，谁也没发现松鸦爪已经走了。松鸦爪呆呆地在原地站了好一会儿，然后他抖了抖皮毛。“好吧，我们走吧。”他低语道。
岩石带着他走到巨石后面，那里有一个狭窄的隧道入口。这只老猫率先挤进了隧道，然后摇摇尾巴，示意松鸦爪跟上。
隧道里漆黑一片，他们穿过无声的黑暗时，松鸦爪捕捉着岩石的爪子落地声，然后引导自己前进。冰冷的风告诉松鸦爪，哪个方向有隧道的分支。但是岩石却领着他径直走下山坡。松鸦爪竖起耳朵，留意着落叶的动静，但是并没有听到那只迷失在隧道里的猫存在的迹象。落叶多久之后才会意识到，地面上的猫群已经离去？他知不知道，自己将在这片空洞的黑暗中等待数不清的岁月，一直到猫群再次来到湖边？松鸦爪打了个冷战，希望落叶并不知道前面等待他的是什么。
最后隧道终于再次开始向上延伸。岩石的爪子落地声渐渐消失了，松鸦爪又嗅到了苔藓和树叶的气息，以及森林潮湿的气息。很快他就发现自己走到了开阔的地面，雷族熟悉的气味围绕着他。他又看不见了，但是他清楚地知道自己现在在哪里。
松鸦爪慢慢地走上通往石头山谷的下坡路。他找到他正在寻找的答案了吗？他真的曾经是远古时期生活在此地的猫群中的一员？那些猫离开后，是不是成为急水部落了？预言是否就是这样来的？
终于，他嗅到了石头山谷的气息，他转身向湖边走去。一阵风轻柔地吹拂着他的脸，头顶的小鸟发出断断续续的鸣叫，他知道黎明就要来临。松鸦爪踏着柔软的草地走到湖边，找到岸边藏树棍的树根。他取出树棍，如往常一样，将爪子放在那些抓痕上。
这次他听清了抓痕里对他说的话，利爪们的姓名和身影在他的脑海中一个个地浮现，松鸦爪可以想起那些曾亲眼看到的形象。闪电、云日、惊鹿、枭羽……他们一直跟在松鸦爪身旁，同他一起前往月亮池，因为他是他们中的一员，他回到了很久很久以前他们生活过的地方。就是这样，才使得我拥有了比星族还要强大的力量吗？
松鸦爪想知道狮焰和冬青叶是否也曾是远古部落的成员，即便他在那里并没有见到他俩。他再次把爪子盖在树棍上，一幕影像闪进他的脑海：三只小猫一同站在山脊之上，一轮明月从他们的身后升起，他们巨大而漆黑的背影在爪子下延伸着，一直投射在银色的湖面上。
三只小猫，是火星的至亲，他们拥有群星的力量。现在，松鸦爪终于明白他们为什么会在一起了，即使轮转了无数个四季。
“我们已经回来了，”他喃喃地说，“我们三个回家了。”
第十九章
第十九章
狮焰被一阵咳嗽声吵醒。有那么一会儿，他只是往苔藓下钻了钻，努力回想着上次睡安稳觉是什么时候的事了。他的梦里满是虎星的身影，或是讥讽他的力量，或是嘲笑他看见石楠爪满是鲜血的尸体时发狂的神情。而当他睡不着时，武士巢穴里又充满和绿咳症搏斗的病猫发出的喘息和咳嗽。突然，他浑身一僵。病猫都跟着火星搬到两脚兽巢穴去了，这里不应该有任何咳嗽啊！
狮焰抬起头，看见蛛足正在两条尾巴远的窝里不住咳嗽着，他的身体正被新一阵咳嗽震得摇晃起来。
噢，不！火星的计划没有起效。
“蛛足！”狮焰说道，“你最好让叶池看看。她会给你拿些治咳嗽的草药，然后你可以去两脚兽巢穴，和其他生病的猫待在一起。”
“不要告诉我应该做什么。”这位年纪大一些的武士呵斥道，“我只是被苔藓呛着了，仅此而已。”
虽然武士巢穴内光线昏暗，狮焰依然可以看到蛛足的眼睛因为高烧闪着光。“我觉得不是那样。”狮焰说道。
就在这时，黑莓掌从巢穴中心的一个窝里抬起了头：“蛛足，你病了。你也知道这种病传播得有多快。去让叶池看看，现在就去。狮焰，你陪他去。”
“好的。”狮焰强迫自己从窝里爬出来，迅速整理着自己的皮毛。
蛛足站起身，夸张地叹了口气，可是接着又是一阵咳嗽。他快步走进了空地，狮焰跟在他身后几爪远的地方，一同朝巫医巢穴走去。清晨的寒冷依旧笼罩着营地，浓浓的黑影布满山谷边缘。一阵潮湿的微风吹来，预示着不久就要下雨。
他俩还没走到巫医巢穴，就碰见黛西从育婴室跳着出来了。“蛛足，怎么了？”她担心地问，“你生病了？”
“我没事。我只是希望……”咳嗽再次打断了蛛足的话，“我只是希望其他的猫不要小题大做。”当他能再次说话的时候，他试图结束这个话题。
黛西惊慌地瞪大了双眼：“你病了！”
“别担心，黛西！”狮焰用鼻子蹭了蹭这只乳白色母猫的肩膀，“我正陪他去叶池那里。”
狮焰和蛛足继续向前走去，留下黛西站在原地，看着他俩离去的背影。她的眼睛里充满了焦虑。
在巫医巢穴里，叶池和松鸦爪已经醒来了。“这是最后一点艾菊了。”叶池正在说道，“你最好去找找，看能不能再采集一些，然后直接送到两脚兽巢穴。记住，要放在巢穴入口处的大石头上。”
“好的。”松鸦爪转身刚要出发，便发觉蛛足和狮焰来了。“什么情况？”他问道。
蛛足用另一阵咳嗽作为回答。
“不！”有一个心跳的时间，狮焰看到叶池的眼睛里充满了恐惧。但很快她就恢复了一位优秀巫医该有的平静：“蛛足，吃了这些艾菊，你的喉咙就会舒服些。松鸦爪，等一会儿多摘些艾菊带回营地。”
松鸦爪点头让她放心，穿过黑莓屏风消失了。
蛛足咀嚼着艾菊，小声地抱怨着。黛西把头探进巫医巢穴。“我能进来吗？”她嘴里叼着一只田鼠，咕哝着问叶池。
叶池看起来有些不确定：毕竟越少猫接触蛛足越好。接着她点点头说：“当然可以，黛西。什么事？”
黛西把田鼠放在蛛足的爪子旁边：“我给你带了这个。我想，你去两脚兽巢穴前，可以吃顿好的。”
“哦，你不用这么麻烦。”蛛足粗鲁地说道，“我不饿。”
黛西后退一步，脖子上的毛竖了起来：“这是我特意为你挑的！”
蛛足没有回应，只是用舌头舔了舔下巴上的艾菊汁。
“我们的孩子也很担心你。”黛西继续说道，她的声音变得尖利起来，“真奇怪他们都还记得你，因为你从来都没有看望过他们。”
蛛足耸耸肩说：“我也不是不关心他们……只是我知道，不用我帮忙，你也能很好地照顾他们。”
“为什么？”黛西逼问道，“就因为以前我独自喂养过小猫？但是蛛足，你对此非常清楚，那时候我没有选择。”
狮焰与叶池尴尬地对视了一眼。他想，他应该离开巫医巢穴，但是这两只争吵的猫把入口堵住了。叶池在一旁静静地听他们争吵，眼里是狮焰读不懂的神情。
“每个孩子都不一样。”黛西继续说着，“而且每个孩子都应该得到父亲的关爱。蛛足，你错过了他们的成长，如果你还不在意，那就太晚了，你自己的孩子会不知道你是谁。”
不等蛛足回答，她便转身走出了巫医巢穴。
“母猫们真是的！”蛛足气哼哼地说道。
他转身准备离开，但是叶池站出来，拦住他的去路。“蛛足，孩子是星族赐予的珍贵礼物。”她平静地说道，“你应该抓住所有的机会，当一个好父亲。这比当一名老师要强得多。”
“你怎么知道？”蛛足质问道。
叶池只是盯着他，琥珀色的眼睛清澈而平静。
“对不起！”蛛足过了一个心跳的时间，才低声说道，“只不过……我从没打算和黛西生下孩子。在孩子们面前，我觉得自己又笨又没用。而且我觉得，每只猫都因为我不亲近黛西就说东道西。总之，我们就是不合适。”
“这不是关键。”叶池回答道，“即便你和黛西不再是伴侣，你们依旧是孩子们的父亲和母亲。你是在用不当一个好父亲的方式伤害孩子们。他们不会指责你，因为他们还不知道这有什么不对劲的地方。但到最后，你会发现，他们才是你唯一重要的。”
“我不知道该怎么做！”蛛足还在为自己辩解，“我不能……”又一阵剧烈的咳嗽打断了他准备说的话。
“那就学啊！”叶池琥珀色的眼睛似乎正在燃烧，“你也见过黑莓掌、灰条、尘毛是怎么陪伴他们的孩子的。真不敢相信，你都没发现这有多么重要！你应该每时每刻都珍惜孩子们。”
就在叶池说话的时候，一股对黑莓掌的暖意在狮焰的内心涌起。他是位伟大的父亲，每当孩子们遇到困难时，他总是愿意聆听和帮助他们。他花了很多时间陪伴自己的三个孩子，因为松鼠飞生下他们后，很快就再次开始履行武士职责。狮焰完全信任他，他是狮焰能想到的最好的父亲。狮焰想，如果蛛足不关心他的孩子，那么他和孩子们的关系，最终就将变得像鸦羽和风皮一样——他们俩甚至不喜欢对方。
“狮焰，”叶池很显然是刚刚发现狮焰也在这里，而且他正听着自己和蛛足的对话，“你现在可以走了。谢谢你的帮忙。”
狮焰点点头，走过蛛足身边，向空地走去。狮焰离开时，听见叶池说：“去两脚兽巢穴前，把那只田鼠吃掉。你需要保持体力，这样你才能好起来。”
他走出巫医巢穴，看见黑莓掌在猎物堆那里挑选了一只松鼠。松鼠飞走过去，她的伴侣便把猎物放在她的爪子旁边。
“这是给你的，”黑莓掌说道，“我知道你非常喜欢吃嫩一些的松鼠。”
“你也是啊！”松鼠飞咕哝着，用鼻子蹭了蹭黑莓掌的耳朵，“我们一起吃吧。”
黑莓掌犹豫了一会儿：“好吧，但是你要多吃一点儿。整个族群都需要你重新强壮起来。”
两只猫肩并肩地坐下，分享着那只松鼠。
狮焰看着他们，一股暖流再次流过他的身体。感谢星族，我们父母的关系非常好。
“嗨，狮焰！”黑莓掌从猎物上抬起头，“现在你已经把蛛足安排好了，去参加狩猎巡逻怎么样？蜡毛正在等着你。你知道，老鼠不会排着队跑进营地里来的。”
“当然可以！”狮焰摇摇尾巴，穿过空地朝蜡毛跑去。是的，他爱他的父亲，即使他是个自以为是的老毛球。
狮焰叼着一只松鼠和两只老鼠走在废弃的两脚兽小道上。这次轮到他把猎物送到两脚兽巢穴外的树干里。蒙蒙细雨落下来，打湿了他的皮毛，让道路也变得泥泞起来。
两个日出以前，蛛足开始咳嗽，族群里每只猫的希望都骤然破灭了，都认为火星的计划没起到任何作用。但是从那之后，再没有别的猫发病。狮焰想，他们与病魔的战斗是不是已经开始扭转了。他不清楚两脚兽巢穴里那些猫的具体情况，但是他知道，包括米莉在内，大家都还活着。
两脚兽巢穴的墙壁渐渐从树丛后显现出来，周围的一切都是那么安静。狮焰穿过潮湿的草地，把嘴里的猎物放进中空的树干内。与狮焰料想的不一样，树干并不是空的。有几个猎物堆在树干底部，已经被雨水淋湿了。树桩周围的猫的气息已经变得不再新鲜，而且非常微弱。
有一股冰水，比雨水更冰冷，正沿着狮焰的脊椎流下去。病猫们为什么没吃东西？难道是身体太虚弱了，没法走到这儿取猎物？
狮焰用一只爪子扒拉着以前放的猎物，看上去已经不能吃了。他把它们取出来，再把新鲜的猎物放进去，并往树干深处推了推，尽量让它们保持干燥。接着狮焰犹豫了，他看了看周围。他想继续狩猎，但是他不能离开，除非他已经弄明白，两脚兽巢穴里的猫为什么没有出来取食物。
狮焰慢慢向巢穴入口走去。叶池和火星都禁止狩猎猫越过树干，靠近两脚兽巢穴。但是狮焰告诉自己，现在情况紧急，他俩不会责怪他不听从命令的。他正向前走的时候，一声诡异的哀号从两脚兽巢穴里传出来，哭泣的那只猫已经陷入了深深的绝望。
狮焰停住了。“发生什么事了？”他大声喊道，喊声明显在颤抖。勇敢点儿！他生气地对自己说。
有一个心跳的时间，里面任何回应都没有。接着狮焰退后几步，云尾的脸出现在他面前的入口处，他白色的皮毛夸张地奓了起来。
“火星快要死了。”武士声音嘶哑地说道。
狮焰咬紧牙关，不让自己发出绝望的哀号。他不顾被传染的危险，冲过云尾身边，冲进了两脚兽巢穴。
火星躺在最远处的一个窝里。其他大多数病猫都围坐在他的周围。亮心和蜜蕨正弯着身体，用蘸了水的苔藓滋润火星的嘴唇。狮焰挤进猫群，俯身看向族长。火星的呼吸中夹杂着尖锐、嘶哑的声音，吸气已经很费力了。空气中弥漫着一种比疾病还要浓烈的恐惧。
狮焰看着火星，心里充满了恐惧。亮心抬起头来。“火星就要失去一条命了。”她轻轻地说道。
狮焰后退一步，跟其他猫站在一起，静静地看着族长拼命地呼吸着。火星的肚皮沉重起伏，渐渐慢了下来，呼吸正变得越来越浅，最后完全停止了。他合上双眼，躺在那里，不动了。
狮焰看见，一个火焰色的淡淡的猫的影子，从火星的身体里慢慢升起，消失在巢穴一个角落的阴影里。
这就是失去一条命的样子吗？狮焰想。火星还剩多少条命呢？如果这就是他的最后一条命呢？
狮焰站在族长的身体旁边，觉得好像过了无数次月圆，但也有可能只是一个心跳的时间。然后他看到火星的侧腹剧烈地抽动了一下。他绿色的眼睛睁开了，挣扎着，想看清眼前的一切。
“火星！”亮心弯下身子，温柔地说道，“你又回到我们身边了！”
狮焰惊讶得下巴都要掉下来了。火星确实死了，但又复活了！
云尾走上前去，把嘴里叼着的一团浸过水的新鲜苔藓递给他的伴侣。亮心把苔藓送到火星的嘴边。“喝一点吧！”她低声说道，“然后再好好休息一会儿。”
“去取些猎物给他，”云尾吩咐狮焰道，“火星需要补充体力。”
狮焰又跑了出去，然后带着一只新鲜的老鼠跑回来。当他回来的时候，火星已经蹲坐起来，眼里迷茫的神情正在逐渐散去。
“谢谢！”当狮焰把老鼠放在他的身边时，他小声地说，“但是你不应该待在这里。你会被传染的。”
狮焰的毛已经竖了起来。火星已经活过来了，但他必须马上离开这个巢穴。如果他继续留在这里，需要多久，这个可怕的疾病会再次杀死他呢？
火星咬了一口老鼠肉，咀嚼着，一边咽下去，一边看着周围的情况。“没事了，”他看到族猫纷纷投来担忧的目光，说道，“现在一切都好了！”
“不，你还没有恢复。”亮心严肃地说道，“你还很虚弱，尽管你现在不再有绿咳症。如果你再次丧命怎么办？你应该回到营地，让叶池好好照顾你。”
火星摇摇头：“回到叶池那里也没什么用，就跟在这儿一样。我要和你们大家在一起。”
周围的猫们发出低低的赞叹声。小玫瑰走到火星的窝边。“你会一直这样死掉、再活过来吗？”她好奇地问道。
“我希望不会。”火星答道。这时蜜蕨走过来，把小玫瑰哄回育婴区域。
“我早知道你一定会坚持留下来。”亮心用鼻子蹭着火星的耳朵呢喃道。
火星对她眨眨眼睛。“我不是情况最危急的猫。”他回答道，绿色的双眸凝视着米莉的窝。
狮焰转头看向浅灰色的母猫。比起离开营地的三个太阳升起前，这只浅灰色的母猫更瘦，身体更差了。她侧身躺着，四肢摊开，每次微弱呼吸的时候，肚皮几乎不再起伏。
小荆棘在她的肚子上努力地拱着，试图喝到奶水，最后只能发出可怜的哀号。蜜蕨低下头，用爪子把她推开，安慰着她说：“来吧，我给你找只老鼠吃。它们很美味的。”
“我不想吃老鼠。”小荆棘的声音也是嘶哑的，“我想吃奶。”她发出一声哀号，“我要妈妈！”
狮焰转过头，不敢再看下去。在他的周围，病猫们走回各自的窝，尾巴和头都沮丧地垂着。
还要多久，他们都会像火星一样死去？然而他们并没有九条命。
狮焰陷入了愧疚中。他知道自己有能力帮助族猫们——他提醒自己，他的力量可以做任何事——但他还是拒绝这么做。
“我要走了。”狮焰匆匆地对云尾说道。他急切地想要离开两脚兽巢穴，离这场病疫越远越好。“我去告诉黑莓掌，火星失去了一条命，然后尽快再抓些猎物送过来。”
“我们需要的不是猎物。”云尾提醒道，“是猫薄荷。”
“还有星族希望我们生存下去的意愿。”亮心补充道。
当狮焰朝山谷跑去的时候，云尾和亮心的话一直在他的耳边回响，他几乎感觉不到爪子下的石头。星族希望这些生病的猫生存下去，否则他们就不会在梦境中告诉松鸦爪，哪里可以找到猫薄荷。
“就算不是星族给了松鸦爪那个梦，”狮焰和自己争辩道，“我们三个被赐予力量，也一定有特别的理由。也许就是因为这个，也许这就是预言的起点。”
当他穿过通道回到营地时，却没看见黑莓掌。狮焰走进武士巢穴，发现里面没有一只猫。他走出来时，发现副族长正叼着猎物钻出了荆棘通道。沙风和莓鼻跟在副族长身后。狮焰走到猎物堆旁，与放下猎物的武士们会合。
“我有个消息。”狮焰直截了当地说道，“火星失去了一条命。”
“不！”沙风瞪大了绿眼睛。她立即转过身，想要冲出营地。但是黑莓掌把尾巴轻柔地搭在她的肩膀上。
“你帮不上他。”黑莓掌低语道。
沙风坐在地上，低下了头。“我知道。”她的声音非常小，狮焰几乎没听到她说了什么，“只是这太痛苦了。”
“你亲眼看着火星死的？”莓鼻说道，他的眼睛也睁得大大的，“看起来是什么样子的？”
狮焰注视着他，懒得回答他。他走开的时候，听见黑莓掌在身后严厉地说：“莓鼻，我觉得这种问题只有幼崽才问得出来，而不是武士该问的，特别是我指导出来的武士。”
狮焰将那只讨厌的乳白色武士抛在身后，他穿过黑莓屏风，走进巫医巢穴。让他松了一口气的是，叶池没在，巫医巢穴里只有松鸦爪。他正在整理着少得可怜的一小撮枯萎的草药。
松鸦爪转过身来：“你想要什么？”
狮焰低下头。“对不起，”他说道，“我准备好去风族了。”
第二十章
第二十章
狮焰又抓到一些猎物，就立即送往废弃的两脚兽巢穴。他把猎物放进空树干时，发现之前放进去的猎物都不见了，腐烂的猎物也被泥土掩盖起来。他稍微放心了一些，病猫们恢复了正常的生活。他原路返回，朝森林深处的隧道入口走去。
恐惧使他全身的毛都竖了起来。但是他加快步伐，迅速跑过了森林。狮焰想到要在黑暗中穿过那条隧道，心里就很不舒服。他希望能赶在天完全暗下去之前完成这件事。
他在距离隧道入口几只狐狸身长的地方停下来，警惕地环顾着四周，竖起耳朵听着，张开嘴巴嗅着，想弄清楚有没有族猫在附近。他接下来要做的事情，一定不能被雷族猫知道。这是他和松鸦爪之间的秘密，因为边界的这些隧道意味着侵略和流血。不过让狮焰松一口气的是，这儿能闻到的仅存的雷族气息，应该是很久以前的，他判断出黎明巡逻队在今天很早的时候来过这里。
狮焰伏低身体，直到肚皮完全贴上地面的小草，然后在灌木丛下匍匐前行，进入了隧道。他向前爬行了几条尾巴的距离，就到达荆棘屏障跟前。这个屏障是上次与风族作战之后，他和族猫们设置的，以防风族猫再次从这里入侵。狮焰挣扎着钻了过去，荆棘划伤了他的肩膀和脚垫，屏障上也留下了许多金棕色的皮毛。
星族保佑，在我回来之前，请不要让任何猫到这里来查看。
狮焰沿着隧道往里走，黑暗渐渐笼罩了他。除了他轻盈的爪子落地声和急促的呼吸声，他听不到任何别的声音。但是他的心跳声似乎大得在风族营地里都能听见。不过狮焰并不担心风族武士。如果撞见了他们中的任何一个，狮焰都可以和他战斗，然后承担后果——如果一星向火星问罪的话。他害怕的是他梦中的景象，他仿佛已经闻到了石楠爪鲜血的气息。
最后狮焰意识到，黑暗正慢慢变成了灰色。他能听到从前方传来的水流的声音。不一会儿他就走出了隧道，来到了一个流淌着小河的洞穴。从山洞顶部透进来的光线，在水面泛起粼粼的波光。狮焰抬起头，看向上方的石台，在石楠爪还是暗族族长石楠星的时候，她就经常坐在那里。可是现在石台依旧，上面却没有石楠星的身影。
狮焰感到了一阵钻心的疼痛，就像是心被敌人的牙齿刺穿了。他并不希望那些时光能够回来。在那段日子里，他对族群撒谎，晚上得不到充足的睡眠，白天也没办法正常训练。他也不想再记起那段时光，尤其是在石楠爪背叛他之后。
狮焰用力抖了抖身体，就像要把淋湿皮毛的雨水甩出去一般，然后他继续走向通往风族领地的隧道。很快，狮焰就看见前面的那道裂缝，一束阳光穿过裂缝，照射了进来。狮焰可以看到外面的岩石和荒原上的韧草。
狮焰停下来，再次警觉起来，现在他要留意来自风族的气息和动静。但是他只听见风吹拂过草地发出的轻声呜鸣，却闻不到一点风族猫的气息。狮焰继续前行，他鼓起勇气，把头探出隧道。
这里和松鸦爪描述给他的完全一样：一堆坍塌的石头，石块的表面覆盖着地衣，荒草在石缝间顽强地生长着；一眼泉水从两块石头之间喷涌出来……狮焰竖起耳朵，然后听到了细流的潺潺声。
狮焰再次嗅着空气中的气息。这次他捕捉到了一丝风族猫的气息，但却没发现任何猫的身影，也没听到动静。狮焰带着些许担心爬出隧道，利用乱石的掩护，紧贴着地面，向泉水发出声音的地方爬去。他的皮毛竖立着，想象着自己的气息散布在风族领地，吸引了所有的风族猫。爪子接触草地发出的轻响，在他听来，也像猫头鹰的尖叫一般响亮。
狮焰感觉时间好像过去了好几个月圆，但实际上只有很短一会儿。狮焰爬过一块岩石，发现了松鸦爪描述的那眼清泉。泉水从一条裂缝中涌出来，然后汇聚成水洼；茂密的猫薄荷就生长在它的周围。其他族群的领地里长着这么多猫薄荷，让狮焰一下子嫉妒起来——雷族猫就因为没有猫薄荷，正承受着死亡的威胁。
狮焰走上前去，把鼻子埋进一丛草药，特别想扑进猫薄荷丛里打滚，让皮毛浸满这清新、刺激的气息。但是他抑制住了这股冲动，那不是他来这儿的目的。狮焰迅速行动起来，开始咬猫薄荷的茎秆，咬了足够他带回去的一大束，这才停下来。
狮焰用嘴巴将猫薄荷收集起来，然后向隧道折返。猫薄荷盖住了其他气息，但他仍然竖起耳朵，眼睛也警惕地看着周围，防止可能到来的风族武士。
他没发现任何猫，于是一头钻进裂缝，回到隧道里。他松了口气，谢天谢地，这下再也不用冒着被风族猫看到的风险了。
为了尽快回到营地，他顺着逐渐变宽的隧道跳跃前行。可是等到他钻进洞穴，却一下子愣住了。一只猫站在他面前，她长着浅棕色的虎斑皮毛，蓝色的眼睛闪闪发亮——正是石楠爪。
“小偷！”
狮焰惊讶得张大嘴巴，猫薄荷全掉到了地上：“石楠爪！”
“是石楠尾！”母猫怒吼道，“你以为你可以带着这些草药溜走！”她继续说着，声音非常严厉，“但是我看到了你，发现你在岩石间爬行。我猜你肯定会利用这些隧道，返回到你自己的领地。”
“那……那么你怎么不通知巡逻队呢？”狮焰结结巴巴地说。
石楠尾撮起嘴唇，眼睛眨了几眨：“你还不值得惊动巡逻队。你可能认为，自己是所有族群里最好的战士，但是你吓不住我。”
猩红的血光突然涌进狮焰的脑海，充满了他的双眼。“叛徒！”狮焰大吼一声，伸出利爪扑向石楠尾。狮焰感到爪尖划破了石楠尾的咽喉，一股鲜血喷涌而出，浸透他俩的皮毛，一直流到了地面上。狮焰的喉咙里发出一声刺耳、恐惧的叫声。鲜血很热，黏住了他的皮毛，血腥味填满了他的鼻腔。
然后红色的怒潮退去了，狮焰看见石楠尾正在看着自己，她皮毛平滑，目光冰冷。狮焰打了个寒战。刚才那一幕是那么真实，可实际上他一步都没动。
石楠尾从狮焰身边走过，朝风族领地一边的隧道走去。“你走吧，不要再回来！”她嘶嘶地叫道，“你可以把这些猫薄荷带走。我与雷族再无恩怨。不管你怎么想，我都不想看到哪只猫受苦。只是你要当心，不要变成你的至亲虎星那样。”
然后，她轻蔑地甩了甩尾巴，消失在隧道里。
当他叼起掉在地上的猫薄荷时，石楠尾的话还在他的脑海里盘旋。他很怕自己真的变成她说的样子。他的肚子恐惧得抽搐着。他的梦差一点儿就成真了——他差点儿就杀了石楠尾——而且石楠尾也洞悉了他的想法。自己与虎星之间的差异正变得越来越模糊，狮焰感到了有生以来前所未有的恐惧。
CHAPTER24
CHAPTER24
On the morning after the storm,Lionblaze was chosen for the dawn patrol with Brackenfur, Sorreltail, and Cinderheart. Strengthening daylight shone down through the trees as they padded away from the stone hollow. There was scarcely a breeze to disturb the leaves that still remained on the trees. Lionblaze could almost pretend that he had dreamed the storm, if it wasn’t for the litter of twigs and branches on the forest floor, and the blackened husks of the trees struck by lightning.
His pelt itched all the time he was away from the stone hollow, as he wondered what he would find when he returned, what accusations and gasps of shock would greet him. But the camp was peaceful, with Brambleclaw directing the repairs to the dens. Thornclaw and Mousewhisker were busy patching the last gaps in the brambles around the nursery; Foxpaw and Icepaw were carrying in huge bundles of fresh bedding. Cloudtail and Brightheart worked together, dragging burnt branches away from the warriors’ den, while Whitewing, Birchfall, and Berrynose cleared debris from the floor of the clearing. Lionblaze overheard Berrynose grumbling that this wasn’t a job for a warrior.
Nothing’s changed!he thought. He couldn’t spot Ashfur among the cats in the clearing, but obviously the gray warrior hadn’t revealed the secret yet.
Lionblaze tried to believe that the storm of the discovery had passed away like the rain and thunder, leaving calm behind, but he knew in his heart that the damage from Squirrelflight’s revelation would last for moons and moons.
“We need to talk about this,” Hollyleaf muttered in his ear while they helped Dustpelt drag thorn branches into place to make a new barrier at the entrance to the camp. “Meet me in the forest. I’ll fetch Jayfeather.”
She bounded across to the medicine cats’ den and emerged a moment later with Jayfeather following her. Lionblaze watched them go out at the edge of the barrier where the dirtplace tunnel used to be. He waited for a few moments, then padded over to Dustpelt.
“I think I’ll go hunt,” he meowed. “The fresh-kill pile needs restocking.”
“There are hunting patrols out already,” Dustpelt grumbled. “Is fetching branches a bit boring for you? Oh, go on then,” he added, flicking his tail at Lionblaze. “But you’d better bring back something worth eating.”
Lionblaze headed out at a fast trot, before the senior warrior could change his mind. He picked up his littermates’ scent trail, and followed them into the forest.
Pausing at the edge of a clearing, he looked around, tasting the air. An urgent hiss sounded from under the trees. “Lionblaze! Over here!”
Lionblaze spotted Hollyleaf peering out from a clump of bracken. “What took you so long?” she demanded.
“I thought it best to wait a bit,” Lionblaze explained as he padded over to her and slid in among the bracken stalks. “I didn’t want any cat suspecting we were meeting in secret.”
Behind the bracken, the ground fell away into a shallow scoop where Jayfeather was sitting; he raised his head as Lionblaze scrambled down to join him. “Okay,” he meowed. “Now we’re all here, we have to decide what we’re going to do.”
“There’s only one thing we cando.” Hollyleaf’s claws worked furiously in the soft earth. “We have to find out who our real parents are. Squirrelflight won’t tell us, but we need to know!”
“No, I don’t agree,” Lionblaze argued.
“What? But you said—”
Lionblaze raised his tail to silence her. “I want to know who our mother and father are, just as much as you do. But that’s not the most important thing right now. Our biggest problem is what to do about Ashfur.”
“I hateAshfur!” Hollyleaf lashed her tail; she was working herself up into another storm of fear and frustration.
Lionblaze laid his tail across her shoulders. “He’s madder than a fox in a fit, but that’s not the point.” Suddenly he remembered the fight he had once had with Ashfur when the gray warrior was his mentor. Ashfur’s blue eyes had blazed with battle fury. Was he trying to kill me then, to hurt Squirrelflight?“Somehow we have to come up with a plan to keep him quiet. Squirrelflight will be in big trouble if this gets out.”
Hollyleaf flicked her ears dismissively. “That’s Squirrelflight’s problem, not ours.”
“It’s a problem for all of us.” Lionblaze couldn’t help a pang of sympathy for Squirrelflight. True, she had lied to them, but she had always done her best for them, as if she really was their mother. “As long as Ashfur knows our secret, he has power over all of us.” Every hair on his pelt tingled as he tried to imagine what that might mean.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Hollyleaf snapped. Her gaze burned with green fire. “Don’t you realize—we might not be Clan cats!”
Lionblaze opened his jaws to reply, but said nothing, too taken aback by what Hollyleaf was implying.
“We might have been born outside the Clan—outside the warrior code.” She sounded as if she couldn’t think of anything worse. “What if Squirrelflight took pity on a passing loner or a kittypet?”
“But—but we’re the three,” Lionblaze stammered. “The prophecy is about us. We have the power to be greater than the stars. How can we not be Clan cats?”
“I think you’re both forgetting something,” Jayfeather broke in, speaking for the first time; his voice was cool and detached. “The prophecy told Firestar that ‘There will be three, kin of your kin…’ If Squirrelflight isn’t our mother, then we’re not Firestar’s kin, are we?”
Lionblaze and Hollyleaf stared at their brother. The small tabby was sitting calmly with his tail wrapped around his paws. “Well, are we?” he repeated.
“Cloudtail’s Firestar’s kin…” Lionblaze began confusedly, but Hollyleaf’s shriek drowned his words.
“I knew it! There’s nothingspecial about us! You’re just really good at fighting, and as for Jayfeather—well, he’s a medicine cat, of course he’s going to have dreams!”
Lionblaze felt the blood chill and slow in his veins. Could it be true? But what about the way I feel in battle? Iknow I can never be hurt. Iknow I could take on a whole Clan of enemies single-pawed!He couldn’t even consider the thought that he might not be part of the prophecy. Because if I’m not, then I owe my fighting skills to Tigerstar, and he was right all along about my stupid dreams
Then another thought invaded his mind, even more worrying than the first. If Brambleclaw isn’t my father, then I’m no kin to Tigerstar. What will he do to me if he ever finds out?
Days slipped by. The repairs to the camp were finished and at last Millie and Briarkit returned from the Twoleg nest, with Graystripe pacing proudly alongside them. Briarkit bounced ahead; Lionblaze could hardly believe she was the same kit who had been carried out of the camp, so limp that she looked as if she were dead. Millie was still thin and shaky on her paws, but her tail twined lovingly with Graystripe’s and her eyes shone with returning health. Daisy welcomed her back into the nursery while the other kits leaped on Briarkit and wrestled with her joyfully.
Winds swept the forest, carrying the bite of approaching leaf-bare. The last of the leaves spiraled down from the trees. Prey became harder to catch, but the Clan was back to full strength again, able to keep the fresh-kill pile well-stocked. Squirrelflight returned to light warrior duties, and even the warriors who had been injured in the storm left the medicine cats’ den.
Lionblaze noticed that Whitewing was growing plump, and Birchfall went around with a proud expression on his face. So there would be more kits for ThunderClan! Outwardly, everything was going well.
But Lionblaze no longer enjoyed patroling with his Clanmates. Ashfur’s knowledge hung over him like a storm cloud. While Hollyleaf still fretted over who their true parents were, Lionblaze worried constantly about how they could persuade Ashfur not to reveal the secret. Often he caught Ashfur looking at him, a dark promise in his blue eyes. What was the gray warrior waiting for? Lionblaze couldn’t believe that he had thought better of his threat to tell every cat what Squirrelflight had done.
On a morning of sun and brisk wind, Lionblaze pushed his way out of the warriors’ den to see Ashfur and Firestar together by the fresh-kill pile. His belly lurched. Trying to look nonchalant, he padded over and chose a mouse for himself. Even though he didn’t think he could choke down a single mouthful, he settled down to eat it with his back to his Clan leader and his ears pricked.
“There’s a Gathering in a few sunrises,” Ashfur meowed. “Is it okay if I go?”
Firestar sounded faintly surprised. “I don’t usually choose warriors until the same day, but if you want to…”
“Thanks, Firestar.”
Lionblaze dared to glance around, to see the gray warrior padding off toward the thorn tunnel. The scant mouthful of mouse felt heavy in his belly and every hair on his pelt tingled.
I know what Ashfur is going to do! He’ll announce Squirrelflight’s secret to every cat at the Gathering!
Hollyleaf was slipping out of the warriors’ den; Lionblaze padded over to her. “Usual place,” he hissed. “I’ll fetch Jayfeather.”
When he peered around the brambles that hung in front of the medicine cats’ den, Jayfeather was on his paws, arching his back in a long stretch. Leafpool was still curled up asleep in her nest.
“Lionblaze?” Jayfeather looked up. “What’s the matter?”
“We’ve got to talk,” Lionblaze told him.
He led the way to the gap behind the warriors’ den, where Hollyleaf was waiting, her green eyes full of fear. “What’s happened?” she demanded as soon as Lionblaze appeared.
“I’ve just overheard Ashfur asking Firestar if he can go to the next Gathering.”
Hollyleaf’s claws flexed in and out and her neck fur began to bristle. “No! He can’t!” she wailed.
“Be quiet,” Jayfeather snapped. “Do you want every cat to hear us?”
“We’ve got to stop him somehow.” Hollyleaf lowered her voice, but it was still full of desperation. “Otherwise he’ll tell all four Clans about us.”
Lionblaze nodded. “Squirrelflight will be shamed in front of every cat. And they might drive us away from the lake.”
“Firestar wouldn’t let them!” Hollyleaf sounded shocked.
“Firestar might not have a choice,” Jayfeather pointed out. “You know how the other Clans are always blaming Firestar for taking in loners. Some of our Clanmates agree; they think it weakens ThunderClan. Firestar might have to send us away for the good of his Clan.”
Firestar’s Clan—not theirs.His brother’s calm assessment of the risk chilled Lionblaze from ears to tail-tip. He couldn’t trust anything anymore. He had tried to be the best warrior in the Clan, and now all that was threatened because of what Ashfur knew. “Maybe we should tell Squirrelflight,” he suggested at last.
“Why?” Hollyleaf spat, her claws leaving deep scars in the earth. “What can she do? I don’t want to talk to that lying cat ever again!”
“But it sounds as if she’s the only cat who might have a chance of influencing Ashfur,” Jayfeather pointed out.
“You talk to her, then!”
“We’ll all talk to her.” Lionblaze was trying to stay calm. “Show some sense, Hollyleaf. We have to do anything we can to stop Ashfur.”
Without waiting for his sister’s agreement he wriggled out of the narrow gap behind the den and scanned the clearing. His littermates followed, Hollyleaf’s green eyes still sparkling with anger.
Lionblaze couldn’t see Squirrelflight anywhere in the clearing. Thrusting his head through the branches of the warriors’ den, he spotted her dozing in her mossy nest. “Squirrelflight!” he hissed.
The ginger she-cat’s head snapped up, hope flooding into her eyes. Lionblaze felt a pang of sympathy. This was the first time any of the three had spoken to her since the storm; she must be hoping they were ready to forgive her.
“Can I have a word with you?” Lionblaze whispered, aware of the other sleeping cats inside the den.
“Yes.” Squirrelflight leaped up eagerly and shook scraps of moss from her pelt. “Of course you can.”
As she emerged from the den, the hope in her eyes changed to wariness when she saw all three cats waiting for her. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“I’ve just heard Ashfur asking Firestar for permission to go to the next Gathering,” Lionblaze replied.
He didn’t need to tell Squirrelflight what that meant. Her eyes stretched wide with dismay. “No…” she whispered.
“What are you going to do about it?” Hollyleaf challenged her. “Or are you fine with it? I don’t suppose you’d care if Firestar drove us all out of the Clan.”
The tip of Squirrelflight’s tail twitched and anger flashed in her eyes, but she spoke calmly. “Firestar won’t do that. Not to you.”
“How do you know, if we’re not Clan cats?” Jayfeather asked.
“You—” Squirrelflight broke off and began again. “I promise that you won’t be punished. The lie was mine, and mine alone.”
“Our real mother lied, too,” Hollyleaf pointed out, a snarl creeping into her voice. “Whoever she was…”
Lionblaze looked expectantly at Squirrelflight, but her expression was closed and her jaws tight shut. Clearly she wasn’t going to share all her secrets. “I’ll talk to Ashfur,” she meowed. “I’ll make him understand that this won’t just hurt me. It will damage the whole Clan. He’s still a loyal warrior; he won’t do anything to weaken ThunderClan.” She dipped her head. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.
No cat answered her. After a couple of heartbeats Squirrelflight turned away and slipped back into the den.
“She might trust Ashfur not to harm the Clan,” Jayfeather mewed. “But I don’t. We have to do something.”
He turned and padded back toward the medicine cats’ den. Lionblaze watched him go. That was easy enough to say, he thought, but harder to carry out. What could any cat do, to silence Ashfur?
That night, blood flowed through Lionblaze’s dreams. His whole body quivered with power; he twisted and leaped against an unseen enemy until his claws were snagged with gray fur, and the reek of the sticky scarlet rivers clung to his pelt and filled the air around him.
He woke in the warriors’ den with pale light filtering through the branches. Most of the nests were already empty. Scrambling up, Lionblaze felt his legs as stiff and his paws as heavy as if he had really spent the night battling his enemy. His jaws gaped in a yawn and he stretched out his forepaws, flexing his claws and working the muscles in his shoulders.
Feeling more awake, Lionblaze pushed his way into the clearing. He tensed when he saw Ashfur a couple of tail-lengths away, beckoning to Cloudtail and Brightheart, who were sharing tongues by the fresh-kill pile.
“Come on,” he called. “Hunting patrol.”
Lionblaze padded over to him. “Mind if I join you?”
For a moment Ashfur looked startled. Then his eyes narrowed. “Sure.”
Cloudtail and Brightheart joined them, and the patrol headed out into the forest. Lionblaze brought up the rear. He knew that Ashfur must be suspicious; none of the three had spoken to him since the storm. But he wasn’t afraid of Ashfur, and somehow he had to confront him where no other cats could overhear them.
Lionblaze had no idea how to separate Ashfur from Cloudtail and Brightheart, but he had no need to worry. As they padded along the old Twoleg path toward the abandoned nest, Cloudtail stopped and sniffed the air.
“I think I’m going to try in the Twoleg garden,” he announced. “No cat has been there for a while.”
Ashfur shrugged. “I think you’re wasting your time, but go ahead if you want to. We’ll catch up to you.”
Cloudtail and Brightheart bounded off up the path. Ashfur watched them out of sight, then turned to Lionblaze. “Well? What do you want? I don’t imagine you asked to come on this patrol for the pleasure of my company.”
“No,” Lionblaze replied steadily. He was finding it hard to separate his respect for Ashfur, as his Clanmate and his former mentor, from his feelings about the raving cat who had threatened them on the night of the storm and now was threatening them again with his knowledge of Squirrelflight’s lie. “I heard you ask Firestar to go to the next Gathering. I know what you’re going to do there.”
Ashfur’s whiskers twitched. “So?”
“I’m asking you not to. Not for our sake,” Lionblaze added, “but for the sake of ThunderClan. You hold its fate in your paws.”
Ashfur heaved a deep sigh. “Spare me the appeal to my Clan loyalty,” he sneered. “I’ve already had Squirrelflight mewling to me about that. I told her, and I’m telling you now—there’s nothing that any cat can do to stop me.”
Lionblaze felt his neck fur begin to rise. He slid his claws out of their sheaths. “I can beat you in a fight if I have to.”
Instantly Ashfur’s claws appeared, and his eyes narrowed, glittering with hostility. “You can try.” Then he relaxed, drawing in his claws again. “The noble Lionblaze? Attacking a fellow warrior? No, you would never risk your place in ThunderClan by doing that.”
With a snort of contempt, he began to walk away, then glanced back over one shoulder. “You’re bound by the warrior code, just like all of us.”
“And the warrior code lets you destroy our Clan?” Lionblaze challenged him as he stalked away.
Ashfur ignored him. Lionblaze watched him until he disappeared into the undergrowth. There was no way he was going to let this cat take away everything ThunderClan had fought for—everything hehad fought for.
“Maybe I’m not as bound by the warrior code as you think…” he murmured.
第二十一章
第二十一章
松鸦爪把更多的艾菊放在两脚兽巢穴外的石头上，然后就闻到了狮焰的气息，他跟着气息来到了隧道入口。没有几个心跳的时间，松鸦爪便听到雷族设置荆棘屏障的地方传来爬行的声响。狮焰的气息逐渐靠近，其中还混杂着猫薄荷的味道。
“你找到猫薄荷了！”当狮焰走进空旷的草地时，松鸦爪欢呼道，“有没有被风族猫发现？”
狮焰迟疑着，没有回答。松鸦爪感觉从他的身上传来恐惧和愤怒混合在一起的情绪。“如果他们发现了，我还能在这儿吗？”狮焰反问道，“你在我的身上，能闻到伤口的气息吗？”
松鸦爪耸耸肩。他没时间争论狮焰说话时为什么就像皮毛里钻着很多蚂蚁一般。“你最好把荆棘屏障修补一下。”他说道，“我们不能被任何一只猫猜到我们干的事情。”
狮焰一声不吭地返回隧道里，松鸦爪则叼起那些猫薄荷，朝废弃的两脚兽巢穴走去。
“你是从哪里找到这些草药的？”
听到叶池的话，松鸦爪顿时愣住了。他还没想好编个怎样的故事告诉叶池，他原本是想在叶池发现之前，先治疗那些生病的族猫。
“猫薄荷！”叶池的声音里充满了狂喜，她走向松鸦爪，把鼻子埋进猫薄荷茂密的叶子里，“而且这么新鲜，这么茂盛——它肯定不是来自废弃的两脚兽巢穴。”
“确实不是，”松鸦爪叼着草药含糊地说，“它来自很远的地方。”他摇了摇尾巴，朝领地最深处含糊地指了指。
“感谢星族！”叶池轻轻地说道，“它们一定是给你指明了方向。”
“哦……是的，它们确实这样做了。”这是真的，松鸦爪也意识到了这一点。如果光灵没有引他去风族，他就不可能找到猫薄荷。“这已经是全部能找到的了，”松鸦爪补充道，“没办法找到更多了。”
“这应该还有富余的。”松鸦爪能感觉到叶池现在非常开心，她已经没心思细究猫薄荷的由来了，“走吧，我们现在就给病猫们送去。”
当他们穿过两脚兽巢穴的气味标记时，叶池停了下来。“今晚是半月。”她说道，“我想，这次我俩可以一起去月亮池了。”
松鸦爪点了点头，他的嘴里塞满了猫薄荷，没法儿回答。他很想知道，今晚星族猫是不是在等着感谢他拯救了影族。他想走进小云的梦境，看他是怎么样跟武士祖灵解释影族背弃星族，听信了日神的。但最重要的，还是踏上通往月亮池的道路，走在那些爪印上，再次感受那些远古的祖灵。
尽管松鸦爪看不见月亮，但他仍然可以想象它银白色的光芒洒在他的皮毛上，陪伴他走在通往月亮池的盘旋小道上，踩在爪子形状的小坑里。我还是松鸦翅的时候来过这儿吗？这里会不会也留着我的爪印呢？
他能感受到同行巫医身上传来的深深的满足，因为小云又可以回到他们身边了。蛾翅也一定会同柳光一起来的。嗯，如果每次蛾翅都不去，其他猫一定会有所怀疑的。
松鸦爪走到月亮池边缘，听到其他猫也在旁边选定了位置。但是当他把爪子伸向冰冷的水面时，叶池说道：“等等。”
松鸦爪有些惊讶，他坐起来，感到老师已经抑制不住内心的激动了。
“在我们跟星族对话前，”叶池的声音从月亮池靠近瀑布的那端传来，“我有个任务要先完成。星族已经告诉我，现在是时候授予松鸦爪巫医的名号了。”
松鸦爪掩饰不住内心的惊讶。叶池一定是因为他找到了那些猫薄荷才这么做的。有一个心跳的时间，松鸦爪感到很惭愧，因为在得到这些草药的过程中他利用了隼爪和狮焰，而且后来说到草药的发现地点时，他又对叶池撒了谎。
但是雷族因此可以生存下去。他提醒自己。他不在乎自己通过什么方法达到目的。他想到和叶池把那些珍贵的草药送到废弃的两脚兽巢穴时，病猫脸上浮现出的高兴和轻松，顿时觉得有一股暖流涌过全身。现在他们已经能睡得安稳多了，还有足够的猫薄荷用于治疗。
“哇，松鸦爪？”叶池的声音里充满玩笑的味道，“舌头被獾咬了吗？”
“我……没有……谢谢！”松鸦爪结结巴巴地说。
“那就到我身边来！”
松鸦爪沿着月亮池的边缘走过去，每走一步，他都把爪子小心翼翼地踩在光滑的地面上。他可不想自己的命名仪式以摔进月亮池作为序幕。
当他经过青面身边时，年长的巫医小声说道：“干得不错！”隼爪也用尾巴轻轻地拍了拍他的肩膀。
最后松鸦爪终于站到老师面前，感到深深的疼爱和骄傲正从老师的身上散发出来，比从半月那儿感受到的还要强烈。对叶池来说，他真的如此重要吗？
“我，叶池，雷族巫医，”叶池开口道，“请求我的武士祖灵俯视这位学徒。他已经接受了严格的巫医训练。他将在你们的帮助下，永远为他的族群服务。”
松鸦爪听着叶池的话，全身的毛都竖了起来。他已经忘了旁观猫的存在，就像自己正站在一个又高又远的地方，那里只有他和叶池，以及连绵不断的流水声。
“松鸦爪，”叶池继续说道，“你愿意发誓秉承巫医的规则，即使在族群对抗时也保持中立，平等地医治每只猫，甚至不惜牺牲自己的性命吗？”
“我愿意。”松鸦爪清晰而自信地说出了每个字。有一会儿，他感到身后有一种气息绵延环绕。这气息不像族群猫的，却又带着雷族领地的味道。是半月！她是来见证他成为一位真正的巫医的吗？松鸦爪希望她能明白，这意味着什么——他永远都不能像她所希望的样子陪伴在她的身边。如果一切重来，他俩也许能以双方都接受的方式拥有对方……
松鸦爪的肚子抽搐着。千万别叫我松鸦翅。他刚消化掉梦境带给他的所有信息，一点也不想在余生跟前世的他拥有一样的名字。
“松鸦爪，从此刻开始，你的名字是松鸦羽。”叶池的声音因饱含情感而微微颤抖，“星族以你的医术和你对知识的渴求为荣。你也确实拯救了许多猫的性命。”
松鸦羽感到自豪和轻松的同时，也希望老师不要在这场仪式中详细地说明他做过的事。族群间不安的因素还有许多，他猜老师更愿意对绿咳症的暴发保持缄默。否则就像他对狮焰所说的那样，她大可以直接问青面要些猫薄荷。
松鸦羽感到叶池把鼻子放在他的脑袋上，就像族长任命新的武士一般。作为回应，他用舌头舔了舔老师的肩膀。
“松鸦羽！松鸦羽！”小云高声欢呼道。其他巫医也一同欢呼起来，其中也包括柳光。
她现在没什么可骄傲的了吧？松鸦羽想。
“现在到了你作为一位正式的巫医，和星族谈话的时间。”叶池对他说。
“或许它们会让你做一个好梦。”青面声音低沉地说。
松鸦羽走回月亮池旁的位置，他的心里有些紧张。星族会因为他用不诚实的方法获得巫医名号，抓烂他的皮毛吗？他能确定，黄牙会不高兴的。
我才不在乎。我在别的猫束手无策的时候拯救了雷族。
他让自己坐在月亮池边，探出身子够到了水。他听到旁边其他的巫医也正在这样做，然后调整姿势，舒适地躺下去，接收星族赐予他们的梦。松鸦羽也蜷缩起来，闭上眼睛，尾巴轻轻地盖上了自己的鼻子。
松鸦羽醒了，光线刺得他直眨眼睛。他本以为自己会站在遇到岩石的那片荒凉的山顶上。但是并没有。此时他正站在光灵曾与他对话的那片林间空地。暖风轻柔地抚着他的皮毛，带来了茁壮生长的绿色草药的气息；他内心的焦虑如同绿叶季的冰雪一般，悄然融化了。
一开始，松鸦羽认为这儿只有他一个。但随着树叶被风卷起，他发现空地的另一边，有两只猫趴在一根树枝上：光心和勇心正眯着眼睛俯视着他。与此同时，那棵树下的蕨丛向两边分开，光灵走进了空地。
美丽的银色虎斑猫走过空地，直到碰到了松鸦羽的鼻子。她甜甜的体香中掺杂着草药的气息。
“松鸦羽，”光灵向他祝贺，眼睛里闪动着愉悦的光芒，“现在你是一位真正的巫医了。”
“这都要归功于你。”松鸦羽承认道，“你告诉我哪里可以找到猫薄荷，是你拯救了雷族。”
“我很高兴能帮上忙。”光灵绿色的眼睛里闪烁着爱与喜悦，“我也曾想成为巫医，但那不是星族为我安排的道路。现在我愿意竭尽全力，帮助有需要的猫。不管他们属于哪个族群，或者哪个部落。”
松鸦羽怀着深深的敬意低下了头：“谢谢你。谢谢你走了这么远的路，来帮我们。”
光灵再次碰了碰松鸦羽的鼻子：“我想，你走过的路更遥远，我的朋友。”
松鸦羽打了个冷战，犹豫着问道：“我们还会再见吗？”
“这要看星族的意愿了。”光灵回答道。
她的呼吸温暖了松鸦羽的皮毛；他的周身环绕着一片闪耀的云朵，就好像这只银色的虎斑猫要把他托到空中，成为她旁边的一颗星。松鸦羽的爪子颤抖着。“再见，松鸦羽。”光灵轻声道。
松鸦羽猛地睁开双眼，眼前是一片漆黑。他正蜷在月亮池边的一块石头上，身旁的巫医正逐个醒来。
第二天一大早，松鸦羽和叶池回到营地时，他听见族猫们正在空地中央大声地谈论着什么。黑莓掌的声音盖过了其他嘈杂声。
“安静！我们把每件事都理一理，好吗？”
叶池叹了口气。“超负荷的狩猎和巡逻，让每只猫都精疲力竭，脾气也变坏了。我去给他们拿些补充体力的草药。”她走向自己的巢穴。
“松鸦爪，能跟我谈一句话吗？”松鸦羽出现在众猫面前，想知道他们在吵什么，黑莓掌却喊住了他。
“好啊，不过现在要叫我松鸦羽。”松鸦羽骄傲地提醒道。但是没有猫在乎他说了什么。他沉闷地喷了口气，问：“发生什么事了？”
“蕨毛说，黎明巡逻队在风族领地上发现了一只狐狸，就在离边界不远的地方。”黑莓掌答道，“你和叶池回来的时候，看到什么了吗？”
“我什么都没看见。”松鸦羽反驳道，“我倒是闻到一点儿狐狸的气息，但是很明显不是从我们领地内传来的。”
“如果它就在风族边界附近，那很快就会来我们领地。”黛西忧虑的声音从附近传过来，“我的孩子们可能会有危险。”
“还有住在两脚兽巢穴里的那些猫。”松鸦羽感到灰条非常激动，“如果狐狸跑到那里去怎么办？”
“好了，灰条和蕨毛，你们去探查一下。”黑莓掌命令道，“如果你们发现了任何狐狸越过边界的迹象，就跟着它的气息，看看能不能找到它的巢穴。”
“好的。我们走。”能为这次危机出一分力，灰条听起来非常高兴。
松鸦羽拦住准备出发的两位武士：“叶池有些补充体力的草药，让她拿给你们。”
“谢谢，松鸦羽。”蕨毛说道。松鸦羽听见他和灰条向巫医巢穴跑去。
“好了，巡逻队，”黑莓掌继续布置道，“蜡毛，你能带一支巡逻队去为营地里的猫狩猎吗？让榛尾和桦落跟你一起去。另外……”
“我的窝怎么办？”鼠毛打断了他的话，“已经好多天没有更换铺垫了。每只猫都太忙了，没有猫做这些日常工作。”
松鸦羽听见黑莓掌压下了一声叹息：“好的，鼠毛。学徒们马上就去给你更换。”鼠毛哼了一声：“早就该这样了。”
“我不知道为什么我们应该去做这个。”狐爪小声对同窝猫说。松鸦羽发现狐爪和冰爪就站在他的身旁。
“鼠毛就像爪子痛的獾一样古怪。”狐爪接着说道，“我们从来都得不到一声感谢。”
“是呀，她总是说，‘这太潮湿了’，或者‘铺垫里有刺’。”冰爪小声地回应道。
松鸦羽转过身，靠近两位学徒。“你们应该为鼠毛换上干净的铺垫，来发挥自己的作用。”他严厉地说，“也要对你们的长者表现出一点儿尊敬。你们喜欢睡在脏脏的窝里吗？”
“你又不是我们的老师。”狐爪反驳道，“你不能告诉我们该做什么。”
松鸦羽低下头，几乎要贴上狐爪的鼻子：“现在就去给鼠毛换铺垫。否则我就告诉黛西，你正准备哄小蟾蜍吃兔子屎，骗他说那是一种新的浆果。”
他感到狐爪惊讶得趔趄了一下：“你是怎么知道的？”
“别管我怎么知道的。”松鸦羽回答道，“乖乖去干活儿。”
“你不会真的告诉黛西吧？”狐爪威胁道。
松鸦羽露出了牙齿：“你试试看。”
“好吧，好吧，我们去就是了。走了，冰爪，你还在那里傻愣着干吗？”
松鸦羽听见狐爪推了推姐姐，然后两只年轻猫匆匆地跑向荆棘屏障。冰爪困惑的声音从远处传了过来：“什么兔子屎？他在说什么？”
“别管了！”狐爪说道，“我们现在得去找苔藓！”
松鸦羽闻到草药浓烈的气味，他意识到叶池已经从巫医巢穴出来了，正把补充体力的草药分发给所有的武士。
“谢谢，叶池。”黑莓掌说道，“病猫们的草药够用吗？”
“嗯，还有很多。”叶池回答道，“我等会儿就让松鸦羽带一些，送去两脚兽巢穴。还有一件事，”她补充道，“你能让巡逻队抓些幼小的猎物吗？病猫们吃起来会好一些，因为有猫薄荷的医治，他们很快就会感到饥饿。”
“没问题。”黑莓掌回答道，“你们都听见了吧？沙风，你带一队猫去给两脚兽巢穴的病猫狩猎，带上蛛足、莓鼻和……哦……蜡毛。现在我们要安排前往影族边界的巡逻队。我来带队，还有……”
“你没意识到吗？”莓鼻打断了黑莓掌的话，“你刚才把蜡毛派到两个巡逻队里了？他有分身术吗？”
“噢，老鼠屎！”黑莓掌抱怨道，“对不起，蜡毛。你能……”
“蜡毛，看在星族的分儿上！”松鼠飞插话道。松鸦羽被她话语中的怒气吓了一跳：“你不能应一声吗？干吗像根树桩一样站在那里？”
“抱歉，但是……”蜡毛听起来也吓了一跳。
“抱歉又抓不到猎物。”松鼠飞咆哮道，“你为什么不说点什么？你没看到黑莓掌的压力有多大吗？难道要副族长每件事都亲自去做吗？”
“喂，松鼠飞……”黑莓掌听起来似乎对伴侣激烈地为他辩护感到尴尬。
松鼠飞没理会他。松鸦羽意识到她之所以生气，是因为她自己的身体没有恢复，不能参加狩猎和巡逻，而且她也在为父亲和族猫们担心。“如果黑莓掌出了什么事，肯定不止一只猫想当副族长吧？”松鼠飞继续愤愤地说道，“你们指责起他的错误来，还真是迅速，可是又有谁能设身处地地为他想想呢？”
“松鼠飞，别激动！”黑莓掌再次打断她的话，语气变得强硬了些，“这没什么大不了的。”
松鼠飞发出一声愤怒的嘶叫，转身跑回武士巢穴。松鸦羽为她说出那些话而深感自豪。他也为父亲骄傲。火星病倒后，父亲承担了所有的领导职责，让雷族上下都凝聚在一起。
“蜡毛，很抱歉发生了这样的事。”黑莓掌接着说道，“你还是带领巡逻队为营地里的猫狩猎。沙风，让鼠须代替蜡毛。”
“很好。”蜡毛的声音非常冰冷，他把巡逻队员召集起来，带队离开了。
看在星族的分上，不要计较这些吧，松鸦羽想，黑莓掌只是犯了一个无心之失。
松鸦羽跟叶池一块儿走回巫医巢穴的时候，不禁想知道这里是不是发生过很多他不知道的争吵。松鼠飞那么生气，黑莓掌迅速地纠正，蜡毛显然没有原谅他……这三只猫之间是不是发生过什么他不知道的事情？
松鸦羽摇摇头，想让自己不再去想它。不论是什么问题，他们三个都能自己解决。松鸦羽可以肯定的是，这跟他没什么关系。
CHAPTER25
CHAPTER25
Jayfeather curled up in his nestin the medicine cats’ den and waited for sleep to take him. Lionblaze had told him how he had confronted Ashfur in the forest, and how the gray warrior had refused his pleas and Squirrelflight’s. If that didn’t do any good, Jayfeather thought, it’s time to try another way
Yawning, he burrowed deeper into the soft moss. He pictured himself brushing past the bramble screen, out into the camp, and padding across the clearing to the warriors’ den. Sliding through the branches, he picked his way carefully among the sleeping forms until he stood beside the mound of gray fur that was Ashfur.
In his mind, Jayfeather scraped at the moss until he had made a place for himself, then curled up beside Ashfur and matched his breathing to the sleeping warrior’s.
Soon he felt a stiff breeze blowing across his fur, and woke to find himself in the forest, not far from the ShadowClan border. There was no sign of Ashfur, but the forest seemed subtly different. It wasn’t just that he could see; there was something else. The scent of ShadowClan made his fur bristle as if he was anticipating a fight; he slid his claws out so he would be ready. He was more aware than usual of the scent of prey.
Wind flattened the grass, driving dead leaves ahead of it. Jayfeather pounced on one of them, enjoying the crackling sound beneath his paws; in the waking world he couldn’t see blowing leaves to play with them.
“But you’re not a kit anymore,” he muttered.
In the same heartbeat he heard the sound of a cat pushing his way through the undergrowth. Fronds of bracken parted in front of Jayfeather, and Ashfur pushed his way into the open. He halted, startled.
“What are you doing here?”
Jayfeather shrugged. “I could ask you the same thing.” He padded forward until he was close enough to flick a scrap of bracken off Ashfur’s shoulder with the tip of his tail.
Ashfur’s neck fur rose. “You can see!”
“Sure. You’re dreaming, Ashfur. Don’t you know that?”
The gray warrior took a pace back; his blue eyes looked troubled. “Why would I dream about you?”
“Because I want to talk to you where no cat can interrupt us. Where you have to listen to me.”
Ashfur let out a snort. “I don’t haveto listen to any cat, let alone a scrawny excuse for a medicine cat. Besides, I already know what you’re going to say. You’re going to beg me not to say anything at the next Gathering. Well, you can save your breath. I’ll say what I want. That lying she-cat will be driven out of ThunderClan for good, and no other Clan will want her, either.”
Jayfeather narrowed his eyes. “You’ll regret it, Ashfur.”
The warrior loomed over him, anger smoldering in his gaze. “Are you threatening me? I could break your neck with one swipe.”
“Try,” Jayfeather invited him. “This is a dream, remember?”
Ashfur looked briefly disconcerted; then he lashed his tail. “Yes, it’s a dream. I’m imagining all of this. I still don’t have to listen to you.”
“Take warning, Ashfur.” Jayfeather drew himself up and locked his gaze with his Clanmate’s. “I’m a medicine cat, and I speak with the voice of StarClan. If you go ahead with what you plan to do, you will regret it.”
Ashfur backed away again until his haunches brushed against the bracken. “My conscience is clear, and StarClan knows that,” he blustered. “It’s Squirrelflight who lied. She doesn’t deserve the loyalty of any cat.”
Whipping around, he plunged back into the undergrowth.
Jayfeather stood looking after him until the waving fronds of fern were still once more. Ashfur had heard his warning, but would it make any difference to him when he woke?
Jayfeather spent the next morning sorting herbs with Leafpool. His mentor seemed oddly distracted, as if her mind was on something else.
“We need more water mint,” she murmured. “We used up so much when the cats were hurt after the storm.”
“No, this is water mint.” Jayfeather shoved a bunch of it under her nose. “We’ve plenty of it. It’s yarrow we’re out of.”
“Oh yes…sorry.”
Fed up of trying to work with her if she couldn’t tell yarrow from water mint, Jayfeather headed out of the den. “I’ll go fetch more,” he tossed back over his shoulder.
At the entrance to the tunnel he heard the rustle of cats coming in, and stood back to wait for them. Cloudtail was the first to emerge into the clearing, followed by Ashfur.
“What do youwant?” To Jayfeather’s satisfaction, the gray warrior sounded thoroughly spooked. Feelings of anger and uncertainty crackled through his fur.
“I’m waiting to go out,” Jayfeather replied calmly.
A snort came from Ashfur, followed by Whitewing’s voice. “Ashfur, you’re blocking the entrance.” There was a hiss of annoyance from Ashfur and he bounded away.
Returning with the yarrow, Jayfeather picked up Ashfur’s scent near the fresh-kill pile. Instead of going straight to the medicine cats’ den, he headed toward the gray warrior. His sense of satisfaction returned as he heard Ashfur get to his paws and pad away, thrusting through the branches into the warriors’ den.
I’ve got him worried,Jayfeather realized, veering off to his own den. But will it be enough to keep him quiet?
第二十二章
第二十二章
灰绿色的云低悬在森林上面的天空，空气显得又湿又冷。冬青叶的毛竖着，提防着即将来临的暴风雨。她正跟着蜡毛带领的巡逻队穿过森林，她走在队伍的最后，不断逼近、变大的雨云似乎正在回应她内心的不安。她努力地驱赶着焦虑，但还是摆脱不了哪里不对劲的感觉。
两个晚上之前，黑莓掌选择她参加森林大会。黑星已经在那里了，但是对于日神以及影族再次尊重武士守则的事，他只字未提。黑莓掌代替火星参加这次大会，简要地向另外三位族长说明，火星很抱歉这次不能参加，但是没有透露具体原因。
冬青叶很想知道，大家还相互隐瞒了哪些事情。
她又想起另一个秘密，当时巡逻队正经过两脚兽巢穴。狮焰、蜜蕨和小玫瑰从里面走出来。这只奶油色的幼崽跑过空地，扑进一堆落叶中。听到枯叶被压碎的声音，她兴奋地大叫着，把叶子抛到空中。
“冷静点！”狮焰说道，“你也不愿意在回营地之前，就把自己弄得筋疲力尽吧？”
小玫瑰坐了起来，一片落叶正粘在她的头顶。“我没事！”她宣布，“我想给妈妈抓些猎物。”
蜜蕨咕噜几声，把小玫瑰拱出落叶堆，迅速清理着幼崽的皮毛。狮焰则走向自己的妹妹。
“又有猫可以回营地了吗？”冬青叶问。
“是的。”狮焰回答道，“现在这里只剩下米莉、小荆棘和火星了。火星要在所有的猫都回营地之后再回去。”
“松鸦羽能找到那些猫薄荷，真是太好了！”冬青叶感叹了一句，她眯起眼睛，仔细观察哥哥的反应。
“呃……是啊！”狮焰看起来不太自然。
狮焰的反应印证了冬青叶的怀疑：猫薄荷的事情有秘密，而且她的两个同窝猫跟这个秘密有关。
他们为什么不告诉我？我们三个之间不应该有秘密才对。
“现在一切都好起来了，”狮焰飞快地继续说着，好像要避免冬青叶追问别的问题，“两脚兽巢穴的猫薄荷也发出了新芽，完全够米莉和小荆棘用了。她们的情况也在一天一天地好转。”
“的确很好。不过……”
“冬青叶！”蜡毛不耐烦地打断她的话。淡灰色武士折回身来，正在离旧两脚兽小道几尾远的地方等着她。
“我得走了。”冬青叶对狮焰说道，当她这么说的时候，分明看见狮焰眼里一闪而过的轻松。
“一会儿见。”狮焰回道，然后和蜜蕨，还有在前面蹦蹦跳跳的小玫瑰，一起往营地走去。
冬青叶看他们离开了，就走上旧两脚兽小道，加入了蜡毛的队伍。
“你是打算今天狩猎，而不是明天吧？”她走过去时，蜡毛严厉地问。
“对不起，”冬青叶低声说，“我只是想跟狮焰说句话。”
这也不是为了我自己。冬青叶想。蜡毛哼了一声，带着休整后的队伍朝森林深处走去。至于狮焰和松鸦羽到底隐瞒了些什么，她仍然没有弄清楚。
当巡逻队回到营地时，空气变得更加凝重。一股暖风过来，枝头的残叶就落了下来。冬青叶的皮毛在风中飞舞，嘴里猎物的气息被风吹进喉咙，就像吃了一口鸦食。
蜡毛带着队伍穿过通道时，天上开始下起了雨，雨滴很大。他们刚走出通道，一滴雨就打在冬青叶的鼻子上；她厌烦地抖抖胡须，甩落雨水。远处响起了隆隆的雷声。
很好，冬青叶想着，把猎物送到猎物堆上。暴风雨过后，空气又会变得清新了。
她抬头看向高空，突然，一道闪电撕裂了天空，冬青叶赶紧闭上眼睛。雷声刚刚响起，雨水就倾泻下来，在地面形成大朵的水花。只有两个心跳的时间，她的皮毛就被淋得贴在了身上。
武士巢穴传出一声悲鸣。云尾伸出头问道：“发生什么事了？”
冬青叶太害怕了，甚至忘了找个地方躲雨。她瞥见蛛足冒雨奔向武士巢穴，鼠须紧紧地跟在后面。
又一道闪电划过天际。冬青叶震惊地发现山谷边缘的一棵树突然烧着了，红色的火舌熊熊地向天上蹿去，倾泻下来的雨水也没能将它浇灭。烧焦的树叶落到山谷里。随着一声可怕的呻吟，一根烧着的树枝从树干上断裂开来，掉到离冬青叶不远的地方。她吓得大叫着往旁边一躲，和刺掌撞在一起。
“森林着火了！”刺掌尖叫。
闪电的利爪撕裂天空，震耳欲聋的爆裂声盖过雷鸣。接着冬青叶发现一棵大树开始倾倒下来，树根被从土壤里拔出来，火焰吞噬着它的枝丫。燃烧的树叶和枝条纷纷散落到营地里的空地上。
此起彼伏的惊声尖叫在冬青叶的周围响起。冬青叶看见黑莓掌跑向育婴室，沙风用爪子往一根着火的树枝上浇水，试图阻止火焰向武士巢穴蔓延。
“米莉！”灰条大喊着，飞快地冲进通道，跑向两脚兽的巢穴。
他灰色的尾巴刚在通道入口处消失，火星就出现了。他跑到空地的中心，火焰色的皮毛因为被雨淋过，显得非常黯淡，身上也沾满了泥巴。但是他仍然高高地抬着头，大吼着发布命令。
“快逃！大家都快出来！再留在这里，你们会被困住的！”
众猫们开始冲出巢穴。他们冲过空地，跑着或者跳着躲避仍然如雨水般落下的火热的碎片。
“去两脚兽巢穴。”火星命令道，“我们可以在那里避难。”
黑莓掌从育婴室出来，嘴里叼着小黄蜂。黛西叼着小梅花跟在火星的身后。小玫瑰和小蟾蜍则跌跌撞撞地跟在母亲黛西的身边。鼠毛从长老巢穴走出来，尾巴搭在长尾的肩膀上为他引路。冰爪和狐爪瞪着惊恐的大眼睛，被老师推着向荆棘通道跑去。
冬青叶四处找寻狮焰和松鸦羽的身影，但是她没有在纷纷逃离的群猫中看到他们。松鸦羽可能需要帮助，她尽量压抑着内心的恐惧。而且也不知道松鼠飞怎么样了。她的伤口应该还会疼，体力也没有完全恢复。
冬青叶尽力穿过倾泻的大雨，不顾燃烧的火焰，跑向巫医巢穴。她在黑莓屏风前遇见了叶池，叶池的嘴里叼满草药，松鸦羽正跟在她的身后。
“去帮助别的猫吧！”冬青叶着急地对巫医说，“我来领着松鸦羽。”
叶池对她点了一下头，然后迅速朝通道跑去。
“我自己可以的，谢谢。”松鸦羽怒冲冲地嘟哝着。
“别鼠脑子了！”冬青叶对他厉声说道，“外面着火了。现在停止抱怨，咬住我的尾巴。”
当弟弟咬住自己的尾尖时，冬青叶哆嗦了一下，接着便转身跑向通道。突然，狮焰从雨中冲了出来。
“你们在这里，”他放心地喘了口气，“我们快走。”
三只猫一起向通道跑去。空地上已经没有别的猫了。看来族猫，包括火星，都已经离开了。他们能顺利到达两脚兽巢穴吗？冬青叶想，会在森林里跑散吗？雷族会在最后分崩离析吗？
她和兄弟们跑到空地中，又一道闪电在空中张开利爪。营地入口的荆棘屏障被闪电击中，起了火。通道瞬间被一道火舌吞噬。
冬青叶停下爪子，吓得僵在原地：“我们被困在火里了！”
她慌张地环顾四周，努力想着对策。营地里到处都散落着燃烧的树枝，而且不断有树枝从山谷周围那些被闪电击中的树木上落下来。武士巢穴已经烧了起来，那里已经没有藏身之处。
“去学徒巢穴……”冬青叶喊道，尽管她知道那里非常窄，而且如果火势蔓延的话，那里也不会给他们任何保护。
“不，到这里来。”松鼠飞的声音从她身后传来。冬青叶一转身，看见母亲着急地甩动尾巴，指向岩壁的方向说：“那里还有一条路。”
一股难为情的轻松淹没了冬青叶——自己仍像一只需要母亲照顾的幼崽。她领着松鸦羽，跟在松鼠飞身后，穿过山谷岩壁的一丛黑莓。狮焰则跟在最后。
让冬青叶意外的是，黑莓丛后面的石头坍塌了。从雨中望去，冬青叶看见石缝间生长的灌木和草，一直蔓延到山谷顶端。
“这是一条出入营地的秘密通道！”她大喊道，“可是我们从来都不知道有这么个地方！”
“感谢星族！”松鼠飞不动声色地说道，“即使不知道这条通道，你们作为幼崽和学徒，惹的麻烦也已经够多了。”接着她的语气一变，再次紧张起来，“松鸦羽，你先走。跟着我的声音，这里并不难爬上去。”
“如果你掉下来，我们会接住你的。”狮焰安慰着弟弟。
“我又不是幼崽！”松鸦羽气呼呼地说，尽管冬青叶看见他正怕得瑟瑟发抖。
松鼠飞率先爬上去，钻过黑莓丛，攀附在岩顶，大声叫喊着，这样松鸦羽就能顺着声音爬上去。松鸦羽跟在后面，艰难地攀爬着，突然后腿一滑，在一根常春藤上晃荡着。
“老鼠屎！”他发出一声呼噜，挣扎着找到了身体平衡。
松鼠飞继续指引着他往上爬。现在她的声音很平静，尽管她一定很害怕那只小猫爬到更高处时会摔下去。
冬青叶和狮焰跟着往上爬。虽然松鼠飞之前说并不难爬，但冬青叶相信，大雨极有可能将她冲下岩壁，闪电也有可能击中她抓着的荆棘条。周围只有黑暗、火光和闪电。冬青叶看不到族猫，心中暗想，我可能永远也到不了岩顶！
但是最终她又听到母亲的声音了。“做得好。”松鼠飞用牙齿咬着她的后颈，把她拽到悬崖上面。冬青叶躺在地上，喘息了一会儿，看着母亲帮助狮焰爬到她的身边。松鸦羽侧身躺着，眼睛紧闭着，使劲地喘着气。
“离边上远一些。”松鼠飞警告道，“岩石正在跌落下去。”说完便转过身，带着他们钻进了灌木丛。
冬青叶推了推松鸦羽：“再走远一点，你就能休息了。”
弟弟露出牙齿，发出一声无力的低吼；冬青叶看得出来，弟弟永远不会承认，他爬上这些山坡是多么艰难。
“如果你愿意的话，可以靠在我的肩膀上。”狮焰提议道，随即走到松鸦羽的另一边。
“听着，鼠脑子……”
松鸦羽恼怒的嘶叫被一声惊雷打断了。天空被噼啪作响的闪电点燃，就像要把三只猫穿在它的爪子上。雷声在头顶轰鸣，灌木丛也着火了。
冬青叶吓得发出一声尖叫。贪婪的红色火舌扑向她和她的同窝猫，挡住了他们离开悬崖的路。随着雨水倾泻下来，灌木丛冒起浓烟；冬青叶被呛得无法呼吸，不停地咳嗽。可是雨却开始变小，已经无法将火扑灭。
一股热浪扑向冬青叶，她本能地后退几步，接着发觉爪子下的岩石开始松动。冬青叶赶紧爬开了几步，然后朝下看去，空地上到处都是火焰和烧得黑黢黢的废墟。即使他们能避开火焰和雨水安全地爬回去，也没办法逃离。
“发生什么事了？”松鸦羽蜷缩在灼烧的热浪下，“我们走哪条路？”
“我们哪儿也去不了，我们被困住了。”狮焰冷静地说。火焰在他眼眸中跳动，照亮了他金棕色的皮毛，“松鼠飞！”他大喊，“你在那边吗？帮帮我们！”
就在他说话的时候，一根烧着的枝条从灌木丛里掉落下来。冬青叶及时地把松鸦羽拽开。三只同窝猫被逼到了悬崖的边缘。
“我在这儿！”松鼠飞的声音因为恐慌而变得又尖又细，“我正打算把一根树枝推给你们。在它被烧起来之前，你们可以踏着它跑出来。”
“好的。我们已经做好了准备。”狮焰回答道。
冬青叶对哥哥的勇敢感到安心。如果没有他在，她相信自己一定会惊慌失措，被困在大火和营地之间。但是他们会一直在一起，他们三只猫，就像以前那样被预言保护着。
冬青叶听到大火之外，有重物被拖动着穿过灌木丛的声音。她的信心像尘埃一样，被瞬间吹跑了。
“她永远都做不到的。”冬青叶小声对狮焰说，“她还带着伤呢，也不够强壮。”
“松鼠飞能做到她必须做的事情。”狮焰回答道。
火已经蔓延到草地上，雨水嘶嘶地淋在火焰上，火苗落回地面，冒着烟熄灭了。但是新的火焰又蹿了起来，空中充满了燃烧产生的刺鼻气味。一片燃烧的树叶落到松鸦羽的皮毛上，狮焰赶忙用爪子拍开它，空气里又增加了一股皮毛烧焦的味道。
透过橘红色的火焰，冬青叶瞥见松鼠飞的身影，她正在竭尽全力拖着一根树枝。看样子她已经耗尽了所有的力气。狮焰绷紧身体，似乎想跳出去帮忙。
“不要！”冬青叶喊道，“距离太远了。”
没等狮焰开口反驳，一个身影穿过翻滚的浓烟，站到松鼠飞的身旁。他的眼睛圆睁着，淡灰色的皮毛缠结在一起，上面还粘着烧焦的树叶和细枝。隔着浓烟和大火，冬青叶看不清楚，差点儿以为自己看见的是某位武士祖灵，但是接着她认出来是蜡毛。
松鼠飞放下树枝。“快帮我把这个推到火里去！”她大声叫道。
蜡毛用强有力的下巴叼起树枝，把它推入火墙，到达冬青叶和兄弟们身前被火包围的地面。但是冬青叶并未感到轻松。她看不懂蜡毛的眼神——那是一只意外地发现猎物的猫的眼神。
树枝成为跨越火海的一座桥。但是蜡毛站在桥的终点，挡住了通往安全地带的路。狮焰用爪子推了推松鸦羽。冬青叶刚踏上树枝，却停了下来。她看着蜡毛闪烁的深蓝色眼睛，心里发冷。
“蜡毛，让开路。”松鼠飞的声音里充满疑惑，“让他们三个出来。”
“现在黑莓掌可不在这里照看他们了。”蜡毛讥笑道。
冬青叶感觉自己身上的毛竖了起来。蜡毛这话是什么意思？
狮焰金棕色的毛也竖立起来。“你对我们的父亲做了什么？”他朝火焰另一边吼道。
蜡毛同情地看着狮焰。在这燃烧的森林里，他的双眼就是两点火光：“我为什么要在黑莓掌身上浪费时间？”
这根树枝的主干很坚硬，不容易着火，但是它上面的树叶已经被火烤得卷起，上面的细枝也开始冒烟。冬青叶意识到，没有多少时间了，可以通往安全之地的桥支撑不了多久了。
松鼠飞蹒跚着走到蜡毛面前。冬青叶从未见过母亲如此愤怒。她的毛都奓了起来，看起来就像一位虎族武士。不过很明显，爬上悬崖，接下来又拖树枝，让她更加虚弱。她已经精疲力竭。
“你和黑莓掌的纠葛必须停止了。”她嘶嘶地说道，“这事情已经过去太久了。你必须明白，我现在是黑莓掌的伴侣，不是你的。你不能因为早就注定的事情，一直试图惩罚黑莓掌。”
蜡毛惊讶得竖起了耳朵：“我和黑莓掌没有纠葛。”
冬青叶和狮焰震惊地对视一眼。“我这样做并不是因为这个。”蜡毛低声说。
“我一点都不怪黑莓掌。”他接着说道，“做一只不忠贞的母猫的伴侣，并不是他的错。”
不忠贞？冬青叶的喉咙深处酝酿着一声怒吼，但是她并没有吼出来，而是静静地看着树枝另一边的两只猫。有什么不祥的事情正在她的面前发生。即便被熊熊烈火包围，冬青叶却突然感到被寒冷湮没了。她后退几步，靠近狮焰和松鸦羽。松鸦羽抬着头，失明的双眼专注地盯着母亲和蜡毛，就像他能看见一般。
“我知道，你一定认为我永远不会原谅黑莓掌把你从我身边偷走。但是你们都错了，就像其他的猫一样错误。我无法原谅的是你，松鼠飞。”蜡毛的声音因为愤怒颤抖着，“一直都是你。”
冬青叶害怕极了，她退后一步，然后就感到后爪开始沿着悬崖往下滑。她的头顶亮起一道闪电，雷鸣盖住了一切声响，甚至包括火焰燃烧的声音。冬青叶在空中摇晃了一个心跳的时间，然后刚要发出惊叫，便被什么东西给制止住了。
接着冬青叶感到一副坚实的牙齿咬住了她的后颈，她在浓烟中眨眨眼睛，感觉狮焰正把她拽回到安全地带。但是他们仍然没有安全：树枝一端是饥饿的火焰，另一端是怒目而视的蜡毛。火星不断飞溅到三只猫身上，灼烧着他们的皮毛，接着火焰开始舔舐那根树枝的底部。冬青叶发现树枝已经开始燃烧，恐惧像洪水一般涌上她的心头。
蜡毛必须让我们出去！但是冬青叶找不到任何词语请求他。以前发生的事情跟他们完全无关，他们却要因此而丧命。
“这一切都是很久以前的事情了。”松鼠飞听起来很困惑，“蜡毛，我完全不知道你仍然很在意。”
“在意？”蜡毛重复道，“我才不在意。你根本不知道我有多么痛苦。就像身体每天都被剖开，血流在石头上。我不明白，为什么你们都看不见我的心在流血……”
他的眼睛里充满阴云，他的声音显得狂野而渺远，就像他自己的鲜血正喷涌而出，流到了燃烧的地面。冬青叶眼露恐惧，往兄弟的身边靠了靠。这只猫正变得比暴雨、大火和身后随时都可能坍塌的悬崖还危险。
冬青叶想冒险踏上树枝的一端。蜡毛立刻转向她，再次从悲伤中回过神来，冲着她咆哮了一声。
“站住！”他转身面对着松鼠飞，但是一只爪子仍然踩在树枝上，嘶嘶地叫道，“我简直不敢相信，你竟然不知道你把我伤得有多深。你才是瞎眼的那只猫，而不是松鸦羽。你怎么不好好想想，是谁给火星送的信息，让他去湖边的狐狸陷阱旁的？我想让他死，我夺走你父亲的生命，就是想让你尝尝痛苦的真正滋味。”
冬青叶震惊的目光对上狮焰同样震惊的目光。“他想害死火星？”她倒抽一口凉气，“他疯了吧！”
狮焰的目光坚定起来，他肌肉绷紧，准备跳出去：“我要去跟他战斗。”
“不！”冬青叶用牙齿紧紧咬住他肩膀上的皮毛，“你不能去！”她的声音变得有些模糊：“他会把你推进火里的。”
“后来黑莓掌救了火星。”蜡毛接着对松鼠飞说道，“可是现在他不在这里。他不在这儿——但是你们的孩子在。”
松鼠飞的眼里充满了愤怒。有一个心跳的时间，冬青叶以为她就要对淡灰色武士出手了。但是她知道松鼠飞现在已经筋疲力尽，而且心里充满了伤痛，她的母亲根本没机会那样做。松鼠飞似乎也明白了这一点。她站起来，抬起了头。她的腿哆嗦着，但是她的声音却清晰而勇敢。
“够了，蜡毛。这是你和我的恩怨。这些年轻的小猫没做过伤害你的事。你要做什么，就冲我来吧，但是你要让他们从火里出来。”
“你不懂。”蜡毛看着松鼠飞，就像第一次见到她一样，他的语气既困惑又暴躁，“这是能让你体会到，你给我带来的痛苦的唯一方法。你放弃我选择黑莓掌时，我的心都被你撕碎了。不管我对你做什么，都比不上那种痛苦。但是你的孩子……”蜡毛看向火焰另一边的冬青叶和她的兄弟们，眯起的眼睛变成了蓝色的缝，“如果你亲眼看着他们死去，你就能体会到我那时的痛苦了。”
火势逐渐逼近。冬青叶感觉热浪似乎要把她的皮毛烤成灰烬。她向悬崖边退了几步，感觉爪子下的地面已经松动。三只猫紧紧地挤在一起，一旦谁失去了平衡，他们全部都会坠入悬崖。冬青叶根本止不住身体的颤抖，目光在大火与悬崖间不住地移动。
松鸦羽蜷缩在地面上，皮毛都被打湿了，使得他看起来比平时更小。狮焰的爪尖弹了出来，天空又闪过一道闪电，狮焰的眼里也闪烁起光芒。他绷紧全身，他并不是打算跳到蜡毛身旁，而是尽量让自己不掉下悬崖。
松鼠飞抬起头，死死地看着蜡毛愤怒的双眼。“那就杀了他们吧！”她说道，“那样你照样伤害不到我的。”
蜡毛张大了嘴巴，可什么话也说不出来。冬青叶和她的弟兄盯着自己的母亲。松鼠飞在说什么？
松鼠飞转身往远处走去，不在意地回头瞧了他们一眼。她的绿眼睛里充满冬青叶从未见过的神情——一种她看不明白的神情。
“你如果真的想伤害我，那你就要找一个更好的方法了。”松鼠飞咆哮道，“因为他们根本就不是我的孩子。”
CHAPTER26
CHAPTER26
It was the afternoon before theGathering. Hollyleaf felt as if her whole world was crumbling around her. She had thought that once they got rid of Sol, life in the Clans would return to normal, but instead the terrible threat of Ashfur hung over them like a tree about to fall. He’s going to ruin everything!
Her paws itching with restlessness, Hollyleaf slipped out of the camp and wandered into the forest. She felt completely powerless, now that she knew she wasn’t one of the three: Her belief in the prophecy had made her feel that she could do anything, but Ashfur had torn that belief away from her. A cat with the power of the stars in her paws would have been able to stop one cat from speaking words that would tear his Clan apart. But plain Hollyleaf, no longer Firestar’s kin, could do nothing.
A hot flood of fury swept through Hollyleaf and she paused, digging her claws into the sodden ground. More than anything, she wantedto be one of the three; she wanted to be special, to have a destiny beyond that of any other cat. I deserve to!Her need tore at her belly like sharp pangs of hunger. I’d work harder than any cat to be a great leader, and leave my paw print on all the Clans. Ican’t let Ashfur destroy all my plans.
Choking down her rage, Hollyleaf padded on. Since the storm, more rain had fallen, and she had to pick her way across boggy ground and leap over tiny new streams that scoured through the sodden earth. Bracken fronds released showers of raindrops onto her head and shoulders as she brushed by. Her fur became splashed and muddy, but she carried on, scarcely aware of where she was.
The strong scent of a ThunderClan cat brought her to a halt. She jumped as Ashfur appeared around the trunk of a gnarled oak tree. “Don’t creep up on me like that!” she snapped.
“I’m not creeping,” Ashfur retorted. “If you must know, I’ve been checking out the fox trail near the WindClan border. That fox Brackenfur scented is still around.”
Hollyleaf didn’t reply. She and Ashfur faced each other; Ashfur’s blue eyes were wide and wary. “What do you want?” he demanded.
“How do you know I want anything?” Hollyleaf replied.
For a moment Ashfur looked disconcerted. “Aren’t you going to try to make me change my mind, like Squirrelflight and your littermates?”
“No.” Hollyleaf felt a stab of satisfaction at the startled look in the gray warrior’s eyes. “I know there’s nothing I can do. It’s your decision to betray your own Clan.”
“Betray?” Ashfur’s neck fur bristled and his claws slid out. “I’m betraying no cat. Squirrelflight’s the traitor, because she lied.”
“And it’s not betrayal when you weaken ThunderClan in front of the other Clans, so soon after the Great Battle?” Hollyleaf spat in disgust.
Ashfur stretched his neck toward her, his lips drawn back in a snarl. “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working.”
Hollyleaf stood her ground. “And you don’t scare me, either,” she declared. “Nothing scares me more than the thought that you’re not afraid of what will happen after you’ve spoken out.”
Ashfur’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll purrover what will happen after I’ve revealed the truth,” he promised. Without waiting for a reply, he spun around and headed off through the forest.
The sun was sinking behind a ragged band of cloud as Firestar called his cats together to go to the Gathering. Shadows crept into the clearing, and the first warriors of StarClan were beginning to emerge into a sky stained with scarlet.
“Where’s Ashfur?” Firestar asked, looking around.
Hollyleaf exchanged a glance with Lionblaze. The other cats chosen for the Gathering—Brambleclaw, Dustpelt, Ferncloud, Graystripe, Cloudtail, and Cinderheart—were already clustered around their leader, while Leafpool and Jayfeather were padding across the clearing to join them. But there was no sign of the gray warrior.
Firestar’s tail twitched with annoyance. “He specifically asked to come tonight, and now he’s not here. I asked Squirrelflight to come, too, and she’s not here either.”
“We’ll be late if we wait for them,” Dustpelt pointed out.
Tension churned in Hollyleaf’s belly. She didn’t want to thinkabout Ashfur, much less stand around waiting for him. If he didn’t turn up at the Gathering, so much the better for every cat. As for Squirrelflight…Hollyleaf didn’t care if she never saw her again.
“Maybe Ashfur went on ahead,” Graystripe suggested.
“Well, if he did, he should have told one of us,” Firestar replied. “Let’s go.”
He led the way through the barrier of thorns. Hollyleaf brought up the rear with Lionblaze and Jayfeather. She knew that both her brothers would be desperate to know where Ashfur was. She could almost see their anxiety crackling off their fur like lightning. But none of them spoke his name.
The cats had barely left the tunnel when Squirrelflight came bounding breathlessly up to them. Her pelt was clumped and soaking, and splashed with mud. “Sorry,” she panted. “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
Brambleclaw gave her ear a quick lick. “What have you been doing?”
“Looking for herbs for Leafpool, near the ShadowClan border,” Squirrelflight explained. “The bank of the stream was muddy, and I slipped in.”
“Mouse-brain,” Brambleclaw murmured affectionately. “You should be more careful. Are you okay? You don’t have to come to the Gathering if you’d rather rest.”
“I’m fine,” Squirrelflight insisted. “And I’m not going to miss this Gathering. I haven’t been to one in moons.”
“Come on, we’re wasting time,” Firestar called from the front of the group.
He set off toward the lake; the forest floor was still sodden from the recent rain, and the cats had to scramble through muddy hollows or over branches that fell in the storm. Hollyleaf barely noticed the mud or the small streams her paws splashed through. She felt as though she was looking down a long tunnel into a future dark with fear and betrayal. She asked herself how far a cat should go to preserve the warrior code. And what happens if the code was broken no matter what you did?
The ThunderClan cats emerged from the trees and padded down to the edge of the lake, turning toward the WindClan border. A full moon already floated high in the sky, turning the surface of the water to silver. Looking up, Hollyleaf saw that clouds were drifting close to it, though none of them touched the shining silver disk yet. She swallowed. Were the spirits of their ancestors about to show their anger?
Firestar waved his tail. “Let’s hurry. The other Clans will be waiting for us.” Clear of the forest, he set a brisk pace, until his warriors were bounding along the edge of the lake.
Hollyleaf, still near the back of the group with Lionblaze and Jayfeather, saw Firestar halt suddenly on the bank of the stream that marked the border with WindClan. Graystripe, hard on his paws, let out a startled yowl.
Terrible foreboding filled Hollyleaf from ears to tail-tip. She put on a spurt until she was racing along, her belly fur brushing the pebbles and her tail streaming out behind her. Lionblaze kept pace with her.
Reaching the bank, she pushed through the cats who were clustered there, staring down into the stream. Wedged behind a rock just below her paws, the lifeless body of a cat floated in the swollen water, his fur dark and sodden. His tail streamed out into the current, waving as if he were still alive.
Dustpelt was the first to speak. “It’s Ashfur.”
第二十三章
第二十三章
暴风雨和大火的声音消失了，松鸦羽能听见的唯一的声音，只有血液流进耳朵里的声音。他摇摇头，努力想听清楚松鼠飞和蜡毛接下来要说什么。他的眼睛看不见，所以不知道他俩现在是什么表情。
“你撒谎！”蜡毛颤抖的声音里满是怀疑。
“不，我没有。”松鼠飞轻柔地说着，但每句话都透过噼啪燃烧的大火，传入他们的耳朵，“你看见我分娩了吗？我有没有喂过奶？我一直和他们生活在育婴室，直到他们成为学徒？没有。”
“但是……我……”蜡毛刚要开口，但接着就陷入了沉默。松鸦羽几乎能听见记忆的爪子正在他的脑海里跑过。
“我骗了你们大家，甚至包括黑莓掌。”松鼠飞继续轻蔑地说道，“他们不是我的孩子。”
“而且族猫都不知道吗？”蜡毛由不敢相信，变成了不太确定。
“是的，族猫们都和你一样，对此事一无所知。”
松鸦羽感觉到蜡毛的思维震动了，然后再次理清了思绪。“如果我把这件事告诉族猫们，你觉得会怎么样？”他挑衅地问，“你的族猫还让你待在雷族吗？火星、你的妹妹，还有黑莓掌，他们会怎么想？”
“你要告诉他们？”松鼠飞痛苦地尖叫道。
“你真的以为我不会吗？这样的话，我依然可以让你品尝到失去最爱的滋味。黑莓掌肯定会跟你撇清关系。你还愚蠢地以为，我会替你保守秘密。你一直都这么蠢，松鼠飞。我会让这几只小猫——不管他们是谁的孩子——活着。但是你的痛苦才刚刚开始。”
接着灌木丛里一阵响动，蜡毛离开了。他的气味也随之渐渐消失了。
“松鸦羽，这是树枝。”狮焰的声音听起来很紧张。松鸦羽感到哥哥用牙齿咬住他的后颈，把他拉了起来，接着他的爪子触到了树枝粗糙的表面。狮焰扶着他，直到他站稳了。“一直往前走，”狮焰说道，“快！”
松鸦羽强迫自己向前走去。他信任狮焰，所以尽管感觉到身体两边都是火焰燃烧的响声和热浪，他还是蹒跚着向前走去。当他的一只脚垫被烫伤了的时候，他疼得哼了一声，好像踩到了一根燃烧的小树枝。滚烫的热浪渐渐地在身后消失了。松鸦羽跌跌撞撞地从树枝上跳下来。脚下的地面仍然很烫，但是却没有燃烧。他安全了！
几个心跳过后，松鸦羽听见冬青叶和狮焰也跳下了树枝，走到了他的身边。
雷声还在他们头顶隆隆作响，但是已经远去了，似乎暴风雨也离开了。仁慈的雨水再次降临，淋到火焰上，发出哧哧的响声。风也变小了，不再可能有树木被吹倒。松鸦羽听到山谷里传来阵阵号叫，可能族猫们已经开始陆续返回营地，并且发现了悬崖上的他们。但是他和哥哥、姐姐现在都顾不上理会这些。
“松鼠飞？”冬青叶的声音颤抖着，松鸦羽能感觉到，她既怀疑又害怕，“那不是真的，对吧？我们是你的孩子，是吗？”
松鼠飞长久地沉默着，但是松鸦羽已经知道了答案。他的脑海里满是松鼠飞的绝望、悲伤和后悔，还有极其强烈的爱——一位母亲对孩子的爱。她对蜡毛说的很大一部分是骗他的，松鼠飞确实爱着这几只猫，但是她不是他们的母亲。
“真的很抱歉。”松鼠飞低声说道，“我本该很早以前就告诉你们实情的。”
“什么意思？”狮焰问道。松鸦羽被哥哥爆发出来的愤怒吓了一个趔趄。
“我们觉得这么做是最合适的选择。”松鼠飞诚恳地说道，“我向你们保证，那是我们做过的最艰难的决定。”
“我们？我们是谁？”狮焰厉声问道。
松鼠飞没有回答，后悔和怜爱在她的心里交织。松鸦羽没能从中找到答案。
“黑莓掌知道吗？”冬青叶啜泣着。松鸦羽听到她的爪子抓挠着地面。
“他没有对你们说谎，”松鼠飞说道，“他……他并不知道。”
“你让他相信，我们是他的孩子？”冬青叶尖叫着说道，“所以你也对他说了谎。但是……如果你们不是我们的父母，谁才是？”
松鸦羽再次探索松鼠飞的思绪，搜寻她的记忆。但是他能感知的，只有一片模糊的雪地和一段遥远的旅途，黑莓刺扯着她的皮毛，还有这个可怕的秘密折磨得她日渐消瘦。她的身边还有一只猫，但样子太模糊了，松鸦羽辨认不出那是谁。
“我不能告诉你。”松鼠飞的声音小得几乎听不到。
“你能，只是你不说罢了！”狮焰的声音满是痛苦和愤怒。松鸦羽也能从冬青叶的身上体会到同样的感情。但是他的内心冰冷而镇定，就像他早就知道这一切。如果他们是预言中的那三只猫，如果他们拥有群星的力量，那么他们的出生有些不寻常的故事，也是能说得通的。这只是又一个暴露了的秘密而已，是很早以前的事情留下的阴影。
“对不起。”松鼠飞的声音变得大了一些，“我知道我说的这些对你们没什么用，但我确实一直爱着你们，就和你们是我的亲生孩子一样。我为你们三个感到骄傲。”
“走开，让我们自己待着！”冬青叶嘶嘶地说道，“你没有权利为我们骄傲，没有权利对我们有任何感情。你欺骗了我们，让我们认为你就是我们的母亲，可实际上你不是！”
“拜托……”松鼠飞请求道。
狮焰声音冷酷地说道：“走吧！”
痛苦像黑压压的乌云席卷了松鼠飞，几乎让松鸦羽动了恻隐之心。松鸦羽听到她转过身，拖着爪子钻出灌木丛，似乎根本不在乎自己的爪子是否踩到了依然燃烧的树叶。
他们站在烧焦的灌木丛边，谁也没有说话。松鸦羽被震惊打击得脑袋空洞而麻木，他能感觉到同窝猫也是一样。他们差点儿死了，又刚刚经历了蜡毛的疯狂。但最大的打击，还是松鼠飞披露的这个秘密。
“如果他俩不是我们的父母，那么谁才是我们的亲生父母呢？”最后冬青叶颤抖着说道。
“我们可以之后再考虑那些事。”冰冷的怒意在狮焰的声音里震动着，“我们首先要考虑的是，如果蜡毛真的把这个秘密告诉族猫，我们应该怎么应对。”
“你觉得他真的会说出去吗？”冬青叶问。
“你认为他不会吗？”狮焰反问道，“只要能伤害松鼠飞，他才不管后果。何况那样才能给她带来最大的伤害。”
松鸦羽不可思议地没有考虑他俩焦虑的问题。秘密已经泄露了，没有猫能阻挡它的后果。他所有的感觉竟然是想知道，接下来会发生什么事。
“我们一定不能对族猫们说任何事情。”冬青叶担心地说道，“如果他们要惩罚我们怎么办？他们可能会以为我们一直都知道。我们必须像往常一样做事。也许蜡毛什么都不会说呢。”
“除非刺猬飞上天。”狮焰反驳道，“但是我赞同我们不说出去，至少我们得先弄清楚真相。如果族猫知道发生了什么事，我们也能保护自己，让他们知道我们跟这件事情无关。你认为呢，松鸦羽？”
松鸦羽点点头：“好的。”
“那么我们回营地吧。”冬青叶说道，“那里肯定有很多事情要做。”
当松鸦羽钻出被火烧毁的荆棘屏障时，空地里弥漫着烧焦的浓烈气息。他听到父亲——不，是黑莓掌在说话：“你们都好吗？”
“我们没事，谢谢。”狮焰赶紧回答道。
“那你能帮蕨毛修理育婴室吗？冬青叶，你也一起去。你们要从森林里运些黑莓枝过来。松鸦羽，我想叶池需要你的帮忙。蛛足的脚垫被烧伤了，长尾被一根树枝狠狠地砸中了脑袋。可能还有其他猫受伤了，只是我还不清楚。”
“好的，我知道了。”松鸦羽说道。他听到黑莓掌跑开了，转向自己的同窝猫说：“记住，我们什么都不要说。”
但是当他拖着疼痛的脚垫走回巫医巢穴时，发现蜡毛正站在空地的边缘。他知道淡灰色武士正盯着自己，就像他能清楚地看见那双深蓝色眼睛中燃烧的火焰一般。
午夜说过，知道得多并不一定更强大。松鸦羽想，这话并不总是正确。现在蜡毛知晓的，恰恰就能毁掉他们三个。
CHAPTER27
CHAPTER27
Lionblaze dug his claws into thebank of the stream, only just managing to suppress a wail of dismay. Yet he couldn’t feel any sense of grief for his dead Clanmate. Ashfur had been about to reveal something that would have destroyed them all; now those terrible words would never be spoken. Exchanging a glance with Hollyleaf, he could see that his sister felt the same. He hoped no other cat would ever know how relieved they felt at Ashfur’s death.
“Get him out,” Firestar ordered.
Dustpelt slid into the stream, with water washing around his belly fur. He gripped Ashfur’s shoulder in his teeth and started tugging.
“Be careful,” Ferncloud mewed anxiously.
Graystripe leaped into the water on Ashfur’s other side, and together the two warriors freed him from the rock and hauled his body up the bank.
Leafpool crouched beside him, one paw on his chest as she gave him a rapid sniff. Jayfeather stood beside her, his whiskers quivering. Leafpool looked up. “He’s dead.”
“How did he die?” Cinderheart asked, her blue eyes wide. “Did he fall in and drown?”
“I fell into the stream by ShadowClan,” Squirrelflight reminded them; Lionblaze wondered if she too shared his relief. “It’s easily done, when the water’s running as high as this.”
Cloudtail let out a snort. “Ashfur was a strong warrior. He wouldn’t drown like a kit. If we want to know how he died, we should be looking at WindClan.”
Firestar bent his head to sniff Ashfur’s sodden body. “There’s no WindClan scent.”
“The water would wash it off,” Cloudtail pointed out.
“We’ll talk about this later.” Firestar glanced around swiftly. “Dustpelt, Graystripe, can you take Ashfur’s body back to camp? The rest of us must go on, or the other Clans will know something is wrong.”
“I’ll go, too,” Lionblaze volunteered. “Ashfur was my mentor.”
Firestar nodded. “Good. You others, follow me.”
As Firestar and the rest of his warriors half waded, half swam across the stream, Lionblaze and his Clanmates picked up Ashfur’s body. It hung between them, a dead weight, as they struggled back through the forest to the hollow.
Thornclaw was on guard at the entrance to the camp. “What…?” His fur rose as they dragged Ashfur up to the tunnel. “What happened?”
Dustpelt explained, while Lionblaze and Graystripe carried the dead warrior into the middle of the clearing. The moonlight shone silver on his drenched gray fur; Lionblaze thought he looked strangely small in death. It was hard to imagine the power he had held in his paws, the power to drag down his Clan and bring shame on Squirrelflight and the kits who had believed they were hers.
Lionblaze flinched at the sound of a distraught wail behind him. Whitewing had emerged from the warriors’ den, followed by Birchfall. “Did a fox get him?” she cried.
Lionblaze shook his head. “We found him in the stream on the WindClan border. It looks as if he drowned.”
Whitewing shuddered. “That’s dreadful.”
Birchfall pressed his muzzle against hers. “You mustn’t upset yourself,” he murmured. “Think of the kits.”
Whitewing nodded. Slowly she padded up to Ashfur’s body and settled down beside it, her nose pushed into the cold, wet fur. Birchfall crouched protectively at her side, to keep vigil along with her. “He was a good mentor,” he mewed sorrowfully. “I’ll miss him.”
By now other warriors were coming out of their den, forming a ragged circle around Ashfur and questioning one another in hushed, shocked voices.
“WindClan will be at the bottom of this, mark my words,” Mousefur meowed as she padded up with Longtail.
“On the night of a Gathering, too.” Honeyfern’s voice shook. “StarClan will be angry.”
“Firestar doesn’t think any cat is to blame,” Graystripe told them. “Ashfur was just very unlucky.”
Mousefur snorted with disbelief as she bent her stiff joints to crouch beside Ashfur’s body. Lionblaze lifted his head togaze up at the moon as it floated above the treetops. The clouds had cleared away; perhaps Firestar was right, and there was no need for StarClan to show their anger.
Sighing, he crouched down in his turn and pushed his nose into his former mentor’s fur. There was nothing to scent there but mud and water. Closing his eyes, he hoped that none of his Clanmates could sense that instead of grieving, his mind was numb with relief.
Lionblaze stayed beside Ashfur until the sky began to grow pale with the first hints of dawn. Other cats came and went around him, mewing in hushed voices.
At last Lionblaze heard the sound of movement in the thorn tunnel as Firestar and the rest of the Clan began to return from the Gathering. He stretched his cramped muscles and looked around to see Hollyleaf bounding toward him. Her eyes shone with a fierce light.
“You wouldn’t believe what happened at the Gathering!” she hissed. “Firestar didn’t say a single thing about Ashfur.”
Lionblaze’s pelt prickled with surprise. “He didn’t?”
“Not a thing.”
One or two cats gave Hollyleaf a curious glance as she passed; Lionblaze touched her mouth with his tail to warn her to be quiet, and drew her a pace or two away from Ashfur’s body.
“He just passed on trivial bits of news about prey,” Hollyleaf went on in a furious whisper. “And he thanked our warrior ancestors for watching over us. And that was all.”
“Well…maybe he didn’t want ThunderClan to sound weak,” Lionblaze suggested.
“We’re not weak because one cat dies!” Hollyleaf spat. Lionblaze couldn’t work out why she was so angry. “Every Clan leader reports stuff like that. It’s part of what Gatherings are for.”
“And none of the other cats noticed that something was wrong?”
Hollyleaf shook her head. “Obviously Squirrelflight isn’t the only cat who’s good at lying.”
“I don’t think it’s as bad as you’re making out. Firestar must have had his reasons. And clouds didn’t cover the moon, so StarClan can’t have been angry with him.”
Hollyleaf’s only reply was a disgusted snort.
Lionblaze pressed his muzzle against hers. “Come on. Let’s sit vigil with Ashfur for a bit.”
His sister’s eyes stretched wide. “Sit vigil for that mange-ridden excuse for a cat? I can’t believe you want to do that! Ashfur would have destroyed the whole Clan if he’d lived for one more night.”
Without waiting for a reply, she whirled around and stalked toward the warriors’ den. Lionblaze watched her go, hoping she would sleep off whatever was troubling her so much, then padded back to Ashfur’s body and settled down beside it.
CHAPTER28
CHAPTER28
Jayfeather followed Leafpool back into thecamp. A dawn breeze whispered across the clearing, and he could hear the beginnings of birdsong in the trees above the hollow. A hush lay over the camp; Jayfeather could detect mingled feelings of grief and bewilderment as the cats tried to adjust to the fact that Ashfur was dead.
He followed Leafpool as she padded into the center of the clearing where Ashfur’s body lay. Jayfeather picked up the chill, watery scent that still clung to his fur, and the scents of Lionblaze, Birchfall, Whitewing, and Thornclaw, who still kept vigil beside him.
“He feels so cold and wet,” Leafpool murmured, crouching beside Ashfur. “This isn’t how we should send him to his warrior ancestors.”
Jayfeather heard the rasp of her tongue as she began to lick the dead warrior’s fur. Feelings of sorrow surged out of her in waves, almost like a mother grieving for her kit. She wasn’t in love with Ashfur, was she?Jayfeather wondered. She’s a medicine cat!
Gradually the cats around Ashfur’s body began to withdraw and creep back to their den. Lionblaze was the last to go, touching Jayfeather’s shoulder briefly with his tail before he left. Not knowing what else to do, Jayfeather settled down opposite Leafpool and began to help her lick the dead warrior’s fur. Sleep began to drift over him as he lapped with long, rhythmic strokes.
A gasp from Leafpool jolted him awake. Horror swirled around her like a stream in flood. “What’s the matter?” he meowed
For a heartbeat he heard her tongue working busily. Then she hissed, “Come look at this.”
Jayfeather bit back the sarcastic reply that he couldn’t lookat anything. He worked his way around Ashfur’s body until he was crouching next to his mentor. All Leafpool’s muscles were stiff and her neck fur was standing on end.
Jayfeather sniffed, picking up the scent of blood and raw flesh. Investigating with one paw, he felt the edges of a gash in Ashfur’s throat, the kind of mark he would expect to see on a cleanly killed piece of prey.
The kind of mark a cat didn’t get from falling into a stream and drowning, but was made deliberately. With a slash of claws.
“He didn’t drown,” Leafpool whispered hoarsely. “He was murdered!”
Jayfeather’s mind whirled. If it wasn’t for Leafpool’s care over the dead warrior’s body, no cat would ever have known how he had died. What would happen now?
“I’m going to tell Firestar,” Leafpool meowed.
Jayfeather heard her racing across the clearing toward the tumbled rocks. A few moments later two sets of paw steps returned and Firestar crouched beside him to examine the body.
“Who would do this?” Firestar sounded completely bewildered
“WindClan?” Leafpool suggested, her voice sharp with suspicion. “We found him on the WindClan border.”
“You know very well there was no WindClan scent on him,” Firestar reminded her. Jayfeather could feel strong sensations of doubt coming from his Clan leader. “I know the water could have washed it away, but…” His voice grew softer, as if he was arguing with himself. “Why would WindClan kill just one warrior? Were they trying to warn us? But we’re not a threat to WindClan.”
“And Ashfur was Clanborn,” Jayfeather put in. “WindClan has no reason to quarrel with him personally.”
“True,” Firestar murmured. Jayfeather could hear his claws scoring the earth. “But if it wasn’t WindClan…then a ThunderClan cat must have killed Ashfur.”
“No!” Leafpool’s horrified whisper cut through Jayfeather like an eagle’s talon. “No ThunderClan cat would do such a thing. It musthave been WindClan.” To Jayfeather it sounded as if she was trying to convince herself as much as Firestar. “What should we do?” she asked tensely.
The Clan leader hesitated. “This is no reason not to give honor to his body,” he decided at last. “We’ll let the elders go ahead and bury him. Then I’ll speak to the Clan.”
“I’ll fetch Mousefur and Longtail,” Leafpool meowed.
Jayfeather waited while the elders appeared from their den and the rest of the Clan gathered around to say farewell to Ashfur. Leafpool must have licked his fur back over the gash in his neck, because none of them seemed to notice it.
When Mousefur and Longtail had left the clearing with the gray warrior’s body dragging between them, Brambleclaw padded up to Firestar. “I’ll take the dawn patrol along the WindClan border,” he announced. “There might be some traces there to tell us what happened.”
“Good idea,” Firestar replied. “But don’t go just yet. There’s something I need to say to the whole Clan.”
Jayfeather picked up the deputy’s puzzlement, then jumped when Lionblaze muttered into his ear: “What’s going on?”
Part of Jayfeather wanted to tell Lionblaze exactly what he had found. But he couldn’t find the words. The discovery was too huge, with too many consequences that he couldn’t begin to imagine. “You’ll know soon enough,” he replied.
He stood beside his brother, his claws working in the earth, while he waited for the elders to return. Hollyleaf came to join them, anxiety boiling out of her like bees buzzing out of a tree. “Something terrible is going to happen,” she whispered. “I can feel it.”
Eventually Mousefur and Longtail pushed their way through the thorns, back into the clearing. Firestar climbed up to the Highledge; Jayfeather heard his voice raised to carry to every corner of the camp.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting.”
Most of the Clan were already out in the open, though Jayfeather heard movement by the nursery as Daisy and Millie emerged with their kits. Foxpaw and Icepaw scampered into the middle of the clearing, excited rather than worried by the unexpected summons. Jayfeather caught the scent of Squirrelflight standing not far away.
“We’ve discovered more about Ashfur’s death,” Firestar began as soon as all the cats were assembled. “It wasn’t an accident. There was a gash in his throat, and that means he was deliberately killed.”
Yowls of dismay rose up from every part of the clearing. Jayfeather’s belly churned when he heard the terrible truth put into words; he could feel Hollyleaf and Lionblaze stiffen, and picked up their sense of horror. Fear and distress swept over him from Squirrelflight.
“Did a fox do it?” Dustpelt demanded, raising his voice to be heard over the clamor.
“There was no fox scent.” The noise died down as Firestar spoke again. “And a fox would have eaten him.”
“Did he fall into the stream and cut his throat on a rock or a branch?” Squirrelflight asked; Jayfeather could tell how desperately she wanted that to be true.
“I doubt it,” Firestar told her; there was regret in his voice as if he, too, would have been comforted by that explanation. “It was a clean wound, like a hunting warrior would make on their prey.”
“You’re saying that a catkilled him?” Cloudtail’s voice rang out disbelievingly.
“WindClan!” Thornclaw yowled. “They must have found him by the border and killed him. We should attack them now!”
Caterwauls of agreement followed his words; it was several moments before Firestar could make himself heard again.
“We mustn’t act too quickly,” he warned his Clan. “There was no WindClan scent on Ashfur’s body. In fact, there’s no evidence at all that he was killed by a cat from another Clan.”
Frozen silence filled the clearing. When Brackenfur broke it, his voice was shaking. “Are you saying that one of uskilled Ashfur?”
Jayfeather’s heart thudded as he waited for Firestar’s reply. His littermates tensed beside him, and he could hear Squirrelflight trying not to gulp for air as if she were being smothered.
“Do any of you know a reason why anyone in ThunderClan might want Ashfur dead?” Firestar asked.
Beside him, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf quivered under the weight of what they knew. A little farther away, Squirrelflight held her breath altogether. Jayfeather knew they were all thinking of the scene on top of the cliff, when Squirrelflight’s terrible secret had been shared in storm and fire. That, and that alone, had to be the reason for Ashfur’s murder.
Now, for their own sakes and the sake of their Clan, they must all conspire to keep the truth hidden forever.Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry
第二十四章
 第二十四章
暴风雨后的早晨，狮焰被选入了黎明巡逻队。同行的有蕨毛、榛尾和炭心。当他们走出山谷时，强烈的阳光正从树枝间照射下来。森林里没有风，残余的叶子仍然留在枝头。如果不是林下的地上铺满被烧得很短的树枝，还有闪电在树干上留下的黑色印记，狮焰几乎要相信暴风雨只是梦中的场景。
他离开山谷的路上，浑身都不自在。他不知道，等他返回山谷时，他会发现什么，是族猫震惊的控诉和尖叫吗？但是营地里很平静。黑莓掌正在指挥修理巢穴。刺掌和鼠须正忙着修补育婴室周围的黑莓围篱上的最后一处缺口。狐爪和冰爪正在运送巨大的新鲜铺垫。云尾和亮心一起把烧焦的树枝从武士巢穴里搬出去。白翅、桦落、莓鼻在清理空地上的垃圾。狮焰无意中听见莓鼻抱怨，那不是一位武士该做的事情。
没有什么变化！狮焰想。他在空地上忙碌的猫群中没有发现蜡毛，但是很显然，淡灰色武士还没有把秘密说出去。
狮焰试图让自己相信，这次风波已经像暴雨和惊雷一样离去，留给他们的只有平静。但是他心里明白，松鼠飞揭露的这个秘密所带来的伤害，会一个月又一个月地一直延续下去。
“我们得谈谈这件事。”当他们帮助尘毛搬运修建新的入口屏障所用的荆棘时，冬青叶在狮焰的耳边小声地说道，“我们在森林里见。我去叫松鸦羽。”
她跳过空地，进入了巫医巢穴，不一会儿就带着松鸦羽出来了。狮焰看到他俩从原来的排便处通道沿着屏障边缘走了出去。他等了一会儿，走到尘毛面前。
“我想去狩猎，”他说道，“猎物堆需要补充猎物了。”
“巡逻队都已经出发了。”尘毛咕哝着说，“对你来说，运树枝很无聊吗？好吧，那你就去吧。”他用尾巴弹了弹狮焰，补充道，“但是你最好带些美味的猎物回来。”
狮焰趁着高级武士还没改变主意，迅速跑了出去。他嗅到了同窝猫的气息，然后跟在他们身后走进了森林。
狮焰停在一片空地上四处张望，仔细嗅着空气。这时，树丛下传来急切的呼唤：“狮焰！这里！”
狮焰看见冬青叶从一丛蕨草后探出头来。“怎么这么慢？”她质问道。
“我觉得，我最好等一会儿，”狮焰解释着，向冬青叶走去，钻到了蕨丛后面，“我不想任何猫怀疑我们正在这儿秘密见面。”
在蕨丛后面，有一个勺子形状的斜坡，松鸦羽正坐在那里。狮焰钻过来的时候，松鸦羽抬起了头。“好了，”他说道，“现在我们都到齐了，我们必须商量一下今后该怎么做。”
“我们只有一件事能做，”冬青叶的爪子愤怒地挠着松软的地面，“我们必须弄清楚亲生父母是谁。松鼠飞肯定不会说的，但是我们必须知道。”
“不，我不同意。”狮焰反对道。
“什么？但你不是说……”
狮焰举起尾巴，示意冬青叶安静：“我也想知道我们的父母是谁，我和你一样迫切。但目前最重要的不是这个，我们现在最大的问题，是该怎么对付蜡毛。”
“我恨蜡毛！”冬青叶甩了甩尾巴，她正让自己慢慢地卷入一场充满恐惧与沮丧的风暴中。
狮焰将尾巴缠绕着放在她的肩膀上。“他现在比愤怒的狐狸还疯狂，但这不是关键。”突然狮焰想起淡灰色武士还是他的老师时，他俩曾有过的一次战斗训练。那时蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛里燃烧着战斗的怒火。当时他是不是想要杀了我，从而伤害松鼠飞？“我们得想个办法让他闭嘴。如果这件事被说出去，松鼠飞会有大麻烦的。”
冬青叶不屑一顾地弹弹耳朵：“那是松鼠飞的问题，跟我们无关。”
“这是我们大家的问题。”狮焰不禁对松鼠飞感到一阵同情。确实，她对他们撒谎了。但她一直都尽力做到最好，就像是真正的母亲一样。“只要蜡毛知道我们的秘密，他就能控制我们几个。”狮焰想着可能发生的情况，每根毛都竖了起来。
“有一个问题你还没想到，是吗？”冬青叶喝道，她的目光里燃烧着绿色的火焰，“你难道没有意识到，我们可能根本就不是族群猫吗？”
狮焰张开嘴，却什么都没说，冬青叶刚才的提醒让他大吃一惊。
“我们可能是在族群外出生的——是违背武士守则的。”冬青叶的语气就像她再也想不到更糟糕的事情了，“如果松鼠飞当时只是可怜哪只独行猫或者宠物猫怎么办？”
“但是……但我们是预言中的三只猫，”狮焰结结巴巴地说道，“预言中暗示的那三只猫就是我们。我们拥有比星族更强大的力量，怎么可能不是族群猫呢？”
“我想你俩都忘记了一件事。”松鸦羽第一次加入了讨论，他的声音冷漠而平静，“预言告诉火星，‘将有三只猫……是你的至亲’，如果松鼠飞不是我们的母亲，那我们就不是火星的至亲了，不是吗？”
狮焰和冬青叶盯着他们的弟弟。这只矮小的虎斑猫平静地坐在地上，尾巴绕在爪子周围。“那么我们是吗？”他重复道。
“云尾是火星的至亲……”狮焰开始有些不确定了，但冬青叶发出一声尖叫，打断了他的话。
“我就知道，我们没有什么特别的地方。你只是擅长战斗，至于松鸦羽——好吧，他是巫医，当然了，他能做梦！”
狮焰感觉到血液在血管里慢慢变冷，变慢。那是真的吗？但我在战斗中的感觉是怎么回事？我知道我永远不会受伤，我知道我能独自面对一个族群的武士。他甚至不能想象，他不是预言中的一只猫。如果我不是，那么我高超的战斗技巧就要归功于虎星，那么他对我那些愚蠢梦境的看法，就是正确的。
接着另一个念头侵入了他的脑海，甚至使他比起初更加担心。如果黑莓掌不是我的父亲，那么我就不是虎星的血亲。如果他知道了，他会怎么对我？
日子一天天地过去。营地的修复终于结束了，最后连米莉和小荆棘也从两脚兽的巢穴搬回了营地。灰条兴高采烈地走在她们身边，小荆棘在前面蹦蹦跳跳地走着。狮焰简直不敢相信，她和当初那个被叼出营地的小东西是同一只小猫——那时她虚弱得就像死了一般。米莉还是很瘦，走路也不稳，但她的尾巴充满爱意地和灰条的尾巴缠绕在一起，双眼也随着恢复健康变得明亮起来。黛西把她迎入育婴室，其他的几只小猫跳到小荆棘身边，和她开心地扭打在一起。
冷风呼啸地穿过森林，秃叶季正啃噬着森林的绿色。最后一批树叶也开始飘零，猎物也越来越难抓。但是族猫们都恢复了健康，猎物堆也能得到充分的补给。松鼠飞可以干不重的活儿了，那些在暴风雨中受伤的猫也离开了巫医巢穴。
狮焰注意到白翅正越来越丰满，桦落则满脸挂着骄傲的表情。看来雷族要迎来更多的幼崽了！从表面看，一切都在往顺利的方向发展。
但是狮焰不再喜欢和族猫们一起巡逻。蜡毛像一片雨云笼罩在他的心头。就在冬青叶寻找谁才是他们的亲生父母时，狮焰则在考虑怎样说服蜡毛保守秘密。狮焰发现蜡毛经常看着他，深蓝色的眼底泛着阴暗的神色。淡灰色武士在等待什么呢？狮焰不相信除了揭露谎言，他还能想出什么更好的办法来伤害松鼠飞。
一个晴朗的早晨，寒风凛冽地吹着。狮焰走出武士巢穴，就看见蜡毛和火星一同站在猎物堆旁边。他的心中一震，佯装镇定地走过去，给自己挑选了一只老鼠。尽管狮焰一点胃口也没有，他还是背对着族长坐下来，竖起耳朵开始吃那只老鼠。
“再过几次日出，就是森林大会了。”蜡毛说道，“我可以参加吗？”
火星听起来似乎有些惊讶：“不到那一天，我一般不会决定选谁去的。但是既然你想去……”
“谢谢你，火星。”
狮焰鼓起勇气转过头，看到淡灰色武士正走向荆棘通道。刚才那口老鼠肉在他的肚子里变得沉甸甸的，他的每根毛都在隐隐作痛。我知道蜡毛想干什么！他要在森林大会上，当着所有猫的面，把松鼠飞的秘密说出去！
冬青叶正从武士巢穴里走出来。狮焰迎着她走过去。“老地方见。”他嘶嘶地说道，“我去叫松鸦羽。”
当他在巫医巢穴的黑莓屏风外小心地观望时，松鸦羽已经在里面站了起来，伸了个大大的懒腰。叶池还蜷在窝里睡觉。
“狮焰？”松鸦羽抬起头问道，“什么事？”
“我们需要谈谈。”狮焰对他说。
狮焰带着松鸦羽来到武士巢穴后面的小空地，冬青叶已经在那里等着了，她绿色的眼睛里满是恐惧。“发生什么事了？”狮焰一露面，冬青叶便急切地问道。
“我听到蜡毛向火星请求，要参加下次森林大会。”
冬青叶不安地伸缩着爪尖，脖子上的毛都竖了起来。“不！他不能那样做！”她大喊道。
“小声点儿！”松鸦羽厉声道，“你要让所有猫都听见吗？”
“不管怎么样，我们都要想办法阻止他。”冬青叶压低声音，但她的声音里仍然充满绝望，“否则，他会把我们的事情泄露给四个族群的。”
狮焰点点头，“松鼠飞会在所有猫面前蒙羞，我们也可能被逐出湖畔。”
“火星不会让他们那么做的！”冬青叶听起来充满了震惊。
“火星很可能没有选择。”松鸦羽提醒道，“你知道，其他族群一直在指责火星收留独行猫。雷族也有一部分猫是这种想法，他们认为这么做削弱了雷族的实力。火星很可能为了他的族群利益，不得不把我们驱逐出去。”
火星的族群——不是他们的族群。弟弟对风险冷静的分析，让狮焰从头到爪尖都战栗起来。他不能再相信任何事情。他曾努力成为族群最好的武士。现在所有的一切都面临威胁，因为蜡毛知道了他们的秘密。“也许我们应该告诉松鼠飞。”他最终提议道。
“为什么？”冬青叶不同意，她的爪子在地面上挠出深深的爪痕，“她能做什么呢？我再也不想跟那个撒谎的猫说话了！”
“但是听起来，她似乎是唯一能影响蜡毛的猫。”松鸦羽提醒道。
“那么你去跟她说！”
“我们都去和她谈。”狮焰尽量让自己保持冷静，“告诉她一些事情，冬青叶。我们必须想尽一切办法来阻止蜡毛。”
狮焰没等妹妹同意，就挤出了武士巢穴后狭窄的缝隙，向空地走去。他的同窝猫也跟着走了出来，冬青叶绿色的眼睛里仍然闪着愤怒的光。
狮焰没在空地上找到松鼠飞的身影。他把头伸入武士巢穴的入口，看见她正在自己铺满苔藓的窝里打盹儿。“松鼠飞！”狮焰叫了一声。
暗姜黄色母猫抬起头，双眸中泛起一缕希望。狮焰顿时感到一阵同情。这是暴风雨后，他们第一次跟她说话，她一定希望他们已经原谅她了。
“我能跟你说句话吗？”狮焰发现武士巢穴里还有别的猫正在睡觉，于是小声地说道。
“好的。”松鼠飞急忙站起来，抖了抖粘在皮毛上的苔藓，“当然可以。”
当松鼠飞走出武士巢穴时，眼中的希望变成了担心，因为她发现三只猫都在武士巢穴外等着她。“出什么事了？”她问道。
“我听到蜡毛请求火星同意他参加下次的森林大会。”狮焰回答道。
他不用告诉松鼠飞那意味着什么。她吃惊得瞪大了双眼。“不……”她低语道。
“你打算怎么应对这件事？”冬青叶质问道，“还是说你根本不在乎？如果火星把我们驱逐出去，我可不敢保证你会不会在乎。”
松鼠飞甩动着尾巴尖，眼里涌动着愤怒。但她冷静地说道：“火星不会那么做的，他不会驱逐你们。”
“你怎么知道？如果我们不是族群猫呢？”松鸦羽问。
“你们……”松鼠飞停顿了一会儿，接着再次开口，“我保证你们不会被惩罚的。是我说了谎，就我自己。”
“我们的亲生母亲也说谎了，”冬青叶提醒道，她的声音里带着一丝怒意，“不管她是谁……”
狮焰期待地看着松鼠飞，但是她紧闭着嘴巴，没再说话。很显然，她不打算跟他们分享这个秘密。“我去跟蜡毛谈谈，”她说道，“我会让他明白，那样做是伤害不到我的，那样做只会毁了整个族群。他毕竟还是一位忠诚的武士，不会做损害雷族利益的事情。”她低下头小声说，“我很抱歉。”
没有猫回答她。两个心跳过后，松鼠飞转身走回武士巢穴。
“她可能认为蜡毛不会做有损族群的事。”松鸦羽说道，“但是我不这么想。我们必须有所行动。”
他转身向巫医巢穴走去。狮焰看着松鸦羽离开。这说起来容易，但是做起来就难多了。到底要怎么做，才能让蜡毛闭嘴呢？
那天夜里，狮焰的梦里全是鲜血。他的全身因充满力量而颤抖；他跳起来厮打着看不见的敌人，直到他的利爪抓住了那灰色的皮毛，黏稠的猩红色的鲜血在他的皮毛上流淌，血腥味沿着他的皮毛蔓延。
狮焰在武士巢穴里醒来的时候，灰色的晨光透过树枝照进来。周围大多数武士的窝都已经空了。他爬起来，感觉四肢僵硬，爪子沉重得就像真的战斗了一整夜。他打了个哈欠，伸长前爪，舒展着身体，活动着肩膀。
感觉清醒了些后，狮焰走进空地。蜡毛正在几条尾巴远的地方，招呼着在猎物堆旁聊天的云尾和亮心。狮焰看到了，顿时紧张起来。
“过来，”蜡毛喊道，“狩猎巡逻队的成员们。”
狮焰走到他的身边：“不介意我也加入你们吧？”
蜡毛吃惊地看了他一会儿，然后眯起眼睛说：“当然不。”
云尾和亮心跑过来，巡逻队开始向森林里进发。狮焰走在队伍的最后面。他知道蜡毛一定正在怀疑他的动机，毕竟他们仨在那场暴风雨后，就再没和他说过话。但他并不害怕蜡毛，而且狮焰要找个没有猫的地方，正式跟他谈谈。
狮焰不知道该怎样把蜡毛与云尾和亮心分开，但是他也不用担心。巡逻队踏上通往废弃的两脚兽巢穴小道时，云尾停了下来，嗅着空气。
“我想，我可以去两脚兽的花园里试试运气，”云尾说道，“有好一阵子，没有猫去过那里了。”
蜡毛耸耸肩：“我觉得你是在浪费时间，但是你想去就去。我们待会儿再来找你。”
云尾和亮心跳着走上了小道。蜡毛看到他们走出视线，便转向狮焰：“喂，你想怎么样？你要参加这次狩猎，不会是为了陪伴我吧？”
“当然不是。”狮焰坚定地回答道。狮焰发现，他很难不尊敬作为族猫和前任老师的蜡毛，但又非常厌恶他在暴风雨夜威胁他们，现在又用松鼠飞的秘密要挟他们。“我听到你请求火星，要参加下次的森林大会。我知道你想干什么。”
蜡毛抽了抽胡须：“所以呢？”
“我希望你不要那样做。不是因为我们，”狮焰补充道，“而是为了雷族。现在雷族的命运就掌握在你的爪子里。”
蜡毛深深叹了一口气。“想用对雷族的忠诚来要挟我？”他讥笑道，“松鼠飞早就跟我说过这个了。我告诉她，现在也原话转告你，现在没有哪只猫可以阻止我。”
狮焰感到脖子上的毛开始竖立起来。他弹出了自己的爪尖：“如果万不得已，我可以在战斗中打倒你。”
蜡毛立刻亮出了自己的爪尖，他的眼睛眯了起来，眼中闪烁着敌意。“你可以试试。”接着他放松下来，收起了自己的爪子，“忠诚的狮焰？攻击族猫的武士？你才不会这样做呢，这要冒着被雷族驱赶的危险。”
他轻蔑地喷出一口气，转身走开了，接着他回头看了狮焰一眼，“你被武士守则约束住了，就像我们所有猫一样。”
“那么武士守则允许你毁掉族群吗？”狮焰冲着蜡毛离开的背影喊道。
蜡毛没有理会他。狮焰盯着蜡毛，直到他的身影消失在灌木丛里。他不能让这只猫把雷族一直为之战斗的东西毁掉——这也是他一直以来为之战斗的。
“也许武士守则对我的约束，远达不到你认为的那种程度……”他喃喃说道。
第二十五章
 第二十五章
松鸦羽蜷缩在巫医巢穴的窝里，等待着睡意来临。狮焰已经告诉他今天在森林里和蜡毛的对话，还有淡灰色武士是如何拒绝他和松鼠飞的请求的。如果这样做没什么用，松鸦羽想，是时候试试别的办法了。
他打了个哈欠，往苔藓下面挪了挪身体。他想象自己穿过黑莓屏风，走出巫医巢穴，然后穿过空地来到武士巢穴，钻过武士巢穴入口的枝条。他在睡熟的猫中间小心地走着，最后来到蜡毛淡灰色的身体旁边。
在松鸦羽的想象中，他扒拉着苔藓，给自己做了一个窝，然后蜷缩在蜡毛的身边，跟着他呼吸的节奏，进入武士的梦境。
不一会儿，他感觉到一股狂风吹过皮毛，他醒了过来，发现自己正站在离影族边界不远的森林里。这里没有蜡毛的踪迹，但是森林看起来有些细微的不同——不仅仅是因为他能看得见，这里还有别的不同。影族的气息使他的毛竖立起来，就像即将和敌人展开战斗；他伸出利爪，做好准备。他觉得自己比平时更熟悉猎物的气息。
风吹得草伏在了地面上，落叶满地乱跑。松鸦羽扑到一片枯叶上，享受着枯叶在爪子下粉碎的声音；但在现实世界里，他看不见飞舞的落叶，所以玩不了这个游戏。
“你已经不是幼崽了。”他低声说道。
在同一个心跳的时间里，他听到一只猫穿过灌木丛。松鸦羽面前的蕨丛向两边分开，蜡毛从后面走了出来。他看见松鸦羽，吓了一跳，停了下来。
“你在这里干什么？”
松鸦羽耸耸肩。“我还想问你这个问题呢。”他走上前去，靠近蜡毛，用尾巴尖把蜡毛肩膀上的一片蕨叶掸掉了。
蜡毛脖子上的皮毛立起来：“你能看见！”
“当然了。你正在做梦，蜡毛。你不知道吗？”
淡灰色武士后退一步，深蓝色的眼睛里看起来有一丝疑惑：“我怎么会梦到你呢？”
“因为我想在没有其他猫打扰的时候，和你谈谈。在这里，你必须听我说话。”
蜡毛鼻子一哼：“我没必要听任何猫的话，更别说是一只瘦弱的巫医猫。另外我也知道你想说什么。你不就是想让我在下次森林大会上什么都别说吗？喂，你可以省点力气了。我就是要说我想说的话。我想要那只说谎的母猫被赶出雷族，而且其他族群也不会接受她。”
松鸦羽眯起了眼睛：“你会后悔的，蜡毛！”
淡灰色武士靠近松鸦羽，眼里的愤怒在燃烧：“你是在威胁我吗？我用一只爪子，就能轻而易举地撕开你的脖子。”
“试试看！”松鸦羽引诱道，“你忘了？这是一个梦。”蜡毛看起来有些惊慌，接着甩了甩尾巴，“是的，这是一个梦，这一切都是我想象出来的。那我就更没必要听你的了。”
“记住我的警告，蜡毛。”松鸦羽站起来，紧盯着族猫的眼睛，“我是一位巫医，我能传达星族的意志。如果你还是一意孤行，我会让你后悔的。”
蜡毛再次向后退了几步，直到他的臀部碰到了身后的蕨丛。“我的良心很干净，星族知道的。”他大吼道，“说谎的是松鼠飞。她不值得任何猫对她忠诚。”
他转过身，一头钻进灌木丛中。
松鸦羽站在原地看着他，直到面前晃动的枝条又恢复了平静。蜡毛听到了他的警告，但这会让他醒来之后有什么不一样吗？
第二天早晨，松鸦羽一直在巫医巢穴与叶池一起分拣草药。老师看上去有些心不在焉，似乎脑海里在想什么别的事情。
“我们需要更多的水薄荷，”叶池自言自语，“为治疗在暴风雨中受伤的猫，我们用去了很多。”
“不，这就是水薄荷。”松鸦羽把一枝草药在她鼻子下面晃了晃，“我们还存了很多。只是蓍草用光了。”
“噢，对……抱歉。”
叶池连水薄荷和蓍草都能弄混，这让松鸦羽有些不安。松鸦羽向巫医巢穴外走去。“我再去采些回来。”他回过头说。
在通道的入口处，松鸦羽听到几只猫从外面回来的声音，就站在原地等着他们。云尾第一个走进空地，后面跟着蜡毛。
“你想干什么？”让松鸦羽满意的是，淡灰色武士听起来显然被吓住了。愤怒和怀疑从蜡毛的皮毛上散发出来。
“我正等着出去。”松鸦羽平静地回答道。
蜡毛哼了一声，接着就听到白翅的声音：“蜡毛，你堵住入口了。”蜡毛气呼呼地哼了一声，然后跑开了。
松鸦羽带着蓍草返回时，在猎物堆旁边闻到了蜡毛的气息。他没有直接走进巫医巢穴，而是径直向那位淡灰色武士走去。当听见蜡毛站起来走开了，然后推开枝条钻入巢穴时，松鸦羽再次感到满意。
我让他紧张了！松鸦羽想着，回到了他的巢穴。但是这能够让他保持沉默吗？
第二十六章
 第二十六章
这是森林大会前的下午了。冬青叶感觉她的整个世界正一点一点地坍塌。她曾以为摆脱了日神，族群就会回归正常。但是与此相反，蜡毛威胁带来的恐惧，就像一棵随时会倒下的大树，笼罩着他们。蜡毛要毁掉所有的一切！
她的爪子发痒，坐卧不安。她钻出武士巢穴，来到了森林里。她感觉到非常无力，因为她知道自己不是三只猫中的一只。她对预言的信心，曾让她感到自己可以完成任何事情。但是蜡毛把它从她的心里夺走了。一只拥有群星力量的猫，肯定可以禁止一只猫说出让族群分裂的事情。但是平凡的冬青叶，不再是火星的至亲，她什么都做不了。
愤怒的热血在冬青叶的体内奔流。她停下来，爪子插进了潮湿的泥土。与其他事情相比，她最想成为预言中的一只猫。她想与众不同，想拥有别的猫所没有的使命。这是我应得的！内心的渴望就像饥饿带来的疼痛，撕扯着她的肚子。为了成为一名伟大的领袖，我比其他猫更努力地工作，我的足迹遍布所有的族群。我不能让蜡毛毁掉我所有的计划。
愤怒让她几乎喘不过气来，她继续向前走着。那场暴风雨过后，又下了几次雨，冬青叶只能择路跳过水坑，越过暴雨在地上刚冲刷出来的小溪。穿过蕨丛时，蕨叶上残留的雨水倾泻到了头上和肩膀上。她的皮毛也因为溅上许多泥点，变得一片斑驳。但是冬青叶继续朝前走着，根本没意识到自己在哪里。
强烈的雷族猫气息让她停下了脚步。当蜡毛从一棵树干长满疙瘩的橡树后走出来时，冬青叶跳了起来。“不要偷偷摸摸地跟着我。”她呵斥道。
“我没跟着你。”蜡毛反驳道，“如果你一定想知道我为什么在这儿，那么我告诉你，我正在检查风族边界附近的狐狸气息。上次蕨毛闻到的狐狸气息还在这里。”
冬青叶没有回答，只是和蜡毛面对面地站着。蜡毛深蓝色的眼睛警惕地圆睁着。“你想干什么？”他质问道。
“你怎么知道我想干些什么？”冬青叶问道。
有一瞬间，蜡毛看起来有些不安。“难道你不是想让我改变主意吗？就像松鼠飞和你的两只同窝猫一样？”
“不。”冬青叶看着淡灰武士的眼睛，心里感到一阵满足，“我知道我什么都干不了。是不是要背叛自己的族群，决定权在你。”
“背叛？”蜡毛后颈上的毛竖立起来，弹出了爪尖，“我没有背叛任何猫。松鼠飞才是叛徒，因为她撒谎了。”
“你不是在出卖族群？在那场战争过后没多久，就准备在其他族群面前削弱雷族？”冬青叶厌恶地呵斥道。
蜡毛冲着冬青叶抻长脖子，嘴唇后缩，咆哮道：“如果你还想恐吓我，没有用的。”
冬青叶站着没动。“你也吓不住我，”她大声喊道，“没什么比你那邪恶的想法更可怕了。你竟然一点也不担心说出那些话之后，会发生什么事！”
蜡毛眯起了眼睛。“我对揭开这个秘密后，肯定会发生的事情感到高兴。”他保证道。然后他不等冬青叶回答，就转过身，走进了森林。
太阳落在一大片参差不齐的乌云背后。火星召集族猫集合，准备去参加森林大会。黑暗悄悄地爬进空地，星星悄悄出现在残留着红色光芒的天空。
“蜡毛在哪里？”火星四处张望着问道。
冬青叶和狮焰交换了一个眼神。其他被选出来参加森林大会的武士——黑莓掌、尘毛、香薇云、灰条、云尾和炭心——都已经聚在族长的身边准备出发。叶池和松鸦羽正穿过空地走来。但是却没有看到淡灰色武士的身影。
火星的尾巴恼怒地甩动着：“他特意请求要参加今晚的森林大会，现在又不在这儿。我还吩咐松鼠飞参加，但是她也没到。”
“如果还要等他们，我们就要迟到了。”尘毛提醒道。
冬青叶紧张得肚子抽搐起来。她根本不愿意想起蜡毛，更别说要在这里等他了。如果他不在森林大会上出现，那对每只猫来说都会好得多。至于松鼠飞……冬青叶根本不在乎是不是还会再见到她。
“可能蜡毛已经先走了吧。”灰条猜测道。
“哼，如果他先走了，他也应该告诉我们一声的。”火星回答道，“我们出发吧！”
他带着大家穿过荆棘通道。冬青叶和狮焰、松鸦羽跟在队伍最后。她知道她的两个兄弟一定很想知道蜡毛在哪儿。她几乎能看到，他们内心的不安就像闪电穿过他们的皮毛。但是他们谁也没有提起蜡毛的名字。
众猫几乎就要走出通道时，松鼠飞才气喘吁吁地跟了上来。她的皮毛湿透了，此时缠绕在一起，上面还沾着许多泥点。“抱歉！”她上气不接下气地说，“我并不是故意让大家等的。”
黑莓掌飞快地舔了一下她的耳朵：“你干什么去了？”
“帮叶池采集草药，就在影族边界附近。”松鼠飞解释道，“小溪岸边的地面太泥泞了，我还滑倒了。”
“鼠脑子！”黑莓掌满怀爱意地嘟哝着，“你应当更小心一点。你还好吗？如果需要休息，你不参加森林大会也行。”
“我没事。”松鼠飞坚持道，“而且我不想错过这次森林大会。我已经好几个月没参加过了。”
“快点，我们已经误了时间。”火星在猫群的前面喊道。
火星开始向湖边进发。森林下的地面已经被最近的雨水浸透了，群猫不得不跳过泥坑，或者翻过被暴风雨刮下来的树枝。冬青叶几乎没有注意到爪子下的泥和小溪流。她感觉自己就像看着一条长长的隧道，这条隧道通往充满恐惧和背叛的黑暗的未来。她问自己，为了捍卫武士守则，一位武士应该怎么做？如果违反了武士守则，又会怎么样呢？
雷族猫走出森林，沿着湖边朝风族边界走去。一轮满月高悬在夜空中，将银辉铺满了湖面。冬青叶抬起头，发现乌云正向月亮渐渐逼近，虽然还没有遮挡住它的光辉。她咽了一口口水。武士祖灵们要开始表达它们的愤怒了吗？
火星摇着尾巴。“快点走，其他族群的猫要等着我们了。”他迈着轻盈的步伐在被月光照亮的森林里小跑起来，其他武士沿着湖岸，跟上了火星的步伐。
冬青叶依然和狮焰、松鸦羽跟在队伍的最后面。她看见火星突然在风族边界的溪岸边停了下来。灰条惊叫了一声，差点儿摔倒在地。
恐怖的预感充满了冬青叶的全身。她喷着鼻息冲了过去，她的肚皮摩擦着鹅卵石，尾巴在身后伸得直直的。狮焰紧跟在她的身后。
冬青叶来到岸边，挤进聚集在那里的猫群，向小溪看去。一具已经死了的猫的尸体正卡在爪下的岩石间，他的皮毛已经湿透了，看上去颜色有些发暗。他的尾巴随着水流摆荡着，仿佛他还活着一般。
尘毛第一个开口说道：“是蜡毛。”
第二十七章
第二十七章
狮焰把爪子深深地插进小溪的溪岸，尽力压下了一声慌乱的号叫。但是他对族猫的死没有感到一丝哀伤。蜡毛本想揭露那个会毁掉他们的秘密，现在那些可怕的话语永远无法说出口了。他和冬青叶对视一眼，看出妹妹也有同样的感觉。他希望，其他猫没有发现蜡毛的死让他们松了一口气。
“把他拉出来。”火星命令道。
尘毛跳进了小溪，溪水冲刷着他肚子上的皮毛。他用牙叼住蜡毛的肩膀，开始往岸边拖。
“小心点！”香薇云焦急地说道。
灰条也跳进了水里，走到蜡毛尸体的另一边。两位武士一起把蜡毛从岩石中间拖出来，放在了岸边。
叶池在蜡毛身边伏下来，把一只爪子放在他的胸口，并在他的身体上快速地嗅了一遍。松鸦羽站在老师身旁，胡须不停地抽动着。叶池抬起头：“他死了。”
“他是怎么死的？”炭心问道，她的蓝眼睛睁得大大的，“是掉进溪里淹死的吗？”
“我刚才就掉进了影族边界的溪里。”松鼠飞提醒他们。狮焰想，她是不是也和他们一样感到轻松。“溪水涨得这么高，很容易掉进去。”
云尾哼了一声：“蜡毛是一位强壮的武士。他不会像幼崽一样溺水的。如果我们想要知道他是怎么死的，就应该闻闻他身上有没有风族的气息。”
火星低头闻了闻蜡毛湿透了的尸体：“他身上没有风族的气息。”
“有可能被水冲掉了。”云尾提醒道。
“这件事我们之后再谈。”火星迅速朝四周看着，“尘毛，灰条，你俩能把蜡毛的尸体带回营地吗？其他猫必须继续前行，要不然其他族群会察觉我们出了事。”
“我也去吧！”狮焰请求道，“蜡毛曾是我的老师。”
火星点点头：“好。其他猫跟我走。”
当火星带着其他猫连蹚带游地渡过小溪时，狮焰和另两只族猫抬起蜡毛的尸体。蜡毛的尸体悬挂在他们中间，死后显得特别沉重，因此他们费力地带着它，穿过森林，向山谷进发。
刺掌正在营地的入口处警戒。看到他们把蜡毛抬进通道，他的毛立刻竖了起来：“怎么回事？”
尘毛对刺掌说明了情况，狮焰和灰条则抬着死去的武士来到了空地中央。狮焰看着蜡毛的尸体，月光洒在他湿透的淡灰色皮毛上，他看起来异常瘦小。很难想象，蜡毛的爪子曾握着那么大的力量，可以击垮他的族群，可以让松鼠飞蒙羞，还可以让这三只自以为是松鼠飞的孩子的猫受辱。
狮焰被身后传来的伤心欲绝的哀号吓了一跳，原来是白翅和桦落从武士巢穴走了出来。“他被狐狸袭击了吗？”她叫道。
狮焰摇摇头：“我们在风族边界的小溪里发现了他。看起来像是掉进了溪里。”
白翅颤抖着：“真是太可怕了！”
桦落用自己的鼻子蹭着她的鼻子。“你不要难过了！”他小声说，“想想肚子里的孩子。”
白翅点点头。她慢慢地走到蜡毛的尸体旁边，坐下来，把鼻子埋进他寒冷潮湿的皮毛里。桦落挨着白翅伏在地上，一块为蜡毛守灵。“他是一个好老师，”桦落悲伤地说道，“我会想他的。”
现在其他的武士都陆续走出了巢穴，围在蜡毛身边，震惊地彼此小声询问着。
“一定是风族干的，记住我的话。”鼠毛和长尾一起走过来时，说道。
“还是在森林大会的晚上，”蜜蕨的声音颤抖着，“星族一定会震怒的。”
“火星认为跟哪只猫都没关系，”灰条说，“蜡毛只是非常不幸。”
鼠毛质疑地哼了一声，弯下僵硬的关节，伏在蜡毛的尸体旁。狮焰抬起头，凝视着悬挂在树梢的月亮——乌云已经散开了。也许火星是对的，星族并没有表现出愤怒。
狮焰叹了口气，也蜷伏下来，把鼻子埋进前任老师的皮毛里。蜡毛的皮毛里除了泥巴和水的气息，闻不到其他味道。狮焰闭上眼睛，希望其他族猫没发现他的心里没有悲伤，只有放松和木然。
狮焰待在蜡毛身边，直到天空泛白，迎来黎明的第一缕曙光。其他猫走过来，围着蜡毛低声叫着。
最后狮焰听到荆棘通道处一阵响动，火星和其他参加森林大会的族猫返回了营地。狮焰伸展着僵硬的身体，看见冬青叶正朝他跑来。冬青叶的眼里还闪着愤怒的光芒。
“你肯定不会相信森林大会上发生了什么！”冬青叶嘶嘶地说道，“火星对蜡毛的事情只字未提。”
狮焰惊讶得竖起了毛：“他什么都没说吗？”
“什么都没说。”
有一两只猫好奇地注视着冬青叶。狮焰用尾巴碰了碰冬青叶的嘴，示意她安静，领着她来到离蜡毛尸体远一些的地方。
“他只说了些关于猎物的琐碎消息，”冬青叶继续愤怒地小声说道，“他还感谢武士祖灵对我们的守护。只说了这些。”
“好吧……也许他不想让雷族听起来很弱。”狮焰暗示道。
“我们才不会因为死了一只猫就变弱呢！”冬青叶争辩道。狮焰不明白她为什么这么生气。“每个族群的族长都会这样做。这是森林大会必有的一部分。”
“难道没有其他猫觉得有什么不对劲吗？”
冬青叶摇摇头：“很显然，擅长说谎的不止松鼠飞一只猫。”
“我觉得这没有你想的那么糟糕。火星一定有他自己的理由。而且乌云也没有遮住月亮，可见星族并没有因此而生气。”
冬青叶什么也没说，只是厌恶地哼了一声。
狮焰用鼻子轻轻地摩擦着冬青叶的鼻子：“来吧，让我们坐下来，为蜡毛守夜吧！”
妹妹的眼睛睁圆了：“为这只长满疥疮的肮脏猫守夜？我真不敢相信你会这么做！如果他多活一个晚上，整个族群就会被他毁了。”
冬青叶没等狮焰说话，便转身走进了武士巢穴。狮焰看着她离去的背影，心想睡过一觉，妹妹就不会再这么烦恼了。他走回蜡毛身边，坐了下来。
第二十八章
 第二十八章
松鸦羽跟着叶池回到营地。清晨的微风吹过空地，他能听到小鸟们开始在山谷上方的树林里歌唱。营地里一片寂静，到处弥漫着族猫悲伤和迷惘的情绪。松鸦羽感觉到，他们在努力适应蜡毛已死的现实。
他跟随叶池走进空地中央，蜡毛的尸体就停放在那里。松鸦羽闻到，蜡毛的皮毛上萦绕着寒冷、潮湿的气息，旁边是狮焰、桦落、白翅、刺掌等为蜡毛守夜的猫的气息。
“他一定觉得又湿又冷。”叶池低语着，在蜡毛身边蜷伏下来，“我们不该就这样送他前往武士祖灵身边。”
松鸦羽听到叶池舌头粗糙的声音，知道她正舔着死去武士的皮毛。悲伤不断地从她的身上散发出来，就像一位母亲在哀悼自己的孩子。她不会爱着蜡毛吧？松鸦羽想，她可是巫医啊！
渐渐地，聚在蜡毛身边的猫开始离开，回到了各自的巢穴。狮焰是最后一个离开的，他走之前用尾巴轻轻地拍了拍松鸦羽的肩膀。松鸦羽不知道还应该做点什么，于是在叶池的对面蹲伏下来，帮助她整理死去的武士的皮毛。松鸦羽舔了很长的一段时间，渐渐地开始犯困。
叶池倒抽冷气的声音让他顿时清醒过来。恐惧就像溪水一样，要把叶池吞没。“发生什么事了？”松鸦羽问道。
他听见叶池使劲舔着皮毛，然后她嘶嘶地说道：“过来看这个。”
松鸦羽差点儿就顶她一句说“我看不见”。不过他到底还是绕过了蜡毛的尸体，来到老师的身边。叶池浑身的肌肉都紧绷着，后颈上的毛也竖了起来。
松鸦羽抽了抽鼻子，闻到了鲜血和肉体的气息。他伸出一只爪子摸索着，发现蜡毛的喉咙有一处伤口，和被猎杀的猎物身上的伤口一样。
掉进溪水淹死的猫，身上是不会出现这种伤痕的。这明显是蓄意所为，是锋利的尖牙咬出来的。
“他不是淹死的。”叶池小声地嘶吼道，“是被杀害的！”
松鸦羽的思绪飞速旋转起来。如果叶池没有注意这位武士的尸体，可能谁也不会发现他是怎么死的。现在会发生什么事呢？
“我去报告火星。”叶池说道。
松鸦羽听见她跑过空地，朝落石堆跑去。不一会儿，那里便传来两只猫的爪子落地声。火星在松鸦羽的身旁蹲伏了下来，开始检查伤口。
“这会是谁干的呢？”火星听起来非常困惑。
“风族猫吗？”叶池提示道，心里的怀疑让她的声音又尖又细，“我们就是在风族边界发现他的。”
“你很清楚，他的身体上并没有风族猫的气息。”火星提醒道。松鸦羽感到族长正充满强烈的疑惑。“我知道溪水有可能把气息冲掉，但是……”他的声音柔和下来，就像是在和自己争论，“风族为什么要杀掉一位武士？是在警告我们什么吗？可是我们对风族并不构成威胁。”
“而且蜡毛是一只出生在族群里的猫。”松鸦羽插话道，“风族没理由和他发生争执。”
“是的。”火星喃喃自语道。松鸦羽听见他正抓挠着爪子下的泥土。“但如果不是风族……那么杀死蜡毛的凶手，就一定在雷族。”
“不！”叶池恐慌的低语，像猎鹰的爪尖穿透了松鸦羽的身体，“雷族猫不会做这种事的。一定是风族猫干的。”在松鸦羽听来，叶池试图说服火星的同时，也是在说服她自己。“现在我们该怎么办？”她紧张地问道。
族长踌躇了一会儿。“我们不能对遗体不敬。”他最后决定，“我们先请长老们把他安葬了，然后我再跟族猫们说。”
“我去请鼠毛和长尾。”叶池说道。
松鸦羽等在那里。长老们从长老巢穴里走出来，其他猫也聚拢过来，跟蜡毛做最后的告别。叶池一定是用蜡毛周围的皮毛把伤口掩盖起来了，因为似乎没有猫注意到它。
当鼠毛和长尾抬着淡灰色武士的遗体走出空地时，黑莓掌走到火星身边。“我带着黎明巡逻队沿着风族边界巡逻。”他说道，“也许那里会有残留的痕迹，可以告诉我们到底发生过什么事。”
“好主意！”火星回答道，“但是你等一会儿再去，我有些话要对所有的猫说。”
松鸦羽感觉到副族长有些不解，接着就听到狮焰在他的耳边小声问道：“接下来会发生什么事？”
松鸦羽有些想告诉狮焰，他发现了什么。但他不知道该怎样措辞。这个发现太过重大，他不敢想象会带来怎样的后果。“你马上就知道了。”他回答道。
松鸦羽站在哥哥身边，爪子不安地抓着地面的泥土，等待长老们返回营地。冬青叶走到他俩身边，从她的身体里散发出来的焦虑，就像群蜂出巢一般。“有些可怕的事情要发生了！”她小声说，“我能感觉到。”
鼠毛和长尾终于钻出了荆棘屏障，来到了空地上。火星爬上高石台。松鸦羽听见他提高音量，让在营地每个角落的猫都能听见。
“所有能独自狩猎的猫，请到高石台下集合，参加族群大会。”
大多数的族猫已经来到了空地上。松鸦羽听到黛西和米莉也带着幼崽，从育婴室走了出来。狐爪和冰爪跑到空地中间，突如其来的召唤没让他们担忧，反倒使他们有些兴奋。松鸦羽闻到松鼠飞的气息就在不远处。
“对于蜡毛的死，我们有了新的发现。”看到所有的猫都到了场，火星开口说道，“这不是一次单纯的意外。在他的咽喉处有一个伤口，也就是说，他是被杀死的。”
惊讶的号叫声从空地上响起。当松鸦羽听到这个可怕的事实被说出来的时候，他的肚子抽搐起来。他能感觉到，冬青叶和狮焰的身体都僵住了，也能感到他们的恐惧。恐惧和悲伤也从松鼠飞的身上向他扑来。
“是狐狸干的吗？”尘毛问道。他提高声音，盖过了群猫们的喧哗。
“我们没有发现狐狸的气息。”火星再次开口时，周围陷入死一般的寂静，“如果是狐狸，狐狸会吃掉他。”
“会不会是他掉进水里时，被石块或者树枝划破了喉咙？”松鼠飞问道。松鸦羽知道，她多么希望事实和她自己的假设一样。
“我怀疑不是。”火星告诉她，他的声音里充满了遗憾，就像是他也希望松鼠飞说的是真的，“是一道清晰的伤口，就像武士捕杀猎物时留下的伤口一样。”
“你是说，是一只猫杀了他？”云尾的声音里充满了怀疑。
“是风族猫！”刺掌咆哮道，“他们一定是在边界附近发现了他，然后把他杀了。我们现在就对他们发起攻击！”
随着他的话，空地上发出了赞同的猫叫声。过了许久，火星才让大家再次听自己说话。
“我们不能这么快做决定。”他警告他的族猫，“蜡毛的尸体上并没有风族猫的气息。事实上，我们根本没有证据可以证明，他是被别的族群的猫杀死的。”
空地上顿时充满冰冻般的寂静。蕨毛终于打破了寂静，他声音颤抖着问道：“你是说，是我们中的一只猫杀了蜡毛？”
松鸦羽的心剧烈地跳动着，他静静地等待着火星的回答。他身边的两只同窝猫也很紧张，他也能听到松鼠飞屏住了呼吸，就像窒息了一般。
“你们谁知道，雷族里的哪只猫有让蜡毛去死的理由吗？”火星问道。
就在松鸦羽的身旁，狮焰和冬青叶为自己知道的事情颤抖着。在稍远的地方，松鼠飞屏住了呼吸。松鸦羽知道，他们都想起了悬崖顶上的那一幕，想起在暴风雨和烈火中，松鼠飞说出的秘密。就是它，也只有它，才会成为蜡毛死亡的原因。
现在，为了他们自己，也为了他们的族群，他们必须同心协力，让这个事实永远被隐藏起来。
特别感谢基立•鲍德卓